I Could not Bring My Passion, from the Common Spring
Finding herself in a new location, Kuroka stumbled. Teleporting with Ophis was so very different from teleporting herself, she had found, and she had never quite been able to get used to it. Whereas she gently coaxed reality into moving her from point A to point B… Ophis more or less bullied the world into granting her desire for the same, brute-forcing the teleportation with copious amounts of magical energy. What was supposed to be a delicate and precise spell was turned into more of a battering ram or sledgehammer… but that was just the way Ophis operated, Kuroka had learned.
The effect of pushing so much mana into the spell was that the world was either unable or unwilling to route the object or person – though the difference in this application was small, to begin with – through the lattice of magic that incased the construct known as 'earth.' No, instead, the inner workings of reality dumped the transit through the Dimensional Gap, likely in an effort to dissipate the immense excess of magical energy that would have otherwise permeate the delicately balanced system. That may have been fine for Ophis… but it was rather troublesome for someone less attuned to the space… like a certain Nekoshou, who felt the beginnings of a massive headache coming on. 'Oww…,' she wined to herself, before admitting, 'that is how this normally goes, so I really shouldn't be surprised nya…'
So, she should have expected the unpleasant nature of teleporting with Ophis. Her mildly receded fear of imminent death was a pretty good excuse, she thought, for missing that, but the jury would stay out on her degree of culpability. What she had no reason to expect, standing in what she hastily gathered to be a normal apartment – which itself raised way too many questions – was her former boss, her current captor, an entity so far superior to her that it didn't even make sense to compare… she had no reason to expect Ophis to bend over directly in front of her, and pull down her panties, putting her womanhood on direct display for her to see.
"Come," Kuroka heard Ophis beckon, though she almost missed the command, so shocked as she was at the display that her mind had temporarily been overwhelmed. As she quickly made to follow her diminutive former – 'and perhaps future, if I heard her right in the alley,' she thought to herself – boss, the Nekoshou caught out of her peripheral vision something perhaps just as maddening as anything else that had happened that afternoon. There, sitting on what appeared to be a coat rack, were the panties that Ophis had just discarded, displayed as if for all the world to see… 'or perhaps in case she needed to leave quickly?' The analytical part of her mind offered.
'But that doesn't even make any sense!' The rest of her mind fired back as she was led into what appeared to be a dining room. Nothing made sense at the moment. What was Ophis doing wearing Shirts? She had never done that before. What was she doing living in what looked like a lived-in, though perhaps blandly decorated, apartment in the middle of Kuoh? Who was she supposed to teach? Why would Ophis need to put on panties to go outside if she was just going to take them off the moment she got into private? 'She doesn't need to worry about what anyone thinks, she's Ophis for God's-' "Fuck!" the Nekoshou howled, her previous budding headache turning into full-on agony.
Too late she remembered whose company she was in… and her particular distaste for noise… of all varieties. She just couldn't help herself and, in her confusion, let slip the use of that entity's name… and for her transgression, she might have just lost her second lease on life. Finally gaining the courage to see what her mistake had cost her, Kuroka brought her eyes from where they had frozen when she had realized her mistake to look at Ophis… ready for it to be her last act.
Instead, she simply found Ophis staring back at her, blank-faced. That could have meant any number of things, but given she wasn't dead yet… Ophis moved. Pushing herself into the air, it was only after she landed that Kuroka realized that Ophis had pulled out her chair. 'My fight or flight response just went off… over a God damned – NGGGGH – chair!' She chastised herself… at least this time she managed to keep her wail of pain to herself. Silver linings, silver linings.
Shakily pulling out the chair across from the dragon god, Kuroka had no idea what to expect. Ophis had said she would be 'teaching' someone… but that just raised more questions than it answered. Really, she was tired. She could have done with a nice cat nap… but that wasn't an option when her very existence was on the line. It was just a bit stressful to have to deal with Ophis when she was on anything less than the top of her game.
Her legs giving out under her, Kurka collapsed into her seat. She wasn't at any risk of falling any further than that, her reflexes made sure of that much… but it was still a risky position to put herself in, so vulnerable before Ophis…
Speaking of Ophis, the terrifying entity in the shape of a small girl didn't give her any further respite. 'Though… she's slightly less small than I remembered…' Kuroka noted, before giving the Dragon God her full and rapt attention.
"You will teach," Ophis once again commanded, as if it provided any useful information whatsoever. While a part of her wanted to snap and scream her frustration at her former boss, Kuroka knew that that would be… less than wise.
