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Flowers are delicate little things. They were easy to mistreat and even easier to kill. But oh so beautiful. And although they died they came back just as strong and pretty as the year before. They were a symbol of death and a symbol of rebirth. They lost and they fought. No matter what they continued forward on the journey called life. Just like humans did. Kibutsuji Muzan hated both. Flowers represented everything he hated. They withered and died. They changed in the shortest amount of time. It was horrid. It was ugly. It was imperfect.
The first time Muzan had to admit that flowers were beautiful was one summer night. He was travelling through a forest. Animals rustled in the thicket. In the distance he could hear an owl. For human eyes it was pitch dark. A human wouldn’t be able to see the beauty in it. But Muzan saw. He saw each leaf on the trees, each beetle swirling through the air. He heard their buzzing and the gurgling of a stream nearby. He smelled the wood and wet earth beneath his feet. He saw the beauty but couldn’t appreciate it in that ice cold heart of his. To him it was meaningless.
He ran through the forest with his inhuman speed, startling the small creatures of the forest. Muzan felt hungry and he was looking for a meal. Suddenly he stopped in his tracks. He had heard something. Or rather someone. He turned towards the direction the sound was coming from and then he saw her.
A normal human wouldn’t have been able to see her in the distance and in the dark, but with Muzan’s advanced senses it was easy. There was a young woman, not a day over the age of twenty. She was running through the forest, only wearing a thin white kimono. Her legs and feet were bare, bleeding from the scratches the forest would leave on her skin. In her hands a bucket of water. It was splashing as she ran. Losing a little bit of content with every stumble. The woman was breathing heavily. Her chest was rising and falling way too fast. She had been running for quite some time now. Probably coming from the stream Muzan had heard. But why was she running? She wasn’t running from someone. There was no other person besides her and Muzan in the forest. It sparked curiosity in the demon king, but it was nothing he would think too hard about. It didn’t matter anyway, he had chosen her to be his next meal.
A smile appeared on his lips. Yes, what a delicious meal she would make. He could smell her aroma even with the distance between them. He could hear her heart beating and the blood rushing through her veins. His mouth was watering just at the thought of biting into her plump flesh. Hearing her heartbeat slow until it stopped beating completely. He might even indulge himself and torture her before she died. Ripping her heart out and making her see its last desperate pumps before the light would fade from her eyes. Yes, that sounded absolutely heavenly.
Muzan carefully crept up to her, making sure to not make any sound that disturbed her. It was easy for him to get used to her pace. She was quite fast for a human, but not even close to the speeds a demon could reach. Now that he was closer he could see her even better now. Her eyes were wide in… was it fear? Not quite. It wasn’t the fear Muzan knew from his victims. The paralysing fear of approaching death. It was somehow different but very closely related. He didn’t quite know where to put it. If he had a gentler heart, Muzan would have known that it was the fear for someone else’s life that pushed her.
Muzan knew that right now was the best opportunity to strike. She was all alone in the forest. Nobody would hear her screams of agony when he mutilated her. But something in him told him to wait, so he did.
They soon reached the edge of the forest and with that the edge of a village. Muzan cursed himself for letting this opportunity pass. But oh well, it wasn’t like he had to be careful or anything. If other humans came over upon hearing her screams, it wasn’t like he couldn’t handle them. They weren’t a hindrance, just an annoyance.
The woman continued to run. Her steps became even unsteadier with her rising desperation. She reached a house. Light was emitting from a single window. The house was small and looked old. The woman was definitely poor, there was no denying that seeing the stage her house was in. There were holes in the roof. But it did have a small pouch, however.
The demon watched as the woman walked into the small hut. He sneaked closer to see into the house through the window. The inside was just as shabby looking as the outside. There was an old futon laying on the ground and a small table, then a cooking spot and that was it. Cuddled on the futon however lay a girl. She was weak and ill. Muzan could tell by her looks alone. And then there was the stench of illness surrounding the house. It came from her.
He saw the woman walk over to the cooking spot and heat up the water she had gathered. Muzan watched as she added different kinds of herbs to the water, making some kind of tea. Then she filled it in a bowl and walked over to the sick girl, carefully giving her the tea in small sips.
Was it her daughter? No, the girl was too old for that. So maybe her sister? Muzan mused as he continued to watch the two. He watched how the girl was too weak to even open her eyes as she drank. And how the worried look would never leave her sister’s face.
Soon later they extinguished the lights and the woman went to sleep beside her sister. Muzan waited some more, to make sure they were asleep before he entered the hut. He was as silent as a breath, making sure not to disturb the humans in their sleep. He slowly crept towards the futon, crouching down beside it.
He crooked his head as he was watching the girls. The little girl was not to his interest. She would make a decent meal but nothing more. There was nothing to her worthy of his interest. But the older one was a different story. He had seen her face clearly before but he was only now really looking at her. Her soft plump lips and her lashes that rested on her cheeks. She was truly… no. What was he thinking? She was his meal and nothing more. A mere human, not even worth a second glance.
He could feel his mouth watering again and swallowed hard. He ran his tongue over his sharp fangs, ready to sink them into her soft skin. He was already leaning over her when something made him halt again. This didn’t feel good. Normally there was this warm fuzzy feeling inside him. A happiness and anticipation for his next meal. But this time there was nothing. Not even the slightest hint of it. He could smell the woman’s delicious scent. Hear the blood pumping through her veins and feel her warm body only centimetres from his own.
Why was he feeling so off?
Muzan drew back from his victim and watched intently. Her chest was rising and falling in a calm and even rhythm, completely different from when she was running. Then he noticed something glinting in the weak moonlight falling in from the window. Lying between her breasts and peeking out underneath her kimono was a necklace. A necklace in the form of a flower and for the first time Muzan had to admit that flowers were beautiful. At least this one. Because this one wouldn’t die. This one was eternal.
That night Muzan decided against eating the woman and her sick little sister.
