Work Text:
Itto wouldn't particularly call himself a violent person, not without reason, at least. Although some may describe him to be reckless and impulsive, he still has self-control over what decisions he decides to take. It wouldn't be the best name for his gang if he were to start fights with people out of the blue, right? What sort of gang leader would he be, to drag his gang name and rake them through the dirt? A bad one, he knows as much!
While Itto was not necessarily violent in practice, that didn't mean he'd never indulged in a little bit of violent thoughts. Sometimes, disrespectful people made his stomach churn the wrong way, made it hard for his smile to stop twitching back down every few seconds. People who were mean to children without reason also pissed him off. A lot .
Who wouldn't be upset at that? Who finds joy in that? At the sight of a young child being stripped away of their happiness? He surely doesn't, and he knows a fair amount of people who didn't either. Sure children can be annoying, but they're children, not adults that understand everything they do might mean differently to others.
So, he doesn't really know what to do, with the current situation at hand; he'd been walking through the streets to visit Yoimiya, when he saw a young kid being yelled at by older ones, they threw his drinks and papers onto the ground. Itto's jaw clenched, and he forced it to unclench as soon as he noticed. Now was probably not the best time to give into any violent tendencies, not after his vision just got returned.
Thankfully, it appears his patience and prayers had been answered, when a familiar young man comes forth, composed and well. He doesn't catch what the person is saying, but it seemed to take effect almost immediately, as the elder children ran away in scrambles. Itto has definitely seen the familiar face before - Ms Hina? Perhaps that may just be because of the fact that they were the same breed of hybrid. Maybe they were related.
The man is helping the kid pile up their papers, so Itto thinks it’s good enough for him to come over and help. Crouching beside the dog hybrid, he grins widely while grabbing a sheet off the floor, nearly tearing it with his sharp nails. “Hey! Need any help?”
A look of familiarity strikes upon the dog hybrid’s face when he looks up to the oni, but he smiles right after, going back to picking up the papers, “Any help would be greatly appreciated, Arataki- san , if I’m correct?”
“The one and oni !” Itto says, before breaking into a guffaw of loud laughter at his own pun. The kid startles at the volume, but they laugh an awkward, nervous chuckle alongside him, while the dog boy (since Itto doesn’t know his name, he figured he might as well give him a substitute name) looks up at him in pure amusement.
“I’ve heard quite the tells of you and your gang,” dog boy says, stacking the papers together and softly slamming them to the floor to straighten them out. Itto’s grin does not wear off, rather it becomes more prideful. “Oh yeah? Good things, I hope!”
Dog boy shakes his head, laughing a little to himself. “No, not quite. Kujou Sara of the Kujo tengu has told me the annoyance you’ve brought upon her.”
At the mention of the soldier, Itto feels himself frown a little. “Hey, she may have beaten me once, but once is one time ! Of course, I accept that defeat like a man, but she won’t accept my request to rematch! Sounds to me like she’s just a chicken!”
Usually, after speaking about Sara in this way, Itto mimics a chicken to mock her, but the dog boy cuts him to it, a friendly smile on his lips. “Really? Kujo- san is great in battle. I’m not too surprised she was able to beat you.”
Itto’s mouth hangs open in disbelief for a second - not that he’d ever doubt Sara’s abilities, because, admittedly, she was a strong fighter, but it was still kind of offending to hear a stranger say that to him, even if it was in a factual manner and in no way was it condescending. Itto frowns, “I’m sure I’d be able to beat her if she accepted the rematch! Chicken Sara, that’s all I get from this.”
To his surprise, the dog boy doesn’t jump to the soldier’s defence, but he bursts outright in laughter. Not as loud as Itto’s laugh, but loud enough that it also startled the kid.
“Kujo- san warned me that you’d be somewhat annoying, but I find you to be a rather humorous person, Arataki- san ,” Gorou says, still very much amused. By this time, he’s finished picking up the papers, and hands the stack over to the young boy, who gets up and silently thanks them with a bow. Neither of them pays too much attention to them.
“Just Arataki is fine, you don’t have to be so formal!” Itto says, an equally friendly smile playing on his lips. Oh, now that he was dropping formalities, he should probably ask the dog boy for his name. It’d be awkward to refer to him as ‘dog boy’ for anything. “Oh, I forgot to ask! You are?”
The dog boy looks up at Itto with a thoughtful look, then gets up from where he was kneeling on the floor, dusting at his uniform. Then he puts a hand on his chest, bowing slightly, “General Gorou, of the Watatsumi island.”
OH! So that’s why he was familiar! He’s the doggy general of the resistance he’d seen a few times!
“Just Gorou?” He asks, standing up. Wow, he’s very small for a general. Even Sara was taller! “Woah, you’re small!”
Gorou laughs a little, “For a general, I’ve been told. But do not underestimate me, I’ve won many battles against Kujou Sara.”
Itto gawked, at a loss of words for once in his life. “No way! If she could beat someone as big as me, then-” “Shall we test it out?”
