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Chapter Text

The house his dad rented out was both a residential building and licensed for business. Most people who had come and gone over the years had just simply lived there, but there were a few who had tried to set up shop on the ground floor. The people renting the place now were the first to do both.

His dad wanted him to get into the family business someday. Ideally, when he got too old or passed away, all of his rental properties would pass to his son. So as soon as the young man had turned eighteen, his dad had started bringing him along to work, hoping to teach him the ropes. Which lead them to today.

At first he had thought the pair interested in renting the house were a couple. They had certainly looked like man and wife all right; plus, they would be living together in the upstairs apartment, right? At the very least, they had to be dating. Who lived with a mere business partner?

But the man, Mr. Sakamoto, had only referred to the woman, simply called Oryou-san, as his business partner. He never called her his wife or girlfriend, nor spoke to or acted as if she were his significant other. They were planning on running some kind of detective agency/store, or whatever, was all he said. Meanwhile, Oryou-san stayed clear away from the conversation, instead checking out every nook and cranny of each room with a critical eye. She never said anything at all, let alone treated Mr. Sakamoto like a romantic partner.

"They might just be low on funds," his dad suggested later, once all the papers were signed and the pair were left alone in the house with the keys. He shrugged nonchalantly. "Might not be able to afford their own places yet. You know, your mom and I used to live in one of the houses we rent out, before you were born. We had the downstairs, our tenants the upstairs. If those two ever get their little agency off the ground, one or both of them might move out into their own places. You never know."

The young man wasn't totally satisfied with that potential explanation, but oh well. Who cared why they were living together if they weren't a couple? It honestly wasn't his business.

What he did care about, however, was how fine that Oryou-san woman was.

God, she was beautiful. Gorgeous. Sexy. He seriously wouldn't mind if she spent all night riding his -

Well, those weren't thoughts he should be having around his dad. It would be awkward if he popped a boner on the ride home.

But yeah; if Miss Oryou-san was single, he wanted a piece of her. She looked way too good to pass up on.

And luckily, the young man knew just where she lived.

Okay, it turned out this Oryou-san was a tough cookie to crack. This was staring to feel like a game of cat and mouse between them. The young man had never played Hard to Get like this before.

First of all, Oryou-san and Mr. Sakamoto weren't even home half the time. Apparently, they already had a bunch of cases to work on? Weird. But maybe their business was already more established than he'd thought, and they had only moved locations. Sure, fine. That made sense, the young man supposed.

But when they were home, she was as cold and distant as she'd been during the initial tour. It wasn't until he had faked some interest in the Oryou Store's wares that she had blossomed in interest. And by 'blossomed in interest,' he meant finally approached him with a deadpan stare and monotone voice, all the while doing her best car salesman impression to sell him this, that, and that item over there.

After that step forward - because it was a step forward! Yes! - he started laying the moves on her. You know; complimenting her, bringing her flowers, and sweet talking her in the Oryou Store.

She didn't react as well as he'd hoped. She had no response to his compliments. The looks she gave his flowers told him they were going straight in the trash once he was gone. And she simply walked away from his sweet talking while his mouth was still going.

Nevertheless! She hadn't told him to go away yet! That was a plus, right?

The young man totally had a shot with her. Oryou-san was just an ice queen who needed a lot of work to warm her down to her core. It was only a matter of what he could do to impress her, and get into her skirt heart. That was all.

He could totally do this.

"All right, you: we need to have a talk."

Mr. Sakamoto ushered him to the agency side of the front room, where his desk stood, far away from Oryou-san, who went back to casually rearranging her wares on the far side of the room.

The young man rolled his eyes hard at the over reaction. Did this guy think he was his dad, or something? He was like, less than ten years older than him!

Yet Mr. Sakamoto gave him a firm look.

"You're making Oryou-san very uncomfortable," he told him bluntly, going straight to the point. "She isn't interested in a relationship with you. And frankly, you're interrupting our work with your constant visits. She wants you to leave her alone. So do I, for that matter."

He nodded along sarcastically. "Riiiight. So why hasn't she told me any of this? Cat got her tongue?"

Mr. Sakamoto's jaw twitched. "She has."

Had she? The young man hadn't noticed. Usually she only stared blankly at him, walked away, or yapped on about her prices. Or perhaps...

"Ohh, I get it!" he laughed. "You like her, too! You have a crush on your co-worker! Sorry, pal, but I laid eyes on your partner first. If you want her, you'll have to take her from me."

Mr. Sakamoto didn't laugh at his joke. In fact, he appeared to take him too seriously.

"Young man," he informed him sternly, "Oryou-san is my wife."

Oh, wow.

At that, he threw his head back with another laugh. "Yeah, sure she is! That's why you introduced her to my dad as your 'partner' and only talked business to us. And you're totally not only bringing this up now for a certain reason, Mr. Liar."

"Our relationship status isn't anyone else's concern," Mr. Sakamoto stated flatly. He drew the brim of his hat further down his face, his eyes narrowed sharply. "Not to mention, I shouldn't have to divulge it just to get you to leave Oryou-san alone. Evidently, though, you seem to need to be told."

