Chapter Text
"And still, y'know, Tsukasa… I don't like this yokai of yours," the girl continued to sigh endlessly, always straightening the snow-white sleeves of her kimono.
"I'd be surprised if at least once you liked someone, Nene," in response, the blond only smiled at her radiantly, as usual.
The snake raised an eyebrow in displeasure, then turned her head away. As if by this she wanted to say, "I'm worried about you, but you don't listen to me at all." No, in fact, the guy tried to listen for a while. Until he got tired of the same conversation, as if Kusanagi was trying to hypnotize him. Though, she was a snake for a reason. Such behavior was typical of her species.
However, Tsukasa wasn't mad at all. Even if the girl had some evil intentions in her head, it was probably all out of ordinary jealousy. Not everyone wanted to lose their position as the best friend of such mighty yokai.
Tenmas were powerful dragons — creatures feared by both humans and other yokais. Their true form would terrify anyone. Even Kusanagi shuddered at the sight of her friend's true self. But, of course, she never voiced her fear, instead simply asked him to stay away.
The snakes were quite funny, in the blond's opinion.
"Seriously, Tsukasa... there's something wrong with that yokai," the girl muttered, then frowned in displeasure, "What if he's a huma–"
"There, there, Nene, don't say that. People can't live among yokais, don't you remember?"
"And yet!.. A-argh, my god, why am I even saying this? You don't listen anyway."
"She's angry," Tenma thought as he exhaled. However, smiling again, he stroked the girl through her long greenish hair. Though, she didn't change her anger to mercy, but only continued to frown with displeasure. The guy himself knew that... it was just possible that he did a wrong thing. It was a stupid decision to allow this teenager to stay here — among such scary and dangerous yokais that can seriously harm even each other. And, with no doubt, kill humans.
However, that guy, having recently come here in an incredibly depressed state, clearly didn't want to return home. Tsukasa, being a good senpai to other yokais and even humans, decided to help the stranger. "As long as he stays here," smiling at the corners of his lips, the blond thought to himself, "I shall protect him. This is my duty as a future star among all yokais!"
"Tsukasa, you know you're an idiot, right?" the guy looked at her irritably, but still, rolling his eyes, nodded, "That's good. Just wanted to let you know."
In an instant, the girl turned into a small snake (Nene was kinda lucky: she could easily control the size of her true appearance). Tenma caught the creature easily and let her crawl up his arm all the way to shoulders. Already there, wrapped in a ring around the blond's neck, the snow-white snake finally relaxed. Snorting softly, Kusanagi settled herself better, and then looked at the guy with her displeased scarlet eyes.
Tenma occasionally stroked her with one finger of his hand. Even though the girl didn't always like it — her scales were clearly not happy with these long black nails.
"Nene, so that you stop being mad about me not spending time with you at all, how about visiting Rin together, hm? We'll play with Pochi, eat dango, and even visit the human world. Rin wanted to go to the Kanto festival there last year," the snake didn't answer him, "All this without him. You know about his fear of dogs. Therefore, he'll stay with An."
"I don't think she'll be happy to babysit your beloved "yokai"…"
"Yes, you're right, An has a temper. But I'll ask her very persuasively."
Kusanagi didn't say anything, even though she wanted to whisper, "you're insufferable."
***
Teenager remembered that very day quite distinctly.
Honestly, Akito was ready to hit every wall he came across along the way. He didn't manage to perform his part well in the song at all, and again let his partner down. Thoughts about it gnawed at him so much that the guy refused to listen to any support from Toya yesterday. He just went home and, without saying a word to anyone, locked himself in his room until the next morning.
It's just that he couldn't let go of his bad mood and his own complexes, even in a dream. Apparently, this has already become a habit in Shinonomes' lives: nothing has ever worked out, no matter how hard they tried.
The red-haired guy didn't remember exactly how he began to quarrel with his older sister, and at what exact moment it turned into a real fight, where no one was embarrassed to throw actual insults. What caused it? If Shinonome's memory was still fine, then there was no reason at all. And even if there was, then it was so insignificant and stupid that a quarrel shouldn't have begun in the first place. However, it's not that important. It all ended with Akito not wanting to listen to Ena anymore, after he said something hurtful to her. What exactly? The guy couldn't recall. His sister... probably has already calmed down and forgot herself in drawings. However, before that, she, yelling, almost demanded for younger brother to get out of her sight. Maybe because the girl also didn't want to continue this useless argument.
Their father was at home, but didn't even think of somehow reconciling the children. It didn't matter why exactly they started to yell at each other, the man didn't care. Perhaps, he had other more important things to worry about. Perhaps, he was just tired of both Akito and Ena, so he didn't even want to interfere in their showdown.
The younger Shinonome decided that if he really wasn't needed in this house today, he should just leave. Well, it sounded great. So many times the guy advised his best friend to just run away from home after another fight, so that everyone could see his courage. It was worth sticking to his own advice. So the redhead, without any explanation, tied his the laces of his sneakers and slammed the door so loudly that his sibling flinched in surprise.
Just as he stepped outside, Akito suddenly remembered that today was the day of the summer festival. No one in his family really cared about celebrations to such an extent that the teenager himself forgot. Not wanting to catch the eye of a large number of people, the guy chose to go along the most roundabout ways in the world: through back streets, turns, alleys and dark quarters. And, honestly, the further he went, the quieter it became around. The mere rustle of sneakers on dry, cooled from the July's heat asphalt gave him calmness. For a moment, Shinonome even allowed himself to close his eyes and just walk into the most unknown direction ever.
But suddenly the music, which he heard in the city center, reached his ears again. Displeased, the guy opened his eyes and looked around: he was still in a dark alley. In the distance, however, he saw a bright yellow-orange light, which meant that the festival was celebrated ahead as well. "What the hell?.." the guy thought to himself, "I wanted to get as far away from the celebration as possible, but in the end…" he hesitated for just a moment. Maybe he should go back to where he came from? However, turning around, the teenager realized: the melody comes from the other side too. More precisely — from all sides at once, "A-argh, fine. Maybe I'll take a look at the festival and return home," although, frankly speaking, he didn't want to go back at all. That was probably why Shinonome walked forward into the light, "Festivals are such a pain. Every year I get tired of them in a new way..."
Akito rounded the corner and almost lost his vision. The street in front of him was blinding with an abundance of bright light. Moreover, there were decorations everywhere; joyful, perky music with a loud whistle was coming from every corner. For a moment he felt little again. It was as if he had just traveled back a couple of years on the festival day, where he relatively had some fun with his older sister.
And everything would be fine, but something in the crowd made Shinonome tense. And that something was the fact that all the people around... weren't even people.
The teenager could hardly contain a surprised cry, when he saw those, who happily walked, ran, jumped, crawled, flew around. Teachers talked a lot about these creatures at school as they were often mentioned in literature. Moreover, a lot of people said that these monsters were usually responsible for weird and unexplained things happening in life. Yet Akito really believed that it was all fiction, and nothing more than that — just a way for people to comfort themselves, put the blame on someone or find some new idol to worship.
He didn't expect to ever see real yokais.
"Am I… sleeping? Or there are real yokais?" the guy muttered under his breath, but it was clearly not a dream, "Baku, tengu, even yokai umbrellas… uh, how are they called?" instead of thinking about where to run and how to escape, Akito really thought about the name. His literature teacher had already scolded him more than once for the fact that something "so simple" couldn't remain in his head, "Exactly, karakasa-kozo…" however, soon the teenager finally felt the whole horror, when he realized what was going on. If he actually was among the real yokais, then he should run away from here without looking back immediately.
But, turning around, the guy realized that the alley had disappeared. Instead, there was only a forest behind him. Ahead — celebration, where ones, like Shinonome, absolutely won't be accepted. At least because he was human. Akito held out his hand and waved it, but nothing changed: the place he came from just evaporated.
Finally, panic washed over him. And what on Earth should he do now? Where should he run? To the forest, where he can easily get lost... or right into the heart of the festival, where yokais can literally do whatever they want with him? With trembling hands, Akito snatched the phone out of his pocket, but it was of little use: no mobile connection, let alone the Internet... it wouldn't be possible to call neither Toya, nor Ena, nor even his parents.
This is it. The end. There was no way back or forward. He probably should just stay in one place until the end of days... well, that didn't sound so bad. Shinonome even thought he'd do that. Just stand and pray for the nightmare to end as soon as possible.
