No one lived in the shrine until the arrival of Ukitake, the land's new kamisama, whose origins as a human still haunted him. It had only been a few years since that day. It had been both a blessing and a curse to become the land's kamisama. His body felt light, free of disease, and the world felt like a safe place, but at times it was much too safe. To the humans, Ukitake was untouchable and invisible, a being a step above them. And Ukitake, who was not completely detached from the living world, longed for human companions.
Drought had long been forgotten by the land. With Ukitake's blessings, the land that his villagers once inhabited flourished with greenery and overgrown with rice plants from the planted seeds they had left behind, attracting the attention of the well armed Kyōraku family. Several plots of land had been rewarded to the Kyōraku family either as gifts or as trade for protection from thieves, bandits, and youkai. The expansion of their family from the south to the east had exhausted their supplies, making it a crucial year for prosperity. And they had a keen eye on Ukitake's uncontrolled and abandoned lands.
They hoped to implement an improved irrigation system and several other changes to ensure great crops yearly and made a visit to the area's shrine to pray for blessings in their endeavors. Once they entered through the Tori gate, all was calm like an undisturbed oasis in the forest where only gentle woodland ran freely (and perhaps a few not so gentle animals attracted to the flesh of prey). Unbeknownst to the humans, the kamisama of the shrine was watching them, gliding beside their men and women. Ukitake was delighted to welcome the large group, expecting their arrival for days now after one of theirs had stumbled upon his shrine, and fully focused on the offerings of fruits, cabbage, and fish that they carried with them on wooden trays.
His familiar, a lion dog named Jun, was also pleased to at their arrival, hoping that his master would treat him today with the offerings. Jun did not require sustenance to survive, but his master Ukitake did. For some reason, they could not discover, Ukitake continued to have a strong need for human food and water on a yearly basis, but several years had pass, and he could feel the ache of hunger that seemed to hollow out his insides, leaving him fatigued and his senses dull. He hadn't realize he could feel those human sensations even as a divine being.
"The food looks delicious," said Ukitake to Jun.
"Fish, fish, fish," Jun chanted, licking his chomps and whimpering.
The ceremony had come after a moment's hesitation. Ukitake could feel concern racing through the group as they took in the state of the shrine. It was covered in vines and autumn's decaying leaves uncovered by melting snow. Unkept and empty, it felt almost eerie to the visitors.
'Is this a cursed town?' They thought but said nothing, wary of even their thoughts, and clasped their hands and bowed their heads in prayer.
"Cursed?" Ukitake said, knowing that his words could not be heard by the humans. "No cursed land has crop this plentiful."
'Please, kamisama,' Ukitake heard as loudly as if it was spoken with a shout. 'I pray that you bless our family with prosperity.'
This thought was coming from a young man, who looked to have been the same age of Ukitake, with a sharp jawline crusted with facial hair and high cheekbones. This was a man who had journeyed outside often, soaking in the sun's rays, instead of being coddled and protected inside. He was dark enough that Ukitake had assumed he was a servant to the family (a militant, especially, as they were known to train and live in rough conditions) until the white haired kamisama heard the collective wishes of the group.
This young man was named Kyōraku, Shunsui, the second son of the noble family.
"Why are you here?" asked Ukitake. Although he was no longer human and knew they couldn't hear him, Ukitake found himself talking to them anyway, longing for a reply to initiate a conversation. As Ukitake had found, old habits die hard. "Where is your father?"
Shunsui looked up, catching Ukitake's eyes as if he could see the spirit, but he was unperturbed. Ukitake felt his heart leap.
"I am here on my father's behalf, kamisama." said Shunsui, breaking the silence with his loud voice. "Please accept these as tokens of our respect and may you favor us for the years to come."
Ukitake was surprised by rise in volume, having spent years in the emptiness devoid of human companionship. Shunsui's servants broke out in smiles although they listened intently to their young lord's request.
Ukitake nodded. "I will grant this for you. Thank you for the meal."
Shunsui's gaze return to the kamisama, and his lips curved upwards. There was no doubt in Ukitake's mind now that this man could see him.
Once the group left, Ukitake and Jun were prepared to eat the offerings. Ukitake reached towards the orange, but his hands slipped through it like wind. He tried again with the same result.
