Surprises
age in bio when interacting. minors do not interact.
Word Count: 1,142 / Read it on AO3 / Wattpad
When Uta wasn't painting or making masks, he would be taking you to various places in Tokyo.
Today, he sat at the desk in his studio, scrolling through the cell phone you had bought him.
He had no reason to buy or use a cellphone, so he never had one until you showed him yours. He loved the bright colors your phone had - you got him his own and taught him how to use it.
Many of the ghouls used landlines, payphones, and sometimes even flip phones when necessary as a means of contact.
The phone you had bought him was a standard for your time, a touchscreen.
He soon grew bored with the little interaction it had provided him. He turned it off as he sat up, each vertebra in his back cracking as he leaned back slightly. He raised his arms, stretching, before rubbing his eyes and rolling his head around.
He stood up and turned around. He walked out of his office and closed the door behind him. He waited, listening for any sounds that you made, but there were none. He breathed in. Your scent was faint - you had left.
But where to?
He walked up the stairs and looked around the bedroom. Nothing.
Your scent had been stronger downstairs.
He walked back downstairs, grabbed his sunglasses, and took the elevator to get to the floor that opened up to the outside world.
He looked around, seeing nothing but the other ghouls and smelling the occasional human that walked by.
He removed his glasses to look around quickly before putting them back on.
Again, nothing. He couldn't track your scent, not when it was so easily mixed in with everyone else's.
He sighed as he went back inside and sat down on the couch.
He didn't want you to be alone in the world. It wasn't safe. He wanted to go back up to his studio, where he knew it was the safest spot.
It was still daylight out, though. You should be just fine. You're an adult.
But what if you're not fine? What if something had happened? You were a human. It wasn't a safe world out there all alone.
"They'll be alright," he said to himself as he laid his head back on the couch and stretched his arms out.
He breathed in and out slowly. You would be just fine, at least until sunset - that is when the real danger appeared.
Lurking during the day, waiting for a naïve and dumb human to make such a careless and stupid mistake. How trusting and kind they were.
Uta's eyes slowly closed as he drifted off to take a short and quick nap. Listening very carefully to your footsteps, waking whenever someone had come closer to him, lifting his head as proof, he truly was awake.
The setting sun's orange rays lit up the inside of the building. Uta stepped outside, breathing out slowly, knowing you were out there somewhere, and he would have to hunt you down, but not knowing where to start first.
He breathed in. Your scent was fresh. So fresh, he had just missed you. How could that be?
He turned around so quickly that the person behind him had no time to react. He apologized as he put a hand on them and gently moved them out of his way.
You held your arms to your chest, making 'shh' noises at your chest as you walked into the building. You had snuck out of the building to bring something home and surprise Uta. Ordinarily, you would have told him where you were going, but this time, you didn't.
You knew he would be upset with your sudden disappearance, but maybe your surprise would be good enough for him to not be upset.
You stepped onto the elevator and pressed the four.
You waited, another man joined you, and when it was your stop, you got off.
You walked into the HySy ArtMask Studio and went straight to Uta's office. It was empty.
Your breath caught in your throat. He had been there when you left, and now he wasn't.
You breathed in, it's ok, he couldn't have left.
You walked up the stairs and looked to the right. If Uta wasn't in his office, he would be on the right painting. He wasn't there.
You sat down on the bed and placed the creature on the bed next to you, giving it gentle pets as it mewed.
Uta threw open the door to the building, not really caring if it got damaged or not.
He breathed in your scent, and something else.
He ran to the elevator. It was taking far too long to get to his floor.
He took the stairwell beside the elevator, and by the time he had opened the door and made it to the fourth floor, the elevator dinged as the doors opened up, waiting for its next passenger.
Uta opened up the door to the store, and you raced down to him.
Your foot had just reached the bottom step when Uta stood in front of you.
He gently took your face in his hands and turned your head to look at him.
You smiled happily as he asked where you had been.
"I have a surprise for you."
His face was emotionless. "What is it?"
"Come on, I'll show you!" You replied, as you took one of his hands in and led him up the stairs.
He breathed in, attempting to 'peek' at the surprise. He got a smell, but wasn't quite sure what it was.
"You know, you scared me when you left suddenly."
"I'm fine and I think this surprise will make up for it!"
You said, smiling at him as you stood next to him.
He looked at you. "Where is it?"
"On the bed."
He looked over at it as the creature made another meow.
He knelt at its level.
"What is this?" He asked as he gently poked its ear.
The creature batted at his hand, not liking being poked.
"It's a kitten!" You said as you sat down next to Uta.
"What's it do?"
