The courtyard was heavy with tense silence, the kind that weighed on your chest. The day of Kaigaku's execution had come. The regular slayers had been given the day off of training.
All the Hashira had gathered in the HQ's courtyard. Kagaya arrived not long after I stepped in with Mitsuri at my side. Her shorter hair drew some attention from the Hashira that hadn't seen her yet.
We took our spots and waited for Kagaya to speak. I could have thrown a few quips or jokes out but this wasn't the time.
'See… I know when to be serious too.'
Half a dozen Kakushi soon wheeled out a tall box reinforced with iron fittings. Ropes hung off of each side of the box. From the faint scratching noises and the rattle of chains, I could tell that Kaigaku was already stuffed inside it in a standing position.
It didn't take a genius to figure out what was gonna happen. The four ropes would be pulled and the box would be opened. Kaigaku would be exposed to the sunlight and he would burn.
Not a pleasant death, especially for a demon, but it was no less than what he deserved. Practically everyone knew what he had done. From betraying the Slayers, to letting a demon kill all the other kids Gyomei had been protecting, to revealing the location of a highly secret village.
The Hashira formed up around the box, each of us taking a hold of the thick rope at each face. Jiguro held one of the ropes as well, his face determined. Across from him was Gyomei, tearful but with a look that radiated peace.
He clapped his hands gently and muttered a prayer before retaking his hold on the rope. Kagaya's voice carried from where he stood on the veranda. His family on either side of him as he spoke.
"Today, judgement will be passed. Kaigaku, once of the Demon Slayer Corps… now a traitor of the highest order. May this be a warning to all those who seek to follow in his footsteps."
The box shook violently, muffled shouting came from the box as Kaigaku struggled against the chains holding him. Even bound, the traiterous rat still tried to lunge at us through the wood.
"Pathetic…" Jiguro spat, his voice thick with fury and sorrow. "Kaikagu, I trained you, brought you up like a son… yet you cast it all away and trampled on honour."
His knuckles turned white with how hard he was gripping the rope. He continued, "You will find no sympathy from me… nor Zenitsu… I pray that you find honour again in the afterlife."
The box rattled harder, Kaigaku's muffled screams grew more feral.
Gyomei also took the time to give a few last words of his former ward. "Kaigaku… I have hated you for what you did to the others, for the innocent lives you have taken, and the dishonour you have brough to Jiguro-dono's name. That hatred burns still to this day."
He breathed out, shoulders relaxing. "But I will not carry it further, today I let it go. May you do better in your next turn upon this earth, may your soul not remain chained."
Gyomei muttered one more prayer before falling silent. Kagaya, seeing that no one else would speak, raised his hand. His voice was gentle, but final.
"Begin."
We all pulled.
The box's sides fell away and slammed onto the ground. Kaigaku was revealed, his feet and arms shackled to the metal bottom of the box. Sunlight struck his flesh and he immediately started smoking before parts of his body caught fire.
The smell of burning flesh hit everyone but no one moved, not so much as a twitch as everyone continued to watch Kaigaku's death. His skin blistered, eyes bulged, rolling in terror before they burst from the heat.
He screeched through the gag, muffled curses and promises of revenge as he slowly crumbled to ash. Everyone maintained their positions until Kaigaku was no more. His ashes blew away in the wind.
Kagaya softly muttered. "May peace finally find him…" then he walked away with his family next to him.
Gyomei and Jiguro were speaking to one another. Kanae and Shinobu left soon after to return to their duties. Kyojuro said a few words to Mitsuri, mostly complimenting her hair before he left too.
One by one the Hashira left until it was just Mitsuri and I. The Ubuyashiki family had retreated into their home as the Kakushi carted the box away back to wherever they got it from.
Mitsuri grabbed my hand, "Satoru-kun…"
"Yeah? What is it?" I glanced at her while squeezing her hand.
She smiled, it was a little forced. "Can we go home?"
"Sure." I held her trembling hand.
The air warped around us as we disappeared.
[Scene Break]
The world snapped back into place as we appeared in the courtyard of my sprawling estate. Mitsuri walked back to the main house, I held her hand gently as I kept in step beside her.