"There is food before a starving man," said Ukitake. "But he cannot eat it. Perhaps this place is cursed."
"Not man," reminded Jun, placing his head on Ukitake's lap.
Ukitake patted the lion dog's thick auburn hair and smiled. "No, I'm not a man. Not even human."
Ukitake attempted to enter the Kyōraku's household to find the second son but found that he was forbidden to enter. The family had no shrines erected in his name yet, he assumed, so direct access from his shrine to their house was almost impossible but that shouldn't have deterred him from entering it completely.
"Young lord, second son of the Kyōraku family, please come speak with me. I cannot enter," Ukitake said.
No response.
"Young lord," shouted at the entrance, mimicking Shunsui's manner at his shrine. "I wish to speak with you."
He repeated it. "Kyōraku, Shunsui, second son-"
And then he heard from the other side of the fortress. "Please let me through. I have business with a spirit."
"Is there someone here now?" asked the guard. "A bad spirit?"
"No," Shunsui reassured him. "A friendly spirit."
The door opened, revealing the second son of the family, in an elaborate orange kimono made of fine silk. His hair was not long and tied but cut short with loose, wavy strands, the opposite of the the proper manner. It was his garment that symbolized his status where his behaviors and hairstyle did not, although he wore it incorrectly. A second son with no responsibilities, away from his family and living in a makeshift fortress. What had he done to be sent away?
"It's an honor to meet you," said Shunsui, dipping his head in respect. He turned to the guard. "Please give us some privacy."
"You don't behave much like a noble," Ukitake noticed.
"And neither do you as a sacred god of the land," said Shunsui. He felt bolder around this spirit and felt instantly comfortable around him. "I suspect no spiritual being meets humans in this way, shouting for them at the door."
"I was locked out, and I wished to meet you," deadpanned Ukitake.
Shunsui hummed, acknowledging his words but not his logic.
"What is it?" asked Ukitake, floating closer to the man with curiosity.
"As a sacred and spiritual being, it was in your realm to enter your followers' homes so long as you had no ill intent," Shunsui stated.
"I harbor no ill intent," said Ukitake. "I only wish to request that you accompany me back to the shrine."
Shunsui raised an eyebrow. "Why leave the shrine to ask me to usher you back?"
Ukitake ignored that comment. "The offerings you gave me. I would like to eat them, but I cannot seem to touch them."
"Request denied," Shunsui said. "It's dark now. It isn't safe for me to journey to the shrine alone unless I wake up the servants from their slumber."
"No," said Ukitake. "Let have their sleep."
"If that is all, I bid my leave," said Shunsui, bowing again.
"That is all, for today. But...tomorrow? Will you be able tomorrow?"
Shunsui agreed, and Ukitake returned to his shrine, but the young lord did not visit him the next day as he had promised nor the day after that. Ukitake had begun to suspect that Shunsui wouldn't follow out on his request, choosing to live over-indulgently without responsibilities of any kind, but the man proved him wrong. He had arrived a month after Ukitake's visit, citing reasons that surprised Ukitake, given the bluntness in their nature.
"It was extremely hot out," said Shunsui. "Please lower the temperature, if you can."
"It's the ideal weather for summer," said Ukitake, confused.
"See? That's why, my lord, everyone wanted to me to join them outside. I had to oblige."
"Never mind," said Ukitake. "You are here now."
Shunsui sat on the ground, sipping a small bottle of sake and wrecking of alcohol. Ukitake wasn't sure if he should continue, but Shunsui made a small sound of acknowledgement so he did. "Hm."
"I need to eat human food, but I cannot touch it as a spirit."
"Why am I here?" asked Shunsui, bored.
"I presumed it was to help me. Am I wrong?"
"Shouldn't it be the other way around?" said Shunsui.
Ukitake said, firmly. "You are my follower, the only one who is aware of me."
"You should be helping your followers, am I right or wrong? And right now, you're a bother with your demands."
"I requested, not ordered you to be here," Ukitake argued. "You agreed."
