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draeisgrayte · 1 year

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Love Bite | Chapter One

Synopsis: "Just because your ancestors were in love doesn't mean you have to be in love with him." "It's not that." "Then what is it?" "It's fate." Great-great niece of Kanroji Mitsuri has just gotten a new job because her best friend's older brother, a descendant of Iguro Obanai, is looking to hire an assistant for his bakery. Airu has to navigate through her strong connection to Inkyo, who seems to be interested in everything except her. He only teases her when they're alone and is bland when with other people. Will she end up like her great-great aunt or finally fulfil those last words said in the arms of the one she loved?

Warnings/contains: DEMON SLAYER SPOILERS!!, fluff, mutual pining, mentions of soulmates, descendants of Obanai and Mitsuri, jealous Obanai

Word Count: 5K

a/n: This a little project I’m working on because I couldn’t live without giving somewhat of a happy ending {new beginning??} to Obanai and Mitsuri. I LOVE them and so “Love Bite” was born, a short story {this is only chapter 1 out of around 10}

In each other’s arms that’s what I’m told. That’s how my great-great aunt died, in her lover's arms. Is it weird to think that my best friend’s family could have been actually family? Yeah, it is. Though, I’m sure fate has a reason for everything. Such as it just so happened that my best friend’s older brother, mysterious as he is, needs a new hire for his bakery. That’s why I’m here, picking on the skin on my middle finger, hoping the scary Obanai wouldn’t put me through the terror of an interview. I don’t think my mental fortitude could handle that today. Not after my friends insisted on celebrating a night early for my new job. I still haven’t recovered from the alcohol they forced me to practically inject into my veins.

I was scared to even open the front door to the quaint storefront. Sora had informed me that her brother took Thursdays off and could usually be found working on new recipes and plans in his small office space near the back of the building.

“Just knock on the door and he should come to see who it is. I told him you’d be stopping by anyway, so he may just leave it unlocked for you.”

My luck wasn’t the best, so I highly doubt the door would be unlocked- With a simple push of my hand the dark wooden door slid open allowing me to be hit with a gust of air conditioning. The inside space was a dimly lit calm ambiance. There were tables tucked away in secluded areas, some out in the open, and plants were absolutely everywhere. There was a sleek wooden nature theme throughout the whole building and I felt like I was transported somewhere else entirely. There was a counter off to the left side of the entry point that housed a display case and an array of decorative items lining the space behind the counter. A sword is displayed proudly behind a glass covering in the center of the shelves that climb the wall. I take a few steps toward it and notice the deep hue of purple that shines off the curved metal. The hilt was a mix of pink and white stripes with a lime green cap on the bottom. It was breathtaking.

I catch a glimpse of myself in the glass and gasp lightly when I see another figure behind me. I turn around on my heel and come face to face with Obanai.

“Airu.” He whispers, his eyes flitting around my body. He’s very close. So close I can smell the expensive cologne he’s wearing.

“Nice to see you Inkyo.” I bow my head, nervous to meet his intense gaze. I felt like he could see through anything. Especially how he made my body react. His long dark hair covers his face slightly as he steps closer to me. I feel my heart start to do gymnastics in my chest. Im scared if he gets any closer he’ll be able to either hear or feel it.

“Your hair is different.” He notes blandly, reaching out a steady hand to swipe it away from my face. He was right. I had cut my long pink and lime green locks to a shorter, more mature bob haircut. I’d kept the bangs though. He fingers it gently and then drops his hand.

“I like it.” He moves away to move something around on the counter and I try to not let out a loud sigh of relief.

“Sora told me that you were looking for a new hire?” I decide to say. I’m not sure why I was so keen on working here anyway, I’d probably get super distracted by Inkyo and those damn eyes of his. He stops organizing things and glances at me.

“Not anymore.” He moves behind the counter and scoots a few things on the shelves over the tiniest bit. He lets out a sigh when he realizes there's dust on his pale fingers. I must’ve had my mouth open or something because his gaze holds mine for a long time now. “What?” He inquires, furrowing his brows slightly. I shake my head and close my mouth.

