Chapter Text
One day on the Hill of the Nameless…
…
That was it, one day. Medicine Melancholy, the sole inhabitant, never really saw a point in differentiating them since they’d all blend together anyway. Outside of the occasional intruder she had to chase off, every one involved the same activity: Sitting on the flowers in solitude, the doll would quietly contemplate whatever topic had taken her interest at the time.
A boring existence it may have been, but that wasn’t a problem for her. Those humans that had abandoned her, all alone in that same field of flowers… they couldn’t hurt her anymore. She’d never be shackled by them again. And that is what mattered. The doll had lost count of the years since the day she was tossed aside, but her hatred had burned brilliantly for every single one since then. Such was Medicine’s anger that the Yama herself came and personally lectured her. The doll was warned to tone it down, lest it lead her on a dangerous path.
Fine.
Maybe she wouldn't murder every human she saw. But they still had no right to trespass on her sacred ground. Her precious Su-san. Luckily, the few that did were easily scared off. As cruel as humans were, they were also cowards. The mere sight of a youkai would send most running full speed in the opposite direction. This made things much easier.
At least, usually it did.
As expected, the day started like the rest. Rising from her slumber amongst the lilies, Medicine stood to watch the sun begin its journey over the horizon. At this time of year, the ocean of white was slowly transitioning to red as the flowers bore their fruit. Medicine was proud of her Su-san; the flowers would kill any human stupid enough to try them, as would the poisonous fruit they bore. Alongside her fluttered a little doll, who shared in the beauty of the changing seasons. She was in a good mood today.
Until she saw him, that was. A human.
It didn’t take long; the adolescent intruder stood out like a blemish on her perfect field.
So it would be one of those days. Incredibly annoying, but nothing Medicine hadn’t dealt with before. Thankfully, these kinds of situations didn’t really require much thought. Show herself, say a bunch of scary words, and they’d flee, without fail. Hovering above the ground, the doll floated toward him menacingly. This made it abundantly clear that she was, in fact, a youkai, and not just some random girl playing in the flowers.
So why wasn't he running?
This kid wasn’t even scared; seeing her approach, he merely stared, his gaze unflinching as she got closer.
Perhaps he didn't get the message.
"DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH SU-SAN!!!"
No reaction. Still?!
This kid had just wandered into the domain of a youkai, one that was very clearly angry and telling him to get lost, and he didn't even flinch. Clearly, this one had absolutely no sense of self-preservation. Usually it was the big, tough, manly types that tried to act brave; the boy in front of her was the opposite of that. A frail child, he looked like he hadn’t slept in days. The kid wouldn't stand a chance against a strong breeze, much less a powerful youkai like her.
Children like him came here occasionally; they’d tear through the flowers until Medicine put an end to their transgressions. Before that, though, they’d be laughing and giggling all the way, dripping with obnoxious youthful energy.
This one had none of that. His eyes had no life, staring right through Medicine rather than at her. His energy was not that of a kid so much as it was of a wounded animal looking for a place to die.
Medicine could’ve killed him right then and there. It would be trivial; a drop of poison here, a spell there… She wouldn’t even need magic, really. The kid looked fragile enough to break with her bare hands… But she didn’t. He was weak and on the verge of death anyway; it would be a waste of effort.
That’s what she told herself, anyway.
"I don't know if you're stupid or something, but I'm a Youkai and this is my field. You better go away; I don’t take kindly to strangers in my territory, especially not humans like you!”
...
"I'll be gone soon enough."
His first words showed no signs of fear, only exhaustion. Why was he even here in the first place? Clearly not to play, given the grim expression on his face. The only hint Medicine got for his intentions were a few ripe berries in his hands, picked from the lilies. She could just wait for the problem to take care of itself… but maybe she could also have a bit of fun with this.
“You're not afraid of anything at all, hm?"
He simply shakes his head.
