Work Text:
The late afternoon sun was already setting, lighting the empty hallways of Kamiyama High School in warm orange streaks. Most students had long since run out of the place and then some later on because of after school activities.
Tsukasa was included as one of the people who had to stay after school hours to clean up the classrooms, and was probably the only one left to double-check everything was spotless.
Mop in hand, sleeves rolled up, and a satisfied hum on his lips, Tsukasa walked down the hallway, humming to himself. He'd now finished with the last classroom and was about to head back to the storage room to put the mop back when he heard a strange sound as he passed a classroom.
Low murmurs and faint rustling noises could be heard inside the classroom. Tsukasa froze, gripping the mop tighter in fear of what could be there beyond those classroom doors. The school was deserted, no students and no teachers around. Could it be ghosts? Of course not, he didn't believe in ghosts.
...Probably.
His curiosity eventually won his rational side and proceeded to set the mop quietly against the wall. He crept forward and eased the sliding door open just a crack, enough to peek inside without making a sound.
What he saw inside the classroom made his brain short-circuited.
Two figures hovered a good foot off the ground above the teacher's desk.
One had pointed fox ears poking, nine fluffy tails swaying lazily behind him. Crimson eyes narrowed and glinted with mischief under the fading sunlight. The other was a round tanuki, his ears also round compared to the kitsune and had a bushy striped tail curled around his waist. They both were gestuering to each other, muttering out loud in an attempt but failing to not be heard.
The kitsune tilted his head, ears flicking. "—wait a little bit longer before he arrive."
The tanuki groaned. "But why~ it's been forever now and I'm tired of waiting."
At that exact moment, the kitsune's ears swiveled toward the door when he heard a slight squeaking sound. Both yokai snapped their gazes straight to the gap where Tsukasa stood frozen.
Silence.
Then the tanuki whispered (loud enough for Tsukasa to hear perfectly), "Uh... can he see us?"
The kitsune blinked slowly with slightly wider eyes than before. "I think so?"
Tsukasa's brain finally malfunctioned.
"GYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!"
The scream tore out of him before he could stop it, high-pitched and echoing down the hallway like a siren. The mop clattered to the floor from the side of him knocking it as he stepped back, his vision tunneling. World tilting and legs buckled from his weight, Tsukasa fell backwards.
The last thing he registered was the kitsune's amused murmur of "Well, that answers that," before everything went black.
—
Tsukasa came to slowly, the world swimming back into focus for a few minutes.
The first thing he registered was his head being pillowed with something soft, which he soon come to realise was a blazer from someone, folded beneath his head like an improvised pillow. The second thing he registered was a familiar face hovering above him.
"Tsukasa-kun? Are you alright?" Rui's face hovered over Tsukasa from the side, his face showing concern. "You gave me quite the scare, seeing you on the ground like that."
Tsukasa blinked up at him, brain still rebooting.
"...Rui?"
Rui exhaled in relief, the tension in his shoulders easing. "How are you feeling, Tsukasa-kun? Dizzy? Nauseous? Any pain?"
"I'm... fine," Tsukasa managed, pushing himself up onto his elbows. His voice came out croaky. "Just thought I saw something strange. Really strange. Like... really, really—"
His words trailed off.
Because the muttering hadn't stopped. It was directly coming from behind Rui.
Tsukasa instinctively leaned sideways, craning his neck to peer around Rui's shoulder and there they were, two figures still floating and muttering words.
The kitsune lounged midair with arms crossed, nine tails lazily fanning behind him, while the tanuki hovered beside him, paws clasped together leisurely.
"Glad he's awake now," The tanuki was saying in a whisper. "Imagine we accidentally killed this human because we scared him to death!"
The kitsune rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you almost scared him half to death with your appearance."
"As if you're any better, foxy," The tanuki shot back, puffing out his round cheeks.
Tsukasa's mouth opened then closed and then opened once again.
"...Rui," He managed to whisper, not taking his eyes off the floating animals. "Can you see them? Are they...yokai? In the classroom, talking and arguing...?"
