Chapter Text
Once upon a time, there were two people living up in the heavenly kingdom. One was Princess Orihime, the daughter of the Sky King Tentei, a beautiful seamstress who worked hard every day, weaving clothes by the Amanogawa – the sky river. The other one was Hikoboshi, a cowherder who spent his days working hard by the opposite shore of the river. Tentei, noticing the despair of his daughter over never meeting anyone to fall in love with, introduced the two of them. The couple fell in love at first sight, getting married soon after.
But after that, things have changed. Both the newlyweds suddenly neglected their duties and spent all of their time only with each other. Disappointed and angry, the king of the heavens separated the lovers once more by the river of stars and forbade them from meeting ever again. Orihime pleaded with her father to take back his decision and he, moved by her tears and love for Hikoboshi, promised to let them meet again on the 7th day of the 7th month if she worked hard again and finished the work she had been given.
And she did just that, yet when the time finally came to meet, they found no bridge for them to cross over the river. Orihime, devastated, started crying, thinking she could never be close to her love again. But then, a flock of magpies heard her cries and came to her, making a bridge of their wings over the Amanogawa so the two could hold each other once more.
And just like this, they have met every year since then. Only when it rains, the magpies cannot come all the way up and the lovers have to wait another year to see each other again.
---
The moonlight was silver and bright, making everything cast dark and sharp shadows onto the ground despite it being nighttime. The breeze was warm and soft, like a gentle caress, making leaves and grass rustle quietly in the soft silence of a summer night. It was peaceful, like a scene imagined in a poem, a man and a woman facing each other on top of a grassy hill behind town. They could see each other perfectly fine thanks to the full moon shining above their heads, like star-crossed lovers they gazed into each other’s eyes, both looking for something deep in the other’s soul. An answer to a question, the truth of the world or maybe, they were just staring at the stars reflected on the shiny surface of their irises.
“Please… At least… tell me your name…” she whispered.
Back propped up against the bark of an old oak tree, she was sitting on the ground and looking up at him who stood in front of her, ethereal, nearly black and white in the magical light of the night.
“What will it change?” he asked, voice flat, cold, yet not entirely emotionless.
Standing alone in the field, out of reach of the tree’s branches, feeling so far from her now, yet just a few steps and he could touch her. But he remained standing still, not approaching, as he watched the sky river reflected in her eyes. A pained and regretful smile slowly took over her lips.
“Perhaps nothing… But- I still want to know.”
She also made no move to come closer to him. The small distance in between them seemed endless, one that could never be crossed. She was somehow different from others, he knew that deep inside. He just didn’t know what exactly it was about her that made her so unlike everyone else. To anyone other, he wouldn’t reveal it in this situation but to her… he wanted to tell her for some reason. For some reason, this moment seemed special.
Maybe it was because this night was supposed to be a night of granted wishes, the night of the Tanabata festival. A day when two stars in the sky meet, tied to a legend of two lovers who can only see each other once a year – on this very day. People say that wishes made on this day come true, so they hang colorful papers on bamboo branches and on those papers, they write what they desire the most.
“Kibutsuji Muzan.”
She smiled at him again and he could see how difficult it was for her now. No one has smiled at him like that for a few years now. Not even before he was no longer human. She was different. A star in the darkness of the world.
“I see… Well, Kibutsuji Muzan… do you know why… why I came up here tonight?”
“No.”
Something bright flashed over the sky.
“Tonight is not just Tanabata… but also the night… of falling stars. So… I will make another wish…”
“Whatever would you even wish for now?”
Her gaze left his face as she looked up at the sky, small lights running over the dark blue - a once in a century meteor shower. Her expression was peaceful, way too peaceful for a moment like this.
“I wish that... if I am ever reborn into this world… I would meet you here... again.”
And for whatever reason, he believed it was possible. Maybe because she was so different. Maybe because it was Tanabata, a night when even people separated by the universe itself can meet again. Maybe he believed her because he was a demon so even if it took her centuries, he might very well still be alive. And so he asked her: “When?”
And she answered: “On this same night, in a hundred years,” and finally closed her eyes.
The moonlight was silver and bright, turning the world black and white. The blood on the grass reflected the ethereal light, shimmering as stars fell from the sky. His eyes shone red on that warm summer night, no longer human. And the blood was red, staining the fabric along the deep gash going across her torso that no longer moved up and down. It was the night of Tanabata, the Heian period, Japan, not many years after Kibutsuji first became a man eating monster. So there were some human emotions left in him still, an echo of the person he used to be, a person that was gone even before he became a demon. And as stars fell across the sky, he, too, wished to meet her here again. On a warm summer night, just like this one, many years into the future. Maybe then, he would ask her for her name too. Maybe then, it would be a different meeting because he would know who he’d be crossing paths with on the hill in the middle of the night. She wouldn’t be at a bad place at a bad time like tonight. On a hill where he would be, on a night he was hungry.