However, closing and opening his eyes again, the redhead was disappointed. He was still in one place. Why didn't it work anymore? After all, moments ago, that was exactly how he got here–
"A-ara, just what kind of creature got lost here all alone?" an unknown voice from behind nearly made Akito faint, "Who shall you be, young man? What yokai are you, and why don't you have fun with everyone, loner?"
"Don't turn around, don't turn around," the guy told himself, but curiosity killed the cat. And clearly, his self-preservation instinct. The redhead turned to face the monster and instantly regretted it. In front of him stood a huge moth-like creature, with a disfigured, wide-opening mouth. Black, furry wings fluttered with interest, but they weren't nearly as frightening as... the thick stinger that stuck out at the bottom of the yokai, like a needle.
Akito's face twitched into what looked like a nervous grin. He, honestly, tried to keep calm, albeit with the last of his strength. He wasn't afraid of insects, really. On the contrary, sometimes it was even fun for him to play with all kinds of living creatures, such as spiders or cicadas. But now the situation was completely different, now he didn't want to have fun at all.
The youth timidly stepped back from the monster that was studying him.
"...I recognize that smell," the gray-black creature chuckled, making the teenager's hands tremble in shock and mute horror, "Not all yokais know, not all yokais understand, but I feel it," and immediately the monster bared its mouth. The redhead was already backing away. That monstrosity was much more terrible than just a dog. Actually, looking at this creature now, Akito even forgot about his the fear of dogs for a second, "I kind of miss the sight of the real huma-an~"
Shinonome wanted to run. He knew he could run fast. Perhaps, given his stressful situation, adrenaline would've allowed him to escape even from a monster that could fly. But at such a wrong time, his feet came across the branch, growing out of the ground itself. The teen stumbled and, raising a cloud of dust, fell with a crash.
Yokai didn't disappear. Akito scanned the ground in a panic, then grabbed the first thing he saw — an ordinary stone. Of course, it was foolish to hope that a small pebble could somehow protect him, but the guy simply had no other options. It's not like he could throw his phone, really.
"Get away! Don't come close to me, you bloody yokai!.." crawling away on the dusty ground, Shinonome shouted. So loudly, as if he weren't about to be eaten alive by what until that day he thought was simply a mythological creature, "Or I'll throw stones at you!"
The youkai laughed as the teen pressed his lips together so hard that they started to hurt. He himself perfectly understood how pathetic and ridiculous he now looked. However, he couldn't lose his face to the last.
"I said don't come near!"
"C'mon, I mean no harm at all. Human, I'm just curious–"
"Leave me alone, go away!"
The monster took a few steps forward, while Akito calculated, whether he'd have enough time to immediately get up and run away, or should he first throw a stone directly into the creature's eye. But he didn't have to think long, because salvation soon appeared by itself. With a nasty, slimy sound, the yokai's head felt a hit – not really that strong, as if the attacker specifically wanted to cause as little harm as possible. The teenager watched in shock as the shadow of an unknown, very human-like figure pushed the yokai back. And then, as if nothing had happened, gracefully landed on the ground. Only the shoes made a quick thud, but nothing more than that.
"Nomu, even though you're ranked among the divine, you still shouldn't behave like that," said a loud and stern voice that clearly belonged to a person no older than twenty years, "Stop scaring everyone and everything!! We must live in peace!"
"Ah, Ten… Tenma-sama, it"s you…! Good evening, hope you're spending the holiday nicely!"
"Nomu, don't you dare change the subject. Why are you terrorizing yokais aga..."
The unknown guy named Tenma turned around, and in an instant his anger seemed to evaporate. For a couple of seconds, he studied the teenager with an attentive look of his yellow-orange eyes, then exhaled heavily. This young man changed emotions so quickly: from rage to shock, to disappointment in such a short amount of time — even Ena couldn't do that.
Akito had barely heard what the two had been talking about before. All this time he was looking (or maybe even staring) at the guy in front of him. His savior had long blond hair that seemed to sparkle like gold in the light from the festival lanterns. And everything was fine with him — the stranger seemed really good-looking, though a bit unusual: with a tattoo on his shoulder, long black nails, bracelets on his hands. There was only one thing that was... off. Shinonome had time to spot actual horns, sticking out of the mysterious blond's head.
"That one is also... a yokai," Akito thought to himself in horror, and then became even more scared, when he realized another terrible thing, "His horns are… dragon-like?! I... n-no, I'm wrong, I'm probably just panicking too much! I don't freaking need a dragon yokai here!.."
"Is… is it a human…?" still looking at the redhead in a rather surprised way, Tenma either asked or stated a fact. For a while, both guys looked at each other in silence, but then the blond turned to the insect yokai, "A-argh, Nomu, I'm sorry!! I thought you were trying to feed on ghosts and other small yokais again."
"It's all right, Tenma-sama. I'm kind of to blame either way. Seems that I've scared this human boy. What a pity, I just wanted to take a closer look at him," Nomu, having more or less recovered from the hit and rising from the ground, nodded to the fair-haired guy.
"Ugh, okay… go, Nomu. Have fun, stay out of my sight, and forgive me for hitting you."
Yokai happily walked away saying, "don't even worry about it, Tenma-sama, your actions didn't upset me at all". The blond shook his head, sighing. And then wiped his shoe, with which he hit the insect, on the ground. All while saying to himself, "for god's sake, if only anybody knew how much I don't like such yokais, especially jorogumo* – they give me goosebumps...". When that was over, Tenma turned back to face the teenager. Akito didn't even know what he was still doing here. Shouldn't he have run away? Why did he keep sitting and waiting for something? Perhaps, he really was destined to die today — his body had already accepted this fate, and didn't even try to get up.
The blond took a step forward and Shinonome visibly twitched. And then mentally scolded himself for showing fear.
"You don't have to be so afraid. Nomu, although he didn't look very friendly, wouldn't have actually hurt you. He's a shinchu, a divine insect," the boy explained with a smile, "They don't attack humans at all, they only eat parasitic yokais. I don't like insects, but shinchu are useful guys. Mhm, right, I shouldn't have hit him... it obviously ruined my reputation as a star!.."
"I-I see… thanks for the lecture?" finally, Akito, looking incredulously at the thoughtful guy, got up from the ground.
Here it was – a chance to flee from here as far as possible. Shinonome had just turned towards the forest (it's still better than just standing and waiting for some murderous yokai to appear), when suddenly Tenma was right in front of his face. He appeared so quickly that the teenager nearly fell over again in surprise. "When did he show up? Teleported?!.." still in shock, the redhead thought to himself.
"Like the pegasus that soars through the sky – Tenma, like the one, who rules the world – Tsukasa… and my name is Tenma Tsukasa! For you, just a "future star"!!" loudly and clearly, as if rehearsing it before more than once, said the blond, "Nice meeting you, human! May I know your name?"
"Uh, um… Shi… Shinonome Akito," the youth muttered, still quite frightened.
""Shinonome" as in "sunset"? Well-well, human, what a beautiful name you have here!"
The blond smiled as brightly as he could. Akito was even embarrassed for a moment — he simply didn't know what to do. On one hand, Tsukasa looked just like an ordinary teenager, very fragile in physique. He seemed completely harmless. But on the other hand, it was a real yokai. Despite the pretty face and beautiful clothes, this creature was unpredictable. And Shinonome, having only a phone that has no connection with the real world and a couple of coins in his pocket, wouldn't be able to defend himself in any way.
As innocent as Tsukasa seemed now, he was a dragon... right? Or not? "Damn it, Akito, you should've listened to the teachers in class," biting his lip, the guy thought to himself, "Now I can't even tell the difference… maybe it's not too late to run?"
"Why are you staring at my horns like that, human?" Tenma was genuinely surprised. And without waiting for an answer, he immediately smiled even wider, "A-ah, you must be delighted with how they look even in my human form!" and then the blind nodded to himself with a proud grin, "I agree, I look amazing that way, don't I?"
Not that Shinonome denied it. On the contrary, he noticed that yokai looked like some kind of model right away. However, after that he immediately reminded himself that this was exactly how these creatures managed to deceive people — with the help of such beautiful appearance. He shouldn't fall for this bait.