Rui didn't even turn around, only sighing fondly and somewhat resigned.
"Ah. So you can still see them, then."
Tsukasa shot back, "What do you ‘still’?!"
Rui tilted his head slightly, studying Tsukasa with quiet curiosity.
"I was hoping the shock might... change your perception of what you can see, so to speak. But apparently not..." He gestured to the two yokai. "You two can step back, you’ll scare Tsukasa-kun off.”
The two Yokai listened to Rui with no resistant, flying off somewhere from out of the window.
"Of course I can still see them perfectly!" Tsukasa continued. "Tails, ears, and them being talking animals, they're right there!"
He gestured wildly behind Rui, as though pointing would make them feel less real.
Rui let out a soft, intrigued hum. One corner of his mouth lifted in what might have been genuine surprise.
"That's... actually quite impressive, Tsukasa-kun." He rested his chin lightly on his fingers. "Most people lose the ability to see yokai by the time they're seven or eight. By high school, almost no one retains that kind of sharp perception."
Tsukasa blinked at him, terror momentarily derailed by a flicker of flattered ego.
"So... I'm special?" he asked.
"Very," Rui confirmed, he then shrugged. "Or very unlucky. Who knows, some people out there would die to see actual yokai like us."
Rui's words made Tsukasa pause in realisation that something was not adding up.
"Wait—hold on." He leaned forward, eyes narrowing. "Why are you even here at school this late? You don't have cleaning duty, no after-school activities... If I can see them, and you're sitting here completely unbothered..."
Tsukasa put his thoughts into words, slowly revealing the answer to his own question.
Rui simply answered, "I've been patrolling the school grounds after dark for a while now,"
"Patrolling?" Tsukasa echoed, voice rising an octave.
Rui nodded. Then, with the same casual tone, he added. "Because I'm a yokai too."
The words lingered within the room and a long pause followed after before Tsukasa's hands flew up to grip his own hair, shouting in disbelief.
"You're—what? You? Kamishiro Rui, my classmate who's always tinkering with weird gadgets in the corner? You're a yokai?!"
"I am indeed."
Tsukasa pressed both palms flat to his face and let out a long, muffled groan that echoed faintly off the classroom walls.
"This is insane, this is beyond insane."
Rui chuckled, "You're taking it better than most would. Most people would already be running for the nearest shrine, praying to whatever God's out there and hope for the best. Give yourself some credit."
Tsukasa dropped his hands back on top of his lap, "...What kind?" he asked in a tiny, almost-whisper. "What kind of yokai are you?"
Rui's eyes crinkled at the corners. He leaned in just slightly, voice dropping to something conspiratorial.
"That," he murmured, "is a secret I'll share... once you stop looking like you're almost ready to bolt out of the third floor window."
Tsukasa huffed, indignant despite the lingering panic.
"I am not going to bolt, I will face this mystery head-on!"
Rui's quiet laugh filled the space between them. He stood up smoothly, brushing invisible dust from his uniform trousers with that same casual grace he always had. He offered Tsukasa a hand.
"Come with me," he said, voice light. "You wanted proof, right? There's something I'd like to show you first."
Tsukasa stared at the offered hand like it might bite him. He took a moment to think and weigh the option of whether to believe Rui or not, but knowing Rui would do him no harm, he took the offered hand
Rui pulled him to his feet with surprising ease and the two walked through the hallway, going up the stairs to go to the rooftop. Rui led the way and once they reached the rooftop door, it was already unlocked, feeling as though all of this has been suspiciously too convenient.
The moment they stepped out onto the roof, the cool air hit Tsukasa's face. The sky was still a deep orange hue, with very little to no clouds. Rui walked to the center of the open space and turned to face Tsukasa.
"Ready?" Rui asked.
Tsukasa swallowed and tilted his head. "What do you mean 'ready'?"
Rui's smile turned slow and sharp before his whole body was engulfed by light, his form ever so slightly changing. Once the light faded, Tsukasa noticed the slight difference in the change of hair, shorter with a slight perm, his amber eyes glowing as he stared at Tsukasa with curiosity.
