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As the young master of the house, the sole heir of the Kanade fortune, Izuru was a young man who had never been denied anything his heart desired.
Izuru had longed for a companion that could match his musical genius so his parents commissioned a pair of reclusive scientists. From their lab, they created a man forged from metal with a mind shaped by the world's finest singers, for there was no single human that could possibly compare to the talented boy.
He sits in the lap of his android at the start of the day, comforted by the warmth in those green eyes as they sing in harmony.
When they reach the end of the song list for the day his android gives him a thoughtful look.
"Close your eyes and open your mouth."
It's easy to follow the softly spoken but firm words as he waits out the sounds of fumbling from the usual morning slowness before the distinctive sound of rustling foil reaches his ears.
Moments later a small chocolate square is placed on his tongue, already starting to melt.
A little bitter, a little sweet, dark chocolate today, a decadent treat for the morning.
Then lips against his, the following kiss is slow and easy, a steady hand against his cheek that was a cool contrast to the warmth of his face.
His android then pulls away slowly, gently parting his bangs to place a brief kiss on his forehead before Izuru prepares for his trip outside.
When he had asked for a dog his family thought that was far too plain and brought a jackal home, however, the jackal was too wild to be confined to the house so it roamed the dense woods outside of the manor.
The jackal’s handsome voice followed him as soon as he set foot into the woods.
Soft, seductive words to lure him off of the well-worn path and into the dark.
When the jackal finally shows himself, with clawed hands suddenly wrapping around his torso from behind, he isn’t surprised.
“What do you have for me, young master?”
The ritual.
Master and pet, predator and prey, the roles that they play have long been blurred.
Izuru always brings something that he has made with his own hands, something filling and heavy with rich meat the main focus of the meal, he carries it in a small basket which is gently pulled from his grasp.
He has never gone to this part of the woods without an offering.
With the food in hand, his jackal is once again like a small puppy, off to stash the food away before returning to lead him to the large pond in the middle of the woods.
They stand together at the water's edge, watching the deer tentatively drinking on the other side.
"You should visit more often, come back with me to my den. We could put on a beautiful play together, young master."
Izuru smiles at the often repeated request but says nothing.
When he shivers from winter's chill the jackal takes him in his arms where he gets to feel small and safe, listening to the steady beat of the jackal's heart.
Soft kisses along his neck, the barest hint of teeth against his throat before he is gently returned to the ground, to make his way back home before the sun sets.
Before he turns away the jackal gives one last kiss to the palm of his hand.
Something for him to hold onto until next time.
In the kitchen where he makes meals for himself, he often hears echoes of laughter, a cute boyish voice that sometimes calls to him respectfully. He doesn't know this ghost well but it seems to hold no malice.
There are harmless little jokes, the jam hidden on the highest shelf of the cupboard, a stag beetle somehow scurrying along in the cutlery drawer, all followed by childish laughing.
Today the laughing is hushed and accompanied by the feeling of a cool hand holding his- just briefly.
With supper done he leaves the kitchen.
He sneaks into the inner courtyard later that night, the light of the full moon his sole guide on the path that takes him to the old stone well.
On nights like this, the empty well gave off a faint green light.
Using his rope and the firm trunk of a nearby tree he makes his way down into the cool cavern where something otherworldly awaits.
The boy with the stars in his hair is too engrossed in his arcane chant to notice him at first, the thin silver chain that bound him to a boulder stretched to its limit as he frantically wrote in a thin looping script on the walls.
The boy was an enigma but always fascinating to talk to, he often sang, he cursed his captors, and he could talk endlessly of the stars and his old, barely remembered friends.
He loved humanity.
He hated humanity.
He spoke of other worlds, other dimensions.
Could he believe in another version of himself that played for passers-by on the street? The boy's words were not always true but it was fun to imagine.
Tonight is a good night and the boy sings with him for hours, voice unwavering until he starts to fade away.
The sun is rising.
As his body starts to become wispy and transparent the boy with the stars in his hair comes to attention and notices just how close they are sitting together.
Those fine features twist in an almost childish display of disgust.
A split second later his face softens, before he draws Izuru up into a quick pressureless hug, light as air.
Then the cavern is empty once more and it's time to go back home.
Izuru is a boy well-loved.