Chapter Text
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I’d walk down those dirt filled paths. My long white hair was stained with dirt, its tangled mess covering my gold eyes. But that was for the better.
My frostbite finger clinging onto my form, the cold clawing at my body making everything numb.
Cold….
I hate the cold.
My breath came out laboured, the air fogging with it. I want to collapse…
How am I still alive.?
I am a curse, my eyes, my hair, it’s all signs I’m cursed, that’s what the villagers said... So why am I not dead yet? Or maybe, the curse was what truly kept me alive?
I’d fell on my knees, body trembling as I hugged myself against a wall, keeping myself even a little grounded.
My vision blurred.
It's cold..
My hand reached out towards the light.
It's cold…
Maybe.. If I looked different. Then.. maybe, I wouldn't have been abandoned…
…
I don't even know if I have parents… I was always alone…. Why can't I remember anyone except a man who held a book and a tiger..?
Was that man my father.? If so, he abandoned me…
But at least. In times like this, I can see the tiger. It hasn't abandoned me… It at least comes to me near death and starvation.
My eyes close, feeling myself slip more and more… But the warmth of a soft fabric loomed over me, snapping me awake.
“... Are you okay.?”
The voice of a young boy said. I looked up facing his reddish-purple eyes. I paused feeling my breaths hitch.
“... Get away from me. You'll get cursed.” I'd say, voice cracking. Yet, despite my warning… He took me in secretly. We both knew the consequences if the village found out.
I was already put to the brink of death by them… But god, what would they do to my savior if they found out?
I'd looked at him, my eyes burning with admiration. I got on my knees bowing down.
“My savior… My lord…” I'd say as he turned to me. “I'll serve you forever.!” I said happily, the biggest smile on my face.
…
Too bad this wouldn't last very long. Perhaps I truly am cursed. The only person to stay by me, of course the world would try to tear us apart.
They'd pull me away, tight ropes bounding me to wood. The chanting of villagers filling my ears
“We should have killed him sooner!”
“Both of them are evil!”
“Demon!”
“DIE!”
I struggled, looking everywhere. Fyodor.? Fyodor?? WHERE'S FYODOR?? IS HE OK?? OH--OH GOD…
The flames rose, from beneath my feet, the warm spreading across my body.
It hurts..!
It hurts..!!
I wanted to scream, I thought I hated the cold… But it seems, I hate this warmth.
Make it stop please… It hurts so much… But.. Fyodor… Where… Where is he..?
Oh god. Oh god….
PLEASE-
…
Byakko woke up. Her heart pounding against her chest, it was so loud she swore she could hear it.
Oh… It was a dream.. Wait. No. It wasn't just a dream, it was a memory of her first life.
She shifted, calming her breathing.
Yes. Her memories of her first life… It was a part of her that always stuck, it was when she first met Fyodor.
She hadn't gained any knowledge of her ability at that time, only aware of a tiger's existence, not knowing she was the tiger herself.
She rested her head, it felt familiar and comfortable, her time spent in her human form far outweighed her tiger form, but every time she transformed, it offered comfort.
She blinked, oh, she's currently in her beast form... She looked out of the small window of the tiny cell.
The moon was full..
Hm. No wonder. She stretched, testing out the body. A yawn coming out of her mouth.
At night when the moon was full,, if the user was unaware of their ability to transform, it would take over the vessel.
That was something Byakko learned from her past lives, Fyodor had been the one to tell her about her ability.
Without his help, she probably would have never been able to master her ability.
Though, this form took a lot of something the scrawny probably didn't have.
Energy.
Due to this form being a beast, it took a lot of energy to manage, that's why Byakko almost never used it.
She was already skilled, the only thing she needed was the healing and the boosting part of the ability.
Byakko took a step towards the bars, it was tempting, with her claws she could easily escape.
But weighing her options down, doing it was probably a bad idea.
Though escaping was a priority, she was still lacking in much knowledge. She doesn't even know what year it is or what even happened to her.
All she knows is that she is now an ability of a kid who her name now belongs to.
Plus, with everything she experienced earlier with chasing Atsushi here, the boy might just always find himself back in this orphanage if she were to escape.
She doesn't know if Atsushi would trust her so easily. So for now… She laid back down eyes closing
Her best decision right now is to preserve energy and try to get to know the boy more…
And so, she fell asleep.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The boy– Atsushi didn't know why, but the ache in his body felt almost like it was nonexistent.
His body felt light, unlike every other time after punishment. Huh, why did he feel like this?
The warmth of another body hugging him… Or that's what he thinks. Is this what those characters in fairytales feel? He'd wonder.
Everything just felt so… distant.
All until he wakes up. The feeling of aches and pains come back, barely, but he can still feel the hurt.
…
He needs to get up, he doesn't want to get punished just as the day starts. That would be so unfortunate, for now his goal is to just do everything right and hide in the library till dusk.
So he got up.
“Good morning Atsushi, did you sleep well.?” Came the recognisable accented voice of Byakko.
Atsushi jumped, mind still groggy from waking up. Oh, that's right. Byakko was here.
He blinked, he was so sure the woman would have just left him like everyone else, but no. She stayed.
“You're still here.?”
“Yes, I am.”
An awkward silence filled the air, the both of them not knowing what to say or do. Neither of them having that much social interaction.
