Suzume slept like the dead. Literally. She didn't even become aware of her discomforts until reality woke her up. In her opinion, she woke up way too soon.

She groaned and blearily opened her eyes. She blinked, momentarily confused as to why she was in her room but sleeping on the tatami mats rather than a proper futon without a pillow. The only thing that gave her a sense of comfort was the blanket that somehow managed to get draped over her clumsily.

She also hissed in pain as she became aware of her aching body. It felt as though someone threw her into a wall and-

Wait.

Instantly, it all came flooding back to her.

Packing to run away.

Halfway through her escape.

A cry. A scream. Twisted sounds of despair as death crept.

A dead body and blood- so much death and blood.

The demon.

The sunlight killing said demon, burning it alive.

The other demon- the nekomata one, the one in her room-

She jolted and sat straight up but instantly regretted it as a wave of nausea slapped her. Trying to ignore it, she slowly turned her head and......

And saw a mountain of blankets on her futon.

"Wha.....?" she asked and warily crawled closer to it on all fours.

Then a face popped out- a face with slitted blood red eyes like a cat with matching cat ears. Behind it, a pair of tails also poked out of the mountain of fabric.

He looked at her and perked up, glad to see she's awake and released a.....whine? Grunt?....purr? A mix of all three? of joy.

"Holy-! Sorry, sorry." She said, jumping slightly as she saw his face and realized that everything that happened to her recently wasn't some morbidly lucid nightmare.

As if for further proof, she became aware of a sting on the right side of her face. She brought her hand up tentatively and hissed when her fingers grazed over an injury that stimulated the pain.

Seeing a small mirror nearby, she picked it up and looked at her reflection.

"My god...." She whispered as she tenderly touched the gash on her right cheek only to quickly pull away with another hiss of pain. The gash was beginning to scab over a bit but it was still an ugly fresh red. Chances are.....it's going to scar.

It made moving her jaw and even smiling, heck even grimacing, hurt.

She heard a small whine and whipped her head around to see her new......demon cat friend gazing up at her in....concern?

It warmed her to see such a humane caring action. She smiled at him reassuringly, ignoring how her cheek protested a bit against the action.

"I'm fine. Just need to clean this up." Suzume said. Then it struck her. Was she....................was she the only survivor in the okiya?

Her mind spiraled at that thought.

But she couldn't deny the circumstances. Surely if someone else had survived they would've rush to get help, they would've come help her and she wouldn't even be here or at least left some kind of note.

'I'm....I'm the only one left.' She realized with horror, a knot tightening in her gut. 'Oh god, all the others are.....'

Then she slapped herself and once again hissed in pain when she accidentally slapped the gash but she didn't mind, the pain kept her in check. Now was not the time to have a breakdown.

Right now, she had to deal with a much bigger mess.

'Ok, ok, stay calm. Don't rush it. Break it down and go from there. Step one- treat my wounds, especially this gash. Step two- investigate, look for survivors. Step three- bury........bury the dead.' The last part left a sickening pit in her stomach. She wasn't sure if she could bring herself to once again gaze at the colorless husks of once bright lives.

'Step four- pack any necessities just in case. Step five- look for the authorities. Step six-........we'll just have to see how things go from there.' Suzume thought.

Then she nodded to herself, a small sense of reassurance washing over her now that she actually had a plan........more or less. But hey, at least she won't be running around like a headless chicken.

Then she heard the shuffling of cloth and noticed the mountain of blankets shuffling about as her new cat demon friend began to wriggle around like a caterpillar.

She snickered and snorted in a very unladylike manner at the adorable antics. She couldn't help it! She honestly found it adorable.

He smiled, glad to see her happy. Then he tried to wriggle out, only to realize he couldn't. He tried again and again to wriggle free of the tangle of blankets only to trap himself even more.

He whined in mews of distress, sounds muffled by the fabric as his legs feebly swung around and his blood red eyes wide, his tails swishing around quicker in panic as he found himself actually trapped.

Seeing him wriggle around like a caterpillar only to realize he was actually trapped in there was so...so childish so........

Suzume opened her mouth and laughter spilled from it. She laughed and laughed, doubling over until her stomach hurt and tears spilled out.

After the nightmare she had to endure and the hell she survived, this small moment of simple heart warming joy was much needed release.

