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Itto let out another depressed sigh. It was one of the many that came from him today.
At least in Ritou they had grown used to his presence. Most people there either ignored him or kept the comments to themselves. It was like they thought he chose to be an Oni.
And worst of all they thought he had tricked granny into taking him in too.
He stood from his perch atop one of the many buildings that sprawled out over Inazuma. He looked to the massive sakura tree at the city's limits and slowly began to walk in that direction. Normally he would be subtle about his steps as to not worry or wake the occupants inside, but if they wanted to be jerkwads they could taste some of his Oni powers for themselves. Besides, what are they gunna do? Catch him?
He let out a laughing snort at his own thoughts.
A human trying to catch him would be hilarious, maybe he should try it out. The commission always ruins the fun by bringing in vision users to chase him, spoil sports. He wondered if the officers in Ritou had already warned of his antics, he hoped they hadn't.
He slowed as he reached the last rooftop before the tree, he didn’t want to wake the people he would most likely be parked over for a few hours as this roof had the best view. He lifted his head and took in a deep breath then let it go, watching as the wind rode over the fields of grass in the distance like waves on the ocean.
At least it doesn’t constantly smell like fish here.
He moved to the edge of the first roof with the intent to sit down but a sharp sizzling sound quickly distracted him. Without thinking he was walking to the other side, a part that hung over a small vegetable garden.
There he found a girl, or at least he assumed since she was so short, you can never tell by looking at the back of someone (he’s learned that lesson more than once). She was dressed in mostly orange with a bow that looked like the one he wore, only hers looked freakishly large.
Her hands parted, giving way to the source of the sizzling as two sparkling sticks came into view from over her shoulder. Itto took another step forwards to get a better look, toe hitting the edge of the roof.
Suddenly she perked as if she had been startled. Itto prepared himself to turn and run, but instead she dug into her pocket and produced another stick. She lit it with one of the others then combined the three. They popped and sparked, noise climbing with their combined power, before turning into a nice purple.
She giggled and began to turn. Itto watched on in awe, mouth popping open.
She looks so...happy? Over a sparkler?
She continued to rotate as she drew small shapes in the air. His heart leaped into chest as she struck him with a smile that could rival the sun. Honey eyes came into view as she moved the sparkler closer to her face as it ran out. Itto swallowed hard, mouth feeling impossibly dry, and took another step forwards.
Forwards and directly off the roof.
Hes not light by any means so he crashed to the ground with a loud thundering boom, landing directly in the middle of some tomato plants. He heard the startled gasp before he saw her, damnit.
Now he would have to run.
“Are you okay?!”
She was on him before he could even pick himself up. He turned, looking up to find her worriedly looking down on him. Her sparklers laid forgotten on the cobblestone pathway, slowly fizzling to their death, but even in the dark she looked impossibly bright.
Like the sun itself.
“Did you hit your head?” she asked, two hands coming up to cover her mouth in shock. Itto popped open his jaw to talk but nothing came out. His heart started again, this time blaring painfully in his ears. He regained himself and jumped up.
“Yeah-” he said, but nearly choked as her hands lowered and she cocked her head in question, “I-I meant to do that!”
Smooth.
She looked him up and down for a moment. Itto swallowed nervously.
This is how it always starts. He waited silently for the inevitable scream.
“Well, that’s good!” she said, giving him wide grin.
Itto forgot how to breath as he stared at her, then back to the swath of destruction behind him. Then he absentmindedly reached up to his horns to make sure they were still there.
“Oh, don’t worry about those-” she said. Itto moved his hand like the horns burned.
Damnit, he drew attention to them, now she's sure to say-
“My father isn't the best gardener, they were mostly dead, I’ll say a dog did it.” she shrugged.
Itto watched in horror as she turned and began to walk back to her now fully dead sparklers. He almost felt bad as she picked them up with a pout.
He didn’t know if this human was stupid or just didn’t know what he is. There's no way she doesn’t know what an Oni looks like. Even children know what he is.
She turned to him, holding out another stick. When he didn’t take it she walked closer, sparkler still in hand and waiting.
“You wanna try one?” she asked him.
Itto froze in place. He wanted to reach for it, but something stopped him from even trying. He didn’t know if it was fear or just flat-out confusion.
This girl, this little ball of sun even in the dark, was offering him a sparkler of all things. He towered over her, and he was sure he looked terrifying in the dark. It would take him three seconds to crush her, she barley even reached his chest.
A hand wrapped around his own and he nearly took off in a sprint. But something about her smile had him staying. She brought his hand to the stick and wrapped his fingers around it. Then she cupped the end of it and, like magic, when she released a sparkling orange ball took its place.
For the first time all week Itto felt a grin coming on.
“See how much fun they are?” her voice said as the smile bloomed. He watched as she lit some more, smile never ceasing on that tiny face of hers.
He didn’t speak as he watched her, but there was one thing he could agree on.
Yeah, they are.