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yourlocalyorozuya · 6 years

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In Unholy Matrimony

[[aka the arranged marriage fic where ashiya almost marries abeno]]

[[boy save it till after the first date yeesh]]

Title: In Unholy Matrimony, Death can't take me fast enough

Pairing: Abeno Haruitsuki/Ashiya Hanae

Rating: K+

A03 Link

AU: Modern-day Onmyoujis(on Abeno’s side at least)

The more he remembers back to those events, the more he realized how strange it had been.

The warning signs were prevalent even all the way back then.

It started off small and wrong, like shards of glass under his feet, that fell into place as a series of strange events.

First, the youkai.

They acted as they usually do. Around him, at the very least, but that didn't mean much.

When they already looked at him with suspicion, wariness, with fangs and claws bared, any new, alarming signs would be lost on both him and themselves.

Second, and related to that, was Yahiko. The much more noticeable of the lot.

The youko had disappeared following the start of the lunar cycle. Vanished completely.

Right in front of Abeno.

No parting words.

No trace of a presence.

But before he had time to even react, Yahiko had reappeared.

He seemed to even be unaware that he had ever left.

Could it have been a joke? In poor taste, but he's known worse from Yahiko.

The third sign was the fact that he'd been forced into an arranged marriage with the lady of the Ashiya house.

...What was with that escalation of events?!

An arranged marriage in this day and age?!

So Abeno thinks furiously and that does nothing but agitate his already terrible headache.

...Headache? And why was he lying down?

...............

And why were his eyes closed?

He opens them and the response- one that he definitely wasn't expecting-was immediate.

"You're alive!!! Oh my god!!!!"

"...So loud."

"Ah, sorry!" The voice says, in an attempt at a whisper this time. Still too loud. Abeno frowns.

It's not a voice he knows. He opens his eyes.

He doesn't understand what he's seeing.

"What...?"

"J-Just, um...keep lying down. You shouldn't strain yourself."

"Strain myself?"

There's an insistent throbbing at the side of his hip, over his chest.

Also his robes seemed to have been pushed down, baring his chest.

"I'm not done treating your wounds." The boy continues.

Wounds? He'd been injured?

At the back of his mind, there's something trying to click into place.

"Where...?"

"We're in a hidden room. The one we planned to use for youkai attacks." The boy grimaces, "Like right now."

"Youkai don't attack people." Not usually, anyway.

"You already said that." The boy doesn't look convinced in the least.

He did? Probably. Probably?

It's difficult to remember.

"Head. Ow."

"You may have hit your head on the way down, too." The boy says, and he's sounding more and more guilty with every word.

"Great." Abeno says, scathing. Taking a deep breath, centering himself, regaining his bearings.

The smell of herbs in the air and the stinging as the boy continues applying...something to his wounds. Salve, probably. And bandages, he adds, after experimentally flexing his fingers.

It felt like his bones were powdered from the inside on his palm.

How did this...even happen?

The wedding. Oh.

That explains some things.

"Wait, wait, wait! Don't get up!!"

Too loud. Abeno glares at the boy again and he immediately goes quiet, wordlessly helping Abeno into a sitting position.

"What is this?" Abeno demands.

"Eh?"

This entire farce.

"This omiai, was it a trap?"

"A...what??"

"Three weeks ago, I was ordered by the Emperor to marry someone of the Ashiya house." An order and less of a marriage offer. It was expected.

It was planned.

"...Yes, you were." The boy says finally, "And we were ordered to have the lady of the house marry you."

Abeno raises an eyebrow at him.

"And I met you."

"Y-" The boy shrunk under his glare, "Yes?"

"Forgive my impertinence", Abeno says in a tone that implies nothing but impertinence, "But even if your clothes imply otherwise, you don't seem much like a lady to me."

And from shame to anger, with a snap of his fingers. Were all the members of this house so mercurial?

"I'm not!" Is the boy's immediate reaction, then the color drains from his face as he realizes what he said, "I-I mean! I...am..."

"Your wig is askew."

"Crap!"

Also he hadn't been talking in falsetto this whole time, Abeno notes dryly. Though to be fair, he'd pulled off a decently convincing act until the...attack.

Dressed in a kimono, wore makeup and a wig with longer hair.

And when Ashiya fixes his wig, he then seems to realize he'd given himself away. Again.

"Ah."

"Naturally I'd be suspicious of you, if you're acting like that."

"A-ah." And a blush creeping on his cheeks.

...Dressed like that, it would actually look somewhat becoming on him. It suited him, oddly. That is, if his voice hadn't gotten louder and louder as he attempted to explain himself.

Abeno sighs. That headache was returning.

"A-And I needed to...dressupandcomehereth-the Emperor ordered our families to marry and it's not-they don't know! Mom or sis! About youkai!"

That certainly grabbed Abeno's attention.

"They don't know?"

"No! They think..." Ashiya pauses, then actually brings his voice lower to whisper. A miracle.

"They think that it's all stuff in the past. Their ancestors did it and not...the us of now. Does that make sense?"

"Barely."

"I don't know how else to explain it!"

"Except for you apparently." Abeno points out.

"I just-" Ashiya falters, "I just started seeing them recently! With a super fuzzy youkai that started haunting me a few days ago and-"

"The one sitting on your shoulder right now?"

The fuzzball demon wags at him when he points at it.

"AAAAAAAAAAH THERE HE IS-"

"You're too loud!"

