Unexpected Demon Encounters

Chapter 7

Hearing Muzan apologize to me sounds weird. I watch his face go back to normal. "I'm sorry Gyutaro said those things to you. I'm not using you to get closer to the demon slayers. I can get as close as I want without your help." He looks at Nakime. She nods.

We're suddenly standing on a bridge in front of a water garden palace surrounded by water lilies and lit up lanterns.

"Muzan. This place is beautiful." I say as he carries me inside.

"This is where I live when I'm here. It's safe here. You'll stay here once we're married. Unless you want to move in now."

I look up at him. "But i-." He cuts me off with a finger to my lips. "I read their minds. I won't force you to become a demon. It'll be your choice fully." His says with reassurance.

He looks down at me. He carries me into a bedroom and lays me down. I scoot back to make room. I sit up. He sits beside me. "I know you want revenge. We can help. Can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead, Muzan. What is it?" I wait for him to ask his question.

"Who held you back, and made you watch Rengoku kill your brother?" I look away. Muzan takes my hand in his. I let out a long sigh.

"There's some things you probably don't know. About who my friends are. I'm friends with a few demon slayers. Well, pretending to be friends with them, if I'm being honest with myself. We were friends before everything happened with my brother. I couldn't bring myself to tell them to their faces that I hate them. They just assumed I was fine. Muzan." I whimper and start crying. "How could they think I was fine after what happened? How dense could they be? Akaza said he'd help get revenge on Rengoku. I won't ask him to do that. I should be the one. It's my problem."

My body trembles as I cry. He pulls me so that I'm sitting across his lap. My legs hanging off the bed. He holds me close.

"Do you...want to become a demon? There's no going back. I want you to be happy. I'm sure...the demon slayers are holding you back from happiness." I nod. He continues talking. "They continue to get in my way, as well."

"I don't want to become a demon yet. Maybe wait a year or even a a couple of years. I'm still young. I've got plenty of time." He wipes away my tears. "Is it selfish of me to want to be happy and loved?" There's a sudden knock on the door.

Muzan looks at the door. "Come in, Akaza." He says and my eyebrows raise. The door opens to reveal Akaza. How did he know it was Akaza? Right. He's a mind-reader.

"What do you want?" Muzan asks, coldly. Not giving away any emotions. He keeps his face blank.

Akaza looks at me. "I came to check on Lyla." He says bluntly. He looks down at the floor. I smile, wiping the last of my tears. "I'm fine now. Thank you, Akaza. Thank you for caring." He looks up at me, a hint of a smile on his face.

"As you can see, she's fine. Get back to work on keeping an eye on the demon slayers." Muzan holds me close. I watch Akaza leave, closing the sliding door back.

"What did you do to him while I was gone? He cares about you." He raises and eyebrow, observing me. I blush.

"Well, we all played tag for a while. Akaza tried the hardest. I think he just wanted someone to play with that wouldn't judge him." I smile. "I had a lot of fun." I yawn and lay my head against his shoulder. I take his hand in mine and I fall asleep against him.

Sleeping peacefully, Muzan lays me down and cuddles up against me. We stay like that for a couple of hours.

~Sometime Later~

I feel someone's hand on my shoulder. I blink back the sleepiness in my eyes and look up. Muzan is gazing down at my sleeping face.

"Did I wake you?" He asks me. I smile, curling up against him.

"You did. But it's okay. Won't my parents be worried about me? I've been gone for so long." I look up at him as he nods.

"Are you ready to go home? The sun set about an hour ago." I nod, smiling. "I'm ready. It's almost dinner time." I sit up and stretch.

"I'll walk you home." He pats my head.

"Are you sure that's wise? What if the demon slayers are patrolling?" I ask him, worriedly.

"Are you...worried about me? That's adorable. Trust me. If they show up, it won't be much of a fight. I'll have Doma and Akaza come with us, too." I look up at him as he speaks casually.

I wonder what it would be like to kiss him? We will be married soon and we haven't even kissed. I blink slowly, staring up at him. He notices my stare and cups my cheek.

"Lyla?" His deep voice purrs my name and my heart skips a beat. My body shivers. I want him to make the first move. I will him to kiss me first. When he leans down, I smile as our lips meet. Softly and slowly. I kiss him back. My eyes half close and I grab his jacket, our bodies pushed against each other as we kiss slowly still. I lean back first.

"Wow." I cover my face with my hands. I'm embarrassed now. He smiles down at me. He gets off the bed and scoops me up into his arms. "You're adorable, Lyla. Let's go before this leads to something more." He smiles.

Author's Note

I'm sure you've noticed that I don't describe the characters in detail. I lack experience doing it. I could copy/paste the character descriptions.

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