(A/N: Thank you so much to Inuyoiushi for you your review! And to everyone who followed, favorited, and added this story to their alerts also. I actually didn't expect to get so many views for this story, so I'm happy you all are interested in the concept. ^_^ If you see any mistakes or there is something you'd like me to add, don't be afraid to let me know.)
Waking up Kaori realized two things. One, she wasn't lying on her bed, but on a futon in some strange room she was certain she had never been in before. And two, an unknown man was leaning over her and staring down at her with a look that seemed to be mixed with both concern and anxiousness.
Letting out a startled cry, Kaori jolted up where her head ended up connecting painfully with the male's. She whimpered from her now throbbing forehead, placing her hand on it to try and ease the soreness. Nervously turning, she glanced at the stranger who had jumped back, holding onto his own aching head while letting out a pained whine similar to an injured puppy.
"Wh-who are? D-don't tell me you're a vampire and were about to drain my blood?!" Kaori exclaimed frantically. It was something incredibly ridiculous to blurt out, but it was the first thought that came to her mind when taking in the man's features. The way he had been hovering over her didn't help with her rather vivid imagination either.
"Vampire...? It's the ears and my pale skin, isn't it?" he muttered out in a completely miserable sounding tone, gripping at his rather pointed elfin-like ears. "That's such a cruel assumption..."
Knowing she should be panicking and probably throwing the nearest object she could find at this guy before making her escape, Kaori found herself scratching at her cheek with a sheepish expression instead. He just looked and sounded so dejected that it made her feel honestly bad. Especially when he was pulling a white hood he wore over his face as if to conceal his features from her.
Definitely not the usual signs a scary kidnapper would be displaying to their victim.
"S-sorry! I guess that was pretty rude of me," Kaori admitted with a small smile. "But seriously, just who exactly are you and where am I...?"
The tall and lanky man peeked out at her with his thin, rather tired looking, slanted dark eyes. Other than his pointed ears and pale skin, Kaori noticed that he had messy, indigo hair. He was garbed in a light blue kimono with a darker blue haori covering it; nothing too abnormal considering there was a festival going on tonight. Though the white hood attached to his assemble was an odd feature. Along with the sword resting at his waist.
"You don't know? You're in Tono: The Enchanting Realm of Yokai. Or as human's simply like to refer to it as, The Realm of Yokai," he explained in a low, and timid voice. "And my name is Tamaki Amajiki...The guy who's been placed in charge of watching after you for some reason I can't fathom..."
Kaori blinked multiple times, taking in this information. "Yokai? Then...the legends were actually real? Izuku and I managed to enter into another world?!" The excitement she had been feeling instantly vanished, and she made Amajiki flinch when she had tossed the covers off her form and rushed toward him. "Where is Izuku? Why isn't he here with me?!"
"...He's with Todoroki-sama. Our king...He's safe with him. At least, he should be," Amajiki muttered, gulping when the female had narrowed her eyes at him. "Todoroki-sama is cold, but he has no reason to hurt mortals...Ah, I can tell you don't believe me...Why'd Mirio say I'd be good for this job? I can't deal with this sort of situation..."
Continuing to eye the indigo haired male warily, Kaori eventually let out a sigh. "It doesn't seem like you're lying...I'm just worried because I'm the reason we ended up here in the first place," she expressed softly, placing her hands over her chest while she glanced sideways. "I'd never be able to forgive myself if Izuku got hurt because of my stupidity..."
Amajiki couldn't help but glance over at the human curiously. He could feel the guilt and sadness surrounding her form and this made him frown lightly. He was all too familiar with that emotion, so he felt a small ounce of pity for her. "That boy and you are the first two humans that have managed to enter this world in some time. Most people don't seem concerned about yokai any longer. Most probably don't even believe we're real..."
"You'd be surprised by how many people are still interested in yokai, they're just normally not crazy enough to go seeking them out like I apparently am...And in my city there have been some unnatural disappearances lately, and it's making people even more superstitious," Kaori admitted, not noticing Amajiki tensing up for her gaze had turned to the ceiling. "Some of my classmates and even I were thinking it's because of monsters instead of some murderer..."
Hearing shuffling, Kaori let out a confused "eh?" seeing that Amajiki had gone to a corner of the room where his slouched figure was facing the wall.
"A monster...So that's how you see me..."
"Huh? N-no! I didn't mean you specifically! You don't seem like a bad spirit at all!" Kaori stuttered out, waving her hands rapidly in a dismissive manner. "Um, I just seem to be making things more awkward, huh? So I'll start over, okay? My names Kaori Yamaguchi. It's nice to meet you Amajiki-san."
A tired smile formed on the light blue haired female's tan features when Amajiki glanced at her for a brief moment, only to face the wall once more where he started to murmur words she couldn't make out to himself. I know there are supposed to be all kinds of yokai out there, but I didn't expect to run into one who seems even more awkward than Izuku...I almost feel tempted to ask him if he's actually a demon, but I don't want to hurt his feelings again Kaori pondered while playing with one of her little hair spikes. Still, I'm relieved he doesn't appear to be dangerous...So I hope that means you really are safe wherever you are, Zu-kun..."
Izuku had woken up in a similar panicked state just like his friend. However he had found himself completely alone in the tatami styled room. He wasn't certain whether to feel relieved by this or even more frightened. What if whoever had brought him here was hiding somewhere and just waiting to jump him?
