Chapter Text
It was cold and lonesome and dark.
The hundreds canopy of leaves aloft obscured the little light there was available. The sound of the overheard thunder being the only thing keeping him company in this disastrous of a situation.
Rantarou's bare feet felt numb against the soil and his toes sank deeper in the rivulets of the liquid mud. He had to take his shoes off when he was halfway to the place as it started to hurt his foot. Instead, he tightly held them in his hands. The clothes he wore were in no good condition either, soaked and damp due to the heavy rain, and Rantarou vastly trembled with clattering teeth.
Goosebumps rose on his skin and he pushed back the bangs stuck to his forehead, inconveniently blurring out a good part of his vision.
But he had to keep moving forward. Even if he was tired. Even if his legs were on the verge of giving up. Tanaka told him it was the best place for him right now. He needed to — had to make it to the other end of the forest.
A place where he could settle.
Maybe consider them a family, too. If any more luck was on his side.
His stomach grumbled and his body nearly gave up. His steps were unsteadier; his feet swaying. To buckle over and to permit himself to slowly perish in the soil right there and then was something he was tempted to do. The thought itself was appealing to him to a certain level it could be considered worry-worthy. He was young after all, his body wasn't supposed to experience something like this. He wasn't supposed to go a day without any source of food.
And although he cursed the storm that nearly him swept him off his feet over and over, a part of him was grateful. He had went a full day without a single drip of water and his tongue felt like lead inside his mouth. Thankfully because of the rain, he'd been able to get rid of the excessive thirst that almost drove him to his doom. But, the little amount of food he brought from the shrine was gone and he wasn't quite sure how long his body could possibly endure this.
Another curse was specially directed towards Tanaka for miscalculating the distance. Rantarou respected him for many reasons but to make such a minor error was just too much for him to comprehend and beyond him.
He didn't precisely know how much the time flew thereafter. But one thing he was certain of was he managed to pull through enough to walk for another night and day without rest. Then, throughout the second day, his tired and half-lidded eyes broadened when he saw light leak from the other end of the forest. Dazzling beam bled through the green leaves and the little spaces between them portrayed specks of vivid blue sky, void of any clouds; the day clear. His palpitation increased even more when he saw a small traditional house located opposite the exit of the forest. But he was suddenly filled with doubt.
Was this the supposed house Tanaka spoke of? What if he had made another careless mistake and the residences of the house regarded him like a lunatic once he rapped on the door?
However, Rantarou's thousands of unnecessary thoughts were put to an end when he saw someone swing the door he was about to knock. A slim man dressed in a long, gleaming kimono which reflected off the colours of his hip-length golden hair and purple eyes came into view and squinted his eyes.
“Wait... Amami Rantarou-kun, is that you?” He called out to him after he carefully scrutinised Amami's figure. He pulled back the handle of the slightly ajar door to expose more of the interior of the house.
And before Rantarou answered with a choked out yes, he swiftly turned back on his heels to come back carrying a warm-looking blanket. He gingerly wrapped it around Rantarou's shoulders and walked him the several steps he was from the entrance of the house out of courtesy.
“There we are. Careful.”
The warmth of the place of residence immediately greeted parts of his frigid skin.
That wasn't the only warmth it emitted, he noted. The ambiance of house was welcoming and refreshing.
“Tanaka-sama told me you would be here in five hours! Kid, it took you nearly two days! Did you lose your way here?” The boy asked and Rantarou shook his head quickly, his eyes remaining on the wooden floor beams.
You see, I was so busy admiring the nature that I've accidentally lost track of the time. Then, I got unlucky and was met by a storm. To top it all off, Tanaka-kun miscalculated the distance.
He thought, but didn't say that. Of course.
“Tanaka-sama told you to come here all alone, hasn't he?” Amami's eyes lowered at the mention of him and bobbed his head. He somehow managed to pull a smile regardless of being piqued.
