Author's Note: I meant to get this out for Valentine's Day since it was meant to be romantic including a little something lemony. Unfortunately I missed my deadline, but maybe you can still enjoy it.

Tanjiro fiddled with the rocks glass in his hand, turning it around and around on the glossy bar. The caramel colored liquid inside sloshed around the single large spherical ice cube. Leaning forward, he could see his reflection in the highly polished lacquer layered onto the warm golden brown maple wood.

After these many long years, he still looked the same. Cursed with seemingly never ending time and blessed, if he would dare to call it blessed, with a face and body that never aged, he appeared to be twenty-five. Twenty-five is the age when he died an unexpected and temporary death. His present state of eternal youth and semi-immortal existence was all her fault.

In actuality his age was over a century because more than a hundred years had passed since his transformation into something else - a special and unique demon like her. He might be as hold as one hundred and twenty. Possibly one hundred and twenty-five. Or more. He had lost count a few decades ago and no longer cared to keep up with it. Too much time had passed for him to recall exactly.

He glanced at his watch. A gold one with diamonds set into the arrow-like ends of the hands. Expensive and pretentious. Another gift of time from her he had not wanted or asked for. Hopefully she would be here soon. She was already twenty minutes late.

Picking up the glass, Tanjiro took a long sip of the liquid. Bitter to his tongue and warm down his throat, the vile alcohol heated his insides giving his cold, dead existence some warmth. Though he hated the taste, the alcohol offered some comfort to his hurting soul; a small reprieve from the gnawing pain because it numbed his mind and senses. She had become his true drug of choice, and he eagerly awaited her arrival for a fix.

His cell phone buzzed, vibrating on top of the bar to make a knocking sound on the wood, almost like a woodpecker tapping on a tree. Such an amazing time he lived in presently. The world had become filled with unusual and incredible things that had once been unimaginable to him.

Over the decades, he had seen so many remarkable advances and inventions. But behind all the technological marvels, the gadgets and scientific breakthroughs, mankind stayed the same.

Tanjiro slid his thumb up the slick and cool glass screen. It glowed softly, the dozens of icons coming to light. A text message. From her.

Sorry. Running late. Will be there soon.

He turned off the phone after reading the message, slipping it into the breast pocket of his jacket.

Demons remained the same as well. This woman, the demon who consumed his life, his humanity, his heart, was coming to him. She was the one who had given him this curse after all. She was also infuriatingly, chronically late.

Over the last century they had indulged in an interesting and unusual game of cat and mouse, chasing each other through time and around the world. Two decades into the twenty-first century he tracked her down in New York City. She preferred visiting the United States. She had always enjoyed their fashion trends.

The cell phones, the internet, and tracking devices sure made the chase a lot easier - almost anticlimactic really and disappointingly easy.

At first his need for revenge, his desire to murder this woman, was the only thing that gave him the motivation to continue on despite the fact everyone he loved had succumbed to death. Losing them to the inevitable was only right since death is a natural part of life after all. He lived a decidedly unnatural life. Especially when loving her became his new reason to carry on with his so called life.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," she apologized, her gentle hand gliding across his shoulders.

Tanjiro never ceased to be amazed by her tender touch despite her inherent demonic nature to kill and destroy. Yet she had not taken his life. Not once has she tried since that day. A thousand times he wished she had just let him die instead of 'saving' his life.

It was those gentle hands and kind eyes that hid the demon inside, preventing him from seeing her true identity until it was too late for him. The daughter of the original demon Muzan Kibutsuji, she was a far more frightening in her ability to seduce and deceive than even her father. Being half human and half demon made her different from her father. There were things she could do that he could not like withstand wisteria, walk in the daylight, and forego eating human beings.

That divergence enabled her to hide the demonic side of herself more completely than even the legendary Muzan Kibutsuji. She blended far more easily into human society, better than her chameleon father who could take on the form of almost anyone including women and children. She did not kill and eat humans, only requiring their blood to survive. The anomaly her demon father and human mother created became known as a vampire; made famous by folklore and books and later movies. She was the first of many made by her father after procreating with dozens of human women.

Sliding into the chair beside him, she sat a small lavender clutch on the bar. A square diamond encrusted ornament decorated the snap closure. Real diamonds he would bet, glimpsing at his watch again. She was thirty minutes late. Maybe she should buy herself a diamond dusted watch to help her arrive on time. But what was the hurry? He had nothing but time.