"Tenma Tsukasa is the best and most respected dragon here! Do you know why, human? All because I'm the star of the future, ha-ha-ha!!"
"Dragon..." Akito muttered to himself, and then looked at the blond in horror, "So you're really a dragon?!.."
"Of course! What about my appearance made you doubt it?! Really, didn't you recognize my horns and... God, you people are insufferable! And so irresponsible!!" well, the red-haired guy, honestly, didn't expect to hear such a strict complaint. However, for some reason he didn't mind at all. Instead just listened and even nodded sometimes. In contrast to the benevolence and indifference of his parents, Tsukasa seemed to be the most emotional being in both worlds. And the teenager really was getting quite interested in him, "You can't know that little about yokais! What if one of them attacks you and you don't know how to defend yourself?! You don't even have a clue what kind of yokai you've met, human!"
"I usually sleep, when teachers talk about mythology, so I'm sorry...?"
Tenma's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. However, he didn't continue his moralizing. Instead, he exhaled and held out his hand to the teenager. The first thing Shinonome noticed was that one nail — on the ring finger — was painted orange. Pretty unusual. Only after that, the guy began to think about why yokai was still waiting for someone else's hand.
"Come on, I'll take you back to your real world. A human shouldn't be among yokais: at any moment they can attack or eat you, as soon as they smell or notice that you're not one of us."
"To the real world… will you bring me home?"
Suddenly, Akito, feeling a lump in his throat, lowered his head. The guy realized one rather strange thing: he didn't want to go home at all. Here... well, it wasn't so bad here. So far, he has met two yokais and neither of them has killed him — what an achievement. While at home, the fight with his sister might continue. He will also have to remember the failure at yesterday's concert and see his dad being indifferent again. It's too stuffy at home. Even open windows don't help to breath. Maybe that's why, at times, he just wanted to jump out.
Shinonome looked at the hand extended to him, and then turned his head away in an instant. He put his own hands in pockets.
"...I'm staying here," the redhead muttered. Loud enough for the yokai to hear.
"Are you crazy?! You're a human, you can't just come and chill here! Especially during the festival, where almost all yokais gathered at once. Leave quickly, before you meet an oni or a nukekubi, or..." at some point, Tenma, apparently, got tired of listing. He simply took the teenager by the forearm and pulled him along, "Nevermind! You belong to the human world. So right now, like a good dragon, I shall bring you back!!"
"No...!"
Akito hadn't expected himself to cry out like that. Tsukasa let him go, then looked at the teenager in front of him in shock. The redhead, not daring to look up, simply stared blankly at the ground. Yelling at a yokai, who was respected by a divine insect and even addressed as "sama"? Yeah, only Shinonome could do that.
The silence dragged on for a suspicious amount of time. Akito didn't complain. He listened to music, noise and din from yokais in the distance. He didn't even notice how much the blond's eyes narrowed.
"I don't understand you, human. You're afraid of yokais, it's too obvious. You need to go home, but…" the teenager clenched his fists and frowned so that Tsukasa immediately understood everything, "Hm… did something happen? At home, I mean."
Silence was often a sign of consent. Tenma, exhaling heavily, thought what he should do now. He always sought to bestow joy and smiles on everyone: both yokais and humans. Leaving someone in trouble was something against the blond's moral code. However, to steal a person from the real world and keep him among other yokais... even if it's with his consent, it still sounded like a very, very bad idea.
None of the friends or family members will give Tsukasa a thumbs up for this thought. If Nene finds out, she might even bite. However, the yokai couldn't go against his nature. Even being a dragon (it would seem, a creature that should take everyone around for dirt underfoot), the blond was quite famous for his ardent sense of justice, as well as his desire to help everyone around him.
"Listen, human, if this is so serious, then I can offer you something," the blond continued, but in response he couldn only hear silence again, "Huma… Akito," the teenager finally looked up, for some reason filled with some kind of lightning-fast hope. Well, how could a spineless and kind dragon reject such a person? Weak and defenseless people had to be pitied, protected, helped, hadn't they? Tsukasa's face instantly softened as he smiled, "You… uh, okay, you can stay here for a while. I won't bring you back to the real world right now."
"...for some reason, I feel like a "but" will follow now."
"Definitely! We just have to hide your "humanity" from other yokais. Otherwise, you won't last long here – I can promise you that!!"
Tenma once again asked, whether the guy really wanted to stay here. Without any hesitation, Shinonome nodded to him. Yokai stretched his arms, then carefully touched the strands of teen's hair with the very tips of his fingers. "Eh? Ha? Why is he so close again?" Akito immediately panicked as he saw the blond's concentrated and serious face in front of him. However, these thoughts faded into the background, when the guy was enveloped in a slight, not really blinding, orange light. Only for a moment he became scared that the dragon would kill him right here, "W-what is he doing…?"
Moments later, Tsukasa finally removed his hands and stepped back. Then proudly examined his efforts. Akito, not quite understanding his reaction, began to touch his own head. And suddenly he finally felt them: two small horns on the sides.
"H-huh?"
"It's a disguise, don't worry. As soon as you return to your human world, it will instantly disappear," the blond reassured him, "I also tried to remove your human smell as much as possible. Others may still suspect you... but at least now you look like one of us."
"For some reason, your disguise feels too real."
"Of course, my magic is capable of lots of thing! All because I'm a future star!!"
Akito barely understood him. "What a weirdo… or was it some kind of a joke of higher yokais right now?" the guy thought to himself, then opened his mouth a little in shock, "Oh right, he's a dragon… damn, I keep forgetting. He's considered the highest and probably can kill me at any minute. That's just my "luck" with meeting yokais, I guess". Still, Tsukasa didn't seem dangerous at all. On the contrary, he looked a bit too good-natured.
Aren't yokais supposed to be intimidating?
"You obviously can't stay in such clothes for a long time," the blond continued, examining the teenager, "Fine, it can't be helped, let's go to my home. And by the way, you're extremely lucky that I began to live separately from my family for a long time!!"
"Yokais have families? And homes?.."
"Of course we have!! For God's sake, Akito, do you know anything about yokais?! I already doubt that you can stay here!.."
The redhead, honestly, tried to listen to all of Tenma's teachings, but it was difficult because of the loud music around. And interest in strange-looking monsters — gradually, fear began to fade away. Now the guy wanted to take a closer look at everyone. However, the dragon confidently pulled him along and advised him not to draw too much attention to himself. At least, in such clothes, it was clearly not worth it to catch someone else's eyes.
Tsukasa quickly — almost with one snap of fingers — moved them from that place right to the porch of his house. The teenager was dizzy from the sudden teleportation, which he experienced for the first time in his life. From that and also from... the size of this house. He had never seen such a gigantic home, made entirely in the ancient style. Akito barely restrained himself from opening his mouth in shock. This youkai clearly didn't deny himself luxury. Especially considering that he lived separately.
Compared to the size of this house, the guy felt like a tiny homeless kitten, picked up and sheltered by a very kind and tender-hearted person.
"Don't stand still. Hurry up," the blond snorted. Shinonome could only mumble something incoherently in response.
The teen took off his sneakers right at the entrance, then followed the yokai inside. The wooden floor creaked under the weight of both youths, but for some reason Akito didn't mind. He was already used to the fact that the floors creaked at his own home almost all the time. Especially at night, when the guy was trying to be as quiet as possible, or wanted some silence himself.
"Make yourself at home," opening the door of one of the rooms and pointing straight at the entrance, said Tsukasa. The guy, nodding curtly, obeyed him without question, "I really need to do something about your clothes, hmm…"
While Akito, still in silent and outwardly hidden admiration, was looking around the room, the yokai had already managed to summon little assistants to his aid with one clap. Creatures, more like plush toys, quickly flew up to him. And instantly they began to hug the guy, while also rejoicing at the fact that their master returned. The blond exhaled, patted everyone on the head and asked them to bring his sewing materials. And also a lot of white, black, blue and red fabric.
"We'll bring everything right away, Tsukasa-sama!!" shouted all the animals, then disappeared as quickly as they appeared.
"Were that… were that like your servants or something?" the teenager stopped examining the wide room, when he heard unfamiliar voices.
"Not really. They're the lowest yokais, but still have the right to do whatever they want and not obey anyone. However, for some reason they chose to help me around."
