#LOL Yone x reader

[prime-adeptus]

ONE LOVE, ONE LIFETIME – YONE X READER

“Well, if you decide to come back here one day,” you said, reaching for his hand. Your skin felt warm against his own. “Just know that I’ll be here waiting for you.” Or, the one where Yone fell first.

CONTENT.⠀female reader; romance, light angst and hurt/comfort, family issues, elitism in the family (yeah), Asshole Father bc I have problems, family member death, very heavily implied that MC was an accident baby, talks about death and the afterlife on yone's end, brief talks of arranged marriage, allusions to misogyny. + Spirit Blossom AU with some changes to fit the narrative. ~11k words

NOTES.⠀I wanted to finish this before I start properly using the break so woe ~20 pages be upon ye. I've had this in my drafts for ages and it took longer than I would've liked but! we made it! this is a gift for my beloved @kakujis, a dear friend and my Shimada Liker in Arms. <3 I hope you enjoy!!

divider by cafekitsune | cross-posted on ao3

Pride and honour stood above all else.

Such a lesson was established in your clan from the moment of its founding, forging ahead generations of noble swordsmen who have never strayed from their paths. Every child born into the family is bound to duty, raised and trained by the elite until they are seen as ready for the battles ahead of them. Pride flowed in your veins and you were taught to believe that what you bleed is your negligence. Honour is engraved in your bones, down to the marrow—strong as the seas, and immovable as the mountains.

Every child of your family knows this by heart, including you, the broken one. The odd one out. The blemish on what would otherwise be a pristine reputation.

Born without the same mana or prowess that all of your brothers possessed, you were deemed a flawed child undeserving of the honour of your family name. Fate restricted you from following the path you wished to take as soon as they decided on where your life began. How was it fair at all to put such a heavy burden on a child’s shoulders? On someone who hadn’t opened their eyes for the first time yet?

You craved to learn the ways of a warrior, to be someone the younger generation could trust and look up to. Instead, you were scorned in your own home by a family that was hellbent on upholding tradition and their position among the elite. All because you were born differently. Anything said about you was always done in contempt, especially from your own flesh and blood—your father, your brothers, and your sisters.

‘You are not my child.’ It was your father’s way of saying he didn’t want himself or his beloved sons associated with you, his flesh and blood. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. So long as he and the oh-so-esteemed council were alive, you would never be seen as a part of the family. So long as he continued to breathe, he would look down on you as much as he could. And yet, even though he so explicitly despised you, you still did everything you could so you could be worth his time.

A fruitless endeavour. He held your weakness over your head, his glare a constant reminder of how he’d always see you as a failure. You would never be enough. You wanted to leave, but where would you go? Without your family name, you had nothing. With your name, all you were was a bastard. You were bound to a home that didn’t welcome you.

‘You are not my child.’ You didn’t want to be.

You wished you had the chance to meet your mother. She abandoned you on the doorstep, they would say whenever you asked about her, your father saved you. It wasn’t until years later that you learned the truth. She never abandoned you—she was threatened, forbidden from stepping foot inside the mansion again. You used to wish she had fought more and taken you with her, but the more you grew, the more you understood. Whatever fury you harboured towards her dwindled like a flame dying on its own.

She didn’t have a choice. You knew firsthand what that felt like. Everything the elders said was law; within these walls, there was no going against them. They saw her as disposable, a lowly commoner who just happened to earn the affection of a nobleman for a night. And dispose of her they did. As the midwife took you away, your mother was sent off to another city in a carriage that never returned. No one spoke of her again. Whether it was by command or a collective agreement, you weren’t sure.

There were times when her name would come up in hushed whispers. Some of them were from your father. You remember being six years old and listening to your father’s drunk mumbling. With a hand on your head, he told you that you looked just like your mother. It was the gentlest he’d ever been with you. But when the inebriation left his system the next morning, your loving father was gone, and the patriarch was back.

His soft tone became harsh once again. His eyes burned with hatred. It was as if everything was just a dream. It might as well have been. You chalked it up to him having a bad day, just like yesterday and the day before that. Surely he’d be kind to you again if he drank.

He wasn’t.

And as if taking your mother away wasn’t already enough of a mockery, you were constantly reminded that this was not your home. That you were here because you belonged to the clan. You’ve always been. You were already their property from the moment you inhaled your first breath.

Your life was theirs, but even that wasn’t enough.

(You don’t think you’ll ever be.)

A child in a loveless family. Your father thought it wasn’t worth trying to train you, having decided that you were beyond help. Your brothers didn’t see you as someone they had to protect. Your sisters didn’t want to be seen with you. All you had were your grandparents.

With them, you were treated as family. It didn’t matter to them that you didn’t have what your siblings did. They loved you.

You spent mornings in the apothecary room with your grandmother, learning all about herbs and medicine from all around the world. In the afternoon, you’d spend time training with your grandfather in the dojo and listening to his stories of ages past. Then, every evening, you’d spend time with both of them at the temple that they cared for. All of your best memories were made there. When your grandparents inevitably passed, you didn’t hesitate to pick up from where they left off.

Your volunteering to maintain its upkeep seemed to satisfy the elders enough. At least you’ll be useful in something, your father said without batting an eye. You liked to think you’d become numb to all the jabs thrown your way, but you were wrong.

The temple was your getaway, somewhere you could hide from the world and feel more at home than you did in the estate. The smell of flowers and herbs inside the temple, alongside the sight of the sunrise or sunset, never failed to lull you into a state of tranquillity. The voices you’d hear from around you weren’t those of disappointment, but those of birds chirping in a joyous tune. It was the only place you’ll ever feel at peace in. Seeing the names of your grandparents engraved on the stone slabs broke your heart whenever you walked by. You might not grieve any more, but you were still alone.

Ionian faith and tradition flowed in your veins. You were taught about grace by your grandmother and what it meant to be dignified, worthy of respect even without noteworthy achievements. Your grandfather taught you strength and combat so you could protect yourself and others from monsters, both human and unknown. You wouldn’t have gotten the chance to learn the blade elsewhere. He was more than enthusiastic to pass on his knowledge to you. He’d grown weak with age, he said, but you’ve always thought he was the greatest swordsman you know. Aside from the temple, the dojo was where you felt the happiest, but as always, good things never lasted long for you.

In your world, secrets were nearly impossible to have. Spies and traitors lurked in the walls, engraving every decision you made and every word you spoke into their memory. It didn’t take long for your father to find out about the lessons his father had been giving you. In fury, he forbade you from entering the dojo or holding a weapon again and told you that you didn’t deserve to carry on his father’s legacy. Forced to leave behind your passion and descend into monotony, the art of the blade eventually left your mind. Had you just fought back—

No. Not everything was under your control. As long as you were in your father’s home, he would continue to treat you however he liked. The cruel words will keep being said, behind your back and to your face, but you won’t give them the satisfaction. You swore not to let anyone see you at your weakest again. You hated the name that you bear, but you would honour it the way you were taught to. The world might be against you, but there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. Staying hopeful in a place like Ionia was all you could do.

Dawn always comes after dusk. The sun always rises for a new day. You didn’t see why it should be any different for you.

—

Your days got busier as the Spirit Blossom festival approached.

More and more people came to honour their loved ones every day, praying and making offerings to their ancestors for protection. You weren’t sure if you ever attended the festival yourself. You knew of the legends and stories behind it, of its reasons and purposes, but you had only been a bystander. You couldn’t see spirits even if you wanted to anyway, you thought bitterly, so there wasn’t a way for you to see your grandparents again.

‘In the Spirit Blossom festival, the dead reunite with their loved ones until the afterlife calls for them again.’

Whether or not it was possible to see said spirits, it was still hard to ignore the longing in your heart. The cycle of life and death was not unknown (you were more familiar with it than you’d like) but you didn’t think anyone could ever get used to it. You loved deeply, and when the ones you love are taken away from you, you’re left alone with yourself. You weren’t a stranger to partaking in as many tasks as possible to stop needlessly thinking, either. You spent your entire morning doing chores and running errands for this reason. You needed to keep yourself busy so you could drift away just for a little while.

With all of your tasks completed, you had nothing left to do. Leaves were swept into neat piles that the farmers always came to pick up later per routine. It took longer than you would’ve liked, though you supposed it was bound to happen when the workload wasn’t meant for one person, but two. The other shrine maiden had an ‘urgent matter to attend to,’ as her messenger informed you and left. You knew right away she paid him to cover for her. You’d like to think you mellowed out with age, having lived for almost three decades, but you were wrong. You were just as easy to irk as you were as a child.

‘It’s not a good thing to harbour negativity in a sacred place,’ your grandmother’s voice rang in your head, ‘it brings bad luck.’ But there you stood, the most irate you’ve ever been as you wished a terrible week upon the both of them.

Thanks to the tedious work done in all your lonesome, the tile flooring within the temple was spotless. The altar was dusted and reorganised, ready to accept the next batch of offerings. The place smelled more like soap than the usual floral incense you were used to. On any other day, you’d return to your quarters after such a productive time, maybe read a book before you go to sleep, but nature had other plans in store.

The wind howled and rain started to pitter-patter against the rooftop while the sun began its descent. Silhouettes of nature and man-made structures were the only company you had as you made your way back into the prayer room. Away from the rain, you idly watched the world go by from inside. You remembered your grandfather telling you about his battles in a storm and how tumultuous it had been. The retellings of his past exploits were your favourite stories to listen to in your childhood. He travelled through the lands and protected those he held dear with honour. He lived a life of pride and accomplishments that you wanted to have in yours. You still did.

A singular incense stick burnt in the centre of the bowl of ash and sand, its smoke disappearing into the air as it did so. The air grew colder as the sun set, painting the sky in warm hues and your skin in gooseflesh. The storm outside threatened to extinguish the flames within the lantern posts outside. Your uniform robe and long skirt, despite its many layers and the fabric, didn’t aid much in shielding you from the cold. A shiver ran down your spine from the sudden drop in temperature.

If you were asked what you disliked about this time of the year, you would say the weather’s unpredictability as the veil was lifted. The day started pleasantly; the sun was bright and the spring breeze was refreshing. There was no way you could’ve known that there would be a storm approaching.

The doors slammed shut with a loud bang, making you jump in fright and instinctively reach for a sword you no longer owned. You frowned. Years had passed since you last held a weapon, and you weren’t sure if your body had any memory of it at all. If danger were to actually happen, your only means of defence would be the old wooden broom in the corner, which you doubted made for a good weapon. Still, you found yourself keeping it close, your fingers curling tightly around the handle. It was better to be safe than sorry. You were fortunate enough to live in a densely populated area that was well protected, but as typical of an Ionian village, worse things awaited after sunset.

You were a cautious person for as long as you could remember. As optimistic as you tried to be, you weren’t exactly so convinced that there was such a thing as a safe haven. So long as peace exists, so will chaos, and with chaos comes things that are out of your control. You were taught to let things progress the way fate and nature intended them to, to let go of your anxieties because you always worried over ‘nothing.’

But that was easier said than done. You worried for a reason. Everything happens for a reason. Fate weaves the threads of life the way it wants to. The strong are led to lives of fame and power, and the blessed are led to lives of love and fortune. But you weren’t strong or blessed, you were cursed. If the Creator put you on earth for a reason, what is it? What path does fate want you to take, and what did you do in your past life to be put in such a suffocating position?

The anxiety at the pit of your stomach grew stronger the longer you observed the forest and the shadows in between. In the daylight, the temple was comforting and tranquil, picturesque, but it hadn’t occurred to you until then how daunting it was in the dark. It was a quiet night, eerily so, and the floorboards creaked beneath your feet as you padded into the prayer area. Tentatively, you placed the broom down and knelt before the statues of the gods you worshipped. The incense burnt itself down to the base, gradually putting out the flame on its own.

‘If you are afraid, pray. The gods will protect you.’

You weren’t a child anymore. Monsters only existed in stories—there was nothing to be afraid of. But the feeling persisted and it became worse as the door swung open and slammed against the wall. You heard something breathing.

It wasn’t the wind.

A low growl rumbled from the chest of whatever was stalking towards you. An animal of some sort. A predator. Your mind screamed at you to just run, but you were terrified, you couldn’t move and your body just wouldn't listen—

It drew closer.

You were going to die, ripped apart by a monster, and it was going to hurt more than anything ever had. Squeezing your eyes shut, you muttered a prayer under your breath in hopes that it would help. Maybe it was a spirit that couldn’t pass on. If you prayed for it, you could alleviate its pain and then be left alone. You were frantic, the words coming out incoherent as you got tongue-tied and struggled to remember the rest of them. When you felt it breathing down the back of your neck, your voice died in a choked whine. It watched you with hunger and it raised its claws with murderous intent, ready to slash.

It never did.

Instead, you heard the gargling of blood, followed by a clatter on the floor. Your body finally listened and you turned around to see what you could only describe as a demon. The glow in its mask’s eyes dimmed as it died with a sword speared through its chest, inches away from your face. In terror, you watched it bleed as the crimson splattered on your skin. It crumbled into dust as if it was never there. Just like that, it was dead and gone.

The mask dropped where your saviour stood. Wordlessly, he picked it up and attached it to a grotesque belt adorned with similar faces. All you could do was watch as everything slowly sank in. The downpour became louder, heavier. Your ears rang and your body felt numb. The only sound you heard was your ragged breathing as you tried to calm down and think. This must be a nightmare. It had to be. It had to be a hallucination from your paranoia and lack of sleep.

You closed your eyes and opened them again. The man was still standing in front of you.

You weren’t dreaming.

It was all real, from the blood splattered on the ground to the man in front of you. Half of his face was covered by a red mask, more menacing than what the monster had worn. Bandages were loosely wrapped around his torso and his arms, revealing some of his pale skin and scars from what could only be combat.

You weren’t dreaming.

A monster you had never seen tried to kill you and you were lucky enough that this man came to save your life. It felt as though your mind stopped entirely. You didn’t know where to start. Were you supposed to ask about the monster or ask about him?

You decided on the latter. “How did you know it was here?”

A beat of silence passed, and then he spoke.

“It is my curse to bear.”

That didn’t really answer your question. You attempted to ask again, but one glance at his face made you realise that he didn’t care about answering them. It was essentially impossible to tell what he was thinking and you’d rather not agitate someone as intimidating as him.

“Thank you,” you opted to say instead.

Your gaze landed on the swords in his hands. Blood was still dripping off of the red blade that seemed to be glowing. If his mask was menacing, his blades were worse—you had never seen anything quite like them.

He didn’t respond. All he gave you was a nearly imperceptible nod, a sign of acknowledgement. Seemingly satisfied with his kill, he made the move to leave, and your thoughts ran rampant. You wanted answers, an explanation, anything to make sense out of what happened.

You should let him go. You should run home before you encounter another one of those things again when you’re not as lucky, but you didn’t.

“Wait!” you called out, louder than you intended. “Teach me how to fight.”

He stopped in his tracks, then slightly looked back at you. The action had you fidgeting nervously. There was a gut feeling that he was going to say—

“No.”

You needed him to teach you. He was strong. He knew what those things were and how to kill them. He could help you. If that thing could come in here so easily, undeterred by the protective runes and wards placed around the temple, another could do it again. You couldn’t afford to let this place get destroyed because of your inability to defend it. You needed to protect your grandparents’ memory, a small sliver of their legacy that you were allowed to touch. You had to.

The chance was falling out of your hands right in front of you. Your confidence wavered, but you tried again. “I… I’ll pay you. Just name your price.”

“Money has no value to me.”

“Please?” Your voice was quieter, more hesitant. “This place, it’s… It’s all I have left. I need to protect it.”

“I can’t,” he said. “I have a duty I must fulfil.”

“Please—wait!”

This time, he didn’t spare you another glance as he walked off into the night, leaving you afraid and alone with the monster’s blood still on your skin.

—

No matter how many years passed, Yone’s hands would always be stained in blood.

The village was different from what he remembered. He knew of it when it was in flames and scattered with bodies of the brave. With what little time it had after the war, the village has been rebuilt from the disaster that the Noxians left behind. It was stronger, safer, liberated from their clutches. More swordsmen and warriors were patrolling the area, all bearing the crest of the clan that owned the village itself.

That didn’t. The clan of where men were raised to be elite warriors and women were raised to be the most adept of mages, known for their noble blood and valiance. Their estate was fortified and bigger than it used to be, looming over the smaller houses that unsurprisingly didn’t get as much protection. What seemed to be the most protected, though, was the temple. It was known to be a sanctuary to the villagers and the most important value to them was faith. Seeing said sanctuary well-protected wasn’t a shock. It was always that way.

As a child, he used to visit the temple on particularly rough days. Sometimes, his brother would come along, and they’d go find the master swordsman who took care of it with his wife, the shrine maiden. His brother in particular enjoyed hearing all about the swordsman’s stories, inspired by his strength and bravery that remained well into his older years. His wife was stern but motherly to all, more doting towards children than adults.

They weren’t like the rest of the clan who looked down on the weak; they loved. They loved their home, they loved their fellow men, and they loved the world. The people loved them, too. He loved them, just like they loved this sanctuary they built.

Yone stepped into the courtyard. Though it was past sunset, he could see that the place was much greener. More flowers had grown since then and the spring was well-maintained. He thought that the temple remained the most welcoming place he ever found himself in. It was clear that whoever was taking care of this place did it with the same love that the elderly couple had. He spotted their names on the stone slabs written in gold. There wasn’t just one bouquet on their grave, but several. Well-loved even after death as they deserved.

As he approached the main building, he sensed it—danger lurking within, undoubtedly the work of a monster he was all too familiar with. The wooden doors were broken and splintered. Cautiously, he stepped inside. True to his suspicion, at the end of the hall was an azakana hunched over someone, its grotesque mass a stark contrast to the pristine state of the walls as it growled and breathed heavily. His swords glinted in the light of the moon as he drew them.

Yone’s kills were clean and precise. He didn’t need to destroy his surroundings to prove his strength, nor did he think that he was destructive to that extent. As disciplined in life, as disciplined in death, and even more so in between. His physiology was wholly different from what it had been when he was alive. His being alone defied life itself.

He felt weightless, numb yet still in full control of his body as he moved into the prayer room, his footsteps not making a single sound. He heard what sounded like crazed muttering from where the azakana stood, something akin to pleading or perhaps a prayer. The azakana raised its hand. Its talons grew longer and sharper, prepared to strike whoever it was hiding. Before it could, Yone pierced his blade through its heart, silently watching as it disintegrated back into nothing but ashes and dust on the ground.

“How did you know it was here?” you asked, still struggling to catch your breath.

He was silent for a while as he picked up the mask it left behind and pinned it to his belt as proof of yet another successful hunt. You were staring up at him with teary eyes, still shaken from being so close to death’s grasp. He didn’t want to alarm you—he knew he looked ghastly—but you were obviously different from what he was. You were alive, vulnerable, and from the way you quivered like a leaf, you had never encountered one of those things before.

“It is my curse to bear,” he replied smoothly. A practised response, one that he hoped would be all you asked for. Yone knew it didn’t answer your question. As if you had more questions—you most likely did; he didn’t blame you for that—you parted your lips to speak, but no words came out.

Slightly defeated, you exhaled and gave him a small smile. “Thank you.”

Yone glanced at you. Your face felt familiar to him like you were an old friend he hadn’t seen in years. You must be related to the previous caretakers somehow. The resemblance you had with them was striking. The way you spoke was timid, unlike the boisterous master swordsman or the confident shrine maiden. It didn’t bother him. If he was like you, defenceless in your position, he would’ve acted the same way. You seemed to be calming down with each breath you took, making him relax just the slightest. You weren’t harmed.

Aside from the azakana’s blood, tonight, his hands were clean, and he wouldn’t need to repent.

He decided to leave. There was no reason why he should stay for any longer. The sooner he could find the other stray malevolent spirits, the safer his childhood home would be. Things like him didn’t have the privilege of resting. He didn’t need it. Before he made it past the door, you called out for him, forcing him to stop in his tracks.

“Teach me how to fight.”

He didn’t hesitate. “No.”

“I… I’ll pay you. Just name your price.”

You looked less and less confident with each passing second. Dealing with stubborn people wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for him. He grew up with Yasuo—he was more than used to it. He pursed his lips.

“Money has no value to me.”

“Please.” Yone should’ve been out for the next hunt by now, but there was something in your voice that kept him staying where he was. “This place, it’s… It’s all I have left. I need to protect it.”

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help you. He wanted to protect what he could too. It just… wasn’t for him. He thought you’d be better off learning from a master. Surely you could go to the dojo that your clan owned?

“I can’t,” he replied, realising that he had left you hanging. “I have a duty I must fulfil.”

He didn’t look back this time. The cold air of the night greeted him as he stepped out and put his swords back in their sheaths. The rain washed away the blood and its remnants on the stones beneath his feet. The skies seemed to be clearer than they were earlier. The moon and stars glowed brightly in the darkness, illuminating the paths before him. There was a nagging feeling in his chest that he hadn’t felt in a very long time. Something was off—were there more azakana hiding in the area? He decided he’d patrol the forest one more time before moving on elsewhere.

He left without a trace, just like a ghost like him always did.

—

You started to carry a dagger with you wherever you went.

It wasn’t a naginata or ootachi like you were trained to use, but it made you feel safer to have something you can defend yourself with. Thankfully, the temple wasn’t damaged too badly, though it would still take some time to repair. One of the older mages dropped by and offered to cast a protective seal, which you gladly accepted.

“Miss?” you asked, fidgeting nervously as she finished up her work.

She hummed. “Yes, dear?”

“Is the… The veil, is it already open?”

“It should be by now.” She contemplated for a bit. “I will say, it wasn’t this disastrous last year… I assume it’s because the magical energy is stronger this time around. Don’t worry, dear—nature will have adapted to it by now.”

“I see. Thank you,” you chirped. “I’m more worried about the temple getting attacked or broken than anything… I can’t see spirits the same way you can. I won’t be able to protect myself.”

“The seal will keep out malevolent entities.” She placed a comforting hand on your shoulder. Then she lowered her voice as if she was worried someone would hear her. “Was this really done by the storm? I could feel something strange in the air when I came here.”

You hesitantly shook your head. “There was a monster. It broke in and some—something else killed it.”

“What did it look like?”

“I was too scared to look,” you said apologetically, “but it was wearing a mask.”

“A mask?”

“It looked like a demon. The same ones in stories I used to read as a child.”

The mage frowned. “We’ll need a stronger seal than the one I put here, then.”

“Do you know what they are?”

“They’re called azakana. They are demons,” she explained. “You’re really lucky to have made it out alive. Those creatures are ruthless. They’ll stop at nothing.”

Azakana. You didn’t think you heard of them. You weren’t allowed in the magic library. Your grandparents didn’t like going into detail about the unknown, said it was just hearsay. You never got to explore the world the same way they did. All you knew in your entire life was the estate. You contemplated sneaking into the library to learn about everything that was kept from you, but there were bigger matters at hand.

“How do I stop them?”

“You kill them before they kill you,” she answered wryly. “I’ll do all I can to help keep the temple safe, but I can’t guarantee your protection.”

You had a busy afternoon ahead of you—more errands to run, more favours to do—so you couldn’t stay for long. With a polite goodbye, you went your own way, her words echoing in your mind all the while. You’d have to retrace your steps and learn to fight by yourself. The thought of how ridiculous you’d look training alone made you grimace. But she was right; it was kill or be killed. You wouldn’t always be as fortunate as you were a few days prior.

You idly swung the empty basket in your hand as you walked through the estate. The gardens look much better now. The hedges were trimmed, wilted flowers were removed, and the pond was clear. You couldn’t believe a storm just happened. The weather seemed to have settled for good, too. It was a warm and sunny day, the perfect weather for you to collect herbs and flowers for the village apothecary. She had become more frail with age, and considering her station isn’t too far from the temple, you offered to do the job for her. In your pocket was a written list of what she needed. It was nothing too difficult to find.

You were about to leave until you heard your name coming from someone in the meeting room. The doors were closed, but the walls were thin enough for you to be able to hear through them.

“—a leftover person,” a voice said—you recognised it as your uncle’s. “Past the age of marriage, but it could still be an option.”

Your heart dropped. You hid behind a wall, your fists clenched tightly around the handle of the basket as you tried to calm down and stay quiet lest you get caught eavesdropping.

Another voice chimed in. “—offspring would be cursed as well. Are you sure you don’t want to set up an arranged marriage? It’s been years—”

“Being constantly reminded of a mistake I made nearly thirty years ago is quite irritating, councillor,” came the unmistakable haughty voice of your father. “I said no. I refuse to tarnish our family name.”

You should be used to this. The cruel words, the hatred, the anger, but you can’t, no matter how much you’ve tried. It’s not as if you’re unaware of your power or lack thereof. It’s been said to you time and time again: you were weak, you were nothing.

“—what about training? It could help with getting started,” a feminine voice added. You weren’t surprised that she was the only one who was less harsh with her words talking about you so far. She of all people would know how you felt.

“Out of the question,” your father replied snidely. “Our mages and swordsmen are all pure-blooded. The bastard doesn’t deserve the honour of being one of them.”

Their words slipped through your ears. You were no longer listening; instead, you bit down on your lip and tried to hold back tears. How could someone hate their flesh and blood so much? How could he take everything away from you so easily? Not caring that they would hear you, you stormed out the gates while harshly wiping away your tears with your hands. Knowing them, they probably wanted you to.

You ran and pushed past strangers, unbothered by the concerned and irritated looks you were given. You ran until you found yourself deep in the forest, far enough so you could be left alone. Everything you tried to hold back then burst. You wailed, nails digging into your skin and your body wracked with sobs. The sound of water flowing down the stream slowly but surely calmed you down. The sobs eventually became quiet sniffles until they stopped entirely. Your tears dried on their own and you could finally breathe again.

Looking up from your hands, your gaze drifted to a fawn across the river. It lovingly nudged its mother with its head, stumbled a bit as it tried to keep up with her pace. The sight warmed your heart. It was always nice to see beings, human or animal, be gentle to one another. You hoped to be in that position someday.

A twig snapped behind you. Alarmed, you reflexively grabbed your dagger and whipped around, but the threat you were going to say died on your tongue when you saw who it was. The masked man—the one who saved you from the azakana—stood before you, huffing at you as if he found something funny.

“I’m not here to hurt you.”

You glowered at him with furrowed brows before hesitantly relaxing, putting the dagger back in its sheath. “What are you doing here?”

“The dojo.”

“What?”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Did you not ask me to teach you how to fight?”

“I did, but…”

You bit the inside of your cheek. It was kind of him to seek you out again to tell you this, but you weren’t sure how you felt. Part of you wanted to say yes, to learn to protect yourself and others. The bigger part of you already felt defeated. You could only be tough for so long before you started to break.

“Thank you for reconsidering,” you said. You meant it. “But I’m not allowed there.”

“Not allowed?”

“My father is quite a stickler for the rules.” You chuckled humorlessly. “Only his sons are allowed in that dojo. The ones with noble blood, not the bastards. Take a guess where I fall between those two.”

He mulled over your words for a bit. Then he said, “Tell me your preferred weapon.”

You blinked dumbly. “Huh?”

“Your stance. It doesn’t belong to someone who uses a dagger.”

You supposed it made sense for someone like him to know something that even you didn’t notice. Awkward as he might be, it was evident that he was passionate about what he knew. A man of honour and discipline, a dual wielder with effortless lethality. You wondered how someone like him wasn’t revered and well-known the same way that the bladesman from Wuju and the blade dancer of Navori were. You broke the silence with a noise of disbelief. How strange, indeed.

“My grandfather thought I was best suited for a naginata, so that’s what he trained me in as a child,” you told him. “I don’t think I remember anything, though. It’s been a very long time.”

“You do,” he cut in. “No one forgets the art of the blade. Your mind may not remember, but your body does.”

“That’s very kind of you to say… Thank you,” you responded, smiling softly at him, “but what made you change your mind? I thought you had your… duty.”

“I do, but helping you can also be one of them,” he replied bluntly. “You have something you want to protect. As did I.”

You tried not to think too much about why he said it like that. It was not your place to pry, but you had always been a curious one. He must have lost something or someone along the way. For someone so stoic, he didn’t hide the regret in his tone well.

You glanced at him, deciding to end your train of thought before you slipped up and said something you regretted. “Are you sure you want nothing in return?”

“I only ask for your name.”

Heat rushed to your face. It was an incredibly mundane thing to ask for, normal for people who were getting to know each other to do. His forwardness caught you off guard, made you lose your balance for a moment. You cleared your throat and gave him your name, which he repeated quietly to himself.

He nodded at you. “My name is Yone.”

Yone grabbed a bamboo stick (where did he even get that from?) and tossed it your way, visibly pleased when you managed to catch it with ease.

“Well, then, let us begin.”

—

You developed a new routine since you started training with Yone.

In the morning, you took care of the temple, which you said was ‘good as new.’ In the afternoon, you helped the apothecary with preparing medicine. In the evening, when everyone went home, you trained by the riverside with Yone. Then, at night, he walked you home per your request.

For someone who was adamant that they forgot everything, you got familiar with the blades quite easily. You were a quick learner, he noticed. He didn’t understand why you thought so lowly of yourself. He didn’t understand how your family could hate someone like you. From first glance, he knew that you were kind. Stubborn, but a great listener. Thoughtful, quick-witted, and gentle even with those who didn’t treat you the same way.

It had taken a while, but you started to be more confident in yourself as well. You hesitated less. He could see you rising up the ranks in the dojo quickly; you just needed encouragement and practice. It didn’t make sense to him why your father was dead set on restricting you from everything.

No matter, Yone thought. His heart swelled with pride every time he saw you. You didn’t even seem to realise that you were nothing like your family said you were. As much as he wanted you to know that, he wasn’t good with words. On top of his unfamiliarity with comfort or praise, he also didn’t know where his relationship with you stood. You weren’t friends, you weren’t strangers, but you weren’t distant like acquaintances would be. Regardless, he didn’t want to overstep. All he could do was hope that you’d understand him.

Steel clashed against each other as you parried his attacks. Something was different, like you weren’t completely there. He was proven right when he managed to pin you down to the floor, the edge of his sword hovering only a breath away from your neck.

“You faltered,” he said more as a statement than a question. “You can not hesitate in a fight.”

You averted your gaze from his intense stare. Were you afraid of him?

“I’m sorry.”

“We should stop for today.” He smoothly rose to his feet and offered you a hand, helping you up. “Is something wrong? You seem distracted.”

“The festival is tomorrow,” you murmured. “But I’ll be alright.”

“You don’t wish to participate in it,” he finished for you.

You gave him a strained smile. “I can’t. I just… can’t.”

Abruptly, you pulled your hand away from his and squeaked out an apology. He hadn’t noticed they were still joined together, but there was a strange feeling pulling at his chest when you let go. Still, he didn’t say anything, choosing to let the conversation end there. He knew what it was like to lose someone. Rebirth might have changed him, melded him into stone, but some things could break through and get to him.

(He hadn’t known it then, but you were one of them.)

“I’ll… see you tomorrow, then,” you said hesitantly. “I should go back.”

He nodded. “I understand. Get home safe.”

You looked as though you wanted to say something else, lips parted and eyes curious, but you didn’t. Instead, you smiled at him—softer this time, less strained—and left without a word. As you faded into the distance, Yone sighed quietly and sat down on the grass, his swords laid next to him. He didn’t want to take you away from your other responsibilities; he knew fully well that you were quite dutiful as he was. He’d gotten so used to spending evenings with you, training and listening to you talk about whatever was on your mind that your absence felt off.

Though you were sure that you weren’t going to join in the festivities tomorrow, you most likely had to help out somehow. From what you told him about your family, he doubted that they’d leave you alone as well, taking the chance of reuniting with loved ones to look down on you. His lips tugged into a frown. Feelings weren’t exactly his strong suit since his new life began, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t understand how you would feel.

The breeze caressed his skin, taking him in its cold embrace. The drop in temperature didn’t bother him. It never had, really. He was more than used to how inconsistent the Ionian climate could get. So what was this weariness and uneasiness clouding his mind? Lingering somewhere between life and death, feelings were the least of his concerns, but he didn’t like what it was doing to him as he thought about you.

He stared at the moon’s reflection in the river. It did the same thing not long ago when you sat together and talked to him about your fondest memories. It was the first time you were so open with him. He listened to your stories, your laughter and the bittersweet tinge in your voice.

He saw a spirit walking hand-in-hand with another person somewhere not too far from where he was. A festival meant for reuniting with their loved ones, the only chance spirits and humans got to see each other again. He didn’t have anyone to visit—even if he did, he doubted he could bring himself to face someone he had failed years ago.

His thoughts wandered back to you and what you told him about your grandparents. It was a relief to find out that they never changed even after the war, having stayed the same loving people until their end. A thought popped into his head. If he could just find them—no, he could.

He knew their names. He knew them.

He wasn’t a magic user, but he was confident in his ability to search. Reinvigorated, he grabbed his swords and got up. Pondering under the stars would have to wait, he had a mission to do.

The only advantage to being something he was, Yone thought, was that fatigue was never an issue. He traversed through the plains, made his way up the hill, taking every twist and turn he could think of. Not wanting to risk being seen by civilians—he wasn’t exactly unaware of how… appalling he looked—he stayed in the shadows, hiding in the darkness. After what seemed like a few hours, he finally spotted the silhouettes of your grandparents, distant but familiar.

“Yone? Is that you?” your grandfather said in disbelief, his tone still full of the same joy it had whenever he spoke to Yone and his brother. His eyes crinkled as he beamed at the younger man. “I haven’t seen you in… in years! You’ve changed!”