He glared at her and released a whine in protest, clearly not finding his predicament as amusing as her. He pouted and that only caused Suzume to laugh even more.

"Ha ha ha! Ok....okay..." she wheezed, wiping away her tears. "Let's get you out of those blankets."

She gently managed to untangle him from his blanket trap and he gave her a grateful purr in response.

"Your welcome." She said as though she understood him. Suzume was actually more or less guessing honestly. Then he noticed something as the last blanket fell off his shoulders.

He was smaller.

He was younger.

He was a child. Heck, he seemed barely older than a toddler! His body was swamped by his now oversized yukata.

Suzume blinked in surprise and wondered if she had hit her head yesterday and now her mind was playing tricks on her. She was pretty sure despite her exhaustion, she remembered him being a young man- maybe the youngest being a teenager.

'Can demons.....control their age?' she wondered. She wouldn't put that theory past them. Demons were said to have longevity so the ability to control their age at whim wasn't that far off.

"Huh. So you shrink too huh? Well aren't you adorable?" she teased and playfully pinched his cheek.

He yowled in protest and slapped her hand away. Then he crossed his arms and scowled at her.

"Hm hmg!" he huffed in annoyance.

Suzume had to resist the urge to snicker at the pouting face.

"Come on." She said, offering her his hand. "Let's go clean up this mess."

He stared at the hand being offered to him. It was such a simple gesture- all he had to do was reach out and touch it. Yet, as his hand hovered closer and closer, he hesitated.

He.....he felt tainted. Dirty. Unworthy to hold her hand.

Then he froze as he felt her wrap her hand around his clawed ones anyways with that same gentle beautiful smile on her face. She gave him one last bright smile as though she managed to grasp some kind of jewel in her hand before she turned her focus towards more important matters at hand.

He felt his grip tighten ever so slightly. He didn't want her to ever let go, he didn't want her to leave.

Suzume pushed open the shoji door and was surprised to see the corridors already taking on a dim orange atmosphere.

She gently pushed him back in her room and released his hand- much to his shock and devastation because he didn't want her to let go, he didn't want her to ever let go- and smiled at him reassuringly.

"Wait here for sec. I hafta go check something." She reassured him and ruffled his hair before stepping out. Suzume pushed one of the windows opened and sure enough, the sun was already beginning to set.

'I slept the whole day?!' she thought, surprised. She must've been really exhausted...............then again, she did almost die and get eaten alive by a monster that was supposedly just folklore to scare people.

She ran a hand through her hair and briefly paused when she noticed how short it was now.....and how uneven it was- Another physical mark to testify the nightmarish surreal experience.

She closed the window and went back inside to see him sitting there on the floor, patiently waiting for her, mindlessly playing with a dangling thread on his sleeve. He perked up and gazed at her expectantly when she came back in.

"The sun's still out. You might get hurt....." Suzume frowned, trying to think of a solution. On one hand, they could simply wait till night but she didn't want to waste anymore time.

Then she glanced at all the mounds of blankets and got an idea.

"Hold still." She said. Picking up one of the thicker blankets, she draped it around his body and wrapped him in it- the large piece of cloth easily swamping his entire small body. She used some pins to make sure they didn't slip and to assure he still had enough space for mobility.

"You can hear what I'm saying, right?" she asked tilting her head slightly.

As though in response, he hummed and also tilted his head to mimic her like he did before.

He.......he didn't.....fully understand everything right now. He didn't understand some of the too hard words she spoke. But he could comprehend that she wanted to tell him to do something and whatever it was, he'd try to do so as well as possible.

"I'll take that as a yes." Suzume said. "Listen. You cannot  take this off, ok?" she explained carefully like she would to a child....which she technically was doing. "This." She pointed to the blanket turned makeshift cloak. "will protect you from the sun." she pointed towards the screen.

"So you don't get hurt, you understand? Don't  take it off, alright?" she repeated.

He nodded. Right. It was slightly troublesome but he can endure it for a while. He certainly didn't want to die like that other mean demon.

She smiled and rose from her knelt down position. "Ok, let's go for real this time." She said. This time, he grabbed her hand without any prompting. Suzume was slightly surprised at how quick he was to suddenly trust her then chalked it up to....maybe instincts.

An instinctive trust........that sounded nice.

