Promised Ink - Ushio and Tora

Chapter 2

Nagatobimaru growled, his claws aching for the chance to tear the presumptuous gyoyou to shreds for daring to touch HIS soulmate. Clearly distracted by the insects, the boy stumbled closer, not realizing he was now within Nagatobimaru's reach. The foolish little human.

"Eep! Get out of my pants, you pervert!"

Nagatobimaru wrapped his closest paw around the boy's shoulder, yanking him against his chest. With a snarl, he snapped his teeth at the gyoyou.

"Tora?" The human's voice was muffled by his fur, and only prompted the beast to tighten his grip.

"What do you want, brat? I'm a little busy," the tiger monster grumbled, keeping his attention on the insects swarming around them. The stupider ones darted forward, falling to pieces with a slash of his claws.

"What are they?" the youth asked, glancing up at him.

"These low level spirits are called gyoyou."

"And how do we get rid of them?"

"If enough of them merge together, their combined form will attack any human in the area – including you. But if you remove the spear, then I can defeat them easily."

"How do I know you won't attack humans?"

"I'm not attacking you right now, am I?" Another handful of insects died at his claws. "You'd better make a decision quickly, boy. Their numbers are growing."

***

Release Tora? He couldn't. It was entirely possible that the tiger-like monster was even more dangerous than the insects. Ushio flinched as one of the insects attempted to attack them from the side, only to be sliced into pieces by Tora's claws. He felt the monster's warm arm pulling him closer, protecting him from harm.

Even though the monster claimed their bond didn't matter, there was clearly some part of him that saw Ushio as more than food – right?

"Stay back, you pathetic youkai! I already claimed this boy as my own!"

He could release Tora on the agreement that he would defeat all the insect creatures, and make sure he agreed not to eat any humans... or he could try to deal with the little horrors on his own. Figures his dad would take off on a trip at a time like this.

His thoughts were interrupted by the realization that the arm holding him was loosening. Pulling back, he gazed up at the auburn-furred monster, noting that Tora's white eyes were focused on the opening above them. "What's going on?" the teen asked, glancing around the cellar. The insects appeared to have vanished into thin air.

"They're merging," the beast grumbled in a low tone. "Soon you will have a much larger monster to deal with. It's possible that it will leave us alone, and attack nearby people instead. We should just stay down here until..."

"We are NOT going to hide away while that creature attacks humans!" Ushio shoved himself out of the monster's grasp, retreating a few steps to put some space between them.

"You idiot! You can't fight that creature on your own," Tora argued, reaching for him. The young man dodged, and waited for the beast to draw back, before making his next move.

"I won't be alone." Ushio took hold of the spear's shaft, marveling at the feeling of cool metal beneath his fingers. He paused, his dark eyes darting up to meet Tora's gaze. "If I let you go, you have to PROMISE not to eat any humans."

"What? That's not a fair deal. What if I get hungry?" the monster whined pitifully.

"Then I'LL feed you. Now promise me!"