Ahhh, I'm so excited to finally be able to write this! I've been playing with this idea in my head for a while now and I'm excited for the chance to start doing something with it. Please enjoy!

Komatsu shivered and wrapped his arms more tightly across his chest. Each exhale came out in a cloud of white and shivers wracked his frame as he walked. He was far from being in good condition but he had to keep going- he had to keep moving. He wasn't thinking about the cold, the stinging feeling in his toes and fingers, or how the air seemed cold enough to burn. He wasn't even thinking about the shadows that might have been following after him.

He was just focused on moving forward.

Unfortunately it was getting harder and harder to do that. Each step made his body ache and scream for him to stop- to just rest, even if there was the chance that he wouldn't get up again- but something else kept him going.

Not for the first time, he was regretting his choice of clothing. His shirt and pants were thick enough for ordinary, day-time travel and usually his coat was good for trapping in heat, but he hadn't anticipated temperatures like this. His boots, although they had thick soles, did little to keep his feet from getting sore and they felt heavier and heavier with each step. His traveling pack was heavy against his back. Inside of it he kept the tools of his trade- two kitchen knives- worn with use but still well cared for-, several pouches of spices, and enough food to last him for a few more days; Assuming that he didn't eat it all before getting out of this wasteland.

Not that he'd planned to come through here in the first place. He'd been heading to a town that was still a day or two away but before he'd noticed, the green grass and rolling hills had turned into barren rock and thick underbrush. The wild life had seemingly disappeared with the setting sun and the plummeting temperatures. Occasionally Komatsu would hear something in the distance, but he forced himself to not dwell on the, frankly terrifying, noises. A few times he had considered turning back, but it would have taken hours to get back to those green fields and he was already dedicated to his path.

"Just a little farther." Komatsu mumbled. His nose and chest burned from the cold air and his voice sounded a bit like a croak, but it was better than just silence. "Just a little-"

He caught a burst of movement in his peripherals and Komatsu stumbled, letting out a loud cry as something flew at his head. He waved his arms- despite them burning from the effort- around his head like he was trying to put out a fire. There was a loud squawk and a flutter as something landed not too far away from him. When he finally stopped moving and peeked out from between his arms, all he saw was a bird perched on a jagged rock, just a few feet in front of him.

It was a large bird- it might have come up to his knee had they been standing side by side- with nearly pitch black plumage. It watched him with beady black eyes.
Komatsu sighed when he saw what it was. "Oh! Just a bird. You really scared me." he bent down to pick up his dropped pack and when he looked up again, the bird was gone. "Its gone already?" he wondered. Had it just come out of nowhere just to dive bomb him? He looked around but spotting the black bird was a hopeless task when it was already so dark. "Strange." Komatsu shook his head before deciding that he needed to get moving again before he completely froze. He flexed his fingers and grimaced at how stiff they were. At the very least they hadn't gone completely numb yet. "Well, at least one of us is smart enough to get out of here." he sighed before continuing on his way.

Come to think of it, what was a bird like that doing out here in the cold? Didn't most birds leave when it got this cold? And didn't most of them stick to flying during the day? He'd never been any sort of expert when it had come to animal behavior, but he found himself wondering if the bird had been just a bird.

Not more than a minute later, he jumped again as he heard a deep caw from the brush near him. He turned his head from side to side until he spotted the bird again, watching him.

"I guess you didn't leave?" Komatsu asked, a bit bewildered. "What are you doing out here? Don't you have a home? Somewhere warmer than this? You shouldn't be freezing your feathers off here." Even if talking at a wild animal was a bit silly, there was something nice about the company, at least. Animals tended to avoid him. He wasn't entirely sure why- maybe they could tell that he made a living cooking them up? Or maybe it was because of his tiny, little curse. Either way, it wasn't often that he could observe an animal from this close.

The bird took a few seconds to run its beak through its feathers before it looked at him and cawed again- it was a loud, startling sound- and then it took off. This time he watched as it landed on a rock that was just a few feet farther, left of where he was heading. "Oh, you're leaving again? Well, bye again." Komatsu said before he continued walking. He was interrupted by the bird landing in his path again, and then flying off. It landed in the same spot as before and watched him, expecting something or another. "Eh?" By now, even without being a bird expert, Komatsu felt like this wasn't normal bird behavior.

The bird watched him and he asked, "You don't want me to follow you, do you?" It cried out again and hopped up and down in the same spot. "I... This is a bad idea." Komatsu mumbled before turning and walking towards the bird. When it saw that he was willing to go along with it then it took off again. Komatsu didn't lose track of it this time.

Now, Komatsu wasn't the sharpest person out there, but he was far from a fool. It was beyond obvious that this bird wasn't a normal bird. In fact, it might not have ever been a normal bird. It was magical- enchanted- and now he was following after it without any clue as to where he was going. It wasn't a smart move, but he didn't regret doing it. It might have been a part of his curse, but he had a feel for magic. He could tell when magic had been applied to objects or people, and when that magic was meant to harm or meant to help. This bird didn't give off the feeling of something malicious but it didn't feel wholly good either.

