Chapter 1 Cute

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using the world and characters from Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress produced by Wit Studio. No infringement is intended in any way and this story is not for profit.


** This story is set after the Battle of Unato and contains a time jump**

Japanese language notes:

Koutetsujyo- iron fortress

Hayajiro- trains built to protect people and goods, as well as providing mobility

Bushi- warrior

Satsumaimo- sweet potato

Geta- traditional Japanese sandal with an elevated base, often worn with white tabi socks

Yukata- a light cotton kimono or robe

Wazatori- a kabane that has lived long enough to gain proficiency in a specific art or has had enough experience from its time as a human to retain some of its muscle memory in Kabane form

Tsuranuki Zutsu- Ikoma's special pressurized steam weapon, designed specifically to pierce the iron cage around kabane hearts

Haori- a traditional Japanese jacket worn over a robe


It had been raining steadily the last couple of days and everyone on the Koutetsujyo was going a little stir crazy. Bad weather made stopping en route much less pleasant, in addition to the added security challenges the bushi would face with poor visibility. So the hayajiro chugged along steadily, its crew devising second and third-shift schedules to keep the train running around the clock. No one complained outright, but everyone on board breathed a sigh of relief as the tall walls of Kawagoe Station became visible in the distance.

The exhaustion the crew felt was mitigated somewhat by the cheerful greeting they received upon entering Kawagoe. The local citizens had gathered to greet them holding baskets full of freshly baked satsumaimo the region was known for. As Ayame and Kurusu exchanged pleasantries with Tomozawa, the friendly station leader, the people of Kawagoe began handing out their baked treats to each person as they got off the train. "To warm you all up on this chilly day," Tomozawa grinned.

Slipping off the train amidst the crowd, Mumei was surprised when a middle-aged woman handed her a satsumaimo with a smile. That's right¸ she realized, I'm so used to everyone on the Koutetsujyo already knowing I'm Kabaneri, I forgot that she wouldn't know I can't eat this. Meeting the woman's cheerful gaze, Mumei was about to say thank you when something else slipped out. "It's so warm." She wrapped both hands around the potato gratefully. It was cold day and even her fingers were starting to feel it.

"This will warm you right up dear," the woman patted her head, "and help you grow up nice and strong."

Mumei nodded and looked down, at a loss for words. Ikoma, who had been walking alongside her, clapped a hand on her shoulder and turned to address the woman. "Thank you Ma'am, but- Ow"

He rubbed his left arm where Mumei had inexplicably pinched him. "What was that for?" he whispered, annoyed. But Mumei was looking at the woman in front of them again, eyes shining with gratitude.

"Thank you!" Mumei bowed politely.

Seeing her evident happiness, Ikoma decided to let it go, for now. Once they were out of earshot, he asked her quietly, "What was that about? You know you can't eat it."

His companion frowned and looked down at the sweet potato still clutched in her hands. "I don't know," she replied hesitantly, "I guess it was just nice for someone to not know about Kabaneri for a change."

They continued walking in silence for a few moments, while Ikoma tried to think of a way to lighten the mood. Being Kabaneri set them apart from the rest of the Koutetsujyo, and while the atmosphere had greatly improved, it still wasn't perfect. He could understand Mumei's wish for anonymity because it was also something he wished for on occasion.

Sunk deep in thought, Ikoma stumbled on an uneven patch in the dirt road. The ground was slick with rain water and before he knew it, the young man had fallen backwards into a large puddle of questionable origin. Stunned, he looked up at his companion, blinking.

His look of surprise was so cute, it made Mumei blush. It's absurd how quickly Ikoma can get himself into trouble, she thought to herself. Looking at her friend steeping like a teabag in the mud puddle, Mumei couldn't contain herself. She doubled over laughing, clutching her stomach.

"Oh, that's funny, is it?" Ikoma eyed her, arching an eyebrow. "You could have caught me, you know." He sent an accusing glaze her way before tugging at the side of his shirt to inspect the damage. It was completely soaked in dark brown mud.

"I didn't want to drop my potato," she said apologetically, trying to bite back a grin. "Here, let me help you up." Balancing her satsumaimo carefully on a nearby fencepost, she reached down to her friend.

