Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

These kinds of things only happen to certain people.

They don’t happen to small town folk like Chuuya, they don’t and they shouldn’t.

So why does he find himself in the woods like this? How did he find himself running like this? Away from strange people who chased him as though they wished to harm him. No, that couldn’t be what they’re after. They could not possibly want someone like him dead. Right?

His breathing was labored, his legs ached with the pain of running for so long and so fast. He could last a while in a full-on sprint, but he wasn’t invincible, it would only be so long before he has to slow down, but if he does, he’ll be caught.

He narrowly dodged a tree with a panicked yelp, his focus was slowly leaving him, soon he would be running blindly, he knew this and he couldn’t do anything about it. The adrenaline was painful, the fear was ragged in his chest and throat and it hurt .

The footsteps behind him sent a sharp shock up his spine every time they hit the ground, the rustling of the bushes became faster, closer.

They were so close.

He couldn’t outrun them. They were coming closer.

He needed to get away. He couldn’t run any faster. What does he do? What can he even do here? Think, think, think! Anything god, anything-! He would take it if it would just spare him a few more minutes, a few more seconds even!

Chuuya looked ahead, wishing and hoping that there was something for him to use to at least slow them down a little. Trees, vines, roots, stone .

There was a stone. It was partially hidden behind a tall tree but it was there, ten paces ahead of him. He could grab it and use it, he just had to time it right.

Gritting his teeth, Chuuya shifted more to the right, closer to the trees and to the bushes that conceal the figure of the ones who pursued him. Ten paces became eight, then eight paces became five and as he reached the third pace he reached out to grab it, which he was successful in doing without slowing down.

He held it close to his form, its irregular shape feeling odd against him but he didn’t let him distract him. Now what? He needed to throw it, he knew that but he couldn’t do that so carelessly, he couldn’t even see them! And he only had one, could he really get three with just one stone?

A glance to the left and then to the right, there was no one beside him, he could still hear them a few paces behind him but they were getting closer, they were closing in on him.

Never before has he felt so much like an animal. Like a caged in, wild animal fearing for its survival, for its life that it hasn’t lived all that long. He felt as though he had become prey, the predators breathing down his back and setting alight the goosebumps on his skin.

Never before has adrenaline put him through so much pain. He didn’t want this. He didn’t want to die like this, for whatever reason it was- he didn’t want this.

Live, survive, he had to do this somehow, he had to think and focus or he’d end up dead in just a few minutes! 

His breathing was ragged and quick, it was painful to even breathe but he had to. His terrified eyes looked around once more, it was futile. His ears listened to the fast feet that stubbornly followed him.

One on his left, one on his right, the other in the trees above- no; they changed, they transitioned and switched. The right became the middle, the left became the right and the middle became the left but they met. They met in the middle before switching places.

Chuuya stubbornly kept running. Just a few more seconds! He needed to know if it would happen again, if it does then he has a chance, if he does then he has a plan, if it does-

The left became the middle, the right became the left, the middle became the right.

And they met in the middle.

If he could see himself, then maybe a glimpse of hope flashed in his eyes, but he couldn’t celebrate so soon, he hadn't escaped yet. No, now he knew what to do. It would be a gamble, but he didn’t have a choice. It took time that he didn’t know if he had but it was his only choice.

Again and again and again.

Ten seconds, fifteen seconds, ten seconds, fifteen seconds, ten seconds .

A pattern, a chance.

He could make it, he could make it work.

He began to count the seconds. The seconds that it took for him to jump the large roots of the trees. The seconds it took to make a turn. Eight seconds and they were closer, ten seconds and they got even closer.

5, and he was losing his pace.

4, his chest hurt trying to breathe.

3, he could almost taste the blood ready to spill from his body.

2, he could hear their breathing.

1, and he took a chance.

He turned on his heel and reeled his arm back far. He could see them now and they were shrouded in black, a mist, a phantom- what is it? He didn’t have time to ponder those questions or wonder if they were impossible. No, he only had time to aim, to throw, to strike and to run .

Head on, the stone collided with the three of them where they met in the middle– and the shrieks they had let out. God, that wasn’t human, that didn’t sound even the least bit human and he could feel the bout of terror roll down his spine. The adrenaline was agonizing at this point; he wanted to stop, he wanted to rest but his feelings kept his legs moving, kept his eyes swinging to and fro for an escape, something, anything at all!

Chuuya let out a gasp as a shot of pain went through his side.

It was sharp, it was fast and it burned . It felt as though someone set something in him alive, that was eating him from the inside out and it hurt . He stumbled and he tripped over a tree’s roots as he entered an opening where the trees lacked in number to form a clearing.

He fell and he rolled into the ground, the pain hitting him every time he ended up on his side and a hiss escaped him all the same. He couldn’t move for a moment, as if he had been paralyzed but really it was simply because he had stopped moving. His body wasn’t moving anymore, his feet took the time to rest against his will and he couldn’t move them, he used them too much and he was now paying the price for it.

He struggled to lift his head, his body felt far too heavy to sustain but he had to move. He didn’t know if they were still coming. He had to hide, to get away somehow but he didn’t know how he was going to do that.

