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Chapter Text

You pushed your way through the dense foliage of the overgrown path. Thorns pulled at your clothing and leafy branches blocked your vision. You pushed them aside and moved on.
You had been sent on a mission to the countryside to exorcise a particularly worrisome curse that had made its home in the belly of the forest. Its remote location shouldn’t have made it a problem in the first place, but because of the site where the curse was rumored to haunt; an abandoned school, it attracted a lot of bored high schoolers and wannabe ghost hunters.

The curse was the peculiar kind that behaved cyclically ; it would lay dormant for quite some time before awakening and becoming active again, wreaking havoc on any humans in its vicinity. After a short period of activity (about 5 years), it would fall back into a slumber. It had been quiet since its last report about 50 years ago, and had faded into a thing of legend. 
Until twenty-four people went missing, within just weeks of each other, not a trace to be found. 

Now that the curse was awake, and had begun to gather strength from those unlucky enough to feed it, it was best to nip it in the bud before it became a bigger issue. The school had labeled it as a Level 1 curse, despite the limited knowledge that they had of it. As usual, the description, warped by decades of transmission, merely described a large and monstrous creature. How unique. There was one detail that had survived however; the curse had the pelt of a white tiger. Interesting. Most curses that you had encountered were more insect in nature, or resembled a warped mockery of a human.

You pushed your way past some sharp branches and the path suddenly cleared. A large, dilapidated school building sat in front of you, its windows shattered and its curved roof sagging.
The clearing around it was eerily quiet. Neither birds nor insects sang.

This had to be it.

You stepped over the threshold and into the building. It was dark. Rummaging around in your bag you pulled out a flashlight and switched it on. You had prepared well for this. 
You made your way through the halls, looking for clues and signs of cursed energy, glass and debris crunching underneath your feet. 
After exploring the second and ground floor you came to the disappointing conclusion that you had found nothing. 
You grew frustrated and kicked at the piles of dead leaves and debris that had accumulated in the halls.
Wait.
The basement.
Every school had one, and if you hadn’t found the curse elsewhere, then it had to be there. 
You wandered around until you came to a flight of stairs leading down into the darkness. You took a deep breath and made your way down, footsteps echoing off of the bare concrete walls.
At the bottom of the stairs was a hallway, fading into darkness. You continued on.
You began to notice brown stains, splash marks, occasionally dotting the floors and walls. The only marks left of those who had disappeared down here. How sad.
A thrumming commenced in your skull, making your temples throb. It started out light, but gained amplitude as you continued further down the hall. It meant that cursed energy was nearby, and you were getting closer to it.
At the end of the hall a large hole had been torn into the wall. Whatever had made it was defiantly bigger than a human. As you stepped up to it you felt a cold breeze coming from the darkness that lay beyond.
You took a deep breath and stepped over the threshold.
The cave was large. So large, that you couldn’t see the ceiling. You swung your flashlight about, illuminating the brown rock walls. The ground was dotted with debris and dust.
Other than your flashlight, the only source of light was a sliver from up near the ceiling. You guessed that it lead to the outside and the forest surrounding the school. 
Your head throbbed urgently, painful this time.
The curse was close.
You swung your flashlight, faintly illuminating the far away rock walls. You frowned, swinging the light back around the chamber. Despite the constant  thumping in your head, there was no curse to be seen.
You swung the light again. You had walked  less distance from the entrance than you thought, the striped wall only a few meters from you.  
Striped?
The wall rippled and moved and as you swung your light you saw that it walked on four great paws, each leg the thickness of a tree. 
Tiger hide.
Then that means…
From the end of the hide came a thick rope, swinging in your direction. It shone in the light and swung at your head, hissing, missing you by inches.
A snake?!
You panicked, stumbling over yourself with a shriek as you backed up. 
Your flashlight roved over the beast, from back to front, taking in its terrible form.
The body of a white tiger, the tail of a pale snake, and the chest and head of a…
The white striped hide faded into a muscled human torso at about where the head should be. Your mind blanked.
From atop the body of the beast, the face of a young man stared down at you.
His skin was pale from a lack of sun and his eyes were accentuated by dramatic dark circles. A sort of angular tattoo sat on his nose bridge, and dark? long, choppy hair framed his face. 
His expression appeared to be one of disinterest, until you got a better look and saw a spark of something in his eye.
You shuddered, terrified of the size and power of the beast and suddenly feeling very, very cold. Your body coiled on itself like a spring.
He turned his whole body toward you, his tiger paws making the ground shake as they shifted, stepping closer.
You leaped back out of range, quickly tucking the flashlight under your arm, heart pounding.
Your hands took their position to activate your cursed technique, but faster than you could blink, something hard whipped through the air and smacked hard into your side, sending you tumbling across the floor with a hiss. The tail!
You groaned, the wind knocked out of you by the sudden impact. Your flashlight rolled away out of reach, illuminating a cave wall and casting a dim light. 
You tried to rise but felt a heavy paw press down on your back, pinning you down. You could feel the pads and every sharp claw pierce lightly into your clothing.

You craned your neck up at the last curse you would ever live to fight. 

The curse looked down at you with interest, its pale human features contrasted by the dim light. 
“You…” you croaked out painfully.
The young man tilted his head almost innocently, as if he didn’t have you pinned under one massive paw and was about to tear into you.
A human hand reached out, running itself across your hair, curious. It tangled itself in your strands, tugging and pushing gently. 
Then it slid down to your chin, grabbing it gently and craning your face up to get a better view.
The creature smiled, its eyes crinkling and a warm blush spreading across its cheeks.  The strange tattoo spreading with it.
He seemed very pleased.
You were confused. The curse didn’t seem intent on killing you just yet. 
Maybe… maybe if you could distract it, it would lower its guard and you could slip away at the right moment? 
In a crazy last-ditch effort to save your life you took a deep breath.
“I-I’m ___.” You introduced yourself.
He blinked at you.
The silence was so loud you could hear water dripping off the stalactites.
Your heart pounded in your ears.
Please don’t eat me please don’t eat me
You begged silently 
“____…” he repeated after a long pause, his voice low and hoarse. He smiled again.
Okay, this wasn’t going too bad. You thought
You shifted slightly.
“And… uh-what’s your name?” You asked nervously, trying to build some manner rapport.
He tilted his head at you, a bit confused.
It was strange to see such a large and terrifying creature make such a dopey expression.
He stared at you.
You felt sweat trickle down your back.
“Do you not have one?”
No response.
“H-how about I give you a name?” You stuttered, running out of ideas.
His paw was heavy on your back, compressing your lungs.
“How about…Choso?”
It was the name of your childhood cat, a little tabby that brought dead mice into your bed and purred like a freight train when he slept.
He was the first thing that came to mind when you first saw the curse’s pelt.
He tilted his head, peering at you out from under dark bangs.
“Cho…so.” He rasped.
“Y-yeah.”
Another long silence filled the air, thick enough to cut. 
Then he beamed at you.
“Choso.” He stated proudly. 
He stood, the movement abrupt, and removed his paw from your back. You gulped in a deep breath of air and tried to push yourself up but were stopped by two arms scooping you up under your armpits and lifting you into the air.
“W-wait!”
You stopped. Your feet dangling high in the air, you were face to face with him. He smiled at you, nose inches away from yours.
“____.” He smiled. 
You let out a wheeze as you were squeezed into his chest, his arms wrapping around you.
He started to move to another area of the cave. You panicked.
“Wait. Wait!”
His grip loosened and you were dropped onto a pile of cushions and dead leaves. “Oof!”
You sat up, only for him to plop his head into your lap. He wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you closer. 
“____.” He stated happily. 
You reached a hand out, tentatively, and ran it through his dark hair. He sighed happily and nuzzled into your lap, relishing the sensation.

Maybe if you keep this act up… he’ll let you go.