The second time Muzan had to admit that flowers were beautiful was a couple of weeks later. He was still in the same area as the last time, just that he was now walking through the lightened up streets of a nearby town. He fit perfectly with the humans. In his fine tailored suit nobody would expect him to be a creature of the night, but instead respected him as a successful business man.
The woman from a couple of weeks ago was still on his mind as he walked. He couldn’t understand why he had spared her life. There was nothing about her. She wasn’t powerful or anything else. No, she had been weak and helpless as she laid before him. And yet something in him didn’t allow him to kill her. What was wrong with him?
“Please! I’m begging you!” someone said close to him. It ripped Muzan from his thoughts and his glance moved over to where the voice was coming from. It was like lightning had struck him and his red eyes went wide in surprise. There she stood, only a couple of metres away from him. She stood at a medecine booth with a stern look on her face. Her expression was a mix of pleading, hope and worry. She was holding coins in her hand, trying to give them to the men who sold the medical goods. But the man shook his head.
“I already told you, that’s not enough.”
Her lower lip quivered and it looked like she was about to cry. “I can pay the rest later. Please this is all I have and my sick sister needs this herb!”
“Sorry, no can do,” said the man.
Muzan watched them. The people were walking past him, ignoring him and the scene next to them. But Muzan couldn’t turn away his gaze. He was hypnotised.
The man turned away to help another customer. The woman was staring at the herbs before her. He could see the wheels turning in her head. And then in the blink of an eye she had grabbed whatever she needed and ran.
“Hey!” screamed the man behind the counter and immediately ran after her. Muzan didn’t know what moved him to do so, but before he could think straight. He stepped into her way. The woman ran head first into his chest, tumbled backwards and fell onto her bottom. For a second they just stared at each other. His plum red eyes, emotionless and cold. And her (e/c) coloured ones looking up at him in fear. A rush went through Muzan’s body. Yes, this was how it’s supposed to be. His eyes slid from her trembling form to the pink petaled flower in her hands.
“You little vixen,” said the man who owned the medicine booth and picked the woman up by her arm. Next to him were already the police. “You think you can just steal from me?”
“The punishment for theft is cutting off your hands, you thief!” said the policeman.
“No!” she begged, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Please! I just did it for my sister. I’m sorry. Please, don’t!”
“Well, I got it back,” said the man. “And it would be a shame to ruin such a pretty girl.”
“We should throw her in jail then,” said the police officer. “Nine days behinde bars should teach her a lesson.” The man nodded.
The woman looked up at the men in horror. “No, please! My sister! Think about my sister!” But neither the policeman nor the pharmacist listened to her pleas. They just dragged her down the street.
The flower was quite beautiful indeed, thought Muzan.
The third time Muzan had to admit that flowers were beautiful was in deep winter. Roughly two years had passed since he last saw the strange woman. But he found himself back in the area where her village was. Muzan didn’t think about the woman anymore. It was pure coincidence. Why should he waste his time thinking about something so far beneath him as a human?
He stepped out of a forest when he recognised where he was. He recognised the village and the shabby little hut with the porch. And on that porch stood the woman. She was sweeping her porch with a broom made out of branches. It was only shortly after sun down and the whole world was dipped into a bluish twilight.
Muzan was about to turn around. There was no reason for him to stay here and let his thoughts be consumed by this strange woman once more. Or he should kill her now. But he knew that wasn’t an option. Whatever had made him not kill her that night two years ago was still there. It gnawed at his insides, making him feel all strange. No, killing her wasn’t an option. So the second best thing was staying as far away from his woman as possible. It made him feel uncomfortable being near her. And that irritated him to no end. Normally he would just kill what made him feel this way, not that many things did. But this time he couldn’t. For the first time he couldn’t. It was unbearable.
He was about to leave when the woman stopped all of the sudden what she was doing. It made him curious as to what could have provoked the woman to stop, so he stayed. The woman went inside her hut and Muzan waited. It took a couple of minutes and the demon thought that she wouldn’t come out again, when suddenly she did. She held in her arms a basket concealed with a cloth. She slowly walked towards the forest, directly in the direction where Muzan stood. He quickly vanished between the trees. She didn’t notice him as she walked past him.
What could lead a young woman into the forest in the middle of the night? thought Muzan. It didn’t look like she was out getting water again like the first time he saw her. This time was different. She wasn’t worried or rushed. She was calm and collected. She had a slight jump in her walk, like a little girl. Muzan followed her unnoticed. Snow was slowly falling down between the trees. It was a beautiful sight in the light of the rising full moon. Snow was glinting on the ground, carefully laying ontop of all the flowers and bushes like a soft blanket. The woman left footprints in the snow, just like Muzan. The only piece of evidence that he was there with her. If she had turned around, she would have seen the second pair of footprints. Maybe she would have stopped what she was doing and ran back to her hut. But she didn’t. She only walked deeper into the forest. And Muzan walked with her.
He didn’t know what made him follow her besides his curiosity. But where this curiosity came from, he had no idea.
They soon reached a clearing. A clearing with a stone in the middle of it. Upon further inspection, he recognized it as a small tombstone.
The woman knelt down beside it, not caring about the cold or the snow soaking her kimono. Her breaths came out in little white clouds, as she closed her eyes and put her hands together in prayer. Then she took the cloth from the basket and revealed a small bouquet of white flowers. She laid them on top of the tombstone.
“Sorry I took so long,” she whispered to the stone, carefully stroking it. “I had things to do, you know. Since you’re not here anymore, I have a lot of work to do, little sister.”
Then she started to talk about her day and the last couple of weeks. She talked about how nice Mr Yamamoto always was to her and that he would often invite her over for dinner, since he knew she was all alone. And after some time her voice began to tremble.
“I’m sorry, I promise I’m not crying,” she said while tears fell down her cheeks. “I know you don’t want to see me cry. I just miss you so much. Even after two years. I will always miss you.”