He struggled to his hands and knees with a pained grunt and a yell as his left hand flew to his right side and-

And there was blood.

His eyes widened, shocked and fearful as the pain really set in. It was harsh, it was strong in its presence and it wouldn’t let him move. His blood; it was so warm, it was thick and it was gushing, it was leaving him .

No, no he couldn’t let that happen. He pushed down on the wound, his hand already covered in the red. He couldn’t stay where he was, he needed to leave. It hurt and it was hard, but he had to move now.

Crawling with his one hand and leaning over to his uninjured side was harder than it sounded, it took him too long to move, he would hardly get anywhere like this. Look forward, look anywhere, he needed something to get to, a shelter, a hiding space whatever it was it didn’t matter it just had to be something useful.

In front of him stood something he had only heard in legends. Legends that he never believed and even though it was before him now, he still refused to believe it.

A statue is what it was, and it was tall, much taller than him at a glance. The stone was dark and worn, chipped and covered in overgrown greenery. He’s never seen one before, but he's heard of many just like it.

He’s heard of the stories, the legends and the tails of statues shaped like foxes. Statues surrounded by blue lights and covered in them too.

No, he refused to believe that this was the statue of a kitsune. Legends were myths and myths were legends. He couldn’t believe it, he wouldn’t because there was nothing to show that it was real and not just a cruel joke. He didn’t even have the luxury of time to wonder about it anyway.

The bushes shuddered behind him and reignited the fear in his heart. The footsteps were back and he wasted too much time just laying there, he wasted too much time willing away the fear of a lie he’d known all his life. He was going to pay for it; no, no he couldn’t do this.

He didn’t want to end like this. Not like this, so young and so knowledgeable, so young and unfulfilled. There were so many things he still wanted to do, there were so many things he hadn't discovered yet.

There were so many things that he still couldn’t remember.

Chuuya grit his teeth and began to crawl his way towards the statue, begging and pleading for his feet, his hands, his legs, his arms and his whole body to just move, to carry him only a little bit further so that he could hold on to some kind of leverage.

His ears were ringing, they always had been but he hadn’t wanted to think about it. His arms were heavy and they were weighing him down and it ached and he has never wanted to cry more than now in this short life he’s lived.

This desolate and disappointing life he’s lived through could never have prepared him for this night, when the moon was full and the stars dared not to show their faces.

He was so close to the statue that appeared like a nameless tomb. To the people- the things that hunted his life without rest. To the end and the judge of his life, whether continued on or stopped right there.

All the same, through his desperation and dread, he expected nothing less than death.

“Don’t try and escape, boy.”

No. No, he wanted to live.

“Stop. Don’t run from your fate.”

He wanted to run. He didn’t want to stop. They couldn’t make him.

“Come back to us, Arahabaki .”

Chuuya grit his teeth and raised his hand. He was so close, just take hold and-

And then it was cold. There was a chill that shot through his body like an arrow of frost aimed for his soul. It was cold and it was dark. The cold blocked out all other feelings. All he felt was cold, all he could smell was cold, all he could see was the cold darkness and all he could hear was the muffled yells in the distance that felt cold .

It was pitch black, he couldn’t see his hand that he knew was in front of him. What happened? Where was he? The night wasn’t so dark that he couldn’t see even the barest inch, and it would never get so dark so suddenly either.

He touched the statue, he knew he did but that couldn’t have been it. Legends are myths and myths are legends. It couldn’t be the statue that brought him here, right?

Suddenly, his weight shifted, and with a yelp his body was moved to stand. It didn’t hurt like he expected it to, no he felt absolutely nothing, as if the blood he knew had been flowing had stopped and the wound in his side had closed up. But how? It didn’t make sense. For him, a wound that felt  like this would take a week and a day or two to heal, but this felt instantaneous.

Chuuya tried to look around, he really did, but he couldn’t move his head, only his eyes obeyed his desperate commands. That didn’t mean he could see anything though.

Well, that soon changed.

It started as a faint blue light. Its shine was just as cold as his surroundings, but it was visible. From there it only got brighter and brighter, bigger and bigger until he could finally see what it was.

A flame. It was a small, blue flame.

And that small blue flame began to flicker, then it began to swirl and twist and bend until it took on a shape. And that shape was a fox head.

With wide eyes, Chuuya stared with dread as it got bigger and bigger until it grew a body and stood meters above him. The head of the fire shifted and formed eyes that peered down at him without even a hint of emotion. Just the gaze alone sent a wave of discomfort through his body, the worst part was that it was exactly what it was. A blue fire in the shape of a fox.

This wasn’t possible. Fire couldn’t do such impossible tricks. He must be hallucinating, he must be dead even because the laws of the earth would never allow something like this.

And yet, something about this, he feels like he’s seen it before. Only slightly but there was something he was missing, something that felt familiar yet not, close yet not, distant…yet not. What was this feeling? He didn’t like this feeling, there were too many unknowns, there was too much that he wasn’t understanding.

It felt like an eternity as the fire (the fox, the blue) gazed down at him. Examining him from the top of his redhead, to the bottom of his slippered feet. Why was it looking at him that? What even was it?

