As Akira slept, Kokushibo watched over her, his eyes never straying from her form. He had never felt this protective over anyone before, and it was a new feeling for him. But it was one he welcomed, for it felt right to care for her in this way. He let out a soft sigh, content to simply be there with her, even as the night passed by and the sun began to rise.

When morning came and Akira woke up, she opened her eyes to find Kokushibo still there. His eyes closed to rest. She was suddenly glad that the cave shielded them from the sunlight. It would have been a bummer if he had to leave.

"Good morning, Akira-san." Kokushibo said, his eyes opening as he saw her stirring.

He had not realized he had drifted off, but he did not regret it. He was glad to be the first thing she saw upon waking.

"How did you sleep?" He asked, his voice gentle and warm.

"I slept well, thank you." She replied with a smile. "Perhaps it was because I had such a dedicated guardian angel."

Kokushibo felt a rush of emotion at her words, his heart swelling in his chest. He had never been called anyone's guardian angel before, and it felt strange and wonderful.

"I am honored to be your guardian, Akira-san." He said, his voice was quiet but heartfelt.

She sat up straight and looked up at him lovingly.

"Well you are the one who honors me. I'm sure you must have other tasks to carry out but you still stayed by my side."

"I did so because I wanted to." Kokushibo said, his gaze meeting hers, their eyes locking. "My tasks can wait, but I could not bear to leave your side." He added, his voice filled with conviction.

He had meant every word, and he hoped she could see that.

Her heart fluttered in her chest at his words. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. She suddenly found herself teary eyed at his words.

Seeing her reaction, Kokushibo felt a pang of worry.

"I did not mean to upset you, Akira-san." He said, reaching out to gently wipe a tear from her cheek. "Please forgive me if I have overstepped."

"No, no! It's fine. It's just that, no one has said something like that to me before. Usually people can't put aside their tasks to give me the time of  day. Yet here you are choosing to stay here with me when you could have been going about your business." She replied as she wiped away her tears. "Thank you for that."

"I am honored to have been given the chance to show you how much you mean to me." Kokushibo said, his hand still resting on her cheek. "You are an exceptional person, Akira-san, and you deserve nothing less than my full attention." He added, his gaze never wavering from hers.

It was as if he was seeing her for the first time, truly seeing her.

His hand felt warm against her cheek as she looked up at him.

"How much I mean to you?"

"You mean more than I can put into words. I know we barely know each other but I can't help it." Kokushibo said, his voice soft and low. "I feel a connection to you that I have never felt before, and it is unlike anything I have experienced before. It may be strange for a demon to say such things, but I cannot deny what I feel."

"I must confess I - I do feel a connection with you. More than I've ever felt with anyone else." She replied as her cheeks reddened. "But are you sure that this is all right? I am truly nothing special plus we are from two different worlds."

"You are wrong, Akira-san." Kokushibo said, his hand moving from her cheek to her hand, holding it gently. "You are special, more special than you realize. And while it is true that we are from different worlds, I do not believe that should matter. Our connection is deeper than that. I know it is unconventional, but I cannot help the way I feel."

She let out a gentle laugh as she looked at her hand in his.

"I'm starting to think you enjoy flustering me, Koku-san."

"It is not my intention to fluster you, Akira-san." Kokushibo said, a small smile playing on his lips. "But I must admit, seeing you blush is quite endearing. And it is refreshing to be able to speak so openly with you."

"Ah! You're doing it again! You're so mean, Koku-san." She said, blushing even harder. "But I can't be the only one who gets flustered." She added and before he knew it she gave him a light perk on the cheek.

The light peck on the cheek caught Kokushibo by surprise, and he felt his own cheeks turning pink. He looked at her, his eyes wide and full of wonder.

"That was... unexpected." He said, his words slightly breathless. "But not at all unpleasant." He added, a small smile tugging at his lips.

"Well consider it payback for flustering me all the time," she said with a playful smile.

"Touché." Kokushibo said, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "I must say, you are far more bold than I anticipated." He added, his tone teasing. "But it is a pleasant surprise." He said, a light blush still dusting his cheeks.

"And you are still trying to fluster me." She said with a blush.

"It seems I am rather unsuccessful, seeing as how you can fluster me just as easily." Kokushibo said, a soft laugh escaping his lips. "I must say, it is rather refreshing to be able to banter like this. I am beginning to feel as if I can be myself around you."

"Well you only need to try a little harder if you want to gain the advantage back." She said with a giggle. "And I'm glad that you find yourself comfortable with me. I would love it if you were open with me."

"In that case, I must be a bit more creative in my attempts to fluster you." Kokushibo said, a mischievous glint in his eye. "But I must say, it is far more enjoyable to simply talk with you, than to try to one-up you in this way. You are far too interesting to waste our time trying to get a rise out of you."

"Aw, and here I was looking forward to it." She replied feigning disappointment. "But I'm flattered that you find me interesting."

"Oh, do not worry, Akira-san." Kokushibo said, a small smirk on his face. "I am sure there will be many more opportunities for me to try to get the upper hand." He added, his tone playful and light. "But I must say, it is a rare pleasure to have someone like you in my life."

His eyes were warm and sincere as he talked to her, something he had never thought he would experience before.