She continued to cry at her little sister’s grave, while Muzan looked on. There was no emotion in his eyes or in his heart as he watched. He felt no sadness or sympathy, not even pity. In his opinion this was what would always happen to humans. They withered and they died. That was their destiny. Whether it be by the hands of a demon or the hands of time. There was no difference. The only thing on his mind while he was watching was how beautiful those flowers bloomed.
The fourth time Muzan had to admit that flowers were beautiful was just a few days later. He had decided to stick around and see what was so special about this human, that he couldn’t kill her. There was no denying that she was constantly on his mind. He couldn’t even focus on searching for the blue spider lily. She was always there. This woman and the secret behind her.
He was standing in the forest again, this time by the stream and he was watching her. Watching her wash her clothes in the stream. Her hands were red from the ice cold water. They must have hurt a lot but she continued washing. A completely content look on her face at all times. Like the burning pain from the water wasn’t even there.
He didn’t know what made him do it but before he could think it through he had made a step forward, deliberately stepping on a twig. Crack . The woman turned around with surprise on her face. It wasn’t hard for her to spot him, but she still stared at him intently, trying to see his face that was still engulfed in darkness.
“You know, it’s dangerous for a woman to be all alone outside at night,” said Muzan in his deep rumbling voice.
The woman visibly relaxed after hearing his voice. A smile captured her lips. “I don’t think it’s that dangerous. Why should anyone want to hurt me?”
Muzan was taken aback by her answer. Was she really that naive or just plain stupid? But he had to admit, he didn’t have a good answer. Because some people were plain up evil? Or, in his case, they were very hungry and she looked like a delicious meal ready to be devoured. But he couldn’t say the last thing without bringing up demons and he didn’t want to give her any ideas about what he might be. So he opted for the first thing.
“Some humans are evil,” he said. “They see a pretty woman like yourself and get all sorts of disgusting ideas.”
She just shrugged. “I don’t see why it’s more dangerous at night then. They can just as easily get their disgusting ideas during the day.” Her voice was soft and sounded like a melody when she talked. Muzan had never heard something like it before. He was so mesmerised by her voice that he almost didn’t hear what she said next.
“Are you an evil human?”
“No,” he said. Technically not a lie. He wasn’t human at all. And he wouldn’t call himself particularly evil either. Ruthless and ambitious perhaps but not evil. Then again, who would ever think of themselves as evil?
Her soft smile turned into a grin. “Then I don’t see why I should feel in danger.”
He didn’t know what to say to that. It was such a naive and almost delusional worldview, so far removed from his own.
“Why are you washing at night?” he continued to ask.
She shrugged. “I love the night.” She looked up to the moon. “It’s so calm and the moon is so beautiful.”
He followed her look. Muzan didn’t understand what she thought to be so beautiful. It was just a big bright dot amidst the black night sky. And what was calm about the night? After one thousand years of always walking at night, he was sick of it. Muzan longed to see the day again and feel the sun on his skin.
When he looked back down at the woman, he saw that she was collecting her laundry. Now that she stood he could better see the kimono she was wearing. It was of a light blue colour decorated with cherry blossoms.
“Well, it was nice meeting you, Sir,” she said with a gentle smile. “But I have to go back home now. I have to hang up my laundry to dry.” And with that she turned around and walked back through the forest towards her house.
Muzan didn’t say anything. He could have called after her or followed her, maybe finally finishing what he couldn’t the first night he saw her. But he knew, even if he tried, something in him would stop him again. It was no use. So he let her leave. But he had to admit, the cherry blossoms on her yukata were quite beautiful.
The fifth time Muzan had to admit that flowers were beautiful was in spring the following year. The village where the woman lived was decorated for a festival. It was no grand festival but the village still tried its best to hang up lanterns and set up booths with food. Muzan walked along the main road where all the booths were. He didn’t know why he was back at her village. He tried to tell himself that it was a nice change of scenery. Almost like a vacation from the blood shed of his everyday life, where demons and humans alike were killed mercilessly by his own hands.
Muzan was looking at the lanterns along the road. They were old and tacky but still glowing brightly. Then suddenly he felt something. An aura he already knew. Muzan turned towards the aura and saw her. She was walking quickly between the people. She was holding something to her chest, engulfed in her kimono that Muzan couldn’t see. He watched her avoid the people around her and when she came closer to him he had an idea. Just as she was about to pass him he moved so that she would bump into his shoulder. She stumbled and was about to fall. It would have been easy for him to catch her. To prevent her from falling on her bum and act like a knight in shining armour. But that wasn’t what Muzan was like. Instead he watched her fall with emotionless eyes. She didn’t try to cushion her fall with her hands, instead she held even tighter to whatever she was carrying and got hit with the full force of her fall. Muzan stood before her, watching. It was just like that time two and a half years ago, when she was stealing the medical flower for her sister and he had stepped into her way. He wondered if she recognized him, but when he looked into her eyes there was no recognition. Instead there was panic in her eyes. She didn’t care about the rose hairpin that almost fell out of her hair and quickly opened up her kimono a little bit to see if whatever she was carrying was unharmed. As it turned out it was a small orange kitten.
“Good, you’re alright,” she whispered to herself. Relief flooded her features. And again Muzan was confused. Why didn’t she scream at him? Why didn’t she tell him to better watch where he was going? Or ask him why he did it? It had been more than obvious that he bumped into her on purpose.
“I apologise,” Muzan said coldly. “I didn’t watch where I was going.”
“It’s alright, don’t worry about it,” she said while standing up. “The cat is alright.”
He looked down at the kitten in her arms. It appeared to be sleeping but it didn’t look healthy. It was completely emaciated. It appeared to be lucky if it survived the night.
