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A Soul With Flesh Novel 

Rough Draft

Ch.01 The Vessel

A quiet buzz slowly fades from recognition and a loud reality quickly comes into view when a roar of a voice bursts Ohta's eardrums. 

 

“Stay back!”

“Don't come any closer!”

 

Slowly, feeling the dread creep up along his spine he wills his eyes to open– despite how heavy they felt at that moment. Clear blue crystal-like eyes open and a view of a field clearing reaches them. It looks dull in the way the sun was setting in the background with smoke filling the air. His mouth felt like cotton from the stale air, and it smelled like ash and death combined. 

 

A warm embrace allows Ohta to close his eyes again… he settles in it to try to run from the reality of the world. The embrace felt like home despite the hand that was holding his head felt like a corpse, ice-cold…scaly.

 

A fierce snarl rips through the one holding him as if he was a dog and someone was approaching his territory. The home he was relishing in is then ripped from him when the man in front of him caresses his cheek with a cold hand and pulls him in front of his body to face him. Green glowing eyes meet his.

 

“Ohta, you need to run back to the Mosswood forest.”

 

Mosswood forest…the place he was confined in for comfort in his loneliest days.

 

The man’s skin seemed too pale and paper-thin for comfort but the radiance of its smooth beauty made him unable to take his eyes away. Ohta was almost completely undone by the sight of the man in front of him, his outer robe was undone dark green with an intricate brown flowering pattern that lined it, and he wore dark clothing underneath that amplified his toned body figure.  

 

Ohta took a good look at the man in front of him like it was going to be the last time for a long time. His short dark brown hair was matted in the front most likely from sweat.

 

“Traitor! How dare you protect that murder!” Somewhere in the distance along the tree line footsteps are nearing and new yells and screams are resounding in the air.

 

 A serpent with a brand on its forehead rushes past Ohta and his partner. Blood then fills the air and it becomes hot, the air was burning his lungs a fire must’ve been set ablaze. The assailants who were approaching them started to rush and footsteps are now louder and more with purpose.

 

“Destroy him! He must atone for his sins!!!”

“He’s killed thousands of innocents!” 

 

The resentment of the people breaks Ohta from his blurred mind. 

 

“Stay safe. Don’t listen to them” A quiet and soft voice reaches his ears, along with a swaying of wind that passes through his hair. His ribbon that binds his long reddish-brown hair is gone along with the comfort of his companion. 

 

A back comes in front of him protecting him from the screams and scorn of his people. The serpent is tearing through bodies, rising them high like an offering to the gods. 

 

“I'll take care of them” The man in front of him then reassures him by unsheathing his sword, ready for the fight ahead.

 

Ohta can’t take the ferocity of the eyes of his people, the way they scream at the top of their lungs like it would pierce his soul and destroy it. They remind him of the home he was forced to leave, the family who looked at him with the same ferocious snide of hatred. It burns him. He wants to run away and hide, he can’t listen to these cursed screams that are thrown at him. Placing his hands over his ears he tries to block out the screams, why isn’t it working? He swipes his hand to the top of his head… oh. 

 

The stress of everything that has happened today brought forth this animal spirit causing two feline ears to protrude out of his head. That explains why he could still hear the hatred and threats coming his way. Straying from side to side, he hears the people claim his death.

 

“I’m not a murder.” 

 

“I've never killed anyone..” ‘Why does everyone claim I did’ Covering his ears is useless with only two hands, pleading his case to these crazed people is even more difficult. Ohta doesn't know if it was because of the stress or anxiety of the moment but his eyes are so out of focus and dazed, and his mind seems distant like he’s not in his body anymore.

 

“ It wasn’t me!” ‘Was it?’

 

“It wasn’t…” ‘how can I be sure I didn’t kill those innocents’

 

“It-“

 

Laughter bubbles up in his throat and his eyes glow violently blue. The ferocity of his glare is something that the people haven't seen in a long time, some even flinch away in shock. The look of a tyrant that was scary enough to make people submit in an instant.

 

“I killed them!” All those filthy people who stood in my way to becoming a ruler, who cared if they died. “They all deserved it!” This upsurge is just another obstacle to becoming an immortal.

 

‘Do they believe this small rebellion can kill m-‘ 

 

An arrow finds its target right in his chest. 

 

These humans ruled by money, blood, and pleasure are infuriating, one day they could be pleading for justice only for it to be swayed the other way the next. Why after all this time did they finally realize how much they are worth…

 

“Foolish Humans.”

 

A metallic tang envelopes his mouth and his adrenaline is wearing thin, enough that the wounds start to hurt and he feels like a weight has been thrown on him pulling him to the ground. 

 

Green eyes follow the man falling with an arrow in his chest. 

 

‘No’

 

‘No! Please No!’ 

 

“Ohta!!!” ‘Please don’t take him away from me again’ After all these years why must he be snatched from him again, can’t fate find another victim to torture? 

 

-6 months earlier-

 

On the edge of the Mosswood forest runs a river ‘Remedy River’, known for its healing properties and spiritual energy many generations have used this river for its benefits. However, in the middle of the river today, lies one man scrubbing away grime and dirt from his clothes. 

 

Ohta, age 27, the last son of the Oso clan, was banished from the clan and is now living alone on the outskirts of the Mosswoods. He has a short structure, full short black hair, brown eyes, and is in working clothes, unfit for someone who was from such a distinguished clan. His feline ears pop out from his head as well as a tail that is swishing behind him in a swaying motion.

 

He reaches down still cleaning his clothes in the river. 

 

‘Aya, such boring tasks… my hands are starting to get wrinkled from the water’ He thinks, his hands are unblemished and too soft for these tasks. He feels something touch along his ankle and he jumps from the contact. 

 

Ohta reaches down thinking it was just a twig or a weed, without another thought he pulls out something scaled and long…

 

“Ack, A SNAKE!?!?” Hysterical at the moment, he uses all his strength to throw the snake as far away from himself as possible. ‘I just picked up a snake’ his hands were shaking from the shock of picking up such a scary creature. 

 

‘Why did it have to be a snake… they cause nothing but trouble…’ The sky nation -Clouxshi-  is ruled by such creatures, they only cause destruction in their wake yet, everyone seems to put their nation on a pedestal… a pedestal of lies, deception, and blood. 

 

Cursing the royal name of the vile snakes, he looks back at the snake that he threw a few meters away from him. Upon better inspection, a brand is seen etched on the snake's forehead. Glowing green and looks like two spears next to each other.

 

 Ohta’s gaze darkens. Spiritual animals with a brand on their skin often are from high-ranking officials or overpowered cultivators, most would have been squealing in wonder and excitement of finding one but for Ohta, this was a red flag. 

 

“Loathy creature, who is your master?” ‘So I can determine if I have time to pack a few essentials before I leave or if I should book it right now.’ 

 

Most spiritual animals know how to talk and interact with others like them so Ohta tried to get it to talk, he needs something to go off of. “You have a crest on your forehead…so that means you have a master.” ‘Please, I need to know who is near my safe haven’, “Your master shouldn't be far away then…” internally panicking, Ohta wonders if maybe he damaged the spiritual animal when he threw him. Although spiritual animals have healing abilities, everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Ohta reaches down to pick up a stick in hopes that maybe it would stir the snake enough to react at least. ‘No one just wonders the backs of the mosswood forest, it's too dangerous here.’ 

 

Out of curiosity, Ohta questions the snake again “Why are you guys wondering about the outskirts of the Mosswood? Hmmm?” ‘Are they running from trouble?’ “Did you guys get into trouble?” how ironic would that be, the place where he first ran to when he got into trouble is now sheltering someone like himself. Shaking his head from those thoughts he pokes the snake again… the eyes open. 

 

Glowing emerald green eyes look at Ohta, startled Ohta stands up and clenches the stick. The snake closes in on him. Ohta's eyes flash green and his pupil turns red.

 

“O–Ohta, Save my master…Ohta O–Oht- Please. Ohta, OHTA!” The snake pleads, his speech is flawed and sounds too raspy to make out any other word except Ohta's name. This snake knows his name… “WHAT!” suddenly Ohta’s eyes turn back to his original deep brown shade. ‘Oh NO, the snake knows of him, he really should run away now’

 

“How-How did you know my name? Who–” Backing away from the snake his foot gets caught on a rock and he stumbles into the river behind him. Ohta squeaks in surprise before water surrounds him and his head hits a rock. 

 

.

.

.

 

A cold breeze wakes Ohta up from his slumber. The first thing he feels is the cold of the river and the wetness in his clothes, his eyes open to see that the day is almost over and the sun is setting. The back of his head was pounding.

 

“Ugh…” When Ohta exhales, a plume of hot air appears to show how frigid it was. He clutches his body to keep warm while frantically scanning the area to determine how far the river had pulled him. He thinks to himself, "I'm dripping wet, hopefully, I don't catch a cold." He turns to look around once more and stares up at the river, where he can make out a grove of trees in the distance.

 

He would have to trek a considerable distance through the Mosswood Forest to return home before nightfall. “Since I was moving downstream, so. I should be close to Akemi Valley," Ohta groans, adding that it's the last place he wants to be. He sags his shoulders in resignation, acknowledging that he must search for refuge for the night there. Even though he is fully aware of the risk involved in returning to the woods, he wonders in a reassuring manner, "Maybe I can make it back?"

 

Before he can fully persuade himself to travel back home, a distant wolf pack begins to bark, indicating the meal they have caught for tonight. “Dogs!” Ohta screams in fear and begins to shake violently, "Why did it have to be dogs!"

 

Being a cat shifter, Ohta harbored some animosity toward dogs. He had to fight with wolves in the area around his home when he first moved into the mosswood forest's periphery, and they tried to eat him in the winter. Being surrounded by predators that would love to eat a spiritual feline was not the best scenario for someone who was spoiled within an inch of his life. Even though he was in an unfamiliar area, he drove them to occupy fresh ground by planting traps and adopting a very strategic approach.  He still has nightmares about the first days running from those creatures and trembling in tall trees to keep them from eating him. 

 

Briskly walking in the opposite direction of the barking and snarling he thinks back to his days of being completely alone after the banishment from his clan. It was peaceful and although the beginning days were difficult it was calming for a couple of years not having to deal with his clan and its problems. He did miss his clan though and the village he used to play in during his childhood. ‘I guess after so many years my luck finally ran out.’ Ohta thinks to himself and picks up the pace a bit.

 

“This is the worst.” His clothes were soaked and he could feel the tips of his fingers start to feel numb and tingle. He keeps rubbing them hoping the blood will start circulating again in his hands.

 

“Ah!” Ohta spots a small home in the distance, it looks a little beaten up but it had light shining through its windows so someone must be home. He could ask for shelter for tonight or directions to the nearest inn, he would also want to know where he was at this moment. Closing in on the small house, he knocks

 

“Hello? Anyone home?” despite knowing the lights are on in the home and he could hear footsteps on the inside he didn't know what else to say at the moment to have someone come out. He needed to be as polite as possible if he would have a chance to spend the night in a stranger's home.

 

The barking is closer now and Ohta can feel his throat closing up and the tensing of his body.

 

An undignified squeak burst out of Ohta's mouth when the barks became even louder due to his anxiety picking up. Why are they taking so long to open the door? Ohta starts to pace in front of the door for a few seconds until a howl from a wolf seemingly too close for comfort. Forget being polite! Ohta grips the door and rips it open. ‘Fuck this!” he sharply grits his teeth and slams the door closed. 

 

“Ah!” Ohta is faced with quite a sight and he regrets following his instincts.

 

Three powerful spiritual animal auras permeated the room he was now in and looked at him. Ohta was always getting in the worst kind of trouble without knowing.

