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Fukuzawa was a lone, private bodyguard. He had worked for several people, crossing state to state, protecting his client. He did pretty well in his job.
This time, he had a job of being a bodyguard for someone important of a town. The town was in rural area, and his client only brought his two staff with him from an important meeting in downtown. They went by carriage, passing a forest near the town. The forest was pretty big, they just passed on the edge of the forest, not through the middle because it was a huge one and the possibility of being lost was pretty high. The journey was safe.
Along the journey, Fukuzawa's client told a story about a village that still had old traditions. That village was preserved well so some ancient, good cultures were still intact, not being influenced by foreigners. This town that his client resided in, the village's main town, had several talks and discussions with the village's high executives about some topics regarding their traditions, like human sacrifice. The village's old executives were skeptical about foreigners, including people from the town, so they always dismissed them. Several young people in the village had similar thoughts with the town about human sacrifice, but they couldn't disobey their elders.
Fukuzawa's job was done safely and he was dismissed. His client offered to take him on a carriage back to the downtown but Fukuzawa declined politely, saying that his client was already so kind in providing a place to stay and meals to eat along the journey. So the client supplied Fukuzawa with some food and water for his journey, and a horse. He said that the horse could go back to the town on his own. Fukuzawa agreed.
He started his journey home in daylight. It was a bright blue sky with several clouds scattered around. But, when he went to the edge of the forest, the path he previously took with the client, the sky was dark and cloudy and it's almost raining. He dismounted from the horse to give the animal some water. There was a sudden thunder that startled the horse, which made the horse run away suddenly. So Fukuzawa was left alone, and he tried to continue to walk out of the forest, but the gloomy weather blurred his direction.
The rain fell and quickly turned into a storm with wind. Fukuzawa walked faster in the hope of finding shelter, only to find someone sitting on a mound, a stylized mound with several fruits and branches around making a big circle and...the place looked like a sacrifice altar. And that someone looked like a small boy with thin clothes, and he was soaked, really soaked.
Fukuzawa hoped that he was just a lost child and not a human sacrifice.
There was this grumbling sound from inside the forest, like the growl of a beast, then it was revealed that the sound was from a big deer-like creature with the head of a lion, its fore legs like eagles and the hind legs like cheetahs. Fukuzawa rarely faced animals, especially the big ones, but he knew that the beast would snatch and swallow the kid alive, seeing how the beast already opened his mouth and the fangs --all of the beast's teeth were fangs-- and the kid's size was only half of the beast's widened mouth. The beast would kill the kid instantly.
Mostly working on instinct, Fukuzawa cut the beast's mouth into two pieces, killing it. He then shook the kid's shoulder.
"Hey, kid!! Are you okay?!"
The kid was startled, like he was in a trance before, then his previously unfocused eyes searched Fukuzawa's. After some light returned to the kid's eyes, he started to wail and grabbed the older man’s clothes tightly. Fukuzawa then carried him to a cave nearby.
The kid only pulled his knees onto his chest and sobbed. Fukuzawa squeezed his haori out of the water then covered the kid with it, hoping that it would help warm the kid. He seemed like a teen boy, dressed in a piece of thin tunic and some accessories. He really dressed like a human sacrifice, and that made Fukuzawa shiver.
After the kid calmed down, Fukuzawa offered his water and food, that the kid snatched it and drank greedily. This kid is dehydrated and scrawny.
"What should I do now...I'll get into trouble," the kid hiccuped.
"What do you mean by that?" Fukuzawa tried to slowly talk to this kid, while stroking his hair to calm him.
"I'm...was meant to be a sacrifice for our village's god. One of the dying elders said that our village is attacked by a curse and a human sacrifice will cleanse it. Then he died. I was chosen," Ranpo explained while still huddling in Fukuzawa's embrace for more warmth, "they said the sacrifice must be under 15 years old. There are several kids of my age, or younger, but the elders said it should be me. I was specifically chosen. Well, I don't really mind, though, I live alone, my parents have gone, and I have no one else, so maybe this will be my way out of this world full of monsters I don't understand."
Fukuzawa was stunned by what this kid said. It sounded like a sad tragedy story in one of his novels, and to realize that the tragedy really happened in this kid's life, and to hear that the kid already gave up on his life at this early age, he didn't--
"It's so stupid anyway. Who really believes in curses? They have an infectious disease and all they need is to reach the town for cure and medications! I already said this several times! I already said this when my parents were dying and they still didn't listen--" Ranpo wiped his snots, "and my parents left me alone! In that crowded village with a bunch of people I don't understand! Still, the elders talked nonsense and nonsense and they came into this absurd conclusion that this curse could be cleansed by a human sacrifice."
Fukuzawa froze upon hearing that.
"But now you saved me. I'll have to go back to the forest, though," the kid calmed down, and smirked a little, "oh wait, but you have killed it. What should I do now?" He buried his head against Fukuzawa's chest again.
