Chapter Text
The Justice isn’t sure what to do with the human child when Aoi drops him off. Aoi smiles with feline menace and encourages them to “get to know each other,” but the Justice doesn’t know what that means, and she slinks off into the bushes before he can ask her to explain.
The child, Abeno Haruitsuki, doesn’t say much. He just sits quietly on the floor in perfect seiza, his little red and white kimono trailing the floor in a pretty puddle of silk.
Good form, the Justice thinks idly.
The little boy can’t be more than seven or eight years old, so then where did he learn such nice form? Aoi had told him and the others that the boy was an orphan, so it can’t have been from his parents. The Justice doesn’t wonder about the nice kimono, knowing it must have been a gift from Aoi. Aoi loves bringing gifts to people, especially if those gifts make the recipient look more polished. Abeno Haruitsuki looks very polished indeed. Like a little samurai doll with his bright blond hair, eagle eyes, and solemn expression. The Justice almost wants to pick him up and carry him around like a pet.
The boy’s expression shifts a little as the Justice stares. A tightening of his lips, a slight wrinkle in his brow, as though he is confused or is trying to hold back an expression. The Justice tilts his head, worried he might be frightening the human child, and something spatters onto the scroll he’s supposed to be looking at.
It’s drool. He realizes his tongue has been out for a while and drool is dribbling out the side of his mouth. The Justice quickly closes his mouth and wipes his chin. It’s because he was thinking about steak before Aoi and her new employee arrived. He’s packed vegetable fried rice for lunch, but now he’s thinking about steak again. Rare steak. Juicy…
The Justice stands up. “So…” he starts.
Abeno Haruitsuki sits up straighter, his eyes flashing. If the child was a statue, that statue would be called Obedience.
“Haruitsuki… chan?”
The Justice and the child frown simultaneously.
The Justice tries again, “Haru-chan? …Kun? Itsuki-kun?” He feels like a monkey rattling off random, unfamiliar sounds in an attempt to communicate.
“Itsuki,” the boy says. Though he looks meek, his voice is full of conviction. “Just Itsuki, please, sir.”
The Justice’s shoulders sag in relief. The boy’s straightforwardness eases his discomfort.
“Did Aoi tell you about what I do here?”
Itsuki shakes his head. “I know you’re the Justice, but…”
The Justice nods. “I make sure that all the youkai obey the rules of the Underworld. The rules set down by the Legislator. You met him already, right?”
Itsuki murmurs in the affirmative.
“This is White Sand Prison. If a youkai breaks a rule, they’re brought here for a hearing, and, if necessary, punishment.”
“This is a jail?”
“Well, mostly it’s where I live and work, but sometimes it’s still a jail. People don’t usually break the rules these days.”
Itsuki’s eyes widen just the same. He doesn’t look about in fear or awe like the Justice imagines a young child might after hearing he’s in a prison, but the Justice can see that he wants to. Still, Itsuki only widens his eyes and sits prim and proper, waiting for the next bit of information.
So well-behaved. A bloom of fondness blossoms in the Justice’s chest and he finds himself saying, “Would you like a tour?”
Itsuki’s mouth pops open. He quickly closes it again and tries to look serious, but the excitement on his face is plain. “Yes, sir,” he manages.
The Justice’s mouth twitches up into a ghost of a smile. “This way,” he says and brushes by toward the door. Itsuki’s kimono whispers against the stone as he rises and scurries after him.
The halls are all made of bleached sandstone. The texture is cool and pleasant against the soles of the Justice’s bare feet as he pads along toward the lower level. Itsuki trails just behind his hip, and sneaks glances around when he thinks the Justice isn’t paying attention.
They head down into the bowels of the building where the holding rooms are kept. He calls them holding rooms, not holding cells. The White Sand Prison has a long history, and once, long ago when youkai ran rampant in the Mundane world, it had true metal wrought cells and real prisoners. But it has been a few centuries since that time. Nowadays, the youkai commit more misdemeanors than actual crimes.
