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The skies were painted grey, the rain poured endlessly and the thunder roared as lightning pierced through the clouds. Darkness reigned the woods as the sky cried harder.
The little fox tore through the dark woods, refusing to stop even as his paws ached, even as he ran out of breath, even as his body screamed at him to hault.
But he didn't concede.
He continued to run until he finally reached a clearing. He slowed down, but he continued to move until his small injured body could no longer resist and he tripped over his own paws and collapsed on the ground.
The small being tried to push himself off the ground, to continue to run, to escape but his body seemed to disobey his own will.
Refusing to give up, he dragged his body, trying to get to somewhere safe. His blurry eyes seemed to register an establishment, an infrastructure.
A shrine.
He dragged his body towards the run down shrine that seemed to be abandoned. Having successfully dragged himself to the doorsteps of the small establishment, he felt relief flood into his system.
Few more steps.
His little paw reached out to the first step of the shrine.
I'll be safe.
Just as his paw touched the steps of the shrine, his vision started spinning.
Just a little.....
Black dots started clouding his vision as fatigue took over, his body finally giving in to the exhaustion and pain. Unable to resist sleep, he gave in, hoping that no God resided in the shrine.
________________________
When the kitsune finally woke up, he was in his orginal half-human, half-fox form. His mind was blurred and he felt like he was floating but he could somewhat feel the ground beneath him, it was soft. Why was the ground so soft?
His eyes took in his surroundings. The room that he was in was entirely made of wood, the ceiling, the walls, everything was wooden. It took him a moment to realise that he was lying on a mattress. He glanced at his arms, there were bandages wrapped around them. Was he hurt?
He couldn't remember. Where was he?
He looked around the room once again, trying to remember how he got here. The room was neat, he had expected it to be broken, or at the very least, dirty considering that the establishment seemed abandoned.
Ah, right. He was in an abandoned shrine.
His eyes widened as memories of the previous night started flooding into his mind. He sat up abruptly, however, soon regretted his decision as pain flooded through his entire body. He let out a groan as he clutched the side of his stomach.
"If I were you, I would think twice before moving so quickly."
The kitsune's head snapped towards the sound of the voice and he barred his teeth at the person, no, God. He must be a God.
The God stood there, his eyes narrowed in boredom as he stared at the kitsune. He was wearing a black haori and red yukata underneath it along with the most absurd hat that the kitsune had seen in his centuries of existence. His fiery hair cascaded down his face while the rest of it was draped over his shoulder.
He had to be a God.
Not only was he insanely beautiful, he radiated power. Power that made the kitsune want to cower in fear and surrender his life to him, to surrender his soul. But he stood his guard, refusing to show weakness. He would not go down without a fight.
The God sighed as he made his way towards the kitsune that was growling at him. He seemed unfazed which somewhat broke the kitsune's demeanor.
The fox tried to back away but his body ached and burned and he could do nothing but wince as the God touched his cheek. The touch was gentle, so gentle that the kitsune wanted to cave in. But he didn't.
The God proceeded to inspect his body, eyeing the patch of blood that was slowly forming on the kitsune's blue yukata.
"You've reopened your wounds. Are you proud of yourself, little fox?"
"I could still tear you apart, little God." The kitsune growled. The God simply chuckled in response. "Have fun with that." He replied in a dismissive manner.
The kitsune tried to pull his arm out of his grasp but his grip was firm. "Let go!" He yelled as he tried to snatch his arm away.
"Stop moving, fox. I'm not gonna hurt you for fuck's sake." The God groaned as he tightened his grip on the kitsune, trying not to hurt him.
But kitsune are known for their art of deception and illusion.
"It hurts! It hurts!" He cried out and the God immediately let go. "Shit, I'm sorry are you- hah?!" The God realised his mistake when the kitsune popped back into his fox form and dashed off. "You-! Trickster!"
The fox didn't make it far before his legs collapsed. He yipped in pain as he fell to the ground.
"Your legs are injured, little fox. You can't run." The God got up from his position and approached the fox.
The kitsune popped back into his orginal form and tried to back away from him, despite knowing that it was of no use as pain seared through his body. "Stay away, little god." He growled.
