Arataki Itto x Reader

3 Loss

When you and Itto returned Baba noticed the state you were both in. You were covered in dirt, leaves, and a few scratches. Itto had spatterings of black blood everywhere and similarly had collected twigs, spider webs, and leaves in his hair. Ushi seemed fine, and he pranced inside without any fuss.
Itto and yourself could not say the same as Baba frantically brushed away the debris of your battle and pushed the two of you toward the bathhouse.
It wasn't an uncommon thing for you to bathe nearby your fellow soldiers, but after kissing Itto you felt there was definitely a different relationship there.
Oni Baba brought towels and clothes while you waited for the water to heat. Then you undressed and wrapped a towel around yourself before sitting in the freshly poured, warm water. Itto followed suit and both of you averted your gaze respectfully.
You combed through your hair to remove the debris and Itto leaned over to remove a stray twig you'd missed.
"So, uh. About the uh." Itto awkwardly fumbled his words and blushed.
You remembered the kiss and felt your own cheeks growing flushed.
"Oh, that. It doesn't have to mean anything. There was a lot of emotions going through my head on account of nearly dying an' all." You said, giving him an escape if he needed it.
"Oh, that's okay. Yeah!" Itto busied himself with washing his own hair. "We don't have to bring it up again." He sounded almost disappointed and you got the feeling he misunderstood you.
"It was nice." You said, deciding maybe subtlety wasn't the way to go here. "If you wanted something more from it, I would be open to that."
Your time as a soldier had given you the unique ability to fearlessly say what you wanted. There was no mincing words on the front lines and you'd gotten used to a level of bluntness from your peers; and you knew this and often compensated for it when talking to civilians. Not that you'd done much of that since the war.
Itto's ears were almost as red as his horns, now. He shifted closer to you and gave you an intense look as he placed his hands on your shoulders.
"I also liked it." He managed to say nervously.
It was pretty cute how such a giant and intimidating oni could look so flustered over a simple kiss.
You reached for his hand and traced your fingers over it to the red lines that trailed over his body. It was a small gesture of intimacy; an invitation, even.
He loosened his grip on your shoulders and placed one hand over your adventurous fingers. He moved it to his chest and let you circle around his pecs. You leaned in close enough to feel his breath on your lips.
Itto tilted your chin up and kissed you, deeper than he had in the woods. You felt a heat spread through your body with the contact. When you pulled away you could see a look of longing in his gaze.
It had been a long time since you'd been intimate with someone, your touch starved body was screaming for more, but it was also begging for rest.
Itto sensed the weariness in you and said, "we should finish up here and get you to bed, soon. I don't mean to sound like Baba, but you need your rest if you're going to recovery fully."
"I can't disagree with you there." You said with a sigh. And so, you savoured that small moment of intimacy while it lasted.
After your bath, you dressed yourself and just about collapsed when you reached your bed.
Baba came with some rice and water, insisting you eat before sleeping. When you finished, your head had barely hit the pillow before you konked out.
When you woke it was some time in the late evening. Ushi's massive form was snuggled up at your side, his body swelled and shrank with every breath. You could vaguely make out the red glow of Happy in one of the onkikabuto cages. He was Chittering contently, probably nibbling away at the otogi leaves Itto had placed in there for him.
You yawned and stretched, wincing as your partially healed wounds protested. You'd forgotten how long it took to recover from wounds like this; and you'd never been in such a sorry state as when Itto found you on that beach.
You eased yourself up from your bed and stiffly walked downstairs. You could smell Baba's cooking and heard multiple voices chatting downstairs. You halted out of view and listened cautiously.
"The Tenryou Commission has been widening their search for vision holders. They weren't far from here today. I thought I should tell you so you have a chance to clear out before-" A young woman said.
"Bah, they can try and take me. I'll beat every last one of them into the ground." Itto grumbled loudly.
"No, you won't. They have Koujo Sara with them." The woman responded harshly. "You'll only get yourself hurt and put Oni Baba at unnecessary risk."
"Boss, I think you should listen to Shinobu." A meek sounding young man piped in.
