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Yusuke took his place in that rune-covered circle, watching as the other members of the Madarame clan did the same, each holding a crystal in their hands.
He had never seen that ritual in person before, despite having heard the old stories about it, and studied its steps with other mages of his age. He was sixteen now, the age when most of the Madarame mages were ready to take part in the ritual. There, they would summon a powerful demon from the underworld to charge their sacred crystals and give them the power to thrive for another six months, when they would repeat that ceremony, keeping the clan strong and protected that whole time.
Next to Yusuke was Ichiryusai Madarame, a strict and distant man who, Yusuke thought, had love for nothing but his role as their leader—not even for him, his own son.
“Pay attention, Yusuke” said Madarame. “You will lead this ritual one day, so you must learn how to do it without a single failure.”
Yusuke simply nodded in response. The idea of leading his clan was an anxiety-inducing one, but it was difficult for him to go against his father’s words—or even speak to him in general. So, he usually agreed to everything he said without any questions, not only because of fear or respect, but also because that man was the only family he still had.
Madarame moved to the center of that circle, making the final preparations. Yusuke’s stomach turned, and he tightened his grip on that crystal, taking some deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down.
The ritual started a few minutes later, and Yusuke watched attentively as the older mages recited their chants and raised their crystals high. He had seen it all in books before, so, when his turn came, he could replicate it without any problems, despite his pounding heart.
The crystals lightened up, which was a sign that the first phase of the summoning had gone well. He lowered his gaze briefly, and it didn’t take long for something to catch his attention: one of those runes was wrong… it had the same symbol as the one in the book, but a dent in the stone gave that rune a different meaning. Yusuke was taken by concern, since he knew how precise those carvings had to be in order to properly do the binding.
“Father—” he called.
A single glare from his father made him go quiet. He should have known better than to interrupt that ritual... He would probably be punished once it was over.
But that dent... No, it should be fine. There was no way his father—their leader—wouldn’t have noticed a detail like that. Yusuke took a deep breath, calming himself down, turning his attention back to that ritual, trying to keep his mind away from that rune.
Soon, the ritual entered its final stage, and the gate to the underworld was about to be open. Yusuke had to make an effort to keep his breath steady: demons were dangerous creatures, and if not bound properly, would have the freedom to do whatever they pleased until the gate was closed again. There had also been cases of mages possessed by demons, so they could stay in the human world even after the gate was closed. Despite knowing that such a ritual had been made for centuries already, the idea of being so close to something that treacherous and powerful was still terrifying.
With an orange glow and a loud buzz, the symbols in the circle started to move, rearranging themselves into a rectangular shape; from it, raised a tall, black gate. The mages kept chanting and, slowly, that gate started to open.
Anytime... Anytime now…
When it was completely open, a heavy aura engulfed the room, and from the darkness of the portal emerged an enormous demon with dark hair, black horns and wings, and legs like a goat’s. Its red eyes with horizontal pupils sent a shiver down Yusuke’s spine, and he closed his eyes, unable to look at that creature for much longer.
“Demon of Lust!” said Madarame in a serious, confident tone. “We invoke you tonight to ask that you give us your power to keep the crystals lit, and our lands prosper and safe.”
By that point, with the binding properly in place, the demon would have no choice but to do what it was told. However, after a moment of silence, it showed a scornful grin.
“And what are you willing to give me in return?” it asked in a guttural voice.
Yusuke inhaled sharply. He looked at his father, who seemed as surprised by that question as himself.
“Give...?” Madarame managed to go back to his calm expression. “You are bound to our command, demon! You shall do as we tell you!”
The demon didn’t seem intimidated by those words.
“Or what?” he asked. “Are you going to hit me with your stick?”
By that point, everyone in the room seemed lost. That was when Yusuke realized that, as he feared, the ritual had failed.
“Send him back!” he screamed. “The binding is broken!”
His father looked at him, again with those cold eyes, and Yusuke felt the urge to be quiet again. But, this time, he didn’t.