"Do you believe me now, Tsukasa-kun?"
He took a couple of steps forward to where Tsukasa was standing, who was very much so speechless, mouth agape.
"What in the world..."
Without any warning, multiple yokai started forming behind Rui. A whole army of them in fact. Floating around the bleeding orange sky were multiple chochin obake, red lanterns with one large eye at the center. Closely standing behind Rui was a large gashadokuro, a skeleton type yokai and was leaning forward over Rui, casting a small dark shadow.
"I am what humans call the nurarihyon." Rui said, hands in his pocket and a whole army of yokai behind him. "I guide yokai and have created an army to protect the human world from evil ones."
Tsukasa's mouth opened again, but nothing came out. His brain had officially hit the capacity. The whole army of yokai was staring down at him, eyes filled with either fascination or curiosity.
Before Tsukasa could even scrape together a single word to say, voices that were familiar was heard directly behind him.
"Hey Human, look over here~"
Knowing that he was the only human present on the rooftop, Tsukasa turned around at where the voices called out from. Standing side by side, there were two Tenma Tsukasas, staring at the other (real) Tenma Tsukasa.
All three of them were identical, perfect down to the last detail, except the other two imposter Tsukasas tilted their chin with proudness, eyes sparkling. Both of them were smiling wide, grins that were unmistakably his own.
"Look!" The left one chirped, who was actually the kitsune, clapped his hands together. "We can turn into you now!"
The right one struck a heroic pose, one hand on his hip. "Pretty good, right? We even got the voice down as well!"
Tsukasa's eyes went impossibly wide and his knees gave out for the second time that day.
Rui's voice, amused and warm and still unmistakably his, murmured somewhere above Tsukasa's fading consciousness.
"Oh dear... too much at once, huh?"
He took a couple more steps forwards without hurry, and the gathered yokai watched in silence at their leader's movement. Rui crouched beside Tsukasa, watching the steady rise and fall of Tsukasa's chest. He tilted his head and studied the peaceful expression on Tsukasa's face now that he wasn't being loaded with new information and new visual appearance of apparatitions of yokai. A faint, genuine smile curved his lips.
"You really are an interesting person, Tsukasa-kun," He whispered, voice low enough that only the two of them, if one was conscious, could hear. "Most humans would have run screaming long before they reached the part where they faint twice in one day."
A shadow shifted behind him.
The gashadokuro drifted closer to Rui, its thin, rasping voiced emerged from the empty mouth.
"Shall we erase the human's memory?" It asked, tilting its head in perfect mimicry of Rui's earlier gesture. "He has seen too much. It would be safer if we erase it before he would tell another human."
Rui didn't turn around. He kept his gaze on Tsukasa, watching the faint flutter of lashes against flushed cheeks.
"No," He said quietly with a firm tone. "There's no need."
The gashadokuro paused. Its empty sockets seemed to narrow, though nothing in that face could truly change expression.
"...Are you certain?" It pressed.
"I find myself rather interested in him." Rui reached out, almost absently, and brushed a stray lock of hair away from Tsukasa's forehead. The touch was light, barely there.
A ripple of quiet murmurs passed through the gathered yokai. Some sounded amused. Others sounded faintly disapproving. The gashadokuro simply drifted back a step, folding its bony arms.
"As you wish, master," It rasped at last. "But if he becomes trouble—"
"Then he becomes my trouble," Rui finished, still not looking away from Tsukasa on the ground. "Not yours."
Rui stayed crouched there a moment longer. The rooftop was quiet again, save for the distant hum of the city far below and Tsukasa's soft, even breathing.
—
Eventually, Rui carried Tsukasa down the empty corridors with effortless care, the boy's head resting against his shoulder, still out cold from the information and visual overload. He had shooed the army of yokai away to back to the estate, where they all resided since there was nothing abnormal within the school anymore. The infirmary door creaked open under Rui's foot; he slipped inside, laid Tsukasa gently on the nearest bed, and tugged the thin blanket up to his chest. Tsukasa didn't stir—only breathed slow and even.
