Bright flashing lights, beautiful summer smiles, and lots of commotion all around; the noble festival was finally here.
In all honesty, Kibutsuji didn't even know why he was attending. Sure, he had been pressured to come to the festival by his fellow clan members, but since when did he ever listen to them?
He found himself in a situation he really didn't want to be in with almost no good way to get out.
He had only attended for about thirty minutes, coming late on purpose, and still, he was ready to depart.
The loud noise of people talking and scurrying around him was irritating. The fact he was being bumped into and could hardly have his own personal space bothered him.
He generally disliked social settings. He found that they were good for nothing. He disliked talking with people. He disliked looking at people. He disliked moving around too much. He wanted to leave, and so, he decided to do just that.
He walked slowly towards the exit, careful to avoid anyone he knew. He hated formalities. He didn't want to talk to anyone.
"Did you see (Y/N), she's here, she's my future fiancé."
Kibutsuji came to a grinding halt.
What had he just heard?
Fiance? (Y/N)? He didn't like the combination of those two words in the same sentence. Unless, of course, they were related to him.
"Stop joking around, she prefers me, she'd never like you."
His head slowly turned to where the voices were coming from which was on his left. His eyes landed a small open sitting area with three men sitting at it. He debated continuing to walk but the context of their conversation was compelling him to say. Even just the name of (Y/N) being spoken by other men so freely made him feel some type of way.
"She's not interested in any of you," the third man said, "I heard she likes another."
Kibutsuji walked deeper into a crowd of people but kept his ear to the conversation.
"I heard she likes Lord Kibutsuji."
One of them burst out laughing.
Kibutsuji's eyes narrowed.
"You mean the walking corpse? She doesn't like him. Even if she did, her father would never allow it."
Kibutsuji heard the words that were spoken about him and his red eyes widened.
What had he just heard?
Was that really what they thought?
Kibutsuji's eyes filled with anger. He had never noticed until now, was it possible that the people around him saw him as weak? 'A walking corpse?'
He silently stormed away from the scenery as anger bubbled inside of him.
The words repeated in his mind over and over until he found himself frowning, the features on his face darkening considerably. There was nothing he hated more than being reminded of the thing he already thought about every day. Death.
It was looming over his shoulder.
It had always loomed over his shoulder even after so many years. He didn't understand quite why, why death seemed to like him so much. He did not feel the same way.
That was why he resented death, he resented weakness, he resented illness; anything that reminded him of his lack of perfection was on his list of things he hated.
And now, he decided, he hated people as well.
They were good for nothing. They talked as if they knew it all—this wasn't the first incident of something like this. Even in his estate, he could hear the whispers of his clansmen when he walked by them, he knew what they thought about him, he had convinced himself he didn't care but deep down there was a part of him that did. He knew they saw him as unfit to be the head.
Their opinions hardly made any change though, despite his illness he had still managed to single-handedly make their clan the richest and strongest in the west area— still the whispers he heard poked at him.
Weakling. Doctor. Ill. Medicine. Sick.
The words he had heard so often from the people who were supposed to be closest to him made him grow cold...and now, now a nameless outsider had dared to add a new word to the list.
Corpse.
Kibutsuji blinked.
People were only concerned for themselves, that was fine, he would do the same from now on. The only person who would ever matter to him was him.
If there was ever a moment to pinpoint where Kibutsuji took a turn for the worse, it was here. In his mind, he crossed out all of his withstanding ideas. People's feelings? Irrelevant. People's sufferings? Irrelevant. Other people's lives? Not important.
He concluded that he hated everyone. He didn't need anyone and everyone was utterly useless. This was his last straw. A breaking point.
His newfound philosophy made him grimace in coldness as his eyes became darkened.
Despite wanting to leave the festival his quick pace slowed after a while and a strange feeling seemed to enter him. He felt rotten inside.
So what if he was sick?
It wasn't as if he had chosen it.
He stood still a moment before continuing his pace but stopped yet again soon after.
This time because he saw a person in the distance.
It was you. It was his lily.
You had attended the festival just as one of those men had said.
He stood silently, his feelings were almost done freezing over. Almost.
A part of him wanted to not care that you were here, that you were standing there so beautifully, that you looked so splendid in front of him; your hair, your skin, your smile, your blush. So what if you were here?