But that hunger was gone after he looked at her body slumped against the tree, a peaceful smile on her lips, a smile she gave him. Her marechi blood smelled divine, yet he had no desire to eat her anymore. For the first time since becoming a demon, he really regretted killing someone. He couldn’t understand why, she was just a stranger to him. And yet, he promised himself he would come back here in those 100 years, foolishly hoping she would really be reborn and would remember that promise. It was impossible. And yet, he believed it. And so, before midnight, he tied a red piece of paper containing his own wish to a bamboo branch, praying to the magic of Tanabata.
“May she be here again in a 100 years.”
---
There was no way he would be here. No way he even remembered. And even if he did, he wouldn’t be foolish enough to arrive, hoping for what seemed so impossible. He killed her, for god’s sake, what sentiment would ever make him come back for her? And yet, she still sat on that hill, watching the sunset and waiting. And she would wait the whole night if she had to.
There was no resentment in her heart towards him, at least not for what he has done to her specifically. The sword strapped to her hip was meant to try to kill him, but not out of hate. Only out of necessity. It wasn’t supposed to be a revenge for what he has done back then, it was because he was a monster dangerous to others.
But how come she herself could be here in the first place?
Her memories first came back to her when she was only 8 years old. She had the same (H/C) hair, same face, same (E/C) eyes as back then, even the same name. She remembered her life before that fateful night but no memory was stronger than that one. The pain, the fear of death, the acceptance, her wish, the beautiful monster that killed her.
He was a pale man with hair black as coal and eyes red like blood, dressed in expensive elegant clothes. He was inhumanly perfect, maybe that was what gave him away from the first moment she had set her eyes on him. Standing on that hill, looking right at her, was perhaps a monster, a youkai, a ghost, a god, but definitely not a human man. But it was the night of Tanabata and a meteor shower, the most magical night of all, a night when anything could happen. So she wasn’t surprised to see him. Wasn’t surprised that in one single move, so fast that her eyes barely registered it, he was right in front of her, swung his hand and slashed her torso wide open.
He looked angry. Hungry. Sad. Despaired. Alone. Forever in search of something unattainable. A demon for sure. But who was she to try and go against fate? They were always supposed to meet here, he was always supposed to kill her. They were not lovers meeting on this night, just two people tied together by the red strings of destiny. And because they met on that night, despite him killing her, it felt special somehow. And she wished they could talk for a little while longer. Maybe see why it was that they had to run into each other like that. Why he didn’t even say anything before going in for the kill. That man…
“Kibutsuji… Muzan.” she quietly repeated the name he gave her back then.
The sky was growing dark and the last rays of sun were quickly disappearing beyond the horizon. She leaned her back against the oak tree. In all that time, the tree grew even bigger and the weather has long stripped the dark bloody stain off of its bark.
It was that night again, a warm summer night, moon silver and bright, the night of Tanabata and a once in a century meteor shower. The most magical of all nights.
Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment to slowly blink as the last light of the sun burned out. And when she opened them again, a man was standing on top of that grassy hill, facing her. He looked a little different, hair in a new style, face ever so perfect but his eyes betrayed changes in his heart, the fact that he was older now. But that was to be expected, she also looked a bit different from back then. Different, yet still the same.
She smiled at him softly as she got up from the ground and his eyes widened just the tiniest bit.
“You came.”
“Impossible.” he breathed out, staring deep into her soul.
“And yet something made you return here tonight... Kibutsuji Muzan.” she pointed out.
He didn’t answer her and just searched her face, the reality slowly sinking in. It really happened. She was really the same person as back then. She knew his name. She was waiting for him. 100 years later. He eyed the sword on her side with distaste, yet he could feel it was not the sun filled demon slaying katana. It was just a sword.
“Are you planning to kill me in revenge?” Kibutsuji asked.
“No. I hold no grudges towards you.”
“Then why do you have it?”
“To fight you.”
“Then-”
“Not for revenge. Not for myself,” she smiled softly, “Only because it must be done by someone.”
And he could hear it in her voice that she was not lying. He would have to kill here tonight, again. Honestly, he didn’t know whether it was a good or a bad thing. He had had no idea what he would do if she really was here, at least now he knew. But it didn’t really make him feel any better.
“You will die.”
“Probably, yes. That is why I do not want to do it yet. I want for this peaceful moment… to last a little bit longer.”
She was strange. He didn’t understand her. Never before has he met a human that was so in peace with their own fate, yet was still willing to fight for their life. She was so calm. So content. So different. Her eyes were older than those of other young people he has met and he wondered if that was the reason why. But he knew that if he looked in the mirror, his eyes would never be like that. They wouldn’t be so selfless, so wise and understanding, no matter his age.
“I see.”
“Why did you decide to come back?” she tilted her head at him, “You had no reason to. Even if it was a given I would be here, why would you come back for a simple human?”
He stayed silent for a while. He didn’t know the answer to her question himself, at least he couldn’t understand it. But she waited patiently. The moon was reflected in her eyes and it was bright, so much brighter than when he looked at her as she lied dying on this hill a century ago. She looked ethereal. Humans were supposed to be imperfect, ugly, nothing compared to him. He didn’t find them beautiful, ever. No one but her.