“Uh, well I feel like I’ve wasted your time now. I didn’t know you’d filled the position.” I bow my head and feel the urge to leave as quickly as possible but Obanai just shakes his head slowly. His undusty hand reaches up to his mouth as a small smile appears on his lips.

“No Airu, you are my new hire.” He tilts his head to watch my slow reaction processing the information he’d given me. My mouth falls open again and I slam my hands on the counter and lean in close to him.

“Really!?” I exclaim. His eyes widen slightly and then soften as he nods. “Oh thank you! When do I start!?” I clasp my hands together and hop excitedly. Money. I needed money. Plus I got to work with the man who I’d thought about for the last several years.

“Well, I’ll have to give you a list of what happens here daily. What to do when you arrive, when you leave, when you man the counter, and when I’m not here. If you want to come with me up to my place we can discuss the subject of your contract.” He shuffles some things around on the counter absentmindedly again. His place? My everything says yes, but my will says that’s not the best idea.

“Uh, well,” I try to find the words I’m looking for but draw a blank on all words I’ve learned. Inkyo positions himself in a leaning position against the back shelves, which makes his black button-up shirt clench around his torso. I gulp in, trying not to stare. “Is-Is going up to your place really a good idea?” I avoid eye contact like the plague. I hear him let out a small chuckle and suddenly he’s lifting my chin to look into his golden and blue eyes.

“Airu Mitsuri what are you thinking about?” His smirk tells me I don’t have to answer that question for him to know. Maybe it was the atmosphere. Maybe it was my crush on him. Though, maybe it was fate trying to fix a travesty and who am I to get in the way of fate?

“Fine, but I get to show you this really cute picture I took of Bean.” I reach for my phone in my pocket and he lets go of my chin. Bean was the black cat I bought when I moved out of my parent’s apartment so I wouldn’t get too lonely. In a way, he reminded me of Inkyo, except Bean was clingy while Inkyo was offputting. If I tried to cuddle with Inkyo he’d probably throw up in his mouth. Not that I was the problem, just physical touch didn’t seem to be his thing. Even though he did just grab my chin…

“You going to show me or keep dissociating in my bakery?” Inkyo teases, his voice sounding more comfortable with me. I quickly glare at him and then go back to retrieve my phone. I swipe into my gallery and try to hide the number of selfies and random videos that could be found there. I tap on the picture of Bean laying on his back, paws outstretched to the camera. My little baby looked so adorable in this picture I just wanted to gobble him up. Inkyo takes a look at the photo and gives it a smile but nothing else. I’m about to tell him he should be worshipping my baby boy, but he takes his pointer finger and swipes to the next picture. That picture happens to be me in a new black dress I’d ordered online that had a heart cutout on the chest. I’ll be frank, the dress was very short, very revealing, and if Inkyo really wanted to he could observe my pink lace bralette peaking out from the heart. I screech and grab my phone from off the counter.

“What are you doing!?” I hold my phone to my chest and I catch Inkyo lazily staring at how my arms squeeze them together. “I haven’t even started yet! This is harassment!” I exclaim turning my front away from him. He chuckles again and moves out from behind the counter.

“Sorry, I got carried away teasing you again. I just wanted to see if you were still as cute when you got flustered.” He brushes past me and walks toward the door. “Shall we move this upstairs so you can start preparing for tomorrow?” He nods his head toward the door and I can feel my face still warm from his pestering.

“Am I?” I hear myself asking. Inkyo was on his way to leave the building but stops in his tracks. His body shifts toward me again, eyes engulfing me yet again. His massive hands flex by his sides and that god-given shirt exposes how muscular he really is. I take a few steps closer to him, my phone still clutched to my chest. He watches me like a snake about to strike a field mouse.

“Are you?” He finally repeats like he’s questioning what I was asking. I sigh and shake my head, not courageous enough to ask him if he still thinks I’m cute. I should be happy enough with the fact that he even ever thought I was. I nod toward the door.