The young man scoffed. "Whatever you say, dude. But I'm going to go out on a limb and say, if she hasn't shown any interest in you yet, you probably already missed your shot, bro. She ain't gonna fall for you. Now, me on the other hand...!"

He descended into a fit of laughter. It was mean; he'd admit it. But he couldn't help it. Arrogance and cockiness came naturally to him. His mom said it was one of his biggest flaws. When he was done, he smirked.

Something flashed in Mr. Sakamoto's eyes. But then he smiled, and glanced at the calendar on his desk.

"It's almost Halloween, isn't it?" he asked lightly.

The young man jerked his head back, taken aback by the sudden change in topic. "Uhh, yeah? In two weeks, I guess."

"Let me tell you a story," Mr. Sakamoto offered kindly.

His lips curled in distaste. "What? Oh man, why would I want to hear one?"

Mr. Sakamoto didn't answer that. Instead, he started his tale.

"Once upon a time, there was a samurai," he told the young man. "He climbed to the top of a mountain for fun, only to find a great orochi pinned there by a spear."

"A what pinned by a spear?" he asked in confusion.

"Think something between a snake and a dragon," Mr. Sakamoto supplied helpfully. "The great orochi was a fearsome creature. But she was also in pain after a hard life, so the samurai released her from the spear and let her go."

"Then she ate him, right?" the young man deadpanned. "Or burned him to death with her fire breath!"

That actually got a chuckle out of Mr. Sakamoto. "No. What happened next was that they fell in love."

"Oh, god," he whined, not wanting to hear some random romance. "Why do I care!?"

"I'll skip to the end for you," Mr. Sakamoto offered graciously. "One day, the samurai was murdered. The great orochi was devastated. She ended up following him in death, beyond the grave. It's said their spirits are still together, bound for eternity. They travel the world and beyond, stopping evil in its tracks."

The young man was not impressed. "So now this is a super hero story?"

"No."

The young man blinked. He did a doubletake, jumping back two feet.

"What the fuck!?" he exclaimed. "DUDE! When did you - when did you change from a naval uniform to a - a - Japanese clothes?"

The young man was pretty sure that outfit could not have fit under the white coat and pants Mr. Sakamoto had been wearing before. He had to have just taken them off super fast, somehow, but - but - ?

Mr. Sakamoto smiled serenely. He stuck one hand in his kimono. "Like I said before; Oryou-san wants you to leave her alone. I wouldn't be a very good husband if I just let your behavior continue, and frankly, I'm saving you here. She's asked if she can just eat you."

The hair on the back of his neck rose. "Dude, what in the world are you on!? She can't EAT me!"

Mr. Sakamoto frowned deeply. "Then I suggest you leave us alone from now on. As I also said, you're interrupting our work with your constant visits. Our current case is very sensitive. Now go, please."

With that, Mr. Sakamoto straight up vanished. Right into thin air! He didn't walk away, he just disappeared on the spot, like some kind of - !

Ghost.

A ghost of a samurai.

The young man just about jumped out of his skin. "What the hell!? What's going on here!? Where did he - !?"

"Hey, where did Ryouma go?" Oryou-san's voice interrupted.

He spun around. His heart just about stopped.

Oryou-san was flying effortlessly in the air behind him, her hair floating as if suspended in water. Had her eyes always been that pink - no, red? And that oddly shaped, almost like a snake's pupils, if more monstrous? And those scales on her scarf...

Something between a snake and a dragon.

She suddenly smiled, the first she had ever given the young man. But it was a predatory one. Fangs jutted from her teeth.

"Oh, so Oryou-san can finally eat you?" she noted in delight. "She's been waiting to devour the annoying, puny human whole!"

Her jaw unhinged, opening inhumanly wide.

The young man screamed at the top of his lungs. He darted around her, booking it for the front door.

He didn't want to die!

He threw it open, and ran for his life.

Ryouma left his spirit form as soon as the landlord's pesky son was out the door, gone into the night. He changed back from his first ascension Lancer form to his Rider form, and pushed up his hat.

"Good job, Oryou-san," he smiled sweetly at her, briefly closing his eyes. Then he gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry for letting it get that far. I can never hear your conversations from over here, so I didn't realize he was harassing you until you told me. I should have stepped in sooner."

"Eh, Oryou-san thought about eating him instead of telling you," she admitted, "but she thought she should ask first, since you don't like Oryou-san eating humans willy-nilly. At least he can't interfere with our case anymore. By the way, when are we going back to the power plant? Tonight? The big bads are diverting power from there that'll cause city-wide outages soon, right?"

"Yes, soon, if our information is correct," Ryouma replied, frowning. "But I still feel bad. No one should be making you uncomfortable, Oryou-san."

Oryou cupped his cheeks in her hands, bringing her face close to his. "Oryou-san is fine. She just doesn't like humans much - especially annoying ones. Well, except for one human she loves very much. But the annoying ones are pains in her neck."

He blushed. A dorky smile found its way on his face."I love you, too, Oryou-san."

She smiled back, letting him go. "Then let's get to work, Ryouma! Besides, Oryou-san is ready to KO someone, one-two! Get all the bad guys, yaaay!"

For emphasis, she punched both her fists at the air in front her.