“It’s cute, isn’t it?” she asked him suddenly. Muzan looked back up at her and for a moment he got lost in her eyes. They were so warm and friendly. He had never seen eyes so pure hearted before. The eyes he normally looked at were full of hatred and blood lust. Compared to that her eyes were like a nice day at the sea. So completely calm and peaceful.
“I found it close to a road. I think its mother abandoned it,” she said, full of empathy for the little guy.
“And you are going to care for it?” Muzan asked.
She nodded. “It has no one except for me. I have to help it.”
He looked at her with wonder in his eyes. To him she was like a creature from another world.
“I’m going to bring it home and try to nurse it back to health,” she added. Then with a look at him she asked, “Would you like to join me?”
What a bold request, Muzan thought but he felt himself nodding before he had the chance to think it through.
“What’s your name?” she asked as they were walking through the street full of people to her house.
“Kibutsuji Muzan,” he answered. “What’s your name?”
“(y/l/n) (y/n),” she said. “Nice to meet you Kibutsuji-san.”
(y/n), he thought. It has such a lovely ring to it. Like a breeze on a warm summer day.
“What are you doing here?” (y/n) asked. “I don’t think I’ve seen you here before.”
“I work at a town nearby,” he lied. “I thought it would be nice to visit the festivities.”
“It is a nice festival,” she agreed. “That’s why I love spring. Because of the festival and all the flowers that start blooming.”
“You like flowers?” Muzan ansked. (y/n) nodded.
“I love them. Each and every flower is so beautiful when they bloom. What about you? Do you like flowers, Kibutsuji-san?”
Muzan shook his head. “No. I don’t like flowers. They remind me of death.”
“It’s true they die quickly,” (y/n) admitted. “But don’t you think even death has something beautiful to it?”
“What’s supposed to be beautiful about death?” he asked.
“Everything dies and everything lives. It’s the circle of life. Only from death new life can bloom. It’s poetic.”
He wanted to ask her if she thought so about her sister’s death as well. If she also thought that new life bloomed out of her death. But he would expose himself if he did, so instead he acted like he contemplated her answer.
“Death is a natural part of life. It has its place just like any other thing,” she continued.
That is where you are wrong, Muzan thought. Death shouldn’t have a place in life. At least not for him. If you really thought about it, death was meaningless and therefore life was meaningless. Life only started to mean something when it didn’t end. Muzan was sure about that.
They reached her house.
“There we are,” she said and turned to him. “Thank you for joining me, Kibutsuji-san. Would you like to come in? And have a cup of tea while I take care of the cat?”
He looked at her. Saw her soft cheeks and bright eyes. Her soft lips and how they were formed into a smile. A strand of hair fell into her face and he had the weird urge to tuck it behind her ear, but he didn’t. Instead he returned her smile. A real genuine smile that he didn’t smile in years.
“No, thank you. I should head back home.”
Now she tucked the strand behind her ear herself, using her hairpin to fasten it.
“Oh,” she said. “I understand. I hope you get home well.”
He nodded as thanks. He waited for her to enter her house before he turned and went back to the life he lived. The life full of blood and murder. But he had to admit, that hairpin of hers, that rose, was absolutely beautiful.
The next time the two of them met was on a road between her village and the nearest town. Muzan had appeared out of nowhere and surprised (y/n).
“Kibutsuji-san, you startled me!” she said with a laugh. “Where did you come from so suddenly?”
“I was on my way from work when I saw you,” he explained. Not technically a lie. He just came from a rather bloody meeting with the lower moons. Muzan was lucky that he didn’t taint his clothes with blood, otherwise he couldn’t have joined (y/n).
“Where are you going this late?” he asked.
“I have to get something from the market,” she replied. “I need it for the cat.”
“How is the cat?”
“Lively,” she said with a smile. “It looks like Miu is feeling a lot better already.”
“Miu?” he asked.
“The name of the cat,” she explained. “I thought he needed a name.”
They walked along the road together, talking about God and the world. Or rather (y/n) talked. Muzan was silent, just listening. He wanted to listen to her voice as long as possible. Then they came across a beggar. He sat slumped on the side of the road. Muzan took (y/n)’s arm and pulled her to the side as far away from the beggar as possible. He looked at him with disgust in his deep red eyes.
“Dear Sir and Madam, do you have some money to spare?” the beggar asked with a croaking voice.
“We don’t have any,” Muzan said with a cold voice.
(y/n) looked at him up in shock. “What are you saying?” she asked, the smile quickly coming back to her features. “Of course we have some money.”
She ripped her arm from Muzan’s grip and walked over to the beggar, giving him a couple of coins. “It’s not much, but that’s all I can spare.”
The beggar bowed deeply. “Thank you so much madam. Thank you.”
“Why did you do that?” Muzan asked after they walked past the beggar.
“Why not?” (y/n) responded. “I still have enough money to buy what I need.”
“But…” you don’t have much money yourself, he wanted to say but decided against it. (y/n) knew what he wanted to say anyways.
“Because I don’t have much myself, I know how he’s feeling,” she explained. “Wouldn’t you want someone to help you if you were in his place?”
“But I’m not in his place.”
(y/n) sighed. “I believe each life is worthy of respect. We should treasure each and every life and help where we can.”
It sounded so nice how she put it. But she was wrong. Muzan knew that not every life was worth the same and that was why some lives were worthy of protection and other lives had nothing but to waste away. That was how this world worked. But it was so nice giving in to her illusion. Her worldview amazed Muzan and her words captured him like nothing else before. It was ridiculous. How could such a naive point of view be so captivating?
Another time they met was in summer. Muzan had made it a habit of visiting (y/n) every once in a while when he needed a break from his everyday life full of demonic problems. The upper moons were out searching for the blue spider lily, so he could take a break every once in a while.
They were sitting on a piece of grass in front of her house. The moon was shining brightly above them and the stars were twinkling. It was a beautiful summer night. Just like the night Muzan saw her for the first time.