Tenma didn't add that their presence made the house more lively and less lonely. It'd be absurd to appear so pathetic in the eyes of a human. Entering the room, the dragon sat down on the floor, and Shinonome soon did so as well. At the same time, little yokais had already rushed in with everything they could hold. The redhead was even surprised at the number of items that these pipsqeaks were generally able to carry off.
"Thank you all very much. You can be free," the yokai immediately smiled at them, then thoughtfully tilted his head to the side, "Today's a huge festival, y'know. I'm even surprised that none of you decided to leave the house and go to celebrate."
"We protected and guarded Tsukasa-sama's house! We didn't dare to let your wealth get touched!!"
Tenma looked at them so tenderly that the teen sort of... stared at him for a while — simply didn't expect that anyone was even capable of showing others such kindness with mere emotions. The blond patted everyone on the head again, then advised them to go to the main street and take a look at some of the decorations. The little animals obeyed him (probably took it as an order) and hurried to the exit.
The fair-haired guy waved his hand, and immediately a white measuring tape, like a snake, began to wrap around Akito's torso, neck, arms and legs. The guy himself didn't have time to notice when, with the help of the enchanted thing, Tsukasa managed to take all the measurements necessary for sewing. Nodding to himself, the yokai set to work as quickly as possible.
While the dragon's hands carefully inserted and removed the needle from the fabric or cut unnecessary threads, Shinonome watched him. He really wondered if he did the right thing just now. Of course, no matter how much he thought, he didn't want to go home at all. No matter how much he prays for a miracle to happen, nothing will change if he goes there now. But if he'd wait at least a day or two, then... maybe everyone will start to worry about him. Who knows, maybe even father will experience such a feeling as anxiety? But Akito wasn't hoping to see the frightened and agitated faces of his relatives anymore — he knew that they didn't give a single damn about him. The only person, who should be pitied, was probably only Toya. The guy wished that his best friend wouldn't come up with worse-case scenarios and feel too anxious.
Reasoning with himself and also admiring quite an interesting view of yokai sewing of the costume so skillfully, gracefully and quickly, Akito almost fell asleep. Even though he had known the dragon in front of him for less than a day, he felt at ease around him. As if the atmosphere of comfort, kindness and protection emanated from the blond. Or was it all because he was in his human form? After all, it was easier for people to trust people like themselves.
"…yeah, it looks like everything's ready!" Tsukasa finally announced after a little less than an hour. He got the job done too quickly. Yes, magic helped him here and there, but still... "Akito, try it on!! A folding screen is over there!"
"Yeah-yeah, I understand."
To be honest, Shinonome already felt like he was in some kind of medieval Japan. But now that feeling has only grown stronger. He would never have thought that one day he'd have to change clothes behind a real folding screen — so beautiful, painted with lots of colorful patterns. It was even stranger to put on non-casual clothes, to which the body had adapted since childhood. Even at the festivals in his human world, Akito rarely wore yukatas or haoris... only if someone forced him to. However, now he couldn't complain: the costume fit perfectly and was extremely comfortable.
The mirror stood right in front of him. Turning around a couple of times, Shinonome thought he looked fine. Though horns on his own head still creeped him out a little, the guy will obviously need time to get used to their presence. After tying a red-orange ribbon around his waist along with obijime**, the redhead finally decided to show himself to the yokai.
"You look great, Akito! The costume came out very ably... well, that's just to be expected from the magnificent dragon, Tenma Tsukasa!!" again, the teenager thought that this blond was a weirdo. Very handsome, but still a weirdo, "But those earrings definitely won't do. Better take these! Blue won't merge with the color of your hair."
"Eh, uh… t-thank you," the guy barely squeezed the words of gratitude out of himself, as he accepted the "gift".
He certainly didn't see the problem with his earrings. And yet, since he was asked to replace one with the other, then there was a reason for that. Akito didn't want to clarify it, or even more so to argue with it. The teen deftly swapped out the studs and silver ring for longer tassel earrings.
"Mhm, wonderful! Now you're like a real yokai!" Tsukasa said with a beaming smile.
"Oh, really?" the guy was amazed, but then broke into a satisfied smirk, "So I can stay here without any problems."
However, after such a statement, the dragon's face instantly darkened. Disapproval could be read in his eyes — for a brief moment Akito became slightly afraid again. Dragons should've been feared, after all. They were terrifying, also one of the most respected creatures in the world. Akito tried to say something, but the words caught abruptly in his throat. With just one index finger, the yokai lifted the redhead's chin so that he could look directly into his eyes. But the gesture was so unexpected and vague, almost ambiguous, that Shinonome had no choice but to blush. Either out of fear or something else. Of course, he was still smiling politely, but his twitching eyebrow, along with the flushed face, clearly gave up on him.
"Listen to me carefully, Akito. Just because I let you stay here for a while doesn't mean you should forget about fear. Today you were lucky to come across yokais, who mean no harm to people, but... unfortunately, not everyone is like me and Nomu. As much as I don't want to admit it," after that, Tsukasa, frowning, lowered his gaze only for a moment. Yet, he immediately raised it again, along with the chin of a teenager — even higher this time, "So while you're here, try to stay close to me at all times. Since I am the future star and a respected dragon, it is my duty to protect everyone, who needs it. But only if you don't run away from me or get lost! Got it?"
"Ah, y-yes... got it."
Tenma squinted his eyes — iridescent from dark crimson to an incredibly light shade of yellow. This made the redhead stop breathing for a moment, then barely swallow the lump in his throat. Yokai studied every movement of the person in front of him, and then finally removed his hand from the human's face.
"Well, if you understand everything, then it's wonderful! In that case, the future star will make sure that you enjoy your stay in this world," and suddenly the blond took the guy by the wrist. Seriously, what kind of habit was it — always pulling the guy somewhere? "Want some tea? Or sweets? I bought a lot at the festival — eat as much as you like!!"
Akito was very happy about these words and, smiling weakly, completely began to forget about his real home, the quarrel and what a disappointment he was for everyone yesterday.
***
"I'm so tired of you! I hope that I'll move out soon and never see you again in my life!.. Get out of my sight, I don't want to see you anymore!!"
"Fine! I'll leave, I'll leave. And I won't come here ever again!.."
"Great to hear! Go wherever you want, I don't care–"
The annoying memory couldn't be forgotten, no matter how much the guy tried.
It seemed to be the third day of Shinonome's stay in a new, different world. The one, where yokais and only one single person lived. And, it would seem, it was already worth returning home. He rested here, saw what was happening on the other side. What else was needed? But the guy knew it all well: he wasn't welcomed in his native reality. Not on stage, much less at home. When his sister said she didn't care, she lied a little.
It wasn't just her, who didn't care. No one cared.
Akito knew that he himself had behaved badly. On the day of the concert, after the performances of each group, he was simply unlucky to hear whispers behind his back. His best friend, unfortunately, went away to get drinks. Therefore, the red-haired guy had to listen to all these chuckles alone. Of course, it was worth getting used to it already: these words haunted him for several years. Everyone called him a useless, inept brat with no talent whatsoever.
He just had to calm down and leave. However, that day, Shinonome couldn't stand it for some reason. Probably because "let's all admit that, no matter how hard they try, some people just aren't able to excel at anything, if they don't have talent" was his last straw. At first, the teenager simply insulted those people, who said this. He thought that in this way he would remain the winner, as he wasn't afraid to stand up for himself.
And yet that group also didn't want to be silent. Insult after insult on both sides. Akito, though he didn't want to fight for real, was seriously ready to hit them all. Unfortunately, one girl managed to trip him in time.
Not having time to recover from falling right under someone else's feet, the guy felt something cold already flowing down his face.
"Oops, I spilled it~” holding an overturned cup, some guy laughed nastily. He seemed to be in his early twenties, "But don't get mad, Shinonome-kun. It won't hurt you to chill out a bit."
"Right! You have such a terrible temper that it's high time to forget about your "dream"."
All of them, continuing to laugh, left the disgraced Shinonome alone. Of course, he was humiliated before, but for some reason exactly these insults almost made him tear up. For a while, he didn't even want to get up off the floor. Maybe he should've just stayed on it and licked the Coke off his own face. After all, these singers were right: no matter what he did, his talent didn't increase at all. Not even a little.
