The Demon Slayers Sidekick

Have you ever heard of the story of the Demon Slayer?

Judging by your response, either you haven't, or you’re thinking of a Demon Slayer completely unrelated to this tale.

But moving past that for now, I think it'd probably be best to start at the beginning of this story. So, allow me to tell you the tale of the both Demon Slayer and his sidekick.

It all began a little over twenty years ago. It was a night like any other when an angel suddenly flew down from the heavens and landed in front of a young boy.

Unlike the others watching, the boy showed no fear. All he did was watch the angel with a sparkle in his eyes. Smiling, the angel patted the boy on the head as its hand began to glow.

“I bestow these powers on you, my boy. When you grow older, use these powers for the good of this world.”

Not quite sure what to think of those words, the boy simply nodded his head.

Seeing his response, the angel’s smile grew wider before it ascended back to the heavens. Never to be seen again.

Since that day, the boy trained day and night in preparation for his one and only goal. What was said goal? After having finally understood the angel's message, the boy thought about the evils in this world and found one true evil rose above all others. That evil was none other than the Demon Lord known as Darterest, a terrible demon who’d been spreading terror across the entire world.

"One day, I swear I'll slay the Demon Lord no matter what!"

Much to the adult's surprise, the boy seemed completely unfazed as he declared this goal to the world. In fact, he seemed quite excited at the thought.

And so, using the gifts given to him by the angel, the boy trained his hardest to grow strong enough to defeat Darterest.

A few years later, the boy set out at the age of twelve and officially started his journey.

However, not too long after his quest had begun, he found himself struggling to manage everything that he needed for his quest. As skilled as he was with a blade, he wasn’t very good with finances, or equipment management among other things. Soon enough, he found himself constantly struggling to keep up with the world around him.

That was when he appeared. A young demi-human who was amazed by the boy and admired his goal to defeat Darterest. And then, without hesitation, the young demi-human asked to join the boy’s party.

The boy almost wanted to reject this demi-humans request. However, he found himself intrigued by the young demi-human's attitude. Thus, the boy brought on the demi-human to work under him as his sidekick.

With that settled, the two trained together for almost a full year before finally beginning their quest to slay the Demon Lord.

Three more years passed.

Even though many hardships had befallen them, they still fought onward and eventually made it to the castle of the Demon Lord Darterest.

The two fought battle after battle to the best of their abilities before finally reaching the chamber of Darterest himself.

Despite their struggles, the Demon Slayer refused to admit defeat. And after what felt like an eternity, he finally managed to defeat Darterest once and for all.

The boy, who was now at the age of sixteen, was worshiped all over the land as he was officially given the title of Demon Slayer.

With all the cheers and celebration, it looked like the world was finally at peace. And both the Demon Slayer and his sidekick could finally rest easy...at least that was how it was supposed to be. However, less than two weeks after the destruction of Darterest, the Demon Slayer’s sidekick suffered a great loss.

Because of said loss, despite understanding stuff like this was bound to happen when hanging around the Demon Slayer, the sidekick left the Demon Slayer’s side without any hesitation. The person who was once considered the Demon Slayer’s most trusted and loyal companion had left him behind.

Knowing how it was when it came to his friend's feelings, all the Demon Slayer could do was simply hold back his tears as he let his best friend go.

However, right before he left, the Demon Slayer's sidekick stopped and turned around. In almost a whisper he said: “Come find me in ten years. If you do, then I’ll return to adventuring with you once more.”

With that, the two parted ways.

The Demon Slayer continued to fight evil all across the land and ended up saving the world on several more occasions.

But what became of his sidekick remains a mystery to this day.

However, despite everything he did to help the Demon Slayer on his journey, none cared about what had become of him as long as the true hero, the Demon Slayer, continued to thrive.

That was, at least. until ten years had finally passed, and the Demon Slayer announced to the world he would set out once more to find his old and trusted companion from so long ago.

With that, we’ve reached the end of that tale. While we may one day discuss the adventures the Demon Slayer and his sidekicks went on as they journeyed to defeat the Demon Lord in greater length, for now, a new adventure was about to begin.