Ryouma chuckled at her enthusiasm. He reached up to take one of her hands in his. "You're right. Let's get to the power plant, yeah? We still don't know what they're diverting all that energy for. We need to find out before it's too late."

Oryou nodded. "Yeah, yeah! The Sakamotos are on the case!"

With the landlord's son safely forgotton in mind, the couple locked up the agency/store, and headed out together, hand in hand. They had a job to complete.

Chapter Text

When Ryouma came to, the first thing he saw was the pale blue sky.

The world was rocking. It moved at an unsteady rhythm, creaking left, creaking right, and jumping slightly. If it veered too much to one side or the other, he saw the edges of treetops swerve into view. He lay there watching them come and go, and come and go, for some time.

Soon a long, black lock of hair fell into his view next. It was followed by Oryou's inquisitive face.

"Mornin'," Ryouma drawled, his throat dry. "How are ya, Oryou-san?"

He didn't even think about his accent until the question was already out.

Oryou stared at him for a moment, before her brows flattened in an unimpressed line.

"Yeah, you definitely got hit in the head," she remarked plainly. Nevertheless, there was a shadow of concern beneath her monotone. A cool, pale hand swept over his bangs, brushing them out of his eyes. Quietly, she asked, "How are you feeling?"

That was a good question, Ryouma thought.

His mind began to piece itself back together. Memories poured through him like a babbling brook, one leisurely after another. They were in a singularity, he recalled. There had been enemies. He took a harsh blow to the head from a club while battling said enemies. Then the world went black, and opened up to the pale blue sky.

His lovely wife was cradling him in her lap.

Ryouma licked his dry lips. He didn't try to get up. He also forgot her question. "Where are we, Oryou-san?"

"On a cart," she answered simply. "Some farmers are transporting a bunch of hay to do who knows what - Oryou-san is not a farmer, so she's not privy to their secrets. Everyone else is on the cart in front of us, but since you needed to be laid down, you couldn't fit. So the puny human said we should take the next cart for ourselves. Oryou-san has had you in her lap ever since."

Ryouma took all that in slowly. His eyes struggled to stay open. "...Oh. I see. Where are we going?"

"To a town," she answered, again simply. "There will be a doctor there, the farmers told her. He'll help treat Ryouma. But don't worry about the club that smashed your face in; Oryou-san has already licked your head all better. You just need some rest to recuperate."

The cart suddenly jerked. Someone coughed nearby.

"Eh?" Oryou looked away in surprise. "Did we just hit an animal? Is there roadkill?"

"Nope," an unfamiliar voice replied.

Oryou squinted her eyes. She returned her gaze to Ryouma, and softened. She leaned down to kiss his forehead.

"Go back to sleep," she murmured her order. And it was an order. "Oryou-san will watch out for and protect Ryouma."

His eyelids obeyed her before his mind did. Despite his best attempts not to, Ryouma closed his eyes.

Inside, he thought of how scary it must have been for Oryou to watch him take a club to the face and go down. He most likely had a concussion. Being a heroic spirit, he should heal faster than an ordinary human, but it seemed he was still under the weather for now. Or was that not the right phrase...?

"Hey, hey, Mr. Driver Man: If you run over any roadkill, let Oryou-san eat it. She's getting hungry."

"E-Excuse me!? You mean ta cook, right?"

"The puny human already told you Oryou-san isn't human, right? So shut up."

Ryouma smiled smally, the world dark beneath his tired eyelids.

He was glad Oryou was all right, after all that. He hated upsetting her. Him getting hurt was the worst way to do so. But she sounded okay now, so he could certainly rest easier.

And knowing he was in her lap, he felt perfectly safe and right in the world. Which made it very easy for his mind to drift away again.

Ryouma fell back asleep, utterly content as the cart beneath him rocked and swayed.

Chapter Text

Oryou found Ryouma standing in front of a twin pair of graves.

They were home, in their own timeline. The Gudaguda timeline, the tiny Da Vinci had called it. The singularity took place in the modern day for once, so they had set up shop on a street that was both familiar yet unknown.

But Oryou knew this specific place before she even arrived. She also knew who was buried here, and why Ryouma had come.

She lingered at a distance for a time, reluctant to move any forward. Ryouma had left the agency alone during some downtime, and was vague to his master as to where he was going, so it wasn't as if he was expecting Oryou to join him. Nevertheless, she didn't want to leave him alone for too long.

So despite her hesitance, Oryou floated over to her husband's side.

He glanced over his shoulder as she came up the walkway. Ryouma gave her a small, welcoming smile. But she could see how sad his eyes were.

"Ah, Oryou-san," he said quietly. "There you are."

Oryou came a halt close to his side. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and glanced at the grave he was no doubt visiting. She tried not to look at the other one; not yet.

"Paying your respects?" she murmured in his ear.

Ryouma nodded. "I haven't seen him in person since the night I died."

They were alone, so Oryou nuzzled his cheek with hers. "Ah. Then Oryou-san will stay with Ryouma. She'll pay her respects, too."

Ryouma curled a hand over one of her arms. "Thank you, Oryou-san."

They stayed there silently for a few moments.