• Spoiler alert: he doesn’t lol.
• Choso is a curse created with the idea of a human partially in mind. Because of this, he, like all humans, craves companionship. And you’re the first person to do something other than scream and run away from him. Tough luck, but that makes you the best candidate.
• Like a big cat, he loves to cuddle curl into your lap. Which can be a bit of a challenge with his size.
• He is very physically affectionate and follows you around the cave like a large puppy. A VERY large puppy.
• He doesn’t have much of a clue on how to care for a human, and at first would bring dead animals to you as food. When you of course would refuse to eat them, he would try and force you which led to a lot of fights. You can’t really argue with Choso because he doesn’t talk. Thankfully, you found an old knife lying around the school and used it to prepare the meat. Things are peaceful now.
• He likes it when you hand feed him.
• Despite his size and nature as a curse, Choso is very sweet and protective.
• He adores having his hair played with.
• You noticed that he often gets irritated when his hair falls in front of his face, so you tied it back into two pigtails. That looked ridiculous, so you switched it to twin buns instead, and that was much more bearable.
• He liked it a lot and has you do it every morning. He could probably do it himself by now, but his preference for your hands in his hair is obvious.
• He gives off a lot of body heat, which is why you don’t freeze to death at night in the cold-ass cave.
• Sometimes he gets pouty and will just flop on top of you, crushing you with his weight. It stops you from moving around.
• The tiger part of him purrs, especially when you rub behind his ears or play with his hair.
• You manage to teach him a few other simple words, such as “meat”, “bath”, “hide” and “go”.
• He tried to bathe you the way a large cat would and you were having none of it. It’s not like it’s up to you though. After a lot of pestering and begging you managed to get him to let you bathe in a nearby river.
• He curls around you while sleeping. His fur is so soft.
• Sometimes he’ll wrap his snake tail around your waist and drag you along or just use it to hug you.
• He never lets you out of his sight unless he leaves to go hunting.
• He absolutely annihilates any curses that get too close to the cave; angry Choso is fucking scary.
• Like a big cat, he’s lazy and wants to sleep all day.
• He’s constantly nuzzling into your body.
• When you hug him he melts in your arms
• Despite his initially scary looks, he looks at you with the softest eyes.
• You’re not getting away any time soon.

Chapter Text

You stood in front of the sliding wooden door. In the dim light it seemed heavy, unyielding. You knew that behind it was your boyfriend’s dorm room, and that somewhere in there he was too. What he was doing however, you had little idea.

“Megumi.” You spoke again, softly.

Silence.

The door remained, imposing and impenetrable.

This was the third day that you had made the trip from the girl’s dorms to check on your sick boyfriend. And the third day that you hadn’t received even a response in return. Not so much as a text message, a grumbled statement, or even a cough. It worried you.

Gojo-sensei had told you that Megumi was sick and would be locking himself in his room for about a week. That he avoided you and his other classmates because he didn’t want to get you sick.

You knew better. Megumi always came to class and on missions unless he was so unwell he couldn’t physically stand. You had numerous memories of hearing him sniffle on missions or the sound of his coughing echoing in your mostly empty classroom. Megumi was not the type to let being sick stop him. This had to be something else. He was hiding something. And Gojo was in on it. You had tried to confront your teacher, asking him directly what was wrong with Megumi, but he had redirected the conversation with such fluidity that you weren’t able to get an answer.

It came down to “He’s sick, don’t worry about it. He’ll be back to himself soon.”

Lies.

Megumi hadn’t even texted you. And try as you might, you couldn’t stop yourself from sending multiple text messages a day, asking him if he was okay, if he needed anything, what was wrong. Megumi wasn’t much of a texter, his messages were always curt and to the point .

“Sure” “K”, a thumbs up or a sweet heart emoji were most of the extent of his contribution to your text chats. But he always responded quickly, immediately more often than not, even in the middle of a battle. And now it had been days without a reply.

You fretted with your sweater.

You had only been dating for about two months. It was possible that he was losing interest, or didn’t consider you two serious enough yet for you to be privy to this much of his personal life. You called him your boyfriend, but sometimes you wondered if Megumi saw eye to eye with you on that. He spoke little and always seemed to be brooding or irritated. So much more seemed to be going on inside his head than outside of it.

You knew that most of the thoughts in his head, where he spent most of his time, were not accessible to you. It saddened you a little, to know that there were many important things going on in his life, and that you knew nothing about any of them. That he probably didn’t trust you enough to let those private things become part of your life as well.

Well, whether he was avoiding you because he didn’t like you anymore and was too scared to come clean about it or not, that didn’t change the fact that you had spent a good amount of your meager week’s allowance on soups, cough drops, tissues, and instant coffee as a care package. And this time, he was going to open that damn door or you were going to break it down.

You huffed, psyching yourself up.

“Megumi!” You yelled.

“It’s me! ____! Open the door or I’m coming in!”

In a softer tone you explained; “ I have some things for you. I want you to get better. I really do. Please, just let me inside. I won’t stay for too long, only enough to drop these off.”

“I got your favorite brand of instant coffee.” You added.

Silence.

Oh well. You tried doing this nicely. You really did.

You faced the door and squared up.

Your cursed technique allowed you to apply a large amount of force with little effort.

Taking an attack stance, you swung at the door, striking it where the lock met the threshold. The effect was immediate, the sound of a loud crack echoing throughout the hall.

One barrier down.

Taking a deep breath you picked up the plastic grocery bag containing the gifts for Megumi that you had bought. You pushed open the door, and were greeted with only darkness. The curtains must be drawn.

You stepped inside, your eyes adjusting to the darkness.

You could vaguely make out the shapes of a desk, wardrobe and bed. The floor was strewn with clothes, bags, and all manner of other things. This wasn’t like Megumi.

He was usually very neat. The bed was set against the wall, and on top of it you could make out a large lump.

You padded over quietly.

“Megumi…?”

You reached a hand out and traced your fingers over it. It was covered by a blanket, but underneath that was warm.

It twitched at your touch.

You grasped the fabric in one hand and pulled it back.

A loud snarl sounded in the air and a dark figure leaped out at you from under the blanket. Its jaws, full of sharp teeth that gleamed in the dim light, clacked in the air a hair’s width from your face. The figure pushed you back, hard, and you fell onto the floor, the breath knocked out of you. You heard the creature scramble across the floor and into the corner of the room.

Pulling yourself up you groaned.

That was gonna leave a bruise.

Your mind spun.

Had a curse killed Megumi? Here, in the middle of Tokyo Jujutsu High? It was unlikely.

Could it be his Demonic Dog, Kuro? No, Kuro knew you well and liked you. He would never snap at you like that.

But it did look a lot like him.

Could it be…?

You bit your lip. You needed to solve this and fast.

You pulled the curtain aside, revealing the night scenery outside. The moon was full and illuminated the room well, save the corner left in shadow where the figure sat, it’s back to you. It was hunched in on itself and held its head in its claws. It was large, its back broad, covered in dark fur and ending in a tail. It looked a lot like Kuro, if Kuro was a humanoid.

But you were pretty sure that you knew who it really was.

You quietly made your way over to the figure, careful not to disturb the mess that lay around the room. As you got close to it you noticed that it was shaking, mumbling something under its breath that sounded like begging. You reached a hand out and gently placed it on the creature’s shoulder. It twitched.

“Megumi…?”

Slowly, the creature pulled its claws from its face and turned to face you. Its snout was long and pointed, resembling a dog’s. It was full of sharp white teeth, and two triangular ears sat upon its head. Tears streamed down its face as Megumi’s eyes stared up at you.

“Hey.” You said softly.

“It’s okay.”

It wasn’t, really. You were incredibly confused and somewhat frightened, if at least less scared than earlier. But that wouldn’t serve you right now. Your boyfriend was visibly in bad shape (a shape you’d never seen before), and obviously needed assistance. It was your job as his partner to care for him.

“Hey, come here.” You said, taking both of his massive claws in your hands.

God they were sharp. Good thing that he didn’t seem hostile. But he could easily cut through most things with these.

You pulled him back towards the center of the room, and he stood up awkwardly, bending due to his newfound height. He was at least eight feet tall, and towered over you. You would have been frightened if not for the sheepish expression on his face and the way he kept avoiding your eyes.

“Megumi.” That brought his eyes back to yours.

“It’s okay.” You rubbed your thumbs over the backs of his claws.

“I’m here. You’re not alone. You don’t have to go through this by yourself.”

You took a deep breath before pouring your heart out. “I’m not going to run from you, I’m not going to abandon you because of this. I love you and it would take a whole lot to change that. Even more so than what’s happening right now. I care about you a lot and I don’t want to lose you no matter what happens. I want to be there for you to see your best moments and to help you during your worst. I don’t ever want you to feel like you can’t depend on me because I would leave you if showed me a part of you that wasn’t pretty. So could you please, for your love of me and my love of you, explain to me what’s going on?”