He chuckled and gently patted his shoulder to lead him further inside the house. "I bet you've had a rough time on your way here, huh? I should have insisted to bring you from the shrine since it's located far from the city. But he was convinced you could come here on your own." He huffed with a roll of the eyes. “For some strange reason, he treats you way older than your actual age. Ah — that reminds me, how old are you?”
“I am fifteen.” He answered, full stop. Rantarou didn't offer anything to show the man he was interested to fully indulge himself into the conversation. He was far too tired and exhausted to worry about that. He needed some food to replenish an empty stomach and maybe lay down on something comfortable to sleep for as long as his body desired. The idea of courtesy was tossed out the window for the time being.
“So the same age as my little sister.” He added, and Rantarou nodded, observing the walls on either side of them with rapt interest. There wasn't much to see and for most parts, the walls were unadorned. But he needed something to focus on.
“Well, It's okay! As long as you've made it safely.” He chuckled and paused. “I am Hiro Akamatsu, the current Mononokean Master and you'll be living under this roof in my care.” He looked down at Amami with a smile and halted to a stop in front of one of the bathrooms, it seemed. He pulled out a kimono he'd already prepared for him and nudged Amami towards the bathroom door with a friendly push.
“You're freezing cold so take a long and warm bath for as long as you need. Then we can do the introductions before I guide you to your room. The house tour can wait for another day.”
Rantarou grabbed the kimono from Hiro and bowed down in appreciation. After he entered the bathroom, he silently shut the door behind him.
He stepped out of the bathroom and out into the corridor with a sigh of contentment slipping past his pink lips. There was no denying he was still feeling cold but at least, not as much as before. The heater inside the house was helpful and the kimono Hiro gave him was quite heavy and soft against his skin so double the help. He was vigorously trying to dry the droplets of water dripping from his green mane of hair with the towel when he halted.
Lifting his head, he ceased staring at the detailed design of the kimono after hearing Hiro's soft and elegant voice booming from across the hall not too far away. Rantarou quickly slipped on the new zori he'd been given and slowly approached the door to realise there was not only one but more people inside.
If he had to guess then he would say about four to five people. Hiro appeared to be the only young adult inside the room according to what his ears captured. The rest were young, just like him. But that hadn't stopped him from feeling nervous.
Introductions really was not one of his strongest suits.
“Ah! Amami-kun, we were just talking about you!” Hiro exclaimed with far more delight than necessary, turning his head away from the person he was speaking to before Rantarou mustered enough courage to slid the shouji doors open. “I hope the kimono I gave you fits you well. It's the thickest one we have here.”
“I should be mad because you didn't ask for my permission to borrow my kimono, you know?” The boy Hiro previously spoke stated. He was dressed in a kimono as well but in purple, which matched the colour of his hair and ears. “I am Ouma Kokichi! I am a cat yokai from the Underworld. Nice to meet you!”
The other unnamed boy who sat crossed-legged lifted his head from the textbook that was resting on his lap to furrow his brows in dismay. “Ouma-kun, don't lie to him.” He sighed. The dark haired boy blinked at a stunned Rantarou whom still stiffly stood by the entrance of the shoujis doors, much resembling a status; dumbfounded. Having no idea on how to extricate himself from this particular situation he crossed his arms beneath the black kimono.
“I am Saihara Suuichi. I am a cat yokai from the Underworld.” He shyly introduced himself. “And Ouma-kun is the fox yokai.” He corrected his friend and concluded his talk with a polite nod before he shifted his attention toward the thick textbook and turned the page by a simple flick of the finger.
He admitted. It was going to take a lot longer to settle than he had imagined.
The last person who hadn't introduced themselves crawled from the corner and she too, like Ouma, set her book aside. “I am Kaede Akamatsu.” Ah, so this must be the sister he spoke of earlier. Unlike Ouma and Saihara, she wasn't a yokai and looked very similar to Hiro.
“Come on, take a seat.”