He wanted to scream, he wanted to run and be anywhere but wherever this place was. He wanted to go home. He wanted to go back to the family that took him in when he had nothing, the family that he owed so much. He wanted to go back to something he knew, that he could explain why it felt so familiar.

Not this. Not this eerie feeling that he swears he’s known from somewhere before. He didn’t want this unexplainable feeling in his chest and this dull ache that’s begun to bang in his head the more he stares back into the blue abyss.

It felt like so long before something finally happened. Even if it wasn’t something he liked at all.

The fox, the fire, the blue. It opened its mouth, slow and wider and wider until it seemed to stretch in vain. Chuuya wanted to step back, he tried but he couldn’t. He couldn’t move and the fox, the fire, the blue- it was getting closer.

Closer. It was getting closer. It kept coming forwards, it hovered above him and it wouldn’t move away. It was getting closer. It was too close .

The next thing he knew, the fox (the fire, the blue ) had swallowed him whole. But the fire didn’t burn. It didn’t hurt, it didn’t feel like anything but the cold.

That didn’t change his fear, but he found that he couldn’t scream. He couldn’t make a sound as it took him. Maybe this is how he’d die?

As he lost consciousness, he felt as though he were missing something again.

Oh, right.

He never got to say goodbye to The Sheep.

… … … …

Everything was fuzzy.

From the tips of his toes, to the top of his head. It all felt fuzzy and jumbled. He blinked open his eyes that took some time to adjust to the sudden change in brightness.

Right. It was bright. Wasn’t it just nighttime? Chuuya couldn’t have possibly been asleep for so long, he never sleeps past 6.

No, that wasn’t right. He didn’t fall asleep, he passed out; or, he thinks he did.

The memories were slowly coming back to him. The three people that chased him, the pain that had been in his side, the shrine and the darkness.

The fox, the blue, the fire.

Where was he?

That seemed to wake Chuuya right up and he shook his head in an attempt to rid himself of the dizziness. He had questions, so many questions that had no answers. Where was he? What happened? Why was his side no longer in pain? What had the shrine done to him? What was that thing ?

The moment Chuuya sat up, one of his questions was partially answered. The pain in his side wasn’t truly gone, but it was significantly reduced, and when he grabbed onto it, he only found dried blood on his clothes, not the flowing, warm version he had felt before. But that only brought up more questions that made his head hurt.

He looked up and around and found himself in a temple, a big one at that. It was much larger than the one in his village, so he clearly wasn’t home. His chest constricted at the realization that he had no clue where he was, but he forced himself to be calm. He’ll never figure out anything if he panics.

The first order of business, Chuuya decided, was to see if there were any clues as to whose temple this was. Temples were built for gods, so if he could figure that out, then it might give him some idea at least of what side of the forest he was in.

The village was located on an island, a large one, but still an island. That island was made mostly of forestry and bordered by white beaches; but it was divided in four by regions. His region, the east, worshiped the gods of fortune and trickery. The West worshiped the gods of fertility and wealth, the north worshiped travel and creation, and the south worshiped war and immortality.

With that in mind, Chuuya began to examine the picture on the walls. Every temple had them, and they all depicted the greatness of the deity they were built for. This one though… Chuuya couldn’t say that he really recognized them. Sure he had never really been interested in things like the gods and the supernatural, but it was part of his village’s culture, so of course he had been taught each and every one of the deities that could ever have been taught about.

But this? A big part of why he didn’t know is because he doesn’t think he’s ever seen it before, but the bigger part would be because the walls were scratched and damaged to hell and back. He’s never seen a temple disrespected like this before, but the pictures were almost unreadable. The most he could get was that it was at least a god of fortune, so he was still in the east.

That revelation made him breathe a sigh of relief that was cut off by a hiss in reaction to the sting of his wounded side. That meant that the next objective was to check on the wound.

He almost didn’t want to really, but he knew he had to, so without further hesitation Chuuya pushed open his yukata. His eyes widened upon seeing the closed up injury. He was sure that he had been bleeding immensely before,  so clearly there had been an opening.

What was this? Was he going crazy? Did any of that even happen or was it just a dream? No, that wouldn't explain why he was in an unknown temple with no memory of how he got there. So how did this happen? A person’s body could never heal that quickly!

There wasn’t much he could do about that though, he had no way to examine it and he didn’t even know how to in the first place. He would have to leave it for later, so for now he needs to find a way back home. With that said, he stood up and walked to the entrance of the temple. However, when he got out, he was met with an unbelievable sight.

Floating islands. Broken pieces of blue.

The sky was broken .

The horror grew on his face as he stared at what was in front of him. The sky; what happened to the sky? Why did it look broken and out of place? How was there land floating in and above the clouds? It was impossible, he simply had to be dreaming!

But, he knew he wasn’t. That still didn’t make it any more believable. Chuuya took a step back, away from the scene in front of him and towards the temple, but he stopped in his tracks when he heard a rustle in the bushes. The silence was deafening after it, he was afraid to look in the direction of the sound, half expecting those three to come out from them and finally kill him.

The rustling appeared again, but it was closer this time. That finally snapped Chuuya out of his frightened state and he didn’t waste a second more before breaking out into a run into the forest. Behind, the thing let out a screech. It sounded neither human nor animal, and it sent a cold shudder down Chuuya’s back, but it didn’t slow him down.

