chapter summary: Shirota Mahiru; a simple fifteen-year-old witch boy who lives with his pun-loving uncle, is best friends with an artificial vampire and a pair of humans, and whose life revolves around side-quests.

Sleepy Ash of Sloth The Silent Demise; the Truth of Indolence, eldest of "seven" servant vampires, a self-proclaimed soothing cat who finds the act of crawling out of bed "to be a chore" in his words.

Two radically different creatures meet. The result?

It becomes a hostage situation. (Sort of)

WARNINGS!: sentient celestial bodies, mentions of other mythos, back at it with ooc-mahiru, implicit mentions of experimentation, implied misuse of magic, magic and science should not mix (this way), mentions of possession - of the owning a person variety, more minor swearing, some none-explicit horror - i'm going to let your imagination run wild because it will never catch up to mine

stars on the tip of your tongue

THE FOOL

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01: "Stranger-Friend"
(part b)

"By the craggy hillside,
Through the mosses bare,
They have planted thorn trees
For my pleasure, here and there.

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Autumn.

Season of harvest, brumous dawns, and rhythmic kindlings. Spices and delights, tricks and spirits, the same ending to new beginnings. Autumn. Where as most saw it as a time of gloom and downpour, Mahiru, ironically, found it peaceful and still. Half of him, however, rebelled at the thought. Oh well, you can't satisfy everyone.

Dusk is approaching.

People bustle 'round the market, among them being students of various schools chattering about the upcoming festival, whilst the sun recede for his love, the moon, to draw breath. Stars bloom against the impending black curtain. a scathing white against the crisp black, and they bumble and chirp their way onto the night sky. They peer down below. What a sight you make, Vulpecula cooed in mock pity.

Better than you, don't you ever get tired of this farce?

We are no farce! Serpens hissed through nebulous fangs.

Certainly not. You are simply a million in one.

So the stars fall silent. Stars are terribly sore losers, you see. They don't like being reminded of their incapability to form meaningful connections. Constellations? What a joke.

"Now you're talking yourself? You sure you're not crazy?"

Mahiru tsk'ed. "I don't want to hear that from you." The vampire grumbled behind him but followed after the teen with great reluctance. Centuries-old vampire everyone. Dhampir have more maturity than this guy. Fae had more maturity than him, and that was saying something because they're fae.

Stars are... Well, stars will be stars. Not much can be done about them.

"We are going to split up and cover more ground - I expect you to get everything on the list.", he grabbed the azure-haired's hand placing the list in it as he made no move to reach for it himself. He looked so disgruntled that the witch didn't know whether to pet or scold him. Precious.

"Come on - I didn't eat this much."

"You didn't." That didn't make it any less okay.

He raised a brow of a similar shade of blue as his locks. If the tawny-haired witch was anyone but himself the vampire would likely be suspect of using hair dyes. "Then what's with the rest...", he groused. "For the people I do feed." His face fell flat - well, flatter than before. Now he gets it.

"You're making me your pack mule."

The witch felt his cheeks pull taught with the amount of teeth he revealed. Better dial it back a bit. They were in public after all.

"Your terrible. Awful. What kind of person would be so cruel to an adorable little kitty like me?" The stars above twinkle, amused. What kind of person? What kind of person. What kind of person? Mahiru has to mentally restrain himself from bursting into a fit of something. Fire most likely? That's bad. Civilians would be injured, shops would decay, balance would be upset and pulling himself together after that natural disaster would be tedious. The absurdity of this creature asking him that particular question is-

"I think", his eyes flicker candlelight, "you ought to know the answer to that by now." They respond in silence, much like the stars. His shadow quivers tracing his footsteps.

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This is weird. Everything is weird. The entire apartment was weird and that was saying something because have you met his siblings? This place took weirdness to a whole new level.

Once the kid is out the door, Sleepy Ash gets to work.

And by work he means rummaging through cabinets like some scavenger. Like a fox. Or a mouse. Or a rat. Rats are scavengers, right? Either way Sleepy Ash resents that because he is so much cuter than some rodent and a hundred times tidier - in his opinion. While he's doing that the place watches him. No - Seriously, the place is watching him and it's unnerving. He doesn't care about how, he doesn't know about what, but he has a pretty good idea on the why.

All his worries are thrown out the window the moment he takes his first bite.