Ikoma reached up to take her hand, and summarily pulled her down into the mud with him. Mumei landed on her hands and knees, sprawled across her companion's lap with a resounding splat. As she spluttered in outrage, the young man patted her cheek with a muddy hand. "Now we're even."

Looking up at him with a glint in her eye, Mumei hissed, "Not even close."


Later that day, the pair of Kabaneri stumbled down the street towards the local bathhouse, arms around each other's shoulders, both shaking with glee and covered head to toe in mud.

"Oh my," Ayame had whispered, hand covering her mouth.

Kurusu raised his brows and Sukari smirked and nudged Yukina. "Look what the cat dragged in." Mumei and Ikoma tried to contain themselves but all it took was once glance at each other and the pair would burst into laughter.

The clerk, eying the pair dubiously, seemed on the verge of denying them entrance, when Ayame stepped in. "They will of course, need to each rent a yukata," she said smiling and held up her coin purse. At the Yomogawa heir's gentle words, the clerk cleared his throat and punched two more entry tickets.


Mumei couldn't help chuckling as she rinsed mud and bits of crushed leaves out of her hair at the washing station. Ikoma is always surprising me. I like it. She hummed thoughtfully for a moment, taking time to work the shampoo through her short black hair. I never had fun like this with brother… A myriad of emotions swam through her at the thought so it took a moment for her to register the whispering voice to her far left.

"Over there, that's the kabaneri girl."

"Look at that scar on her back. It's terrible."

"Such a scary creature."

It was a group of three women from the Koutetsujyo. Some of its passengers still struggled to accept her true nature and would glance at her fearfully from time to time. I don't care! Mumei huffed to herself, dowsing herself with water from the little blue bucket at the wash station. Once she was free of soap bubbles, Mumei slipped into the hot water of the bath. Ahh, it feels so good! The kabaneri girl closed her eyes and curled her toes in delight. This is just what I needed today. She was just getting settled in for a nice luxurious soak when the whispers started again.

"Is it even safe to bathe with her?"

"I don't want to share bath water with a corpse."

Mumei kept her eyes closed, but her eyebrow twitched in irritation. They're starting to annoy me. She ground her teeth together slightly. The young girl tried to restrain herself. Ikoma always hates it when I make a scene. And just like that, a memory of Ikoma's face popped into her mind. Immediately, all the negative feelings drained from her body and she smiled to herself, replaying the memory.

After Ikoma had unceremoniously pulled her down into the mud, Mumei was determined to get revenge. But how? Straddling his waist, she leaned forward with a bashful expression. Her kabaneri hearing picked up the sound of Ikoma's breath hitching in his throat as her lips drew nearer. Then with a smirk, her hands snaked up his back and dumped two fistfuls of mud on top of his head.

His expression was priceless as cold wet mud squelched down the back of his neck and dripped from his hair. "Why you little-" He hooked an arm around her waist, pulling her close and went in for the kill, tickling her in her ultimate weak spot, behind her knees. Mumei squealed and tried to escape but he held fast. Desperate to break free of this tickling onslaught, she flailed around, causing the pair to tumble deeper down into the mud.

They wrestled back and forth on the ground for a moment before Mumei was able to pin Ikoma down between her thighs. Smiling devilishly, she nudged her knees up along his ribcage. Ikoma had locked his arms against his body, but Mumei's persistent pressure allowed her to force his arms up, exposing his armpits. He looked at her with a panicked expression. "No Mumei, please!" He pleaded. She waggled her fingers closer and he flinched in anticipation. "I surrender Mumei! Anything but that!"

"Anything?" She quirked.

"Anything!" He nodded vigorously.

"Hmm, well I guess I can accept your surrender for…" She tapped a finger to her lips thoughtfully. "Three kisses." It was immensely satisfying for her to watch the blush creep up his neck and stain his cheeks as her words sank in.

"K-kisses?" His voice was hoarse.

"Kisses." Mumei nodded solemnly. "Three kisses. And I get to choose their location."

"Location?!" Ikoma's voice cracked. His mind wandered to what kind of places she could possibly have in mind. No no, he shook his head mentally, she couldn't be thinking of -that- Pull yourself together! He commanded his thoughts.