Itto’s attention diverts back onto Gorou, who’s smiling with his eyes closed, and a bow was in his hands. An offer to fight someone as strong as, possibly stronger than , Kujou Sara… How could he decline? Besides, any fight is a good one. It’d be an honour to fight against a war general.
Itto’s sharp teeth popped out this time with his impossibly wide grin, his hands on his hips. “Of course!”
Staring at his defeated hand, he could not believe what had just happened. Gorou stood victoriously, opposing to him, glancing down at him with half concern and half amusement. Itto was humiliated ! (Not literally. The oni had no shame, most of the time).
The fight had begun with Itto on the winning end. He’d manage to corner the general into many places, but somehow it turned on him . He’d always thought being big gave more of an advantage during fights, but Gorou took that concept and threw it to the trash when he used his small figure to dodge everything Itto threw at him.
The general had hopped over him, knocking his bow into the oni’s face. Out of pure shock value, and a little bit of pain, he’d yelped and doubled over. That gave Gorou the chance to fire an arrow - not a lethal one, of course, but an arrow nonetheless that had hit him on the chest. That meant victory for the hybrid general, and loss for the oni.
“...You are… quite the formidable foe… Gorou…” Itto said through his pants, finally daring to look up at Gorou, but without any shame or regret. He looked as determined and enthusiastic as ever. The general smiled a fire fueled grin back, manifesting his weapon away, “I could say the same for you. Though there’s a lot you can improve on.”
“Could we have a rematch some time?” Oh, Archons, please say yes, please say yes-
“Of course, I would never pass up the chance to train! Same place, same time, next week?” The general offers him a hand, both as a deal shaker and also to help the oni get up.
It was a weekly thing; their duels. Itto was glad for that fact. If Sara would never accept his offers to fight, then he had Gorou now. In fact, he had more than just the fights between him and the general! They’d grown closer, as both duel partners and casual acquaintances. Itto would describe Gorou as a friend, and the general would refer to him as a companion.
It’s not long before most mutual friends knew of it, even other random citizens knew as well. Of course, their duo was eye-catching! The infamous general of the resistance, who led his soldiers to victory, and also was rumoured to have ties with Ms Hina, alongside the oni gang leader, who frequently looked for fights with the Kujou Tengu in the boards of the street. If one didn’t know who they were, were they truly Inazuman?
Regardless, the news that a certain oni had been duelling against the doggy general had gone all over the place. That included Kujou Sara herself, who could feel a vein throb as one of the soldiers reported the case to her - if they had just been training, she couldn’t have cared less, but they’d damaged some property that left her and the Kamisato clan to clean up.
Upon arriving at the place, she felt her anger melt a little; Itto was with Gorou, tending to each other’s wounds as they laughed about something. It’s obvious they’re too caught up with each other to notice the extra company. Not that Sara particularly cared. She had walked towards Gorou and Itto, trying to get their attention, to no avail.
After a few minutes, it’s Gorou who finally realizes the general standing beside them. His ears flicked upwards, and Sara could tell everyone around immediately fought the urge to pat him right under his ear. “Kujou- san , since when were you here?”
“For a while now. You know, for a general, I’d expect you to be a lot more observant,” she sneered, but not with any bite, just playfully. Gorou tilts his head to his shoulder, laughing to himself, “I’m a soon to be retired general, remember? Besides, why didn’t you say anything?”
Itto’s face turns smug at that, cutting into the conversation. “It’s ‘cuz Kujou Sara is a chicken! She can’t say anything!” and then he went on to imitate a chicken, with loud ‘buck, buck!’ s.
Sara forced a strained smile on her face, calming herself down before her own clan might press charges against her for assault. Gorou lightly slapped Itto on the shoulder, not enough to warrant pain but it’s definitely some sort of inner monologue warning, and it surprises Sara how fast Itto stops at that.
“Well, how may we help you, Kujou- san ?”
Sara’s eye twitches upwards. She’d expected this sort of stupidly oblivious behaviour from Itto, not Gorou .
“Are you completely unaware of what’s around you, or have you simply hit your head while sparring?” She says, squinting her eyes, before she sighs in defeat. She hadn’t the energy to try and consult Gorou about his uncharacteristically poor behaviour. She’d leave that for Sangonomiya to deal with. “Your, er, training , or whatever it is you two were doing, has led to some property damage. There were many noise complaints as well.”
“That was mostly Arataki,” Gorou supplied, though not bitterly. Also, there was somehow bread stuffed into his face now. Itto was eating his own loaf of bread as well.
“Noise complaints I can deal with, but property damage? That’s a different mess, Gorou- san . Please either choose a better spot to spar, or make sure there is no damage. I’d last expected trouble from you.”
At that, Gorou’s ears dropped to his sides, and Sara’s heart clenches a little. God, these hybrids and their stupidly inhuman ability to make anyone feel guilty with just a small movement . She can’t even tell if that reaction had been genuine or not! Through gritted teeth, she sighed again.
