A/N: Hello everyone! I haven't updated in forever, lol. Sorry about that. I have recently fallen in love with the Currygom's webcomic, Kubera. I particularly love Yuta x Leez! So this is my first fanfic for this fandom. Yuta has just developed to third stage, and has been admitted into the city of Kalibloom. The city layout is probably wrong, but just humor me, lol. It's not that important for this story anyways. Also, a little warning: The story hasn't been beta'ed or proofread several times. If there are still some mistakes, please let me know in a polite manner! Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Kubera or its characters.
Leez is Job Hunting!?
Yuta had always had these feelings for her. From the minute he saw that deep sea-green hair partitioned partially into two curled pigtails, those beautiful blue eyes, and absurdly yellow top, he had known his feelings. These were only enhanced when she selflessly put herself in danger for the sake of protecting him – a superior sura that had no need for being protected.
Of course, she didn't know that at the time, but now she does; yet, she still jumps headlong into danger for him without a second's hesitation. She is the only human alive, the only Leez Haias, who truly values him as a friend. To her, he is not some powerful monster whom the humans wish to covet yet keep at a distance. To her, he is not some useful weapon – an ace up their sleeves against the other sura and rakshasas. Instead, he was a partner in arms whom she wished to protect, as he similarly wished to do for her.
"Hey, Yuta!" a chirper voice called out to him. He swerved his head around to look at the green-haired 16-year-old girl who had called him.
Right now, they were standing in a marketplace in Kalibloom. After the whole incident with the red sura and Yuta's unveiling as a powerful rakshasa, people had tried to stay well clear of him. However, they still cast greedy glances in his direction. That, or they simply stared at him and marveled at how "human" he appeared despite being such a "monster." The black-haired boy chose to simply ignore both them and their selfish thoughts. Leez was the only person he cared about.
Leez was making urgent "come here!" motions with her right hand, so he hurried to her side. Even if she hadn't called him, as long as she so much as thought of his name, he would rush to her side as fast as his legs or wings could carry him.
Standing in front of a curry stand, Leez's excited demeanor seemed reflected by the bouncing of her curls. She was practically hopping up and down in one spot.
'What is it, Leez?' Yuta wrote on the notebook Leez had gotten for him. Since he was a superior sura, he could not (yet) speak in the human's language. Unfortunately, the language of the sura could not be heard by human – or even many halfs' – ears. So alas, he had to resort to writing.
"These are curry mushrooms, Yuta! They're delicious. They're even better if you make curry out of them, which may be why they were named 'Curry Mushrooms.' Haha! I love whoever came up with the name. It's practical, so it's hard to forget! A lot of things tend to have complicated names, so it's harder to learn. But Curry Mushroom is easy! Plus, they're a very distinguishable color. They're yellow!"
I really want to make some so Yuta can try. Curry used to be my favorite back home… it'd be nice if I could share that with him.
Yuta couldn't help but smile at seeing the one he loved. His normally neutral expression always seemed to soften whenever it was directed towards Leez, the one who always thinks of others.
'Do you want to get some?'
"Oh, no no no!" Leez waved her hands to reject the idea. Her expression fell a little as she added, "The mushrooms are too expensive since they're relatively rare."
'Asha is the one paying, isn't she? Don't worry about the price, Leez. Just get whatever makes you happy.' Yuta smiled the same innocent smile he had when he was still just a second stage rakshasa. It was this part of him that eased the tension in Leez's shoulders. When he had developed, she had been afraid that his mind would have also changed… Luckily, that did not happen. He was still the cute and adorable little Yuta she remembered.
Leez shook her head sadly. "No, I can't do that."
'Why?' Yuta tilted his head slightly in puzzlement.
"I want to be able to afford my own things. I don't want to be dependent on Asha forever, you know?" she looked up at him with a sheepish smile.
I don't want her to hate me. I know that I'm nothing but a burden to Asha… but I still don't want to take further advantage of her kindness by buying myself something that I don't really need.
Even when his eyes turned sea blue, the young rakshasa didn't honestly understand the problem. He was a rakshasa. In his world, it was take or be taken from, kill or be killed. One did whatever was necessary to survive. Money was never a problem. With strength, one could get anything they desired. Regardless of his own feelings, he faked a small smile and nodded.
'If that's really alright with you, Leez. Whatever makes you happy.'
Leez smiled at him. "Thanks for understanding, Yuta. I knew I could always count on you!" She grabbed his hand and gave it a firm squeeze as thanks.
Yuta's pale cheeks immediately flared red as his expression became flustered. He felt a pang of guilt as she thanked him for something he didn't understand. He would likely never understand all the useless things that humans seemed worry about. However, if it was for the sake of Leez, he would tell as many white lies as he needed to make Leez happy and keep her safe.