Then Ryouma shook his head and gently pulled out of her grasp. He stepped away to leave. "All right. We can get going now."

Oryou retracted her arms. Without her mind's permission, her head turned towards the other grave. She read the inscription with painful ease.

"Should..." her tongue seemed to move on its own as well. "Should she pay her respects to that one as well, or...?"

Ryouma stopped. He returned to her side, close and comforting.

"You don't have to," he replied quietly. He brushed his knuckles over her cheek. "I'm right here."

Yes, he was, Oryou knew. The man she loved was standing next to her. He wasn't a copy created by an invisible, magical chair. This man next to her, touching her, comforting her, was the same one she had known all along, since that very first day on Mount Takachiho.

But below her floating feet was his original body. The one his mother had birthed, not the mana the Counter Force now supplied for him.

Below was the hand that had freed her from the mountain. The legs she had followed across Japan. The lips that had given her her first kiss. The manhood that introduced her to a special kind of intimacy, meant only for the two of them. The eyes that had always looked at her with such warmth and love.

It was the body she had let ride on her back when no one else was allowed, that she had threatened to eat a thousand times, that she ultimately couldn't bring herself to once he'd died.

It was the body she had found on the floor of the inn, lying in a puddle of his own blood, his hand reaching out as if to her. Yet it - he - would not get back up.

She had thrown herself in the ocean shortly after that discovery.

What was it like now, she wondered in silent, growing horror. Was he all bones, the rest of his body devoured by the earth? Or was he somewhat preserved, his skin yellow, brown, and green in decay? Was he puffy or skeletal? Were his large, warm eyes, so friendly, inviting, and caring towards everyone, so filled with love for her, even there anymore? Or were only hollow sockets left, because death had even stolen from her his - ?

"Oryou-san."

She turned her head at the hand cupping her cheek, gently leading her around. Her eyes met the very same ones she thought of, if only made of mana -

No, she stopped herself. Her eyes met the same ones she thought of; Ryouma's.

Because no matter what, flesh or mana, the person she had fallen in love with and was now bound to forever was right here. He was always right here.

Ryouma's eyes were large and warm. They were caring. And they were worried for her.

"I may not inhabit that body anymore," he reminded her softly, "but I'm here. I'm not a different man. I'm right here, Oryou-san. I always will be."

Oryou leaned into his hand. She pressed her own against it, keeping it on her cheek. "I know, Ryouma."

She kept him there for a moment, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply.

Yes, she did know.

When she let him go, he pulled his hand away from her face, and offered it to her.

"Let's go," Ryouma said. He smiled crookedly, trying to break the tension into something more light-hearted. "I think we both could use some lunch. Frogs sound nice."

Oryou nodded. She glanced one more time at both graves, of a man who had been close to them, and the body of her beloved husband beside her. She accepted his hand. "Yeah, let's go."

They walked and floated away from the graves, side by side.

The only important thing, Oryou thought with relief as they left the cemetery, was that she would never lose Ryouma again.

Chapter Text

The fire crackled and burned in the hearth, warming the small bedroom of the current Sakamoto Agency nicely. It was cold outside as the wind whipped and howled, dead leaves flying and slamming against the shut window above the bed. But neither Ryouma nor Oryou felt any of it; only the warm, toasty air from the fire.

Ryouma was still awake at this late hour, going over the information they had gathered so far for their latest case. He didn't really need sleep anymore since becoming a heroic spirit, but it was nice to sit in bed beside Oryou while she did. Later he would lay down fully and cuddle with her; just because he was a busy Counter Guardian now didn't mean he couldn't be intimate with his wife every now and then. And goodness knew they both needed that intimacy. Their work could be far too stressful.

But as the night went on, Ryouma found himself thinking less about the case as he stared at sheet of paper after sheet of paper, and more and more about cuddling Oryou. Perhaps now was getting to be one of those times. He had been working endlessly for days, after all.

He glanced down at her.

Oryou lay on her belly, her arms under the pillow, her face turned to the side. The comforter was pulled up to her shoulder blades. Drool trickled out the corner of her mouth as she breathed.

Ryouma set his papers down on the bedside table. He reached over, pulling the comforter up over her shoulders.

Yes, he thought, as his arms returned to his sides, maybe it was time to take a break and lay down with her.

His mind was getting tired. She looked so sweet as she slept. And this room was far too cozy for him not to want to rest for a while.

So Ryouma laid down beneath the covers and rolled beside Oryou, carefully taking her in his arms so as not to wake her. He closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply.

Their case could wait until morning.

Chapter Text

"Oryou-san has printed matching patterns for us to carve into our pumpkins!" Oryou announced in proud excitement, holding three sheets of paper to her chest.

Ryouma finished setting the carving materials down on the coffee table, where their three pumpkins sat - two large and round, one small and short - and looked up at her. "Eh? Matching patterns? Aren't we going to do your typical jack-o-lanterns?"

"Not this year." Oryou glided around the couch and spread out the pages as she sat down. "Oryou-san wants dragons on our porch this year."

"Dragons, eh?" Ryouma rubbed his chin, planting himself down next to her. He picked one sheet up. "These look a tad bit complex to carve, don't you think?"

