Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

“You're marrying the oldest son of the Itoshi family.”

Ryuusei’s ears ring. He stares at his father, arching a questioning brow. “Who?”

His father sighs, an exhausted look hovering on his face. “You are formally engaged to Itoshi Sae, the eldest of the Itoshi brothers.”

“I heard you the first time, old man,” Ryuusei grouses, yawning. “But who the fuck is Itoshi Sae? Doesn’t sound like any of the elitist snobs’ sons I’ve had the displeasure of talking with.”

“Ryuusei, language,” his mother admonishes behind her fan. He rolls his eyes in response.

“You’re right,” his father admits rather begrudgingly, and Ryuusei raises his brows at the easy confession that his father, shockingly, doesn’t know everything. “We looked into the Itoshi family when they sent a missive stating that they are interested in taking your hand in marriage, Ryuusei—”

“Wait, wait,” Ryuusei cuts in, much to his mother’s displeasure. He ignores her as he says, “You’re telling me that you didn’t know that they existed until they sent a letter stating that they want their eldest son to hit the hay with me? Are you sure they aren’t a bunch of traffickers?”

“I was just getting to that,” his father heaves a long-suffering sigh, while his mother simply fans herself, covering her scowl with the intricately patterned fan. “Records of the Itoshi family are hidden from the public, so I have to personally request the family itself to send me their records. They are not, in fact, human traffickers. They’re just interested in arranging a marriage, with you of all candidates.”

“C’mon, I don’t even know who these guys are,” Ryuusei replies, gritting his teeth. “You guys just want me to leave the house after I beat up a bunch of assholes at the party.”

“Your unruly and recalcitrant behavior has cost us our reputation!” His mother tells him, but he can’t take her seriously when she’s not confronting him with her true emotions. “The families of those boys demand compensation that we cannot afford! You are lucky that the Itoshis have sent us a large amount of money to begin the foundation of your engagement!”

“Oh wow, you guys sold me off to the richest, shadiest person that immediately said yes to proposing to me?”

“They were the only ones who entertained the notion of letting their son marry you.” His father grits his teeth. “So it is required that you be respectful to your future husband, or the Itoshi family will call the engagement off and drop you back here with no assets nor fortune to your name.”

“Why are you making it seem like it’s my damn fault you spent hundreds of yen on your suits and dresses? You were already drowning in debt before I punched the first asshole who tried to get me alone.”

“Just consider this marriage proposal!” His mother raises her voice, and Ryuusei subtly flinches. Damn… even after all these years, he still flinches when his parents get louder than normal. “Don’t you want to escape from this household, like you’ve attempted to in the past more times than we can count? The man that you are going to marry is known to be a wildcard in civil society. He still carries a sword with him! He may give you the so-called ‘freedom’ you desire.”

Ryuusei laughs. “You just want me to leave this house because you think that you had me with the words ‘freedom,’ huh?”

His parents did not respond.

He considers his options for a moment. He can’t say that he wasn’t interested in meeting the elusive Itoshi family. Not only is this family invisible in Japanese high society, but they seemed to be rich as hell too, if they’re willing to pay all the troubles surrounding the Shidou family just to have his approval for the marriage. There is also the matter of the sword too— do they know that the age of samurai is over?

He looks at his parents, smirking. “You know what? I think you guys had me at the word ‘freedom.’”

***

Itoshi Sae is hot.

Unlike usual arranged marriages where both participants interested in a marriage have to go through omiai, Shidou Ryuusei and Itoshi Sae are officially engaged once Ryuusei lets his mother send a letter confirming that he is interested in the union, along with an individual black-and-white picture of himself in Western clothes (his parents had harped on him about a suitable outfit and expression during the whole picture-taking process). When asked about this, his parents point to the initial letter that the Itoshi family sent them, stating that both Itoshi brothers have demanding affairs to commit to, so they will be proceeding with the engagement without the omiai.

As a treat, and to make sure that Ryuusei wouldn’t back down from the engagement, he is given the same pictures his parents referred to when they wanted credibility of their son’s suitor.

The first picture is Itoshi in Western clothes; he is wearing a dark tonbi coat, draped over his figure, a hat over his head, and pants that scream class. Which is strange because, so far, Ryuusei has checked that this attractive man is not anywhere near the richest family lists. He doesn’t know what color his hair and eyes are, but those eyelashes were lethal.