The God rolled his eyes. "My name is not 'little god'."
"And my name is not 'little fox'. Yet you still call me that."
"Oh? Then what is your name?"
"Why should I tell you?"
"You- ugh. Such a pain in the ass. Come here. Let me tend to your wounds." He beckoned him over but the kitsune only scooted away from him.
The God let out a groan. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?!"
The kitsune stuck his tongue out at him and turned his face away. He shrieked as the God grabbed him by his arm.
"Untie your yukata."
"I don't know what weird fantasies you have, but that is no way to treat someone even if you're only trying to have sex with them!"
"I'm only trying to look at your wound! Get your mind out of the gutter, damn it!"
"Pervert! Sex offender! Assaulter!"
"God, do you ever shut up?!"
The God finally managed to untie the yukata. The bandages underneath were soaked with blood, and blood continued to seep into the bandages. "Look what you've done." He grunted as he unravelled the bandages.
The kitsune could only watch as the God skillfully patched him up, like it was second nature. His eyes remained fixed on the God as trained fingers wrapped the wound with a new roll of bandage.
"For such a chibi god, you're not a bad nurse."
"Stop calling me a chibi god."
"I've been calling you a 'little god'. 'Chibi god' is new. Besides you keep calling me a 'little fox'."
"We're not having this conversation again."
The kitsune pouted at the response. "It's Dazai." He mumbled out as the God tied his yukata neatly. The God raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"
"Osamu Dazai." He muttered. "That's my name. So stop calling me 'little fox'."
The God chuckled.
"Well, mine is Chuuya. So stop calling 'little god'."
"Understood, little God."
"You-!"
_______________________
Chuuya doesn't know how, but he ended up on the genkan, sitting cross-legged with a small nine-tailed fox on his lap.
Autumn was slowly bidding it's farewell, giving way to the cold winters. Chuuya never minded winters. The cold always brought a sense of comfort to him. The bone chilling yet soothing coldness of the winter winds coming in contact with his bare skin brought him a sense of reassurance.
The only thing he hated about winters, was the loneliness it brought.
He looked down at the fox curled up on his lap. He had forcefully seated himself on Chuuya's lap and simply refused to move away.
"Oi, bastard."
No response.
"Little fox."
The silence continued.
"Dazai."
Chuuya groaned at the lack of response. He poked the fox's snout.
"Weak ass bitch."
That finally elicited a response from the kitsune. Chuuya yelped as the fox bit his hand in retaliation.
"Damn you!"
The fox merely snickered and continued to shamelessly nuzzle Chuuya's lap. The god raised an eyebrow at him.
"If you weren't so injured, I would've thrown you off."
Dazai whined and tried to nuzzle further into his lap. His fur slightly tickled Chuuya's thigh and he shivered at the sensation.
"Quit it!"
But the fox didn't move from his position. Chuuya let out a frustrated sigh. "You're so annoying."
The two sat in silence, the sound of crickets filled in the quiet stillness. Chuuya stared at the sky littered with stars shining brightly. He glanced down at the fox before shifting his gaze back to the stars.
"What happened?"
He felt the fox shift in his lap.
"Was someone chasing after you?"
All that came from the kitsune were yips and whines, showing no signs of transforming back to continue the conversation with him.
But Chuuya wasn't one to give up so easily.
"I heard that kitsune love peaches."
The twitch of a ear.
"I think I have some stocked up in the kitchen."
The movement of his head, tilting upwards.
"Maybe I'll give them away. The humans would certainly appreciate them."
Dazai let out another whine before jumping off his lap, nine tails flaring up in Chuuya's face.
"Oi!"
Chuuya grunted. He crossed his arms as he watched the kitsune transform back to his original form. The brunet turned to the ginger.
"Where are the peaches?"
"First tell me what happened."
The brunet merely shrugged. "Nothing. Just the usual. Hunters."
The God eyed the kitsune before shaking his head. "Bastard."
Dazai grinned at him, his nine tails swishing behind him. "Peaches~" Chuuya scoffed at him. "Yeah,yeah."
__________________________
Dazai tossed and turned in his futon, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, his eyebrows knitted together. His face contorted into an alarmed expression but his eyes remained closed.