The two stare for a while before they hear the door above being unlocked, the footsteps of the headmaster heading down.
Atsushi freezes before standing straight, readying himself the best he can, while Byakko is off in the corner, arms crossed. Staring at Kouseki with an intense glare.
“... Already up I see.” The headmaster said, keys jingling as he unlocked the cage door.
“... You better do your chores correctly boy. You know the consequences.”
Atsushi gulped, nodding quickly. “Yes, headmaster..” he replied, giving a whole hearted bow, though his gaze shifted a little to the side, glancing at Byakko.
It seems she wasn’t lying… People can’t see her. He thinks to himself, before quickly exiting when given permission too, already heading to the kitchen to help prepare breakfast for the younger ones.
He really hoped nothing would go wrong. He really wanted the peace and quiet of the library. Though, it seems the woman is still following him.
“So, you’re gonna cook breakfast.” She asked lightly, looking for small talk.
Atsushi nodded, small legs climbing up a box to reach the counter, hands moving mechanically. He’ll make some chazuke today. (Maybe only cause he’s craving it)
He hummed, listening to Byakko wandering around, but he can feel she isn’t going that far. It feels like he can just sense her presence.
He paused to turn around, seeing her looking at a calendar and date… Hm, she seems a little shocked by it. I wonder why. He muses, going back to cooking. His mind already preparing itself for the day.
…
The two of them made their way through the orphanage, Atsushi doing all the chores assigned to him. Byakko looking around with some interest, wandering a little but never too far from him.
“... Hey Atsushi.”
He paused, oh right… He'll need to get used to her calling him that.
“... Are you the eldest here?” She questioned, watching as he swept the floor.
He nodded. “I think so. Not sure though.”
“So how old are you.?”
He tapped the broom. “I'm 13…” He replied, voice a little unsure.
Silence filled the room. Atsushi turned, the quiet making him a little uneasy.
“..?”
“I see… Alright then.” Byakko replied, expression unreadable.
He blinked before shrugging going back to his task at hand.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Finally! It's over! He's now in the place where he belongs!
That might have been an overexaggeration since it was just a library, but to Atsushi, the place was like heaven on earth.
He enjoyed reading, it was a small joy he got in life. The smell of old wood and dusty pages filled him with a small comfort.
He skipped around, hands gliding against the books, almost no one came here, Atsushi would know. He'd come here almost everyday.
So here, he can feel some semblance of peace. Though today, someone was joining him.
He wasn't really sure what to think of Byakko, but she seemed nice, nicer than the people he's met so far.
She followed behind him, her gaze searching through the books.
“Is anything catching your eye?” He'd ask
“Hm.? Oh no, just surprised. There's a lot of books but it's only you here.”
Atsushi chuckled while picking out the book he was reading last time– A book about Chinese myths.
He flipped through the pages, feeling the old worn out paper, Byakko leaning over to look through the book as well.
She blinked.
“Oh, so that’s where you got my name from?”
Atsushi chuckled, nodding. “Yep, I couldn’t think of anything…” He admitted, scratching his neck. “
She let out a breath. “A white tiger… Byakko. Heh, I see.”
“What a nice name you picked out. It suits me… in a way. Anyways, keep reading.’
Atsushi blinks before nodding. Eyes alreadying darting back to the pages. He could feel Byakko's gaze on him, feeling it switch from the boom and him.
“Suits me in a way” what did that even mean, was she talking about her hair? Or maybe it was the markings on her cheek? Hm, oh well.
He didn't really know if he should dwell on that or not, it just seemed like an off-handed comment.
He'll keep it in mind though…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Byakko… The name of a Chinese myth about a white tiger. How ironic. She thought.
Atsushi couldn't have picked a name that suited her better than that. For the “guardian” of the book to be named after a guardian
Though, she hasn't really been protecting the book– her original purpose. She could still feel its presence, (which felt really near to be honest) But that was fine, she had taken on the role of the guard to her savior.
Her eye twitched. Ah, right. She can't exactly protect her dear Fyodor right now when she doesn't even know if he was alive.
Her gaze turned to look at the bookshelves. What should she do? It's only been a day so far and the only knowledge she'd gained was that years had passed since her fight with Fukuchi.
She's sure Fyodor is smart enough to still be living, but there was still a small fear in her.
What to do, what to do.
She turns back to Atsushi, watching him read through the pages. She contemplates telling Atsushi about his ability; she's unsure if it would even help her.
From what she has gathered, the boy will have no memory of when he’s transformed since she'll be in control.
It'd probably change if he was aware, but just to play it safe, for now she won't tell him.
She'd let the kid live in bliss, not like she or he would have many uses for the form.
Her hand reached out, patting the boy's head. Well, for now she'll try and guard this boy, all until he grows up and can be properly used.
Yeah, that's what she'll do…
He looks up at her smiling. Byakko pauses before smiling back.
“Keep reading, kid.”
Definitely..
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“So about Shibusawa.”
“Hm?”
“He's been gone for a while!”
“You think he found something interesting?”
The man closed his book standing up to look at the other.
“I do hope so. After all, I did lead him towards the orphanage.” He smiled, head tilting slightly.
“And perhaps Atsushi is coming back after so long.. But I guess we'll have to wait and see.”