Extra: Love
She knew they were the same from the first moment she met him. Quiet, contemplative, and grateful for the small blessings life bestowed upon them. Yusuke described him as angry and hurt once but the years weathered him down into a demon who was too tired of being angry and hurt. Longing and sadness filled those gaps instead. She liked that they shared that too.
He knew they were the same. That's why he never objected when she sat quietly next to him watching the exuberant antics of Yusuke, the playful teasing of the infamous retired thief, and the bright laughter of the ice maiden and her child. He watched as she did from the outside. Sometimes it was a peaceful watch and other times it was anxious and left her wondering why she was unable to join in too.
But then, Yusuke would smile at her and give her a quick wink before turning his attention back to center stage. She supposed that was where they differed.
Yusuke was able to reach out to her, keep her warm and shed the loneliness she bore for so many years after Akashi died. She loved that about him, how Yusuke always looked up and pressed forward. He didn't like living in the past; the past was for the dead but the future is for the living. He told that to her the first time they met, watching the graveyard that held the remains of their beloveds ripped apart. It seemed odd to have met in a graveyard, looking back, but it was appropriate.
He was trying to move out of the past and she was stuck in it. They needed each other perhaps more than either of them expected.
The fire demon was different. He lived neither in the past or the future. He strove for an existence of absence.
Yusuke told her how the woman used to light a up room with her laughter and all it took was a particular smile to give the small demon a warmth that no one else could give. But the warmth that her light gave him faded into a tragic coldness after her disappearance.
He was interested a water demon now, or so Yusuke said. She met her once, as they passed through Raizen's territory. The demoness seemed kind enough, but the fire demon was still cold and empty as the Koorime. One day, he would feel the warmth of love again, but not today and not from that demoness.
"Kaneko!"
Kaneko looked up from her journal entry. Her love was standing in the doorway, looking like he had just opened a present. She stood and smiled at him curiously. "I know that mischievous look, koibito."
"We have an unexpected guest, but don't tell anyone, okay? It's a surprise!" He stepped into the room and their guest appeared.
Kaneko smiled. Perhaps soon they would not be so different after all.