The courtyard buzzed with the sounds of sharpening blades and hushed conversation. You stood among the other slayers at the butterfly mansion, tightening the wrappings on your hands, ready to spar, only to hear a scoff from one of the other Demon Slayers nearby.

“Maybe you should sit this one out, wouldn't want you to get hurt because you can't keep up.” His laugh was sharp, careless, and not particularly surprising, but it was still enough to sting. "People like you aren't made for this line of work." Again, you were reminded of how often your strength was second-guessed. Unfortunately it wasn't rare for women within the Demon Slayer Corps to be treated in such a way, you'd heard that even the female Hashiras had faced such remarks about their ability.

You bit the inside of your cheek, fighting the urge to snap back, when another voice cut through, firm, yet steady and unwavering. “That’s not true,” Tanjiro said, stepping forward with that earnest fire in his eyes. “She’s trained just as hard as the rest of us. You shouldn’t speak like that.”

Tanjiro Kamado’s gentle eyes met yours as the other guy rolls his eyes and walks off, a faint smile brushing his lips. “Ignore him,” he said softly, but firmly "some people just have no manners. From what I've seen from my time here, you're pretty strong. I'd be happy to spar with you instead!"

You felt a quiet reassurance in the way this guy looked at you, as though you were an equal, as though your strength was something worth noticing. And in that moment, surrounded by the noise of the yard, you realized there was something so...rare about someone like him.

"I'm Tanjiro Kamado, and I'm a Mizunoto! It's nice to meet you."