"Uh, it's similar to a child."
He began to pet the kitten's head, and the kitten began to purr at the affection.
"Why's it vibrating?"
You couldn't help but laugh at his question before finding your composure and answering his question.
"She likes what you're doing. She's showing how grateful she is for your attention and love."
"I like her. How do we take care of her?"
"Cats can sort of take care of themselves. All we need to do is fill her bowl up with food, keep her water bowl filled, and clean her litter box when it's dirty."
"That's it?"
"Yeah, besides interacting with her."
"That sounds nice. Can we get another?"
© SUVIDRACHE — do not copy, translate, modify, or plagiarize my work. reblogs are appreciated!
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take a bow
pairing: geto suguru x non-sorcerer!reader
warnings: gore and maybe a little bit of angst
summary: you smell like coffee...and geto can't seem to shake it.
word count: 6.7k
author's note: hiiii ;) as you can tell there will be about five parts to this mini series. nothing more and nothing less. i'm kind of excited for this and i've been really wanting to write for my husband so, i hope ya'll enjoy it! and i will not be doing a taglist for this one. sorry guys!
part 2 | read on AO3
There was a cute customer today.
And you were also sure you hadn’t seen him around before. Then again, you moved to this village two weeks ago, and you weren’t too familiar with the regulars yet. Perhaps he was just one you hadn’t seen until now.
You leaned over the front counter a bit, trying to get a better look at him as he moved down one of the aisles to the far left of the store.
He wore what looked like a school uniform, his dark hair tied up with a few strands framing one side of his face. Even though he was further away from you, you could see he was on the younger side, maybe around your age. Possibly older.
You hadn’t met many boys in your life—attractive ones especially—mostly because you were sheltered for half of your childhood and didn’t go outside. So when you did happen to stumble upon a few of them, you were left wondering what to do or say around them. They were almost alien to you.
It was the same with people in general your age. While you weren’t bad at socializing, you still adapted the best way you knew how.
“You’re being creepy.” Your co-worker, Tohru, said passively while scrolling through her phone. A very busy activity she had been at for an hour now.
“I’m not.” You cleared your throat, quickly looking away from the otherwise oblivious customer. “But you can’t deny that he’s pretty cute.”
Tohru drew her eyes from her phone and glanced toward the newcomer who was now in the snack section. Now it was her turn to lean over the counter, a look of interest inching onto her usual bored mask.
“Damn.”
“Told ya.”
“He’s definitely new. No guy that fine lives in a boring ass town like this.”
You hummed, “I wouldn’t exactly call this town boring—but you’ve been here longer than me so I suppose you have the better judgment over that.” Carefully, you snuck another peek at the customer who was studying the back of a bag of chips. “And if he’s that fine, no doubt someone already bagged him.”
“Ugh,” Tohru grumbled with a defeated expression on her face, “you’re probably right. The hotter ones are always taken.”
“Or they end up being a douchebag.” You added with a snort as you organized the stack of gums on the counter.
“Amen to that.”
“Newbie!”
You jumped with a yelp at the loud voice filling the otherwise quiet store. Glancing over your shoulder, you found your manager, a very old and impatient man, stomping over with a toothpick dangling from his mouth, “Are you pullin’ one on me, kid?!”
After getting over your short shock, you furrow your brows, “Um, pulling what, sir?”
“Where the hell is the leftover food from last week?! I told you to save it in the back storage!”
You gave a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of your neck, “Oh yeah, some of it went bad so I had to throw it out.”
“We don’t even do anything with them anyway,” Tohru grumbled under her breath which you tried not to acknowledge.
He eats all the leftovers. Despite his shop advertisement promising to send any leftover food to orphanages and charities.
“Look, newbie, I’ve been real lenient because you’re new. And I get it, you're in a tough spot but I ain’t pityin’ you no more! I have no problem tossin’ you the curb, you hear me?”
Your face burned in embarrassment, especially when his loud ass voice carried throughout the store. No doubt the hot guy heard every word by now. “Yessir.”
The old man huffed, “Good. Now stop messin’ around and help the damn customer! Poor boy’s been waiting for you to notice him!”
God, please don’t be him. Please let it be another boy who's been waiting for a while.
You chanced a glance over your shoulder, only to shrivel up when you found the hot customer standing at the counter, watching your interaction with a small absent frown.
Fuck.
“Someone’s gonna be on dishes tonight.” Tohru sang with a snicker as she disappeared in the back along with your manager.
With your face on fire, you went toward the cash register. You cleared your throat and gestured to the pack of cigarettes and the bag of chips, “Will that be all for you today?”