Rantarou briefly blinked, teared from his reverie to notice four pair of eyes gazing at him and he nodded. Flustered by the amount of attention he was receiving — despite it not being remarkably new since it happened on a daily basis back at the shrine — he gracefully sat on one of the zabuton facing Kaede's. Just like the way Tanaka-kun had taught him, he tucked his legs and rested his hands on his lap.
“Is he the—?”
“Yes, Amami-kun is going to become the next Mononokean Master.”
Ouma tilted his head and gave Rantarou a once over, shamelessly analysing him. “Eh... He is the same age as us.”
Hiro karate-chopped Ouma's head and Ouma whined, rubbing the spot with a pout. “Not yet, but he will definitely become the Master in the following years. He is capable. That's why he's been chosen and sent here to learn from me.”
And then Saihara and Kaede joined the colloquy. Curiosity and wonder about the new member.
Rantarou's eyes shifted quite constantly. He tried to keep up with the speed of questions and answers tossed left and right every few second but whilst he was registering what was being said, the next statement or enquiry was thrown in and that would bring him back to square one.
He felt drowsy and wanted nothing more than to excuse himself and retrieve back to his room.
But for one, it would be rude of him to walk out when he had just entered and on a second note, he had no idea where his room was.
The atmosphere was amiable and friendly at least. The opposite of the accustomed mannerism back at home. Nobody dared to converse with such openness nor talk over each other like it was demonstrated here. But it was a nice change. It was a several orders of magnitude better than it was there.
Although it would take a lot of getting used to.
Rantarou sighed, and tried to conceal his embarrassment — not a small amount — by watching the other side of the room, which also had the shouji doors open to admire the panorama of the garden. There was a white-milk bench in the center with sakura petals decorating it by being sprawled on top of it. And the floor, too, alongside the rocks and the stream. The moss grass was mixed in the colours of green and pink and blue and more petals detached from the tree as the wind gently wafted by.
“Amami-kun?”
He jerked and Kaede somehow miraculously ended up sitting beside him now, instead of being seated on her zabuton and blinked up at him. Thick eyelashes batted and a cheeky smile was on display.
“Hmm?” He hummed.
“How do you like it here so far?”
“It's alright.” He honestly answered.
Kaede stunned with the short reply, looked back between Rantarou and Hiro. She must have expected a longer answer so she quickly added, “Hiro didn't give you a tour of the house, right?”
He shook his head.
Kaede giggled and nodded her head in understanding, clapping her hands together in enthusiasm. “Then Hiro, can I show Amami-kun around the house?”
Hiro looked hesitant for a moment but Rantarou spoke up. “I don't mind. I am not too tired yet.”
“Can I tag along, too?” Ouma raised his voice. “I've been reading and practising since morning. My eyes are about to fall out.”
“No you can't Kokichi. You have to learn how the humans live their lives as soon as possible to blend in the crowd. You're starting school next week with Saihara, remember?” Hiro chuckled and poked at his fox-like ears. “You also need to study how to manipulate your ears and tail to hide them from their eyes.”
“But I can do that!”
“Last time I checked you couldn't kid.” He teased with a sneer.
“Then let me show you.”
“You tried five minutes ago.” Hiro stated matter-of-factly and crossed his arms over his chest. He closed his eyelids and tipped his nose after he opened them again. “Go back and practice some more. Ask Saihara for help if necessary.”
Upon that, Ouma's eyes lit up.
Saihara sat up bolt right, shockingly staring at Hiro like he'd been betrayed. Hiro had a knowing smile on his face, his eyes glimmering. “N—”
But before he could finish his sentence, Ouma wrapped both of his arms around his neck and chuckled. “You're one step ahead of me. Helping is a good thing, you know? Stop frowning like a cat that has been abandoned in the middle of the street in a puddle of rain at night.”
“Then, shall we go?” Kaede asked after Rantarou's attention was no longer fixated on Saihara and Ouma.
“Hmm.”