We stopped in front of the master bedroom, her fingers slipped from mine as the dam finally broke.
"M-Mitsuri- hey…" I reached out as she pressed her hands to her face, shoulders shaking. Tears streamed down her cheeks, hot and relentless. She tried to stifle it but it came pouring out in ugly sobs.
"It's okay," I murmured, pulling her into my arms. She held me as her tears soaked into my haori. Her frame trembling in my arms.
"I-I can't help it…" her voice was raw, muffled against my chest. "He was a traitor and he did such terrible things… but he was a Slayer once too, a part of the family. It hurts Satoru-kun… it hurts so much to see one of our own end up like that."
I sighed, 'She's such a sweet woman… to feel like this even for a rat bastard like Kaigaku.'
I pressed my chin to the top of her head, breathing in her flowery scent. Even if it was shorter now, her hair was still unmistakably hers.
"I get it," I whispered, "it doesn't matter what he became, or the kind of person he truly was… you're allowed to mourn for the kind of person he could have been."
Her hands clutched my clothes tighter, then after a moment, she tilted her tear streaked face up at me. "But Satoru… what if I'm not enough?" Her voice cracked, "Even if I get stronger, even if I give everything… what if one day I can't protect anyone… what if I can't protect you?"
That hit harder than I'd like to admit. I've had similar thoughts myself. For once, a sarcastic teasing remark wasn't going to help. So I just cupped her cheek, brushing away her tears.
"Mitsuri," I said, staring into her trembling eyes, steady and unshakable, "don't you dare think like that. You're stronger than you know, and I don't need you to protect me. Just being here, just being your sweet loving self is enough. That's more than enough."
Her lips trembled. "Satoru-kun…"
I kissed her before she could say more. Not a gentle brush, but something to take her mind off of things. Deep, desperate, she gasped against me before pulling away. She blinked owlishly, tears all but forgotten.
Then she was in my arms again, kissing me hungrily. I held her hips as her arms wrapped around my neck, her body melting into mine.
The kiss deepened, her drying tears mixing with the heat of it. Her soft lips trembled as she pulled me closer, closer. My hands slid up her back then down to her hip. I felt the tension start to unravel from her body.
She broke the kiss with a shaky laugh, her forehead pressed against my chest. She glanced up at me, "You always know how to make me forget everything else…"
"That's the point." I grin, brushing a hand across her cheek to dry the last of her tears, "so let me keep distracting you."
Her cheeks flushed pink, her eyes shining with a mix of love and anticipation. She nodded once, barely a whisper, "Okay…"
I kissed her again, slower, softer. We stumbled into the room, towards our futon. She sighed softly as I kissed her neck, her hands unbuckling my belt.
[AN: The next part is a light lemon scene, it's completely skippable and you don't need to read it if you don't want to]
We fell to the futon, a tangled mess of limbs. I kissed her naked skin, my lips trailing from her inner thighs to her ample chest, to each pink bud. She pulled me up and kissed me, still slow and soft, but growing into something more hungry.
Her hair was fanned out over her head like a halo, I looked into her eyes as I lined myself up with her entrance. She looked into my eyes, biting her lips before nodding in consent.
I slowly pushed deep into her core, savouring her soft mewls and breathy sighs. She pulled me into another kiss, our hips met. She met each thrust with a soft gasp, her hands clutching me close as her legs wrapped around me.
I kissed her throat before lightly nipping her collarbone. Her gasps filled the room as I pushed and pulled, in and out of her warmth. Her nails dug into my back as she came undone, her gasp turning into a long moan.
I buried my head in the crook of her neck, breathing in the scent of her as I approached my own climax. Her legs tightened around me.
With one final thrust, I erupted deep inside her. Our breaths synchronised as we held each other. She kissed my neck and chest before she let her head fall back onto the pillow.
Eventually I rolled off of her and held her close as we basked in the afterglow. Her head rested on my chest as she drew small circles around my pectoral.
"Satoru-kun… I love you." She muttered.
"I love you too, Mitsuri."