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hazbinextgeneration · 9 months

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Demon Bride Ch19 More Curiouser Still

(DISCLAIMERS AND IMPORTANT INFO!!!: EVERYONE in this story is in their early 20s-30s! This story will contain mentions of past abuse and death! I'll be keeping it as SFW. Some backstories have been slightly altered for this particular story, and some characters cannonically dead or harmed is alive and well. I own nothing.

Credit to @flanelltees for the designs I based the demons off to look more demon-like with tails and pointed ears.

This story will be sfw, but there will be some blood, implied death, fighting, some gore mentioned, and a few other things that will be made aware by warnings. Pay attention to warnings at the top of any chapters just under the summery please.)

Once in the mountain villages it was a custom that once a year on the night of the new year's first moon, an unlucky young lady would be selected and left for the demons to become one of the unlucky few who married such a husband. In exchange for this offering the demons would protect the villages and leave the humans in peace. Until one day a powerful warrior drove the demons away freeing the humans of them. Now 2,000 years later, it's become a tradition that once a year, a new young lady would be picked and wait for her future husband to retrieve her from a shrine in the mountains. And now the lucky tradition would fall upon Y/n L/n. It would be her own turn to take on the tradition and not have to worry about demons. After all that part of the old tradition was just fake, made up by paranoid ancestors. Everyone knew demons didn't exist.

...Right

(WARNINGS!!!: None this chapter)

First Part Here:

Demon Bride Ch 1 Thus It Begins

(WARNINGS AND DISCLAIMERS!!! EVERYONE in this story is in their early 20s-30s! This story will contain mentions of past abuse and death! I'l

TUMBLR

Last Part Here:

Next Part Here:

First of all the Q and A answers. Thank you to EVERYONE who asked questions. Secondly the chapter will be under neath the answers. I'll be answering them all to the best of my ability without outright spoiling the story outright. I won't be listing anyone names or be saying who asked what, but rest assured your question will be here if you asked one since I copy pasted them all here. If there is more than one question next to one another then it's because the person asked more than one question. Now without further delay- Let's get into the answers and then the next chapter underneath them!

*can you give any kind of Idea when reader might meet hantengi or his sons?

Yes! Hantengi will be in this chapter and his sons will be later.

*do breathing styles exist here if not how are demons killed?

Yes and no. The Haishira still use breathing styles but in this au storybook it's to protect others not just necessarily on demons. Some demons can use breathing styles as well. Demons in this au can be killed by other demons, nichirin metal, wysteria, and certain things they're personally allergic too. They can also die from old age but they can live for a very, VERY long time

*How does death work in this book of yours?

The same way it works in the cannon manga.

*Does Mc have a heartbeat?

Yes she does.

*Is it possible that Tamayo/MC's demon ancestors are alive because demons can live hundreds of years?

Yes but who's to say how exactly closely related they are.

*so I wanna ask that was that warrior was yorichii?

Maybe.

*Are people like Gyokko going to be love interests?

*Have you watched season 3 of Kny?

Yes

NOW THE RESULTS OF THE VOTING POLL!!! It was a tough decision with many votes but the results have been counted and the major fight will be-

UZUI TENGEN'S UNNAMED BROTHER VS GYUTARO!!

Thank you to everyone for voting! Uzui TENGEN'S Unnamed Brother won at 18 votes while The Swamp Demon had 13 votes. It was a close win but at the end everyone wanted Uzi's brother.

HOWEVER!!!

IF you want to still see The Swamp Demon vs someone else then chose between these some fights I have in mind for a kidnapped reader. Would you all rather have-

A: The Swamp Demon Vs Douma

B: The Swamp Demon Vs Enmu

C: The Swamp Demon Vs Kokushibo

I'll tally up the votes and decide which of the three I'll do next chapter. That is all the questions. Again thank you everyone for answering and if you continue below, you'll be able to read the next chapter. Make sure to heed the warning on top of all chapters.

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The sun outside was the most beautiful thing you'd ever seen.

Or it would be if you could see it.

The forest was still dense with the tallest trees with the thickest trunks you'd ever seen. There was so many of them, and so close together that their branches and leaves wove together to shade most of the brush underneath as you both passed by. It made for a good place to hide during summer days when the heat became too bearable. At night however it was a scary place as you've experienced first hand. Many hiding places especially amongst the nightfall where not even the moonlight can reach them. It made a scowl be grimaced at the thought of the memories.