Tanjiro glanced at her out of the corner of his eye to see her hair was a pleasant honey blonde in her present incarnation. The soft curls were swept up into a loose bun positioned at the crown of her head. Diamond stud earrings filled each of the two holes in both earlobes and the cartilage at the top curve of her ear. There was even a tiny diamond sparkling in her pierced nostril.

When her eyes met his, they were a lovely light lilac that matched her purse and dress. The dress draped over one shoulder and was faintly reminiscent of a short toga. His eyes drifted down her legs which were short, muscular, and tanned. Her feet were glad in pencil thin high heels with a strap around her ankle and one across her toes.

Tanjiro was dressed in a plain black suit with a black dress shirt and green tie. He preferred to keep his attire simple, choosing to wear the apparel of a businessman to give himself the appearance of being on a business trip to match his surroundings. They were sitting in a hotel bar on a Tuesday night along with several other weary travelers dressed much like them; lonely businessmen and pretty girls looking to make a quick buck. Not that anyone would notice or care about them in this city. Anonymity was easy here. No wonder she chose this place to hide in plain sight.

"I like what you've done with yourself," he complimented her.

"You're handsome as always," she returned, gliding her fingers through his burgundy hair which he had cut short, almost shaved on the sides leaving the top long enough to curl a bit. "I really like the new do."

Tanjiro finished his drink. Feeling pleasantly numb, coasting toward blatant indifference, he raised his hand to signal the bartender for another one.

"Want one?" he asked, shaking his glass to make the ice cube rattle.

"I would prefer tequila and ginger ale with a shot of tequila on the side," she said, addressing the bartender directly.

"Sure thing," the man replied, giving her a quick once over and a smile.

"It's been a while," she said, giving Tanjiro a flirtatious smile. "It took you three years to find me this time. I was growing impatient and getting ready to come find you."

"Miss me?" he asked, sarcasm edging his tone.

"I always do," she rejoined, smiling broadly to show her straight white teeth and the dimples in her cheeks.

"You're making it more difficult to find you by changing your appearance and your name," he complained.

The bartender returned with their drinks and the conversation paused until he walked away.

"I've got to do something to make it a challenge. It's all a part of the game. Don't be a spoilsport. Besides..." She picked up the shot glass, knocking back the fiery alcohol in one gulp. "All's fair in love and war."

"And this is both," he stated matter of factly. Picking up his glass, he raised it in the air. "Cheers to the game."

"To the game," she repeated, tapping the edge of her glass to his and making a dull clink.

"I never wanted to be a player, Mirai."

"You were dying. My father had given you a lethal wound. You were suffering and - "

"You should have let me die. You were being selfish to save me."

She sighed noisily, taking a drink before she spoke again.

"I was being selfish," she confessed. "Tanjiro, I told you once what my name means. Do you remember?"

"The future," he answered tonelessly. Turning to face her, he glared at her, his glass poised halfway to his mouth. "So what?"

"I wanted to give you a future."

"A future with you?"

"Is that so bad?" Her eyes were sad, glistening with tears as they stared into his big burgundy irises.

"I'm still not sure. I hate you because you represent everything that destroyed my life. Your father killed my family. He turned my sister into a demon like him. She was murdered by my fellow demon slayers who betrayed me. All of my friends died. After that, I was left with nothing and no one but you," he stated flatly, sipping his drink. "I ask myself do I love you because you're all I have left? Or do I love you because I loved you before I knew you were a demon's daughter?"

Mirai did not know what to say to that so she said nothing. She pulled out a kiseru pipe and began packing the small golden bowl with cherry scented tobacco. The pipe was very plain with a simple gold tip and bowl and ebony wood middle. How unlike her to have one that was not unnecessarily ornate.

"That's new," he commented as she prepared to light it with a gold lighter.

"I lost my last one," she stated matter of factly, flicking the lighter to produce a flame.

No - she did not lose it. Tanjiro had kept when she left it behind during her sneaky exit in the middle of the night after their last meeting. It became one more of the many mementos he had collected through the years after she parted quickly and covertly leaving him disillusioned, hurt, and angry. But he always found her another day.

"Ma'am, you can't smoke in here," the bartender informed her.

"Oh, how disappointing," she pouted, placing the pipe back into her purse.

"Can I get another shot for you?" the young man asked dressed in a button down shirt with no tie and the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

"That's the least you can do," she replied without attempting to hide her annoyance.

Tanjiro's back stiffened when she placed her hand on his thigh. He could feel the warmth of her hand seeping through the fabric of the pants.

