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Finding himself master-less after a spell gone wrong, Kuroo left his little cabin in the woods in search of a new home.
The bond between a magic user and their familiar is unbelievably strong, broken only by death or stronger magic.
Kuroo wasn’t sure if his master had died or not. One minute, he’d been there. The next, he wasn’t there anymore and Kuroo felt freer than he had in years. His invisible shackles gone.
The first thing he did when he reached the nearby village was steal some food and clothes. People didn’t notice him in his cat form, his dark fur blending in with the shadows. Then again, even if they did spot him, they tended to ignore his existence.
It was bad luck to cross paths with a black cat, after all.
Once he was a safe distance away, Kuroo shifted into his human form. Without his old master’s power over him, he could easily appear completely human – his ears and tail only remained when he was bonded to a witch.
For the first time in years, Kuroo felt normal. So normal, in fact, that he thought he’d pay the local inn a visit and get something warmer to eat than the bread and cheese he’d stolen.
“Roast pork or chicken?” the server asked after he set down a frothy mug of mead in front of him.
“You don’t have fish on the menu?” Kuroo asked, disappointed. His old master always cooked him up a fresh pike from the river near their cottage.
“Unless you walk down to the lake and pull one out yourself, it’s pork or chicken.” The man looked impatient.
Kuroo frowned. It’s not like he was going to pay for it, anyway.
“Chicken, I guess.”
Just then, the door flew open. Wind blew in, ruffling Kuroo’s hair and extinguishing a few candles.
He’d never felt such power.
A short, hooded figure dressed all in white walked through the door, a long staff in his hand. Atop the gnarled wooden staff was a baby crow with wide, unblinking eyes and an unusual head of orange feathers.
The mage stepped forward, his head down, and made his way to a table. Another server quickly ran to the kitchen and returned with a tray full of small pastries. They smelled divine and made Kuroo’s mouth water.
“Hey.” He tugged on the apron of his own server. “Let me get a few of those, as well.”
“Sorry,” the man said. “No can do. Apples are out of season.”
Ah, so they were apple pies.
“But the guy there has-”
“No can do,” the server said gruffly and walked off, presumably to get his chicken.
Apples were out of season, yet that mage had a tray full of freshly baked apple pies. Interesting… They must have saved them for him somehow.
His lips curled into a grin as he stood up, grabbing his mug, and walked over to greet the man in white.
“Hello there.” Kuroo took a seat across from him, his smile widening. “Those look good.”
“They are,” the man replied, picking one up and taking a bite. The small crow on his staff gave a little squawk. “Of course, Hinagarasu.” The mage broke off a piece of the flaky pastry and held it out for his bird. It ate it greedily and then hopped down onto the table, its yellow eyes staring up at Kuroo suspiciously, sizing him up.
“You wouldn’t mind sharing some of those pies, now would you?” Kuroo purred, tearing his gaze away from the glassy, unblinking eyes of the watchbird.
“I would.”
Ouch.
“Perhaps a trade?” Kuroo offered. He wasn’t foolish. He enjoyed his freedom, but a familiar was only as strong as his master and he’d soon run out of power. “A few pies for a year of my servitude?”
“That deal is heavily one-sided.” The mage picked up another pie and took a bite. “What’s in it for me?”
Kuroo raised his brows, but then smiled. He rested his elbows on the wooden table and his chin on his interlaced fingers.
“How about my eternal servitude, then?” Kuroo beamed, eyes slipping into slits.
This mage was strong and making a deal with him would ensure Kuroo was taken good care of. Plus, he’d probably die in a few decades and Kuroo would be free once more. It was win-win.
“Deal.”
Kuroo opened his eyes, surprised at how quickly the other had agreed.
“Here.” The mage held a pie forward. “To make it official.”
Kuroo hid his snicker and plucked the pastry from his fingers, bringing it to his lips. It smelled delicious and was still warm. He took a bite and savored the taste on his tongue, sweet and a little spicy.
“With this, our deal is sealed.” The mage stood, lifting his staff, and tapped it on the ground. Power exploded from him, nearly knocking Kuroo out of his chair.
“What…?”
“For eternity, you, Kuroo Tetsurou, belong to me.”
Kuroo gasped as something wrapped around his neck. He glanced down and saw shimmering shackles affixing themselves to his wrists before bursting into invisibility.
He looked up at the mage, his eyes wide.
“Such…power…” he choked, the apple on his tongue suddenly tasting sour.
The mage had been masking his true power before. Kuroo had never met anyone so strong.
“Kozume Kenma,” the mage said, golden eyes looking down on him.
“Ken…ma…” Kuroo wheezed, rubbing his neck and raising his head, his newly reappeared cat ears twitching.
“It was a pleasure doing business with you.” Kenma sat back down and picked up another pie, taking a bite. “These are good.” He looked over at Kuroo. “Best I’ve had in two centuries, I’d say.”
“Two…” Kuroo blinked, realizing his mistake.
This mage was powerful, yes, extremely so. But also, no telling how old. And now it looked like Kuroo was going to be stuck with his new master for a lot longer than he’d originally thought.