The months passed with surprising ease. Winter and spring came and went with their familiar joys and entertainments, one of which being Inosuke's first real snow. The boy had plunged into the cold substance with no fear and had laughed even as his fingers had turned blue and he shivered. He was immediately brought inside and warmed but that didn't stop the boy from trying to run back into the frigid weather.

It almost drove Doma mad as he failed to fathom how this child had no self-preservation instincts! He was a human - weren't humans supposed to have some sort of cowardice built-in to keep them alive!? If so, then Inosuke got the short end of the stick.

Winter came and went and somehow Inosuke survived it. Spring emerged in all its glory, filling the temple with outside activities as people celebrated the warming world.

The warmer weather also brought a reminder that Doma was not without responsibility.

Near the end of the Spring season, after the blossoms had all fallen and Inosuke had grown an inch or two, Doma found himself summoned to Muzan alongside Akaza. The two bowed before their master and listened as he ordered them to go take care of a collection of demon slayers who were staying in a town to the west so they could cause some sort of diversion for the demon lord.

Doma and Akaza obeyed, naturally, and killed the demon slayers easily enough. Then came the problem of witnesses, no one was supposed to know they existed and with twenty devoured corpses and an area soaked in blood, it was inevitable that someone notice something... which meant that the town had to go. It was simple work, the two demons stayed clear of each other for most of it. Akaza happily fought the warriors and men on his side of the town while Doma dealt with his side with no discrimination.

There was a new pain to it, Doma found. Every woman who screamed reminded him of Kotoha's cries of fear and every child made him think of Inosuke. Part of him screamed that the new emotions were making him weak and he pondered that for a while. Should he falter from his path, Muzan would definitely kill him, and if Muzan knew why he had emotion...

Doma ripped apart the shrieking woman in his claws and tried not to think. Quick. He'd make it quick. Yes... yes, he could be strong and show mercy. Then at least he wouldn't disobey. He could be merciful... Muzan would not be...

He shuddered to think of how merciless Muzan could be when it came to humans. No... No Muzan must never think he'd grown weak. He could not be weak. He killed and he killed trying not to think about how it made his stomach want to leap out of his throat and choke him with his own bile.

Akaza and Doma met up near the end of the town once the work was nearly done. As Doma walked up to the final house he found Akaza was waiting for him.

"What? You waited for me," Doma grinned, faking happiness. Akaza sneered and looked to the house behind him.

"It stinks of women, I'll leave it to you," Akaza snarled.

Doma looked at the rickety old house and slowly stepped inside. He heard rustling in the closet and threw it open.

He took a fearful step back.

The women - no, they were mere girls -  in the closet were shaking, they were covered in bruises and whimpered when they saw Doma. The familiarity of their scared faces pierced Doma in his chest. They were all young, ranging from sixteen to eighteen, far too young to have those terrible bruises or such fearful eyes. It was like looking into Kohota's fearful eyes.

"Doma?" Akaza questioned from the doorway, watching the Upper Moon's face in wonder. Doma looked... dare Akaza say it... he looked scared. That was wrong, Doma didn't feel anything, especially fear. 

Doma slowly knelt and leaned towards the girls, his eyes gleaming with something that no one could read.

"Who did this to you?" Doma asked in a growl as he looked over the girls,

One of the girls slowly pointed to the roof with a shaky finger, "Th-they're u-up-st-upstairs," she quivered.

Doma nodded and then stood up. He stared at the girls and Akaza watched in wonder as the demon who months ago would've relished an opportunity to torment such easy prey disposed of the girls quickly. They didn't even have time to scream.

"What's up with you?" Akaza demanded as the higher rank stared at the carnage. Doma's blood-stained fans dripped with scarlet as the demon stayed perfectly still. Akaza could sense something pouring off the demon.

Something real and true; rage.

In a flash, the demon let out a frustrated scream as he ripped the closet door off its hinges and raced up the stairs. The guilt in Doma's heart seemed to rip him apart as he tore apart that damn house until he found the sick bastard responsible and made him suffer.