"Rotten pig arses."

"Stop moving about. It'll make it harder to carry you."

Your weight was shifted under two of her arms as she walked briskly I'm great strides, in a way that told anyone she was eager to get to where she was going. On her back she carried you, your arms switching between wrapped around her neck and gripping the fabric of her kimono from her back as she held you there with one pair of arms tightly gripping around your legs so you rode piggy back. You found the ride annoying as at any moment you could lose your grip and fall off from all the jostling and fast pace Eri had been making for the last hour. It had been exactly an hour since you asked Kyogai to let the both of you go and the both of you snuck away from the front entrance where you first entered in, and Eri had grabbed you and insisted on leaving right then and there. In fact it her her who insisted and was her idea to carry you on her back to get there faster...No. You weren't given a chance to say no-

"We'll be in trouble if we don't be back soon, and it'll be faster if I just carried you. And you're forgetting something. You're still recovering. The journey is too far for you to physically walk yourself without risk of injury again. I'll carry you to be safer and we may return at an earlier time."

And so you were hoisted onto her back before she began run-walking off in a direction that she seemed to have taken hundreds of times before by how precise she was navigating. Taking some Sharp turns around trees, and jumping over giant roots, and pushing through brush and bushes. It was surprisingly beautiful for a Forrest full of hidden demons. Blossoms were starting to bud and more green coming to be seen. It was almost sad you weren't out to experience this. You missed this. You missed going outside . Feeling the sun and wind softly touch your skin. Letting your eyes see the wonders of the world. Feeling the freedom running through your veins when your feet would walk around farther and farther away from the life you once had. Not that you complained too much about your old life. After all you were extremely lucky compared to other people.

You had a grandmother who was hard on you...a LOT, and who you were forced to care for...A LOT. But you did have at least some semblance of a family when others didn't. You had a house. A very old and damaged house that wouldn't last you for another year as the ceiling was falling in. But at least you had a place to call home. You had a bed. Granted it was so worn that there was literal holes to the floor and it didn't even keep you warm. But at least you could say you at least had a bed when others were forced to sleep on the bare ground. You even had some land. Granted you couldn't ever properly tend to it all with how busy you were but at least you could say you got to own your own land. You even had lots of money from all your hard work to show for it, even if you had to give it all away in the end for freedom. And then leave everything else behind in order to flee for your freedom.

You never regretted that decision to leave. It still felt like a heavy burden was lifted off your shoulders after a long trudge. There were some things you regretted. You regretted tricking Mitsuri. You regretted forcing Kanae into a marriage perhaps she wasn't ready for. You regretted possibly getting Genya into trouble. You regretted not listening to the old man's words to wait until morning before climbing the mountain further. You regretted running away from Kaigaku the first time. If you'd listen or just waited for Kaigaku to throw you out in the beginning then you probably wouldn't be here waiting so long to recover and continue on with life...If you ever had a chance in the future, you'd make it a trip to go back to your village and apologize for that. But not now. Not when you could be forced back into a unwanted marriage as revenge or something. You briefly wondered who might've been your newly arranged husband if you stayed. It wouldn't have been Sanemis or Genya since you did manage to pay back a debt and strunk that deal with your Elder. But you were still picked and would've been married to someone else if not the brothers. If could've been anyone from that young Rengoku warrior to just another young farmer in the village. Maybe it could've worked out? Maybe whoever you would've married if you stayed would've been in fact your soulmate and you would've fallen in love. Or maybe it would've been the worse man ever who would've demanded everything of you and be very violent. Or it could've been the most boring, annoying, spoiled man ever. Or a person who'd always love another and not even look your way for the rest of your lives. All of those were bad possibilities that you couldn't risk. Too risky. At least if you were free you'd be free to find someone in your own time.

If you even wanted to settle down that is.

You couldn't imagine yourself being forced to give up any and all freedom and decision making to someone you're supposed to love. Being forced to just stay home all day cleaning the house constantly and being forced to raise a whole bunch of children by yourself 95% of the time and being at his beck and call on top. Not to mention of he had terrible in-laws.

NONE OF THAT SOUNDED APPEALING AT ALL!!