By now Muzan had to admit to himself that he enjoyed (y/n)’s company. She calmed him. There was no denying that anymore. Not after all the times he had visited her. Maybe that's why he couldn’t kill her in the beginning. Because deep down he knew that she would become a safe haven for him.
But she was a human, one part of him screamed at him. She is beneath you in every way. Muzan ignored it. He didn’t want to listen to this voice and ruin that small piece of peace that he had finally acquired.
He was lying on the grass, his eyes closed and he enjoyed the low breeze that was moving the air. (y/n) sat next to him, making a flower crown.
“Finished,” she said and held the ring of flowers before her face, taking a look at her finished product. Next she shook Muzan’s arm.
“Kibutsuji-san, get up,” she said with a voice sounding like bells. He did what she wanted and sat up. Next thing he knew he had the flower crown sitting on his raven curls.
Muzan looked at her in shock, not knowing how to react. (y/n) just smiled at him.
“Pretty,” she said.
Then Muzan picked the flower crown from his head, holding it away from him between two fingers like it was something disgusting.
“I’m not so sure,” said Muzan and threw it in (y/n)’s lap. “You wear it.”
Amusement danced on her features as she picked up the crown and put it on her own head. She was breathtaking. The way her hair shimmered in the pale moonlight was incredible. Never did he wish as much as now that he could see her in the sunlight. He imagined the sun shining on her face, giving her a golden glow. She would look so pretty in the sunlight.
“Why do I never see you during the day?” she asked a couple of weeks later during autumn. Muzan looked up from his book. He knew these sorts of questions would come sooner or later. They now spend almost every day together. He even neglected his duties for her. The upper moons started to become suspicious. They wondered what was going on with their master. If only he knew himself.
“I’m busy with work during the day,” he said. Something went through his body. A feeling he didn’t feel in a long time. Pain. It pained him to lie to her. But what else was he supposed to do?
It was winter and they came back from one of their nightly walks. It was a beautiful winter’s night. The snow fell in soft flakes from the sky and the snow on the ground glistened in the light of the moon. Some snowflakes had caught themselves in (y/n)’s hair and Muzan’s finger twitched to pull them from it. They were standing before (y/n)’s hut, (y/n) smiling at him. His eyes wouldn’t leave her form. He was mesmerised by her and how beaut-
Meow , he suddenly heard. Muzan looked down to discover Miu rubbing against his leg. How odd. Normally animals didn’t like him. They sensed a predator far greater than them and stayed out of his way. But now he was bending down to scratch the little kitty on its head.
“Hello Miu,” he mumbled to the cat. He heard a giggle and looked back up at (y/n). Her cheeks were flushed from the cold and she held her hand in front of her mouth to hide her laughter.
Normally Muzan wouldn’t allow anyone to laugh at him but with her things were different.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing. It’s,” she took a deep breath. “It’s nothing. It’s just the way you looked it was…”
“Was what?”
“Adorable.”
Muzan’s eyebrows shot up. Never ever in his lifetime had anyone ever called him adorable . If a demon had even muttered the word it would be dead before its body hit the ground.
Muzan was about to say something when (y/n) took a step forward and he realised how close they stood all of the sudden. He could feel the heat from her body and her warm breath caressed his chin as she looked up at him.
And then without saying anything else she stood up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his own. Her lips were soft and warm against his cold ones and he longed to feel them longer, but she already pulled away, shyly smiling up at him and batting her eyelashes.
Muzan’s brain short circuited. Before anything in him could scream at him to not do it he had already put his arm around her waist and pulled (y/n) against his body once more. His lips found hers again and they interlocked in a longer and deeper kiss. It was the happiest moment of his life.
But that happiness was short-lived. Later at home in his infinity fortress where he was alone with his thoughts he punished himself for what he did. How could he have been so stupid? How could he allow a mere human to kiss him? And how could he kiss her back? Humans were food and nothing better than that! That’s all they were good for.
But most of all what did it mean? Why did he have these…urges? This need to be close to her? To kiss her? And hold her? Muzan didn’t understand. He never felt like this before. And he shouldn’t. He was a demon. She was a human. He should kill her and bathe in her blood. Instead he was getting all these…mushy feelings when he was with her. Pathetic. He was truly pathetic.
From that moment on he avoided her. He stopped visiting her little hut and saw how she was doing. That was until a night in late spring. He told himself he was just visiting the town close to her village because he liked it there. What he didn’t admit to himself was that he hoped to see her again.
He was walking along the street when he heard her voice.
“Kibutsuji-san!”
He turned around and as soon as he did he was embraced by her arms.
“I’m so happy to see you! Where were you all these weeks? I was worried sick about you. I thought something happened to you. I’m sorry about the kiss but please, why did you go away?”
Muzan turned rigid. It felt so nice being back in her arms. To feel her body against his again. He was split between embracing her back and pushing her away. Eventually he decided for the latter.
“Kibutsuji-san?” He heard her confused, quiet voice, but he didn’t dare look at her. He knew if he did all the self-discipline he was so proud of would vanish in an instant. Instead he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the next best ally. He needed time with her alone. Away from all these people.
“Kibutsuji-san, stop! Where are we going? Please stop, you’re hurting me!”
As soon as the words were out of her mouth he let go of her arm. There was nothing he wanted less than hurting her.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “Is your arm alright?”
(y/n) rubbed her wrist with her other hand but she nodded.
“Good,” said Muzan and sighed in relief.
Silence fell between them. The alley they were in was dark. A human could barely see a hand in front of their face. They were so far away from the main street with all the lights that you could only hear the rustling of the people in the far distance.
“Will you tell me what happened?” (y/n) asked in the softest voice. “I’m sorry if I insulted you with the kiss.”
“Don’t apologise,” said Muzan coldly. Normally people would flinch away from how cold his words sounded, but (y/n) was already used to it. “You did nothing wrong.”
“Then what happened?” she asked. “Why did you stay away from me?”