Walking around the house proved to be more difficult than he had wanted it to be. The heavy kimono he was wearing was weighing him down. But that in itself hadn't stopped Kaede from grabbing his hand, all but pulling him in every single room of the house. From the bedrooms to the extra rooms, she explained some of their purposes with as much enthusiasm flaring from her as the last, disregarding the small comments he kept throwing in to tell her he couldn't keep up with her speed, and if she didn't slow down he would end up tripping on his kimono and would drag her down with him.
Luckily, that hadn't happened. He prevented it by forcefully slowing down their pace. It caused her to release some whines every now and then but at least, he saved himself from the agonising fall.
“You're so slow, Amami-kun.” Kaede complained. “I can't see how you're the next Mononokean Master.”
They were seated outside one of the inner gardens surrounded by the traditional house after they finished their tour. Kaede was on the ground with a woven basket by her side and collected sakuras and tsubakis to turn into a flower crown later and Rantarou was plumped down on the patio, watching her through heavy eyelids that were getting heavier by the second. Weariness rolled in like heavy storm clouds and Amami had to pinch his skin a few times to keep them open.
“My speed has no connection to me becoming the Mononokean Master.” He answered, observing the birds happily tweeting from the trees. “I think it has more to do with my inner power.”
“You think?” Kaede squeaked, out stunned and momentarily ignored the flowers resting in her hands. “You mean to tell me you're not certain?”
“M-Master Tanaka-sama hasn't told me much about it when I was home. He said Hiro-sama would teach me what's necessary after I came here.”
“You finally sound human.”
Rantarou blinked, puzzled. “...Huh?”
“Now... It's the first time you're showing an expression aside blankness.” Kaede replied with a small giggle and continued to twine the flowers around the petiole.
Rantarou propped his elbow on the table, resting his chin on his palm and quirked a brow in enquiry of the statement. “I have.”
“Have not.”
“Have!”
“Have not!”
“Have!”
“Have not!”
They both paused and glared at each other before Kaede gave away to a fit of giggles and Rantarou softly chuckled, pressing the back of his hand against his lips. After it'd died away, he'd left the chair he was sitting on in favour of joining her and consciously squatted down to not rip the kimono apart.
He grabbed some of the flowers inside the woven basket to make a flower crown of his own, too. “Say…”
“Yeah?”
“How is your brother— as a Mononokean Master?” He hesitantly asked, ripping grass from the soil.
“He is so cool!” Kaede said loudly and the level of her tonality caught him off guard that he nearly flinched and backpedaled. “When he summons the doors is amazing! He really loves the demons, you know? He wants them to have a new home.”
Rantarou nodded and fondly smiled. “I do, too.”
Rantarou had seen demons for as long as his mind could remember. At times, he saw them linger around the people they loved and some roamed around the streets, sad and lost and with nowhere to go.
Quite simply, they were souls that had passed away but remained on earth.
They felt lonely and alone and no matter how many times they've tried to gain the attention of their owners, it was no use. A dog demon would still follow their old owners in hopes of being noticed. And to not be ignored, they played the same tricks that had once brought huge smiles on their faces.
But the difference this time was they didn't see it and the ones who did were very rare.
Rantarou was one of them. This was one of the main reasons he so wanted to become the next Mononokean Master. What Rantarou truly wanted to do was to help the lonely demons and send them away to the Underworld. Where they wouldn't feel invisible anymore and make friends. Plenty of them.
Send them to their real homes.
“I see why Tanaka-kun picked you as the next Master.”
Rantarou flushed. “I suppose.”
They continued to make flower crowns in a comfortable, mutual silence and Kaede gently placed the one she made atop his crown after finishing, calling it a welcome present. The one she made was much prettier than Rantarou's by a million miles. Her's was neat whereas Amami's turned out strange and the slightest touch could make it fall apart, considering this being his first time making one, it was normal he supposed. Still, it was worth the effort. According to her.
He enjoyed the time he'd spent with them thus far and he definitely couldn't wait for the training to begin.