Sleepy Ash doesn't consider himself shameless though he's not above begging. This is isn't the first time he's done this - the majority of the people that do pick him up range from either children or senior citizens. Children tend to be a pain as they will either pet him too hard, rub his fur wrong or simply yank his tail. He does appreciate the occasional well-behaved child, despite never sticking around for too long, and he's always made sure to be on his best behavior around the elderly. They're not made like the rest of them, so frail and feeble he might just give them a heart-attack revealing his true nature.

(Though the opposite could be said as well. That one with the gun made for an... experience to say the least.)

As he continues to eat, however, he finds his worries, his thoughts, his fears of all things, slipping away. What is he doing? CRUNCH. He can't live like this. MUNCH. Not like this. Not forever. SLURP. But that's all he has left, doesn't he? SMACK. CRUNCH. He abandoned his siblings. SLURRRP. He murdered his creator. CRUNCH. CRUNCH. CRONCH. Ooh, isn't that the newest volume of that manga? SMACK. FLIP. He supposes it doesn't matter anymore. MUNCH. Nothing matters anymore. Nothing matters much these past centuries. FLIP. SLURRP. CRONCH. What was the use? FLIP. What was the point anymore?

So absorbed was Sleepy Ash in his depressing thoughts, as well as the TV once he found the remote control, that he didn't notice time fly by him. His plans to ditch the apartment before the kid's arrival were slowly but surely dithering away to the back of his mind. Paranoia and caution built upon years of fight or flight instincts, all for the sake of survival, instincts that ensured him a long life free of contract and warned Sleepy Ash of the building's watchful eyes and trickling voices, were being dulled and that should have been his first sign that something wrong. Terribly terribly wrong. But the food was so good and Sleepy Ash was desperately tired of running and would it be so wrong to close his eyes and-

Locks clicked shut.

Sleepy Ash blinked out of his stupor. The first thing he noticed was the bowl of ramen in his hands, half of the noodles spilling out of his mouth, while the TV played some soap opera. Wrappers, cans, crumbs; all of it was laid out before him on the floor and onto the coffee table like some organized mess that only he understood. His internal clock informed him that by this time of day, he'd be scouring the streets for another sucker to fool into feeding him. The second was that the whispering had stopped, but the watching? It intensified. Had Sleepy Ash been in his feline state, his fur would stand on edge. Lastly...

Sleepy Ash eyed the scriptures and runes winding up, down, looping around the boy's arms, spreading over his chest like some byzantine spiderweb. Spiraling, coiling around where is heart laid beating in tune with the sun. Blink. They're gone. Blink. They're not coming back. He's not even sure what he saw but what he did see is enough for him to get the hell out of dodge. So why isn't he moving?

"Well?"

Oh right, the kid asked something. What was it he asked?

Sleepy Ash stared at the mess before turning to face the not-human boy.

"I got hungry."

His smile twitched. That looks painful by the way. He should have that checked out.

"Hungry, you say? You got hungry? I mean, I've heard of vampires leaving behind massacres and committing mass homicide to feed themselves but never one trespassing another's property to gorge themselves into a food coma. Have you no decorum? No shame?! This place is a pigsty! The least you could do is clean up after yourself - But no! Because of your idiocy or ignorance - I don't know which and I don't care which! - you aren't going anywhere!"

Ow ow ow ow. Holy shit.

He's speechless. Sleepy Ash is speechless. There is so much to be said about the kid's words, so many ways to reply, and he couldn't because his ears were still ringing from the vicious tongue-lashing. What the hell, this kid has some serious lungs.

"Geez kid", he rubbed his ears after slurping up the rest of his noodles. "Didn't your mother teach you to use your indoor voice?" That apparently is the wrong thing to say. At the kid's feet, his shadow wriggled and writhed violently, as though wishing to tear itself from its two-dimensional plane and lunge at him full force. The boy in question gave him such a look that he's surprised he didn't combust on the spot- Christ. So the mother was a touchy subject? Okay then. Note to self: don't mention the mother around this kid.

The bluenet braced himself when the kid took a deep breath and... exhaled smoke? What the fuck?

"Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot. My name is Mahiru and I am neither a human or a vampire and that is all you need to know for the moment. And you are the stray cat that I picked up from the side of the road, correct?" The elder nodded. Really, if anyone was at fault for what happened, it would be this kid. Who randomly picks up stray cats? For all he knows, he could have been some flea-ridden beast. Not that he was but it's the principal of the matter. "Apparently I did." Oh. He said that aloud didn't he? "Yes, you did. And what should I call you Mister?"