Megumi was silent, his head hung low. You could feel shame and discomfort radiating off of him. Finally, he spoke.

“I… I didn’t want to scare you.” His voice was raspy, deep, and the words sounded different. As if he was having difficulty fitting his tongue around them.

He lifted his eyes to meet yours.

“I was… so worried about what you would do if you found out.” He sighed.

“I was scared that you would leave me. The idea frightened me so much that I chose just to hide it. I-I thought that I could do it. I was scared enough to see it as the only option. I didn’t want you to leave.”

He hung his head again. “I’m sorry.”

The words were heavy, loaded with regret and despair.

You looked up at him. You released his claws and they fell to his sides. Stepping forward you embraced as much as you could of him in a warm hug. Your arms strained to get all the way around him, but you managed. Your face pressed into his furry chest.

“Megumi.” You said, your voice partially muffled.

“What did I just tell you?”

You shifted your body to get more comfortable.

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily. Sure, this is weird… and very unexpected. “Werewolf boyfriend” wasn’t something that I expected to put on my life’s bingo card, ever, but that’s the situation and so be it.”

You craned your neck to stare up at him. He looked back down at you guiltily.

“I love you. And I’m not scared of you, because I trust you. Whether in this form or another, you’re still my Megumi. Nothing can change that.”

You hugged him tighter, breathing in the smell of him.

“And I’m always going to be here for you.”

Slowly, you felt his two large arms wrap around you, delicately, as if he was afraid of hurting you.

“I’m sorry that I snapped at you.” He whispered, almost inaudible.

“I didn’t know that it was you. I was scared.”

You rubbed circles on his back.

“It’s fine, I understand why it happened.”

You reached up to his face and pulled it down gently, kissing his nose softly. His eyes were closed peacefully.

“Just don’t do it again.”

He took your wrists delicately in his claws and stared into your eyes.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

• His transformation is caused by the full moon, but also the late waxing and early waning stages. It lasts a week unless he avoids exposure to the moonlight in which case it lasts a few days.
• The transformation is very uncomfortable and quite painful. After all, his body is growing at an incredibly rapid pace and his bones are restructuring themselves. During this time he’ll lay his head in your lap while you stroke his hair and shush him.
• When his body returns to normal, he sweats a lot and gets very light-headed. There’s a lot of vomiting too as he has to throw up the extra mass he’s shedding. You rub his back soothingly and lay cool towels on his skin. He is very grateful.
• Transforming into a werewolf is like having the worst period of your life; he’s nauseous, everything is aching, random muscles are cramping, hard, intense hot and cold flashes, lots of sweating, getting dehydrated, headaches, vertigo, occasional vomiting; the whole works.
• Transforming used to suck, because he was doing it alone. It still does, but it sucks less because now you’re here to tend to him and make sure he feels okay. As a result he’s noticeably calmed down about the issue and it’s less stressful for him now. Even Gojo remarked on the absence of his usual irritated attitude.
• Gojo was aware of Megumi’s werewolf nature since he took him in. It’s one of the things that could lead to him being outcast by jujutsu society, so they keep it a secret. The only other person who knows is principal Yaga. Gojo does his best to support Megumi during his time of the week but is also incredibly busy and therefore cannot do much. Your being there takes a lot of stress off of them.
• His impulse control and instinctual inhibition are much lower in his werewolf form. He is more prone to outbursts, physical aggression, and hunting behaviors. Because of this, he doesn’t go to school during the week the full moon peaks.
• Stress is worse in his werewolf form, often experienced as pure panic mixed with brain fog. His surroundings can become fluid, warped, and very hazy.
• His werewolf form is very combat apt. He can even use his cursed technique while in this form (his claws retain their human sense of motion).
• Cuddling with him in this form is very enjoyable. He is covered in soft (when it’s been brushed), warm fur and it’s like cuddling a giant plush. 10/10
• Because his form is so large, he tends to knock a lot of things over. Everything tends to end up on the floor, and because when he tries to clean up he ends up just knocking more stuff over, he gave up on cleaning during that time and saves it as a task for his future self.
• Like a wolf, he will fixate on small prey animals. You chased him yelling throughout the courtyard one day because he was pursuing a chicken. He can’t help it, it’s overwhelming instinct.
• He loves being pet and stroked on his head, under his chin, behind his ears, on his back, and on his belly. Funnily enough, this preference for stomach rubs persists even in human form.
• He eats a LOT in his werewolf form. He was very thankful for the noodles that you brought over. He can’t eat chocolate though, as it makes him very ill. You learned that the hard way.

Chapter Text

You had been out for your evening stroll among the hills when you came across the alien. From a distance, it had looked like a large pile of sand, turned a burnt orange by the setting sun. Wind had whipped your hair about your face as you tightened your coat around yourself and made your way over to the strange object. The hills were a deep and beautiful green, and from atop them you could see the surrounding valleys as well as the forests and small village that nestled in them.
You noticed, as you approached it, only a few paces away, that it had the form of a person. It was broad, large, and very muscular. Its body was tan with black markings, and it had two arms and two legs, humanoid. The thing that made it decidedly not human, however, were the two short branches that protruded from its helmet shaped head, where its eyes should have been. That gave you quite the start. 

The creature didn’t seem hostile. It didn’t even seem conscious. It lay there, on its back, immobile. You could see it’s chest rise and fall lightly, and remarked that where the branches protruded, blood dripped from the sockets. 
It didn’t seem dead, thankfully. 
You were stumped. Nothing could have prepared you for this type of event. After all, this sort of thing only happened in fiction, and it had been a long time since you’d played the mind games of “what if”.
Well, you supposed that the only thing you could do was be a good host. 

The creature was too large to move by yourself, you would need help. Its legs seemed uninjured, if you could wake it up, it could lean on you as you both stumbled back to your cottage. 

You crouched down next to the creature and gently placed a hand on its shoulder.

“Hey” You said softly.

“Wake up, please.”

You shook it slightly, although you could barely move the mass of muscle. 

To your surprise, the creature let out a groan. It’s stirred, it’s mouth opening and closing.

What…

The voice that rang in your head was not your own.

Where am I?

Was this creature… using telepathy?
Incredible.

“You’re okay” you reassured it, patting its shoulder softly.

Are you…human?

“I am.” You confirmed.
“Welcome to earth.” You cracked a grin.

“I have a house not far from here. Let’s get you there and you can rest and recuperate.”

You stood and offered the creature your hand. It accepted, and with great effort you pulled it up to help it stand.

Gosh, it was tall. At least two heads taller than you. Maybe the gravity was different where they were from.

It stumbled forward, uneasy on its feet.

“Woah, there” you reach out, steadying it.

When it stopped swaying you tucked yourself under its left arm.

“Here, lean on me. My house isn’t far, it’s about a ten minute walk. We can get there before dark. You must be cold.”

The creature groaned softly in response, and acquiesced, leaning on your shoulder.

“I’m ____ by the way”, you stated.

____ … I see

The voice in your head was quieter now. Pensive.

You put one foot in front of the other, the creature matching your steps. 