No survivors. No survivors. He forced himself to remember that over and over again. He had no choice, Muzan had ordered him to leave no survivors! But those girl's eyes haunted him like lanterns in foglight. His claws tore through wood and doors alike, ripping skin and drawing blood as he took out his helplessness on whoever he could.

Akaza waited in the doorway, his brows knitted together as he listened to the terrified screams that echoed out of the house as Doma disposed of its owner. This was... unusual. Akaza was used to listening to hours of torment as Doma played with his food like the sick fucker he was. Upper Two hadn't even tasted those girls before he killed them. And Doma hated eating men, he said they tasted sour or something but by the sound of whatever was happening upstairs...

The hell was happening?

When Doma emerged a few minutes, his hands, chest, and chin covered in blood, Akaza watched him carefully. He tried to read the dark shadows under those bright eyes or the way the blood stained the demon's fangs.

"What was that about?" Akaza demanded as gestured to the carnage of the closet. "Not hungry?"

"Not tonight," Doma smiled innocently as his eyes avoided the scene. His expression shared nothing, not a thought or an emotion, but Akaza had a sneaking suspicion both those things were now knocking around in the upper rank's brain. Doma had never been easy to read and the fucker definitely wasn't now as they walked away from the town. Akaza's eyes narrowed and he watched the demon carefully. Doma looked to the north, where his temple lay, and nodded to himself.

"I suppose this is where we part ways," Akaza scowled to his fellow upper moon.

"Yes," Doma answered softly... there was a tint of... happiness in his voice? Akaza studied the demon carefully, mystified by the change in him. Doma looked at him, his fake smile plastered all over his face once more. "Until next time close buddy! Be careful!"

With that, the demon took off leaving Akaza wondering what was going on. Doma hadn't done anything bad per se. They'd obeyed Muzan; they'd killed all they were supposed to. Akaza couldn't justify a reason to report Doma's mystifying change back to Muzan. It wasn't treason to suddenly change your ways... though seeing as Doma did it - perhaps it was tantamount to it. 

Akaza shook his head and tried to come to grips with what he's seen. The rare - no, the nonexistent break in Doma's mask that had led him to kill in rage. When was the last time that had happened - Akaza could tell you; never. Never. Doma didn't feel emotion.

He didn't. He was a sick fuck who would be dead if Akaza ever got the opportunity. Doma didn't feel anything.

But then what was that!?

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

Doma returned to the temple where he found his followers waiting for him. He greeted them all warmly but his heart soared when a familiar laugh reached his ears. He turned as he smelled her scent and found her standing, holding Inosuke in her arms. Kotoha was smiling, still wearing a simple kimono but still somehow appearing so inexplicably divine.

Doma wrapped his arms around her causing the maiden to blush. Inosuke babbled a few things and reached up for Doma's face. The toddler squished the demon's cheeks and giggled furiously making Doma feel warm inside. He could almost forget the eyes that haunted him when he felt the warmth of the two lights in his life.

"I missed you," Kotoha murmured warmly. 

"And I, you," Doma smiled once Inosuke released him. The Upper Moon then leaned down and kissed the woman earning a squeal from one of the cultists, Miki, who was, apparently, already secretly planning their wedding. Doma had learned to ignore many of his followers, but all of them seem overjoyed at the prospect of their leader finding love and were even happier seeing that it was with someone as deserving of happiness as Kotoha.

Strange, how they were so accepting of their god falling in love.

"How was the week of prayer?" Kotoha asked. The question brought the familiar pierce of guilt to Doma's heart as the lie slipped off his tongue.

"It was uneventful," he answered. And the guilt multiplied when he thought of the girls... of the girls who had just been younger, broken pieces of his beloved. And he had slaughtered them. Worse... he was lying about it and he was lying to Kotoha.

To these people, he was a connection to the heavens - that was a lie. To Kotoha, he was her love - a truth. To Kotoha, he was someone who would stay by her side and grow old with her in love - a lie. There were stacks of lies piled on small twigs of truths and the new emotion of guilt was piercing Doma with every lie, especially to Kotoha.