Your grandmother was less boisterous, though it was clear she felt happy to see him as well. Upon taking a proper look at him, her face fell, and she approached him with a concerned expression.

“It’s far too early for you to be like this,” she sighed. Yone wanted to argue that he wasn’t exactly young anymore, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so. “What happened?”

“It… is a long story,” Yone replied, his voice lacking the same strength and volume it had earlier in the day. Grief was such a fickle thing. He’d feel nothing one moment and everything in the next. He didn’t mourn himself, never had nor did he ever think it was necessary, but he did regret. Regretted being unable to protect his family, regretted being unable to protect your family. The curse laid upon him gave him the chance to atone, and even then, it never eased the chains wrapped around his soul.

He shook his head, pushing the thoughts aside. “I have a favour to ask of you.”

—

Yone was acting suspiciously.

To start, when you arrived at the clearing of the forest you usually trained with him, he wasn’t there. You didn’t know how long you waited until he arrived, offhandedly apologising for his tardiness. The sky had already faded into dark shades of blue, the sun nowhere to be seen and replaced with the moon peeking over the horizon. It might have been immature of you to scold him while being as huffy as a petulant child, but he didn’t seem to mind.

The day didn’t start out well for you, to say the least. The only things spoken around town were how excited people were to see their late relatives again and how much they looked forward to spending time with them for the next three days. It wasn’t like you wanted to feel bitter about it all. You were glad on their behalf, but the feeling of being the odd one wasn’t something you could control that easily. You wanted to be able to experience the same magic and happiness the others did.

As if that wasn’t enough, a councillor—likely the same one you overheard that time—left you a letter summoning you to a meeting the same night. If you didn’t know better, you would’ve kept that in mind and made sure you arrived in time. But you knew what it was going to be about. You were already in a loveless family. A loveless marriage wouldn’t make your life better and the only one benefiting from it was your father. You didn’t exactly like being spiteful (it’s a sin, a monk would say) but there was nothing wrong with it if they deserved it, was there? You ripped the paper to shreds, threw it out somewhere you couldn’t remember. It didn’t matter as long as you got rid of it.

There were a lot of things to be angry about, like how irritating it was to still be under your father’s control as an adult, or how they all never broke their habit of speaking as though you weren’t there. It didn’t mean you liked being angry. You weren’t built for such aggression.

You shook your head. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about this.

“You’re late.” You didn’t mean to say it as whiny as you did. Overly aware of how you sounded, you looked away from Yone and crossed your arms over your chest, ignoring whatever reaction he had to it. “I’ve been here for hours.”

“I’m sorry. I… had something to attend to,” he said. “I have something to show you. Follow me.”

Without realising it, you pouted. “And you have the nerve to boss me around…”

Yone’s silence made you begrudgingly glance at him again. He looked anxious, which was a surprise—you always saw him so calm and collected. It was… concerning. You sighed. He didn’t seem like he meant to leave you waiting for so long. Heaving out a quiet sigh, at last, you relented.

“Fine. Lead the way.”

The walk was quiet. You had a bunch of questions in your mind, both from curiosity and a bit of pettiness you had left. He deftly navigated through the woods, turning back once in a while to see if you were still following him. It was dark, almost as dark as it had been when you met him in that storm for the first time, but you weren’t as afraid anymore, either. You couldn’t describe it. Something about him felt safe. It could be that it was because he saved you from death and helped you become stronger. You didn’t think that was it, though.

You caught up to him, now walking beside him rather than behind. “Where are we going?”

He didn’t answer. You huffed. Fine.

But you couldn’t stay annoyed for long. You found your gaze drifting over to him; the curves of his mask, the clenching of his jaw. How was it possible for someone who scared you so much when you first met to also be someone who you’d trust with your life? You knew nothing about him. He was a strange person, impeccable swordsmanship aside. He never spoke about his family or his home. He was familiar with the village like he lived here before, but you’d never seen him. Just who was he?

Yone led you to a cliffside. The trek—how wasn’t he tired?—felt worth it in the end when you saw the night sky. The crescent moon smiled at you from her place among the scattered stars, sparkling and glowing brightly on what would normally be pitch black. A hand was placed on the small of your back, taking you by surprise and making your breath hitch before you relaxed. It was just him.

“I brought you a gift,” he said plainly. You narrowed your eyes at him. He didn’t look like he was one for gifts, but who were you to decline? It must be a reward or something, or an apology because you were left for hours—

Someone called your name. A familiar voice, one you hadn’t heard in years. You must be imagining it. They were dead, there was no way it could be. Were you so tired that you were imagining things?

“They’ve been waiting for you.” Yone gently pushed you forward. “Go.”

Sceptical as you were, once again, you relented.

The figures were clearer the closer you approached. You recognised the clothes, the voices—was this a prank? Would someone like Yone play such a cruel joke?

“You’ve grown so much,” came the voice of your grandmother, laced with a tenderness you’d recognise from anywhere.

“How…” you trailed off. Your grandparents stood in front of you, happiness radiating off of them in waves as they walked your way. You didn’t know what to think, what to feel. Weren’t they supposed to be dead? Were you hallucinating? “I don’t understand…”

“It’s us, kiddo.” Your grandfather placed a hand on your head, ruffling your hair affectionately. It was cold, but it felt real, too real. “We came to see you.”

You fell apart. Tears sprung to your eyes as you fell into their arms, broken sentences and wailing leaving you at its will. It was real. You didn’t understand it. You weren’t supposed to be able to see them, to see spirits—you didn’t have that gift, your father always made sure you knew that. So how was this possible? How could you see them, touch them, feel them?

“We tried to come find you every year,” your grandmother spoke, her voice as soft as a whisper. “But we—we couldn’t come in. The estate, it’s… locked away from us.”

“You left me,” you snivelled, “you left me here—you…”

You didn’t know what you were saying anymore. Giving up on trying to voice your thoughts, you kept crying until you grew weary, the devastated weeping gradually dissolving into shaky breaths. You felt her hand on the top of your head, lovingly smoothing down your hair as she hummed the tune she always sang to you when you were young. Your grandfather leaned down to press a kiss to your temple, chuckling under his breath—they were as overjoyed as you were.

“We can’t stay for long,” he murmured. “But we really wanted to see you. That young man helped us. Quite the man you’ve found, hm?”

“He’s just a friend,” you grumbled. As cross as you were with him earlier, you were thankful that he’d done this for you. There were many unanswered questions you had lingering in the back of your mind, but those weren’t that important anymore, you thought. Finally pulling away, you smiled for the first time that night. “I missed you.”

“We missed you too, sweetheart.” Your grandmother returned the gesture, brushing your stray tears away with her thumbs. “Why don’t you come sit with us, tell us what you’ve been up to?”

As you followed them, you turned to look back at Yone, mouthing ‘thank you’ with another smile. He nodded. You learned to pick up on his cues in the past month you spent with him, so you knew what he meant. You’re welcome. He wasn’t the best with words, preferring to let his actions speak for themselves. You wondered if he knew how important this was, how you’d always remember his kindness.

Lost in conversation with your loved ones, you missed how Yone’s stern expression melted into fondness as he watched the scene, the corners of his lips curling up just the slightest. It was the happiest he’d ever seen you.

(And it was the moment he knew—he’d do whatever it took to protect your smile.)

—

Existing somewhere in a plane between life and death, Yone spent his days on autopilot with only one goal in mind. Cursed for as long as his afterlife would last by the azakana, he’d continue to hunt them down one by one until there was nothing left. He saw his ‘life’ differently, ‘felt’ differently.

Bound to the world of the living, denied the peace of death, as he used to say. Time was no longer so important to him now that he became what he was. It passed as it willed, and he would only follow until it was over—assuming it would ever be. Yone didn’t care—or rather, he just tried not to think—about the state of life, the meaning of his existence. If he was bound to duty, at least he’d try to accomplish this one, unlike what he failed in his youth.

He should have left Ionia when he killed the last azakana in that temple. But more and more showed up every day, dangerously close to where you lived, and he knew that they would come find you again eventually. Deciding to take your request wasn’t an impulsive decision. He found your determination admirable even with the chains that held you back. It reminded him of who he had been. Who he craved to be once again. He tried to keep himself distant, staying within the boundary of just a kind stranger, but before he knew it, he found himself feeling tethered to you.

You weren’t just someone he saved. You were someone he had grown increasingly fond of. Yone knew you were kind, that you had a lot of love to give even to those who didn’t deserve it. He believed in his ability to predict what would happen, to adapt to sudden changes, but nothing could’ve prepared him for the whirlwind that was you.

For the first time in years, he felt alive, and it was all because of you. Your smile, your voice, the way you’d playfully talked back to him, the way you were always concerned for him. That much still held true as he sat beside you on a hill, his gaze focused on you over the sunrise you meant to show him.

He didn’t expect you to invite him to something that could be seen as so intimate. He didn’t expect himself to agree without a second thought either. He prided himself on being someone who always thought before he did anything, but something about you had him caving into his whims more frequently. He’d find that irritating if he was the same young man he used to be, but he didn’t. If he was bold enough, maybe he’d go as far as to admit that he liked how you made him feel.

It seemed his gift for you had changed you overnight. You weren’t mad at him anymore; if anything, you seemed to be more gentle with him. Like you saw him differently. He didn’t want to assume you did—that would be unfair to you.

This was what made it difficult for him to leave.

He couldn’t stay here for long. Fate would guide him to other places, more obscure and dangerous, and as much as he felt like he overstayed his welcome with you, he didn’t want to go. He didn’t know if he’d get the chance to see you again, to talk to you again. Getting attached to what could be temporary wasn’t a smart idea—he knew that. But for once, he wanted to let himself live again.

Seeing your face fall when he told you about his imminent departure was, perhaps, the worst he ever felt. He lived through countless battles; the scars on his hands proved that. He didn’t lose his senses even with his state of being a ‘ghost’ of sorts. He still felt the sting of a cut, the aches in his muscles after exerting himself. Emotions, on the other hand, were more complicated. Growing up with his brother, he had to be stern, calm and confident. He had to be assertive. He had to be strong.

With you, he could let all of that go. He wouldn’t lose his habits, he didn’t want to, but with you, he could let his guard down.

“Yone?” you broke the silence. He blinked, suddenly overly aware that he had been staring at you like a fool in love. Maybe he was. “Are you alright?”

“I am. I’m sorry for worrying you,” he responded. “I was only… thinking of the future.”

“You’re leaving soon, aren’t you?”

“I am.”

You went silent. He frowned, wondering if he should’ve kept it a secret after all. He didn’t want to hurt you. He never did.

“Well, if you decide to come back here one day,” you said, reaching for his hand. Your skin felt warm against his own. “Just know that I’ll be here waiting for you.”

Yone felt like time and the world stopped for him.

“I know I’m a lot to handle.” He didn’t think you were. Still, he didn’t interrupt, letting you speak your mind. “And I know this is just some favour, but you know… I’ve grown pretty fond of you. I’d be sad if you left without telling me.”

Your tone was lighthearted, playing off your words as if they were only a joke in case he didn’t feel the same. He felt warm—the warmest he’d ever been—and he was never one to be timid, but you always managed to bring that out of him with ease.

Yone said your name. You hummed, urging him to continue.

“You should be proud of yourself,” he said. The words felt unfamiliar to him, foreign, but he needed you to know. “Like I am of you.”

You smiled. He wanted to engrave this sight into his memory, make it something he would never forget. You teasingly nudged him with your elbow, giggles leaving your throat as you replied without missing a beat, “So you’ve grown fond of me too, huh?”

This was the most casual you had ever been with him. It was a nice change, he thought, one that he really liked. In a matter of a few weeks, you’d gone from a meek, terrified person into someone confident and much happier than you were when he first met you.

“I have, indeed,” he replied. Perhaps more than I should.

With another chuckle, you fell back into a silence that was tranquil this time, more comfortable. He wondered if it was obvious that he was staring at you—he was trying not to be, but he was always told his gaze was intense. It didn’t seem to be an issue with you. Sighing in contentment, he let his eyes wander back to the sunrise before him. The last day of the Spirit Blossom was fast approaching, which meant that you’d once again find yourself in a busy schedule. But he didn’t have to think about that, so he stopped. Instead, he let himself indulge in this rare moment with you, thinking of nothing but how much things have changed. How much he has changed.

You never let go of his hand. Neither did he.

—

“Will you be going back too? To the spirit world?”

He did say he would be leaving, after all. You weren’t really sure what you’d do if he left. His presence had become something you were accustomed to. Since the moment he found you again in the forest, your routine seemed to have more and more of him. It would feel odd, having something you were so used to just disappear so suddenly. You knew you’d get over it, but you didn’t want to.

“I’ll be staying in the human world,” he said, “only elsewhere.”

A selfish part of you wanted him to stay. You liked having him around. With him, you could forget all about the people who shunned you. Your initial lack of strength or inability to use magic never bothered him; he saw you for who you were, treated you like any person should be treated. You weren’t lying when you told him that you’ve grown fond of him—you truly did.

No, you didn’t want him to leave. But he had to.

“I see,” you whispered. “I guess this is goodbye, then.”

The longer he took to reply, the more anxious you became. The familiar stinging of your nose and the watering of your eyes had you trying to hide your face from him. You promised yourself you wouldn’t cry. A quiet whimper was all you let slip before you held back the onslaught of tears. You didn’t want him to think you were strange. Someone who got more attached to him than they should’ve. Someone lonely, desperate for company.

“Would you like to join me?”

Even with his mask on, you could still feel Yone’s gaze on you.

“What?” you echoed dumbly. You must’ve misheard him. You could’ve sworn you just saw his lips twitch like he was amused by something. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve said before that the only thing stopping you from leaving was your fear,” he continued. “You’ve become stronger. You fight well, by yourself and by my side. We might also be able to find your mother if we travel together. And, I…”

He trailed off, seemingly to collect his thoughts before he added, quieter, “I enjoy being with you.”

Flustered, you couldn’t say a word. It took a while before you could properly process what he said.

“You mean…”

“Yes. I’d like you to come with me.” He cleared his throat, hesitating as if he was nervous. “You can decline if you’d—”

Yone was cut off by you tackling him into a hug, nearly sending him falling backwards had he been unable to keep his balance. You buried your face in his neck, smiling against his skin before you pulled away to properly look at him. Seeing how close you were made your eyes widened, and you were about to pull away before he leaned down to kiss you softly, which you melted into with ease.

Hesitantly, he pulled away. You could’ve sworn he was blushing. “I assume that’s a yes…?”

“You already know what I meant, Yone.” You grinned, unable to resist the urge to tease him. “You just want me to say it.”

“Well, it… would confirm my thoughts.”

“Of course, it’s a yes!”

“I must warn you it won’t be easy,” he hesitated, giving you another chance to say no. Like he couldn’t believe that you wanted to join him. “So if you don’t want to come, you don’t have to… Why are you laughing?”

“I mean it, you old fool,” you teased.

“Old fool—”

“I would love to come with you.” You curled into his side, laying your head on his shoulder as you watched the river flow in front of you. “I’m not scared anymore. I have you.”

Yone pulled you closer, leaving a ghost of a kiss on the crown of your head. “And I have you.”

It felt like something straight out of a fairytale. You were going to leave this wicked place with someone you fell in love with. You couldn’t believe it was happening, but it was, and your heart raced, not out of fear but out of excitement.

You couldn’t wait for the adventures you’d have together.

[heartsteellerr]

How they react when they see you during their concert pt 3

Content; Fluff Warnings; Characters; Produce line (Aphelios, Yone, Alune)

✧ pt 1 ✧ pt 2

Aphelios

Y'know how in concerts they'd have a big screen that shows the idols and occasionally switches over to show the fans watching said idols? Yeah, so, Aphelios would mostly hang around near the back of the stage; singing his parts and also doing DJ stuff, maybe sometimes even walking closer to the edge of the stage when he notices the rest of the members are there too, but other than that he's mostly vibing and watching. So he'll definitely see you, showing up on the big screen, hyping up and waving your lightstick/signs that were his colours, or had his name.

At first he's a little embarrassed where luckily his mask does cover up his blush, but he really does feel touched by you showing up. It's the sentiment that counts, right?

He might wave in your direction after you showed up on screen and even start lingering close to your section throughout the whole concert, likely to get scolded later, but what does it matter? He's happy you're there, your happy just like the other fans to see him and his members, it's a win win so long as no notices, no?

Yone

He's the leader who's always attentive to everything and everyone, so how could he not notice you? From just walking by your section, his eyes immediately caught sight of you and looked right towards your direction. It's...Okay, sort of scary, but it's the thought that counts of being noticed by your lover.

Although he might not be as hyped or the type to go crazy and show off to the fans, this time around he's a bit different from how he usually acts during concerts. He's going all out, singing his heart out and even giving HEAVENLY adlibs that later go viral on socmed and headlines.

Truthfully speaking though, if you did bring it up to him at one point when he's on break or his tour/concerts were finished, he'd be a bit bashful. Denying it had any involve with you being there — but once you remember after getting home from that concert specifically, and remembering how he left you with a personal gift basket, you just knew he was just being too shy to admit it.

Alune

Yes, she knows she isn't anything special compared to the Heartsteel members but she was still working just as hard as them to make sure all tours/concerts ran smoothly.

But to think... when she was working at the back only to hear her brother telling her to look outside on the screen, she thought, 'Oh no, did it malfunctioned during the concert?' — only to then feel a mix of relief and shock when seeing you, at the concert, waving a lightstick that weren't any of the members colours; but hers.

Firstly she's ECSTATIC to see you there to begin with, secondly, how on earth were you not embarrassed? Being around Heartsteel fans who were confused for your choice of colours... But were lucky to not be questioned for it. Again, she isn't a member nor anything special, so her relationship being put out in public should be okay...But really, couldn't you try to blend in at least? You might get a hearty earful once she's finally off the clock, and also a plentiful of kisses too. A win win, her brother would say.

[saey707]

Can you please do some Yone x reader fluff?

I just need them to be all lovey-dovey with each other with no worries in the world, just fluff please.

✿ Prompt: Wholesome summer headcanons with Yone ✿

♡ champion focus: yone ♡ tw: none! ♡ Gender-neutral reader

Author’s Note: Thank you for requesting! Since this request was unspecified, I decided to take a modern approach to Yone's character in this piece. Enjoy! ໒꒰ྀི´ ˘ ` ꒱ྀིა

Since Yone and you met some summers ago at the Ocean Song Festival, the two of you became inseparable. There wasn't a day that went by when one was without the other!

At first, he was shy, a dedicated and focused lyricist and DJ that wasn't open to getting the voice of his music out there. It was you that opened him up to new possibilities, expanding upon his career and potential.

It was never Yone's goal or dream to become a household name throughout the country, but eventually, he became just that- thanks to you! It's not always easy being at the top, but at least he has you around to keep him grounded.

"I'm stressed..." "And what can I do to make you feel better Yone?" "I wouldn't be opposed to a kiss... Or ten."

If he spots you in the crowd during one of his shows, he'll always be sure to sign "I love you" with his free hand!

After particularly long weekends attending raves, special events, and massive music festivals as a guest star, the only thing on the musician's mind is going home, eating a large plate of sashimi, and proceeding to fall asleep in your arms.

"Nothing feels as good as coming home to you..." "And nothing feels as good as having you come home to me~"

For some time, Yone didn't tell you he started out as a classical musician. After all, who just goes from classical music to club music?

But, once he does, and sees how eager you were to watch him perform a piece for you, he couldn't resist bringing out the dusty, old morin khuur from the back of his closet... But just this once!

Yone would definitely allow you to sit on his lap while he's working on new pieces in the studio! Sure, it's not the most ideal or comfortable seating, as compared to when he's working at home on the couch, but what's the harm!

"Won't you sing for me, Yone?" "And what is it that you would like to hear, my dear?"

In general, summers often consist of you and Yone either staying 5 feet apart from one another but still mustering up the courage to hold hands even though you're both hot or cuddling up in front of 5 fans with a movie marathon streaming on the TV.

He'll allow you to brush and braid and play with his hair! But only you. Anyone else that dares to even lay a hand on his hair may be susceptible to losing a hand or an arm.

On the days when Yone feels particularly needy, he'll hug you from behind, looking at you with a stare you know just means he's begging to be kissed.

When you and Yone aren't talking about music, he's always eager to hear what you yearn for. What dreams do you have? And do they involve him? He hopes so...

You're everything Yone could have ever wished for and more. And even as the summer comes to an end, his love for you will never.

[duckchu]

How would Heartsteel react to being proposed to with a ring pop? Alternatively, would they "propose" back?

(Honestly, if Ez or Phel said yes, I'd be like "cool, let's have the honeymoon now")

Ily btw 🩵⭐️

That's so cute 🥺

Kayn

"oh?"

He'd have this stupid smirk on his face

"well of course you want to marry me" he'd laugh

But he, ever the benevolent, would accept

He loves you so of course

Ezreal

"Sure" He'd say with the brightest smile

He wouldn't tell you, but this would give him butterflies

He'd look at you with a smirk, teasing you afterwards

"So you want to marry the prince huh?" He'd laugh, hugging you

Would 100% propose back

Aphelios

He'd accept it with a happy nod

He thinks it's silly, but oh well

If you're in private, would kiss you all over your face

If not, a quick kiss on the cheek will have to do

Would probably propose back

Yone

"uh... thanks"

He doesn't really know how to respond

But doesn't want to hurt you so he'd accept, though he thinks the entire thing is silly

Would still give you a smile, which he doesn't do often

Sett

"YES" he's so enthusiastic

Almost like if it was a real proposal

He loves you so much so of course

He's a gentleman, so he'd 199% would propose bwck

K'Sante

He'd accept it without question

Grinning like an idiot

But he'd tease you after

Also becomes more touch starved for some time

You just made him a little softer with this

He wouldn't propose back, but would take you out for your favourite food

[milksuu]

❀. │GIRL DINNER (O2)│. ❀

❥ prompt: You're hungry. You want food. You want a snack. You just want SOMETHING. You send your HEARTSTEEL boyfriend(s) on a food-run adventure. Let's see what each boy brings back. ❥ content/warnings: sexually suggestive themes, fluff ❥ characters/pairings: v!Heartsteel (sett, yone, k'sante) / f!reader

SETT

foot-long sub and gatorade

When it comes to feeding you, Sett isn’t willing to compromise. He goes big, or he goes home. And he’s not going home empty handed. 

He Facetime’s you when he’s at the Deli counter of the local grocer, where the sub-meat selection is divine, options are abundant, and the portions are unbeatable. 

When you say you want double amounts of meat, you’re getting it. When you tell him you want more toppings, it’s done. Oh, you want your bread extra toasted and slathered in condiments? Baby, it’s yours. No problem—he’s got you.

When he comes home, you get a running head start, and jump into his arms without warning. The man has no trouble catching you, ever. 

As he greets your neck with a kiss, you lean and whisper into his soft ears about wanting to ‘share some’ with him. Since Sett has an uncontrollably tendency to go over-board with anything portion related, he’s more than willing to help you out. He understands you can't finish most things by yourself. Especially if he's the one serving you.

You huff with an embarrassed whine, shaking your head. You weren't talking about the food! 

Sett finally catches on by the squeezing of your legs around him, the flush of your cheeks, and the hot puffs you tow against his twitching ears. He hums a low and warm grumble at the insinuation. That large hand cradling your bottom squeezes in all the right places. It's enough to elicit a satisfied cry from your lips.

Sett really didn’t come home empty handed. In more ways than one.

YONE

home cooked meal and water

Yone was an expert and perfectionist—especially in the kitchen. Why would he buy you anything processed and unhealthy when he could make anything you desired? He wasn’t going to tolerate you poisoning yourself. Not on his watch. 

Insisting on cooking for you, you watched at how meticulous he was in the kitchen. His expertise with a knife was incomparable. You never realized chopping vegetables could be a discipline and an art form.

When he finished garnishing the plate, he served you. If you didn’t know any better, you would think the dish came straight from a Michelin five-star restaurant!

Not allowing it cool, you burned your tongue on your first bite. Yone chastised you (one of his ways of showing affection) before taking the next helping, and blowing away the steam. He raised the fork to your lips.

Yone was always cool, calm, and collected—but would then do things that were heart-pounding, sweet and seductive. You felt silly with embarrassment. You shook your head, declining his help.

Unacceptable. Yone took your chin without a word, pressed his lips against yours, and slipped a tongue to open your mouth. When you gasped a moan, he abandoned your mouth, and placed the food inside. He encouraged you to chew thoroughly, but all you wanted to do was collapse.

Yone was definitely an expert and perfectionist—at driving you absolutely mad about him.

K'SANTE

take-out and bottle of wine

K’Sante was never about the ‘Netflix and chill’ thing. More like the ‘Netflix and serve my Queen’ scene. And that’s exactly what he planned to do.

Knowing your favorite restaurant, he orders express delivery and pops the cork off of a pricey bottle of wine.

K’Sante has everything ready for the night. Lights dimmed, scented candles lit, and Netflix show ready to go at the press of a button. 

Like the Casanova he is, he serves you everything first. All the while showering you with compliments about how beautiful you are. K’Sante isn’t ashamed of expressing himself to what he likes—which is obviously you. 

After eating and having your fill of wine, you relax further into the couch with him. All the while, watching your shared guilty-pleasure reality TV-show; 'Too Hot To Handle'

The wine seems to get the better of you two. Spooning you from behind, you turn over a cheek expecting to see K’Sante watching the TV. Far from it—his lustrous gaze is on you. He graciously takes your mouth. Slow and passionate. And you can taste the spice of the wine. 

With eyes closed, you feel his trained hand slide across your waist, and slip between your thighs.

K’Sante wasn’t done serving his Queen. And that’s exactly what he planned to do.

[timetoeatthebread-blog]

Heartsteel! Members suddenly have to take care of a child; Headcanons (Gender neutral and in an imaginary world where police is THAT useless. I like to think it isn't)

How they found you and how they reacted :

Kayn:

- He was literally minding his own business

- You ran up to him because of his pink eye and pink hair.

- Just straight up grabbing his left leg and not letting go, like a little menace.

- He tried to shake you off

- Almost fell face first into a wall while jumping around with his free leg.

- The little tic (You) had the grip of a true warrior.

- You bit him in his calf.

- Didn't hurt him that much. Instead it spooked him because he didn't expect a small child to have such sharp teeth. He hit his face on a pole on the sidewalk.

- What are you, a vampire? You little menace.

- You didn't know what menace meant, but vampire sounded cool. You pretended to be a vampire from this moment on, trying to bite him.

- At some point he finally got you off his leg and carried you under his arm like a bag.

- Wha- THE FU--

- Yes, you bit his arm

- Dude was so confused that he didn't even call the police

- Instead he took you home so Yone can take care of you.

Yone:

- Was grocery shopping, rolling his cart and checking the list if he needed anything

- Suddenly there was you, running around with a mini shopping cart.

- Totally proud of yourself. You were acting like an adult and you liked it (Because rolling the cart is fun).

- At some point you got lost from your family and then you saw Yone.

- It's not everyday you see someone in a zebra (in your child words. It wasn't a zebra print) shirt print.

- Like the young and cultured child you were, you asked if he saw your parents.

- The mom of the group tried to find your parents.

- Failed.

- The police wasn't really much help either. No one reported you missing.

- They (Police) were trying to take you but you cried so much because you didn't want to be separated from the gentle giant.

- One thing led to another and the police have his number and they will call him if they have any information.

- Brought you a pair of clothes so you have a change of clothes for later.

- Everyone was surprised when Yone didn't return with groceries and instead with a child.

K'sante:

- Was walking out of the gym and through a park

- Instantly noticed that you were alone on the playground.

- Checks for anyone in the vicinity of the park.

- The nearest residential area was a long way from the park.

- Walks up to you, crouches and greets you.

- Another gentle giant. But more energetic.

- Your sibling left you here as a prank to scare you.

- Parents gone on a trip.

- Cue inner anger at your sibling.

- Takes you to an ice cream shop. Buys you your favorite. With extra whipped cream/fruit.

- Contemplates his next options.

- Decides to take you home since it was getting dark, left his number at the police station and let them know the situation.

- Let's Yone know. Yone buys you a few things.

- Shows you his big armadillo plushie.

- The rest doesn't know that you are there yet (minis Yone)

Aphelios:

- Yes, he was in a store.

- Yes, they sold plushies.

- Yes, he bought a plushie gun and he was buying ammo.

- It's all for a prank I swear.

- You were hiding under one of the tables.

- Initially didn't care for you. Was sure your parents were nearby.

- They were not.

- Walks with you hand in hand, slow peace isn't a problem for him

- Thinks how you follow after him with your steps is cute.

- Calls his sister for help. She is completely serious and comes to you guys.

- She falls instantly in love with how cute and precious, scoops you up in her arms and carries you around.

- Aphelios kinda regrets not picking you up sooner.

- They go to the police station and they do nothing.

- Time to let Yone know what was happening...

- Since you were cute and you made his sister happy, he was quite happy himself to join his sister to buy cute things for you.

Ezreal:

- Was buying himself boba in a mall.

- And a new phone charger.

- His last one got destroyed by a mistake by Aphelios' prank.

- Saw you in the cutest, silliest outfit.

- Dude loves cute things almost as much as Aphelios.

- But you were alone. Like sitting in the corner alone and looking at people.

- You noticed him.

- Big pant look cool.

- Cue you running up to him and asking all about his pants, not understanding why it had so many unnecessary accessories.

- He discovers you were left alone by your sibling (again).

- You've been in the mall since the early morning. It was almost evening now.

- Goes to the police. Police is useless.

- Carries you around on his shoulders. Your laugh is precious and so is your happiness.

- His (not biological) little sibling! His little angel!

- He swore to protect you until the end.

- Gave you his boba since you were thirsty.

- MMm boba balls. They pop. It's cool as frick.

Sett:

- Was totally practicing basketball

- Found you alone. No one around.

- You asked about his ears. Reminded you of a dog.

- You love dogs.

- So does he.

- Instant connection.

- Calls his Mama for help.

- She is far away now but tells him to get you something to drink and eat and then take you to the police.

- Does as told.

- Buys you something to drink.

- Buys you dino nuggets.

- You both love them.

- Hols your hand and walks with you.

- Gives up when his back eventually starts hurting from bending so much and walking so slowly.

- Police is useless.

- Comes home and notifies Yone so he can take care of it.

- Feeds you more dino nuggets and sugar, while Yone does all the work.

[puffcap-factory]

Feelings, Love, and... Misunderstandings? (Heartsteel Yone x Reader)

Heartsteel!Yone x gn!reader; fluff, crack, bits of hurt/comfort plotwise.

When an overthinking reader (co-manager) meets the overthinking producer of the Heartsteel group.

Warnings: 

Alcohol drinking, self-doubt, emotional breakdown. I assume that all Heartsteel members are big enough and legal to drink.

**The story was written in more of a light-hearted tone, but I put the warnings here just in case. 

Words: 4k

Notes: 

Working on (non-angst) Yone’s fic is harder than I thought. But I really like the dynamic of the heartsteel boys, and their presence really helped oomph up the stoic producer of the group. So… here’s another heartsteel fic for you! Again, I did not think too much of the title...

I hope you enjoy! :D

((Update: There's a bonus at the end of the story))

•~•~•~•

"Not joining in, hmm?" 

You jolted up from your seeming trance, the owner of the voice shifting casually closer to your seat. Turning your head, you met Alune's twinkling eyes, mischief dancing within them as she flashed a teasing smile.

“O-oh,” you smiled sheepishly as she gave you a knowing look at you, understanding well where your attention had been. “I’ll join in soon, later.” 

The week had been packed with schedules, and now the group found themselves in an arcade bar at night. You and Alune lounged on a sofa, sipping drinks and soaking in the lively atmosphere. The boys were off in their fun games, laughing and competing at darts and billiards while the latest music filled the air.

To your front, Yone and K'sante were engrossed in a game of billiards. You had to admit you have been marveling at the tall, lean, and handsome sight of the man who was gracefully playing the billiard. And, Alune had always been aware of your not-so-secret crush towards the group’s talented producer.

She leaned in closer as she whispered, rather enthusiastically, “Play a game with him, have some fun, try to get under his skin!”

Get under his skin. Right. I’d win a nobel prize for discovering his feelings.

Yone, for all his cool exterior, was just as cool as he looked. Unfortunately, he was particularly hard to read, at least for you. You couldn't tell if his kindness towards you was simply that — kindness — or if there was something more behind it. He was generally polite to everyone, though a bit stricter with Kayn and Ezreal – to no one's surprise. Yone was easygoing and pleasant to talk to, which only added to your curiosity as you tried to decipher his true feelings. 

There were occasions when you found yourselves spending time together, but it was never labeled as a date. It was either due to work duties, given your role as a co-manager, or simply a friendly hangout that happened naturally. Each time, you tried to read between the lines, wondering if there was something more beneath the surface, to no avail. 

"You know what, Alune, you're probably right. First, let's try billia-" You began, standing up with determination, but before you could make your move towards the billiard table, Ezreal appeared, blocking your view.

"Y/n! You owe us a round of darts, remember?" Ezreal exclaimed, slinging an arm around your shoulders and pulling you away from the table, despite your silent protests. 

Great. What a timing, Ezreal.

"Sorry, Alune, I'll be borrowing her for a while," he added with a cheeky grin plastered on his face. "Don't tell me you forgot about the deal, hmm?" Kayn chimed in, raising an eyebrow as he waited in the dart booth.

You had mustered up the courage to take a shot at a round of billiards with Yone, but Ezreal and Kayn were quick to rope you into the dart booth before you could voice any further protests. Alune simply watched with an amused grin, clearly entertained by the turn of events.