“Come on. Let’s go home.”

~~~

It had been a month since you hand found Hanami lying in the hills. Once at your cottage he had been sluggish, his energy levels low. You had tucked him into the guest bed and nursed him back to health, which took about a week. As he regained strength, the horns in his head had grown longer. Hanami had explained to you that they were linked to his health and power, and grew in accordance.

Living with an alien was strange, sure, but you welcomed the company. You had become lonely living by yourself, with only your little cat, Bean, for company. 
Hanami was great with animals. They never ran from him, and squirrels and birds would use his body as a perch, unafraid. It was impressive. You had told him, smiling, that it meant that he had a good heart. Animals could sense those things.

Is that so. He replied.

You nodded, smiling. 
“It means that you’re a good person Hanami.”

He turned to look off into the distance, beyond the mountains.

I would hope so.

Hanami loved nature. He seemed so at peace among the trees and plants. Your garden flourished under his care, the harvest sweet and plentiful. It was one of his abilities, like telepathy. 

This one’s lacking water he stated one day, crouched over a tomato plant. 

“Is that so?” You peered over his shoulder, holding a bucket.

And it misses the basil.

“Ah…” It had surprised you to learn that he could speak with plants as well, and that these plants had feelings. As he described it, it was less like talking and more simple communication. His telepathy allowed him to easily interpret and translate the words of different beings without much difficulty.

You asked him if on his home planet, everyone spoke through telepathy, or if they had a spoken language.

No, we talk like this. But noises, such as laughter or howling, come from the lungs and throat.

In the beginning, you had peppered him with questions about his home planet. This was your first time meeting an alien! The opportunity was not to be wasted!
But he avoided most of your questions, giving roundabout answers that didn’t reveal much information.

You suspected that Hanami had been exiled from his planet, and forced to flee to earth. Because of this, you avoided asking questions about his life from before, cautious of the new and still very raw wound.

When he had tried to tell you his name, it was an incomprehensible set of sounds. No human alive could make them if they tried. You suggested calling him by a human name, which you agreed to.
You named him Hanami, in accordance to the rose that bloomed upon his shoulder.
He seemed to like it.

One night, you were together in the kitchen, hands clasped around hot mugs of tea, Bean purring in Hanami’s lap. You stared out the window at the starry sky above. When you looked back at Hanami, you saw that he was also looking up at the stars. A wave of melancholia washed over you. He must miss his home so much.
You reached across the table and took his hand in yours.

“Hey. Hanami.”

He turned to you.

“You know that for as long as you like, you are welcome here, right?”

He looked down at the table, avoiding your eyes.

“For as long as you want, this is your home. You will always have a place here.”

Hanami squeezed your hand gently and turned his face up to yours

Thank you.

It somehow sounded more sincere than anything he had ever said.

~~~

You woke up in the morning to the sound of bombs.

A huge explosion shook the house, rattling the windows and jolting you awake.

You leaped out of bed, dazed and confused.

“Hanami!” You shouted, desperate.

You rushed to the guest room. Empty.
Darting down the stairs, you searched the ground floor. Nothing.

Another explosion shook the house and you screamed, clutching the dining table for stability.

You spotted him through the kitchen window.

Still in your night shirt, you ran outside, feet bare.

It was a bright and sunny day, and you blinked in the light, your eyes adjusting.

Nanami was standing on top of the hill overlooking the village, Bean in his arms.

You ran to him.

“Hanami!”

You made it to him, panting.

Another explosion shook the ground and you clung to his arm. He didn’t even flinch. 

You followed his gaze down into the valley. The village was practically in ruins. Smoke billowed from burned out houses and people the size of ants ran screaming throughout the streets.
A green ray of light zipped through the clouds and struck a house, destroying it immediately. The ground shook again.

“Hanami… what is this…?” You asked, horrified.

His expression remained stoic.

You humans are so destructive.

His brow furrowed.

You take. And you take. And you take.

He turned towards you, anger evident on his face. Bean, unbothered, cleaned her ears.

You were destroying this planet. Raping it. You killed its children. Your brothers and sisters. You opened it up and took its blood and bones for yourselves. You suffocated it, gorged on its entrails. You feasted upon your mother, devoured the breast that was offered to you, chewed the fingers from the hand that caressed your infant face.

And now you will pay.

Another blast shook the ground.

You fell forward, destabilized. Hanami caught you by your forearms. You noticed then how big his hands were in comparison to you, how easily he could crush your bones with a single squeeze.

We came to save her. 
We couldn’t let her die.
Mankind is a virus that must be wiped out in order for Gaia to thrive.
Life is so, so rare and precious amongst the stars.

Bean wove figure eights between you and Hanami’s legs, purring.

I am sorry that I lied to you.
I encountered unexpected difficulty entering the atmosphere at the start of my reconnaissance mission.

Your heart stopped.

This whole time he had been planning this.
This whole time he had known that he would end up killing humans.
End up killing you.

Your legs shook and you became lightheaded. Your vision went hazy and you crumpled, but Hanami pulled you up.

Hazily, you stared up at him, your body limp.

I am grateful for what you have done for me. Without your compassion I would not have survived. 

He reached a hand out, caressing your face.

It is because of this that you will be spared.

He pulled you up against his chest and wrapped his arms around you in a strong hug. His hands rubbed up and down your arms to keep you warm.
You both looked down at the carnage that spread across the valley.

My home is so beautiful.

You will love it there.

~~~

• You are one of the few humans spared in the carnage that followed over the next few weeks.
• The majority of humanity is wiped out, in order to reestablish balance on earth.
• Hanami explains to his higher-ups how he feels indebted to you, and would like to spare you as a sign of goodwill between species.
• They agree, but say that you must be integrated into their society through legal means. He agrees to take you as his wife, allowing you to be accepted.
• You mostly remain on earth with him, but spend some time together up in the colony ships.
• The first few months you don’t speak to him at all. You are completely mute. You are angry, exhausted, despairing and hollow all at once. You avoid him as much as you can.
• But despite your anger, you remain a social creature in need of companionship. At one point, tired of feeling all alone in the world, you lean into him. Just for a little bit of the warmth of another being. His arms wrapped around you and he rubbed your back soothingly. It’s okay. He said. I have so many lovely things to show you. There is so much wonderful in the universe.
• He was right. His home planet really is beautiful. 

Chapter Text

You sighed as you shifted your heavy pack onto both shoulders. You had been traveling along the desert plateau for some time now, and your shoulders and back were sore.
The sun was high in the sky and scorching, beaming down on you and heating the dry cracked earth beneath your feet. Thankfully, you wore a wide-brimmed hat which kept most of the sun off of your body. But your water supply was almost depleted, and you were beginning to feel the effects of dehydration.

You had been traveling with a caravan, composed of many people who, like you, sought to cross the great plateau and its deserted canyons. Unfortunately, you had been separated from them by a sandstorm while you were out scouting for a water source. You had attempted to brave your way through the storm back to them to take shelter, but had become disoriented and lost.

Now marked your third day wandering the desert alone, in search of the procession. And still no luck. You had attempted to use your map, but none of the surrounding landmarks resembled anything on it. Desperate, you had elected to make your way to higher ground, in hopes of getting a better view of the area and perhaps catching a glimpse of the caravan.

Which is why you now found yourself walking along the bottom of a canyon, looking for a way to get the top.

You had had little luck so far. The walls were too steep, the rocks too loose. You needed to find a gradual slope that looked safe enough to climb. You knew that if you ended up injured out here, with for example, a broken leg, that you would die.

You rounded the corner of the canyon and came face to face with what felt like a gift from god.
There.

The path formed a gradual slope, leading up to the top of the plateau. This was exactly the kind of thing that you were looking for. Shifting your pack for comfort again, you put one foot in front of the other and started the gradual climb.

This was great! Once atop the plateau you would travel along the edge and try to make out your location on the map. It should be easier once you were at a higher elevation.
If you were lucky, maybe you’d spot a water source.

Sweat dripped down your brow and the small of your back. Your mouth was dry and your head throbbed dully. You paused and removed your remaining water canteen from the side of your pack. Only about 60 milliliters remained. You shook the bottle, watching the remaining liquid swish around. You would need all the strength you could get if you wanted to get to the top of the canyon.
Sighing, you unscrewed the lid from your canteen and finished it off, careful not to waste a single drop. The water poured into your dry mouth and throat, soothing them. In that moment it felt like heaven.

You screwed the lid back on, and were about to resume your march when a large shadow flew over you. You froze.

There were more dangers out here than just dehydration and starvation. Harpies were known to inhabit these parts, making their nests in their nests in the higher columns of the plateau.

You craned your neck up and surveyed the skies. Nothing. The sky was a beautiful robin’s egg blue, dotted by white puffy clouds. Nothing else in sight. Maybe you had imagined it. Or it could have just been a normal vulture, those were pretty common and you had spotted a few already.
They wouldn’t be a problem until you were dead.

You shuddered at the thought and resumed your march, your canteen empty and your head full of worries.
Harpies were known to be especially territorial. They competed with other predators, such as wild dogs and humans, for prey and space. You felt around your pants pocket for your knife. Closing your fingers around the hilt, you felt soothed.
You probably wouldn’t win a fight with a harpy, they had sharp claws and the aerial advantage, but you might be able to dissuade it in a fight. You prayed that it wouldn’t come to that.

As you trudged up the final section of the path, the top of the plateau came into view. It was flat, save for the rocky columns that climbed into the sky. Like the rest of the desert, everything below the sky was a reddish orange or brown color, save the occasional hardy weed.

You hurriedly pulled the map from your bag, scanning it anxiously. Your eyes darted around the columns, trying to find some resemblance between their placement and the markings on the paper.
You groaned.
No dice. You would have to make your way to the edge of the plateau if you were to increase your chance at finding a recognizable landmark.

Solemnly, you trudged on. Your head throbbed, lightheaded, your mouth still dry. The relief from the last of your water had been momentary. You regretted not saving it.
You could feel your heart beating rapidly and realized that you had stopped sweating. Shit. This wasn’t good.

The world started to spin. Your legs trembled, giving out from beneath you.
No.
No no no no no please no

You hit the ground and static swallowed your vision.