"No," she answered simply. "We're going to use the papers as outlines and draw them on. Then we'll cut them out! It's easy."

Ryouma stared at the sheet in his hand for a moment. "All right. I'll go get the scissors."

Oryou beamed. She watched him get back up to go grab them, leaving her alone for a minute, and turned excitedly back to the pumpkins. She picked up the smallest one and held it securely to her chest.

She could barely contain herself. This was the best idea she had ever had. Ryouma wasn't going to know what hit him!

Oryou quickly put the pumpkin back down, and eagerly waited for him to return.

When he did, they set out on cutting through the patterns, pressing them to the pumpkins, and drawing the outlines of what they would carve. After that, they scalped the tops, and dug out all the goo. Finally, they began carefully carving out the dragons.

All the while, they chatted casually.

"That reminds me: my sisters are taking their kids to a county fair next week. Otome invited us to join them," Ryouma said close to the end. "Would you like to go, Oryou-san?"

"Of course. Oryou-san likes seeing her nieces and nephews," she answered, her dragon coming along nicely. "Ryouma does, too. Bring treats for them."

He chuckled. "Will do."

"Oh, yeah, the Oryou Store just got our Halloween delivery in. We'll be selling decorations and extra candy!" she announced. Her eyes gleamed in the light. "Oryou-san loves the holidays. Extra profits are great."

"We can always use them," Ryouma nodded. "Not that our savings are bad."

"Agreed; Oryou-san checks it regularly," Oryou said solemnly. She smiled wide. "We're in a really good spot right now! But more money is great. You never know how we'll need it in the future..."

He nodded again.

"Izo's been doing well lately, by the way," Ryouma also informed her. "Last I talked to him, he's been enjoying his new job and has been making all his rent payments. I have to say, I'm proud of him."

Oryou scoffed light-heartedly. "He better be. Oryou-san doesn't want him living in our basement again. If he isn't being a decent role model, how can she trust him!?"

Ryouma paused. He gave her a strange look. "Eh? Role model? For what?"

She promptly shut her mouth. "...Oryou-san is done with her pumpkin. She's going to clean all of this garbage and pumpkin guts up. Ryouma, start working on the small pumpkin when you're done!"

He blinked rapidly. "Um...okay?"

By the time Oryou finished darting back and forth, cleaning everything up and safely disposing of it all, not to mention washing and drying their tools, she returned to the couch to see Ryouma had indeed competed both pumpkins.

She clasped her hands together in joy, looking at all three dragons together. "Good boy, Ryouma! You did an excellent job! Oryou-san will reward you tonight - with extra dessert after dinner!"

He laughed awkwardly at her words, but was clearly pleased. "Thank you, Oryou-san."

Oryou sat back down next to him, her thigh pressed up against his. She picked up the smallest pumpkin in glee. "Our dragons are perfect!"

"They are, aren't they?" Ryouma smiled. "You did a great job with yours, too. Speaking of which, I couldn't help noticing a few differences in the designs. The two big pumpkins are basically mirror images of each other, but that small one is rather cartoony. It's very cute, but was there a reason for that?"

Oryou put the pumpkin down with an airy sigh. "There Ryouma goes, beating Oryou-san to the punch. Okay, she was going to say it soon anyway. Yes, there is! These dragons are supposed to represent each of us - you, Oryou-san, and our baby."

Ryouma opened his mouth knowingly. "Ohh, I see! That's - "

His voice caught in his throat. He froze.

Oryou leaned on him, holding her still flat belly. "Her test is in a plastic baggy in the master bathroom if you want to see it. Also, she went to the doctor's just to be sure. Oryou-san is eight, almost nine weeks along."

Ryouma sat there a moment longer, before bursting out laughing and enveloping her in a big hug.

"Oryou-san!" he exclaimed. "You - I know we said when you got off your birth control if it happens, it happens, but are you really - !?"

"Oryou-san wouldn't joke about this," she told him. She grinned and hugged him back. All according to plan, she thought happily. "We're having a baby, Ryouma."

He kissed the top of her head. "And this is how you planned to tell me? Haha, that's rather creative. I can't say I'll ever forget this!"

"Just wait until Oryou-san has to outdo herself for the second baby," she half-joked. Oryou climbed into his lap and put her arms around his neck. She kissed his lips. "Ryouma is happy?"

"Of course I am," he grinned, taking her waist in hand. "How could I not be?"

He kissed her this time.

Oryou smiled. "Good. Enjoy this Halloween, and take extra care with Oryou-san's jack-o-lanterns! Because this time next year, we'll probably be too tired to carve any."

"We'll just set next year's on the porch whole," Ryouma smiled, closing his eyes.

He hugged Oryou again.

She giggled happily over his head. She couldn't say she'd ever forget this either.

Not with another little dragon, who wasn't actually a dragon, growing in her belly.

Chapter Text

Ryouma was not enjoying the circus act.

It had sounded fun beforehand. A traveling circus had come to town promising a special Halloween show, one themed after freak shows. Now, Ryouma was just a kid, but even he knew freak shows hadn't been good places for the so-called 'freaks' back in the day. But it was the modern day, and those things weren't allowed anymore, right? So it would all be fake; maybe even funny, he thought. Like they might put paper mache wings on the lions or something. So he had eagerly agreed to come.