You ended up playing a few rounds of darts with Ezreal and Kayn, snacking and sipping on some of their peculiar concoctions of 'potions' they had whipped up on a whim. It was a fun challenge you had agreed to, having lost a dare to them before. When it wasn’t your turn, you couldn't help but throw quick glances towards the billiard table, particularly at Yone, admiring his oh-so-smooth movements. 

You were feeling a bit lighter in the head, the effects of the peculiar potions finally catching up to you. Though clear-minded, you were certainly getting full from the incoming food. As you prepared to take your next throw in the dart game, a brand-new top-chart song began to play in the background, its music video displayed on the monitor above the room.

Ezreal, caught up in the music, started to nod off, vibing with the beat. Meanwhile, Kayn shifted his attention towards the music video, his eyes widening in recognition.

"Ooh, wait, I saw that lady with Yone before!" Kayn exclaimed, pointing at the screen. "Hah, Yone, so that's your type, huh?"

Wait… what?

You quickly glanced at the screen, only to see an incredibly sexy and charming actress starring in the music video.

That’s HIS type?

"Ooh! Right, I saw her talking to you at the bar before," Sett added, joining in on the conversation as Yone sighed dismissively, a small defeated smile appearing on his face.

…AND he’s not even declining? 

You held onto your dart a bit tighter, trying to contain the emotions swirling inside you. There was no way you could compare to her. Despite the mix of sadness and frustration stirring up inside, you maintained a smile onto your face, determined to keep up your appearances.

I might be just overthinking this. Get it together, y/n.

You tried to reassure yourself. But the sound of the atmosphere began to blur and others' conversations turned into a mumbled background noise as your thoughts took over. The insecurities crept in, overshadowing the fun of the night. Was this the effect of the alcohol or was it just me?

"Y/n, y/n!" Ezreal's voice cut through your thoughts as he patted you on the shoulder. "You okay?"

You blinked, snapping back to reality, realizing you had drifted off into your own world. With a forced smile, you nodded at Ezreal, trying to brush off the uneasiness that had settled in your chest. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just got lost in thought for a moment," you grinned at him.

Ezreal studied your face for a second. "Hmm, if you say so..." he trailed off, before leaning in to whisper with a wink, a playful glint in his eyes, "Let's just leave the drinks for Kayn, shall we?"

You couldn't help but let out an amused smile at Ezreal's comment, feeling grateful for his attempt to lighten the mood. Determined to shake off your thoughts, you focused on the dart game, teaming up with Ezreal against Kayn. Together, you managed to make Kayn taste his own creations, and the laughter that followed was pleasant.

After a while, feeling a bit light-headed from the stir of emotions, and Ezreal and Kayn's concoctions, you decided to step away from the dart game for a bit to head to the bar to fetch a water. Taking a seat at the counter, you ordered the much-needed refreshment from the bartender. Leaning on the counter, you rested your chin on your hand, letting your thoughts drift as you waited for your drink.

As you gazed into space, lost in your own thoughts, you suddenly realized that someone had taken a seat next to you on the counter. And to your surprise, it was none other than the handsome producer himself, Yone.

Out of all people-! Him? Now?!

Your eyes widened in surprise as Yone caught you off guard, scrambling to sit up straighter. The bartender had just placed the glass of water in front of you, but you couldn’t just leave now.

"Mind if I join you?" Yone's voice broke the silence, his tone polite and soft.

“No—of course not.” You forced a smile at him, hoping it appeared natural as he smiled back in response.

Oh god, I hope my smile looked all normal.

Yone proceeded to order some Japanese sake from the bartender. When it arrived, you couldn't help but look at the elegant bottle and the sake cup with curiosity.

Just as you were about to ask about the sake, to break the awkwardness that had settled between you, Yone beat you to it. “Everything alright?” he inquired, his gaze gentle as he looked at you. You realized you had been silent for a moment, mentally cursing yourself for the lapse in conversation.

“Uh, yeah, of course, everything’s going well!” you replied, plastering a smile on your face.

Yone gazed at you for a moment, a hint of uncertainty in his eyes. He seemed to sense that something was off, but thankfully, he didn't press further. “If it’s anything about work, you can always talk to me-"

“No, it’s not.” 

Oops. You realized that you had blurted it out too quickly. 

“Oh?” Yone turned to face you, his expression now more attentive. “Do you wanna talk about it?” he asked carefully, his tone low mixed with a bit of concern.

You sighed defeatedly. This man always seemed to be able to read between the lines, and you couldn’t hide it anymore. “So… There’s a guy that I like…” you admitted, taking a sip of your icy water.

Yone’s eyes twinkled in curiosity, his body shifted a bit to face you.

“But he doesn’t seem to feel the same way about me, I don’t know,” you grumbled, frustration beginning to pool inside you, as you held your forehead. 

“Does… he not give you any signs or anything?” Yone asked carefully, his expression filled with genuine care.

“No! You know, he’s insanely hard to read!” You started to rant, your emotions rushing out from beneath you. “And recently, I learned that I might very well just not be his type.”

Yone fell into silence for a moment, sensing your frustration, as he also felt something stir inside him. He wanted to help, to offer some words of comfort, but nothing perfect came to mind.

“…Does he–“ He started to ask, wanting to gather more information before commenting further, but you interrupted him.

“I don’t know anymore, Yone, maybe I should just give up! I don’t know what to do—!” The frustration and sadness bubbled over, and before you knew it, tears were pooling in your eyes.

No, no, no, brain, work more! Am I going to cry now, in front of him?!

Despite your mind still functioning clearly, your emotions won the battle, and you couldn't hold back the tears. You felt a mixture of shame, sadness, and frustration wash over you as you tried to compose yourself in front of Yone.

“Gimme that!” You snatched his sake cup and chugged down its contents, still full. Yone was taken aback by your sudden action, at a loss for words as he watched you. Your tears were now streaming down on your face, you didn’t care anymore if it had smudged your makeup.

“Y/n…” he began, lifting his arms as if to reach out to you, but you quickly reached for his sake bottle to refill the cup you were holding, determined to drown your sorrows in another shot.

“How can I compare to that woman, Yone, tell me!” You didn’t know where and how that came from, but you blurted it out.

“H-huh? Which woman?” Yone's confusion was evident as he tried to follow your train of thought.

“Which woman?? You had lots?!”

You swore your head was in some eco-friendly energy-saving-mode as you couldn’t seem to process the information, making the situation seemed even more hilariously stupid.

“…Y/n, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He tried to reason with you, his voice soft and concerned. 

But you were just going to leave him there at the counter, tears still streaming down your face, and leave him you did. Without another word, you hurriedly made your way to the bathroom, leaving the poor man on the bar counter all alone. As you stood in front of the mirror, you realized how much of a mess you were. You looked like a metalhead who had just gone through a breakdown, with black streaks trailing down your cheeks.

“Oh no,” you whispered to yourself, feeling a wave of embarrassment wash over you as tears started to well up again. How had it all gone so wrong?

You looked at yourself in the bathroom, breathing in and out slowly, trying to regain your already lost composure. Moments later, Alune entered the bathroom, her expression filled with concern as she looked at you.

“Let’s rest for today, hm? I’ll drive you back,” she offered softly, her tone soothing. You nodded at her. “Don’t worry, I told everyone asking that you were not feeling well,” Alune reassured you, offering a comforting hug.

You found yourself crying again, this time for her considerate gesture. Alune chuckled softly as she patted your back, offering you comfort.

You then fell deep asleep in the car on the way back.

•~•~•~•

The next morning, you woke up feeling the slight hangover from yesterday. You sat up on your bed, trying to piece and remember the memories of whatever chaos had happened last night. Your mind then went through the memory of your interaction between you and Yone, realizing your actions, each one making you cringe with regret and shame. 

I- I’m an idiot!!

You groaned, massaging your temples as if trying to erase the memories. The more you remembered, the more ashamed you felt. You wanted to curl into a ball under your blanket and hide from the world.

You admitted to yourself that you hadn’t consumed that much alcohol at one time before, and last night, the mix of emotions and frustrations had likely been heightened by the booze.

“Yone must hate me now…” you mumbled to yourself, still rubbing your temples in a feeble attempt to alleviate the headache. Now, the problem was clear in your mind: How were you going to face him today? 

The fact that the members had their apartment room just right in front of yours and Alune made the situation even more daunting. You couldn’t simply avoid him forever, especially since you were part of the same team.

You went out of your room to find Alune making pancakes for brunch at the kitchen.

“Morning!” she greeted you cheerfully, despite the late hour.

“…Morning, Alune. Thanks for yesterday, though…” you mumbled, scrubbing your eyes as you yawned, meeting her grinning face, clearly waiting for your recount of the previous night. You realized her expression and groaned inwardly, knowing you'd have to relive the embarrassing story by telling her.

You sighed, grabbing a glass of milk before sitting down. “Okay, so…” you began, recounting the chaotic events of the night before. You explained how you had let your emotions get the best of you, the tears, the rambling, the chugging of sake... It all came tumbling out as you told her about your breakdown in front of Yone.

Alune listened intently, offering considerate and understanding comments throughout your story. When you finally finished, you felt a mix of relief and embarrassment wash over you.

Alune reached out and placed a comforting hand on your shoulder. “Hey, we all have our moments. Don’t beat yourself up over it.”

You nodded, grateful for her understanding. But then her expression shifted to a mischievous grin, and you couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow in curiosity.

“And…” she paused, her grin widening. You looked up at her, wondering what she was about to say.

“You should definitely confront Yone as soon as possible, tell him how you feel” she said plainly, her grin now almost playful.

“What?! That’s the last thing I would do!!” you protested, feeling a wave of panic at the thought of facing Yone after your embarrassing display.

But Alune held your shoulders firmly, her eyes serious. “Believe me, y/n. Trust me on this one.”

•~•~•~•

Throughout the day, you had been clearly avoiding Yone, much to his concern. There were three chances where you two crossed paths, but each time you quickly averted your gaze, trying your best not to interact with him due to your lingering embarrassment. But Yone appeared to have a different thought to himself.

…Did I say something wrong?

His mind was busy replaying the events from yesterday morning, wondering if he had made a misstep towards you. He was trying to connect the dots, trying to understand why you seemed upset with him yesterday.

To be honest, when you admitted to him that you had a crush on another guy, he felt a pang of hurt inside his heart, though he was adept at masking it, maintaining his calm demeanor. But he was genuinely concerned for your well-being. Learning that the guy you liked might be interested in someone else made him feel a sense of disappointment, though he didn’t let it show. He wanted the best for you, and seeing you upset about it only added to his concern.

When you left him alone at the counter, he knew he had to tell Alune about you. Alune was quick into action, helping you up at the bathroom. Later that night, Alune and Yone found a moment to talk in private, much to Yone’s request.

Alune listened intently as Yone recounted the events of the past day and his feelings of confusion and concern about your behavior. He explained how he couldn't shake off the feeling that he had somehow upset you, and how he wished he could make things right. Alune listened with patience, nodding in understanding as Yone spoke. However, he still kept his feelings about you tightly guarded. 

Throughout the day, Yone appeared somewhat… off, lost in his thoughts. Everyone noticed his change of demeanor and seemed to check on him frequently.

“Gee, Yone, are you alright? You look like you stayed up all night,” Ezreal asked him in the afternoon, noting how drained Yone seemed.

“I’m fine,” he answered flatly, his mind elsewhere.

Another time, he found himself behind the wheel of the car with K’sante beside him. “You good, Yone?” K’sante asked, noticing Yone's distant gaze.

“I’m fine,” Yone repeated mechanically. By now, it felt like he was a broken record, constantly reassuring others that he was okay when he really wasn't.

He knew this would get him nowhere, as he felt he desperately needed a clear space. So, as dusk began to settle, Yone decided to retreat to one place where he often found solace: the rooftop. 

•~•~•~•

After contemplating for what felt like an eternity, you decided to practice how you would confront Yone at a place where no one would usually go. The sun was setting, casting a warm glow over the rooftop as you ascended the stairs. You were rehearsing what you would say to him in your head, repeating it a few times as you walked to the spot you had in mind. 

However, when you reached the spot, you were taken aback to find Yone already standing there, overlooking the cityscape.

Crap!! Why is he here!? 

You knew you weren’t good in last-minute study and the exam was just right in front of you now. He seemed to notice your presence, but you couldn't bring yourself to meet his gaze. Reluctantly, you stepped closer to him, maintaining a reasonable distance, and faced the city view in the sunset. The air between you two was heavy with unspoken words, both of you itching to talk but unsure of where to start.

As the silence stretched on, you both seemed to come to the decision to speak at the same time.

“About yesterday…” you both began simultaneously, only to pause when you realized you had spoken at the same time.

“Go ahead,” Yone offered, his voice quiet and careful.

“Uh... you go first…” you replied, feeling the awkwardness settle in like a heavy fog.

Once again, silence enveloped you both, the tension palpable. You felt like screaming as loud as you could, but you knew you couldn’t back down now. You exhaled deeply as you began.

“Yone, I– I’m sorry about yesterday, I was all messed up. The alcohol–, I mean, I was…” you stumbled as the words you had prepared all got jumbled up in your throat. You paused before regaining yourself, and you continued. “But I feel like you need to know something,” you gazed up at him as he turned at you, finally meeting his gaze.

“The guy that I told you about… it was… you…,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper. Heat crept up your cheeks, and you couldn't bring yourself to meet his eyes. Instead, you focused on the ground beneath your feet, feeling a mix of nervousness and vulnerability.

You were about to speak again, but the wind suddenly picked up, blowing your hair into your face and blocking your view of the man in front of you. Before you could move to brush it away, you felt Yone's hand on your cheek, gently tucking the strands behind your ear. His touch was tender and caring, sending a jolt of surprise through you.

As you faced him directly, meeting his gentle gaze, he smiled softly at you. The city lights twinkled around you, casting a romantic glow over the moment.

“Y/n,” he began, his voice barely above a whisper but filled with sincerity, “You don’t know how happy I feel when you told me that I was the guy in your story.” He chuckled softly as the dots finally clicked, “And I also owe you an apology, I believe.”

“H-Huh… so you don’t hate me…right?” you asked, still in disbelief at the turn of events.

Yone chuckled again at your incredulous expression. “I don’t think I would ever… I like you, y/n,” he admitted, the heat rising to his cheeks as he also casted his gaze to the side for a second. “I mean– not just as friends, but...”

Before he could finish his sentence, you moved forwards to press your forehead on his chest, feeling in total relief and joy as he confessed to you.

“I like you too, Yone,” you whispered, your voice filled with happiness and relief. “More than I can put into words.”

Yone held you close, his arms enveloping you in warmth and security. The world seemed to fade away as you both stood there, lost in the moment. It was a moment of pure bliss, in contrast to the chaotic night you had spent the night before. 

As you pulled back slightly to look into his eyes, you could see the tender affection reflected in his gaze. You also noticed the faint pink shades starting to show up on his cheeks, which only made you giggle softly.

He’s also shy, how cute.

“I was getting really concerned about whatever I did yesterday that made you upset,” Yone confessed with a soft laugh. “I’m sorry, I should have been more expressive to show my feelings.”

“O- Oh, don’t apologize. I was definitely overthinking things,” you replied, laughing at the absurdity of it all. “I thought you were into that… super famous sexy lady…who’s on the…” Your voice trailed off as you recalled the memories from yesterday, embarassment creeping over you.

“I met her once at the premiere party, her producer introduced me to her, and we just had a plain talk, nothing more,” Yone explained with an amused smile. 

You grinned back at him, feeling a wave of relief wash over you. “Okay, so I was actually making a fool of myself.”

The tension between you both seemed to dissolve into laughter and shared understanding. It was a moment of pure relief and happiness, knowing that the misunderstandings had been cleared up.

“So, what now?” you asked, still grinning.

Yone took a moment to ponder before replying with a smile, “Well, I was thinking... maybe we could go on a real date this time? Just the two of us.”

Your heart skipped a beat at the suggestion, and you couldn't help but nod eagerly. “I would love that,” you replied, feeling a rush of excitement at the prospect of spending more time with him. 

As the sun set behind the city skyline, painting the sky in hues of orange and pink, you both stood on the rooftop, arms in arms, looking towards the horizon. The city lights twinkled as the sky darkened, and the night breeze began to tingle against your skin. You released from the hug, taking in the beautiful sight.

Just as you were about to turn back, Yone stepped in front of you, offering his hand with a warm smile.

“How about dinner, tonight?”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bonus illustration right here

[collidescopeeyes]

Hey all, know I've been quiet but I'm in the home stretch!! Just gotta survive three more days and then exams are over, pray for me 🙏

Anyway in honor of me spending my weekend fighting for my life trying to memorize formulas that look like alphabet soup:

Heartsteel helping you study headcanons

Kayn

- Let's be real he ain't helping. Like he understands this is important and you need to focus but he also really, really wants your attention, are you sure it's not time for you to take a break? No? :(

- Like you'll be taking notes and you'll just see him in the background slowly vibrating out of his skin restraining himself from bothering you. But also, he ain't gonna leave unless you ask him to, he'd still rather hang out with you ignoring him than not spend time with you.

- Let him quiz you or something, please he'll do such a good job just pleeeease pay attention to him. Or just talk him about whatever it is you're working on, he'll do his best to follow along but really it doesn't matter if he doesn't understand, if having someone to bounce ideas off of helps you then he's absolutely there for that.

- Largely mollified if you work while sitting on his lap. He'll do his best not to be distracting, he promises. That being said, if you try to work one minute past when you said you were gonna stop your laptop is getting ejected and he will be pouncing on you, he's been so patient goddamnit.

Aphelios

- Will actually help you study. He's pretty well read so there's a few subjects he can help you with, otherwise he just sits next to you and keeps you on track. There will be no getting distracted by your phone on his watch, and you will be taking regular breaks. Mostly he's doing his own thing so he doesn't bother you, like mixing tracks with his headphones on, but trust me he Will notice if you start slacking off.

- Honestly he's the kind of guy who appreciates just spending time in the same space as you

- Recruits Alune to retrieve snacks. She's also very willing to help if it's a subject she's familiar with, but she's also very talkative with people she likes so Phel will shoo her away if she's distracting you.

- If he can, will help organize your notes or put together flash cards. Great at quizzing you, though he also tends to ask insane niche question that really tests your understanding.

Sett

- The only reason he had decent grades in high school was because he didn't want to upset his mom, so he knuckled down and worked his ass off. He sucks at studying otherwise, he never had the patience for it, so he really respects your determination

- If you tell him you're gonna work and then end up on your phone he Will notice. He knows all the tricks in the book, he used them himself, you are not gonna start after just one more video, you're gonna start now. He's pretty hard to argue with when he's got his Boss voice on.

- That being said, he ain't gonna be much help with academics–even the stuff he's great at, like songwriting, he doesn't really consciously think about; he just has an intuitive sense of what does and doesn't work, and goes purely off of what feels right.

- Any other support he can offer though, he's There. You want snacks? A quiet spot to study? Coffee on the hour every hour? He's got you, ask and you shall receive.

- He's drawing the line if you start going overboard though, working tired is worse than not working at all so you're gonna call it for the night and come back when you're back on your game.

Yone

- Another man who's likely to actually know the subject you're studying. He'll sit down with you and help you make a study plan, and then he'll make sure you actually stick to it. A firm yet gentle hand–he’s used to dealing with that lot, keeping you on track is easy mode comparatively. Also, he'll find a way to minimize potential distractions so sneakily you won't even notice, like you get the urge to go on your socials but your phone's somehow all the way over on the couch so it's too much effort.

- Offers to let you study at his place. It's a very quiet and relaxing space, and also he point blank bans any of the other band members from bothering either of you while you're working.

- You thought that thing about herbal tea helping with concentration was an old wives tale but whatever is in this little clay cup is legitimately a god send. He also makes his own wagashi, and it's so pretty you'd almost feel bad about eating it if it didn't taste so good.

- Helps you with flashcards and quizzes and anything else that will help you feel prepared. Will go out of his way to read up on the subject so he can help you better.

Ezreal

- This guy 100% has undiagnosed ADHD, I don't make the rules. Unlike Kayn who has some pretty obvious hyperactivity symptoms, Ez is one of those people whose like ‘nahhh I can't have that, I get on just fine when it's something I'm interested in :)) in fact I'm so good at studying things I'm interested in that I'll do it for hours at a time without taking breaks! :)) that's normal!’. So while he really wants to be helpful, he has horrible studying habits and honestly he's impressed you're starting before midnight the night before your test. If you need someone to keep an eye on your bad study habits, he is not the guy. If you need a quick confidence boost or moral support though, he's absolutely there for you.

- Extremely knowledgeable on a very specific and eclectic range of subjects. If you happen to by studying ancient history he will explode with excitement, babygirl he knows facts you couldn't even begin to be assessed on.

- He'll bring you your favorite snacks and drinks! Occasionally he'll start talking to you only to remember you're busy and cut himself off mid word–he doesn't mean to, it's just whenever he finds something interesting he immediately wants to share it with you.

- Second you say you're done he'll insist on doing something to celebrate, whatever gets your batteries recharged, whether that's going out and doing something fun or snuggling down and watching a movie, he thinks you deserve a reward.

K’Sante

- Actually very studious, he knows how to knuckle down and get something done. If you have trouble keeping on track he can help with that. Like he gets this gaggle of dumbasses to meet deadlines, he's pretty good at figuring out what motivates people

- His knowledge base is mostly music theory and visual design, but he'll help out if he can.

- He'll invite you to his place and make you lunch as a treat, which is very motivating because he is a fantastic cook. Plying you with food is also his way of maneuvering you into taking breaks when you need them.

- He can tell when you start slowing down and need to call it for the day, and gently extracts you from your work by suggesting you take a walk and stretch your legs or something.

Bonus

- Whole band is throwing you a party as soon as your exams are over, whether it's a celebration of your hard work or a ‘thank fuck it's over’ bash. There will be another party when you get your results back, they'll take any excuse for a party if it means you'll be there.

[wowcatboys]

i rlly like your work, heartsteel needs more content tbh,, so ty!! ANYWAY,

i liked the general relationship/kiss hcs w kayn, would u be able to do that for the other two as well?? if that makes sense

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

HEARTSTEEL YONE: RELATIONSHIP HEADCANONS ♡ Gender Neutral ♡ SFW, with light touching/sensuality ♡ TW: Some alcohol usage/food mentions ♡ I've done Sett's kisses here (X) and relationship HCs here (X), and Yone's kisses here (X) ! (will I remember to come back and edit those links in??? only time will tell)

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

YONE

No matter where you go, Yone brings you on fantastic dates. It's never popular tourist-trap type outings, either. If you ask how the hell he even found out about your date locations, he smiles coyly and says he can't reveal his sources. Regardless, expect lots of breathtaking, original dates—hidden trails that spill into breathtaking clumps of wildflowers, a hole-in-the-wall burger joint with the best fries you've had in tour entire life, tiny sculpture parks with some truly absurd statues (he absolutely refuses to delete the unflattering pic of you squatting next to a caked-up stone Sasquatch).

He isn't on his phone often, so don't be surprised if Yone doesn't text you back quickly or is overly-formal with his messages. Wild horses couldn't drag a silly emoji or a meme out of him. If you're lucky, you'll get a red heart, but that's about it. He tries not to make you feel neglected just because he's a dry texter, though. Especially when he's on tour, he calls you to check in whenever he's got a spare moment.

Yone's a chronic meal-skipper so he really appreciates if you share your food with him. Be warned, though, if you force him to step away from work and sit down for dinner you're either getting five minutes and a cup of instant ramen, or he's cooking you a three course meal complete with different appetizer, entree, and dessert wines. There's no in-between.

While Yone's not a fan of PDA, he holds your hand through every big event you're forced to attend. He doesn't appreciate the attention and flashing lights, but your warm, reassuring grip keeps him calm and relatively content.

Matching outfits are a little bit too much, but Yone is all for wearing clothing that compliments yours. Think similar textures, colors, and cuts. If you're wearing athleisure, he'll throw on a pair of stylish sweatpants. You're rocking the all black fit, so is he (with a pop of color in his earrings, probably—if he's completely monochrome, Kayn accuses him of "stealing his look"). Though he thinks it's a little cringy to be exact matches, he's definitely down to coordinate.

Whenever Yone makes himself a coffee, he whips up a glass of your favorite beverage as well. Nothing is too complicated—if you want a latte, he can make any flavor, and he'll pour the foam into a heart shape on top. Boba? No problem, he's got tapioca pearls in your favorite flavor and large straws on hand, to boot. A mimosa? Okay, he might raise his eyebrow at that one and point out that it's like eleven A.M.—nevertheless, if it's a mimosa you want, then it's a mimosa you'll get. Part of this is because he loves you, of course, but also? He hates sharing his coffee and figures that you won't ask for a sip if you've got your own drink.

Yone absolutely melts when you take care of him. He's used to looking after everyone else's wants and needs, so it's a pleasant surprise when someone extends that same care and attention to him. Cook him his favorite meal or take care of his laundry when he's been extra busy, and he looks at you like you're the eight wonder of the world. "You didn't have to do that for me," he cups your face gently, sweeping an appreciative kiss over your forehead. "But I'm glad that you did."

Chivalry is not dead and Yone's the man giving it CPR. Count on him to be the perfect gentleman. He opens every door for you, takes your coat whenever you drop by his studio, and no, under no circumstances will he let you pull out your own chair.

Yone's pet-names are sweet and classic. Most often, he calls you 'my darling', but he'll occasionally pepper in a 'dearest' or 'lover' for variety.

One of Yone's favorite ways to spend a free evening with you is sneaking into underground music shows. The two of you will turn up to somebody's house where the living room has been cleared to throw together a makeshift stage, or an abandoned warehouse with people clustering together and swaying to synthetic beats blasting through mid-grade speakers. More often than not, the musicians aren't that good (but that's par for the course with these kind of shows). The atmosphere can't be beat, though. And, when you do stumble upon somebody's garage band that actually goes hard, it's always an exciting surprise. Yone always keeps cash on him in case somebody's selling merch. He snags two stickers, one for you to keep and one to paste on his guitar case. What better way to commemorate shitty bands and crowded house shows than with matching stickers?

If you tag along with him on tour or business trips, Yone's first mission is to scout out a good coffee shop. Of course he takes you along, and buys you whatever little treats catch your eye. Sweets, sandwiches, snacks—anything he notices you ogling behind the glass, he orders for you.

Even with his massively packed schedule Yone NEVER, EVER forgets an important date. Expect gifts on birthdays and anniversaries, and extra love and support on dates that might be difficult for you.

Since Sett's a master crocheter, Yone pays him a frankly absurd amount to make you a plushie that looks like his fox mask. Yone knows that it can't be easy for you, with him away touring or on business so much of the time. The stuffed snuggle-buddy, he hopes, can ease your loneliness when he's away. Before he sets off on a long trip he makes sure to spritz your stuffie with his cologne, so that you can squish it in your sleep and dream that he's right there with you.

Yone's not a huge cuddler. Too much physical attention can make him feel smothered. The exception is when you sit on his lap. He loves when you settle onto him while he's working. As long as you're quiet and still (he doesn't want you to disturb his flow, after all), he basks in your comfortable warmth and the adorable way you tuck yourself into his chest.

[ao3komorii]

Lonely Regrets (Yone/Reader)

Yone is finally done! Taking a break and then next will be Heartsteel Sett. Hope everyone enjoys :)

----

There was so much blood.

Your parents’ empty eyes stared back at you, limbs twisted unnaturally, bodies broken. Blood like a red lake covered the entire ceremonial chamber, the blood of every member of your village spilled for only you left to see.

“Oh, dear daughter of sorrow,” the twisted black shadow above you purred as it grew only larger, its blurry shape hard for you to make out its form in any detail. “Your soul will be the most delicious.”

So then why were you still alive?

You had watched with wide eyes as the shadow had grown, had overtaken all of the white walls with its deep black, before it had seemed to snap, disappearing and leaving you to your world of red.

You had thought that day would be boring, filled with expectations you had lived your life being ready to meet. Your ascension to official leader-to-be of your village, a position promised to you as the only child of the current leader. Your eighteenth birthday was supposed to be a joyous day for the village, but now the only person that remained of the village was you.

When your parents had told you of a surprise, a deal they had made to ensure the prosperity of the village and the strength of your leadership, you had assumed they had bartered a marriage partner for you, or made a deal with a nearby village. A deal with a demon had been so far out of the realm of possibilities that you never could have thought of it in a million years.

It was clear the demon had not intended to keep to any terms as it rose from the floor, a dark shape of too many teeth and eyes… and took the heads off of half of the village in one cruel swipe. Your parents had been terrified, outraged, but all they heard in response as they screamed their last screams was the demon’s laughter, the last sound they ever heard as they too fell to the ground in pieces.

But why had it left you alive? The demon’s words spoken to you in that room that stunk of blood still haunted you, even ten years later, even now that you knew more about the demonic azakana.

Demons with endless hunger who preferred to slowly feed on a person’s negative emotions before consuming them entirely, and then onto the next victim. Each azakana had its own preference for certain emotions, whether it be rage or despair or loneliness. And as someone who had experienced all three, you had seen and killed more than your fair share of azakana since that day, but you had never found the one that killed your village.

You had been a walking azakana magnet for years before a solution had prowled its way into your life.

You had been staring down a tempting abyss, a cliffside overlooking a pit of thorny spikes so far below, an easy way out that would be so much simpler than continuing your lonely life of pain. Just a few steps, and you would no longer have to carry the mantle of last of your village, no longer have to fight for your life every other week, you would just be nothing.

It was then that you sensed something behind you, turning sharply with your daggers at the ready to see a four-legged jagged shape of darkness with a bone white demonic mask on its face, its hungry eyes focussed in on you.

You had prepared for a fight, but staring at the unmoving azakana, you momentarily wondered if it would be better to just give up, to stop living this life of loneliness and pain and go fully into the dark.

Through your contemplation, the azakana stayed still and silent, and if not for its horrific shape, you could almost have thought it was just a curious animal, but this one was seeking your soul rather than some scraps of food.

You weren’t sure what it was, maybe the silent stare, unknowing of your past, only seeking to fill its belly, that made you open your mouth instead of its flesh with your blades. Nobody understood, nobody would be able to hear your story without sprinting away from you. And nobody would ever hear your story if you died here. With those thoughts in mind, you spoke, quietly regaling the animal-like azakana of your pain, your loss, of every emotion you felt since that day.

You didn’t know how long you had been talking for, just that by the end, you were on the ground, tears soaking your face as you stared at the still-silent azakana through tear-blurred eyes as your words turned fully into sobs.

It was then that the silent azakana moved, slinking towards you like a predator. Your chest felt tight, but not with fear, instead feeling the full weight of all of your bad memories still heavy on your heart, hardly a surprise given how emotionally repressed you had been for so long.

Closing your sore eyes, you expected your death to come, but were instead surprised by the brush of thick fur against your skin, opening your eyes to see the azakana nuzzling its masked face against your side, a deep red glow surrounding its body.

You were stunned, having never seen anything like this with any azakana you had encountered in the past three years. The interaction was almost petlike, if you had a demon for a pet.

You slowly began to notice that the longer you sat there with the azakana’s head in your lap, the lighter the ache in your chest felt. It was as if your feelings were flowing into the beast, but instead of feeling numb and close to death, you just felt… better. Better than you had felt since your village had died.

Many would call it a parasitic relationship, but you preferred to look at it as symbiotic. You occasionally fed him your worst emotions, and you could get through your days unhunted by azakana, instead able to become the hunter yourself.

The azakana was only able to talk as much as an animal could, and you had named him Kosen, after a gentle tiger in your favorite bedtime story that your mother had told you as a child. You could hardly pass through towns with an azakana at your side, so Kosen had been taking to staying in the form of a white tiger and that was how you had lived for the past seven years.

It was easier to be around people now, but you couldn’t bring yourself to settle down in one place, still afraid to develop any relationships only for them to be taken away. You had contacts all over Ionia, but you were the strange woman with the magic daggers and the tiger, not someone anyone could call a close friend, aside from Kosen.

And now, many years after your first azakana encounter, you and Kosen were on the trail of a firey azakana who had left too many charred corpses behind to possibly be a coincidence.

You had finished bathing in the spring you had come across on your way to the next village, redressed and intent on scouting the area for anything edible, Kosen stubbornly remaining in the water, as he always did whenever you found a body of water big enough for him to lounge in.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were a real tiger,” you commented with a huff of laughter, Kosen choosing to shake his body and spray you with water in response. “Okay, well you had better be done by the time I get back. We have a lot more walking to do if we want to get to Tevasa by tomorrow.”

Kosen huffed, turning his back to you in his usual show of brattiness; at least he wouldn’t blow his cover if anyone happened to stumble upon the scene, as unlikely as that was this deep in the forest in the middle of nowhere.

You preferred the days of solitude to the days spent in the cities anyways, always worried deep down that every person you met could look inside you and see all the lives that had been lost because of you.

You had overheard the occasional comment about your now-dead village, usually from town gossips. They talked about the massacre of the entire town, their suspected culprits ranging from Noxians to dragons. It was hardly surprising that you had yet to hear someone mention demons as the suspected culprits. After all, azakana were the things of children’s stories, creatures that would come to devour bad children who didn’t listen to their parents, and you and Kosen would continue to do your best to keep it that way.

The pickings in this area were disappointing, as you had expected. It was a good thing Kosen only fed off of other azakana and feelings, as there was definitely not enough game in miles to sustain a real tiger.

With a sigh, you crouched down beside a bush of berries you knew were safe to eat, but were always too sour at this time of year, so it would be an unsatisfying dinner for you, but far from your first. Popping one in your mouth, you winced at the unpleasant taste, almost tempted to just toss them back at the bush, when a sound pierced the air.