He followed it for some time, only stumbling over the occasional rock or through the occasional bit of brush. He could still hear the calls of animals in the distance, but the black bird paid them no mind, so Komatsu followed suit. The night was still cold, but Komatsu didn't worry about it. The cold might have made his entire body ache, but it wouldn't kill him.

But, speaking of the cold, it wasn't quite as bad as before.

"Is it getting warmer?" Komatsu wondered, and even the white cloud from his breath seemed smaller. "Are you really leading me somewhere warmer?" he asked the bird.

And rather than getting a response from the bird, there was instead a sudden burst of hot air and a bit of light- almost as if someone had lit a bonfire in the distance. "Hey!" Komatsu shouted, scrambling to grab his coat as it fluttered around him. The warm air blew under his clothes and burned against his chilled skin. Still he continued to follow the bird.

The path that he was on led downwards and seemed to move away from the source of light. The rocks beneath his feet and the stone outcroppings around him gave no indication of what had caused the sudden gust of air. He walked for another minute or so before they came to a stop in front of what looked like a stone wall.

This time, when the bird landed on his shoulder, he only screamed a little. But that sound devolved into a breathless chuckle. "Where did you even lead me?" he asked as he examined the area. It was much warmer now and it felt like pins and needles were racing along under his skin. His body was crying out for the warmth that this place offered. The wall in front of him was a bit strange as well. At first glance it just looked like a pile of rocks and boulders- like it was maybe the result of some sort of rock slide. The details only seemed to stand out once you really stared at it.

The door hidden in the stone was as grey as the stones surrounding it. It looked like it had the same sort of texture as well, and the only out of place thing was a small knob on the side of the right hand side. Komatsu reached for it without even thinking about the gesture before quickly snatching his hand back. He asked the bird instead, "You led me here- are you saying that you want me to go in?" he asked and, instead of a reply, the bird took off from his shoulder- nearly clipping him in the head with a wing- and landed on the knob. That seemed like all of the invitation that he'd get.

Komatsu looked at the door before looking at the wasteland behind him. Just going through a stranger's door probably wasn't a good idea, but he also wasn't crazy about the idea of going back into that cold. After a few moments he made a choice. "...Ok." he mumbled, "But if I get cursed again then I'll be holding you accountable." he told the bird, half-hearted.

He shuffled down the path another foot until he was at the gap between the stones that he stood on, and the stone steps that led up to the door. He stepped across the gap, grabbed the door knob- while the bird landed on his should again- and turned it. He had to use a bit of strength to push the door open and peer inside, but it was pitch black. "Oh," he mumbled, bit his lip, and then sighed. "Here I go. Sorry for intruding."

He stepped inside the dark area and then let the door close behind him. He heard the click of a lock and the sound of something spinning but he kept his eyes forward. Before he could take even another step forwards, there was suddenly light- a bright blue light. It wasn't much, but it allowed him to see that there were stairs in front of him. They let upwards and the light came from somewhere beyond them.

"Melk?" a man called out. "Is that you? What have you brought to the castle this time?" The voice was bored, a bit lazy, and Komatsu shivered at it. The bird- Melk- took off- this time after swatting him in the head with a wing- and flew towards the light. Komatsu rubbed at his temple with one hand and gripped the straps of his bag with the other, wondering if he should follow the bird. As if there was another option at this point.

"Well come on- don't just stand there all night." The man spoke again and Komatsu felt a shove square in the middle of his back. He squeaked and stumbled against the steps, banging his knees when he couldn't catch himself. "Come up already." And without waiting for another push, Komatsu began climbing the steps.

When he reached the top, he looked around for the man. From the voice he'd expected someone large- definitely someone intimidating looking- but what he saw instead was just a messy room. There were boxes overflowing with nick knacks and books, tables with more books and fabrics piled up on top of them, and yet again more books tossed around on the floor amidst a sea of junk. Whoever lived here seemed well read at least. Shiny baubles and trinkets hung on the walls and from the ceiling. Words were scribbled on the wallpaper- spells and incantations and things in languages that Komatsu couldn't even begin to decipher. There was a staircase a little farther back and a large door right next to it. A chair sat in the middle of the room with even more piled on top of it.

"Amazing." Komatsu muttered as he looked at the interesting things in the room. Then he grimaced at the rest of the place. "It's kind of dirty though."

"Well, you try and keep this place clean with so many slobs living here. I assure you that it's no easy task."

Komatsu jumped and let out a shout as he tried to find the source of the voice. It was the same one from earlier but he'd somehow forgotten about the man. And then he'd started to badmouth his home! He immediately opened his mouth to apologize but he closed it when he didn't see anyone else in the room. "Wh-who was that?!"

Komatsu heard a loud cry and he glanced around until he saw the black bird from before sitting on a perch near the hearth. And on the hearth was a fire. A blue one.

From the depths of the flames, a pair of eyes watched him- maybe looking bored, maybe looking annoyed. It was hard to tell on a fire.

"WHOA!" Komatsu screamed before jumping back- even though his body protested the movement. "What are you? A magic fire? A demon?!"