She was too trusting, too naive. She had full faith in Doma and so never questioned him as to where he went off or what he did. 

"Why aren't you more inquisitive?" Doma asked her one night under the pale half-moon in the temple garden.

"What?" Kotoha asked.

"You never press for answers," Doma recognized, pondering the fact. "My habits aren't exactly typical and yet you never demand an explanation for them."

"Do you ever 'demand an explanation' for my nightmares?" Kotoha asked, smiling up at the demon as she threw his words right back at him.

Doma was about to point out the difference but Kotoha continued.

"Or how about why I prefer sleeping closest to the door. Or why I sometimes frantically try and shush Inosuke for no reason. Why don't you demand an explanation for why I hate the sound of thunder or the smell of alcohol?"

Doma looked at her, puzzled. He didn't ask because he knew and if he had his way he would kill the bastard responsible for it a thousand times more.

"You understand that those things are just part of who I am," Kotoha murmured putting a hand on Doma. "You wouldn't be Doma without your mysteries. Your nocturnal habits, your quirky actions."

There was something true in that but Doma still half-wanted her to demand the truth from him. Hiding the truth felt like swallowing a monster that tore away at his organs and ripped at his chest.

"I trust you, Doma," Kotoha laughed in assurance.

Her sentence was meant to soothe Doma but it only worsened the painful guilt that twisted in his chest.

"Thank you, Kotoha," Doma smiled softly looking at the woman who beamed at him. She looked over the garden and leaned on Doma's shoulder.

Inosuke's head popped out of a bush and he proudly hoisted up a beetle.

"Mama! Oma! ook!" he cried happily running up and showing off his catch.

"It's quite pretty," Kotoha applauded studying the bug.

"Pwetty," Inosuke repeated looking at the beetle that was glistening in the moonlight.

"Good catch," Doma chuckled.

Inosuke gave a toothy grin and placed the beetle on the ground before pointing at his mother. "Pwetty!" he announced. Kotoha grinned at her son.

"Thank you, Inosuke," she smiled with a small blush.

Inosuke then pointed to Doma, "Pwetty!"

Doma smiled and rubbed the boy's head. Inosuke giggled and toddled away repeating his 'pwetty' montage. Kotoha smiled and resumed her position of leaning on Doma.

"He's growing up too fast," she sighed happily. "That's the third word he's learned this week."

There was a pang of sadness with that truth for Doma. Yes, Inosuke and Kotoha were growing older, but him? He wouldn't be able to follow. How long until they saw that?

How long could he keep lying?

How long should he keep lying?

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

The answer came to him in the most unexpected form; Demon Slayers. They arrived at his doorstep needing shelter and medical attention as one of them was badly wounded. Doma listened to the gossip but made sure to stay far away, not willing to risk being exposed. Heaven forbid one of the slayers saw him and deduced what he was. Heaven forbid they tell their superiors. 

Damn it all what if they sent a hashira after him? What if he had to kill them? What could he do? He would have to kill them. Why could that thought make him want to rip out his own throat!?

He realized he was frightened. 

He had no control over what those demon slayers said and if their knowledge on demons were to get back to Kotoha, would she put two and two together? Doma knew she would, she was a smart woman. Trusting, gentle, sweet, and smart.

Doma shook his head to clear his mind and sat in his room, trying to sort out his thoughts. It didn't work. It never worked. It wasn't thoughts he was trying to sort, it was emotions, and those were messy and refused to be sorted.

As the days went on he overheard the rumors flying around the temple. The demon slayers were comprised of three boys and two girls. One of the boys, who was about seventeen, had been badly wounded fighting a demon. The cultists knew nothing about demons and so were very intrigued about these children's hunt for strange blood-thirsty monsters. The rumors continued to soar and eventually, Doma heard the news he had feared - they were looking for him. The group came investigating possible demon activity in the area where they had run into a surprisingly strong demon who had caught them unawares a few miles away. The demons slayers had dragged their wounded comrades through the forest until coming upon the temple, completely unaware that they were staying in the wolf's den. 