He seemed to have been lost in thought as it took a beat for him to reply, “Sorry, yes, that’s it.”
You nodded, trying not to look him in the eyes. God, even his voice was attractive.
After giving him the price, you began bagging his items while he fished into his pockets to grab his wallet.
You still had yet to look at him.
The last thing you wanted was to get chewed out by your bum boss in front of a guy that you’d possibly never see again. Before you had been dying to have a quick conversation with him, just to keep looking at him for a little longer. Now all you wanted to do was get him out of the store as soon as possible and hide away in a hole, never to be found again.
“Is he always like that?”
You placed his cigarettes in the bag before you realized he was talking to you. Which only made your cheeks even hotter.
“Uh, yeah, he’s usually getting high in the back, or napping.” You shrugged, glancing up at him every now and then, only to find him directly staring at you. Fuck, you were awful at this. “Only ever out front when the shop closes. He’s always the first out the door before anyone else.”
“Mmm,” By then you looked up to find him not too happy about that piece of information. “And he gives you a hard time to add onto that. Don’t you want to quit?”
At that, you smile, “It would be easy, wouldn’t it? I don’t know if you already heard—probably the whole block had heard him—but I’m not really in the best situation to be quitting a job just cuz I hate my bum ass boss.”
This time he looked sheepish, “Yeah, I wanted to pretend that I didn’t hear him, but I guess there’s no point in that. Sorry.”
“It’s fine.” You chuckled before handing him his bag. “It’s life, you know? I just have to brave it out until I have a stable income of money. Then maybe I can consider the option of kicking myself to the curb from this trash can of a place.”
The male stared at you curiously, the disinterest that he had worn before was now long gone. He searched your face—for what, you didn’t know.
And then he smiled, “You seem to have it all figured out.”
It was infectious, his smile. Even though it didn’t reach his eyes.
“I wouldn’t say all that.” You returned the smile, anyway, hoping it appeared real enough for the both of you. “But I think it’s going to work out for me in the long run. That I can say.”
The male chuckled as he walked toward the store entrance, “I wish you luck then.”
He waved with another smile which took you off guard a bit. You didn’t have much of a chance to respond back to his wave, nor tell him to enjoy his time in town before he was already long gone.
It was now just you and your blushing face.
The back door opened, “Aw, you didn’t even get his number, did you?”
You glanced over your shoulder to find Tohru pouting at you. You grinned sheepishly, “Oops, guess I didn’t.”
“Tsk, tsk,” Tohru sighed, “You really need to learn how to flirt.”
The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Regulars came and went. Your manager was passed out in the back. Tohru’s shift ended sometime before you and booked it out the front door before you had the chance to say goodbye.
Essentially, you had the shop all to yourself. And it was unfortunately horribly boring.
Later in the day is when fewer and fewer customers start coming in. Apparently, many of the people in the village were too cautious about going out once the sun started setting. There were a few rumors here and there, about mysterious deaths all over the village. You weren’t exactly sure how much truth there was to those rumors, all you could do was clock in and clock out and go straight home.
Just because you doubted the stories didn’t mean you weren’t going to be stupid.
You wondered if that hot guy knew about the rumors. It probably would’ve been neighborly to try and warn him.
The sky was filled with oranges and purples as the sun was slinking behind one of the mountains. The evening glow made the shop look almost ominous, especially with the indoor lights off.
You should probably turn those on by now. They would’ve been on throughout the whole day like regular shops but your boss was such a cheap stake with the light bill you had to keep it off until evening fell and you practically couldn’t see in the dark.
Just as you stepped away to turn the shop lights on, the bell above the door rang. You glanced toward the clock and grinned.
You moved back to the front counter and grinned at the familiar newcomers. Two young girls, who looked no older than five, stood at the entrance. “Right on time! Looks like someone’s excited for today’s batch.”
The brown-haired girl—you knew as Mimiko—with the stuffed doll approached the counter first. Standing on her tippy toes enough for her chin to rest on top of the counter, “Do you have any more rice balls?”
“You bet.” You gestured toward the two chairs next to the counter. “Why don’t you guys take a seat over there and I’ll go get the food. It’s a real treat this time.”
“Okay.” Mimiko nodded before grabbing her sister’s hand to drag her over toward the chairs.
“Thank you!” The blonde-haired, Nanako, called.
You sent her an adoring smile, “Of course, hon!”
You moved to the back, passing your knocked-out manager, as you grabbed the box of food in your locker and brought it back to the front counter. Mimiko and Nanako got up from their chairs and bounced over to get a better look, “I actually got these rice balls from this place in the city during the weekend. It’s way better than the crap here.”
