Promised Ink - Ushio and Tora

Chapter 1

Hello, HUMAN.

When Ushio awoke on the morning of his sixteenth birthday, he found the words etched into his skin. No, not etched. It was as if someone had carved each letter with a serrated razor dipped in black ink. Those two words brought the promise of a dark future ahead.

With his school uniform buttoned tightly, the words that stretched across the right side of his collarbone were hidden from view. He tried to hide his soulmark from his father, but the crazy old monk had caught sight of it within a week.

"Dad, I..."

"Keep it hidden. No one must ever know about this," Shigure had ordered, moments before storming out of the room.

That's right. His soulmate was likely some kind of creature or monster or spirit being. Life could be cruel like that. A bond like this was extremely rare, and never ended well for the human in the equation.

I wonder what my soulmate looks like, Ushio wondered. His pencil traced likely over the paper beneath his fingertips, itching to put a face to the words stamped up on his skin. Would they be female or male? A human-like creature, or a beast that could strike fear into the heart of any who gazed upon it? Would it be kind or cruel?

"Are you drawing monsters again?" Asako asked, leaning over his desk to study his drawing.

"So what if I am? I like drawing, that's all," the boy grumbled, pulling the paper closer to himself.

"You need to get out more, Ushio. How are you going to meet your soulmate if you're always doodling in your books," his oldest friend sighed.

Easy for her to say. She'd found her soulmate less than a month later when Mayuko turned 16. Their words matched, and they matched perfectly. Brash, tomboyish Asako, and sweet, demure Mayuko. Everyone said they were a cute couple. They were right. Lucky them.

It would be another year and a half before Ushio had his fateful meeting with the other half of his soul.

***

"Hello, human."

Ushio stumbled back, his heart racing as he struggled to catch a glimpse at the figure glaring at him from the darkness of the cellar. "What the hell are you!"

The creature grimaced, its pupil-less eyes narrowing in distaste. That was when the monster's words clicked in Ushio's mind. "Crap. It's you," the teen groaned, scrubbing a hand down his face.

"Pathetic brat. Don't presume I have any interest in this bond. The moment you release me, I will DEVOUR you whole!"

"That's just great," Ushio grumbled. He pushed himself to his feet, and began to trudge up the ladder, eager to forget ever stumbling upon his imprisoned soulmate.

"Wait! Wait!"

Ushio half-turned, raising a brow at the tiger-striped creature barely visible in the shadows.

"Now hear me out. I got a little carried away, that's all. My social skills are a bit rusty after 500 years. You pull this spear out of me, and I'll do whatever you say from this moment on," the monster promised.

"If I set you free, do you swear you'll really behave?" the teen asked, expecting the beast to attempt some pathetic lie to gain his freedom.

"Yes, as soon as I devour you whole!" the monster announced.

Seriously? At least he's honest. "Nope. See you later, Tora." Ushio ignored the monster's protests as he hefted himself out of the cellar.

"Get back down here, you insolent brat!"

The young man calmly stacked planks of wood over the now doorless opening, and left the storehouse, locking the door tightly behind him. As he made his way back to the main house, his fingers unconsciously rose to his collarbone – tracing the familiar letters inked into his skin.

"What a joke. As if a monster like that could ever love someone."