Another encounter with the ideal wife…

(-)

It was late afternoon when Iguro Obanai had initially received the letter from his fellow Pillar requesting for his presence. Kanroji Mitsuri -the woman he held affections for- had sent him a somewhat cryptic and vague letter that basically told him to go and meet up with her somewhere. Despite the strangeness surrounding the letter itself -what with the brief message and the fact that someone had placed it on his lap while he was taking a nap and left without introduction- he recognized the handwriting and little quirks associated with Kanroji's written messages. The characters had been drawn in a way that could only be described as 'cute', hearts and flowers had been scribbled all over the place, and there was even a little sketch of herself at the bottom that was waving hello. While the decorations were plenty, the actual contents of the message was rather brief.

'Iguro-san! Would you mind coming to my home sometime today? I have a new technique to try out and I was hoping you would be able to help. Thanks~!'

The line 'coming to my home' had thrown Obanai for a loop at first. Having a permanent personal residence was not something many demon slayers had, as most were constantly on the move in order to carry out missions. There were those like Kochou-san and Rengoku-san who had family compounds that they could return to, but that was not the case for the majority of their forces. The Kakushi and lower ranking members of the Corp more often than not would stay at one of the barracks set up throughout the land or make use of the numerous wisteria safe houses. Obanai was aware that Mitsuri does have a family estate to return to, but she only visits them about once a month, as she does not want to risk having trouble follow her home. Thus, he found it strange for that to be the case, but his confusion was shifted when he noticed a map that was scrawled on the back of the letter. Apparently, he was going on some sort of treasure hunt to find Mitsuri's 'home'.

Which is how he came to be in his current situation, navigating his way towards this mysterious destination. He eventually found the map to be redundant, as once he left the town that was marked as the starting point, he soon came across a dirt path which led in the direction of his destination. The initial oddness of the letter and subsequent 'treasure hunt' was enough to keep Obanai's mind occupied, and it wasn't until he was nearing his destination that something dawned upon him; he was -more likely than not- meeting up with his love interest alone and at a secluded location. He shook his head to keep such errant thoughts in check. Mitsuri is not the woman he deserves to be with, she is worthy of someone much better than him.

Still following the path laid out before him, Obanai emerged from the tree-line and found himself in a small clearing in the middle of the forest. Near instantly he could tell something was off. It was not because anything was wrong or there was a sense of danger in the air, but because the scenery was too perfect. A house had been constructed in the center of the clearing, having been built with high-quality materials in a place it had no right to be. Why would someone build such a nice house in a forest of all places? It was small, but not too small. Big enough to comfortably house two people with enough space left over to accommodate a child. Obanai immediately discarded the implications behind that train of thought, it was a path unworthy of his presence. A small koi pond lay to the left of the house with a large sakura tree just beyond it, the branches serving to shade the area and provide a beautiful view. Walking to the side and glancing towards the rear of the house, he could see a small porch that overlooked a vegetable garden. It wasn't much at the moment, but there was plenty of space for it to be expanded to. There was a small shed to the side, the door slightly ajar which allowed Obanai a view of the contents. That being a stash of tools for both gardening, wood cutting, and other forms of property maintenance. Going back to the front of the house, Obanai took notice of the gorgeous collection of flowers that had been planted leading to the front door.

All-in-all, it looked like the perfect home for a pair of newlyweds to live in. Again, Obanai had to chase away those delusions, but they were persistent. He could see the two of them tending to the garden, both covered in dirt but happy. Mitsuri's face smudged with brown splotches, but smiling at him nonetheless. The thought of the two of them sitting underneath the sakura tree, enjoying each other's presence as they watched the fish swim about in the pond. She would lean into him and rest her head on his shoulder while he ran his fingers through her hair. Both sitting on the porch as they watched their child pla-.

"STOP!" he yelled at himself as his nails dug into his chest. Obanai grasped over where his heart was and tried to slow its wild beating. "You are NOT allowed to have such thoughts!"

Obanai was angry, confused, and disgusted with himself. It was just too painful to think about. This place was like Hell for him, an illusion of what he could have if he was a better person. Each passing moment was utter torment for his mind.

Kaburamaru looked at him in confusion before flicking his face with their tongue. Feeling his partners prodding, Obanai forced himself into some manner resembling composure. He had almost forgotten why he came here and was tempted to simply flee in order to lessen the mental anguish. For what reason did Mitsuri request him to come here, he knew not. But he doubted she was aware that he would have such a reaction to this scene, so he could not blame her. He just needed to head inside, help her with whatever it is she needed, and then make himself scarce.