“Just . . . Please, don’t break anything else. We’ll clean this place up now.”
That seemed to do it; Gorou’s ears perked back up and his tail is back to swaying as it normally would. Gorou wasn’t the most expressive person, but his body language speaks volumes enough itself.
“I can help!”
With the way his tail swayed excitedly, Sara couldn’t say no. And she had a nasty intuition feeling that, if she did decline, Itto would have more than just a few words with her.
This time, Itto and Gorou weren’t sparring. They were sitting atop a mountain, under a tree to protect themselves from the far too bright sun. They had gone jogging in the morning - Gorou had a normal routine to keep his body healthy, Itto thinks it’s a habit he got from being a general, and Itto had spotted him so he decided to tag along.
With the morning breeze, the light that the sun emits isn’t hot at all. It was easy on his skin, and the wind would only aid to make him feel cooler.
“Arataki, have you ever thought of… hanging out, aside from sparring?”
The oni blinks, then burst out laughing. “Of course!” he says, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “I respect you as a general, Gorou, but you’re a very pleasant person to be around!”
Gorou’s ears twitch up in interest, and his tail is swaying way faster than before, and the smile on his face is the softest Itto had ever seen it be. With what light blared through the small holes between the leaves of the trees, Gorou all but looked like a foreign angel - which was a strange thought. Gorou was, subjectively speaking , a very attractive person; Hair soft, eyes bright and sharp. The way he smiled was absolute, his eyes tightening, sharp canines at the edge of his lips, bright and warm.
Itto felt something in his chest warm up at the sight. He makes a move to clutch at his heart, Gorou doesn’t notice.
“I’d love to hang out with you too, you know?”
Itto had always been enthusiastic about training and sparring, so it was never out of the blue to find him excited on a Thursday afternoon; because that’s the day everyone knows the oni is going to meet up with Gorou to spar.
On any other day, it’s totally normal to see Itto in a good mood. But it gets confusing when he’s in a great mood. Smiling, humming, prancing everywhere he went. If his gang didn’t know better, they’d say he’d grown hearts in those vermillion eyes. And that confuses all of them; Itto had never been the most romantic person, nor had he indulged in romance all that much in general, but even a fool could tell he was lovestruck.
Then again, him and the general did seem like they’d make a great couple. So perhaps his gang should leave it to Itto himself to deal with the issue.
Itto had set out of the house a few minutes after breakfast, his hair neatly combed and he looked all refreshed. He’d made his way towards the dock, greeted the fishermen around and saw Thoma waiting by a boat. The blonde turned his way and nodded in greeting. “Hey! General Gorou told me you’d be here. What’s up with that? Usually, it’s him coming over to us.”
“Nuthin’, just giving the doggy general a visit!” Itto says, with a genuinely excited smile on his lips. “I’ve only been to Watatsumi a number of times. Hey, do you think Sangonomiya Kokomi’s gonna be there?”
Thoma laughed, enjoying the presence of a fellow extrovert just like him. He hopped onto the boat and gestured for the oni to get inside, but the boat rocked quite dramatically before it finally went stable again.
“Sangonomiya is likely to be at the shrine. Gorou is always with her, since she’s his leader and all.”
Although Itto could understand, for some reason, the thought of Gorou hanging out with someone else that he looked up to… stung? He didn’t know the right words. His chest clenched really hard when he tried to imagine him with Kokomi. Nothing against the divine priestess, he just couldn’t seem to find it in himself to see her with Gorou.
Nevertheless, the smile on his lips never back down, even as he stares at the reflection of himself in the water.
The shrine was grand.
Not quite as special as the one that Yae Miko owned, but it was grand enough. Covered with pretty corals, pearls and bubbles, all painted in light colours that were soft and bright even to his own eyes.
In front of him, was who he assumed to be Sangonomiya. Her entire colour scheme seemed to fit well with the shrine, so he thinks everything was made on purpose. Her eyes were glued to a paper that had been shoved towards her by a maiden. They reviewed the paper, too busy to notice Itto, so the oni takes it upon himself to walk in.
“Halt!”
Itto startles in surprise, turning around to meet the source of volume. It was a guard, padded with metal gear, a spear in his hands. “What is your purpose of visit? We could not recognize you as a citizen of Watatsumi.”
And, really, what could he say that made him less suspicious? Anything he said could be taken as a lie. And then what? He’d get sent to prison again? Archon forbid that happened.
“He’s with me.”
Thankfully, though, the Archons above had seemingly sent an angel from heaven, a shiba hybrid with the name of Gorou. The general had stepped beside Itto, small beside the oni, but he stood firm and stern. The soldier blanked in surprise, then took a step back to allow both men to enter through the shrine entrance, where Kokomi finally noticed the two of them.
“Arataki- san , I welcome you to Watatsumi island,” the priestess bows her head in greeting. Itto doesn’t really know if there are custom ways of greeting people in Watatsumi, so he just settles for a small wave in response. “General Gorou has spoken quite highly of you, so it is a pleasure to meet you in person.”