In the second picture, he is wearing what seems to be his everyday wear— a uniform that looks a lot like schoolboys’ uniforms, a haori that looks like it’s in a lighter color, and… he really has a sword in the picture.

In both pictures, his disinterest is palpable, as if he wants to get these photos over with so he can continue… well, whatever he wants to do. It must involve the sword attached to his hip. He cannot be a samurai— they were all gone, or are merely figures now. Ryuusei assumes that he was an actor before studying the intense gaze in his eyes.

Those eyes sing of untold stories.

Ryuusei smirks, humming to himself as he studies Sae’s face until he can memorize how many lashes he has on each eye, his sharp features, and his intense gaze.

“You’re mine now, Sae-chan,” he whispers, trailing his finger down the man’s figure on the picture.

***

Ryuusei leaves his home with the barest essentials— his clothes, things, and books all wrapped into one case that he could carry. Not one of his parents bothered to give him an attendant when he was, essentially, about to leave home and travel to where the Itoshi residence currently sits: Kamakura City, in Kanagawa Prefecture. He’s surprised at how near the place is, just a few hours of travel that can give him the dopamine and stamina that he needs. His parents didn’t even give him any luxurious transport, either; no carriage nor car waits for him when he leaves his house with a piece of paper filled with detailed instructions on where to go. Ryuusei grits his teeth, complaining about his cheapskate parents under his breath, as he walks to the train station to begin his journey.

So far, no one has come near him, which is nice. It must be his usual glower distancing him from the other passengers, but that is his normal face. He ruminates about his potential chances at either staying with this guy or thinking about the many ways he’ll screw up and manage to get himself kicked out of their home as fast as possible. If they end up changing their mind about the engagement, then why send a damn letter?

If Ryuusei is being honest with himself, this is the only marriage proposal he’s received in the years since he became known as a violent and unpredictable individual. Multiple men and women look at him with askance when they are in his presence, for fear of provoking him and ending up on the wrong side of the pavement. Ryuusei did not care about his reputation— the people who look like they’re about to faint when near him are boring. They don’t understand how to live their lives to the fullest.

None of them could bring him any explosions.

So he wonders if Itoshi Sae will be different from the rest. He must be interested in him; he’s the one who sent a letter requesting his hand in marriage. He wants to know if Sae can give him the explosions he’d yearned for his whole life.

Finally, he reaches his stop and hops off the train without any fanfare. He fishes for the directions in his pocket; after skimming the final directions, he proceeds to enter into the hustle and bustle of Kamakura City, a city known for its ancient beauty that inspires writers to write. Ryuusei himself decides to check the entire city for souvenirs and entertainment, building adrenaline.

Hours later, when the sun is setting and his travel bag has become bulky after spending most of his money on souvenirs and food, he finally remembers why he had traveled all the way to Kamakura. Balancing his meat skewers in his mouth, he takes the paper filled with directions out to see if he is any closer, and…

Apparently, the Itoshi residence is just outside the city proper of Kamakura, and into the dimmer, less visited parts of the city. Ryuusei takes one look at the dark streets and the sound of crickets playing their eerie melodies, before sighing as he eats all of his skewers at once, before throwing the stick somewhere along the road.

May as well eat dinner first… He thinks to himself, even though he’d just eaten a moment ago.

He finds a stall that sells noodles outside the city, but before he crosses the path to these ominous woods. He asks the old woman minding the shop for a bowl of noodles, and she complies. She serves him his noodles hot and fresh as he sits down to eat.

“Hey, old lady,” he calls at the seller of the shop, and she looks at him with a fixed smile. She doesn’t seem to be offended by his lack of manners. “Do you know anything about the Itoshis? I’m kinda engaged to one of them.” Not ‘kinda.’ He is.

The old woman wipes her sweat-ridden fingers with a handkerchief, “Oh my, you’re betrothed to an Itoshi? That is certainly news! I would have thought the brothers would wait a few more years before deciding to settle down and marry! They’re always busy with their job, after all, protecting us folks from the dangers of the night!”

Ryuusei blinks. “So, what, they’re cops?”

The old woman laughs as if he had just said a funny joke. “No, my dear, they’re… hm. It would be best to let your groom tell you. You must be an outsider if you do not understand the gravitas of having one of the Itoshi propose a marriage with you.”

His eye twitches. “What, keeping those guys’ secrets a secret for me, lady?”