“One of the runes is broken!” he proceeded. “Please, you have to close the—”
“Silence!” said Madarame, facing the demon again. “Listen, vile creature...”
But the demon wasn’t paying attention to him anymore, instead looking at Yusuke with a flaming glint in its eyes. “What a smart kid... If more of you were like him, you probably wouldn’t have to die here.”
“Wha—”
Before Madarame could say anything else, the demon stared at him again, a cruel smile on its face. One by one, the runes around it emitted a red light, then burned to ashes. Some of the mages screamed, burned by those sudden flames. The demon stood up, raising its big, muscular arms that ended in long, sharp claws, roaring as the circle itself turned into fire.
Yusuke managed to jump back in time, but only a few of the mages could do the same. Most of them were hit by a wall of flames, and started to burn among desperate screams. They dragged themselves over the ground, rolling on the floor in an attempt to get rid of the bright red fire that didn’t seem to disappear. Yusuke watched them in shock, until an even worse scene caught his attention: the demon walked to Madarame, and, with a quick movement, impaled his torso with his arm, lifting his body with a loud laugh. Madarame stared wide-eyed at the monster for a second, before spitting blood. His body went limp, and the demon conjured flames around it. Yusuke had to make an effort not to throw up.
“This is what you get for treating us like slaves, human.”
The demon threw Madarame’s charred body against more of the mages. Many of the remaining survivors tried to run to the exit, but before they could reach it, a wall of fire covered it.
“You won’t run, rats,” said the demon. “You will die here, like the pathetic pests that you are.”
Yusuke could do nothing but watch as the demon killed his clan brothers one by one, too scared to even move. Blood and fire covered the floor of that once sacred place, filled with agonizing screams and the disgustingly sweet smell of burned flesh. In just a few minutes, he was the only one left.
The demon turned its attention to him, showing a friendly smile that didn’t reach its goat-like eyes.
“You know why I left you for last, boy?” it asked.
Yusuke tried to move away, but his limbs refused to listen. His fear seemed to amuse the demon.
“You have the potential to be a great mage,” it continued. “I can feel the power of your aura, and you were the only one to realize I wasn’t bound by the ritual.”
He approached Yusuke slowly. Yusuke managed to retreat, only to soon find himself with his back against the wall.
“If you had the chance, you would be one of the greatest. So, instead of simply killing you, I chose to let you see everyone you love die.” The demon opened a large smile of sharp teeth. “And now that your spirit is broken, I can finally take your body for myself, and keep hunting these pests until none is left in this world.”
Yusuke’s blood seemed to freeze in his veins with that suggestion. The demon raised its arm, reaching for his face.
“Don’t worry,” he said. “Your body probably won’t last more than a week. You will burn from the inside before you have the chance to witness the end of your race.”
Before the demon could touch him, Yusuke’s body reacted by instinct, and he threw himself to the opposite side of that hand, running away from the demon, who watched in amusement.
“Yes,” it said, “keep running! Ah... It has been such a long time since I last hunted a human!”
Yusuke ran, and the demon slowly closed the distance, aware that he had nowhere to go. It followed Yusuke until he was trapped between a wall and the flames, letting out a loud laugh.
“It’s over,” said the demon. “As fun as it is to pursue you, even my patience has its limits.”
It reached for Yusuke again and, this time, he could only flinch and close his eyes. But the touch of those claws never came—instead, a loud scream, followed by a thud and a roar, filled the temple. Yusuke risked opening his eyes, and what he saw was enough for him to believe that the heat and the smoke were making him hallucinate.
Another demon had left the open gate, this time one covered in golden scales on its back, legs, and shoulders, who had golden wings and horns, and fangs like a dragon’s. It was standing over the demon, pining it to the ground.
“This is the end for you!” screamed the dragon.
The goat demon stared at him, a shadow covering its face. “I warned you not to meddle with my affairs again, pest!”