“Really?” Nanako looked into the box, her eyes widening, “Wow! Those look really good!”
“Anything for my best customers.” You winked and allowed them to grab what they wanted from the box.
Both girls giggled as they grabbed rice balls and ramen from the box. You smiled and patted both their heads before allowing them to sit back down in the chairs and eat.
You hadn’t known the twins for very long. Actually, you met them on your first day at the store two weeks ago. They had been attempting to steal a few snacks when you discovered them. You couldn’t shake the way they were looking at you when you found them. Scared yet desperate for some food. Mimiko had been clutching her stuffed doll tightly in her hands as if she were about to tear its head off at that moment.
They were expecting you to berate them and kick them out of the store. Maybe your manager or Tohru would’ve done that, but you just couldn’t find it in you to turn them away. They were obviously hungry, so what else could you do but feed them?
So you took the leftover food from the storage and gave it to them. They were pretty tight-lipped about their home situation so you didn’t push. But it was pretty clear that they didn’t have a lot to eat, wherever they lived.
“Let’s make a deal.” You had said to them that day. “You guys come back at around five o’clock every day and I will feed you some stuff we don’t need. Hell, I’ll probably even cook and bring it over every now and then. As long as the two of you eat.”
They looked hesitant. The brown-haired girl—she told you her name was Mimiko—spoke first, “Will you really do that for us?”
You smiled softly at her, “Of course. You guys are hungry, right? Why wouldn’t I want to feed you?”
Her twin, Nanako spoke next, eyes cast down, “Most of the people here are scared of us. Because we’re different. So they ignore us whenever we do ask for food.”
You frowned, your heart breaking at the time. Of course, you had some questions about why a bunch of adults would turn a blind eye to two little girls who looked no older than five. You seethed at the thought that the only one willing to help them was a barely surviving sixteen-year-old, who couldn’t even make minimum wage.
Instead of crying for them—which you were definitely close to doing—you patted their heads, “Well, I’m not scared of you. And I don’t care if you’re different. Come back tomorrow and there will be food for you guys. Okay?”
The two girls were stunned at your kindness like it was foreign to them. But they both nodded, hints of a smile making its way to their lips. “Okay!”
“But you also have to promise not to steal anymore so you don’t get in trouble.” Mimiko pouted but you attempted a stern look. “I’m serious, girls. And we’re going to pinky promise on it.”
You held out your pinky. Reluctantly, the two girls took it. Giggling when they fought to cover your own pinky with their little ones.
After your pinky promise, Nanako’s nose scrunched, “You smell like coffee.”
You laughed and cleaned up the trash from their meal, “I get that a lot.”
And since then, the twins have kept coming back every day, after five o’clock. Sometimes you wonder where they went before that. Did they go to school? Did they have any parents taking care of them? Did they even have a home?
You supposed none of that was any of your business in the end. But sometimes you couldn’t help but worry.
If you had a big enough space that wasn’t one small box, then you’d take the girls home with you in a heartbeat.
Once Mimiko was finished with her rice ball, she walked over to you as you were counting through the cash in the register from today’s productivity. “Can I help?”
“Sure,” You hummed trying to find something for her to do. “Do you think you could stack those new packets of gum for me and place them in this small box?” You handed the little box which she took instantly. “Go get your sister to help if she wants, okay?”
Mimiko nodded and took the gum packets and the box back to her sister who was just finishing up her rice ball. You made a mental note to buy some coloring books for them in case they got bored. Sometimes they like to stay a little bit longer after they finish eating, to keep you company. And you enjoyed their presence. It was better than staring at the ceiling for hours on end, waiting for a customer to enter even though you knew they wouldn’t come. And then got done with their little task quite fast. Yeah, you definitely need to get those coloring books.
Thankfully, just in time as you heard your manager shift in the back, the two girls made their leave. Waving goodbye to you with the promise of returning tomorrow.
Sometime later your manager came from the back and left the shop, grumbling about you closing up.
And another hour after that, you leave the shop. Hoping to see the twins again. And maybe—even though it was probably impossible—you hoped to see that hot customer again.
It was delusional, you knew this.
But it didn’t hurt to hope.
“Ugh, why are you eating that shit?” Tohru made a look of disgust at your bag of coffee beans. “Now the whole place is gonna smell.”
That was what you were greeted with upon entering the shop the next morning, “Good morning to you too, Ru. And don’t you think it’s a lot better than cigarettes and booze?”
Surprisingly, it was pretty crowded which was a first for you ever since you started working at the shop. Of course, it was a bunch of older people—middle-aged to elderly—but it was busy, nonetheless.