“Let’s be on our way boss man.” I walk past him and out the door. He stands near the door for a beat before catching up with me. His long legs cause him to walk a little faster than me, but he makes sure to stay on my right, the roadside of the sidewalk.

“The stairs to my place are right here.” He points out, guiding me with a hand lightly on the small of my back. I can’t help but think about how people must see this. A young woman and man heading toward an apartment. If they didn’t already think we were together they must think that he and I were about to do something together. I climb the stairs slowly, trying to avoid flashing Inkyo my underwear if my skirt were to blow up. I reach the landing and he quickly enters a code and opens the door for me. “Welcome to my abode.”

I can feel him watching me as I look around in amazement at his home. There was art everywhere, one, in particular, caught my eye. A regal-looking woman with a lovely kimono draped over her delicate-looking body. Her hair was a dark brown color and her eyes were shut gently. I felt drawn to her like I’d known her somehow or she’d done something extremely courageous for me.

“Her name is Tamayo.” I feel Inkyo say from behind me. I turn my eyes away from the painting and look up into his. He’s not looking at me, he’s looking at the painting. “She was an incredible woman.” His eyes seem to soften carefully when looking at her. I can’t help but feel a slight pang of jealousy course through my body. I wasn’t a normal-looking girl, even in this day and age. I had bright pink and lime green hair and don’t get me wrong, I loved it. Though, it did attract a lot of attention from people, sometimes not the best. My eyes were almost the same green as in my hair and my pale skin made them stand out like bright lights. Then there was my body, I was a curvaceous girl. The curved blade downstairs didn’t hold a candle to the number of dips and round areas on my body. I was ideal by western beauty standards, but here in the east the amount of food I ate and my body type were looked at with judgment. The one thing that brought me any amount of comfort was my grandmother smiling at me with tears in her eyes when I was 16.

“Come here Airu.” She whispers softly and beckons me to her side. I walk to where she was sitting on the bench. The sunlight was illuminating her soft features and light green eyes. I sit down next to her, expecting a scolding for how much I’d eaten at the restaurant, but she extends her hand and rubs my cheek softly.

“Soba?” I question, trying to understand her emotions right now. She was touching me so gently, yet there was an incredibly confused look on her face. She looked sad and happy at the same time.

“You look so much like her.” She mumbles, her fingers moving to my bright hair. She smiles when she touches it. “I had just been born when I met Kanroji, but I remember her contagious smile and beautiful braided hair.” I tilt my head in confusion. I’d heard that name before in stories my grandma would tell of her great aunt Kanroji Mitsuri, a swordswoman in the 1900s. She weaved stories about demons and a great battle against their Lord. How my great-great aunt had excitedly told my great-grandmother about a man whom she fought with. He was mysterious and more than handsome, she was sure they’d fall in love and get married after the war between dark and sunlight. Though she never got to see the sunlight of the next day, she finally found the love she was looking for in Inkyo’s ancestor. “When I pass I want you to have her nitchiri sword, I think she’d want that too.” Nitchiri?

“Soba, are you feeling okay?” I ask in the most respectful way I could muster. I was worried this was some weird way for her to tell me she was dying and didn’t have long. My Soba was a source of flowing wisdom, I don’t think I could navigate this world without her. She smiles sadly and pats the top of my head.

“Don’t worry Ruru chan, I’m not dying just yet. When the time does eventually come though, I want you to know fate has a path for you, but you can also have a path for fate.”

Soba passed 3 years later and a similar sword to the one downstairs is displayed in my own home. I looked like Kanroji Mitsuri and that was enough for me to know I was going to be just fine. Hell, maybe those genes would get me in good graces with Inkyo. Being attracted to people who looked like me is kind of in his genetics right?

“Airu? Airu where did you go just now?” Inkyo’s eyes are finally looking into mine and a small shudder runs down my spine.

“Sorry, just reminiscing about Soba.” I smile, trying to hide the fact that the memory I was recalling led to me hoping he’d be into me based on my looks.