 

-

 

After a slow stare down from the three people in the room, Ohta began to feel very small in their presence. The biggest and strongest out of them was a woman who was taller than anyone he’s seen before, she wore yellow and gold that screamed wealth, dark skin and curly hair wrapped in a gold headdress, her eyes were blue and cold. She had markings on her face which implied she had a high standing in society and a string of jewelry was worn across her face. The person next to her was shorter and had frighteningly pale skin, her eyes looked impassive and she wore no jewelry but the marking on her face implied she is some kind of princess or had the standing of one. Confused, Ohta looked down at the last person who was on the floor with his hands tied up behind him. He was glaring at Ohta, he had no markings but his spiritual energy was almost on par with the lady in gold, his aura gave Ohta shivers.

 

Finally unable to stand the silence anymore, Ohta grimaced at the scene in front of him and noted that it was something he should've stayed far far away from. Throwing his hands in the air in surrender, Ohta broke out of his frightened state and immediately cried “Ah! I'm so sorry for barging in!” Reaching behind him towards the door to grab it before he turned away from the frighteningly powerful people. A strong current of electricity was thrown into his hand as it touched the door

 

“Ow!” Wincing from the pain Ohta cried ‘Fuck, I messed up.’ resigning to his fate already, Ohta looked behind him to see a talisman on the door. His day got one hundred times worse.

 

“Where do you think you're going?” The woman in yellow spoke in an authoritarian voice. Frozen to the spot, Ohta didn’t sense the presence of the princess that strode up to his left side and examined him. Her soft light brown eyes upon analyzing him turned different colors, then as if she found something to her liking she grabbed him, shocking Ohta. “You're perfect!” In her excitement, she rambled on about ‘souls’ and ‘body types’.

 

“Congratulations.” She exclaimed in a now lowered voice next to him. Ohta, confused, waited for her to explain why he should be “congratulated.” 

 

“You gained an opportunity of a lifetime.” Again, this didn’t answer any of the most pressing questions that were swirling in his head.

 

“You should be honored” Ohta pleaded in his head ‘Please stop being so vague! I can't run away in this situation so stop torturing me with your unfinished answers!’ Finally, the girl relented and gave him the answer that he was pleading for, one which he immediately regretted hearing afterward.

 

“You're standing in front of the Fertility God ‘Raya’.” Ohta needed to process that information for a couple of seconds before he threw his body to the ground in a kneeling position and almost slammed his head on the floor. ‘She's the God that most of my food is produced from! If you dare disrespect her, your crops will wilt! Or, every time you eat, it will mold and spoil right in your mouth!’

 

Raya, is the God sheltered in the ‘Akemi Valley’ home of the RabbitDwarf Clan, they take care of the harvest and produce products for almost all the clans and since they do almost all the farming they have a very high standing with all the clans. Many clans fear being cut off from the harvest and so they never cross this clan. 

 

Ohta swears in his head to do the same, Why did they trap him here? He's pretty sure he saw something that he shouldn't have but being secluded for 6-7 years, he doesn't know anything that is happening in the outside world. Especially in the world of clans and politics. ‘What does she want with me?’ Ohta wasn’t someone in high standing anymore so he can try and grovel and explain why he barged into their home, in hope that they would let him go. 

 

A hand was put on his head softly and a placating voice called out to him “Stand up.” The Goddess spoke to him “I’m glad you came when you did, it seems like fate… kitten.”

 

‘Fate, what an ugly word, and who are you calling a kitten!’ As much as he wants to refute the Goddess for that comment he sees the man on the floor seething with anger ready to burst. 

 

“HA! You're gonna replace me with that feeble black cat!” He spits out smiling as if he made a ridiculous claim. “What bad luck he will have! A black stray would do wonders for my image is that it!?!? Go ahead then! You fucking shitty God!” 

 

Ohta takes a step back from this man on the ground screaming and realizes that this guy believes his spirit animal was just a black cat, ‘bad luck…’ “Feeble?” Ohta's brain finally caught up with his words “Hey! I'm a mighty black panther, just to let you know!”

 

“Mighty? My ass!” He snaps back at Ohta “You're as small as I am! And I'm a house cat, how laughable to claim to be a high-grade animal when your spiritual presence is on par with the mice that I like to play with before eating.” The princess flinched at that comment.

 

“I am, just because I'm under-average doesn't mean anything about being a high-grade spiritual animal, you should read a book.”

 

“‘Under average’ nice term for short as fuck…” He tried to calm himself down and looked away from Ohta and over at a wall in the opposite direction “I don't have the time to argue with you!” 

 

“Says the guy on the floor tied up” Ohta challenged with a grin then decided to mess with him further and laughed out “Kinky~ are you?” This seemed to spark a cold fire in the man on the floor and he gave Ohta the nastiest glare he could have mustered “Wait until I get out of these and we will see how pathetic you are!” 

 

“Both of you be quiet!” The God scolded then rubbed at her temples “you're giving me a headache.”

 

Reminded of his place, Ohta scrambles out a quick apology and shuts up. The feline tied up on the floor, on the other hand, looks away from the god and mutters to Ohta how much of a pushover he was before going quiet also. 

 

Raya, still rubbing her scalp, sighs dramatically “You have a black panther spirit within your soul?” she looks at Ohta analyzing his body before he could speak up for himself she spoke harshly “You're so small though… like a baby kitten”.

 

Ohta couldn't blame them for overanalyzing this detail, once an animal spirit gets embedded in your soul it changes your body to accommodate its power, size, and soul spirit. So, for Ohta to be so small considering his animal spirit being a high-grade panther means something happened with his development along the way. He has always known that some would speculate his claim as a high-grade animal spirit host, he just wishes that it wouldn't have been in a situation like this. 

 

Animal spirits are essential in this world and they could dramatically change fate.

 

Only certain people possess a spiritual animal and spirits have inhibited the mortal plane from the beginning of existence. Their goal once was to help humanity and bring blessings. 

 

The spirits would find souls who are capable of them and then embed themselves in that person. The person then gains the abilities of the spirit whether it be speed, strength, agility, or hearing, there's an array of special powers that can be obtained from these spiritual creatures.

 

 Animal spirits can stay with a family and spread amongst the generations in their bloodline or find a new host. Spirits helped humans reach greater heights and many humans have thrived from them… but sometimes spirits make mistakes on who to trust which leads to unimaginable tragedy. 

 

“I wasn’t born with a spiritual animal, so my body didn't grow into it. I found the animal spirit when I turned 25.” That's something that was also unusual about him. Spirits tend to find someone young to make sure when they grow up it would be an easy transition for both the spirit and human to be connected fully and the development period for the human to grow would be flawless. 

 

The Goddess looked a bit shocked by that news but then quickly steeled her face again “Hmm… Interesting, well enough of that let's get this show on the road.”

 

“Wait!” Ohta blurts out.

 

“Yes?” Raya automatically replies. 

 

Recalling the princess at the beginning and all the talk from the man on the floor, it didn't seem good for Ohta to be in his room. “What do you mean by replacement? How am I perfect for “this” and how is this an opportunity of a lifetime for me?” Ohta swallows a breath after speaking. His fight or flight instincts were blaring at him right now and he's pretty sure no matter what he tries it would be a futile attempt on his behalf. 

 

The Goddess looks down at him like a child she is fed up with “You don't understand, of course, let me explain.”

 

But maybe you’re too naive for this… though that's exactly the type of person I need.

 

Innocent

 

Gullible

 

And Pliant to my Godly Divinity, 

 

“Well, first off. Do you know who he is?” She points at the tied-up man on the floor and then continues “Because you don't seem too scared as I expected and you even talked back to him.” She snickered, “That's very gutsy even for a high-grade.” 

 

Ohta shakes his head rapidly. “No, I don’t…” Ohta is already planning his death in his head. ‘You can kill me but I want chicken noodle soup as my last meal,  to be buried in the forest where I was born and, a simple funeral will do.’

 

“This is Haruki” Haruki glares at the mention of his name. “A tyrant and mass murder”

 

“What!?!?” Ohta goes pale and looks away from this horrifying man ‘Am I gonna die today! I totally yelled at him earlier!’

 

“His spirit has grown too strong,” Raya continues “I need a vessel to keep him in for a while, to keep him in his place until I figure out how to extract his animal spirit safely. I was planning on using my lovely assistant Aoi here.” She tilts her head towards the princess and then looks away swiftly back towards him “But, you barged right on in. Plus, I need Aoi to attend to other matters right now.” She concedes

 

 “While I replace your souls with each other, all you need to do is live in his place. As a Tyrant, no one should bother you… As long as you don’t stick your nose in somewhere it doesn't belong and keep a low profile you should be fine. I'll have Aoi take care of the paperwork and idle tasks and all you need to do is take a vacation for a while in his body.”

 

Ohta has to swallow the words in his throat and relax his face ‘This sounds like a shady sales pitch’, Ohta refuses to let his terror of her word affect him. “Now that I explained everything, you can’t say no now.”

 

Shaken Ohta backed away in shock “W-what! But you never said that!” If I had known I would have jumped out the window before you started explaining! Forget this, I need to run!

 

“Aoi, are you ready?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Ohta's body is suddenly encircled by a stream of energy that closes around him, trapping him before he can proceed toward his escape. It was coming from the Princess who was standing by the Goddess's side, still fearful about the turn of events Ohta tries to move his body but ends up tripping up on his own feet and falls next to the tyrant. Hissing from the fall, Ohta looks at Haruki, who has now grasped the situation they both were in. 

 

Haruki screams at the Goddess “You can't do this! Curse you! You fucki-” Raya lifts his chin to face her and squeezes, she then laughs at his misfortune. 

 

Ohta felt a pull from within his body, and the Princess next to him murmured a brief apology before her hands on his chest abruptly felt as if they were ripping his insides apart. His eyes began to blur, and he felt a rush of energy leave him followed by a void. He screamed and fell to the ground below before experiencing a strong energy pull that made him feel alive once more.

 

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.

.

 

“Ohta”

 

 “Wake up Ohta.”

 

His hearing was muffled from sleep but he could have sworn those were his friends calling out to him, waking him up in the mornings as he always preferred to sleep more than to eat breakfast. He missed these small scoldings. “Wuya? Hitoshi?!”

 

“You're finally awake.” This voice had a bite to it; it wasn't the calming, soothing voice that would help him wake up from the morning fatigue. He tried to gaze at the hazy figures close to the bed while blinking. “Do you feel okay?” From the opposite side of the bed, a second voice could be heard that sounded worried. 

 

His head began to ache sharply throwing him off-balance, he sat up in bed with his head in his palms rubbing the pain away.

 

Sluggish he whined “...My head… hurts” 

 

“Well…This one is glad that it's only a minor headache, soul transfers can be messy at times” Raya hums.

 

Ohta had frozen and then sputtered out “I! I! I! I remember!...wait! That wasn't just a scary dream!” rushing across the room to find a mirror he hits his hip on the edge of a dresser. Hissing in pain he ducks his head only to look right up at the mirror to see that his reflection was one of the horrifyingly… (cute?) Tyrant. Was he this adorable when we first met? he muses to himself, keeping his gaze fixed on the mirror. Ohta berates himself for having such thoughts and forces it from his mind, reminding himself that this was a tyrant we are talking about!

 

From the perspective of the mirror, Raya appears behind Ohta and declares “I don't have much time to spare so I’ll make this quick, I need you to occupy this body for at least six months.” She says before pulling back.

 

Ohta agrees out of pure impulse, frightened by Raya's hand touching his shoulder gripping it, which would have been comforting and reassuring under any circumstances but now feels like a death sign.