"Hey, if you two kids aren't going to buy anything, can you move? You're blocking good paying customers." For the first time during Leez's and Yuta's conversation, the old curry vendor spoke up in a non-too-friendly tone. He emphasized "paying." So, this man was so worried about making a profit that he would interrupt two people in the middle of a conversation. Yuta had some difficulty suppressing the urge to rip that man to shreds right then and there.
"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to take up your precious time, Sir!" She bowed apologetically at the old man. She quickly straightened up and grabbed Yuta's elbow. "Let's go over there, Yuta." As she dragged the taller rakshasa behind her, said rakshasa glanced over his shoulder towards the vendor. Immediately, the old man broke out into a cold sweat. The eyes of that demonic being were no longer the beautiful grey that they had been a second ago. Instead, his entire eye had become as black as night. His pupils glowed with an eerie red light, as if trying to guide him into their abyssal depths. The youthful rakshasa barred his rows of sharp teeth. Although the man couldn't hear anything, it felt as though the air around him was vibrating with the growl of a hungry predator. It was a silent yet powerful display of displeasure and anger. The curry vendor felt his throat constrict as if some invisible snake had coiled itself around his jugular.
The eye contact only lasted for a mere second, yet it felt as though the hells the man saw and the fear he felt were as eternal as time itself. The glare was only directed at the vendor, but anyone who saw those cold, merciless eyes felt similar bouts of debilitating fear. It was a good reminder that though he may seem "tame," it was only under the direction of the girl named Leez. If not for her, he would not care if this entire planet blew up.
Satisfied that his anger had been sufficiently conveyed, he turned back to face Leez. His eyes were back to normal and his lips were closed to conceal his shark-like teeth.
When they had made their way to the other side of the market square, Leez sat down on a bench on the side of the road. It was towards the outskirts of the market, so there weren't too many people around. She let out a sigh.
'What's wrong, Leez?' Yuta remained standing in front of Leez.
"I'm just thinking about what to do for money," she confessed. She rested her chin on her palm as she thought.
'Why not a part-time job? I heard that that's popular among humans who want to make some money.'
"A part-time job?" Leez cocked her head in an adorably cute way. It made Yuta's rakshasa heart thump within his chest. Yet at the same time, he was sort of incredulous that here he was, a superior sura, teaching a human girl about human things on her own planet.
'It's like a full-time job, but instead of working all day, you only have to work certain shifts.' Yuta snorted softly to himself by how ironic this situation was.
"Shifts?" Her puzzled expression only deepened. If he didn't have to use his hands to write, he probably would have facepalmed. He loved this teenage girl with all his heart, but sometimes even he couldn't help but marvel at how naïve she could be about the world around her.
'Shifts are specific amounts of times. Most usually go from morning to afternoon, afternoon to evening, and evening to night. Some jobs require an overnight shift as well.'
"Ah! I see!" She fell silent for a little while as she pondered the new information. "Do you think anyone will hire me?" her voice held a tinge of self-depreciation.
'Of course!' Yuta exclaimed with a bright smile on his face. 'You have a lot of desirable traits!'
"I do?" she looked like a puppy that couldn't quite believe their owner was giving them a treat without first asking them to do a trick.
Yuta nodded enthusiastically. 'Yep! You may not be the smartest girl around, or even the prettiest," Leez's face fell and her mouth made a silent "oh" as Yuta turned the page, 'but you have a heart of gold. Once you put your heart to something, you give it 110% of your best effort. You are not the kind of person who gives up when faced with difficulties. You think creatively, like you did with the problem Ran gave you in the water channel. Your rural upbringing gives you a new perspective on the task the hand. You care very much about those around you, and will go out of your way to protect someone. Your sense of justice is greater than anyone else's, and your selflessness goes far beyond what typical humans can claim.'
Leez's eyes welled a little after reading the rest of Yuta's message. "Do you really think all that about me?"
Yuta gave her a solemn nod. He put his right hand over his heart to symbolize his sincerity – the words that spilled forth from the bottom of his heart. A gentle smile graced his lips.
Leez sniffed once, then bounced back to her usual determined self. "Alright! Then, let's go look for a job!" she pumped her fist in the air. She looked up at her companion. "Yuta, you'll come with me, right?" Yuta nodded happily. Her smile only grew wider in response.
Practically jumping out of her seat, she thanked Yuta as she began her search for a part time job.