You weren't even sure you wanted to be a mother. There was already so many children who were orphaned or came from bad homes who needed more help. Perhaps when you decided not to travel anymore, you'd open a children's home. That would be a good thing to do with your life. Taking in a child who might need help- You nearly fell over with a yelp as Eri took a sharp turn around a giant tree.

"Hey. T-Take it easy!," You yelped between sharp sways, your grip on her kimono becoming tighter. This was worse than riding a wild mule!

"We're almost there!," Eri exclaimed excitedly followed by a giddy smile. "I can feel my heart pounding in my chest and the universe blessing me!! I'm coming my love!!"

And there was Eri's usual self excitedly bouncing back to happiness. If you weren't holding on for dear life, you would've laughed happily at her reaction. Reminded you of Mitsuri in some ways only Eri wasn't as naive as Mitsuri had been and she listened to you. Most of the time. If you had to chose, you would've gladly called her your very first friend. Her happiness made her give off larger bounds before she was forcing herself past a series of bushes. Branch after branch, leaves after leaves smacked your face causing your eyes to close and you to yell out to Eri. To slow down. To take it easy. Of course she didn't and kept going on for another minute solid before you suddenly stopped. The suddenlness of it sent you smacking into Eri's back. Your head spun and you groaned out-

"We're here!!"

Purple eyes blinked and slowly things came back into focus, and you gaped at what you saw. It was a series of ponds alright. Three decently sized ponds in the middle of a small clearing in the vast forest. The one you stood in front of was around fourteen feet wide and so murky you couldn't tell how deep it was. Surrounding the edges of the ponds were many lilypads, and cattails, and many frogs croaked their greetings if they hadn't already jumped into the water frightened by Eri's sudden arrival. Rare sunlight gleamed through the small open space above them warming the water from the usual shade. It was kinda pretty you had to admit. But where was Eri's fiance-

"KOMOKI!!" You winced. A loud shrill yell piercing the air (and your eardrums) as Eri cupped her free hands cupped around her mouth as she happily yelled out. "KOMOKI MY DARLING!! MY LIVE!! MY BELOVED GROOM TO BE!! I'M HERE FOR YOU!!" Her loud voice echoed through the trees scaring frogs into the water and birds into the sky as it slowly faded away leaving you both standing there for a long moment before she hummed. "...I guess he didn't hear me."

''Oh I doubt that. I bet everyone in the world heard you." You winced a hand rubbing your poor ear. "I know I did."

"Oh.. Oops. Sorry. I guess my excitement got the better of me." With careful hands she slowly lowered your form until you both stood and you could finally have a rest from being carried. "I'm just overwhelmed by happiness to see him once again."

"Noted. So where is he?" Your eyes scanned over all the ponds. Not even a ripple was to be seen for Eri's efforts. Wasn't he supposed to be here,?

"Komoki sometimes can't hear me underwater. I'm sure he surface eventually like he always does however. " She giggled and clasp her hands to her cheeks love struck. "I can't wait for you to meet him. He's just the sweetest, most shy man I've ever met."

"He sounds terrific." You smiled. "How did you two meet?"

More giddy giggling making you chuckle yourself. ...not that either of you noticed the small bubbles from the other side of the big pond. "It was an accident really. You see there's some plants growing at the bottom of the pond that helps bring down fevers greatly. So one day I came here to try and get some myself instead of buying it all the time. But there was a problem." She sighed arms flopping to her sides. "I can't swim. So when I fell in I would've died by drowning."

"You obviously didn't."

"Exactly. Because Komoki pulled me out." She sighed dreamily. "He was so flustered when he saw I was a girl. Y'know he thought I was actually trying to take over his territory at first? He's not very strong so he's very shy, but he makes up for it by being there for me when my family wasn't and he proposed to me so they couldn't try to marry me off to someone else. *Sigh* He's so polite and handsome and so, so, SO CUTE."

The bubble trailing up from the water slowly got closer and closer.

"He sounds wonderful. I'd like to meet himself and see the man you talk about so much."You smiled. "So when's the wedding?"

"It's planned for next year after I finish my work contract for Lord Kyogai. I stop working next March and the wedding will be in April."

"That soon?"

The bubbles stopped a little aways from the two talking and a hand webbed crawled out from the depths to grab at the grassy ground.

"We're planning to elope to avoid my family's drama. Lord Kyogai knows this and as he's a Lord, has agreed to marry us.~ We even have this nice lake area we plan on moving too. It's got a great view, plenty of places to work, and far away from my horrid family."