“They must be waiting to debrief you once you reach their home. They live at the foot of a hill beyond this point. Their household is so large that it takes up the foot of the hill, and a few inches above it. You’ll know it’s theirs when you see a large amount of sakura trees down the road, and a gate that has the Itoshi family’s kanji on it.” The old woman pounds her fist in her hand. “Ah, and the gate is between two lone wisteria trees! You won’t miss it!”

“Wisteria?” Ryuusei repeats. “Pretty weird of them to plant those trees near the sakura.”

“Ah, it’s fine, they take good care of it!” The old woman’s smile fades, looking much like a sage old woman than she had been a moment before. She looks at the orange skies above them as the sun begins to die like the flickering flames of a fire.

“Something on your mind, obaa-chan?” Ryuusei finishes the rest of his noodles, which had only been soup when they began this conversation.

“It’s getting late,” the old lady whispers, but her tone is not excited anymore; it’s worried. For what, him? She turns to him with a concerned expression. “Please head to the Itoshi residence before the sun fully sets. While these woods are protected by the Itoshi family, and henceforth avoided by these predators, it will be safer if you leave before night falls.”

“Predators?” Ryuusei laughs. “Geez, obaa-chan, didn’t know that there were any predators in the city!” His laughter dies down when he looks at the grave expression on her face. He clears his throat, standing. “Okay, I’ll leave now, obaa-chan. Take care of your blood pressure and give it to someone much deserving of it!”

He waves goodbye to the old woman who’s nice enough to let him eat a bowl of noodles with a single yen, so he decides to be obedient for once. It is much easier being obedient to someone who doesn’t look like they are going to explode if Ryuusei, even once, defies their orders. And besides, she looks so worried for a guy who came to her shop ready to haggle with her for more food. Wow, he is such an asshole, now that he’s reflecting on his actions.

He begins to walk to where Obaa-chan tells him the hill housing the Itoshi residence is on.

Ryuusei feels his hackles raise— he whips his neck left and right, checking his directions. The sun has already set, and the forest setting of his surroundings is now emphasizing that he is alone.

Ryuusei takes a deep breath. Fuck, it’s just obaa-chan’s words making me more paranoid than I need to be.

Yeah. Thanks a lot, noodle obaa-chan. Now he’s paranoid about nature in its natural habitat.

He hears a rustle behind him. For some reason, the feeling of being watched never faded away, even with his self-absorbed delusions telling him that everything is fine, even though his instincts have been blaring danger signs for the past hour. He is blatantly ignoring his survival instincts so he can live a life where he’s fine. Walking in a forest at abnormal hours must be fine.

He is not lost— he’s in the path of the sakura trees. The pathway is still clear, despite it being nighttime. Damn… maybe he should’ve invested in a lantern.

The rustling continues, although, for some reason, it’s grown… near him. It was not a distant sound any longer. It was right behind him.

Ryuusei stops walking.

Why the hell is he so damn scared? It might just be a fox, or a tanuki! Whatever predators noodle obaa-chan is afraid of shouldn’t scare Ryuusei! Besides, his fiancée protects the entire Kamakura city, apparently. So he shouldn’t feel this damn scared of whatever’s behind him.

Ryuusei cackles to himself, mostly to get rid of his nerves. “Whatever is behind me, it doesn’t scare me!” He says this as he uses a heel turn to turn around. He looks down at what should be a tanuki, but what greets him are feet. Bare feet, with claws.

He raises his head, slowly.

He is greeted with inhumane eyes— eyes that were like his, but they were far more catlike, and they hint at an underlying, dangerous hunger.

Ryuusei nods, his eyes zeroing in on the fangs protruding from the guy’s(?) watering mouth. “Okay.”

He begins to run, and the demon sets chase right after.

Shit, shit, shit, is the song currently singing in Ryuusei’s head, trying not to turn his head to see the demon that is currently chasing after him, as fast as a leopard, as he does not rest, wishing to hunt him down. It was exhilarating to be chased around by some otherworldly entity that Ryuusei couldn’t describe, but then he had the realization that he might end up dead in a ditch somewhere without meeting his fiancé.

Fuck! That should not happen!

Should he stray from the area? Make a break for the woods to lose this maniac? Or should he go straight to the Itoshi residence and hope that they have a solution to this weirdo chasing him?

Wouldn’t that be an impression? The fiancé of their oldest son is being chased down by a creature that is not human at all, banging on their gates and begging them to come save him from getting eaten.

