A/N: Hi everyone, I'm back from the dead/hibernation. ^_^ Or almost. I still have a lot of exams to do and my part time job is really taxing, but I hope I can update more regularly again. Feel free to send me any requests you might have either in the comments here or on my Tumblr (lady-charinette). Stay healthy and safe everyone! :)

Request:"Can you do a reader insert for Ranmaru from Kakuriyo? Maybe a human brought to Orio-ya by Ougan douji to turn the old building into a restaurant and he's surprised that it's become so popular?"

A New Face at Orio-ya

"That woman…" Ranmaru adjusted his position against one of the wooden beams supporting Orio-ya, hands crossed over his chest at the sight before him.

Ayakashi bustling about, Orio-ya's staff cleaning and guiding customers to their seats and in the center of all the controlled chaos was one woman.

One human woman.

Mistress Ougon-douji had brought you into Orio-ya, there had been no doubt in Ranmaru's mind where she found you.

Ever since Aoi and subsequently Tenjin'ya had visited their inn, life as they knew it began to change.

Ayakashi from far and wide visited their inn, intrigued by the knowledge of the temporary reunion between the two most popular inns, as well as Tenjin'ya's resident human having been an esteemed guest. "Esteemed" might not have been the word Ranmaru would've used since the beginning of Aoi's stay here, but that had certainly changed with time. Now that peace existed between the two inns, even Ginji visited more often.

And today was one of those days.

"There you are Ranmaru! The restaurant sure seems to be successful, its almost as popular as Aoi's back at Tenjin'ya! What're you doing here standing all alone? Huh?" the nine tailed fox followed the dog ayakashi's line of sight and spotted you who'd transformed the old, unused section of their inn into a lively restaurant. A devious smile spread the sly fox's lips, "Ah, I recognize that look."

Ranmaru bristled, hair standing on end and tail hitting Ginji completely intentionally, "What are you talking about?" he barked, pushing himself off the beam and moving onto a different less populated area.

He didn't notice your curious gaze staring at his back as he rounded the corner.

Ginji, of course, followed suit. "You look just like the Master whenever he looks at Aoi! They make quiet a couple, you know?" Ginji switched sides and moved to Ranmaru's right, just in time to avoid the violent arm swinging at the spot he had previously been in.

"Nonsense! Maybe the sake got to you Ginji, you've never been a good drinker." Ginji allowed the remark to slide, watching his childhood friend stomp his way towards the general direction of the receptionist desk.

He scoffed, a lopsided smile on his lips. "I haven't, but you've never been a good liar, Ranmaru." With a shake of his head, Ginji made his way back to the festivities, making his way towards you to ask if you needed help with anything.

It was late when the restaurant in Orio-ya closed, you were kindly helping customers up to their feet and back into the inn, their steps heavy and uneven as the sake still buzzed in their bodies.

Your back hurt from all the preparations made for the restaurant, at least you didn't have to cook everything on your own, the talented chefs of Orio-ya had been more than welcome to help you out.

"Of course, you're now a part of Orio-ya, we help each-other here." You appreciated how attentive everyone seemed to you, willing to help you adjust in the Hidden Realm among ayakashi as a sole human.

Well, almost.

There was always Aoi, who had been a tremendous help in getting you back on your feet and making sure you were protected and could hold your own against ayakashi. Tenjin'ya's master had been kind enough to recommend you to the mistress of Orio-ya for hired help, since they were short staffed and needed fresh ideas to get their inn back on track.

You were more than alright with that, you missed leading your own restaurant back at home, and since you didn't have the same abilities as the ayakashi, you thought it might be best to stick to what you knew and help them out.

As it turned out, Orio-ya had accepted you fairly quickly. Apparently, Aoi had humbled them quite a bit, some staff members were a bit brutish towards you for being human, but for the most part you felt perfectly safe.

That was largely thanks to Orio-ya's lead manager, Ranmaru. Having not met a dog ayakashi before, you had been pretty taken with him, especially due to his big mane and his fluffy tail. Not to mention those ears.

Unfortunately, he acted anything but like a dog.

He seemed to be more of a cat than a dog, at least like the animals in your world.

