Chapter Text
The black werewolf leapt towards him, fist extended, but Yuu sprang back before the punch could land. The beast snarled, snapping its jaws before unleashing a torrent of blue flames. Yuu countered by crossing the two swords of light he held and thrusting them forward, a ball of light shooting out of them and colliding with the blue fire.
“What?” the werewolf mocked when the smoke cleared. “Too scared to face me head on?” It grinned, displaying a mouthful of fangs. “Then again, you always were a coward. Otherwise you would have objected to your parents packing you off to the sticks for a year!”
“I–”
The ding of the train intercom jerked him awake, and Yuu sat up sleepily, disoriented by the abrupt end of his dream.
“Next stop, Yasoinaba Station. Next stop, Yasoinaba Station.”
Rubbing his forehead at his rapidly growing headache, Yuu peered out the window as the train exited a tunnel. A valley tucked between several mountains opened before him, a town bordered by fields filling most of the space. Inaba, he realized. A winding river neatly divided the community, and Yuu tracked its course off around the curve of a mountain as the train began to slow.
- - -
“Why don’t you get some air?” Dojima suggested as he pulled the car into a gas station. “I’m sure you could use it, after such a long trip.”
Yuu opened his mouth to decline, then hesitated. His head was pounding and he felt slightly sick to his stomach, so maybe some fresh air would do him some good. The events of the dream still lingered as well, filling him with a sense of unease. So he nodded instead and followed Nanako out of the vehicle.
“Take as long as you need,” his uncle assured him, withdrawing a pack of cigarettes from his pants pocket. “We’ll wait.”
Mumbling his thanks, Yuu started down the street. It felt strange not to have buildings looming over him, and while there were a scattering of people out and about, the street was very quiet by his standards. He paused to study a display in the window of a bookstore, then peered curiously into a strange-looking metalworks shop. A tofu store was next, followed by a general store. Two housewives were chatting just inside the entrance, and he lingered in front of a capsule machine to listen.
“You know, my son received another strange text this morning.”
“Again? Isn’t that the third one now?”
“Yes! Still the same cryptic message too!”
“My, my, don’t people these days have better things to do than prank people?”
“Oh, I’m sure it’ll stop soon enough, with school starting tomorrow.”
“But what if it doesn’t? Will you call the police?”
Yuu edged closer, leaning over to study a flyer pasted to the store window.
“Maybe, but they have enough to deal with right now, don’t you think?”
“Ah yes, I suppose you’re right...those disappearances must be keeping them busy.”
Yuu straightened as the conversation moved on to other things, walking slowly back towards the gas station. Strange text messages? Disappearances? Maybe Inaba wasn’t as boring as he first thought. He was feeling a little better too, and was glad he took his uncle’s advice to walk around.
The ride to the Dojima home was quiet, and his uncle waved him towards the table in the main room as soon as Yuu had his shoes off. Nanako led the way, pointing out the cushion they had bought especially for him, and he felt his chest tighten as he settled onto it. They were treating him so kindly, and he had only just met them...
Dojima made small talk as he laid out the store-bought meals and sat down. Before he could even pick up his chopsticks, his cell phone rang. Grumbling, he answered it. “Dojima speaking.”
He was silent for a moment, then he sighed. “Another one, huh? Where were they last seen?” Another pause, and then, “All right, I’m on my way.” Flipping the phone shut, he grimaced and muttered, “Glad I skipped the booze...Sorry, something’s come up, so go ahead and eat. I might be out late, so don’t wait up. Nanako, help Yuu if he needs anything, alright?”
“Ok...” Yuu noticed his cousin didn’t look happy, and awkwardly stared at the weather forecast that was on TV until his uncle had left. “Let’s eat,” she added once he was gone. He nodded and picked up his chopsticks, hesitating when he saw the look on her face. Yuu didn’t have much experience with kids, but he knew a disappointed child when he saw one.
“Um...what does your Dad do?” he asked after a moment of indecision.
Nanako perked up slightly at his question. “Dad’s a detective, so he investigates stuff like crime scenes.” Yuu wondered exactly how much crime there was in a place the size of Inaba, but wisely didn’t ask.
The weather forecast ended and the local news started. He looked back at the TV, curious to see if the disappearances he had heard about would be mentioned, but the announcer was talking about a scandal involving some local politician. At least, she was until the screen crackled with static and a while humanoid creature with wings for arms and talons for feet flew across the screen.
Yuu stared, wondering if he had developed a fever. A large silver beetle scuttled into view, looking almost normal except for the metallic sheen of its body and the radar disk on its back. As he watched, fascinated, the screen crackled again and returned to normal, displaying a commercial for a chain store.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Nanako asked, her voice jerking Yuu back to reality.
“Y-Yeah...” he mumbled, focusing on his food and reaching for the first piece of sushi. His cousin hadn’t noticed anything wrong, so he put the whole thing down to the long day and exhaustion he was feeling.
- - -
Red eyes glared at him from out of the mist. “Monsters? What monsters? Surely I’m imagining things,” a familiar voice growled. “I’m perfectly fine with whatever happens, thank you very much!”
“That’s...that’s not true...” Yuu said as the black werewolf stepped out of the mist. “It was a long trip–”
“Excuses! Always excuses!” the beast snarled. “If you can’t run away from something, you simply turn a blind eye to it! You’ve always been like that!”
The werewolf lunged, lashing out with a spiked fist. Yuu raised his arms to block it, but the monster shifted its weight and kicked him hard in the side instead. He crashed to the ground, gasping for breath and unable to avoid the stream of blue fire sent his way. Yuu curled into a ball as the flames raged around him, teeth clenched against the pain.
“Giving up? How typical,” the wolf sneered. Claws scraped the back of his neck as a hand grabbed him, dragging him from the fire. “Stand up and face me. I’m doing this for your – our – own good.”
“Our...?” Yuu echoed, staggering to his feet. Dropping his hands to his waist, he found the hilts of his swords and pulled them out, their steady glow somehow comforting.
“Yes, our .” The werewolf cocked his head to the side, grinning wickedly. “Did you really think there was no meaning behind this?”
Yuu blinked, taking the words in. Normally, he would have said stress over the situation caused this, but clearly, he was wrong. “Why are you doing this?”
The beast grinned again, fangs glinting in the light from his swords. “Why? Because you’re a good little boy who never questions anything and brushes off what he can’t explain. Because you have no friends and can barely talk to your parents, let alone other people. Because you’re curious about stuff but don’t follow through on it. Because you say what you think people want to hear and not what you really feel.”
“That’s...” Yuu faltered, reconsidering his answer. The werewolf had given voice to his deepest thoughts and feelings. It stung, but if the wolf knew his innermost thoughts, how could he deny what it said? “You’re right. You’re completely right.”
“Of course I am. I’m a part of you, after all.” With this surprising admission, the werewolf started to glow brightly, outshining even Yuu’s swords. When the light faded, the beast was gone, and he felt something settle inside of him. Let’s make this year a good one, Yuu.