Chapter Text
“Don’t you have a tavern to run?”
“Why would I do my job when yours is much more exciting?”
Shoto shot Vox a look. As much as he wanted to tease the man–reprimand him like a stern father–Shoto could only shake his head with a soft laugh. It might be morbid to say so, but he had a feeling that this town’s recent chaos was probably the most excitement any of these villagers have had in years (for better or for worse).
The day had started much like the one prior. Shoto woke up in the same small room. He stripped, applied the medicine to his thighs, and dressed back into his fresh clothes. There hadn’t been any breakfast that morning and in the midst of his unexpected disappointment, he left the tavern, only to find that the man of the hour was outside the door, waiting with a sweet treat in his hand.
Shoto bit off a piece of the sweet potato bread, savoring the spiced flavor. He particularly liked the crunch of the pecans that were cooked throughout.
“Who runs the place when you’re gone?” He asked.
“An old friend of mine,” Vox assured. “He’s always quick to take my place the moment I’m gone.”
He?
Shoto could have sworn the person behind the counter was a beautiful woman, but with all that was going on in the tavern, it was likely he hadn’t been seeing clearly. He put it in the back of his mind for now, choosing instead to spend this peaceful walk appreciating the food in his hand.
Though Shoto may not have caught the rumored whispers prior to his slumber, he did catch something more enticing—a voice, so mellifluous and somber, and delivered as though it were a greeting. The man sang in an attempt to make notice of his presence and, my , had Shoto noticed. Whether this was the demon toying with him, welcoming him to the town he had taken as a playground, Shoto couldn’t be sure. But it didn’t matter. What mattered was the ever-growing cast of unique faces and this new character, Shoto found, wanted his turn in the limelight.
From one arrogant bastard to another , Shoto thought. Your pride will be the death of you.
As such, the plans for the day were simple. He needed to know more about these disembodied voices and who better to ask than the rumored subjects of them. Vox tagging along hadn’t been part of the plans, but perhaps his love for bothering Mr. Eveland also extended to every other person in the town.
The giggles of the children rang clear, alerting anyone who neared of the excitement that came with children’s games. Just before the two reached them, however, Shoto looked at the last piece of bread in his hand before reaching up to offer it to Vox.
“You can have the rest,” Shoto said.
Vox’s gaze flicked from Shoto’s face and down to the bread being offered. He reached up to take it but stopped just before his fingers touched. Instead, he wrapped his slender fingers around Shoto’s wrist, and dipped down to accept the bread into his mouth. The bite was gentle–courteous, almost–save for the slight brushing of his lips against Shoto’s fingertips.
Releasing his wrist, Vox mused, “I should have gotten one for myself, this is really good.”
Shoto didn’t reply, however. He could only continue his steps with flushed cheeks and curious, twitching fingers.
Such a slight, insignificant touch and yet he was sure he had never felt anything softer.
Pulling him out of his thoughts were a chorus of excited children, all singing Vox’s name with delight. They ran from the dirt pile they were so diligently constructing and immediately surrounded Vox’s frame.
“Look at this rock I found in the woods!” One exclaimed, holding out a dark rock in the shape of a heart. “And look at this!” He shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out a leaf. He raised it to his lips and blew into it. A faint whistle sounded from the leaf, not all too strong, but audible enough to reign in Vox’s praise.
“You always make the most interesting things,” He smiled, taking the leaf from the little boy so he could observe any craftsmanship behind it. “I hope next time we meet you’ll be able to play me a song.”
“I will, I will!” The boy cheered, taking back his leaf. “And I’ll make more so we can have a band!”
The other children nodded with enthusiasm.
Vox then glanced over at Shoto and offered an encouraging nod of his own.
Shoto didn’t struggle with speaking to children and, for the most part, he did enjoy being around them. But with the way these kids were suddenly staring at him as if he were the demon that’s been terrorizing the town, he couldn’t help but stumble over his words.
This introduction wasn’t starting off great.
Just then, Vox nestled up to Shoto’s side, and slid an arm around his shoulders.
