"Before we start fighting, would you mind answering a question for me?"

The woman slayer narrowed her eyes. She didn't have the time for mindless chitchat, she needed to kill the Upper Moon and go after Muzan, else their plan wouldn't work. However, there was something in the demon's eyes that made her pause

"… What do you wish to ask?"

A very faint smile grace his lips for half-a-second, but it quickly vanished as he started talking in a flat, plain voice.

"Everything hurts. There is this hollowness in my chest that has been ripping me apart for months, now. It hasn't even been a year since we've last been together, yet it already feels like an eternity. I thought I could satiate my hunger with other humans, but they're now bland and tasteless." He brought his hand up to his chest, and tears welled up in his eyes. "I'm completely empty, saved for this weight that crushes my heart a little more every passing second. I think of her every day, longing to hear her voice at least one last time, longing to hold her hand, longing to feel again… and I do feel, but it is only pain that I feel now." He was looking at her again, the tears streaming down his cheeks. "Tell me: what is this feeling?"

"… Are you talking of the pink-haired girl who was with you?" It was hard to forget the young civilian girl who had saved her life. "Did you eat her?"

"It was our deal," he murmured, still crying. "I would let her see the world, and she would be mine. I thought finally eating her would make me happy, but I've grown crippled with a loneliness I can no longer bear. I can't even muster the strength to smile anymore, even to fake it… but I never had to fake it with her, did I?" At that point, he was mostly talking to himself, and the woman slayer didn't know what was the most unsettling—his tears, or his words. "I ate her, completely unaware of the curse that would befall me… Tell me, tell me! What is this feeling? Won't you give me the answer I seek…?"

She looked at him for a long time, unsure of what to say.

He wasn't lying, that much was obvious, so she steeled her nerves and answered.

"Grief. Sorrow. And regrets."

His sobs died down, though the tears kept on falling, and he looked at her with something akin to hope. "Regrets?"

"Yes. She plagues your thoughts, haunts your dreams. You see her in everything you experience, everywhere you look. You wish she was still by your side." At last, she lowered her sword. Even if he was a demon, she couldn't help but sympathize with his pain. "You wish you hadn't eaten her."

At that, his eyes widened even more. "Yes… Yes! That's it! So those are… regrets…"

He closed his eyes, as if at peace now that he had his answer, and she moved. Not making a sound, too fast for the human eye to follow, the woman slayer pounced at him and, without an ounce of hesitation, she sliced through his neck. Her blade cut through his skin like a knife through melted butter, and she released the last of her breath technique, her heart pounding wildly.

"… you could have avoided my blow."

"I know. But, for some reason, I couldn't bring myself to move." At once, the demon's head fell off his shoulders. The headless body collapsed, and he found himself staring at the ceiling, more tears streaming down his face as his skin started disagreggating. "I'm so tired now… An eternity without her… isn't an eternity worth living… Can you answer another question…?"

"Of course."

"Will I see her again…?"

At that, the Flower Hashira smiled softly, kneeling beside him. "I'm sure you will."

"I see… I see…!" Then, for the first time in months, he managed to return a smile of his own. "It will surely take a long time… but we'll see each other again…"

"She'll wait for you," murmured the black-haired woman. "And I'll pray that you be reunited once again one day, no matter how long it takes."

The demon didn't answer, simply closing his eyes as his body fully turned to ashes. Soon enough, he completely vanished from existence, leaving behind wet splotches of tears on the floor, and also a bundle of pink cloth. A tad curious, the woman slayer picked it up and carefully unwrapped whatever was inside.

It was a small hair ornament—a sakura flower made of pink quartz, mounted on a golden pin. It was simple, yet elegant, and she knew exactly what it meant.

::

"Nee-san, do you really believe that, one day, humans and demons will live peacefully together?"

::

Carefully, she wrapped up the small hairpiece, then tucked it away in her pocket. Then, turning around to face the spot where the demon had disappeared, she joined her hands together.

May they know peace and joy. May their love withstand the rift of time.

May they be reunited again, and enjoy the peace they couldn't find here.

After what, she quickly rushed out of the room—she still had a mission to accomplish, after all. As she ran, though, strange warmth spread over her chest, where she had put the hairpiece and, for a moment, she could have sworn she heard a woman's voice in her head.

"Thank you."

Stay tuned for the epilogue! I'll probably post it tomorrow, and I'm looking forward to your reviews!