𝕃𝕖𝕥'𝕤 𝕊𝕖𝕒 (FEM! Reader X Arataki Itto)

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ⁴

I walked all the way to the other side of the island. I had to dodge some of the fauna that grew here but eventually, I found another part of the beach and went to sit on it. I felt so small, sitting randomly in the centre of the wide expanse of sand.

The sun was getting dangerously close to the horizon and feared what would happen come night. I still didn't trust that Half-Oni, what if he attacks me in my sleep? Or steals whatever I have left?

Still, I was extremely tired. I needed to rest at some point. But not now. I quickly went back to the miniature forest and found some dry wood to make a campfire with. After I have made one, (after many tries) I sat beside it and curled myself for warmth.

I was still freezing so I went back and found some large palm tree fronds. I made a makeshift roof and used long branches to make a small tent. I wasn't very good at surviving in the wild like this and had to rebuild the tent about three times. But eventually, I was presented with something somewhat worthy of being called a 'shelter'.

I sat inside and held my knees to my chest. My eyes were dry and I could feel every little injury I've accumulated. At least the pain could be used to keep me up. And the cold. And my fear. I pulled back my collar and saw the scar. "I'm either really lucky or really unlucky."

My eyelids felt heavy and I slapped myself to remain awake.
'They're on the other side of the island... Maybe if I can just sleep for five minutes, I'll be fine.'
I shook my head,
'No, I bet he's waiting, waiting for an opportunity to do something...'

My paranoia was getting to me and I stood up and walked in a circle to help wake me up, slapping my cheeks. I heard a branch snap and spun around, but didn't see anything. "It's all in your head, Y/n..." My hand found it's way to my other pocket which carried a small foldable knife. It was quite blunt but it was something.

I flinched as a bird flew above me and sighed, frustrated. "Keep it together, dammit." I was about to retreat back to my makeshift shelter when I saw something at my feet. "AH-! Wait, it's you?" I looked down to see the cow thing.

"Hmph." It slightly nodded as if it could understand me. Uncertain, I backed away but it just turned around and began to roam my part of the beach. "Um, okay then?"

I then spotted something on the shore, by the rocks. Upon closer inspection, it was a piece of driftwood, specifically a part of a boat. 'Could it be from my boat?' It was a possibility.

I glanced around me and saw more laying about and the cow was looking at me with curiosity.
"If I can piece a bunch of these together, I might be able to make a raft and hopefully-"
"Whatcha got there?"
"AHH!"

I swung the plank I was holding towards it and a large hand caught it before it could reach his face. "Woah! Nice swing!"

The Half-Oni.

He slowly grinned and tightened his grip. "Pretty strong for a tiny human. Not nearly as strong as me, but strong nonetheless. Say, how good are you in real combat? Ooo, how about wrestling?!"

I quickly let go and stumbled backwards away from him. He dropped the plank onto the sand and crossed his arms, "It was a simple question..." He noticed my surprised expression and smirked. "Sorry, did I scare you??"

I balled my hands by my sides, "Yeah! I nearly hit you!" I shouted at him. "Like you could hurt me." He rolled his eyes playfully. "This is the Undefeated Sumo King you're talkin' about!"

He was joking around and I was being serious. I gritted my teeth and took another step away from him. I swallowed thickly, trying to calm my nerves and racing heart.

He noticed my body language and raised his brow, "Wait, are you genuinely scared of me?" He scoffed in disbelief but when I didn't answer, his expression turned solemn.

"Wait, seriously...?" Crestfallen, he backed up and his brows creased into a wounded expression. I kept my gaze to the ground, unable to look him in the eye.

"Its because I'm an oni, is that it?" His tone was almost angry. I was about to correct him but he interrupted me, "Okay then. Fine," he briefly threw his hands up in frustration, "I'll-I'll leave then!" He sounded hurt, offended even.

I looked up to say something but he was already walking away. I felt guilty for some reason. My gaze fell onto the cow who shook his head disappointedly and followed after him. "What did I do..."

I looked down to see a small wooden box. I bent down and carefully opened the flimsy box and saw two pieces of cooked meat. It looked like the legs of some bird. I examined it to check if it got any sand on it.

Did he catch a bird specifically for me?

I shook the thought from my mind and lowered the lid I was holding. "Did I treat him too harshly?" He hasn't necessarily done anything to harm me, so why was I so afraid?

I made my way through the small forest and saw a warm light on the beach up ahead. I took a deep breath, composing myself, before marching forward.

"Hey." I made my presence known as I approached him. He was sitting by the fire while watching a small bug crawl on his palm, his whole aura seemed depressed while his friend lifted his head from his resting position to glare at me. But that could just be his normal face.

"What're you doing here, I thought you were scared of me?" He said without looking at me and I could hear a hint of sadness.

"I came to apologize." I walked over and sat on my legs near him, hands on my lap. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously whilst raising a brow, "Apologize?"

"I... Might've judged you too harshly." My hands balled into fists. "You're not that scary. My ignorance is what caused me to... to be afraid. And I'm sorry. It was quite immature of me to judge you so quickly. It's alright if you don't forgive me..." I bowed my head a little.

"If you decide that you can find it in yourself to forgive me... then can we start over?" I raised my head and saw him staring at me. He turned his head to glance at the beetle that was halfway up his arm, his face looked like he was thinking it over.

I lifted my hand towards him, a small smile present on my lips. "Hi. I'm Y/n." I held it there and waited. I was about to put it away when he turned his whole body to face me, crossing his legs. Even though he was sitting, it was evident that he was larger than me. He gazed at my face before raising his own hand.

His was large in comparison to mine but I tried to not think about it too much. His nails were also a little sharp on the edges but not so much that it was a problem.

He firmly shook once before his signature grin adorned his face, "Name's Arataki Itto, but you can call me The Great Arataki, Supreme Arataki, Undefeated Arataki, or even Oni King Arataki Itto. Whichever works best for you. This here is Ushi, he's a member of my gang." The bull huffed in response before dropping his head again to sleep further.

I felt light, as if a huge weight has been lifted off of me. He was smiling again and that was a huge relief on my end. I smiled broader,
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Arataki Itto."
"That's none of the names I mentioned..."
"Don't push it."

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