Well, obaa-chan did say that the Itoshi family protects Kamakura city at night, and that these predators rarely come near their abode.

Still, it would be great if his knight in shining armor could come and kill this guy! It would be a lot convenient for Ryuusei, after all!

He doesn’t have to wait too long. He feels another presence in the clearing— this one puts him more at ease, almost slowing down his running until he remembers he is caught between the jaws of death and freedom.

Then, he hears a woosh of the wind as a sword slices through skin, making it squelch before something hits the ground. Ryuusei stops running once the danger is over, and turns around to find a young man shorter than him standing tall over the decapitated corpse of the being that’d been chasing him.

Ryuusei tries to say something, but it ends up inarticulate as he pauses to garner the breath he lost being chased by the asshole whose head is currently on the floor, right now, bleeding into the ground. One of his hands is gripping the fabric of his shirt that is directly on his chest, feeling sweat cling to the kimono he is currently wearing. Damn, he should have brought a loose version— he felt like he overdressed for the occasion of being, well, chased around.

Then he realized that this mystery man had just beheaded someone.

Now that he thinks about it, the guy chasing him looks human, except for the fangs and eyes.

“Holy shit,” he finally says, staring at the remains that are… disintegrating? The young man who saved him flinches at his sudden urge to speak up. “Did you just commit murder? Am I a witness?”

In the blink of an eye, Ryuusei is now staring at the blade of a sword pointed at him. He falls onto his ass, looking at the sword with a bewildered look. “Ah shit, now I’m victim number two.”

Instead of confirming that he is, indeed, victim number two, the man that is shrouded in darkness asks, “Who are you?” It was soft, but authoritative. Ryuusei finds himself complying before he can think.

“The name’s Shidou Ryuusei,” he introduces himself, while raising his hands with a smile. “I’m supposed to meet my future fiancé, Itoshi Sae? I was just on my way to the Itoshi residence until this asshole snuck up behind me and tried to… what? kill me?”

“It was going to eat you,” the man supplies.

Ryuusei lets out a small, sardonic laugh. “Huh, great.”

The man tilts his head, but Ryuusei could not make out what expression he is currently sporting, since his face is still shrouded in darkness. The only thing he could see was the sword’s gleaming blade— a beautiful blue. Finally, he seems to have processed what he’d been saying. “Shidou… Ryuusei?”

“Yep, that’s me!”

The man huffs, and to Ryuusei’s relief, he relinquishes his sword from his face, placing it back in his sheath. “I see. You’re late, follow me.” He watches as the man who had been threatening him with a sword now extends a hand to pick him up.

Ryuusei frowns. “And why should I trust you?”

His savior merely scoffs. “You’re the one who went for a jaunt around the city before Miss Watanabe warned you about the dangers of walking around at night.”

Ryuusei’s eyes grow wide as he sits up straighter. “You were following me?”

“Partially. When you stepped down from the train, you were on my radar. Unfortunately, I had to go on a mission that required me to spend some time away from monitoring your movement. When I returned, I saw you getting chased around by the demon.”

“So you're a super stalker!” Ryuusei accuses, slapping the hand away as if it had personally burnt him. “How do you know my name? Wait… demon?”

“What a quick succession of what I'd just said,” the man snorts, but it lacks humor, as if he had just said an unfunny joke. “Yes, the thing I killed is a demon, and it prowls around during nighttime in search of humans to eat.”

Ryuusei stares at the corpse, only to blink when he sees that it is almost finished disintegrating. “So it was going to eat me?”

“Yes.”

“Anyways, the answer to my other question. How'd ya know my name?”

The man hums, “You truly cannot recognize me?”

“Do I know you?”

The man sighs, tired and no longer amused by his antics. “We’re going to the Itoshi residence. Come on, I don’t like to wait.”

Without another word, the man walks to the house where Ryuusei is supposed to be.

“Hey, wait up! Do you want me to be demon bait?”

“Lukewarm demons don’t follow men more powerful than they are.”

“That doesn’t answer my question!”

***

In the end, Ryuusei follows the man to the Itoshi residence— Ryuusei kind of regrets not reaching the family home when it was still daytime, because it was a massive villa by its own right. The actual house is situated just above the foot of the hill, while what seems to be the gardens and koi pond are currently at the said foot of the mountain. Like what noodles obaa-chan had told him, there are a pair of wisteria trees seated on both sides of the house. The kanji of the family surname is engraved on the silver gate, imposing and regal. It was also surrounded by golden lights which bathes the usually dark surroundings of the hill with a soft, golden glow.

