Paint || Toichiro x Fem!Reader || Ayakashi: Romance Reborn || Ongoing ||

Chapter One

She has been locked in a room for the past eternity. Her only goal is to paint a portrait of He who Sits in the Sunset. Every drop of paint added meaning to his life, every stroke of her brush set him one step forward to freedom. He had never known, but the seal placed on his ninth tail was a curse. He believes that he is trapped within a portrait in She the Painter's eye when truly, it is she who is trapped within He the Painting's frame. One stroke of paint and he is set free. One stroke of paint and she shall be cursed for millennia to come. All it takes is one stroke of paint. The final drop of colour is added to the portrait. Toichiro's kyubi form shows, protecting Futaba from the blades of ice Hisui shoots at her. His seal is broken. Toichiro's vision hazes as Y/N appears in his head one last time. She removes the chains that kept him locked away and shares one blank stare with him as the chains consume her.
"You... Why would you set me free? What have you released me from?"

Prior to the battle between Futaba, her Ayakashi and the Senkitai, Toichiro had been getting visions of a girl whom he had not been acquainted with. Every time he got these visions, an excruciating pain would build up in his head. He would crouch down in agony, screaming for it to stop.
"He's possessed," Shuichiro would usually say.
No one would follow along with his ridiculous idea. But as time went on, and as Toichiro's inexplicable behaviour became more frequent, his idea didn't seem so ridiculous anymore.
"If he's truly possessed, who do we ask to exorcise him?" Koga once asked, "Futaba won't be of much help here."
All the other Ayakashi believed that there was nothing that could be done to help Toichiro. Nevertheless, there was one who stayed by his side. Whether Toichiro was screaming to the heavens above or crying uncontrollably, Shizuki always believed that his master would come to his senses. He believed that this would all pass.

And it did, which leads us to where we are now.

With the Ayakashi listening intently, Toichiro explains everything that has happened these past weeks. He explains how he was trapped within himself, how that girl would paint portraits of him all day, how she set him free. It all felt like a long, vivid nightmare and it was finally over.
"So the unknown girl setting you free from the painting is what led you to being a kyubi back then?" Shizuki says, everything finally making sense.
"That would be the outcome, yes," Toichiro answers, his voice still hoarse from his constant screaming before.
"You said the girl got chained up after setting you free. Do you think she's trapped somewhere now?" Kuro asks.
His question is genuine but doesn't sit right with Toichiro.
"I think her chains were a symbol of something passed onto her. Something Toichiro had that he gave to her after being set free," Oji suggests.
Toichiro's brows furrow. Although he doesn't show it, the thought of him passing some form of curse onto someone who did nothing but help him pains his heart.
Gaku, who has been silent the whole time, speaks up.
"She wouldn't happen to be Futaba or Futaba from her past life?" he asks.
"There's not the slightest chance it could be her, it was someone else entirely," Toichiro answers, a copy of one of his usual smiles tugging at the corners of his lips. Or at least, that's what it looks like to Shizuki. A copy - a fake. Because they've been together for so long, the snow spirit understands the kitsune far better than the other Ayakashi. Shizuki knows that Toichiro has many ideas which he wishes to share but won't, for the safety of his position as the future village leader.
"What do you suggest then?" Oji asks.
Silence falls upon the room again.
"Forget it. Regardless of what it all meant, it's over now. Why should I care?" Toichiro answers, his usual smile forming on his face.

The Ayakashi part ways after their discussion at the Kitsune Village. Oji makes his way down the mountain path and back to Raccord, an image of a girl devoured by chains floating in his head. As he opens the door to Raccord, the faint jingle of the bell brings him back to his senses.
"You're back later than usual. What happened?" Aoi asks, leaning on the broom he was just using.
Oji explains the battle against the Senkitai and everything that Toichiro told them.
"Wait, let me get this straight: This girl would constantly try to paint a perfect portrait of Toichiro and he would physically be affected by it. And once she perfected the painting, he was able to transform into a kyubi during the fight with the Senkitai and she was chained up?" Aoi says, trying to piece together the story he has just been told.
"Yes. Sounds bizarre, don't you think?" Oji says, pulling out a cigarette.
"Well, whatever happened to her, I hope she's okay," Aoi sighs, placing the broom against the wall. Before heading upstairs, he turns to face Oji, suddenly remembering something.
"Speaking of painting, there's a new student joining my class next week."
"That's nice. Someone new for you to be friends with," Oji smiles.
"Yeah, but they're joining from overseas. That means they're excellent at art if they're able to study abroad," Aoi complains.
"Don't worry Aoi, your art is really good. I'm sure they won't be much competition for you," Oji laughs, puffing on his cigarette.
"There's an art exhibition next week too. I've heard that their art will be displayed. Hopefully it's not as good as everyone's making it out to be. Not that I'm trying to put them down or anything, it's just-" Aoi cuts himself off, seemingly at a loss for words.
"It's okay Aoi, I know how tough it is in the art world," Oji reassures him. Aoi smiles faintly at Oji before heading to his room.