~~~

Plip, plip, plip

You came to to the sound of water dripping.

How is that possible? You wondered.

You could feel something soft and furry under your body and pressed to your cheek. Your body was covered weighted down by what felt like a blanket.

Groggily, you peeled your eyes open.

You were facing a red clay wall. Against the wall were some baskets and a rudimentary shelf built from long tree branches. A number of mammal skulls sat upon the shelf, and a geometric tapestry hung upon the wall. The floor was adorned by a similar looking, yet much larger rug.

You shifted. You were lying on a wooden cot layered with animal furs. A woven blanket covered your body. Strangely, your mouth didn’t feel dry any more. And your head didn’t hurt, although your muscles did ache.

Something shifted from the end of the room near the foot of your bed.

You sat up quickly.

“Woah, careful there.” A voice said.

You startled.

Sitting near the foot of the bed was a male harpy. Two large wings sprouted from his back and his plumage was a shocking white. His legs were those of a large bird of prey, scaled and feathered and ending in huge sharp claws. His arms were similar, but more humanoid in shape. He wore a simple pair of pants and not much else.
He looked at you with his chin in his hand.

“About time you woke up.”

“Who…who the hell are you?” You asked, confused.

He grinned. “I’m the guy who saved your life.”

“…what?”

He crawled closer.

“I spotted you in the canyon. You didn’t seem to be in great shape, so I kept an eye on you.”

The canyon… he must have been the shadow that you flew over you.

“Oh, uh… thank you.”

He crawled closer, his face inches from yours, and grinned.
“You’re welcome.”

His eyes were a startling blue. Like a tropic ocean with many depths. They were a little unnerving.

“So…um. You live here?” You questioned, nervously trying to make conversation.

“Yup!” He stood up excitedly, sending a few feathers flying.
“I built the whole thing myself! It was little more than a cave when I got here.”

“It’s…impressive.” You noted.

“I know, right?” He twirled about.
“I wove those myself” he said, gesturing to a number of wall decor, blankets, and rugs.
“That’s storage” he pointed to the baskets
“That’s for bathing and drinking” he pointed to a small spout near the ceiling that poured water into a clay basin.

“And that’s for sleeping” he pointed at you. Or rather, the bed that you were in.

“Wow… you have a great set-up here.”
He smiled.

“What’s…uh… what’re the skulls for?” You asked, uneasy.

“Those?” He pointed to the shelf. Waltzing over he picked one up.
“These are trophies.” He grinned
“One from each predator on the plateau.”
To your horror, he pulled what looked like a human skull out of the pile.
Noticing the look of horror on your face, he reassured you.
“It’s a harpy skull. I haven’t killed a human.”
He turned towards you, smiling.
“Yet.”

You gulped.

Noticing, he placed the skull back on the shelf and made his way over to you.

“You must be hungry! How about I make us some dinner?”

“Dinner?” Was it really that late?
“Y…yes please.”

He smiled. Then went over to the corner and pulled out a large cooking pan.
He started a small fire in a ring of stones and laid the pan on top.
“Come give me a hand if you’re feeling well enough.”

You crawled out of bed and made your way over to him.
He reached into a basket and pulled out some herbs.
“Strip the leaves off and throw them in. Discard the stems.”

You nodded and got to work.
He took out a cutting board and a knife, and began to chop some meat and garlic.
He tossed it into the pan, and you sprinkled the herbs in. He covered it up with a lid, taking it off to stir from time to time. The appetizing aroma filled the room. Your stomach growled. He looked at you and smiled, but said nothing.

After a while, he removed the lid and scooped the meat into two bowls.
“Careful, it’s hot.” He cautioned.
You nodded. He handed you a bowl and a fork. You stuck the fork into a piece and blew on it until it seemed cool enough. Then you took a bite.
After three days wandering the desert, rationing the little food you had, which consisted of dried meat and nuts, this meal was probably the best thing you had ever tasted. You gulped it down.

“Hey, hey hey. Don’t choke now.” The harpy grinned.

You obliged and slowed your eating.

“By the way,” you said after swallowing
“I never got your name.”

He smiled.
“It’s Satoru.”

“That’s a lovely name.” You replied softly.

He grinned. “My mother had good taste.”

You nodded. “I’m ___.”

“___…” he repeated, tilting his head.
“Not bad…”

“So, “ you asked, resuming your meal
“Why are you out here alone? I thought that most harpies lived in colonies.”

He stiffened and looked uncomfortable. You immediately felt bad for having changed the tone of the conversation.

“I was outcast.” He stated dryly.
“Harpies don’t like what is unfamiliar to them. And when I was born… well, they took it as a bad omen.”
He gathered his wings around himself. He looked small.
“When you have feathers like mine, you stand out amongst the rocks and the ground. I wasn’t accepted as a hunter.”

“But you can blend in with the clouds.” You stated.

He turned to you, something dark in his eyes. “Yes.” He half smiled. “I can blend in with the clouds.”

He turned away.
“My mother was the only reason that I put up with anybody in that place. When she died… I left. There was nothing there for me anymore.”
He stared into the crackling fire.

“I’m sorry.” You said. You placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.
“That must have been difficult for you.”

He turned back to you, smiling.
“It’s fine. I prefer it here anyways. And I’m doing pretty well, all things considered.
I have my home, I have my territory, and I have you.”
He placed a hand on top of yours.

You felt uneasy.

“Satoru… you know that I need to leave, right? I need to get back to the people that I was traveling with.”

He grinned. “No you don’t.”

You blanked.

He patted your hand and stood, stretching. “Help me clean up, would you?”
He turned and began putting away the pan and utensils.

You stood, defiant.
“Satoru. I’m leaving.”

“No you’re not.” He replied coolly, scraping the scraps into a pot.

Your heart pounded. Your breathing became shallow.

“Yes I am.” Your voice shook a little.

You turned, searching for an exit.
There. Behind the large reed curtain. That must be how he got in and out.

You stepped forward and pushed it aside, one foot beyond it, ready to leave.

Your foot touched only air and you realized with horror that there was no ground beneath it. As you fell forward, you shrieked.
You were at least a hundred meters up in the air, emptiness between you and the vast plateau. The sun was setting, and it lit the world around it up in fiery shades of orange and pink. The desert extended far, far away, the world turning as you fell.

A strong arm wrapped around your waist and pulled you back up into the dwelling.
You stood at the threshold, facing the world outside. Your heart thumped in your chest and your breathing was panicked.
Satoru pulled your back to his chest.
He sighed, seemingly unbothered by what had just transpired.
“See, I told you so.” He stated boredly.
He nuzzled his face into your hair.
“I warned you, and look what happened.”

You turned your face up to him, panting.
“Wh…what’s going on?”

Satoru smiled, his face still pressed to your hair.

“As you stated, harpies are a very social species. No one would accept an outcast like me.”

Your heart dropped. You were beginning to understand.

“But we all need a special someone to share our lives with. Harpies aren’t any different.”

Your knife. The knife in your pocket.

“So I figured, why do they have to be a harpy? Why can’t my mate be a member of a different species?”

He breathed in the scent of your hair.

“So I decided to wait for someone to enter my territory. It’s a rare thing, you know, humans and humanoids coming this far out into the desert. I had to be patient. And sure enough, it paid off. I got lucky. I found you.”

He pressed a kiss to your head.

Your hand shot into your pocket, fumbling for your knife. It wasn’t there.

“Your knife?” He asked, as if reading your thoughts.
“I threw it away. I can’t have you putting any holes in me now, can I?”
He smiled.

You were shaking.

He frowned.
“Oh, come now. Don’t be like that.”