"Not to mention that it'll be a great place to raise our children."

You squealed, bristling at the sudden deep man's voice that oozed from behind you. It made you jump and snap your head around, almost yelling at what you saw. IT WAS A MERMAN!! Or...what looked like a merman at first. He had the palest yellow skin you'd ever seen, with orange wet hair clinging to his face, his shoulders, his neck, his back, and everywhere else it reached. Frog like all black eyes stared at you from the edge of the water where webbed clawed hands gripped the grassy earth propping himself up halfway up the bank of the murky pond. The torso led down to what you could only say was a koi fish's body as colorful as the actual animal itself. The man continued to stare at you curiously tilting his head. The feeling didn't come off as dangerous but it was enough to put you on edge.

"A human? In these woods?," He asked confused. "Never thought I'd see one of you around here."

You didn't even get a chance to reply before a high pitch squeal made you both look over. "KOMOKI MY HEART STEALER!!"

The man instantly lit up in a surprised but equally bright smile. "M-My ..MY DARLING BRIDE TO BE!! MY ERI!"

You took a leap back as Eri became a blur to your eyes. One moment she was standing a few yards from you, the next she was on her knees with the man pulled up onto her lap. One pair of hands dipping the merman demon and the other pair grabbing his face as Eri's lips assaulted the love struck looking man with kiss after kiss after kiss until with a final long kiss to his lips she finally pulled away leaving him with a dopey grin.

"...N-Now..."He slowly reached his hands up to Eri's own cheeks. "T-Thats quite a welcome.~"

Eri giggled and hugged him closer not caring of she got wet. "Oooh!! I missed you so, so, so much!!"

"Not as much as I missed you. Everyday I wait to see if you we could come to visit me. I was starting to think maybe something bad had happened to my beloved."

Eri shook her head. "No. Not at all. I've just been distracted lately." She blinked.."Oh yes. That reminds me." She turned back to you and Komoki looked up from where she still held him within her lap. "Komoki, this is Madam Y/n. I've been assigned to care for her a few weeks. Y/n, this is my fiance. He's a demon of the waters."

Komoki smiled politely if a bit shyly at you. "Oh. Hello Miss. I apologize if I might've frightened you earlier but it's the only way I mange to scare off most others from my home. I'm not as physically strong as others are."

...You finally blinked before shaking your head and awkwardly smiling. "It's alright. I've gotten my fair share of surprises by now so it doesn't affect me much at all. But...I wasn't expecting someone as colorful as you to be living here."

"Well I was not certainly expecting a human at my door either. So that makes us even." He then looked back up to Eri with dopey loving eyes. "But back on topic. My Eri. I wasn't expecting to see you today. What has your life been since our last visit?"

"No. You tell me first?~"

"No you.~ I insist, my perfect lilypads of happiness.~"

She giggled happily. "Oh stoooop. If you're going to twist my arms about it...It all started after I saw you last May."

And then the two of them continued on to talk. Without you. Completely forgetting you were even there at all. Sigh. It didn't bother you and you chose not to let it bother you. After all the two hadn't seen each other in about a year so it was understandable that they had a lot to catch up on. So there you stood smiling to the side as Eri continued to talk. And talk...And talk. Literally about every tiny significant thing about what happened to her in great detail since they last saw one another with Komoki listening intently smiling like a love struck fool. ..Sigh. this would take a while. You proceeded to lean against a nearby tree listening to Eri ramble on about everything from how much she missed him to how wonderful of a boss Kyogai was to how much she missed him to what she ate- Did she mention she missed him? With a sigh you rolled your eyes and continued to watch them. And watch them. For what felt like half an hour now. This wasn't what you were expecting when you agreed to help Eri meet her fiance again. The more she jabbered the more you slowly began to space out looking over the waves on the water and nature around you. It really was calm, and beautiful. The perfect place to do some Fishing. It reminded you of that secret pond just outside your village. Being poor with a sick grandmother to care for and a debt to constantly work hard to pay back, made it quite hard to even buy a single chicken, so you ended up just fishing a lot in a small pond you kept to yourself and harvesting lots of the wild fruits and vegetables. Maybe it was a dull meal to eat over and over but at least it was a source of food you could rely on. .. Speaking of food. Loud rumbles from your body made your spaced out brain blink back to reality. What the- Another louder rumble came from your body. Oh right. You hadn't eaten anything yet since the both of you left in such a hurry neither of you had time to eat anything. Perhaps however fate decided to finally be kind to you because just as that moment crossed over your mind a giant splash sound made your head snap just, and purple eyes just caught the tail end of a fish tail slapping the surface of the water before disappearing leaving ripples in its wake. A fish. This pond was full of fish! It was perfect! But you wondered if Komoki would mind if you fished in one of his ponds.