"Ka-Kaori? Are you there?!" Izuku cried out, slowly standing up as he nervously glanced around the large area. It was pretty empty for it's size. There was a beautiful scroll hanging on the wall that depicted koi fish swimming in a lily covered pond, a low desk that was covered with books and scrolls, two shelves that were packed with even more books, and a single potted bamboo plant in one of the right corners.
The room reminded him of a very Japanese oriented styled room he had once stayed in with his mom when they went to the country on vacation. But he was certain that he was nowhere near any inn at the moment...
Taking in a shaky breath of air, Izuku made his way for the white and brown sliding screen doors where he cautiously pulled one back. He peeked around the long winding porch, not seeing a soul. Unless you counted the many pretty fireflies fluttering around a pond similar to the one he had seen on the large hanging scroll, but he was too anxious to take in their beauty at the moment.
"Kaori? Kaori, can you hear me?!"
"Are you always this noisy when you first wake up?"
Unleashing a little "eep!" sound, Izuku ended up falling backwards where he winced from the slight pain now coming from his backside. His emerald green eyes shifted around to find the source of the voice, and he gulped since he hadn't noticed the figure stretched out on a branch of a large and grand cherry tree. Or had he not always been there?
It was the man he suddenly recalled had appeared in front of Kaori and him when they...when they had found themselves in another place; possibly another world. He was smoking from a wooden pipe, but the kabuki mask rested on the side of his face, so Izuku still couldn't make out the man's features.
When the figure was gracefully jumping from the tree, landing perfectly on the soles of the black boots he wore despite the height, Izuku shakily pulled himself up. He wanted to make a run for it, but something told him he wouldn't get very far if he tried.
"Wh-what did you do with the girl that was with me?!" Izuku demanded with furrowed brows. Part of him was a little frightened of the answer he might receive. While he had never been into folklore like Kaori, he had perused some of her books, and had come across a rather creepy yokai called kuro bōzu: a shadowy figure that resembled a bald-headed Buddhist monk that snuck into it's victims room when they slept and used their long tongues to suck the life out of their victims, mainly women...And Kaori was probably asleep like he had just been...
"Shouldn't you be more worried about yourself?" the red and white haired male asked, and Izuku frowned since he could hear a hint of amusement behind that indifferent tone he carried. "You don't need to be alarmed. She's with another of the residents here. He won't harm her."
Izuku wasn't certain if he should trust this man or not, but he did find himself becoming more concerned by the fact that he had gotten rather close to him, and Izuku nervously took a step back. He hadn't noticed the ears on top of the demon's head before, but they were red and white to match the sides of the hair they were attached to. He would have actually found this pretty cute and have wanted to touch them just to see if they were soft like they appeared to be, if he wasn't so freaked out at the moment.
"Those canine-like ears and those six tails...You're a kitsune?!"
He didn't know many facts about the fox apparition, he hadn't taken the time to read that full passage despite how popular the creatures seemed to be. Yet from the few TV shows he had watched and manga he had read, he knew they were supposed to be one of the most powerful yokai to exist out there!
"Shoto Todoroki."
"H-huh?"
"My name."
Izuku knew he probably looked like an idiot right now with his mouth hanging open and his bug-eyed expression, but he wasn't expecting to be given a simple introduction. Todoroki was just silently standing in front of him, almost as if he were waiting on something, and Izuku licked at his dry lips when he realized he was expecting him to present his own name.
"I'm...Izuku Midoriya. Um, Todoroki-san? Is this place really The Realm of Yokai...?"
"That's correct. And you won't be able to leave this world for a month."
"Eh heh...So it was real in the end...Wait! Did you say we can't leave here for a month?!" Izuku abruptly cried out, beads of sweat now trailing down his pale and panicked face.
"When the moon turns red, the portal will open once again and then you will be able to return to your domain," Todoroki voiced. He sighed since the fluffy green haired male still didn't look reassured. "Time passes differently here than it does in the human realm. When you go back, it'll still be the same day that you passed into this world."
"Is that really true?" Izuku asked unsure. The silent response oddly enough gave him the impression Todoroki was telling the truth and he unleashed a breath of air he didn't realize he had been holding. He could only imagine how scared and upset his mother would be if he was gone for a whole month...
Finding himself suddenly being pushed against one of the screen doors-amazed that he didn't go crashing right through it-Izuku felt the heat rushing to his cheeks since the tall male had placed his hands on either side of his form, keeping him trapped and being much too close for Izuku's comfort.
"You're free to roam around here as you like, but I would advise going into the nearby forest. Ayakashi, creatures of darkness that don't follow my leadership, reside there and they will kill you if they catch the smallest whiff of you," Todoroki cautioned, his words causing Izuku to gulp. "Until the day you can leave, you'll remain here with me."
Izuku wanted to question why he had to stay with Todoroki exactly, but the fox demon had distanced himself from him and was walking away before Izuku could even make a sound. His heart was oddly enough pounding away in his chest, but he took this to just being distress.
He may have claimed he wouldn't hurt me, but that doesn't mean I trust him Izuku couldn't help but think, gripping at the front of his kosode. With so many bad legends regarding yokai, he still felt that Kaori and him could be in possible danger...The most they could do was learn more about this place, and hope that a month in this realm would pass by quickly.