“My friend gets really shy talking to new people,” He explained, pointing to the suddenly tense Shoto. “He’s a good guy, though, so don’t worry. He just wants to ask you some things to make the town safer.”
The little boy with the leaf didn’t seem as though he wanted to trust in the words. He stared at Vox in uncertainty before grumbling, “Play with us first.”
“A game?” Vox posed, humming in thought as his fingers tapped gently against the side of Shoto’s shoulder. “I do love a good challenge. What’s your game of choice?”
Were they seriously bartering with children right now?
“Hide and seek!” One of the girls exclaimed. “You’ll never find me in my favorite spot!”
The little boy nodded at the request, pointing at the two in front of him.
“He has to find all of us and then we’ll answer your questions!”
Shoto blinked at the finger pointed at him and then, with wide eyes, he shouted, “Why do I have to be the one to find you?!”
“Because Vox always finds us, so it isn’t any fun.” At this, the boy pouted, but Vox could only snicker in delight.
This was the last thing Shoto wanted to do, but with this being his second full day of the mission, he was growing desperate for information. And so, he sighed, and pulled Vox’s arm off of his shoulder.
“Fine. But you hide, too, then. If I have to play, so do you.”
“Oh, I’d be delighted,” Vox mused, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He lowered his voice to barely a whisper as he added, “I’d certainly love to see just how well you can hunt, boy.”
Shoto’s heartbeat pounded in his ears and he could practically feel the blood rushing through his veins as he stood there under Vox’s scrutiny. His skin had always been quick to flush under such attention from a man and so he could only do what he did best in moments like these: he grew defensive.
“You’re not going to love it when I have you on your back,” He threatened before turning to the children. “What are the rules, huh? How much time do I have until I have to go search for you?”
One of the children came over and handed Shoto a stick.
“Count to a hundred! You’re going to be the hunter and we’re the monsters that you have to catch. If you find us, you have to throw us in jail.”
Jail, turns out, was the dirt pile.
Given the situation, Shoto found everything ironic, but he mentioned nothing of it as his grip on the stick tightened.
“Fine. I find you, you answer my questions. Shake on it.” He extended his hand out and the little boy didn’t hesitate as he grabbed the hand, sealing the deal. “It’s settled, then. Go, scatter!” Shoto waved the stick maniacally, sending the children off. He then poked Vox’s side with it. “You too, monster.”
Vox took a step back as if he were gearing up to run, but he stopped short with a thoughtful hum.
“How can I be sure you won’t cheat?” He asked.
“Are you serious right now?” Shoto countered.
“If you’re going to put me on my back, I’d rather it be from an honest capture.” Vox’s eyes raked down Shoto’s frame, gaze searching until he found something useful. Kneeling down, he reached towards Shoto’s thigh, where an extra layer of cloth had been tied in order to provide extra cushion. With nimble fingers, Vox untied the cloth.
Shoto didn’t catch on until Vox was already in the midst of folding the cloth and wrapping it around his eyes, blocking out every ounce of sunlight. The man’s fingers were precise, tying up the makeshift blindfold with ease. Occasionally, his fingers would gently graze the hair on his nape, or even the skin, and Shoto would shiver as though the most violent chill had overtaken his body.
He felt two hands grip his shoulders and then a voice by his ear, “There.”
“I don’t really think this is necessary.”
A snicker. “If you can’t rely on your natural hunting instincts, you don’t have to be so coy. A simple admittance would suffice.”
It truly was strange how just mere seconds ago Shoto had nearly allowed himself to drown in the man’s presence and now he wanted nothing more than to tear him limb from limb.
“Fine, I can play by your rules, too. I’ll even keep it on the entire round, so you can see that you’re no match even with me having no sight,” Shoto sneered. “So go. I’m tired of talking to you.”
However, it felt as though he were talking to air. He hadn’t heard the departing footsteps nor any last words, but he knew, somehow, that not a breath of life stood near him on these grounds.
Light on his feet, huh?
And thus the countdown began.