With his hand in hers, she briskly walked down the corridors towards the small infirmary Suzume knew some medical equipment was kept. Her companion stumbled and tripped in the oversized clothing he had to wear, forcing her to slow down a bit.

Suzume took a deep breath and opened the shoji door. Her tensed shoulders slumped down in relief when she saw no crimson stains or motionless bodies in the small neat infirmary.

Slipping her hands under him, she grunted and lifted him up, setting him down on the cot. "Good boy. Sit here, kay?" she said to him before turning around to rummage through cabinets, looking for what she'd need to treat her wounds.

It wasn't easy. Suzume wasn't exactly a medic but her nimble fingers helped patch up the gash. She thought it was difficult to have wounds treated before, she learned that it was much harder when you had to do it yourself.

She took the small towel out of the basin filled with water and gently dabbed the wound, trying to ignore the stings of pain and the red that stained the towel. She dipped it into the water once more- the once clear pure liquid now tinted red- and dabbed again to clean the wound.

Then she slowly applied the herbal paste which managed to soothe the burn. After that, she finally painstakingly dressed the gash.

"And.....done." she said and observed her handiwork in the mirror. She was quite proud, considering the fact she was an amateur this was a pretty decent job.

She noticed a tug on her pants and looked down to see him looking up at her in concern again, his cat ears lowered slightly.

"Mmm?" he whined in question.

"Aw...were you worried bout me?" she asked, touched by his concern. Then she patted his head, her fingers briefly relishing in the fluffy softness of his otherwise messy locks. "Don't worry. I was just being a big baby."

She carried him back onto the cot. "I think we better make sure you're fine too. Are you hurt?" she asked. She lit up some candles and closed the shoji door and window to make sure no sunlight came in before she began to take off the makeshift cloak.

"You can uh....grow big again if you want." She said. "Just in case." She wanted to make sure he was fine when he was in both forms- his usual form and his....child form, she labelled for now.

She watched in fascination as he grew bigger and taller, the cloth of his yukata began to hang onto his frame in a normal way as his body grew to the right size to fit it, baby fat was gone making his face angular and the features more defined, his shoulders grew broader- a stark contrast to his lanky tall frame and his cute chubby child arms became leaner.

Suzume took this chance to finally observe how he actually looked.

He had an overall slim build- it was actually bordering on lanky.......maybe even skinny much to her slight concern- but she can see the lean muscle and broad shoulders that contrasted his otherwise twig-like fragility. His hair was messy but it seemed to have that....fluffiness to it, like a cat's fur and it went slightly past his shoulders. It was white that faded to black at the tips and an orange streak stood out boldly on his bangs. Nestled on top of his head were a pair of black cat ears that flickered and twitched.

Although his mouth was closed, Suzume could see fangs poking out slightly if she looked close enough. He also had two tails- just like a nekomata- but one was black while the other was white. She also noted that his nails were long and sharp- they were claws, she realized- they were black that faded to grey at the tips.

All in all, he looked like a true mix between human and beast.

Suzume also noted with concern that his yukata was worse for wear. The piece of clothing was clearly old and ratty. It seemed like rags barely holding together. The seams were fraying, the cloth scruffy and as thin as linen, the material and his skin covered in grime, sweat and dirt.

All in all, he was a mess. Then again she was no better.

The yukata was a faded grey- age had long since slowly robbed away the colour- with odd patches of darker grey and brownish red-

Wait.......

Her eyes widened and she inspected the patches closer. Sure enough, there was a metallic copper-like smell to it.

Blood.

"Oh $hit....." she said. "Hold still." She instructed. She gently tugged away his collar where there was a patch but oddly enough, the cloth was pulled away to reveal perfectly fine skin.

Then Suzume remembered another certain ability demons had and felt like smacking herself for forgetting such a crucial detail.

'Of course he's fine you idiot, he's a demon. Demons can heal.' She chastised. Then she shuddered when she remembered the more gruesome display the other demon showed her that night.

"Must be useful, to be able to heal your wounds like that." She said to him. Then she patted him on the shoulder and scrunched her nose slightly at his disheveled appearance......and at hers.

"We really need to get cleaned up after this." She said.

He hummed in agreement.

Now for the hard parts- look for survivors and......and give the dead a proper burial if she could.

The chances of the former were so very slim though.