Once again he found himself running. How many times would he do this now? Twice more? Thrice more? He couldn’t think about this right now. He didn’t have a clue what was chasing him this time, but he didn’t dare take the chance to look back.

There were no footsteps, only the rustling of the leaves and bushes, and that didn’t make any sense! How could it be following so quickly yet so silently? He couldn’t tell where it was like this!

Chuuya ran through the forest, dodging trees, bushes and random dips in the ground. He wasn’t going to last as long as he did before, he was still tired from before and his side throbbed agonizingly every time his feet fell so harshly. His breathing was already becoming unstable and hard to maintain, and god he wasn’t surviving this was he? Of course he wasn’t, he couldn’t possibly be so lucky, not again.

Sweat trailed down his face, down his back and his arms and his head felt as if it would explode with the heat building up in it. His side burned and all he wanted to stop, but he couldn’t. No, instead, he burst into a clearing, coming to an abrupt stop when he saw someone, a person staring at him with a shocked expression.

His vision was hazy and his head was spinning, but he could still see that this person had brown hair, the blue swamping them must be their clothing, and he didn’t know what that white bit was, but it looked engulfing.

Chuuya tried to speak, but before he could get a word out, a lump built up in the back of his throat and the next thing he knew, he was throwing up blood. Horror crossed his face again as he looked down to find that his wound had reopened, the closing had been thin and it couldn’t handle all the rough and sudden movement. The blood was flowing again and it stained his clothes further, getting all over his hand as he tried to put pressure on it futilely.

He looked up one more time to find the person standing now. His breathing was labored and his vision got fuzzier and fuzzier by the second, and the only thing he could manage to say was-!

“...Goddamnit.”

… … …

The next time Chuuya came to, the first thing he heard was the soothing sound of drifting water.

It was slow and trickled ever so lightly. It was gentle on his sensitive ears, and when he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a clear river, lazily drifting beside him. The more his vision cleared up, the more he saw; the small and colorful flowers at the riverbed, the rocks that peaked and jutted out from the ground at varying sizes, and the green grass that was short and soft on his skin. When he turned to look up, he was greeted by the view of a large tree, larger than anything he’s ever seen in his life.

Its flowers were a bright and vibrant pink, they were small too. It must be a cherry blossom tree, but he’s never seen one so big before. But, how odd; there were vines on that cherry blossom tree, did they always have vines? He was not quite sure. The light that fell on that tree look…strange, as if it were almost a rainbow, but not quite.

And when he looked further to the side-

… What?

He knew he saw them before, he saw this person before he passed out, but now he could see them fully. They had fluffy brown hair, pale skin, and were wearing an intricately designed kimono with light hues of blue, their nagajuban was a dark blue, and their obi looked strange as well. But that wasn’t what caught his attention, no, what caught his attention was something he could never hope to explain.

Ears. Ears on their head, and many tails behind them.

It didn’t make sense, nothing in the past few hours has made any sense but this!? What was he supposed to make of this? Who or what was this person?

Chuuya lifted himself onto his elbows and started to inch away, taking advantage of how the person wasn’t looking at him, and instead, had their gaze turned away. He breathed deeply and quietly, a steady stream of fear trickling down his throat and into his chest.

But then a hand suddenly pressed down on his chest and he was forced to lie down again. That trickling fear suddenly turned into a storm of panic as they turned to look at him, and suddenly, he was faced with a brown, almost red eye with slit pupils. The other was covered in bandages, and now that he thought about it, this man was entirely wrapped in bandages.

“Huh, I almost didn’t notice you running away. Don’t move.” This person sounded male, he probably was. Before Chuuya could think twice, he slapped away the hand on his chest and backed up further, still staying relatively close to the ground. The man, the..thing.. Whatever he was, looked shocked at this action.

“Well, aren’t you a fighter,” he said. Chuuya opened his mouth to speak but all that came out was a yelp as something strong but soft wrapped around his ankle and dragged him back. It didn’t hold on any longer than that before the feeling was gone but Chuuya could already tell what it was. It was one of those tails, they were huge in comparison to the both of them and Chuuya didn’t know what to make of them.

“Tell me, human.” The man spoke, catching Chuuya’s anticipated attention. “What are you doing in the Yokai world?” He asked.

What? The Yokai world? What even was that? No, no, it was obvious what it was. It must be the home of Yokai, like the ones he always heard about in stories that his friends told him, the ones some crazy man would preach every other day. The realm of Yokai, the supernatural and unbelievable.

That was where he was right now? How did he get here and what happened? Was it that shrine? It had to be, there was no other explanation! Chuuya grit his teeth. If this was the Yokai world, and this man had referred to him as a ‘human’ and had animal features then-

Oh god. This was a Yokai.

The man tilted his head, waiting for an answer. Chuuya steeled his heart and spoke. “I don’t know.” His answer came out clear and concise, better than he had expected really, but this answer truly caught the man’s attention. The ears on his head (oh god was that jarring) twitched with an intention Chuuya couldn’t identify.

