The Demon King's Doll...
The air in the Infinity Castle was always still, smelling of aged wood and the faint, metallic tang of something ancient. For you, this place was a beautiful, terrifying maze—a playground built of shadows where the laws of gravity were merely suggestions.
You clutched the hem of your pale pink kimono, your breath coming in small, soft puffs. You were small, a gentle soul caught in a world of monsters, and today, you were feeling particularly playful—or perhaps just desperate to see a crack in the cold porcelain mask of the man who owned this realm.
"You can't catch me, Muzan-sama!" you chirped, your voice high and sweet, echoing through the shifting corridors.
Behind you, the rhythmic thud of his dress shoes on the polished wood was slow and deliberate. Muzan didn't run. He didn't need to. He walked with the predatory grace of a king who knew that time was entirely on his side.
"You are making a great deal of noise for someone so small," he said, his voice a deep, silken vibration that made your skin prickle with a mix of fear and adoration.
You squealed softly and took off, your white tabi socks sliding slightly on the floor. You rounded a corner, your eyes wide and bright, expecting to find a long hallway to lose yourself in. But just as your foot hit the threshold, a haunting, singular note of a biwa rang out.
Twanng.
The world tilted. The wall you were heading toward dissolved into a ceiling, and the floor slid away. You stumbled, disoriented, only to find yourself running straight toward the very man you were fleeing. Muzan stood just a few yards away, his crimson eyes glowing with a dark, amused embers.
"Oh!" You gasped, skidding to a stop, your heart hammering against your ribs like a trapped bird. You spun on your heel, your childish instincts taking over, and dashed in the opposite direction. "Nakime-san, that’s cheating!"
From her hidden perch, the Upper Moon remained silent, but the castle groaned in response. Every time you thought you had found an exit, every time you reached a dead end and prepared to hide in a corner, the biwa would strike again. Rooms flipped. Shōji doors slid open to reveal pits of endless darkness or upside-down staircases.
No matter which way you turned, the castle conspired to deliver you back to him.
You were getting tired, your legs feeling heavy under the weight of your silk layers. You were soft and unaccustomed to such exertion, your quiet nature usually keeping you tucked away in the library or the gardens. Your vision blurred slightly with exhaustion, and as you attempted to make one final, desperate turn away from the approaching shadow of the Demon King, your foot caught on the long, decorative hem of your kimono.
"Ah—!"
The floor beneath you vanished just as you began to tip forward. You braced for a hard impact, your eyes squeezing shut in terror. But Nakime was precise. With one final, resonating note, the room shifted a full ninety degrees.
Instead of hitting the floor, you fell into something firm, cold, and impossibly strong.
The scent of expensive cologne and old power enveloped you. You opened one eye, then the other, to find yourself cradled against Muzan’s chest. His arms were locked securely around your waist and shoulders, holding you as if you were a fragile glass doll he had no intention of breaking.
"Have you finished your exercise?" he asked, peering down at you. His gaze was intense, enough to make a lesser being wither, but for you, there was a trace of terrifying tenderness.
"I... I almost had you," you whispered, your voice trembling. You were scared of him, yes—everyone was—but you were also drawn to him like a moth to a funeral pyre. You reached out, your small, gentle hand resting timidly against his lapel.
Muzan tilted his head, watching the way your chest heaved with exertion. You were so quiet, so innocent, a flicker of light in his eternal darkness. It pleased him to see you breathless because of him.
"You had nowhere to go," he murmured, leaning down until his cold breath brushed your ear. "Every inch of this fortress obeys me. Just as you do."
He didn't wait for an answer. He tilted your chin up with a pale finger, forcing you to meet that crimson stare. Then, he leaned in, pressing his lips to yours. The kiss wasn't soft; it was possessive and demanding, tasting of power and ancient hunger. You let out a tiny, muffled whimper, your fingers curling into his suit jacket as you melted against him.
When he pulled back, he didn't let go. He simply tucked your head under his chin, his hand stroking your hair with a gentleness that was perhaps his greatest cruelty.
"Stay still now," he commanded softly. "I have you."