“Obaasan Mitsuri… she was also an incredible woman.” He presses his lips into a thin line as if trying to stop himself from crying. I lower my brows as I stare up at him.

“Do you call every woman you know an incredible woman?” I huff, crossing my arms in front of me. Inkyo looks off to the side and scratches the back of his head. I must be mistaken, but it looks like there’s a hint of red on his cheeks.

“Not all.” He mumbles in response. I puff out my cheeks and lean forward, trying my best to intimidate him.

“Oh yeah then what do you say about me when you talk about me?” He shuts his eyes and lets out a sigh. Oh no, did I push him too far? He covers his face and turns away from me. “Answer me Inkyo,” I demand. He lets out another breath and turns completely around, now facing the door we’d walked through a couple of minutes prior.

“Jeez, do I have to fire you just to get you off my case?” He mumbles against his hands. I stand up straight again and grumble a few words about how he’s an asshole and then turn toward his (of course) black couch. I plop myself down on the soft cushions and huffily brush my skirt out over my legs.

“Fine, then if you’re all business, then let’s get started,” I state plainly, a little hurt he wouldn’t answer me. Inkyo turns on his heel and walks toward me.

“Well, since we are in my home I feel like it would be rude for me to not offer you something to drink.” He looks over to the steel-accessorized kitchen with the same warm wood as his bakery. I sink into the plush couch and wave my hand dismissively.

“I’ll be fine with some apple juice if you have it.” Why’d we even have to come up here again? Why couldn’t we sit at one of the tables downstairs? My eyes widen and I watch Inkyo rummage through his stainless steel refrigerator. Oh my goodness…was he…going to murder me? No…surely not. Well, I was a major pain in the ass so it’s plausible. Whatever the reason, I may have been to quick to follow him up here. Damn this lovey-dovey brain of mine. The clink of a glass being set on a coaster in front of me breaks me out of my thoughts. Inkyo’s eyes watch me carefully as he sets himself in a sleek (black again) armchair across from me. He steeples his hands under his chin a serious look on his face.

“So let’s get down to business.”

ಊ♡ಊ

It’s been about 2 weeks since my meeting with Inkyo Obanai and I had no idea how busy a small bakery on the outskirts of Tokyo could get.

“Could I get one of those small muffins?” A tall teenage boy asks, pointing to a blueberry muffin in the case. I smile brightly and nod.

“Of course! That will be 3.40 please.” I relay. The boy flushes and fumbles with his wallet. I giggle to myself and gather his purchase in the signature black and white paper bag. He hands me the money and I smile graciously. “Thank you, have a nice day.” I wave to him and he bows his head and waves goodbye. I wipe my brow and sigh. Phew, it’s not even noon yet and all our tables are packed with students, employees on break, and a few elderly people.

“Wow, it was never this busy before.” A familiar voice observes. I turn my attention to the figure in front of me and a smile instantly appears on my lips.

“Sora!” I exclaim and nearly jump over the counter to give her a hug. She welcomes me into her arms with a smug look on her face.

“The one and only.” She chuckles. “But seriously, how are there so many people in here? I didn’t think Inkyo had it in him.” Her eyes fall to my slightly shorter stature and then she rolls her eyes. “That’s right I forgot you worked here. That’s why there are so many people.” She groans and nods toward the counter. “How has he been treating you?” She asks walking behind the counter with me.

“Good, but what do you mean that’s why there are so many people here?” I question. Sora laughs and a piece of her thick raven hair falls in front of her face. Just like her brother’s. They looked identical except for their eyes. Both of Sora’s eyes are a piercing greenish-blue hue, still as intense as her brother’s though.

“You. Airu you’re absolutely stunning. People are coming to see you smile at them.” She answers with another small laugh. I pause. Really? Did people come to see me? What about Inkyo though? He was extremely attractive, people had to come for him too, right?

“Oh.” Is the only thing I can manage to say. Sora pats me on the back and looks out into the crowd.

