Hands touch, eyes meet

Sudden silence, sudden heat

Hearts leap in a giddy whirl

He could be that boy

But I'm not that girl

She had been asleep for many days now, this strange woman.

Michikatsu wiped off her forehead for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day, making sure she was comfortable under the blankets. The soft falling of snow now coated the ground, giving a frosty glow around the tent. Yoriichi had gone out to get some more firewood for them to warm up towards. Even he was worried about the woman who was put in a comatose state. The oddest thing was that whenever Yoriichi tried to touch her, she would flinch in her sleep and break out into a cold sweat. However, when he touched her, she would instantly cuddle against his hand and sigh happily. Her stars would even glow faintly as well.

He liked that, he liked that she preferred him over his brother.

Cradling her body, Michikatsu kept her close to preserve body heat. The feeling of her against his own body made him blush. Perhaps when she awoke, then he would finally get a name and a voice to associate with her appearance. He brushed some of her green locks, the scent reminding him of fresh grass.

"You know…"He murmured, whispering into her ear gently. "I would not mind if you wanted to stay with me instead of my brother. You seem more happier in my company than his. When you open your eyes, I want to be the first thing you see."

To his shock, her mouth parted as a groan came out from the lips. Shifting in his arms, Sorashi slowly opened her eyes to see herself wrapped gently in some blankets and in someone's arms. A cute yawn erupted from her mouth, showcasing her pearly fangs as she noticed who was holding her.

"Oh wow…" Her voice rung out gently. "I've never seen eyes so beautiful before."

The two brothers were interesting and quite adept at breathing arts.

Sorashi found herself finally developing her own sword style under the guidance of the two. She learned that both used the sun and the moon for their attacks. Wanting to impress them, she told them of her sword and breathing style modeled after the stars. Yoriichi was fascinated as he watched her practice her movements, mesmerized by her hypnotic ways of moving her hips and arms. Michikatsu was enraptured by her star marks that glowed with each attack she used, rubbing his own demon mark whenever he saw them glow.
However, she slept in the daytime and could only use her style at night. This made it more special since it sparkled and formed shapes in front of them.

What the brothers really enjoyed was when she would regale them with stories of this utopian kingdom of the stars. Yoriichi was hunting one day after sunset, so Michikatsu stayed behind and awaited with bated breath as his shining star awoke from her slumber. Donning her human disguise, Sorashi came out of his tent with a twinkling in her eyes.

"Would you like to hear a story about the first star soldier?" She asked him, stretching as she sat down next to him. "I've told you about the princess and her kingdom, but never of the ones who protect her."

"It matters not if you tell me." Deep down, Michikatsu loved to hear her voice and wanted to keep her from never leaving the story of a cliffhanger if he got to hear it. This was why he always dreaded the tiredness that overtook him. If only she could be there in the morning for him to see. However, he got to kiss her gently on the forehead every morning before going out for his training.

Sorashi grinned, pointing upwards at a certain cluster of stars. "Alright Mister Stoic, let me spin you this tale."

"Before the princess could take the throne, she had to train to become a ruler that the people would love. She didn't always like these lessons, so she would frequently sneak out and venture into the woods behind her house. One day, while she was out on her travels, she came across this young boy her age who was broken and crying. Feeling empathy for the lad, she asked him what was wrong. Apparently he had been abandoned by his mother who thought he was a monster. She left him in the woods with all the other monsters, hoping that he would perish. The princess was sadden to hear this, asking the young boy if she would come home with her. At first, he refused because he didn't think he was worthy. Eventually, she convinced him to come home with her and he became her trusted guard. Now his job was to protect her with his ability to channel the power of light. This was the first star, one of twelve that would come to protect her."

"How cruel!" Yoriichi had come back mid-tale and started cutting up his catch. "How could someone abandon their child and call them a monster! I'm glad that the princess saw past his monstrous nature and accepted him as her guard."

Sorashi giggled at his facial expression. "Well just because someone has a mark or birth defect, doesn't mean that they are a monster. My uncle always used to say that the cover of the book is not the whole story."

Michikatsu clenched his fists as cast an adoring gaze over at Sorashi. His own mother called him cursed due to his mark and wanted to kill him when he was young. Hearing this woman whom he met a month ago give him kind words, enjoy his company, and even look past his mark made his heart swell.

"This has been such a great month! I haven't been this relaxed in awhile." The green haired woman leaned back, gazing upwards at the endless sky. "I had forgotten what it feels to be fully alive. To feel my body move with a blade, breath in fresh air, to be…free."

Yoriichi cast a sad smile in her direction. "Why were you passed out that night when we found you? It was as if you were running away from something."

Sorashi closed her eyes, sighing deeply. "More like someone Yochi. You see, there is someone out there whom I love very much and he did something that I didn't agree with. As punishment, I did not talk to him for a long time and got to know a new friend. He got jealous at this and wanted to break us apart. So I ran away and passed out from blood loss."