Looking back, Arataki does remember Gorou talking about Kokomi. It’s always with high respect and great admiration, and it irked Itto a little. Though the oni knew Kokomi hadn’t actually done anything bad to deserve any negativity from him. He nods his head, “The feeling’s mutual!”
“Well, you two may leave now. Please take care. And, general Gorou, enjoy the day off,” she was in front of Gorou by then, a hand on his shoulder. Itto forced himself not to grimace at the sight. Usually, when he saw Gorou looking excited, he would feel warm and light, but not like this , where he was with someone else.
He doesn’t stay upset for long though. Not when Gorou’s tail swished behind him and tapped him on the arm, and definitely not when the general grabbed his arm and made a move to leave the shrine excitedly.
Itto lets Kokomi’s words sink in for a second time, and he looks up as he’s being dragged to wherever it was Gorou wanted to go with him. “Hey, puppy, why is it that Sangonomiya still calls you general? I thought you’d retired already! And a day off?” - the nickname ‘puppy’ had come out of nowhere, but Gorou didn’t seem to mind.
“I’ve retired as a general of the resistance, but I still serve for her excellency and all her glory,” Gorou simplified, sparing Itto a small glance by turning his head over his shoulder. “I still technically lead the troops of the Watatsumi island, therefore I am still a general, but not of the same soldiers that most people know me from. You know, since the vision hunt decree had been disbanded.”
Itto made a sound in understanding, nodding his head. By the time their conversation had died down, Itto realized how nice it felt to have his hand intertwined with Gorou’s, even if it was only to lead him to a place.
It felt right.
And fuzzy and warm.
If Itto didn’t know better, he would’ve thought Gorou was a pyro user.
Gorou was busy.
This was their first week without any sparring. The general had excused himself through a letter, where it was written that some soldiers in Watatsumi had gotten sick, and he had to stay to help them recover. Really, Itto understands, and he respects Gorou, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t upset.
Itto had never been one to drink much alcohol. He tolerated it, but he doesn’t drink often, so most people know there’s a reason he’d ever drink. And, on this Thursday afternoon, seeing him sit on a chair with a shot of hot sake in his hand, everyone knew why .
Sara couldn’t lie and say it hadn’t felt strange, to see the usually boastful and prideful oni look so depressed for once. She bit the inside of her cheek, sighing to herself, and made a move to sit on the chair beside the oni.
Itto barely reacts, acknowledging her with only a side glance, and Sara knows she has to say something to cheer him up. He’d usually start begging for a rematch, even though he had a sparring partner now, and then he’d mock Sara if she were to decline - which was always.
Sara gingerly puts her hands on the table, looking over at the store owner and exchanging silent words; the owner understood. She made a move to give Sara a shot of hot sake, then excused herself to go to the bathroom.
Sara lifts the shot up to her lips, silently cringing at the burn in her throat, and looked over to the oni. “You’re quiet today. Perhaps it is now you who is the chicken?”
The oni does not even humour her with a frown. He only looks at his shot of sake.
Sara sighed. “Okay, you’ve really got to cheer up. I’m not sure why or where Gorou is, but it’s only been one day. He’s bound to come back to you again.”
Itto sniffs, and Sara is afraid he might start crying, but she’s also really confused - he knows Itto to be a very loyal and a family-and-friends type of guy, but he and Gorou didn’t seem that close to warrant the big oni to be so depressed.
“I don’t know, Sara!” he grumbles, slamming his glass to the table, although he hadn’t drank from it. Sara startles at the bang, but lets her shoulders slack when she realizes he’d referred to her the way he normally would. “It’s just… weird… With him, it’s always so warm and light, and it’s strange to not be with him, you know? Especially since I’m always so excited for sparring days…”
Sara’s eyebrow rose up in confusion and curiosity. She said nothing though, only let the oni continue speaking.
“When I’m next to him, my chest clenches and, I dunno, my heart goes… really fast,” Itto mutters. “It’s fuzzy with him. But not in a bad way! I think it’s because he’s a good friend, because geo wielders shouldn’t be able to make you feel warm, should they?”
And it all finally makes sense, like puzzle pieces connecting with each other. The way Arataki looked much more at ease after he’d met Gorou, the way they would always be laughing and talking whenever she saw them, the way Gorou let the oni pat him, the way those two were always side by side, giggling to themselves. It made sense . She’d kept contact with the people of Watatsumi, and she remembers Kokomi talking about it to her as well.
It wasn’t out of character for Arataki to be oblivious and stupid to it.
She just had to hope Gorou had some sort of experience with it. Otherwise, it’s hopeless between the two of them.
“You . . .” Sara tries to find words, but she herself also had zero experience with romance. She had absolutely no words of advice. All she could do was try to explain to the oni.
“Unless geo wielders can make you feel warm? Hey, Sara, do you feel warm when you’re next to me?”
Sara feels herself grimace at the implication, although she knew Itto hadn’t meant it in the way that Gorou made him feel. She leans forward, “No. Geo wielders aren’t meant to do that at all.”