Somewhere off to the south, a little ways away from the capital of IronForm, a little town named Gogonai bustled with activity.

From the men and women hanging up streamers to the children blowing up balloons with smiles on their faces. Everywhere you went, someone was doing something.

Among them, a boy who seemed to be in his late teens made his way down the street carrying a basket of apples.

While he was walking, he noticed someone he recognized stepping out of their house who looked like they’d just woke up and he called out to them.

“Hey Rorio, you doing well today?”

The boy had a beaming smile on his face as he asked this.

Hearing his voice, the person the boy called out to known as Rorio turned around and responded with a simple shrug.

“Y'know, the average I guess,” he replied.

The boy holding the basket put it down on the ground and walked up in front of Rorio.

The boy speaking was Sodu Fruveo. He had short, light brown hair that stopped right above his neck, as well as bright brown eyes. In terms of looks, he looked like the very definition of an average villager. Nothing stood out about him and no one really thought much about him. Being quite aware of his own appearance, he found himself pondering how he became familiar with someone like Rorio.

Rorio, in comparison, had sharp black hair, and dark blue eyes. And even though he wore clothes similar to Sodu, he clearly had some muscle on him that showed he kept himself in good shape.

The two of them looked so different from each other, that it was hard to believe the two actually considered each other good friends.

As he stared at Rorio, Sodu noticed he was looking around confused.

“Something wrong?”

“Hm? Oh. I was just wondering what all the decorations were for.”

As Sudo looked around the two of them, he saw streamers, balloons, and banners being hung up all over the place.

Having already understood why they were there, Sodu turned back to Rorio.

“Didn’t you hear? Apparently, the Demon Slayer is coming to our village to see if his old sidekick is living here.”

Rorio’s eyes went wide with surprise.

“That so?”

He then looked back at the decorations.

“I guess that’s exciting. But is all this really necessary? The sidekick or whatever he is might be might not even be here.”

Sodu shrugged.

“That may be, but according to what I’ve heard, if people set up a party for the Demon Slayer before he arrives, he hangs around for a bit to sign autographs and interact with the townsfolk. Once word got around about that, everyone immediately started to prepare everything they could in hopes he’d stick around for a little bit before he had to set off again.”

Seeing the excitement in Sudo’s eyes as he talked about the rumors, all Rorio could do was chuckle awkwardly. He wasn’t that interested, but seeing how much Sudo was looking forward to this, he just tried his best to smile and let Sudo have his fun.

“Well with how much everyone seems to be working, I hope he sticks around like you want him to,” Rorio said in hopes of not souring Sudo’s attitude.

Sudo nodded excitedly but soon found himself frowning at the lack of thrill on Rorio’s face.

“Shouldn't you be at least a little more excited about this event?”

Rorio scratched the back of his head and sighed.

“Sorry. I’m just not really one for festivities. But don’t let my feelings ruin your mood. I’m sure it’s quite exciting for you to see the Demon Slayer for yourself.”

A little disappointed by his words, Sodu nodded in understanding before hoisting up his basket of apples and started making his way off.

Just before he left, however, Rorio turned to him.

“Hey Sodu, before I forget to ask, do you think you can assist me after you’re done with that? I need someone to help me get some wheat delivered to Uncle Stiff before lunch or he's gonna flip.”

Facing Rorio, Sodu nodded.

“Sure, I can do that.”

Hearing that, Rorio smiled and thanked him before walking off to do whatever he did in the morning while Sodu continued making his way down the street.

After dropping off the basket of apples, Sodu found Rorio and the two of them went and picked up the wheat before heading over to Uncle Stiff's barn.

This wasn’t an uncommon thing for Rorio to do. In fact, he frequently delivered stuff to his Uncle Stiff. The surprising part was that said barn was quite a ways away from the village. As such, Sudo found himself amazed that Rorio was willing to make the trip there and back as often as he did.

When they reached said barn, they found Uncle Stiff lying in a rocking chair on his porch.