At his companion's coquettish smirk, he somehow managed to stutter. "A-Alright."

"Here." Mumei released his arms and pointed to the right side of her forehead, just above her eye. She wiggled back a little so that Ikoma had room to sit up. His hand gently brushed aside her dark bangs and she felt soft lips graze the spot she had indicated.

"Here," she said, somewhat imperiously, now indicating to her left cheekbone. Again, she felt the gentle caress of Ikoma's calloused hand before she felt the slight pressure of his mouth against her skin.

"And here." Her voice wavered slightly as she now pointed towards her own mouth.

Now it was Ikoma's turn to grin. All that confidence is just an act, he thought to himself. Taking her face in his hands, he brushed a thumb over her slightly open lips and felt a shiver run through her body. "Alright," he said quietly. Then his mouth was on hers, hot and sweet. He had intended this to be another chaste kiss, but her lips were partly open. Maybe it was surprise or nervousness on her part, but she ended up nibbling on his bottom lip slightly. Instinctually, Ikoma opened the kiss wider and felt her tongue tentatively stroke along the inside of his mouth.

With a groan, he pulled her closer, sliding his tongue along hers. She was so warm and soft and now her arms were around his neck, fingers running through his hair, pulling him closer, closer. Sliding his fingers down her sides, they fell to rest at her hips, fists clenching in the fabric of her skirt. Their kiss would have deepened further, but a loud whistle from behind brought them back to their senses.

People in the shop fronts were peering out their windows curiously, and pedestrians passing by were turning back to stare. The Kabaneri pair broke apart, each blushing furiously. Ikoma blinked, eyeing the spectators. "Ah, maybe we should go."

"Mhmm," Mumei nodded furiously, sliding off his lap. Taking in the disheveled appearance of her companion, she stifled a laugh. "Ikoma, you're filthy." Mumei teased.

Chuckling, the young man gestured towards his friend. "And you aren't?"

"Wahh!" Mumei cried, noticing the state of her clothes for the first time. "Good thing this town has a bathhouse." Eyeing each other again, the pair burst out laughing.

The memory of Ikoma's smile filled Mumei with warmth more pleasant than any bath. Ikoma, as long as you're with me, I can face anything, she silently declared.

Eager to see her special person again, she powered through the rest of her cleaning routine and ended up finishing earlier than the rest of her friends. Towel draped around her shoulders, Mumei stood outside the bathhouse, and kicked at little pebbles in the road with her geta. The light from the red paper lanterns on either side of the doorway cast her flickering shadow along the wall.

Hearing footsteps approaching the door, Mumei whirled around excitedly to greet her friends. Her face fell when she realized it was other passengers from the Koutetsujyo, unfriendly ones at that. Mumei's eyes glowed an eerie yellow-orange in the dim light and she heard the group of men gasp. Frowning, she moved out of the entranceway to let them pass. They inched around her, as if she was some kind of venomous creature they didn't want to provoke. Looking steadily forward, they slunk by without saying a word.

As they turned the corner, Mumei saw one of them put his hand over his heart. "Phew, I nearly died when I saw her just staring at us like that. So creepy." Normal human ears wouldn't be able to follow their conversation, but her kabaneri hearing could pick it up clearly. Eyes narrowing, she listened as their voices floated back to her while they walked away.

"I don't know, she's got a nice body."

"Gods, what are you a necrophiliac?" Their coarse laughter drifted away until even her heightened senses could no longer perceive it. Frowning, Mumei considered their words when the wooden door slid open behind her once again. This time Ayame, Yukina, Kurusu, Kajika, Ikoma, and Sukari poured out of the bath house all rosy-cheeked and smiling.

"That felt so nice!" Kajika beamed.

"You finished early tonight, Mumei-chan," Ayame smiled. "I'm sorry we made you wait."

Mumei nudged a pebble with her shoe. "S'alright." She mumbled to the ground.

Ayame patted her shoulder kindly. "It's getting late. You all must be exhausted. Let's all get a good night's sleep tonight." This was met with hearty agreement from the others and they began their trek towards their quarters for the evening.