He pulled you with him away from the threshold, letting the curtain fall back in place. He dragged you over to the cot.

“I’ll be a good mate, I promise. I’ve been waiting for this for so long. I’m a good cook, and an excellent hunter.”

He sat on the cot, pulling you into his lap, his chest pressed to your back. He crossed his legs over yours and folded his wings around the both of you.
Humming, he began to play with your hair, one arm wrapped tightly around your midsection.

“I’m pretty, I keep a good home, and I’m strong enough to protect us from any threat that comes our way.”

He sighed, his hand tangling in your hair.

“I’ll take good care of you, I promise.
What more could you want.”

You sniffled a little.

He huffed.

“Alright.” He said, shifting on the bed.

“I knew that this would take some time. I don’t expect you to love me right away. That’s something that has to be built up.”

He lifted up the furs and blanket, pulling both of you underneath and lying on his side. He pulled you to him, wrapping his wings around you and burying his face in your hair.

“You’ll just have to get used to it.”

~~~
- True to his word, he did take good care of you. You are always well-fed, hydrated, clean and showered in affection.
- He loves to preen you, running his fingers through your hair and burying his face in your neck.
- He also loves it when you preen him, running a comb through this hair and stroking his feathers.
- Despite his seemingly slender build, he is incredibly strong and can carry you throughout the sky with ease.
- He lied about the knife, he didn’t throw it away, only hid it. In his words “It’s dumb to waste resources. Surviving out here is all about using everything you have.”
- That doesn’t mean that you managed to use the knife on him though. You had tried just once, and he was on you faster than you could blink. You were thrown to the ground, a clawed foot wrapped around your arm, a hand wrapped around your throat. “If you ever try that again” he had said “Then I really won’t play nice.” He had been grinning, his blue eyes wide.
- You had watched him fight another harpy who had wandered into his territory once. It was vicious. Claws, knives, fists, anything was fair game. Blood and feathers flew, a flurry of sharp blades. His opponent got one hit in. One. A slash across his upper body. In retaliation, Satoru had massacred his wings. When the poor harpy fell, Satoru let him, watching until he hit the ground. You had asked him why later, when you were tending to his wound. “Harpy territories are a matter of life and death.” He had stated casually. “If I lose mine, I die, simple as that.”
- When Satoru deemed you as having been on good behavior, he would fly you around until you found a place on the ground that interested you. There you would walk together, through canyons or through brush, and explore the wonders of the desert.
- You missed people, but found yourself more and more dependent on Satoru for human interaction each night. Every night you slept wrapped up in his arms, your ear pressed to his chest, listening to the soft beating of his heart.
- Maybe… you could learn to like this

Chapter Text

It was unnatural for a woman of your age to be unmarried, let alone unbetrothed. At twenty-three, the age at which either of those things should have occurred was long behind you. The other villagers whispered about it behind your back. You heard them. It was yet another blemish on your reputation, accumulating with the others to form a dirty mark.

You couldn’t really help it. After your grandfather’s injury, he had become bedridden and unable to work. That made you the sole breadwinner of the family, and with the little that you scrounged up going towards food, the rent, and other necessities, there was nothing left to go into providing a dowry.

You had received some marriage offers from around the village by men that were desperate enough to forgo the dowry. Mainly from Jakov the Drunk, who was more than twice your age, and Gustav the farmer’s boy, who disliked bathing and had a penchant for lamb castration.

The situation could have been a lot better.

In order to provide for you and your grandfather, you did a variety of odd jobs, foraged in the woods, and wove late into the evenings to sell at the Sunday market. Your grandfather always told you not to go too deep into the woods, warning you that dangers lied there, but sometimes you had to in order to acquire enough herbs to sell.

It didn’t bring very much in, but it did provide enough to survive on.

Your grandfather, bless his heart, was set on the idea of you marrying.

“___, my little sun.” he croaked from his bed as you sat by his side.

“You know that I care only to see you happy.” He placed a frail hand over yours.

“When I leave this world, who will you have by your side? You will be all alone. I do not want you to face this world by yourself. You are brave, and strong, but the world is tenfold more vicious. It will tear you open with its teeth.” He coughed.

“I beg of you, find someone to stand by your side, who will care for you and protect you as you would them.”

He rubbed his fingers over the back of your hand and the iron ring that used to be his that he had gifted you.

“I cannot allow myself to pass on with the knowledge that I will be abandoning you. Find someone who will wed you. Please… promise me this.” He broke into a fit of coughing.

You nodded.

“Yes, Grandfather.”

You didn’t have the heart to tell him it was unlikely.

After your grandfather died, the landlord would kick you out, now that it wouldn’t look as bad as throwing an old, infirm man out onto the street. Without the possibility of a home, you were hoping to join the convent north-east of the village, in Hajlka. But the journey there would be expensive, and you had only managed to save up half of what was needed to get there.

So you worked harder, working late into the night and walking up early. Your days were divided between tending to your grandfather and working or foraging.

Slowly, his state of health declined, and you found your conversations becoming shorter and interrupted by more coughing fits and sudden bouts of exhaustion. He became delirious, mistaking you for your mother or rambling about a dangerous spirit in the woods.

Until one day, when you turned from the fire to spoon feed him his morning soup, you realized that his chest was still and his breath had stopped.

The spoon clattered to the floor.

You felt tired. Hollow. It felt like your heart had been torn from chest and crushed. You wept until the sky turned dark.

Then you wiped your face and went to the priest to tell him the news.

The priest, a kind man, solemnly expressed his condolences. You gave him the money that you had been saving up for your journey to Hajlka to pay for a coffin and a funeral. A day later you watched, hollowed out, as your grandfather was laid into the ground and buried. You returned his ring to him. You knew that it had been precious to him his whole life, that it was all that remained that tied him to your grandmother.

But now there was nothing tying him to you.

When you returned home, you didn’t know what to do. You sat at the table with your head in your hands. You had one week left in the small downstairs room that you had lived in together before the landlord kicked you out. You were low on money and had to get more, fast, to finance your journey to the convent.

You already weaved as much as you could, but that wouldn’t bring much in until next Sunday, by when you’d be on the street. You could forage deeper in the woods. It was dangerous. There were wolves, and spirits, and who knows what else, but it was a place where few adventures and where there were guaranteed to be rare plants and mushrooms. If you found enough, the herbalist would pay you handsomely. Sure, it was risky, but with your life on the line, it was worth it.

You stood up and put on your cloak, fastening it, and grabbed your large basket and a small knife. Your decision was made. It was this or nothing.

You closed the heavy wooden door behind you and made your way through the streets of the small village. Some people glared at you suspiciously, you were more an outcast now than you had ever been, but some bowed their heads respectfully in regard to your mourning. Some of the men outside the tavern whistled, and you hurried your step.

You made it to the edge of the forest, and ducking under a branch, began to make your way through it. You passed familiar landmarks; a dead tree, a large boulder, a clearing. As you went deeper into the woods, your surroundings became less and less familiar, until you didn’t recognize them at all. The deeper part of the forest was darker, mossier. The ground was wetter and the air was louder, filled with the sound of birds and the occasional cry of a mammal. You memorized new landmarks here and there so that you could trace your way back, careful not to get lost.

At last you came across a beautiful outcropping of lion’s mane mushroom, growing out of a large tree.

Perfect . This was a rare kind, highly prized by herbalists. You knelt in the dirt, using the small knife to cut little growths off.

You made sure to leave enough for it to grow back. Once you were done you stood, folding the knife away and wiping the sweat from your brow.

“Ahem.”

A throat cleared itself.

You looked around, startled. Where had that come from?

“Over here.”

You looked up. Almost right above your head, reclining on a large branch of the tree, was a young man about your age, dark haired and dressed in a dark coat. He smiled and waved at you nonchalantly.

“How did you get up there?” You asked accusingly.

“I didn’t hear a thing.”

He grinned, fluidly moving into a sitting position, his long legs dangling.

“I have my ways.”

He grasped the branch below him and swung down gracefully, landing in front of you. He brushed a stray leaf from his lapel.

“I’m Suguru, nice to meet you.” He stated coolly.