Now he wished he hadn't.

The rest of the crowd didn't appear to notice anything was wrong. They laughed and cheered at every performance. They probably thought it was all fake, too. Just very well produced acts made with awesome special effects and amazing actors. After all, that was what Ryouma had thought at first.

But then he'd noticed something.

All of the 'freaks' looked unhappy. Some looked mad, some sad, and others blank. None were smiling or laughing. Only the ring leader and tamers did, shouting to the crowd with open glee.

That had bothered Ryouma. Once he noticed it, he couldn't unsee it. And every performer after had the same unhappiness about them. If this was all fake, only a show, wouldn't they be smiling? Wasn't that was they were paid to do? So why was it only the ringleader and tamers who did? What was going on here?

The act going on now especially made his stomach churn.

A new tamer had come out with a little girl. Ryouma wasn't sure if she was his and Izo's age or younger, but she trotted after the grown man in the blue and white coat with a bitter expression, her eyes firmly planted on the ground below her. She wore a white, frilly, one piece leotard with sparkles on the frills, which contrasted with her long, straight, black hair. The sparkles also brought a shine to her eyes, however downcast, amd Ryouma couldn't help noticing her oddly shaped, pink irises.

The tamer made ugly grins and devious smirks as he addressed the crowd and lead the girl. He carried a long, fancy looking spear in his hands that matched his outfit.

When he first brought out the girl, everyone except Ryouma had awed and cooed at the sight of her.

"She's so cute!" even Otome had exclaimed, clapping her hands on her face. "I want her for a little sister!"

"You have trade Ryouma to the circus first!" Izo had laughed, elbowing him in the ribs.

Ryouma had been too fixated on the girl to react to either of them.

But no matter how cute she was, her tamer didn't introduce her by name. Instead, he called her the Great Orochi, and warned the audience what a fearsome beast she was. He had found her on a mountain, he claimed, pinned by the very weapon he held, a spear meant to control her.

"Lame story," one of Ryouma other siblings had muttered, though he wasn't sure which one. "Couldn't they write a better one?"

Meanwhile, the little girl clenched her fists as he spoke to the audience.

But the tamer didn't ignore her for long. Soon enough, he snapped his fingers, and pointed to one of the platforms, directing her to go up there.

The little girl sneered, but did as she was told, stomping the whole way.

The crowd laughed.

"She is fiesty," Izo's mother chortled.

"She's probably his daughter," Ryouma's own father commented. "That said, I can't imagine making any of you girls do something like this. You'd probably eat me alive!"

Ryouma's sisters giggled.

"I would!" Otome joked

Up on the platform, the little girl watched as her tamer snapped his fingers again, and spoke an inaudible command.

She transformed.

In the place of the little girl grew a great orochi indeed, one that grew to the height of the acrobats' tightropes overhead.

The crowd roared in awe.

The spectacle was no different than the previous performances, so they didn't question the how of it. Special effects and all that, right?

But the knot in the pit of Ryouma's stomach wasn't so sure.

The tamer used the spear to lead the girl/orochi around the ring. She flew through hoops, blew pink gas at a group of dummies that set on fire, and did tricks in the air. Every time she paused before starting a new act, or acted as though she might disobey, the tamer thrusted the spear at her, threatening to stab her. That made her move, always with a cry.

"He's going to hurt her," Ryouma said, sweat beading beneath his bangs.

"Ryouma, it's a show," Izo's dad reminded him. "The real girl is probably under a trap door in the platform. That monster isn't real."

The knot in his stomach really didn't agree.

By the end, the tamer instructed the orochi to perch itself on one of the tightrope beams. At the very top, on the ledge, it turned back into the little girl.

The crowd gasped at the height she now stood at, all alone.

"There's no net!" cried Izo's baby brother. "Mommy, Daddy! Big brother!"

"Shut up, Keikichi," Izo grumbled.

The little girl glared down at her tamer.

He glared back up at her. After a moment, he snapped his fingers once more, and pointed sternly at his feet.

The little girl jumped off the ledge.

The crowd screamed. People jumped to their feet in worry, including Ryouma, Izo, and their families.

Then a third of the way down her fall, the little girl transformed again, and flew safely to her tamer's feet. She transformed back, and sat cross-legged on the ground in front of him, scowling up at the audience. She was perfectly safe and unharmed.

The crowd roared in applause. Everyone sat back down.

Everyone except Ryouma. His heart felt like it was about to beat out of his chest. His dad and Izo had to yank him back in his seat.

The tamer waved and thanked the crowd with that ugly grin of his.

"I'm Ama-no-Sakagami, and this was the Great Orochi!" he shouted in conclusion.

He snapped his fingers once more, and the girl obediently rose to her feet, however annoyed she was. The tamer turned first to walk out of the ring.

Behind him, the girl walked a few paces, before huffing and floating in the air after him.

The crowd shrieked again.

That wasn't planned, Ryouma realized as the tamer glanced over his shoulder, shooting her an unpleasant, narrowed eyed look. And he didn't like that she'd done it anyway.