You went around the counter as an older woman locked Tohru into a conversation, “Did you hear what happened to that little boy? Oh, what an awful thing, I can only imagine what his parents must be feeling right now.”
“It’s that demon terrorizing our home again.” An elderly woman standing in line shivered
A man huffed, “I tell you exactly what’s causing all of this. Those no good—”
You didn’t bother to stay and hear the rest as you made your way to the back to throw your bag into one of the lockers. It was the same old thing. A horrible incident happens at night—a few people die—and people are going on and on about the town being haunted. Something about some demon going on a killing spree in the dead of night. To be honest, you thought it was some sick weirdo having the time of his life and the people haven’t realized it yet.
“Gotta buy some new locks.” You mumbled to yourself as you shrugged off your jacket.
“How was your night?” You glanced over your shoulder to find your manager sitting in the office, the door wide open as he smoked.
“Good, sir!” You offered a friendly smile as you closed your locker. “My mattress was uncomfortable but all in all, I can’t necessarily complain! And what about you, sir? How was your night?”
He grunted but never gave a response, which wasn’t unusual. He never offered to talk about himself, even on his good days.
You nodded, took your bag of coffee beans, and joined Tohru back at the front.
“—This is the fifth incident this week! When will enough be enough?!” This was an older man scowling this time. Next to him was a woman—whom you had to guess was his wife—trying to push him out of the shop as he began his rant. “We need to hunt those monsters down! How many more have to die?!”
You watched the couple leave with a small frown, “Wow, it’s never been this bad before.”
Tohru sighed tiredly, “Yeah, they’re pretty fired up this time around. I wonder how much of this is gonna mess with my precious sleep schedule.”
You hummed, noticing the usual dark bags under her eyes.
“Hi.”
A bag of chips was placed on the counter. Both you and Tohru looked up to find the hot customer from yesterday standing at the counter with a friendly smile sent your way.
Your face both burned with being taken off guard and the fact that he was addressing you directly, “Oh—Hi! Welcome back!” Quickly, you manned the second register while Tohru sent you a side glare. You returned his smile, “To be honest, I didn’t think you were still here.”
“Really?” He raised a brow as you checked his item out. “How come?”
“I don’t know if you’ve noticed but the town’s kind of haunted.” You chuckled as you stuffed his chips into a grocery bag, giving him a sheepish smile, “Scares the tourists away. I should’ve probably warned you about it yesterday, sorry about that.”
He chuckled as you handed him his bag. This time he wasn’t wearing the black top he had on yesterday. The baggy pants were the same, just this time around he wore a white button-up. “Fortunately, I’m not afraid of many scary stories, but I appreciate the warning.”
“How brave of you.” You chuckled, ignoring the subtle glances Tohru kept sending you while attending to her own customer. “I can’t necessarily say the same for myself.”
“Don’t you live here?” His eyes twinkled as he tilted his head, “I’d say you’re a lot braver than me, you know. Tonight’s my last night here.”
You shook your head, ignoring how your chest fell slightly in disappointment at the new piece of information, “Then many would say you’re one of the lucky ones.”
“Oh yeah?” He hummed, his eyes never wavering from yours. Wow, he really loved making eye contact. You couldn’t figure out if that made him even hotter or a bit intimidating. And he was so nonchalant about it too, hand in pocket, stance somewhat relaxed. “What would you say? You count yourself unlucky then?”
The bell above the door rang, “Welcome in!” You called the new customer before replying to him. “Well, to be honest with you, I feel like I’m the luckiest girl alive. It’s not so bad here, you know, despite the obvious flaws of the shop and this town. I’m just grateful to at least have a job and a roof over my head. It’s not perfect but it’s everything I need right now.”
He was observing you again. Tohru was far too distracted with the other customers to notice and make fun of your bashful facial expressions. Or how you were practically malfunctioning on the spot from the way he kept looking at you.
“You know,” He leaned on the counter with a smile turning into somewhat of a smirk, “I’ve never met someone as optimistic as you. I almost think you’re unreal.”
“Don’t we all,” Tohru commented as she made her way to the back. “Your turn to man the front counter, newbie. The last customer nearly made me pop a vein.”
“Sure thing, Ru!” You called, trying to ignore how hot your face was at the moment.
Of course, the hot customer saw this and gave a soft laugh, “I didn’t mean to sound like I’m making fun of you, I promise. It’s endearing. You wouldn’t have a hard time finding someone to marry, that’s for sure.”
Steam was probably coming out of your ears at this point.
“I-I-uh, thanks?” You searched the store to try and distract yourself and prevent further embarrassment. Only when you didn’t find anything, you smile sheepishly, “I-uh, I think it’s a little too soon to be thinking about marriage—uh but thanks for the compliment?”