Sleepy Ash cringed.

"For starters... don't call me Mister. Makes me sound old..." Mahiru rolled his eyes. "You are old. Compared to me at least."

"That's right. So respect your elders, brat." The kid groaned before picking up the trash around them. Sleepy Ash watched. He did nothing to help. He just... watched. "You don't seem all that surprised to see a vampire..." He commented as the kid plucked the unfinished bowl from his hands. Eh... It got cold anyway.

"As I mentioned before, in case you weren't paying attention, I am neither human or vampire and that is all you really need to know at the moment."

"Yeah, but..." Sleepy Ash scratched the side of his head. The vampire's mind is full of smoked cinnamon and a mouthful of formaldehyde clings to his taste-buds like honey. The haze of sweet treats and warm lullabies drew back to reveal a teenager who wasn't quite tied down to reality and the lingering of good dreams. Alright, then. Something was definitely up with this kid. Good thing Sleepy Ash had absolutely no intention of staying long enough to find out.

"Whatever. Thanks for the food (I guess), but I gotta go." At least he said thank you so points for good manners?

The kid - Mahiru? Miharu? No wait, it was right the first time... - rounded on him. The flame behind his eyes flickered. Like candlelight. Or distant stars. "You think you can leave?" The very thought seemed to amuse him and Sleepy Ash wondered not for the first time what was up with this kid. Something is clearly wrong with him but...

No. It isn't his business. He'd overstayed.

The eyes in the walls seemed to disagree.

"You're welcome to try." He snorts and that's all Mahiru says on the matter as he continues to sweep up after him while murmuring under his breath. The elder vampire pays no mind to his nonsensical whispers and dares to venture outside.

And he does. He tries. He tries and tries and tries again to leave but-

But nothing. This should not be such a difficult matter but it is. Unlock the door, step out of the apartment, pull out the "vanish into the sunset like some cliche character who just completed their first story arc" trope and done. End of story - except... Except. It doesn't quite end this way, does it? No matter how many times he walks out that door he can't seem to reach the outside. The sole of his leather boot barely brushes past the threshold before his mind blanks out, finding himself seated on the couch staring at the black screen of the TV.

Mahiru starts the kettle without a care in the world as the eyes in the walls giggle and curl. They seem to mock him and this is ridiculous because-

He tries to jump out the window. Extreme? Yes but he's beginning to grow desperate and so goes the old adage. The outcome does not change. A cup of tea awaits him on the coffee table. The bluenet watches the steam rise from the cup for a few minutes, taking the time to gather himself. Apple and cinnamon, his nose tells him.

"What did you do?" The voice that claws its way out its vocal chords is a voice that is less than human with a touch of otherworldiness. In that moment, in that place of time, he is less and more than what he is precisely made for. But he is so damn close.

The boy that is neither human or vampire, seated on the love-seat across him, sips his own tea (vanilla) in a leisurely manner, uncaring or unaffected of the vampire's tone of voice and attitude. "How presumptuous of you. You sealed your fate long before my arrival."

Sleepy Ash's eyes burn the bright red of blood.

Mahiru's glimmer and flicker the orange of the dying sun.

"Now, what do I call you?"

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(Sleepy Ash most certainly definitely does not think about enchantments carved into bone and arcane chemicals forced down the gullet of his and his brethren. How they'd all woken up, none the wiser of the repercussions of their births with a wanton yawn and an unquenchable thirst. No, he most certainly definitely did not think about anything like that. The only thing on his mind is how much of a pain this kid was going to be.

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He was right. [...But that comes much later...])

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He never asks for much, honest, and considers himself a simple person with simple pleasures.

"Tell me something, Hikage-san", sunset amber meet burnished gold, "Can you guarantee that this will not come back to bite me?" The sable-haired man looks at him, and I mean he really looks at the boy in front of him. The image blurred for a moment; standing before him is not a powerful witch that danced with death and breathed the heart of fire, a boy who wove love and provided hearth - no, what stood before him in that second was a child covered in black blood and brimstone in his soul, who dared meet the eye of Creation and spat upon its face.

Ah.

This boy is just too much sometimes.

Behind him, sitting on a shelf, a small trunk trembled. They ignored it.

"I cannot." And that is the truth. Hikage cannot guarantee it because they are fickle beings but at least they weren't humans. Their trade was simple. He asked for a favor and, in return, the young man would receive a gift from one of his travels. The simplicity of such a bargain has always been appealing. Gods, for example, are simple. They ask for belief and sacrifice, and they will repay you in kind. The problem? Humanity has such a way with miscommunication that things are bound to be lost in translation.