Itto scoffed but even you could sense the nerves in his voice. "If it'll get you lot off my back, then fine. Where do you suggest we go?"
You decided this was your chance to return the favour for their kindness, and stepped down from the stairs.
"I know a safe place." You said, startling the strangers.
There were three young men of varying builds and stature, and then a short woman with green hair and a frightening mask hanging loose around her neck.
"Oh, this is Y/N. The one I told you about from the beach." Itto gestured to you and motioned for you to join them. "Here grab some dinner, it's still warm." He said to you.
You took a bowl and served yourself some warm rice and grilled fish.
"Well met. I'm Shinobu and this is Mamoru, Akira, and Genta." The woman said, pointing to the three young men. "What's this safe place you have in mind?"
You took a seat beside Itto and described the location. It was not far from the beach where Itto had found you. There was a cave system known by few that lead to an old treasure hoarder hideaway. It was dilapidated, the wooden floors were rotted beyond use in some areas, but it would serve its purpose for a short stay.
Shinobu provided a pen and paper and you drew a quick mud map with instructions on how to get there.
"How did you come to find this place?" She asked, curious.
You hesitated and looked at Itto.
"You can trust them. This is the Arataki gang; they're family." He said reassuringly.
You nodded and explained, "I'm a soldier of the Watatsumi rebel army. We used this cave as a place to store and move supplies for a while. The front has been pushed further back, so it hasn't been in use for a good six to eight months, now."
Shinobu hummed in thought. "I'll check it out tonight. Pack what you can and be ready to leave by morning." She said firmly.
Itto sighed and nodded. Baba was seated nearby, busying herself with mending clothes. You couldn't help but worry that all this moving about would have an effect on her health. But what choice did they have? You'd seen first hand what losing a vision did to a person, and you wouldn't wish that on anyone.
Shinobu left with your mud map and Mamoru, Akira, and Genta remained to help Itto pack. You felt a little useless but Itto insisted you and Baba stay seated while they worked. They loaded everything into some crates and stacked those in a wagon out front.
When midnight rolled around Baba bid you goodnight and retired to bed. She had been unusually quiet, which didn't help settle your concerns at all.
Akira, a plump young fellow dressed in an orange kimono, sat beside you with a huff. "Don't worry about Oni Baba. She's just concerned for Itto and Shinobu. The last thing she wants is to see the Tenryou Commission come and snatch them up. The thought of it puts her in a foul mood."
"Oh, I thought she seemed a bit off." You said with a small sigh of relief. "Will she be okay to make the trip from here?"
Genta, a taller man with earthy coloured clothes, joined the two of you. He sat cross legged on the floor and laid back to catch his breath from all the packing and lifting. "Oni Baba is tough, she'll be okay. Plus, she can sit on the wagon when she needs to rest." He chimed in.
Itto and Mamoru were next to plonk down wearily. Mamoru was slender and dressed in blue and white. He looked like he was about to pass out, the poor lad.
As they chatted into the early morning hours you could feel the close bonds between them. They spoke like brothers amongst themselves, the only thing that broke that illusion was their nickname for Itto; Boss. It was always boss this and boss that.
It made you smile as you watched their carefree comradery. You couldn't help but remember the bonds you'd had with your own brethren in arms. You wondered solemnly how many were still alive.
 
When dawn broke Shinobu arrived and gave them the all clear. The beds and mats were rolled up and placed in the wagon before they set off.
Mamoru, Akira, and Genta went their seperate ways back to Inazuma city. It was risky for them to travel with a vision holder and a rebel soldier, after all. Shinobu had left some time in the night, explaining that she had business in the nearby village and that she would meet up with them at the beach cave later in the evening.
Ushi pulled the wagon with ease and Oni Baba sat on the back now and then to rest her feet.
"You can hop on, too if you need." Itto said to you as you itched at your thigh.
"I'll be fine. It's not much farther." You said, composing yourself. You didn't want to add any more weight.
After a few hours you stopped for a quick rest. It was then that things went to shit rather quickly.
