Blood in Flame and Water

Greedy Pig

The rise of the moon drew Yasha up from slumber. Deep honeycomb eyes opened gradually, blinking wearily as sleepiness slowly ebbed away. Twitching slightly, Yasha rumbled deep within his chest before slowly sitting up. Hearing a slight grumble beside him, Yasha peered down to see the runt of a child he saved last night curled up into a ball and begrudgingly sitting up too while rubbing their eyes. Huffing, Yasha stepped out of his nest after retrieving the haori wrapped around the child and made his way over to the fire in the corner of his cave.

Without their warm blanket, the child was left cold and shivering. It was an instant wake up. Rushing out of the nest and beside the fire that Yasha was stoking, they sighed in relief once the warm flames licked the air near their palms. Yasha watched in fascination as the child warmed themselves up. Making a noise of dismissal, Yasha finished adding firewood to the flame and turned towards the exit/entrance.

A meek voice followed him, "Where are you going? "
Yasha glanced at the child who was worryingly watching him leave. Rolling his eyes, he answered back, "None of your concern. "
"Are you going to eat more of those villagers again? " They asked.
Yasha paused and turned completely towards the human child, "Yes, " he answered bluntly, "I'm going to the village to eat then come back. "
The child squeaked, "Isn't that,...gross? "
Yasha raised a brow, "I guess you could call it that. Though a demon must survive by eating human flesh. "
Deflating, the child hummed, "Oh, okay. "

Turning around with a hum, Yasha bent down and walked out of the cave. Grass collapsed under his bare feet while tickling his toes. The familiar sight of his woodland home brought a sense of tranquility upon Yasha. The fragrance of night blooming flowers had his nose twitching briefly. Tilting his head back, Yasha's eyes caught the moon and he gave himself a moment to watch and gaze at the stars. Huffing a snort, Yasha looked down and towards the path he always took to the village. Not even able to take one full step forward, Yasha could hear the soft pitter patter of a pair of small feet, "Wait! "

Growling low in his chest, Yasha turned around and glared down at the child running to him. The child slowed down at the glare placed on them but didn't stop until they had a fist wrapped up in Yasha's haori, "Please don't leave me alone! Please let me come with you! I'll be good, I promise! "
Yasha snarled, "What part of, 'Stay! ', do you not understand? "
The child shook their head, "Please, I'm sorry, but I'll be good! I promise! "

Exhaling harshly, Yasha grabbed the child's wrists and lifted them off the ground to be face to face. Squirming in his hold, Yasha watched the child move and wiggle while tears ran down their face. The tears fell to the ground below the child that was held up at least four feet into the air. Soft sobs left the child's lips as Yasha glared at the child under an evaluating look.

Rolling his honeycomb eyes, Yasha growled deep in his chest and swung the child around to his back while muttering, "Fine. But not a peep from you. "
A relieved sigh left the child as they wrapped their legs around his chest and their arms around Yasha's neck. The kid was muttering, 'thank you,' over and over again.
Once he was sure the kid wouldn't slip, Yasha walked towards the village with the thing leeched on his back. Hiccups and sobs slowly quieted down from behind him, and Yasha felt a wet cheek press against his neck. Grumbling, Yasha sneered but decided to not mention it, otherwise he faced another tantrum.

The passage was thin and worn down with use. Stones and pebbles scattered and rolled out of the way as Yasha kicked a rock down the path. Continuing down the passageway, Yasha could feel the child looking around in wonder, stretching their hands out and trying to touch everything they can. Their hand skimmed over a leaf, and watched in awed fascination as it bounced back up and swayed.

"I never did get your name, " The child mused.
Yasha snorted, "I didn't think you'd care. Much rather know my name. "
He felt the child shrug, "You helped me. You saved me too…"
The demon hummed, "You are a strange child, you know that? "
A giggle escaped the child as they nuzzled into Yasha's cheek, "I know, but normal is boring. "
The Upper ranked oni huffed, "So it would seem. Well, you may call me Yasha. "
"Yasha-kun, I like it! You can call me Mitski then! " The child, now known as Mitski, laughed excitedly.
Yasha hummed with a tilted smirk, "I think I'd rather call you a pain in my ass. "
The child gasped in faux offense, "That's rude! Fine then, I'll be forced to call you Ya-chan from now on! "
Yasha gagged in disgust, "You better not, you brat! "
"Then stop calling me that, Ya-chan! " Mitski challenged.
Yasha snarled, "As if! "