Modern Monsters

Amaya the Zashiki Warashi

Male Reader (Grief, non romantic)

The old house was in need of much love and repair. No one had lived there since your grandparents had died. You had inherited it after you married your wife. You had always planned on moving here with her, wanting to raise your daughter in Japan like you both had been.

The yard is overgrown, and you have some difficulty getting to the front door. Once you do, even after you unlock the door, you have to pry it open, chipping away at layers of dirt, vines, and water damage. The door wrenches open, and you fall backward, plopping down into the overgrown grass and bushes.

You huff, laying there on the ground and staring up at the sky. It was cloudless and empty. You sigh, turning your head and looking under the porch you see a set of eyes glowing. You sit up in fright and scramble back onto the porch. You stay there for a moment before peeking back underneath. You see nothing.

"Trick of the light," you grumble to yourself.

You go inside, looking around and seeing all the dust, the sheet-covered furniture, the water damage on the ceiling. You'd have to get that fixed, you'd have to see what damage was caused. You walk around the house, remembering things from when you were a young boy. Growing up, you spent much time here.

Your grandmother had been a teacher, and after she got married, she held after school classes for the local kids. She helped them with homework, helped them study for tests, anything she could do to help. There were always kids in this house. When she died, you had been living in America. You received word from a friend who showed you pictures of all the kids she helped in her lifetime. The house had been so full of flowers and well wishes you could barely get through the halls.

You sit down in an empty room, resting your back against the wall. You sigh, staring out the foggy window across the room. You close your eyes, taking in a few deep breaths as the silence surrounds you.

"Hello?" You hear a voice ring out. "Hello?"

You stand up and walk back out into the hallway. You see a massive figure walking in, and you sigh. "Oh, hello Hiro."

The large Onikuma had been a friend of yours growing up. He had been one of your grandmother's students as well.

"I thought I saw you come in," he says.

"What are you doing here?" You ask. "I thought you had gone to the states too."

Hiro greets you with a firm handshake. "I've got the family here visiting. Grandmother doesn't have much time left, so I want to be with her as much as possible."

You look away for a moment, glancing around the house.

"I heard about what happened," Hiro murmurs. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

You shrug and remain silent. "I've got this place now," you murmur. "All I need to do is fix it up. Maybe I'll sell it, maybe I'll stay."

Hiro sighs. "If you need anything-"

You hold your hand up to stop him. "You don't need to say it. Enjoy time with your family. I'll do what I have to do here."

Hiro frowns and nods his head. "You know where to find me. I'm in the same place as I was before." He points out the door.

You nod and turn your back to him. "Yeah. I remember."

Hiro leaves, and you rub at your eyes. You start cleaning, first with the kitchen. You make sure everything still works and is safe. After cutting on the electricity, you were half expecting a fire to take everything over.

After cleaning the kitchen, you mop the hallway and dust. You clean out a spare room which you set up a sleeping bag in. You would sleep here until you got everything ready and could move in for the time being.