Itto blinks, and Sara hopes some gears are turning in that more often than not empty brain. But then the oni gasps, “Oh no! Does he maybe have a pyro delusion? Doesn’t he know that they’re bad?”
Sara fights back the urge to slam her head onto the table. She may have brought it upon herself when she sat beside the oni, but the gang leader's stupidity was not one she was particularly fond of having to deal with.
" No , Arataki . . . he doesn't have a delusion. After the vision hunt decree, the Kujou tengu and Kamisato clan helped to discard delusions. We have the fatui as a common enemy, so need not fret about that," she explained, relatively calm for someone like her. Itto made a sound in understanding, and then his face contorts into a confused expression.
"Wait, then why is it always so hot when I'm next to him?"
"Oh my Archons, you idiot!" Sara says exasperatedly, but it lacked the malicious bite it would normally have. "He makes you feel fuzzy and warm, you do the same to him. Does that help clear things out?"
Itto blinked. "So it's like a mutual warmth?"
" No! Well, kind of, you-" Sara forces her incoming anger out through a breath, closing her eyes and relaxing her body. "Have you ever thought to consider that maybe you like the general as more than just a friend?"
Itto considers it.
Sure Gorou was attractive, but that was something that everyone could agree on. He had most of the points down for what most people would find to be aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
Not to mention, his personality. Itto feels bad for whoever never got the chance to talk to Gorou, because the general was a kind, loyal and considerate soul, fresh and quick, enthusiastic and friendly. He's everything Itto likes, to be simply put.
And also he was strong. Itto likes strong people.
And . . .
Continuing off the list, Arataki realizes two things; 1. Gorou seemed to fit his description of a future lover like a glove. And, 2., Sara was right about her statement.
"Oh."
"Oh?! Is that all you have to say for yourself?! You know what, give me that," Sara grabs the shot of hot sake out of Itto's grip and downs it in one go. "That's for being a stupid dumbass about it!"
"That's rude, Sara!"
"It's Kujou-sama to you!"
"How are the soldiers, Gorou?"
Kokomi's voice was nothing short of concerned, her purple eyes tracing over the beds where the soldiers were resting at, from the opening of the tent. Gorou's tail swished lowly, as if it was being dragged onto the floor, but he made himself look far more composed.
"They're resting as per regulation, your excellency," Gorou nodded his head in a little bow, standing up from where he had sat. The priestess sighed, her gaze relaxing as she made a move to lean at the edge of the tent.
"I must apologize for taking up your time. I'm sure you were looking forward to sparring with Arataki- san ."
Gorou bites his lip, because he knows his leader was right, but it wasn't her fault either. The way she was still taking accountability stunned him, in awe and adoration.
"Nothing you could've prevented, your excellency. I'm glad to aid them before anything fatal."
Kokomi softly smiles at him. "How long will it take for you to drop such formalities? It's rather unnecessary, Gorou, we'd practically grown up with each other."
Gorou laughs in response. "I'm sorry, your divine priestess, but such is the way to refer to you, as our leader."
"Am I not more than just your leader?" Kokomi asked with a brow raised, a smug look on her face. "Whatever happened to the younger Gorou? Don't you remember when you called me Komi- onesan ? Oh, you were such a cute kid!"
Gorou's face burns in red, so much so that Kokomi might've thought he'd gotten sick as well. "That . . . Is in the past. We put that aside from us, your excellency."
At that, the priestess bursts into a fit of giggles. Then it's silent again, as Gorou takes the temperatures of the soldiers and lists them down.
"Are you planning to confess soon?"
Gorou's ears perk up in interest, but he forces them to flatten immediately. ". . . To Arataki?"
"Who else?"
Gorou hums thoughtfully, pursing up his lips. "Probably. Not now, though."
Kokomi nods in understanding, crossing her arms as she looked back at the sick soldiers. They were recovering at a rather fast rate, so she’s not worried that Gorou wouldn’t be able to visit Itto back in Narukami at all.
“You should talk to Yae- sama about this. I know you’re not the fondest of her, but she’ll have better advice than me. You two are on good terms as well, yes?”
Gorou found himself pouting at the name.
Kokomi smiles in amusement at the sight.
“You know she’d help.”
The general sighed. “I guess so.”
Standing in front of the shrine’s path, Gorou could feel his gut churn a little. Regret and dread are all that’s swimming through his head.
Even then, with a gulp, he steps forward, his tail swishing nervously behind him.
“Ah, the young general comes to the shrine. Whatever would this visit inquire?”
Gorou yelps in surprise, spinning back towards the source of the familiar voice, his tail and ears perked up in alarm and terror. Yae was a wonderful woman, a wise and smart fellow, but, with him , she becomes much like a child; playful, vexatious, far too imaginative and astute.
“A-Ah!” The shiba hybrid forces a smile on his face. “Y-Yae- sama -”
The shrine maiden giggled to herself, hiding behind her palm. “It is good to see you are doing well, Gorou- kun . I was getting quite the bit worried when I heard you weren’t over at the city a few days ago. Would I be right in suggesting that you are here in need of advice? My, my, what a surprise it is, coming from the general himself who writes his own advice for other people!”