"You know, if it makes you feel any better, you're my greatest weakness," she said, her fingers squeezing his thigh. "You always have been."

"I could say the same thing about you," he professed.

"I can't believe you still wear these," she murmured.

Her fingers touched his earlobe making him jump in response to the unexpected and intimate contact. She smiled broadly him, amused by his reaction. Undeterred by him pulling away, she touched the hanafuda like earring depicting the rising sun. He had always worn them and would never stop because they were a family heirloom.

"They're the last thing I have to remind me of my family," he reminded her, staring straight ahead.

"I'm sorry," she apologized but he was not sure for what.

"I have a room," he announced suddenly. Draining his glass, he avoided turning his head to look at her.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

"You know what's going to happen right?"

"Yeah. I'm looking forward to it," he confessed, the corners of his mouth turning upward slightly.

After finishing their drinks, Tanjiro stood up and extended his hand to her. When she placed her hand inside his, he noted how small and delicate it felt. He knew all too well the gentleness and strength those hands simultaneously possessed. With these hands, she had brought him great pain and great pleasure.

Without a word, he led her to the bank of elevators in the hotel lobby. They were the only ones waiting. Once inside the elevator and doors closed behind them, Mirai turned toward Tanjiro, placing her arms around his waist for an embrace. His arms automatically enclosed her shoulders before he even thought about it. He lay his head on top of hers affectionately, giving her a squeeze.

"Mmmm," she sighed, luxuriating in his embrace. "I really have missed you."

"I know."

Tanjiro sighed in return, twisting one of the loose curls framing her face around his finger. He reluctantly let her go when the elevator doors parted at the proper floor. Leading her by the hand to his room, he found her compliance stimulating.

Mirai stood behind him as he slid the card key into the slot on the door. Pushing the door open, he stood to the side to allow her entry first. Before closing the door, he placed the do not disturb sign in the key slot. He closed and locked the door behind them to shut out the rest of the world. Neither one of them would be going anywhere for a while. They were the only two who existed in a world made just for them in this room

It was a standard hotel room, nice and clean but nothing fancy. There was a single queen size bed with tables on each side, a dresser, a desk, a chair, and a television. A typical businessman's suite.

Tanjiro took off his jacket, hanging it in the closet. Mirai set her purse on the desk bearing only a leather bound binder that served as the guest services directory. He kicked off his shoes as she flipped open the cover. As he loosened his tie, she glimpsed over at him.

"Hey! What are you doing?" she asked despite the obvious.

"I'm getting undressed," he responded hesitantly, a bit bewildered. "Aren't we - "

"You're supposed to let me do that, silly," she admonished him, crossing the room toward him.

Standing in front of him, she pulled his hands away from the tie, finishing the job of unknotting it to slide it from under his collar. She draped the tie around her neck then commenced to unbuttoning his shirt. Her eyes moved upward to meet his. Reaching up, she brushed aside his bangs that hid the scar on his forehead. Rising up on her tiptoes, she kissed the scar.

His eyelids drifted closed when she placed a kiss on his cheek. She had always adored his big, round eyes so full of innocence and kindness. Looking into those eyes always made her feel special - completely human. Her lips puckered to press a kiss to his other cheek.

Her lips tingled in anticipation as they hovered over his. Her fingers grasped his shirt to pull it out of his pants so she could undo the last few buttons. The tips of her fingers grazed his abdomen causing him to inhale with a hiss, sucking in his belly. Closing the small gap between them, her lips met his and the front of her body pressed to his.

For three years she had anticipated this reunion. His kiss was as gentle as ever, his lips soft as silk. His big, sand paper rough palms rested on her shoulders lightly scratching her skin which incited sparks along her nerve endings that made her entire body tingle. She shivered as his fingertips moved across her shoulder blades to the zipper of her dress.

Mirai slipped her hands inside his shirt, allowing her hands to glide over his chest as she pushed the material apart. Her palms slid over the roundness of his shoulders, pushing the material ahead of them. Skimming her hands along his biceps, she relished their hardness that flexed under her palms. She continued pushing the shirt down his forearms and over his hands, before allowing it to fall to the floor baring his upper body at last. Her dress soon joined his shirt on the floor at their feet.

While placing kisses down the side of his neck, she pushed her bare breasts against his chest. Her nipples tightened as they rubbed over his hairless chest, the smooth skin teasing them into them stiff peaks. His fingertips stroked her back bringing a sigh of pleasure from her as her lips placed a kiss in the hollow of his throat. He continued caressing her back in small circles working his way downward as she trailed kisses along his collarbone.