Noticing Mumei hanging towards the back, Ikoma slowed his pace to match hers. Her reticence surprised him, especially after a bath night. Mumei was usually very pleased whenever they had the opportunity to visit a bath house. "You alright?" He asked.

"Mmhmm," she quietly hummed an affirmative. "Just thinking, I guess." She bit the corner of her lip and then impulsively reached out to grab Ikoma's sleeve. "Hey Ikoma, what's a necrophiliac?"

"EHHHHH?!" Ikoma's shout echoed through the empty street and the rest of his companions turned back to stare at him. "It's nothing, nothing!" He waved them away while simultaneously clamping a hand over Mumei's mouth.

"Mhmphmph" She protested against his hand.

"Mumei," he hissed, "where in the seven hells did you hear that word?" She glared at him and he removed his hand with a sheepish, "Sorry."

"Why does it matter where I heard it? I just want to know what it means," Mumei pouted.

Sighing, Ikoma ran a hand through his hair. "It has to do with corpses and other… things." As her mouth opened to ask more questions, he hastily continued. "But that doesn't apply to us! We're not corpses, we're Kabaneri. Whoever you heard that from was mistaken, or misinformed, or something." He desperately wanted to change the subject. If I ever get my hands on whoever dared to speak that about Mumei, I'd like to- Ikoma's eyes glowed red for a moment.

As Mumei tried to object once again, he cut her off. "They were mistaken Hozumi." Kissing her cheek, Ikoma cupped her face in his hands with a fond look. "It's as simple as that."

Mumei wanted to pout, but something in his expression melted away her feelings of annoyance. Ikoma ruffled her hair and she huffed, blowing on her bangs. But both of them knew she was just blustering.

"Come on, let's get some rest." Ikoma held out a hand to her and she took it, smiling.


~4 years later~

Blood dripped off the end of Mumei's bayonet. The fighting today along the walls of Tsurugashima Station had been particularly fierce. The Kabane were changing. The group fighting tactics they had employed at Unato were only becoming more frequent, with masses of kabane swarming and overwhelming a single target. This group attack strategy was becoming more and more difficult for the Koutetsujyo defenders to repulse.

They had been trying to repair some damaged lines of track outside the station, but the ferocity of the attack was so strong that they were slowly being driven back to the safety of Tsurugashima's outer wall.

Even more disturbing was the abundance of wazatori that had begun appearing on the battlefield lately. Although they weren't very intelligent, their movement and attack speed were guided by a vicious killer instinct, making them formidable opponents, even for the Kabaneri. The wazatori also seemed to sense that Mumei and Ikoma were their greatest threat and they had been attacking the Kabaneri pair relentlessly.

After four years of fighting together, Mumei and Ikoma could read each other's fighting movements seamlessly. Ikoma knew that when he blocked, Mumei would follow through with a kill shot and when he attacked, she would guard his blind spots from the enemy's retaliation. They flowed around each other in a graceful dance leaving piles of dead in their wake. Mumei dealt the final blow to an especially juicy wazatori, splattering them both with steaming Kabane ichor. At last, the creatures decided to retreat and the hordes of Kabane that had been ruthlessly attacking faded away into to hills like smoke.

Mumei sighed, and attempted to wipe some of the blood off her face, but her hands and clothing were no cleaner. While she still kept her bangs, she had allowed her hair to grow down past her shoulders until it flowed in glossy tresses down to her midback. Today it was bound up in a ponytail for battle. She had outgrown her metallic headband and now used a simple bright red ribbon to fasten her hair.

Somewhere along the way, she had also acquired a red leather jacket that fell to her calves and had a tendency to billow out dramatically behind her in battle. Ikoma often referred to it as her "epic battle gear". Underneath her jacket, she wore lightweight armor that fitted neatly over her black skintight jumpsuit.

The armor was also Ikoma's design. He had adapted a metal polymer with a Kabane iron base, reinforcing it with steel alloy and molding it into thin armor plating that could attach easily to clothing. It was lightweight and incredibly strong.