 

“Do you think you can do this much?”

 

“I-” Ohta faltered.

 

“Good.” Raya nodded, almost distracted, while Ohta’s mind was going into overdrive ‘I-I can't refuse a God, but could I rule like a tyrant? Can I really be that coldhearted? What if I'm discovered? Will I be able to make it through the remaining six months?’ His mind runs wild and he swallows all the feeling that he was building up down, into his soul. 

 

“Hey kitten, what are you thinking about in that pretty little head of yours?” Raya continues “Child, don't worry; everything will be alright. You will relish living in luxury, and if anything goes wrong, Aoi will be here to help, I assure you of it as well.”

 

Ohta’s ears twitch at that statement 

 

Raya looks at him before looking away again in thought before talking again. “We do need to do something about your ears and tail, Haruki rarely lets his animal spirit out so you need to get a grip on your feline instincts.” Raya studies his body up and down before asking. “Can you transform right now?”

 

Ohta didn't feel comfortable in his own body, much less that of a stranger; the body he was now inhabiting felt foreign. Every time he walked, his footsteps seemed different, and his speaking sounded out of the ordinary. Although he felt like this, he didn't want to make it known to the two in front of him. 

 

"I'll try," He found it strange to touch his animal spirit in his soul, and when they made contact, he instantly broke the link out of revulsion. Of course, Haruki's animal spirit was present here rather than Ohta's. Ohta was unable to cope with the intensity of the resentment and fierceness of the animal spirit. Looking up; he saw Raya looking at him filled with amusement but also a hint of curiosity. He looked back down and tried to connect to the spirit again, silently apologizing to his own animal spirit for even trying to connect with another. Finally getting a hold of the spirit, it felt weak barely holding onto a string of life! He began to send little bursts into the small animal using the force of his energy to ensure its survival.

 

"Are you okay?" He made a gentle attempt to make contact with the sad creature. Only from the deepest part of his soul could a hiss be heard before it whimpered. Ohta could hear the cat weeping, but every time he went close, the sobbing would shift. After chasing the cat for a while, he gave up and sat down to coo at it. He made clumsily executed purring noises slowly in an effort to lure it in, but it stayed its distance. 

 

Huffing Ohta stayed in the same spot for a while more, only feeling its eyes on him. 

 

"Why are you hurt? Who injured you? Ohta had a suspicion that it was the Goddess, but he still wanted to be absolutely certain.

 

“What's it to you?” It answered vehemently.

 

“I dislike seeing others in pain and want to be of assistance.” He genuinely said Ohta recognized all kinds of characters from growing up in the village close to his clan. He is aware that the only way to reason with people who are angry about their position is to respond honestly and explain everything, no matter how painful it may be. Additionally, he was able to discern that this animal spirit had faced hardships throughout its life. You could see that the cat was malnourished while its ears were missing the tips and were filled with holes, its fur was matted, and its face and some of its body were covered in scars. If it had a good host, the host would have been able to mend all those scars and reconstruct his ears. 

 

For a while, the cat remained silent. “My name is Aoki”

 

Ohta smiled “Hello, my name is Mamoru Ohta. I’m sorry to be meeting you in circumstances like this.”

 

Ohta gently moved in front of him into the faint light that was near them, Aoki sat down and rolled his eyes at him."You stupid human, the next time you enter a house occupied by powerful individuals, run. Even if she had secured the door with a talisman to keep you from opening it, you could have smashed your way out or thrown yourself out the window but, look at you now. Stuck inside a dying body”

 

“Dying body?” Ohta jumped up a little and waited for Aoki to proceed only for the other to spit out “You're too stupid to understand, here, you want to connect with me? Then you must swear to stay away as far as possible from Aoi, that traitorous bitch of a princess, at all costs.”

 

“What do you mean about dying body?” Ohta posed the same question again with increased adamance.

 

“Ugh! You certainly require an explanation on everything, don't you? Do you genuinely believe that the Goddess did this out of compassion for the people? and why now? Why after all the murders and slaughter did she think we crossed the final line despite all this time? Why did she choose an innocent bystander to participate in this experiment?” Aoki’s voice started to rise “She's a God! She could have murdered Haru right away even with his power, but she decided to use him as a human subject instead, and you got caught up in it!”

 

Aoki slumped down and caught his tail with his paw that was waving back and forth, throwing a tantrum.

 

He sighed “…She wants to-”

 

“Were you able to connect Ohta?” Raya’s voice rang out and snapped Ohta out of his trance 

 

“Ah! Yes, let me just.” Ohta then shifted into a cat in front of Raya and The Princess. His form was very small, the length of about two female hands which then picked him up by the scruff.

 

“Oh, how obedient you are.” The Goddess snickered and put him down again “Try a half-transformation now.”

 

Ohta went along with the instructions and turned into a human again only with cat ears and a tail. 

 

“One last one, now try your new human form.”

 

Ohta expelled his animal spirit, leaving only his human form behind. He didn't appreciate being in his human form because he always felt more helpless and exposed in that shape; therefore, he always chose to remain in either his half-form or his animal form.

 

“Can you stay like that? You don't feel any nausea or tightness in your chest do you?” 

 

“I think I'll be fine.”

 

"Good, keep that form going forward. You can unwind more when you're by yourself or with Aoi, but don't take any chances outside of this room. Do you understand?” Before Ohta could respond, the Goddess gave herself a quick nod and then looked at the hallway leading to the door before turning to face him once more and flashing him the most deceptive smile he had ever seen. She then gave him the thumbs up. “Well, enjoy yourself.” Then in a puff of smoke, disappears. 

 

Ohta slowly made his way to the bed, where he threw his body on it while groaning and berating his former life for upsetting the gods.

 

"Hey, don't be so depressed! Everything will work out OK.” Ohta leaped off the bed, slamming his head into the headboard. He hissed in pain and cradled his head in his hands. 

 

“The Goddess said it will be okay so it will be okay.” The princess looked at the hallway, the one that the Goddess glanced over before leaving and faint footsteps could be heard. 

 

All the while Ohta was in his own head ‘Don’t be glum? As if she had the right to tell me that… I couldn’t even protest these circumstances before I was thrown into the unknown and even if your Goddess told you it would be fine my gut tells me otherwise!’

 

His stomach groaned and moaned, "Actually, I suppose, it's telling me something different," Ohta wonders how long he's been asleep. He enjoys food and would prefer to eat his entire life away, savoring delectable treats, but he has been practicing inedia for a while and believes that his new body was probably in need of a little more care than his previous one.

 

Two solid knocks could be heard from outside the door “Master, may I come in?” A woman’s voice from behind could be heard. 

 

“What do I do?” Ohta looked at Aoi, sweating a little from the severity of the situation. Aoi raised her shoulders up in a shrug and proceeded “Answer the door, She’s your servant now, just order her around.” Then left in a poof of smoke just like the Goddess. 

 

Ohta attempted to calm himself down when he heard more knocking. "Okay, I got this," he murmurs. He swallows as a chill runs through him and insists, "Ohta, how difficult can it be? Just act like a tyrant."

 

After clearing his throat, he called out, "Come in," in a stern voice.

 

A woman enters the room dressed in servant-like garb. She is attractive, but her main distinguishing features are her luminous green eyes and her eerily long neck. “Master, I came to report today’s schedule. Today-“ 

 

Growl~ 

 

Ohta's stomach started to rumble continuously, and she looked at him anxiously to see if she could go on. Then, in the most stoic voice, she said, "I'll request breakfast be served to your chambers immediately," before beckoning for someone outside—probably another servant—to collect it.

 

Ohta, feeling humiliated, agreed to that arrangement and thanked the woman.

 

“Master, are you sick!” The girl sounded so frightened that it shocked Ohta until he realized his mistake. Oh no! What am I doing?! I'm supposed to be acting like a tyrant! I despise my brain, how could I have forgotten my resolve to survive so quickly?! Ohta's face broke out in a flush of pink, and he pouted his lips in disbelief at what he had done. Unbeknownst to Ohta, the servant spotted her embarrassed master and instantly stopped; this was too cute. He then glanced away in a fit of embarrassment, straightening his posture and clearing his throat "I mean... Yes, I'll have breakfast in my chambers." She emerged from her stupor and cleared her throat as well “Very well, I’ll-... This servant will start the report now. Today in the royal hall, a peace offering from the Oso Clan will be presented as well as many other offerings from the minor sister clans surrounding them,”

 

‘The Oso Clan!’ Why are they here, what are they doing offering peace with a tyrant? They should have more respect than that!

 

“The Oso Clan has also offered a peace offering for today's meeting. I'm not sure how this differs from the Gifts considering that they are all considered goodwill to your highness, but they wanted to make a big deal out of this for some reason. Master will need to decide what you wish to do with these "Gifts," whether you will accept them or not. Since everyone is attempting to win your favor following the White-Rabbit Massacre, which I firmly believe this to be the case. They might be concerned that if they act inappropriately once more, the same would happen to them.” She then paused then continued “The rest of the day will be for the paperwork that piled up due to your absence.”

 

‘White-Rabbit Massacre? I’ll look into that later.’ 

 

Ohta placed his hand under his chin and sighed “Very well, a peace offering… huh?” 

 

The door crashed open with a bombardment of bangs, "Haru, you are required in the royal hall immediately!” A pale man with light purple eyes came out in a hurried, disheveled state. He was dressed in light reddish-purple hue robes with an intricate headband with dark hair falling around it, and the uppers of his cheeks displayed markings consistent with a second-ranking official. “Young master Wahei! Next time please knock, remember the last time you barged in I had to patch you up for a week from the beating you got yourself into!” The servant scolds. He got up closer to Ohta “The clan leaders came early to present your gifts!” Ohta in the back of his mind knew this was suspicious behavior from the Oso clan, a clan who by nature never liked meetings and would always come late or not at all, even if it was for something important. ‘Are they that scared of Haruki?’ “How generous,” He said instead to that comment.

 

“I tried to hold them off until you were ready but they are getting very impatient, and Maeko don’t worry, I waited to hear you guys talking so I knew this time he wasn't in the bath!” Wahei exclaimed proudly earning him a slap in the head by Ohta. 

 

Ohta paused and stared at Wahei. ‘Why did my hand just move on its own.’ 

 

‘You're terrible at portraying a tyrant, and you act nothing like my first master, Haruki Naoki! In situations like this, I'll keep you in check to make sure you don't reveal yourself, I can only control your body a few times since my energy is low so don’t fuck up so much! Who knows what they will try to do to you if they learn that you are not really Haruki in his body.’ The voice of the cat spirit emerged and then quickly faded from his mind.

 

“Ah, So mean! Haruuu at least-” 

 

Growl, Grumble~

 

Ohta looks down at his stomach once again “Can I have breakfast in the hall then.” Ohta's face looked saddened by his stomach rumbling. 

 

“Of course, master.” Maeko replied quickly then raised up her sleeve to hide the fond smile on her face ‘He’s sulking. So cute!’

 

.

.

.

 

He could tell as he walked the path towards the Royal hall that The Sunlit Clan was way too opulent for Ohta's liking; the scenery was stunning, but the temperature was much lower than he was used to. A distant part of his mind wanted to make a small entrance to his old clan so before he left his chamber, he had changed into exceptionally good apparel fitted with fine jewelry and expensive silks. He wore something fit for a ruler, something that he had already trained for, he rubbed the inside of his sleeves the closer they got to the magnificent building in the middle of the courtyard which he could deduce was the royal hall. 

 

Maeko announced his presence to the hall then he walked in. 