Blood.
Blood everywhere.
On the entrance.
On the floor.
On his clothes.
On his hands.
"Odasaku.....Odasaku!"
His fists clenched around the brown yukata of the man. "No....no....no no no....no! Not like this......you'll be fine! Just- Just give me a moment!" He frantically looked around, trying to think of find anything that could potentially help the man. The gears in his mind were turning fast but his mind didn't seem to work.
"Medicine....bandages.....I need to stop the bleeding first." He attempted to get up but he felt a light tug on his yukata. He turned to the man who struggled to keep his eyes open. His hands were shaky, barely holding onto the sleeve of Dazai's clothing.
"Dazai." His voice came out weak, his breathing was heavy.
"Yes....yes I'm here. It's alright. Everything will be fine. I'll fix this I'll-"
"Dazai."
The kitsune clamped his mouth shut. His ears were flat atop his head, his tail droopy.
"Run." Came the gentle whisper.
His eyes widened before he rapidly shook his head. "No. I won't. I won't run away. Not by myself. Not without you. I'll save you. I can save you."
"Run." He repeated, a sense of desperation in his voice. With the last of his strength, he pushed the kitsune away.
They say that kitsune are powerful creatures. Their wits and magic never fail them. Their intelligence is enough to make the world revolve according to their wishes. But on that dreadful day, the kitsune could do nothing but watch as life slowly drained out of his best friend's eyes.
And so, with a heart filled with grief and guilt, he ran. Ran and ran until his paws hurt. Ran and ran until he reached to the bottom of nowhere.
Voices rang through his ears, echoing through the darkness of the forest.
"Run little kitsune, run."
"Don't let me find you, little kitsune."
"Don't let me catch you."
No matter where he went, the voices followed. He couldn't block them out, couldn't escape them, couldn't get away.
Dazai .
His name was being called.
Dazai .
He didn't stop running even then, his own heartbeat drumming fast against his chest.
Wake up.
Wasn't he awake?
His eyes snapped open. His heart thumped loudly against his chest, his breathing was uneven and rapid, his head was spinning. Where was he?
He heard the voices but he couldn't comprehend them. Why won't they leave him alone? His breath got caught in his throat, he couldn't breathe. He was suffocating. He clawed at his throat, trying to breathe, yet nothing worked.
He couldn't move his arms, something was binding them, holding them down. He thrashed around, trying to free his arms, trying to breathe. And then, he felt a gentle touch on his forehead. A refreshing cold spread through his body. He couldn't register what was happening. And then, darkness washed over him.
__________________
Dazai's eyes fluttered open. He let out a yawn and stretched his limbs before sitting up. He felt a sting in his neck and his hand subconsciously reached for his neck. He was expecting to feel the familiar jagged scar around his neck but instead, his hands instead felt a soft surface.
In his confusion, he felt around his neck, trying to figure out what was wrapped around his neck, a frown etched on his face.
"Finally awake, are we?"
He jumped at the sudden voice but then soon relaxed as the fiery god came into view. "What happened? And," he tugged on the material around his neck. "What's this?"
Chuuya slowly sat down on the floor beside him, getting settled in a cross legged position. "You had a nightmare. And probably a panic attack. You were totally out of it so I had to use some of my magic on you to sedate you."
His eyes landed on the Dazai's hand that was still tugging at the material around his neck. "You even managed to scratch yourself. Hard. I had to wrap it up."
Dazai's fingers remained on his neck, though they were no longer tugging on the bandages. He remained silent and his gaze remained unfocused as he simply stared ahead.
Everything that had happened in the span of the last few days was certainly catching up to him. He had spent an uncertain amount of days running and hiding away from whatever force of evil was trying to catch up to him.
His heart ached with the guilt of having to leave his friend behind. He couldn't even give him a proper burial. After all that Oda had done for him, he couldn't even lay him to proper rest.
He was startled when he felt a hand brush off his bangs. He looked up to see Chuuya staring at him. Despite the scowl on his face, his eyes were soft.
"I don't know what you went through or what you did to get injured this bad, but I can ensure that in my shrine, you can rest easy."