Regardless, she forced herself to check every room in the okiya have it be guest rooms, bedrooms, small offices, storerooms and so on.

Suzume forced the bile down her throat and quickly wiped away the tears before they could fall each time she laid eyes on another dead body- some were girls she knew well enough to call friends, some were familiar faces of acquaintances, some were girls who might have well been strangers to her but the fact remained that there was so much death and devastation.

All in the wake of just one  demon.

Just how many others were out there? How many more of these savages were there, ruining lives and robbing others of loved ones?

Her companion was.....oddly quiet. He followed her around and would barely spare the corpses a glance. He seemed to prefer having his focus trained on her. He too was also trying to tune out the sickeningly sweet smell of rotting flesh from the corpses and the crimson liquid seeping out from them, staining the once clean floors and tatami mats.

Before they knew it, they had reached the last room.

Chikano's personal bedroom.

Steeling her nerves, Suzume gripped the frame and pushed the fusuma open.

A hand covered her mouth and a muffled choked sob tore through as she gazed at the corpse of someone she once called her mentor and maybe the closest thing she's ever had to a mother-figure since her actual one passed away.

There Chikano was, in a pool of her own blood just like the others. Her body splayed and the limbs bent at awkward angles, her fog-like hair no longer in its usual neat bun, splayed under her head with a few locks matted against her blood-soaked cheek and her signature flower pin clutched limply in one hand.

Suzume felt a surge of respect when she saw Chikano clutching the pin. It showed that she struggled, that she fought till he last breath rather than freeze and await death to take her just like that.

She blinked when she felt someone pat her. She turned around to see him standing there awkwardly, one of his clawed hands placed on top of her head uneasily like he wasn't sure if he should touch her.

Noticing her looking at him, he gave her another awkward pat and ruffled her hair, careful his claws didn't scratch her.

Suzume sniffled and wiped away the tears before clasping his hand, offering him a sad but sincere smile. "Thanks." She choked out. Then she nodded towards Chikano. "Now let's give her a proper burial."

She walked into the room and bent down- trying to ignore how the knees of her pants got stained red- beside Chikano. Then she slipped her arms under her and with a grunt, hefted her up.

Painstakingly slowly, she carried Chikano out of her room. Earlier, she had found one of the bigger guestrooms vacant and decided she could use that to......to temporarily....put the.....bodies. The garden didn't seem to be the proper terrain for an actual burial and Suzume doubt she could handle all the labor that came with it by herself.

Finally, she managed to heave Chikano into the empty guest room. She laid the okasan down as gently as possible. Suzume noticed her eyes were closed and took some solace, knowing that at least Chikano was blessed with the privilege to die with a peaceful expression on her face rather than one frozen in agony.

"One down..." she said, dusting her hands and setting them on her hips, trying to muster up as much assertiveness as she could. "A few more to go..........."

Hauling all the bodies wasn't easy. More than once, her grip on them nearly slipped and she felt her arms tremble under the strain. She would've carried them properly and try to make sure their bodies didn't drag on the floor at all but the only way Suzume could carry them was by grabbing them under the armpits, hefting them up as high as she could before carrying- or dragging- them towards the guest room.

With each body, she felt her arms begin to ache more from the burden; With each body, she felt her legs threaten to buckle; With each body, sweat dripped down her face from the physical turmoil; With each body..............her clothes began to get red stains.

With each body, her eyes teared and blurred as she was forced to see their colorless husk, the auras gone with their lives.

__________________________________________________

The girl was struggling again, he noted.

Unlike before, he couldn't see any physical threat looming over her, threatening to kill her. Why was she so sad?

Yet, she still stood, she still smiled and told him it was ok, it was alright as though she wasn't close to breaking herself. How could she still be so kind to him after all the cruel things she's had to endure?

That cut on her cheek seemed to hurt too. He wished she could heal injuries like him. It wasn't fair a cursed being like himself had such a gift whereas she did not.

Then the two of them had to walk through the building again, check every room and constantly force themselves to see the morbid scene of twisted bodies and red stains. He could tell it tore her apart each time she laid eyes on the lifeless husks but she still forced herself to endure it all and do it over and over again.

When they reached one particular room, she finally cracked. He panicked when he saw that.

(He didn't want to see her cry again. He didn't want to see her sad. He didn't want to see her in pain. He hated it, he hated it, he hated it.