 

Ohta should have anticipated it. He sobbed in his head, "I really should have brought something to cover my face like a fan!" At the end of the line of minor clan elders, were his mother, father, and second-eldest brother waiting, because Ohta has always been the short one, he disliked the fact that they stood tall at the end of the line. He really should have politely declined each present and remained in his room from the beginning! Ohta grimaces about the time he had spent with his family when he was young and shook his head from those thoughts as he stared straight ahead and walked to his seat at the very front of the hall. 

 

Before sitting down, Ohta chews the inside of his cheek. ‘Don't give this too much thought... Ohta, relax your mind. Do I need to say something? They are gazing at me as if I'm going to murder them. Hmm…Not too bad, Haru.’ Ohta can't say that he felt particularly strongly about his family anymore after they casted him away, but he didn't anticipate enjoying the experience of seeing their horrified faces. They were all clothed in green, just like the forest from which they had emerged. His father wore a darker shade of green than his mother, who wore a lighter shade, and his brother also wore something darker, but not quite as dark as his father's robes. Ohta observed that his father still had harsh, angular features but he appeared to be more exhausted and worn down than normal. His mother, however, was as ethereal as usual but appeared to be hiding something because she was wearing a lot of makeup. And his brother, who had his father's perpetual scowl on his face, had always appeared to Ohta since they were young, to have a stick up his ass.

 

Maeko entered the room with a tray of food and placed it in front of Ohta at his table, a pleasant aroma flooded the air. “Your food, master.” She bowed then walked to stand behind him, perhaps so she could be close by in case he needed anything more. Ohta was in complete bliss, but then paused after taking a look at the meal again and noted that the amounts were so small, it's no wonder why he was so hungry! Haruki is basically starving himself, he took the chopsticks and began scarfing the food down. Most of the dishes were red and hot and most likely favorites of Haruki, but Ohta steered clear of those dishes because he really couldn’t stomach the spices, so he avoided them and set them aside. He then pointed at his food and asked for seconds; hopefully, they understand the message not to give him any more spicy foods.

 

The clan leader decided to then choose to act as host after noticing that the tyrant in front of them was in his own world and started out with a lengthy speech about how grateful they were to be in Haruki's presence and continued on and on with compliments. Ohta decided then it was time to just get on with the meeting before any more time passed by “Mamoru, Stop wasting my time and show the gifts already.” He sneered. Ohta's father waved to his personal servant, who then signaled the other staff to gather the gifts as the atmosphere in the room began to get strained. They arranged them with boxes of jewelry, priceless silks, and exotic fruits before giving them all to Ohta.

 

Ohta gave a nod of approval to the gifts because he knew he wasn't foolish enough to turn them down. He would pretend to be a tyrant if it meant avoiding any conflict.

 

Ohta's family appeared relieved after receiving the acceptance gesture, and they subsequently announced that the peace offering would arrive soon. Because it has been so long since he last saw his family, Ohta wonders how they are doing and whether they are savoring his absence. Though technically in exile and unable to reveal his identity in public, he feels that after this entire soul transfer thing, he ought to pay the manor a quick visit and perhaps catch up with some old friends. He is confident that he could sneak around for a little while before going back to his old run-down house on the outskirts of the Mosswoods.

 

Ohta is abruptly distracted from his thoughts when the doors open. Five men entered the room: four guards and one "prisoner" who, given the vivid red rope binding his hands and legs, was probably someone very dangerous. Ohta was aware that this rope was utilized to confine highly skilled cultivators or individuals who had the ability to frighten the masses. 

 

Then, with a vengeance, the Clan head, Ohta’s father ‘Hayato Mamoru’ approached the prisoner and shoved him to the ground before bowing before Ohta. “This is our peace offering, Your Highness. He is eager to bear our punishment for offenses we committed against you, so graciously accept him.” 

 

Stunned Ohta imagined himself walking towards his piece of shit dad and slapping the shit out of him.

 

Disregarding that thought, he jumped up and observed the man on the ground before picking him up ever so slightly into a sitting position. Suddenly a sharp pain was etched into his right hand when a pair of teeth latched on. 

 

Wincing at the pain Ohta then decided he could play on those terms and bit down on the closest thing he could from the person in front of him. Ohta could just imagine what the hell the people around him were thinking as he bit the person back on his cheek. 

 

Ohta lost his balance and fell backward when the two guards who were standing behind the prisoner began striking the prisoner. That caused him to fall onto the top of Ohta. Ohta hissing from the impact then reached for some of the food on the low table and found a few of the spicy dishes he left to the side then grabbed a handful of them. He rubbed them forcefully on the prisoner's eyes, nose, and outer layer of his mouth, which caused the prisoner to open up just a little bit, allowing Ohta to quickly pull his hand away and stand up from his lying position.

 

Ohta sighed internally ‘Really and these were such nice clothes’ he swiped a hand on his extravagant clothes to get rid of the food on his hand then took another good look at his ‘peace offering’ which he noticed. Which he noticed looks a little familiar. 

 

“What’s your name?” 

 

“…”

“Silent treatment huh?” 

 

“…”

 

“Are you hungry? Is that why you wanted a piece of me?”

 

At least that got his attention, and he glared at Ohta with his greyish mint green eyes. Ohta then turned to face his family once more. “Why is he the one who will suffer the consequences of your wrongdoings against me, and who is he? Why is he such a big deal? Don't you realize that victims want their abuser, not some random guy, to face justice?” Ohta snapped at them.

 

“We intend no offense, but wasn't this the person who wounded you in battle during our previous joint venture? We merely seek to adjust our equilibrium and hope that the gifts and this peace offering will serve as a foundation for future developments.” His Mother ‘Ebina Mamoru’ spoke up. Ah, how Ohta missed his mother's way of sweet-talking out of tough situations nevertheless Ohta couldn't start a conflict with them and really wished this conference would end so he could go back to his room and maybe later explore the gardens and pavilions. 

 

“I see…very well I will accept all offerings of peace! You are all dismissed!” Ohta walked back to his low table and sat down again to finish his fill. Ohta looked across to Maeko before turning to face the alleged prisoner. “I'm sure those spices are hurting him, so clean him up and then bring him back.”

 

.

.

.

 

Ohta was at this point playing with his food, he ate his fill and he wanted this ‘Peace offering’ to have a nice meal in his belly. Although Ohta was irked that the man seemed so familiar, no matter how hard he searched his memory, nothing came to mind. Sighing for the umpteenth time Ohta stabbed his chopsticks into the rice bowl and stood up, how long did it take for someone to be washed up? Ohta heard a voice as he approached the chamber doors and thought, "Miss Mei?" He immediately hurried back to the low table and sat down. Damn, Ohta felt like a stupid child who almost got caught doing something foolish. Ohta had a horrible tendency of waiting and was well aware of how spoiled he was; as a result, he frequently received punishments. When Ohta caught himself in the act, he always felt it was something he should improve on himself. However, a habit persists for a reason, and he has never overcome his impatience.

 

"Master, this servant has returned," She lowered herself deeper after bowing. “This servant is sorry for the delay, even though we were attempting to bathe the peace offering as the master requested, he was difficult to wash and didn't comply with anyone. We did our best.” She then shifted to the side so that Ohta could see the peace offering and the two guards standing close to him behind her. 

 

Ohta’s heart stopped, the peace offering had a mark on his face that most likely resulted from a slap or punch directed at him for making it challenging for the attendants to bathe him. He was clean and his eyes appeared puffy and his nose appeared to have been reddened by very harsh rubbing. 

 

Ohta grimaced, not wanting to anger anyone he stayed quiet but he was feeling sorry for the man, Ohta would have made a complete mess, behaved psychopathically, and screamed bloody murder till they murdered him if he had been in his position. However what Ohta had noticed, was that his gorgeous hair had been completely chopped off. He made an effort not to flinch, but his demeanor did shift. His relatives had done the same thing when they had banished him from the clan. 

 

After a while Ohta eventually stopped worrying about his appearance and stopped caring about his short hair because he didn't really connect with people of high rank. However, he could understand the resentment of having his hair cut off. Ohta simply hopes that he didn't dislike him too much because of this; after all, he had no idea they were going to slice it off. ‘Please be kind to me!’ Ohta pleads in his head.

 

Ohta was confident in his choice since he couldn't refuse the peace offering; if he sent the man back, they might view that as an act of war, even though he was fairly certain they were only trying to save their own asses. However, he wasn't sure what to do with the man. 

 

Ohta forced a smile in the direction of the peace offering 'UM after swallowing a piece of spit. ‘What should I do?’ He is undoubtedly someone who Ohta would have made fun of for having such a lovely face yet having a lean frame that, which in his opinion, could be used to fling him around like a rag doll if he so desired. Ohta gave him another look.

 

 “Do you feel hungry? You don't need to be on edge; I won't harm you, I assure you… I'll stay with the prisoner, Miss Mei, take the guards with you and you are dismissed." Although she appeared surprised, Maeko quickly smoothed her expression. “Are you certain, Master? Perhaps I ought to leave at least one guard behind.”

 

“I'll be fine. Now leave.” Maeko quickly ushered out the two guards before shutting the two doors. 'I hope his highness will be okay; he just recovered from a fierce battle, and this is a guy who was able to injure him… if he was that powerful…,’ she added. ‘Just in case, I should inform Wahei and Anno of this, they should be able to handle whatever trash who dares harm his highness.’

 

.

.

.

 

Ohta removes his outer robe that he had soiled with his spice-filled hand and lays it behind him on an antique vase. “Could you tell me your name?” again he was met with silence.

 

“I don't mind that you wounded me in combat; in fact, I find it fascinating to find someone who could do so. Actually, I'm more concerned with the reason the Oso clan specifically abandoned you. Excuse my rambling, but why precisely would I give up a warrior who could harm the enemy and was the only one capable of inflicting such harm against me? The clan head also obviously hates you to his very core based on how he threw you to the ground.” Ohta gestures for him to sit in front of him at the low table. “Have you offended the clan so severely that they would rather toss you away than try to beat you into submission?” During his talk, the peace offering sat down and started gazing down at the food. “Hmmm, Are you fond of spicy food? Here.” Ohta gave him the chopsticks only to mentally slap himself because the peace offering still has his hands tied up. “Why don't we make a deal?” Ohta then comes up with a plan.

 

“Hmm…But how can I make a bargain with someone whose name I don't know? What should we do?” Ohta fakes a cry then looks defeated. 

 

The peace offering sighs “What's the deal? I’ll tell you my name once you tell me what exactly you want with me.” Finally he spoke! Ohta took that as a win. 

 

Humming Ohta leaned back to display a more lighthearted side of himself, then he said, "Since you hurt me so severely the last time, you obviously have talent, so how about you become my bodyguard? You see, I'd like to protect myself from harm but I'm still injured so I'm in need of your services. If you agree, you'll receive the room next to mine rather than the dungeon, have three meals a day, and have some alone time. I'll even let you roam the courtyard if you agree right now.” 

 

“How do you know that I won't simply attack you or try to escape?”

 

“I won't be responding to anything until I know your name.”

 

He huffs and spits out his name, "Takashi Noboru, now answer," 

 

“Wow that wasn’t so hard now was it, well to answer you. I don't know,” Ohta pauses. “You can attempt to harm me again or even try to run away, but since you are in my territory, do you really believe that I will make it so simple for you?” Ohta waits for him to process that information before adding “Well what's your response? Your outdoor privileges are slowly fading away.”

 

“I’ll do it.” Takashi appears to be quite hesitant about this agreement, but Ohta is pleased that he was able to ensure that this individual was secure with him. Who knew how much he would be able to bear if was sent to the dungeon by Ohta, and even though Ohta had been exiled from his clan, he didn't intend for his fellow clan members to suffer in any way. Speaking of…

 

“Are you an orphan?” Ohta asks hesitantly. 