“You are… different.” he finally spoke.
“How so?”
“I don’t know. But you are. I believed you when you said you would be back here, nothing more than a dying wish, yet it felt like destiny. Like we were supposed to meet back then. Like we were meant to meet up here again.”
“So you felt it too. How strange that meeting has been.”
“Yes.”
“I see. You know, I think it might have been the magic of Tanabata. You know the legend, right? Two lovers in the sky that get to see each other only once a year, on this very day, when they get to cross the flying bridge over the river of stars. Tho you and me are far from lovers. I think there is something that connects us. Me, you, Tanabata and the night of falling stars.” she explained while looking up at the sky.
“Maybe. Or maybe not.”
It got dark already, everything was black and white in the moonlight and then, the first star fell. And then another. And another. They stood there, next to each other on that hill, both watching the beautiful summer sky in comfortable silence. They both knew one of them would be dead by the end of this night. But that was still far away.
The moon had already passed over their heads and was nearing the hills in the west when he finally broke the silence.
“It’s almost that time, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I know you cannot stay until the morning.”
“Yes. I must leave before-”
“Before the sun comes up,“ she finished the sentence, a melancholic glint in her (E/C) eyes.
“Yes.”
She took a few steps away from him and gave him a smile that hit Kibutsuji deep within. It was the same one she gave him back then, just seconds before she died. Much more alive now but soon, she wouldn’t be. She didn’t know it but with a sword like that, she couldn’t kill him even if she were to cut his head off. The result has been decided long before he saw her under that oak tree.
Slowly, she drew the katana from its sheath and stood in a traditional samurai stance. He could see the resolve and power in it. She has obviously trained for this day, it wasn’t just a girl stealing daddy’s sword. He had to admire the determination. She stood there, sword slightly pulled out of the sheath, eyes sharp, yet there was not a single trace of bloodlust in her.
Only because it must be done by someone
She didn’t know it, but right at this moment, she was already knocking on death’s door. And so, he decided to voice that thing he’s been waiting to ask of her for a whole century.
“At least tell me your name.” he said quietly, repeating her same exact words from back then.
Her gaze softened.
“What will it change?”
And for the first time in decades, he felt a small, yet painfully genuine, smile form on his lips. Genuine, yet so full of regret.
“Nothing. I just want to know.”
She stared deep into his eyes for a long second and then, finally, grinned brightly at him.
“(Y/N). (L/N) (Y/N) is my name.”
He nodded. The conversation was over. The edge of the moon touched the mountains and there was no going back now. (Y/N) went for his shoulder first. She was fast but Muzan has fought many more battles than she could even dream of. He dodged the first blow with ease but didn’t anticipate how quickly she could change the direction of her swing. The katana sliced the air upwards and nicked his face. But that was all she would manage to do to him. Before the cut even managed to close up, he hit her wrist with his palm and as her fingers involuntarily loosened, yanked the weapon from her hold. Her eyes flashed with surprise as he knocked her feet from under her and suddenly, she was sitting on the ground, her own sword pointed at her neck. There was a bloody smear on Muzan’s cheek but no wound anymore.
“With a sword like this, you could never kill me.” he stated coldly.
“I see. But you will kill me with it just fine, won’t you?” she smiled up at him sadly.
“...It will be less painful than back then.” some sort of feeling broke into what he wanted to be an emotionless sentence.
“Thank you.”
He didn’t know why he cared if she suffered or not... but he did. And for once, he stopped resisting the emotion that he usually considered a weakness. Just for one night. Just for one night in a century, he could have peace, he could let go, he could try to touch that magic and attempt to see what was so pretty about humanity. Just for one single night, with her. She brought that peace. She didn’t care what he was until it was time to say goodbye. And together with the magic of the night, she would be gone, come the morning.
He raised the blade into the air… and hesitated.
“Let’s meet back here again, on this same night…”
“In a hundred years.” she finished for him, a single tear slipping down her cheek.
She was still smiling when her head fell to the ground with a soft thud. The moon was gone and the sky in the east started lightening up. The night of Tanabata was over, along with all its miracles, granted wishes and falling stars. And all that remained was a demon standing on the hill alone, next to a dead human woman.
Gently, he propped her body up against the tree so she would sit there the same way he remembered her. He closed her eyes and laid her head onto her lap, placing the sword next to her. She looked so peaceful, like she just fell asleep there and her head fell off during a pleasant dream. There was no pain. No regret. No hate. It was just her, (L/N) (Y/N), a girl that was reborn just to die the same way all over again.
The moon was gone and the sun would soon rise. The blood was red on the grass, there was even more of it than last time. And yet, again, he believed that a miracle would happen and fate would carry that old soul back to this place once more. So they could meet again, cross the bridge over death like the lovers of Tanabata cross over the river of stars. He would see her again, he knew it. He wanted it. He wanted to feel the peace, the magic, even if he had to wait another century for her.
(L/N) (Y/N), the person who, even if only for one night, could make him feel human for a while. Make him feel human and see no faults or imperfections in that.