"Well I thought you had comrades to talk to. Do you not?" She asked curiously.

"I do have my fellow Upper Moons, but the relationship is not the same. They are my allies, but not my friends. We share a bond of respect and loyalty, but not of genuine companionship." He explained, his eyes distant as he recalled his fellow demons. "I have not had a friend in a very long time."

"That's very sad to hear, Koku-san. It must have been really lonely." She said softly as she placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

The touch of her hand on his shoulder brought him back to the present, and he looked at her, a small smile on his lips.

"You are right. It has been lonely, far lonelier than I ever realized." He said, his gaze falling to her hand on his shoulder. "But now, with you, I feel a bit less alone."

The words slipped from his lips before he could stop them. It startled him how easily he had admitted his feelings to her, but once he had been honest about how lonely he truly felt, he found it refreshing to share it with someone else.

His words brought a smile to her lips. "I'm glad you find my company enjoyable."

"It is not merely enjoyable, Akira-san." Kokushibo said, his voice quiet but passionate. "It is uplifting, it is comforting. It makes me feel... hopeful, and warm, and content." He said, unable to fully express what he felt. "

I have not felt this way in so long, it is almost overwhelming." He added, his eyes holding hers, seeking to convey what words could not.

"I - you have me at a loss for words." She replied, unable to meet his intense gaze for any longer.

Kokushibo smiled at her, his expression gentle and kind. "I did not mean to make you speechless." He said, his voice a quiet murmur.

"I am merely trying to express how much you mean to me, how much your company enriches my life." He added, his eyes full of affection. "I do not want to overstep any bounds, but I hope you know that I am very fond of you."

She looked up at him still flustered. "It's fine. You do not overstep at all."

She could not keep the smile from her face. She suddenly found herself wondering what they really were to each other. Surely they couldn't just be friends, right?

"Then I am glad." Kokushibo said, his expression softening as he saw the smile on her face. "I feel like I am finally able to breathe freely, like a weight has been lifted from my shoulder. You have done so much for me, simply by being yourself." He added, his eyes full of gratitude. "But what do you feel, Akira-san? Do you feel the same way?"

"I - I feel like there's millions of butterflies fluttering in my stomach it makes me blush all the time!" She confessed as she shut her eyes in embarrassment. "I feel as if my heart will explode from the way I feel and I don't know what to do about it."

"Do not feel embarrassed, Akira-san." Kokushibo said, reaching out and gently lifting her chin so that she was looking at him. "Your feelings are beautiful, and nothing to be ashamed of."I am honored that you have such strong feelings for me."

His gaze filled with affection and adoration as he looked into her eyes.

"I feel the same way, more than I can say."

Her eyes suddenly opened at his confession.

"You do?"

"I do." Kokushibo said, his expression uncharacteristically vulnerable. "You have become something precious to me, something I wish to treasure I know it may be strange, but I care for you deeply, and I want you to know that. I hope you understand how important you are to me."

"I'm not entirely familiar with how this whole thing works but shouldn't it take a little more for a man and a woman to have such feelings for each other?" She asked with a smile.

Kokushibo's smile widened, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"You are correct, of course. A normal human woman and man would take more time to develop such a bond." He said, his tone gentle and understanding. "But we are not normal, are we? I am not a man, and you are not a woman in the conventional sense. We are something more, something deeper and more profound."

She giggled at his analysis.

"You are right , Koku-san. But I do hope that won't mean that these feelings will fade with time. My life will one day end whilst yours will continue on indefinitely."

"You have no reason to fear." Kokushibo said, taking her hand and holding it gently. "I will never allow these feelings to fade. I will hold them close, as I hold you close to my heart."

His words made her smile.

"Then, can I ask you for something?"

"Of course, Akira-san. You can ask me for anything, and I will do my best to honor your request." Kokushibo said, his tone serious and solemn. "Whatever it is, I will do my best to grant it. Please, tell me what it is you desire."

"Will you - will you give me a hug?" Her face had a light blush as she said this.

Kokushibo's eyes widened in surprise, but then a gentle smile spread across his face.

"Of course I will." He said, opening his arms wide. "Come here."

Akira smiled childishly as she all but ran into his arms.

Kokushibo embraced her as she ran into his arms, pulling her close and holding her tight. He held her gently, but securely, as if he were afraid to let her go. His arms wrapped around her and he rested his head on hers, breathing in her scent.

"This is nice." He said, his voice quiet and content. "It feels good to hold you like this."

"It feels so good to be in your arms. I might get comfortable with this." She replied as she snuggled closer to him in contentment.

Kokushibo let out a quiet laugh, his heart full of warmth.

"I do not mind if you get comfortable." He said, a smile tugging at his lips. "In fact, I welcome it. We can stay like this for as long as you like."

His eyes closed as he savored the moment.

"Well that's tempting but - I haven't had breakfast yet."

As if to emphasize her point, her tummy let out a loud growl, causing him to laugh.

"Ah, that is an important detail, isn't it?" Kokushibo said, chuckling softly. "It would not do to let you go hungry." He said, slowly releasing his hold on her.

"I have some Doroyaki in my bento box. It's a good thing I thought about taking some with me when I left Asakusa." She replied as she pulled away from him to look around for her belongings.