Gorou could feel his ears drop in embarrassment. Really, the shrine maiden just knew exactly what buttons to push and what words to say to get him in such a flustered state - and not in the same, good way that Itto would often leave him in.
Then, the fox hybrid let out a gasp of faux surprise, as if coming to a realization. Gorou knows better than to believe that. She’d always been good at reading him, she would know immediately everything that he was thinking. That was why he had been so scared and warry on meeting her the first time. With her, he felt exposed, like a book that had been forced to open.
“Could it be that,” she paused to gasp dramatically, “you need advice on something you have no experience in? Oh my, I wonder what it is.”
Gorou scowled, biting back words of denial, because he knows it’s pointless to try and deny anything from the maiden. He looked to his side, a violent red dusting his face. Then, through gritted teeth, he said, “You know why I’m here.”
The maiden laughed. “That I do.”
Gorou lets him relax for a short second. At least she was cut to the chase about that - he’s not sure he’d even manage through a conversation if she kept on pretending not to know. He thinks he’d explode in a shade of furious vermillion.
“Though I am flattered you came to me for consultation, whatever gave you the impression that I, myself, had familiarity with romance?”
Gorou opens his mouth, and then closes it back up. He.. doesn’t actually know whether or not she had experience with it, but it seemed almost impossible for her not to. She was quite the sociable person, and had well manners (outside of the constant teasing, he supposed), not to mention the mass of people who admired her more than just as a shrine maiden.
“Kidding! Of course, I have experience.”
Gorou blinked. Right. He really has to learn to be less gullible.
“Alright then! Shall we begin-” “Sir, I-I’m afraid we do not allow-” “Oh, come on!”
Both Gorou and Yae’s ears twitched at the familiarly loud voice; That rambunctious oni! Gorou’s eyes widened, turning back over to Yae frantically, who merely shrugged, somehow relaxed about all of this.
“S-Sir, if you do not leave, I will have to call for the Kamisato c-” “Hey, I’m only visiting- Wait, Gorou, is that you?”
Gorou gulps down the apprehensive bile in his throat, then straightened up and let a string of nervous laughter escape his lips. Beside him, Yae only looked smug and amused.
“A-Arataki, I wasn’t expecting to see you here!”
“Neither was I, puppy!” Itto smiled widely, oblivious to Gorou’s uncharacteristically timid state, and Yae’s looks of amusement. “I’m glad you’re here, actually! That means the soldiers back at Watatsumi are all good, right? Oh, can we spar now, to make up for it? Wait, what are you even doing here?”
There are many questions being thrown at him, and Gorou knows firsthand that the oni had quite the chaotic train of thought. Catching everything by his ear, he stopped Itto by raising one of his hands in front of his chest, as if to calm down a wild animal.
“T-The soldiers are doing good, thank you for your concern. And, yes, we can spar after this. I was here for, uhm,” he glanced over to Yae, his eyes screamed for some assistance, but the shrine maiden looked away, pretending as if she weren’t there. Gorou bit back a growl. “Uh . . . Oh, right! K-Ko- I mean, her excellency requested that I-. . . I tell the Guuji about the recent events. Right, Y-Yae- sama ?”
Thankfully, the maiden spares Gorou some mercy, nodding her head and playing along. “Quite the case, it seemed. Though all has been resolved, so there’s no need to worry. Now, since the two of you are here . . . How about I read you two a pairing fortune?”
The mischievous look on her face makes Gorou’s blank. Blood rushes to his cheeks, up until the tip of his ears are dusted in pink. However, Itto only nods excitedly, unnerved by the implication - likely because he didn’t know.
Yae claps her hands together excitedly. “Wonderful! I’ll get to reading it now. Pick a slip, both of you.”
Out of nowhere, she pulled out a few slips and spread them in her hands. Itto’s mouth gapes in amazement. Gorou tries to make it seem like he’s annoyed at the Guuji, but he’s aware his tail and ears were probably doing a poor job helping.
He reaches out for the 2nd closest to the leftmost end, then his hand brushed against Itto’s, who’d coincidentally gone for the same slip.
Gorou recoiled in embarrassment, pulling his hand away, and he’s rather surprised to see Itto in a similar state of fluster, though the oni wasn’t as shy about it. Yae smirks at the sight, then goes back to her act.
“Wow, what a coincidence! You two went for the same one!” she said in faux shock, then pulled the one they’d chosen out of her hands. “Then it can’t be helped. I suppose you two will have to share the same fate for a very long time together .”
Before Gorou can protest, not that he wanted to, Yae handed the slip over to the both of them. Itto had the better grip, so he had to crouch down for Gorou to be able to read the slip with him as he slowly opened it;
Grand Fortune;
May those who spend and share peace and delight with you be by your side for all eternity. Love, may it be platonic or something more intimate, will lead you to the greatest of fortunes and destinies. Your lucky object of the day: an enmusubi omamori .