You watched as his nose twitched, raising a brow, “You smell like coffee. Like a lot.”
“Yeah,” You gulped with a nervous smile, “I get that a lot.”
Another laugh left his lips. He was far too amused now. Meanie. “I’ll see you around.”
With that, he left the store. The bell rang in his wake. You watched him go through the window. He waved to you as he passed. And you waved back.
Once he was finally out of your sight and you out of his, you groaned and dropped your head onto the counter, “I’m such a loser.”
The back door opened and Tohru poked her head out, shaking her head disapprovingly, “Yeah, you can’t handle all that man.”
“Shut up, Ru.”
You were the exception, not the rule, Geto Suguru realized a block away from the store.
He’d never really met anyone like you. It was so rare. Pure. So unheard of in this world.
But it didn’t change how the world was. A bright light like that would be snuffed, almost instantly. You would become exhausted at some point, smiling so genuinely like that.
It would make your fall much harder. Much, much worse.
More curses wreaking havoc through villages. More curses to swallow down, leaving the bitter taste of vomit in his wake.
You, Geto decided, were just like everyone else in the end.
Applause.
Applause.
Applause.
Applause.
He wondered if he would ever stop hearing them clap.
Around the late afternoon, your manager sent you out to pick up a delivery of chips that apparently couldn’t make it. Something about a mix-up with the trucks—you weren’t entirely clear on the details. But your boss was pissed about it and you were left with driving to the city to retrieve the box of chips. The only thing you didn’t like about it was the fact that the drive to the city took almost two hours.
You just hoped you’d make it back in time to meet up with the twins.
So half your day was spent rushing through the city, trying to track down that missing shipment of chips, bringing it back to your car which was almost towed because you happened to park in the wrong place, and then driving back to the village while the sun was beginning to set.
The drive back wasn’t as bad as the drive to the city. But you arrived back at the shop twenty minutes past five. Which wasn’t too bad but you were still late, nonetheless.
“Sorry, I’m late!” You called as you entered the store from the back with the box still in your hands. “I got coloring books this time, hope you guys like to draw!” You brought the box to the front, expecting to find the twins.
Only you stop and find Tohru and your manager there instead. Tohru stared at you in confusion, “Who are you talking to?”
You blushed in embarrassment, “Um, sorry, I thought you were…” Quickly, your mind raced. “Did you guys happen to see two girls walk in at around five—that’s what the coloring books were for, yeah, yeah, that makes sense.”
“Two girls?” Tohru frowned, appearing even more confused. “Did you hit your head or something?”
Just as you were about to quickly explain what you meant, your manager blew out another puff of smoke, “She means those unlucky twins.” At this, you furrowed your brows, opening your mouth to ask what he meant, only for him to continue as if you had already asked the question. “Those two have been poisoning our town ever since they killed their parents. It’s about time they get what they deserve.”
Your eyes widened, heart, falling to your feet, “W-What does…what happened to them? What do you mean get what they deserve?”
“Oh yeah,” Tohru said while hoisting herself up to sit on the counter, “now that you mention it, there were two girls that came in here. They didn’t stay for long, some of the villagers barged in and took them. I think they mentioned taking her to the old temple or something like that, I don’t know, I had a headache and they were all being annoying. They went on about them being the cause of all the deaths happening in town—whatever that meant—”
The box fell from your hands onto the floor, spilling the bag of chips. Your heart thundered with panic and disbelief, “You…You just let them take them?” Surprisingly, your voice wasn’t quivering like the rest of your body. Instead, it was full and firm with distraught. “They didn’t even do anything! They’re children! They’re—oh my god, they’re just babies!”
Tohru rolled her eyes as if you were the one being dramatic and unreasonable, “Dude, relax, they’re probably not going to do anything that bad to them. Maybe send them off to another village. Look, who cares? At least there won’t be any more deaths—hey, where are you going?”
You ignored her, threw off your work apron, and jumped over the counter. “This isn’t right! None of this is fucking right!”
“Hey, you still need to clean your mess up—hey!” Tohru’s voice became further and further away as you bolted out of the shop and ran through the street, heading further into the village.
Tohru had mentioned something about an old temple. You quickly searched your mind until you remembered there was a temple on one of the hills. You always passed it whenever you went jogging on your days off. Yes, you knew exactly where they were.
Running wouldn’t get you there fast enough, you soon realized. So you thought quickly. In front of a flower shop, you spotted a bicycle sitting at the front. Quietly apologizing to whomever this belonged to, you took the bike, got on, and pedaled your way up the hill.