Dazai tried to pull off a mocking smile. "And how can you be so sure, little God?"
Chuuya scoffed in response. "The shrine is protected by a strong spell. Nothing can enter it without my permission." He removed his hand from his head, resting it on the floor. "Besides, not many are willing to engage with the God of calamity."
"Arahabaki?" Dazai's ears perked up at that. Arahabaki was known for bringing devastations upon his enemies. Those who faced the wrath of Arahabaki never lived to see the sunrise. He was feared by all, humans and supreme beings alike.
Chuuya seemed to fit none of those descriptions. He was a tiny ball of anger, ready to explode at any given moment. But to cause serious harm? It seemed unlikely for the redhead to do so.
But Chuuya simply shrugged. "I'm well known by that name."
A peaceful silence feel over them, leaving the two of them to their own thoughts. Dazai felt at peace. He didn't know if it was an effect of the God's magic, but he felt peaceful, safe. Despite knowing that the God could end him with a snap of his fingers, he felt safe in his presence.
Whether it was the power and authority radiating off of him or whether it was his own stupidity, he didn't know. But all he knew, is that he felt safe.
After all, he was just a little God.
___________________
Time passed by in a blink, and Dazai still found himself in the shrine of the destructive god. He never left, and despite all the complains, Chuuya never kicked him out.
He was aware that he was overstaying his welcome, but he couldn't find it in himself to leave. So he waited. Waited for the day when the God would finally get tired of him and kick him out.
But the day simply never came.
Instead came a day, when the God himself had to leave, leaving Dazai to take care of the shrine.
A war broke out between the demons and human, leading to the massacre of thousands of humans. The events of the war were well known to Chuuya but he promptly ignored it. Dazai realised that Chuuya did not engage in warfare when he wasn't required to.
Chuuya could ignore the news of the war.
But he could not ignore the pleas of his devotees.
Hundreds of prayers were made, requesting Arahabaki to end the war and to save the innocents caught in the middle of that ruckus. And Chuuya could no longer hold himself back.
And so, he went off.
And Dazai waited.
Time passed by, hours turned into days, and days turned into months. And finally, after a long wait of three months, Dazai heard footsteps. The fox's ears perked up and he immediately shifted to his human form, his tail swished behind him in excitement.
However, the sight that he saw was not the one he longed for.
Chuuya, his beautiful, glorious Chuuya, was standing there, taking shallow, ragged breaths while clutching his side.
Blood.
Blood everywhere.
His clothes were stained with blood that was now covering the hand that clutched his side.
"Chuuya!"
Dazai rushed forward towards the God, barely managing to catch him as he fell into his arms. "Shit, shit, shit, shit." The scene was all too familiar. Blood painting every surface, his own yells echoing in his ears.
"H-hey......don't panic....I'm fine." Chuuya struggled to breathe out.
"Yeah....yeah you're fine. You'll be fine. It's alright, yeah?" His arms were shaking but he had to pull himself together, he had to take Chuuya back inside. He carefully picked up Chuuya, trying not to put more pressure on his wounds than necessary.
Chuuya groaned in pain. "Yeah....I'm just....tired. Ugh. I'll.....rest." His droopy eyes began to close and panic flared up in the kitsune's chest. "No, no Chuuya don't close your eyes, stay awake. Chuuya!"
"It's fine....just....resting." The ginger's eyes fluttered close and Dazai's blood ran cold. "Chuuya, hey! Wake up! Chuuya!"
______________________
The room was quiet, not a single sound to be heard. Only the soft rustle of the leaves could be heard outside, along with the quiet chirping of the birds.
Chuuya's eyes slowly opened as sunlight fell on his eyelids, awakening him from his slumber. He groaned as he twisted around, turning away from the light. He expected to feel the softness of his pillow but instead, got a face full of......cotton?
He abruptly moved his face away. Squinting his eyes, he realises that he wasn't sleeping on a pillow, nor was he sleeping on....cotton.
"What the fuck, Dazai."
Apparently, he was sleeping on his tails. Certainly, they were comfortable but nonetheless, what the fuck.
He tried to sit up but quickly found that he was wrapped up in the kitsune's tails, his tails were covering his body like a thick blanket.