 

“Yes.”

 

 Ohta’s eyes widened, ‘not one of his children! How dare his clan! I should have asked for more, maybe asked for a couple of fingers!’ Ohta sneers inside his head.

 

Ohta was forced to take care of many orphans as a punishment prior to being banished, and through time, he grew to love them all. He was aware that his family had sent him to look after the orphans in order to get him away from them and perhaps humble him a little, Ohta is sure he was also sent because they didn't want to spend additional money on the orphans in his clan so they viewed him as an extra hand. He also understood that by taking care of the orphans, he would be able to hide from family members.

 

 Ohta, however, had a blast caring for all the tiny children and spoiled them beyond belief. This is how he also met his two best friends Wuya and Hitoshi. Oh, how he missed them. But if this man was an orphan in his clan, perhaps he had already met him—he certainly seems familiar—so brain, get to work when I tell you to!

 

"Do you know a person by the name of Ohta Mamor–” Ohta felt a yank at his collar as the table tipped over and food spilled across him; the man on top of him had a vicious facial expression and his eyes glowed green. “Do not speak of his name!” Ohta, who believed that all of his children liked him, pondered with wide eyes whether the man despised him so intensely that even saying his name would cause him pain. Could there possibly be another explanation for this behavior? 

 

“What's wrong? Did his misdeeds against his clan actually affect you to the point that you had no interest in hearing about him at all? If that's the case, you surely have a strong sense of loyalty to your clan. I heard that the boy's family left him behind so that the wolves could feed far away and only at 20 years old, what wasted youth.” Ohtas collar tightened and the grip was shaking with fury. “You know nothing! Do not speak of him in that way!” 

 

“Why not? He was a tiny, scrawny, spoiled boy who couldn't compete with his family, so it stands to reason that, like a runt, he would be abandoned with the wolves.” Ohta chuckles, and Takashi pulls him up and slams him back to the ground. “Keep his name out of your filthy mouth! He was loyal to his clan and in the end got betrayed, he didn't deserve anything that happened to him!” 

 

“What?” Ohta looked at him with wide eyes “What do you mean by that?” 

 

Takashi was perplexed by Ohta’s expression “Why do you want to know? You've been talking shit about him for the entire time; if you simply follow rumors, I advise you to recruit more dependable spies.” Takashi gets off of Ohta and returns to the spot in front of Ohta where the table was before he threw it.

 

"I am acquainted with Ohta; he was a friend of mine!" Ohta wasn't really sure where this was headed, but he was curious—what did this boy know that he didn't?

 

“Bullshit. Ohta wouldn't associate with someone like you.” Takashi mocked.

 

“It’s true, I know where he lives after he got banished.” 

 

“What where?! Where is he? He—he didn’t die?” Takashi radiated a mixture of relief and intense skepticism toward this assertion. "Then, what's his favorite color? Favorite Food? If you had known him well, you would have known which side and where his beauty mark was.”

 

"His favorite color is sky blue, he could live off chicken soup, and he had a mole on the left side of his face, below his eye." Ohta answered with full enthusiasm 

 

Takashi sits there in awe then a scowl returns on his face “You have better spys then I thought.”

 

Ohta groans and then stands up; his back hurts from the slam he took to the floor. "Come with me." Ohta sighs, saying, "I'll have the servants clean this up. For now, since I can tell you're hungry, let's have lunch in my room. I'll be able to remove those binds and manage you better there.”

 

.

.

.

 

They had hardly left the royal hall when Ohta's head suddenly rang with a voice. "Be careful, someone is watching you," Ohta tried hard not to indicate how he was feeling as his body tensed up, he stared straight ahead. ‘Where?’ He replied.

 

‘Avoid looking in the woods! Just keep going forward.’ Ohta desperately wanted to find out who was watching him, but he soon understood that the goddess would naturally want to do so on the first day. 

 

“There’s eyes on us, do you distrust me so? I thought we had an agreement.” Takashi spoke up

 

"I never promised you complete independence; I simply granted you a few freedoms," Ohta replied. 'How come he even detected that someone was monitoring them, I didn’t notice anything’ Ohta sighed ‘I'm far out of practice.’

 

Ohta turned a corner and discovered Maeko speaking to a different servant. "Ah, Miss Mei, I needed to speak to you." The second servant hastily bowed before running as swiftly as she could the other way. "I need you to set up chambers for our Peace offering, somewhere close to my quarters so I can keep an eye out on him," he continued. 

 

“Of course master, anything else?”

 

Ohta pointed to his stained garments caused by the spicy dishes that had spilled on him and said, "Yes, I need someone to clean up the royal hall. We created quite a mess in there as you can see. Please bring tea and additional food, I think i'm in need of a bath also so could you fill a basin in my chambers."

 

"I'll get started right now. I will soon bring you refreshments, so please proceed to your chambers.” She bowed before moving swiftly to finish everything. 

 

“Okay now that's all covered let's head to my room.” Ohta began walking again then stopped. ‘Is this the right direction?’ “Hmm, but maybe let’s walk for a bit, yeah? Have you visited here before?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Really? When?”

 

“...”

 

“Silent treatment again? Haaa… okay you know, I didn't want to know anyways.” Ohta looked away again, he hoped he was going the right way towards his chambers. 

 

Ohta still had trouble understanding who his familiar friend was; he was weird, and Ohta had no idea how devoted he had been to his former clan prior to that group's betrayal to Haruka. Was he a volunteer? No, given how Takashi and his family were acting, it didn't appear that way, but Ohta was not able to stop his thoughts from wandering. Had he left friends in the Oso clan? He said he was an orphan so no parents, but maybe foster ones? Prior to being sold to Haruka as a peace offering, he probably led a comfortable life there until it was ripped away from him.

 

"I have accepted you as a peace offering so you don't have to worry about your clan. They will be protected, if it's peace they wish then peace it will be," says Ohta, turning to face Takashi. Ohta wishes he could have had someone reassure him that his friends would be safe once he left, but he was kicked out before making sure his friends would be safe. Ohta didn't want this guy to be worrying about anyone who was still in the Oso clan.

 

Ohta kept moving on before seeing Takashi had stopped and then turned to see what was happening.

 

“Even if you are lying, you stated you knew of my—of Ohta." He stopped as he struggled to put his ideas into solid sentences but then slumped his shoulders and asked. "How's he doing?"

 

“He's doing well, maybe one day you two may cross paths again," Ohta said after giving it some thought. 

 

He noticed a familiar pond and gratefully thanked his brain for its ability to navigate his way back. He opened the doors to his chambers before being pulled back by a tug from behind. It was the guy who barged in earlier and the one who he slapped."Would it be alright if we spoke?" Wahei inquired, then drew him away from Takashi.

 

“You may enter; I'll be back shortly.” Ohta shouted at his peace offering before being dragged away.

 

“What is it?” He exclaimed after being pulled away, a certain amount of distance. 

 

Then, two figures approach him side by side. Wahei then imitates him by saying, "if it's peace they wish then peace it will be" while grinning menacingly. He continues, "You were just talking the other day about burning their main village to the ground to make sure they know who is in power following the incident last time."

 

A red-haired girl approaches and exclaims, "Oh! I see! How vile Haruki is! You give him false faith that his clan would be protected because of his sacrifice, but then you ruin everything and leave him with nothing!” Then Wahei declares, "I see! We may start the plans to eliminate that miserable clan within three days if you so choose." Wahei then laughs and adds "Wow, Haru, are you feeling playful today, playing with your food in this manner is truly a sight to behold."

 

Finally, Ohta turns to face them and says, "Give me a few months. I have grand plans I want to put in place, and I want everything to go well." After commenting, "Surely we can do better than just simply get rid of them, especially after that incident," Ohta smiles menacingly and turns to leave. In the background, Wahei and Anno are giddy. Wahei then asks Anno, "I wonder what the master is scheming." Ohta then enters his room and collapses onto the low table while internally screaming.

 

“I had forgotten how fucked up you are.” Ohta jerks up and turns to face Takashi, who he had forgotten was inside.

 

‘Did he overhear them talking? But we were quite a distance away.’

 

Then Takashi spat, "After all the victims of the White-Rabbit Massacre, you have the audacity to keep a white rabbit in your quarters. Is that a testament to your success? You are absolute scum.” 

 

Ohta recognized the white rabbit that was standing next to his desk as it was surrounded by papers. Before Takashi entered, Aoi probably came way too close to being discovered working on paperwork and changed into an animal form. “She is not a prize. She's not even affiliated with that clan in any way.” Ohta is having trouble deciding what narrative he should tell Takashi to regain his trust. "I discovered this injured and ill rabbit a few years ago. I kept her secure and nurtured her back to health. Do you think she has been mistreated?” Ohta gestures toward the white bunny, showing that she looks perfectly fine. "Yes, the White-Rabbit Massacre did occur, but I have no ill will against my pet because of what they did."Ohta couldn’t even believe the bullshit he was sprouting; he isn't even sure what took place during or why the White-Rabbit Massacre occurred.

 

Ohta hoped this calmed Takashi a little. 

 

Othas body began to move again without his consent and he grabbed the rabbit and threw it outside after hearing a voice in his head yell at him to keep the creature away. As the rabbit was flung outside, Ohta was once more able to move his body. This animal spirit certainly harbored hostility toward Aoi, he would need to keep a better eye on that situation. 

 

A couple of servants then entered, possibly working on the tasks Ohta assigned them, Ohta kept his distance from Takashi as they worked. Following the arrival of food and the filling of the bath, Ohta at last turned to face Takashi as the servants left.

 

"I am aware of your weariness towards me as well as your desire to get out here as soon as possible, but we made a bargain. You will be given as much freedom as I am able to give you while you are here while guarding over me. What do you think about that? If you follow through with this agreement, I'll let you go in six months.” Ohta thinks this is a brilliant proposal; if Takashi is as powerful as people claim he is, he could guard Ohta while he gets used to this body, and then when the time is up, Ohta could let him go free and track him down in his original body and protect him. Then after as he makes his way back to his little house in the Mosswoods, he might bring a companion, that's if Takashi doesn't have any other plans. Having just been sold by the Oso clan, he is unable to return, but Takashi at least could live close by and visit secretly. 

 

“Why 6 months?” Takashi asks

 

“Why ask questions and tarnish this moment when you ought to be over the moon right now?” Ohta sighed, “But for now I can assure you that nothing bad will happen to you beyond six months, so don't worry.”

 

“How can I trust you will honor this deal?” Takashi replies 

 

“Would you like this done on paper so it's official? We can use blood to bind us to the pact? Will that suffice?” Ohta provides

 

“Okay, that will do.” He nods

 

"By tomorrow, I'll have the contract completed and ready." Ohta grinned before returning his attention to Takashi's bonds. "I'm going to undo your red bonds today as a test of your trust, and I hope you understand where I'm coming from. If you violate the terms of the agreement today by attacking me or anybody else or attempting to flee, I will add a new condition to the contract tomorrow and you will lose another freedom.”

 

Ohta grabs a blade which he stored under his robes and starts to cut the binds. Once he was done he backed up and asked “So how do you feel? How is your spiritual energy?” 

 

Takashi felt a surge of energy well up inside him and he let out a full body shudder. “It feels better,” he responds bluntly.

 

“I bet! Do you have a spiritual animal? If so, you should let them out because they probably felt confined.” Ohta makes a naive inquiry before revealing his half-form. He motions for Takashi to follow him by sitting down at the table and beginning to eat once more while his tail flicks back and forth.

 

Although Ohta tries to strike up a conversation, their meal is relatively silent.