You immediately knew it was Kosen, the sheer panic in the cry enough to startle you to your core. You had heard his growls, his roars, but you had never heard him make this sound before, like he was being torn apart.

The sour berries fell from your grasp, left behind and forgotten as you began to sprint back towards the spring, daggers at the ready, having no idea what you were running into but just knowing that Kosen needed you.

You emerged back into the clearing, spotting Kosen, now out of the water, growling ferociously as he continued to lose ground to a strange figure with two glowing swords who seemed determined to take his life.

Without a word, you darted in, blade aimed for the man’s neck with deadly precision. It was quite rare for you to end up in fights with humans, given you travelled with a large tiger, but you wouldn’t allow this man to hurt Kosen, so you struck without mercy. If Kosen’s cry was anything to go off of, then this man was clearly a threat to be taken seriously.

You knew you were silent, your moves practiced over years, but just as your blade was about to cut into him, the man vanished, moving faster than you could see. Frowning, you shifted around, still able to sense the attacker in the trees nearby, unmoving.

Turning your head back, you took in Kosen, who quickly came to your side, looking roughed up, but not grievously wounded. “Are you okay?”

The azakana growled affirmatively, his tail lashing in frenzied strokes behind him as he too attempted to survey the trees for whoever had attacked him.

Whoever he was, they seemed content to simply watch you from the shadows of his hiding spot. You could try to flee, but something about the man didn’t sit well with you, something telling you that he would not hesitate to cut you down if you tried to run. You were in unprecedented territory here, and it unnerved you deeply. Your best shot here would be to confront the man directly.

“Who are you?” you demanded coldly. “This tiger is my companion. Look elsewhere if you intend to hunt game.”

“Your companion is no tiger,” came the man’s reply, his deep voice sounding strangely sad. “And if I had found you any later, you would be prey for its true form.”

His words immediately put you on edge. Besides their direct victims, you had never met anyone who was aware of azakana, much less could recognize one in its disguised state. That couldn’t be what was happening, could it? But how else were you supposed to interpret those words?

“His true form is none of your business,” you spit viciously, eyes darting over the trees, trying to pick out his location. “We are passing through this area in peace. I know no clan has dominion here.”

“A human aiding an azakana?” he sneered in response. “To side against your own kind and feed them to demons… truly despicable.”

His words made you angry, the man clearly feeling free to judge something he knew nothing about.

“You’re quick to judge for someone who won’t even show his face,” you hissed, Kosen snarling in support at your side.

There was a long silence before a shift in the air, and then the man was before you, swords still held at the ready but making no move to attack, which gave you the chance to get a good look at him, his appearance bringing a quiet gasp to your lips.

He wore the shape of a man, his shirtless torso well-muscled, arms and stomach wrapped with bandages despite no injuries being apparent in his movements. His hair was long, longer than you had ever seen on a man, dark hair reaching his lower back. But none of his features caught your attention like his face, one eye hidden under the shadows of the mask he wore, the dramatic shape of the mask that sloped down over his nose putting you on alert immediately, its appearance distinctly azakana in nature.

Your alarm only deepened when you looked to his belt, seeing a variety of masks left behind by dead azakana strung along his belt. He didn’t seem to be an azakana himself, the air missing the usual crackling of energy that denoted the presence of one of the demons, but if not, then what was he?

“You wear the face of an azakana but call me a slave to one?” you spoke harshly, refusing to lower your weapons as you glared at the mysterious man.

“I understand the dangers of azakana better than most,” he spoke, his uncovered eye impossible to see even as he took a step closer. “That demon will bleed villages dry if left alive. I have heard of azakana taking on human guises, but never human shields. I will strike you down regardless if you place yourself in my path.”

So a fight it was then. But you would not allow him to make false statements about Kosen.

“He is an azakana,” you admitted. “But he’s also my friend. And the only thing he bleeds dry is his own kind… and me.”

Your admission seemed to surprise and disgust him in equal measure, his frown an obvious indication of his distaste. “Then it is a parasite.”

“I don’t expect you to understand,” you hissed, sheathing your daggers and reaching down to touch Kosen’s head, the faux-tiger nuzzling against your palm. “But Kosen is no danger to anyone who doesn’t attack him first. And I won’t let you kill him just because of what he is.”

“I would call you ignorant, but you recognized my mask,” he admitted somberly. “And yet I find it difficult to take you at your word. It would be safer for Ionia if I were to cut you down here.”

“And I’m supposed to just trust someone like you has Ionia’s best interests at heart?” you pressed, insulted that you and Kosen were being cast as villains you knew you weren’t. “I’m supposed to believe you wear the mask of a monster but aren’t one? Maybe we should be cutting you down for the sake of Ionia.”

Kosen growled beside you, prowling forward to take a protective stance in front of you, fangs bared at the stranger.

The man said nothing in response, the silence stretching out, pricking against your skin. You had no desire to kill this man, not if he wasn’t an azakana, so you would give talking one more try.

“Let us pass, and then you can go and find an actually dangerous azakana to kill,” you insisted. “And we’ll go do the same.”

You knew you weren’t the most eloquent, a life only occasionally interacting with civilization leading to somewhat awkward social skills. But given he started this conversation with swords drawn, he didn’t really seem to be the conversational type either. If you had to fight your way through him, then so be it, because he wasn’t taking Kosen from you.

“You ask me to trust in a demon defying its nature?” he spoke quietly, but his swords did not move.

You didn’t have anything to prove to this strange man, and you were not about to go baring your soul to him just so he would let you live. But at the same time, you wanted to avoid killing him, especially if you shared a common goal, which gave you an idea.

You stepped forward, Kosen staring warily at you, but trusting your judgment. “We’re hunting a fire azakana who we’ve tracked to somewhere around Tevasa. If you don’t believe us, then come with us and see. If you can’t trust my word, then trust my actions. But I won’t let you kill either of us because of your own assumptions.”

The man was silent again, and you chose to act, assuming his silence at least meant he wouldn’t attack you. “Or don’t. But we’re leaving.”

The moment you turned your back, you heard the quiet sound of metal cutting through air as the man sheathed his swords. You didn’t turn, but were secretly relieved that your gamble had not gone as poorly as it could have.

The man easily caught up to you with quiet footsteps, allowing you a closer look at his face.

He was pale, the eye closest to you a deep red, the other covered by his mask, its outline glowing an eerie blue. Beside his open eye was a long-healed scar, crossing from beside his eye to pass through the corner of his lip. You couldn’t decide if he was handsome or not, any beauty in his face equally disturbing given his demonic mask. You knew he wasn’t an azakana, so just what was he?

“So you’re joining us then?” you prompted, looking him in his exposed eye.

He stared solemnly back at you, and you wondered if he knew any other way to be. “Our paths cross… for now.”

“As long as our swords don’t have to,” you remarked, trying to alleviate some of the obvious tension in the air. “Could I at least get your name, if we’re going to be killing azakana together and all?”

A sigh. “…Yone.”

Yone wasn’t much for talking, that much was clear. His footsteps were steady beside yours, but his answers to your attempts at friendly questions were short and evasive. Eventually you gave up, instead choosing to focus your attention on finding a replacement meal for your spilled berries, Kosen eventually tiring of your poor attempt at a search and disappearing briefly, only to come back with a giant flop rabbit clutched in his jaws.

Yone said nothing, merely watching as you paused to set up a quick fire, not really feeling like being poisoned by some undercooked meat, Kosen curling up around the fire, his eyes open and on Yone, as if daring him to try anything.

“Do you want some?” you asked as you rotated the rabbit over the dancing flames.

“No,” Yone answered shortly, and you wondered if maybe he was just being polite.

“I don’t mind,” you pressed with a smile you hoped would reassure him. It felt so awkward to sit here and hog the rabbit all to yourself when you had company. “And Kosen only kills what we eat, so don’t worry.”

“I have never known an azakana to exercise restraint,” Yone commented, clearly still wary of Kosen. “Theirs is a hunger that can only devour.”

“Well he’s been with me for seven years now, and I’m still here,” you protested idly. “I’ve killed enough azakana to know what they’re like, but Kosen isn’t like the rest of them. He saved my life.”

You didn’t feel like elaborating, not to the strange masked man who had told you no more than his name. Though really, it was more likely that habit was kicking in; you had lived for so long with only Kosen to confide in, painful secrets inside you locked closely to your chest. It wasn’t terrible having company who shared your burdens, even as quiet and serious as he was, but you knew that he wouldn’t be around long after he realized that you and Kosen were no threat, so there was little point in getting attached.

You sat in silence other than Kosen’s gentle purring, only slightly broken-sounding to your ears in his imitation of a tame house pet. You knew better than to think he was doing it to aide his own case, the false tiger knowing that his broken purrs always calmed you down. You had thought you were doing okay, but you must not seem great if Kosen felt the need to wordlessly comfort you.

You picked at your dinner, feeling the intensity of the staring contest you knew was going on between the other two members of your group. Kosen was uninjured, but you knew that he would not relax until Yone was long behind you, and who knew how long it would take for the strange man to be convinced that you were not a threat.

Knowing the tension would be better abated sooner rather than later, you pushed your feet harder than usual, making it most of the way to Tevasa, the journey much quieter than it usually was with just Kosen. Maybe you should’ve just taken the fighting option, at least it wouldn’t be so awkward now if you had… unless Yone killed you, that was.

“So how long have you been hunting azakana?” you asked him, figuring you should at least give it another try despite your rusty conversational skills.

Yone looked up from where he sat polishing his sword, seeming to take a moment to consider your question. “I do not know.”

“It feels like that for me too sometimes,” you admitted, settling back against Kosen’s fur. “I’ve killed so many that I’ve lost count.”

“…I still haven’t decided to spare you, you know,” he reminded you, not unkindly, but as if stating a fact.

Kosen growled from behind you, not taking kindly to his statement, but you just felt strangely calm. Danger was your pastime, you rationalized; it had been ever since the last day your village had been alive. Maybe you were more comfortable around danger than safety now, a sad thought to realize, but you would never be able to go back to the you of ten years ago, no matter how badly you wanted to sometimes.

You slept against Kosen’s warm fur that night, as you usually did. You had no idea if Yone had slept at all, as he was up and gazing out into the distance when you woke up.

You were only a few hours walk from Tevasa now, and with how many victims the azakana you were after had left in its wake, you knew you would need to feed Kosen to get him to full strength for the fight to come. You would just have to hope that Yone wouldn’t react poorly to the feeding.

You placed a hand on Kosen’s head, petting his fur with slow strokes, the tiger immediately sensing your intentions, looking up to meet your eyes.

Yone clearly sensed something was wrong, as he stopped his pacing around to assumedly raise an eyebrow you couldn’t see from under his mask at you.

You met his sharp gaze warily, trying to look reassuring. “I have to feed Kosen. It’s safe, I promise.”

“Holding azakana to promises is foolish,” he replied tersely. “But I have resolved to assess your claims for myself.”

Satisfied that he wasn’t likely to interrupt, you braced yourself for the feeding. You really would have preferred to send Yone away for this part, considering you would now have to bare your most vulnerable thoughts in front of the bloodthirsty stranger, but this was to protect Kosen, so you would do what you had to.

Closing your eyes, your hand stilled on his head, knowing that a physical link helped to more easily transfer your feelings to the feline azakana. Beneath your fingers, you felt Kosen shift to his demonic form, his soft fur turning coarse and hard, which told you that he was ready for you to start.

With your eyes closed, you had no way of knowing how Yone was reacting to the situation, but he seemed to be keeping his feelings to himself, so it wasn’t like a visual aid would help you that much. He hadn’t attacked Kosen though, and you supposed that would be as good of a sign to start as you were going to get.

You let out a long, shaky sigh before beginning.

“I can’t see their faces anymore,” you admitted morosely. “Not while they were alive. I try not to think about them because all I can see is their dead faces, their frozen expressions… all I can smell is their blood. I don’t even remember what the sweet buns mom used to make smell like. All I can smell is blood.”

As you talked, you felt your surroundings fade away, and as always, the tears came quickly.

“I forget their voices, but I still remember their screams,” you sobbed, feeling the tears roll down your cheeks, lost in the darkness under your eyelids, the images from that day coming to your mind’s eye as you talked. “It would all be so much easier if I had died that day too, if I was just nothing. If I didn’t have to live like a ghost, never able to see them again. Never able to ask mom for advice, or get a hug from dad on a bad day. All I have left is the screams.”

The more you spoke, the less you cried, feeling calmer as your sadness was eaten by Kosen, the tears drying as you talked, as they always did. Finally, when you felt truly calm, you stopped, opening your eyes to see Kosen, already shifted back into his disguise, kneading his paws into the ground as he felt new strength flow through him.

Reaching a sleeve up, you wiped off what tears remained on your face, feeling emotion return to you, manifesting as nervousness as you looked over at Yone, only to find his visible eye already on you.

“See?” you spoke, waving a wrist at him. “Still alive.”

“I have never known anyone to be brave enough to keep a leech as a pet,” he replied, voice thoughtful, even though his words told you that he still didn’t understand you.

With a tight smile, you stood up, brushing the dirt from your pants as you tried to stamp down your anger before it got to a level you’d have to feed to Kosen again. What were you were doing, trying vainly to prove yourself to a man that had shown you and Kosen nothing but contempt?

“Without him, I’d be dead,” you spoke at last, shocking yourself with the anger that soaked your words, even as you felt it under your skin. “I would have been eaten by an azakana years ago without him helping to keep my emotions steady. Now we’ll be heading to Tevasa if you’re still so insistent on killing us.”

You turned away, stalking off in the direction of Tevasa, Kosen quickly at your side, letting out a smug huff when he reached your side.

“Sorry,” you apologized to him. “I really should’ve said something much sooner.”

Kosen’s reply was a dismissive grunt, telling you that he wasn’t upset with you. You really didn’t deserve the amount of luck you had that day he had found you. Now you just needed to kill the fire azakana so you could get rid of the pest you had attracted and go back to just being you and Kosen.

Yone was predictably silent, but continued to walk with you, his persistence merely annoying to you now.

Neither of you talked until Tevasa came in sight, the small village bustling with activity.

Tevasa was especially small, housing little more than a hundred people, which would make your job easier. This azakana really should have picked a larger village if it was going to have a hope of hiding its next target. It wouldn’t be too hard to pick out a person emotionally damaged enough to be a tasty meal for a demon with so few people to choose from.

Stopping at the far side of the small bridge that led into the village, you turned to acknowledge Yone at last.

“I’m not sure what your process is,” you said, trying your best to sound patient. “But I like to ask around town to see if anyone has suffered any recent trauma, and then we trail them until Kosen detects the azakana making itself known.”

“I have never thought deeply about my methods,” Yone admitted, one hand drifting to his blood red sword as if he needed something to do as he spoke. “I sense the azakana, and then I kill them, ideally before they claim any lives.”

“Sounds like we can work together just fine then,” you said, Kosen snorting his obvious displeasure. “I think I should handle the talking part though.”

“Fine,” Yone acquiesced easily, removing his hand from his sword and striding ahead of you across the bridge, leaving you and Kosen to catch up with him.

You were an eye-catching group, the villagers’ eyes roving over your party as you entered the village, probably wondering if you were here to cause trouble. While the smaller villages were easier to narrow down victims in, they did tend to be more closed-off in terms of information gathering, your equally closed-off companion not likely to be much of a help in that regard.

You looked around, trying to meet a friendly eye, but most of the villagers averted their gazes from you, clearly afraid of the trouble they thought you posed to them. Maybe this hunt was going to be more difficult than you had thought.

“Kitty!”

Just as you began to despair, a high-pitched voice rang out, turning your head to see a small boy break out of his mother’s grasp and run at Kosen, tiny arms outstretched to the tiger.

You felt Yone tense up immediately, turning to face him and quickly shaking your head once. You hoped he would understand and stand down, but he was still too unpredictable. Maybe it was the insistence in your eyes, but Yone merely averted his gaze from yours, watching as the boy made his way over to the faux tiger, his mother too slow to catch him as he reached his arms up to catch Kosen in a hug around his neck.

There were cries of alarm, fear on the mother’s face as she stumbled her way forward, but the tension in the air turned sharply to stunned silence as Kosen leaned down to nuzzle the boy’s head with a loud purr, ruffling his hair and drawing a giggle from the boy.

The boy grinned happily, petting Kosen’s head, the azakana eagerly accepting the attention, not unlike an overgrown puppy. Soon, there was a group of kids happily playing with Kosen, riding on his back and giving him his highly-coveted chin scratches.

The villagers that looked at you with suspicion and fear now watched the scene with fondness. Having seen this situation play out a thousand times before, you turned to Yone, an exasperated smile on your face.

“He loves attention,” you explained, secretly satisfied by just how puzzled Yone looked as he too looked upon the scene.

Eventually, the mothers called their children back, not wanting them to bother the strangers for too long, and Kosen trotted back over to you, throwing a haughty look and huff Yone’s way, clearly having sensed his earlier tension.

“You’re still a demon,” Yone hissed pridefully, clearly refusing to admit defeat so easily.

Leaving the boys to their petty squabble, you approached the first boy’s mother, who noticed you coming and paused her speech on manners to smile awkwardly at you.

“I apologize for Yuten,” she said, bowing her head politely. “I have told him again and again not to bother visitors.”

“It’s okay,” you dismissed gently, Kosen’s display helping to unravel your tension as well. “Kosen doesn’t get chances to play often, so he just eats up the attention.”

“Kosen…” Yuten muttered in awe, the tiger mewling in response, happily accepting a few more pats from the boy as you talked to his mother.

“I was wondering if I could ask you a question,” you broached gently, hoping your rusty social skills would still do the trick. “We’ve been on the trail of a killer, one who seems to target people who have suffered a tragedy. I was just curious if anything strange has happened in Tevasa lately, if you’ve noticed anyone acting strangely.”

The woman looked concerned, and then perplexed, making you doubt that you were going to get any useful information from her.

“We’re a peaceful village,” she said, clearly wracking her brain as she spoke. “There have been some disappointing harvests for trade this year, but nothing like a murderer. Do you really think we’re in danger?”

She glanced worriedly at her son, who was still distracted by Kosen, the direction of her thoughts plain on her face.

“Children should be safe,” you said, leaving out the reasoning behind your words. Children were too young to have developed emotions deep enough to be appetizing to azakana. “But anyone especially alone or emotionally vulnerable would be at risk.”

“They are more likely to strike when their target is alone,” Yone said, surprising you by speaking up. The woman’s eyes flitted nervously to him, clearly somewhat unnerved by his appearance. “And at night. Keep your children close while we do our work and they will be fine.”

The woman nodded, looking nervous, which you couldn’t blame her for, being given the news that there was a murderer in their midst. Clearly in a hurry to get her son inside, the woman wished you luck, telling you to visit the village leader if you wanted more information. Her son was less than enthused to be pried off of Kosen, but obeyed his mother, who stopped every few paces to have hushed conversation with other adults, who then quickly ushered their own children inside as well. You hated stoking fear everywhere you went, but it was necessary.

“To the leader then?” you asked, looking down the street while keeping the woman’s directions playing on loop in your head.

“If we must,” Yone acquiesced, clearly not used to doing things the talking way.

You followed the main road until you spotted a small building with a sloped blue roof, clearly the building you were looking for based on her description.

“I can talk to him alone, if you two would rather stay out here,” you offered, stopping just before the small walkway that led up to the house.

Your suggestion was as poorly received as you imagined it would be, Yone and Kosen staring at each other with blatant distaste.

Kosen was the first to move, trotting past you to the door before turning to Yone, reaching a paw up to groom himself, a clear challenge in his expression.

Yone stared for a moment before sighing in defeat and walking past you as well. “I will not leave you alone to claim any more victims, azakana.”

Smiling to yourself, you followed them to the door, the boys parting to the side to allow you to knock on the door.

The man that came to the door was older, his white hair in a topknot and deep red robes neat. He eyed you with suspicion, likely wondering about the strange company you kept. You were used to it with Kosen, but it definitely didn’t help your case that Yone looked like anything but a friendly face.

Smiling, you fell back to your well-practiced speech. “Hello. I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time to discuss a threat in your village. I was hoping to get some information from you to aid in our search.”

“If you’ve any interest in the village coffers, you’re about a day too late,” the man joked, confusing you. You had been accused of swindling before, but that didn’t seem to be the man’s intention.

Clearly noticing your confusion, he gestured behind him “You’re not with him?”

“Him?” you echoed, not really able to see whoever he was referring to.

“Oh, you…” He seemed to come to some realization, taking a quick look around before stepping aside to allow you in.

He looked wary when Kosen followed you in as well, but said nothing, closing the door behind you before speaking, clearly favoring meeting your eyes over Yone and Kosen.

“I had thought you were also sent by the council to help us,” he admitted, looking unsure.

“No, we’re just passing by,” you half-lied. “We’ve been trailing what we think is some sort of creature that preys on the weak and alone, and we were wondering if you knew anyone fitting that description who may be more at risk.”

“I’m not so sure,” he pondered. “We have our outcasts like anyone else, but you should probably talk to the council’s hunter. From what he tells me, there’s a herd of creatures hanging around just waiting to strike. He already killed two of them last night, in fact.”

“Is that so…” you replied, not really knowing what to say to that. There wasn’t a pack of azakana here, was there?

You dismissed the thought as soon as you had it. Azakana didn’t like to share, and the thought of several sharing only a few victims across this part of Ionia was ridiculous. So did that mean that this village was also dealing with a pack of man-eating creatures and a hungry azakana?

“I will fetch him for you,” the leader insisted. “He is our guest while he slays these awful creatures.”

The man then quickly shuffled from the room, leaving you an opportunity to talk to Yone and Kosen.

“He is clearly being lied to,” Yone sneered as soon as the leader was out of earshot.

“Are you sure?” you whispered back, though having your own doubts as well.

“If there is anything else in this village, they are not azakana, and they are none of our concern,” he replied, Kosen letting out a growl of agreement.

You wanted to reply, to insist that while you were here anyways, you could clear out this threat too if it did exist, but you heard two sets of footsteps coming your way and were forced to save the thought for another time.

The man that followed the village leader in was dressed flashily in a bright purple jacket over shiny gray pants, the silver armor sporadically dotting his outfit looking both impractical and illogical for combat. His dark hair was slicked back in a short ponytail, his wrists laden with sparkling silver jewelry.

His eyes were dull with distaste as they roved over your companions before they settled on you and an unsettlingly wide smile appeared on his face.

The man strode towards you, taking hold of your hand before you could stop him, and you were glad you had your gloves on as he pressed a kiss to the back of your hand.

“Didn’t expect to see such a beautiful woman around here,” he spoke flirtatiously, testing your ability to keep up your already terse smile.

You pulled your hand back as the leader spoke up. “Shusho is here on behalf of Ionia’s magical threats council, to rid us of the threat this pack of creatures pose to us.”

Magical threats council? You had been all over Ionia, but had never heard of the organization this man claimed to be from. He clearly wasn’t Kinkou, given their only interest was balancing spirits with nature. Part of you wanted to just ignore the strangeness of his claims; after all, you didn’t know everything there was to know about Ionia, but Yone’s doubts had settled uncomfortably under your skin.

“You’ll understand, of course, that I cannot share the council’s mandated creature removal fee,” Shusho added with a sly smile that only deepened your suspicions that he was some sort of con man, and hardly the first one you had ever encountered. A quick glance at Yone told you that he had not changed his opinion of the man.

“We don’t need payment,” you replied smoothly, used to this question and refusing to allow their leader to believe that you were the same as Shusho, despite the fact that you knew he believed the man had come to solve a real problem. “I was just hoping to discuss another matter.”

“Oh, the outcasts, was it?” the leader hummed in thought. “I’m not so sure myself. If you’re willing to stay the night, I can ask around and see if I can find you some answers by tomorrow.”

“Of course,” you agreed, uncaring of Yone’s opinion on the matter. If he was still intent on following you and Kosen around, then he would have to just put up with one more day here.

“Excellent,” the leader smiled. “We would be happy to have you as guests in our modest inn. We don’t get as many travellers passing by here as we used to.”

You wanted to be polite and refuse, but you did miss the comforts of a real bed and a bath. “Thank you. We should only need the one night if all goes well.”

“If it’s one night, there’s plenty of room in my bed,” Shusho grinned, Kosen growling warningly behind you in response.

The leader laughed good naturedly, as if the sleazy line had just been a joke. “I will inform our innkeeper. Please let me know if you need anything, both of you. I will do anything to keep our people safe.”

Shusho’s face turned calculated, and you quickly took your leave, deciding to later see if you could talk to the leader alone about the predatory council member. Kosen bared his teeth at the man as you passed, Yone simply following silently until you were outside.

“Honorless,” Yone sneered as soon as you were outside.

You let out a loud sigh. “I’ll try to talk to him later without Shusho around.”

Yone wasn’t quite done, staring at the closed door you had just left. “My time hunting azakana has made me forget the monstrous nature of people.”

“Some people,” you insisted. “I know you’re still deciding about me, but we need to find that azakana before it attacks whoever here is its target.”

“And we will,” he confirmed solemnly. “I can sense a bloodlust about this place. The azakana is undoubtedly biding its time before it strikes.”

“Then we have to find whoever it’s after before it does,” you spoke resolutely. You didn’t have time to wait for everyone to ask around and get back to you; you would have to do it yourself.

Talking to the villagers went much in the same way as it had upon first arrival in the village. You talked to the villagers while Kosen tried his best not to look threatening and Yone stood silently behind you, willfully oblivious of how he was undermining your efforts.

Most people had either said they knew nothing or seemed to throw out a name just to get rid of you, making the endeavor thoroughly frustrating. It wasn’t until you got frustrated enough to ask the children until you got a lead.

“Ehnisa’s mom doesn’t leave her house ever since Ehnisa went away,” a boy shrugged, clearly eager to get back to playing with his friends who were waiting nearby with a ball. “My mom says Ehnisa went to see the gods, but I dunno where that is. Can I go now? It’s my turn to throw next.”

“Yes, thank you, you’ve been a big help,” you replied, relief flooding through you at having an actual lead.

After getting directions to the woman’s house, you watched as the boy joined up with his friends to play before turning back to Yone, who you saw was also looking at the boys playing, his eye coming to meet yours as you turned.

For a moment, he had looked almost sad, like watching them playing reminded him of a sad memory. The moment gave you pause, but you certainly weren’t close enough for you to be prying, so you let the moment pass.

“We should probably go find her before it gets dark,” you said, heading off in the direction the boy had said to.

The woman’s house was on the outskirts of the village, which was another bad sign, the area around the home basically deserted. It was a small home, and didn’t look particularly run-down, at least not on the outside, but the strange quiet in the area helped to uphold your belief that you were on the right track.

The three of you made your way to the door, with you taking the lead as usual, knocking firmly on the door.

You could hear some shuffling footsteps from inside the house, but it still took at least a full minute for the door to open up a crack, the silver of space revealing a blue eye on a haggard face.

“Hello,” you greeted, before realizing with dread that you had not gotten her name from the boy, just the name of her daughter, who you had presumed from context was dead. Deciding to press on without mentioning her daughter just yet, you continued. “I was hoping–”

You watched as her eyes darted behind you at your companions, and you reasoned that she was probably scared of Kosen.

You opened your mouth to reassure her, but she was faster, drawing back from the door with fear.

“No,” she gasped shakily. “No men.”

Oh. You hadn’t been expecting that to be her issue with your current company. Looking back, Yone didn’t seem to be bothered by her words, so you tried again, placing a hand on the door.

“Would it be ok if just I came in to talk with you?” you asked gently. “He can wait outside.”

“I… I…” she breathed, eventually nodding.

“Okay,” you replied softly, before turning back to them. “I’ll be fine, but can you two stay out here without fighting?”

“I do not go back on my word,” Yone replied, eyeing Kosen with distaste, the azakana huffing in response, bearing his fangs at Yone.

Well, that was going to have to be good enough for now. Warily eyeing the two one last time, you entered the home behind the woman.

While the exterior of the small house was in a relatively good state, the inside was completely different. It wasn’t dusty, but the air inside had a sour taste to it, and it wasn’t hard to guess why.

Whenever this woman had lost her daughter, she must have lost her will to function as well. The house was in horrible disarray, belongings strewn across the floor, leaving barely a walkable path through the filth.

The path led up to a worn gray couch, which is where the woman had retreated to sit in. She had clearly established a routine, as the seat of the couch looked so sunken in that you wondered how often she left it at all. She looked so small and frail, curled up on herself, staring at you with sad, tired eyes.

“Are you… feeling alright?” you asked gently, choosing to stand instead of take a chance on any of the filthy-looking chairs scattered all around the room.

“How I feel doesn’t matter anymore,” she said, voice dry and cracking. “What do you want? Tell me what I can do to be rid of you so everything can be quiet again.”

If she wasn’t the azakana’s target, sitting there drowning in her own emotions, then you would be astounded. This was always the hardest part, getting the victims to accept your help. Just killing the azakana did nothing but delay the inevitable, you knew that much yourself. And it’s not like anyone else had Kosen to constantly rely on to keep their emotions in check, which meant that your job was often quite difficult. Some people could just not be saved from themselves, no matter how hard you tried.

“How long has your daughter been dead?” you asked, figuring you should try and break through her walls if you were going to get anywhere.

“Too long,” she moaned pitifully. “She should be here, and he should be dead. I should be dead.”

“Would you like to talk about it?” you asked, trying your best to catch her downcast eyes. “I know it’s hard and I want to help you.”

It took another twenty minutes for you to convince her to open up, and through many tears, she told you of her husband, her daughter, her happy life… at least until her husband had taken their daughter on his fishing boat, but came back alone, her resulting grief at the loss of their daughter leading to him leaving her. Her whole life had been destroyed in the span of a week, her pain driving her farther away from everything and everyone until she was little more than a living corpse.

You hated yourself for how clinical you had become in these conversations, years and years of most of your social interactions being hearing stories of the worst moments of people’s lives, but it did help you to keep calm as the woman shared her story.

Finally, it was time for you to say your part, never looking forward to this part of the process. The woman wasn’t looking at you now, her sad, tired eyes trained on an empty chair across the room, one you assumed had belonged to her daughter, given the toys scattered around it on the floor.

“I came here because I think you may be the target of a… creature,” you said, not feeling like this woman was in the right state to hear your tale about azakana. “I’m a travelling hunter, and I know one of those creatures is in the area. Have you noticed anything strange lately? Like hearing voices or things moving around you?”

“I… don’t know,” she answered lifelessly. “I hear her voice sometimes, telling me to come to her, but I can’t find her. I think she’s lost.”

“Your daughter isn’t here,” you spoke quietly but firmly. “You can’t listen to anything you hear. We’ll try our best to find it before it attacks, but you are in very real danger.”

The woman didn’t reply immediately, her head slowly lifting to stare into your eyes, the dark black now consuming her eyes startling you.

“Not as much danger as you, sweet daughter of sorrow.”

“I–” you gasped, blinking rapidly and suddenly realizing that the woman was staring at you with concern in her eyes. Her normal-colored eyes…

“I’ll try to remember that,” she spoke quietly, her tone suggesting that she was repeating herself. “It’s just been so lonely…”

But she… no, you dismissed. The strange words you had thought you had heard were definitely a product of your recent poor sleep. How pathetic were you that this woman was worrying about you instead of herself?

“I understand,” you replied, focussing back in on your task. “I can help calm you down for tonight, and we’ll be back tomorrow to take another look if that’s alright. My tiger will stay here tonight to protect you, so you don’t have to worry.”

“I…” she mumbled, but looked like she wouldn’t protest. “Why me? Why not just leave me to rot like everyone else has?”

“Grief makes people strange,” you replied, though her situation was so different from your own. You had no community left to distance themselves from you, everyone obliterated in one moment. “I think people will be more receptive if you meet them halfway.”

The woman just blinked, and you decided it was probably time for you to go. She clearly needed time to think, so you would regroup with Yone and Kosen first to see what other information you could find. It would do no good to smother this woman who was barely coping as is, especially with Kosen here to watch over her from outside.

You left the home to find Yone and Kosen waiting outside, spaced thirty feet more apart than they had been when you had left them. Kosen got up from his position laying on the grass as soon as he spotted you, rubbing his head against your thigh and receiving a head pat in response.

Yone was slower, pushing back from the tree he had been leaning back against and walking over, Kosen’s tail curling around you in response in a likely show of pettiness from the azakana.

“It’s very likely her,” you said, cutting to the chase. “Her daughter died and it seems like she’s been a shell of a person ever since, but I didn’t notice any signs of an imminent attack.”

“I can’t sense it here either,” Yone admitted, voice sounding frustrated. “It is not like azakana to wait so long.”

“It shouldn’t be long before it strikes,” you said, looking back at the small home, part of you wondering if it would strike now, if your presence here would provoke it, as had happened in the past, but the house remained quiet and still. “All we can do now is be ready for when it does. I’m going to start by asking around to see if this woman had any friends.”

“Friends do not help you kill an azakana,” Yone stated harshly, his thought process so clearly different from your own.

“I know how to kill an azakana,” you snapped back, reaching a hand down to pet Kosen. “I’m just concerned about her afterwards. She needs friends to check in on her, or this is just going to happen all over again, and next time, she’ll be consumed.”

“You cannot protect anyone forever,” Yone shot back, but without malice in his voice. “Some fates cannot be avoided, merely postponed.”

“Then I’ll do that,” you replied. “That’s what we always do. Give them enough of a push to save themselves.”

Yone’s silent stare told you he likely didn’t see the point of your methods, but that was fine. After this azakana was dead, you could go your separate ways and your methods would again be your own business.