Ikoma also donned a set of shining black polymer armor over his uniform. The effect, with his pale green hair and rugged cheekbones was quite striking. The first time he had worn it, not only Mumei, but Kajika, Ayame, and even Yukina's jaws had dropped in surprise. At his recent twenty-first birthday celebration, even some of the men of the Koutetsujyo teased him about how handsome he had become.

"It's like you just blossomed overnight," Kibito had drawled, arm slung over his shoulder, face flushed with alcohol.

"I really don't know what you're talking about," Ikoma had protested, while trying to pry himself out from under the larger bushi's weight. The rest of their friends had laughed at his embarrassment and continued with some good-natured heckling. Exasperated, Ikoma had rolled his eyes, only to meet Mumei's quiet smile from across the table. There's definitely a message hidden in that look, he realized, but before he could analyze it further, he was distracted by the rowdy, semi-drunken antics of his friends.

With the battle over, Ikoma's first thought was for his partner. "Mumei, are you alright?" He turned towards her, fingertips grazing her forearm and trailing down to her elbow.

"I'm fine," she reassured him, "just filthy. I can't wait to take a bath." Scanning over the young man standing next to her, she added, "You're pretty bad too."

"What this," Ikoma scoffed. "This is nothing. Remember that time we fought those parasitic mold spores up in Wakayama? Now that was messy."

Mumei wrinkled her nose at the memory. "Messy and smelly."

"See, this is nothing." Ikoma draped an arm over her shoulders and gave her a wide smile. "How'd I do? Did you see the way I dodged that wazatori using the two saw blades?"

"You've definitely gotten fast." Mumei wound a hand around his waist and the two began to trudge up the hill towards the station's imposing gates. She pinched his side mischievously. "But still not fast enough to beat me."

"Tsk," Ikoma clucked his tongue. "We should race again soon. I think I might actually beat you this time."

"In your dreams," Mumei scoffed. They had reached the entranceway to Tsurugashima and she gave a playful salute to the lookout stationed above. The bushi did not return her grin, but the metal doors slowly started to grind open. "Jeesh, these guys have no sense of humor," she whispered conspiratorially. "I don't know how Ayame-sama puts up with them."

"Well, Ayame-sama is the picture of beauty, maturity, and good manners." Ikoma ticked the traits off on his fingers. "Unlike some people I know, she has patience with all sorts of personalities." He waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively.

"Bleh!" Mumei pretended to retch, "I'd rather die than pretend to be all buddy buddy with people I can't stand."

"It's called diplomacy, you goose."

"Bleh!" Mumei continued her charade, contorting her face into exaggerated expressions of displeasure and disgust.

It was a game they had played many times before. She would make silly faces and Ikoma would attempt not to laugh. He tried valiantly for a minute or two, but after a ridiculous grimace he couldn't contain a chuckle. Caressing her cheek fondly, he said, "You really are too much. Be careful it doesn't get stuck like that."

Mumei stuck out her tongue.

They reached the local bath house and were able to enter without incident. "Ayame-sama must have prepped the workers ahead of time about us," Ikoma whispered into Mumei's ear.

"Mhmm," she nodded. "They almost succeeded in trying not to stare."

He laughed and she felt his breath on her cheek. "We'll meet up again and have dinner together, ok?" Ikoma caught her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Ok!" She answered brightly.


Later that evening, Mumei was in a great mood. She had enjoyed a wonderful bath with no awkward whispering in the background. People have finally started to accept us, she smiled to herself. And best of all, it's the perfect night for star-gazing. I'm sure I can talk Ikoma into going up onto the roof tonight for a look and some snuggling. She twirled around the room in excitement. It's gonna be great!

Skipping down the steps of her room in Tsurugashima, Mumei headed towards the area the rest of the crew would be eating. She had gotten much better at tuning out the conversations of those around her, but when she heard her own name, it caught her attention.

"-that Mumei is still scary as hell." It was a group of young men from the Koutetsujyo. They must have a shared quarters while the train's docked in Tsurugashima, Mumei realized. She knew she should just ignore their comments and move on, but a morbid curiosity drove her to stay. Pressing into the shadows along the wall, she continued to listen.

"Did you see how she came in today, all splattered in guts?"

"Sometimes I feel bad for Ikoma. He already lost his humanity and now he's saddled with caring for that little monster."