He would mostly avoid you if he could, slipping past you whenever he could, only appearing when it suited him. But you weren't stupid, you felt his gaze whenever you ventured outside of the inn, taking a walk through the forest. You were warned not to venture too far away, for the possibility of encountering monsters or unfriendly ayakashi but so far, nothing happened to you.

You thought it might've something to do with the dog ayakashi always being somewhere in your vicinity. Far away enough he thought you wouldn't notice, but close enough to keep an eye on you.

Hideyoshi once corrected you on Ranmaru being a komainu, a lion-dog ayakashi, not purely a dog ayakashi. When you asked what the difference was, Hideyoshi had been curiously tongue tied, just snapping at you to never treat him like a lowly dog from your world.

You'd felt mildly offended, what was wrong with dogs? They were cute and fluffy and very loyal companions. So far, Ranmaru didn't seem to really fit her world dog's description.

Well…he was fluffy. At least judging from his hair and tail.

And he was cute or at least as cute as you were willing to admit to yourself.

You did know he was loyal to Orio-ya and its inhabitants but you didn't think that same loyalty extended to you yet..or if ever.

Ranmaru didn't seem to like you very much, no matter how hard you worked at befriending him and getting on his good side. It just seemed like he put walls all around him to keep you as far away from him as possible.

Your troubled musings were interrupted when something hit the ground with a dull thud.

It was Ranmaru.

The komainu had set up a table near the edge of Orio-ya's porch, overlooking the sea. A bottle of sake and two bowls were on the table.

He didn't even look at you when he spoke, his voice low and uncharacteristically lacking the typical bite which he usually barked commands at you, "Sit."

Debating whether or not to tell him you weren't his servant nor a dog, you took a deep breath and decided to follow his lead. This had been his first direct attempt at engaging in conversation with you, at least conversation that so far didn't have anything to do with Orio-ya or the restaurant.

You sat on the opposite side of him, your gaze straying to the beautiful night sky before your head whipped around at the sound of trickling liquid.

Ranmaru was pouring you sake.

Finally, his gaze briefly met your stunned one, scoffing at the bewildered look on your face. "You seem surprised," he nudged the bowl of sake towards you, before moving to pour himself a cup.

This time, it was him that was stunned when your hands landed on his, gently taking the sake bottle from him. He seemed even more stunned when you poured him sake, "Can you blame me? This is the first time you tried to talk to me and didn't just watch me from afar."

The komainu seemed oddly flustered, whether at being caught red-handed or that you were aware of his guarded gazes.

He cleared his throat, choosing not to comment and taking a sip from his sake. You did the same.

You drank together quietly, at the now clean porch of Orio-ya, both staring up at the night sky littered with stars and the moon.

Perhaps it was the fatigue hitting you from working a full day at Orio-ya with the newly opened restaurant, or the alcohol in your system, but you felt compelled to utter the words that left your mouth, "You know, ever since coming here, I've been scared what would become of me. If I would survive in this world, or if I would ever find a way to go back to mine. Since I met Aoi and saw how happy she was here, I'm beginning to think that…maybe its alright if I don't return to my world." You stared down at the clear liquid in your bowl, watching the moon's reflection staring back at your pensive face.

Ranmaru was listening intently, trying to find the right words to answer you. It seemed like the bowl of sake gave him the inspiration, or the confidence, to finally speak. "You've been adjusting rather well here, despite all your…shortcomings."

You huffed in annoyance at his remark, turning your head away from him.

A low chuckle filled your ears and his voice followed, "I think you'll live here just fine, as long as you stay at Orio-ya, that is."

You looked back at him in surprise, blinking rapidly. "You…you want me to…stay?"

The ghost of a smile adorned the komainu's handsome face. "You've opened up this restaurant, someone has to lead it." He lifted his bowl to his lips, blue eyes swimming with unspoken thoughts. "And…some of Orio-ya's staff seemed to have…developed a soft spot for you."

You weren't sure if this was the sake talking or not, but you found yourself mirroring his stance, your voice soft when you said, "Well…I…developed a soft spot for…them too." You could feel your cheeks heating up but blamed it on the alcohol.

The stars seemed to wink down at you, so mesmerized were you at their beauty that you failed to catch Ranmaru's gentle smile.

Thanks for reading! It's been a long while since I wrote for the fandom, so I hope it's not too OOC and that you liked it :3