First and foremost - Doma went and dealt with the demon wandering the outskirts of his territory. He dealt with them swiftly. Such a fool. Such an incompetent stupid idiotic damn useless excuse for a demon. They'd led the demon slayers right to Doma, right to Kotoha. Damn them! Damn them to hell and back!

Then, he excused himself for being sick and decided to stay isolated until the slayers were gone.

As the days came and went, Kotoha too became involved in the demon slayers' recovery. She would return and tell Doma (who feinted sickness quite poorly he found) all about the strange children who all seemed too young to be fighting so viciously. She would often tie connections of them to Inosuke, saying that they were 'bold, just like little Inosuke' and had 'just such big hearts', which would make Doma's chest hurt in terrible guilt as the images of the demons slayers he had killed flashed in his mind.

They had all been children, hadn't they? Or sisters, or brothers, or mothers. They had all been Kotoha's and Inosuke's.

The girls in the closet that he slaughtered haunted him as those thoughts did. Every person, every living breathing person had been someone. Someone's Kotoha, someone's Inosuke, someone's love, child, sibling and he had killed them. Eyes and screams haunted him and one day as he hid in his room he looked up and swore, swore that he saw the girls in that damn closet staring at him from his own shadow.

He collapsed to his knees and screamed as his nails dug into the wood.

He had been given no choice they had to die. He had to kill them. He had to. 

Tears streamed down his face as all the screams of his past meals came to tear at his mind. So many people... so many people. So many lives and he'd taken them all without any remorse. Worse... worse he had mocked them, he took everything from them, he had thought himself better!!

Better!? Him!! He had thought that he, a lowly dog for a fucking demon had been worth more than any of those people. He had spent years thinking that he was powerful when he was nothing more than a walking corpse; a fucking puppet! 

He wanted to be sick. He wanted to vomit and pull every damn piece of flesh out of his gut but it was too late. He could never take it back. The blood was on his hands, it was stained into his very existence. 

He was a monster. He always had been and he'd always known it... but now... now he finally understood why that was such a tragedy.

The weeks the demon slayers spent recovering were some of the most painful weeks of Doma's life. He grappled with himself constantly, knowing that it was his duty as an upper moon to dispose of them but also knowing that he simply couldn't. Not only that. He wouldn't. 

Never again. Never again would he spill blood. He would rather cut out his tongue than taste flesh again. The screams of those long gone would haunt him forever, as they should, but no more would join that cacophony. Not as long as he lived.

He couldn't kill anyone anymore - what kind of demon was he!? A darker side of him revolted against his epiphanies. No more death!? No more food!? Had he gone mad! He would be slaughtered for this, if not by a competitor demon (Akaza came quickly to mind) then he would be absolutely ripped apart by Muzan.

He was being foolish... at least that's what a little nagging voice warned. A voice that sounded too much like Muzan.

The thoughts were almost maddening and they flew around in a discombobulated mess as they intertwined with his emotions. He tried to block them out but they were stuck in his head and he cursed them.

The 'snap' came when an old thought, one Doma had repressed with all of his energy, erupted to the front of his mind. 

Why not just kill her and feast!?

The fact that he had considered it was enough of a sin to Doma, but for his mind to constantly toy with the idea made him want to scream. He dug his nails into his scalp drawing blood that healed and disappeared instantly. No pain he could inflict on himself would stop it. Pain meant nothing anymore. He was a demon. A monster. 

His instincts screamed at him, telling him Kotoha and her son were dangerous, that they were compromising his safety and loyalty to Muzan. Doma knew those instincts were right but everything else in his body refused to listen. Her scent, her voice, everything about her made him want to protect her and cherish her. He never wanted to know the taste of her blood or the scent of her corpse.

His instincts warned him that she'd find out. Warned him that she would be disgusted by what he was and terrified of what he could do. She would run as soon as she discovered it and would never look back. She'd hate him. If she knew the screams that haunted him, she'd hate him. If she knew the blood on his hands. She'd hate him. If she knew... if she knew...