Mumei clenched her hands over her glowing orange heart. Was Ikoma bothered by it? The thought had never occurred to her before. She pressed her ear against the wall to listen more closely.

"Be thankful it's him, otherwise she might have set her sights on one of us." She could hear the men inside shifting uncomfortably.

"N-no way. I want a woman who's cute and dainty and clean!" Mumei could hear hearty agreements as someone clapped another person on the back.

"She's nothing like Ayame-sama. Now there's a real woman." Her heart clenched painfully and Mumei felt herself slide down the wall to sit on the ground.

"To Ayame-sama," the men inside cheered.

Mumei wanted to pull up her jacket and hide inside like she was twelve again. Instead, she settled for swiping the sleeve of her jacket over her suspiciously damp eyes and nose. Just another example of how indelicate I am, she thought, looking at her sleeve with a frown. Standing up, she brushed herself off and did an about face, heading back towards her room. She suddenly didn't feel like being around people right now.

Mumei climbed on top of her roof and sat, hugging her knees to her chest. The stars held no joy for her now will all the painful thoughts swimming around in her mind. She wracked her brain, trying to recall if Ikoma had ever called her cute. He'd called her a pain, a goose, silly, even a lioness sometimes, but she couldn't remember him ever calling her cute.

If how I am makes Ikoma unhappy then- she hung her head lower in misery. Swallowed up by her little black cloud, Mumei didn't pay attention to the time passing by.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Ikoma popped his head up over the rim of the roof. "There you are! I've been looking all over for you." He climbed onto the roof with ease and sat beside her. "You missed dinner. I was worried." He held out a bamboo thermos contained freshly harvested blood.

Mumei ignored it and turned away. Just another uncute thing about me, she lamented. My diet.

They sat in silence for a few minutes and Mumei was thankful that her friend didn't pressure her. She opened up her hand and placed it palm up on the clay tile roof. Immediately, Ikoma took it and began rubbing soothing circles into it with the pads of his thumbs. He knew how much Mumei loved hand massages and recognized her unspoken request for comfort.

After a few more minutes, Mumei spoke quietly, still looking away. "Hey Ikoma, do you think I'm cute?"

He cocked his head thoughtfully, brows raised. "Cute? Hmm, I don't know if that's the word I'd use."

I knew it, she thought, trying to keep her heart from shattering into a million pieces.

"More like," Ikoma rubbed the shadow of stubble on his chin. "Ravishingly beautiful and unbelievably sexy." He pressed a kiss into the center of her hand.

Eh! Mumei lifted her head and turned towards him, blinking.

"Or as we steam smiths like to say, 'Smokin' hot,'" he said in a faux burly voice, puffing out his chest.

That won a small chuckle from her lips and she eyed him hopefully. "Really?" she asked in a quiet voice.

"Of course!" He beamed at her. "Why do you ask?"

At his question, she looked away again, biting her lip.

Taking her chin in his hand, Ikoma gently guided her face back to his. "Hozumi, why do you ask?"

Damn, he's pulling out the big guns, using my real name. He knows I turn to mush every time he uses it. "It's stupid. I just-" At his nod of encouragement, she continued, "I just- I don't think I'm every going to be a woman like Ayame-sama, no matter how hard I try. So, if that's the kind of person you're looking for, I don't want to hold you back." She blurted out in a rush of anguish and covered her face in her hands.

"Ayame-sama? Who said anything about Ayame-sama?" Ikoma suddenly found himself confused.

"She's the ideal woman," Mumei started ticking off on her fingers, "Beautiful, dainty, quiet, patient, clean, mature-"

He covered her fingers with his hands and drew her close, till their foreheads were resting together. "Mumei, Ayame-sama is not my ideal woman." His eyes burned into hers and Mumei suddenly felt inexplicably thirsty.

Swallowing, she whispered, "She's not?" Now it was Mumei's turn to feel confused, "But I thought…"

"Don't get me wrong, Ayame-sama's a wonderful person and a good leader." Ikoma rubbed the back of her hands. "I can see why other guys would find her attractive but she's not the one for me."

"Really?" Mumei breathed, distracted by how close his handsome face was and the intensity of his gaze.