He was lying to himself. He recognized it at once.
He couldn't deny it. You were stunning. It was no wonder you had so many suitors.
...
Would he not care about you too? Would he rid himself of the feelings he felt for you as well?
He reminded himself of the words you had said the last time you had seen him.
'You're still perfect to me though.'
Perfect. Perfect despite his illness?
He felt conflicted.
He wanted to let you go so badly. He wanted to be able to shove you aside with all his might but he couldn't.
He was conflicted.
Why was he feeling so conflicted?
Perhaps it was because of the rose you were holding.
Yes, it was because of the rose.
The noble festival had a tradition. Often suitresses would give roses to the suitor they were most interested in but Kibutsuji didn't want to see you giving it to someone who wasn't him, he didn't want to have to deal with another negative thing tonight, it would piss him off. It would drive him to darkness. He was already on his way down. He would plummet if he saw you give it to someone else.
In order to avoid even taking that chance, he decided to look away. He was about to turn around when you made eye contact with him.
There was a silence.
He had been caught.
He froze and in that moment, you began to walk to him.
Kibutsuji witnessed the world itself go quiet. He forgot he was in a crowd full of people, he forgot he was supposed to be annoyed and angry, he forgot about all his thoughts; all he could see was you, you and your silent pace towards him, you strutting past the three suitors who had so ignorantly badmouthed him and coming closer to him step by step.
He watched you in slight surprise.
There were people watching you, there were men watching you, your own father was watching you but you didn't care.
You didn't look left or right.
You looked forward.
You looked at him.
You looked at him and him only.
You bit your lip as you offered him the rose in your hand, your cheeks blossoming a red colour as you looked away from him in embarrassment.
Kibutsuji felt a soft spot grow in him for the first time. He felt a flutter tingle inside him. He changed his conclusion in split second. He hated everyone...he hated everyone except you. He didn't care for anyone except himself and you. You were his now. You would forever be his.
He took the rose from you before staring down at it for a couple of seconds.
Kibutsuji blinked, his face emotionless before he gave you a soft smile, his eyes filled with genuine fondness.
You blushed heavily.
Kibutsuji smiling? This was completely foreign to you.
"Lily."
"Yes my lord."
"Would you like to go for a walk with me?"
"I'd love to actually."
Kibutsuji offered you his hand and you took it as he guided you through the crowd.
You spent the rest of the time at the festival together with him. You talked, you lit lanterns, you stayed in his company and he held your hand all throughout.
In the end, he ended up walking you out of the festival to a place of his choosing.
It was a grassy area in the forest filled with vibrant fireflies.
You looked around the area with fond eyes before you felt hands on your shoulders. Kibutsuji turned you around to face him as his arms wrapped possessively around your waist.
"M-My lord?"
"Should I reward you for earlier?"
...
You tilted your head, "Earlier? I'm not sure what you mean Muzan."
He stood stunned for a moment. Not by the fact that you didn't know what he meant, but because you called him by his first name.
He'd never heard you say his name before. He couldn't even remember the last time anyone had and yet, he liked the sound of his name on your lips.
He liked your lips.
He wanted to kiss them.
Kibutsuji placed his hands on your cheeks as his fingers stroked across your skin. Your heart fluttered, your eyes staring deeply into his. The distance between you two became smaller as he leaned closer to you, his face centimetres from yours.
"I-"
"Quiet, love."
Your lips connected.
You settled into the kiss feeling your body relax at the sensation. His lips were so soft, his hands bringing you closer to him as he deepened the contact between your lips. Your heart raced, the butterflies in your stomach bouncing around.
As quick as it started, it ended and he pulled away his eyes looking into yours.
"You're mine," he claimed.
You giggled before nodding.
...
"Muzan."
"Yes?"
"I love you."
...
His eyes widened at the statement.
He relaxed a moment later, his lips curling into a smile as he rewarded your statement with a kiss.
You blushed as a series of kisses followed. Kibutsuji's arms stayed around your waist as he kissed you more and more and you melted into his advances.
The moonlit sky shined above the two of you completing your night.
If this was real, you never wanted it to end. You wished you could stay here with him forever.