That was the first time Doma sobbed. He didn't know the experience but as the tears made his lungs seize he curled up in his room by himself and felt what amounted to eons of discourse snap apart. The tears dripped from his eyes as he realized the truth of the matter - he couldn't hold on to her much longer. As soon as she began aging and he didn't... as soon as his hunger took over and she discovered it... as soon as demon slayers found him and fought him... as soon as Muzan demanded he get rid of this weakness... she'd run out of fear of what he was.

It hurt like a thousand nichirin swords being dug into his chest but he eventually reached a conclusion that settled his tears and thoughts

She deserved happiness...

He did not. He didn't even know what happiness was until she entered his life.

She deserved to know.

He deserved to suffer. The thousands of lives he had ruined deserved to be avenged in some way...

He had to tell her.

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

When the Demon Slayers finally left one evening, Kotoha wished them farewell and watched them walk down the trail until they were completely out of sight. Then she walked back into the temple with a thoughtful look as she contemplated the nature of demons and demon slayers. She picked up Inosuke who was playing with a few wooden toys that had been gifted to her by a kind cultist by the name of Yoi. With Inosuke in her arms, she set out in her search for Doma. She found him standing in the garden, staring at the moon.

He had been acting strangely, and although Kotoha had pretended not to notice, she was deeply concerned.

He hadn't greeted the children who called themselves "demon slayers". He had barely left his room. He had told her that he was feeling ill but that in itself was wrong - when had Doma ever fallen ill? He had also seemed jumpy and distracted every time she saw him. There was, lastly, something else in his eyes, a sort of sadness every time he looked at her as if he was treasuring every moment, cherishing every second as if it would soon be gone. She knew that look and she hated it.

He was almost distracting enough to make her forget the demon slayers. She was worried, truthfully. Something was wrong with him - she could feel it.

"Doma," she called stepping into the garden, "Are you alright?"

"No," the man answered back softly. Something about his voice made Kotoha stop.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Inosuke looked to Doma as well, tilting his head, confused as to why the man was so far away and why his mother wasn't moving any closer.

"Kotoha..." Doma murmured, looking up at the slim moon. "Do you think man-eating demons exist?"

Kotoha rolled the question around her head as she tried to understand where the question was coming from. "I suppose it wouldn't be too hard to believe. It certainly would explain that boy's wounds."

"They came looking for a demon, correct? A powerful one?" Doma asked softly.

"That's what they said... are you alright? You're acting strange," Kotoha asked taking a step forward.

"It's me!" Doma spat out, it was as if he had to force all of his willpower into the sentence. He turned slowly and Kotoha realized he was on the brink of tears.

"Doma," she murmured walking closer. He held up his hand and gestured for her to stay away.

"They were looking for me," Doma explained in a soft voice.

"What are you saying?" Kotoha asked.

"I am a man-eating demon," Doma explained, everything within his mind and body was dedicated to keeping Doma from breaking down as he confessed. Still, he was trembling.

Kotoha's eyebrows furrowed and she still showed no signs of fear.

"I wanted to tell you," Doma murmured truthfully. "Every time you looked at me I wanted... I needed to tell you... but I was scared. I was more scared of the unknown pain than of the guilt that - it killed me every day, every day that I lied to you.  But you just continued to trust me, and that only worsened the guilt by the day! I thought I would go mad with all these lies and I have. I have gone mad. I can't do it anymore..."

"Doma," Kotoha breathed as the demon continued to explain.

"You brought me emotion... something I had dismissed as fiction. I was so selfish in my fear of those new emotions that I forgot yours," Doma confessed, "It wasn't until I remember you that I gained the strength to do this."

"I don't care," Kotoha smiled reassuringly. She didn't know what was happening but she didn't care either. "Doma, I trust you. I've always trusted you. Demon or no you're still a good pers-"

"But that's the thing!" Doma objected painfully, "I'm not!"