“Just make sure Inkyo doesn’t see any of these dudes flirting with you.” She advises. I furrow my brows and look at her questioningly. “Just, keep that in mind.” She pats my back again and moves toward the small trinkets on the back shelves. I’d grown fond of a lot of them while working here. There was a beautiful handmade pot with intricate blue flowers painted on them. Then a calico figurine stood proudly with a little backpack on it. Then there was, of course, the sword. I caught myself staring at it at all times of the day. Wondering how it would feel to wield such a magnificent piece of weaponry. It made me miss my sword all alone at home. Maybe I could ask Inkyo to display mine too?

“Sora.” I whisk around to see Inkyo staring at his little sister with a blank expression. “What are you doing here?” He asks. He glances at me, but then his eyes are back on her. She turns toward him slowly and shrugs.

“If I’m being honest I was a little hungry. Lucky for you the taste of you being an asshole doesn’t get into your food.” She smiles innocently and Inkyo lets out a loud groan. “Oh, I also wanted to see Airu in her cute little apron,” Sora adds, her fingers playing with the tie on my back. I squirm under her touch.

“Sora that tickles.” I giggle. Inkyo’s eyes narrow and he catches Sora’s wrist.

“Why don’t you get your food and go sit down?” He grumbles, releasing her quickly. Sora’s eyes light up mischievously and I can tell she’s about to annoy her brother. I want to tell her to just do as he says, but she’s a stubborn girl.

“Okay, but I’ll be taking your little girlfriend with me.” She grabs me by the waist and picks up a muffin from the display on top of the counter. Inkyo’s eyes trace her arm around my waist and then flit up to my eyes. They look like they’re subtly burning with some sort of emotion. I want to ask him what’s wrong, but he turns away before I can.

“Fine. Do whatever you want.” He places his palms on the counter and greets a new customer with a tight smile. Sora leads me away to a free table near the breakroom.

“He’s so weird.” She says when we’re finally sitting down. I nod slowly but feel a bit confused by that whole interaction.

“I think you tease him too much,” I mumble absentmindedly. Sora’s eyes widen and she bites angrily into her muffin.

“He deserves it. He’s always acting like he’s better than me and it’s only because our parents favor him. You look so much like our ancestor, the great swordsman Iguro Obanai. You’re the best Inkyo. We love you so much. It gets a little old after a while.” She mutters. I soften at her plight. Her parents did favor Inkyo, I’d witnessed it all our life.

“I’m sorry Sora. I just think there are better times for you to enact goblin mode.” I reach out and caress her hand. She smiles through bites and turns to watch her brother at the front counter. “Do you want to hang out after my shift?” I ask in hopes she’ll say yes. It’d been a while since we had gotten together. She presses her lips into a thin line and turns her gaze back to me.

“Thanks, Airu, I’d like that.”

Sora leaves after we chat for a bit about our plans for later. She makes sure to flip her brother off as she leaves. He rolls his eyes as I walk back toward my station.

“I love that little goblin.” He chuckles. I bump my hip into him and he startles.

“I think she’d like to hear that from you every once and a while,” I say, enjoying the way Inkyo stares at where I had bumped him.

“Yeah, probably.” He mumbles, still engrossed in where we’d touched. Sora was right, he is weird. I grin to myself and resume standing by the display case. Since our chat, the bakery had emptied, and only a couple of the students remained working away on their computers.

“I don’t know how to thank you for this job, Inkyo.” I voice, not sure where I was going with the conversation. He looks at me and shakes his head.

“You don’t need to. I’m glad I get to work with you.” He replies, a small smile tugging on the corners of his mouth. He lifts his hand to cover it but I catch the sleeve of his dark shirt.

“Why do you do that?” I ask, turning my body toward him. He watches me with the same intensity a few weeks ago.

“Do what?” He questions back, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Cover your mouth when you smile,” I explain. His eyes widen slightly and I can feel my heart pick up speed. What was I doing? This was brave, asking him all these personal questions. We were friends, but we weren’t as close as Sora and I. Was I being rude?

“Whenever I smile around you I feel like the corners of my mouth are being ripped open. The amount of joy you bring me splits me open.” He breathes. My eyes are the ones to widen now. What did he mean by that?