"You're right. Completely right." Shunsui eyes twinkled playfully and his cheeks growing red form the alcohol. "What's your problem? Can't eat? Why not? All you have to do is..." Shunsui grabbed a handful of dried fish and launched himself on a surprised Ukitake, attempting to stuff the snack into his mouth. The young noble only succeeded in crushing the young god with his weight and dispersing a large amount of salted, tiny fishes onto Ukitake's robes.
"Get off of me!" Ukitake squirmed.
"One fell into your robe." Shunsui, in his drunken stupor, tried to retrieve the snack for the kamisama, tugging at the others clothing and trying to reach inside, but Ukitake grabbed the offending hand and shoved the dark haired man off.
"Enough!" Ukitake demanded, offended at Shunsui's behavior. "You may go."
Ukitake decided then that he despised the second son and had a very good idea as to the reason Shunsui was banished from his family. Ukitake had no concept of the upperclass lifestyle in his human life, having spent his years living impoverished, but he doubted that Shunsui's behavior would be acceptable among nobility. Yet, there he was, treating Ukitake as less than his equal. If Ukitake could, he would curse the young lord.
But Shunsui made no move to return home.
"Leave!" Ukitake warned.
"Or what?" Shunsui challenged. "What can you do to me? Can you really harm a human being, kamisama?"
Ukitake summons a large gust of wind, forcing through the shrine doors and out of the spirit world. Shunsui landed with a thud and started shouting obscenities on sacred ground. "What?" Shunsui directed at Ukitake. "I'm unwelcomed now? A few words and you're ruffled up?"
Ukitake stood his ground, ignoring Shunsui.
His lion dog had wandered into the room and licked at the dried fish sadly.
"You can't eat that either, can you?"
The lion dog whimpered and nudged Ukitake's hand, urging him to pet the familiar. He purred as Ukitake scratched behind his ears. His familiar was his constant companion and during moments like these Ukitake was grateful for Jun.
Shunsui had gone quiet outside, but Ukitake could feel his presence like dying embers and dripping venom and anguish. 'Please,' Ukitake heard. 'Please. Please." Shunsui had clasped his hands together and prostrated in front of the shrine. It was a wish Ukitake didn't understand, as the young lord refused to share his memories, but he could feel Shunsui's emotions of guilt and vulnerability, apologetic but not towards Ukitake, which irked him a bit. It felt like he was imprisoned by fate, helpless to its tests and fearful of the sacrifices made to complete them and the consequences should he fail to. Afraid of losing more, of losing everything.
"He hasn't left," said Ukitake, quietly.
"Shunsui, outside," the lion dog barked.
"Do you think I should leave him there? He'll get up in the morning."
The lion dog whimpered. "Not safe."
"It's safe enough."
"Cold," the dog tried again.
"It's not cold either."
"Bugs," the lion dog said.
Ukitake sighed. "There are bugs," he agreed. "We should let him in. Tomorrow, he'll be gone."
Ukitake stepped out of the shrine. "You are welcomed inside."
Shunsui nodded but remained planted on the spot.
"There are bugs here," said Ukitake.
"I'll like to remain."
"Shall I leave the door open?" Ukitake asked.
"And what if I attacked you, my lord?" said Shunsui.
"I am not comfortable enough in your presence to be without a guard."
"I see," said Shunsui. "Can you turn off the lights?"
"It's dark out," said Ukitake.
"It'll be morning soon. I don't want to miss the night's sky."
What an odd man, Ukitake thought.
In the morning, Ukitake received some visitors, most were either farm workers or personal servants of the noble family Kyōraku. Shunsui's absence was noted by his attendants, who scurried around the small fortress looking for the young lord and had run to the shrine as a last resort. Ukitake eased their anxieties. Shunsui was safe with him and would be returned. They knew it even if Ukitake could not speak directly to him and departed.
From their thoughts, he discovered many things about Shunsui's family, particularly about his father as the servants were his before they were ever Shunsui's.
The Kyōraku family was satisfied with their fortune, ending a generation of land grabbing and preparing for prosperity. The expansion had ended, but peace was not in their future, not just yet. Many of their servants, particularly the trained militants were restless, either overly vigilant towards the surrounding villagers under their care for whom worked and cultivated the land or too lax in their training, loosening security in ways that would not have been allowed in the past. Thieves flocked to the protected lands in hopes of benefiting from the confusion that the transition had wrought. One successful attempt, although minor (a few missing jewels), and suddenly these attempts came more frequently. News had traveled quickly that the Kyōraku family had chosen to relieve their military forces. False it may be, the rumors had a devastating impact. Encouraged by the the possibility of overtaking the family, youkai and vagrant humans bound together to remove the head of house. The attempts failed, and those involved were executed, but all was not well. Lord Kyōraku's youngest son had been killed.