“It’s complicated,” he said.
“Explain it to me,” said (y/n) and stepped forward. She reached out a hand and put it gently on his pale cheek, smiling up at him. Now it was his turn to flinch away. He knew he shouldn't have come to this town, but his selfish desires were what had led him there and now he had to deal with the result.
“Look who we have here. Two lovebirds,” said a voice coming from their right. Both the demon and the girl turned towards the voice. They saw a bunch of thugs coming their way. Muzan rolled his eyes. He really didn’t have the patience to deal with them right now.
He pulled (y/n)’s hand away from his face and turned towards the thugs. “Listen, we don’t want any trouble. Please, just leave us alone.”
“Oh yeah? And if we don’t want to?” one of the thugs said, coming closer.
Muzan closed his eyes, breathing deeply in and out. He really wasn’t in the mood for this right now. He already had enough on his plate. Normally he’d just kill them quickly and go back to his business but he couldn’t do that with (y/n) being here. He couldn’t let her know that he was a demon. It was impossible. If she ever knew she would… Muzan didn’t even know what she would do. Leave him forever? Hate him? Whatever it was he knew it would break him somehow. So what should he do?
“Hey look at this gal!” said one of the thugs and grabbed (y/n) around her waist, pulling her to him. (y/n) shrieked.
Muzan’s red eyes turned to slits. “Let her go, this instant,” he demanded with a growling voice.
“Or what?” asked the thug. “Look how pale he is, he looks almost dead. You’re probably sick, aren’t you? How is a weakling like you going to do anything against me? Just let me have fun with your girl and I'll let you live.”
“Kibutsuji-san,” (y/n) whimpered.
Muzan’s eyes were glowing crimson by now and he could feel his fangs probing his lips.
“Close your eyes,” he said to (y/n). But she didn’t. She just stared at him with mouth agape.
“I said, close your eyes!” he hissed at her. He had never spoken to her with that much anger in his voice before. (y/n) did immediately as she was told.
Once her eyes were closed a cruel smile came to Muzan’s lips. The thugs laughed at him, clearly not knowing what was about to come. First he broke the thugs arm that was holding onto (y/n) with a loud crack . He pulled (y/n) out of his grip and let her stand at the side. One of his thug friends started an attack. Without much further ado he ripped out his heart, still feeling it pulsate in his blood covered hand. The thug fell to the ground.
The one with the broken arm started the next attack, his last friend following shortly. Muzan swiftly doged the two and broke the neck of the first thug. The other one, now knowing that he had no chance, tried to run away. Muzan smiled diabolically.
“You're not getting away,” he mumbled and ran after him. He appeared in front of the thug, making him come to a halt. The thug fell to his knees.
“Please!” he begged. “I’m sorry, you hear! I didn’t mean to-”
He got interrupted by Muzan who ripped his tongue out.
“I don’t want to hear your petty excuses,” Muzan said with a voice made out of ice. Next he ripped his heart out, just like he did with the other one. Blood ran down his hand and Muzan licked it up, trying to prevent it from staining his kimono. When he looked back at (y/n) he realised with shock that her eyes were open.
A world broke down deep in Muzan’s core as he was staring into her eyes, his tongue still out, licking the blood from his hand. He put down his hand and pulled his tongue back in his mouth. Then he just stared at her and she stared back. The only sound was the rain falling from the skies.
He had lost her. He knew he did. That was the moment when she would run away from him. Scream that he was a monster. The worst thing was, that she was right. Never in his one thousand year old life did he think of himself as a monster until now.
But to his surprise she didn’t run away. No, she stood there and stared. It felt like forever until she finally moved. But not away from him, no, she moved towards him. Her hands reached out to him. Muzan wanted to move but he couldn’t. The shock was too severe. Once (y/n) reached him she put her hands on his wet cheeks, wiping away the blood on his mouth with her finger. And then she kissed him. She kissed first each fang and then his lips. Muzan closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of her lips on his. He couldn’t believe what just happened. She saw it. She saw all of it. His cruelty and his ugliness. And she didn’t run away. No, she ran towards him, ready to kiss him.
The rain fell on his face as they kissed and ran down his cheeks. If one didn’t know better, one could think that Muzan was crying.
From then on everything went back to normal. Muzan continued to visit (y/n) almost every night. He didn’t need to worry about her finding out anymore and instead he could just relax and enjoy her company. And in addition to that he could kiss her whenever he wanted.
One day they were sitting on the futon in (y/n) little house. (y/n) was leaning against his shoulder when suddenly she sat up to steal a little kiss. It didn’t stop with one kiss though. As soon as (y/n) pulled away Muzan leaned down to capture her lips once more. The kiss got more and more heated with each second until Muzan was lying on top of (y/n) nestled between her legs. Both their breaths were heavy as they looked deep into each other’s eyes.
“Muzan,” she whispered, gently running her hands through his hair. “I want…”
She didn’t have to finish that sentence. He already knew what she wanted. And he wanted it too. So he leaned down to kiss her again. His tongue ran across her lower lip and (y/n) gasped, opening her mouth to allow him entrance.
The kiss became more sloppy. Then Muzan broke the kiss to kiss an lick down her jaw and neck. (y/n) mewled underneath him and ran her hands all over his upper back. Muzan discovered that he enjoyed the sounds she was making and tried to get her to be louder. For that he moved lower to her collarbone. Her kimono blocked him from kissing even further down her body so he moved his hands to her belt and gave her a questioning look. (y/n) eagerly nodded so he undid her belt, opening up her kimono and revealing her nacked chest to him. Her breasts were gorgeous, just the right size and Muzan couldn’t help but stare at them for a moment. (y/n) giggled and took one of his hands in her own to put it on her breast. Muzan gave it a little squeeze which had her moaning out his name.
She was so strikingly beautiful underneath him with her hair spiralled out beneath her head, like a halo. He was so lucky to have her.