Gorou could feel his entire face heat up. Itto’s did too - because the oni might be dense, but he can’t ignore something quite as direct as this.
Yae looked over at them with the utmost curiosity. “What is it that has you two at a loss of words? Would you like me to inspect it further?”
Neither of them is given the chance to respond when Yae gently grabs the slip out of Itto’s grip. Her purple eyes scanned over the text once - a small giggle escaped her lips - and twice - another giggle - then she finally returned the fortune back to the oni.
“I suppose there is no need for me to explain any further?”
Both men are too flustered to say anything.
“Gorou-”
The general kicks Itto in the face as his name gets called, resulting in the oni getting thrown quite a distance away. The white-haired man laughed loudly, wiping and pressing at his face, then got into an offensive stance.
Gorou readies himself, letting his body lean back a little, to increase agility and his chances of dodging. The oni lunges at him, only for Gorou to roll over his shoulder and knock the oni to the floor by sweeping him off his feet - literally . The oni felt a pair of smaller, yet equally strong, legs strike at his own, causing him to lose balance and land on his face.
“Yeah, Itto?”
Gorou’s surprised at himself for using Itto’s first name all of the sudden. He thinks the oni doesn’t mind, and he’s pretty sure they’d gotten close enough that he could refer to him on a first-name basis. The oni lights up at the name, his teeth overbearing his wide grin.
“Hey, you called me Itto!” he said, considerably excited for someone who had just gotten knocked onto the floor.
Gorou laughed a little. “I did. Why did you call me?”
“Oh! Uhh. . . You know, the, erm, fortune slip from earlier?”
Gorou’s face burns bright red at the memory; how embarrassing it had been. He’d make sure to get back at that irritating woman of a Guuji. Well, not literally, but he’ll find a way to get back at her somehow . He’s sure the traveller can help.
“You wanna go get an enmusubi omamori, actually? I mean, I know it’s for more intimate things, but it’s the lucky object of the day!”
If Gorou didn’t know better, he would’ve thought that was a hint to advancing in a relationship.
He gets up, dusting and patting away the dirt on his uniform, smiling, albeit bashfully. “Of course. Where to?”
“I heard there was this really sick place in Seirai, and . . .”
The shrine they went to was run by a cat.
Gorou had stared in utter disbelief, while Itto had been far more ecstatic and excited about it.
“Aw, Gorou, look ! A cat, like you!” “I am a dog , Arataki-” “Hey, what happened to ‘Itto’ ?”
The black cat in front of them meows, tail swinging from left to right. Before Itto can coo, the cat’s mouth opens as it blinks, and,
“How can one help her visitors?”
Itto and Gorou blink at each other, then turned back towards the creature. Gorou can understand dogs as if a distant dialect, but cats were far out of his reach. And it seemed that Itto also heard it speak. So, what the hell?
“Y- . . . You just spoke!” Itto points at the cat, eyes widened.
“Indeed. She is named ‘Neko’ .”
Gorou’s nose twitches slightly in confusion. Okay, what a simple name for a creature that could speak. Perhaps a human had given her the name…
“Uh, we are… sorry to bother you, Neko- san , but we were looking for some omamoris that most temples and shrines would sell, so…”
The cat doesn’t seem bothered by the favour. In fact, she looked delighted, bouncing right off the wooden platform. “Follow Neko,” she instructs clearly, sparing no second of waiting. Both men are quick to follow the feline creature; one was definitely more fond of the thought that they were being led by a cat.
Then the cat stops in front of a box, turning over to the young men. “Would one be right in assuming that it is enmusubi omamoris that is required?”
Saying it like that, made it seem like they were a couple. Not just that, but it basically implied that the two seemed so much so like a couple that a random cat they’d just met had immediately jumped to a baseless conclusion, even if it were correct. Gorou flushed red, refusing to meet its gaze.
“You. . . would be correct, yes. H-However, it is not as you may think-”
The cat scoffed as it jumped into the box. “One does not judge her followers for their choices in relationships and preferences.”
This time, neither of them are given a chance to respond as the cat throws two matching omamoris towards them; both were turquoise with gold and black lining, decorated with red and pink marks. It’s almost scary how much it resembled both of them.
Scrambling for words, Gorou and Itto both sneaked their own respective glances at the other’s omamori, as if to really make sure that they were matching.
“One must return to her duties. Neko hopes to see her visitors return.”
The only thing they could muster out were nods of agreement, too flustered to form any coherent thoughts or sentences.
Upon arriving back at Narukami island, neither of them had spoken any words to each other. But the silence wasn’t awkward, no. It felt intimate, special .
Itto had hung his omamori by the belt of his pants, which stood out rather obviously considering the fact that the colours were obviously contrasting. Gorou’s was similarly located, though harder to see if not for the red and pink patterns that decorated it.