He didn't know why but having to stand there beside her and just watch felt like torture. It brought back so much agony, he wanted it all to just go away.)

But he was also sad earlier, right? He also felt bad yesterday but she managed to make him feel better.......maybe he can do the same for her too?

Should he try to do that mouth action at her? The one where the mouth curls up....a smile! Yes. Her smile made him feel warm and fuzzy and always made the bad feelings go away.

Then his fangs poked his lips reminding him that he was cursed......he wasn't human or beautiful like her. He'd probably just make her feel worse.

Maybe he could pat her like she did just now? It did help him feel less uncertain. But.....could he really touch her with his clawed hands?

He did. It was.....awkward. He's never really done it before so he isn't quite sure if he does it right. Then she glances up at him and stares. Worried, she was judging him for doing it wrong he tried to do it again.

Turns out his worries were for naught as she smiled at him again- he felt a weight he didn't know was there disappear as he saw that expression- before thanking him, clasping his clawed hands in her once more.

Then he watched as she carried one body after another into the room. It was clear she was struggling and she had a lot left to do but she didn't waver in the face of the challenge. She once again endured and forced herself to go through it.

He placed his hands on his hips and frowned. He couldn't let her struggle and go through this alone. Not if he could help! He was here which means he could and he was going to!

All they had to do was bring all the dead bodies to that one room, right? Ok then.

With a determined nod, he ran off towards one of the many rooms where he knew one of many corpses were left in.

__________________________________________________

"Seven down." Suzume wheezed as she set another body down. She panted then dropped down onto her rear, sitting down for a moment to catch her breath. Having to carry the different body masses and sizes and having to make the trip up and down in between the rooms were so tiring.

She heard the 'thud thud thud' of another set of footsteps- no doubt her companion. She turned around and her eyes widened. A sound of surprise choked through as she hastily stood up.

He was standing there- she really needed to find out his name and stop referring to him as 'he' and her companion- with a body hung over his shoulder and another tucked under his arm and in one hand, she saw him holding onto the leg of another body and dragging it across the floor!

Her jaw opened and closed but no words came out. It didn't help when he literally just dropped the bodies down and looked at her expectantly as though he just gave her a present and was waiting to see her reaction.

"Hn hn!" he said with a smile and bright eyes. Then he gestured to the dumped bodies again. "Hm hm!"

"You-wha-how-why-!" Suzume was at a loss for words. "You can't just dump the bodies like that! What are you thinking?!" she asked. Then she took a deep breath and told herself to calm down.

"You can't just drag them here." She said. "You can't just drag them along the floor and drop them, it's disrespectful!"

He just gave her a confused look like he couldn't fathom why he should even do that. He didn't get it. She wanted to bring the bodies here, right? He did just that. Besides, it didn't matter how they were brought here...they couldn't feel anything anymore.

"Look, I get it, they're....dead." she swallowed the lump in her throat as she repeated the harsh fact. "But that's all the more reason to respect them. They died a painful death, a peaceful respectful burial is the least we can do to put their spirits to rest."

He digested her words. He didn't fully get all the words but....basically she was telling him that even though they're dead, he still has to be nicer and gentler to them because it was simply the right thing to do.

His ears drooped as he realized he messed up and upset her too.

Noticing his downcast expression, her face softened. "It's ok, you just wanted to help and I'm grateful for that." She said. Then she placed a hand on his shoulder. "How about I show you how to help me in the right  way?"

With his help, there was a noticeable increase in progress. Despite his seemingly lanky frame, his strength was tremendous! He could easily haul three bodies and carry them around as though they were barely heavier than a bucket. To him, one body alone was as light as a feather!

But Suzume still instructed him on how to carry them in the most respective way possible. Unfortunately, she couldn't carry them bridal-style or piggyback style so she resorted to her earlier methods.

Suzume couldn't help but envy his strength though.

Soon, the last bodies were placed inside the rapidly crowded guestroom.

Another pang was shot through her heart as Suzume saw how the entire floor was covered with motionless lying bodies that will never wake up.

"Come on, we have to at least cover them." She said and beckoned for him to follow her.

She went through the rooms and thanks to the extra pair of hands she had, they managed to carry a few blankets into the guestroom that would now be their impromptu burial grounds.

