Rengoku

You met Rengoku by chance: he was near where you were fighting the demon, instantly appeared and helped, and then smiled like the sun and said, "You're so fierce! I like it!" From that day on, he became your shadow.

He'd show up at your door with a bento box, walk you to training, and bandage you after you were wounded, grumbling, "You forget about yourself. I don't." You'd brush him off: first, you'd hunt for days, then you'd lick your wounds. His gifts—combs, clothes (beautiful haori, kimonos), lanterns, a pouch of cherry blossom petals—would sit untouched in your drawer for months.

“You don’t have to answer,” he smiled as you turned away from more gifts. “I’ll just be there.”

But now... Everything is different. You look at the pile of unopened gifts, at the worn hunter's uniform, at your perpetually bruised knuckles—and you understand: the demon hunt will never stop. And life will. You don't want to run from his care anymore. You don't want to run from the one you were drawn to, even if deep down.
It took you weeks to fully understand your feelings and desires. And now you knew one thing: the desire would never go away, but love could.
You decided: I'll tell him tomorrow...
And in the morning, waking up very early, you went out onto the porch and caught Rengoku laying a bouquet of wildflowers on the porch. But upon seeing you, he straightened up and handed you the flowers, smiling.

• good morning, early bird...