Ryuusei steps aside to let the mystery man open the gate for him. He packs his bag— thankfully, all of his stuff seems to still be intact, despite being in the city for far longer than it was necessary. The young man looks shorter than he is, and he could spot that his hair is lighter thanks to the source of light. He opens the gates and ushers Ryuusei in before slamming the gate shut when the young man enters after Ryuusei.

Now that there's a light source near both their faces, Ryuusei blinks as he takes the man's face with surprise in his features. From the low light on the engawa, Ryuusei can make out pink hair and disinterested green eyes.

He feels excitement thrumming in his veins. “You're…”

“Itoshi Sae,” the man finishes for him, tilting his head. “So you're my fiancé.” He studies him, eyeing the taller man up and down. Ryuusei doesn’t know if he should feel offended or not. He hums appraisingly— or so Ryuusei hopes it was. “You're taller than I expected.”

“You're younger than what you look like in your picture,” Ryuusei shoots back, crossing his arms.

Sae tilts his head. “I am eighteen years old, the same age as you.”

Ryuusei chuckles. “Now that's why you look so pretty. Can I call you Sae-chan?”

He scoffs, brushing past him. “We just met.” Ryuusei grins. It wasn’t a no!

“You're the one who agreed to marry me!”

Ryuusei follows him as they enter their home. Ryuusei looks around, completely in awe of the interior of the place. Ryuusei’s family is certainly from a noble background; however, ever since the Meiji era, their wealth and fortune decline drastically, which is why they were obsessed to get their eldest unruly son married to the richest man who proposes first.

The house is ancient, but there is a touch of modernity in the highly refined, opulent walls of the house. He almost feels bad for leaving footprints on the floor, his neck working overtime as he looks around and spots objects he never found in an aristocrat’s home. Paintings that look so faded they enchant Ryuusei. A wall filled with scabbards and hilts, all framed in the wall. At another corner of the room, broken blades of swords from a bygone era.

Ryuusei glances at Sae’s own sword hanging on his hip. “You a sword fanatic, Sae-chan?”

“I'm not a fanatic,” the young man replies, clearly exasperated with Ryuusei at the short time they have been together. Ryuusei is almost disappointed; the thought that Sae would be so fed up with him immediately. “Those are simply family paraphernalia through the generations. We've been protectors of Kanagawa Prefecture for a long time.”

“By using your swords?” Ryuusei supplies, watching as Sae makes his way to the kitchen. Suddenly, he realizes that there seems to be no one in this household except him and his betrothed. “I mean, fantastic work killing the asshole that tried to kill me, Lashes. But you do know that swords are illegal goods now.”

Sae scoffs, removing his haori. Like what Ryuusei predicted, the haori is pink in color, fading softly into blue at the end. Like what Ryuusei mentioned; he's incredibly rich, for someone whose last name isn’t found in the records. “We know that, but swords are the best way to kill a demon as efficiently as we can.”

Ryuusei laughs, “There we go with the demons again, Sae-chan. I think it's time you owed me an explanation, maybe two.”

“This is why I requested a day off for tonight,” Sae replies, as he places a tray with a pair of teacups and a highly priced teapot that screams expensive on the table. With a short wave of a finger, he beckons Ryuusei to come join him. Like a dog and someone who's easily convinced, he makes a beeline for the table, sitting down. Sae pours him a cup of tea, and Ryuusei takes it, squinting at the contents.

“You work?” Ryuusei questions, taking a sniff. Hm, this smells incredibly sweet, unlike the usual bitterness that hangs on his tongue. “Then again, there's bound to be a reason why your house looks like a damn mansion. Even mine doesn't look like this.”

“Yes, I work. Mostly at a nocturnal schedule, but my weeks are packed to the point I could barely find any free time.” He takes a sip of his tea, and Ryuusei follows.

“Nocturnal activities, eh?” Ryuusei smirks.

Sae rolls his eyes. “It is not what you think, pervert. You know that demon chasing you? That's my job: to kill demons that hunt in the night. I'm part of an association not recognized by the government, known as the Demon Slayer Corps. We protect human civilians from the terrors of the night.”

Ryuusei places his palm on one hand, frowning. “Demons? Demon Slayer Corps? This sounds like an intricately woven novel whose intent is to keep it selling.”