He had long, silky dark hair that was tied back in a bun. A stray strand hung in his face. His eyes were dark, but you couldn’t see much of them because they crinkled from the permanent smile on his face. His coat was well-tailored, and he wore dark shoes that looked like something a nobleman would wear. He was also a lot taller than you, you realized now that he was standing in front of you.

His smile remained plastered to his face.

“And you are…?”

“___.” You stated.

“I’m ___.”

He seemed content at that.

“So, ___,” he said, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“What brings a charming young woman such as yourself all the way out here?”

You were irked at the flattery, but brushed it off. “I’m gathering herbs.” You stated

“And mushrooms. They can sell for a lot to herbalists’.”

He nodded.

“This is a good place to find them.”

“What brings you out here?” You asked.

“You dress like a nobleman, but you’re out here deep in the woods. That’s a very strange thing.”

He turned, still smiling.

“I live here.”

“Here?”

“Yes.” He turned his head up to the leafy canopy above.

“This is my home.”

What a peculiar man. You thought to yourself.

He turned back to you.

“Would you like to see my house?”

“Your…house?”

“Yes, I just told you I lived here, didn’t I?”

You bit your lip. You really needed the money from the herbs and mushrooms. You were already wasting precious time by talking with this strange man. You didn’t even know him, he could be anyone, and to be honest, he spooked you a little. There was something off about him.”

“I’m sorry, but I’ll have to decline the offer, sir. I have work to do, and it’s quite urgent. Perhaps on another occasion.” You stated as politely as possible.

He frowned at you. That was a first.

You picked up your basket and turned to leave.

“Wait.”

You glanced over your shoulder.

He was smiling again.

“You don’t have a husband, do you?”

An uneasy feeling began to build in your stomach.

“What…what makes you say that?” You asked nervously. Most peasants were too poor to buy wedding rings, so he hadn’t come to that conclusion by noting the lack of one on your finger.

He stepped closer, shrugging.

“I overhear a lot of things in the village. Talk of this and that. Or maybe a little birdie told me. You know how chatty they are.” He grinned and lifted an index finger upwards, pointing to the branches above, from where birdsong rang.

“Your grandfather, he’s dead.”

Your heart sank. So he knew about that too.

“Which means that you’re all alone.”

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“He owes me, after all. And even the dead ought to keep their promises.”

You stared at him, your breathing getting rapid.

“What are you talking about?”

He grinned.

“I beat the old man in a game of cards long ago. He didn’t have anything valuable on hand, so I asked if he had anything precious at home. The fool was so poor he said that his daughter and his young granddaughter were the only precious things in his life. He thought that would deter me from taking my prize.”

His grin looked evil now, his teeth sharp.

“So I told him, “Isn’t that just perfect!” Send me your granddaughter when she’s old enough, I’ll take her in exchange. The poor fool, I can’t stand a dishonest man. I wouldn’t let him go until he agreed.”

The color drained from your face.

“He tried to deter me at first. He thought that iron ring he wore would protect him from me. Pathetic. I made him cry until he gave in.”

Rage filled you.

“What the devil are you?” You spat, backing away.

He grinned from ear to ear.

“Close! But not quite. Your people call me Leshi; the Woodland King. I prefer Suguru, personally, there are many leshis in the world, and only one of me.”

Your heart sank. A leshi was the most powerful spirit of the forest. Your grandfather had doomed you the minute that promise left his lips.

“You know, I was worried that he would marry you off to someone else before I got my hands on you. But it looks like that’s not a problem! And I didn’t even have to come get you myself, you came right to me. What a good girl.” He cooed.

You were having a hard time wrapping your head around all this.

“What…?” You asked quietly.

“Now, because it’s technically a kidnapping, a dowry isn’t needed. Aren’t you lucky? There’s no longer any need to put yourself in danger wandering these woods. And you don’t ever have to go back to that nasty village either! Aren’t you thrilled, darling?” His tone was mocking.

You started to panic.

“Stay away from me!”

He stepped closer, his grin maniacal.

“Oh, I’ve been doing that for long enough sweetheart. I think it’s time that I finally get my prize.”

His hand reached out, grabbing your forearm. You watched in horror as vines crept from his sleeves and began to wind around your arm.

“It’s been a long time coming… I’m going to enjoy this.”

~

• All things considered, he ends up actually being a pretty good husband. He’s attentive, doesn’t sleep around, and provides you with anything you could want. Given the time period, this is gold.
• The house that you live in is quaint and simple, but bigger than anything that you’ve ever lived in. It’s clean, well-lot, and is guarded by dogs. So when he leaves, you at least have some company. It’s also encircled by a massive thicket, so there’s no way for you to escape while he’s gone.
• He lets you wander around the forest alone, because every living creature in it is under his command. No matter how many times you’ve tried, you just can’t seem to find a way out. You suspect that he’s using his magic to mess with you.
• He likes to unbutton his coat while wearing it and wrap you up in it with him.
• He enjoys brushing your hair for you, and especially likes it when you brush his hair for him.
• He adores watching you weave (he has no idea how to do it himself and finds it intriguing), and is always so proud of your work. He hangs the results up all over the house.
• Thanks to him, you always have access to the freshest meats and produce. All you have to do is tell him what you’d like to cook that night (“How about venison stew”), and he comes back later with an entire deer sling over his shoulder.
• He also keeps livestock, so you have access to all the milk, cheese and wool that you could desire.
• You are busy, but for the first time in a while; you are happy.
• You did keep your promise to your grandfather, after all.

Chapter Text

Each life is defined by pivotal moments. An great achievement, a terrible loss, or an unlikely stroke of luck sculpt the path that lies ahead of us. Some of these events are under our control, but for the most part, we have very little say in them.

Right now, as you gazed up to the top of the stone stairs that you were struggling to climb, you came to the realization that this was about to be one of those pivotal moments.

This was no ordinary outing.
You were accompanying three priests, the village chief, a handful of carriers and their oxen. Your little group was currently climbing the steep, worn stone steps of a mountainside, towards an ancient shrine. The steps numbered in the hundreds, not including the ones that had led you from the village to the foot of the mountain, and your back and leg muscles had begun aching hours ago. This journey was a grueling one.

Your whole body ached, and you were hunched over in order to balance the weight that you carried on your back, a pack full of boxes of pastries and specially prepared food. Your companions’ packs carried different items; trinkets, gold, and jewels, fresh fruits, incense, books, statuettes, tapestries and paintings were among the items that were carried. None of it was meant for you nor for your traveling companions.
It was for the gods that lived at the top of the mountain, in the shrine inside the cave.

They were rumored to have arrived there long ago, through the seas and rivers, from a faraway land in the west, beyond Morokoshi. Naga, they called them. Said to resemble massive serpents with the heads and torsos of men.
It was they who controlled the rains, the monsoons, the tides and the floods. In wrath they wiped out whole towns and villages, in benevolence they brought soft rain that nourished crops.
Their favor could mean the difference between life or death. And it was for that reason that your village was participating in this desperate attempt at currying it.

It had been months since the last rain. The rice paddies had dried up, the crops had withered and died, and with no harvest, your village was starving.
Death had come knocking on the door of every house in the village, particularly unforgiving to the young, the old, and the weak.
Your own arms had grown twig-thin, and your ribs showed prominently underneath your skin. The famine had spared no one, every member of the village had been affected in one way or another.

The Naga were your last hope for survival. If you failed this mission, then your village was doomed.

"We are nearly there!" Shouted a priest a dozen steps ahead of you.
Your spirits lifted as the end of the stairs came into view.
He had been repeating those words for the entire journey up the mountain, in an effort to lift morale. It was irritating, and you bet your geta that everyone else in the procession would prefer that he keep his mouth shut. But this time it was true.
Exclamations of relief and gratitude from your traveling companions broke the silence that surrounded you.
Gathering the last bits of your strength, you hastened your step, eager for the grueling journey to be over.

As you climbed onto the final step you exhaled in relief, then stepped off a little to the side to let the remainder of the procession pass by. You removed your pack and carefully placed it on the ground at your feet, then straightened up and rubbed the sore muscles of your shoulder and back.
In doing so, you got a good look at the scene in front of you.
About twenty yards away, in the side of the mountain, a massive cave yawned before you. Small steps led up to it, and a plaited rope, a shimenawa, hung from the ceiling of the opening. Rather than two stone dogs flanking the entrance, two carved snakes stared each other down. One's mouth was agape, revealing two pointed fangs and a forked tongue.