Uncle Stiff looked to be around his mid-forties. Similar to Sodu, he wore the exact outfit to represent his part in society. Meaning he looked like the epitome of the farmer archetype with a set of dirty overalls, a bald forehead with thin lines of hair wrapped on the sides of his head, as well as a hoe off to the side for plowing in the fields. He even had a snore loud enough to wake a rooster. Sadly, Sodu and Rorio had to learn this firsthand.

As Sodu and Rorio stared at him, Uncle Stiff continued snoring loudly.

Growing irritated at the sight in front of him, Rorio walked up to Uncle Stiff and shook his shoulder.

“Wake up you old geezer,” Rorio mumbled, irritated.

Slowly, Uncle Stiff stopped snoring. However, rather than opening his eyes, he suddenly jumped out of his chair screaming which caused Rorio to jump back in surprise.

“I ain’t ever gonna let you take my liver ya hear me!!” Uncle Stiff shouted as he grabbed hold of his hoe ready to swing.

However, as his vision cleared, he saw Sodu and Rorio standing in front of him.

“Oh, Rorio. Sorry bout that. I was dreaming bout my old adventur'n days and mistook you for a monster tryin to steal my liver.”

“What kind of monster would want to steal your liver?” Rorio asked shaking his head.

Going off to put the wheat in the barn, Rorio left Sudo and Uncle Stiff to talk to each other.

“So you really think the Demon Slayer will find his sidekick out here in our village Mr. Stiff?”

Still excited about the Demon Slayer’s arrival, Sodu decided to ask someone like Mr. Stiff, who was a self-proclaimed famous adventurer, what he thought about the whole thing.

Uncle Stiff nodded.

“I’m positive. That’s what my adventurers gut is tellin me and it’s never been wrong. Plus, if you remember, the guy's sidekick is said to be a real strong demi-human. And if I remember correctly, we have quite a few there in the village you guys live in.”

Sodu nodded in agreement.

“You’re right. If I remember correctly, we have six demi-humans living in the village. All of which are quite strong in their own areas of expertise.”

Having finished putting away the wheat, Rorio returned to the two right in the middle of their discussion.

They quickly caught him up and he gave his own thoughts.

“Well, you could limit it down that number a little more. If you take into account that Demi-Human's age slower than humans do. Using how long it’s been as a reference, they probably don't look very different from whatever age they were once they retired. So we'd have to think about the Demi-Humans who are on the younger-looking side.”

“That's not a bad idea, but that only eliminates two candidates. That still leaves four left.”

After saying that, Sudo scratched his head in frustration.

Uncle Stiff, apparently done with the conversation, leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes.

“Well whoever it is, come on over and tell me when you get the chance. I’d love to know who it was.

“You’re making it sound like the Demon Slayer's sidekick is definitely here in this village,” Rorio stated as he gave his Uncle Stiff a look of suspicion.

Uncle Stiff shrugged.

“I just listen to what my gut says. It’s usually right on the money.”

Having said that, Uncle Stiff began rocking his chair a little as he got into a more comfortable position.

“Anyway, I still gotta catch up on some Z's, so I'll see ya two later.”

Not giving them a chance to respond, Uncle Stiff passed out almost instantly.

Upon seeing that, Rorio let out a frustrated sigh.

“How can you be tired when you didn’t even move from your seat, you old geezer?”

Sudo chuckled awkwardly before he and Rorio turned around and went on their way.

As they walked back, Sudo and Rorio decided to continue the conversation from before.

“So the only candidates left for the position are Soul, Sammy, Gola, and Finji. Which do you think it is?” Sodu asked.

“Hm...that's a pretty tough call. While each has their own skill in terms of prowess, none of them have what a Demon Slayer would need in a sidekick.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, Soul is skilled when it comes to having physical strength, but he’s also kinda dumb. As for Gola, I’d say she the exact opposite where she’s crazy smart, but lacking in physical abilities. Sammy’s kind of a wimp and rarely leaves his house, and Finji’s claimed he’s never been one for adventure. Taking all that into account, none of them feel like the correct answer.”

Knowing Rorio had a point, the two of them both let out a frustrated sigh at the exact same time before they continued discussing their theories until they made it back to the village.