Saying that, he shoved the dragon aside, making it fall over a pile of burning corpses. The flames didn’t seem to hurt it, however, and soon the dragon was on its feet again, throwing its body against the goat’s. For a long time, the two creatures fought, shoving, punching, kicking, clawing, and biting each other, a viscous black liquid leaving their wounds. After what seemed like an eternity, the dragon managed to make the goat fall, placing both claws around its head, cutting its face and eyes, making it scream in agony.
“You are dead...” The goat’s voice sounded weak, muffled by its own blood. “The moment you step into the underworld again… my followers will make you pay for this…!”
The dragon didn’t answer. It grabbed the goat’s throat with both hands, crushing it until the goat stopped moving. Slowly, its body lost its color, turning gray before crumbling into ashes; the dragon stayed still for a moment, then fell to the ground. Yusuke watched it all, his heart still racing. He hesitated for a moment, then approached that fallen creature, crouching beside it.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
The dragon looked at him with his golden eyes, and a humorless laugh left its mouth. “Why are you wasting your time with me?” It took a sharp, pained breath. “Just close that gate and get outta here.”
But Yusuke didn’t move. “He said you would die if you went back.”
“‘Course I will... It’s what I get for messing with that guy.” The dragon let out another groan, and closed its eyes. “But I don’t think I’ll live long enough to go back there.”
Yusuke observed him for a while longer, his mind fighting against the shock to think clearly. “You saved my life… I can’t let you die like this.”
The dragon observed him, surprised. “What are you—”
Without thinking much longer, Yusuke reached for that creature’s claws, holding them in both hands.
“Take my body,” he said.
“What?”
“Just take it,” Yusuke insisted. “You’ll be able to heal yourself and hide in this world for some time with it.”
“You’ll die if I do that, you idiot.”
“It doesn’t matter!” Yusuke yelled, shutting his eyes. “I lost everything already.”
The demon watched him for some time, then sighed. It pulled its claw away from Yusuke’s hands, then placed it over his head.
“Don’t be stupid… You don’t lose everything until you lose your life.”
Yusuke didn’t answer, staring at that demon’s face. Strangely, he didn’t look much older than Yusuke himself, even in that monstrous form.
“You really wanna help me?” asked the dragon.
Yusuke nodded. The dragon’s claw left his head, then held his arm.
“Then, don’t die,” he said. “Instead...”
He stopped talking, seeming exhausted. A burning sensation took the inside of Yusuke’s forearm, and he watched as ornate symbols surfaced on his skin. He recognized them from his studies, and stared at the demon in shock: a pact, the act of sharing one’s life and soul with another being.
“Are you sure...?”
The dragon chuckled, tired. “If that’s what it takes for us to survive.”
Yusuke lowered his eyes to that mark, then shut them again, nodding. “I understand.”
He reached for the dragon’s arm too, and the burning sensation started again, until it was painful enough to make Yusuke scream—but he didn’t let go. Soon after the pain reached its peak, it came to an abrupt stop. For a moment the, entire world flickered, and Yusuke felt a burst of energy running inside his veins.
“What’s your name?” asked the dragon.
“Yusuke. Yusuke Kitagawa.”
“Yusuke…” The dragon nodded. “Give me a name, so I can exist in this world.”
A name... For a moment, nothing came to Yusuke’s mind; then, suddenly, it filled his entire being, as if no other answer would suffice.
“Ryuji,” he said. “Your name is Ryuji.”
As soon as he said those words, that energy burned brighter inside him.
“Ryuji...” the dragon repeated, pleased. “I like how it sounds.”
It was the last thing Yusuke heard before his consciousness completely faded.
When Yusuke woke up again, they were outside that burning building. He looked to the side, seeing a boy around his age, with blond hair and golden eyes. He offered him a smile of slightly sharp teeth.
“I thought you were gonna sleep forever.”
It took Yusuke’s exhausted mind a minute to recognize him. “Ryuji?”
“Yeah.” Ryuji looked down at his own body. “This feels weird…” He poked his stomach. “It’s so soft and squishy.”
Slowly, the memories of what had happened returned to Yusuke’s mind, making him jolt up. “The door…!”