 

Ohta loses interest in the food easily, mostly because he had already eaten in the royal hall already so he gets up “I'm going to bathe myself, you got me all dirty earlier, don't try and peek in. okay?” Ohta laughs a bit before pulling the privacy screen. Ohta is in awe when he looks at the large bath and picks up all the fragrant soaps and oils for his hair, he picks up the orange blossom scented oil and one that smells like honeysuckle. 

 

Although he is unable to hear anything coming from the other side of the screen, he occasionally hears the tea cup being set down softly. He takes his time and enjoys the bath; previously, he had mostly bathed in the stream nearby his home, and when he did have an indoor bath, it was brief. Since he doesn't use expensive oils or soaps, he is in heaven smelling all the lovely scents. Ohta should be feeling violated for Haruki, but instead, he merely stares at the deep scar that extends from his left side to his leg. It's healing, but it still looks horrendous. Ohta simply is unable to look down there and concludes that it is of normal size before completing his cleaning.

 

Ohta changes into some comfortable, casual attire rather than the elaborate, expensive outfits he wore earlier for the meeting and walks out, hair down. 

 

Takashi is still waiting for him to finish at the low table. "Would you like to take a bath as well? This time you can do it on your own terms without others. I should ask the servants to get some larger robes to fit your frame also.” Ohta then walks to the window to open them up, it's a beautiful day out and the breeze feels nice unlike how it was this morning. He chuckles inwardly as petals from a cherry blossom tree brush across his skin. He turns back around to see what Takashi will respond to his suggestion. Ohta laughed a little when a flower fell seamlessly on Takashi's head.

 

Now that he looks at Takashi a bit more he could picture a child clinging on his sleeve with a lone blossom on his head…

 

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Takashi? 

 

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Takashi Norboru…

 

‘Lil' blossom?’As his surroundings begin to close in around him, Ohta feels the impulse to cling to his little blossom. He's no longer so little, Ohta chuckles a little unsteadily in his head.

 

Ohta is in a trance as Takashi turns to face him. "I'll take a bath, yes. I feel unpleasant.”

 

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Ohta struggles to get his hands to stop shaking as Takashi bathes in the adjacent room. To save their asses, they traded his Lil' Blossom to a tyrant. Ohta was furious and was genuinely considering eradicating the same clan he had sought to protect. He feels restless and jumps a bit when a knock is at the door. Maeko comes in and puts down Takashi’s clothes onto the other side of the privacy screen. “Master, The peace offerings’ quarters are ready, when you wish I will escort him out.” Ohta gives a dull nod and instructs her to hold off until he is done so that he can also have a look.

 

It didn't take long for Takashi to come out of the bath; he probably wasn't in the same frame of mind as Ohta in terms of savoring the scents, but he caught a whiff of the jasmine oil that Ohta was considering using on his hair but ultimately decided against.

 

Ohta looks at Takashi again but this time analyzes his features. He has a pink flush most likely from the bath but he looked beautiful, truly, he grew up nicely. His lips were plump and looked soft, softer than a flower petal could compare. Even though his eyes were no longer as stunning green as when he was a boy and they no longer shone with wonderment and curiosity, they still had the gentle green that would gaze at him when he raised questions about life. Ohta felt awful about his hair because, although it still looks wonderful and fits nicely on his face frame, his long hair was gone, though he wagers that, if he could pet and tangle his hands in it like he used to when they were younger, it would feel like the most costly of silks—soft and made of the purest of threads. His body was toned, and he could tell he had enough muscle mass for a warrior, despite the fact that his face appeared to be made of jade.

 

Maeko then took charge as Ohta seemed to be spaced out and took them outside again, escorting them to Takashi’s new room to stay in. 

 

Ohta couldn’t stop looking at Takashi almost in a daze and bumped his nose onto his back when they abruptly stopped 

 

“Sorry.” He mumbled out and looked around at the empty space that served as Takashi's quarters. A little, single, low table stood in the center of the room, and the bed was small and appeared to be designed solely for children. There surely would have been a better bed than this, moreover a better room than this! They could have given him something that was already furnished at least.  

 

Ohta peers towards Takashi who was resigned to his fate in this room. “Is this the finest accomodation we could give for my peace offering?” Ohta mumbles then lets out a chuckle before motioning for Maeko  to approach him. In a low voice, he says, "I need the finest room for him." Ohta continues, "I need him to trust me so I can't just place him in this empty room, it would be like a jail for him. We need to make this look like a new home for him.'' After giving it some thought he looks down at Maeko  with a wicked smile and wink.

“Oh! Of course. I'm sorry; I get what you mean now."  She flushes and looks Takashi in the eye. "Did you enjoy this small prank, we do this all the time here.” She smiles then adds " I apologize if I made you uncomfortable, I wanted you to feel at home, since I suspect you will stay for a while, if you'll follow me, I'll show you to your actual lodgings." Maeko  started walking again, it was a bit further from his quarters but he was sure he would be able to visit frequently.

 

They stop once again and Maeko walks in but closes the door behind her. Ohta and Takashi look at each other in confusion, then they hear two voices inside, and then a window being opened, a splat on the ground which was followed by a series of curse words coming from the other side of the house.

 

As she exits she opens the door wider for them to enter while smiling sweetly. Looking at the chamber, which was significantly more luxurious than the previous one, it appeared to be a good environment for Lil' Blossom to live in. Before Takashi could notice a bowl of partially consumed food on the table, Ohta picked it up and threw it out the window, causing a much bigger thump than a small dish of that size could have produced. Takashi follows the sound but doesn't look into it as Ohta turns away.

 

“Is this to your liking?” Ohta could help but ask. 

 

“Mm” Takashi nods 

 

Ohta is beyond relieved when he hears that, maybe he should give Takashi some space. After all he probably has been through a lot today and Ohta knows his presence would just add to it. As long as he knows that Takashi is safe and in a good environment. Ohta feels that he could leave knowing that he will sleep comfortably tonight and not on a child’s bed. Although Ohta wants to stay and hang out with his old friend,  he should really help Maeko carry out the person outside the window who he just threw a bowl at and probably murdered. 

 

“I’ll leave you here then, I’ll assign you a servant and if you need anything then just ask.” Ohta turns to leave but then circles back and closes the window then quickly exits. 

 

Once outside, Ohta discreetly strolls around the house to the side where the window was and spots a man unconscious on the ground with a large mark on his forehead and a bowl of rice all over him. Ohta kinda feels bad until Maeko catches up to him and smiles gently. 

 

“Master, don't be concerned about this. I'll handle this, so just go back to your room.” Then she makes a bird call-like whistle, and five servants arrive taking the body away.

 

“Uhhh. I'll be returning now, I suppose.” Ohta hurries off quickly.

 

“Oh, master, also.”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Given that you were away for such a long time, it is becoming more urgent that you submit all of your paperwork today.” Maeko creases her eyes and smiles, but Ohta notices a menacing atmosphere emanating from Maeko's remarks.

 

"Yes, of course," he replies. Ohta waves her off and moves in the direction of his room.

 

Once he finally reaches his room he immediately heads to his bed and grabs a pillow to scream into it. 

 

‘What the fuck just happened today!’ Ohta screams internally in his head. He lays down onto the softness that is his bed then he springs back to life when he hears a clatter on the other side of the room. 

 

Ohta walks over to the sound and its Aoi. Again his animal spirit seems to be ruffled by her appearance but Ohta wants to ask. 

 

“What happened during the White-Rabbit Massacre?”

 

She turns to him with her dim eyes and ignores his question “I have all the paperwork done for the next week so I will be taking my leave. If you need me” She hands him a talisman and turns her back to him “Rip this apart and I will be summoned, if you have no further need of me then I will be leaving.” Then just like that she vanishes in a puff of smoke. 

 

‘Well at least you won't have to deal with her for a week’ He comments to his animal spirit.

 

‘Good’ Aoki replies

 

‘You were quiet today, don’t you have any questions to ask me?’ Ohta wasn’t sure how he felt about this animal spirit but he was sure that he exposed a lot about his background more than he was comfortable with. 

 

‘As if I care about your life; I'm confined to you right now against my will, and all you are to me is a headache’ Aoki brushes him off then cuts off their connection.

 

Ohta sighs, but sees this as an excellent opportunity to get some well-deserved rest.

 

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He felt warm and surrounded by softness, but he was restless. He tosses and turns in his large bed, forcing his body to sleep as he closes his eyes.

 

After pausing for a moment, he decides to abandon his quest for a restful night's sleep. He wasn't comfortable in this atmosphere enough to let his guard down, and he was quite certain that this was most likely due to his body's instincts not being able to handle this unusual environment, 'I guess my soul has carried on my insomnia as well,' he thinks.

 

He has never been able to sleep through the night; instead, he wakes up at odd times and frequently naps during the day to maintain his sanity. His body never felt secure enough after his banishment to allow itself to sleep through the night; instead, it seemed to be watching out for wolves the night he was banished and making sure he was awake to fight them off or climb a high tree to wait them out.

 

As soon as his thoughts are finished, he reaches for a silky, crimson-colored outer robe that he had left behind. It doesn't match the other apparel he's seen on this clan's peak, so Ohta just assumes that this guy really enjoys these colors. As he went through the closet earlier in the day, he noticed that most of the garments were a magnificent red paired with gray or black.

 

His inner clothing was ruby red, and he wonders whether he should go shopping in town tomorrow to get some garments that aren't quite as intensely red. He also considers that perhaps he could buy a lot of items and drain Haruki dry, though Ohta doesn't know what will happen during six months so he figures he should be more tactical in this approach.

 

Ohta also figures that he should draw up that contract so he's not rushing in the morning to do so. Once it is finished, he places the scroll under his bed and walks outside. He should get some fresh air, he thinks until that thought was thrown outside the window as an icy breeze passses though his bones. 

 

Rushing back inside, he grabs one of Haruki’s large fur robes and places the hood on top of his head. Going outside is a poor idea, but he has nothing better to do and has already breached Haruki's privacy by looking through all of his drawers and possessions in his home. As he made his way back outside, he took a short stroll through his courtyard while the robe trailed behind him. Given how large it was on him, it didn't appear to belong to Haruki, but he quickly disregarded that assumption after spotting someone pacing back and forth in the distance.

 

Ohta stopped moving and hid behind the nearest tree. He attempts to calm his racing heart and lowers his breathing, but the other catches him in an instant.

 

“I know you're there. Show yourself!” Takashi's voice is dark and pierces the atmosphere.

 

Ohta raises his hand in the air and laughs “Haha, you caught me.” Ohta swallows and proceeds “Having trouble sleeping or are you planning on running away? You can, if you wish, you still have time before we make the contract in the morning then you will become all mine. Have you considered where you'd stay if you were to leave? If so, how long do you think you can hide? You know there will be more people after you than just me.”

 

Takashi glares at him then walks back to his small home and slams the door behind him. 

 

As much as Ohta felt like an asshole, he knew that if Takashi departed, the Oso Clan's relations would suffer, and he would need to talk to his clan elders to convince them not to start a war. Takashi leaving would also mean that he would be in the outside world where Ohta couldn’t protect him, and as much as Ohta insists that this is the reason he is keeping Takashi here, he knows deep down that he doesn't want to be alone in this dangerous Clan and clings to the idea that Takashi is here with him. A completely selfish reason he scolds in his head before going back to his room to try and sleep for the millionth time that night. 

 

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“Maeko, I need you to pass a message down to the servants and anyone who you believe will have ill intentions to my peace offering. I need you to tell them to back off, I want him to feel at home here and I will not have mercy for those who disobeyed me or hurt him in any way.” Ohta tells Maeko in the morning after passing her the paperwork that Aoi did last night. 

