Kyojuro's eyes opened, and then his mouth as he started to growl like a wild beast. "It's alright! You're alright. It's just me, Y/N." I lied like the liar that I was. Nothing's alright. I turned Kyojuro into a demon! I told him I'd watch his back… I told him I'd protect him too, yet this is what I did to him? He continued hissing at me. "Please…" I hugged him, and he squirmed against me, sharp claws digging into my flesh.
I wondered if I should keep on telling him it's okay when it's nothing but a lie. Tears fell from my eyes, not because of my wounds from Kyojuro's assault on my back. I think that's something I truly deserved. Maybe I'm not so different from Kibutsuji Muzan.
I held on to him tightly for what felt like hours. Eventually, his hissing and growls died down and turned to him just breathing heavily. His nails that were digging into my flesh stopped, and his hands just grabbed onto my kimono tightly.
"Y/N? What?" I was afraid to look at him. I was terrified of seeing hatred in his eyes… even though I deserved that and more. I felt him pull away, and as much as I didn't want to, I know I had to face him.
He looked almost the same, aside from his restored eye. Both of his eyes were glowing gold. His hand traveled to his face, waving it in front of his left eye. "What did you do?" He asked me quietly, voice sounding so dejected. "I'm sorry!" He looked down at his body, seeing the several rips in his demon slayer uniform and the blood surrounding them yet no wounds visible.
"I'm – " "You were dying, Kyo-kun! I couldn't…" I tried to grab his hands but he moved them away. He took a step back from me. "Kyo – " "Y/N, dying is what humans do!" I couldn't help but flinch at his volume and tone, to which his eyes softened some and his arms hovered – looking as if he wanted to comfort me – but he decided against it and his arms hang limply at his side. "You said you won't miss out on growing old." "Demons don't grow old." He whispered. What else was there for me to say and do besides sorry and nod? He was right.
"You're mad, and you have every right to be. I – Let's talk later. Kyo-kun you…" I cut myself off. There's nothing I could say to make this right. I moved near the entrance of the cave and sat there. There was nothing else for me to do other than cry. Pathetic.
"Hmm…" I felt my self being carried and was surprised to see Kyojuro when I opened my eyes. I mean, he was the only one I was with, but he was angry at me. "Kyo-kun?" "You were sleeping too close to the entrance. The sunlight would get to you." Another wave of guilt washed over me.
He set me down, and tears were begging to fall from my eyes. "You were wrong, Kyo-kun. When you said I was selfless. I'm the opposite! All I could think about was how miserable I'd be when you die. I couldn't stand the thought of not being able to talk to you again, to see you again. How you won't get to do what you said you would… Kyojuro I –" He pulled me into a hug.
"I understand. I'm not happy about it, but I understand." His arms around me only got tighter. "The thought of leaving you behind is not something I like. Besides, we did set out to look for a cure… only now it's for both of us." He pulled back and tenderly wiped the tears on my face. Tears that fell against my will. But the sight of his smiling face made me cry even more and I just decided to bury my face in his chest as he rubbed my back and whispered comforting words to me. "Y/N…I forgive you." I looked to him in surprise.
I did something despicable to him and he was still the one comforting me. "You're so good to me, Kyo-kun. How could you just forgive me?" With his warm hand caressing my face, and a lovely smile on his he confessed, "It's because I'm in love with you."
Love? I imagined that hearing someone say that they love me would make me smile so hard my jaw would start hurting. However, hearing that from Kyojuro at that moment only made me cry harder, and the guilt I'm carrying heavier. He ended up having to comfort me for a long while.
Once I calmed down, we talked about our next move. The first would be to inform Oyakata-sama of what happened. Then I asked Kyojuro about how he was feeling – how hungry he was. Because when I was a freshly turned demon, I remember feeling famished. "Hmm, I feel fine. I don't feel hungry at all!" Strange. We also decided to see Tamayo-san as soon as possible. Maybe Kyojuro is feeling different because he's not one of Kibutsuji's demons – he's mine.