Suzume closed their eyes and tried to readjust their twisted limbs- if they had any attached to them- into a more....intact position before draping the blanket over their bodies. She carefully stepped through the gaps between the bodies before going over to the next one to repeat the process.

There was another ruffling whip of cloth being draped over a body but it wasn't from her. She turned around and was surprised to see that her companion was also doing the same thing as her.

He draped another blanket over another body before noticing her staring. He tilted his head and gazed at her inquisitively.

Suzume shook her head. "It's nothing. Thanks for the help." She said with a small grateful smile.

His cat ears perked up as he brightened up at the praise. Then he went back to work with.....surprising enthusiasm.

Soon, all the bodies were respectfully covered. After some more scavenging, Suzume found some incense and lit them up, the smoke wafting and swirling around the room lazily. Suzume wished she could see auras swirling through the air like smoke rather than actual smoke.

She also placed pots of flowers and a few ikebana in a desperate attempt to brighten things up......even if just a little.

Then again, it's not like pretty flowers can help cover up the tragedy of death.

Clasping her hands together, Suzume bowed her head down in prayer. He observed her actions then he too, clasped his hands and bowed his head in a similar manner.

Then Suzume sighed, emotionally and physically drained once again. She checked through the door and saw that it was already night. Wow, time flies.

Her stomach grumbled to emphasize the point and she realized belatedly that she hasn't had a meal since yesterday.

"I'm hungry...." She bemoaned, rubbing her stomach. "Let's go get something eat before we hit the hay. What do you say?" she asked him.

"Mm hm." He said and nodded though his stomach was fine.

Suzume worked on once again scavenging some ingredients for food and made a mental note to pack tomorrow after she wakes up before going to the authorities. But.........

She glanced over at him who sat there by the table, his lanky legs casually sprawled out under it.

'How am I gonna explain him to them?' she wondered. Ah crap, she forgot about this obstacle in her path. She sighed and moodily stirred the small pot of miso soup. One problem after another, so troublesome....so tiring......

She shook her head and forced away the fatigue. Dozing off while cooking was a certain recipe for disaster. She poured the miso soup into two separate bowls and went on preparing the simple meal.

Soon, she placed two trays down on the table, each with a bowl of rice and miso soup, steamed vegetables and beef grilled more or less evenly. She poured them each a cup of tea.

"Itadakimasu." She said and dug in. She glanced over curiously and saw her companion merely look at the food, confused as though he didn't know what to do with it.

"Go on, eat. You need the energy." She said, putting some rice in her mouth. She chewed and waited for him to do the same but he didn't.

"Not hungry?" she asked.

He shook his head and pushed his tray away.

Suzume opened her mouth then another horrifying scene replayed itself.

The beast hauled Aoniji up and tore off a huge chunk of her flesh on her shoulder.

Aoniji's scream of agony rang through their ears and tears steadily dripped down but her screams were silenced into a wet gurgling choke as claws sunk into her flesh.

She choked on her rice and coughed harshly. Her companion panicked and rushed over to her. She pushed him away.

"I'm fine!" she gasped. Then coughed some more before taking a gulp of tea to clear her throat. "I-I'm fine." She said, voice hoarse.

She glanced over at him and he stared back.

'He......isn't hungry.' She mused to herself, frowning at her food. 'But he didn't eat anyone either, there weren't any bloodstains on his mouth or hands.' Surely if he did, there would've been evidence. But there wasn't, even the bloodstains on his yukata seemed old. If he had harmed anyone, they would've been fresh and red.

'Demons....don't seem to eat human food either.' She mused as she absentmindedly put a slice of beef in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. 'Is he.....different? Does he not get hungry?' she wondered.

She finished up her meal but realized she was more ravenous than she thought. Seeing as to how he wasn't going to touch his share of food, Suzume ate that too. At least the food wasn't going to waste so.....win win.

"You know......" she paused to yawn. "I don't think we've introduced ourselves yet. And I can't keep calling you 'you' or 'him'." She said.

Currently, they were back in her room. Along the way, she...... 'borrowed' one of the futons and blankets in a nearby room and brought it to hers so both of them could sleep comfortably.

"I'm Suzume Sora.........what's yours?" she asked the cat demon who sat down beside her.

He blinked when she asked him that question. His........name?

"You.....do have a name.......right?" Suzume asked again as the silence stretched without any form of response.