Your head turned to them. "Hey, guys." You hand pointed at the second small pond to the left where you saw the fish. "I'm going to catch some breakfast for us! It's still early I'm the morning."

Eri didn't say a word but Komoki briefly glanced at you, nodded, and then went back to fawning over everything Eri had said. You took that as a yes! So with a smile on your face, you pushed back up from against the tree you were currently sitting on and walked on over slowly towards the pond that you previously pointed out to them. Of course Eri and Komoki didn't give you a second glance but maybe that was for the better. You didn't want to disturb their moment and it'd give you some time to have to yourself without having someone looking over your shoulder or following behind you. You'd enjoy the peace and quiet for once without hearing Kaigaku's voice or Kyogai's worries or the servants ' doing their jobs. Just you, nature, and Eri jabbering on in the background. The grass made soft noises under your boots as you walked over to the second of the three ponds and glanced down to the water. It was too murky to see your reflection but it wasn't as murky as the first pond, enough to reveal the many delicious shadows of wild fish swimming underneath the surface. Perfect. Now you just had a different problem. What were you going to fish with? You had no fishing pole, no rope, and no string either. No hooks and no bait.

... Perhaps you could find a sharp stick to stab them with like a spear?

That was an idea. And a stick would be near the trees. A quick scan over the few trees near the edge of the small clearing revealed nothing you could use. There was a few sticks that looked sturdy enough but they weren't long enough for your purpose. Perhaps there was some just a little away from the tree line? You boldly took a few steps near the tree line to peek around at the ground around the farther roots. Perhaps a bigger stick would be hidden amongst the bushes hidden under all those leaves. Your hand gently grabbed a fistful of branches and leaves, the soft greens brushing against your skin as it just moved an inch-

"aaaaaaaaahhhhh-!!!!"

A gasp escaped your throat. Your body receiving a shock of electricity from the vibrations of a sound so high pitched one would blame it on the wind. It was so fast and short as well. Sounding like it both stopped and started all in one second, not even loud enough to get any real attention. So there you stood, blinking a moment holding the bushes branches, before you shook your head.

"Did you hear that?!," You called with a quick glance over your shoulder. Eri seemed to be describing that annoyed her as Komoki nodded in understanding, both ignoring you or didn't notice you had said anything at all. "..I guess it was just my imagination then." You just shrugged it off and went back to pulling the shrub back. ...which lead to another bush in the way. Sigh

"AAAAAAHHHHH- NO!! NO!! NOT ME!!"

Your eyes and head snapped up. There it was again! That high pitched, small voice. You could barely hear it above a whisper and if you hadn't been paying attention it would've just passed over you. It's sounded not close but not far away as well. Made you wonder. Was it really someone or your imagination?

"MONSTER CHILD!! NO!! HELP ME!! HELP ME!!"

"ERI! SOMEONE'S IN TROUBLE!" They didn't hear you. "ERI?!" Still nothing.

It made you give off a growl of frustration and half a mind to just throw a bucket of water at the two demons. How love struck could someone be to ignore everything around them?! Another scream sounded out and you turned your head. Now anyone else could've seen this as a trap but there was something...off about this situation to you. And you were about to find out what it was. What if it was someone in trouble? What if someone was hurt or lost? They could need help badly. Eri and Komoki didn't even notice that your body disappeared through the bushes with a rustle of leaves being your only good bye to them. The bushes were bigger than you, being nearly as Tall as Kyogai was and very wide with branches sprouting everywhere. For every branch your arm moved over, two would smack some part of your body as you made your way through them all following the small screams and shouts.

"MONSTER CHILD!! EVIL CHILD!! NOTHING LIKE MINE!! YOU ARE NO ANGEL!!"

They wee starting to get louder now, and you thought you heard what sounded like tiny footsteps thudding around from somewhere in front of you before they suddenly stopped and you heard a...giggle?