In your haste, the world was silent to you.
All you could think about was those poor girls. All you were worried about was saving them before the townsfolk did something that no one could possibly come back from.
The world was silent to you.
You didn’t see the people running by in terror, even when you nearly ran into an older man who had dashed out into the street in a fit of panic. You didn’t see the smoke in the part of the village you biked through. You didn’t see the blue flames consuming the houses and the people around you until there was nothing but burnt ash left.
This chaos was nothing but white noise.
The world was silent to you.
You ignored the large shape flying over you, spewing the blue flames onto another part of the village.
All you cared about were those girls. Mimiko and Nanako.
You should’ve brought them back to your home. You should’ve taken them in. You should’ve pressed for more information about them. You should’ve known that they didn’t have anyone taking care of them.
You should’ve known. You should’ve done more.
“My god,” You gasped, fear tearing at your heart as the temple finally came into view. “have I failed them?” There were no flames consuming the temple. Strangely enough, it was the only place that wasn’t on fire.
When you were close enough, you jumped off the bike and dashed for the entrance. You slammed into the double doors, attempting to pull it open. Only they were locked and wouldn’t budge.
You backed up, not willing to give up. Not willing to let those two die for this fucked up town. And with all your might, you kicked the doors open, causing them to slam against the walls inside the temple.
“Mimiko! Nanako!” You called as you entered, searching around for the two girls.
Smoke filled your nose and caused you to cough just as small voices responded back to you. Calling your name with childlike desperation. It sounded like it was coming from above you. Like there was a second floor.
The stairs were on your right. You dashed for them, skipping two steps at a time until you made it to the second floor. Until you made it into the first room you spotted. Until you found them both locked in a cage together. Beaten and bruised and scared out of their minds. Until you found the two bodies lying in a puddle of scarlet right in front of the cage.
You didn’t rush toward the cage right away. Struck frozen at the sight of the blood. At the sight of the two bodies. It made the once quiet world around suddenly become loud.
There were screams outside of the temple. There was smoke, so much smoke.
Then there was the blood.
Blood.
Blood.
Blood.
There was a small call of your name, snapping you out of your frozen shock. The two girls were pressed against the cages, Nanako reaching through the bars for you…
“I’m coming, it’s okay.” You said, finally snapping out of your shock before rushing over toward the cage. You ignored how your shoes were stained with scarlet as you walked through the puddle.
You tried at the cage for a bit until you roughly yanked it open, breaking the lock that kept it closed. Both girls ran out of the cage and hugged your waist, nearly knocking you over. Their sniffles were muffled in your sweater as you ran your hand through their hair in an attempt to comfort them.
“It’s okay, I’m gonna get you out of here.” You promised while glancing over your shoulder at the bodies. “Nanako. Mimiko. What happened to them?”
Mimiko buried her face further into your waist while Nanako spoke, “Everyone thought we were the ones behind the deaths so they took us and tried to make the man kill us. But he didn’t, he saved us!”
You nodded as you both listened and led them out of the horrific room. The three of you went down the steps. Just from looking through the wide open doorway of the temple, you saw the flames hitting the village had gotten so much worse. What had caused this, you had no clue, nor did you have time to stop and wonder where it all had come from.
Mimiko tightened her hold on your hand, forcing you to stop, dozens of steps away from the front door, “The man told us to stay put and that he would take us away from here.”
On your right, Nanako nodded, “He said the curses won’t hurt us and that we’re special.”
You let go of their hands and turned to face them, your back to the entrance. Carefully you knelt down in front of them, “Okay, slow down. Before I even think about touching the curses part, I just need to know what man are you guys talking about. There wasn’t a third body in that room.”
“They mean me.”
At the sudden voice, you spun around to find standing at the entrance a male. A familiar one at that.
The same male who had bought chips from your store. The same male who had that gentle smile on his face—similar to the one he wore now but colder. The same male who had laughed at your fumbling and embarrassment just a few hours earlier.
“You.” Was the whisper that fell from your lips.
He stepped forward and instinctively pushed the girls behind you protectively. His brows raised at this and he chuckled.
“Mimiko. Nanako.” His voice was slow, silky, and calculated. “It’s time to go. Those people won’t hurt you anymore. Just as I promised.”
You watched him warily but the girls after a beat started toward him, surprising you. Mimiko was the one who stopped while Nanako went to the male’s side and grabbed his hand. She looked at you and then the male. She then grabbed your hand and tried tugging you forward, “Can’t she come with us?”
Something flickered across his face and instantly disappeared in the next second as he smiled, “Why don’t you two wait for me while I talk to the nice lady?”