So the Justice had the space renovated. It is dimmer and cooler down there, but it is by no means a dungeon. The “cells” are all sealable tatami rooms. They have nothing inside them, no flower arrangements or scrolls, and no doors unless the Justice decides to give them one.
He opens the sliding door of the first holding room. It’s a white door, so he knows there is no prisoner inside. Itsuki walks into the center of the holding room and frowns slightly, perhaps disappointed not to see some hooligan chained to the floor.
“The rooms must be kept empty,” the Justice explains, “so that the occupants have nothing to do but reflect on the nature of their crimes.”
Interest sparks on Itsuki’s face and the frown disappears. “That makes sense.”
The Justice wonders if he should add that the other reason the rooms are empty is because if the occupants don’t want to reflect, and would rather cause a ruckus, the lack of decor is so they have nothing to break or use as a weapon. He doesn’t want to scare Itsuki, but he also feels that it’s important for him to be aware of the danger. He is an employee of the Mononokean now, after all.
In the end, he doesn’t have to make the decision, because Itsuki asks:
“Do the youkai ever try to attack you? After you arrest them?”
His face is very serious. Too intent and knowing for a child as young as he. But then the Justice remembers that the reason Itsuki ever came to Aoi’s attention was because she had to rescue him from a youkai.
“Rarely,” the Justice answers. “Most know not to make the situation worse by fighting back. Violence against other youkai is a severe crime.”
“Hurting other people is a bad crime in the human world too.” Itsuki’s voice is solemn.
The phrasing “in the human world” tickles the Justice’s ears. Abeno Haruitsuki speaks as if he’s separate from it. Not for the first time, he wonders why the boy is here. A youkai attacked him, but he didn’t run away in fear afterwards. Instead, he chose to become an employee of the Mononokean and live amongst them. The Justice itches to ask him about his reasoning, but that’s impolite conduct from a host.
Itsuki steps out of the holding room and glances at the door and then down the hall. “Why is that door a different color?”
In the sea of white doors, there is a single green one across the way.
“Ah… There’s a youkai in that one.” The Justice scratches his arm absentmindedly, jostling the bracelet on his wrist. “The door changes color depending on the crime. Green is low tier. He built on someone else’s property. He has a hearing later.”
Itsuki’s brows raise in question. “A hearing?”
“A court hearing, to plead his case. There’s a courtroom upstairs.”
“A courtroom?” It’s not a question but an exclamation, as though Itsuki has never heard anything more fascinating in the entirety of his little life. “With lawyers and a judge, and… and a gavel?”
“...Well, sort of. The youkai represent themselves, and can bring witnesses if they have them. In a civil dispute like this, the complainant will tell his side, and the defendant tells theirs, and I judge the situation and advise. To ensure everything is fair.”
“You do all that? Whoa…” Itsuki’s gaze falls back on the green door of the holding room down the hall. “And the doors change color when someone’s inside so you know who’s dangerous or not. That’s smart.”
No one has ever been this excited to learn about his job before, and certainly no one has ever expressed so much admiration for the system of White Sand Prison.
The Justice’s chest fills with warm, fuzzy feelings. He plops his hand onto the top of Itsuki’s blond head and smooths his hair. Itsuki blinks at him and the boy’s cheeks color slightly.
“I can turn into a leopard too,” the Justice says. He has a feeling that this information will make Itsuki gasp in awe of him and he’s right.
Itsuki’s eyes blaze with unrestrained amazement. “You can?” he practically squeaks.
The Justice removes his hand and transforms in a puff of lavender smoke. The beaded bracelets on his front paws clatter on the stone as he drops down into a crouch, so as not to be too large or frightening. But Itsuki isn’t frightened at all; he’s enraptured. He stretches out a tentative hand and the Justice tells him that it’s okay to touch.