This was a children’s game, he tried to remind himself. There was no reason to take it so seriously. Even so, he attuned his ears to his surroundings, and tried to piece together an image from what he could recall of his limited time with the area. The dirt pile would be the center. From the center, Shoto knew the perimeter of the woods was just in front of him, and the chances of one of the monsters hiding there was high. Other than that, he couldn’t remember the surrounding obstacles.
Shoto briefly regretted handicapping himself like this, but an idea suddenly popped into his head, and a wicked grin spread across his face.
He agreed to wearing the blindfold, but he never said other means couldn’t be utilized.
Straightening up and planting his feet together, Shoto exhaled all of the breath in his lungs, before taking in a new breath of fresh air. He allowed the air to flow through his body, circulating a charge of mana throughout his limbs. Even with his eyes closed, he could almost see the soft, green glow in his body begin to pulsate with life. The green light began to swirl around his vision, almost as if they were two beings chasing one another in merriment. But the moment Shoto opened his eyes behind the blindfold, the clouds of mana shattered into particles of light. What once was total darkness had turned into that of a new playing field—one with each obstacle outlined in faint, green light. Though the ground remained dark, Shoto could somewhat visualize the objects around him now, turning this game of blind hide and seek into an easy feat.
The moment the countdown finished, Shoto was quick on his feet. The first child was hidden only a few feet away, stuffed inside what appeared to be an empty crate. He returned her to the dirt pile and kicked off again, claiming the next target that was nestled in the foliage. As the children all began to crowd around the dirt pile, complaints of unfairness started to circulate.
“You’re cheating!” They accused and, sure, he kind of was, but nobody ever got a job well done by sticking to the rules.
Shoto did a quick count of the green images in front of him. All of the children were there, angry though they may be, which left only one target.
He twirled the stick between his fingers, scanning the playing field. Considering the perimeters that the children remained in, Shoto couldn’t imagine Vox would hide somewhere too outside of the playground boundaries, though in the rush for the other children, Shoto didn’t recall seeing anywhere that Vox could be hiding.
He hummed lightly to himself.
Was it a game of hide and seek with the children, then? And for Vox, merely a game of cat and mouse?
He wasn’t sticking to one spot, no doubt. Vox was doing just as much seeking as he was hiding.
Ah, what a frustrating man.
Darting off into the woods, Shoto heard the children behind him cheering for Vox’s victory.
All Shoto saw was green. The trees, the piles of leaves, and the scampering of squirrels were all blending into one another, making it hard to distinguish aspects of the landscape, while also giving Shoto false alarms. If Vox truly were on the run upon seeing him near, these conditions wouldn’t benefit the capture one bit.
All he could do was slow his pace and look, but even a clean sweep of the area as he saw it gave him no clues.
Maybe…
Shoto looked up.
Being level with the trees wasn’t getting him anywhere, but if he were to go up…
He pulled up his sleeves and slipped the stick through one of his belt loops before hopping up onto the nearest tree. Climbing had never been an issue for Shoto and so he scaled the giant in no time, perching himself on the highest branch that would hold his weight.
The tops of the trees still obscured parts of the area, but the new perspective offered additional points of interest—most curiously, the hints of a tributary. The sound of the rushing water drifted through the rustling treetops, carrying with it the vague scent of someone that Shoto was becoming more than familiar with.
Allowing more mana to flow through his blood, Shoto gathered the strength to begin traveling through the trees. He leaped from one branch to another, following the sound of the water, and taking in the strengthening scent of sandalwood. The adrenaline in his body pumped and pumped, replacing the prior spite with a surge of excitement—how long had it been since he’s participated in such a hunt?
He was damn near aching for a catch, no matter how valid of a captive it was.
This frenzy of his brought him upon the edges of the tributary and watching the flow of water from the safety of the rocks was the outline of Vox.
Out in the open , Shoto sneered. Cocky.
Shoto began to slowly drain the excess mana from his body, becoming more in tune with himself once more to avoid the possibility of alerting his presence. Carefully, he climbed down from the tree, using every ounce of strength he had to keep himself balanced. And then, once he was on the forest floor, he knelt and stared at the green outline before slowly pulling out the stick from his belt loop. Tightening his grip, Shoto pounced.
