Chapter Text
You're going to die.
You're going to die
You're going to die.
Those were the thoughts running through your mind as the furious mob of your people seized you and began to tear your clothes to hand you over as God brought you into this world. Everything was a mistake, you tried to explain to the elders of your village, but your words were silenced by insults and satanic proclamations about you.
What had you done to deserve this?
You saw a man who looked familiar, the village priest. He was the cause of all your suffering. That man had tried to take advantage of you, you defended yourself, and in revenge he accused you of witchcraft.
Not even friends.
Not even family members.
None of them dared to defy your word, and instead of helping you, they looked away when they arrested you. Now you were there, waiting for "It" to put an end to your sad and cruel fate. You just hoped it would be quick and as painless as possible.
You had been offered to the monster that lived on the outskirts of your village; all those condemned for witchcraft had suffered the fate that now lay before your eyes. No one had managed to escape, or so the gossip said. Tears streamed from your eyes, blurring your vision. Naked and bound by your hands and feet to the sacrificial platform, you slowly awaited your death—or so you believed.
A sound like a trumpet pulled you from your thoughts. Damn it, that bastard was so spiteful he'd hasten your death; now, without a doubt, that monster would come. Sobs and the creaking of the platform were the only things that could be heard in the place, until the wind brought something that made you stop your movements.
A minty scent with a hint of something you couldn't quite name reached you; it was the first time you'd ever smelled anything like it. You snapped out of the reverie that aroma had created for a moment and noticed the bushes rustling.
Your pulse quickened, you struggled against your restraints trying to free yourself, but nothing seemed to work. You cursed the people of your village with all your heart; it wasn't fair that this was your final moment.
The scent grew stronger, and the sound of branches and leaves rustling beneath you became more prominent. You decided you didn't want to see the being that would let you take your last breath; you just wanted it all to be over.
The sound stopped abruptly, but the scent lingered. You still had your eyes closed when you felt a cold touch on your cheek. It felt like scales, and fear made you tremble unconsciously.
The coldness on your cheek vanished for a fleeting moment, and instead of just cold and flaky skin, you felt a cold, scaly hand gently touch your cheek. The hand moved slowly and wiped away the tears you hadn't realized were running down your cheeks.
Even so, you refused to open your eyes; you didn't want to see the monstrosity before you. Perhaps it was showing you mercy before devouring you.
"Look at me, darling, I'm not going to hurt you." A soft male voice echoed in your ears. You had nothing to lose; your life was already hanging by a thread. You couldn't do anything worse to condemn yourself.
You slowly opened your eyes and what you saw left you speechless.
The upper half was a man with skin as pale as porcelain, his lower half was a tail similar to that of a snake but larger; it was as black as his curly hair, his eyes as deep red as two rubies and his scales as dazzling as the sun.
— W-What do you want from me? — your voice came out in a sigh.
A soft laugh escaped the creature, the corner of its lips lifted slightly; if it weren't so close to you, that gesture would have gone unnoticed.
— I don't mean to sound rude — now the creature was watching you attentively, his expression serene, it had moved its hand away from you but the closeness was still present.
"Are you going to kill me?" Your words came out before he could say anything else; your mind couldn't think of anything else. A chill ran through your body; the temperature was starting to drop. Dusk was approaching, and being naked in the middle of the forest wasn't helping.
"No, but I can't promise you'll like what I'm about to propose." His hand gently moved the hair covering one of your eyes and tucked it behind your ear. You anxiously waited to see if his proposal could be worse than death.
"I want you to be my mate for this mating season." That took you by surprise; it wasn't something you expected at all. You didn't think a creature like that could want to be with a human.
— What do I gain from all this? — You were hoping to have a chance to escape after this whole situation with the creature was over.
"I can give you anything you want. If revenge is what you seek, I can give it to you. Riches, protection, a home, love. The only condition I ask is that you don't abandon me." That meant your life would be bound to that monster, because his words, wise as he was, revealed he didn't just want passion.
"To be honest, I've wandered this world for so long, I long to feel the happiness of a home and family again." The creature moved toward one of your wrists and loosened your bonds, freeing you completely.
Before you could fall from the height at which you were tied, some arms caught you and lowered you until you were back on the ground. You thanked him gently, and only then, seeing him from the ground, did you realize how enormous he was. If you accepted, you didn't know how you could bear anything with a creature whose nature and name you only just knew.
"Would I be free if I agreed to be with you?" You were sitting on the damp grass, your limbs aching from being tense for so long. The cold was intensifying; it seemed winter was coming sooner than expected this year.
"Whatever you want, my dear. I just want you to be happy by my side." He approached you and knelt down to your level, offering his hands to help you up.
The strength of its arms kept you steady as you slowly stood up, your legs trembling from all the effort they had made during the afternoon. Noticing this, the creature bent down slightly and lifted you into its arms.
— What are you? What's your name? — If you were going to give yourself to something, you at least wanted to know what it was about.
"I am a naga, or more commonly known as the monster that terrorizes your village." He had begun to move; he wasn't going that fast, but the wind and the cold of his touch didn't help stop your trembling.
You arrived at a cave after passing by a lake that was just outside your old home but close to the neighboring town.
You weren't sure if the place would be cozy enough at first glance, but when he took you deeper into the cave you realized it wasn't at all what you were thinking.
