Shame

For a brief moment, Ali couldn't move. Shock had grappled his body so tightly that it was as if he was paralysed. In front of him, stood the most important person in the world. In her presence, it was as if the world as a whole had sunk into a deep and beautiful harmony. The orchestra of nature strung together in an essence of vivid perfection to complement the overwhelming love that consumed the two of them. An emotion that had been absent for the past year and a half now compensated itself in a single moment. The very core of their souls burst with the intensity only comparable to the centre of the brightest star in the universe. 

"Ali!" Asumi dropped her sword, the metal clang seemed to pull Ali out of his shock. Asumi rushed to Ali and her arms wrapped around him. A warmth he hadn't felt for so long enveloped him. A pulse of light lit up the surrounding area, the flower in Asumi's hair had erupted with light. The universe rejoiced in harmony as two soul mates finally reunited. The conflicted emotions, tender touch, and unspoken words all waited to be expressed. 

Ali's arms returned the embrace as he held Asumi tightly, he didn't want to let go. The love that he felt so powerfully soon turned into another emotion. Embarrassment.

Every fibre and nerve of his body filled with shame, he didn't want Asumi to see him like this. His light blue skin, the scattered crescent markings, the eyes that notified his identity as a demon. 

"I'm sorry," Ali spoke softly, his words trembling ever so slightly. The wind slowly brushed the two lovers in their embrace. Time apart changed them drastically, they had spent more years apart, yet the past year and a half had been something entirely different. 

"'I'm so sorry," Ali closed his eyes tightly, shame continued to saturate his conscience as the internal hatred for his demon nature continued to boil and bubble. 

"Why are you apologising?" Asumi broke from the hug, tears in her eyes as she looked upon the face she loved so much. Two puzzle pieces had been put together once again. 

"You know…" He laughed awkwardly, "making you worried" 

"You should apologise for walking around shirtless for everyone to see," Asumi chuckled and teased. It had been a while.

"I know… Everywhere I go people faint," Ali sighed dramatically and shook his head. He laughed after, just for a moment, he felt human again. As if he had returned to being human. He knew it wasn't the same. That realisation only emphasised his demon characteristics in his vision, he felt like a sore thumb.

"I don't want you to see me like this," Ali took a step back and seemed to cover his eyes, he wished he could peel off his skin and gouge out his eyes, at least that way he could look more human. 

"You're not Ali," Eira's statement ripped at Ali's brain. It had embedded itself so deeply into Ali's mind that he himself believed he was not Ali. 

Asumi slowly reached out and moved Ali's hands away from his eyes. Asumi wore a kind smile like always, her cheeks flushed and her eyes glistened from the tears of happiness. The moon and stars shone down as the trees swayed from left to right. 

"I don't care what you look like, you're still the same Ali I love," Asumi's words served as a clear contrast to Eira's words. 

The sentence hit Ali like a wave of the sweetest smell, goosebumps crawled over his body. Eira's words seemed to erase themselves of any impact on Ali as this wave of reassurance and validation from Asumi comforted Ali. 

Asumi's comment seemed to lessen the severity of Ali's identity crisis. Not only her comment, but her very presence seemed to erase all of Al's worries and burdens. 

Ali was happy. 

Love was the most powerful emotion in existence, there was nothing more powerful than the purity and intensity of love. It could drive people to incredible lengths, athletes breaking records in the name of love, writers creating the best texts out of love and normal people doing the impossible to save their loved ones. 

"I love you, Ali," Asumi's eyes flooded with tears once again, she just couldn't contain her emotions when she laid her eyes on Ali. She didn't want to do anything except express her love. She wanted to do what she had missed out on for a year and a half. 

Ali and Asumi had spent more years apart than together, from the training to be Demon Slayers, to the separation after the incident. Yet, even though they had only been present in each other's lives for a fraction, the Amare Flos they both held hadn't wilted a bit since it had been plucked. It was an anomaly, a one-in-a-billion chance that soul mates met that early in life. 

"I love you too Asumi," Ali smiled. In his pocket was his box in which he kept the flower, and in Asumi's hair was her flower. 

The flower in Asumi's hair seemed to gradually grow brighter and brighter. Until it reached its peak. The light that the flower emitted was so bright that it could be seen from outer space. In the endless black abyss, if one looked at Earth, a shining blue light would catch their eye. A beautiful symbol of love. 

From the other side of the village, Kaze's head turned to the sudden illumination, a beacon-like light. Kaze smiled, he quickly connected the dots and came to the conclusion that Asumi had found Ali. He took a deep breath and exhaled in relief. 

"Asumi found Ali, what a relief." He closed his eyes and turned his head to the star-studded sky. As he opened his eyes, he was met with the beautiful sight of the stars seemingly glowing brighter than ever. 

"Do you see that light Xia..?" Kaze chuckled softly as he gazed into the dark abyss, "I hope you do," 

Kaze sighed and turned back to the bright light. He began to slowly walk towards the area, he couldn't wait to see the reunited Ali and Asumi. After all, the stories couldn't make up for the real thing. Kaze could tell just how much they meant to each other, even through just stories.

Eira stared upon the intense light from the top of the tower, a grin formed on her face. 

"Perfect," Eira's nerves didn't waste a single second, she leapt right off the top of the tower. 

Love. The most powerful emotion, nothing more powerful. 

Ali reached into his pocket and pulled out the box. His hands slowly opened the box and it was as if someone had dropped a flashbang. Ali needed time to adjust his eyes to the intense brightness but regardless, a smile graced both their faces. 

"It's almost bright enough to kill me," Ali made another stupid joke. 

Love. The most powerful emotion, nothing more powerful. Nothing more powerful…

There was no emotion more powerful than love, but there was one that was equal to its intensity. An emotion that stood on the same ground as love. An eternal rival. Hate. 

Ice Breathing. First Form. Frostwave.

The warmth of love was quickly diminished. Eira's veins filled with adrenaline, her jaw clenched with an itching anticipation. She blitzed down the village, and dust flew behind her as her body pushed itself to its utmost limits out of pure and intense excitement. 

The whole point of standing on the tower was to scout, Eira's epiphany that came when the flower pulsed. In a large dim village, a pulse of brightness would stick out like a diamond in the rough. Their deal? Eira never planned to follow her word. Whether she found Ali first, Kaze or Asumi, she planned to kill Ali. As soon as she saw the bright light, she was notified of Ali's location. In under 5 seconds, she had made it to the location and only took her a second to close the fifty-metre distance between the beginning of the alley and where Ali stood. 

Eira's light blue blade screamed with insufferable enjoyment. 

Before Ali could react and even realise Eira had appeared, he felt the cold metal touch his neck. Just for a moment, it was as if time had stopped. He looked at Eira's crazed expression, her eyes wide and grin so wide she looked insane. 

The Ice Hashira's blade tore through Ali's neck like a knife through butter.

Ali's head was sliced free from his body and his head went flying upwards, blood spewed out of his neck. The Love Flower, Amare Flos, dropped from his now lifeless hand. His head hit the ground and rolled away from Eira and Asumi. 

Ali had been decapitated.