Chapter Text
The first lights of the village flickered between the trees as Rui made his way home. The road back was familiar enough that Rui hardly needed to think about where he was going. The breeze gently tousled his hair as the sun cast a warm orange glow over the trees. Dappled shadows stretched across the long stairs reaching up. Rui paused mid-step, squinting up as he glanced back. A small, black-and-white cat leapt up beside his feet, continuing to skip two steps at a time despite nearly stumbling over its own legs. Rui lightly chuckled. Today’s mission had been more focused on exploration than hunting spirits, which was relieving; considering his last few days had been nothing but back-to-back battles.
It was exhausting to say the least—spiritually and physically, perhaps even mentally. He ran his hand along the red fence lining the staircase, deep in thought. Quite frankly, he was always deeply pondering about something. It was a habit. He watched as many spirits wandered through the trees, getting settled for the night, he assumed. He paused once again, a foot on the next step as he knelt.
“Here, Soda,” he spoke softly, as the feline wasted no time, bounding up to his shoulder. He slowly stood up, careful not to disturb his little friend who was comfortably perched in the crook of his neck. Soda let out a rather obnoxious meow, drawing a short laugh out of Rui. He had grown accustomed to Soda’s more cheeky and mischievous nature; he could tell that Soda felt the same about him too. Another sharp breeze cut through the air, dropping to a colder temperature.
Ah, it must be getting late, Rui thought as he reached the top. A hush had settled over the village. Rui lightly shook his head, feeling a pair of teeth tug at his hair.
“Heyaa! Kamishiro-senpai, you’re back!” an enthusiastic voice called out. Slightly caught off guard, Rui looked around. A young girl with short black-and-blue hair skipped toward him. The spirit of a white-and-red fox circled her feet, looking particularly antsy. “Ah, nice seeing you Shiraishi-kun. What’s up?” Rui greeted, watching her come to a halt before him. “Heh, nothing much, just wanted to say hi,” she chuckled, brushing her fringe out of her face. “Haven’t seen you in a while, honestly.”
Rui tilted his head. “Yeah, I have been out a lot more lately,” he said, patting the katana hanging from his belt as An nodded. “Ohh, I see, must be tiring, huh?” she sighed, her expression softening as she felt a pang of empathy. “Certainly is,” he murmured, a weary smile on his face as he watched the fox weave between An’s legs impatiently.
“Oh—Yes buddy, let me at least say bye to Kamishiro here?” she admonished playfully. “Sigh, I guess Yuzu is adamant on getting home,” An chuckled lightly as Rui followed suit.
“Same here, well then. Farewell, Shiraishi-kun, sleep well,” Rui replied, giving a small wave as An returned the action energetically. “Night!” He watched as Yuzu picked up her speed, hovering up ahead as An chased after her, calling her name out loud enough to wake up a few neighbours.
Soda let out a quiet sound, something between a purr and a meow. “Yes, yes, we’re getting there. I’m the one carrying you here,” Rui snorted, amused by how commanding Soda could be at times. Lanterns slowly flickered above, lining the streets in a familiar glow. His boots tapped against the cobblestone path that twisted around the village, a path he could map with his eyes closed if he wished. The air carried a refreshing scent of citrus; it was spring season after all. However, Soda didn’t seem to find it refreshing, judging by the way his nose scrunched up as he sniffed the atmosphere.
Rui noticed Soda’s distaste, finding it rather amusing. The lanterns’ light dimmed as they finally approached his home, signalling the night rapidly approaching. The lilacs planted around the house swayed in sync, like they were welcoming them back. Fumbling in his pocket for the keys, he glanced at the clock hanging beside the door.
11:26pm
It wasn’t too late, well, at least for him it wasn’t. He squinted in the dark, taking a few tries to find the keyhole before clicking the door open. Soda let out a sound of relief, immediately padding toward a small, red cushioned armchair beside the window. Rui chuckled, closing the door behind him before buckling the katana off his belt. It was undoubtedly heavy; Rui had fought with it enough to know.
The lights slowly flicked on around the home, bathing it in a comforting glow. The warmth of the house was familiar, a grounding peace admist all the chaos. He let out a long exhale, throwing his jacket across the back of the chair, startling Soda, who shot him a disapproving glare. Rui rolled the chair toward the desk, wheels clicking softly against the floorboards.