You were rummaging in the wagon for some of the food that had been packed when you heard a distant shout. The familiar rustle and clank of armoured soldiers threw you into high alert.
A platoon of at least 20 Tenryou soldiers was rapidly surrounding you. You rushed to Itto's side and with a swift move, yanked his vision from his neck and stuffed it into your sleeve. You could only hope the soldiers didn't notice.
Itto was a little taken aback. He opened his mouth to protest but was interrupted by an intimidating and loud voice.
"Arataki Itto, surrender your vision or we will take it by force." The voice belonged to a tall woman, with black hair styled in a neat bob and a menacing aura.
You recognised her. She was a high ranking member of the Tenryou Commission and a demon on the battlefield. Her skill with a bow was legendary and only enhanced further by her electro vision.
You couldn't help but notice the irony that a woman with a vision was hunting other vision holders.
"Eat shit, Kujou Sara." Itto said childishly. "If you want my vision you'll have to fight me for it!"
You hissed through your teeth at him, "can't you just say you lost it?"
"They'll search us. She knows they don't have my vision on that damned creepy statue." He grumbled and held his hand out. You sighed and placed his vision in it.
"Can you make me a weapon as well?" You ask flatly.
"No can do!" He smiled widely and charged into the Tenryou soldiers ranks. He was like a bull, everyone who met with his club went flying.
Kujou sighed and notched an arrow. You couldn't just stand by and watch. You raced forward and took a spear from a fallen soldier. Adrenaline numbed your aches and pains as you hurled the spear with all your strength, aiming for Kujou.
She fired an arrow and it hit the flying spear, blasting it away with a crackle of electro energy. She narrowed her eyes at you but returned her attention to Itto. She fired another three shots in quick succession.
He dodged the first two but the third found its mark in his shoulder. The electro energy sparked through his body and his muscles seized.
You grabbed another spear and drove it into the armour of a soldier, flinging him aside as you tried to push closer to Kujou.
You weaved through the jabbing spears with grace and speed. But it wasn't enough. There were simply too many of them. It wasn't long before you were overwhelmed and a blade stoped short of your throat.
You bared your teeth, not willing to drop your weapon. You glanced over at Itto who had pushed through the electro energy and was smashing his way through soldiers toward Kujou. He suddenly stopped dead in his tracks when he heard Oni Baba cry out and curse loudly.
A few soldiers had their weapons pointed at her.
"Surrender, Arataki. I don't want to arrest your dear Obāsan." Kujou said coldly.
Itto growled loudly, baring his sharp oni teeth. He glanced back at you and Oni Baba, pained defeat clear in his eyes, and then he dropped his club.
"Good. Now hand over the vision." Kujou said, lowering her bow slightly.
Itto pulled the vision from his pocket and tossed it at Kujou's feet.
"Fine. I don't need a vision to kick your arse, anyway." He said, clearly furious. "Now get the hell away from my Baba."
The soldiers lowered their weapons on Kujou's command. One of them handed her Itto's vision.
The soldiers you and Itto had injured were helped to their feet or dragged away by their comrades.
"I should arrest you for resisting." Kujou grumbled. "But I don't have time for it today. If you know what's good for you, stay out of Inazuma city."
And with that the soldiers gradually left until there was nothing but silence and the open road before them.
Itto had rushed to Oni Baba and she brushed him off, telling him not to fuss. You felt awful that you couldn't do more for him. Your mind was already racing with plans to find the Tenryou Commission camp and steal back the vision.
Itto's hand on your shoulder snapped you back to reality. "Are you okay?" He asked.
You let out a seething breath and nodded before pulling him into an embrace. "I'm so sorry Itto." You said.
He hugged you back tightly. "You've got nothing to be sorry for." He said in a low, defeated tone.
The rest of the trip to the cave was a solemn one. You helped steady Itto as he walked. You worried about his injured shoulder and the widespread electro burns. It was obviously causing a lot of pain, but he was far too proud to admit it.
His pride had already taken enough of a hit; losing to Kujou Sara. Though, the fight was hardly fair.