Chapter Text
In the morning, Yuuta sits quietly in the room they left him in, unsure of the time or what he should be doing. Rika’s presence feels like someone watching him, or a cold chill on the back of his neck, threatening to set his hair on-end. It’s unnerving, but at least he doesn’t feel alone alongside everything else.
He thinks about his parents, and what they must be thinking after he didn't come home yesterday, and what they’re doing this morning without him.
Maybe Geto will let him call them to tell them what’s going on, and that he’ll be staying here for a while— just until Rika-chan can pass on and he doesn’t have her scary monstrous form following him around.
Yuuta picks at his hair, and slides his socked feet back and forth on the tatami mats, and stares at the ceiling, and resists the urge to speak to Rika-chan again— just in case she decides to come out.
Eventually the door opens a crack, and the man from last night— Miguel— pokes his head in. He seems surprised that Yuuta is awake, which probably means it’s still pretty early, but he does ask him if he’d like to come to breakfast.
Yuuta can’t nod fast enough.
Miguel leads him down a couple indistinct hallways before sitting him down at a low, round table in a room that overlooks a garden through wide sliding doors. The breeze that sweeps in is cool, not yet warmed by the early morning sun, and Yuuta suppresses the urge to shiver.
Miguel leaves him there by himself while he goes to check if anyone has started on making breakfast yet. He asks Yuuta if he has any preferences, to which Yuuta lies and says no.
Shortly after he leaves, Geto arrives, dressed again in his layered robes. He’d said that he’s the leader of an organisation, and that this place is some sort of temple, so maybe he’s a monk or something? Somehow the peace and tranquillity vibe doesn’t really fit him, for all that he’s been very calm and nice to Yuuta.
He greets Yuuta with a warm smile.
Geto is followed by Mimiko and Nanako, who look considerably less awake than their father. Mimiko at least offers him a sleepy wave, while Nanako puts her head down on the table and ignores Geto’s comment about being rude.
He inquires about Miguel’s absence, and then leaves as well to help him with breakfast, only to return a few minutes later with a tea set. He pours tea for both the girls, then offers Yuuta a cup again— this time he accepts, only because he’s a little bit cold and wants something warm.
When Yuuta adds probably too much sugar to his tea to make it palatable, he notices that Geto is watching him with a fond expression. Returning his look with one of curiosity has Geto telling him that he reminds him of an old friend, and then asking him if he slept well.
Miguel comes back shortly after that with food, and, probably due to the early hour, everyone seems more interested in eating than engaging in more conversation.
Yuuta does catch Miguel sending meaningful looks at Geto once or twice, but the meaning of said looks is lost on him.
Geto gets called away shortly after they finish eating by a pretty woman whose name Yuuta doesn’t catch. He promises Yuuta that when he’s done with his work— and he says work in a heavy way, implying that it means something more than just work— he’ll make sure he explains things to him a little bit better; they’ll talk about Rika-chan and what his time here will look like. He pets a hand over Yuuta’s hair when he gets up, and asks the girls to behave themselves while he’s gone.
Miguel sighs once he leaves, and slowly finishes the cup of tea he’s been nursing the entire meal. He looks at Yuuta with a weird expression on his face, like he’s sad, or something.
“Miguel-san,” Yuuta says, quietly, “Do you think…”
Miguel hums, prompting him to continue.
“Do you think I could call my parents? They’re probably worried about me.”
The weird sad look on Miguel’s face changes slightly, and he looks away, “That’s something you’ll have to ask Geto about.” He says, sipping his tea again.
“But they’ll be worried about me.” Yuuta insists.
“Will not.” Nanako interjects.
Yuuta's head whips around to face her, “What? Yes they will?”
“Nuh uh.” Nanako says, “If they’re not sorcerers they won’t care.”
“That doesn’t mean anything!”
Nanako opens her mouth to say something else but Miguel cuts her off.
“That’s enough of that.” He says, “Yuuta, you can ask Geto about your parents later, when he’s done working.”
“But when is he done?” Yuuta asks.
“Yuuta, don’t worry about it,” Miguel pats Yuuta on the shoulder— it’s not as nice as when Geto pets his hair, “Stressing yourself out over this won’t make the time pass any faster.”