So, after taking a deep and measured breath, Kuroka began her dance with destiny. "Who am I to teach, Nya?" She first inquired, thinking that perhaps the answer would shed more light on her situation… like whose apartment she was sitting in. Perhaps it was brash to make demands of Ophis… 'no, it's beyond stupid,' she corrected herself, knowing the risk she was taking… but the only way she was going to live long enough to have even a chance of seeing her sister again was to find information… and the only source of that was through Ophis.
Much to her surprise, it didn't take Ophis long to respond at all. "Shigeru," She responded in way of reply to the question. It was a start, Kuroka supposed… she got more out of the answer than one might have expected…
'Though still not enough,' the worrying part of her wanted her to know. She pushed the negatives aside and thought through what she knew. Shigeru. Male. Likely the owner of the apartment… and seemed to be someone Ophis was fond of… if the grin that found its way onto Ophis' face at uttering the name was any indication. Seeing such an expression on the usually inexpressive Dragon God's face… was strange, and very close to wrong. It was real though. Her eyes had not deceived her… the grin was there as if mocking her, teasing secrets that would not yet be revealed to her, though they very well might have held her life in their proverbial hands.
For that reason, it was worth attempting to gain more information, Kuroka decided. "And who is this… Shigeru, Nya?" She began probing slowly, unsure whether her questions might somehow offend Ophis. In the stress of the situation, she couldn't control her verbal tic… so Ophis had better have been ready to be hearing her 'Nya' after every sentence she spoke… otherwise, well… Kuoh was due for a new crater anyway. It would really liven up the place.
"You will find out… when he returns," Ophis responded, simultaneously giving out some useful information… and closing any further questions down that particular line of thought. One did not disobey Ophis when they wanted to live, after all… and for all she had been ready to sacrifice herself back in the alley, well… she still had some things left to do… like have lots and lots of babies… and talk to Shirone and be a good sister for one in her life… but also, babies. She couldn't do either if she was dead.
Ophis' last answer had confirmed that this 'Shigeru' was a male and that he was likely the owner of the apartment; why else would he have been 'returning' there if that was not the case? She knew that she was treading on thin ice as it was… but Kuroka needed to know more, and she was pretty sure one more question wouldn't set the Dragon God off too hard. 'She seems calmer here,' the Nekoshou noted, before getting back to the task at hand. One last question…
"And what will I be teaching him?" She eventually decided upon asking. The answer would hopefully tell her just how ridiculous this situation was… whether he was a youkai that Ophis wanted to learn more Youjutsu, a devil looking to advance their magic, or even a human Ophis wanted to get into calculation-based magic. If it was the last, she might have been in a spot of bother, 'I need to brush up on my calculus,' she thought, but that wasn't a problem for that moment. For now… she needed to listen, and hopefully, Ophis would give her an answer she could use…
"Everything, you will teach him everything," The dragon God Proclaimed, all but crushing Kuroka's hopes of getting a straight answer. That told her just about nothing and made her think of about another fifteen questions she needed to ask… but those would have to wait until this 'Shigeru' returned.
'Well… at least I got one straight answer out of Ophis today.' Kuroka consoled herself. Now it was just a waiting game. Stretching her arms, she tried to get herself as comfortable as the table chair would let her, eventually finding a decent spot… before Ophis once again spoke.
"Cat. Now." She commanded. Having worked with her long enough, Kuroka knew what she wanted. Shifting her body into the other form her soul accepted without qualms, well, she could only see things going one of two ways. Either 'Shigeru' knew what was going on enough to understand what she was when he returned… or he didn't. She would find out when he returned as Ophis said… and in both cases, they were likely in for a lively evening. Just what she wanted.
Fully transformed from a voluptuous woman to a striking black cat, Kuroka hopped up onto the table, before flopping over onto her side in front of Ophis. If she was going to have to wait in her second form, she was going to take her cat nap dammit, whether anyone else liked it or not. As she fell into an uneasy sleep, Kuroka could only hope that she would be allowed to wake up. Her twin tails shifting quietly over the table's surface were the last parts of her to go still.