“Excuse me? Can I get that last cinnamon roll please?” Inkyo’s gaze lingers on me for a beat before attending to the customer in front of us. I, on the other hand, still stare at him as he goes about running a business. The joy you bring me splits me open. I let out a shaky breath and cover my mouth as a smile forms. I can’t help it, it’s wide and almost painful.

Ah. So that’s what he means.

ಊ♡ಊ

“Oh give me a break. He’s not dreamy!” Sora rolls her eyes and punches at the pillow next to her. I laugh at her reaction.

“No really! I swear. I know describing him doesn’t paint a very good picture, but let me pull up a photo.” I scramble to find my phone.

“Bean are you hearing this shit? Your owner is bonkers!” Sora gestures to me wildly and Bean, who is laying next to her, blinks twice before closing his eyes again. Sora sighs exasperatedly and flops back into the couch cushion. I finally find a good photo of the scraggly anime character I was talking about. Sora’s eyes study him for a while before she nods once.

“Okay, maybe I will be hearing you out.” She shrugs and I pump my fist in the air.

“I told you! He’s evil but so damn attractive.” I kick my feet and hug my phone.

“You have problems.” Sora teases. I nod my head as I think about my type in men. Yeah, I do, but that’s what makes me special.

“Hey now, remember this is my house. I can kick you out.” I narrow my eyes and Sora holds her hands up in the air in surrender. I throw a pillow at her. “Get some sleep you dingus. It’s nearly 2 am.” I groan as I push off the ground to a standing position. Sora sticks out her tongue and stuffs the pillow next to her.

“Weeeeeeaaaaaaak.” She mocks and then flips herself to get more comfortable on my couch. I roll my eyes and flick off the light.

“Goodnight Soblin.” My nickname for her is a mixture of her name and goblin.

“Goodnight whore.” Her nickname for me is any insult she can think of. I smile to myself and walk the short steps to my room. I open the door and Bean scurries to come to sleep with me. “Traitor!” Sora calls from the couch. I close the door behind us and take a deep breath. My eyes catch the glint of the moon’s reflection on something shiny. I look up at the wall above my bed. There hung my sword. It had a pink and white hilt, with a guard that was four hearts around the bottom of the blade. The blade was a mixture of black and a redder pink.

“Kanroji Mitsuri, what exactly were you like?” I mumble to myself. Bean mews softly from my bed and I crawl in with him. I catch myself staring at the sword above me as I drift off to sleep.

“Here.” A voice mumbles. In front of me is a boy about my age. He wears black and white stripes and a mask over his mouth. His eyes are blue and gold, beautiful. He holds striped green socks in front of him with his head turned away from me. I smile happily and take them gingerly from his grasp.

“Thank you.” I bow my body and when I look up his eyes are on me. My smile grows and his eyes widen. He stumbles back a few steps and I tilt my head in confusion.

“It’s-It’s no big deal.” He stammers and before I can say anything else he runs away. What a strange boy. I peer down at the socks he’d given me and can’t help but feel my heart flutter slightly. What was the serpent Hashira doing giving the love Hashira a pair of socks? I look up to where he’d run off to and think about hunting him down, but I highly doubt I’d be able to find him. He probably blended in with the shadows.

“Whatcha got there?” A voice from behind me asks. Kyojuro Rengoku stands behind me, his usual wide stare looking back at me. I glance at the socks and then back at the flame Hashira.

“Some socks…” I reply. He smiles widely and studies the socks.

“They remind me of Iguro Obanai.” He nearly yells. I smile and nod.

“He’s the one who gave them to me,” I confirm. Kyojuro nods and then gestures to me.

“By the looks of your face, he set your heart ablaze!” He exclaims. I gasp and touch my cheeks. Warm. So warm. My heart nearly explodes with a feeling of excitement and happiness. Could my goal of finding a man to love me finally be fulfilled? I glance behind me, where Iguro had run off to.

“Yeah, I guess he did.”

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