 

Ohta, who frequently suffered from migraines after sleepless nights, had bags under his eyes and felt his head aching. If his body is failing him this quickly after just one night of horrible sleep, it seems to be incredibly weak. Ohta speculates that perhaps Haruki's body was able to survive for so long thanks to the mighty soul he possessed.

 

That morning Ohta had nothing to do, so he got the scroll from under his bed and went in search of his Lil' Blossom. 

 

Ohta tapped on the door's wood while waiting for Takashi to answer. When the door opened, Ohta grinned. “You decided against leaving, then.”

 

“Not that I had any choice.” Ohta followed Takashi into his inner room, where he sat down while flashing a sly smile and pulling a scroll from his sleeve. 

 

“So, I'm guessing you want to do this then? Here.” Ohta hands the scroll to him, "Check it, it should have everything we discussed yesterday."

 

Takashi reads it slowly and perhaps more than once to make sure he isn't being taken advantage of before setting it down on the table between them.

 

“Is everything in place, do you wish to start now?” Ohta asks. 

 

“Yes, it's satisfactory given my circumstances.” Takashi replies with an edge to it. 

 

"All right, let's get started. Do you want to begin?" Takashi accepts the little blade that Ohta offers out to him from under his robes and uses it to slash across his hand, allowing the blood to drip into a small cup on the table. Ohta takes the blade, and performs the same action, grabs the nearby pen, dabs it in the blood, and writes his signature on the scroll. He then offers the scroll to Takashi, who completes the agreement between them.  

 

Ohta takes the scroll and places it back in his sleeve, hopefully Takashi didn't notice that his signature was sloppy because he tried to write his own name before remembering himself and then placing Haruki’s name on. Ohta wonders if the scroll will even work because his soul is different in this body. 

 

“Great, all right. Why don't we conduct a brief test run?” Ohta asks and claps his hands together, oblivious to the blood he has splattered on the surface of the table by that action. “You're coming with me when I go down the mountain to get some goodies today.” 

 

Takashi is given some time to get ready, and Ohta hands him a bandage and some healing salve while wrapping his own bandage and letting Takashi choose the blade he wishes to use today before walking to the carriages, where they are both stopped.

 

“Where are you going? A elder woman demands. 

 

“Ah. I'm simply making my way down the mountain to get some supplies, so that ought to be okay.” Ohta examines the woman before concluding that she appears to be another person with significant authority in this clan. 

 

“Ask a servant then, you do not have time to dilly dally. You are still injured from your last battle. Do you wish to be attacked today?” She berates.

 

“Perhaps I am, Don’t worry granny” Ohta fake smiles “I would love to chat but I'm running late for something” Ohta walks around her and pulls Takashi with him into the carriage and then motions for the servant, whom he designated as the day's driver, to begin moving.

 

Once they've begun to move, Ohta lets out a sigh, ‘Ohta forgot his position again, he wasn't someone who could come and go as he pleased. He will let Maeko know the next time so that similar things won't happen again.’ “Hey, can I ask something?” Ohta looks over to Takashi who is sitting in front of him, back straight and is looking outside the window. Takashi nods and Ohta continues “Your clan…Do they treat you well?” 

 

Takashi looks at Ohta with a bit of confusion written across his face “Depends.” 

 

“On what?” Ohta signals to keep talking.

 

"If they need to be harsh, they will be; training wasn't always simple, but it shouldn't be," he said. “They employ techniques that other clans might find distasteful, but they had to mold me in that way to acquire power.” Takashi turns to face the window and says, "I need to get stronger... I still lack the strength to defend the person I love most.” Once more meeting Ohta's eyes, his eyes turn frigid.

 

"You knew who Ohta was and where he lived; how did you two meet?" He queries 

 

Ohta should have figured this line of questioning would pop up since he made that comment about being friends with Haruki. “It’s a long story.” 

 

“I have time.” Takashi crosses his arms.

 

“Well, we met in the market. He was selling a couple of peaches and I bought a couple. Since we are both felines I wanted to talk to him—“ “Felines?” Takashi interrupts. 

 

Ohta wants to slam his head into the wall, he forgot Takashi wouldn’t know of his sudden spiritual animal acquisition. “Yeah, he’s holds a black panther spirit within him. He had just recently begun being a host to it so I forgot you might have not known yet.” Ohta hums and continues “Well, after that he wanted to know more about my animal spirit and how to get used to it and I gave him advice and we began a small friendship. He told me about his past and so I only know what he has told me.” 

 

“Where does he live?” Takashi asks

 

“Will you try and find him, if I tell you?” Ohta replies.

 

“Yes.” 

 

“You know he’s not allowed to talk to anyone in your clan right? That’s one of the reasons why he allowed you guys to believe he was dead for so long and hasn’t tried to send any letters.” 

 

“I don’t care, I wish to see him.” Takashi says determined. 

 

“What if he doesn’t want to see you?” Ohta pushes back. If Takashi tries to find him now, he will not find him in his small little house and Ohta doesn’t want to send him out to that dangerous territory with wolves. Ohta knows his way around that area but Takashi would be completely lost and might fall into a couple of traps Ohta has around his home. 

 

Takashi takes a moment then replies “He wouldn’t push me away, I know how he is and he’s not shallow like you.” He glared. 

 

“Ah, a pierce in the heart” Ohta clutches his heart and laughs at the irony. “Maybe, maybe not. It's been 7 years since his banishment, how do you know he hasn’t changed since?” He questions. 

 

“No matter, if he has changed, I—“  The carriage comes to an abrupt stop and the servant announces that they were at their destination. 

 

“Well. shall we?” Ohta opens the door and signals the servant to come back later and walks out and goes to the first stall he finds which holds a couple of sweet buns which he makes his first purchase and hands one to Takashi. “You know, I’m not so much of a bad guy if you get to know me?” Ohta wants to give Takashi a safe place with him but as a tyrant he knows fully well that it might take time for him to warm up to him. 

 

Ohta played with the idea of revealing his identity to Takashi last night as he laid in bed, but the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to keep Takashi as far away from the mess Ohta has gotten himself into as possible. It wouldn't be good for them if Aoi or Raya found out. Ohta was now aware of the level of power these two possesses after what his spirit animal had revealed to him, he wants to avoid provoking their wrath as much as he could.

 

"I've heard of your nasty behavior and the numerous people you've murdered in cold blood. Drop your act; it is unnecessary given that I was present at the White-Bunny Massacre and am now bound to you and unable to leave, even if I wanted to. Don't try to appear innocent in front of me.” Takashi squeezes the life out of the sweet bun and tosses it. 

 

"I see...Okay, then. I understand your reluctance to be close to me and how I bound you to me, but..." Takashi didn't trust Ohta, so maybe trust is a stretch, but they could still get along. “I want you to think of this contract more as a vacation than a prison, okay?” Ohta tries to make a genuine smile but finds himself cracking a bit, these were the same words Raya said to him about his situation.

 

“Let’s continue shall we” They went shopping from early in the morning till late in the day for items that Ohta might treat himself to now that he had money. He laughs a lot to himself when he gets something expensive but Ohta is frustrated and miserable with the tension between him and Takashi because he wants to talk to him the way he used to when they were younger. It breaks his heart seeing that Takashi gives him the cold shoulder but he understands he’s not in his original body any more.

 

Ohta can’t help but look at Takashi again, after all Ohta was the one who raised this boy and they were the best of friends when they were younger. When they first met, Takashi was only six years old and Ohta was twelve. The two grew up together until Ohta was banished from the clan at the age of twenty.

 

After getting into an argument with the head servant one day, Ohta decided to take a stroll in the Mosswoods and ended up running into Takashi. When the youngster ran into Ohta, he was encircled by wolves. With what little power he had left as a frail, slender child, Ohta snatched him up and fled. Ohta was able to devise strategies in the midst of circumstances and due to his agility and speed he was able to outrun the wolves a bit but he lacked strength and kept on losing hold of Takashi. He persisted though, and he later came upon his stronger sworn brother Hitoshi, who then defeated the wolves for them.

 

They became inseparable after that day, and his Lil Blossom clung to him day after day. 

 

It was silent in the carriage and Ohta was feeling depressed from this little adventure. His eyes felt heavy and he pressed his body to the side of the carriage. The carriage was warm unlike the cold outside, he wonders if they placed a warming talisman on the inside to keep it this cozy. He was quickly overcome by sleep, and he remained unconscious until being violently shaken by a hand. 

 

“Were here, get up” The voice of Takashi woke him, but he kept his eyes closed because he wanted to stay inside the warm carriage and not get out. The next thing he knew, he was in Haruki's room, curled up against a number of cushions. Once he blinked his sleep out of his eyes he found Takashi drinking tea at the low table by the bed. “You're finally awake” He raised the food that was in front of him to show Ohta. 

 

Ohta got out of bed still feeling a bit lethargic and stretched his arms up before stumbling out of bed and eating in front of Takashi with tears in his eyes because it smelt so delicious and tasted just like the chicken soup he had as a child. He looks down, and the soup is precisely the same from his childhood!

 

Who are you?" Takashi interrupted and gave him a deeply suspicious look.

 

Ohta stares at his food bowl, fighting back tears, because this was a meal he'd been forced to believe he'd never have dreamt of having again.

 

"You are not the Tyrant who confronted me on that day. He would have never made these choices, much less allowed himself to be so exposed while he slept.” Takashi straightened his posture once more, holding Ohta's chin to force him to face him. "So let me ask this again, who are you?" his voice was dripping with hatred. "The Haruki that I knew would have tortured me for days on end until he got bored."

 

Ohta's eyes swelled with tears as he felt his nails drive into his skin. 

 

“I’m Haruki! Who are you to try and denounce my character!” His voice was unsteady.

 

“Do not lie to me!” Takashi tore the words out of his throat.

 

Ohta felt his blood trickle down his face as the nails dug deeper into his cheeks. Takashi paused and turned to face the blood, saying, "The scroll isn't working; I harmed you but don't feel the consequences... You are not Haruki.” Takashi laughs, "I'm not sure whether to be happy or unhappy about these circumstances; what did you want to do with me if you are not who you claim to be?"

 

“I didn’t want anything from you, I just wanted you to be safe.” Ohta confesses

 

“Why? Takashi exclaims, "WHY!? When Ohta tries to retreat, he tumbles to the ground, and Takashi follows, pinning his body beneath him. "Just who are you exactly?!" he shouts,

 

“I– I I’m– My name is–!” 

 

Ohtas voice stops and he's struggling to breathe. His voice felt like it was pulled from him and Raya appears from the corner of his eye which prompts Ohta musters all of his strength to push Takashi off of him and then pivots to position his body in front of Takashi to shield him from Raya. Ohta, who is currently coughing up blood and is experiencing a severe headache, musters the willpower to talk.“D–Dont hurt him.” He knows he's helpless in this circumstance, but he could still beg—even if it meant humiliating himself in front of someone who used to look up to him. 

 

Raya is simply observing the sight in front of her when Aoi appears from behind her and asks, “Now what do we have here? Who is this? You know we didn't anticipate you to make such a mess in just two days. Since we did utilize an outsider for our experiment, we should have kept things under better control. " She then turns and Raya brings her a bottle of liquid, which she takes and holds up to Ohta, saying, "Now as your punishment, drink up." She tips his head back and forces his jaw open, allowing all the contents of the vial to pour down his throat.

 

Ohta sways and leans against the bed for support. She now looks at Takashi and asks, "Now what should we do about you." Ohta grabs hold of his robes and uses all of his effort to force him back behind him. “Oh, is he a friend?” Aoi looks wide eyed. 