I Could not Bring My Passion, from the Common Spring
Stepping out the front door of the Kaneko Group headquarters; Shigeru was smiling to himself. Everything had gone pretty much exactly as planned. Managing to escape from the building without further confrontation from Sato was the least of his achievements that day… but that wasn't to say it was an easy task. The slightly older man had been persistent, but between a bit of assistance from Miyata and Shigeru's own utter disregard for the social norms that would have otherwise kept him in place… he had slipped away. Which was quite a good thing. Shigeru's patience for dealing with the annoying man had been thin, to begin with… 'and besides, I have Ophis to get back to!' Shigeru had wanted to say but refrained for obvious reasons.
Being late as he already was, Shigeru hurried down the street towards the transit center, wanting to get to the market before it got too much busier than he knew it already would be. As he boarded the train to his destination, he finally got the chance to calm down a bit and think about what the day had yielded him. First and foremost, he was now officially the newest member of Kaneko Group's board. His official title was 'Chief Vision Officer'… Which well… he knew it was stupid. Miyata-Jiji knew it was stupid… everyone there knew it was stupid.
Had Shigeru had things his way, there wouldn't have been any titled officers beyond the Chief Executive, Chief Financial Officer, and Chief Operations Officer… but there was a marked and measurable correlation between the number of vaguely named positions filled on a board and the amount of capital that could be brought in. Shigeru would simply have to suffer the embarrassment of being the officer of Vision for the sake of the company.
Questionable name aside, Shigeru had two primary duties in his new role… or well… two official duties at least. The first of those was to, well… be visionary. The thinking went that he was young, he was fresh… he was connected to the pulse of modern society, even better than the other relatively young men that filled out the other seats on the board. It would follow then that he would be in the best position to capture new and innovative directions for the company.
Now… Shigeru would have argued against that assertion, he certainly didn't feel like he was 'connected to the pulse of modern society,' as it were. 'Too busy to care what anyone else is doing,' a part of himself wanted to say… but that wasn't really true. He knew objectively what people were doing, but that didn't mean he understood why they were doing it, which was an equally important component in predicting future trends. He would still do the job, of course, that was what he signed up for… but he would feel very much out of his depth while doing it, for the first stretch of time at least, until he figured out some systems to aid him in his new challenge.
The second task, Shigeru felt more comfortable with. Basically, he – like everyone else there – was tasked with pointing out and eradicating any groupthink that popped up, even when it arose from the higher-ranking members of the firm. 'The Old Man is better than forcing his way when others know better,' he thought to himself. It was one of the things that Shigeru really appreciated about him. And well… as perhaps pretentious as it may have sounded… he looked forward to making sure the company stayed sane and didn't get too caught up in itself for its own good.
Truly, he was coming in on the lowest level… of the highest level of the company. He had certainly skipped a few positions on the corporate ladder, but that's what being unnaturally competent mixed with a dash of nepotism did for you. While no one specifically said it, Shigeru knew everyone knew that nepotism did play a role in where he was, but he didn't really care. 'The only reason Miyata-Jiji helped me in the first place is that he knew what I could do,' Shigeru reassured himself. It wouldn't do to get cold feet now, not when the deed was already done.
As the train reached its stop for the market, Shigeru along with a sizable portion of those riding the line made to depart and do their shopping for the evening. 'I had hoped to get here before the rush…' he internally grumbled, 'but it is what it is,' he concluded as he made his way towards the shops he would need. He didn't have time to dilly dally, after all, he had his Ophis to get back to.
Reaching the butcher's counter though, for the first time, doubts about his situation with Ophis began to come to Shigeru's mind. 'I've been with her almost every moment of every day since she just… appeared in my room,' he realized as he mechanically accepted the steaks he had requested. 'When did I start enjoying people's company?' It wasn't that he wanted Ophis to go… it was just that he would have liked to know why he didn't want her to go.
The vegetables for the evening came next… but with them, only more questions, ones even more difficult to answer than the ones he already had. 'The things Ophis does and doesn't know are so strange,' he mused as he selected some asparagus and potatoes. 'What kind of person doesn't know how to put on shoes?' He wondered. It was charming… but he really should have been more concerned than he was about it. It went far beyond naivete… and it was more like someone had come out of stasis from the dark ages, the way she reacted to some common things.