He frowned. A name......a name was what someone called you....right? It's what someone says to call you.

Suddenly, his head flared as another wave of pain slammed into his skull.

("CURSED!" a voice screeched at him, as deafening as a banshee's cry as though she was the devil herself. "You're cursed! Devil! Demon! Stay away! You're just a cursed spawn!" the voice spat at him like daggers.

"You're a cursed child." Another snarled at him. "You shouldn't even be here! Cursed!"

"His eyes.....they're made of blood! Is he a monster? A demon?!" another asked fearfully.

And so that word came again and again, resonating on and on like an endless echo.

He wanted it to stop. The cries hurt, they haunted him, they slithered into his soul, coiled around it in an unforgiving grip so tight it crushed him, it broke him it-

Cursed. Cursed. Cursed. Demon. Devil. Cursed child....cursed child....cursed child........cursed. Cursed. Cursed. Cursed. Monster. You shouldn't have been borned. CuRSed.)

His clawed finger pressed against the sheet and traced his 'name' out.

祟血 呪い

Suzume read it aloud. "Suiketsu Noroi....." then she frowned. "Cursed?" That's a horrible name.

'Suiketsu Noroi' shrugged. He just.......wrote it when it came to mind. And since that's what came to mind when he wondered what his name was....that must be his name.

"Well that's a horrible name." Suzume said. "You're not a curse." She said in a softer gentler tone as she once again ran her fingers through his hair. "You saved me." Then she smiled at him. "You're a miracle. A blessing, not a curse."

(He wanted to cry tears of joy when he heard that. He felt a pang that soothed at the same time, burned a scar he never knew he had. On one hand, he wanted to accept what she said as the bright truth but.....

On the other hand.....he couldn't help but feel like she was wrong about him. He didn't deserve that.....that's not what he was.........

Was he?)

"Hm......" Suzume hummed in thought as she gently combed her fingers through his white locks. Then inspiration struck her as she stared at his hair.

"....Shiro." She said with a proud smile. "Shiro........" she glanced around the place as though something could once again strike her with inspiration.

Then through a peek in her shoji door, she crawled forward and saw the luminous moonlight pouring into the corridor. She got up and pushed the window aside to reveal a beautiful full moon in all its glory among the starry sky.

"Tsuki." She said. "Shiro Tsuki." She nodded in satisfaction. It was.......admittedly simple and maybe even a bit bland to others but....it was certainly better than his previous name.

She turned around to him and smiled brightly. "Shiro Tsuki. What do you think?"

He hummed in thought as he repeated the name in his own head. Shiro Tsuki.......white moon.

"I mean, the moon is beautiful, isn't it? And it's when we met- pretty symbolic, right? Plus your hair is white and....." a tender smile took place as she gently brushed her knuckled against his forehead to push away the bangs. "Your aura is pure.....you're a demon but you still have humanity in you.....that's pure.

"So Shiro Tsuki it is?" she asked.

'Pure.' He thought. She thought he was.....pure. She thought he was.....humane. Not some animal or wild beast, not some scum spawn.....she saw him as human and treated him as such.

He smiled and nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

"Hn hn!" he grunted as he bobbed his head up and down, blood red eyes gleaming with joy at the better name.

Suzume laughed. "Ok then, Shiro." She tried his new name and honestly? She liked it already. "Let's get some sleep. Long day tomorrow."

Then she yawned and stretched her hands over her head as she slowly laid down. She turned around and patted him on the cheek one more time.

"Goodnight, Shiro." She said. Then her eyelids drooped down and once again, she was pulled into slumber.

Her hand slowly slid down but he- Shiro- Shiro caught it and grasped it in his clawed one gently. He brought her hand up and rubbed her knuckles against his cheek, basking in the warmth it emitted. The warmth and softness of it along with her even rhythmic breaths and peaceful face soon lulled him into slumber as well.

(The sparrow bid her new companion goodnight as she tucked into her nest, allowing the gentle gusts of blissful slumber to carry her into its endless sky.

The cat after some consideration, lied down beside the nest, taking comfort in the small rise and fall of the sparrow's chest. So small, yet it contained heart that would constantly beat the melody of a fighter.

This was merely the tip of the iceberg of the beginning that would soon pull them both into another world filled with both light and darkness; beauty and filth........man and beast.)