"Well, aren't you a loud one?" the fire mused and was that a bit of amusement in its- or maybe his- tone? "And I'm nothing of the sort. I'm a caretaker if anything.

"Now, sit down and tell me," a length of flame burst out of the fire in the direction of the chair, "why you're here."

Komatsu, after a pause, walked over to the chair. He looked between the things piled up in the chair and the fire, which just seemed to roll his eyes before gesturing to the side of the room with another burst of flames. "Just set it down near the wall. I doubt any of them will realize that it's been moved."

Komatsu, still a bit hesitant, nodded at the fire's instructions before gathering the items from the chair into his arms. He laid it down where the fire had instructed- feeling bad about adding to the mess in the room- before he sat down in the chair, which seemed to have been made for a person several times larger than himself. He left his bag by his feet and sank down into the fabric. It was comfortable and warm and he could feel his body drooping. It was such a relief after the cold.

Meanwhile the fire watched him get comfortable before saying, "Now, now, don't fall asleep on me." It watched him with bored eyes. "Now, why have you appeared on my doorstop?"

"Why did I-?" Komatsu mumbled before fully taking in the question. "Oh! I was just following the bird. It led me here and I just sort of came in. Sorry for the rudeness." he said, finally feeling a bit of bashfulness settle in. Here he was, potentially talking to the owner of this place and he was having a terrible time just trying to keep his eyes open.

"Of course Melk led you here." the fire said, with the air of someone talking to a child. "Only those who have been to the castle before should be able to find it so you would have needed someone to guide you here. No, I'm asking why you were out in these wastelands to begin with." the fire paused and those eyes narrowed. "And with such a nasty curse on you too."

"..." Komatsu bit his lip and averted his eyes. "I was traveling to another town." he finally said. "I didn't feel safe in the last one." he remembered, again, the shadows that had tailed him, and the people who had been looking for him. His heart clenched as he thought about the family that had been housing him. He could only hope that they were ok now. "And about the curse, I can't- I can't really say-"

"Yes, yes, curses don't normally allow you to speak about them." the fire said, sounding bored again. "That's why they're so troublesome to deal with. But I'm still surprised by the strength of it. You're not a magic user, are you?"

"Not at all." Komatsu said honestly. He didn't know much, but he knew that that was the truth. "I- I can't remember much but that's one thing that I'm sure of."

"Can't remember much?"

"...I can't remember receiving the curse." he said slowly, waiting for the moment when his throat with close up and the words would begin to choke him. It always happened when he spoke about his curse too much, but it seemed like this much was fine. "I can't remember my life before it. I can't remember who cursed me. I can't even always remember what happened afterwards!" There was just entirely too much that he couldn't recall and it was equal parts frightening and frustrating.

"Well," the fire said after a few moments' thought. "At least you know that the curse isn't directly tied to your memories. If it were then you wouldn't have been able to even say that much." The fire reached out and gripped a piece of wood from the back of the hearth. Komatsu watched as the flames danced and the wood was dragged against the stone basin of the hearth until the flames consumed it. "You've come to the right place though. There are several wizards who live here. They could probably break your curse."

"They'd break it?" Komatsu asked, feeling a little breathless. "Without even knowing anything about it? About me?"

"I'm not saying that they will. Only that they could. They're exceptionally temperamental, but they can get results." the fire corrected him. "You can even stick around to find out if they'd be willing to help you. Under one condition."

Komatsu frowned. "A condition? I'm sorry but I don't know if I should be making deals with strange fire creatures." Komatsu said, slurring his words slightly. He was exhausted and between the steady heat from the fire and the softness of the chair, it felt nearly impossible to not drift off.

"It's nothing sinister." the fire assured him, looking at little sinister as he spoke. "I just ask that you earn your keep by cooking and cleaning this place. It's tiring to do this by myself and the others are of no help." the fire's voice was calm and lulling. "Do this and I'll allow you to stay for as long as you'd like- assuming that the others don't find offense to you staying here."

Komatsu blinked at the fire, slow, heavy blinks, before finally nodded his head. "Ok. I'll only cook and clean. I won't give you my soul or blood or anything like that." he said and those were the last words that slipped out before his eyes closed and Komatsu fell asleep.

The fire chuckled. "I wouldn't worry. I'm not the one who's interested in those." he said. Melk looked at him with beady eyes, somehow judging without saying a word. "I'm serious." the fire sighed. "Besides, you know that I'm not the one that he should be worried about in this house."

And the bird didn't have the voice to refute this. Instead she turned her head and began grooming her wings, seemingly content with just ignoring the fire.

Meanwhile, the fire watched the young man who had stumbled into their midst as he snored away in the armchair. It might have just been a trick of the light, but for a few moments, he resembled someone who had died a long, long time ago.

End Notes

So! Chapter 2 is written and will be posted next Friday. And it's gonna start off by introducing someone who's absolutely CRUCIAL to the plot (hint hint: it's the Kitchen- truly the mvp for this fic)

For real though, thank you for reading, feel free to leave a review, and hit me up on tumblr 0blue-bird0 if you wanna blab with me about Toriko stuff.

Otherwise see ya next week!