It’s so frustrating trying to talk to adults sometimes; it’s not like Yuuta worries about things on purpose, it just happens.
“Okay.” He says, trying not to cry, again. His parents must be worried, right? Even if they aren’t magic like these people, they love him and will want to know where he is, right?
Miguel gets to his feet, “Girls, why don’t you show Yuuta around? It’ll be good for him to get used to the layout of the house so he can get around by himself if he needs to.”
“Where are you going?” Mimiko asks.
“I also have some work I need to do.” He ruffles her hair, “I can’t sit around and chat with you three all day, unfortunately.”
And Yuuta is alone with the girls.
“What should we show him first?” Mimiko ponders out loud.
“Hm, I wonder.” Nanako says. They both look at him consideringly.
“Um.” Yuuta squirms, “Bathroom?”
That sets them both giggling, but they oblige.
Later, while they’re showing him around properly, after backtracking towards the room he’d used as a bedroom the night before and then trailing through spralling hallways, they reach a part of the building that transitions the simple temple-style of the house into something a bit more upscale.
Mimiko points down the hallway before them, “This is where Geto-sama meets his guests.” She says guests in a weird way, like it’s not what she means. Yuuta isn’t used to so many words having other meanings. He wishes people would just say what they mean.
“Geto-sama told us we shouldn’t go down that way without him, just in case.”
“Why not?”
“Monkeys are stupid and dangerous.” Nanako says, like she's quoting someone.
“Monkeys?” Yuuta looks down the hall, hoping to catch sight of a monkey. He didn’t realise they had animals here. That’s so cool.
“Anyway, come on, there's a big yard this way,” Nanako grabs his hand again and drags him the other way, “Geto-sama lets us train our cursed techniques out here— well, a little. He says we’re still too small to be doing any real training, but we’re getting big soo fast so I’m sure we can train for real, soon.”
“Um, how old are you?” Yuuta asks. Mimiko takes his other hand and half-skips along beside him.
“We’re almost ten!” Nanako says, loud and cheerful.
“Oh.” Yuuta looks back and forth between them, “Both of you?”
“Yeah!” Nanako says, “We’re twins!”
Yuuta figures he can see that: they have similar faces, even if their hair is different. Twins. That’s cool; he’s never met twins before.
“How old are you?” Mimiko asks, quieter.
“Ten.”
“So we’re almost the same age then— It’s basically the same, anyway.” Nanako says, like their ages are a contest somehow. Rika-chan is— was?— older than him; it’s not like he cares.
“Yeah,” Yuuta agrees, “It’s basically the same.”
“Is Geto-sama going to train you as well?”
Yuuta nods, “I think so.”
“Geto-sama is a good teacher.” Mimiko says, “I wish he could teach us all the time, instead of the tutors, or Miguel.”
“Is Miguel-san not a good teacher?”
Nanako makes a rude noise, “He’s fine, but he’s so strict! He doesn't let us play around at all. At least Geto-sama lets us use our cursed techniques!”
“Oh, okay.” He’s still not super clear about what cursed techniques are. Geto said that his lets him collect and use curses, is it the same for everyone?
“Why do you call him Geto-sama?” Yuuta asks after a while, “Isn’t he your dad?”
They’re quite for a long moment.
“Geto-sama is…” Mimiko trails off.
“Geto-sama is Geto-sama.” Nanako says, “He saved us, he’s our saviour.”
“He saved you?” Yuuta asks, “From what?”
“The monkeys.” Mimiko says, her voice cold.
And, what?
“There was a village in the mountains,” Nanako says, “They were mad that we’re sorcerers and blamed us for the bad things that happened, even though the curse that caused the problems was their fault anyway.”
“They used to hit us.” Mimiko says, “They kept us in a cage.”
“Monkeys did?” Yuuta asks, confused, horrifed.
“Non sorcerers.” Nanako says, “Disgusting monkeys who can’t even use jujutsu.”
Oh.
Mimiko’s hand tightens around his, “That’s why it’s good that Geto-sama found you; the monkeys would have hurt you too, if they found out. You’re safer here. Geto-sama will save you too.”
It maybe should be comforting, to know that Geto is the kind of person to save two kids from getting beaten and stuffed in a cage, but he really doesn’t think his situation is completely the same. His parents wouldn’t do what the villagers did to Mimiko and Nanako. His parents aren't magic like these people claim to be, but they aren’t monkeys.
