•Tomoe x Reader: Book 2•

10. Revelation

It was a strange concept, Katabasis, the concept that was pulling you down to the underworld like this, and now up and left and right without seemingly a reason.

This was the dilemma which cleared your head of Tomoe's... advances in that cave.

It made no sense, the way the world shifted and warped around the both of you to serve some strange purpose.

"The world down here tends to do what it wants to." Tomoe had explained gruffly upon your questioning. "I've been thinking more about it too. Why some sort of mind-altering drug, a poem-... it feels like someone's setting us up."

You nodded sagely. "Yes... Tomoe, you've lived a long time. Have you heard of things like this before?"

He was silent for a while, the only sound the crunching of purple-black branches beneath your feet.

"...well, some of it may be related to fate. In a... loose sort of way." He admitted. "There are some things which I can't seem to avoid, even with my long life. Nothing as obvious as a sensation in my stomach, but certain themes have seemed to follow me."

"...certain themes?" You questioned.

His eyes were soft, but so incredibly distant at the same time.

"I meet many people to spend my time with, a god I've served, friends and foes, but the passage of time seems to be a reoccurring issue."

You couldn't really imagine that. How everything you grew to know would be destined to wither away. "...does it make you not want to meet new people?"

He seemed to consider this. "...Yes, I think so. If you haven't noticed, I spend a lot of time with people who cannot die, like gods or yokai."
He seemed to grow uncomfortable. "...but we shouldn't be speaking of something so dreary. What's your theory about your... issue?"

You didn't really know. "...it's gotta have something to do with you." You concluded. "I don't know. Maybe the both of us have got to go on a quest or something."

"...I suppose. What that man said to us was far too vague."

Your stomach rumbled, and Tomoe's hand was already in his back, strips of dried meat in a cloth wrapping was handed over to you. They were salted and seasoned, and you really couldn't complain. The jerky was tough, but it would fill your stomach.

You offered one to Tomoe, and he shook his head. "I told you, human, yokai don't need to eat. We can if we wish, but all of the food here in this bag is for you."

That was... strange. "So you eat souls."

Tomoe, caught off guard, snorted. "No, not really. If I did I would have depleted plenty of human populations in the last years. No, we don't eat souls."

"...well, I know you eat human flesh."

"That one is obvious. It makes a demon much stronger, to eat the flesh of a mortal." This was the first time he seemed to have some distaste in his voice. Weird.
"But, anyways, we really should be focusing on what's ahead, instead."

As he said this, you nearly tripped over a rock, as if on cue. He put out an arm on instinct, you used it to steady yourself.

There was a large rock formation that had been growing larger ahead, and now that the two of you had created the hill, you could see a cave there. It might be a good place to spend the night, but funnily enough, your stomach was leading you towards it too.

Tomoe seemed to grow anxious as you approached it, and a large ball of blue flame blossomed to hover in his hand.

The walkway was lined with white stones, and they varied in shade, from a pearlescent white to a deep, yellowish color.

"They're kind of pretty, don't you think?"

Tomoe didn't seem as impressed. "They're strange." He said suspiciously. "They're... lined up too perfectly, like someone lay them intentionally like this, but we haven't seen any yokai around for miles. It's completely dead out here."

Tomoe nudged one over with the heel of his boot, and you nearly choked on your own spit as the object rolled obediently over. It did not have the same weight that a rock should have, and instead was hollow, seeming to break a little as it was dislodged.
Those were not rocks at all. They were skulls.