𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍

PART NINETEEN; THE AFFRONT

𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 ー muzan kibutsuji

𝐃𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐍'𝐒 𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 ー kokushibo

"ARE your ears even pierced?" Muzan questioned after a moment of (Y/N) staring down at the earrings he had just purchased, making no moves as to put them in, instead just looking at them with a wide-eyed expression that his words quickly snapped her out of. "Considering the way you've been staring at the earrings, I have to assume that your ears aren't. Either that, or you've never worn earrings before."

    "Whatever do you mean?" She sighed, dropping her hand that held the jewelry to her side.

    Muzan's brow twitched.

    Letting go of (Y/N) hand, watching the surprise cross her expression after he did so, he then wrapped an arm around her waist in an almost possessive way to lead her to the side of the street where they wouldn't be blocking others. Just as quickly, however, his arm was gone and he now stood in front of her staring down at her, his red eyes as intense as ever.

    "Give it to me," he then demanded as he held out his hand.

    "Why?" (Y/N) frowned.

    Not answering her question, he reached down and pried the earrings from her hands before stepping forward and tucking her hair behind her ears, finding that she indeed had her ears pierced. Standing close to her, not seeming to notice the way it affected (Y/N), he gently pushed the earring through her ear before securing it, then doing the same with the other side.

    "There," he mumbled lowly as he finally stepped away, watching as she reached up to gently brush her fingers against the jewels.

    "Thank you, Kibutsuji Muzan..." she murmured softly with a ghost of a smile.

    The progenitor didn't acknowledge her gratitude, instead seeming to be lost in thought as his gaze traveled from the ruby earrings that sparkled in the light of the moon, to her (E/C) eyes. His mind took him back to what she said about the pieces of jewelry reminding her of his eyes, and he found himself once more raising his hand to gently tuck a lock of hair behind her ear so the earring could be seen better.

    "Just call me by my first name," he then stated after dropping his arm.

    "What?" (Y/N) blinked.

    "You have no need to be so formal," Muzan turned away from her to begin leading her back through the crowd, but not before grabbing her hand again. "After all, you've given me the first hint to what I've desired for over a thousand years, haven't you?"

    "Very well... Muzan," (Y/N) said slowly, testing the waters, observing how he seemed pleased from his first name alone rolling off her tongue.

    Muzan led her back to the alleyway where they had first appeared in Shinjuku, calling on to someone named Nakime who he then ordered to transport them back to her home. In an instant, they passed through several shoji screens once more before landing gently on the tatami mats of (Y/N)'s home, everything being exactly where she had left it except for one variable: there was one more presence in the room, and it belonged to Kokushibo.

    As soon as (Y/N) met his six eyes, he embraced her in a gentle hug, but it was a rather covetous one that was filled with longing after having not seen her for several days.

   "Upper One," Muzan's voice wrapped the room in a chilling and oppressive aura.

Kokushibo merely drew away from (Y/N), his eyes lidded as he cupped her face. There was no defining emotion present on his face, but through his actions, the girl could tell that he had missed her. Of course, not used to his long absences, she missed him as well. Finally, Kokushibo parted from her to face Muzan, a type of animosity crackling between them that both realized immediately.

    "I have no excuse, Lord Muzan," Kokushibo then began as he kneeled before the progenitor. "For my being here... or for (L/N)(Y/N)'s survival."

    Muzan glared down at the demon.

    His eyes were almost flaming at that point, completely degrading Kokushibo without even having to say a word—as if the demon were nothing more than the dirt beneath his shoes since that would be all that he amounted to. (Y/N) couldn't help but let out a slow breath, knowing that one day Muzan would no longer be able to ignore the fact that Kokushibo had defied him.

    "Kokushibo has no excuse... because I was the one that asked him to spare my life," (Y/N) stated, knowing that what she was saying wasn't true, but knowing that ultimately it was her fault that Kokushibo was in this predicament in the first place. "Muzan... I will accept it if you kill me now. I'm sure you know this."

    He stared at her.

    This was bothering him.

    She kept saying that she would be fine if she were to die, and for some reason, the thought of her warm skin going cold thoroughly irritated him.

    But then again...

    There's Kokushibo's insubordination.

    "I have no right to ask this of you, Lord Muzan," Kokushibo interrupted Muzan's thoughts, his hands pressed to the tatami mat in a low bow. "But I plead that you do not kill this woman."

    "Why?" Muzan's frown grew.

    Kokushibo stayed silent, as if he couldn't answer, but from reading his thoughts, the demon progenitor already knew of his affections for (Y/N).

    His scowl only deepened.

    (Y/N), knowing better than to interrupt again, kneeled beside Kokushibo and prostrated herself in front of Muzan, closing her eyes as she waited for him to speak again. Muzan's fingers curled into fists by his sides, his red eyes glancing from his subordinate to the strange human before him. While normally under these circumstances he would slaughter both of them without mercy, he needed Kokushibo to obliterate the Demon Slayer Corps, and for (Y/N), the reason was more difficult to explain away.

    In fact, he wasn't sure he could explain it.

    The very fact that Muzan had allowed (Y/N) to live and that he even gifted her a present was an anomaly in itself that shouldn't have ever happened.

    And yet, it did.

つづく | to be continued