"Ah, the little God is awake."
The kitsune removed his tails from him, letting the God finally breathe. "Ugh, now I have your slug germs on me!" He grimaced.
"What the fuck did you say?!" Chuuya growled. Dazai simply stuck his tongue out at him. The ginger rolled his eyes at his tactics. He grunted at the slight sting at his side, glancing down to see his waist wrapped in bandages.
The events of yesterday flooded into his mind and he let out a small 'oh.' His hand rested on his side, slightly rubbing it. "You didn't have to, you know."
"Why?"
Chuuya turned to Dazai in confusion. "Ah, well you see-"
"Why do you have to go around and help those stupid humans? And get injured in the process?" Dazai cut his words.
"Well, because I'm a god. I'm supposed to be mediating the tensions between the humans and the other worldly creatures. Besides it's not such a big deal-"
"How is it not a big deal?!"
To say that Chuuya was surprised by the sudden outburst would be an understatement.
Dazai was shaking, his head hung low, his bangs obscured his expression, ears flat on his head.
"You....you almost died....how is that not a big deal?"
His eyes stung, but he wasn't crying. He didn't cry.
It was now Dazai's turn to shocked as he heard Chuuya snort. His head snapped towards his direction, attempting to glare at the God as he doubled over in laughter. He flushed a bright red, the tip of his ears turning pink in embarassment. "What's so funny?!"
"It's just- you- haha- you thought I was dying?" Chuuya asked in between laughter, trying to control his laughter.
"Well- obviously! You were bleeding so much!" Dazai was furious. What else was he supposed to make out of that life threatening wound?!
"Oh little fox, were you worried?" Chuuya teased, his laughs slowly dying down.
"Of course not. Why would I be worried about some stupid chibi god?" Dazai huffed, turning his head away. He heard shuffling but he ignored it, refusing to face the God. He yelped as he was pulled into a firm chest.
"Stupid? Me? I think that's you. You really think some minor injury could kill me?"
Dazai tried to struggle out of his hold but his body went limp, his eyes fluttered close as he felt Chuuya scratch the back of his ear, gently massaging his head. "You were bleeding so much." He mumbled.
He felt the vibrations of Chuuya's chest as he chuckled. The sound filled his chest with warmth.
"The wound has probably already healed, little fox. Don't worry so much. I won't go down that easily." Chuuya's fingers were tangled in his brown locks, working out any knot that his fingers found.
"Even the strongest gods can be defeated. Even they can bite the dust." Dazai muttered as he pulled away from the embrace, ignoring the way he immediately missed the warmth.
"Mm yeah? Guess they'll have to try harder to bring me down." Chuuya stretched out his limbs as he stood up, offering a hand to Dazai.
Dazai reluctantly took his hand, using his support to stand up. "Chuuya shouldn't be so overconfident."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Do you want peaches or nah?"
"You're acting like you can stop me from having them."
"You-"
Even as their bickering continued, Dazai couldn't help but feel relieved. Chuuya was safe. He was alive. That was all that mattered.
Chuuya was like a flame, the warmth in the middle of the cold winters. His warmth could very well burn him, but he could only chase after it. He was drawn to him like a moth drawn to a flame.
And if Chuuya was the flame lighting up his heart, he would sooner tear the world apart than let his flame go out.
__________________
Chuuya once again found himself on the genkan, sitting cross-legged with the kitsune on his lap, curling his tails around him.
The scene was familiar, the atmosphere was cozy. The only difference, is that winter was now bidding farewell, welcoming the soothing spring.
The wind brushed his hair, his eyes fluttered close as it caressed his skin. The fox whined when the hand caressing his fur stopped. Chuuya let out a scoff. "You needy bastard." Nevertheless, he continued to pet the fox, occasionally scratching behind his ears, earning content purrs.
The wind rustled the newly sprouted leaves of the trees, taking away the few dry ones, barely holding on to the tree. It was peaceful.
Chuuya looked down at the fox on his lap. His lips curled into a small smile. "Bastard. You fell asleep huh." He rested his hand on the kitsune's back, turning back to the scenery.
Perhaps, the next winters won't be so lonely.
~~~~~~~~~~~~