Ryuji placed a hand on his shoulder, keeping him in place. “I took care of it, already.”
Yusuke let out a relieved sigh. Ryuji observed him quietly for a while, seeming unsure of what else to say.
“What are you gonna do now?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Yusuke admitted. “If I’m the only one who returns alive, they might think it was my fault.”
“Having a demon with you won’t help, either.” Ryuji lowered his gaze. “I don’t know much about this world, to be honest… So, I don’t know how much I can help. Sorry.”
Yusuke didn’t answer. Ryuji observed him for a while, then smiled.
“For now, let’s just find a place to rest.” Ryuji made a small pause. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe. If I don’t, I’ll die too, so… You know you can trust me.”
His words made Yusuke glance at that mark on the inside of his forearm. It was strangely pretty… An ornate black and golden symbol in demonic language, that he wouldn’t be able to properly pronounce—Ryuji’s true name, he believed. He glanced toward Ryuji, seeing a similar symbol on his arm, but black and blue, with the letters Y and K merging into the details.
“Thank you, by the way.”
Ryuji’s voice brought him back to reality. Yusuke shook his head. “You saved me first.”
Instead of arguing, Ryuji simply smiled. “Alright… We’re even, then.”
Yusuke observed him for a while. Despite his friendly words, Ryuji’s smile seemed tired… Which shouldn’t be a surprise, after that horrible battle. Yusuke wanted to say something to him, but his mind still felt distant, his thoughts too foggy for him to focus. After a minute of silence, Ryuji helped him stand up.
“We should go, now,” said Ryuji. “Before someone finds us.”
Yusuke simply agreed with a nod, following him away from that place, and everything he had known since he was born.
The first days—actually, the first few weeks—weren’t easy. They had no place to stay, and struggled to find food and shelter. Yusuke felt useless most of the time: Ryuji was usually the one who went out to hunt and forage, and also the one who found safe places for them to spend the night in. He never complained, though, always making sure that Yusuke was feeling well, both physically and emotionally.
It made Yusuke want to do something for him as well… But what? He had been raised to be a cult leader and perform demonic rituals, not survive in the wild like that. Besides… It was still difficult for him to deal with everything that happened. He was glad he was alive, of course, but the nightmares wouldn’t stop haunting him, to the point where he feared falling asleep.
That night, however, Yusuke was brought back from his light sleep by the sound of a small whimper. He looked to the side, seeing Ryuji curled into a ball, still asleep, but breathing hastily, with a terrified expression.
“Ryuji?”
Carefully, Yusuke touched Ryuji’s arm, which was enough to make him jolt up, glancing around with widened eyes. Once he noticed Yusuke’s surprised gaze, he seemed to relax a little.
“Sorry…” he said. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
Yusuke observed him for a moment. “It was a nightmare, wasn’t it?”
“It happens sometimes.” Ryuji averted his gaze. “Nothing to worry about.”
Part of Yusuke wanted to leave it at that, but… He couldn’t. Not when he knew how painful those things could be.
“I have those as well,” he admitted in a low voice. “Nightmares… Almost every night.”
“Because of what happened that night?”
“Yes.” Yusuke hesitated for a moment. “You too?”
It was Ryuji’s turn to seem hesitant. “No… It’s something else. But it happened a long time ago… I shouldn’t be so bothered by it.”
“I understand,” said Yusuke. “I still have nightmares about my mother’s death, even after all these years.”
Ryuji seemed slightly surprised. “Your mother?”
“She was a sick woman,” Yusuke explained. “I wish there was something I could have done for her, but… I was too young.”
“Didn’t the other humans help you?”
“My father considered it a sign of weakness. She couldn’t help the clan anymore, so… The clan refused to help her.”
Ryuji could do nothing but stare at him for a long while. “That’s… terrible.”
“I couldn’t leave her alone,” said Yusuke. “But I couldn’t do anything for her, either. I could just… stay by her side until the end.”