“You…don’t know?” he asked, leaning forward in interest. Chuuya himself leaned back to keep the distance, his mind still perceiving the other as an anticipated threat. “Wow, a human hasn’t accidentally come here in centuries. It hasn’t been possible, so how…?” He wondered aloud.

Chuuya scowled. This was ridiculous, why was he entertaining him when what he needed was answers. There was too much he didn’t know and too much that he was just assuming, he could not expect to survive on that alone.

“Hey!” he called, bringing the man’s attention back to him. “What is the Yokai world?” he asked. Really, it sounded like a dumb question, but it is always best to cover all of his bases. The man smirked, pointed teeth taking center stage when he did, and made Chuuya lean back a little further, now back to laying on the ground.

“The Yokai world…well, it’s more of a realm than a world I should say,” he started. “The Yokai world is as the name states, a world full of Yokai. Demons, ghouls, ghosts, even things that humans perceive as gods exist here.” So, the unimaginable.

“Anything and everything?” Chuuya asked, quieter than he would’ve liked. “Yes. Even the plants aren’t normal here. Anything and everything happens here,” he said.

Chuuya’s eyes widened as he thought back to the temple he woke up in. So that temple truly belonged to a god, a real god. But now that he thought about it, his hand reached to his side to feel for the wound.

“Oh, that. That was not a pleasant surprise at all,” the man said when Chuuya’s fingers came into contact with a thread. He opened his kimono and looked at the wound, to find it closed up by a golden thread. It was glowing lightly and anxiety swelled at the base of his stomach. What was that thread? Why was it glowing and why…

Why does he feel off? As if something was missing in his side that he couldn’t identify. Chuuya looked back at the man who grimaced lightly. “What happened? What did you do?” Chuuya asked, a little frantic. The man took Chuuya’s hand (his nails were sharp, he hadn’t seen that) and removed it.

“Don’t agitate it. That thread was all I had on me. It will prevent scarring and lasting damage to the skin, but…” He trailed off. Seeming as if he were trying to put words to what he had to say. Chuuya scowled at his hesitance and snapped, “What? Say it, damnit!”

This had the man looking at him again, a minute shock in his eyes before it disappeared into an unreadable expression. With a smile and closed eyes, he said.

“There was nothing I could do to save your kidney.”

…What?

“I had to remove it.”

“What!?” Chuuya exclaimed in panic. Remove it? Remove his kidney ??? “How did you- why did- you!” Chuuya scrambled to ask some kind of question, anything to make sense of what he was just told. He gripped his side and immediately felt sick at the thought that there was now an empty space in his side. It didn’t feel right, awful and disgusting and-

Chuuya gagged at the thought, bile stuck in his throat but he refused to let it out. He slammed a hand over his mouth as he backed away from the yokai, even further. “Hey, I’d prefer if you don’t spill your yucky human fluids all over my grass!” the yokai warned, but Chuuya had enough of listening to him talk. Hell, he’s had enough of this place!

So, without a second thought, Chuuya stood up on shaky legs, turned around, and ran. He could hear the brown haired yokai call him to come back but he didn’t listen. He couldn’t. He only had one destination in mind. One that took him jumping and stumbling across the river’s slippery stones.

He wanted to go home.

He needed to get to the temple.

He knew where he came from because blood trailed there. His own blood spilt as a reminder of what he’s lost. What was taken from him. He paled at the sight of it, but he followed it nonetheless.

It was his only lead after all, he didn’t have any other choice. But, how many times would he have to run today? Was it still even the same day? How would he even know in this world? What was new and what was different?

No, no! Too many questions without answers! Don’t think just run! It hurts, his side hurts and he could feel the thread stretch and strain against his skin and it was sickening . The texture was horrid against and in his skin and he hated it.

He needed to leave. Nothing was making sense and he wanted it to, but it just wasn’t! His breath quickened as the trail of blood ended. Frantically, he looked around; he had to be nearby now, he just had to be!

Chuuya’s eyes widened and he turned around when he heard the rustling of the bushes, not an ounce of hope filled him at the sound, only dread and realization as it sunk in what he had just done.

How could he have forgotten those mysterious sounds? There was something or some things here that had been chasing him. How could he be this stupid!

Chuuya backed away slowly from the bush, hoping against hope that it wouldn’t come out to find him. Yet, as he expected, he was wrong. No, what approached certainly looked like an animal; a fox.

But- there were no details. It was simply a shape, a dark imitation. Yet still it bared fangs at him. Yet still its eyes shone an electric blue. It had to be fake, it didn’t look real, was he hallucinating? He couldn’t be, but…

Chuuya took another step back and the fox approached him by two. Breathing slowly, he crouched down, feet poised to run, to jump away, anything the moment it attacked him. He could see its plan from the way it lowered its front, its ears down and jaw open, ready to snap. A soft but harsh growl rumbled slowly out of its throat and the sound made Chuuya break out into a cold sweat.

For a long minute there was silence. Neither looking away from each other as one advanced and the other backed up. Tension was long passed being thick and Chuuya almost felt that he could choke on it. However, he stayed present.

The moment his foot snapped a branch, the beast pounced.

