A Murder of One - Kimetsu no Yaiba / Demon Slayer

26

Akiko and Tanjirou are set to wed in a week's time.

The girls were overjoyed to hear this news, and despite the intense need to focus on the upcoming battle against Muzan and the rest of the Upper Moon demons, they still allowed a bit of happiness and hope to float into the estate.

"What kind of dress will you wear Akiko-san?"

"Will the wedding be held here Akiko-san?"

"What about all the food Akiko-san?"

Sumi, Kiyo and Naho bombard the poor girl with questions, yapping at her heels like puppies in an attempt to squeeze some juicy information out of her.

Akiko is on her way to the lab near the Ubuyashiki estate, where Tamayo and Shinobu are working as well. Unfortunately, the only reason why she's back at the Butterfly estate is because she had to pick up a change of clothes.

Even she could smell how bad she was.

"It will be a small wedding," Akiko says to the girls. They begin to protest loudly begging and pleading for the event of the century. That Oyakata-sama would spend the money for this big wedding and that all the Hashira would help and the girls want to wear their best kimonos.

But Akiko can see that they just want a nice break from the impending nightmare.

She crouches down at their level, smiling as warmly as Tanjirou does, "Look girls, when you find the love of your life, you won't care how you marry them. You just want to stand at their side with the people that love and support you both. The fact that Tanjirou and I can even marry soon is a miracle, but I understand your enthusiasm."

The girls pout lightly, but there isn't anything they can do.

Instead, Kiyo pipes up quietly, "Well what would your dream wedding be if you could have anything?"

"Akiko wants a Western dress, with traditional Japanese food. She wants to be married at my childhood home in the mountains, but is willing to marry me anywhere on the spot if she has to. She wants a bouquet of flowers and the sake ceremony, and a close friend or family to officiate. Isn't that right my love?" Tanjirou sneaks up on his fiancee, and Akiko blushes a fierce red.

Because despite how this dream wedding of her's is something she talked about as a child, every detail remains true today. And Tanjirou still remembers it all.

"W-Well yes... But we can just exchange rings and do the sake ceremony instead..."

"No way! I've been waiting to marry you my whole life, and you only deserve the best of whatever you wish!" Tanjirou kisses her atop her head as she covers her face.

The girls squeal in delight before running off, satisfied with the answers they received. Akiko turns to swat Tanjirou against his chest, but stops when she sees how horribly beat up he looks.

"What happened?!" Akiko screeches, tugging Tanjirou into her office.

Tanjirou laughs weakly, fully caught and in trouble. He then explains his rough and tumble with the Wind Pillar, and Akiko knows that on the other side of this moment, Miyuki is harshly berating Sanemi.

Akiko purses her lips when dabbing Tanjirou's cuts with a cotton ball of alcohol. She knows better than to reveal the troublesome siblings' history, and her focus should be on Tanjirou instead.

Tanjirou asks her how Nezuko is doing, and how the experiments are going. But Akiko is sworn to secrecy, and Tanjirou understands. So they talk about the Pillar training instead, about how Zenitsu was also involved in the scramble and how Tanjirou has been speeding through all the training (likely due to favoritism, but also because Tanjirou is such a quick learner.)