'Not to mention that she literally appeared out of nowhere in my room,' the dam finally broke, and Shigeru finally acknowledged the situation he had somehow found himself in. Picking up the extra sugar he would need to make Ophis the cookies he had promised, he began delving into the truly weird things about Ophis. There was of course the aforementioned sudden and inexplicable appearance… on top of which his mind finally allowed him to process the events of his first day together with the girl… in a certain changing room…
'… Shapeshifting.' Shigeru very nearly dropped his bags when he realized that there was really no other explanation for what he had seen, the sudden change in Ophis' appearance… than shapeshifting. 'Ok… so Ophis is a Shapeshifter then…' he tried to reason through the conundrum. 'Does this actually change anything?' He wondered… and was surprised to find out that really, the answer was no, no it did not. Why worry about things like that when he could spend all his time cuddling his adorable companion…
That was what he would have said if he didn't also want answers, and sooner rather than later. It wasn't that he would reject Ophis if she said something he didn't want to hear… he didn't think he could do that to her, or himself for that matter. He had grown attached with her, genuinely so… even if that attachment had come about unnaturally… 'Or perhaps supernaturally, considering the shapeshifting,' he remarked. So… he still wanted those cuddles… they would just have to come after a long and hard conversation… yes, they would talk things out like reasonable adults.
'Er, well, a reasonable adult and a reasonable Ophis,' Shigeru corrected himself. If she could shapeshift… would she have aged the way he expected? Only that perfectly reasonable conversation would let him find out. So, leaving the last shop of the evening laden to prepare a feast, Shigeru set his mind. Over the meal, he would make some inquiries of Ophis and hopefully get some answers out of her, even if it meant interpreting her answers into something he could understand. He didn't care what anyone else said, the way Ophis spoke was cute, even if it did make him extra work.
Stepping back onto the train, Shigeru felt on edge. He knew that nothing had to change… he only hoped Ophis would feel the same way. 'Maybe she can tell me about the dreams I've been having too,' he mused, as the door to the train slid shut behind him.
I Could not Bring My Passion, from the Common Spring
Still sat in the chair she had taken for herself when she returned with the traitor dozing in front of her, Ophis found herself increasingly anxious for Shi's return. She had looked in on him one more time after her first peering, finding him perusing the vegetables at one of the supermarkets. 'Fooooood,' her mind had stalled upon. The thought of Shi's cooking had nearly been enough to make the full day worth it. Looking in at what he had picked up, she was sure that it would be.
As Shi left the market though and found his way towards the strange metal tube crowded with so many other mortals as they all rode together, a thought came to Ophis' mind. 'Pants!' She realized. She had been able to take them off while Shi wasn't there… but if Shi was coming back, she would need to put them back on to please his sensibilities, even if she didn't entirely agree with them. 'All the better for stroking if there is nothing in the way,' a treacherous – or perhaps simply lecherous – part of her mind tried to interject, but Ophis got a hold of herself.
Pulling her hands forcefully back to her sides where they belonged, Ophis slipped out of her chair and made her way towards her room. Sure, she could have teleported… but it was a short enough walk. She needed to try to get through her head that she didn't need to be rubbing herself off right then. She needed to wait… and have Shi rub her off – cuddle with her – when he got back. She would be a good girl for him, even if it meant delaying her pleasure for a moment. At least that's what she told herself.
Getting to her room, she had a bit of a choice to make. Was she to put the shorts she had been wearing when Shi had left back on… or would she put on something different? On the one hand, she knew the first one would let her keep her routine and clothes schedule going… on the other, the thought of a skirt right then did seem very appealing. The openness… the ease of access to certain… places…
The temptation for the skirt eventually won out over the desire to keep the well-regimented clothes schedule intact. 'New rotation.' She declared to herself as she fished one of her more open garments from its resting place. Slipping it up her legs was easy, and with a snap, it was secured around her hips. Now ready to receive Shi 'in more ways than one,' in the way he preferred, Ophis made her way back to the dining table.
She had made her realization of her lack of lower garment with plenty of time before Shi returned, and it had only taken her a few moments to decide what to wear and put it on once she had returned to her room. The point being, Ophis still had a good ten minutes to kill before Shi actually returned. He was getting close though, and She could feel his presence drawing nearer towards her own, it was almost as if they were magnets, she the south pole while Shi the north. As he drew nearer, the pull Ophis felt to run out and meet him, to throw herself through space to put herself in his arms… the desire grew exponentially with proximity.