 

He bows down to the ground and smacks his head, begging, "He won't tell anyone about this, he's devoted and won't go against you, goddess."

 

"Please don't harm him," Ohta chokes on his tears, and Raya finally speaks, her face pained by the scene being displayed in front of her. "Very well, I will let this slide, but I will not let something like this go the next time, if you know this individual and would risk your own life for him, I trust you know next time I have to come, I will not spare him as a punishment." She then grabs Aoi’s arm and leaves in a puff of smoke. 

 

Ohta passes out feeling his body ache in pain.

 

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When Ohta first wakes up, he is confused and only able to hear the conversations surrounding him. Then someone comes up to him, whispers something to him about medication, and pours something herbal down his throat. He quickly drifts off after that. He was unable to sleep but was also not awake due to the severe agony in his brain. He floated listlessly in a sea of panic, fretting about something he couldn't remember, agitated by fleeting glimpses of hazy memories. No matter what he tried, he was unable to escape. No matter how hard he tried, he was unable to ignore the worry. continuous, crippling fear that something was amiss or off about everything.

 

He would succumb to a peaceful emptiness, only to wake up and discover that he had fallen asleep when his mind started to spiral once more. He occasionally noticed faces. Moreover, light. He didn't recognize anyone, and he was overwhelmed with anxiety. He didn't know what to do, though. Then he closed his eyes as the darkness drew from him once more.

 

Gradually, his mind started to clear, and he was soon able to wake up without being in a dream. He could feel the softness of the pillows and the sheets beneath him as well as a breeze of icy air.

 

He blinked slowly, squinting against the light.

 

“Wha–” His voice dry and he heard shuffling from beside his bedside, it was Maeko, she looked hazzard as she filled up a cup of water for Ohta.  She tipped the water for him to drink, but he waved her off; got up, picked up the cup, and downed it on his own.

 

His head was foggy, but after a few seconds it began to clear up, and he grabbed Maeko, asking, "Where's Takashi?” She lowers her head, crying, "I'm so sorry, master! I should have never allowed him to get that close to you, he poisoned you!” Ohta stared at her in disbelief  “Where is he!?” 

 

She glances back up to Ohta, sees fear etched on his face, and says, "He's down in the dungeon, Wahei has been administering his punishment for days now, waiting for you to wake up so you may take your vengeance."

 

"Take me to him immediately!"

 

He collapses to his knees after stumbling out of bed. Maeko rushes over to Ohta to pull him up off the ground, and she leads him down to the dungeons by wrapping an arm around him. 

 

Ohta is still wearing his inner robes and is a complete mess, but he doesn't care what people think of him. As they finally reach the end of the room filled with cells, he maintains a forward-facing gaze. Ohta could hear the sound of air slicing and crackling. 

 

He finds Takashi bound to the wall of the cell where he is being held, and Wahei is whipping him in front of him. Before the whip could deliver another hit, Ohta grabs it and slaps Wahei. "Leave us and hand me the key to his chains.” In shock, Wahei does as he is told and then storms off while clenching his hands to his sides. Ohta rushes to remove the handcuffs before ordering some guards to assist in carrying Takashi to Haruki's chamber and to fetch a doctor.

 

Ohta takes a seat at the low table after finally learning that Takashi is fine. He has bandages across his body and a broken foot is what Ohta finds out. While waiting, Maeko tells him about what happened that night. Takashi apparently called for a doctor after he passed out, and when the doctor discovered Ohta was poisoned, he immediately called the guards to take Takashi to the dungeons to find out what poison he used, and when he couldn't come up with any answers as the days passed, the punishments got worse because they were worried he would die if they didn't act quickly and find the antidote.

 

Rubbing his head, Ohta places his head on the low table and tells Maeko to summon Wahei.

Wahei was quick to come and he kneeled in front of Ohta “I'm sorry for my impertinence, Your highness!”

 

Ohta grabs his arm and lifts him up. "I understand why you did what you did, and I'm glad I have loyalists who care about me, but he didn't poison me." Ohta sighs and takes the healing salve the doctor had left behind, rubbing it on Wahei's cheek. "An intruder sneaked in and forced a vial of liquid down my throat; Takashi bears no blame; in fact, he was the one who got me to the doctor so quickly." Ohta completed his treatment.

 

"Do you understand that I don't want him to be hurt in any way from now on?" Ohta’s eyes glow icy blue

 

"I understand your highness; I will carry out your orders and issue an imperial order so that everyone is aware of your declaration." Wahei bows 

 

“Good, you may take the day off and rest.” Ohta waves him off.

 

Ohta takes another look at Takashi in bed, he's pale but will live “Do you know how long he will stay asleep?” Ohta asks Maeko.

 

“The doctor estimates that he will be able to wake up tomorrow, so you don't have to wait for too long.” Maeko answers and leaves the chamber.

 

.

.

.

 

The sun was setting, and Ohta had spent the entire day by Takashi's side, holding his hand and mumbling apologies. He's still not sure what poison they made him drink, but he doesn't feel as achy as he did before but he does feel energy being drawn from him, and he feels sleepy, but he didn't want to sleep knowing Takashi would be alone and what would happen if he slept again and something happened to Takashi again.

 

Ohta eventually falls asleep during the night but awakens early in the morning before he can hear the birds sing or the morning servants carrying out their duties. The hand that was interlaced with his squeezes his hand and Ohta raises his head to see that Takashi was staring down at him. 

 

Ohta tries to quickly get up and undo their hands, but Takashi pulls him back down towards him. Ohta has to use his other hand to steady himself so he doesn’t put any weight on Takashi while he is still injured. “Are you okay?” Ohta could help but ask. Takashi grabs Ohta’s robes and pulls him towards him again to hug him. Ohta froze on top of Takashi while Takashi wrapped his arms around him and held him close. 

 

“Ohta, I missed you.” Takashi rasps out. 

 

Stunned, Ohta makes another move to get off Takashi. "I don't want to cause you any more pain because of your injuries." Takashi, on the other hand, refuses to let him go and rolls to his side, allowing Ohta to lie beside him rather than on top of him. "Does this work better?" Too close to Ohta's ear, he whispers, and Ohta can feel him breathing on the side of his neck. He nods and flushes. 

 

It was quiet for a while before Takashi speaks out again “Ohta, what did you get yourself into now?”

 

"How did you figure out who I am?" Ohta inquired

 

"You're a terrible liar. I saw through your facade on the first day, but I didn't realize it was you until you protected me that night and used your body as a shield." Takashi pushed his face deeper into his neck and spoke again. "Why do you always get in trouble...? It's always been your bad habit to do something stupid, but this is too far. How did you get involved in this mess?" 

 

Ohta laughed a little. "I sort of barged into the wrong house and got caught up in a soul transfer. I will, however, be able to regain my body in 6 months...if that helps."

 

Takashi groans and laughs. "Ohta, I'm sure you already knew this, but trouble worships the ground you walk upon... Have you ever learned a lesson after doing something stupid?" He sighs in defeat “I’m just glad that you're okay and alive.” 

 

“Did you guys really think I was killed by wolves?” Ohta whispers out 

 

“Yes. On the day you were sent away, there was a report of a wolf attack, and they didn't make it, so everyone assumed you died. Looking back, it was strange that no one tried to confirm that it was you, but instead declared that the body was mangled beyond belief, so we all just accepted it... I should have gone looking for you." He hugged him even more tightly. "I'm sorry I couldn't return to the clan to reassure you that I was safe and well." Ohta rubs his back in a circular motion.

 

“Ah!” A voice comes from the entrance. “I’m sorry, your highness!” Then they hear a slam of the door closing. 

 

Ohta then looks at their position and his face grows a tomato red. Clearing his throat he gets up “Ugh, this is going to be a mess.” 

 

“When it applies to you, it’s always messy.” Takashi jokes “So what are your plans until you get your body back?” 

 

Ohta hums “Well, The Fertility Goddess just told me to take a vacation in this body and relax, so I was just planning on draining the funding of this awful clan dry and have a bit of fun being rich.” 

 

Takashi laughs at his plan “I wouldn’t expect anything less from your brain.” 

 

“Hey! It’s a good plan! Plus, I didn’t even want to get involved in this mess. It kinda just happened so I figured I might as well have fun.” Ohta counters back. “Sure, I made a mistake on my second day but it’s hard being a tyrant!”

 

"Then I'll help you... so we can both get out of this mess. I'll be right here by your side, assisting you whenever you make a mistake." Takashi declares, then places his hand on top of Ohta's head and ruffles his hair, "Let's have some breakfast, yeah?"

 

They both move to the low table; Ohta has to aid Takashi due to his broken foot, but the low table was close enough that they could accomplish it without much hardship.

 

“I can’t believe how big you’ve grown. I could barely recognize you when we first met.” Ohta confesses then smiles at Takashi before sitting down at the table he waves down a servant to bring some food.

 

“What have you been doing since leaving?” Takashi asks.

 

"Well, I've been stowing away on the outskirts of the Mosswoods, I tried to leave but… I simply couldn't bring myself to. It would have been too painful. So I stayed and built a small house; the majority of my diet consisted of fish I caught in the Remedy River and vegetables I grew. It was difficult at first, but after developing a routine, I've been able to spend my days soaking up the sun."

 

"You said you picked up a Black Panther spirit… What caused this to happen? It's unusual to come across an animal spirit once you've outgrown your adolescence."

 

"It just happened to be in trouble at the time, and I helped it. It attached itself to me in exchange for my kindness; it was nothing spectacular." Ohta scratches the back of his head coyly.

 

‘If I told him the whole story, he'd definitely give me a few smacks on the head,’ Ohta contemplates.

 

They then ate dinner together after it was brought in. Like when they were children, Takashi and Ohta were eating their dinner huddled together. The servants gave them an odd looks before leaving the room.

 

.

.

.

 

“Have you heard?  His Majesty has a man as a concubine!”

 

"I heard he was going to be a consort, after all, they've already spent the night together and he hasn't shown interest in others before." 

 

“His highness favors someone? I hope he doesn't kill him by accident; I'm not sure he understands the difference between pleasure and pain given how much pleasure he takes on the battlefield."

 

"Perhaps His Highness will mellow down now that he has a partner,"

 

“Disgusting! Damn this generation, dont they like women anymore?!” 

 

“I should give him one of my daughters if he’s seeking partners, maybe he just hasn't gotten a taste of women before.” 

 

"I heard the Oso Clan sold him to his royal highness, and they have a master-slave relationship."

 

“His highness ought to be ashamed of his disgusting behaviors; he is bringing disgrace to his lineage.”

 

“All of this is confirmed by the second in charge, Wahei! Nobody except His Highness is permitted to touch his peace offering, and if they do, they might have been drafting a will at the same time.”

 

“So possessive, are we certain that this man isn't being forced to be his highness's bride?”

 

“Who cares? As long as he is distracted, he won't be able to murder any more people. I deem this a victory.”

 

.

.

.

Raya pries open Haru’s mouth fiercely to shove a bottle of liquid down his throat. He is chained to the wall and slumped on the ground in Ohta's body. As he cries out, Aoi grabs his arms and circles his body with her legs. After finally forcing the liquid into his mouth, Raya covers it with her hand and pinches his nose before he has a chance to spit it out. He struggles against it before swallowing it.

 

"Ah, Haru, I believe I have chosen the perfect individual to ruin your reputation." She observes him glaring at her before saying, "He's a little reckless, but once this is finished, I believe you'll never be able to live with yourself in your old body."

 

She chuckles, "I do feel a little bad for that fellow, though. He doesn't realize how little his life means in the larger scheme of things. He won't last the whole six months before his body begins to reject his soul.”

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ETOTEDDY

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