It was decorated like a house, had a large armchair and seemed to have other "rooms" decorated like a warm home.
You were grateful that the place was warm; your body wouldn't withstand the cold of the night. Your gaze was scanning the entire place until you felt yourself being slowly lowered.
— I'll bring you some clothes — before you could say anything the naga had already disappeared, you walked holding onto the furniture while looking at the details of the room.
The cold touch you were becoming familiar with interrupted your exploration. The naga had brought you a dress; it looked comfortable and warm, and you wasted no time putting it on. You were about to thank him, but a sound interrupted you.
It was your stomach; you had completely forgotten that your only meal had been a bit of breakfast because those bastards from your town hadn't even let you finish that.
The soft laughter you had heard earlier returned; this was embarrassing.
"Don't worry about food, I can prepare something to help you regain all your energy; after all, you'll need it for tomorrow." Your cheeks flushed; for a moment you had forgotten the small condition of your new life.
"You still haven't told me your name. If I'm going to spend the rest of my life with you, that's an important detail I should know. Or would you prefer I call you something in particular?" You ignored his gaze and didn't want to remember that he had seen you in all your glory, just as God brought you into the world.
— Muzan, that is the name of the monster you now belong to. — Those words only made you question whether this had been the best solution to your problem.
Your now life partner lifted you up and led you deeper into the cave. The place resembled a kitchen, but much simpler and more rudimentary.
— Sorry for the mess, it's been a long time since I've had human visitors — that got you thinking, you probably weren't his only human lover.
Curiosity overwhelmed you; once that thought entered your mind, it would be difficult to make it disappear.
— Can I ask you something? — you heard him answer with a yes while he continued concentrating on heating water in one of the makeshift and strange pots he had there.
"How long have you been alone? I mean, your former family. How long have you been separated from them?" The movements stopped, and he approached you to answer your question.
"I've been on this earth for a couple of centuries. The last time I had a family, my age could be counted as mere years of human life." A touch of an icy body guided your gaze to the owner of those alluring ruby eyes. The words continued once both pairs of eyes met. "I lost my family to horrible humans who invaded my territory and claimed my lands as their own. Hatred terrified my soul until I wiped out every last one of them. The last thing I remember is abandoning the place I once called home and living from then on as the monster that devoured the impure of the villages. Without a clear direction, only solitude as my sole companion in my life."
Did you think that the heat of the makeshift kitchen was making Muzan's touch transform into something warmer, or perhaps the whole homey vibe was giving you that mistaken perception?
— Until I saw you crying over the sacrifice of that brown-haired girl. For the first time, I felt something in my chest that hadn't been there since the last time I felt happy — her hand rested on your cheek and slowly the distance between you closed.
The scent you'd smelled in the forest felt increasingly familiar, like fresh water or something similar. Unable to name what you were perceiving, the distance between you closed, and your lips met in a soft brush that slowly intensified into something more passionate. You felt the other's tongue asking permission to deepen the kiss, pushing it further.
Your hands traveled to his chest, and his arms pulled you closer. The cold was gone; instead, you felt a warm, consuming heat that was pleasurable. Before you could break apart for lack of air, Muzan bit your lip, eliciting a small gasp of surprise. He then slowly pulled away, as if the act you had shared were something unreal, a figment of his imagination.
You watched him; the scales on his cheeks seemed to have a slight change in color to a faint pink hue, his breathing was rapid, and there was a trace of blood on his lip. Instinctively, you brought your hand to your own lip where blood was trickling from the being before you, but before you could protest, the sound of boiling water brought Muzan back to what he was doing in the first place.
After calming down a bit, you decided to sit nearby in the place that resembled a small, dilapidated dining room and questioned Muzan again.
"Were you at that girl's execution? I thought you only appeared when humans left." Muzan moved with precision, cooking vegetables. "I am, but that day I couldn't help but wander around because of all the commotion." You remember, the most unjust execution. The girl probably suffered the same fate as you, but apparently with a worse end.
— Did you eat her? — curiosity brought out the worst in you, but your new companion didn't seem to care.
— Is that your impression of me, my dear? Where have my manners gone? I thought I had been the most cordial and gentlemanly person during our meeting.
It had been the most decent thing he could do to ask you to be his mating partner on your first encounter; you weren't going to complain, it probably could have ended worse.
— How did you learn all these common human things or actions? Did you have a human partner or perhaps a friend? — Silence fell; perhaps this was a difficult topic to discuss, or you were impolite to want to know more in such a short time.
"That's right, my dear. I met someone who taught me the meaning of friendship. Before him, I believed all humans were selfish beings incapable of feeling anything for others. That's why this place is decorated like this, in his memory." He offered you a plate of vegetables with fish; it smelled delicious, and without waiting for him to say anything else, you began to devour the food.
Today had been an extremely stressful day, and after finishing your only meal of the day, sleep overtook you. You had no idea how late it was, but your body was already signaling that it was time to surrender to the realm of dreams.
Muzan noticed this and offered you his hand to accompany you to what would henceforth be your resting place. Your legs felt a little better; you could walk if you held onto something.
Where you expected to see a bed, there were instead enormous furs; the room felt warm. You approached one of them and lay down when you felt how soft it was.
You felt the touch of his chin on your shoulder; the sight must have been amusing. Next to him, you were nothing more than an ant. You smiled at the thought before closing your eyes and finally falling asleep.