He can’t help but wonder if he’s wrong, and that his parents would hate him if they knew.
He wonders if Rika-chan would hate him if things were different and she hadn’t died.
Surely not, right?
“I guess so.” Yuuta agrees anyway.
They make it to the yard then, and the sun has come up enough to warm the air into something comfortable. The girls drag him out into the grass, immediately going into an explanation of the rules of some game they made up, and Yuuta puts it out of his mind.
“Come on!” Nanako yells, darting around another corner, “You’re so slow!”
Easy for you to say, Yuuta thinks, trying to keep up. He barely knows the layout of the halls in this maze of a house, so he has to follow her or he’ll get lost.
The impromptu game of chase started a while ago, back in the yard, as part of some sort of curse versus sorcerer game they like playing. Mimiko is trailing somewhere behind them, having given them a ten second head start.
Yuuta looks back over his shoulder to see if she’s gotten closer and sees her round the corner they’d just passed. She’s gaining.
He makes a panicked sound, turning forward again, and promptly runs into a table.
The decorative ceramic pot sitting on the table wobbles precariously, threatening to fall. He grabs it with both hands, nearly dropping himself on the floor as well.
Luckily neither he nor the pot fall, and he carefully rights it. It's a weird, squat thing, painted with weird designs. The lid is secured with a bunch of strips of paper, one is torn a bit when he grabbed the thing to stop it from falling. He hopes no one notices.
“GOT YOU!” Two hands clamp down on Yuuta's shoulders, causing him to jump in surprise.
Mimiko falls into giggles at his reaction.
“You’re it.” She declares, turning to run away, only to bump into a woman who stepped out of a nearby room because of the noise.
The woman grabs Mimiko by the wrist, then Yuuta as well, hauling both of them forward. Her long nails press into Yuuta’s skin uncomfortably and he tries to wiggle away.
“I’ve just about had it with you children running about, making a racket, breaking things—”
“He didn't even break it!” Mimiko yanks her arm away, immediately stepping out of reach. Her sister comes back down the hall, sprinting to come stand with her, scowling at the woman.
“Nearly breaking things is just as bad,” The woman insists, “Who’s to say next time you aren’t so lucky? The things in this temple are delicate and important!”
She’s shouting, waving her free hand. She pulls on Yuuta again, and he grabs at her wrist with his other hand.
“The two of you were bad enough, now there’s a boy running around as well? Geto-san should know better than to pick up strays.”
“Don’t talk about Geto-sama like that!”
Her nails dig in, pinching.
“You’re hurting me!” Yuuta complains, pulling again.
Something cold runs like a bucket of cold water down his back, a sick sort of feeling builds in his stomach.
The lights flicker.
“What?” The woman says; her grip slackens.
Yuuta pulls back, stumbling and falling to the floor after all. His elbow cracks against the wood floor as he tries to catch himself, and he cries out in pain.
A clawed hand reaches up, seemingly directly out of the floor, wrapping long fingers around the woman’s ankles.
“LeAve YuU-tA ALone!” Rika-chan’s warbled voice sounds out as she begins to manifest, “Leave… LEAVE HIMM ALONE!”
The woman trashes in Rika’s hold, some sort of weird magic she creates splashing uselessly off of Rika.
“Call it off!” The woman shrieks at him, like he’s doing this, “Stop this right now!”
Rika pulls more of herself into existence. Her other hand wraps around the woman’s torso and she starts to pull.
The woman makes a horrible sound.
Distantly Yuuta can hear Mimiko and Nanako scream, but he’s frozen, watching Rika-chan— what used to be Rika-chan—
“Stop.” He whispers, throat tight, voice weak, “Rika-chan, please don’t—”
“DON’T HURT YUUTA!” Rika-chan shouts.
“I’m sorry!” The woman wheezes, “Make it stop!” There is blood leaking out of her mouth. Rika-chan drops her on the floor and she weakly tries to crawl away. One of her legs isn’t moving. Rika watches her briefly then wraps a hand around her ankle again and drags her across the floor while her long nails skitter uselessly, not slowing her at all.
“Please.” Yuuta gasps, “Please stop, Rika-chan, please—”
Suddenly, bugs.