"Akito? Akito, what's happened, are you okay?!.." Toya's voice was finally heard. The redhead forced himself to rise from the floor. His gaze was probably so empty that it even frightened his friend, "What's that on your face? Are you injured?"
He wondered, why these guys didn't say a word about Aoyagi? Was it because he had talent? Yet his partner, no matter how much he tormented himself with rehearsals and singing... probably, Shinonome will remain talentless for the rest of his life. What a pity, because he didn't want to quit singing. Even if it made him feel bad and lonely, he didn't want to deprive himself of the opportunity to perform — it didn't even matter where.
Toya held out his hand to his friend, but Akito pushed it away without hesitation.
"...don't touch me," the boy practically hissed before he clumsily got to his feet, "I'm going home."
"Eh? Akito, wait, what happened? Akito–"
The guy didn't pay attention to the fact that best friend continued to call out his name. Toya... Toya would definitely be better off without him. Everyone will be better off. The guy almost dissociated from reality until the next day, hoping to forget about his own shame, both on stage and backstage. Perhaps, if no one pestered him for at least a couple more days, he would've turned normal again. He would forget everything and continue to move towards his dream.
But fate itself told him that he didn't deserve peace.
As usual, Akito had a fight with his sibling. As usual, she wanted to attack him with her nails, but this time the guy managed to dodge. Instead of scratches, he received an awkward slap in the face, but it was enough to understand that Ena was just very, very tired of it all. She didn't even have to say it... so, why did she say it all aloud? And why did he, insulting in response, play along with her? Maybe he was waiting for at least some reaction from his father?
When the older sister shouted those very words to him, the guy realized that she was simply overwhelmed by her own emotions. For the most part, he didn't care about her breakdowns. It's... it's whatever. She just said whatever came to her mind and most likely didn't mean anything bad. But dad... Shinei didn't even contradict his daughter's words. No denial, no teaching that siblings shouldn't fight like that. It looked like the man completely agreeed with what Ena was saying. In that case, Akito wasn't needed even here. There was no place for him in the real world. All that Shinonome had was a stage and a house, but he was never welcomed anywhere.
"I'm busy, Akito, I don't have time. Let's talk a little later, 'kay?" this was the answer that followed to all the guy's attempts to get through to his mother and warn that he was going for a walk until... probably until three in the morning or something. The woman, as it turned out, didn't care about her son's condition too. There was absolutely no reaction to his messages about how he left home after a fight. "Even mom... even mom doesn't need me," the redhead grinned, then simply put the phone in his pocket. He acted so carefree, as if the silence didn't hurt him. Not at all. He definitely wasn't going to cry, "Well, fine. I don't need anyone either. I'll be on my own."
They probably didn't even think to look for him. However, the guy was no longer sad. This world — so alien and incomprehensible — was better than his own. Although yokais seemed scary, Akito was in no hurry to leave their reality.
The teenager was very lucky to meet Tsukasa — the only good thing that happened to him for the last few years. The blond had no reason to take a mere mortal under his wing. And even more so to bother in order to provide him with a more or less normal and safe life in a parallel world. Yokai could've just left the pathetic human alone or return him to his native reality. However, dragon acted differently.
Probably not all yokais were scary and frightening. At least Tenma wasn't exactly one of them. If it weren't for the horns on the blond's head, the teenager would never have thought that he should fear that guy. While Tsukasa was around, for some reason the yokai world felt more like home. Maybe because of the dragon's aura? Or was it all because of those kind and friendly eyes?
"Enjoying the view?" the blond boy suddenly asked, sitting next to him on the veranda.
And when did he show up? Moreover, so silently. Shinonome had only lived with this yokai for a couple of days and didn't know much about him yet... maybe that's why he wanted to know as much as possible.
"Mhm. You have, um, a rather beautiful garden," nodded Akito, not even thinking about the meaning of his words.
""Rather"? Hmph, how rude, human! My garden, by the way, is one of the most beautiful gardens around here!!"
"Yeah-yeah, as you say."
""Yeah" only needs to be said once!"
In fact, it really looked great here. They say that the garden is able to show the soul of its owner. Here, the plants were full of life, sparkling and growing skyward. Here, everywhere was at least one small sprout, as if Tsukasa didn't want to leave even a single place empty. All this was more like a lair of some fairy — this place seemed too magical.
The red-haired guy already thought that this moment would last like this for an eternity. All he wanted to do was staying in complete calmness and looking at how the leaves shimmered under the rays of the sun. Yet the yokai hastened to ruin the guy's dreams,
"Akito, listen, I have a small but serious conversation with you," the teenager visibly tensed, but still nodded. As if giving a "permission" to continue this talk, "I don't mind your being here at all. On the contrary, I'm glad that for the first time someone decided to keep me company like this..."
"But?" immediately realizing what was about to be said, the guy quickly interrupted.
"But you must understand something. You're a human, who has a family of his own. One day you'll have to go back to your relatives, one way or another."
Akito's gaze darkened instantly. The blond recoiled: being a dragon, it was easy for him to feel others' emotions and feelings. He distinguished them so quickly and seamlessly that sometimes his head was spinning. It was a good, even useful power. But now... Tsukasa doubted, what he should do about the fact that the teen's aura had suddenly ceased to be calm. The whole atmosphere around him seemed to have lost its former light. "What's wrong with him?" completely shocked, Tenma wondered as he tried to understand the reason for such a sudden mood change, "Is this because I mentioned his family?" and then, realizing this, the blond-haired guy lowered his head guiltily, "Is it really this bad? What could've possibly happened that he doesn't want to return home? His family... they must all be so worried! Why doesn't he understand this?"
Shinonome didn't answer, just stared at the yokai with a displeased look. This made the situation uncomfortable — the blond really didn't like it, when others looked like that. It was much more enjoyable to see smiles. The happiness of others was more precious than gold and any other riches.
Sitting a little closer, Tenma gently, slightly fearfully put his hand on someone else's head. At first, the teenager visibly tensed — so much so that his shoulders rose up. The dragon already wanted to remove his palm, but then noticed how the redhead whispered, "let it stay".
"You don't love your family?" Tsukasa decided to approach him from a slightly different angle.
"No idea. Well, I never really complained about them," Akito answered him with a shrug. Although, it was some kind of ambiguous answer, "As for them... my sister is probably so glad that I haven't been home for these days."
"Don't say that!! Your sister must be worried about you! Personally, as an older sibling, I'd be very worried if Saki disappeared somewhere!"
Shinonome wanted to say, "well, it's because you're a good sibling, not like my sister". However, for some reason, he burst out completely unrelated question, "who's Saki?".
"My sweet little sister, of course!" the blond replied with a smile that could blind anyone, "She always needs a lot of care and attention, but peace as well. Therefore, I'm not at all sad that I live alone, while mom and dad look after Saki."
"Is your sister sorta rebellious or…?"
"Akito! How could you think of such a thing!? Of course not! My sister is the most well-behaved, the most well-mannered girl of all!.. She's just seriously ill."
The teenage boy, aho had previously winced at the yokai's loud voice, suddenly softened his face. Shock showed clearly in his eyes as well. Even his mouth was slightly open in a silent "eh?", which he couldn't voice.
"You know, not everyone has a human face. Only strong yokais can take it. But, of course, even those often disdain their second appearance, because it's much weaker."
"Weaker?"
"Compared to yokais, humans are weak. Accordingly, when we take your form, we become a little weaker," Tsukasa snapped his finger almost silently, and a small fire instantly lit up at the very tip, "If I were in my true form now, the flames from even an inaudible click would be much larger."
Shinonome opened his eyes again in shock. He couldn't say "wait, what, are you for real?!" out loud, somehow. Tenma shook his hand, and the flame instantly went out in his palm, leaving behind only a small plume of smoke.
"As for Saki… she's weak in both human form and true form. Unfortunately, nothing can be done about it. She just has to continue living like this," even though the guy was smiling, it was clear that he had a very painful difficulty telling about this. Akito even felt a pang of guilt for bringing up the topic of sisters at all, "Oh, by the way, I haven't seen her human form in a long time! She has more powers in yokai form, so she prefers to stay in it almost all the time. Fufu, Saki's always trying to be strong — she's such a sweetheart, isn't she?"
"W-well… I think it, um, should be respected that she's trying so hard. I hope that everything will work out for her... eventually?" Shinonome absolutely didn't know how to support anyone in his life, but he really was trying right now.