This witch, passionate and unbalanced, is not quick to anger and that will make his eruption all the more terrifying. Much like a volcano he will await patiently. Patient with a vast reservoir of potential brewing within his belly. (And we all know what that potential birthed.)

"But I can promise you that no one will wear once it's claimed by you." Mahiru (un)willingly cedes his concerns and accepts his payment because the sun-crow was many things, a liar for instance, but never harmful to those under his wings, directly or otherwise. Beside, once a vow has been formed it can never be broken. Not unless one chose to wear the title of Oathbreaker for eternity.

"Will that be all?"

Mahiru runs through his mental checklist before deciding yes, that will be all. The trunk trembles louder than before, calling for attention but the witch boy made the wise decision of discarding the question behind his teeth. He still had scars from the last time he got to curious around Hikage's shop. Speaking of curiosity... the vampire's location is charted into the back of his mind with the unwanted guidance of stars. Ugh, how annoying. "I still can't believe you won that, though." He refocuses on the man before him who puffs up, feathery crow-hair following his movements, in mock offense. "Are ye of so little faith, 'Hiru?"

"Only in the face of deceit."

That's fair.

"What's up with you by the way? You don't look too hot - figuratively speaking. Did your star pupil give you anymore trouble?", Hikage held his hands up, a sign of peace, when the witch boy shot him a scalding look. One too many puns and he'd be roast down to his marrow. "Don't remind me of him." Alright, so his kid was off the table then. He ignored the furious rattling of the trunk. If it kept this up it would fall from its place. The crow watches tawny-haired witch's face smooth out to a demure smile restraining demons from the ninth circle. "You have an exciting look on your face right now." His own grin, white and full of canines, threatens to split his face.

Hikage's wings, unseen to all but the gifted few, itch and twitch.

"Do I?" Mahiru's chuckles are soft, belaying his wicked nature, but his secrets remain close to his heart. "Just had a rather interesting run in." Interesting? Interesting. Interesting could mean a lot of things in their language, but it could always be summed up to this simple meaning: something or someone has caught their attention. And to have the attention of their kind is to be a target(victim) of their whims. It is as much a blessing as it is a curse.

"And~?"

His forehead pinches and Mahiru squints, not out of distrust, but to scope out true his intentions. Cute. "What do you know of vampires?"

Hikage's mood dampens a bit. Just a bit.

The trunk ceases it trembling.

There were as many kinds of vampires as there were of witches, demons, yōkai and etc. Dhampir, strigoi, penangglan, jiang shi, succubus... "Are you curious about the recent attacks?" Tokyo's been getting the worst of it, the less said about Kyoto the better, and the things he's been hearing make him want to launch something into the sun. Or disembowel them. He isn't picky.

The crow-haired yōkai has only encountered one of said vampires and he knows what he saw. What he saw wasn't a vampire. That was a pale imitation of a vampire put together all wrong - or all right as that seemed to be the intention. Someone's been sticking their nose where it doesn't belong and it's upsetting Balance.

"Now who's the one with an exciting face?" Mahiru teases.

"They're not vampires." He responds in kind. The boy's brows furrow in confusion. Not vampires? "Well, what are they?" They felt like what a vampire should be with enough magic to influence their surroundings, that much was certain. Ash certainly had the voracious appetite of one. Did they differ in the way Sakuya differed from Ash? How his best friend's air tasted disgustingly sweet when compared to the embittered flavor of ash clinging to your throat when beside the elder vampire.

"Hikage-san, if they're not vampire than what are they?"

"...A mistake that should have stayed a mistake."

The witch boy understood the message judging from the widening of his eyes and the rapid loss of natural skin color. Hiakge didn't blame him. He just wished there was another way. The trunk also seemed to have understood as it leapt from the shelf, clattering onto the floor. Hikage kicks it across the linoleum without a second thought, watching it barely reach the other side of the antique shop. Mahiru did not seem to give his actions too much thought, thankfully.

"By the way, you still owe me an answer?" That finally shakes him out of his stupor as the teen blinked up at the yōkai in confusion. "An answer...?"

"Y'know, as to why you have such an interest in them lately?"