Tanjiro took her face between his hands to gaze down at her. He reached for the pin in her hair to release the bun. As he pulled the silver metal hair ornament loose, the golden honey blond curls tumbled down to her tanned shoulders. Wisteria flowers formed out of stamped silver dangled on the tiny chain vines attached to the end. Amethyst gemstones had been crushed to dust and sprinkled over the flowers to give them their familiar pastel purple color.

Immune to wisterias due to her dual nature, she had hid her demon scent from him by wearing wisteria perfume. Presently, the sweet, almost sickeningly sweet aroma, floated up to his super sensitive nose from her heated skin. He looked down at her and smiled. She wore it as a reminder. Just like she wore the wisteria hairpin as a reminder. Which item would she leave for him this time? The hairpin or the kiseru? He had quite an extensive collection of both she had 'accidentally' forgotten.

"Show me your eyes," Tanjiro commanded her in a soft but firm voice.

The light lilac of her eyes gradually darkened to a deep royal purple. The purple drained away leaving behind a yellow ring around her round pupil that faded into orange before turning a dramatic blood red. Her sunset eyes. A beautiful result of her demon blood being tempered by the humanity gifted to her by her mother.

"Show me your teeth," he requested next, coaxing her lip away from her upper teeth with his thumbs.

Her pointed incisors on the top and bottom extended, pushing upwards from her gums. The ends tapered into needle like tips. Those teeth were very much like the fangs of a snake not only in appearance but also in that they contained a venom she could inject into her chosen victim to induce a most pleasant drunken numbness.

Tanjiro purposely pricked his thumb on one of the points. A round drop of bright red blood formed on the pad of the thumb. Laying it against her tongue, he held his breath as her gorgeous eyes closed at the same time her lips closed around his thumb. His knees weakened as she sucked lightly. Heat coursed through his body like fire in his veins.

Mirai opened her eyes and released his thumb before she became tempted to drink too much of his blood that was tastier and more intoxicating than the finest liquor on earth. Her fingers drifted down his sides, her nails lightly, provocatively scratching his ribs. Rather than tickling him, a delightful prickly sensation like a million tiny electrical shocks erupted over his body bringing goosebumps to the surface of his skin.

"I've shown you mine. You show me yours," she invited him, giving him a flirty, lopsided grin.

His intense burgundy eyes, the color of a rich, decadent wine, remained the same. She once told him he was meant to be hers, to be like her, because of the color of his eyes. From the beginning fate had marked him as her own. His lips parted to reveal his sharp pointed teeth which he possessed only on the top.

"Turn around," he commanded her in a gentle voice that demanded compliance.

"Wow," she murmured, gazing intently at his face. "You're certainly not that painfully shy, awkward boy I met a long time ago."

"I haven't been that boy for a very long time. It's all your fault," he accused, looking her mostly naked body up and down.

When Mirai still faced him, Tanjiro took her by the hand lifting her arm into the air and slowly prodded her turn like a beautiful ballerina. Her eyes reluctantly relinquished their captivating hold on his. Once her back was turned to him, he lowered himself down to his knees behind her.

"What are you doing?" she giggled when he ran his fingers along the top of her panties which were nothing more than a wide strip of lace sewed together between her legs. He placed a kiss to one of the lovely little dimples at the lowest part of her back above the swell of her lace swathed rump.

"Oh," she gasped, a tingle racing up her spine. After his lips touched the other dimple, a second electrified tingle of excitement rushed up her back and exploded at the base of her skull. "Mmmm, Tanjiro."

His fingers curled over the top of her pants, his fingernails lightly scraping her skin and leaving red lines. Pulling the panties down, his eyes took in the sight of her gorgeous round ass free of tan lines and the same color as the rest of her golden tanned body. He placed a kiss on one of her perfect butt cheeks.

"You'll never have to tell me to kiss your ass," he joked quipped, drawing another demure giggle from her. "Step forward. Toward the bed."

She willingly followed his benevolently delivered order. He was the only man she had ever allowed to tell her what to do - at least under certain circumstances. She walked forward until her knees pressed into the fluffy down-filled white duvet covering the bed.

"Bend over. Place your hands on the bed," he directed her.

Tanjiro's hand glided over her behind as she leaned over to place her hands on the bed, assuming the position requested. The smooth, velvety skin on her butt became rough and bumpy under his fingertips from the goosebumps rising to the surface.