"Thank you!! Hmm, now I kind of wonder, if a person wishes for a yokai to get better, will this wish come true?"
"Uh, why are you looking at me like I know the answer? You're the yokai here."
Tsukasa laughed provocatively, and gradually Akito did the same — unfortunately, that laughter was contagious. The blond's hand, evenly and pleasantly sorting through ginger strands of hair, calmed the teenager. The longer he stayed here in this world, the more he forgot about his home and all the things that had happened to him, the less he remembered that he was hardly even needed in human world.
If Tenma hadn't reminded him, everything would've been fine. But since he mentioned the family... did the blond really want to get rid of his guest? Of course, it was understandable — no one had time to care about such a useless person. Especially such a majestic creature as a dragon. However, Shinonome still didn't want to leave. He, like an abandoned pet, felt a little warmth and a drop of comfort in this house. So, now he didn't want to lose something like that and return to the cold of indifference.
Especially considering that he'll probably get scolded and yelled at even harder for leaving. Though... what if no one will scream at him? Maybe they didn't even notice that Akito was nowhere to be found? Maybe they'll be disappointed if he shows up? The guy didn't want to know. For some reason, he was afraid to receive the very answer that would break his heart once and for all.
Tenma wouldn't send him back to the real world, would he? The redhead didn't mind begging, if it was the only way to remain in this place. Just a little more (just a little) he wanted to stay here. For some reason, even in a world full of yokais, he felt more at peace — it's even... kind of sad. If someone found out about Shinonome's thoughts, they'd surely cry.
"Tsukasa-sama!!" and suddenly the idyll was interrupted by the voices of those little youkai (the redhead still thought of them as some kind of plush toys), "You have a guest!"
"Eh?! A guest? Who is it?"
The blond instantly removed his hand, then abruptly rose to his feet. Akito, meanwhile, caught himself in a rather crazy thought: he wished that moment of silence would last for at least five seconds longer. But it was too late to think about it. No, now it was time to panic, because, undoubtedly, some yokai had come to visit Tsukasa.
Over the past couple of days, the teenager has adapted only to the presence of the blond. The rest of the yokais... well, it would take a long time to get used to the fact that he now lives in their world.
"Tsukasa-a-senpai, open up already! Did you fall asleep? Sleeping during the day ain't really your style," the voice was quite muffled, but the guy still understood who exactly called him.
Exhaling, the blond asked the lower yokais to open the door for the guest. As they fiddled with it, the dragon began to look Akito up and down, trying to make sure he was able to create a perfect disguise. He honestly prayed that no one would suspect anything. "Maybe it'll go fine..." the guy thought to himself, "Even with her keen sense of smell."
"Yaho-o, Tsukasa-senpai! Long time no see, I missed you, y'know!" a moment later, a short-haired girl with long red earrings appeared around the corner. The first thing Akito noticed was her snow-white tail, which actively wagged from side to side. Whitish ears twitched among the dark hair strands. Maybe that's why the kitsune mask, removed to the back of the head, looked like it was unnecessary. While the teenager was studying the appearance and unusual clothes of a stranger, he didn't even notice when exactly... she began to look at him as well, "Eh? Who's that?"
"An, this is Akito! Akito, this is An! You can get to know each other, while I make us some tea–"
"Stand still, Tsukasa-senpai. Don't you dare leave like that without explaining a thing! Who's this guy?"
"Ah, great, this kitsune is very demanding," the redhead realized, immediately feeling slightly annoyed, "And why is she looking at me like that? I also have no clue who she is, but at least I'm not bossy about it."
"I'm Akito Shinonome, nice to meet you," nevertheless, despite his dislike at first sight, the guy decided to behave politely with a stranger. It was already a habit.
"He's… a youkai, An. And he lives with me!!"
"Eh?!" the girl exclaimed in astonishment, "Lives with you? Since when? And you didn't even tell me anything?!.. Moreover, this is happening after your promises that you'd try to not let others use you so eas–"
Instantly, the guy covered the kitsune's mouth with his palm. She glared displeasedly, barely restraining herself from biting his hand. "Something's wrong here. I feel it," the girl thought to herself, then looked incredulously in the direction of the red-haired one, "I can't figure out what it is, but something is wrong. That guy, argh... I don't trust him! Where did he even come from?"
"Have you calmed down, my dearest Shiraishi An?"
"I'm just looking after you, Tsukasa-senpai," feeling a bit betrayed, the kitsune muttered, when the blond had already removed his palm, "That's why I have no reason to trust this shady... nobody!.."
"I see. So you didn't calm down at all," Tenma breathed out.
Shiraishi walked towards the boy in displeasure. So loudly that white heels clattered against the wooden floor ("An, how many times must I tell you? Stop forgetting to take off your shoes, while you're in human form"). Not knowing what to expect from the unknown yokai, the redhead instinctively stepped back. Frowning, the girl took his hand and literally forced him to look into her eyes.
The orange iris suddenly sparkled with a lighter, yellow tint. The teenager forgot how to breathe, not knowing what the kitsune would do next. All he could think about was, "what does this loony madwoman want from me?". There were only weirdos in this world. It was simply impossible not to be afraid of them.
"What… what did you call me?!" she let go of his hand, and in an instant her eyes returned to their normal hue, "Grr, Tsukasa-senpai, where did you find such a feisty yokai?"
"Ha-ah? I didn't say anything, I kept completely silent!.."
"...she read your mind, Akito," the blond sighed. Then, coming closer and glaring at the girl in annoyance, he continued, "An. How many times have I asked you not to get into everyone's head? Do it one more time and I–"
Kitsune smiled guiltily and, nodding, hurried to apologize,
"Sure, 'kay, I overreacted! But don't worry, that idiot was lucky I didn't have time to read anything useful. Only him insulting me, hmph!.."
Both boys breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, that was really close," Tsukasa realized that he himself was to blame — he should've stopped the girl in time. Who knows what she could've read in the human's thoughts, "Hah, it's kind of lucky that Akito was wise enough to think of something completely unrelated. He's good at this. For a human, I mean," the dragon mentally grunted, for some reason instantly feeling proud of the red-haired teenager.
"Since you finally have calmed down, An, maybe you can drink some tea?" Tenma's face suddenly changed from displeased to more tender, "You haven't visited like this for a long time. Is there a reason?"
"I just wanted to visit you! After all, you, Tsukasa-senpai, are always alone here. It's like you're slowly becoming a shut-in," said kitsune, raising her chin high.
"Ha-ha, but now I'm not alone!! I have Akito by my side, he keeps me a great company."
Shiraishi, narrowing her eyes, stared at the teenager with disbelief. However, it was noticeable that something in her glare had changed. It was as if she wanted to say, "thank you for looking after him, while I'm not around," but her pride wouldn't let her.
"Hmm, okay~ The main thing is that you don't get lonely, Tsukasa-senpai," after saying that, the girl, happily wagging her tail, went to the door, "Well, let's go have some tea, shall we? I have so many interesting news to discuss!!"
"Oh, that's great to hear, I'm totally in! Akito, what about you?"
The dragon showed that bright, almost blinding smile again. The more this guy smiled, the more Shinonome thought he could believe him. As scary and weird as all these creatures were, they were still way better than people. Especially Tenma... he could be trusted — if not, then the blond would've killed this pathetic human a long time ago. Or what else dragons like to do with their victims? But so far nothing bad had happened. Instead, yokais called him to drink tea and talk about recent events.
"It's like we're all friends," the redhead thought suddenly. His lips trembled involuntarily in a faint smile, as his eyes sparkled with momentary happiness, "It really is better here than in my world."
"...I'm coming, just don't shout like that. One weirdo is enough. Two of you will give me a headache."
"What did you say?! Tsukasa-senpai, can I bite him–"
"Absolutely not, An! Calm down and hide your claws!!"
***
And just like that, Shinonome actually ended up living among yokais. He tried to think less and less about his home, as if it didn't exist. A couple of times, of course, he wanted to see, if his parents or his sister called him. However, his phone has been dead for a long time. And even if he had at least a little battery level left, the device would still be absolutely useless — there was no connection or Internet in this parallel world.
But, really, none of this was needed here. Akito didn't even mind being away from social media and video games, which always took up too much of his free time. Now he had so many opportunities to do things he hadn't done before. He was honestly surprised himself.
