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The sun was slowly going down, and Shinjuro looked at it and groaned. As soon sun sets, he has to do his duty as a Hashira, which made him tired.

"Such a pain..."

He unconsciously grabbed his gourd bottle, but remembered that it was empty. He threw the bottle in rage and after a sigh walked towards the direction towards the city.

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"Mitsuri Kenshin, was it?"

Kotaro looked at Mitsuri who was blushing as she realised what she said before.

"Wawawa!"

Teasing aside, when he heard her naming herself as "Mitsuri Kenshin", it made him realise that he is really married to her.

"It really made me happy."

Mitsuri who heard him smiled underneath her hands, and slowly came close to him as both walked towards the city.

In a random shrine...

"The sun went down faster than I expected. It seems we can finally reach tomorrow."

Both of them entered the shrine, and were greeted by the monk. And as expected they agreed to lend them a place to stay for a night.

"Thank you."

"It's alright. Namu Amida Butsu."

The monk bowed and went away leaving them in private.

"Hmm."

Grrr...

At the moment a huge rumbling sound came from Mitsuri's stomach making Kotaro startled. 

"Sorry, Kotaro-san. I am very hungry."

Mitsuri looked very embarassed and explained to him. It was good that Kotaro-san somehow expected it, after all both of them married. At least he knows his wife's needs.

He took out a bento he carried in bag which he bought from the inn. He told the grandma to pack up one, which she happily gave it to him.

"Here. Grandma gave it to me."

Mitsuri took it happily, and opened to see a standard meal with sweets inside, specially sakuramochi.

"Waa! Grandma even gave sakuramochi!"

With a innocent smile, she started to eat. 

Num! Num!

Then she noticed him not eating. She stopped for a while and asked him.

"Kotaro-san. Aren't you going to eat?"

"No it's alright. I am not that hungry."

But Mitsuri noticed a bit strain in that smile. Though she is a very bubbly girl, she is very sensitive to feelings. 

She realised that Kotaro-san probably isn't eating to give her most of the food to fill her big appetite.

She stopped eating and took a bit of rice with her chopsticks and took it near to Kotaro's mouth.

"M-Mitsuri, what it is?"

"Kotaro-san, Ah..."

Kotaro looked at Mitsuri trying to feed him blushing while her hands shivering with shyness. 

'Who will refuse wife's affection?'

He just smiled helplessly and opened his mouth.

And Mitsuri fed him. And then she realised that she made him eat with her chopsticks.

"Wawawa! W-with my c-chopsticks..."

Kotaro who noticed it, just replied calmly.

"Why are you flustered now, Mitsuri? We have already kissed all this time."

Hearing the word "Kiss", she remembered the events of the night and became more embarassed.

Suddenly, the mood kind of turned a bit pink. But at the moment...

Thud! Thud!

A loud sound of someone running came towards them. The door was opened and the one standing in front of them was the monk who kindly let gave them a room for night.

The monk was panting with fear clearly written in his face, and he was constantly counting the beads with finger as a kind of instinct.

"What happened?!"

Both he and Mitsuri stood up and walked upto the monk to see if he is alright. The monk fell down on his knees because of exhaustion and fear.

And then he grabbed Kotaro's clothes, as he cried and roared.

"P-Please run away! A demon! A demon is here killing humans! He killed my fellow brothers! Please run away!"

Then slowly his hands loosened and the monk fell down. And in his back, there were spikes piercing inside, making him bleed a lot.

"D-Did he come to warn us?"

The monk being the one to give them a place to rest at the shrine felt immense guilt when he realised that the guests might die to demon just because of him. So, he came as fast he could to warn them, so they could run away.

In the pool of blood, he seemed to smile as he died, probably because he did what he wanted.

But what he didn't know that Kotaro felt the same. He filled very guilty, because to him, it was like the demon came here to find him.

From the start of his journey, he continued to encounter demons in his road, making him realise his fate.

'If I didn't stayed at this shrine...'

If he didn't stayed at this shrine, maybe the demon wouldn't come here and would chase him because of fate.

It's such a ridiculous thought. Yet, that's what was running inside his mind.

The burden of lives of the other monks came in crushing into his shoulders, making him realise that what a demon slayer is.

'Is it the result of taking it lightly?'

Despite knowing the danger of the job, Kotaro agreed to Mitsuri was because he somewhat was confident in his "Hamon."

After its the best weapon. He can destroy demons with a touch.

He always lectured Mitsuri, yet he didn't realise it himself.

But now, as he looked at the monk crying, pleading to him telling him to escape at the cost of his life and his brothers made a heavy impact in his heart.

He joined in this journey with a high confidence. He wanted to show his cool side to Mitsuri. But the reality opened his eyes.

It showed him the cruelty of being demon slayer. The difficulty doesn't lies in defeating demon. But it lies in saving people while bearing their burdens.

Tomorrow, he might have to kill a demon, who might be a father of someone. And the child who will see his father murdered by him would surely cry and struggle blaming him.

'It's heavy... this burden.'

Suddenly he felt a warm embrace soothing him from inside.

"M-Mitsuri... What are you doing..."

"Are you alright, Kotaro-san?"

Her soft concern voice just acted like a bursting point.

"He... He..."

With tears coming out of his eyes, Kotaro cried looking at the monk's corpse on the floor.

"Because of me... he died because me... Even with this power I can't help him. What I am doing here? Destroying lives?"

He laughed with a sarcastic laugh and kept blaming him until a thunderous clap slammed into his cheek making him tumble down on the ground.

"Why are you breaking down, Kotaro-san?"

He looked up to see Mitsuri crying as she slapped him.

"The monk-san... he came to warn because he thought we could stay alive! The demon is still outside, and we can't keep blaming ourselves."

She bowed down and looked at Kotaro with tears in her eyes. She wiped Kotaro's tears with her hands.

"Didn't Kotaro-san said that powers given by God are to help someone? That's why I am here to become demon slayer. To save people and protect Kotaro-san. I believe that Kotaro-san's power is also made to save someone."

"B-But... I haven't even saved a single person!"

"What are talking about Kotaro-san? Didn't Kotaro-san saved me?"

Mitsuri smile at that time was so angelic that it truly made Kotaro come out of the dark.

'Ah...'

"Kotaro-san, let's go and save people like the monk came to save us. My heart is pounding with excitement!"

And Mitsuri dragged Kotaro out, from the room and also from the confusion in his heart.

"Mitsuri..."

"Kotaro-san?"

"I am truly very fortunate to have you as my wife."

And with a determined smile unlike ever before, Kotaro rushed with Mitsuri beside him.

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Thanks for reading.

I made this chapter to make Kotaro look a bit weak, to make him realise the reality and give him the urgency for strength as a demon slayer for future preparations.

And it was also highlight to Mitsuri's change as well. Normally her self esteem should be low making it difficult for her to save Kotaro, but I guess marriage can change people.

Comment for suggestions!