“Kosen, I need you to stay here for tonight,” you told the tiger, who predictably was reluctant, nudging your hand with his head with a huff. “I’ll be fine for one night, but I need you here in case something happens. If her emotions get too loud, I need you to calm her down.”

You could feel Yone’s stare and turned your head to return it. “She’ll be safe. I gave you my word that Kosen doesn’t consume souls.”

“I can hardly expect a beast to resist a juicy cut of meat when it swings before his face,” Yone replied, Kosen growling in offence in response to the accusation.

“Alright,” you acquiesced, shrugging your shoulders. “If you want to keep an eye on him, sure. But I think it would be faster if we all split up.”

Yone stared at Kosen for a long moment, the tiger licking his paw, purposefully paying him no mind. You had never seen Kosen be so petty; he certainly didn’t act like this with you, and it was taking a lot for you to not laugh at the scene in front of you.

“…fine,” Yone agreed at last, breaking eye contact with Kosen.

“Great,” you replied, ignoring Yone’s sour expression. “I’ll try and see if I can convince anyone to come by and see her while you scout around for any demonic presences. I promise we won’t go far if you decide that we can’t be trusted after all.”

Yone said nothing, letting out what you hoped was an amused huff before disappearing.

Once he was gone, you turned to Kosen, who was still relaxing on the grass without a feigned care in the world, your hands on your hips.

“You don’t have to antagonize him,” you said, smiling, though you knew that Kosen was aware that you weren’t mad.

Wishing Kosen good luck, you set off for the town, your best guess as to where to start being a group of mothers you had seen socializing while their children played. The first woman you had talked to wasn’t there, but you set about your task regardless, knowing it would have to be done if the victim-to-be had any chance of a life when you were done here.

You distantly wondered what Yone was doing, as you ran around trying to drum up a social circle for the woman like you were a parent on the first day of school. You weren’t anywhere near as good at sensing the presence of an azakana from afar as Yone and Kosen, but you would be able to feel if there was an altercation, so you suspected based on the nothing you felt that Yone had made little progress.

It came as no small relief to have some breathing room, even if Kosen wasn’t here as well. You hadn’t realized how tense you were with Yone around until you had a break from being around him.

You still had no idea what to think of him, his intentions as shadowed in mystery as the mask on his face.  You hadn’t pressed, and didn’t intend to, but you couldn’t imagine there being a positive explanation for his unusual appearance.

You had garnered some concern for the woman, but nobody you talked to seemed to know her beyond normal pleasantries back when her family had been whole. You could tell people were getting a little tired of your questions, and you were ready to take your little progress and head to the inn when you saw a familiar figure heading your way.

“Have you had any luck?” the mother from this morning asked, this time without her son by her side.

You gave her a reluctant smile. “None yet, unfortunately. But we’re looking around to make sure we don’t miss anything.”

The mother looked uncomfortable, and you thought it might still be because of the killer in their midst until she hesitantly spoke up.

“I… I overheard the others talking about Mika,” she admitted, surprising you. “I haven’t wanted to bother her, so I haven’t gone to see her, but then I thought about what you said earlier and… is Mika in some sort of trouble?”

Well this conversation was already more helpful than all the other ones you had attempted since leaving Kosen at Mika’s house.

“She might be,” you admitted, hoping she would be able to help as you were running out of options. “Her being so alone puts her at risk. I can only do so much, but as long as she remains this alone, she’ll be at risk of this happening again.”

“I never thought–” She put a hand to her mouth, shocked, and you were relieved that you didn’t have to answer more questions about what these threats were, as the whole azakana thing never went down well with anyone who had never had an experience with one. “What can I do?”

“You just need to talk to her,” you stated simply. “She’s been isolating herself for so long that she can’t see a way out on her own anymore, and I can only do so much. She needs someone who isn’t a stranger to her.”

“I… understand,” she spoke shakily, sadly. “I should have gone to her sooner. Can you tell her that Sumei will come by and–”

You cautioned her to wait until the threat was dealt with to begin visiting Mika again, Sumei reluctantly agreeing, wishing you luck before going home to her son, clearly nervous to be without him in her sight after all that you had told her.

It was early evening by the time you turned back to head to the inn, desperately looking forward to a good meal and a real bed after your long day.

You were so exhausted that you didn’t see the hand coming, your arm seized in a painfully tight grip. Turning sharply, you saw Shusho’s unsettling grinning face, the light reflected from a nearby street lamp alighting his face with a sinister glow.

“What’s your problem?” he demanded, using his harsh grip on your arm to push you against the wall of the store you had been walking by.

“I don’t know what you mean,” you replied evenly, trying to shake his hold on your arm, but he held fast, pressing in closer.

“Do you know how many women would love to be in your position?” he demanded with narrowed eyes glaring in your direction. “Women throw themselves at me! You should be grateful I even looked at you!”

Was this about earlier…? You felt anger rise in you at his words; you were here trying to save someone’s life and he was more concerned over a bruised ego?

“Don’t you have some innocents to be swindling instead?” you asked, voice cold as you broke his hold on your arm, his grip loosened momentarily from shock. “Please excuse me.”

“You… you bitch!” Shusho shouted at your retreating back, not unlike a spoiled child being denied a treat and throwing a tantrum. “Nobody rejects me ever! You’ll regret treating me like this!”

You kept walking, increasing your pace in an effort to get away from him as fast as possible, a figure leaping down from the shadow of a nearby building to walk beside you.

“If you were watching me, you could’ve helped,” you complained to Yone, who raised an eyebrow at you in return. “Right, not an azakana, so not your problem. Got it.”

“You didn’t need my help,” he replied at last, the two of you walking in the direction of the inn.

Shusho punched the wall of the run-down looking store she had just escaped from. This was all turning out to be one huge disappointment for him.

He was used to leaders tripping over themselves to buy his services, women competing to be the one to warm his bed. This was not how things were supposed to go.

Who did that snobby bitch think she was? Nobody ever turned their nose up at him, looked at him like he was a bug under their shoe.

Shusho made his way into the woods, intent on taking out his rage on the first creature he found, angrily kicking a fallen branch out of his way.

Now that he was truly alone and away from all those village busybodies, Shusho’s smile had long since dropped from his face. The world around him was black, which made a sudden face between the trees stand out, its appearance sending Shusho reeling back into a tree, the bark digging into his back as he stared in horror at the scene before him.

And then it moved closer, and it became clear to Shusho that the face was a mask, a solid white mask with long horns. As it emerged from the shadows, he saw that it was being worn by a figure made of pitch black that was too tall and jagged to possibly be human.

“What are you?” Shusho yelled at the figure, brandishing his weapon with shaking hands.

The mask tilted to the side, as if assessing his question, finally leaning down towards Shusho’s face. “You want that girl to suffer?”

“I…” Shusho breathed, the inhuman cadence the voice possessed chilling his bones as he took a moment to consider its words, her sneering face coming to his mind and replacing his fear with anger.

“Good,” the black thing purrs. “I can help you get her, you know… if you assist me with what I want in return.”

He didn’t care what he had to do, what this creature would ask of him. He had never been insulted like that in his life, and the rage shook him worse than a tornado. He would not just let that woman humiliate him and get away with it.

“Tell me what I have to do.”

The shadow watched the arrogant fool stride back into the village, renewed with purpose. As always with humans, he would only realize the cost of his choices when it was time to pay. But this fool would be ever so useful in obtaining what the shadow had spent so many years biding his time in wait for.

“After so many years, you think yourself free. But you will taste so sweet, delicious daughter of sorrow, like a prized fruit finally come to ripeness…”

You were in for another surprise when you got to the inn.

“We’ve prepared a nice room for you and your husband!” the kindly older woman manning the small inn happily informed you.

“I… uh…” You weren’t really sure what to say to the clearly well-intentioned woman. Part of you was relieved she didn’t seem to find Yone frightening, but did you really look like you could be married to him?

“I’ll leave you both to it!” she said, placing a key down on the counter in front of you before making her way back over to an older man sitting back behind the counter, leaving you standing there stunned.

With a resigned internal sigh, you turned to address Yone, but he spoke first.

“I do not need to sleep,” he spoke curtly. “You can make use of the room for yourself.”

He turned to leave, and you felt something strange zap through you.

“Wait!” Yone stopped walking, and you felt embarrassed at the realization that flooded through you… that you didn’t want him to leave.

You had been fine investigating on your own, but something about the thought of sleeping alone for the first time in seven years froze you to your core. Kosen was always with you, always there if you woke up in the night, terrified that demon from your past had come back for you. Why had you never noticed how truly dependent you were on Kosen for comfort until now?

But it wasn’t like you could ask Yone to trade places with Kosen now. That woman’s life was more important than your comfort, you knew that, but you hated how desperate anxiety was making you reach out to someone who so recently stated he wanted you and Kosen dead. But as much as you hated it, you didn’t want him to leave.

“If you’re… okay with me potentially sneaking out to help Kosen consume this whole town,” you said, staunchly unwilling to disclose your true motivations, even as thinly-veiled as you hoped they weren’t.

Yone finally turned, staring at you for a short moment before the corner of his lip turned up the slightest amount, seeming to see something in your rigid posture.

“I suppose I cannot take this threat of yours lightly,” he replied, making his way back over to you, his voice lacking its usual bite.

Your face felt hot, not having expected that petty threat to actually get any results. Immediately, you became self-conscious; did he know the real reason you wanted him to stay? If he knew, then you knew he would see you as that weak girl you had been so long ago, and you found yourself desperately wanting to avoid that outcome, but not really understanding why. Wasn’t it better if he thought you were weak? Then you would be free of him sooner…

Choosing to move on from the awkward moment as soon as possible, you snatched the key before making your way up the stairs that had to lead to the rooms, easily finding yours at the end of the hall.

The room was fairly simple, a decently-sized bed in one corner and a simple wooden bath in the other, the curtains on the windows looking handmade.

The sound of the door closing behind you had you looking back to Yone, who was currently surveying the bath, the steam gently rising from the water telling you it had very recently been filled.

“You can go first if you want,” you offered half-jokingly. “Unless you don’t need to bathe either.”

You were genuinely unsure if he needed to do much of anything, since he didn’t seem to sleep or eat, making you again wonder exactly what he was. But you hadn’t gotten into your story with him, so it didn’t feel right to pry into his.

Yone continued to stare at the water for a long moment before turning back to you. “I have no need to bathe. It simply… reminds me of an old life.”

Not knowing what to do with that, you let the matter drop. He could keep his secrets if he wanted to, but that didn’t mean you were about to let the hot bath go to waste.

Yone kept politely turned away, producing a worn gray cloth to clean his swords with while you bathed.

It wasn’t that you thought he was interested enough to stare, but you were surprised someone who struck such a fearsome figure would also possess enough manners to give you privacy while you undressed.

There wasn’t a lot of conversation before bed, simply solidifying the plan to check in with Kosen the next morning before taking further steps to draw out the fire azakana if it had still yet to emerge.

Yone had made no move to join you on the bed, at least not by the time you fell asleep, hugging one side of the bed to leave room for him to avoid being rude.

You were sinking into the blood.

Your parents’ empty eyes stared you down, never to see again. You blinked, and their eyes were a pitch black that spread across their faces, dark veins of black encompassing them entirely, their mouths opening too wide, revealing only more black. And from behind them rose a dark, dark shadow, one that you hoped you would never see again, from its mouth coming a terrible rasping voice.

“Sweet daughter of sorrow… soon you will be mine again.”

You woke up with a ragged gasp, heart pounding in your chest, startled to find that you were in your dark room at the inn, and not in the clutches of the azakana who had murdered your parents.

It took you a long time to realize there was a hand on your shoulder, turning with wet eyes to see Yone at your bedside, the room too dark to see his uncovered eye beneath the shadows of his mask.

“You were speaking in your sleep,” he informed you softly as soon as he noticed you realized he was there.

“I… I’m sorry,” was all you could think to say.

You heard Yone sigh softly, sadly. “I haven’t slept in many years. I find the company of my waking thoughts less disquieting than my sleeping torments.”

You wanted to feel embarrassed about being caught waking up from a nightmare like a child, but his words sparked curiosity within you instead.

“You don’t sleep?” you asked, seizing the opportunity to ask about something you had been wondering. “But that’s not… what are you?”

“I don’t know anymore,” was his answer. “I am not alive, but this body will not succumb to death.”

“You… died?” Your voice came out as a shaky whisper.

Yone stood up, taking a seat on the other side of the bed, his back now facing you.

“I don’t mean to pry,” you said, wiping your wet eyes on your sleeve as you stared at his back, skin looking as pale as death in the sparse moonlight. “You don’t have to talk about it. I know how much it hurts to relive the past.”

“I won’t offer my words to be consumed by your pet, but it would be wrong not to let you know just what kind of monster you’ve bound your fate to,” he stated solemnly.

You kept quiet, fear all but forgotten as you waited to hear what he had to say.

“When I was alive,” he started, voice sounding tired. “I had a younger brother. He was spirited, strong, but reckless. I tried to teach him responsibility, to show him the right path… but I failed.”

“What happened to him?” you asked quietly, his story clearly leading to some sort of tragedy.

“I don’t know,” he answered. “But I think he may have finally found his place in the world. I have only seen him once since he killed me.”

“He killed you?” you echoed, shocked.

Yone turned his head back to face you at the volume of your reply, a ghost of a smile on his lips. “My apologies, I’ve never been a good storyteller, and I fear I’m especially out of practice now.”

“But how did that even happen?” you asked, unable to conceive of such a terrible fate.

Yone turned to fully face you, his face returning to the shadow of the room, too dark to see any part of his expression.

“My brother was training under a great swordsmaster when Noxus invaded,” he explained. “He wanted to fight, but he was needed to protect the master. I tried to make him see reason, and thought I had succeeded. But I returned to see the master slain, bearing wounds that only my brother could have created, and my brother had vanished.”

You tried to pinpoint the emotion in his voice, but it all felt so far below the surface, like you were trying to look at the bottom of a deep well.

“It was my duty to go after him, to avenge the death of Master Souma,” Yone spoke. “But more than anything, I wanted to know why. On my honor, I could not let him live, but he was always a better swordsman than I, and I died, without ever knowing why he claimed to not be a murderer that day.”

���You didn’t ask him when you saw him again?” you asked.

Yone shook his head. “It no longer mattered. My brother will find his way, and since I became what I am, I am no longer concerned with the worries that used to plague me as a human.”

That made you think of the one thing he had yet to address. “Then how did you become like this?”

Yone let out a long, sad exhale before answering. “I strayed from the path to the world of spirits, and I was attacked by the azakana that bore this mask. When I killed it, it became part of me, and I woke up back in this world bearing this unnatural visage.”

“I’ve made peace with what I am,” he told you, making you wonder just what kind of face you had been making that he felt the need to say that. “But I need to know what this mask means. I don’t think I’ll be rid of it until I understand why that azakana found me… what part of my soul it sought to consume.”

You felt for him. To be killed by his own brother, and then find himself branded by an azakana’s mask without even knowing what emotion had drawn it to him.

You were sure he must have had lots of complicated feelings about the end to his mortal life, but there was no knowing just what that azakana had been seeking a taste of. Betrayal? Dishonor? It wasn’t hard for you to figure out what emotion of yours drew the azakana back in before Kosen had found you, but it had never mattered to you, not like it seemed to matter to Yone.

His sudden candor made you want to tell him about your own past, feeling now as if he was a kindred spirit rather than a barely-tolerated presence.

“I know you heard some of it when I was feeding Kosen,” you spoke quietly, Yone’s eyes boring into you. “I was dreaming about the azakana that killed everyone in my village but me, back when I was eighteen.”

“An entire village?” Yone sounded unsettled.

You nodded, staring down at the sheets you were clutching and unclutching in your fingers in your nervous state. You had never told anyone but Kosen about your past, and it felt strange to form the words now without him here to ease your pain.

“My parents were the heads of the village, and that day was my leader-to-be ceremony. My parents said they had something special planned. I thought it was maybe going to be a marriage to the son of a nearby village, not… an azakana.”

It was Yone’s turn to stay silent, and you fought through the coming tears and kept going. “I didn’t really know what they were back then, and I still don’t know why my parents would try to make a deal with one. But it came to the ceremony and killed everyone. Everyone but me. I still think of that room every time I smell blood.”

You let out a slow exhale, wiping some stray tears that brimmed your eyes. “As you can guess, my mental state wasn’t so great after that. I lasted three years having to kill every azakana that came after me before I tried to end it all. Kosen found me that day and saved me. Without him, I’d still be a magnet for azakana or, well, dead.”

You thought the silence after would feel uncomfortable, that Yone would be disgusted with you now that he knew your past, how close you had come to giving up on everything, but his silent stare felt surprisingly safe. Comfortable.

A thought wriggled in the back of your mind like a worm. Why did you even care if he was disgusted by you? You hadn’t before…

“I have been on my own for so long, I’ve forgotten what it was like to have trust in others,” Yone remarked. “Even if your ally is… unconventional.”

“Kosen is a great ally,” you insisted with a laugh, Yone’s attempt at being gracious to Kosen raising your spirits. “If you could stop picking fights with him long enough, you’d see that.”

Yone huffed, the sound surprisingly childish coming from him. “Without you to stop me, he would be nothing more than a mask on my belt.”

“Yone!” you chastised him.

“You should sleep,” he insisted kindly. “I will stand watch in place of your tiger tonight.”

When he offered, you realized just how tired you still were, talking with Yone having relieved you of your emotional burdens, almost as if Kosen was here.

“And you’re not going to go attack him the second I fall asleep?” you asked only half-jokingly as you settled back down in bed, staring at Yone’s masked eye, glowing softly blue in the dark.

“Your pet demon will not be harmed by my hand tonight,” he promised, amusement in his voice.

“Good,” you replied, rolling over onto your other side, sleep easily finding you, your dreams calm in the aftermath of the unexpected heart to heart.

You opened your eyes, testing sleep-heavy limbs as you noticed Yone by the window, back facing you. The squeak of the bed as you sat up had him turning to face you, much easier to see his uncovered red eye in the morning light.

“Good morning,” you greeted him, feeling incredibly strange to greet someone other than Kosen in the morning.

As Yone returned your greeting, you thought of Kosen. You had slept through the night, so clearly nothing had happened to the potential victim during the night, but you still didn’t feel right leaving Kosen by himself for any longer.

“We should probably go check on Kosen,” you said, hoping your hair wasn’t too much of a mess as you crawled out of bed, feeling somewhat shy as you went to put on all of your gear.

It was a weird feeling, waking up alone with a man, even if you weren’t sleeping in the same bed. It was embarrassing how romantically stunted you were, never having so much as kissed a boy before your entire village had been wiped out, and it wasn’t like you had much interest since. Nobody could understand the way you lived, and you were very aware of how your strange existence looked to others.

Sparing a quick glance at Yone, you mentally slapped yourself. All he was interested in was determining if you were an azakana enabler or not, not that you thought of him in that way anyways. Your judgment was probably just clouded by the fact that he was the first person you could ever really talk to about azakana. Once the azakana you were hunting was dead, he would be gone, simple as that.

Once you had your things together, you exited the room, Yone just behind you. You were relieved that nobody was in the hallway this early, and you were easily able to make it outside without having to hear any more queries about you and your husband.

You had been walking alongside Yone for a bit before deciding to speak up, though this time at least, the silence didn’t feel so awkward.

“Do you think it’s likely to–”

“I can feel it,” Yone hissed suddenly, tensing up.

“Wait, the azakana?” you asked, startled by the timing.

“We must go,” he insisted, disappearing before your eyes.

You brandished your daggers, darting after him towards the woman’s house, hoping she and Kosen would be okay by the time you got there. You knew that Kosen could hold his own in a fight with another azakana, but you didn’t want to test out just for how long.

As you got closer, a roar pierced the air, quickening your pace and emerging into the middle of a fierce fight.

A bulky figure made of pure fire swiped a clawed hand at Kosen, who leaped back, still strangely in tiger form. Looking to the side, you saw why; a frightened form was curled up against the wall, staring through her fingers at the fight.

Kosen must not have wanted to scare her more, but it was unfortunately hindering him in the fight, an issue that was abundantly clear to you as Kosen was obviously on the defensive.

With a well-aimed slash, Yone joined the fight ahead of you, drawing the azakana’s attention away from Kosen as it was forced to contend with him as well, the silent assassin showing no mercy as expected.

While they battled the azakana, you sheathed your daggers and ran to the woman, helping her stand so you could escort her back inside her house.

“What is… what is that?” she asked, shaking, barely able to stay upright as you moved her along the wall until you got to the front door, pulling it open and ushering her inside.

You had hoped to take care of her issue before she caught sight of it, but the problem was out in the open now, which made continuing to lie a fruitless endeavor.

“It’s an azakana,” you admitted, the woman looking confused and skeptical immediately, which was the usual reaction any time you were forced to admit the truth of your endeavors.

“But, azakana…” She sunk to the floor, looking like she had lost all remaining strength to stand.

You didn’t really want to leave her alone, but you couldn’t stay here while the others fought. If this azakana had consumed as many people as you suspected it had, then it would be much stronger than what you usually contended with, which would mean that they would probably need your help.

“You need to stay here,” you stressed to the woman, who dumbly nodded, still seeming very out of it. You were somewhat concerned, but she would be safe in here for now, especially if you were able to take the azakana out as soon as possible.

With that in mind, you re-emerged outside to a fiery scene. You knew both Yone and Kosen would deny it if you brought it up later, but they were working together rather well, Kosen able to pack more of a punch now that he had shifted into his azakana form. They were covering each other so fluidly that it was almost unbelievable that they had been at each other’s throats since they had met.

The azakana looked like it had been on the defensive since Yone joined the fight, forced to raze nearby trees to try and create obstacles for its determined attackers to repel.

Even amidst all the chaos, it spotted you at the door, letting out a shriek and sending a stream of fire your way, forcing you to have to extinguish the door before you could join in the fight to avoid the house catching on fire with the woman still inside. Really you should have been evacuating her, but you knew that would put her in immediate harms way, not to mention the risk of the town burning to the ground if the azakana were to pursue your attempt to flee with her.

You had never fought a flaming azakana before, making sure to keep your strikes fast to avoid being burned. It seemed you were the most fragile of the group, neither Yone nor Kosen fazed by the burn risk; maybe that should be a given, since neither were fully human like you were.

The azakana was likely furious to have its meal snatched from its clutches, only to then be engaged by three attackers who knew what they were doing, its fury showing in the scorching jets of fire it sent all around you.

As the fight went on, it was abundantly clear to all parties involved that the fight was going to end in the azakana’s death. With a terrible screech, it raised its arms, but you weren’t going to back down, leaping towards the demon, the wind rushing in your ears, leaving you deaf to Kosen’s warning cry.

You heard a shout of your name, and then you were snatched out of the air, your face pressed against a bare chest, arm bandages surprisingly soft against your skin.

You grasped onto Yone’s arm with surprise as he leaped back just in time as a wave of fire overtook the sky, shooting against and over Yone’s back before you could blink. Staring at his face in shock, you didn’t see an ounce of pain in his expression as he stared down at you.

“Are you okay?” he asked, eye moving over you to assess you for injuries.

“Me?” You knew he wasn’t human anymore, but he still just bore the brunt of an inferno against his back. “How are you still standing?”

There was a ghost of a smile on his lips as he answered. “I’ve survived worse.”

A growl from Kosen had Yone turning around with you still in his arms to see Kosen stalking around a scorched pit, huffing angrily.

Yone set you down and you both approached the shallow pit, the large circle of burnt grass leading to a wide path through the trees, leaving scorched bark and leaves in its wake.

“It ran…” you observed in a stupor.

If the azakana had been killed, there would have been a mask left behind, which was noticeably absent, leading you to the only conclusion available, that the azakana had decided to use its remaining power to drive you back long enough to run with its tail between its legs.

“We need to pursue it,” Yone insisted, staring at the azakana’s trail.

You knew he was right, but you also needed to be the person who thought of the human aspect here, since Yone was clearly lacking in that department.

“I have to check on her first,” you insisted, looking back to see the house thankfully only suffered superficial burn damage. “We can’t just leave her here in this state. I can get Kosen to help calm her down and then take her to her friend’s house and then we can leave.”

Yone didn’t protest, which surprised you. You had expected a comment about enabling your pet to take advantage of vulnerable people, or wasting time by delaying, but he simply nodded, approaching the burnt crater to inspect it further.

You called Kosen to follow you, quickly explaining your plan to the tiger, who was now shifted back into his disguise. Kosen huffed his agreement to the plan, receiving a short head pat in return before you reached up to gently knock on the door as a warning before pulling it open slowly.

“Mika?” you called out softly, finding her curled into a ball on her floor. She looked relieved to see you, but tensed up when Kosen crossed the threshold behind you.

“It’s okay,” you tried to calm her down, Kosen keeping his head low to try and help your efforts. “He’s tame. But I think we should get you somewhere else for now. Your friend Sumei is worried about you.”

“Sumei…” she echoed, slowly sitting up, eyes glassy with tears.

“I’ll take you to her,” you promised. “But first, would you like to pet my tiger? I’ve been told it helps calm people down.”

Kosen let out his version of a meow, which seemed to help reassure her, at least enough for Kosen to approach her, her shaky hand reaching for his side, stroking his fur with more confidence once she heard his happy purr.

“My daughter would have liked to meet you,” she told Kosen, the calmer tone of her voice telling you that Kosen’s usual methods were working.

You stood there for around five minutes observing before helping her gather some things together to take with her before setting off. Yone was nowhere to be seen when you exited the house, and part of you wondered if that was because of her previous uncomfortableness when she had answered the door the first time. You were unsure if you were reading too much into the situation; it felt like your perception of Yone was changing by the minute lately.

You led the fragile woman past the burnt pit, her eyes widening as you walked her by a little faster, heading to where you recalled her friend’s house being.

“Mika, oh my god,” Sumei gasped as soon as she saw the three of you at her door.

“Is it alright if she stays here with you for now?” you asked, meeting her eyes with a look that she understood immediately.

“Of course!” she replied encouragingly. “We’d love to have you stay with us, Mika.”

Sumei went back into her house with the excuse of setting up some bedding, clearly giving you a moment alone with Mika.

“You’ll be safe here,” you promised, having confidence in her friend’s dedication to support her.

“Did you… did you kill it?” she asked meekly.

You had been hoping she wouldn’t ask, but you didn’t want to lie to her when it was her life that had been in danger. “It ran away, so I don’t think it’ll be coming after you again. When I’m done here, we’re going right after it to make sure it doesn’t try to hurt anyone else.”

She nodded, but still seemed bothered. “…did you kill the tall man in black?”

“The what?” you asked, her words prickling uncomfortably against your skin.

“He was watching,” she said quietly, staring downwards. “When the fire one attacked me, he just stood there and watched.”

“I…”

You were speechless, the horrible figure from your last moment of normalcy and your nightmare last night coming to your mind, but it couldn’t be that. She must have seen something else, like a gnarled burnt-up tree or something and thought it was watching her. You were only reading too much into her words because of that stupid nightmare. It was up to you to stay calm, to assuage her fears.

Before you had a chance to say anything else, Sumei returned, sending a warm smile her friend’s way. “I made some tea, so I think we should start there.”

“Oh… alright,” Mika replied to her friend before turning back to speak to you in a whisper. “Please be careful. It was so horribly dark.”

“I will,” you agreed, and though she still looked uneasy, she followed her friend into the house, the door closing behind her and formally ending your time in this village.

You were sure somebody would inform the village leader of what had happened, but you just didn’t have the time, not when you had an azakana to catch before there were more casualties.

Kosen huffed in question, but you brushed off his concerns. “I’m fine. Let’s just find Yone and get on our way.”

You found him back at the pit, standing in one of the burnt trees, looking out into the distance.

“I can see its path heading towards the coast,” he informed you after jumping down from the tree. “It has very likely made its way to the town there.”

You had never been by that part of Ionia before, but given it was on the coast, it had to be some sort of fishing town. You would kill for a chance to rest and recharge, but there would be no time for that, not until the firey azakana was dead.

As the three of you set off down the burnt path, you briefly considered telling Yone about Mika’s strange parting words, dismissing the thought as quickly as you had it; you didn’t want Yone to think you were getting paranoid. And besides, if there was another azakana there, then Yone and Kosen would have sensed it or seen it or… something.

All your dwelling on this was doing was distracting you from your current task. The threat whose trail you were following now was real, unlike any imagined threat in the back of your mind, spurned on by a terrified woman who had been seeing things that weren’t there.

Eventually, the burning trail faded to typical forest scenery, telling you that this had been the point where the azakana had recouped enough strength to return to its realm. But there was no question where it would strike next, given you had spoiled its previous intended meal. A decently-sized fishing town would have no shortage of meals for a starving azakana that was desperate to restore its expended strength, and you intended to be ready when it made its move to cut it down first.

While the forest floor was much less comfortable than a bed, it was always relaxing to go back to your comfort zone after a stay in normal society. As much as you wanted to belong somewhere, you knew that your place was in the shadows, only able to fake enough humanity to slay a beast, save a victim and then retreat back to the safety of your solitude. And that’s exactly how it would be again once this azakana was dead and Yone left you too.

…too?

You were being stupid. He still intended to kill you and Kosen if you took one step out of line, or at least hadn’t asserted anything to the contrary. He wasn’t someone you should want around you to begin with, especially given he had now seen you at your very worst. Parting after the death of this azakana should be a relief to you both.

It took you the better part of two days to reach Solni, as the town welcome sign proclaimed.

Despite your personal reservations, you had found yourself paying more attention to Yone. It probably didn’t help that Yone seemed much more willing to initiate conversation with you now, even though he had rebuffed any of your attempts to get him to eat or sleep. He seemed determined to present himself as inhuman, and you began to wonder if it was a defense mechanism of some kind.

Solni seemed like a typical fishing town, much bigger and more bustling than Tevasa had been. In a town this large, there was no sense in talking to the leader or canvassing door-to-door, the town was just too big for that to be of any help.

“It will be desperate for a meal,” Yone said as you stood on a large hill overlooking the town, looking for anything unusual. “It will attack as soon as it has regained its strength, so we should anticipate an imminent attack once it has isolated a target.”

You nodded, on the same page. “Should we head into town then?”

It was an easy decision to defer to Yone’s experience here, given you had never had an azakana escape you before, which made this situation all the trickier. When and where it would strike would be entirely up to chance, and as the only one in your party who didn’t have a strong supernatural sense for azakana, you were the one at most clear disadvantage.

Yone nodded. “In its desperation, it may not even bother isolating its target before it chooses to strike, and we need to be close when it happens.”

You headed into town with Yone, Kosen not seeming to be as much of a big deal to the people here, which came as a pleasant surprise. Maybe they see lots of unusual trade through their port, you reasoned, the tiger gaining no more than curious glances as you passed by people milling about the streets.

Yone seemed to be attracting much more attention in comparison, though you doubted he was aware of it. You had already noticed several women you passed giggling to their friends as he passed, and more than one comment about his toned chest and arms.

For his part, Yone didn’t even look their way, even when a pair called out to mister handsome with the mask, leading you to wonder if he had even heard them, or if he had assumed they were talking to someone else, given what you had learned of his self-perception. Now that you were a little more relaxed around him, it was hard not to notice the reality of his appearance, as much as it made travelling with him more awkward.

The you that had first met Yone would be in disbelief now, your previous scorn now turned to curiosity. You refused to put any more thought into your changing feelings, not wanting to be just like those women, pining after a man that would just vanish into the wind the moment his purpose here was achieved.

“Did you sense something?” you asked as Yone stopped to stare down an alleyway. You could sense if an attack was imminent, but detecting the presence of an azakana in hiding wasn’t a skill that a regular human like yourself could ever develop.

Yone stared at the alley for a moment longer before turning to you. “It’s… flickering.”

You frowned, not really sure what he meant by that.

“Do you–”

“I thought I’d see you here,” a voice interrupted, your vision being overtaken by an obnoxious visage that you had hoped not to see again.

Kosen growled as Shusho laid an unwelcome hand on your shoulder.

“Heard you skipped town after you nearly burnt that woman’s house down,” he remarked casually, eyes glinting with undisguised malice. “Those hicks will be out for blood soon, with you filling that woman’s head with nonsense about demons. I’d have put in a good word for you if you hadn’t been such a stuck-up whore back in Tevasa.”

You felt anger flare through you like a knife slash through your back, Kosen’s snarl telling you he had also not appreciated Shusho’s reappearance.

“Better they are forewarned about real danger than swindled by a charlatan sworn to rid them of a threat that does not exist,” Yone spoke up from behind you, the hostility in his voice chilling your anger and replacing it with shock. You hadn’t heard anger like that in his voice since the night you had met him, and even then, he hadn’t sounded quite this deadly.

Shusho’s eyes shot over to Yone in what looked to you like fear, but the look didn’t stay for long before his sneer was directed back your way.

“Sweet,” he said mockingly. “You have your little boyfriend fight all your battles for you now?”

“No,” you denied, unable to keep your anger contained. “If he did, your ass would be on the floor in pieces by now.”

Shusho’s nostrils flared, eyes dark as he glared at you. “You should watch how you treat people. I was going to give you another chance to make it up to me, but now you’ll really deserve everything that’s coming your way.”

And with that, he turned, disappearing into the crowd within seconds, Kosen’s lunge after him stopped by your hand on his fur. He was creepy and off-putting, but Shusho was not worth causing a scene in the marketplace for, not when you had an actual objective you had to accomplish here.

It was only until you drifted to the alley Yone had been looking at before that you realized your social misstep. Awkwardly, you turned to Yone, embarrassed that you had allowed your anger to overtake you.