"This man…was he abusing you?" Michikatsu asked, his hand gripping on his sword. "Do we need to save you from him?"

Sorashi shook her head. "No need, nobody has ever beat him in a fight. You and your brother have been such a nice help for me. I can only hope that he has learned some manners and decency. This is the longest time we've been apart from each other."

Yoriichi came behind her and gave her a gentle hug. "Don't worry, we'll protect you if you need so." Just like when he did it before, when his hands made contact with her skin, she hissed in pain. "Sorashi!"

Michikatsu pushed him out of the way and held her in his arms. "Don't you know that you do her more harm when you touch her!? She cannot be touched by your filthy hands!"

"I'm okay Michi, please stop yelling at your brother." Sorashi said softly, rubbing his back. "I'm fine, I'm just going to heal anyways."

This bitterness and envy for his brother made Michikatsu want to care for this girl even more. No matter what, he would gain more power and surpass his brother. Once he vanquished him, then Sorashi will be his bride and live by his side.

Now, how was he going to gain that power?

One night would answer this question for him.

Yoriichi had left to do some private training and wanted to bring Sorashi with him. Michikatsu protested against this, reminding him that his touch was poisonous to her. Once again, due to lack of blood, Sorashi was in a deep coma and had to be guarded. So the moon brother sent his twin away and found a place to hide his future bride from the sun. An opening in a cave made him smile, placing his futon on the ground for her to sleep upon. He noticed that her face was scrunched up, sweat rolling down. She must have been experiencing a nightmare.

Looking around to make sure he was alone, he pulled out a flute and started to play a cheerful tune. The notes hung in the air and left a lingering effect as he played what sounded like a lullaby. Sorashi inhaled a bit before cooing gently and snuggling onto his lap. Michikatsu took a sharp breath, running his fingers through her now long green hair. He continued to play this sweet melody, wanting this moment to never end.

"It must be nice to have her against you. I haven't seen her sleep like that in a long time. I wonder what she sees in you."

Michikatsu stopped playing his flute as his mark flared up like crazy. He gripped his face in agony as he breathed hard. At the mouth of the cave, there was Muzan in all his glory, narrowing down at him. A mixture of anger and jealousy swam in his red eyes as his nails grew longer. Demonic energy surrounded him as he approached Michikatsu to kill him for taking Sorashi away from him.

What he didn't expect was the comatose form of his beloved to start glowing brightly and floating over the two of them. Her green hair changed into a deep purple with silver stars, a curved horn grew from forehead, and the marks on her body glowing as well. Sorashi descended down, landing between the two as she was asleep still.

"Mu-Chan…" Her voice echoed from her mouth, sounding regal. "Do not harm this young man. He is one of my stars, one of the most trusted people I have met. He seeks power to destroy the one who bares the ability to summon the sun. With his power of the moon and my powers of the stars, we could go further beyond." With a gasp, she powered down back to her base form as if it never happened.

"My queen…you have found a loyal follower in this young man." Muzan cupped her still sleeping face and smiled slightly. "Even in sleep, you still show your power to me. Very well, I shall bestow demon powers to him just because you see potential in him." He stared at the shocked Michikatsu and glared at him. "Be grateful that she deems you worth her time and as one of her guards. I've seen how you look at her, so I will make sure you suffer a lot during your transformation."

Using his nail, he started injecting a ton of blood into the young man's body. Michikatsu yelled in pain as the slow transformation began to change his body. Muzan gave him an indifferent look before positioning Sorashi better in his arms.

"My queen, I will keep you close to me once again. While you were gone, I remembered your words." He whispered into her ear. "When you wake up, I promise that I will be a better king for you."

He smirked as he watched the man before him starting to bubble. With luck, he would explode or burn up so that he wouldn't take his queen. To his shock, he was enduring the process, staring at Sorashi as he did so. His black hair got longer, more unruly going down his back. His face now had three sets of eyes with red sclera and yellow irises and red markings resembling flames were seen on his face and neck. His hands grew claws, his teeth into fangs, and his kimono ripped as he grew taller. Breathing hard, the newly formed demon radiated power as he stood up and faced his new master.

"So you survived." Muzan said, impressed by the new demon. "Like my queen said, you will become one of my twelve moons. She prefers stars, but moons are more powerful." He approached the silent demon, smirking. "Henceforth, you shall be known as Kokushibo, my Upper Moon One."

The newly named Kokushibo bowed. "I am grateful, my lord. Allow me to protect you and the queen for the rest of my life." His eyes stared longingly at Sorashi. "I will be her first star….her guardian beast."

And so…the Upper Moon One was born.

Kokushibo…

Your eyes hide so much from the world.

However, they are constantly staring at me.

Am I the one you protect?

Or am I the one you pine after?

Do not come too close to the princess.

Least you feel the wrath of her captor.

Yup! Welcome the first of the moons or stars if you want to look at it.

One of Sorashi's admirers too!

Well…you should know who comes next after this. It's going to be an interesting set of chapters.