Lord Kyōraku was enraged. The strict protocols of the old had returned, and the family's reputation as a formidable force returned. Once again, they became a source of fear, and while they upheld that standard, not even the most desperate dared to misstep on their grounds.
But there was a great change in the master, head of house. He began to doubt all except his personal guards. He wondered how it was possible for his child to be sacrificed unless there was great disloyalty among the servants or (and he hoped this wasn't the case although he obsessively suspected it may be) his children. Half a decade later, and no such thing happened again, but as he had feared, the bonds between his children broke, spitting the family into factions.
Lord Kyōraku grew discontent with the few years of peace, for it was not what he had imagined. Although the land grew plentifully with great healthy as did the children of the villagers, his own family was torn apart. He passed away at 45 with chest pains, alone and secure in his chambers, like a bird in a wooden cage, having requested his servants leave him for the day. Perhaps it was for the best. The lord had developed a deep loneliness that couldn't be quenched by entertainers, good food, or great wealth, and it had seemed unbearable. He was ready to rest in a place where he didn't have to feel that desperation to be loved.
The wealth was distributed among the five living children. The eldest was in his thirties, and the second son was nearing twenty, but the rest were still too young to leave their mothers.
That was what Ukitake learned from the servants that prayed at his shrine in the early morning, but nothing was mentioned of Shunsui's banishment. Maybe it was obvious. Everything Shunsui did now was the exact opposite of how he should behave. Even some of the man's servants begged Ukitake to guide Shunsui towards decency.
How would that be possible? Ukitake thought. The man was stubborn. Without even knowing him, without knowing anything else, Ukitake knew he was stubborn, a strong willed goof. But as he were now, Shunsui would fall into decadence as an adult and would consume those around him to feed it.
"I refuse," Ukitake said to the request, but the requester had already left a tray of cucumbers and tai snapper tied with a string. It looked delicious, but he knew that he would not be able to touch it until he fulfilled the request.
Such a shame that it has to rot, thought Ukitake.
Shunsui was in the other room, still unconscious as far as Ukitake knew. Ukitake suspected the human wouldn't be up until the late afternoon, but at least he wasn't dead.
He was right. Shunsui entered the room as Ukitake heard the request of visitors to his shrine. There was a small pile at one side of the room with offerings that he had earned. Jun had made it his duty to separate and organize the offerings based on their substance. So far, the lion dog had anything gold or silver including coins, nuggets (none of those yet, but the lion dog was prepared for them just in case), and jewelry (also none) in a neat box and food items beside it. There had been quite a number of visitors throughout the month, bringing fruits and vegetables; most of them prayed for great crops that year. Those offerings started to materialize in front of Ukitake, and the wish was fulfilled. Many of the farmers were delighted to see that the soil was great for housing seeds, and that those seeds grew into healthy buds.
"A lot of offerings," said Shunsui, wincing as he entered into sunlight. He groaned, cradling his head.
"Yes," Ukitake agreed. "I can't eat any of them."
"Can you do anything about my head?" Shunsui said, blinking away the sunlight entering through the door's mesh.
"You shouldn't drink more than you can handle, human lord," said Ukitake with a smile, testing out the word "human." It felt odd saying it because the kamisama still felt like one.
Shunsui said nothing to that, only rubbed his eyes and forehead with the palms of his head as he tried to relieve himself of the terrible headache he had acquired. He could barely register what Ukitake was saying. For this, he was glad. Shunsui didn't think he could handle interpreting the young god's words and actions now, if that was needed. And he didn't want to think about reacting, if the young god was taunting him. His head hurt too much.
Shunsui staggered back into the other room where it was dark and cool. He slipped back under the covers and tried to fall back asleep to no avail. The door opened not too long after. His eyes flickered to Ukitake's form entering into the room. Ukitake bent down and sat beside the human, reaching out and hovering his hand over the other's head. It felt like a cool wash cloth to Shunsui, and it eased away the throbbing pain in his head and any tensions within his body. He felt at peace.