The witch boy cringes. Another interesting reaction. He shuffles his feet, not daring to meet his penetrating gaze. That's alright, he can wait it out. At last the boy opens his mouth to answer: "...It just so happens that... I am... fortunate enough to be in the possession of one such vampire."

A beat of silence.

And then another.

It shatters with the yōkai's screeching caws of amusement. Only 'Hiru, Hikage crows, ignoring the boy's indignant cries, Only 'Hiru would wind up accidentally owning two poor bastards!

"Just-Just tell me this! Were they willing like your-"

"SHUT UP!"

That's a no then.

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"How was shopping?"

There was a stillness to the vampire reeking through the scent of stagnation. His magic would slowly work its way through him and in time that stillness will beat to tune of life. One way or another...

"Uneventful", he bites out after a pause.

"Must have been very uneventful." For a reaction like that.

"I could say the same to you."

The witch blinks with a tilt of his head. "Ah", he acknowledges, fingertips brushing against torn fabric. "I'll fix that when we get home." Things got a little hectic at the Crow's Nest but it's not like it's the first time. Something around the... nth maybe.

He took note of how the stars have ceased their laughter.

"Are you satisfied now?"

They watch silently.

"You know the price: You ate my food, you're mine now."

They've always watched.

Ash stops a few steps away from him behind. Mahiru doesn't look back. Would rather never look back at all if he had any say in the matter but he must. His shadow tugs and nips at his ankles. L̡̥̩̦͚̘̿͆o͎̗̒̒̒͐͂͘o̭̮̗͓͎͚̿͋k͐̇̿̇̈́̑ͮ ̹̳͋͗̿̄͆̑a̰̙̼͑ͣ͛t̵͉͙̰̣̼̩ͭ͊̈́̌̌ͅ ̵͍͍̥̞̙͔͇̆ͨ͆m̮͕̺ͬ̂͋̓̍ͩ͒ẹ̵̞̥̙̌ͧͬ̔̄ͣ̌, they whimper. A̿ͨ̅͜ç̙̂ͮͭ̎̚k͇̩̲ͩn̓͏o͂͆̀͡w̭̘̙̭ͩ͆̔͂l̙̭͇̜͈̩̹͗e̵͓̼̣͌̄͛d͓̭̪͈͆̎̿ͭ̆̉̍g̭͍̟͔̹ͮ͋ͨ͌̊̇̚e̞͚͙̹̲͒̀̒̑ ̢̗̙̗̝̜͍ͥͯ͊ͪm͎̩̣̲̤ͧ̿̊ͪ̑͋̉ē͕̙̪͒̓̍, they plead.

"Your magic won't hold me forever."

And they will continue to watch. Mahiru must look back for how can he expect to move forward without retracing footsteps?

"Oh, I don't expect it to."

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Is any man so daring
As dig them up in spite,
He shall find their sharpest thorns
In his bed at night."
-The Fairies, William Allingham

End of "Stranger-Friend"

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• vulpecula: (lit. "little fox") the fox constellation

• serpens: (lit. "the serpent") the snake constellation

• for those of you still confused about what just happened between mahiru and ash (as he will be referred to pre-contract) it basically comes down to this: you know those legends about eating food that seemingly came out of nowhere and then you wind up belonging to the fae? let's just say that that doesn't apply to just the fae in this universe. so yeah, mahiru was right - ash fucked himself over. \(ツ)/

in his defense, the food is charmed with a compulsion to make people eat it whether they're hungry or not.

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word count: 3,791
start: 04/9/2018
complete published: 31/10/2018

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Guest (02/9/2018): thank you for reviewing!
wohmbat: we're quite similar in that manner. i hope you enjoy the story!
Maki Ryugazaki: tus palabras me hicieron sentir muy feliz. muchas gracias!

note: oc's will be a part of this so expect to see more of them in the future.

THIS BITCH IS FINALLY HERE!

i am so sorry this chapter took so long to get out! i won't lie, i procrastinated until the very last day to get this out but i swore that i would get this out before the end of the month and you bet your ass i will get this chapter even if i have to spill some blood. my writing is all over the place if you ask me. i would like to hear some feedback from you guys. what you like from this, spotting some spelling error i committed, what you would like to see in the future, or some helpful criticism if available.

i might one day come back and add a little more or rearrange a few bits but for now i'm content with what i have. be sure to keep an eye out for any spelling errors. i personally feel as though this chapter turned out a bit rushed so tell me your feelings on the matter.

i'm also taking suggestions for a new summary.

'til next time!