Keeping her eyes forward, Mirai stared at the white quilted headboard of the bed. That was convenient. The padded headboard would prevent her from getting a concussion later should he slam her into it when he made love to her again. But for now...

She inhaled sharply when she heard the metallic scratch of his zipper sliding downward bringing her back to the present. Holding her breath in anticipation, she felt him move up behind her. The head of his penis pressed at her entrance then he backed up. Easing in the head, he drew it back just as fast, teasing her ever so cruelly.

"Tanjiro, please," she begged breathily.

"Please what?" he asked, repeating the movement. Head in. Head out.

"Please..." Her breath halted when he pushed in the shaft a few inches then withdrew. She moaned mournfully. "Please, make love to me."

Tanjiro complied to her wishes this time, gliding into her at an irritatingly slow but tempting speed heightening her arousal. He pushed himself in all the way to the hilt, holding onto her hips as he allowed himself to settle deep inside of her. He remained motionless inside of her for several long seconds. Soon, the only motion to be detected was the shaking of her body, her trembling in anticipation of the coming event.

He leaned over her, pressing his chest to her back. His skin was warm and comforting against hers. One of his arms hooked around her waist. His other hand carefully gathered her hair, draping it over one of her shoulders. His fingers cupped her chin, pulling her head to the left to expose the right side of her neck to him. His mouth went to her neck, placing a kiss over the fast pulsing artery there.

Mirai moaned helplessly, a shudder racking her frustrated, excited body. Reaching behind her, she sank her fingers into his short but plentiful hair. With each subsequent kiss down the side of her neck, her fingers clenched his hair tighter. Her abdominal muscles tightened until her belly ached as her sexual excitement grew.

"Please," she pleaded, tilting her hips forward.

His teeth lightly scraped along the curve where her neck transitioned into her shoulder. With a sigh of pleasure, she pushed her behind back into him, moving him inside of her. She rocked her hips, prompting him to move his own. At last, he began sliding in and out of her, forming a pleasant rhythm.

One of her hands gripped his forearm squeezing her abdomen after one of his teeth nicked her skin. Repositioning the palm of her other hand flat on the bed in a place to balance herself, she swayed forward and back with each of his thrusts. She heard him issue a guttural groan from deep in his throat, his chest vibrating against her back. His tongued lapped out across the sensitive skin of her neck while he made an incredibly stimulating sound.

Literally becoming weak in the knees by his moans, some unadulterated growls, he held her tighter and she feared he might squeeze her in half. Blood oozed from the small cut he had made her neck. His tongue licked over her skin to clean up the red trail. He tasted blood and wanted more so he sank his sank into the thick part of her shoulder and neck.

"I want you. I need you," he growled into her ear, driving himself into her furiously.

Mirai cried out, falling onto her face into the cloud like cover on the bed. Tanjiro lay on top of her, casually drinking her blood as he moved faster and faster inside of her. Oddly enough, the slight pain he imparted to her by biting her neck heightened her pleasure which pushed a howl of bliss past her lips in response.

"Give me your pain...your pleasure...your anger...your love. I want all of you. The good and the bad," she panted, her voice hitching with each powerful shove of his hips as he rammed into her.

Tanjiro removed his mouth from her neck, standing up behind her. His hands went to her hips, holding her steady as he concentrated on fucking her and fucking her hard, putting everything into her as she had requested.

"It's all yours," he said, driving himself into her so forcefully it pushed her forward onto her belly.

He fell on top of her, his hips still grinding against her as he continued to thrust into her as he rode out his orgasm. Then she cried out his name, convulsing under him as she reached her climax from the erratic prodding of him inside of her.

Once the irregular and almost involuntary spasms of her body stopped, he rolled off of her to lay beside her. Turning onto her side to face him, she scooted forward until her breasts pressed against his smooth chest covered in a light layer of sweat. His eyes met hers only briefly before he closed them.

"What is it? What are you feeling?" Mirai asked him, combing her fingers through his messy, fluffy hair.

"After all these years, it's still so damn confusing. I should hate you. Logically, I know I should hate you with everything inside of me," he said, his voice low, slightly raspy with emotion.

His eyes opened to look into hers. The tears gathered in the corners and made their intense burgundy shine.

"I should be murdering you for what you've done to me. I shouldn't be making love to you. I shouldn't love you at all. But I do." He placed his hand on her cheek, his eyes burrowing into hers as if to reach her very soul. "I love you with all of my stupid, nonsensical heart."