'…Must watch the Cat…' She realized as she strongly contemplated heeding the burning desire in her heart. As much as she would have liked to sally forth and meet Shi on his approach… she was hampered by the need to make sure Kuroka didn't escape… or otherwise make a mess. And so, with a heavy heart, Ophis sat back down in her seat rather than taking any more dynamic action. It was a shame, but perhaps it was best that she resisted. All it would do was draw out the anticipation further, she reasoned, and she would be even happier to see Shi when she did. Yes, the build-up was half the experience after all…
Just sitting there though, While Shi was so close to in her grasp, was not an easy proposition for Ophis. Even though she had made up her mind, it still took an incredible amount of effort and force of will not to give in. To aid herself in her task, Ophis' hands drifted to her pussy…
To her Pussy Cat, the one sitting on the table, Kuroka. No, she was fighting an entirely separate battle of will to keep herself off of her crotch… perhaps what she had planned for the other cat in the room would help with that one as well? As her hands drifted towards the sleeping woman turned cat's head, they were poised to strike, and they did, if one considered the gentle stroking of her ears a strike. "Baka – Neko…" Ophis whispered as she continued her ministrations on Kuroka's fur. Ophis could only hope that what she was doing was as relaxing for Kuroka as it was for herself.
It wasn't like she wanted to have to punish the Nekoshou after all, it was only the natural order of the world that those that betrayed her had to face the consequences. Even if that meant needing to commandeer her once favorite person's services for an indefinite period of time, 'until Shi is ready,' she told herself… well, that was her right. That didn't mean she couldn't extract her due in a way that just so happened to be enjoyable for Kuroka as well…
She had some much less pleasant means of getting what she wanted if she needed to resort to them. Kuroka was smart though, and Ophis was confident that she wouldn't need to employ any of them on Kuroka during her tenure… for a while at least. She would have to find some way to deal with the whole desertion thing that started this whole mess for Kuroka… but that would be a problem for another day. For now, she had a cat to enjoy petting.
Some were common between all beings, or at least Ophis thought so. Hugs with Shi were amazing. Shi's cooking was sublime… and petting kitties was somehow universally therapeutic. She would need to test her theory on that last one at some point. The first two were so therapeutic that she wouldn't need to bother devoting any further effort to proving them.
Ophis was so lost in thought that her first indication that Shi had returned was the clicking of the front lock… and the immense joy that filled her heart to see her companion again when she looked up and took in his face.
I Could not Bring My Passion, from the Common Spring
Making his way up the steps towards his apartment, Shigeru was immersed in a strange mix of emotions. On the one hand, the prospect of seeing Ophis once again, and so soon at that, brought him great joy and excitement. Just the prospect of opening the door and wrapping the adorable bundle of joy in his arms was almost enough to wash his worries away. 'Well, perhaps less joy and more Kuudere,' he thought to himself, considering the muted emotions usually displayed by his companion.
Shigeru wasn't normally one to ascribe to the various 'dere' archetypes – it was only thanks to his brain's incessant need to categorize and remember everything it ever came across that he even knew what they were in the first place. The way Ophis was, however, might have just pushed him to use the term in a serious conversation. '…Nah… I'd rather just explain it the long way,' he corrected himself. It was a mildly accurate term, but it lost far too much nuance for his liking. Turns out complex living beings couldn't be condensed down into two-dimensional categories. Who knew?
Ophis not fitting into a box aside – though the image of Ophis lying in a cardboard box like a cat was itself adorable – there was still the issue of the well… issues Shigeru had come across while he had been shopping. He was of course still carrying his purchases home, and they were getting quite heavy on his arms. 'I should work on my arm strength,' he mused. It would be worth it when he had made a feast fit for a king… or for an Ophis.
…Which brought him back to the point he had been trying to get to in the first place. For lack of a better word, Ophis was weird. She did things people weren't supposed to be able to do, plain and simple… And Shigeru didn't really care… which was itself part of the problem.
Ophis was clearly something beyond him, but he had made a promise, and Shigeru had no intention of breaking it. 'It would just be nice to have an idea of what I'm really getting myself into,' Shigeru decided as he stepped up to his door. For the first time, it felt like coming home was more nerve-wracking than going out. 'This doesn't change anything,' he repeated to himself as he psyched himself up to face Ophis with his new understanding in place. Well, it didn't change anything about his relationship with his companion at least. His worldview was undergoing a seismic shift, of course, Whose wouldn't be? He had just figured out he had been living with a shapeshifter for a few weeks, and where there was one thing out of the ordinary, there were bound to be more.
'Ophis is the answer though, not the problem,' Shigeru reassured himself. With that thought in mind, his hand found the handle and turned. Placing his briefcase down in the entryway, he made his way towards the kitchen to put away the groceries… only to be interrupted by thirty kilos of Ophis crashing into his chest.
