A Taste Of Your Own Medicine

Author's Note: I'm making this story for dearly beloved Junji Ito. He's a very kind and wholesome man, despite drawing so much horror. I wanted to give some of that back by making a lighthearted, heartwarming story about his favorite boy getting healthy and happy. I hope he likes it (and I hope everyone else likes it too!!)

Hathor sighed, both finding it rather endearing yet also equally sad that the teenage boy standing in front of her, looking malnourished, pale and weak, staring at her in awe, chewing on a mildly rusty nail, was in fact the man was supposed to be taking care of.

Ra, her father, had asked her to do so because every time a prayer or curse came from this boy, it was used to do - as he said - incredibly stupid things, and he wanted it to stop, because his head apparently hurt from all the "useless and incessant foolishness".

"Young man. Are you the one who has prayed to us for help and support in your cause?" Hathor asked. It was hard to act so seriously in front of a kid, but she wanted to look a bit more intimidating. Maybe he would get the memo and stop bothering her family as soon as he saw her.

"Oh-oh!!" He squealed, and kneeled on the ground, hands clasped together. "Oh, great Hathor!! Daughter of Ra!! Goddess of Bliss and Happiness!!" He screeched, and Hathor's serious facade immediately melted. Okay, now she just felt bad.

"Oh, hey, it's okay, stop kneeling, it's embarrassing." She mumbled, and grabbed his arm to make him stand up. Wow, he was really skinny. She felt like she was holding a mummy. How old was this kid?? 10? 11?

"Oh, powerful goddess Hathor, what is your business here? Are you here to promote me into your ranks? To thank me for all the years of worship?" He squealed, smiling with hope, and Hathor couldn't help but chuckle.

"Oh, yeah, definitely not."

He really hadn't realized, huh?

"W-what??"

"Yeah. I'm actually here to tell you to stop bothering us. We're getting tired of you calling our names all the time just so you can torment people. Our powers aren't made just for that, you know?"

The boy froze, seemingly in shock. He stood there for a while. He didn't say anything. He had even stopped munching on the nail in his mouth.

Hathor decided to look around the room for a moment, curious to know a bit more about this strange boy.

She found a diary. She obviously decided to read it. She sat on the bed and looked through it.

Already, the first page had many creepy warnings to anyone who would try reading the book. Not that she cared much, she was pretty much immune to anything this boy could possibly try doing.

He stared at her, definitely not looking very happy, but he was still frozen in place and so didn't say anything.

"Oh wow. Not really happy, are we? Lots of cursing and stalking." Hathor commented. "Maybe that's why you never prayed to me, heh. You seem to revel in that despair." She flicked through the pages. "Souichi." she added, and that name seemed to take him out of his stupor, as he ran to her, trying to grab the book. "D-don't!! This is private!!"

"Is that so? Yet I can learn so much about you in there." Hathor answered, and Souichi whimpered, still definitely too scared to say anything back.

"Come on, use your words. What would you usually tell someone who's snooping around?" Hathor continued.

"I-I could never say those things to you, oh great and powerful Hathor." Souichi said shamefully, and Hathor stopped, and then laughed. "Oh, you've done a lot of bad things, yet you draw the line there?" She kept giggling, and stood up, book still in hand. She was obviously much taller than him, and so he couldn't get it from there.