Walking through the streets, Sudo and Rorio heard cheers of excitement in the air.

Rorio turned toward the direction of the cheers with a confused look on his face.

“What do you think’s going on over there?”

After thinking about it for a moment, Sodu’s eyes started to sparkle.

“Maybe the Demon Slayer is finally here! Let’s go check!”

Rorio held out his hands as if to say “Hold on a second” and then scratched the back of his head.

“Er...Maybe in a bit. I’ve got a few more things I need to do. How about you go on ahead?”

“Oh...You sure?”

“Yeah. I’ll catch up to you in a few minutes.”

A little disappointed, Sodu nodded in understanding.

“Got it. See you there!”

The two waved goodbye to each other and went their separate ways.

Thus, Sudo began making his way toward the cheers of excitement as fast as he could.

Finally reaching the crowd of people, Sodu saw a stage had been set up in the middle of the crowd. And once he saw who was standing on the stage, the smile on his face grew even wider.

“Hey everyone, I've come to bring my sidekick back to my side and I'm positive he's among you!”

The person’s voice was filled with so much energy and prestige, there was no doubt it was the voice of a legendary warrior.

There was no mistaking it. This was, in fact, the Demon Slayer himself.

Sodu pushed through the crowd to get a better look.

The person standing on the stage was a man who looked to be in his late twenties to early thirties. He had puffy short bright brown hair, a chiseled face, a black t-shirt, both a metal chest plate and shoulder pads, long black pants, a set of dark brown shoes, and a smile that instantly won over every girl within the stage’s vicinity.

This was him, the Demon Slayer. The legendary warrior that slayed the Demon Lord Darterest and saved this world from destruction on multiple occasions.

The Demon Slayer let out a laugh as he looked around at the crowd.

“I'm sure he's here. I can feel it!”

Sodu listened to his words with a sparkle in his eyes.

The Demon Slayer continued to scan the crowd when his head suddenly stopped moving.

His smile suddenly grew wide and the Demon Slayer stepped off the stage.

Pushing through the crowd, the Demon Slayer began walking straight toward Sodu.

Surprised, Sodu took a few steps back.

“Wait. Is he coming up to me? Why? I'm not his sidekick!” thought Sodu as he saw the hulking figure of the Demon Slayer walking toward him.

The Demon Slayer was getting closer by the minute. Panicking, Sodu looked around confused.

“He's getting closer! What should I do?''

The Demon Slayer got even closer and Sodu was losing his mind.

“What do I do!? What do I do!?”

Sodu had no idea what was going on. Did the Demon Slayer think he was his old sidekick? As much of an honor as that would’ve been, Sudo was just your average villager with nothing special about him.

With the Demon Slayer being less than a few steps away, Sudo closed his eyes-

“....?”

-and the Demon Slayer walked right past him.

Sodu let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh thank goodness. I was starting to worry I’d have to clear up a misunderstandi-”

“I knew it was you! I’m so happy to see you again R-!”

CRASH!

Jumping in surprise, Sodu turned around to find the Demon Slayer on the ground, groaning in pain as a guy with blue hair that looked to be in his teens pinned him down.

“Dammit, Domino! Why can't you just let me live my life in peace!” the man shouted angrily.

Sodu stared at him in complete shock. Completely amazed at how easily this man threw the Demon Slayer onto the ground.

Just then, the man seemed to notice the crowd staring at him and he released the Demon Slayer with an awkward chuckle.

Recomposing himself, the man spoke to the crowd.

“Uh...Wow. I never knew I was strong enough to do something like that! Heh heh heeeh....”

“...”

There was nothing but silence after those words. It seemed the man had wanted to just play it off as an accident but no one appeared to be buying it.

At a moment, a realization hit Sudo as he looked closer at the strange man.

Stepping forward, he spoke up.

“Rorio?”

Hearing that, the man turned to Sudo letting out a frustrated groan.

Indeed. Standing in front of Sudo was none other than Rorio.

While his hair color was different from before, he still had the same face and wore the same clothes. Making it all too easy for Sodu to recognize him.