Chuuya rolled out of the way, his foot scraping the branch, but he didn’t think to stop. No, instead, he broke off a branch from a nearby bush and turned around, lodging it vertically in its jaws. That move caught it off guard and it backed up with an angry yowl.

Chuuya gritted his teeth as his side clenched and cramped up. God did it hurt! It hurt so fucking much but he had to run! He turned his back on the beast and ran, hearing the snap of a branch had never made his stomach churn before, but now it did.

And he’d never stop making mistakes today, it seems.

The next thing he knew, he was falling. His eyes wide as the fear set in again and everything suddenly felt so slow. The cold breath of the beast hitting the back of his head, the sharp clawed paws on his back, the approaching green of the grass and brown of the ground. The black that was his shadow.

The smile in his shadow.

Chuuya gasped, but he couldn’t escape the figure as it appeared out of his shadow, robes light colored and soft as they wrapped around him and brought him down. The claws on his back tore through his yukata and skin, and he couldn’t hold back the pained yell that escaped from the back of his throat.

But it didn’t last. The claws lost their grip, there was no cold breath behind him. There was only silence and darkness for a few seconds before it receded back and Chuuya fell forward onto the grass.

He groaned in pain upon impact. He swore that he hadn’t gone in first, someone was in front of him so how was it that he came out first? Chuuya gripped his side and turned back to the fox that now leaned against the tree. He was so clearly disappointed. Chuuya was tempted to scoff at his gaze.

“Seriously? Are you that foolish?” The question didn’t sound like a question at all. It sounded like a condescending thought said aloud, and that infuriated Chuuya. “Shut it, fox,” he snapped.

The ears on his head perked up at the back talk, and Chuuya swore that he saw his eye twitch. But he didn’t pay it mind. No. Instead, he turned away and sat up, breathing slowly and deeply to try and push through the pain.

“What was that thing? It looked like a fox, but knowing this place that couldn’t have been all it was,” he mumbled. The fox walked past him with a sigh. “At least you aren’t all that empty headed,” he commented.

“My god,” Chuuya grumbled.

“Yes?” the fox responded, its grin wide and cheshire.

Chuuya’s eyes rolled at that response and stood up, watching the fox walk to the river and kneel down. “Seriously. What was it? You would know, wouldn’t you?” The brown fox hummed affirmatively as he placed his hands into the water.

“It was a sentry.” He took his hands out of the water and collapsed them in what looked like prayer. He was silent for a few moments before unclasping his hands and continuing to speak. “Whatever gets in through the gate that wasn’t invited, is found and either captured or killed by them. And before you ask, they wouldn’t dare come over here.”

Chuuya watched the fox drink the water as he thought. A sentry. That makes sense all things considered, but if it was there, then there’s no way he can get back to the temple. Not with that in the way.

“How do I get past it?” Chuuya asked, moving to stand at the brunette's side. He peaked up at redhead and only continued his sipping. The two held eye contact for a long while, and Chuuya’s patience grew thinner.

But that was clearly what the fox was betting on. Chuuya wouldn’t give it to him so easily. So, he continued to stare, not letting up no matter how uncomfortable he felt. Gods, why was it only now that he was remembering the fact that what was in front of him could kill him without a thought?

The brunette’s eye twitched and he sighed. “Fine, fine. There is a way to get past it,” he admitted.

“Yeah? Then tell me,” Chuuya said. It was more of demand really, but his tone was so light that it almost couldn’t be called that. Not that the fox didn’t notice.

He huffed and stood. Folding his hands behind his back and into his sleeves. Chuuya was looking up at him now, and he felt small. He can’t ever recall truly feeling small before, he hated it. Without a thought, Chuuya stood straighter, trying to make himself seem bigger against the other.

It only really helped a little. His glare was sharp and cold, but almost unfeeling in a way. Without the light in that eye, he looked especially pale; almost as if he had never known the sun even though they stood in it now.

“Make a contract.”

Chuuya narrowed his eyes. A lump formed in his throat, and he didn’t even try to swallow it down. Rather, he looked out to the forest from which he came and waited for it to dissolve.

“With whom?” he asked.

The fox grinned down at him. His eye crinkled with that smile but it wasn’t soft or butterfly inducing like one would describe in books. Yes, certainly he looked happy. But he looked like he was happy because he had won . Chuuya has never felt smaller, and the only thing he felt in his stomach was wriggling worms and his coiling intestines.

“With me of course.”

…. …. …. …

Chuuya couldn’t believe any of this was happening.

He couldn’t believe anything that was in front of him, and he didn’t want to. It didn’t change the fact that he had to.

The fox had led him off in the opposite direction of where he had come. The forest had been denser for a while, but it hadn’t lasted long, and if he had to guess, they weren’t any further than a couple hundred yards away from where they were before.

What he had led Chuuya to was a quaint little treehouse. It was nothing special, but it was bigger than he would expect a treehouse to be. The fox jumped up to the top, not bothering with the ladder, whilst Chuuya was forced to climb. He was laughed at for it. But it’s not like he can jump that high in the first place!

Chuuya huffed but looked around while Dazai seemed to search for something. There were quite a few windows on the walls and were of decent size. The place was filled with pillows, blankets, little lanterns and a few pieces of furniture. It was cute.