Giant centipedes crawl and coil across the walls, the ceiling, dropping onto Rika-chan and impeding her movements. They wrap around her, seemingly endless in their numbers, biting and scratching.
Rika-chan drops the woman again, distracted by the assaulting creatures. She begins to rip them off herself, flinging them at, and through, the walls.
Yuuta is vaguely aware of someone saying something next to him. He wraps his arms tighter around his head, unaware of when he curled into a ball.
“Please please please stop,” He hears himself begging.
“ —ay Yuuta.” Someone says, “She can’t hurt anyone. It’s okay.”
A large hand pets over his hair and Yuuta flinches away, falling sideways across the floor to get away.
Rika-chan throws herself at him and Yuuta ducks, covering his head while she screams, furious.
“She can’t hurt you, Yuuta.” Geto, it’s Geto speaking, “It’s okay, you’re safe.”
Yuuta peaks, and Rika is throwing herself up against a transparent, shimmering substance that spreads through the air between them. It warps the air like burning gas, and she can’t get through.
“The Barrier will keep her contained until she goes away, okay?” Geto says, reaching a hand out again. He doesn’t touch Yuuta though, just hovers the hand between them.
Yuuta watches Rika-chan claw at the barrier, screaming about leaving him alone. The hallway around her is ruined.
The woman— The woman? Where is she? There is blood on the floor but he can’t see her— did she? Did Rika-chan— ?
“Larue took her to get medical attention,” Geto says, like he can hear what Yuuta is thinking, “She’s alive.”
Yuuta bursts into tears.
“I’m sorry,” He sobs, “I didn’t mean to.”
He wants to reach out and take the offered hand, but he doesn't feel like he can. It doesn’t seem like he should be allowed to.
“I know,” Geto says, “It’s not your fault, Yuuta.”
“I’m sorry.” Yuuta says again.
“It’s okay; I don’t blame you.” Geto is still offering his hand, holding it extended between them. Mimiko and Nanako are clinging to the back of his robes, watching Yuuta warily. Geto doesn’t look angry though, “Rika was just trying to protect you, I understand.”
“I didn’t mean to— I wanted her to stop.” He insists.
“Yuuta, it’s okay, I understand.” He’s not angry. His voice is gentle.
Yuuta reaches out and takes his hand.
Geto pulls him right into his arms, wrapping Yuuta into a hug. He strokes his hair and lets him cry himself out. At some point Rika’s yelling dies down and Yuuta feels the chill brought on by her presence dissipate.
“I’m sorry about the hall.” Yuuta mumbles, after a while, still hiding his face in the front of Geto’s shoulder.
“The hall can be repaired.” Geto says, like it's simple, “I’m just relieved that neither you nor the girls were hurt.”
“But, that woman—”
“Will live. Maybe this will serve as a lesson for her to be kinder to those I choose to invite into my home.” His voice sounds much colder than Yuuta has ever heard it.
“She’s mean.” Nanako mutters.
Yuuta’s head jerks up.
“I’m sorry!” He apologises again, this time for Mimiko and Nanako.
“Pssh,” Nanako says, affecting an unruffled air, “She’s not even that scary.” Her eyes are red rimmed and her face is a bit pale, however, so her words fall a bit flat.
“She’s a little scary.” Mimiko admits.
“But— but, it’s okay, Yuuta, Geto-sama was here to protect us so it’s fine, okay?” Nanako says.
Yuuta nods.
“It is a good thing I was here,” Geto says, “This is what I was worried about; this could have been much worse if you were somewhere where there wasn't a strong sorcerer around to stop her. What would have happened if this happened at school, or at home?”
Yuuta pales, eyes wide. If Geto wasn’t here Rika-chan might have hurt Mimiko or Nanako. If he was at home and she got angry, then maybe his parents—
“It’s alright, Yuuta, I was here, and I’ll keep being here to protect you.” He pulls Yuuta closer again, wrapping him up in his arms with Mimiko and Nanako as well, this time. Nanako makes a noise of protest, but she wraps an arm around Yuuta anyway.
“We’ll teach you how to control her so she can’t hurt anyone else, and eventually we’ll break your curse so she can rest properly.” Geto says, “You’re safe here, promise.”