The two of them spent the rest of the day looking for places that may hire Leez. They went to bake shops, but Leez's appetite and habit of eating without thinking made it impossible for her to work in a place with food. That also crossed coffee shops off the list. They tried restaurants as waiters, but her clumsiness caused her bill to exceed her payment. She tried blacksmith shops, but her accidental use of her bracelet (combined with her own strength) caused her to break or dent almost everything she touched – both products and tools alike. They even tried to apply for jobs where magic would be needed, but it came as no real surprise that she didn't even make it past the magical testing portion of the interview. Eventually running out of ideas, the two finally slumped back to the bench they had occupied earlier. By this point, they had been job-hunting for around five hours. The sun was already beginning to set, causing the sky to become aglow with a soft orange hue.
Leez looked up at it. "The color reminds me of Agni-nim." Leez was so lost in her own hopeless situation that she didn't notice her passing statement cause a small pang of jealousy in Yuta's heart. He didn't reply.
They stayed in companionable silence for a few more minutes. Both human and rakshasa watched the sky change from brilliant orange to faded purple, and finally to the abyss known as the extraterrestrial sky.
When the temperatures finally dropped enough to be noticeable, Yuta wrote, 'Do you want to head back, Leez?' When Leez didn't respond to him, he suddenly remembered that she couldn't see nearly as well as he could in the dark. He tapped her shoulder lightly. Startling slightly, Leez turned around to face Yuta.
The sight before her nearly took her breath away. Though it was very dark out and she could only make out an object's outline, Yuta's pale white skin seemed to reflect the light of the moon giving him a soft, ethereal glow. Simply put, Leez was captivated by the sight of him, a handsome young rakshasa with the radiance of a god. If Leez had to say, it would not be much of an exaggeration to say that Yuta held peerless beauty when compared to other humans. Or even other suras. He was absolutely enchanting.
Leez noticed that she was beginning to drool when Yuta cocked his head at her slightly. Shaking her head slightly to clear her wandering thoughts, she said, "Y-yes, Yuta? What is it?"
He pointed to his notebook. She leaned in close to try to read it, but it was too dark. They were too far away from any stray lights to make out any of the words. Yuta tapped her shoulder again to get her attention. He then tapped his wrist a few times. It took a few seconds for Leez to get what he was trying to say.
Activating her bracelet, a soft golden glow began to emanate from her god-level item. She placed it close to the book so that she could read. "Ah," she breathed. "Yeah, I suppose we should. Ran-oppa should be back by now. I hope he's not worried or waiting for us to eat." Her expression became worried. Typically, she would have said, "Ran-oppa and Asha," but as of current, the two of them seemed to be having a fight. Asha had simply disappeared one day and never came back. She was clearly still in the city since they saw her walking around, but it was almost as if she was avoiding Leez…
Without bothering to write more, Yuta closed his book and tucked it safely between the belt he wore around his hips. (It was really his old sword, but it was more convenient to carry it as a belt). On the spur of the moment, Yuta suddenly reached out and grabbed Leez's arm. He swept her off her feet in one swift motion to carry her bridal style.
"Wah! Y-Yuta, what are you doing?" Leez exclaimed, flustered. Though she struggled as if she wanted to be let down, natural instincts made her fling her arms around Yuta's neck to keep herself from possibly being dropped.
Yuta laughed silently as he enjoyed watching Leez's conflicting antics. Without waiting another second, Yuta unfurled his mix-matched wings and took to the skies in a single bound. Now Leez was in an absolutely hysterical fit of both screaming and laughing. She buried her face into Yuta's bare chest, and it took every meditation method he had ever practiced to keep him from flying off with her to the Takara realm right then and there to monopolize her for himself.
Yuta kept his arms firmly wrapped around Leez's sturdy yet slender body to prevent any mishaps. The ascent was exhilarating as he pumped his powerful wings. He climbed as high as he dared before the air became too thin for Leez to breathe safely. Once he hit that invisible ceiling, he leveled out his flight.
He gave Leez a reassuring pat with the hand holding her under her knees. Having felt Yuta's confident and comforting action, along with no longer feeling the wind being blown out of her, Leez finally dared to remove her face from Yuta's toned chest.
"Ahh!" She exclaimed at first. Though it was probably loud, the wind quickly swept away any sound Leez made. She automatically clutched even more desperately to Yuta's neck. Yuta tightened his grip on her in response.
"It's ok, Leez. I'll never let you go." He said in sura speech. He knew she wouldn't hear it. That's why he felt it was safe enough to voice a phrase with dual interpretations.
After a few minutes of calm, level flight and nothing but the sound of the wind and the powerful flapping of wings, Leez began to loosen her death grip on him. She took another exploratory glance at the scenic night scape below her. The large city of Kalibloom whisked by beneath her as Yuta flew over it. Lights dotted the dark landscape like Christmas lights on a large pine tree. The Temple of Earth was still alit with its golden glow. Some people from the magician's quarters flew around with their spells.