Seeing how shocked Sodu was, Rorio scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

At this point, Rorio knew he wasn’t able to make up any believable excuses and just rubbed his eyes.

“Allow me to introduce myself to everyone. My name’s Rorio Alvas. Believe it or not, I’m the Demon Slayer's sidekick.”

Letting his words sink in, Rorio let out another sigh as he stood there awkwardly.

The Demon Slayer that Rorio called Domino popped back up a moment later and let out a hearty laugh.

“Oh, man Rorio. You still pack quite a wallop. It's good to see you, old friend.”

“Tsk.”

CRASH!

After clicking his tongue in annoyance, Rorio smashed Domino into the ground once more.

While he twitched in pain, Rorio glared at Domino.

“Why the hell are you here Domino?”

Rorio already knew the answer, but he was too angry to realize that. Something about seeing Domino again seemed to irritate him.

Domino laughed heartily once more as he got up and put his hand on Rorio's shoulder.

“Isn't it obvious? It's been ten years! I've come to retrieve you so we can continue our adventures together once more!”

Rorio rolled his eyes. Even after that explanation, Rorio still didn’t like how touchy-feely Domino was getting and was about to slam him onto the ground again only to notice the people watching were clearly growing quite agitated with how he was treating Domino.

So trying his best to hold himself together, he let out a frustrated sigh.

Sodu looked at the two of them still completely dumbfounded.

He wasn't the only one either. Several people there were still watching with shock on their faces.

With a grin, Domino shouted out, “Everyone! This is him! The Demon Slayer's Sidekick!”

Domino’s words hung in the air for several moments.

And after a few seconds of silence, the crowd erupted into cheers. Apparently happy to hear Domino had found who he was searching for.

Not too long after, the cheers began to subside and a woman walked up to Domino and Rorio.

She stood in front of Rorio and bowed politely.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Demon Slayers sidekick.”

Lost on who this girl was, Rorio turned to Domino.

“Oh right! You haven't met one another yet. Rorio, this is Filora. She's been traveling with me for the last eight months as per the request of her father King Melodis.”

Upon hearing that, Rorio took a quick look at Filora.

She had long blonde hair that was tied into a ponytail, a light blue long-sleeved shirt that was mostly covered up by her breastplate, dark grey pants, brown shoes, and a leather bag that she hung over her shoulder.

She gave Rorio a smile that caused several men still hanging around to blush.

However, her beauty didn’t seem to register with Rorio.

“Whatever,” he replied in a bored tone as he rolled his eyes.

Upon hearing that, Filora's smile twitched slightly.

Clearly uninterested in talking any further, Rorio began to walk off.

“Wait! Where are you going Rorio!? We've just been reunited! You could at least show a little more enthusiasm!”

Cleary upset at Rorio's cold response, Domino reached out his hand to grab him only for Rorio to duck out of the way and continue walking. Slightly put off by Rorio’s attitude, Filora let out an awkward chuckle.

As he watched the three interact, Sodu couldn’t help but watch them with a dumbfounded expression on his face.

Rorio glanced over at him for a moment before letting out a sigh and making his way back toward his house.

Upon returning home, Rorio walked over to his stove and saw a pot sitting there with boiling water lying inside it.

Realizing Domino might notice him if he stepped outside, Rorio had prepared to spend the entire day hiding inside his home. Sadly, he forgot to go pick up some potatoes for the stew he was planning to make so he decided to risk stepping out in order to get some.

Sadly, he not only failed to avoid being noticed, but he also stormed back home in a huff and completely forgot about the potatoes.

Letting out a frustrated groan, Rorio poured some water under his stove to cool down the coal beneath and he grabbed hold of the hot water.

“Guess I’ll just make a sandwich,” he mumbled before pouring out the hot water and walking over to the kitchen counter to grab a loaf of bread.

As he did so, however, he heard a knock on the door.

Since he was already all too aware of who it was, he didn’t even bother to answer. He simply tried his best to ignore it.

Sadly, that didn’t end up doing much as Domino opened up his door without any hesitation a few moments later.