They disappeared through the curtain.

Ryouma felt nauseous.

"I'm...going to the bathroom," he told his family and Izo's, standing up.

"What? You'll miss the next one!" Izo protested.

"Hush," Otome warned him. "Hurry back, Ryouma."

Ryouma certainly hurried to get out of there.

"You aren't supposed to float in your human form," the tamer's voice was flat yet full of reproach.

It sounded dangerous to Ryouma as he stood stiffly at the smaller tent's side, perfectly aware he shouldn't be here. There was only a flap of cloth between him and trouble, he knew. A drop of sweat slid down his face. But he hadn't actually left just to go to the bathroom.

"Who cares?" A high pitched monotone snapped. "No one knows I'm the real Great Orochi in the first place! They think it's all for show! Who cares what I do!?"

There was a crack in the air. Then a yipe.

Every muscle in Ryouma's body tensed as he tried not to move. He could see in his mind's eye the tamer smacking her, even if he hadn't actually seen it. He imagined the girl crumbling to the floor.

"Get in your cage," he ordered, leaving no room for argument. "You're done for the night. Unless you'd like to spend the rest of it pinned to the ground?"

Ryouma imagined him smirking as he threatened her.

"No," he heard the little girl gasp. Her tone wasn't fearful, though; if anything, it was doing it's best to sound defiant, even as she complied.

Ryouma imagined her on the verge of tears.

His heart and fists clenched.

"Good."

Silence followed. A creak. Something jingled.

"I'll be back."

Ryouma fled to the side, out of view.

He watched the tamer's back leave the smaller tent, and disappear into another small tent.

Swiftly, Ryouma sneaked inside.

There really was a cage in here. Alongside a bed, on which the spear laid, a desk, a table, and some chests. This must be the tamer's room while the circus traveled. His and the girl's.

The girl, who stared at him from inside her cage with wide, watery eyes, oddly shaped, pink irises and all.

Ryouma suddenly felt very clammy.

"Who are - ?" she started to ask, but he put his finger to his lips.

"Shh," he advised, despite his nerves.

The girl closed her mouth, curious.

Ryouma looked around. He spotted keys on the table. He quickly dashed to grab them, and dashed back to her cage. His fingers were sweaty and red as he struggled to find and fit the right key in the lock.

"What are you doing?" she whispered in shock.

He got it.

Ryouma swung the cage door open. He motioned for her to flee. "Go on! Get out of here! 'Fore he comes back!"

The little girl gawked at him, gobsmacked.

Then she turned into an orochi, a smaller one than before, and shot out of the tent.

Ryouma shuddered. He ran after her, looking up at the evening sky. She was gone, though.

His mission was accomplished.

He turned around, and speed-walked away from the tent.

He wasn't totally sure where to go from here. Surely he wouldn't have the same luck trying to free the other performers. But now he knew for certain this place wasn't a fake -

"Oof!"

Ryouma squeezed his eyes shut as he stumbled back from whatever he had just run into. When he opened them, rubbing his nose in pain, his blood ran cold.

Ama-no-Sakagami stared him down with cool indifference.

Ryouma's mouth fell open in terror.

"What are you doing?" the tamer asked flatly.

There was no anger or suspicion in his face or tone. If anything, he looked down on Ryouma like a harmless yet annoying insect, one to be batted away and quickly forgotten.

He immediately latched onto that.

"Um," he said, rubbing his nose fiercely, "where are the bathrooms?"

Ama-no-Sakagami's expression hardly changed. He raised a finger to the side. "The porta-potties are that way."

Ryouma practically leaped at the chance to run. "Th-Thank you!"

He fled.

After pretending to use a porta-potty, Ryouma high-tailed it back to the main tent. He had no desire to finish watching the show, but he had even less desire to somehow wind up alone with Ama-no-Sakagami again. There was safety in the crowd, especially with his family and friends. And who knew, if Ryouma played it safe enough, maybe he would never know it was him who freed his Great Orochi - or at least, he would never find him again.

It wasn't until the show was over, and the Sakamotos and Okadas were leaving the parking lot in their cars, that Ryouma realized how wrong he was. As they pulled out onto the road, Ryouma looked back at the circus.

He saw Ama-no-Sakagami standing there on the roadside, watching the cars go. His expression wasn't that of self-mighty indifference anymore; it was restrained anger. He locked eyes with Ryouma through the window. His head turned to follow them as they drove off.

Ryouma shuddered.

He turned back around in his seat with a sharp inhale, adrenaline shooting through his body.

He had never had such an intense need to run before.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Ryouma," his dad scolded, "it was only a show. You can calm down now."

He shook his head mutely.

He really wished that were true.

Ryouma lay quietly awake in his bed that night, his nerves on fire.

He couldn't stop thinking about the circus. About its Halloween special freak show theme. The little girl/Great Orochi he let free. Ama-no-Sakagami's eyes watching him as his family drove away.

He shivered under the covers.

He was going to die, wasn't he?

Ama-no-Sakagami was going to find him. The tamer would track him down and kill him for setting his 'freak' free. Or he might make Ryouma his new freak. He wondered how that could happen. He bet at least some of those performers had started out human like him. He would never see his family or live a normal life again.

