Promised Ink - Ushio and Tora

Chapter 2

Ushio huffed under his breath, tapping the eraser end of his pencil on his desk as he frowned at the mediocre drawing in his notebook. It was scratchy and rough, barely resembling the tiger-like creature in the cellar.

"That's a nice porcupine," a soft voice told him.

This time, Ushio really did groan aloud. "It's not a porcupine. It's my..." His voice stalled in his throat. What was he supposed to say? He couldn't just announce to the class that his soulmate was a monster. Forcing a smile onto his lips, he shoved his notebook into his backpack. "Thanks, Mayuko. I think the guys were right. I really need art lessons." Or a closer look at the subject in question. But how to get close to the beast without... A light went off in the boy's mind, and he perked up. "Hey, Mayuko. Is there a good burger place nearby?"

***

Five hundred years of waiting for a human to be STUPID enough to find him, and it turned out to be his soulmate. Nagatobimaru grit his razor sharp teeth, his claws itching to dig into the boy's flesh. His own soulmark throbbed beneath his fur, a now-constant reminder of the young man's presence.

Many centuries earlier, he'd tried in vain to remove the words. His claws had dug deeply into his shoulder as he'd ripped through layers of furred skin, eager to tear himself free from the unwanted connection. Within a week, his flesh and fur had healed, and the words were intact once more. Since that day, he'd kept the mark hidden beneath his long mane – a bitter reminder of his attachment to the world of man.

A shaft of light appeared on the floor before him, then another, and another. Peering up at the ceiling, Nagatobimaru caught sight of the boy's annoying face smiling down at him.

"Hey, Tora!"

"My name isn't Tora, you horrible brat! It's Nagato...!"

"I brought food," the youth replied, cutting him off.

The monster froze, his narrowed eyes widening into white circles. "Food?"

"Yeah. Hang on. I'm coming down."

As the boy descended the wooden ladder, the flimsy bag that hung from his elbow caught Nagatobimaru's attention. Why would the human pup bring him food? It had to be some kind of trick.

The boy's feet hit the ground, sending up a small cloud of dust. "Alright. Clearly, you're a meat eater, so I brought burgers!" The human pulled a strangely-colored bundle out of the bag, and tossed it Nagatobimaru's way.

The monster caught it in his claws, sniffing at it curiously. It smelled tasty... The beast opened his mouth wide to take a bite.

"No!"

Nagatobimaru froze, his thoughts shouting Trap! The child means to poison you.

"You need to unwrap it first. Like this." The boy pulled away the colorful paper on his own bundle, revealing a strange object that smelled of cooked meat.

Nagatobimaru mouth began to water as he watched the human bite into his HAM-burger, chewing slowly. He rushed to unwrap his own burger, shoving it into his mouth. The taste of something besides dust was nearly overwhelming.

"Wow. You were really hungry," the human announced, letting out a low whistle. "Here you go!"

Nagatobimaru caught the bag in midair, clutching it close with a possessive snarl.

"It's all yours, Tora," the boy chuckled, taking a seat on the dusty floor. He pulled several objects out of his bag.

"What's that?" the beast asked between bites.