“That’s so wrong…”
It was a relief to hear someone finally say the same thing he felt during all those years. For so long, he had hated himself for resenting his father as much as he did… Now, he felt as if he could finally feel those things properly, instead of burying them deep inside his chest.
“I miss her every day,” he said. “She was the only one who ever made me feel loved. Everyone else… They respected me because of my father, but I never felt close to any of them.” A brief pause. “Part of me hated them for abandoning us, so… It might have been my fault.”
“It’s their fault for abandoning one of them like that!” Ryuji grunted, looking away. “They deserved what they got.”
He seemed to regret his words as soon as he said them, looking at Yusuke as if about to apologize. Yusuke, however, shook his head.
“Part of me felt the same way,” said Yusuke. “I thought I was a horrible person for it, but…”
“You’re not!” said Ryuji. “They should have helped you… You and your mom shouldn’t have gone through any of that.”
Yusuke couldn’t hold back a faint smile. “You don’t know how relieved I am to hear those words.”
Ryuji nodded, then stayed silent for a long while. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, as if struggling to find the words he wanted to say.
“That demon you saw that day…” he said, finally. “He was, y’know… A big thing where I came from. Got a bunch of demons to follow him. Most clans, actually. But us, dragons… We don’t follow anyone, so he hunted us.” He lowered his voice. “Since I was a kid, we were always running… We never knew when they would get to us, so we never stopped.”
He paused, looking at the ground. Yusuke stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.
“A lot of us died fighting them… Last time it happened, I was one of the few that survived. We would never surrender, so we kept fighting until the end. My mom… She led us against him, but… Even if she was strong, there were too many of them that day.”
Yusuke knew from Ryuji’s expression where that story was going, even before he finally muttered those last words.
“She died protecting me.”
His heart tightened, and he lowered his gaze. Yusuke knew that pain way too well… Enough to know that no words or actions would be enough to ease it. “I’m sorry.”
Ryuji showed a faint, sad smile. “I was ready to die trying to kill him, so…” He raised his head, looking at Yusuke. “Now that I’m still here, I don’t really know what to do.”
“I don’t know what to do, either.”
They stayed in silence for a while, until Ryuji moved closer, lightly touching Yusuke’s shoulder.
“Hey…” he said. “We’ll find an answer, right? We just need to keep going.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
Still, even with the promise of a better future, it was painful to keep living in the present. Ryuji lay down on his improvised bed and, after a second of hesitation, looked at Yusuke.
“Yusuke… Come closer.”
Without thinking much, Yusuke did as he said, lying by his side. Ryuji placed an arm around him, pulling him closer to his chest.
“I’ll keep you safe, alright?” Ryuji murmured. “I promise.”
The care in that gesture made Yusuke want to cry: he hadn’t felt something like that ever since his mother passed away.
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me,” said Ryuji. “We’ll take care of each other… Everything will be fine.”
“Yes…” Yusuke exhaled, closing his eyes. “Everything will be fine.”
During the following years, things slowly started to get better for them. They joined a guild of bounty hunters, which gave them enough money to spend most of their nights with a roof over their heads, and warm food in their bellies. It was hard work, and more often than not, dangerous—and yet, the freedom that came with it was like nothing Yusuke had experienced until then.
Yusuke and Ryuji always fought side by side, watching each other’s back. Yusuke wasn’t very strong in the beginning, but, little by little, experience turned him into an impressive warrior, who fought using a blade and ice magic. With time, he became capable enough to keep up with Ryuji even during the toughest jobs.
It also made the two of them grow closer with each passing day. Yusuke never had someone he could call a “friend,” but soon he realized that was how he started to think of Ryuji: his one, dear friend.
As time passed, however, their relationship slowly changed, and so did Yusuke’s feelings for Ryuji. What had once been pure fondness, was now often accompanied by a longing that he could barely contain.
“Y’know…” said Ryuji, as they prepared to go to sleep in that small inn. “I just realized something.”
Yusuke looked at him from his bed. “What is it?”
Ryuji looked at him. “I like this. Y’know… Traveling around, seeing the world…” He lowered his voice. “Being with you.”
