ᴀᴄᴀᴛᴀʟᴇᴘꜱʏ

Beginnings ▸ Yoisaki

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

"Hitomu, come on." The withered tree of an old man ushered them towards him. "Bring my glasses while you're at it." The small blond he softly ordered scurried over, snatching the case containing said glasses. 

"Thank you." he kindly said, giving the blond a soft head pat before receiving the case. This earned an inaudible huff from them, but they said nothing. The old man flipped the case open, plucking the glasses and putting them on. With a satisfied grin, he glanced at the small blond. "Now then, we shall go."

Hitomu snorted. "You still haven't told me where we're going." they said, watching the old man slide open the shoji door, revealing the pure blackness of the outside yard devoid of lights. 

"I haven't? I thought I already informed you during lunch." he sighed, hunching slightly while doing so. "Forgive me, being an old man equals a growing inept memory. I'll just explain before we go. 

The two of us are heading to the shrine at the mountain's peak. The shrine where the first Yoisaki's pinpoint the location of their prey, hence conducting their nightly hunts. This night is one of great importance, as it was the night they had commenced the promise given to them. Now, we need to pay our respects to the shrine, to celebrate that day of importance." He said, a seemingly proud smile on his face.

"...Is it strictly necessary that we do this?" they asked with a deadpan face.

"Well of course!" He seemed to be shaken by their question. "We must pay tributes to the past, in order to honor and remember them. In doing so you might even receive a blessing from our ancestors." 

They scoffed. "But I don't have any need for blessings. I don't have any use for them anyways."

A click of the tongue, one coming from disappointment. "That's your loss. Now come on, we are losing moonlight."

"Don't we need a flashlight or something?"

He flashed a slight side eye. "There's no need for that, come on." 

"Do we really have to go at night? Can't we go when it's much brighter?" they had asked. 

The old man raised a brow, impatiently tapping the slender kiseru in his hands. "Have you not heard what I just said Hitomu?" 

A slight hesitation flashed on their face. "...I heard it clearly. But isn't it dangerous to go out wandering into the night without any light? We might trip on something and hurt ourselves... or worse." they had quickly said. 

"You are asking an awful amount of questions Hitomu. It seems to me that you're stalling." He paused, an idea. "Are you perhaps afraid of the dark?"

Hitomu froze, their eyes became null. Their lips parted and started quivering, despite the effort she forced to hide it. 

The old man grinned. "I hit the right spot didn't I?" 

"I'm not scared..." they mumbled, the volume intended for their words came out much softer than they had expected. "I'm not against the idea of going out I just--"

Unfortunately, he heard. "Hmm?" He tilted his head. "Then we shall go right away then!" 

"...No... Look, Takehiko-san I just don't think it's a safe idea too--"

"Takehiko-san?" The grin grew wider, forming into a twisted smiling monkey mask. "You must be desperate. You barely say my first name, much less with an honorific. How pitiful it is to see you in this state."

"I-" 

"Now there's no need to fear Hitomu." He strode forward, kneeling in front of the kid. He placed his hand on top of their head, earning a wince. "I'll teach you the ways of the night little Yoisaki-kun, I'm an expert after all. That way, you won't be afraid of the dark anymore. You'll have anyone in the clutches of the dark dancing on your palm."

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

• ►「nukunukunounknown」

|UNEDITED|