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Chapter 29
LISIANTHUS

"Say, Mui-kun."

Muichiro hums, sparing you a glance and then focusing on the task at hand.

"What are you gonna do with a lot of these paper cranes?" Taking a seat beside him, you glance at the jar that was beside him. It wasn't full yet, but there were still a lot of them inside.

"Kanroji told me that if you make 1000 paper cranes, you will have one special wish granted."

You hum at his reply, a thoughtful expression on your face. "What could you be wishing for?" you wonder aloud, your curiosity piqued by his dedication.

Muichiro glanced at your curious eyes.

'To marry you.' he thinks.

After getting married, he dreams of creating a farm where he would plant a lot of daikons. You would cook his favorite dish for him every day. He imagines going out daily, returning home with ingredients to help you make your favorite food. Tanjiro and Nezuko would visit you both, and he would proudly offer them your cooking. They would exclaim that it was delicious and shyly ask for seconds.

He couldn't ask for a better life.

'I love you.'
__________________

"My, my...stuck in your head, you say?" a soft and gentle voice spoke in amusement, staring at the young boy before her.

The youngster then replied with a nod, not seeming to be expressing anything apparent.

"Let's see. How does your stomach feel when you see her?"

"It feels... weird.. Like I'm getting tickled on the inside." he stated with a blank expression, thinking hard for answers.

"Well would you look at that. I think you'd better talk this out with Kanroji-san. You do remember the way to her Estate, do you?" The Insect Hashira stated with the same gentle smile that she always wears on her face, leading the young boy to head to the Love Hashira's residence.

Then he snapped out of his daydreaming.

You waved a hand in front of his face, and he blinked, returning to the present. "You suddenly stopped talking, so I have been calling you. Why did you suddenly stop like that?"

Muichiro's expression softened. "Sorry, I was just lost in thought."

Fragments of memories returned to him, flashing through his mind, like a play.

Muichiro's mind was a blank space that has no thoughts. He also has a habit of staring off into space. He was easily distracted by trivial things and forgets what was previously mentioned. Despite this, he's still able to regain focus when necessary when he fights.

Yet outside of serious situations, his mind slips off into his own world, putting his whole attention to the one being that catches his interest. Like a cloud or a butterfly landing on his nose.

The sky was dark and gloomy, there was a storm tonight. Settling on one of the chairs, you neatly laid out all the food you prepared. As you patted the spot next to you, the young boy propped himself comfortably on the vacant seat. Not long after, the both of you began eating dinner in silence, enjoying each other's company in a comfortable silence. Those were the cherished moments that Muichiro couldn't trade anything for.

In an attempt to start a conversation, you started off with simple questions. You asked how his day went, or if he had any upcoming missions to complete. With him giving short and simple answers, it was discouraging at first. But you did not like to give up, so you didn't. With that, you gradually began to move out of topic and ended up being the one talking instead. Muichiro didn't ask, but he did not mind. Quietly eating the meal in front of him, he carefully listened to you rambling on.

You talked with enthusiasm, as you squealed and giggled over the littlest of things that piqued your happiness. Like how Ryu acted so adorable, or the way Kanao fought so gracefully. The way your eyes lit up when you mentioned something so trivial occurred during something simple as shopping— the way a proud smile tugged at your lips as you spoke about defeating a powerful demon, all of these small details brought a fluttering sensation to the boy's heart. After consultation with the Love Hashira and Insect Hashira, he knew what this feeling was now.

'This... is love, wasn't it?'

He took in your features closely as you gazed at the lake in front of you, his gaze tracing down the smooth surface of your cheeks, soaking in your appearance.

His curiosity was piqued, a sense of longing urging him to move forward. And so he did.

Your flustered face was so lovely that he wanted to do that again.

'I love you.'

He was beginning to understand what all these feelings were, he wanted to embrace it, to express it and cherish it with you. Love was a beautiful thing. Because of you, he knew what love meant. It made him happy.

He was beginning to feel light headed. He doesn't have much time left. He desperately crawled his way over to you, a painful ache settled inside his chest when he saw the state you were in. Your eyes were no doubt blind, your arms were slashed off, along with one of your legs. You were in no state better than him.

Both of you will die from bleeding out soon.

He remembers when he took you out to ride a boat, you told him that, you enjoyed it very much that you would like to go again.

'The lantern festival as well.. I would like to go with you.'

But those wishes of his seemed impossible now.

As cruel as it sounded, he wanted to tell you how he felt. He didn't want to leave with any regrets.

Even to something as simple as talking, he had to use every ounce of strength he had to speak. He raised his trembling arm to hug you. Noticing your tear-streaked face, he realized you were scared, just as he was. Swallowing down his fear, Muichiro gently comforted you.

"We will be okay, we are in it together. You are not alone.."

He was not good at comfort, it was more of your expertise, yet he still tries. He saw Ryu silently fly down next to them, along with Ginko. Both of them were quiet as night. Just then, you expressed your thoughts with a weak murmur.

"Ryu...I hope someone takes care of Ryu when I am gone...tell that to Kanao would you?" Your heart aches just from thinking about it.

Muichiro went stiff. He didn't have the heart to tell you the state he is in, not after seeing how much you were trembling.

"(Name).."

He forced out his voice, feeling his consciousness fading in. You went quiet and still, he assumes you were listening to him.

'I love you, more than I can describe with just words.'

"I—..."

He felt himself slipping away, his head slumping on the ground. Muichiro, dies with regrets.

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Taisho Rumors

(Name) couldn't keep her promise to hang out with Kanao.

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Author Notes

Ahem so Yuichiro and Muichiro moment is pretty important too, but like it happens after he died, and this chapter is about before he died so, I couldn't add it.

Let's add the salt on the wound, shall we? When Muichiro called out to (Name), she was already dead since she didn't hear him call her in her part. So even if he manages to finish his sentence, she wouldn't be able to hear anything 🙂

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