Nervously, he approached the front door and knocked. A few moments passed and silence was all that he got. Perhaps this was just a mistake, and he should leave while he still has a chance. The next time they meet he will say he never got any letter and feign ignorance. No wait, the letter was delivered directly to him. Of course she'll know he's lying. Just say nobody answered the door and he was called in for another mission, so he left. Internally debating his options, Obanai began to turn and leave… but then came a response.

"Iguro-san, is that you?" a familiar voice called out from the interior.

Damn it. No backing out now.

"Yes, Kanroji-san." he managed to answer without fumbling over his words.

"Oh good! You're just in time!" Mitsuri exclaimed with a bit more pep than usual. "I'm in the middle of something, but you can come on in! I'll be with you in a minute!"

As he opened the door, Obanai felt as if he was entering the proverbial lion's den. If the outside already gave him a bad reaction, he dreaded what he would see on the inside. The first thing he noticed was the pristine condition that everything was in. There were minimal decorations, and it had an open floor design. Next he picked up the scent of something delicious. Whatever was being cooked was nearing completion and it smelled amazing. The Snake Pillar gave a start as Mitsuri suddenly poked her head around the corner. She was positively beaming with joy as she greeted him.

"Yay~! You made it!" she cheered while still keeping the rest of her body hidden behind the wall.

Mustering up what little composure he had left, Obanai needed to get on with whatever Mitsuri wanted and then leave asap. "So, what did you call me over for?"

Mitsuri blushed heavily and looked away for a moment before gazing straight into his eyes. Stepping out from cover, the first thing Obanai thought was how amazing Mitsuri looked. From her cute expression, to the frilly apron she wore, to her exposed buttocks, to her-"

… What?

It took Obanai longer than he'd like to admit it, but he eventually noticed that aside from the pink apron, the only other thing Mitsuri was wearing was a smile. His mind a jumbled mess, Obanai was unable to react to the absurd scene playing out in front of him.

And then Mitsuri spoke.

"Welcome home dear~! After such a long day of work, would you like some dinner, a bath, or maybe... You~. Would~. Like~. Me~?"

Blood began to stain Obanai's face wrappings as he staggered against the wall, bracing himself against it in order to remain standing. He quickly looked away and covered his eyes.

"K-Kanroji-san?! W-what the hell are you w-wearing?!"

Mitsuri twirled on the spot to give Obanai a better view of her 'outfit'. "It's called Naked Apron, and my sensei said that it is a very high-level technique!"

"How is that supposed to help you in battle?!" he cried out in abject horror as he fully turned away from Mitsuri. Sure, it worked on him, but this was just totally impractical.

A pair of slender arms snaked -chuckle- around his torso before pulling him into Mitsuri's embrace. Even through all the clothing he could still feel those two glorious mounds of flesh that always had a healthy bounce to them while Mitsuri walked.

"It's not for that kind of battle." she explained softly. "This is a battle called Love, and I have no intention to lose."

"Love?! What do you mean?!"

Mitsuri hummed in satisfaction. "Right here, right now. This is the culmination of my feelings towards you. Feelings that I have no intention of holding back any longer."

Obanai wasn't an idiot. He knew full well what Mitsuri was getting at. She held affections towards him, just as he did towards her, but he refused to drag her down to the vile pit that he calls home. So something needed to be done about this.

"I'm sorry Kanroji-san, but I cannot reciprocate your feelings." he responded, trying his hardest to sound as convincing as possible. He needed her to release him from her grasp, so that unfortunately meant crushing her hopes. "While I am flattered by your affections, I think it best that we remain friends."

It was physically painful for Obanai to speak those words. He genuinely wants to be with Mitsuri, and here she is all but throwing herself at him, yet it is not his right to be at her side. He was grateful that he was facing away from her, as she was unable to see the tears starting to form in his eyes.

"Wha… What?" Mitsuri uttered in what Obanai could only guess was despair. Her grip around his waist loosened slightly, but still not enough for him to escape.

"You are a good friend to me, and an amazing comrade… I hope you understand."

A hitched breath, the prelude to the tears. "W-why?"

"Romance is not something we can waste time with. As Pillar's, we are the strongest, and thus we must take on the most difficult of missions. We never know what mission will end up being our last."

He hoped that would be enough, as her grip was almost completely gone.

"Why… Why are you lying!?" Mitsuri demanded as her grip on Obanai returned in force.

"W-what are you talking about?!" he replied, praying he could still salvage the situation. "I'm not lying about anything! Now let go of me!"