"Thank...you," Shunsui mumbled, slipping back into sleep.
Shunsui was a handsome man when he was asleep with the tension around his eyes gone. He had long eyelashes and prominent eyebrows with a tall, straight nose and a full bottom lip. His jawline was well sculpted, almost fully developed. Ukitake found that he quite liked the man's face structure.
Shunsui would be very popular with women, Ukitake thought as he pushed himself onto his feet. He saw Shunsui's chest rise and fall slowly and smiled, feeling glad that he could be of help. He knew how it felt to be on the other side, to be bed-ridden and desperate to relieve the pain. The next time Ukitake walked into that room was to ask Shunsui to join him for dinner, finding the other already dressed and lost in thought. "I should leave," Shunsui muttered, almost a whisper.
The room was dimly lit by lamp, but Shunsui could see the bounty laid on the table. Shunsui prostrated before Ukitake. "Kamisama, please accept my apologies," he begged.
"Do you truly mean it?" Ukitake said, lightly. He was expecting Shunsui to start joking, but when he looked up, Ukitake found Shunsui watching him with look of guilt.
"I apologize for my behavior yesterday."
Ukitake nodded, slowly. He had grown accustomed to Shunsui being playful and, sometimes, even rude and defensive. "Apology accepted. Are you feeling better?" He said kindly.
"Yes, thanks to your kind." He glanced at the table. "Quite a feast," Shunsui commented. "Are these the offerings?"
"A reward for my efforts." Ukitake beamed, proudly. "Will you reconsider joining me?"
"If you insist," Shunsui started.
"I do," said Ukitake, waving for him to take the only other seat, the one beside him.
"You can't touch the food," Shunsui said. "How can you...? Should I feed you?"
Ukitake looked away from the other. "You're not my servant, but will you?"
Shunsui picked up a pair of chopsticks and scanned the table, taking in the sliced vegetables and cooked fish. "Cucumbers," Shunsui asked. "Are those...? Do you like those?"
"Yes," said Ukitake and then. "Relax. I don't bite."
Shunsui picked a slice of cucumbers and dangled it in front of Ukitake, not unlike a fishermen trying to bait a fish. Ukitake broke out into a smile but said nothing, leaning forward and taking the vegetable in his mouth. He bite into the cucumber and chewed slowly, savoring the taste of human food. "Mmm," Ukitake sighed. "It's been so long." His stomach complained, and his mouth started to salivate, but Ukitake waited patiently for another.
Every time the young god sighed and smiled with pure delight with eat bite, Shunsui's heart gave a light twist. It wasn't affection, Shunsui told himself. It was like feeding a lost puppy. Affection was dangerous anyway without caution and even more so here where the boundaries were set deeper than stone. Regardless, Shunsui found himself enjoying the interaction with Ukitake. He wanted to see Ukitake smile more, in that same carefree way, like he was the happiest person in the room, like he had everything and wanted for nothing. Shunsui alternated between feeding himself and feeding Ukitake, who was extremely happy to fill the hollowness of hunger. Ukitake wondered briefly if this was inconveniencing the human. When the meal ended, Ukitake waved his hand over the table, and the dishes were cleared.
"I have no tea to offer you that isn't cold," said Ukitake.
"Cold tea is good," said Shunsui.
The tea materialized. It was lukewarm, but Shunsui was grateful that it was. It was too hot outside for warm tea.
It was getting dark when the dinner was finished so Shunsui say his goodbye to Ukitake, who offered to take him but the human refused, preferring to walk back.
"I've been in bed all day," Shunsui explained. "It's time to use these legs."
Shunsui went hope with a promise that he would join Ukitake for dinner again next month. It was a promise he intended to keep.
A/N: Thank you for reading! Please review if you can! :D
I think writing in chronological order is tough for me. I tend to just want to skip around. The writing starts to decline if I force myself to go in chronological order until it's just dialogue, enough to move the scene, because then writing the description seems like work. But it's so easy when I skip around. I have already written several future chapters, but now I have to move the story into that direction.