"How did you do it, Y/N-chan?" he inquired and I felt my blood rush up my neck and face. "Uhm, I made you drink my blood?" He looked at me questioningly, eyebrow arched. "I uhhh… you have to understand, I was trying to put pressure on your wounds with my hands…"
"So, you didn't use your hands?" He was smiling now, obviously teasing. Did he know? "No, I didn't." He nudged me; tone now playful. "How?" "It wasn't a kiss… just – uhm, just mouth to mouth." I whispered, hands covering my face. I can't believe this!
"Before that demon, Akaza, arrived… I wanted to kiss you." Ah! Memories of his warm breath on my lips flashed in my mind. How can he say something like that confidently? I turned to look at his face and found redness on his cheeks. He was flustered, too. A soft sigh escaped my lips. He might look a little different, but he's still beautiful. "You can kiss me now." I said, my brain freezing and my mouth moving on its own. Strangely, I didn't regret saying that.
A soft smile graced Kyojuro's face and he leaned in again. And I did what felt right – my eyes fluttered closed and my hands went up to him; one tangled in his hair, the other cupping his face. I know I technically had my lips on him, but this was an actual kiss! His lips felt so warm and soft against mine, I can't help the noise of contentment that escaped me. His hands held me, firmly holding my waist and the back of my head. And I felt him pull me closer, and somehow it was still not enough.
Our lips moved against each other, and it felt so good I sighed… then he licked my lips and inside my mouth and it just felt even better. I thought kissing was just pressing your lips against someone else but, well using our tongues was life-changing!
Too bad we had to stop to breathe because I wanted to do it again, and again. Kyojuro looked at me, the happiest I've ever seen him, and whispered, "I'm glad I'm not dead." "Me, too." I felt him smile when I pulled him in for another kiss.
"You're a demon now, too?!" Yushiro asked the moment we stepped foot inside Tamayo-san's home. We then explained everything that happened. A lot happened in one night. Tamayo-san presented a jug to Kyojuro, the metallic scent unmistakable. "You must be starving." Kyojuro scrunched up his nose in disgust, "I am. Forgive me, but I don't really like this." What? Kyojuro, a newly turned demon is repulsed by human blood?
I turned to look at Tamayo-san, and she could read the question on my face. "Hmm. Perhaps animal flesh and blood would suit you better." The same diet that I have? "This isn't normal, is it?" I inquired, nervous about what it could mean. I'm sure he was a demon; he regenerated a whole eyeball! So why? "Yushiro is a demon from my blood. He has never eaten any humans before, and he requires less human blood than I do. My theory is that he inherited that from me. Kyojuro is your demon. He inherited your preference for animals. Maybe he'd require even less than you do."
"That's good, then! I can still continue my duties and not worry about coming across injured humans." Kyojuro quipped, optimistic as ever. Yushiro, however, was the complete opposite. "Another unsightly demon. Hmph! Aren't you mad at her? She didn't even ask –!"
"Yushiro!" Tamayo-san scolded him before he could continue. "Y/N knows it's not the best, but clearly losing him would be so much worse to her." Yes, I think I was as red as the tips of Kyojuro's hair when she said that.
After bidding them goodbye, we went out and explored the city again. Hopefully this time Akaza-san won't show up. Somehow, while walking, Kyojuro laced his hand with mine. I love it when he holds my hand like that. "Tamayo-san was right, what she said earlier. Losing you would be the worse thing to happen." I don't know where the courage to say that was from, but I'm thankful it appeared anyway. He squeezed my hand a bit, "You won't lose me. I know I almost died twice by now, but I'll do my best from now on. Especially since I can live through almost anything now." That set me in a panic! "No! I mean, you are kind of invincible, but you'd still feel pain. I don't want you getting hurt!" "You let an arm pierce your chest for me, Y/n-chan! You felt pain but still did that. You can't expect me not to do the same to protect you!"