“I’m sorry,” you apologized, finding it hard to meet his eye. “I should have corrected him about the… boyfriend thing.”

You winced at how your voice seemed to crack at the word boyfriend, but Yone seemed unphased, shaking his head in response.

“I do not fight humans,” he spoke, voice tight with anger. “But I have never been so tempted to make an exception.”

You laughed, more relieved than you thought you would be that he wasn’t upset with you. “You’d probably have to fight Kosen first for that right.”

Kosen snarled his agreement, fur still standing on end, the azakana looking just as furious as he had during the distasteful interaction with Shusho.

It felt a little strange to be on the receiving end of protectiveness from more than just Kosen, the feeling definitely not unwelcome in this moment. You tried to stamp down the hope you felt rising in your chest at his words; there was no way he had meant anything by them anyways.

You cleared your throat, figuring that you should change the subject, for your own sake. “Should we try–”

Your words cut off as you were assailed from behind by a wave of pressure so strong that you flinched, eyes meeting Yone’s, his exposed eye narrowing at something behind you.

“Fire!” someone shouted, panicked screams ringing out from all around you as you whipped around to survey the scene.

“Evacuate the crowd,” was all Yone said to you before vanishing from your side into the chaos.

What was in front of you now was not a creature made of fire, but rather a wall. You couldn’t tell where the azakana itself was in the mess, frightened people running in all directions as the marketplace was rapidly engulfed by flames.

You wanted to seek out Yone’s form in the flames, but a loud cracking noise made you spring into action instead, noticing the roof over a large section of the market beginning to crack at the seams.

“Kosen!” you shouted, the tiger already steps ahead of you rushing in to help a group of kids out of the path of a stampeding horse.

You dashed in as well, grabbing the horse by the reins, Kosen quickly absorbing enough of its panic to allow you to lead it away form the scene, handing off the reins to the first person you found that looked like they knew what to do with it before sprinting back into the action.

The area was evacuated quickly with you and Kosen’s help, braver people helping by carrying out the injured as Kosen made sure the way was clear.

You knew that Yone was inside that wall of fire, running in at last once everyone was safely out of the area, ignoring shouts from concerned bystanders for you to stop as you leaped through the demonic fire.

You emerged into an arena of fire and heat, walls encircling you making the area not unlike a colosseum, rubble from the broken roof and overturned stalls making the terrain hard to navigate, never mind the heat beating down on you.

There was a slash across your field of vision, a red line visible amidst the smoke and debris, a demonic howl telling you that Yone’s strike had hit its target. It was hard to tell how the fight had been going with how smoky the area was, but the ball of fire that impacted near you told you that the azakana still had a good amount of strength in reserve.

You didn’t waste a moment longer scaling an overturned booth, climbing past scorched vegetables and leaping to join the fight.

It was hard to miss the firey figure swiping blindly with burning claws to try and catch Yone, but clearly failing as you caught sight of Yone going in for another hit.

Yone was holding his own, but the azakana seemed way stronger than it had been back in Tevasa. You quickly fashioned a mask out of a strip of cloth on your belt to keep out enough of the smoke for you to be able to fight before drawing your own daggers and covering Yone’s flank, diving at the demon with a cut that it barely deflected, Yone’s slash to its side hitting harder as a result of your distraction.

“Has it gotten stronger?” you called out to Yone as you jumped to his side.

“Yes,” he confirmed, sounding offput. “I’m not sure how it could have gotten this much stronger on its own. If we don’t kill it here, it has the potential to decimate this town.”

Your eyes widened in shock, but given how aflame the marketplace had become in a matter of minutes, you felt stupid for not realizing until now. Had it already killed people? You hadn’t noticed any bodies in the rubble, but that was the only reasonable explanation for its wildly increased strength.

“Then what do we do?” you asked before the two of you were forced to dive to the side to avoid a falling beam sent your way by the azakana.

Yone smirked. “Kill it quickly.”

And then he was gone again, dashing through the air to land a brutal strike on the demon. With a sigh, you followed, infusing your daggers with magic to protect yourself from the worst of the flames.

What the azakana lacked in finesse, it made up for in power, throwing clumsy bursts of fire that threw you off balance, making it harder to hit. Yone also seemed to be having some trouble, the azakana able to deflect some of his strikes by shifting its flames.

You were given an assist as through the wall of fire leapt a masked figure of black shadow, sinking his teeth and claws into the azakana’s shoulder, their shared nature preventing the fire azakana from making its fire intangible as Kosen savaged it.

“Kosen!” you cried out, relieved that he had joined the fight as well.

His appearance in azakana form told you that the area was clear of anyone that could see him, which meant that you could fight the azakana without worrying about anyone getting hurt.

Kosen seemed to be able to pin the flailing azakana much better than you and Yone could, your attacks landing much easier, the azakana now caught between trying to shake Kosen off and deflect you and Yone’s attacks.

There was a strange panic in the air as the fight dragged on, the air getting hotter as the azakana’s screeches grew more frantic. Its movements got clumsier, making you almost wonder if it was running out of energy at last.

As Yone dashed through the demon, it let out a garbled series of sounds that almost sounded to you like it was speaking, but you had never heard anything like it before. A quick glance at Kosen showed you that he hadn’t reacted to the noises, leading you to think that you were hearing things again.

Kosen snarled, thrashing from side to side and giving you the perfect opening, which you knew you were running out of time to take advantage of.

The azakana only seemed to take notice of you as you were mere feet from its face, too close to do anything to repel you. In tune with Kosen keeping it in place, you sunk your daggers into its face down to the hilt, cracking its mask in half.

There was a burst of sparks beneath its splitting mask, and before you could get a look at the face under the mask, you were snatched out of the air, finding yourself in Yone’s arms again as he dashed backwards, your view of the dying azakana blocked by Yone’s shoulders.

“Yone, what’s–”

“It’s going to combust,” he quickly explained, and you put a hand on his chest in response, using it to lift yourself up to look over his shoulder to catch a glimpse of the bright light expanding outwards from the azakana’s body, a terrible heat seeming to chase you until Yone jumped over an overturned stall and then you were outside the cage of fire and debris, Kosen reverting to his tiger form now that you were out in the open again.

Yone let you down and the three of you turned to watch as the dome of debris exploded upwards and outwards. Raising a hand to protect your face from the shower of splinters raining down on you, you turned to face Yone.

“Sorry I broke the mask,” you said jokingly. “I know you probably wanted it for your collection.”

Yone shook his head. “There is little point in trying to understand that azakana.”

“Is that why you keep their masks?” you asked, curiosity getting the better of you.

“This way I can ensure they will not return, if I am watching over them,” he answered. “But the only way to claim their mask is to know their true name.”

“Then… is there a risk of that one coming back?” you asked, horrified thoughts turning to every azakana you had slain over the years. It was routine for you to break their masks when you killed them, but had you been merely postponing the inevitable the whole time?

Yone thought for a moment. “I cannot sense the one we killed, so I think it must have perished. Unfortunately, new azakana are born quite frequently, so the problem is not so easily solved as long as there are emotions to consume.”

You sighed with relief all the same. “I’m just glad all the ones I’ve killed stayed dead.”

Your own words reminded you of your deal, the whole reason you had been with Yone for the past week, but your throat felt constricted all of a sudden, like your mouth didn’t want to form the inevitable words that you knew you had to say. But a deal was a deal, and a large part of you wanted to hear what he thought of you now.

“So…” you spoke up, Yone’s gaze sending pinpricks up and down your arms. “What about now?”

“Now?” he echoed, Kosen huffing as he caught onto your thought process, sidling up to you as he looked haughtily up at Yone.

“Do you still need to kill us to prevent us from taking innocent lives or whatever it was?” you asked, grinning at Yone in anticipation of his answer.

Yone’s quiet laugh gave you hope.

“…no,” he answered, the small smile on his lips sending heat to your face. Was this the first time you had seen him smile like this?

You didn’t want it to end like this. With how fast Yone was when he wanted to be, you knew that you had no chance of ever catching him if he were to vanish right now.

“Um, I…!” You winced, your voice coming out way louder than you had meant it to. Way to sound desperate. “If you have time, I was wondering if you’d like to try living like a human for the night? I have some money saved from some previous jobs. We could have a meal in town and then stay at a nice inn.”

You expected Kosen to revolt against your suggestion, but he was strangely quiet, staring at you with an unsettling knowing in his eyes. Yone, for his part, looked surprised, his visible eye wide, clearly caught off guard by your idea. But, you hoped, not put off.

If he wanted to be rid of you, then you would accept that, but you were really hoping that he would want a little more time together as much as you were realizing you did.

His stunned silence was making you nervous, which led to more frazzled babbling.

“I know you haven’t eaten since, well… but maybe if you tried, there would be something–”

Yone laughed, a real laugh, which shut your mouth instantly. “I would like that.”

It was your turn to be shocked, not expecting Yone to ever agree, too stunned to respond until Kosen nudged you from behind.

“Let’s, uh, go then!” you exclaimed, almost tripping over your own feet before you righted yourself, fast walking your way out of the ruined marketplace as if you could leave your awkwardness behind as well.

“I’ll have to trust your recommendation then,” Yone said, easily catching up to your hasty strides. “Even when I was alive, I can’t say my meals were anything particularly special.”

“Then I’ll find a great place!” you insisted with feigned confidence. You did treat yourself to nice meals occasionally when you found yourself in bigger cities, but you weren’t an expert by any means, just determined for this borrowed time with Yone to not be a waste. “This is a port town, so there should be good seafood somewhere.”

You slipped out of the crowd just as people began to pour into the marketplace to begin salvaging things, providing the perfect cover for you to blend into the crowd unnoticed. You were relieved to be able to escape without notice, not wanting the townspeople’s questions and accolades to cut into your remaining time with Yone.

By early evening, you were settled into a quiet upscale restaurant by the water, just you and Yone, the restaurant less accepting of your demon tiger than the marketplace had been. Kosen had been happy enough to return to the marketplace to survey the damage and offer comfort to anyone who was upset about the incident, which would take care of his dinner for the night as well.

“I ordered a few of their specialties,” you explained after the food had been brought to your table, just the sight mouthwatering after so many meals scrounged together in the woods.

Thinking maybe Yone needed a push, you cut yourself a piece of the center dish, an Ionian carp in xaolan berry sauce, popping it in your mouth and sighing in delight at the flavor.

Yone seemed to reluctantly follow your lead, skillfully plucking a piece of rolled fish with his chopsticks.

You watched in anticipation as he brought the roll to his mouth, before his eye flickered from his food to you, clearly catching you in the act.

“Sorry,” you quickly apologized, realizing how awkward you were being. “I didn’t mean to stare, I was just…”

You trailed off, unable to think of an excuse that wouldn’t sound stupid, but Yone didn’t seem bothered, smiling knowingly at you before putting the roll in his mouth.

Even his chewing seemed refined, making you wonder how he had grown up. The only thing he had really talked about was his brother, and you weren’t eager to dig up those old wounds again.

“So how is it?” you asked, unable to hold in your excitement.

“It’s good,” he answered simply, reaching out with his chopsticks for another piece. “The taste isn’t similar at all, but still it reminds me of home.”

“Of meals with your family?” you asked, assuming that was a safe enough topic.

“With my mother,” Yone answered. “And later, my brother. Though he could hardly sit still enough for a proper meal.”

“Then did your mother teach you your table manners?” you asked, trying to keep things light.

Yone smiled fondly. “I suppose she did. She always did say I was a model student. I hesitate to wonder what she would think of me now.”

“I think she’d be proud,” you declared, refusing to allow him to sink into gloom.

Yone looked wistful, glancing out the window at the ocean. “One son a killer, another a monster. I can only hope she hasn’t heard either of our fates. It would be easier on her if she thought we were both dead.”

“I get what you mean,” you agreed, idly cutting another piece of fish for yourself as you followed the tone Yone was setting. “I’ve overheard so many theories from people about why my village perished, but I’ve never corrected any of them. I kinda feel like if I tell anyone what really happened, then I won’t be able to mourn my parents anymore. Not if everyone knew what they did.”

“Then mourn them as they were,” Yone said, his gaze strangely calming. “When I think of Yasuo now, it is not always him as he was when he cut me down. I think of the little brother I defended from bullies, the one who always gloated when he won our sparring matches… the part of them you think of is your decision. I have spent so many years dwelling on one poor choice that I cannot judge your parents for theirs.”

You felt a tear roll down your cheek before you could stop it, hastily reaching up in a vain effort to keep Yone from noticing. “Sorry, I wasn’t trying to ruin this.”

“You’re still human,” Yone countered gently. “Emotion is natural.”

You frowned at him; it always rubbed you the wrong way when he excluded himself from humanity.

“I think you’re plenty human,” you insisted strongly. “You haven’t eaten since then, but here you are, eating in a restaurant like all the other humans. Are you sure you’re still some big scary monster lurking in the dark?”

Yone shook his head in clear exasperation, but took your strangely-phrased question seriously.

“I… don’t know,” he admitted, staring down at the food spread out between you. “…but you make me not want to be.”

You were still trying to shake off the giddiness you felt from Yone’s mid-dinner admission as you walked down the streets side by side, attempting to scope out a good inn for the night, insistent that Yone also try to sleep after his success eating a meal.

You had been too nervous to ask what he had meant by those words, instead wimping out and turning the conversation back to the food.

You were such a mess of anxiety, knowing at least vaguely what you wanted, but unable to voice it. The more time you spent with Yone, the less you wanted to go your own way, but you had no idea what he wanted. But above all, you just wanted to give him at least one night of being human, no matter how he saw himself.

And as much as he called himself a monster, he had been willing to go along with your idea, the two of you having dinner as if you were average people on an average date. That had to count for something, right? Why was he so desperately clinging to being a monster?

“I have enough money for two rooms,” you suggested, not wanting to come off as too forward while simultaneously hating yourself for being so sensitive about everything to do with Yone now.

“That is not necessary,” he said, catching you off guard with the sly smile on his lips. “After all, you’ve declared your intent that I sleep. How will you ensure I keep to my word if we’re not in the same room?”

Your mind jumped to that night back in Tevasa, where you had jokingly threatened Yone into staying with you that night when you were without Kosen. Was Yone… teasing you?

Heart beating heavily in your chest, you smiled back conspiratorially. “I guess we did make a deal.”

“One room then,” Yone confirmed, turning to enter the inn ahead of you, leaving you to catch up to him.

You easily procured the room, the innkeeper too busy talking to another customer about the explosion at the market to make any husband comments, even Yone’s appearance not enough to catch her eye over the latest gossip, which was a great relief to you.

The inn was relatively deserted for the late evening, most of the patrons likely in their modest pub, if the noise coming from that direction as you passed by was any indication.

Bars were one area where you felt as inhuman as Yone, only having been in them for information gathering, the rowdiness and sheer volume of noise too much for someone like you who spent most of her time camping out in the woods with a tiger. It was a world you doubted you would ever truly know, and you were more than fine with that.

This room was much fancier than the one back in Tevasa, with a large plush bed, a glance into the adjoining bathroom revealing a bath large enough to fit two people comfortably. Scrubbing that observation from your head, you turned back to Yone, who was setting both his swords down onto a table.

“Do you… want to take a bath?” you asked hesitantly. You couldn’t wait to have one yourself after the day you had, the feel of soot and debris clinging to you since you had fought the azakana. But you were determined to let Yone go first, even if it meant you would sit in squalor for just a little longer.

“Alright,” he agreed, reaching up to begin unwinding the bandages on his arms.

The rapidly-revealed muscles of his arms were immediately too much for you, turning your face away to feign interest in a painting of what you thought was supposed to be some sort of one-legged horse. It wasn’t until you heard his lower garments hit the floor that you realized you should have insisted he undress in the bathroom, cursing your brain for its current lack of coherent thought. He had such impeccable manners at dinner, how did he not know not to undress in the same room as a woman? Maybe you would have to take back your comment about his mother being proud of him after all…

“I’ll just, uh, be out here,” you said, trying not to flinch when you heard the sound of Yone’s bare feet on the floor, but you only had to maintain composure until he walked past you and into the bathroom, and then…

“Aren’t you coming?”

You squeaked at the sudden voice at your ear, having to put out a hand against the maybe-horse painting in front of you to keep yourself from falling forward.

“That’s…!” You whipped around in shock before getting one look at his uncovered torso and turning back to face the painting. “You may not have eaten in years, but I know your mom didn’t raise you in a nudist colony!”

You heard Yone laugh behind you. “…I suppose not.”

You couldn’t relax your tense shoulders until he was in the bathroom, the sound of the door closing allowing you to breathe at last.

Staring at the closed door, you weren’t sure what to think. Where had that even come from?

You couldn’t deny that you and Yone had become much more friendly than you used to be, but the… flirting had really come out of nowhere. Even calling it flirting felt wrong, but how else were you supposed to look at it?

Letting out a weary sigh, you set your bag onto a chair, removing your dagger belt from your waist and placing it on the table next to Yone’s swords. Your eyes drifted from your sheathed daggers to rove over Yone’s swords, realizing now just how much they represented him.

You had never asked him, but it was clear that one sword was older, clearly well-cared for in his previous life. It was strange to you that he denied his humanity while still carrying the sword he had in life, but whatever his hang-ups, it was clear the issue was tightly wound inside him.

His other sword was flashy, the blade a vibrant red. Running a finger along the blade, it felt like no metal you had ever felt before. You wanted to know, but at the same time, you felt like the truth of the blade’s origin would be a painful one.

Leaving the strange sword alone, you looked around the room, trying to find something to occupy your time with.

You were fixing a tear on one side of one of your shirts, carefully angled to face away from the bathroom when the door opened again, Yone’s earlier teasing words ringing frustratingly in your head as you heard him redress.

When you were fairly certain he had at least his pants on, you forced yourself to turn and look at him, hoping you didn’t look as frazzled as you felt.

Yone looked frustratingly unbothered, dressed in only his pants, looking almost like a normal man if not for the mask on his face. He seemed to have been waiting for you to look at him, approaching the bed with a curious disposition.

“You sew?” he asked.

“I, uh, yeah,” you replied, nowhere near as eloquently as you wanted to. “You don’t make a lot of money killing monsters nobody knows about, so I try to make my clothes last. Only so much I could do after we encountered an azakana with acid saliva, though.”

You had mentioned the azakana offhandedly, but Yone seemed to latch on, sitting down next to you on the bed.

“I have yet to meet any of that variety,” Yone commented. “The azakana I encounter tend to feign human guises to lure their prey in.”

You wondered if that was because of his mask. Were there azakana you were letting slip through your fingers because you couldn’t see through their disguises? You were lucky you had Kosen to help pick up your slack in that area, but you couldn’t help but wonder if any azakana had slipped from your grasp without you knowing.

Switching places with Yone, you enjoyed another hot bath, rivers and lakes never able to compare to how nice it felt to have a real bath. Why did you ever deny yourself the comforts of normal society? You only ever seemed to realize how much you missed for your pursuit of azakana when you were able to have a taste of the normal life.

The water was nearly cold by the time you got out, unwilling to give up until you had no choice. Your mind had been pleasantly relaxed, free of any burdens as you bathed, reality crashing back down on you as you opened the door to see Yone sitting on the bed, right where you had left him.

It was dark enough now that Yone’s figure was streaked with shadow, his left side and exposed eye painted with light from the tall candle that sat on the bedside table. Yone’s swords were still on the table next to your daggers, making you wonder if he had just been sitting there on the bed the whole time you were in the bath.

Yone didn’t wear a lot to begin with, but it was strange to see him in just a pair of tight dark pants, a quick glance to the side revealing his wraps and belted sarong folded in a chair, so he had clearly done something while you had been in the bath.

He had gone along with everything you had asked, but you hadn’t really thought too far ahead to this part, given the room only had one bed. Suddenly nervous, you froze in place; would it be too weird to share a bed with Yone? You weren’t opposed necessarily, but you didn’t want to make Yone uncomfortable, not on what was your last night with him.

“Have you ever shared a room with a woman before?” you asked, trying to sound casual even as your feet were rooted to the spot.

Yone looked curious, but indulged you. “Only my mother, before Yasuo was born. After then, Yasuo was such a handful that I’d never have time to consider such things.”

You laughed. “I get what you mean. My parents were really serious about me learning to be a great leader. Dad caught me talking to a boy when I was supposed to be studying and then yelled at me in front of him… he didn’t try to talk to me again after that.”

Yone sighed. “I know that overprotectiveness well. Sometimes I wondered if Yasuo enjoyed causing trouble for me to rescue him from.”

“I can see why you aren’t eager to visit him again,” you joked, Yone’s smile telling you that you hadn’t offended him, which was a relief.

“I’m just glad he seems to have found his own way,” Yone replied. “Back when I was alive, I would have worried about him being jailed if I wasn’t there to guide his way. I look back now and feel ashamed of how I coddled him.”

“You loved him,” you insisted softly. “I don’t think that’s anything to be ashamed of.”

“I suppose I did,” he acquiesced, looking down at his lap.

You had meant to help, but it felt like you were just making things worse. It was then that you remembered your original goal, before you had allowed yourself to get distracted.

“Do you… want to try sleeping?” you asked hesitantly, recalling his previous reasoning. “I won’t force you though. I’ve had my own share of nightmares lately.”

“I’d like to try,” he responded, surprising you with his willingness.

Your shock was clearly a little too plain on your face, Yone laughing softly, prompting you to force your face back into a neutral expression.

“Tonight, I want to live like I was still human,” he spoke resolutely. “So I will endeavor to try. I have hope that my nightmares will not reach me here.”

Your need to protest his self-description was strong, but you got the feeling that it would shatter the moment, so you kept those thoughts to yourself. Yone had banished your own nightmares back in Tevasa, and you were determined to return the favor.

You looked from Yone to the bed, a sudden thought coming to mind. “Actually, how is that going to work with your mask? Do you need to sleep sitting up?”

Yone looked amused as he looked down at the pillow, one hand coming up to run along one of the longer spikes on his mask.

“That wasn’t a concern that had crossed my mind,” he admitted. “Are you sure we should be risking the life of this pillow?”

You rolled your eyes playfully. “I thought you were only concerned about azakana.”

“Maybe my opinion is changing,” he said, and you had to fight against the fluttering beat your heart was sent into.

He was clearly just joking, you needed to stop taking it so seriously. You were ashamed of yourself; the first real male attention you’d received in ten years and your brain can’t stop looking for hidden meanings in everything he says.

“Do you need any help?” you asked as he laid down, hastily correcting yourself when you realized how your words could be interpreted. “I mean, my mom used to sing to me, but I’m not sure you want that. Even Kosen cringes when I try to–”

“My mother used to stroke my hair,” Yone mercifully interrupted. “When I was a child, before Yasuo was born.”

You weren’t sure if Yone realized it or not, but you began to wonder when the last time he had done something for himself was. He lived for his brother, died for his country’s honor, and now killed azakana for the safety of Ionia, still no closer to figuring out the secrets of his mask, the one goal he had mentioned. You were sure Yone had meant the hair stroking as no more than an idle response to what you had said, but you couldn’t help but want to act on the unspoken desire, to grant him the opportunity to be selfish for once.

Yone stiffened as your hand met his hair, but said nothing, which you took as a sign to keep going. Yone seemed to gradually relax under your touch, while you found yourself only getting more flustered by your own actions.

You were just comforting him, you reasoned with yourself, even though your own reasoning rung hollow within your own mind. Would it even be worth trying to convince him to stay? You weren’t sure if you could stand the rejection, so maybe it would be easier to just let him go and go back even if the thought felt incredibly lonely now.

“My mom used to yell at me for sleeping in trees,” you spoke up, deciding that maybe a silly childhood story would help take both of your minds off of things. “I hated how everything I did revolved around eventually being leader, so I started hiding from my parents whenever I had lessons. Eventually they put a bell around my neck like a pet so they could find me.”

“Not a bad idea,” Yone mused, the softness in his voice making you wonder if he was getting sleepy at all. “I doubt a bell would have kept Yasuo out of trouble.”

“It didn’t stop me either,” you admitted, the memory a particularly proud moment of yours. “I used to stuff the bell with cotton. Though I had to keep finding new trees to hide in since my parents would always find me eventually.”

You smiled, remembering another funny little detail about that particular story. “My dad finally had to have one of the council members follow me around at all times. I used to make a game of losing them. Child me thought it was very worth the scolding I’d get from my parents when I came out from hiding.”

Your hand had absentmindedly continued to stroke along Yone’s hair, so caught up in recalling your own memories that you only noticed now just how still Yone had become.

“Yone?” you spoke softly, testing your suspicions.

Was he really asleep? Part of you had thought this was a foolish endeavor – there was no way that someone as uptight as Yone would be able to rest his eyes for even a second, but the proof was undeniable, Yone’s even breaths barely audible in the silent room.

Thinking on it, you didn’t even find him uptight anymore… when did that stop? When you first met him, you couldn’t imagine having a frankly pleasant dinner with him. You had been surprised you could even get him to agree not to kill you and Kosen that first day, and here you were, not wanting to part ways tomorrow…

This was all too much to think about. Your day had clearly been slowly catching up to you as you sat on the bed next to Yone, your eyes suddenly fighting to stay open.

You wanted to stay awake, to savor the peace you felt in this moment, but today had been too long of a day for you to stay awake out of sheer force of will. Reluctantly admitting defeat, you did your best to creep under the blanket without disturbing Yone, staring at his back for the few short moments that it took for you to fall asleep.

You were a mess of nerves as you stepped out of the inn and onto the late morning streets.

It was a miracle that you had woken up before Yone did, because you had nearly had a heart attack when you had woken up with your head lying against his bare chest. It had been such a palpable relief when you looked up to see Yone’s eyes still closed, his arm around your waist telling you that asleep you was clearly not the only one at fault for the predicament.

The fire azakana was dead, and you had nowhere to be in a hurry, so you decided to let Yone sleep in. According to him, he seemed to be due a good sleep-in for years at this point.

You shouldn’t have been surprised to see Kosen curled up underneath a large tree across the street from the inn. Approaching your feline friend, Kosen sensed you as you approached, treating himself to a nice long stretch before meeting you halfway, the two of you finding a spot out of the way to stop and talk.

“You look happy,” you commented, easily noticing how lively he looked. “Lots of people to comfort yesterday?”

Kosen grunted in the affirmative, confirming the obvious.

“Glad you had a decent night too,” you smiled, freezing when Kosen’s ears seemed to prick up at the word too.

“Wait,” you protested, waving your hands in denial as Kosen pinned you with a curious stare. “It’s not like that, we didn’t… ugh, you’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

Kosen didn’t deny the accusation, his tail smacking against your side in amusement.

“I thought you were supposed to hate him,” you groaned in embarrassment.

You watched the townsfolk mill about, your hand idly petting Kosen’s back as you finally put voice to the thoughts that had been plaguing you for some time now.

“Kosen… I think I want to ask him to stay with us,” you spoke quietly, voice barely above a whisper, feeling uncomfortably vulnerable, even with your company being your oldest friend.

You had expected protest, some form of growling that was meant to serve as Kosen’s version of a hell no, his silence instead unnerving you. Forcing yourself to turn and look at him, it was very apparent why.

When you met his knowing eyes, Kosen nudged your hand with his head, his quiet groan telling you everything you needed to know, years of knowing him aiding your perception.

“…you knew?” you asked softly, Kosen’s nod like a soothing balm to your tortured heart. “Well I wish you had said something sooner. I was ready for you to hate me forever.”

Kosen growled in protest and you shook your head with a laugh. “I know you’d never leave me. But I at least expected you to drag me off to the asylum and leave me there after everything we’ve been through with him.”

You stared at the inn where Yone still slept, feeling a weight lifted from your chest. You didn’t know what you would do if you lost Kosen, his trust in your judgment meaning so much to you.

“…you think he’ll run the other way screaming?” you laughed, Kosen huffing in amusement at your side.

You stayed out idly chatting with Kosen for a while longer until you realized that you should probably see if Yone was awake. He could be pretty unpredictable sometimes, and you didn’t want him to decide to leave before you even had a chance to talk to him.

The walk back to the room was spent overthinking. If he was still asleep, should you wake him up? If he was awake, what would you even say to him? At this point, you weren’t sure which option felt harder to confront as you reached the door, feet barely cooperating with you.

You opened the door slowly, intent on being quiet in case he was still sleeping, which turned out to not matter as you quickly spotted him sitting on the edge of the bed. He had been staring out the window, but turned his head to face you as he heard the door open, though you doubted he hadn’t heard your footsteps leading up to the door.

“How was your sleep?” you asked cautiously, the question feeling strange on your tongue knowing how long it had been since he had slept at all.

“It was strange,” he answered, sounding like he didn’t fully understand either. “There were no nightmares.”

“That’s good,” you replied with a smile, relieved to hear that his first sleep in a long time had not been a failure. “Any sleep without nightmares sounds like a good night to me.”

“A fair point,” he replied, standing up from the bed.

You waited, standing too still, for it to happen. For the inevitable goodbye, for him to disappear now that your agreement had been met, now that your borrowed time had come to an end.

But he didn’t disappear, instead getting out of bed and strapping his swords back to his sides, each movement he made making you wonder if it was the last one you would ever see him make. You were still waiting with dread as he came to a stop before you, looking at you with concern.

Instead of saying anything about your demeanor, he chose to bypass it entirely. “I can sense your pet outside.”

“Oh, yeah,” you replied after a brief moment of confusion before realizing that maybe he wanted to say goodbye to Kosen too before leaving. “He’s waiting outside.”

You wanted to say it then, to ask him if he really had to leave, but fear stilled your tongue and you turned instead to lead him out of the room and down to Kosen.

The walk outside was too silent, and you hoped that Yone didn’t find it as stifling as you did. All the words you wanted to say were spoken instead in your mind, hoping that you would have the courage to say them when you got outside.

You exited the hotel, Yone still silent behind you, to see Kosen across the street right where you had left him. The tiger perked up when he saw you, but noticed your emotional state as soon as he was within five feet, his eyes piercing through you knowingly, as if to say you didn’t ask him yet?

You shook your head minutely at Kosen, who huffed at you in playful exasperation. Yone paid the interaction no mind, coming to a stop before the azakana, who turned his head away as if to snub Yone.

Yone laughed at the tiger’s display. “I had hoped a night of feasting on the emotions of innocents would have evened your temper.”

Yone’s taunt worked perfectly, Kosen’s head turning sharply to face him, ears flattening against his head in time with his ruffled warning growl.

You smiled at the scene, the courage to try coming to you at last.

“You sure you don’t want to kill us?” you asked jokingly. “Last chance.”

Yone turned to you, staring silently as if he was giving the question genuine thought, though the lightness in his exposed eye betrayed him.

“You and your pet demon will not be felled by my sword,” he confirmed lightheartedly, which brought a smile to your face, making it easier for you to make an attempt to form the words you had been idly rehearsing in your head all morning.

You could feel Kosen looking at you, likely sensing what was coming. You could only hope this would go well, knowing any thoughts in the other direction right now would make you lose your nerve.

“We make a good team,” you said, trying not to sound as anxious as you felt. You didn’t want to do anything to scare him away, or make him feel like he had to agree to stay. “We don’t have to go our own ways, if you don’t want to. You could stay with us.”

You expected pause, but your heart twinged in your chest when the look of shock, even horror, took over Yone’s features. You opened your mouth to say something, anything, when you were interrupted by a frantic voice behind you.

“Miss!” a young boy called out to you, looking out of breath as he came to a stop before you. “You’re a warrior, right?”

You didn’t want to look away from Yone, terrified that he would vanish the second you did, but something in the boy’s voice put you similarly on edge.

“I am,” you confirmed tensely, much easier than clarifying what you really were. “Is something wrong?”

“The Noxians are coming!” the boy exclaimed, the words tinging your blood icy. “The fishermen saw ships coming and they said to find all the warriors to fight them so everyone else can run away before we die!”

This was just what you didn’t need right now, the boy running off to gather others before you could ask him any further questions.

Kosen let out a soft chuff, which you answered with a nod. This discussion could happen later, after the issue of the Noxians had been handled. “We should go to the harbor and assess the situation.”

You took a few steps towards the direction of the water, noticing immediately that Yone wasn’t following you.

“…Yone?” you prompted, incredibly unnerved by the tension still in his face, his posture stiff. “We need to go, we likely don’t have much time.”

Yone’s eye went hard, all conflict vanishing from his face as if he had come to a decision.

“It does not concern me.”

“What?” You stared at him, not understanding, not until he spoke again.

“War creates more azakana,” he insisted sharply. “I have no time to waste fighting human battles when hundreds of azakana will soon be born.”

You noticed all too clearly that he had said I, not we, his words enraging you all the same.

“I know how azakana are created,” you replied, storming back over to him, his suddenly impassive gaze making you feel like you were talking to a stranger. “But there are people here now who will die if we just leave. Do you care so little about people’s lives?”

“I care about protecting them from threats they will not see coming,” he hissed back.

“There won’t be anything left for the azakana if the Noxians rip them apart first!” you argued, temper flaring. “Are you really so desperate to reject humanity that you would let this whole town die?”

You had been trying to get through to him, but by the fierce look in his eye, you realized you had done the exact opposite. You saw the warning signs on his face, reaching a hand out to him.

“Yone, wait–”

But he was gone, faster than you could ever hope to follow. Your chest was filled with regret immediately, too shocked to even cry.

Kosen nudged your hand with his head, letting out a sympathetic groan that drew your head down to look at him, and then the tears fell.

“Kosen…” you whimpered miserably, reality coming down on you with the force of a boulder. “I’m sorry, I messed up.”

Kosen’s growled reply told you he disagreed, the tiger always your fiercest defender.