Something in his words made Yusuke’s heart jump. “I see… I feel the same way.”
Ryuji smiled, but Yusuke couldn’t return it—not yet. There was much more he wanted to say, but the words always failed him. This time, however, he made an effort to let his feelings out, regardless of how difficult it could be.
“For the longest time,” he said, “I had given up on things like happiness. But, right now…” He paused briefly, meeting Ryuji’s gaze. “I am happy.”
Ryuji’s expression brightened a little. “Are you?”
“Thanks to you,” Yusuke continued. “Because you saved me…” He stopped talking, shaking his head. “No, because you kept saving me every day, until I learned how to live by myself. So, now I can finally appreciate it all fully… Without regrets.”
For a few seconds, Ryuji simply observed him with an unreadable expression. He averted his gaze, and Yusuke started to wonder if he had said something strange.
“You did the same for me.”
Saying that, Ryuji met his gaze once again.
“Yusu…” he smiled. “I’m happy too.”
This time, Yusuke could properly return his smile. Ryuji stood up, walking to Yusuke’s bed, sitting at the border of his mattress; Yusuke sat up, and they looked at each other for a moment. Yusuke raised his hand, touching Ryuji’s cheek, and Ryuji gently caressed his hair. Then, as if reaching their limits at the same time, they closed that distance, embracing each other as their lips softly touched.
Yusuke would be lying if he said he hadn’t imagined something like that before, and yet, the feeling was completely different from anything he could have anticipated, like a pleasant warmth spreading throughout his entire body, making his heart race, erasing every thought from his mind, until there seemed to be nothing in the world but the two of them.
They broke the kiss for just a moment, looking into each other’s eyes. Even without words, it felt like a promise: the two of them, united—not only by that pact, but something even deeper, which grew stronger every day—for as long as they lived.
Eight years into that dangerous and exciting life, Yusuke finally made that proposal that had been living in his mind for the past few months.
“I was thinking…” he said. “We have been traveling for a long time now. What if… we stopped?
The suggestion made Ryuji stare at him, surprised. “Stop?”
Yusuke nodded. “Find a nice place to live… Settle down.”
Ryuji didn’t answer for a while. The way he shifted in place made his discomfort with the idea quite clear.
“I… never thought about it,” he admitted.
It made sense, considering how he spent half of his life running and hiding in the underworld. Yusuke appreciated the freedom of always being on the road, belonging nowhere… Yet, the more time passed, the more he caught himself longing for something… different.
“I can find a job in one of the towns,” said Yusuke. “We won’t have as much money, but… It will be safe and peaceful.”
“Are you sure…?” Ryuji crossed his arms. “Isn’t it… dangerous? To stay in the same place for long?”
The fear in his voice brought a dull pain to Yusuke’s chest. He moved closer to Ryuji, carefully embracing him.
“Ryuji…” he said with a gentle voice. “There is no reason for us to keep running. All those terrible things are far behind us now.”
Ryuji stayed tense for a moment, then slowly relaxed into Yusuke’s arms. “I know, but… I ain’t human. What if… I don’t know, what if people learn about us, and…”
He didn’t finish that sentence, but Yusuke could understand his fear.
“No one will know who we are,” said Yusuke. “To them, we are two foreigners searching for a new place to live. We can see people like this everywhere… It isn’t something uncommon.”
Ryuji stayed silent for a moment, thinking. “I don’t know…”
“Are you against the idea, then?”
“No, I… I just…”
Silence again. An entire minute passed like that, until Ryuji finally responded, after a deep breath.
“Alright,” he said. “If you say things will be fine, then… I guess we can try.”
Yusuke moved slightly away, looking at him. “Are you sure?”
Ryuji shrugged, forcing a half smile. “Truth is, the idea kinda scares me. I never, y’know… stopped before. Doing that would kill me.”
Yusuke almost told him to forget that suggestion, but before he could, Ryuji continued.
“But I can’t stay scared my whole life, right?” A small pause. “And… This is important to you, ain’t it?”