Ranpo might not have the best attitude, blabbering away like he's not about to be consumed by a beast several moments ago, but knowing that some adults --older adults-- had the audacity to leave a kid in the middle of the forest alone, caught in a storm, waiting for his life to be ended by a mere big...animal, made Fukuzawa's blood boil.
"Kid, what's your name?" Fukuzawa released the embrace to look at the kid's face.
"Ranpo. Edogawa Ranpo," from this view, Fukuzawa could see how the kid's collar bones protruding clearly, a sign that this kid must be underweight.
Fukuzawa was not the one to care about other's cultural or political problems, but he couldn't just give Ranpo back to his murderers. And Ranpo clearly needed several foods and a change of clothes. So Fukuzawa brought Ranpo to the town.
"I'm Fukuzawa Yukichi. I'll take you to the town and take care of you," Fukuzawa said with determined eyes, but turning soft when he looked at gleaming Ranpo.
"Are you serious? Yay!" Ranpo beamed and clung onto Fukuzawa's arm tightly.
They went into the town after the storm passed. Ranpo hid and clung tighter at Fukuzawa's hip while they're passing the dead beast. Fukuzawa kept walking and covered the hunching Ranpo with his sleeve, holding his shoulder to ensure that he's there to protect him.
Fukuzawa got into an inn, ordered some food for the kid, and bought some clothes. Ranpo was so happy that he now looked like a cheerful child of his age. This causes a strange, warm feeling growing inside Fukuzawa's chest, but he welcomed it.
Fukuzawa met with his previous client and talked about Ranpo's village condition. He asked if he could talk to the village about this human sacrifice and about the probable illness the village contracting so the town could bring the precise cure and medications.
Long story short, Fukuzawa and the town's representatives managed to talk with the village's executives. Their village was attacked by a curable yet contagious disease. After the town brought their doctors and nurses to cure the disease by building a temporary hospital and giving some shots and vaccines, the whole village was cured. The village's elders were all already dead, and the last elder was the one suggesting Ranpo as the human sacrifice. So, the new head of the village agreed to stop some horrifying culture, including human sacrifice, and agreed to open the village more to good influences, to have a good relationship with the town's representative, and still able to preserve their several important cultures.
Fukuzawa was hesitant to give Ranpo back to his village. But Ranpo said that he didn't want to leave his savior.
"You said you would take care of me!" Ranpo said, with tears welling in his eyes and his eyes were so round, so big, and glassy, "or was that just a lie?"
"No, Ranpo," Fukuzawa pulled Ranpo into a hug, and patted his head, "of course I will always take care of you."
And Ranpo gripped Fukuzawa's clothes firmly like he's afraid the older man would leave him.
The head of the village said to Fukuzawa previously that Ranpo was better if he went with Fukuzawa. Not because the head of the village resented Ranpo's action, but because he's not sure about the villagers accepting Ranpo, or Ranpo accepting the villagers.
So, Fukuzawa continued his life journey with Ranpo glued to his side. Until now.
------------Omake------------------------
The day after they came into Fukuzawa's house, after a nice breakfast and bath, Ranpo told Fukuzawa some serious and surprising things.
"Fukuzawa-san, I am so thankful that you saved me."
"Hm."
"So to pay for your kindness, I am offering my body for you to use."
"????!!!??!?" Fukuzawa jumped a little, blushing red. Ranpo got closer to Fukuzawa's face.
"Please use my body as you wish. I might be smaller than you but I will try to give you the pleasure you deserve."
Fukuzawa's blush got deeper red and he stuttered, "w-wh--" where does this kid get the idea from??!??
"Fukuzawa-san, I love you."
Fukuzawa froze, and a moment of silence filled the room. After gaining his composure, he made the kid sit down properly and cleared his throat.
"Ranpo, you're still young."
Ranpo was silent, with a look at fukuzawa like 'duh I know'.
"And you still have a long way to go in your life."
"So what's your point, I'm getting bored."
Ranpo didn't get bored, he got impatient.
"I mean, you might find someone to whom your heart desires."
"But I want you."
Fukuzawa cleared his throat again.
"I mean, it might be temporary, and understandable since I was the one who saved you. But try to look around for a longer time, and later, you will find your heart's true desire."
"But you're the one I desire."
"In conclusion!" Fukuzawa sighed and rubbed his temple, because no matter how much he tried to talk to Ranpo about it, the kid would just go back to square one.
"In conclusion, wait until you're 20 years old, then you can say those words again to your true sweetheart."
"Even though it's you?"
"Even though it's me, yes."
That time, Fukuzawa thought that Ranpo must have found someone whom his heart desires most, someone more fit to him and will make him happy, and protect him. That time, Fukuzawa thought that person wasn't him, that Ranpo would grow out his feelings to him and fall out of love.
No one can tell the future. But if you ask the writer of this fic, there is an answer. Ranpo doesn't move on from Fukuzawa. Instead, his feelings grow stronger everyday like a strong tree. And Ranpo keeps his promise to confess to Fukuzawa again at his 20th birthday. And that time, Fukuzawa says it back.