There was a little fridge, which Chuuya was surprised to see. There definitely couldn’t be any electricity here. Maybe it was powered by some kind of magic? That would make sense.

“Come here.” Chuuya looked towards the direction the fox’s voice came from. He was in another part of the treehouse. Chuuya walked in there and was surprised to find what looked like a storage room.

This place’s structure was… confusing.

The fox stood at the other end of the room, waiting for Chuuya. Chuuya approached and the fox handed him a quill. Chuuya looked at it and the other in question, to which he only received a feather light smile.

Suddenly, a pop sound commenced and Chuuya jumped as a scroll appeared before him. The room around them felt different. Heavier. It was strange. It wasn’t normal. It was…

…something.

“Now. Contracts are completed in exactly two phases. The initial signing and the final act,” he began, plucking the scroll from the air. “This is the initial signing. It states my conditions and expectations. There will be a few empty lines that you can use to fill out your conditions and expectations.” He held out the rolled up scroll to Chuuya who took it from his hand.

Chuuya looked at it confused. “Y’know. In all the stories I’ve heard, contracts with Yokai and demons never gives a person a chance to choose what their conditions are,” he commented. The fox laughed.

“What do you think I am? I’m simply a fair and righteous demon, who wishes for an amicable and equal situation!” He laughed, clearly finding hilarity in the thought. Yeah, somehow Chuuya didn’t really believe that. Alas, while he laughed, Chuuya opened the scroll.

The expectations were about as much as he had been expecting when it came to this sort of thing. In hindsight:

When ordered to, he must obey.

Do not speak of anything personal (in relation to the fox) to anyone.

When he leaves the Yokai world, he must not speak of its existence to anyone.

Do not attempt anything to the contractor’s person with ill will.

So about as much as one would expect. But honestly, Chuuya hadn’t expected to be given a chance to set his own terms, so he’d have to think about it. Mostly about what his own conditions would imply. Better yet, he’ll ask a question.

“So,” he started, grabbing the fox’s attention, who had somehow wandered over to a tower of dusty old books without Chuuya’s noticing. Chuuya raised a brow as he gestured with the scroll. “How does this work?” he asked expectantly.

The fox seemed to pause. An unreadable look in his eyes that almost had Chuuya reconsidering his steady boldness with him. But that look soon shifted into a smile as he approached once more. He stopped only a few feet away from Chuuya, posture straight and poised; as it always seems to be now that he thinks about it.

“Hmm…?” He hummed, slowly yet urging. Nudging him to speak again. And Chuuya almost wanted to reconsider, or say something else or pretend that he had never said anything in the first place no matter how he had gotten his attention before, because there was danger in that look.

This…he was out of his depth. He has been since he got here and that was clear, he knew it, the fox knew it. Anyone who looked would’ve known it.

What stood before him was yokai. A real and very living yokai, and it felt like he was only now realizing that. There was danger in front of him, behind him, beside him; it surrounded him in everything that stood around him. He was the oddity. He was a potential threat and if he messed up…

There may be no going back from that.

But did Chuuya even have a choice?

Was there any other solution to get him home? Could he ask? And if he did, would he be given honesty or deceit? This one in front of him, was a yokai clearly of his own culture. He knew that they were tricky and unclear in motive. For all he knew this could be a trap.

But what other options did he have? If he had any at all.

Chuuya closed his eyes, taking in the musky smell of the air, the smoothness of the paper in one hand and the firm, plasticky feeling of the quill in his other. He took a moment to breathe in, to hold it, and to breathe back out. Slow and steady, calmly. A minute passed, then another, then another and he opened his eyes again, greeted with that same smile he had left without a word.

“How does this work?” The smile turned contemplative, but before the fox could speak, Chuuya interrupted. “Don’t lie to me.” He said. His tone was stern, demanding, and the other seemed taken aback. If only for a second.

He let out a hum meaning nothing in particular. “The contract will bind us. Better said, be bound to us, because once it is cast, if we break a condition or rule there will be a consequence of equal magnitude.” Chuuya narrowed his eyes. “What is the consequence?”

The fox waved his hand in a ‘so-so’ motion. “It is a bit hard to say since it tends to differ depending on the contract and its participants.” Chuuya sighed. It wasn’t a definite answer, and the yokai seemed very calm about it so for now, he’ll let himself think that it can’t be…too horrible.

“Fine. Fine just… give me a moment.” He said, moving to sit on the floor and glare at the contract. A sound of amusement and a flippant reply of, “Of course, of course.” and he was left alone.

Alone to…think.

Chuuya can’t say he has any experience with deal making or anything like that. He didn’t have that kind of background. So far from it in fact, that it was almost a miracle that he knew how to read and write, and even then it wasn’t very impressive. But signing a contract is an agreement. This is a mutual agreement and he can set his own rules here.

So shouldn’t they benefit him in as many scenarios as possible? While the fox’s rules are simplistic and a bit cliche, they must still benefit him right? There’d be no point otherwise.

With that thought in mind, Chuuya slowly began to write.

Cannot make physical or magical contact without permission.

