A Hashira's Demon

Demonic Kiss

As the days passed, my wounds began to heal as quickly as they should as a demon, but the mood in the family suddenly changed over time.

Senjuro became interested in the history of demons I vaguely told him about them. His father slowly started to show a bit of respect as a decent demon, and after that encounter, he kept his word on not striking me out of existence.

As for Rengoku, well, whenever he left on a mission or was called to the mansion, he always left me a kiss on the forehead as a sign of his promise to return to me alive. I was unsure what a kiss meant since we demons have never encountered anything like this before. But it started to make my brain go all fuzzy, and I wasn't sure why.

Later that night, as I just finished explaining my concerns to Miss Tamayo from the gardens, she looked quite shocked as I was.

"YN, do you realize what this means?" Miss Tamayo asked as she composed herself.

I shook my head no.

"He's very compassionate about you."
"I don't understand."
You've told me he's confessed to you, correct?"
"Yes, but..."
"Have you felt the same thing about him?"

I paused, unsure of what to answer.

A rush of blood always pulses through my undead body whenever he's nearby. I can feel his blazing heat scorching all around him without being burned entirely. My heart starts to beat once more as if it had been reborn after so many moons. I couldn't explain what it meant.

"I don't know if I do," I replied, attempting to lie.
"Your facial expression says otherwise." She protests.

I placed my hands on my cheeks as if a small fire started to ignite out of the blue.

"Wha-what is it saying?"
"It's saying: 'I have a crush on this human boy.'"

With such embarrassment, I curled myself in a fetal position, covering my head completely to hide the redness of my body. Ms. Tamayo only giggled lightly as she placed her hand on my shoulder.

"Do not fret over this matter," she encouraged, "it's only natural to fall in love with someone."
"It is?"
"Yes, since the moon's first rising, any creature has seen love bloom naturally between two beings."

I sigh in relief.

"However," she added, "The only problem we have in this predicament is your assignment."

I groaned.

I had completely forgotten about my brother's assignment. If I returned to the infinity castle empty-handed, he'll find someone else to kill him first, maybe an upper moon. I couldn't protect him, even if that was the case. But if I came back with him dead, his family would never forgive me.

At this point, I was stuck.

Wasn't sure what to do at this point.

Just then, I recalled his jacket he'd let me keep back in the realm.

"Ms Tamayo!" I spoke, "I need you to do me a favor."
"What is it, my dear?"
"I need you to go back into the infinity castle, grab that jacket from my room, and bring it back to me."
"The jacket that Hashira gave you? But why?"
"I have an idea. It may be crazy, but I'm sure my brother will accept it."
"I'm sure hope you know what you're doing."