Kotoha couldn't speak as Doma continued.

"I'm not 'kind', I'm not 'good'," Doma explained sorrowfully. "Those demon slayers had a reason for hunting me! Kotoha I've killed thousands maybe millions of people! I've eaten humans! Humans like you! I used this cult as a meal plan!"

Kotoha was beginning to take slow steps backward, clutching Inosuke tighter. He couldn't be telling the truth - he couldn't... but this wasn't like him. He wouldn't mess around with this. He didn't lie...

Could she believe it? Could she really go from not even knowing what demons were to accepting that this man was one? Doma, was a demon. It seemed impossible, ludicrous even.

"You  know where I was a few weeks ago?" Doma asked desperately, "I was massacring an entire town on Master's orders. I killed at least a hundred people and ate who knows how many of those!"

Kotoha's look made Doma want to cry but he had to finish. He hadn't come this far only to break down.

"I'm a murderer. I've lived for hundreds of years, hiding from the sun and from demon slayers. I'm a monster Kotoha," Doma stated simply. "I cannot hurt. I cannot age. You stab me and I will not die."

Kotoha shook her head. "No... no, this isn't funny. It's not true." But she must've seen some truth in his words as she continued to back away. Surely she was putting the pieces together; why he never came into the sun. Why he never ate. Why she'd never seen him in a deep sleep.

Doma spread his hands wide, trying to put a mask of happiness on. Why, why was it so hard to smile. "You fell in love with a man-eating demon, Kotoha! And not any demon, but the third strongest demon in the world! One who has killed more humans than there are stars in the sky! One who murders children like those demons slayers whenever he can! Kotoha... I am a monster."

Kotoha was backing away into the temple, Doma didn't pursue. He knew where she was going. Tears were streaming from her eyes and she was shaking as she held a confused Inosuke.

"Run... run Kotoha," Doma instructed softly to the maiden. Perhaps it was the fangs in his mouth or the way his eyes glimmered supernaturally. Perhaps she was finally connecting the dots; how he avoided the sun, how the cultists spoke of old friends who had long since vanished without a trace, how the demon slayers had seemed so uneasy in their halls. Perhaps she just trusted Doma's words and saw the genuine pain in his eyes.

Either way, Kotoha swallowed a sob and ran down the hall leaving Doma alone in the garden. Doma plastered on a smile and took a step forward. Instead, his legs gave out and he collapsed to his hands and knees as something ripped through his chest, tearing everything apart in the most painful way imaginable. 

Tears flowed endlessly from Doma's eyes and tumbled to the grass below like new-fallen dew. He clenched his fists as he sobbed and cursed his existence. He curled up on himself and tried to suppress the painful emotion that was raging inside him to no avail. 

She was gone. Likely running as far away as she could. She hated him. But... That didn't change anything in him. Why wasn't anything in him changing!? Why did he still love her?

Why!?

Ah... So this was heartbreak.

Doma faked a smile for himself as he reached up and dug his nails into his chest. The pain within his chest made him want to rip his heart out of his chest and throw it away.  Then, he remembered her smile. He saw her laughing and the pain in his chest tripled but the smile on his face became very real.

He still loved her.

She was still free. She still had a life out there. She would grow old caring for Inosuke who would grow into a wonderful young man. She would live!

Doma continued sobbing but there was silent happiness in those sobs. He had told her... she knew the truth. He had atoned to her for those lies...

She had changed him, he could feel it. He could feel.

He knelt there in his garden for hours, awaiting the morning. She was gone and he had never felt so content. The stabbing guilt in his chest had vanished and the weight on his shoulders and lungs was finally lifted. He imagined what sort of life Kotoha could have after him and smiled at the thought. He sat up and took a deep breath.

He had lived long enough.

He had caused enough pain.

It was time for him to go. Distantly, he wondered if he would meet a god and what they would say to him. If there was a hell, he knew he was going there. He also knew Kotoha would be going to heaven so he'd likely never see her, even if there was an afterlife.