"Oomph," he wheezed as the impact nearly knocked the wind out of him. Wrapping his arms around his diminutive charge, Shigeru did his best to make sure they didn't go falling backward. If they did, he would make sure to hold onto her and keep her safe… but he didn't really fancy cracking his skull open on the floor right then, so he sought better alternatives. Chief among them, bringing his right foot back and bending his knees to lower his center of mass. At the same time, he startled "Whoa, Woah, I'm happy to see you too Ophis…" just a bit surprised at the energetic welcome he had received.
"Good," Ophis mumbled into his chest, her face buried against his shirt. Even with the clouds of his doubt hanging over him, Shigeru couldn't help but want to hold onto the girl in his arms forever. "Too long," She eventually mumbled, most likely in reference to how late he was in returning home.
"I did say I'd be back at three, didn't I?" Shigeru sighed looking at the clock on the wall, where it quietly condemned him with its readout of
5:15
Quietly ticking away, as if mocking him. "I'm sorry I was late," Shigeru whispered as he began stroking Ophis' back. Realizing she was wearing the first shirt he had given her brought a smile to his face… one that quickly became awkward when he realized that if she was wearing that particular shirt, she was also probably wearing… well… 'I did give her one other thing to wear on day one…' he winced. Despite all the time they spent together, he still wasn't used to Ophis being so open about her body. Though if she was as different as he thought she was…
Still, even that didn't really make up for the fact that Shigeru could pretty much guess what bra his companion was wearing at the moment… as well as the lack of a certain other piece of underwear. That was not the mental image he needed at the moment. He needed to stay focused… he needed to put the groceries away.
"As much as I would like to stay here and hold you forever," Shigeru began as he eventually worked up the willpower to draw that particular embrace to its end, "I do need to start getting dinner ready if we're going to be ready to eat in time." It was a cheap shot playing into Ophis' love of routine, but an effective one, nonetheless.
Ophis proved that point when she solemnly nodded, her face still buried in his chest, before easing off the pressure her arms had been exerting on him. "Yes… food." She half begged half demanded. Or at least those were the emotions Shigeru managed to interpret. It was mostly in the eyes, he had found. And the current look he was getting said, 'I need my dinner… and thank you for coming back.'
It was really touching being so wanted… but he needed to stay focused. "Come on then," Shigeru beckoned as he made his way to the kitchen with Ophis in tow. Seeing Ophis heeding his instruction, Shigeru's eyes turned towards his destination, where he saw the dish, he had left for Ophis laid out neatly, just where he would have put it.
"I see you found your lunch," Shigeru remarked. It was a relief really. It wasn't that he didn't trust Ophis per se… just that there was something deep inside of him that demanded that he protect… leaving her alone to fend for herself seemed to anger that part of him deeply. 'If I'm right, maybe she should be the one protecting me…' he pondered, to the point that he almost missed Ophis' reply.
"Yes… it was… tasty." She haltingly responded. Even after hearing the same compliment so many times, Shigeru couldn't help but beam at the Praise. The thought of Ophis being happy with something he had made… brought contentment… almost like hugging her.
Placing his bags down on his counter Shigeru let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. He was getting closer to the inevitable confrontation… 'after dinner.' He resolved. He would get his answers after dinner. Everything would be normal until then. He would enjoy his last moments of ignorance. "Alright, I'm going to start making dinner now, so why don't you take a seat?" Shigeru offered. Ophis obliged, pulling out the chair he had placed in the kitchen just for her and setting herself down.
It had a good view of the entire area… and he could see it from everywhere too. It was really a win-win. Steeling himself, Shigeru got to work making Ophis the best meal of her life. He had a day of absence to make up for after all… 'and I need to butter her up to get her to explain.' A treacherous part ofhim thought. Perhaps that was true, perhaps it wasn't. Either way, the questions wouldn't come until after dinner anyway. What was the harm in using its effects to his advantage?
'I'm going to have to make Ophis cookies to make up for this too, aren't I?' Shigeru wondered as he began preparing the meat, Ophis' eyes on him the whole time. Was it somehow mean or wrong to give Ophis exactly what she wanted, but in a way that made her more pliable to his questioning? Truly, a wonderful conundrum… one he would have to think on later when he wasn't in the middle of giving Ophis exactly what she wanted.