"Really," he said seriously. Then his mouth quirked into a grin. "I like a woman who can kick my ass every once in a while."

She clicked her tongue and punched him half-heartedly in the arm. "Don't tempt me, I just might."

Laughing, he slid an arm around her shoulders and she snuggled up against him. For a few minutes they just sat together in silence. Mumei pressed her ear against Ikoma's chest and listening to his heart beat. His heart sounds so strong, she thought. A kabane heart with a human mind.

When she started to tremble in his arms, Ikoma looked down, concerned. "Hey, what's wrong?" She buried her face into his chest and he could feel the warmth of her tears soaking into his haori. He ran his hands through her hair soothingly. "Please tell me," he urged.

Mumei took a shuddering breath and looked up at him, tears glittering on her eyelashes. The vulnerability in her look made Ikoma's heart ache. Subconsciously he tightened his arms around her, wanting to protect her from ever being hurt again.

"It's just," she looked away. "Ikoma you're such a good person. All I've brought into your life is death. You'd have been better off if you'd never met me."

The thought of never having met Mumei drove an icy nail of dread through his heart and Ikoma exclaimed, "That's not true! I've never felt more alive than when I'm with you Mumei." The words came rushing out in a torrent. While his mind urged him to slow down, his heart drove him forward and he knew then that he would do anything, say anything, even make a complete fool of himself to wipe away that anguished look from her eyes.

"Before I met you, I was completely alone except for Takumi. Don't you remember? The Koutetsujyo would have left me to die if you hadn't saved me. I'd be lost without you. Knowing you," he swallowed, "loving you has saved me from losing myself to the kabane virus that flows through my veins. I told you that day in the mines, I never want to be separated from you again. Whenever you're in danger, I feel this rage inside me, like a wild animal, and I know that I'm capable of terrible things." He slid his hands down her arms slowly and looked away. "You say that I'm a good person, but without you, I'd have become a monster long ago. Please don't ever leave me."

"Ikoma." She reached up and wiped a tear away that had started to trickle down his cheek. "Mhmm." She nuzzled into his neck and whispered hot words against his fluttering pulse. "I'll never leave you." Her hands cinched tightly around his waist and she breathed in the scent of him. Then, a shock rippled through her mind and she grasped his shoulders, holding him at a distance. "Wait! Did you just say love?!"

Ikoma laughed, and cupped her face in his calloused palm. "Haven't you realized it yet? I'm ridiculously in love with you."

An outrageously large grin painted itself across Mumei's face even as her complexion reddened. She twiddled her fingers self-consciously for a moment. "I love you too, Ikoma."

The words were so quiet, he could barely hear them. Still Ikoma's heart swelled with joy. He drew her into his arms with reverence. She was after all, his life line, his anchor, the light that warded off the dark madness of the kabane virus that throbbed under his skin.

She looked up at him tenderly, his ferocious lioness who could behead a man with the flick of her wrist. With all her inhuman agility and strength, she was like an angel of death, a creature of legend. And she was looking at him as if he was the only person in the universe that mattered. As if he wasn't just a lowly steam smith who managed to get himself bitten by a kabane the first time he ended up fighting one. It made his blood roar to know that of all the people in the world she could love, she chose him.

As he traced a smoldering line of kisses along her neck, he whispered into the hollow of her throat, "Cute doesn't even begin to cover it…"

-The End-


Author's Notes:

1.) I've tried finding the names of other stations from the Kabaneri universe, but the only ones I've discovered are Kongoukaku, Aragane, Hayatani, and Yashiro most of which have been destroyed or overrun. So, I've improvised using the names of actual train stations in Japan.

2.) The scene where Mumei dictates for Ikoma to kiss different spots was inspired by a scene from the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark with Indiana Jones and Marion. You can find it by googling "Raiders of The Lost Ark: The Kiss scene" if you're interested.

3.) I started this story with the mindset of it being a one-shot, but the more I write it, the more I think maybe it could continue a little further. I guess we'll see where it goes. I also have another idea that I think will be fun for this couple in an AU storyline, I'm still playing around with some of the details in my head, but I'm pretty sure that will end up being a multi-chapter story.