"AAAYYYEEEIIII!! N-NO! NO! *SOB* I HAVE DONE NOTHING TO DESERVE SUCH A TERRIBLE PUNISHMENT!!"

FINALLY you managed to forcibly push the bush out of the way to reveal a less cluttered version of the forest and paused at what you saw. A small pale figure was standing there in the middle of a small cluster of flowers with a strange red dot pattern on his face with a weak smile. The small screaming continued from the figures small hands which held another man the size of a doll who sobbed and sobbed.

"NOT MY FAULT!! PUT MMMMMEEEE DOOOOOWWWNNN!!"

....It was a child. A spider child?! Holding a smaller... screaming demon the size of a doll?? You blinked. And blinked again. Before shaking you head and blinking again at the sight.

What the what?!

"NO! DOWN! DOWN!! PUT ME DDDDOOOOWWNN!!!," the smaller demon wailed still followed by a sob.

The small boy, who couldn't have been older than eleven, just giggled more before curiously turning the smaller man this way and that to examine him more...before turning him upside down with a squeal from the man.

"Hey! Don't do that!" The little boy jumped with a yelp and spun wide eyed to you, and froze. Oh boy. Guess there wasn't any going back now. With a frown you stepped out from the bush and in front of him. "Don't do that. You'll hurt him!!"

"PUT ME DOWN!! PUT ME DOWN!!"

By now the small demon was covering his face and sobbing almost uncontrollably as still held upside down by the child who blinked surprised at you. ...Come to think of it, what WAS a child doing out here all by themselves? Your purple eyes scanned around but saw no other adult here besides the sobbing tiny man. Where was this boys parents?...Unless..You looked back to him. Was the woman you saw with all those children his mother? They were definitely related from how similar they looked. Pale white, red dot patterns- The only difference was that his eyes were a red and green in color instead of the light grey eyes you've seen all the other spider demons have. Did he get left behind?

With a concerned look, you furrowed your brow looking back to the poor boy standing there, before you knelt down to be eye level with the young boy. "Hey there. Sorry for scaring you. But I was right when I said it's not very nice to hold someone like that." You held out your hand to him. "Can I have him?"

...The boy pouted and held the poor man away from you. Ah shoot. This wasn't going to be easy was it? Sigh. Taking a closer look at them however you noticed some things. The tiny man was actually old. If you had to guess, he looked at least to be in his seventies or early eighties which concerned you more with how much jostling the little boy was doing to him. He could hurt him. And the poor didn't look too good himself. He looked dirty, like he hadn't been taking care of himself too well, and the clothes he was wearing was worn, stained, and torn in quite a few places. Was he in a fight? Either way he didn't look good. Reminded of you when you were a kid and came home from working hard and being very hungry...Hmm. Hungry. That gave you an idea.

"Are you hungry?" He immediately perked up. So that was in fact a yes, you were surprised he could understand you considering his family couldn't. "How about we make a trade? You give me that-" You gestured to the still sobbing tiny man. "-and I'll make you something to eat. There's a pond full of fish just through those bushes and it wouldn't be too hard to make you a fire and cook you some. How about it? It certainly would be better than holding someone screaming to high heavens. He certainly won't be able to give you anything."

"YES!! PLEASE OUT ME DOWN!!"

The boy continued to stare at you, then to the tiny man in thought....before just holding him out to you. "I'm hungry."

You were taken aback from the two words he spoke perfectly in your language before holding out your hands and just having the tinier old man dropped into your palms. You'd worry about the language barrier later, right now you were a little more concerned about the sobbing old man cowering against your palms. In a minute you stood back up, just in case the kid changed his mind about giving up his new toy, you wanted to keep him out of his reach. Then you finally looked at him. He was indeed old, with greyish brown skin, reddish eyes, two horns jutting out of his forehead, straggly black hair, and a giant goose egg on his forehead right behind his horns. Did the child cause this bump? You hoped not. The frail looking man curled into himself sobbing into his hand. On his body was a reddish grey robe that covered most of his body.

You felt instantly sorry for this poor man. It must've been terrifying being manhandled by someone bigger than you especially with how old and frail his tinier body must've been. Which was why you tried not to jostle him too much and held him out a bit to make him feel less crowded. Poor man.

"Um...Are you alright, Sir?"