In truth, he was doing that in two ways. One by making her the meal of a lifetime… the other by simply being there with her. Not to put too fine a point on things, Shigeru could tell that he was one of the best things to happen to Ophis. That's the way she acted around him at least. Simply coming into the room was enough to light up the girl's face, and that wasn't even accounting for the display she had made just a few minutes prior. 'Am I ready to be that important to someone?' he wondered to himself as he slid the asparagus into the oven to cook.
It was a daunting task… being the center of someone's adoration, as he quite clearly had become for Ophis. 'I'll do it through… I promised,' Shigeru reminded himself. Whether he liked it or not, he had tied himself to Ophis. If that meant having to come to terms with her otherness, with being responsible for her, with being responsible for keeping her happy and safe… he would do it in a heartbeat. That level of commitment coming from him towards another person was itself part of the issue… but that was just something he would have to work out. An obstacle to overcome, or perhaps to embrace, but not a barrier.
Ophis apparently didn't feel much like barriers that night either. Rising from her chair, she had closed the distance to Shigeru, and burying her face in his back, wrapped her arms around his waist. She had made it a good long while, Shigeru thought, but he had honestly expected her to fold much sooner. It had become something of another routine that the pair would end up in that position while Shigeru cooked, Ophis wrapped around his back, following his steps and making sure to give him full range of motion, but attached to him, nonetheless.
For someone who had so very recently rejected the necessity of human touch altogether, it was admittedly quite nice, having her in such close proximity, Shigeru thought. 'Only because it's Ophis though,' he quickly amended. There was no way he would be caught dead with anyone else hanging off of his back. Just not worth the trouble. Ophis was though.
And so, in what anyone else might have called a strange arrangement, Shigeru continued to make dinner, Ophis snuggled up against his back. It was odd and out there… but it just felt right. Being close to her still hadn't lost its nearly intoxicating allure as he had expected it might in the early days of their relationship.
It was one thing to want to be around someone constantly when they were new and novel… it was another entirely to do so once the novelty had worn off and the cards were down on the table for real. That was part of the reason why Shigeru was so hesitant to go through with interrogating? Questioning? Asking for an explanation from Ophis about her less-than-normal behavior.
He didn't want to lose what he already had… and what if he somehow found something he couldn't handle in what Ophis revealed? Well, he would digest it, take his lumps, and deal with it. He certainly didn't have any intention of going anywhere, regardless of what he may find out in the near future. The thought of losing the warmth he felt whenever he got to hold Ophis in his arms, or she did the same to him as she was right then… it saddened him.
He would have to make sure that never happened. Snapping out of his thoughts, Shigeru realized that he had gotten the preparations for the meat he had begun earlier completed without noticing it as if he was on some sort of autopilot. 'Ah… well that's… handy,' He haltingly thought to himself. The idea of blanking out at an inopportune time had never sat well with him.
What If he had been using the knives, which thankfully he hadn't needed to just then, or heavens forbid, what if he had been driving a car? He didn't have one and had no intention of getting one any time soon, but the thought of losing himself behind the controls of a multi-ton death machine was, he believed, rather unsettling.
Right at the moment of his greatest unrest, Ophis' arms tightened slightly, and Shigeru could have sworn he heard her mumble something like "-'ts alright," into his back. She always had been more perceptive of his emotions than he would have otherwise expected, but he couldn't help but appreciate it just then. He was worried about more than just dozing off with a knife in his hands or behind the wheel after all. He was worried about losing her, what they had, even if they had only had it for what he knew was supposedly a short time.
Shigeru would admit, as much as he suspected he was one of the best things to happen to Ophis… Ophis was one of the best things to happen to him as well. He may have liked to tell himself that he didn't need anyone, that people were too much of a bother to deal with, and there were times that he legitimately did feel that way some days, or some hours of every day. Before Ophis though, In the dead of night, as he lay alone in his bed, a part of him would long for someone, anyone to know, to hold, or to love.
Ophis had seemingly filled that void for the moment, but nothing was ever as secure as it seemed; Shigeru had learned. His parents had seemed rather well put together before their deaths after all. And so, hearing her simple reassurance, that everything would in fact work out, it meant a lot more to him than hearing those words from anyone else.
His relief was perhaps out of proportion with the remedy that Ophis had intended to give him, and Shigeru knew that. It didn't stop him though from placing down the instruments of his culinary toolkit and turning himself around in his companion's embrace, returning it with one of his own. "You're going to have to wait a bit longer for dinner now, you know that right?" he whispered gently as Ophis adjusted herself in his arms to find a more advantageous position in their new configuration. Shigeru didn't have the reason or desire to question her on it. Ophis was the master on receiving hugs from him after all. 'She would know best,' Shigeru remarked to himself with a grin.