Normally, he doesn’t allow people to pet him. He is, after all, the discipline piece of the triad that assists in running the Underworld, and what kind of message does it send to the masses if he lets youkai pet him? Besides, no one wants to pet him. Youkai petting other youkai is just weird.
But, a human child petting him… It doesn’t seem so bad or demeaning. In fact, it’s quite nice, and Itsuki is conscientious. He knows how to pet properly without messing up the Justice’s fur, and he stops after a few strokes, perhaps guessing that the honor is rare and shouldn’t be abused.
“I was wondering,” Itsuki says shyly, “if everyone could do what Aoi does. Changing into an animal.”
“Eh… It’s not that we change into an animal. It’s the opposite. This is my true form, but I can change into a human-looking form if I want to.” The Justice pauses to lick his muzzle. His sense of smell is so much stronger in his youkai form and the scents he’s catching right now… Food. Meaty food.
He tries not to think about it or else he’ll salivate more.
“Oh.” Itsuki studies the Justice’s leopard form more closely. “That makes sense...”
Then Itsuki’s stomach growls. Instantly, he flushes to the tips of his ears.
The Justice tilts his head. He’s partially pleased that someone else is also hungry and that he isn’t just a glutton. “If you’re hungry, we can get something to eat.”
“I’m fine.” Itsuki presses his hands over the front of his kimono, as if he could muffle the noises with enough effort.
The Justice chuckles. The sound is a cross between a growl and a guttural purr. “It’s no trouble.”
“No… I don’t want to be a bother...”
Itsuki’s face is still flushed in embarrassment, and the Justice’s heart sinks in his chest. What’s the bother about it? But the Justice feels somehow that asking that question would make Itsuki feel more humiliated.
He thinks a moment and says, “I have an errand to run in town. We could go down together and see what snacks they have on the way.”
Itsuki hangs his head and averts his eyes, not jumping at the “snack” bait.
Don’t all children love snacks? Maybe human children don’t? Then perhaps... The Justice thinks very hard on what other things a child might find enticing.
“You could ride on my back.”
Itsuki freezes. He lifts his head by increments. His gaze sweeps over the Justice’s fluffy feline body and the Justice knows he’s got him by the hopeful glint in Itsuki’s amber eyes. The Justice swishes his tail back and forth, trying to sway him further. He’s careful not to smile and show his large white teeth, though.
“I…” Itsuki struggles a moment against his sense of propriety, but in the end, he can’t fight the childish fantasy of riding into town on a giant leopard. “Are you sure?” he asks, looking shy and excited and a little ill from the combination.
“Hop on.” The Justice shifts his side to face Itsuki and raises one massive paw, so the child can step onto it and hoist himself up.
Itsuki’s lighter than a leaf on his back, and the Justice can feel his trembles of excitement as he buries his hands in the Justice’s neck fur.
“Hold on tight,” the Justice rumbles.
He takes off at a sprint. The white stone walls whoosh by and he hears Itsuki’s shrill shriek of delight when they burst up the stairs and scare a passing servant flat onto their butt. The Justice apologizes but doesn’t slow, bounding past the courtroom and the kitchen where his vegetable fried rice will sit ignored another day. He springs out the wooden doors of White Sand Prison and hurdles down the dirt path to town. The plants lining the path caress his forelegs and the bracelets on his paws jingle a dull melody.
Itsuki presses down lower onto his back to avoid tree branches and the punishing wind of their passage. His soft giggles hum against the Justice’s neck and the Justice puts on an extra burst of speed as they come up on the town. Then he slows to a run, then a trot, then a stride as they reach the main street. Running recklessly through a populated town is against the rules, but it was fun while it lasted. The Justice doesn’t have many excuses to sprint through the forest.
Itsuki wriggles off his back. He stumbles as his feet alight on the road and his knees buckle beneath him, but the Justice puts out a paw and keeps him upright.