"Not my f-f-fauuuuuullllttt. *SOB* It wasn't my fault. He made me go around and around," he sniffled between sobs. Poor man. He must've been terrified.

"Of course it wasn't your fault. Please don't blame yourself," you spoke calmly to him which made him instantly stop with a sniffle. "I'm sure it was all just a misunderstanding. Don't feel bad."

...You watched as he slowly lowered his hands just enough to peek his eyes. "Y-You...*sniff* ..You believe me?"

"Of course I do. It wasn't your fault, Sir. It could've happened to anyone."

"Y-You think I'm i-i-inoccent?" He slowly turned his body to you now in question, and you could barely make out tiny tears running down his face.

"I do. But it's over now so don't be alarmed." You smiled. "I'm not going to hurt you. Everything will be just fine."

He stared at you in disbelief for a long moment before sniffing again. "M-Monster child. Monster CHILD! His fault for this!"

"I'm sure he didn't mean to. He's just a young boy." You turned to the boy who tilted his head and blinked. "Aren't you going to apologize to this poor man?"

The boy shrugged. "Sorry."

Didn't sound like he meant it but it was better than nothing you supposed. "See? Everything's alright now. You shouldn't worry yourself anymore about him."

"Monster child! He is nothing like my sons!"

Oh. So he was a father as well? You didn't see any children around here who looked like this tiny monster so these two demons you found couldn't have been related. "Well don't concern yourself about him anymore. I'll be taking him from here. Would you like me to put you down?"

"YES!!"

You immediately complied. Carefully kneeling down and touching your heads to the ground, watching as the tiny demon scrambled off your palm and stood in the grass below. Why he couldn't have been much bigger than a mouse. "There you go. Are you alright? You're not hurt are you?"

He choked on a sob. "Understanding. Kind girl. No one h-has ever believed me before. *Sniff* You're the first one to believe me."

You only smiled. Well he really wasn't wrong was he? It wasn't his fault the little boy decided to throw him around like a toy, so why wouldn't you believe him? "Well it's simply because it's not your fault. That's the simple truth. But are you alright? I wouldn't want you hurt."

"For now, for now. Such a kind girl, concerned for me when no one else has." He mumbled more to himself than actually talk to you. "I feel compelled to thank you."

"Oh no. You don't have to really. I'm just glad you're not hurt any."

"Kind girl. Humble girl. I have five sons. My four eldest are just your age." He half hummed in thought half whimpered. "Only they have ever believed me. So kind to me my sons."

"They sound like Wonderful men to care so much for their father."

He looked to you. "You like them? My four oldest are your age."

"Oh...I wouldn't know. I've never met them before but I'm sure they're very nice."

"Kind girl. One such as you should live a good life."

You nodded in agreement. "Yes. Everyone should live a good life, so should you."

"Such a wonderful girl. So kind." He rubbed his chin. "....You, Kind Girl. Has anyone placed a claim on you?"

That question made you confused. Has anyone ever claimed you? What did he mean by that? You weren't anyone's servant. "No. I'm afraid not."

He hummed again. "...A kind girl shouldn't ever worry about anything and I am quite taken by your kindness towards me."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I'm not planning on becoming someone's servant. I'm already dealing with a lot of things, I wouldn't be a good worker."

He hummed again. "No one's claimed her..." He then nodded. "Then I would like to offer you a proposal. Many l-like to try and stake claims but my sons hate all who are violent towards me. You are different. They would gladly agree if it meant to repay kindness."

"Oh. That sounds very nice-"

Before you could say 'but I don't need any money or gifts' you all were interrupted by a very loud yell.

"Y/N!?" The tiny man squealed in fright as your head snapped up-

"Oof!" You nearly fell over from the sudden tackle to your side as the young boy leaped behind you. The sound of crunching branches and rustling leaves were quickly making their way to towards you all.

"Y/N WHERE ARE YOU?!" Not a second later the bush moved violently and none other than Eri came tripping out of it looking furious. "There you are?!" She scowled at you . "Are you trying to give me a heart attack?! What were you thinking running off like that?! Don't you know someone might've snatched you up?!" She froze as you stood up and all four eyes went to the little boy hiding behind you, all four eyes widened, before pointing. "And who is that?!"

"He's lost. And hungry. I found him wondering around with-" You looked down and paused. The tiny man was gone. "... Where'd he go?"

"Where'd who go?" Eri crossed her arms as you looked around the grass but there wasn't any sign of the small elderly man.