Then he leaned down again. While his one hand was busy playing with her breast, he took the other in his mouth, carefully suckling on her nipple. Her breath hitched in her throat and her heart began beating faster. He could hear it clearly. He took that as a sign that she liked what he was doing. Once he was done he switched to the other breast.
Meanwhile (y/n) was tugging at his own kimono.
“Please,” she whimpered. “Take it off.”
Muzan smiled at her. “Your wish is my command.”
He got up from her and undid his own belt. Now they were both just left in their underwear. (y/n) made grabby hands at him, showing him that she wanted him back close to her. He obliged and pressed another kiss to her lips. At the same time his hand caressed first her breasts and then went further down her body, over her stomach and down between her legs. (y/n) moaned into the kiss when his hand sneaked beneath her underwear and cupped her sex. Then he slowly probed one of his fingers between her lower lips, quickly finding that bundle of nerves. He slowly stroked it and circled it with his finger before moving even lower. (y/n) was already completely drenched, making it easy for him to slip two fingers inside her opening.
“Muzan,” she moaned out with her sweet voice. Muzan was almost driving crazy with want for her. His underwear was getting awfully tight and he wanted nothing more than to stroke his length. But he waited. This was about (y/n). He wanted their first time to be perfect for her.
He continued to finger her, proding into her mushy walls, trying to find that spot that would send her howling. And then he did. He pushed into that spot again and again until he could feel her getting tighter around his fingers. Then he pulled out. She whined at the loss of his fingers and Muzan pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.
“Don’t worry, dear. I have a lot planned for tonight.”
He kissed her deeply again, when suddenly he found himself on his back. (y/n) was on top of him, smiling like a cat. “That’s good,” she said. “Because I have planned something too.”
She started out similar to him. First she kissed and suckled on his neck, moving further down, over his chest and his stomach until she was eye level with his crotch. Muzan took her hand, making her halt.
“You don’t have to do that,” he said gently.
“But I want to,” she protested and pulled her hand free to pull down his underwear. His cock sprang free and for a moment (y/n) was awestruck. It was big and veiny but for some reason she couldn’t help but think that it looked delicious. First she wrapped a hand around his hard cock, slowly giving it a few pumps, testing out how it felt in her hand before she wanted it in her mouth. Then she decided to lick down from his balls up to the tip. Muzan moaned.
That encouraged her to go even further. Slowly she kissed around the tip, letting her tongue out every now and then and letting it swirl around it. Once it was all nice and wet she put the tip of his cock into her mouth.
Muzan’s breath came out irregular and he put an arm over his eyes, enjoying every second of (y/n) caress. She began to bop her head up and down, stopping from time to time to suck on the tip. With time she got more confident in what she was doing and moved her head quicker.
Muzan couldn’t hold back his groans anymore. His arm moved from his eyes and he tangled his hands in her hair, helping her move her head. When he looked down at her it was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. And when she looked up at him he felt like his heart stopped beating. She looked so pretty with her lips wrapped around his cock, her innocent eyes looking up at him. Muzan almost came right there.
The more she moved the closer he felt to his climax, so he pulled her head off from him.
“Stop,” he said. “If you keep going I’m gonna cum.”
“But isn’t that the goal?” she asked him innocently. Muzan chuckled and pulled her up for a kiss.
“Tonight I want to come nowhere but in your pussy,” he whispered in her ear, making her blush.
Then he flipped her over, so that he was on top again. Her blowjob had him almost bursting. He needed to be inside her. Right now. So he positioned himself between her legs again, taking his cock in his hand. First he rubbed his cock against her sex, pressing it against her clit and covering it in her juices, to make sure that it would slide in easily and not be too uncomfortable to her. Then he lined up his cock with her entrance.
“Ready?” he asked her. She nodded. Slowly he started to press inside her. (y/n)’s breath hitched in her throat and he asked if everything was alright. She told him it was fine and to keep going. So he did. It took all his willpower to keep it slow and steady and not just thrust into her in one go. Her insides felt so good around his cock. She was so warm and soft. He wanted nothing but to pound into her. And he would, but not yet.
Once she had taken all of him in, Muzan paused to let her adjust to his size. He pressed a quick kiss to her lips.
“You're such a good girl, taking me so well,” he whispered.
(y/n) was clinging to him for dear life, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.
“Move,” she pleaded breathlessly. So he started to move. Slowly at first, making sure not to hurt her. He knew he was a lot stronger than a human being. He had to be careful not to crush her with his strength. Then he started to go a little faster until he kept a steady rhythm of deep thrusts. He looked deep into her eyes while thrusting and she looked back, her mouth hanging open.
Then he picked up his pace going even faster. His hands turned into claws, grabbing onto her hips. He broke skin. He knew without seeing it because he could smell the delicious scent of blood in the air. If it hurt her she didn’t complain and Muzan was too much in a trance to care. Suddenly he pulled out of her and turned her on her stomach. He propped her ass up and slid back into her. This new position allowed him to reach depths of her he couldn’t before. His thrusts became faster and more ecstatic. (y/n) was screaming his name in pleasure.
He could feel her pussy tighten around his cock. She was close and so was he. The whole room was silent except for their cries of ecstasy and the slapping of skin against skin. Muzan was so close he felt like he was going to bust at any moment.
He reached around (y/n)’s body to play with her clit. In that moment she came hard around his cock, squeezing it with all her might. It only took a couple of thrusts more until Muzan came as well, shooting ropes of hot white cum deep into her core.
He collapsed falling to the side, so that he wouldn’t crush her. His cock still nestled deep inside her. They both caught their breath, Muzan hugging (y/n) tightly to his chest while they came down from their highs. Then he slowly pulled out of her, watching as his cum dripped out of her abused hole. He turned her around so that they could look into each other's eyes.
Her cheeks were stained with tears of pleasure and Muzan leaned in to kiss them away.