That was a good point. "Alright. But only when necessary. I can regenerate, too." He was smiling but I felt like he was unconvinced. I wanted to say just that, but he decided that was a great time to kiss me. It was a kiss that made me loathe the need to breathe. His lips were so soft and tasted so sweet! I loved how close we were that I was breathing in his scent. It felt like home. While it was a great kiss, it was cut short due to the mumbles and gasps we heard around us. Despite feeling embarrassed, we can't help but laugh. I bet we looked like two giddy idiots.
"Kyo-kun." I called, and he hummed waiting for me to go on. "I love you, too. I want you to know that." I realized that crying after he told me that he loved me was not the kind of response I should've given him. He deserved to know how I feel, and I should finally be honest with myself. I do love Kyojuro. He's the ray of sunshine in my life. I think I deserve to have someone like that, right? It's not selfish to love someone, right? "You make me really happy, Kyojuro." The look of joy on his face was all I needed to convince myself to tell him how much I love him every day. The added peck on my lips was a great bonus, too.
"Y/N-chan." I hummed, "Let's get married the moment we become human again." I smiled, feeling a pleasant warmth settle on my cheeks. "Okay. I hope Tamayo-san finishes the elixir real soon." Kyojuro nodded, "Me too! Then maybe Sutan would have a playmate real soon, too." He teased. Children, huh? Oh? Something familiar… a familiar scent caught my attention by then. The scent was coming from a boy? No…impossible!
"Sutan's really cute. Maybe a daughter first would be nice. But a boy won't be so bad either. Ah! Look at that kid! That boy looks adorable, but he looks too serious. I hope our kids won't be like that. Hmm, Y/N-chan?" I gripped his hand harder when I realized who that boy was. "What's wrong?"
"That boy – that's Kibutsuji Muzan!" I told him, which sent him on high alert. "The boy?" I understand his surprise. I was, too. But I know it's him. The boy was with an old couple and some other older people. He was looking at them, and I think he doesn't know I was near him. "What should we do?" Attack him? Take him away? No… He might look like a boy but he is still very strong.
Unfortunately, a decision was made for us. Kyojuro's crow picked that moment to loudly deliver a letter to him which took everyone's attention – Kibutsuji Muzan's included. What's more, was that the crow spoke and in a shrill crow voice announced that Uzui Tengen has retired. Kyojuro took the letter right away just to make the crow shut up but it was too late. Kibutsuji turned his little boy face towards us and the look he gave us made every hair on my body stand.
I thought seeing him again wouldn't make me feel like this. I thought I'd be able to look him in the eye and tell him off. But I was shaking in fear, absolutely terrified of him. It reminded me of Yuichi-nii's body; it reminded me of every people I've seen him kill and eat. Being this near him reminded me how weak I was. However, Kyojuro's grip on my hand reminded me that I was not alone. He nuzzled my hair, whispering how he's with me and would always be. He's right. I'm not alone. Seeing that made Kibutsuji's tiny boy face twist in anger. He was going to do something!
I was still afraid, but Kyojuro's presence beside me made me feel a little braver – his actions especially. Kibutsuji made a move to raise his hand but it looked so slow. Time was moving so slowly then. The people around him, around us, all melted into blurry colors and it seemed like it was just him and us. I moved first, freezing both his hands and feet. I heard screams – the humans with him. They started to panic, screaming about something that happened to their boy.
"We couldn't risk a fight here, there are too many people. Let's tail him for now." Kyojuro whispered to me and I nodded in agreement. Kibutsuji was ushered away, not before looking straight at me. It was the scariest sight. "He wants me back." I whispered, starting to breathe erratically. Kyojuro's hands held my shoulders, "I won't let him. He won't get you!"
I know he won't let Kibutsuji take me. I believed him. But even Kyojuro can't stop it when the ground opened up and swallowed me whole.