"Gracious One!" someone called. Doma opened his eyes and looked up to one of his followers. She was looking at him concerned. "Are you alright?"

"Yes," Doma breathed thankfully.

"Oh... Have you seen Kotoha?" she asked next. Doma smiled because of course, they would be looking for her - everyone loved her. Kotoha was joy and life and wonder and everyone fell in love with that woman. Of course, they would notice she was gone.

Doma smiled as he looked up at the reddening dawn, "No... no, I haven't," he murmured.

"Oh dear," the follower sighed walking away. She didn't notice Doma's strange calmness as he stared at the sunbeams breaking through the clouds. Tears formed in his eyes again and Doma held his chest again.

"So... this is the fear of death," Doma smiled to himself. "Funny... it can't compare to heartbreak... "

The sun's rays lowered and Doma closed his eyes and envisioned Kotoha's face. She was smiling as she held Inosuke who was babbling something about his Mama. When she saw him she had beamed and that image made Doma feel happy even as tears trickled out of his eyes.

"Doma!" Kotoha's voice called. Doma dismissed it at first, thinking it was another cultist. But who else called him by name?

"DOMA!" Kotoha cried making Doma's eyes open. She was there, standing on the temple's porch staring at him with tearful eyes. Doma stood up in awe as he looked at her unbelievingly.

"K-Kotoha?" he questioned softly, wondering if he was hallucinating. Truly, were emotions so strong that they could ruin his eyes?

There was no more time to question. The sun burst over the fencing of the garden and touched him. Doma collapsed as agony rippled over his skin, burning him alive and drowning out all else. 

He hardly heard Kotoha's panicked shout when she saw him fall over or feel her arms wrap around him and drag him into the shadows of the temple. When he was out of the sun's gaze his cells began to regenerate and he panted painfully. Kotoha was kneeling beside him and was crying as she looked him over, wanting to hold him but fearing to touch the terrible burns that covered Doma's skin.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed, her tears falling from her face. "I'm sorry."

Doma's burnt face looked to her in confusion and he weakly reached up and touched her cheek with his burned hand. She was real. She was with him. Why, why was she here?

"Sorry? Why are you sorry?" Doma wondered aloud weakly. "You've done nothing wrong."

"All you've ever been is kind to me," Kotoha sobbed looking at Doma. "You've always protected and cared for Inosuke and me! You never gave me any reason to be afraid or doubt you. All you've ever done is been wonderful..."

"I - " Doma began.

"Even if you are a monster, I - I can't just leave you!" Kotoha cried as she closed her eyes.

"That's not true," Doma denied trying to sit up. The agony was too great and he almost gasped. Pain had never bothered him before so why now?

Damn emotion. What? Did it affect pain tolerance too!? That was ridiculous!

"Stay down," Kotoha pleaded gently forcing him back down, "You... you..."

"I'll be alright," Doma murmured, his eyes looking over to Kotoha. "You... you came back."

"Of course!" Kotoha choked. Doma reached up and held her cheek in his hand. She reached up and held his hand as tears streamed down her face.

"I don't... I don't understand," Doma wheezed. "Why?"

"Because..." Kotoha murmured, smiling under her tears. "Because no matter what, I still love you."

Could it be that simple?

All that pain, all that inner turmoil and it was just that simple.

Tears sprung to Doma's eyes and he choked on a sob. He sat up and hugged Kotoha, holding her desperately close and crying into her shoulder. She hugged him back and smiled softly as she heard the demon wail.

Never had he seemed so broken but as she held him close she heard him, clear as day, cry a muffled confession into her shoulder.

"I love you too."

(No. I'm not a few weeks late. What are you talking about? Not I. No, I am always on time with my updates on your favorite demon/human couple. Also, don't worry about Inosuke, he'll be back next chapter. 

What are your thoughts? 

Is Kotoha crazy for still loving this guy? 

Does Doma really deserve happiness?

Do these two have a chance at a happy life? *stares at Muzan nervously*

ANYWAY  - Have a good day/night)