“That… was awesome,” Itsuki gushes. His grin is wild and his hands are fisted at his sides. He looks like a little sunbeam. The Justice decides then to treat him to anything he wants.
He lets Itsuki run about from stall to stall, making sure to always keep him in his eyeline. He isn’t worried that any of the youkai will make a fuss about the child—there are quite a few youkai capable of taking human forms and not many are able to sense a human’s aura at a glance like the triad—and he certainly isn’t worried that Itsuki will do anything untoward. He just likes to watch Itsuki finally acting like a kid instead of a feudal lord. It makes him feel younger by association.
Itsuki picks out a few sweets, but puts some back when he realizes that the Justice plans to pay for them all. They sit and eat on the edge of town, since their presence makes the townsfolk jumpy, and the Justice decides to return to his human form so as not to look as conspicuous to passerby.
A few minutes in, Itsuki eyes him over his mitarashi dango. “What’s your errand?”
“Hm?”
“You said you had an errand to run in town. What is it?”
“Oh. Feeding you. So it’s over now.”
Itsuki purses his lips, and his expression plainly says, I knew it. He finishes his food and wipes the remnants of the sauce on the grass to save his kimono from smears. “Mr. Justice...”
“Justice is fine.”
“...” Itsuki reaches into his kimono sleeve and pulls out something small and shiny. He thrusts it at him. “Here.”
It’s a gold ring, not for one’s finger, but for use as a hair accessory or bangle for those with tails or small enough limbs.
The Justice takes it from Itsuki’s fingers and gives it a stare. “Where’d you get this? Did you find it?”
Itsuki shakes his head. He pokes the ground with the empty dango stick a few times before placing it gently aside. “I bought it. Aoi gave me some en before she left.”
Bought it? The Justice studies the ring again. It looks far too small for even Itsuki’s slender wrists. “It’s very pretty,” he says and holds it out for Itsuki to take back.
Itsuki's face clouds over. “No. It’s a gift. To… to thank you for today.”
The Justice stills. A gift. For him. The ring’s metal is warm against his palm.
He carefully pulls it into his hair around his ponytail. Itsuki wears a pleased look on his face when he turns back to him, and suddenly the Justice feels the urge to tease him. He hooks an arm around Itsuki’s neck and yanks him into his chest. Itsuki cries indignantly when the Justice ruffles his hair.
“Quit it!” Itsuki swats him. The smack is hard and makes a loud wap! noise, but it doesn’t actually hurt. Itsuki freezes at the sound and the Justice releases him.
“Ah! I’m sorry!” Itsuki flails and immediately kneels and bows his head low.
The Justice arches an eyebrow at the elaborate display. “So you hit when you’re angry.”
“I-I won’t do that again. I’m really sorry.”
“It’s fine. It was interesting to see a different side of you.”
Itsuki lifts his head slightly. “So… you won’t lock me up?”
“Huh? Why would I?”
“I did violence to you… It’s a crime. The worst one...” Itsuki bites his bottom lip and looks more pale and frightened than anyone the Justice has ever presided judgement over.
“Pft.”
The Justice laughs. Or it’s more like a snort, because it’s short, and mostly throat and nose. He’s never gotten the hang of laughing out loud. Neither the Legislator nor the Executive are very funny, though the Legislator tries very hard.
Itsuki looks confused, but straightens out of the kowtow when he realizes he’s not in trouble.
“You’re a good kid, Itsuki,” the Justice rumbles, and gently pets down Itsuki’s hair where he ruffled it too roughly.
On the way back to White Sand Prison, he carries Itsuki sedately through the forest so that he can point out all the things that are interesting about the flora and fauna within it. Itsuki makes him promise to show him all the best places in the Underworld. The Justice does him one better and promises that Itsuki can ride on his back to those places.
Later that evening, when Aoi comes to pick her little employee up, she finds him and the Justice napping together, Itsuki fast asleep, drooling into the Justice’s neck fur.