"Not until you tell the truth!"

"I am telling the truth! You just aren't handling my rejection very well!"

It hurts so much. Please, just stop. Let go.

"I love you, and I'm not letting go until you say that you love me too!"

"BUT I DON'T!" Obanai shouted, his voice going louder than it ever has prior.

Mitsuri shifted her grip on Obanai and spun him around to face her. "THEN WHY ARE YOU CRYING?!"

True to her word, tears had since poured down Obanai's cheeks and soaked the wrappings around his mouth. He could not feign rejection anymore, not after she saw his tears.

"WHY?! TELL ME!"

"BECAUSE I DON'T DESERVE YOU, ALRIGHT!"

Silence reigned as the two teary-eyed Pillars stood there and gazed into each other's eyes. Eventually Obanai broke the stalemate in order to emphasize his point.

"I don't deserve someone as amazing as you…" he spoke regretfully. Lifting his hands, he stared at his palms and could only see the blood he was responsible for spilling. "So many people are dead because of my actions. I am a rotten man who came from a rotten family, and my blood is tainted by their sins."

Mitsuri grabbed his hands and held them together with her own. "No! I don't believe you!" she shouted as more tears began to fall. "You are a good person; I know you are! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!"

Obanai looked down and closed his eyes. "I'm happy you feel that way, but I'm telling the truth."

"No! You're lying again!"

He didn't want to have to do this, but Mitsuri left him no choice. "Can you still say that when you see what's beneath these bandages?" he asked, causing her to lift her head and gaze at him. Letting go of his hands, Mitsuri watched as Obanai slowly began to unwrap the cloth. She had no idea what to expect when Obanai fully revealed his face, but she just knew it couldn't be anything good.

"Now do you see? This is the grotesque form of the man you say you love."

The Snake Pillar's face was heavily mutilated, primarily along the cheeks. Someone had sliced open his mouth from the edge of his lips, all the way towards the back of his jaw on both sides. With how his mouth had been cut open, it strangely resembled a… snake.

"My god…" Mitsuri whispered in horror. "What happened to you?"

"My family were very horrible people…" Obanai began to explain as he told Mitsuri the story about his past. How his family attained their ill-gotten fortune, about the demon they practically worshiped and fed their newborn children to in exchange for its 'protection', he spoke of his own family mutilating his face at the demons request, and how his escape condemned them all to death. By the time he finished his story, Mitsuri looked horrified. Of course she would see him as a monster, vile trash that should be nowhere near someone as pure as her.

Then she began to cry once more. Pulling him into an embrace, she hugged him even tighter than before. "I'm so sorry!" she cried while burying her face into the crook of his neck.

Why was she apologizing? She did nothing wrong.

"I had no idea how much you were suffering this whole time!"

What was happening? Doesn't she find this all repulsive?

Pressing his hands to Mitsuri's shoulders, he gently pushed the two of them apart so he could look her in the eyes.

"Why are you doing this? Do you not feel disgust towards me?"

Still crying, Mitsuri managed a chuckle while trying to wipe away some of her tears. "That's so silly. Why would I find you disgusting? If anything, I'm disgusted with myself for never having noticed how much you were hurting inside."

Obanai shook his head. "It wasn't something you needed to know about. My pain has nothing to do with you, it would only be a burden."

The girl lightly smacked his chest. "You're such a fool. If you had just shared your worries with me, I would have helped to ease your suffering."

He could feel the tears forming in his eyes once more. "Why couldn't you just hate me? It would have been so much easier that way."

Smiling softly, Mitsuri pulled herself close to Obanai and pressed her lips against his. It was a chaste kiss, simple and brief, but it still managed to convey her feelings.

"Because I love you~."

This time when Mitsuri went in for another kiss, Obanai didn't hesitate and leaned in as well. As the kiss gradually became more mature, Kaburamaru climbed down from Obanai's neck and slithered off to give the couple some privacy.

Meanwhile, sitting outside on the roof of the house, a certain demon fox smiled in satisfaction. "Ahh~. Young love is so beautiful." she mused before standing up and stretching her limbs. Item Construction and Territory Creation were such useful skills for building a love nest, but Tamamo's work was only just beginning. Night was almost upon them, and she had a promise to keep.

"Worry not Mitsuri-chan," the demon remarked as she spun her mirror on her index finger and pulled out several paper talismans. "I will ensure that no demons disturb you this night~."

A slightly feral grin formed on her lips as she took off, ready to intercept any mission requests the two lovers would have received.