Rui lingered a moment, brushing a stray lock of blond hair from Tsukasa's forehead with the same careful touch he'd used earlier.
"Sleep well, Tsukasa-kun," He murmured. "You've earned a short rest from all of this."
He straightened just as a familiar prickle ran down the back of his neck—two presences approaching from the hallway.
Akito and Toya.
Rui glanced toward the two yokai who had trailed them silently and who were the culprit of making Tsukasa faint twice.
"Stay with him," Rui said quietly. "Watch over him. But do not scare him when he wakes. No transformations, no floating too close, no sudden noises. Understood?"
The tanuki gave a small salute. "Got it, boss."
The kitsune inclined his head once, ears flicking. "We'll let you know if he wakes up."
Rui nodded before turning and stepping out into the hallway, pulling the infirmary door closed behind him with a soft click.
Akito and Toya were already rounding the corner.
Akito's orange hair caught the sunset light; Toya walked beside him, calm and composed as always. Both paused when they saw Rui standing alone in front of the infirmary door.
"...Kamishiro-senpai?" Akito raised an eyebrow. "What're you doing lurking outside the nurse's office at this hour? Did you need to deal with a yokai in there?"
Rui offered his usual easy smile, though something softer lingered at the edges.
"I found a student passed out in the halls," he said smoothly. "Brought him here to rest. Nothing serious—just exhaustion, probably."
Toya's silver eyes softened. "That was kind of you, Kamishiro-senpai."
Akito squinted at Rui, head tilting. "Yeah, real saintly. Except you look... weirdly happy about it. What's with your eyes glowing a bit too much? Did you scam more yokai in joining you or something?"
Rui blinked once, then laughed—quiet, light, and completely unconvincing in its innocence.
"Fufu, It's nothing, really. Just... I had a pretty good time, I suppose."
Akito snorted, clearly unconvinced, but let it slide.
"Anyway, we're here to report. Another sighting at a park nearby, it was a low-grade evil yokai again. Nasty little thing, all teeth and bad vibes, but nothing we couldn't handle. Toya destroyed it in like ten seconds flat." He informed, the whole purpose of why Toya and him were at the school as they could sense Rui there already.
Toya nodded. "It dissipated cleanly. But that's the third one this week."
Rui's easy smile faded. He lifted a hand to his chin, fingers tapping thoughtfully against his lips. His eyes narrowed slightly, the playful expression of his disappearing.
"...Three in one week," he repeated. "That's more frequent than usual."
Toya crossed his arms, thinking out loud. "We don't know why yet. It could be coincidence or it could be something stirring deeper, we’re not sure. If it keeps up, we might need to increase patrols across the school grounds."
Akito slung an arm around Toya's shoulders, casual and possessive in the same motion. In response, Toya leaned into the touch without hesitation, tilting his head until it rested lightly against Akito's shoulder.
"Or," Akito said, smirking, "we could just handle it ourselves. Me and Toya can take extra shifts if we have to. Those weaklings aren't even worth calling backup for. Right, Toya?"
Toya's lips curved in the smallest, fondest smile. "Of course."
Rui gave it some thought, but in the end agreed with their words.
"Alright. For now, let's keep it contained between us. If it's nothing serious, we can manage. But if there's a pattern..." His gaze drifted back toward the closed infirmary door, thoughtful. "...then we'll need to find the crux of it all before it escalates."
Akito nodded, "Let's hope we don't come to that kind of conclusion, these smaller yokai are so bothersome. We'll be leaving now then."
"Mhm, thank you for your hardwork, Akito-kun, Toya-kun."
Toya bowed politely as a quiet farewell before the two of them turned, heading down the hall and in the distance Rui could see Akito ruffling Toya's hair.
Rui waited until their footsteps faded completely. Only then did he exhale, shoulders loosening.
He reached for the infirmary doorknob again, pausing with his hand on the metal.
Inside, Tsukasa was still sleeping. They were all safe for now, but he wondered how long the peacefulness would last and could only hope that there wouldn't be too much trouble.