“Not as much as you are,” said Yusuke. “If you don’t want this, then we don’t need to do it.”
Ryuji shook his head. “I know I’ve got no reason to be scared. And, if you really want this, then… I wanna give it a try, too.”
Yusuke stayed quiet for a moment, giving it some thought. “If it’s too difficult, we can start moving again, as we have been doing until now.”
“Yeah…” Ryuji took another deep breath, and this time, his smile felt a little more sincere. “Let’s do it, then.”
His willingness to give that kind of life a chance despite his fears brought a bittersweet feeling to Yusuke’s chest: he wanted to have a home, but it would all be meaningless if Ryuji wasn’t happy as well.
He tightened his arms around Ryuji, who hugged his waist, and they stayed like that for a long while, finding some comfort from their worries in that proximity.
It took some time, but they finally found the place: a small house in a village fairly close to a bigger city. It had been abandoned for years, and would need some renovations, but it was also cozy and good enough for two people who wanted to settle down.
They used most of their savings to fix the holes in the roof, repair the old floorboards and windows, and cover the walls with a fresh coat of paint. As for the furniture, at first, they only bought the bare essentials; with time, however, the place started to feel a little more full, with details about its two residents seen at every surface: anything from small decorations, to handmade items, to notes they left for each other before leaving for the day, to other small mementos and gifts they received.
And so, for the first time in their lives, the two of them had a home.
It didn’t take long for Ryuji to find a job as a hunter, and Yusuke, as the assistant of an old artist. It was a simple job, cleaning brushes and palettes, and doing a handful of other small tasks. He hadn’t, however, expected art to fascinate him as much as it did. His employer, noticing it, started to teach him the basics, seeming surprised by how quickly he learned and improved his skills. Once he practiced enough, the artist made him his apprentice—someone who would not only help him with more complex jobs, but also work on his own projects, helping Yusuke make a name for himself.
Ryuji, on the other hand, soon started to lead his own group of warriors, who kept the roads safe for residents and travelers. There had been a few rumors about Ryuji’s inhuman strength over the years, but most people didn’t seem to care much about it: he was a good man, who kept their homes safe… Why should they worry about anything other than that?
At some point, the two of them became well-known not only in their village, but in the city as well. Yusuke was once glad to have one single friend, so it took him a while to get used to the idea of having so many people who cared about him. Neighbors, fellow artists, Ryuji’s coworkers, and other people they met and grew closer to… Together, they were enough to fill their house with chatting and laughter during the good times, as well as warmth and support during difficult ones.
It wasn’t just the two of them anymore, and yet, he felt closer than ever before to Ryuji: having more time to spend peacefully together, without worrying so much about surviving, allowed them to see parts of each other that were still unknown—to their partner and themselves. No matter how busy they could get with their jobs and friends, they always found time for just the two of them, be it by taking a walk, trying new things together, or simply doing different activities in the same room—the action didn’t matter as much as the company.
It was a quiet life, especially when compared to the constant excitement of their bounty-hunter days. Still, in all its peacefulness, Yusuke found his greatest joys: his newly discovered passion for art, the warmth of a place he could call his own, the chance to spend his days beside a loved person, without the fear of something bad happening at any moment.
Yusuke and Ryuji sat in front of their fireplace that night, sharing a blanket and a few funny stories about their day.
“Y’know, Yusu…”
Yusuke looked at him, but Ryuji didn’t continue immediately, his eyes on a painting Yusuke had recently finished, which now rested above the fireplace.
“Yes, love?” said Yusuke.
Ryuji looked at him, a warm, content smile taking his lips. “You were right… Having a home feels really nice.”
Those words filled Yusuke’s chest with a sweet, almost bubbly sensation. “It does.”
They looked at each other for a moment, sharing that feeling without the need for words; then, leaned in for a kiss, holding each other close, as if unable to get enough of that warmth they came to love so much.
It was… perfect. Yusuke never thought he would use such a word to describe his life, and yet, at that moment, he couldn’t imagine anything better than what he already had.