At first, still a little afraid to go out into the world teeming with yokais, the guy kept himself busy with various activities from morning to evening. Tenma's "servants" taught him how to cook (although he still wasn't very good at it). Of course, the teenager's inept cooking was certainly not the best meal for a great dragon. But the blond didn't complain. On the contrary, he praised the teen. And even offered to make dinner together. Never would Akito have thought that such an admired yokai would teach him how to properly cut vegetables.
"He-eh, looks like dragons are quite domestic," joked the teenager, watching how the blond was fussing over dinner on his own, "I see why you don't have servants. You're your own housewif–"
"It's called "self-reliance", Akito. You should learn it."
Shinonome just rolled his eyes at that. However, he couldn't help but admit that every day dragon's cooking seemed to get better and better. Eating such exquisite-looking dishes was a little unusual at first, but after a couple of weeks the guy adapted. He was accustomed not only to food, but also to the house itself. Even to a warm futon instead of a bed. Akito himself was surprised that already on the sixth day of his stay in this world he stopped grumbling in annoyance under his breath. Probably, lower yokais had to do something with it: at night, these little animals came to the redhead and kept him company so that he wouln't be afraid or feel lonely in his sleep.
In the beginning, Akito complained that they were disturbing his peace, but after a while he got used to them. More and more the slyly smiling dragon began to witness an incredibly cute scene in the mornings: a guy, hugging soft and tiny yokais that took care of his peaceful sleep. On one such morning, Tsukasa, after admiring the sleeping boy and his "servants" for a bit, nevertheless decided to wake them all up.
"Hey-hey, I'm visiting my friend today. Do you want to come with me?" the dragon asked, then smiled.
The half-asleep teenager rubbed his eyes with his hands, while thinking, "which of his is he going to visit?". Usually Tsukasa was quite busy. He had many responsibilities: taking care of the safety and well-being of yokais, blessing people for success and good luck, helping in temples and his own world. Dragons, like other high yokais, didn't have much time to rest. Therefore, it was a huge revelation for Akito to realize that the blond tried to spend almost all his free hours with someone as pathetic as a mere mortal human.
It was kind of... flattering? Although Shinonome snorted, grumbled, and sometimes couldn't hold back a heavy sigh, he felt better in the presence of the dragon. When he was together with this yokai, the weeks didn't drag on. Instead they passed way too quickly.
"Don't scream like that in the morning…" the redhead muttered, rolling over to the other side.
"Eh? Akito, are you going to continue sleeping?" the dragon was surprised, but then breathed out quietly, as if with hinting that he understood. The teen couldn't see, but he could feel a faint smile on that weirdo's face, "Okay, then I won't force you. I won't come until late in the evening, but don't worry much, alright?"
"Till late in the evening?"
"I won't see him all day?" still being slightly sleepy, Shinonome thought to himself. During the last month and a half that the guy had already spent here, he had become too accustomed to the presence of a dragon nearby. He saw him in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, and sometimes at night — at this time of the day Tenma usually sat up sewing new costumes for his guest. Being alone in such a big house without the always loud and slightly annoying yokai would somehow be... lonely? "A-argh, I'll have to go with him."
The teenager caught himself thinking that he didn't want to be here without Tsukasa... more precisely, he didn't want to be alone for a whole day. Yes, that's right, nothing more than that.
"I changed my mind. I'll go with you," and with these words the guy reluctantly got out from under the warm, soft blanket.
"H-huh? Changed your mind so quickly? You're too unpredictable!!"
"Are you coming or not?"
"Of course I am! But first you need to eat something and change your clothes!"
It turned out that Tsukasa's unknown friend lived in the mountains. Mountains that were much colder than the dragon's warm home. However, the guy tried not to complain too much. He still wanted to sleep. So probably that was why all his thoughts were only about one thing, "I should've stayed on the futon until the evening."
Or maybe he shouldn't have. The temple, which appeared ahead, struck Akito by both its size and beauty. At the very entrance, a small — almost miniature — girl, jumping around, threw temari*** from one palm to another. The ringing of the bell inward resounded throughout the area, as did the very young, childlike voice. Shinonome wasn't at all surprised that her clothes looked more insulated (the kimono even had fur around the neck), because the wind was extremely strong in these mountains.
The blond called the girl by the name (very loudly and clearly, "Ri-i-in!"), and in an instant she stopped hopping. Turning around, the blue-eyed girl was silent for a couple of seconds, until suddenly her face broke into a satisfied smile,
"Tsukasa-ku-un!" the girl drawled out, then immediately threw herself into his arms. The guy was able to catch the blonde and, squeezing tightly, spin her around, "Rin's so glad you visited! Rin was so sad that she didn't spend the Kanto Festival with you!"
"Ha-ha, I'm sorry, Rin. I promise we'll definitely go there next year!!" smiled the guy, who had already put his friend on the ground.
"Hoora-ay! We'll scare people together, as if we're evil spirits~!"
As the two smiled at each other, Akito could only be puzzled. Admittedly, yokais had their own special... fun during human's holidays. The Kanto festival was meant to drive away evil spirits, so it's obvious why no one in this world celebrated it. However, this girl, apparently, was in no hurry to deprive herself of fun so easily. "Weirdo," that's exactly what the redhead called her in his thoughts, exhaling heavily, "Everyone here is a real weirdo."
"By the way, Rin, where's Pochi? I didn't see him at all," the blond asked after looking around.
The teen instantly flinched. "Po... Pochi?" and then his face seemed to turn blue with horror, "Isn't that a stereotypical name for a... dog?" he quickly turned his head back and forth timidly, "Oh for the love of God, please, don't say that there's a freaking dog here!.."
"He ran off to look for the ball, but the ball... was with me all this time!" then the girl giggled and, turning around, whistled loudly, "Pochi!! Come here, come here~!"
Akito felt himself almost sinking into the ground. More precisely, it was trembling so much that he almost fell. A huge brown-white dog, with the sharpest fangs in the world showing from his widely open mouth, rushed to its mistress. The redhead didn't even think about the fact that this was just a mythological creature. It was still a dog. A very real and incredibly dangerous dog. Pochi galloped up to the girl, but after almost a second turned his muzzle towards the stranger. Then broke into a run once again.
"Pochi? Pochi, where are you going?!.."
The guy could only watch in horror as the giant dog raced towards him. For some reason, Shinonome couldn't even run away, he just froze without moving. He was able to come to his senses only when the fluffy beast was way too close. It even pulled his muzzle forward to sniff the stranger. Of course, almost everything was fine. Except for the fact that the guy thought that Pochi was about to eat him alive.
"...Tsukasa, help!" and suddenly, without even expecting this from himself, the trembling teenager called for help.
Rin blinked in surprise, but her friend didn't hesitate. It was so good that he was a yokai — literally a moment, and he was already standing between a huge dog and a shivering human. "Saved... I'm saved," the redhead realized, seeing the blond's back in front of him. A nervous smile flickered across his face, "For the second time". Tenma reached out to strok Pochi's furry muzzle. The dog happily responded with a caress and immediately seemed to forget about the teenager, frightened half to death.
The dragon turned around to say something, but fell silent as soon as he noticed Shinonome's pale face, nervously shifting eyes and slightly trembling palms.
"Akito, are you… afraid of dogs?" the teenager, without saying anything, just took a step back, "...God, you are afraid."
Tenma stopped petting Pochi and instead moved closer to the boy. However, he instinctively recoiled, because the main fear of his life, was still standing behind. It's more or less fine, when the dog was small or at least medium in size. But now... now it was a real monster — naturally, Shinonome was scared, what else was he supposed to do?
In order not to let the guy run away, the dragon took his hand,
"It's okay, Akito, Pochi won't attack you. He just wanted to sniff you!" the blond boy explained, but even so, the teenager remained unhappy and frightened by the presence of the dog, "I'm sorry I didn't warn you that Pochi was here… I didn't even think that you had such a fear."
"N-not a fear… I just don't like dogs… that's all."
However, Shinonome squeezed the dragon's palm as tightly as he could — the blond didn't mind, because he understood that he was to blame for what had happened. Soon, a small girl with a ball in her hands finally approached Pochi. Throwing the green-blue temari far away, she was able to distract her dog from the guys.