"A man the size of my hand. He was just here...He must've ran off when he heard you coming."

"Uh.. Aren't you forgetting something? What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Oh yes. The fish."

Eri's jaw dropped dumbfounded as you ignored her, reached around to grab the little boy's hand, and lead him past her back towards the ponds. "Wha-... No! Get back here and apologize to me! Y/n!"

Komoki was swimming bobbing in the waters surface, but he seemed very surprised when you walked back through the bushes holding hands with s skittish little boy and an angry Eri right you. You didn't pay her any mind, just asking Komoki to give you some fish to cook for the little boy. The merman demon seemed confused about what to do... but eventually disappeared under the surface while you got to work gathering the many small sticks and pulling off branches from nearby bushes before putting them all together and rubbing two firm sticks together, blowing on them every so while before a small enough fire was made. Not enough to keep anyone warm but it was big enough to cook some food. Which happened to be five fish given to you by Komoki later. Both Eri and the young boy looked on in envy as the fish was stabbed into sticks and placed over the fire to cook.

"I'm hungry." A small tug was given to your kimono and in return you patted his head making his eyes go wide.

"I know but you have to be patient. It takes a bit for them to cook fully."

"Can't I just eat it now. I feel very weak."

"It'll taste better once it's fully cooked, and eating raw fish isn't very good for your stomach."

He pouted but didn't argue further. You let the fish cook for a good few minutes until you flipped them over to cook the other side until the fish was a brown on all sides and safe to be taken off the sticks. The small boy immediately grabbed two and started to gobble them down like he hadn't eaten in weeks (guess he was hungry), Eri took one, and you tried to give one to Komoki but he declined so that one was also taken by the small boy who are it pretty fast. His hunger was something that you and Eri exchanged looks over.

"Is it normal for a demon child to eat this much?"

" None of the other children we had ate this much. He must've been half starved for a long time."

Another tug on your kimono caught your attention as the little boy looked at you. "I'm still hungry."....You handed over your uneaten fish and he immediately grabbed it.

"I don't think I asked before. What's your name?"

"Rui," he answered before just biting into his fourth fish.

"My name is Y/n and this is Eri and her fiance Komoki." He still didn't look when you gestured to the other demons. "May I ask what you were doing all alone?"

"I fled from my home all alone after my family left me behind." Everyone paused. "I tracked their scents somewhere in this forest but I got lost. Everyone here likes to push me around except for that tiny man. He didn't want to help me or give me food."

You both looked at each other . This was...a surprise. You weren't entirely sure about this situation but you couldn't just leave a little boy out here all alone. And you told Eri there was a tiny man!!

"Well.. They're not here in the Forrest anymore but I know someone who could probably help you. He doesn't live too far from here and there's lots of food and shelter. Come with us and I'm sure he can help you."

"I would like more food."

That was a yes then. Eri however gained a horrified look. "Oh my gods!" She yelled before turning up to the sky. "It's already almost noon! We've been here all morning! What if Lord Kyogai knows we're here? We have to head back right away!"

"Now?" Come to think of it you all had been out here for a while and it would be best to get Rui to shelter as soon as possible. On top of getting back before Kyogai noticed. You nodded. "Yes. We should head back now before Kyogai notices or worse Kaigaku." You'd never hear the end of it from that loudmouth.

"Good bye my lovely lotus flower.~"

"Fair well my beloved bride.~"

You groaned. This would be a while.

Exactly two hours later, you all arrived back at the Tsuzumi Mansion with Eri carrying you on her back again and carrying Rui under another one of her arms. The extra weight had slowed the trip back quite a bit as she couldn't go very fast with both you and a child being carried by her. You both must've been heavy to her but she insisted on carrying you back to avoid anymore injuries. You not wanting to argue and head back just went with it. There wasn't anyone outside the mansion when you both arrived which made you both give off some relief the closer you all got. You were sure that Kyogai was still in his study writing away, and you'd be able to slip in no problem. How you were going to explain Rui was gonna be tricky though.

"Do you think anyone's noticed we were gone?"

You waved Eri off. "No. They probably just believe we're in the garden again. We're fine."

BUM!!

In an instant the sliding door leading into the mansion SLAMMED opened and standing in the doorway was a lumbering figure.

"AND WHERE HAVE YOU TWO BEEN?!"