You shivered a little. The stone statues were disturbingly realistic.

You knew that whatever lay inside the shrine could only be worse.

The whole procession was now a ways ahead of you. The head priest shouted at you to get moving, and you dutifully picked up your pack and trudged onwards.
You joined the procession, and cattle and all, walked into the darkness of the cave.

The sides were lit with torches, which was strange, because you saw no one who would tend to them. The cave was devoid of life save for your procession. Large scenes were carved into the high stone walls. They depicted humanoid figures whose bodies morphed into those of snakes below the waist. The figures fought terrifying demons, swam across the sea, blessed farmlands with rain and brought tsunamis down upon villages. Diminutive human figures bowed deeply to them, their foreheads pressed to the dirt. In one scene, hacked bodies and limbs littered the ground, and a snake-figure held a severed leg to his open mouth.

You turned your attention away from the carvings and towards the front of the procession, more than a little disturbed.
You hoped that whatever was to happen in this cave would include none of that.

At the front of the procession were a few steps leading to two large fusama sliding doors. On the doors a massive serpent, its tail woven through many clouds, descended from the heavens. Instead of a head it had the upper body of a man whose hands formed the signs of power and beatitude.

The head priest barked some orders and the carriers began to unload their own and the oxen's burdens. The doors were slid open slightly, and two priests bowed deeply before entering. The packs were unloaded and the items passed up the line to the priests, who must have been busy setting the items about behind the doors.

At last, everything, even your own pack, had been unloaded. The priests instructed the carriers to go and wait outside the cave. Not needing to be reminded twice, the carriers were quick to oblige. This place seemed to frighten them as much as it did you.

You turned to follow them but were stopped by a harsh shout. You turned. The head priest looked back at you, his face one of solemn resignation. Your stomach dropped.
"Come with us." He motioned to you.
You stared at your feet as you made your way up the shallow steps, the hole in your stomach growing with each pace.
It was the unspoken, horrible possibility that you had tried to keep out of your mind.
Sometimes the gods were not satisfied with fruits and riches. Sometimes they wanted blood. Life. More often than not, that of a young maiden.

You removed your shoes at the entrance and bowed deeply before stepping into the room. It was dark and cool, the light from the torches cast itself weakly over the sides of the square room delimited by rice paper walls. Gifts were piled along them; bags of fruit, statues draped in pearls, gold and delicate pastries, incense and silks.

You sat on the floor, legs folded underneath you, as did the two priests that sat to your left.
The head priest slid the door shut behind you, and the little light of day that made its way through the cave mouth disappeared. Your skin grew colder.

He knelt on the floor in front of you, and pulled three sticks of incense from his sleeve. He lit and then placed them in a small holder on the floor, bowing deeply.
The smell wafted to you and you recognized it as sasora, hot.

He remained in a bowing position and the priests beside you did the same, bringing their foreheads down to the tatami mats. You copied them. The head priest spoke in a low voice; "Do not raise your heads." The room was silent. Anticipation weighed thick as smoke in the air.

Time stretched on. After what felt like an eternity but could have only been a few minutes, you heard the sound of the screen door in front of the head priest slowly slide open.

Something heavy dragged across the floor, almost silent, and stopped in front of the lit incense.
It exhaled longly, with a hiss, and the smell of tobacco smoke filled your nostrils.

"Oh great Naga, lords of the mountain," the head priest began, his head still pressed to the floor.
"We come to you offering humble gifts, in the hope that you will recognize them as a sign of our deepest respects, and gratitude, towards you."

Silence, save the inhalation of the massive creature and the pounding of your heart.

"In return, we beg you for a shred of your divine mercy. Our crops have dried out, it rains no more. Our children die with empty bellies, and death and despair reign over our village. We beg of you; accept these gifts, and in return, bring the rains back over our village once more."

The silence was heavy.

Finally, the creature exhaled again, the smell of smoke filling the room. At last it spoke, its voice deep and mocking.

"Pitiful."

Your heart dropped.
The monks to your left flinched.

The tension in the air was heavy.

"This is all that you bring?" The creature mocked disdainfully.

"A handful of baubles and treats?"

The monk stuttered.

"I-we- the harvest has not been good this year. Our crops have died out, we barely have enough to feed ourselves, let alone-"

"Silence."
The creature commanded.

The monk was silent.

Tension weighed thick in the air.

Then a softer voice spoke.

"Brother,"

It came from the same direction as the creature.

"What he says is true. How can one provide gifts if one can barely feed themselves?"

Despite the second voice coming from the same place as the first, you hadn't heard the body of another person enter the room.

"Hm." Scoffed the first voice.

"I suppose that you are not without reason, brother. But still, these are meager offerings."

He addressed the monks now, his tone bored.
"I will permit you to leave, and grant your request."

His tone became mocking again.
"On one condition."
You could hear him sneer.

"You leave that as an offering as well."

You didn't need to see him pointing at you to know that he was doing it.

Your heart dropped.

This was the stuff of nightmares. You had dreaded this possibility so much it kept you awake at night.

You began to feel light headed.

The head monk cleared his throat.
"V-very well, as you see fit, oh Great One. We are forever grateful for your generosity, and we will remember this for generations to come-"

"Enough." The Naga hissed.

"Get out. I'm sick of your prattling."

You heard shuffling as the monks scrambled over one another and out the door. You, however, were paralyzed, glued to the floor.

The door slid shut behind you, the click of it echoing with a somber finality throughout the cave.

Your heart was beating a thousand miles a minute. Sweat beaded on your forehead and in the crooks of your limbs.

"You." The voice spoke.

"Raise your head."

Trembling, you obeyed.

The sight that greated you was more frightening than anything that you could have imagined.

The face of a man stared down at you, stern and hard. His hair was spiked and the color of washed out blood. Gold cuffs and strands were woven into his hair, and black angular tattoos adorned his face. His eyes glowed red in the dim light.
Surely this had to be a demon.

His torso was also that of a man, muscled and adorned with jagged black symbols. His fingertips ended in black claws, and he clasped in his hand a tall three-pronged spear.

The rest of him, however, were the coils of a snake. Thick as an old tree and scaled in gold that glimmered dimly in the poor light, they draped over and around themselves across the floor.

As you followed it with your eyes, you noticed, off to the corner, the second presence.

Attached to the snake coils in the same manner as the first man, was a slightly smaller, yet still imposing younger man. His hair was cut short, and the same color as the other's, but recalled more of a soft pink. His face was slightly more juvenile, and his expression a tad softer, sympathetic. He was also shirtless, but held no weapon.

Taking in the sight was no simple feat.
These were Naga, monstrous gods whose will decided the fate of hundreds. They were powerful, intelligent, and no one could stand against their might.

The bigger one leaned down, his face approaching yours.
"Do you know what your purpose is now, little one?"

You shuddered, recalling the mural depicting a man being eaten.

"I...I have an idea, oh Great One." You choked the words out from your tightened throat.

The man looked you over, his eyes scanning your body.
"I don't think that you do."
He stated dismissively.
His eyes narrowed.
"And don't call me that. Lord Sukuna will suffice. And refer to my brother as Lord Yuji."

You gulped.

"We're not going to eat you, if that's what you were imagining." piped up a voice directly next your left ear, startling you.

You turned abruptly. It was the smaller male, although he was massive compared to any human man, Lord Yuji. Unbeknownst to you while you were conversing, he had coiled around the room, blocking off any escape.
You looked up at him, still fearful.

"I mean it." he said, his face sympathetic.
"Your purpose here is not to feed us... it is to serve us."

You understood then. They required a handmaiden, didn't they? Someone to tend to their shrine and their daily needs such as cooking and bathing.
Or did they mean...

"Something more than that, actually", corrected the larger male. He leaned his face even closer, until his red eyes were inches from yours.
"Something much more than that."
He grinned deviously.

Your heart thudded in your chest and you shrank back instinctively.

The man behind you clicked his tongue in distaste.

"Don't scare her, Sukuna. We don't want her running off."

Two strong arms snaked around your waist from behind and lifted you into the air. You kicked your feet helplessly, more out of raw panic than in an effort to fight back.

A voice murmured in your ear.
"Don't be afraid little mouse. We aren't going to hurt you."

Sukuna leaned forward grinning, taller than you even when you were held in Yuji's arms.

"At least not in a way that you won't like."