The moment I saw her, I was completely and utterly infatuated. Her big, doe-like eyes and multicolored hair fascinated me, and when she was around I'd never look away. She had such a fun, loving personality it never occurred to me as to why she originally didn't have someone who adored her. Kanroji often told me stories of her past, detailing to why she became a demon slayer in the first place.

She described how no guy wanted her in her hometown, and that people were deterred by her abnormal muscle density and brightly colored hair. So she dyed her hair black and restrained herself from acting out. Only then did anyone actually want her. I was disgusted at the fact that someone could find Mitsuri unattractive, and decided that her unconventional beauty is what drew me to her.

She was unique -- not in the cheesy sense, but I had a genuine passion for her. I'd always expect that she was basically a fiance magnet, being the Love Pillar and all, but it was quite the opposite. I remember her telling me that: "Being the Love Pillar doesn't guarantee you true romantic happiness. I just wanted to find someone, so I became a demon slayer." Every day my heart ached at that phrase, and I just wanted to shout at her that I loved her.

I wanted to scream from the rooftops of Shinobu's estate, that I loved Mitsuri, and if I were to die one day by an attack, I would die happy if Mitsuri had been promised to me. I'd imagine her blushing cheeks and soft smile, thin, supple lips that parted with every laugh. 

She was amazing. 

I hoped that one day I would get a shot with her.

__

As the evening came about, it was time for a break after the Pillar's tedious training schedule. Gasping for air, I threw my dull wooden sword to the ground and looked at the mercilessly chopped up targets around me, small shards cut precisely in half.

"Oh, your aim and technique is getting better," Muichiro commented, picking up a piece of a rock and examining it, "Almost as good as a cut from a sharp blade. Not quite there yet, but I think in a few hours you should be able to get it." I nodded, cracking and stretching my back, famished from training for so long. My stomach growled, and I looked at the sunset in the background, noticing that it fell much sooner now.

"We'd better get going. Don't want to miss dinner." The ravenette nodded and walked along with me to go and eat with the rest of the Pillars. I spotted Mitsuri and gave her a wave, to which she returned and motioned for me to go and sit down with her. Smiling, I happily obliged and plopped myself on the tatami, crossing my legs. 

Food was already on the table, and there were girls from the Butterfly estate who kept on bringing more in. The whole table said our thanks and dug into the dishes, mouths packed full with rice and fresh meats, fried and roasted. There were pickled vegetables, even tempura. The harvest must've been better this year for someone to bless us with an amazing meal.

"This is really good," I heard the Love Pillar murmur next to me, joyfully chomping away at the pile of rice stacked onto her plate, "I love karage." Seeing her happy somehow lifted my mood and made the plain white rice seem even tastier than before. 

Suppers were usually in good nature, and despite not being perceived as particularly talkative, Pillars loved to ramble on about their hobbies and interests. I'd been talking to Sanemi about his Japanese Rhinoceros Beetle, a little bug that I'd found to be pretty interesting in the recent light of things, and we continued our conversation.

Meanwhile, I didn't notice Mitsuri eyeing both the soup dumpling plate and me, pupils darting back and forth between us.

"(Y/N)," she quietly muttered, gathering all of my attention. Startled, I immediately turned to her and stared, noticing her hand pointing to the big, red, steaming pot right next to me. Of course, Kanroji was too polite to not to reach over and grab things, so I was about to take a whole tray for her. She stopped my actions and lifted up one finger, wanting to make it quick. Chuckling to myself, I picked up a soup dumpling and carefully brought it to her. Holding the morsel in front of her open mouth, I gingerly placed it inside and patted her head, watching a blush begin to spread across her cheeks.

"It's hot, so be careful." I returned my attention to Sanemi, who was just sitting there, looking at me. Confused, I returned to our previous conversation like nothing had happened. He rolled his eyes at my obliviousness and grudgingly began talking to me again. 

The dinner went by quickly, and soon everyone scattered, leaving to do their daily nighttime chores. For me, I usually went down to the small bunch of bamboo trees and meditated in my own privacy, able to connect to the Earth better in the confines of my own mind. There was a bald spot in the middle of the grove, a perfect spot to concentrate. It was nice and calming, usually without any distractions. 

But today was special. Just as I had gotten to feel the wind rustling, the grass lapping at my shins, I felt a disturbance breaking open the wall of bamboo reeds. Someone was prying them aside, invading the space in which I conducted my night activities in. A small snap made me wince, and I brought my arms to my sides, wheeling myself around so I could see who it was.

"Oh, Mitsuri." My annoyance immediately faded away as she giggled a little, eyebrows furrowed nervously.

"I didn't mean to intrude, but Muichiro told me I'd find you here." Nodding, I watched her as she delicately sat down, gently lowering herself with a 'pat' onto the soft grass floor. We stared at each other for a few seconds, the world revolving in slow motion. Everything seemed to tune out when I gazed into her light emerald eyes -- even the feel of the Earth I'd grown so accustomed to. 

"Did you need me for something?" I asked faintly, voice quieter than before, to match the scenery around us. "Or did you just want company?" The pink-haired Pillar smiled.

"I just wanted some company," she replied, shifting over more so she was closer to me. "Shinobu usually teaches me recipes at this time, but today she was busy, so I have nothing to do." Upon hearing this, I thought that maybe just keeping her company would be more relaxing than meditation.

"Wanna lay down?" Mitsuri agreed, graciously setting her back against the warm grass, as I did, and looked at the sky. My half-lidded eyes were soon revealed to a whole different realm. The moon was coming out, and I could see the first flashes of Venus in the pink-tinted skylight. Pointing it out to Kanroji, she gasped in amazement and clapped, commending me on my random knowledge of planets. 

After that, we made small talk, chatting about how pretty the sky was, what Shinobu had taught her so far in regards to cooking, and tried to make out the shapes of the few clouds floating up above. It was a blissful moment that almost made me forget the threat of demons. It was just her and me, laying down and speaking with each other about trivial things that didn't really matter.

But that's what made this seem so harmless. We were able to comfortably smile and laugh, look at each other with what seemed to be no worries at all. I often imagined a world without demons, without those who would do wrong things and leave it to other people to make it right again. Maybe this was a glimpse at that future.

Suddenly, I felt a few fingers brush against mine next to me. I tilted my head to look at Mitsuri, and all I could know at that point was her expression. The gentle, kind eyes that had been in my head since day one, and a face dusted with pink sprinkles of embarrassment. She didn't make eye contact with me, but intertwined the tips of our fingers together, making shivers run down my spine.

Oh, how I loved her.