"For right now, let's forget about who we are and how we should feel about each other. Even if it doesn't make sense, or if it's wrong, or whatever..." She stroked his head affectionately, giving him a nervous smile on quivering lips. "Let's concentrate on how we do feel...right here...right now...in this single moment." She pressed a tender kiss squarely to his lips. "I've always loved you. I don't know why. From the moment I first laid eyes on you...before I even knew your name I knew I wanted you to be mine. I also knew you couldn't be. But I wouldn't stop. I'm sorry for what I did to you."

Mirai tucked her head under his chin, pressing her cheek to his chest. Tanjiro did not recoil from her. Instead he put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her body closer to his.

"Why me?" he asked, his chin lightly tapping the top of her head as he spoke.

"Your eyes," she answered immediately and with surety. "When I looked into your eyes, I saw a tender heart full of compassion. A pure and genuine spirit I had never seen in any human before you. I haven't seen that again since you either. You cared about others. You wanted to protect them. And you were still kind...despite what you had been through...despite being a demon slayer. You were so sweet, so gentle to me until - "

"Until I learned what you really are and who your father is," he interjected. "I was cruel to you."

She shook her head, her forehead rubbing across his chest. "No. No. You were never cruel to me. Even then, you were still benevolent and soft hearted. You cried as you killed me."

"Or when I thought I was killing you." He scoffed, hugging her tighter. "I thought I was ridding the world of another demon. An especially heinous demon...the half breed daughter of Mizan Kibutsuji," he said in an attempt to sound heartless but failing.

"You don't have it in you to hate me. Do you?"

"I suppose I don't."

Tanjiro did not pull away from her when her mouth found his. Quite the opposite in fact. He willingly applied pressure back to her mouth. Slipping his lips down a bit, he caught her lower lip between both of his, nibbling on it lightly until she groaned. Then he did the same thing to her top lip. Alternating singular kisses between her lips he pushed her over onto her back.

Mirai kissed him fervently, hungry and desperate for his touch. She hooked one of her legs around his hips, gripping his body using her calf and thigh muscle. He groaned into her mouth as she pulled him tightly to her. His cock, hard, pulsating, and ready, twitched against her belly. Sliding her hand between their bellies, she wrapped her fingers around his stiff member, guiding him into her body.

This time he made love to her at a steady pace. Not too fast and not too slow. Just right to gradually bring them to a satisfying end together. Afterward, he lay on top of her, propping himself up on his elbows on either side of her head as he covered her face with little pecks.

"Tell me you love me. Say it...please," he requested, peeling away the hair glued to her cheeks with sweat so he could kiss them.

"I love you," she said, meaning it sincerely. Tears sprang to her eyes as he gazed into them. "I love you, Tanjiro. I always have. I always will."

A tear slid from the outer corner of her eye rushing across her temple to disappear into her hair. He kissed her lips and rubbed the tip of his nose across hers.

"Don't cry," he told her, wiping away the next tear that slid from her eyes with his thumb. "I love you too."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," she apologized, tears leaking from her eyes, some running across her nose to join the others and all soaking the pillow under her cheek. "I wish...I wish things could have been different. I wish I could have been different."

"Me too. It's not your fault who your father is. There are so many things we can't change no matter how much we want to." With a hand on the back of her neck, he pulled her lips to his, planting a firm kiss square on her lips.

"I should go," she Mirai said, attempting to scoot out from under him.

Tanjiro lowered his body onto hers, trapping her under him and holding her motionless against the mattress. His eyes looked into hers.

"Please, don't make this any more difficult than it already is," she begged him.

"Stay," he stated resolutely.

"You know I can't," she sighed, closing her eyes to block out his that begged her with puppy dog like intensity. It was more than she could bear.

"Why? Why not? What's the worst that can happen?" he questioned her.

"What's the worst that can happen?" she repeated, actually asking herself. She opened her eyes to look at him. "I suppose the worst has already happened."

"What's that?"

"A demon fell in love with a demon slayer. Then she turned that demon slayer into everything he ever hated."

"I suppose that is the worst thing."

"So what now?" she asked.

"You're going to stay with me," he said, kissing her lips. "I'm going to make love to you again." He kissed her forehead. "And again." He kissed her right cheek. "And again." He kissed her left cheek.

"Then what?" she inquired, catching her lower lip with her upper teeth to hold back a moan when his hand covered her breast and kneaded it.

"I don't know," he admitted. "Whatever happens, happens. We'll see when we get there."

"Whatever happens, we'll be together."

"And that means everything."