Though the scene beneath her was certainly a tranquil and sentimental sight to behold, it was nothing compared to what still lay above her. Raising her head, she shifted her gaze to the stars. The night sky tonight was perfect; not a single cloud to be had for miles around. Although when most people think night, they think dark and gloomy. That is a truth that is far from reality. Tonight could only prove that.
High above the atmosphere where only very powerful suras could roam, the universe spread out for unimaginable distances. The stars glittered and blinked like fireflies on a clear summer night. The moon cast its glow across the sky, giving a seemingly black abyss a more cool, luminous feel. Even Leez's weak human eyes could make out the various colors of other universes. Beautiful oranges and vivid purples, striking reds and brilliant yellows, soft greens and tranquil blues, all seemed to meld together to create a canvas of color that few would even (dare to fathom). glance up at and admire.
In its entirety, the young sea-green haired girl was surrounded by two seas: one was the yellow sea of lights down below – the sea of human civilization-, and the other was the vastly greater sea of silver stars amidst all the planets and universes in the cosmos – the sea of the gods and the extraterrestrial. Of beautiful beings like the one currently carrying her as if she were the most precious being on Planet Willarv.
Lowering her gaze from the infinite sky, she rested it on Yuta's handsome face. His features had softened considerably from when they had been searching for jobs. His mysterious grey eyes held a soft, velvety tranquility that even Leez had rarely seen. It was the look of a man completely unguarded; the look of a man who seemed to have everything he could ever desire.
Noticing a pair of eyes on him, Yuta looked down. He saw Leez's half-lidded eyes. He'd admit that right then, he had some very indecent thoughts flash through his mind. However, he couldn't afford to lose himself now. Since they couldn't talk anyways, the best he could do was look back up and try not to let the heat rising to his cheeks show too much.
The third stage rakshasa flew straight for a few more minutes before turning around to head back to where Ran was.
By the time Yuta had landed on the balcony of their rented hotel, he could hear a soft snoring coming from the girl he held in his arms. Succumbing to his impulse, he leaned down to plant a small kiss on Leez's soft, full lips. However, his other, more primal instincts also demanded… No. He quickly withdrew himself as he bit his lips hard enough to cause black blood to drip down his chin.
Luckily, Ran-oppa chose this time to walk outside. He looked tired, but not as if he had just woken up.
"Where the hell have you been?" It wasn't as accusatory as it sounded. It was just riddled with annoyance at being kept up so late. Ran stepped up to take the sleeping Leez as Yuta hid his wings and took out his notebook.
'She seemed down about job-hunting and Asha, so I took her flying to get her mind off things.' He gazed at Leez lovingly. 'I think it worked.'
Ran looked up at him with a puzzled expression. "Job hunting? What for?"
'Leez doesn't want Asha to think of her as a burden, so she wants to make her own money.'
Ran merely nodded his head in understanding. "That sounds like something Leez would do." Yuta nodded in defeat. "This is why I said that I would take custody of Leez. That way, she won't have to deal with that degrading and uncaring woman anymore." Although Yuta didn't write a response, he silently thanked Ran. Getting Leez away from Asha could only help him in the long run.
They walked into the spacious living room from the balcony. Ran brought Leez to her room and covered her with a blanket. Although he wanted to give her a goodnight kiss on the forehead (he did feel like a protective older brother, after all), he declined since there was a very powerful someone here who would not be the least bit pleased at such a bold expression of love. Even if it was only familiar love.
When he was sure that Leez was comfortable and settled, Ran made his way back to the living room. Without even giving the half-naked rakshasa a second glance, he made his way to the kitchen. Some rummaging noises could be heard from inside. When Ran reappeared in the doorway separating the living room and the kitchen, he held up two bottles of booze.
"Want some?" Ran smirked. He walked over to hand Yuta one as the latter nodded.
The two spent the rest of the night drinking and talking/writing until the early morning hours. Eventually, Ran managed to pass out. Yuta kept on watch, looking up at the still brilliant moon beginning to dip below the horizon line. Just a few more hours until he could be with Leez once more.
A loving smile appeared on the rakshasa's face. However, if one were to look closely enough, there was something more under that tender expression; something even more greedy and selfish than a narcissist's ego: it was the desire of possession. Leez was his, and he was Leez's. That was all that mattered to the developed rakshasa. And it was all he would ever fight for.
A/N: So, that's the story! This may get another update, but for now, it's a one-shot. I hope you liked it! Please leave a review! Anything but flames are welcome!