Ryouma couldn't sleep. How could he, when such thoughts haunted his mind? He was all but waiting for Ama-no-Sakagami to come break into the house and do away with him. So he just laid there, petrified.

And he laid there.

And laid there.

And laid there.

All the while the clock ticked away minute by minute, hour by hour.

It wasn't until his eyelids were about to drop from exhaustion that he heard it, and bolted upright, wide awake with adrenaline.

His window was being shoved open, the wood creaking painfully as it was forced from the frame.

A scream tore itself it apart in Ryouma's throat, dying before it could escape his open mouth. His hands trembled in fear.

Ama-no-Sakagami!

Yet the figure in the window was smaller amd rounder. Oddly shaped, pink eyes glowed at him.

"Human," the little girl he'd freed announced seriously, "I've come to eat you."

Ryouma was so stupefied, he didn't entirely take in what she'd just said. He only understand that it was her, and not Ama-no-Sakagami, crawling through his window. He watched her float across his floor, mystified.

The little girl planted herself on top of his covers, square in his lap. Her eyebrows arched in anger, her mouth tightening in a pout.

"You've made the Great Orochi very angry," she told him firmly. "Now I'm going to eat you."

She made no move to do so, though, instead waiting for his response.

The gears in Ryouma's head moved slowly. "...Pardon? W-Why would ya do that?"

"Because you made me mad," she replied with a glare.

"How?"

"...Don't ask stupid questions," she eventually said, after a pause. She sat up on his legs, holding her head up regally. "I will eat you. Someday. But for now, I need a place to sleep, so move it!"

"Huh? Hey!" Ryouma moved his arm in front of him protectively and leaned to the side as she grabbed his blankets beneath her.

The girl bunched the edges up in one hand, and used the other to push him down on his back. She swiftly threw the covers up, threw herself underneath them, and curled up to Ryouma. She put her head on his chest, wrapped her arms around his torso, and sighed in content.

Ryouma blushed heavily in embarrassment. There was a girl on him! And in his bed!

"Oh," the girl added, rubbing her cheek against his pajama top, "don't worry about Ama-no-Sakadummy either. I ate him."

She said with with such girlish simplicity and pride, Ryouma almost didn't believe her at first.

Then the reality of what he'd done tonight sunk in. It sunk in deep in the pit of his stomach.

She ate him.

Ryouma stared up at his ceiling in silent awe, even as the girl fell asleep on his chest.

...Well; looked like Otome was getting a little sister after all, he thought distantly.

Ryouma cracked his eyes open at the first rays of sunlight to enter the hotel room. He stared up at the white ceiling absently for a few moments, gradually getting his bearings together.

His tilted his head down. Oryou's head was on his chest, still asleep after last night's celebrations. His new wife had her arms wrapped around him, as she always did, and was drooling on his chest, as she also always did. He put his arm around her, and tilted his head back up.

It had been nearly twenty years since the circus. In that time, Ama-no-Sakagami never showed; Oryou really had eaten him that night, waiting for the most opportune moment to strike when he was alone and without the divine spear that had once pinned her to a mountain. In fact, soon after that, the circus had mysteriously left overnight, despite the next week's worth of scheduled shows already being sold out. It was almost like the rest of the tamers and ringleader had gotten spooked.

Ryouma did feel bad he hadn't gotten to save anyone else that night. He had no idea to this day what had happened to the other performers, or even where that circus had ended up. No amount of research he did could find them - after, or even before that night. It might as well have never existed. That thought never failed to send a shudder down his spine.

Oryou didn't know anything either. She only knew that shr had been captured and used as a performer in the circus against her will, training by day, performing by night, and spending the rest of her time locked up, under threat of the spear. She knew nothing of how that circus was run, or how it operated.

But she had lived with him for the past two decades since. She always threatened to eat him, especially when Ryouma annoyed her, but she never did. Rather, the two of them had fallen in love over the years, resulting in their marriage yesterday. Now, they were on their honeymoon.

Ryouma obviously hadn't had that in mind when he had let Oryou loose from Ama-no-Sakagami's cage. He had just wanted to help a trapped, little girl. But well - this was where that had lead.

His family had been aghast the morning after that fateful night. Izo had spit his juice bag at him. And Oryou had floated around the house like the very heavens belonged to her.

It was a weird transition period. Life got more chaotic and supernatural with the Great Orochi around. One time, Oryou nearly swallowed Gonpei whole for bullying her (they just barely caught her while only his feet were left hanging out). Ryouma loved everything about it, though. He loved having Oryou around. He guessed it was only natural that the day had come when they finally decided to get married.

Otome got her little sister all right; a sister-in-law, but a sister. She had been the first to congratulate them on their...well, everything, every step of the way, actually. She had always been close to Ryouma of course, but she really did adore Oryou, too.

So now here Ryouma was, with his new wife sleeping on top of him on the first day of their honeymoon, the first day of the rest of their lives together.

He was glad she was here instead of in a cage. He wanted Oryou to be happy and free for the rest of her life.

So Ryouma would spend every day of the rest of their lives making certain of it. And he would do it happily.

Because he loved her with all his heart.