Sae sighs. “And I'm telling you, demons are real. We are real. Our organization is kept secret simply because we don’t want the public to panic about demons existing.”

He snaps his fingers, realization seeping through. “Is that why your family wasn’t in the records?”

“That is indeed the case. Additionally, I do not want to spend time with lukewarm people.”

Ryuusei laughs, already liking Sae’s charm. “Y'know what? I like you already. Let's get married soon!”

Sae’s brow twitches as he looks up, frowning at the blonde man. “I have a tight schedule concerning my job and what I do in the mornings. It took months of haggling for my family and organizers to agree on the preferred wedding date.”

“And when will our wedding be happening?”

“Three months from now.”

Ryuusei bangs on the table, causing the cups and pot almost to topple. “Three months—!”

“Why are you so upset by this? You're still going to get married to me.”

“No way, I'll be stuck making wedding preparations for three months? This sucks!”

Sae sighs a long-suffering sigh. He twines his fingers together and looks at the grimacing Ryuusei properly. “My family has been part of the Corps since the Sengoku era. We must adhere to the tradition set by our ancestors. We usually don't marry outside of the business, but your situation had my eyebrows raising. So I asked my parents for permission to take you as a partner. You’ll become used to your life as the husband of a demon slayer shortly.” He stares at his cup, then back at his fiancé. “Unless you want to become a demon slayer.”

Ryuusei considers it. Yeah, it would be completely badass going around town carrying a sword on his hip, but he also doesn’t know what the Corps are all about. All he knows is they have their workers wear weird uniforms and let them walk around with swords. Still, there's one fact he wants to know. Pounding the table again to get Sae’s attention (which is a useless attempt since he is already looking at him), he points to himself. “Will it cause me to explode?”

Sae raises a brow. “Whatever you want.” He stands, and Ryuusei watches him walk to a table in the living room. He takes out his sword, still inside his scabbard, before placing it there. He turns to look at Ryuusei. “I don’t want to talk about my occupation just yet. I took a day off to meet you, after all.”

Ryuusei smirks. “Well, I think I'm flattered. So, what do you want to talk about?”

Sae says nothing.

Ryuusei waits for him to say anything, even though waiting fills him with sickness. But the minutes continue to pass without Sae uttering another word. His eyes were pensive as well, like he truly didn’t know what to talk about. It's… adorable, in a way.

“Oh my god. Don't tell me you don't know how to talk to your damn fiancé. What, you just saw my pretty face and wanted to bag me immediately? I mean, I appreciate it, but do you know me?”

“You don't know me either.”

“Do you like… know my reputation? I mean, you were bound to get a crash course. Not like I care about my reputation. They just can't handle me.”

“I fail to see why I need to care about the reputation you gave yourself.”

“Because you’re marrying me, Lashes?”

“I am going to repeat the point that I’ve mentioned before. I’ve met people who are just as strange and loud as you, so I suppose I’m used to it. For example, my brother is going through a phase where he thinks everything is a fight and that every time I speak, he begins to seethe. So really, you’re not special.” Sae looks wound out after saying everything. It seems like he’s the type to talk less, and even his emotions would agree with him. Unfortunately, Ryuusei is not the type to let go of this easily.

He laughs, a wicked smile on his face. “Well, I’ll be stranger than every single person you meet! You’re doomed to stick with me forever, Sae-chan!”

Sae hums, turning his head to look at him. He looked absolutely beautiful in the glow of the dim lights, his haori giving him an impression of being an otherworldly creature. “You’re quite energetic for someone who walked an entire city.”

Ryuusei huffs. “All in a day’s work.”

Now that Sae mentions it, Ryuusei does feel more than fatigued right now. This is what happens when you treat the entire city like a tourist spot, and not a place where he’ll stay for the rest of his life once he gets married to Sae in about three months. Which, in all things considered, is already long for Ryuusei’s standards, and he’d like to kill the guy who made his fiancé agree with such a crappy condition.

Fuck, he wants to continue being with Sae!

“So,” he says, trying to keep the conversation going. He ignores his eyelids growing heavier each minute. Damn, what time is it? It couldn’t have been that late. “What are we going to do tomorrow?”

Sae stares at him. “We?”

“Yeah, we. We’re a couple now, you know? I spent hours getting here from Tokyo to Kamakura. At least show me the ropes on how to deal with having a… demon slayer as a husband.”

“I won’t be here tomorrow.”