You didn’t let go of her hand right away, “Mimiko.”
She looked at you and smiled reassuringly despite one of her eyes being swollen shut, “It’s okay. He’s a nice man. He saved us, remember?”
With that, she followed her sister out of the temple. The male didn’t move from the doorway. The blue flames were menacing in the night, his shadow tall. The heat was just as overwhelming as the smoke.
“Who the hell are you?” You finally muttered.
He started walking toward in slow leisurely steps, “A sorcerer.”
Instinctively, you wanted to back away as he got closer. But you stood firm, “And you were the one that killed those two people upstairs?”
“Yes.” He was now in front of you with very little space left between the two of you. The obvious question was at the tip of your tongue but you never voiced it. Yet he replied anyway, “I’ve decided it’s time I’ve stopped serving non-sorcerers. All they’ve done is create more problems for people like me. I figured I cut the problem down from the roots. For all of us.”
There was no smile on his face now. No traces of the friendly face, of the sheepish boy you met back at the shop. Just someone else entirely.
He leaned forward, staring at you with that same look he had back at the shop. Like he was trying to see right through you. Accusatory. Blame.
“What good are you to me?”
You glared now, clenching your hands into tight fists, “It sounds like you’ve already made up your mind. I don’t see a point in proving a damn thing to you.”
He stared at you for a moment longer and then smirked. “Too bad you’re human.” He turned and walked back to the entrance. “I would’ve liked you a lot. I do like you a lot. But if my new world is going to be without non-sorcerers…”
The curse flew past Geto and into the temple. It was large enough to cause irreparable damage to the temple. It was deadly enough to crush any target in sight. Even your screams were swallowed whole in seconds. That’s how efficient it was. That’s how easy it all became.
Geto didn’t look back at your body. Nor did he watch you get killed by his curse. Instead, he continued out of the temple with a few more curses following him at his tail.
“There are no exceptions.” He muttered to himself.
Applause.
Applause.
Applause.
Applause.
He wondered if he would ever forget that coffee smell.
Applause.
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Applause.
Hours later, once the flames had long settled, you sat up in the rubble. Some of the most severe wounds were nearly done healing. But the only pain you felt was the tight twists in your stomach.
You were starving.
Applause.
Applause.
Applause.
Applause.
Your sweater had been burned off and your skirt was ripped as you dragged yourself away from the ruins of the temple. Saliva dripping from your mouth that you tried to ignore.
For a while, you kept going. Pushing yourself through what used to be a lively village. But now it was filled with ruins and dead bodies alike.
You kept your composure thought. Especially when you pass fallen body parts, scattered along the streets.
Applause.
Applause.
Applause.
Applause.
Eventually, you made it to the store, just on the outskirts of the village. The same one you worked at. The one place that had your coffee beans.
The bell above your head rang as you lugged your way over to the aisle where you knew the coffee beans were. Ignoring the calls of your name—which was just background noise to you.
You were hungry. Really, really hungry.
Just as you found the coffee beans, you grabbed one of the bags and tore it open.
“You know you’ve been fired, right?”
For some reason, your hand never reached into the bag to grab a mouthful of beans and tossed it in your mouth. Instead, you just stared down into it, saliva dripping from your mouth as Tohru continued her taunt.
“Boss’ pretty pissed with you taking off like that. And now I’ve gotta miss my concert because of you.” In the corner of your eye, she sneered, “I hope it was all worth it.”
Applause.
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“Risking your job for a bunch of girls you don’t even know. What did you even try to do?”
Applause.
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“Hmm, judging how quiet everything is, my guess is they probably finished the job.” Tohru sighed and leaned against the shelf, “Well, at least I can get better sleep.”
The bag of coffee beans fell from your grasp and spilled onto the floor.
Tohru gasped, looking down at the mess, “Hey! You fucking idiot! How many more messes are you going to leave for me to clean?! Ugh, you’re such a brat—hey, what the hell is wrong with your eyes?”
Applause.
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Fuck it.
Applause.
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Applause.
The next morning, the shopkeeper was found dead in his office. Half of his face was gone, along with a gaping hole in his chest, where his heart should’ve been.
The girl was behind the front counter. Missing a leg, her organs spilling out of her abdomen. Blood everywhere.
It was a horrid sight.
At least, that’s what you heard.
Applause.
Applause.
Applause.
Applause.
You wiped the blood from your mouth.
“I’m done lying to myself.” You mumbled. A giggle left your lips. “What the hell is the point?”
Applause.
Applause.
Applause.
Applause.
With that, you took your final bow.
“Things will be different this time.”
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