They walked together in silence, not really sure where they were walking to. They were just moving, moving really close to each other. Itto notices how close their hands are, practically brushing upon each other every step they took. So he initiated the hand-holding, intertwining his fingers with Gorou. It’s not as if they’ve never held hands before, this time it just felt more intimate and . . . ( ‘Loving’ Itto’s brain says to fill in the blanks)
Noticing the warmth that engulfed his hand, Gorou could feel his ears and tail perk up in surprise, but then his tail started swishing faster and faster. He doesn’t pull back, instead, he lets his hand melt under Itto’s.
Gorou’s heart is beating faster all of the sudden, and there’s a nervous yet excited bile rising in his throat. He swears he can hear Itto’s heart racing as well, pounding against his rib cage. Gorou knows his heart isn’t faring any much better.
“You two, the Kamisato- oh.”
It’s out of instinct when Gorou draws his hand back, yelping and turning over to the voice. It’s Sara, she’s looking at them with an expression that Gorou can’t read. With pursed lips, the female soldier cleared her throat, glancing away from the pair.
“The Kamisato clan requested some help from groups with cleaning up the aftermath of a rather, er, striking battle. If you would so kindly be as to gather your troops or your gang members…”
“O-on it!” Gorou yelps, looking at the oni with wide eyes. “I-I’ll be back, Itto- I mean, Arataki . S-See you. Both of you, I mean.”
When Gorou runs towards the shore of the beach, towards a waverider, Sara and Itto stare at each other in silence.
“So. . . Matching omamoris?” “Sara, please.”
“Did Guuji Yae help with the situation?”
Gorou groaned, still stuffing items into a small pouch, his back turned towards the priestess as he lowered his ears. “No? Yes? I don’t know. Itto got there while she was speaking, so she ended up ‘reading our fortunes’ or so she says, and we got a romance one… we got… w-we got… matching en-enmusubi omamoris…”
Kokomi stares wide-eyed at the general for a second, before breaking into a fit of giggles. “Sounds to me like maybe your luck will get better in romance.”
“Your excellency…” Gorou whispers, his ears pulled back in embarrassment. His silent plea goes ignored, as the priestess doubled over with her laughter, giggled behind her gloved hand.
“Then I will no longer bother you with my queries. Go on, return back to Narukami with soldiers. And to Itto. Tell me how it goes.”
Gorou does not give Kokomi the amusement of replying. Instead, he gets up, though his face was flushed in red, and collected his troops.
“Hey.”
“Hi to you too.”
Gorou stood beside Arataki, his arms crossed as he watched his troops talk to the members of the Kamisato clan, alongside people from the Kujou Tengu and the Arataki gang. His tail is swishing visibly in the air, it’s obvious how excited he was, despite the way he remained to look cool-headed and calm. Itto blinked at him from the general’s left, then laughed a little.
“Remember when you asked me if I’d ever thought of hanging out with you outside of sparing?”
Gorou can recall the memory. Those were the days where his attraction to the oni was more subtle, much easier to ignore, like a quiet buzzing in his head. The oni looks at Gorou after he nods, long and considerate. Gorou can feel his face heat up at the sudden attention, though he really hoped it wasn’t so obvious.
Itto turns back to the front, and Gorou notices the taller man looked also slightly red.
“How about I ask you. . . have you ever thought of hanging out with me as more than friends?”
Gorou’s almost certain his face had gone ripe red at that. The way the edges of Itto’s lips twitch up into a grin pretty much confirmed it.
“If that isn’t clear enough,” the oni pauses, his hand pulling out the omamori that had been hanging around his waist, “I’d like what guuji Yae said to come true. Of course, I could never force you to do anything, but please consider! Go on a date with me!”
The sudden rise in volume made Gorou even redder as he felt eyes fall on the pair. He cleared his throat, trying to calm his tail down, to no avail. “Yes, Itto, I would love to go on a date with you.”
“Come on, just once- wait, huh?”
“I said yes. Let’s go on a date, Itto.”
Itto’s look of disbelief almost made Gorou double over with laughter. But then the oni breaks into a large grin, then starts laughing loudly, as if easing his nerves. “That’s awesome! Don’t worry, Gorou! I, Arataki Itto, the one and oni , promise to make it the best date ever!”
Gorou can’t help the smile of amusement and endearment that crosses his lips. He also can’t find it in himself to acknowledge the growing number of eyes staring at them.
“Oh? Then what about future dates?” “WHAT! You want to go on future dates with me!? Oh, this is great! Then I will always make sure every date is better than the others!! Haha, the great Arataki Itto never falls back against his words!”
Gorou finally breaks out of character, bursting into bubbly laughter, shoulders hanging over himself as he looked up at the oni. “I believe you.”
Right there, even with the number of stares directed at them, Gorou finds himself not caring about his image for once. Even if this would start some rumours between the soldiers, he thinks it’d all be worth the price; after all, he’d gotten himself a date with the oni himself, who was grinning at him with utmost endearment and love.
Fuzzy and warm would be the right words to describe it.
Sara watches from a distance and rolls her eyes.