You wanted nothing more than to sink to the ground and cry into Kosen’s fur, to mourn the loss of your high hopes, to lose yourself in your fresh loneliness and pain, but you knew you couldn’t. Your pain was not the priority, not when so many lives were at stake. So, burying your regret in your chest for now, you turned to Kosen.

“We should probably… the harbor,” you spoke between sobs, hand running along Kosen’s soft fur, the tiger patiently waiting for you to calm yourself down.

It took a few minutes for your breaths to become even again, trying to bolster your own resolve as you looked at Kosen with wet eyes.

“I guess it’s just us again,” you tried to joke, your voice just sounding miserable to your own ears. This wasn’t how you wanted this to go, wishing you could take back your last words to Yone. Maybe things could have worked out if you could have just controlled your temper. “We should… we should go.”

Kosen by your side, you had only taken a few steps again towards the coast when heavy footfalls from behind you drew your attention. Even knowing that Yone’s footsteps had never been loud, you desperately hoped that they were his as you turned, and then suddenly your day got so much worse.

Kosen stepped protectively in front of you as Shusho rushed towards you, the desperation on his face giving you pause.

“The Noxians,” he panted, clearly as out of breath as the kid had been.

“I know,” you replied, guard up, Kosen snarling at your side. “We’re going to the harbor to meet up with the others.”

“You can’t!” he protested, only spiking your ire until he continued. “I saw… a group of them in the forest. I think they intend to strike first, to push the people to their forces on the water!”

“The forest?” you echoed, horrified. How Noxian was it to corner before the slaughter. If that was the case, the people stood little chance with soldiers coming at them from both sides.

“They’re planning to strike immediately,” he insisted, gesturing wildly behind him as if the army would appear at any second. “If we don’t cut them off, nobody here will have a chance!”

You hated how right he was, hated that it wasn’t Yone here in front of you asking for your help. But Yone was gone, and you doubted you would ever see him again. What mattered now was what you could do to help these people before they were slaughtered like cattle. And then you could deal with your own issues.

Mind frustratingly made up, you unsheathed your daggers, preparing for a fight.

“Lead the way.”

You knew Kosen was unhappy; you were too, but neither of you wanted to see what would happen if you didn’t stop the Noxians currently marching through the forest.

You followed Shusho into the woods, the man ahead of you straying from the main path immediately. You hoped for both your sakes that he had any fighting capability at all if you wanted any chance of surviving this. Kosen would be no doubt eating well after all this was over, if the pain threatening to consume you alive as you ran was any indication.

The area Shusho came to a stop in was quiet, too quiet, which set off blaring alarms in your head.

“They were here!” he insisted as you could feel your suspicions rising, at least until he pointed in the direction of a group of trees. “Over there!”

You squinted, a strange black shape just visible past the trees. Given Shusho’s exclamation, you figured your element of surprise had all but fled, so you darted over, dagger raised to strike quickly, only to emerge into a stranger situation than you had expected.

There were no Noxian soldiers in the clearing, no sign that they had been there at all, but the coast was certainly not all clear.

You ignored Kosen’s growl of warning, stepping forward to get a closer look at the swirling black mass that hovered just above the grass.

The large black oval was about the size of a full-length mirror, made of swirling black shapes that looked almost like thick smoke. You resisted the urge to touch the strange shape, overcome by a sense of dread from deep within you. Whatever this was, it was deeply wrong, you knew that much.

“This feels–”

Your words turned into a scream as you were pushed harshly from behind, falling forwards into the horrible dark, which easily accepted you into its welcoming embrace.

You emerged from the portal in an instant to a world of black.

The ground beneath you looked like black glass, so clear that you could see your reflection in it. Looking around in terror, you saw tall spindly trees that looked frighteningly like human forms, their feigned limbs twisted grotesquely. Their figures looked blurry, like you were looking at them through a warped lens, the humanlike trees getting no clearer the closer you walked to them.

Where were you? The wrong feeling you had felt before was crushing you now, and it was taking all your strength to keep standing.

There was no portal in sight, so you had no way out of this place. No Kosen or Shusho either, and you had no way of knowing if you were alone here or not. This place reminded you of your nightmares, unable to keep the terror down as you looked around the never-ending black, unable to find a way out.

You wouldn’t be alone for long. Casual, unhurried steps behind you had you turning to see Shusho, who was strolling towards you like he was on the streets back in Tevasa, not in this world of dark.

“We need to get out of here,” you insisted as you rushed over to him, finding some relief in seeing someone else here, even if that someone was Shusho. “Where is my tiger?”

“Not here,” he answered flippantly, wide smile discontenting amidst all the black. “And don’t worry, I’ll be leaving soon.”

“What are you talking about?” you demanded, fear giving rise to anger at his casual tone.

“You’ll see,” he answered cryptically. “After it gets here.”

“What?” You couldn’t make sense of any of this, but something in his words unnerved you worse than the portal or the creepy trees.

And then there was what felt like a ripple in the air, one that felt so horrible that it sent you to your knees, daggers clattering to the floor in favor of clasping your hands over your ears to try and block out the feelings attacking you.

The ripple vanished as soon as it had come, leaving you feeling breathless and small on the ground as you looked up to see a figure so large that it swallowed the sky, a figure you had thought you would only ever see again in your nightmares.

“No… no…” you gasped, trying to reach for your daggers, but hands shaking too hard to grasp hold of them.

“Sweet daughter of sorrow,” it purred, voice so intense in this place that it shook the ground beneath you. “Surely you did not think you would be spared forever?”

“This can’t be happening right now…” you shuddered, breathing hard as you looked to your side, to where Kosen always was, to see only your reflection in the smooth black ground. You looked like a mess, eyes wide with fear, Shusho’s grinning form looming behind you like a sinister shadow, which drew your attention back to his strange calm.

“What are you doing?” you implored him, eyes still darting around for an escape. “We need to get out of here now. You don’t know what that thing is capable of!”

“No, I don’t think so,” he replied, and then something clicked into place in your mind. He was far too casual, too nonchalant in the face of the horrors all around you, for the nightmarish beast in the sky who seemed content to watch the scene before it with a wide, hungry smile.

“What did you do?” you questioned him, voice shaky with anger.

“Nothing you didn’t deserve,” he answered smugly.

“What did you do?” you repeated furiously, your hands finding grip on your daggers at last, up on your feet in an instant.

“All I did was pay you back for being such a stuck-up bitch,” he retorted haughtily. “I told you you’d regret thinking you were too good for me, and now I’m gonna get what I’m owed.”

“So then all that stuff about the Noxians?” you prompted, needing to confirm your suspicions.

Shusho’s laugh sounded even louder in this quiet, barren world. “Worked even better than I thought. Kid only wanted two gold to run over and cry Noxians. I knew your little boyfriend wouldn’t be one to stick around for any real threats. After that, it was easy to lure you to the portal and push you in.”

“Wait, then there isn’t a Noxian fleet at all?” you gasped, your suspicions not having progressed past the forest yet.

“You catch on slow,” he sniffed. “Good thing I’m not interested in your brains. That’s the deal.”

“Are you insane?” you shouted, keeping one eye on the azakana that had destroyed your life so many years ago. “Whatever it promised you, it lied. Azakana don’t honor their deals or care about anything but themselves!”

“It didn’t promise too much,” Shusho replied haughtily, clearly unconvinced by your words. “It’s sure got a big thing for you, not hard to see why. Our deal was easy, it eats your soul and I get what’s left over minus all the attitude for whatever I want. Win-win.”

You felt sick at the realization. This sick freak made a deal with an azakana just to get to a body that couldn’t say no?

“If you think you’ll be around long enough for that to happen, you’re stupider than I thought,” you seethed, weapons now at the ready.

Shusho actually looked briefly startled by your threat, his eyes darting to the dark shape that was the sky, who seemed to be relishing the scene before it.

“Well what are you waiting for?” he shrieked at the azakana, backing away from you with quick steps.

“She speaks true,” it drawled, coming to loom over both of you, plunging the area into its shadow. “You have brought me my long-awaited meal, but I will not overlook an appetizer. Not when it has walked itself most willingly into my den.”

It was Shusho’s turn to panic now, his face red with anger. “You– we had a deal! Fine, just eat her then, I’m leaving!”

“Where will you go?” the azakana purred. “There is nowhere to run now. It is time for a lesson that you will learn too late.”

You dashed away from Shusho as the shadow descended rapidly, plucking Shusho from the floor as easily as if he weighed nothing. His final scream was short as he was pulled apart from every direction, vanishing into the darkness as if he was never there.

You felt nothing but contempt for the conman; he had gotten what he deserved, but that still left you without a solution for your problem. If the azakana from your childhood went to these lengths to get you here, then you had little chance of making it out of this alive.

Your last thought before its attention turned to you was of Kosen. You were sorry to leave him, and hoped he would be okay after you were gone. But for now, you intended to put up a fight, daunting as it was.

Yone walked silently through the forest, accompanied by only his troubled thoughts.

He had been so close, so desperate to take your offer, to feel like he could be alive again.

But he couldn’t, and the truth of why was plain on his face. Nobody could look at him and see anything but a monster, nobody but you. He didn’t belong to the human world, given he hadn’t been human in many years, he had lost that right after all his failures.

You were so good, so human, and it reminded him of everything he could have been, if he hadn’t turned into what he was. You remained human, even amidst the worst moment of your life, while he had fallen so low that he was unrecognizable. He had become just like the monsters he hunted, and needed to remain far from you. You were beautiful, a ray of light far too bright for his eyes, one that he wouldn’t allow himself to taint. The sight of your frantic expression just before he left had nearly broke him, and again it was because of him, because his fragile control of himself was so fractured when he was around you.

He would disappear back into the darkness, kill azakana from the shadows, and never be so foolish again. To think that he would accuse you of being a monster, when he was the one whose soul was tainted by regrets that he refused to acknowledge. This was his role, he resolved, even as his soul screamed at him to return to you. He would never make a mistake like that again, never pretend to be anything but a monster.

Yone’s thoughts were interrupted by the sudden appearance of a strong azakana presence that was only getting closer. The Noxian invasion had to have begun then, his mind drifting to you almost against his will before he snapped it back to the present. This was familiar, this was his purpose, and with that in mind, he drew his swords, ready to go back to the dull and familiar.

What emerged from the brush stilled his swords. Kosen, in his azakana form, leaped through the brush, Yone’s frustration vanishing as soon as he noticed the tiger’s erratic behavior.

Kosen roared at him, unable to stay still in his panic. His roars sounded like nothing Yone had heard from him before, not even when they had first met. As he stared at the clearly-frantic azakana, Yone realized with an unsettling feeling that you were nowhere to be seen.

“Where is she?” he asked, unable to shake the horrible feeling that had settled over him.

Kosen didn’t waste a second, roaring furiously before turning around and rocketing back where he had come from. Fear spiking, Yone darted after him without another word, both of them easily able to move through the forest at top speed.

What would he see when they got to wherever Kosen was leading him? Yone knew the azakana cared deeply for you, and so it would likely take a very dire situation for him to leave your side to find help.

Would you be lying in your own blood, cleaved apart by Noxian soldiers, or worse? Yone had a hard time imagining what could be worse, but he desperately hoped you would still be alive by the time he got there.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. He had left thinking you would be better off without him, so what could have happened in the short time since he had left you?

What Yone found instead of the bloodshed he had expected was a violently swirling portal, the tendrils of black that made up its surface whipping around like they were waves in the midst of a storm.

Kosen’s furor only got more intense as he dashed over to the portal, leaping at it, only to instead leap through it as if it wasn’t there. Turning back to Yone, Kosen yowled desperately, trying to explain what had happened to you.

“She’s in there,” Yone asserted, Kosen growling an agreement.

The confirmation only made his bad feeling grow worse. The portal in front of him was clearly demonic in nature; Yone could feel the waves of power radiating off it as if the azakana that had no doubt created it was standing before him. Wherever you were now, if you had gone through that portal, then your life would clearly be in very immediate danger.

Without a second thought, Yone dashed through the portal… only to move through it instead, just as Kosen had. Trying again, Yone was met with the same result, his failure sparking an unfamiliar wave of panic within him.

Kosen seemed equally as dismayed by his failure, which made Yone wonder just how you had gone through without Kosen. You weren’t risk-averse, but he had also known you not to be foolish. He respected your skill, but you would have to have known that this was a clear danger to you, so then why…?

Regret festered in his mind. Yone had long shied away from regrets; he was no longer who he had been back when he was alive, what right did he have to carry any regrets? Monsters couldn’t regret.

But right now, Yone knew he would regret it for the rest of his existence if he couldn’t get to you right now.

Dashing to the portal once more, Yone entered it this time, unaware of his mask slipping off his face at long last and falling to the ground.

The shadow liked to talk while you fought.

“So naïve,” it chided you, as if you were a misbehaving child. “Untainted by suspicion. Unseeing of coincidences.”

“Speak plainly!” you insisted, dodging a slash from one of its many shadowed arms. You had a feeling that it wasn’t using anywhere near all of its strength, intent on gathering as much of your tortured emotions together as possible before it devoured you, which was something you could work with for now if you ever wanted to see Kosen again.

The azakana was only too happy to indulge your request for information.

“Sweet child of sorrow, I have seen you reach for salvation,” he alliterated, which only served to annoy you more as you severed another arm at the wrist before it could reach you. “I could not allow my long-simmered meal to become tainted with gaiety, so it has become time to bring you back to me.”

“So you promised some rapist a mindless corpse to fuck?” you seethed. Killing Shusho was likely the only good thing this monster would ever do.

“He was quite useful,” the azakana replied, seeming pleased by its own work. “But it took so much more to bring you here to me. Here, where we can finally be together again.”

You grew tired of the demon not just saying what it meant, resolving not to give it what it wanted and instead focusing on hacking as many arms apart as you could, their puppet master still widely grinning down at you with sharp teeth.

“It is no matter to bend weaker brethren to my will,” it bragged, your thoughts immediately turning to the only azakana you had any contact with recently.

“Then you… made it flee?” you asked, needing to know.

“And I made it die,” it responded gleefully, which only pushed your confidence in yourself lower; if this azakana had the power to command others to die, then it was the strongest opponent you had ever faced.

Cruel laughter accompanied your realizations; it was in their nature to sense emotions, so your downswing had been detected immediately. You could not hide anything from the source of your oldest pain, and you both knew it. You had been stupid to believe that you were free, to dismiss your sole survivor status as a coincidence after so many years of being free was exactly what had brought you here.

You didn’t want to die, especially not here in this lonely black world. Shusho’s death had been quick, ultimately meaningless to the shadow that was the sky, but yours has meaning to it. Yours was a prize that it had waited so many years for and you knew there was little chance that the consumption of your soul would be just as drawn out.

You hoped Kosen would be okay without you, back there in the world you had shared with him for so many years. And more than anything else, you wish you had seen this coming.

The azakana reached out to you with so many arms, just like the twisted ones on the trees surrounding you, and this time, you didn’t think you could repel them all.

It was so silent that you heard the shout of your name loud and clear in time with the arms that dotted the sky all being slashed in half at once, the azakana’s resulting shriek telling you that it had actually felt some level of pain from the attack.

The figure that appeared next to you was so familiar in all ways, barring the two red eyes that met yours, wide with desperation.

“Yone…?”

You couldn’t believe it was him, that he was really here. You were so sure that you would die without seeing him again, whether you made it out of here or not.

While you stood in stunned silence, Yone quickly sheathed one sword, reaching out to take hold of your arm. “Are you okay?”

You were still so shocked to see him without a mask that it took you a long moment to gather yourself. He had found you. He had come back for you. The information was almost too much to accept. The tenderness in his eyes and the firmness of his touch made you immediately feel less alone.

“Is Kosen okay?’ you asked, needing to know if Shusho had done anything to your closest friend.

“He found me,” Yone explained. “He was unable to enter the portal. I’m suspecting now that it blocks unwanted azakana from interfering.”

“So he’s okay,” you said, body sagging with relief. You didn’t know what you would have done if something had happened to him.

“Why did you come here alone?” Yone asked, voice less accusing and more concerned.

“I wasn’t alone,” you scoffed. “Shusho lured me into the forest, said the Noxians were planning an ambush and then pushed me into the portal. Turns out it was all lies, Noxus isn’t invading at all. He even paid that kid off to… separate us.”

You felt too uncomfortable to admit that they had been trying to scare Yone off, not wanting him to feel bad, but his face fell all the same.

“…and I played my part,” he admitted bitterly, easily understanding the situation before his expression turned deadly. “Where is he?”

“Dead,” you answered with no shame or guilt. “Trusted an azakana to keep its end of the deal and paid the price.”

“…and his end?” Yone insisted, voice tight with the foresight that he wasn’t going to like whatever the answer was.

“I’ll tell you if we live,” you replied, noticing that the demonic arms were beginning to reforge themselves around you again.

As you stared at the azakana overlooking you both with hunger, you realized you hadn’t explained everything yet, and were rapidly running out of time for the most important part.

“Yone, this is the one from my village,” you spoke gravely, mind flashing back to that scene against your will. “It lured us here using that fire demon. I think it’s been after me for a long time and I’ve just been too stupid to notice. Just… this isn’t your fight if you don’t want it to be. I need you to know that.”

You weren’t entirely sure there was even a way out of here, but you wouldn’t be able to forgive yourself if you didn’t give him an out regardless. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I won’t leave your side again,” he replied, resolve firm as he assessed the situation.

“Okay,” you said, unable to keep the relief off of your face, much to the azakana’s displeasure.

“Sweetest sorrow, you will still end here,” it taunted you from the sky. “I think I will kill him in front of you before I claim you for mine at last.”

“Greater azakana have failed,” Yone hissed back, taking a protective stance in front of you.

You got into a fighting stance as well, unwilling to be an easy meal for the monster that had butchered your family and village. You had to believe you would live, that you could defeat the threat that was all around you. You wanted to leave here with Yone, to see Kosen again, to fight your way back to the world you wanted to return to.

The onslaught was immediate, your burgeoning hope likely souring your taste to the demon who struck out with a thousand arms at once.

He was clearly aiming for Yone, attempting to make good on his threats, but Yone wasn’t easy prey. Yone dashed forward with a sweeping slash, easily destroying dozens of shadowy hands with one swipe of his blade. There was no true wind in this place, but his graceful movements almost looked like he was dancing with the air, the azakana’s attacks ripped up as if they were in the midst of a tornado.

You did your best to cover any areas Yone couldn’t, but you still felt like you weren’t contributing anywhere near equally. Yone fought with a fury you had never seen in him, a desperation that you hoped that you had a hope of matching.

You had no idea how long you had been fighting for. Your stress seemed to warp your sense of time entirely, twisting it into being measured by the next movement you made, unable to think of anything but your survival.

Slowly, you began to feel that you were gaining the upper hand. With every limb you cut down, less and less took its place, but the small victory did not come without consequence.

You couldn’t deny your own condition was worsening, every move you made draining a little more energy from you. As you panted, Yone struck fiercely, ignoring the arms now to lash out at the azakana itself.

You were intent on doing your part, even as your muscles ached and your lungs burned with fatigue. You would not let Yone down.

The azakana had long since lost its composure, screeching out incoherently as each attempt to kill Yone fell apart at the seams.

You saw its last-ditch attempt first, veins of black slithering along the ground, twining together to create a clawed hand, each nail sharpened to a deadly point. From the size alone, you doubted it could be easily broken apart… and it was aimed straight at Yone.

“Yone!” you screamed, but your voice seemed to come out as if you were trapped in a glass box, and as you ran in the direction of the clawed hand, you discovered why.

You reeled back from the wall you couldn’t see, the contact with the now-distorted air like a shock to your system, the pain crushing until you jumped back from it. The azakana had created some sort of invisible box around you as you fought, and now you were cut off from Yone, forced to watch in horror.

You were terrified by your own helplessness, begging Yone to turn back and see what was coming, but he didn’t. Trying to break through the barrier again only brought you more excruciating pain, like you were being stabbed with a thousand needles at once, forcing you to pull back again.

“Watch,” the azakana’s voice whispered in your ear. “Watch as he dies.”

“No!” you screamed, stabbing desperately at the barrier that surrounded you, pinpricks of pain shooting up your arms, but you didn’t stop as you watched the hand slink through the dark towards where Yone confronted the azakana’s masked smile. “Yone, behind you! Yone!”

But he didn’t, locked in combat with the azakana, unaware of anything other than taking it down. The hand would wait no longer, shooting across the sky, intent on piercing through Yone, if the azakana’s continued chanting of watch him die only getting louder all around you was any indication.

Your feet spurned into action, not having even a second to spare. You were ready for the wall this time, sprinting full force at it, agony immediately catching fire along your skin.

Clenching your teeth against the pain, you pushed harder. No pain would be worse than losing Yone right now, and it was that thought that broke your head through the barrier as if you broke through the surface of the ocean.

“Yone!”

Your scream rang out through the quiet like a gunshot, Yone turning immediately, spotting the weapon the azakana had intended to end his life with. In a split second as you watched, frozen with pain, Yone moved swiftly out of the way, the demon hand unable to correct course, piercing its own mask through the hooked nose.

You felt the barrier dissolve immediately, falling to your knees as the aftershocks of pain began to ebb and then vanish completely.

It was so quiet. Looking up to the sky, you saw the azakana’s mask crumbling to pieces, the deep black demon no longer there to fill it.

You lost sight of the crumbling demon as your vision was taken up by Yone landing near you, crouching down before you, a hand resting on your cheek.

“You’re alive,” you said, still in shock.

“Because you warned me,” he replied, leaning forward to kiss you.

It was a gentle kiss, one you happily reciprocated, leaning into Yone even as your muscles screamed at you.

Pulling apart, you couldn’t help but smile. “If you still had your mask, I think it would be poking me in the eyes right about now.”

“My–” Yone looked shocked, his deep red eyes wide as he reached up to feel the face that had been hidden from him for so long. “But how…?”

“You said Kosen couldn’t come through the portal,” you said, coming to a realization that made you smile. “Didn’t you say you thought no azakana could enter?”

“I… did,” he confirmed, voice shaking, eyes trained on your face as if you were the one who was recently unmasked.

“Then you’re human, Yone,” you insisted gently, the revelation stunning him into silence. “…does that bother you?”

Yone let out a shaky breath, one that he had probably been holding in for years.

“…no,” he answered at last, leaning forward to rest his head on your shoulder, his hair tickling your cheek. “I didn’t care what I had to become as long as I could protect you.”

You reached a hand up, idly petting his hair until you noticed something forming behind him.

“Yone, I think we can go now,” you spoke, eyes on the reward for all your hard work, the shining white portal an inversion of the one you had been shoved into.

Standing up together, you made your way to the portal, your fatigue fading in the face of the way out, walking towards safety with Yone at your side.

It was dark when you both emerged from the portal, your field of vision reduced to black as you were tackled to the ground by a ferociously worried Kosen.

“I missed you too,” you laughed, Kosen rubbing his face all over you, his broken purr loud in your ears.

It took a while for Kosen to let you up as you tried to explain what had happened, the azakana especially happy to hear about what had become of Shusho, if not slightly disappointed that he didn’t get to him first.

You were petting Kosen’s head when you finally noticed Yone behind you, staring down at his hand, which grasped the mask that used to be on his face. It must be strange for him, seeing the demon whose face he had worn for so long in his hands, no longer able to hide his face below its own.

The demon was long dead, but now it would truly hold no power in this world.

Kosen noticed your new focus and nudged your hand, looking at you with knowing eyes.

“I don’t suppose I could convince you it’s not like that?” you whispered, the tiger snorting his answer, which made you smile. “Okay, maybe we kissed. Once. I think he’s staying with us, Kosen.”

Kosen huffed, his eyes clearly reading well, that was obvious. He groaned at you, jerking his head towards Yone while standing up, distancing himself from your fingers and retreating towards a thick brush.

“Wait, Kosen, I–” you tried to protest, but he was gone, and you could swear you could hear his amused huffs in the distance.

Closing your eyes tightly, you took a second to compose yourself. Were you really being the recipient of Kosen’s wingman skills that you had no idea he had even possessed?

Standing up, you made your way over to Yone, who looked up from his mask as you entered his field of vision.

“Are you okay?” you asked, your gaze going down to the mask and then back up to his eyes in silent question.

Yone sighed, allowing the mask to drop from his grip and fall back onto the grass. “I thought I had moved on from my past, let my regrets lie back in that spot where I died… I never thought I would wear regret so plainly on my face.”

“You couldn’t have known,” you said gently, resting a hand on his arm in an attempt to comfort him. “Nobody wants to face the worst moment in their life head on. I know I couldn’t have survived mine again without you. I still can’t believe I’m free.”

“It wouldn’t have had the chance to take you if not for me,” Yone remarked bitterly.

“I don’t care,” you declared, boldly moving to wrap your arms around Yone’s neck, his focus shifting entirely to how close you were, hands ghosting over your waist as if he was unsure whether or not to reciprocate. “I just don’t want you to leave me again, if that’s okay with you.”

“I…” Yone seemed speechless, but then you felt his hands make contact with your waist at last, his touch steady, decisive.

Yone stepped closer to you, the crunch of his old mask underfoot ringing out in the silent forest. You looked down, barely able to see the now-cracked mask before Yone’s speed overtook you and you were pressed against a tree, his mouth on yours.

“Your guard cat has left his post,” Yone mused, pulling back only slightly from the kiss, red eyes alight with an intent that made you flush with anticipation.

You knew you had wanted his body on yours for a while now, unable to pin down the exact moment your feelings had changed while he was looking at you like he wanted you just as badly.

You had never kissed anyone before, only wondered idly what you were missing, but now, you didn’t think you could go on without knowing what it would be like to give yourself to someone entirely. In your pitiful daydreams, no man could ever come close to Yone, his heart as valuable to you as his body. But right now, all of your focus was on his body, pressed closely against you, his eyes on yours seemingly awaiting a response, a confirmation, you realized.

“Please,” you whispered, wanting nothing more right now than to have his lips on yours again.

The single word seemed to do something to Yone, his eyes fluttering shut as he let out a shaky exhale. You gave him the moment he clearly needed, the vulnerable expression on his face bringing a smile to your lips. Had he shown this face to anyone else? Even before he died, he seemed to think his own feelings were a burden to others. Seeing him like this now only made you want to push him further, to see more expressions that were for your eyes only. So when his eyes opened again, you pounced, knocking both of you to the ground.

Even as he fell onto his back, you noticed that Yone made sure to cushion your fall with his body, only making you more sure that this was what you had been missing for so many years.

You didn’t let your inexperience bother you, eager kisses pressed to Yone’s neck immediately rewarding you with a deep groan from his lips, his hand coming to anchor itself in your hair.

He looked so good under you, cheeks flushed and dark hair spread out under him, looking like he needed no more than you right now in this moment.

But Yone wanted more than to be stared at, pulling you back down to him, his tongue against yours catching you off guard long enough for him to move you onto your back, your belt off and discarded before you noticed what was happening.

“Back then,” he rasped, pulling your pants and underwear down and off your willing legs, his hand then kneading your thigh, your shirt riding up with your squirming to fully expose your pussy to his hungry eyes. “Back then, in that inn… I didn’t deserve you, but I wanted you.”

Your mind flashed back to that night, to Yone teasing you before his bath… you wished you had known how he really felt back then. For now, you wanted to keep seeing that look on his face aimed in your direction.

“I thought I was dreaming,” you admitted with a breathy laugh as Yone continued to draw circles idly on your thigh. “I’ve never wanted this with anyone but you.”

Your words spurred him into action, and then he was lifting your legs, easing your thighs over his shoulders as his mouth settled between your legs.

You were so sensitive that every brush of his tongue against you felt like a shock to your system. You felt Yone shiver against you as you moaned his name, redoubling his efforts in response, your nails digging into the ground as you tried to keep yourself still, not wanting to offset his tongue by even an inch, Yone finding the perfect angle that even you struggled to find sometimes in an instant.

You had thought he had as little experience as you, but he was eating you out like he had done so a thousand times, your cries of his name turning to babbled gibberish against your will. Nothing you had ever done to yourself could compare to Yone’s determined tongue, his breath coming out in hot pants against your sensitive skin.

“Yone,” you moaned as the pressure began to intensify too fast for you to properly explain, but Yone seemed to understand. “Please, it’s…”

Bracing one arm on your stomach to gently keep you from squirming, Yone barraged your clit with his tongue, again and again in that one spot that you needed so badly. You tried your best in your hazy state to keep your thighs from compressing his head, but Yone embraced it instead, his other hand held tight to one thigh, locking you in place just where he wanted you.

Tears came to your eyes as you finally, finally got there, your orgasm drawn out expertly by the man between your legs who finally pulled back with a satisfied smile, his deep red eyes meeting yours.

As you breathed through the tiny aftershocks of pleasure, one thought came clearly to the front of your mind. You wanted to see what face he would make when it was him on the receiving end. Chest heaving from exertion, you forced yourself up on shaky arms, reaching out for Yone’s belt that still bared the masks of fallen azakana.

Yone let you toss his belt to the side, neither of you paying the demonic death masks any mind. You looked up at Yone’s face as you untied his sarong, his red eyes watching you intently.

Any brief doubts you had of Yone’s interest in you were erased as he discarded his sarong himself, leaning into you as you ran a hand along his very hard cock, the outline clear against his tight pants.

Yone groaned your name in your ear as you continued to stroke him through his pants, the usually-stoic man clearly as desperate as you were.

“I don’t–” he panted, pressing heated kisses against your neck. “I want to be inside you.”

“I want that too,” you admitted heatedly. “Show me what you wanted to do to me in that inn.”

Your words got immediate response from Yone, who had you flat on your back in an instant, his mouth on yours and clothed hips canting into yours.

Reaching a hand between your bodies, you opened your shirt’s front clasps, exposing your bra to the air, Yone drawing back with a sharp inhale, looking entranced by you.

“I dreamed about you that night,” he admitted, rearing back to take his pants off with determined intent. “I woke up and you weren’t there. If you had been there next to me, I don’t think I could’ve resisted you.”

You shivered, again wishing that you had been there, wishing he had told you this then. You clearly had a lot of making up to do.

Sitting up, you took your shirt and bra off, tossing them to join Yone’s clothing in the grass.

Putting a hand on his shoulder, you prompted Yone back to a sitting position, his hands coming to your sides as you climbed into his lap, leaning in to kiss his waiting mouth. Yone responded eagerly, one hand coming to the side of your head, his tongue against yours making your face dizzy with heat.

He was so hard against you, and you were so impatient now, pulling back briefly enough to lift yourself angling Yone’s cock just right before sinking down onto him, the man letting out a low groan of surprise, eyes shutting briefly as he easily bottomed out with how wet you were.

Yone looked wrecked already as he opened his eyes again, his hand stroking your hair as he looked at you in a way you never thought you would ever see.

“You’re so beautiful,” he spoke, his hands going back down to your waist to begin to lift you up and down on his lap, any words you were going to say in response swallowed by his lips, which sought yours every time you came back down.

Your own hands roamed his upper body, along his bandaged arms, feeling his muscles flex as he smoothly maneuvered you, so perceptive to every little noise you made.

Just as you felt your legs giving out on you, you found yourself flat on your back again, Yone above you, hiking your legs up and over his hips. You wordlessly obeyed, mesmerized by the look of him, hair mussed, staring at you with reverence.

And then he was back inside you and you forgot everything but his name, clawing at his body, his arm wrappings coming loose from your frantic fingers.

“You feel so good,” he groaned at your ear, the words going straight to your head, the feeling in your lower stomach doubling instantly.

You needed to make him cum. Finding a second wind with that resolution, you met his thrusts, pulling his hips down into yours with an intensity that seemed to break something in Yone, his body flattening you to the ground, keeping your body tight to his as he pounded into you now, pace frantic.

You couldn’t talk, couldn’t tell Yone just how close you were again as he fucked you into the ground, pressing hot kisses to your mouth, your fingers digging into his shoulders as you came again.

Pushing through your quickly-approaching overstimulation, you rolled your hips up to meet Yone’s, leaning up to meet tongues with him for a few more intense moments before he stilled at last, clutching you to him, passionate kisses turning soft as he rolled you onto your sides, pulling back to press his forehead against yours.

Yone looked almost in disbelief as he brushed a hand against your cheek, smiling softly at you when you leaned into his hand.

“I suppose maybe I am human,” he mused, petting your hair as you cuddled up to him, his heartbeat against your ear only further affirming his words.

“Then I guess you’re stuck with me now,” you said slyly, more sure of it now than ever. “Unless you can think up a good excuse to flee into the night.”

You expected him to laugh, but he was quiet for a long moment, so quiet that you pulled back from his chest to look at his face, his mouth set in a frown that gave you pause.

“I won’t leave you again,” he promised, eyes resolute. “I won’t allow my cowardice to nearly take you from me again.”

“You didn’t know,” you replied sternly, unwilling to allow him to sink back into regret. “I think I’ve done quite enough to prove to you that I’m still alive and well.”

You accompanied your words with a clenching of your inner muscles on his half-hard cock, still inside you, the feeling sending Yone’s eyes closing shut with a groan. “…unless you need another demonstration?”

“…please,” Yone’s desperate voice relented immediately, and you were only happy to oblige.

[icequeenbae]

Hii! This is a more slow burn request so I’m sorry if it’s a little difficult, but could I request Heartsteel Ezreal x reader who’s knowledgeable and quite sarcastic and quick witted with their replies? I just wonder how their meeting would go with the whole Black cat, golden retriever vibe!

And maybe the reader sometimes suffers from low self-esteem and burnout.

Pairing: Heartsteel!Ezreal x Reader ft. all members

Heartsteel AU, attempted humor, fluff

Warnings: grumpymanager!Reader, Kayn is annoying as fuck… language? lol

Word Count: ~1.4k

© Please do not copy/ post on other platforms without permission.

