I keep a demon

Chapter 22

At first so eager, then become hesitant.

Douma standing firmly in the middle of his lotus pond, wetting his feet. The demon blankly looks at his reflection on the water. By the end of the night, Y/n will be here. Excited as ever, but just a moment before that, the memories from the past suddenly replay before him, almost like a reminder for him.

He used to keep a woman here, a married woman with a baby. Kotoha could pull a little bit of his sympathy. From the first time throughout his years as a demon, he promised himself to not consume her and let them alive until she dies naturally.

So nostalgic yet it ends tragically.

He believes that there will be no more for him to keep a human here unless it benefits him. Y/n would advantage him, that's what he thinks when he learns about her ability. As time passing by and so many hours he spends with her, the need to keeping her start to evolve from his original plan. From taking advantage from her become the selfish reason to calm his jealousy rage.

The door abruptly opens with force, Akaza step inside his private quarter and stop in the side of the pool, eyeing his upper demon dangerously. This is the first time Douma skip the meeting and Kokushibou questioned him why. He totally asks the wrong person.

"Kokushibou dono has called for a meeting but you didn't come. Stop dragging me if your lazy ass doesn't feel like going out. Just die already."

Douma looking at him deadpan, that's really unexpected. Akaza used to the loud and annoying side of him, with his act oppositely that quite confused him.

"...Right." Douma simply said, "Tell Kokushibou dono I won't do that again."

"Tell Kokushibou dono about your excuse, I ain't getting involved with this." Akaza leaves, betraying his own words because he is headed to where Kokushibou is just to convey Douma's message. Douma really should thank him later.

---

Meanwhile, it's almost midnight, but no sign of Douma or even his cute little clone which she adores so much. Y/n is not sleepy, not even tired from her long day. She doesn't feel like doing anything, not even packing her clothes that The Kakushi Brigade carefully retrieves from the ruin, instead, she looking for a glass to save her lotus flower.

She's wondering why the flower is not even withered, it has been a long time but it remains the same as when his clone gives it to her.

As she admiring the beauty of the flower, raising the glass to where the shining moon, she heard the light step coming from behind, almost inaudible. She familiar with the ghostly side of him, she chooses to ignore him and keep savoring the beauty of the flower with the water reflects the light of the moon.

"I'm glad... having you here and not running away from me."

"Of course. I choose to live with you, remember?" She said. Her eyes still set to the glass, she's going to see him every time though, ditching him for a while wouldn't hurt him.

Douma didn't answer, and he let her have her time as much as she wants. Now he realizes that the relationship he shares with Y/n is much complicated than what he ever think.

With Y/n, he witness how persistent she is to keep welcoming him and not tell a single soul about him. Even after the pain he puts her through, from mentally torture her to hurt her physically.

She abruptly said that she do really like him, human or not, it's not gonna change how she looks at him.

The fear to experience his past for the second time starts to creep inside his mind. He saw Y/n as a fearless being, with or without her pervert eyes ability, and maybe as an airhead too for letting herself fall for a demon like him. It is going to be a big loss when he let her slip from his hand because now he is secretly infatuated with her.

"Why are you so quiet? You said that you're glad I'm not running away from you."

Y/n keep averting his gaze, looking at anywhere but him where the demon shamelessly grace his eyes with her feature. Clingy as he always be when he wants to, he fails to notice her beauty more than tonight. She may not be on the same level as Kotoha but she looks effortlessly gorgeous in some particular random moment. Yes, she looks lovely when she smiles or laughs, but when she engross herself with something or spacing out-daydreaming, it almost surreal for him.

"I do, but Y/n, I have a question. Answer it or else I slit your throat."

Y/n rolled her eyes in annoyance, she almost do everything he said but he keeps on adding his threat remarks. She hates it. She has faith in him but he had a hard time doing the same. "What?"

"From 1 to 10, rate yourself whether you will betrayed me or not." He demanded, placing his fan around her neck.

"This again? Really Douma, I thought we already through this." She groaned, disbelieves. Anger is clearly written on her face but Douma slyly ignores the critical sign of her annoyance.

Honestly, her reaction irritated him but he persuades himself to not swing his fan too quickly otherwise he will regret it. "Is it 5?" He guessed.

"No, it's 0."

"How come? I could betray you any second and give you to Muzan sama."

"You won't do that I supposed, considering so many times you let that chance slip away over and over again, and besides, you agree to let me come back home when our side about to fight each other. You understand that and I believe in you, that's why I don't need to betray you."

Douma's brain cell studying her words, he still can disclaim everything and stop visiting her before everything gets extremely too unusual for him, or kill her off will fix the problem. But he won't, he will risk everything to find out what awaits him if he awakens his numb heart. The demon genuinely smiles and cupped her face, caress it lovingly with his thumb. It's not every day he finds someone who willing to accept himself the way he is.

"My dear Y/n, forgive what I just said. Let's go home to where you belong."

"You really need to stop act differently, it confused me." She complained. It's not healthy for her poor heart. She hates uncertainty too, and what she saw about her and Douma from her eyes always missed.

Douma didn't say a word, his warm chuckle is enough to convince her that he probably will consider it. Before disappearing to the wood, she stopped and turn her to see The Wisteria House. She declines the bright light that Oyakata sama offers for her and choose the dim light that she could see in Douma's self.

Yes, it's such a dim light but she wants to treasure it more.