The redhead, exhaling with relief, loosened his grip on the dragon's hand. And then, albeit reluctantly, completely let go.
"Tsukasa-kun, who's this?" Rin asked. The blond introduced the guy in his already familiar manner, just like that time with An, "Hmm~ so Akito-kun lives with you…" the girl drawled, until suddenly her eyes sparkled with joy, "Ah, did a true miracle happen then? Tsukasa-kun, have you finally found a significant other? Is he your fiancé or already a spouse? Tell Rin everythi-ing~!"
In instant, Shinonome coughed so much that he thought, "I'm defined going to to die." The dragon, blushing to the very tips of his ears, actively shook his head and, yelling, began to point to his left palm,
"Here-here, look, the nail on the ring finger is still light!! I'm not married, I'm not married! It's all a misunderstanding, Rin!"
"Eh? Really? Ma-an, that's not interesting at all~" the girl was so visibly upset that even the bow on her head fell down, like rabbit ears, "I already thought that Tsukasa-kun would finally stop being alone. Tsukasa-kun deserves to find the love of his life!!"
"R-Rin, let's talk about that later..."
"What's up with the color of your nails though?" the redhead, who had recovered relatively quickly from being called "a dragon's spouse" just now, stared at yokais in surprise.
The girl tilted her head to the side, as if she was about to ask, "do you not know?". But, honestly, Shinonome had no idea what the yokais were talking about. And even if he was a human, he wanted understand their conversations. Even a little.
"Only the nail on the ring finger of the left hand can have a light shade. This means that yokai has never had a spouse before. After the wedding, this single nail turns normal," explained Tenma, stretching his palm forward and allowing the guy to see the desaturated, rather pale shade of orange on a single nail, "As you can see, I have never been engaged or married."
"And that's a huge pity, Tsukasa-kun! It's high time to find someone, who will take care of you and be your support!! Akito-kun looks strong, so you can marry him," said the blonde, puffing out her cheeks.
"Rin! Please, let's save this conversation for another time?!.."
While the boy was arguing with the petite girl, Shinonome couldn't take his eyes off that orange nail. Of course, he knew about this feature's existence, because he noticed it on the first day of their acquaintance. However, he didn't pay attention to something so unimportant (he just thought that, perhaps, the dragon liked his nails looking that particular way). Now, after finding out the reason, he even became interested, what will happen if one day Tenma marries someone? Will light orange nail become saturated, darken, or even turn black, like on all other fingers?
However, Shinonome immediately shook his head. "Wait, stop, no… why the hell am I even thinking about this?" the guy mentally scolded himself, then almost pushed the dragon's hand away, "I shouldn't care. Yes, that's right, I don't care. I was just surprised to hear this."
"And you, Akito-kun. Would you like to be Tsukasa-kun's husband? Just remember that you'll have to pass my personal test first, hee-hee~ I won't give up Tsukasa-kun so easily–"
"Rin, enough. I think we should go find Pochi," muttered Tenma, already blushing frankly. He clearly didn't like this topic, did he? However, the tensed guy behind him suddenly shouted,
"No! No Pochi while I'm here!"
***
In the daily routine that Akito had become accustomed to, the middle of summer quickly turned into the middle of autumn, gradually coming to an end. Just a little more, and soon his birthday will come — it was kind of unexpected. Shinonome didn't even know how he'd celebrate his own holiday, but he hoped that the dragon would keep him company. For all the time that the guy spent here, he could already say that he adapted to the new world. Now it was possible to go out into the streets, full of yokais, without any fear whatsoever. The guy understood that he couldn't protect himself with magic in case of danger. But he'd clearly be able to use his physical strength.
While Tsukasa wasn't at home, the redhead preferred to walk around the back streets and alleys. When the dragon finally returned, some coldness in teen's soul disappeared. As much as he didn't want to admit it, this dramatic blond brought him joy, light and warmth. Moreover, he was able to teach the young man a lot. From the useful information about yokais to the fact that showing true feelings so openly was... normal. Truly an eye-opening experience.
Of course, this didn't mean that Akito immediately began to express everything that he thought about with emotions. He always found it easier through actions. Actions were easier to justify than words. Perhaps, that's why the guy didn't like to speak much.
Tsukasa caught the teen, who gave him less and less time for rest, more than once in various trainings. However, it was quite understandable. In the yokai world, simple survival can become almost impossible without any kind of power (whether magical or physical). Therefore, the blond always supported the teenager with delicious bonuses ("Akito, I saw how hard you practiced today, so the dessert is rightfully yours and yours only!"). Then, he spoke about how the redhead will definitely become one of the strongest creatures here, without even having superpowers.
"...knew that without you, thank you very much," continuing his warm-ups, Shinonome grumbled in response.
"Come on, Akito~ You could've said "thank you" just this once," but it was common sense that this dragon shouldn't be thanked. Because always at such moments, he got so happy that he even wanted to train together with the teen. Even though he had no idea what "push-ups" even are, "Great dragon Tsukasa Tenma wouldn't shower anyone with compliments so easily!!"
"He-eh, is that even true? I think that's basically all that you're doing everyday."
"Hmph! God, I don't understand it! How a person can be so unhappy with the praise coming from the future star?!.."
In fact, deep inside Akito was happy. He liked to hear that someone so respected noticed his efforts and attempts to improve himself. It gave him a feeling that he didn't do it in vain. Unlike singing. As for the music... well, the teenager still couldn't quit it. Some sense of pride or simple stubbornness didn't allow him to throw away his dream that easily. Ken said that he must sing no matter what. No matter how hard, or sad, or painful if was.
But Shinonome no longer did that in public. He didn't sing even in front of the blond. Not because of distrust, but because the teenager understood that he wasn't yet good enough at what he was doing. First, he had to learn to sing in such a way that everyone'd be hypnotized by his voice. And maybe one day he'll muster up the courage to perform some song for the dragon.
The guy always sang, when he was completely alone. Those, who could eavesdrop on him were, of course, tiny yokais, but they had long ceased to cause any discomfort. Seeing them was no surprise to the redhead, but–
"You have such a beautiful voice!!" but to hear Tsukasa, who appeared as if from thin air, was the biggest shock of his life. Akito, almost choking, suddenly stopped singing, and then looked displeasedly at the dragon.
"Are you ever going to stop appearing silently behind my back?"
"Sorry, I just didn't mean to interrupt your singing! You sang so wonderfully that I couldn't move, let alone make a sound!"
Shinonome didn't know how to react. Before that, he had never heard any praise towards his singing. Even from Toya. Usually people took the guy for a beginner without talent and experience, and also condemned his lack of any vocal abilities. Yes, the redhead couldn't argue with them: he wasn't born with a perfect voice and began to study music quite recently. Although it was painful to listen to criticism, the teenager understood that it was well-deserved.
What he didn't understand was the genuine delight in the dragon's bright eyes. Akito didn't understand why this weirdo looked so startled. He didn't seem to be lying, while praising. Tsukasa himself wasn't one of those, who would make fun of others. After all, he himself said that he "doesn't shower anyone with compliments so easily."
"I really like the way you sing," and suddenly the blond smiled so happily that Shinonome went through a mental shut down for a moment, "You should do it more often."
Now the teenager really almost passed out. Often he heard only words that such a talentless person like him should quit music and forget about any dreams associated with it. That is why hearing something like that from Tenma... of course, the guy was trying to reassure himself that this particular youkai was just kind. He would've praised anyone like that.
That was just the bitter truth. So his praise isn't that important. Shinonome should've just rolled his eyes and called the blond irritating (after all, the dragon dared to scare him with such a sudden appearance). However, the usual practice didn't work out this time. The compliment was so pleasant, so necessary, that the guy could hardly contain himself. He even had to cover his lips, which trembled in a grateful smile.
"Akito, do you want to sing together?" the teenager didn't know, whether to protest or not. His silence was quickly taken advantage of, "Brilliant! Then we shall sing in a duet! Have you ever heard this song?"
When the dragon began to sing, the redhead again could only stare. He didn't expect that such a loud voice could become so pleasant to hear. Tsukasa sang slowly, as if he was trying to let the teenager listen to every letter. And Akito did so with pleasure. He was... fascinated by the guy's voice so much that he completely forgot to catch the melody and the words of the song itself.
"Well? Do you know this song?" and again he only received silence as an answer, "Did you even listen to me?!"