Author’s Note: Hiii~ Thank you for the Ezreal request, sweetie! I do have my favorites in Heartsteel to write for, and he is definitely at the top of that list <3 Not sure if this is exactly what you wanted, but let’s give it a try! As usual, let me know via comments/ asks/ reblogs, I try stay on it~ P.S. The stuff I post for requests is usually not beta’ed, so pls bear with me…

You rubbed your tired eyes and cursed, checking if your fingers had any mascara on them. There was an issue to resolve, and you had hoped to finish up before the Heartsteel members returned to the waiting room after their rehearsal. But your plan failed miserably.

‘Our dearest manager!’ Kayn appeared next to you, wrapping his arm around your shoulder. ‘Always working, what a busy little bee!’

You raised your eyebrow at him and stayed silent until he cleared his throat and retracted his arm, while the rest of the members scattered around the room, minding their own business.

‘Someone has to work around here,’ you replied, typing away on your laptop.

‘You should take a break and go grab something to eat at least,’ Yone suggested.

His amiable comment made you release a desperate sigh.

‘They messed up the mic backup, Yone. Not to mention that we have the music video budget due tomorrow and someone screwed up the calculations. I cannot let you film without the drones or the special effects crew. If you do everything yourselves, you’ll be dead before you go on stage again, and I will be ripped into a million tiny pieces by the company or your fans. And I don’t know which one’s worse…’

‘If that’s Sett’s fans you’ll live. They all twinky as shit, look at Phel.’ Kayn cackled, and Yone glared at him.

Sett and Aphelios exchanged looks, probably deciding to give their most annoying member a proper thrashing another time just for the sake of your emotional wellbeing. At least someone understood how dire the situation was.

‘How can I help?’ The producer asked.

Although you appreciated the offer, you knew that they had to perform tomorrow, so Yone would have to supervise the last of preparations starting early morning. You could not allow him to spend the night helping you and then go straight into tomorrow’s work. The price of a screwup was too high on this one.

‘You can help by taking them out for dinner and making sure they’re tucked in later. I don’t want anyone out wreaking any havoc while I’m not around to settle everything.’

‘That I can arrange.’ Yone nodded, giving the rest of the members a solid onceover. ‘You heard Y/N, boys. No fun for you tonight, we have a very long day tomorrow.’

‘Ugh. Buzzkill…’ Sett sighed, and Phel pinched him on the arm, hard. ‘Ow!!’

‘I think we can live with one night in, guys,’ Ezreal interjected. ‘We’re so tired anyway.’

‘Speak for yourself, young man. I am full of energy!’ K’Sante retorted.

What a traitorous blow! You’d expect it from anyone but him.

Noticing your flabbergasted expression, K’Sante quickly continued.

‘…which I can spend by working some iron in the gym before bed time.’

You shook your head, trying to focus on your spreadsheet again. It was a little- no, it was extremely overwhelming, trying to fix several urgent issues at once, while running on a couple hours of sleep, half a sandwich (had to donate the rest to Sett – he’s still growing, after all… or so he thinks) and way too much coffee.

‘Are you going to stay here though?’ Ezreal asked, sounding too quiet for his usual bubbly self.

You assumed he was afraid to get the short end of the stick and make you explode with his question. But you were too tired to even yell at any of them.

‘Not that I have any choice,’ you answered dryly. ‘Not everyone can teleport, Ezzie.’

He pursed his lips, probably realizing that it was best to leave you alone before you gave him the same glare that Kayn had earned earlier. Unlike the demonic bastard, Ezreal was among the members who preferred to stay away from you when you were fuming, as opposed to irritating you further to poke some fun. Yone had already spent a week negotiating for you to take back your resignation once, so they were on their best behavior ever since. Well, the best they could muster, which wasn’t that great but in the grand scheme of things… you’d take what you could get.

After they all vacated the premises, you finally managed to send the updated budget numbers for approval, and made a few calls about the mic replacement. It was unbelievable, but you really had to find someone to get the necessary equipment and fly in to bring it on time. So you stayed at the venue to be able to check whether everything worked fine right away.

But later that night, a mystery visitor woke you up while scooping you off the chair to get you onto the sofa.

‘Mhm- what… Who’s here??’ You jerked up from your uncomfortable sleeping position, accidentally hitting someone in the face with your head.

‘Ow!’ You heard someone squeak and turned around, finding Ezreal in pain, holding his hand to his nose.

‘What on Earth brings you here??’ You instinctively pinched the bridge of his nose as if that would help with the pain. ‘Wait, what time is it? Where is my phone??’

‘I took it,’ he said, wiping under his nose to check for blood.

Thankfully, there was none, and he was okay. Your nervous system, however, was not as lucky.

‘What do you mean, you took it??’ You frantically checked the time on your laptop. ‘3:23? I was supposed to meet someone an hour ago! Why didn’t you wake me up?!’

You grabbed your phone from blabbering Ezreal, but he clung to you like a koala.

‘Y/N, I-’

‘I know. You didn’t think properly, and now I will have to find a way to get that guy to come back if he isn’t sleeping in his hotel already… Shit, Ezzie, you fucked up! No, I fucked up. How could I have fallen asleep?? Stupid, stupid, stupid!’ You knocked on your own head with your knuckles to make a point, and Ezreal caught you by the wrist with his two hands, looking as if you had hit him and not yourself.

‘Y/N, I already met with him and took the mics. We ran a test downstairs with some of the overnight technicians. Everything is set up and working fine.’

You blinked at him a few times, still confused.

‘Uh- You… did?’

‘Yes. I came back earlier and you were asleep. Then someone called you, so I figured- And then I went down and checked everything,’ he delivered anxiously. ‘I also brought you a sandwich- but I didn’t want to wake you, so…’

He grabbed a paper bag from the sofa and shoved it into your hands. You looked at it, and then back at Ezreal, your sleepy and stressed-out brain still catching up with everything.

‘Um- so you brought me… a sandwich?’ You asked.

‘Yes,’ he nodded, strangely bashful. ‘And a juice box.’

His cheeks became rosy, and you couldn’t help but burst out laughing. Ezreal looked like a stray puppy, unsure about whether it was safe to express his affection.

As your laughter settled, you finally exhaled. Everything was okay, thanks to your unexpected little helper for tonight. And now that he’d mentioned the food…

‘I hope you got me an extra-large one.’ You hummed, sitting your butt down.

‘I got two,’ he beamed. ‘And a chocolate bar.’

‘Good. You look like you could have some chocolate right about now.’

And of course, after such an eventful night, as well as the previous few days, having a full belly made you dozy again. Although you did notice Ezreal’s head slowly tilting towards your shoulder through the layer of drowsiness, you didn’t catch your own head leaning onto his.

Due to your carelessness, you were in for a rude awakening in just a few hours.

‘Now, isn’t that adorable?’ Even from the depths of hell you would have heard Kayn exclaim in the most obnoxious voice possible.

‘I’m taking a picture. For the family album!’ K’Sante announced, quick to utilize the camera on his phone.

‘Or future blackmail…’ Kayn sneered evilly.

‘Maybe I should post that picture of you stuck in the vault with your pants down, Shieda Kayn.’ You mused out loud, eyes still shut.

There were a few sounds resembling muffled cursing, and then Kayn walked it back.

‘Hey man, we shouldn’t take pictures of people sleeping. It’s illegal or some shit. Let’s just go check on the preparations, come on.’

And so, they went back to where they came from. ‘Manager…’ You heard Ezreal whisper, head still laying on your shoulder. ‘You’re amazing.’

Non-EXO masterlist

Masterlist

A/N: Thank you for reading and happy holidays my sweethearts!! I have just a couple more requests to go~ I don't think I will take more for the time being but I might come up with another requests event for 900 or 1000 milestone! Please don't forget to comment and reblog if you want to support me 💜 And check out my masterlist for more of my HEARTSTEEL and kpop content 💕

[ioniansunsets]

may i please have some heartsteel yone/f!reader? i haven't seen much of my beloved producer 🥺

✖ Heartsteel!Yone x Reader ✖

✖ Word Count: 2k

✖ Tags: Long Term Established R/S

✖ A/N: You get together with Yone 10 years ago in Japan. HC Yone as someone who started out DJ-ing at clubs before outgrowing the scene and fading to obscurity online before Heartsteel picked him up.

----  Meeting Him ----

- You met him back in Japan, back when you visited clubs and actually managed to catch his DJ-ing before he quit. It was underground but it was unique. Experimental stuff that just somehow still sounded so damn good to you. You found yourself drawn to him and eventually going up to talk to him during a break between sets. He fell in love with you shortly after, he had a small but loyal fanbase and having someone like you appear at every single one of his performances really weakened the walls around his heart.

- You spent college dropping by any of Yone's appearances throughout your fall quarter and as school went on and as winter break came over, you finally found the time and energy to hang around and visit his other appearances too. Some fun mall gigs, cute online streams in the day, even managing to land a dj-ing gig at a local dance competition. You could tell it was hard, he had a distinctive style that was as much a pro as it was a con and eventually he faded away from performing at all in person.

- It was his 'Final Performance' so the speak. That late night in the club, a drink in hand, bright smiles as you had fun with you friends while watching the elusive masked dj on his little stage. It was his final performance. Now or never to confess your love for both him and his music, your nerves straight ice as the night slowly drew to a close. Unbeknown to you, he too, felt exactly the same as he watched you from the stand. The passing comments and small conversations the two of you shared over the months left him yearning for something more with you.

- And it was sweet when it finally happened. Uncharacteristically gentlemanly coming from a DJ. You stayed as the club begun to close, Yone walking up to talk to you just like any other time a friendly conversation before he offers you a small giftbag, softly telling you its a personal Christmas gift for his most loyal supporter, telling you to open it when you're home. You thank him, pushing yourself to exchange numbers with him so you can give him feedback when you're home safe. You curse as you miss your chance to confess in the heat of the moment.

- As you return home, you pull a thin package beautifully wrapped in the little bag. You unwrap it to find a homemade mixtape, all of your favorite songs from him paired with special unreleased works that he think you would like. How he even managed to know which were your favorites shocked you honestly. As you look into the bag further a sweet handwritten note confessing his budding love for you neatly written in decorative paper falls out. Poetic words with the neatest handwriting, you could swear the paper itself was scented too. Your heart races as you listen to the CD while reading the pages of his feelings. The first thing you ever messaged him was a cute " Yone, I love you too." Which Yone has graciously screenshotted and looked back on often over the years.

---- Heartsteel / Dating ----

- You two are the loving parents of Heartsteel, the comforting consistency, the caring confidants of the group. There was just something nice about seeing Yone and his partner of almost ten years still going strong in such a stable relationship that causes all the boys to look at you with such respect. You have fun with them all, you work hard late nights supporting Yone and his work, you look out for him as he looked out for you. You were as much part of the gang as he was.

- Surprisingly Yasuo loves you just as much (platonically), he's happy to see Yone just genuinely be so at ease around you, to have someone be there for his brother that can actually make the man relax? You have his approval. After moving on and joining True Damage, Yasuo would worry seeing Yone so alone, so having you appear and provide his brother with such companionship made him happy. Though, Yasuo does tease Yone a lot, every time you meet him he always asks you if Yone has proposed. He can't understand how you two have been together so long yet not gotten married.

- Dates with Yone were always so calming. Bringing you out to hot spring inns during stressful times, inviting you to cute hidden cafes to work together, comforting jamming sessions late night at his place if money was tight. Nothing embarrassingly over to top yet not so casual that you felt like the two of you weren't doing anything special. There was just something about the way he just knows what you need. As the years went by you realized it was just how Yone was, he was an attentive guy and especially so when it came to you.

- Also it was no secret that Yone looked at self care as a priority and slowly you picked up on his little habits too. Simple yet small adjustments to your own habits. The way you two would go through the motions of burning incense and making tea early in the mornings for a quick meditation and mindfulness session. The loving way he would cook healthier meals for you, how he would be the one buying bath and beauty products, how he would motivate you to follow him to Kendo lessons to exercise, how he would leave books filled with comments on post-its around the house for you to read when you had time. The softest part was how he never seemed disappointed even if you said no to any of this, he was caring and patient after all, he'll win you over into self help eventually.

- The biggest change with the new popularity of Heartsteel was seeing the sheer number of fans Yone started to get. You almost forgot what it was like being his fangirl honestly, so used to your life with him after his semi-retirement, it was weird suddenly being thrown back to your college days of being in love with that DJ at the club. Sure things were different, you came home to him, you slept by his side every night, you heard all his music before it was released, but still... There was something about the way your heart thrums as you stand in the audience watching Yone lift his mask to throw you a charming smile. There was something about the way you knew when he laughed softly on stage, when he waves to the fans, when the crowd cheers, that the cool DJ standing up there was all yours. Oh it made you smile just as bright.

---- During Touring Season ----

- Being together for so long had its perks and its downfalls, for one, you two had a really nice house together, a place you truly called home. Little bits of Yone all around you all the time in the way the bed smelt like him, the way you see his drinks in the fridge and his things around the room. As much as it all comforts you when he is away, it all also oh so depressingly reminds you how lonely you are without him. At the least, Yone was a man of conviction and strict schedules, without fail every day at midnight where he is, when the concerts over he would always contact you somehow. Be it a call, a message, and photo. He would always make sure to send you at the very least, something, once a day. Lovingly checking in on you to make sure you were ok.

- Sure you had your own life outside of being his loving girlfriend but yet, being by Yone's side was such a commonplace that the emptiness of the house felt foreign after all these years. Yone did his best to make sure you weren't alone though, leaving little notes hidden around the house for you to find and read, leaving you a playlist to fill his study with music so you could feel like someone was still there. Of course he still called you when he could but there were other things too, like how he kept ordering meals for you, secretly asking your neighbors to keep an eye out to make sure you were safe at night, how he actually sent you postcards so you could have a physical reminder that he was thinking of you. It was all so sweet.

- If you could make it to a concert? You had the VIP treatment, he was very secretive, not really having social media, no one really knew he was in a long term relationship with you. But for Heartsteel? Everyone close to Yone knew who you were. No questions asked, a VIP pass thrust into your hands courtesy of Alune who excitedly dragged you backstage to say hi to your partner before and after the performance.

- During the actual show it was crazy, for someone whose style was so underground it was exciting and certainly different to see how wild the crowd was compared to your hazy memories of small secluded rooms in the fringes of Tokyo all those years back. Heartsteel was good for him you had to admit, seeing him on the international stage, seeing him having so much fun with the other boys, seeing the way he was just glowing with joy when people actually hollered and cheered at his beat drops. A warm bubbling feeling rises up in your chest as you see him smile the way he does around you, only this time it was on the big stage. You knew he was happy with his own small fanbase of loyal stans but you two knew better, a tiny fanbase wouldn't pay the bills, being so wildly loved, being able to make music, his passion, for work. Having so many new people hear the same style of mixing that caught your attention years back and actually love it? Heartsteel was a blessing to you both.

- When you run backstage after the performance to congratulate all the boys on the successful performance Yone stands further back. A warm smile on his face as he pulls off his mask to watch you hug and high five everyone else, a mix of feelings as he watches you talk to his bandmate. As the initial greetings pass, you finally walk up to him, everyone leaving to settle their own post performance maintenance. For Yone, that was a little habit of searching for you and reaching out to pull you into a hug. A habit that he once had all those years back, the nostalgia after every performance always hitting him so hard his usually calm and cool demeanor would crack. The lightest tinge of a blush could be seen rising up to his ears as he finally makes eye contact with you. Slowly he walks over, a hand reaching out to beckon you to come over and hold him.

" You were amazing up on stage, I almost forgot how charming you always looked in the DJ booth."

" And I almost forgot how exciting it was to search for you cheering for me in the crowd. Especially when the crowd is that big."

Yone laughs softly. A deep melodic noise that sends shivers down your spine. Oh the way the corners of his lips curl up, his sparkling emerald eyes gaze down at you. His right hand reaching up, the back of his fingers lightly brushing over your cheeks, pushing your hair back behind your ears.

" Just like old times my love?"

" Just like old times Yone."

Carefully, doing his best to make sure his hair doesn't tickle you, the same hand that pushed your hair back now rises to hold his own messy fringe up as he leans down. Gently, just like always. His lips press against yours. Nothing too affectionate, you two were still in public after all, but still you could feel it, the way the softest kiss from your lover fills your chest with such overwhelming love. As you pull back you look up to see a smile so bright that it causes his eyes to close. Ah, you were truly loved.

[redtsundere-writes]

Imagine:

Heartsteel Members As Iconic BTS Moments

Contents: Funny moments, SFW

Word Count: 569 words.

Author's Note: Hello again! I'm sorry about my absence. This has been a busy week since I just graduated from college! I'm finally a certified translator! So, you'll see me around here more often 0.0

> In an interview, Heartsteel was asked what they like from one another. K’Sante looked at Yone and said: “I like your brain.” Yone felt appreciated and thanked him. After that cute interaction, it was his turn to say something nice to Kayn but he struggled to find a good thing to say about him. “I like your eyebrows” Yone finally said. Kayn flexed his eyebrows on fleek to the camara before turning to Sett. Without a beat he goes: “I like your elbow,” and then giggled. Sett felt offended by the weird compliment tried to elbowed him since he liked it so much. 

> Kayn loves his fans more than any other Heartsteel member, so he screams the fandom name into a mic everytime he can. Kayn will scream “HEARTSBEAAAAAAAATS!” at random times during interviews, podcasts, and concerts.

> In Japan, Yone explained to the interviewer that the other members of Heartsteel arent very good at speaking japanese. Out of nowhere, Aphelios says to the interviewer in fluent japanese: “I like your videos, your videos are so nice.” “Oh, well, he can speak a little” Yone said dumbfounded. 

> In another interview, Sett kept singing Despacito throughout the whole show, embarrassing himself. K’Sante kept repeating that he was a rapper and not a singer, so people wouldn’t think that Heartsteel songs sound like that. 

> The interviewer asked how they deal with girls and fangirls in their dating life. Ezreal simply answered: “I don’t think”

> At the Grammy’s, someone ask who is the bad boy in the group. Everyone quickly looked at Kayn. He just smirked to the camera with confidence. “I’m bad boy,” he said with his ego up his ass. 

> Yone was hosting a Q&A at a fanmeeting. He picked a question about them hanging all the time because of Heartsteel. “Do you ever get tired of eachother since you live together?” he read aloud. Ezreal jumped from his seat and hugged Kayn over his shoulders. “No, you are my bro,” Ezreal said with a big smile while the punk tried to push him away, even if he liked the attention. 

> K’Sante has a tradition with Heartbeats at every concert. He will craft red hearts to incorporate into his outfit on stage or show in creative ways for the audience to show his appreciation for their support throughout his career.

> At a podcast, Aphelios revealed that he likes to draw, he even showed some of his drawings. The host encouraged him to post his drawing to social media. Aphelios said that his drawings were a secret. The host giggled and said: “Not anymore since this will be uploaded to YouTube.” Aphelios stayed quiet after that fuck up. 

> At a radio show, the host asked Heartsteel members to present themselves and say something most people don’t know about them. K’Sante went first and thought about a secret he was willing to share. “I’m hungry. Top Secret,” he said, making everyone laugh at the booth. Sett confessed: “My underwear is black.” Everyone looked at him confused.

> At a Halloween Special, Heartsteel went to a haunted house. Sett tried to square up at every zombie he saw. 

> They were playing air hockey at an arcade once. K’Sante and Sett were playing against eachother. Sett hit the pock so hard that it flew out of the table and landed on Aphelios nuts. Everyone laughed at him while he was holding his balls in pain. 

Order your own fanfic! (Starting price: $5 USD)

Masterlist.

[saey707]

Paranoiac

✿ Prompt: You make a home video with Yone, Kayn, and Ezreal ✿

♡ champion focuses: yone, kayn, ezreal ♡ tw: HEAVY nsfw, vulgar language ♡ Female reader

Author's Note: I needed a break from all the requests and wanted to make something a tad more self-indulgent to help myself get out of writer's block/burnout ໒꒰ྀིっ˕ -｡꒱ྀི১ This piece is probably going to be my most NSFW work to date so please read at your own discretion!! Hope you guys enjoy! (ᴗ͈ˬᴗ͈)ꕤ.ﾟ

It was your first time making a home video, and frankly, you weren't sure what to expect... At the very least, your three friends would be at your side to help you, and capture all the best angles! Well... To their best ability, of course...~

There were cameras pointing at you from 3 different angles, but only one of them was giving any good results...

The first was the camera in Kayn's hands, trembling between his shaky fingers. He would have been able to hold it steady, completely focused on you... If only you weren't about to give him the best fucking head of his life!

"Wrap those pretty lips around it, princess..." Kayn hastily huffed out. You were apprehensive about the idea of allowing Kayn to speak to you so obscenely... But at the same time, you fucking loved the desperate, raspy tones of his voice, encouraging you to let him fuck your mouth.

Kayn was standing before your sitting figure atop the bed. The camera stuttered as he moved his hand to roughly grab at your exposed breast, giving it a generous squeeze and massaging it between his fingers.

He soon after took hold of your chin, gently caressing your soft skin. His grip was firm to keep your eyes directed up and locked with his own. His cock was buried deep inside your mouth as you rocked your head back and forth, servicing his length.

A series of choked sobs and moans bumbled up from the back of your throat, the bad boy's attention fixed solely on you through his phone's cracked screen. Steadying himself, Kayn began to tangle his fingers through your hair, allowing his hips to rock in unison with that pretty, pretty mouth of yours.

"Ughhh, princess, that's it... Take all of my fucking cock inside that dirty mouth of yours~!"

Kayn would happily admit that he absolutely fucking loved seeing such a pained expression on your face. Was it because of him or the man you were romping up and down on...

"Agh~ Yes! Yes! Yes! You feel so good... Keep sucking~" Kayn begged, "Do you like how Yone's dick feels inside of you, princess? Huh? Do you want him to keep fucking you?"

"Mmmmhmphh~!!" You responded against Kayn's length, eliciting a quiet chuckle from the man beneath you.

"You're such a filthy fucking whore~" The producer spoke.

The second camera was, in fact, Yone's, partially capturing you bouncing up and down on his dick. His length was flushed red, slicked over with a film of precum, sliding in and out of you effortlessly as he slammed his hips up into your pussy, while you simultaneously sucked and bounced.

His free hand slid up and down your back, slapping your ass every time you went up and following it with a gentle rub. "Mm~ Your pussy feels so good, sweetheart..."

Pent up and unable to hold himself back any longer, Yone slid out of you, positioning the camera to capture a high-quality clip of him climaxing all over your backside. You gasped at the sudden hot, sticky sensation. Hell, you felt a little empty without Yone's dick pounding and filling you up... but were shut up almost immediately when you felt someone climb behind you.

"Knock yourself out, Ezreal~" Yone mumbled sleepily.

The final camera was Ezreal's, and he was all for assuring his section of the film had you and him in it. His arm was extended, capturing a selfie of you sucking off Kayn while he kissed your cheek. His chest was pressed against your back, sandwiching you between Kayn's cock in your mouth and Yone laying beneath the both of you.

"Come here, kitty kitty~ Smile for the camera... Uh huh~ Lift that ass up of yours for me… That's it!!"

Ezreal held your hips with his free hand, slowly pushing himself inside of your ass. The pain was almost unbearable. You never allowed anyone to take you there before! Still, Ezreal was gentle, allowing you to adjust to his size before he began to rock his hips.

Your arms gave out on you from the pressure, but that wasn't going to stop Ezreal. He positioned his camera against a pillow, letting it go so he could wrap his arms around you, holding you up in his strong embrace. "A-Ah~! Mmfph~ It feels so fucking good!" The pop star prince exclaimed while he fucked you.

It didn't take long for Yone to regain his sense of control, pulling your thighs back down so he could push himself back into your throbbing pussy. His fingers massaged your clitoris, amplifying your pleasure until you felt entirely numb. "Yone, you're going to make her pass out!" "Nonsense Ezreal, she's a good girl. She can take it!" "Hey, make sure you losers keep her clean! I want to fuck one of her holes next!!"

Every hole of yours was being generously filled, every camera capturing you being abused by three handsome men. And you loved it. You loved being used. You loved the way their cocks felt inside of you. You loved how they treated you like their little fuck toy... And you loved the way all three of them climaxed simultaneously inside of you!

Their savory moans drove you beyond the boundary, your eyes rolling back as you finally got your first fresh breath of air. Your body shivered, permitting them to move you like a ragdoll as they repositioned themselves differently.

You wanted more... No, you needed more~!

"Use her well, boys... Our next stop won't be until we're in the next country over!"

[duckchu]

Meeting Heartsteel's family

(Yone, Kayn, Sett, Aphelios)

Some self indulgence in Phel's part but I love him so much kfrkrvwthw

Looking at how many edits I've made, I should really start proofreading lmao. Especially if I write during night or morning

Kayn

He wasn't stressed at all

He loved his dad but didn't care if he didn't accept you

Had to take a whole week off to travel to Zed's home and actually spend some time with him

When you two arrived, you didn't expect his dad to be so...hot?

Of course you wouldn't try anything with your boyfriends dad

You were served a great dinner and then went to rest

Across the next few days you and Zed got to know eachother better, he was glad Kayn finally found someone who could keep him calm...er

After that he frequently texts you to ask about Kayn and you, even though he's busy with his fighting school

Yone

Yasuo lived nearby so he just came over someday and it just happened that you were also over

He was surprised that his older brother managed to keep someone around

When Yone was making dinner, Yasuo kept you entertained with stories from their childhood, which, if Yone would have heard, would have earned him a smack to the head

You learned that Yone was the calmer of the brothers while Yasuo was way more hot headed

Though that didn't bother you, at least for now

Yasuo likes you, he's glad his brother finally found someone who he can trust and who can maybe get him to stop over working himself so much

Sett

He was so nervous before you two got to Mama's house

He kept on stressing about her not liking you

Her opinion was important to him, but not more important than the love he felt for you

His blabbering also made you nervous

When you finally arrived at her house, you were surprised to see a soft looking older woman.

She welcomed you with open arms

She was so nice to you, asking about you, your relationship, but not in an intrusive way

When she asked Sett to help in the kitchen, you wanted to help too, but the kitchen was too small, so you just stood in the doorway and talked with them

You were starting to like her more than Sett honestly

Just joking, but maybe not

He gave you some food to eat later

She really likes you and thinks Sett made a good choice

Aphelios

Since she's the bands manager, you've known Alune since the beginning

You're both chill about eachother, no bad blood

Since you two started dating, she mysteriously always made too much of whatever she was cooking and always told Aphelios to bring the excess to you

It's her way of showing affection

She actually thinks you and Aphelios are a perfect match

Soulmates even

She even calls you sister in law to tease you

Doesn't know you and Phel are secretly engaged

Though she's starting to suspect something

[milksuu]

Hey hey heyyyy!!! It's me, the one that keeps stalking your page! 💙🧚‍♀️

I wanna say that OML I LOVE YOUR WRITING!!! AAAAHHH! And I'm so so so happy to see that

anyways, this is a request for how the heartsteel boys would react to a lover with big bazoinkers who usually wears baggy clothes suddenly wearing something tight fitted??? Heheehehehe.

Also, how would the react if you were hit on by someone else due to their lover having big personalities?? (You don't have to do this one if you're uncomfortable ofc!!)

Also, keep up what you're doing, feeding my unhealthy obsession with these fictional (but very attractive) men. I hope you have an amazing day/night!!!🧚‍♀️🧚‍♀️

❥ prompt: So, you got the big boinkers. The huge bagonzos. The gigantic bonobos. Whatever guys called boobs these days. You're super self-conscious about them, ever since you hit puberty. You've tried to hide them. But with the upcoming red-carpet event for the music awards, you can't wear baggy clothes next to your Heartsteel boyfirend. You had to look your best. Or as some would say, your breast. ❥ content/warnings: mild suggestive themes, possessive boyfriend energy, over protective boyfriend energy ❥ characters/pairings: v!Heartsteel (aphelios, ezreal, kayne) / f!reader

APHELIOS

Aphelio's thought you always looked cute and comfortable in your hoodies. In casual form, it was his aesthetic as well. Until the time came for a special event.

Aphelio's hadn't imagined exactly what you would wear. But surely, it might be a long-sleeve and turtleneck to match your conservative style. He understood how you felt about your particular assets. He would never suggest you to wear anything that didn't make you feel secure.

He was absolutely wrong. So, so, so wrong. (Wait. Did he actually like being wrong?) He got the long-sleeves part right. But the black mini-dress you sported hugged all the curves you possessed. With just a bit of thigh fat squeezed at the hem. If Aphelio's could ever speak again, he'd beg to be immediately silenced between those thighs. And at the top, there was a glorious boob-window that any e-girl would go absolutely rabid to have.

He had to look away a few times. Thankful to have a mask covering most of his flustered features. Maintaining a semblance of composure, he led you by the hand, speaking to you through squeezes between your hands.

Down the red-carpet, with flashing lights, the two of you posed. One camera man took a picture a little too angled for his liking. Your hand trembled in his. Blushing and holding your breath. Embarrassed tears pricked the corner of your eyes. Afraid of the possible lewdness that would be plastered in magazines. You didn't want to even imagine the headliners. And what would they say about Aphelio's? That he was dating some sort of 'all-boobs-no brains' bimbo? You wanted nothing like that for him.

Aphelio's sensed all of your emotions and didn't hesitate his next move. He dragged a discreet foot against the carpet, folding it in a manner that caused the paparazzo to trip. When the shady-cameraman fell, his camera smashed to pieces against the ground. The man dramatically fell to his knees, holding his head and weeping in buckets.

You gasped. Aphelio's merely rolled his eyes dismissively, tugging you way. He knitted his brows, and squeezed your hand tightly. You knew exactly what he did. You smiled, condensing your chest against his arm.

Feeling his face heat up again, he looked away. After acting so cool, and looking so cool, there's no way he'd let you see him blush like a high-school boy.

EZREAL

Ezreal never minded you wearing baggy clothes. He thought it was fun—for him! He loved diving underneath your oversized hoodie, and poke his head out the other side. Like you two were some odd circus attraction. That, or pretend he was a sailor drowning in a sea of boobies. He liked wearing the stylish hat.

He wasn't exactly sure what you would wear to the event, but he wished it was something he could fit inside later. He was joking. That was a total joke. So long as you were comfortable in it, he didn't mind.

When he saw you step out of the limo, his jaw completely dropped. He felt like one of those cool male-lead movie stars. Taking off his glasses in iconic slow-mo fashion, mouthing the words "Oh, Baby."

He spared zero time to lead you by the arm. Ready for from some press worthy photos he knew you two were going to absolutely rock.

Making it to the concessions room, where the liquor and horderves were plenty, it was prime time for music stars to socialize.

One young rapper approached, way too drunk off his drink, slurred with a smirk at your general direction. Commenting on whether or not Ezreal paid for you to have boob job in order to please him.

The giddy-boyish-sunshine smile turned utterly dark. The laugh he forced was ear grating. It chilled you to the bone. There was a flash of yellow. And briefly, you felt your arm empty of his presence. Then the scene unfolded. The man's drink completely spilled all over him. Another flash. He was pushed, stumbling to the ground.

Ezreal merely snickered into his suit sleeve when bouncers in the room dragged the drunk man away by the collar. Deeming him too drunk and unfit for the show, and subsequently tossed out.

Ezreal tugged you off to a far, secluded corner. He took you into his arms, squeezing tightly. Apologizing into your ear. You smiled softly, and rubbed his the back. Reassuring him you weren't hurt by the comment. And gave him a grateful kiss into his hair for sticking up for you.

KAYN

Kayn 'Big ol' Tiddle Bitties'. If he could change his middle name to that, he would. It'd be his other rap persona, in ode to your breasts. Rhaast approved. And sure, you may be insecure about them, but Kayn fucking hell wasn't. He swore, one day, he would scream in praise at the rooftops. (Thankfully that hasn't happened...yet.)

He prayed to every demon, anti-christ, Eldritch God on this forsaken plane of existence for you to bless his presence with those huge knockers. And holy shit, did you ever at the event.

From the outfit alone, if he leashed himself for you, and placed a crop in your hand, he'd be on all fours. This wouldn't be a classy event anymore. It'd be an all-out fetish party.

Sadly. Reality kept it to a red-carpeted event. Where he had to act professional. Lead you accordingly, and restrain himself on every level possible. It took all his effort to not just call an Uber and take you in nearest love-hotel.

After mingling before the show, it was time for the awards. You took your seat next to each other. As the event played on, with various performances, you felt something being thrown into your cleavage. You looked down, spotting popcorn. Turning a cheek, you saw a group of young men laughing. Making comments about your breasts, and high-fiving one another when they 'made the shot'.

Kayn noticed. And boy, was he about to lose his shit during a performance speech. You placed a hand against his chest, whispering for him not to make a scene, and not allow the clowns to hurt his reputation. Fine—he wouldn't commit a crime. But he would show them who they were fucking with.

You slapped a hand over your mouth, muffling any lewd noises. Kayn planted his face in your cleavage, biting and licking your chest. He took up all the popcorn, and spat it out the guys like buttered bullets. They jumped with looks of disgust, cursing under their breaths about how damn crazy he was. With a final growl, they scurried away.

Kayn cackled, and you had to shush him when Yone leaned back in his chair and gave a look.

an: holy shiii tysvm for this req. @ccraccz! you're a genius. pls keep stalking my page *smooches you* sadly i have to break this up into two parts, since I wasn't expecting to make it so long??? lmfao??? pls stay tuned for part 2