He could almost taste the victory on his tongue—so sweet and warm. Just as he was about to call out his triumph, however, the world suddenly turned upside down. Before he knew it, the wind was nearly knocked out of his lungs by the sheer force that his back hit the ground.
“Easy there, little demon slayer,” Vox purred, seizing the stick from Shoto’s hand. A finger slid underneath the blindfold and lifted it up, allowing Shoto to see the man on top of him. Vox stared down at him with such shocking vigor that Shoto couldn’t help squirming underneath, wanting to slip out from the tight hold that kept him bound to the ground.
“Oh my.” Vox tossed the stick into the tributary before gripping Shoto’s jaw and turning his face to the side, inspecting his irises. “So not only have you turned a simple seeking game into one of lethality, but you are a filthy cheater.” Vox clicked his tongue in shame, releasing Shoto’s jaw. “Though I must admit that playing dirty is much more fun.”
“You let yourself get caught,” Shoto coughed, the last remnants of his mana draining.
“Well, you do need to get the information out of the kids,” Vox reasoned. “Otherwise you’d never even come close to finding me.”
Shoto brought his gaze back to Vox’s, unable to discern the feeling in his chest. He was frustrated with the way he had been read so easily and livid at how easily he was pinned, as if he was nothing more than a pest that needed to be swatted. Shoto’s eyes narrowed as he stared up at the man.
“You’re no ordinary man,” He said. “You’re trained. I want to be mad at you for countering the way you did, but I think I’m more intrigued by where you honed these reflexes of yours.”
“Such kind words,” Vox murmured. He slipped off the rest of the blindfold from Shoto’s head and crawled off him, pulling him up to a sitting position. Resting Shoto’s leg against his lap, Vox began tying the cloth back around his thigh. “But I assure you, I’m nothing more than a man that loves the countryside. Now then,” Vox stood and brushed off his pants before offering his wrists to Shoto. “Time to turn me in and claim your bounty.”
Perched in the middle of the dirt jail was Vox. With crossed legs and a pleased grin on his face, he looked around at his other cellmates.
“It was really impressive!” He exclaimed, active hands doing all they could to paint the scene. “Had me on the ground with the stick to my throat, as if I really were a monster. I’m telling you, he’s going to make everything in this town better.”
Each child gaped at Vox’s story before looking over at Shoto with newfound respect. To take down Mister Vox like that was truly miraculous!
“Be good and answer his questions, okay?” Vox shushed before turning to Shoto.
It was curious, really, how Vox could be helpful in the most serpentine ways.
Pushing all thoughts of Vox aside, Shoto knelt in front of the kids so he could speak to them on an equal level.
“If it’s okay with you guys, I’d like to ask you a few questions about some things that might be really scary. If you don’t want to answer, that’s fine, but I’d really appreciate it if you could tell me everything.”
It took a few moments, but all of the kids gave slight understanding nods.
“Let’s start simple. Do you guys think anything funny is happening here? Seen anything a little different?” Shoto wasn’t sure how to approach the topic in a way that wasn’t completely awkward. “I talked to your chief yesterday and he said that some of you have been a little scared lately.”
The mention of Chief Kaneshiro had finally solidified the seriousness of the situation. All of the kids shuffled in their spot, exchanging nervous glances with one another. They all had something to say, but didn’t want to be the first to say it.
“Um,” Spoke up the boy that Shoto had deemed the leader of these children—the one with the leaf. “A lot of my friends have been leaving. Mommy said their families just wanted to live somewhere else, though.”
“My sister told me that they found something in the river,” A little girl spoke up. “But I wasn’t allowed to look.”
The corpses.
“I see. How’s bedtime been?” Shoto tried. “Have you all been sleeping okay?”
Another exchange of looks.
“Well…” The boy with the leaf wasn’t sure what to say until Vox reached over and gently ruffled his hair, encouraging him. “Sometimes at night, ghosts like to talk. I can’t ever see them, though.”