"Well, consider this: Those berries are full of lovely poison, just like everything else here. When you eat them, you'll be on the ground, writhing in agony as you retch up the blood pouring out of your every internal organ. It will be a slow, painful, agonizing death~ No amount of bravery will change that."
For some incomprehensible reason, her words seemed to have the exact opposite effect as expected. In a swift motion, the boy reached up to take the berries in his mouth. None entered, as they were flung far off onto the ground when Medicine grabbed his hand.
"Woah!!! Did you not hear me?"
She wasn't quite sure why she did this. It was just a human. A worthless human. It would be no loss if he dropped dead right then and there. Probably didn’t want to deal with the ensuing fallout from a certain angry shrine maiden was all.
Far from grateful, the boy seemed aggravated that Medicine had done this. His retort sounded… impatient?
...
"I heard everything you said."
The doll sat there in silence for a few moments, not quite believing what she had just heard. Instead of upset, she was almost impressed at how little the child in front of her seemed to fear her. Anger slowly faded to curiosity.
"Hey, come here. I wanna ask you a few things."
The boy pulled himself a bit closer, taking a seat a respectful distance away. If one had asked Medicine at this point why she did this, she’d deny any altruistic motives. It was merely self-interest, following the Yama’s words out of a desire to avoid another grueling lecture. In truth, she was utterly fascinated with this boy. As much as Medicine hated humans, his actions seemed to defy everything she knew about them. She had to know more.
"You're a human from the village, right?"
No words left him at this point; he simply nodded.
"Then why are you here? You should know that this is a dangerous place. Shouldn't you be back at the village, with the other hu-"
"I never want to see them again"
The boy cut Medicine off, his words slicing through hers like a knife. The mere suggestion seemed to trigger some instinctual revulsion in him. Judging by his tone, his hatred was just as powerful as hers. But this kid was a human; why would he feel such a way towards his own kind? Were things so bad for him that coming here was the preferable choice?
"I told you how painfully you'd die if you ate those berries. You're... not afraid of that, are you?"
He shakes his head, confirming her suspicions.
"Is... that why you're here?"
He didn't say anything. But the way he retracted into himself and started breathing heavily... that told Medicine all she needed to know.
"Why..?"
"…"
No answer.
"What happened?"
"…"
Remaining silent, the boy reached his arm out towards Medicine so she could get a good look at it. All over were deep bruises and scars, some clearly fresh. She knew how humans would abandon dolls, but to do something like this to one of their own kind? Not even her old owners were this pointlessly cruel. Medicine slowly began to feel something she thought was never possible. Empathy. For a human.
And yet, even though he was of the exact same species who inflicted her pain, this boy might be one of the few who could understand. The prospect felt like an enormous relief. Like… she was no longer alone. Of course, the doll did not forget what he was. She wasn’t ready to let her guard down just yet. But for now… perhaps she could enjoy the feeling while it lasted. After all, the boy was barely in the position to move, much less hurt her in any meaningful way.
She made one more attempt to reach out to him.
"Hey... do you have a name? I'm Medicine."
For the first time, words.
"Meh-dee-sheen..?"
...
"Satoshi."
"Satoshi…"
Medicine walked over to the boy and sat down next to him, taking one of his hands to examine it.
"Gosh... your hand is so cold."
She massaged it with her thumbs to warm it up.
"I know I said all those mean things earlier, but I didn't realise that you were hurt by humans too. If you need rest... I wouldn’t mind if you decided to nap here. Just for a night."
Had Satoshi been in a better state of mind, he would’ve probably been rightly skeptical of this situation. An offer from a youkai? There were many ways this could go, and almost none of them were good. He didn’t have time to consider that, though. His mind was on high alert for so long that it was searching for any excuse it could to just shut down and rest. Sensing the first sign of relief, he took her permission and ran with it. Sinking into the flowers, he didn't have time to have any second thoughts before he fell asleep.
Medicine simply stood watch next to him until the sun set, when she too retired for the night.