“Whoa. This is a nice place you got here Rorio!”

Domino started to mess the place up and Filora just sat down at Rorio’s kitchen table. Letting out another groan, Rorio angrily at his unwelcome guests.

“Remind me again when I let you guys come  into my house.”

“Oh come on Rorio! Best friends shouldn't have to worry about small things like this!”

“What’s small about messing up my house!?”

The two went on a back-and-forth dispute between each other for several minutes before Rorio rubbed his eyes.

Clearly about to snap, Rorio finally flung the two intruders out of his house and slammed the door behind them.

Having watched how the two interacted up until now, Filora turned to Domino with a rather stiff smile.

“He uh...definitely has character.”

Domino shrugged.

“He can get pretty cranky from time to time, but I'm sure the call of adventure is reaching out to him. I just know it!”

Having said that, Domino and Filora decided to give Rorio space for now and left to go explore the town.

Around an hour later, Rorio left his house and made his way over to a grassy field outside the village where he found himself lying down on the ground while getting his thoughts together.

Hearing footsteps coming from behind him, Rorio looks up to find Sodu standing there.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked with a smile.

Rorio shrugged.

“Go right ahead.”

Sodu lied down next to him and looked up at the sky.

“Sooo...You’re the Demon Slayer's sidekick, huh?”

“Yup. Surprising?

“A little. I just thought the sidekick was a demi-human, that’s all.”

“Hm? Oh yeah. I guess my disguise didn’t fully slip, did it?”

“Huh?”

Rorio stood up and faced Sodu. Suddenly a pair of wolf ears and a wolf tail popped up onto Rorio's body.

“Whoa! You’re a Demi-Human!”

Rorio nodded, slightly uncomfortable.

“I've personally never really liked my ears and tail, so I just hide them away using a special type of magic that lets you hide certain features on your body.”

After he said that, Rorio’s ears and tails vanished with only his change in hair color remaining. Making him look human once more.

Laying back down on the ground, Rorio went back to thinking as Sodu laid there next to him.

“So, I guess you’re leaving then?”

Rorio let out a sigh.

“If I had a choice in the matter, then no. But it's a promise I made. And I intend to keep it.”

“...I see.”

There was a calm silence between them for a few minutes after that. Then Sodu opened his mouth.

“I'm gonna miss ya. I hope our paths will cross again.”

Rorio shrugged.

“Who knows? Maybe they will, maybe they won't.”

With how uncertain the future was, it was impossible to know for sure if these two would ever meet again. Still, even if the chance was small, the two hoped they’d cross paths once more.

With nothing else to say, the two of them went back to lying on the ground in silence for what felt like hours.

“Well, that's enough of that.”

Having cleared his head, Rorio got onto his feet as Sodu sat up to look at him.

“Good luck,” he said as Rorio started to walk off.

Rorio waved his hand back at him before making his way off the grassy plain.

As Rorio walked through the streets, he took note of all the memories he made in this village. His days of peace were finally at their end and it was time to return to the world of adventure once more.

Making his way over to the road leaving the village, Rorio saw Domino waving at him in the distance.

To his surprise, a feeling of excitement started to well up inside Rorio and a small smile spread across his face.

Rorio reached Domino and Filora and Domino grinned before making an expression like he’d just remembered something.

“Oh. I probably should’ve mentioned this back at your house, but we'll be making our way to Filora's home, the kingdom of Storm first to give our report on how things are going on our journey so far. Is that good with you, Rorio?”

Rorio gave him a shrug to which Domino took as an “I’m cool with that.”

“All right, guys! Then to the kingdom of Storm we go!” Domino shouted happily as he began walking down the path leaving the village.

Filora followed close behind him while Rorio took up the rear. As he looked up at the sky, Rorio listened in on the conversation Domino and Filora were having when something Filora said caught his attention. But thinking it best to ignore that for now, Rorio just followed the two of them from behind as they continued their conversation.

Little did Rorio know, however, that what he heard would lead both him, as well as Domino down a dangerous path that would change their new journey forever.