“What do they say?”
“They like to sing, mostly. They tell me to go to the river because I can see my friends, but I’m too scared to go there by myself at night.”
This confession sparked an echo of similar tales.
“They tell me that if I go to the river, I can see daddy again.”
“My grandma’s at the river, too!”
A shiver ran down Shoto’s spine. The children were being targeted—lured by the promises of fated meetings with their lost loved ones. How thankful he was that they had enough fear in them to never fall victim.
The rest of the questions were answered easily, though no new information was offered. Shoto didn’t mind, however. He knew where he needed to go next.
“I’m starting to believe that this isn’t just one demon,” Shoto said, kicking one of the rocks from the riverbank. He peered out into the calm waters of the river, brows furrowed. “Even if it is just one, I’m not so sure they’ve arrived without company.”
Shoto knelt down beside the river and he peered down into the waters, wishing that his mana could allow him to see through to the bottom. Could the river floor contain torn limbs and rotting corpses, flesh and bone picked apart from the scavengers? Have they been washed away to further towns, forever out of reach? Shoto dipped his fingers in, watching as the muggy water skirted through them. He suddenly clenched his fist tight and cursed, kicking more rocks into the river once he stood.
“It’s frustrating!” He exclaimed. “And infuriating and annoying and every other damn word in the book.” He turned around to face his helpless guide, who had no choice but to be subjected to the fury. “I’m no stranger to a demon’s greed, but what is there to benefit from the taking of a child? What is with the senseless slaughter of someone who doesn’t know any better, hm?!” Shoto stared up at Vox, chest rising and falling with his heavy breaths. “You know, I think about yesterday—how you explained your outlook on the Voice Demon and offered your pitiful attempt at giving him any bit of humanity.” He opened his mouth, wanting to shout all the years worth of frustrations he’s had piling up, but all he could muster was a bitter laugh. “In some ways, I hope he was like you or I. Because then I can at least relish in the thought that his final seconds were filled with nothing but regret.”
Shoto looked back out at the river.
“When I find the monster, mark my words: their death will be a public display, hung by their own damned entrails.”
Shoto half expected Vox to respond with a snarky quip or some comment about how he was behaving no better than a rabid monster himself. But the man said nothing of the sort.
“You feel this way because of your friend. The one from your village.”
This fact had never been a secret. But hearing others speak of him out loud, no matter how vague of a mentioning, left a sour taste in Shoto’s mouth.
“Him and everyone else back home,” Shoto agreed. He reached back and slowly pulled out the dagger from its sheath. “But while I still have remnants of him to carry with me, everyone else has been lost.” The reflection against the blade was growing blurry with the way Shoto’s frustrated tears were beginning to form. “It’s why the oath I’ve taken means more to me than any promise I’ve ever made and will later make.”
A step. Then another. And soon, Vox stood by Shoto’s side. Like the child from the playground, Vox placed his hand atop Shoto’s head and ruffled his hair.
“You’re a good kid,” He said, allowing Shoto to sniffle as much as he wanted. “Despite the hard times I’ve given you today, I admire your passion. I never was one to get along with those that give up on their ideals so easily.” He smiled some to himself and said with a bit more pep to his voice, “Care to make a promise with me right now?”
“Hm?” Shoto held tight onto his blade as he looked up at Vox, appearing like any other snotty child.
“Let’s make a promise, you and I.” Vox met his gaze before reaching down to catch a stray tear falling down his cheek. “No matter the difficult positions you’re put in or the opposition you may feel in your heart whilst doing your job, promise me—that no matter how hard it might be, stick to your ideals. Even if it hurts, stay true to who you are.”
That moment was indescribable. Vox stood beside him not only as a welcomed friend, nor as a necessary guide, but as an understanding equal. The way with which Vox wiped away his tears and spoke of these vows—it felt all too familiar.
Shoto sniffed one last time before returning the dagger to its sheath.
“I promise,” He said. “For me and him. And now, for you.”