"It is… Ok." Ophis replied after a moment, finally getting to a position where she could truly deem herself properly fit against him. "Hugs are good too…" She trailed off as if she was sleepy. It was cute, but Shigeru knew not to trust that indication too much. He had seen firsthand how quickly she could go from yawning up a storm to being excited again… mostly, 'Well, entirely' he corrected, about matters related to him. Again, the center of Ophis' affection and all that.
They stayed locked in each other's embrace for a good long while… until the timer went off, cutting the impromptu session to a close. "We'll have plenty of time for more after dinner," Shigeru offered as he removed his arms and turned himself back around. Ophis nodded against his back as he felt her getting back into her position form before he had moved in the first place.
They would have plenty of time for cuddling indeed. Shigeru would make sure of that. 'I'm going to need it,' he reasoned as he placed the pan with the asparagus on a potholder so it could cool without damaging the countertops. 'Something tells me I'm going to be the one who needs comforting after what I find out tonight,' he continued. It was going to be a trial. But he would get through it… come hell or high water.
I Could not Bring My Passion, from the Common Spring
O-AN-O
For now, this is the end. I am not going to say that I will never come back to this story. I do still genuinely want to see this done, but my will to write is still nowhere to be found. Once it comes back, I will do my best to come back to this piece. This is a terrible place to end things, I know. Probably the worst I could have chosen if I'm being honest, but them's the breaks. Sorry for leaving you on a cliffhanger like this. Also, yes, I do realize that Ophis suddenly decided that leaving Kuroka unsupervised was ok at the end there, after having just concluded that doing exactly that was a bad idea. That was going to get explained in the next chapter… but since I can't say when that will be, I'll explain it now.
Shi's hugs outweigh logic, plain and simple. What other reasoning could Ophis need?
That being said, I have decided that I will not be marking this story as abandoned or up for adoption. It's not. I still identify with this piece and as I said I still do want to see it finished… now just isn't the time. You will notice though that I have marked this piece as On Hiatus, and it will remain that way until my ability to write the way I want to returns.
I do have another idea kicking around my head right now, but given the way this has turned out, and the fact that my inability to be a productive writer is more general than specific to this story, I don't really feel confident writing that at this time. Screwing one thing up tends to reduce your confidence in doing a similar thing well. Who knew? What I'm saying is, you shouldn't really expect to see much of anything from me on ffn for a while, until I can come back in full form at least. I apologize in advance for the wait. Thank you for enjoying this story so far, and I'm sorry I'm ending this chapter of its life like this. Until I return,
Best,
-Pdes.
P.S.
There's a common mentality in performance circles, that no matter how many times you have rehearsed your work, no matter how many times you have studied it, or even performed it for different audiences, it is still most likely the first time that your audience for the next performance has ever experienced the work in question. This is especially true for one-off shows or original works (like a piece of fanfiction, even if the definition of 'original' needs to be stretched in that case.) Where literally everyone is seeing your art for the first time when you present it. Because of this, even if the performer is bored with their art, their music, their prose; it is still incumbent upon them to do their best and make each show the best of their lifetime.
There's a second side to that line of thought though. As much as any performance or reading is likely to be someone's first, it can also be their last. This can be tip-toed around by saying that every performance, even by the same performer is unique, so no one can ever truly experience the same art twice, but that's the cop-out way to go about it. People die. Each of us will have a last piece of art we enjoy, a last song we listen to and lose ourselves in, or in our case as readers of fanfiction, a last fic we read and immerse ourselves in.
So, why am I saying this? As I am, I cannot say that I am capable of giving my best. I do not feel confident that my work since I've stopped active production on this piece is worth being either someone's first or last experience with how poor it has become. I would rather leave things where I did, where I am at least satisfied with what I have said than add on words for the sake of adding on words. It would only cheapen the experience. Once I can again truly say that I have done the best I could, I will return to publishing.
I know that this is only fanfiction, but it is still in its own small way art. Call me a hopeless romantic if you must, but art deserves better than I can give at this time. That will eventually change but now is not eventually. I'll return when it is. Until then, I encourage you all to try your own hands at writing. No one knows their own skill until they start, and you can't get better without practice. I will bet you plenty of you could make better stories than what you have seen if you only picked up the pen… or sat down at the keyboard.