Ryuusei blinks. After a second’s delay, he throws his arms up as he exclaims, “What? Where the hell are you going when your fiancé just showed up at your door?”

“I have a new mission,” Sae replies, not looking any remorseful as he opens the door and lets a crow swoop inside the house and land on his extended elbow. “Demons do not wait. I’ve had to ask my brother to take on half of my workload so I could meet you.”

Ryuusei grits his teeth at the young man’s cluelessness and the fact that Sae doesn’t understand why Ryuusei is pissed. He feels like he understands what Sae had just put down.

1. Despite agreeing to the marriage, Sae-chan himself is a workaholic who works both day and night to kill demons.

2. Sae is still being obtuse over how the entire Corps operates, thus leaving Ryuusei blind to his background.

3. He is going to be leaving him alone tomorrow, without any company, even though they’re both engaged.

Ryuusei approaches Sae, leaning over him. Sae doesn’t seem to care about his looming height, and he sees it— apathy in Sae’s eyes, cyan irises that scream they are no longer afraid of what the world is like because he has seen worse. He notices a few things about Sae, too, now that he is closer to studying his face. His eyes have dark circles under them due to the lack of sleep. His cheeks were hollow, and Ryuusei could spot the cheekbones. Even his entire physique looks lean, even though he’s tall. His red-brown hair looks dull as well, as if its vibrant colors have been swapped for dullness.

“So you’re going to leave me here until… what? Until our wedding begins?”

Sae doesn’t respond to the question, but his plans are hidden in plain sight.

Ryuusei clicks his tongue. “Well, what the hell am I gonna do in the next three months then, Sae-chan? Do you know it’s impolite to leave your fiancé inside your house unattended?”

“A kakushi will come by every day to clean the house. You can learn how to do your household chores when he arrives.”

Ryuusei stamps his foot. “Now you’re going to turn me into a maid? Your ideas won’t make me explode, Sae-chan!”

“My brother and parents are off in their respective missions, but when they’re finished, they can assist you in the ways of becoming part of the Itoshi family.”

“What about you? Will you come home?”

Sae looks up at him. There is still no evident feeling of remorse for the utterly boring life he forced upon Ryuusei. It was preposterous— he thought that he’d guaranteed himself freedom by becoming a rich man’s husband, but in the end, he feels like he’s going to be trapped here, and worse, he’s going to be alone.

“It’ll be a busy few months.” At this, Ryuusei deflates. Here Sae-chan is in all his glory, looking extremely hotter (and more exhausted) than his picture ever does, and he’s going to go away for an unsaid amount of time, or he’ll be busy. What the hell does a demon slayer do anyway? They just kill demons during the night, right?

“Fucking hell, Sae-chan. You made me get so damn excited leaving my house, then you tell me I won’t be seein’ you much until the wedding? What, you’re gonna leave me during our wedding night, too?”

Sae doesn’t answer. God, this guy’s refusal to answer his questions is starting to piss Ryuusei off.

“I’ll be staying with you tonight,” Sae tells him, leaning forward. There is still no trace of hidden warmth or affection in his voice, as if he’d carefully anticipated this scenario to happen and practiced lines that might convince Ryuusei… slightly. “Tell me all about yourself in the meantime. Show me that you’re worthy to be the Water Pillar’s fiancé, despite knowing nothing about demons and their only predators.”

Ryuusei stares, and stares some more into Sae’s eyes. Then, he sees it: a small flicker of interest beneath those apathetic eyes of the other man, flickering slightly, but still obvious. It was a clear sign that he does want this wedding to continue, and he does want to get to know more about Ryuusei, even if it is to keep some form of civility on their engagement. As much as it pains him to do so, Ryuusei takes a step backwards so he can study Sae’s figure at a more respectful distance.

“Why didn’t you just say so?” Ryuusei snickers, grinning from ear to ear. “I’ve got a lot of stories! Do you want to hear the non-violent ones, or the bloody ones that made me almost explode?!”

Sae grunts as he heads outside, letting his crow fly away. Ryuusei follows him outside, no longer feeling tired. If this is the only time he’ll ever get to see his fiancé until the wedding, then he shouldn’t be sleeping. Not when he has yet to make a case for himself.

“Define what you mean by ‘exploding.’”

Ryuusei’s pink eyes shimmer as a light blush brushes his cheeks. “No one has ever asked me that question before, Sae-chan! You’re the first!”

“I’m glad that I was.”