Now, he just had to get his report done for tonight, he reassured himself, shuffling through his drawers. He let out a grunt as he pulled a large folder out, dropping it onto desk with a loud thud.
“Now…what was it that I saw again?” he muttered, flipping through the pages. Komainu? No, it didn’t particularly have an electrifying presence. Okamori? Hm…it was much larger to be one of those. Aogiri? Nah, it definitely had a pair of horns; they were quite large, as a matter of fact.
Rui huffed, eyes skimming the pages. Nothing seemed to match. Perhaps it was a misunderstanding, though he couldn’t help but hope it wasn’t. His eyes flickered to a diagram. A lioness spirit. The bone structure of the Milokei was remarkably similar to that of Gjuiro— a dragon species he had luckily encountered recently. His attention drifted. Well, this could simply be coincidence, but there was a slight chance they could be related. If he referred to the evolutionary pattern of a Gjuiro, dating back to—
Rui shook his head, catching himself as he went completely off track. He let out a sharp exhale, briefly pausing at each spirit profile as he continued to flip through. Dragon and Abyssal species were often a predicament when it came to hunting and documenting information. Hence why a majority of the sections were filled with blank pages.
His brows furrowed. Nothing seemed to match the description in his head. His fingers came to a stop at an empty page, the sight daunting him. Perhaps it was a new species, he thought, twirling a pen between his fingers. However, he didn’t have much information to open a new profile, not yet…
The faint sound of fire crackling filled the silence, a blazing flame dancing in the fireplace across the room where Soda dozed off, unbothered. Rui sighed, scribbling a note in the corner before flipping back a few pages. He did collect useful observations about…Ah, there it was; the Okamari. He had crossed paths with a small group of them, bounding gracefully in the trees above, letting out hums that conveyed excitement. He had also gotten a better visual look at them. Long, bushy tail, eyes of all colours, large ears and a third eye at the top of its head. It certainly surprised Rui to see that.
The candle, hanging on the edge of his desk flickered, casting a long shadow across his paper. His mind kept drifting back, his curiosity getting the better of him. Fortunately, he had night hunts the next day, meaning he had the whole day to himself. And Rui, being Rui, knew what he had to do.
He let out a soft yawn, pulling the curtains back to the side to let some natural light through. A faint beam of silver light cut through the window, the moon hanging brightly in the star-dotted sky. The village seemed to be at rest. The faint sound of crickets and nocturnal spirits roaming the streets bled through the glass.
He wrote a few notes on the side of the page, not overthinking much, watching his pen move. He let out a huff, unable to focus, the nib of the pen hitting the wood with a sharp, frustrated stab. Perhaps he needed to get his mind off things for a while; that’s what his mother always told him to do when he was struggling, especially at the time when he was trying to get the hang of this whole fighting nonsense.
She had always laughed at him.
Rui chuckled faintly at the memory, remembering how he’d always react to that. The utter disbelief on his face that never failed to make her double over. But over the years he realised, she meant no harm—his younger self was just overly dramatic. She had simply known him well, better than himself.
Small words of encouragement, little reminders that he was capable of more than he gave himself credit for. Words that he hadn’t thought much of back then.
He couldn’t help but miss her presence, one that he took for granted.
He turned toward the burning fireplace in the centre of the living room, watching Soda twitch slightly in his sleep, paws flexing before tucking back into his fur. Rui smiled softly, his gaze distant. “I suppose there’s no point in lingering on the past, huh, Soda?” He closed his folder, getting up from the chair. No response; Soda was knocked out.
He rolled his eyes, pushing his chair back in with a foot before blowing out the candle, careful not to catch his hair on fire. It’s better not to elaborate on that experience… He had improvised his hairstyle to accommodate the asymmetry. It wasn’t bad—well in his opinion it wasn’t bad, and his opinion was what mattered.
He set the half-melted candlestick down, the tips of his fingers turning red against the hot metal. Getting ready for bed was the best move choice now, as much as he didn’t want to sleep, getting rest was crucial. He couldn’t afford losing any more combats than he’d like to. He opened the kitchen cupboard, absentmindedly pouring himself a glass of water.
Walking down the hallway, he flicked off the lights as he checked for locked doors. Perhaps a good nights rest was needed at times like this...