It may be only one rule, but it was all Chuuya could think of. Maybe he’ll regret it later, but if this contract will help him get home, and if it’s just for a limited amount of time, then this is all he’ll need. There’s no point in being excessive about something temporary.

Chuuya stood back up, not bothering to brush out the back of his clothes. He left the room in search of the fox, who he suspects is either in this odd treehouse or outside. The place was quaint, he liked it because of that but he hadn’t expected something like this from such a being. He looked quite confident, even cocky sometimes, so it almost doesn’t seem…fitting.

A small place like this doesn’t seem large enough to hold…everything that Chuuya has seen him to be. How strange.

After a little bit of searching, Chuuya peeked outside to see the fox standing on the ground below. He sighed, taking a moment to truly consider what he’s doing before climbing down the ladder. The fox noticed his presence and turned around.

“Finished already? My, that was hardly ten minutes,” he commented slyly. Chuuya ignored him and rolled up the scroll, handing it off to the other, if only to be a bit petty by having him unroll the scroll again. The other didn’t seem to care and unrolled the scroll.

Reading for only a moment, his smile became strange. Chuuya didn’t know what it meant.

“Only one rule?” he asked. Though he didn’t sound like he was asking Chuuya, so he didn’t answer. “Peculiar.” The fox rolled up the scroll again with a huff and Chuuya decided he had to ask, “So what now?”.

The fox took the quill and demonstrated, taking the sharp end to his wrist and dragging it across, slow and deep. The sight would’ve made Chuuya queasy if he were anyone else. Though it definitely was unsettling.

His blood was red. A dark, murky red. Just like any other person.

Chuuya wasn’t quite sure what he was expecting.

The fox let the blood flow down his wrist and drip onto the paper until one end was completely soaked. The blood on the quill faded out into nothing and he passed it over. “Now, it’s your turn.” he said simply. Chuuya took the quill and paused.

It feels like the nth time that he has stopped to consider this. What he was getting himself into and what this means. Once he does this, he isn’t sure if there is any going back. It doesn’t feel like it.

But again, what other choice does he have?

His cut wasn’t nearly as clean. He was cutting his skin with a quill, it wasn’t like that would be easy. It hurt a lot, and he had to bite down on his lip till it bled just to keep going. It hurts so much more when you do it to yourself, because it’s expected then. You know it’s coming and your body tenses up and the strike hurts so much more when you expect it-

But he keeps his muscles lax as best as he can, compliant and malleable. His blood is red, as red as the next person, as red as the fox. And Chuuya wasn’t sure what he had expected.

The cut was as long as the fox’s, jagged but still the same. The blood began to drip slowly, one drop at a time the paper became dark. The iron smell made him want to scrunch up his nose, but he was better than that. He could taste it in his mouth, feel it run down his skin and stain the smooth yellowed paper.

It was almost hypnotizing how simple it was. Like watching paint dry.

When his end was soaked, Chuuya pressed his sleeve to the wound to try and soak up the blood, even if he knew it was futile for now. Once that was done, the contract lifted from the fox’s hand, as if grabbed by another. After that, it condensed into a thin golden string.

The ends of this string wrapped tightly and intricately around their wrists. In the end, it left a slightly tingling sensation and a pressure on his wrist. It wasn’t uncomfortable so to say, but it was definitely foreign.

At first Chuuya thought the pressure would go away after a few seconds (the stories always describe it that way), but to his surprise, it didn’t. The pressure stayed even though the golden string faded. He could feel it distinctly.

“With that, you’ve completed the initial signing of the contract,” the fox said. Chuuya looked up at him skeptically. “Okay, and what about the rest?” he asked. The fox only watched him in amusement.

“The rest will come when the rest is needed.” How cryptic. Chuuya really would’ve appreciated knowing what the rest of this contract was about, but if he had any survival instincts at all, he wouldn’t push it. For now.

Still, it would’ve been good if -

…

Chuuya didn’t know his name.

He can’t believe he just signed a contract with a Yokai whose name he didn’t even know. He really had no survival instincts at all! Chuuya paled slightly at his realization. He couldn’t really be this stupid could he?

“Hm? Why the ugly face?” The fox asked, both mocking and curious. Chuuya scowled and crossed his arms, looking away for a brief moment before letting out a sigh as he steeled himself for… for anything really.

“Your name… I didn’t get it.”

There was a moment of silence before the fox began to laugh. High and loud, clearly finding strong amusement in this spectacle. Chuuya felt as though the fox wasn’t laughing at the situation, but rather at him . And if that didn’t make his blood boil then he didn’t know what did.

“You-! Quit your laughing dammit!” Chuuya demanded, forgetting himself for the moment. The fox’s eye was curved up with amusement, a sharp and almost feral grin on his face. The fangs, the sharp teeth in his mouth had Chuuya remembering his situation in an instant and he hesitantly backed down. Sure, that contract was in place now, but Chuuya knew better than to toy with a fox.

He hoped he did, at least.

“My, my! How interesting!” He laughed out loud. Chuuya only glared at him, just barely resisting the urge to hurl insults at him.  The fox peered down at him. One sharp eye, two large ears, nine elegant tails. Chuuya so deeply wished he was dreaming. He knew he wasn’t.

“Dazai. I am Dazai Osamu.”