“I love you,” he whispered.
“I love you too, Muzan,” she replied with a smile.
After a while (y/n) fell asleep. As much as Muzan wanted he couldn’t rest though. His mind was occupied with the one question that tortured him since the d´night she accepted him. Should he turn her into a demon?
He didn’t want to lose her. Never. Especially not to something as pitiable as death. But how could he force her to live as a demon? A soul as pure as hers. How could he force her to live forever while eating humans to survive? And would she still be the same way as now? What if she changed? What if he stopped loving her for that? No, he thought. He could never stop loving her. Even if she changed for the worst. But he didn’t want her to lose her as she was now either.
It was selfish of him. A purely selfish want. The right thing to do was to leave her. To let her live a human life with a human husband and have human kids. But the thought alone left a bitter taste in his mouth. Imagining (y/n) with some other man than him. He felt like vomiting. That’s just something he couldn’t do. He was too selfish of a creature for that.
Eventually he fell asleep, still thinking about all the thoughts that wouldn’t leave his head. When he woke up, he felt like he was melting. Was it the sun? Did the sunlight fall into the house through the window? But then he noticed that it wasn’t him, that was burning up. It was (y/n).
He quickly rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and started shaking her.
“(y/n)?” he asked. “(y/n)!” But she wouldn’t wake up. He felt her forehead, it was as hot as the sun itself. She had a fever. What should he do? He jumped to his feet looking through the herbs (y/n) had at her cooking corner. But there was barely anything left.
He didn’t know what was going to happen. The fever was so high. Would she die? No, that she couldn’t! He only just got her, he couldn’t lose her already.
Meow? He heard.
“Not now, Miu,” he said, pushing the cat away from him as he was looking through everything in the hopes of finding something that helped. But there was nothing. In his panic he quickly got dressed and ran out of the house. Luckily it was already night.
“Help,” he screamed. “I need help!”
A neighbour opened the door. If he was correct, that was Mr Yamamoto, a friendly old man who helped (y/n) from time to time.
“What’s wrong young man?” he asked.
“Please, (y/n) us running a fever,” Muzan explained, his expression worried. “I don’t have anything to treat her.”
“Don’t worry young man, I’ve got just the right herb,” said Mr Yamamoto and went back into his house. Shortly after he came back with a handful of herbs.
“Make a tea out of it and give it to her. It should lower the fever.”
“Thank you,” said Muzan. He had never felt this thankful towards a human before. He probably never felt this thankful in his entire life.
Muzan ran back to (y/n) hut and did what Mr Yamamoto told him. He cooked a tea out of the herbs and gave it (y/n) to drink. Only hours later her fever had gone down and she slowly opened her eyes.
“Hey,” she whispered with a hoarse voice.
“Hey,” he smiled back at her and gently patted her on the head. He had made his decision now. He would turn her into a demon, so that something like that could never happen again.
A couple of days later (y/n) was back to her full health again. Muzan was relieved but as long as (y/n) was a human he could never be at peace, knowing an illness or an accident could take her from him at any minute.
“(y/n), do you want to be with me forever?” he asked her one day.
She was busy playing with Miu but looked up at him with a smile. “Of course. I would love to.”
“Let’s do it then.”
“Do what?” she asked.
“Become a demon, (y/n).”
“A demon?” repeated (y/n). She pulled a face. “I don’t know, Muzan.”
“Please, (y/n),” he took her hands in his big ones. “All I’m asking you is to be by my side forever. But how are you supposed to do that if you’re human. Humans wither and they die.”
“Just like flowers,” said (y/n). “But isn’t that part of their beauty?”
“I don’t care about beauty!” said Muzan, enraged. “I care about you!”
That kept (y/n) silent.
“Please,” Muzan said again. “I love you. And I just want to protect you.”
She stared deep into his plum red eyes, before finally saying, “Okay. I’ll turn into a demon.”
“Thank you!” Muzan kissed her. “Thank you.”
Their kisses became deeper and more heated. Muzan bit his own lip until he could taste the blood in his mouth. Then he leaned in to kiss (y/n) once more, biting her lip as well so that their blood could mix. (y/n) started to convulse. She screamed in pain and it broke Muzan’s heart to hear her cries of agony. But he knew it was for the better. Once she was a demon everything would be okay.
The sixth time Muzan had to admit that flowers were beautiful was during a meeting with the upper moons. He was sitting on a throne in front of his kneeling subordinates. To his side (y/n). She kneeled next to his throne, her head lying on his lap and he was running his fingers through her hair. Touching her calmed him.
He can tell that the demons are confused. They probably wondered who the woman with their master was. Muzan waited. He waited for them to speak of it first.
Akaza raised his head. “Master?”
There it was.
“What?” Muzan snapped at him.
“I apologise for the question but who is the female by your side?”
The other moons were tense. Akaza asked what none of them dared. To their surprise Muzan smiled.
“What an excellent question, Akaza.”
The demons looked up at him dumbfounded.
“That,” said Muzan and pointed with his free hand at the head on his lap. “Is your new queen. You will treat her with the utmost respect. Did I make myself clear?”
“Yes, Muzan-sama,” said the upper moons simultaneously.
“Good,” said Muzan and waved his hands. “You are dismissed.” With the sound of the biwa they vanished.
Muzan sighed, relaxed, still caressing (y/n)’s hair.
“They are so dumb,” he muttered and (y/n) giggled. Muzan smiled looking down at his queen. Everything was perfect, exactly how he loved it. He had his one true love by his side forever. The only thing left to do was find that blue spider lily and finally be able to conquer the sun. And then he would finally see her beautiful smile in the sunlight, just like he had longed for so long.
As he looked down at her and she looked back up at him with her demonic eyes full of innocence Muzan knew that he was wrong. Flowers were beautiful. Yes they were frail and yes they died easily. But that meant you had to protect them even better. Especially this one. Muzan’s flower.