And Ashiya starts, falling quiet abruptly.

So does Abeno, when Ashiya pulls him closer.

"Hey-"

"Shh!" Ashiya hisses. He yanks at the demon on his shoulder and presses it between them both.

There isn't that much space between them.

"Be quiet!"

That should be my line, Abeno thinks. But he falls silent anyway, compliant.

...Perfume, too? It smells like flowers.

Ah. That's right, his family runs a flower shop.

Abeno can also see the miasma over their heads.

Chills through his body. He's shivering.

"...Are you alright?" Abeno asks carefully.

"I'm...fine."

No, you're not. We should move." He'd just awakened a few weeks ago.

"You're badly hurt though!"

"I'm fine. This is nothing."

"Don't try to act cool now!"

"Tch. Says the asshole shaking like a leaf over me."

"I don't want you to get even more hurt, you know!" Ashiya says, furious. At himself, or Abeno or this turn of events? Hard to say?

"I said."

Abeno locks eyes with the youkai above them both.

A gigantic, blob-like youkai filling the room.

With one giant, black claw reaching down for Ashiya's shoulder.

"Move!"

And he throws Ashiya off of him with all the strength he has.

"...!"

And while Ashiya stumbles, he pushes himself up with the fading strength in his arms. Standing, then taking Ashiya's hand, and rushing for the door.

"Wha-!"

"Run!"

"O-okay!"

Ashiya kicks off his sandals and his wig falls off, hugging the youkai close to his body.

"Where do we go from here?!"

"Follow me!"

Ashiya grips Abeno's hand tighter and rushes forward.

"That hurts...!" Abeno hisses.

"Ah, sorry!"

He was more talking about the state of his body than anything.

But it feels oddly light.

Beneath the bandages, he feels the sting of salve.

Abeno falls into step beside Ashiya.

"Ah? Your wounds-!"

"Like I said, not that bad. We need to keep moving."

"Can't you use your powers to get rid of that thing? Aren't you an exorcist?!"

"I could ask the same of you, deadweight!"

"Ugh! Like I said I just-"

The roar of wind and the hand that holds his yanks him back.

"...Stop pulling-!"

Then he sees the youkai again, with its claws on Ashiya's kimono, its heaving body and gaping maw close to Ashiya's face.

And the look...on Ashiya's face.

Desperation.

Ah, didn't he see that look earlier?

In that farce of a marriage meeting, in the garden.

When he shielded Abeno's body with his own.

I don't want to die.

"Ashiya!"

"...!"

Just as they round a corner, Abeno pulls Ashiya's hand and grits his teeth as Ashiya crashes into him. Barely keeping himself on his feet somehow.

"Abeno-san!"

"For once, be quiet."

Ashiya pressing up close against him helps matters somewhat, as he takes a deep breath and gestures with his hand.

"Mononokean, come!"

The walls rattle loudly as the door forms right beside them.

"Grab the door!"

"O-okay!"

Ashiya's still holding his hand tightly, holding himself as close to Abeno's body as possible and Abeno stares right at the youkai chasing them.

And then the door shuts and they collapse in an ungainly heap on the floor.

Ow. Owwww.

"Owwwwwww." Ashiya echoes his thought, "My nose, my face, my everythinggg..."

Itsuki?!

The sound of a bell ringing.

"I'm....back...." Abeno says, somehow, through grit teeth. Ashiya looks up then, just as words appear on the scroll on the wall.

What happened? Who is that? I saw some youkai going on a rampage outside!!

"Wha-what is that?! Who...what?! Abeno-san!!"

His headache is returning.

"This is...Ashiya Hanae. The son of the Ashiya family." Abeno says, absolutely unwilling to move. He'd like to avoid speaking too, but the misunderstandings would be even more of a pain to deal with, "And this is the Mononokean."

"Oh, the...tea house thing you're in charge of?"

"It's more of a room. The Mononokean itself is a sentient being...that scroll expresses the will of the youkai."

"Youkai?!"

You're of the Ashiya family?

"...Y-yes?!"

I see. My apologies for startling you.

Well, at least one of them was acting calm. And civil.

"Ah, um, no. The pleasure is mine?" It sounded more like a question.

Perhaps...you should get off of Itsuki. You both don't seem very comfortable.

"Oh! Right!" Ashiya scrambles to a sitting position next to Abeno.

"Finally." Abeno mutters. Somehow pushing himself up into a sitting position.

"Are you okay?" Ashiya asks, concerned.

"Do I look okay?!"

"N-no??" Is Ashiya's slightly panicked response.

...Abeno feels tired all of a sudden.

"Never mind." He sighs, placing a hand over his forehead, "Shouldn't you be asking yourself that?"

"Huh?"

"You're injured too."

"E-ehhh? Why are you saying that...?"

Abeno squints at him.

"I-I'm not! Injured! In any way! Anywhere!!"

"Pretending to be a girl comes naturally to you but lying doesn't?" Abeno asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Ugh...don't call me a natural at that!!"

...Itsuki?

Also how was it that he was feeling the scrutinizing gaze of an inanimate wall scroll?

"This is. Things happened."

Things..?

"A-Abeno-san! That is a very misleading explanation!!"

"You explain, then. I'm going to sleep." Abeno says, closing his eyes.

"Ah, wait! What am I...supposed to do now...?"

"...Your family."

"Eh?"

Abeno looks up at him again. "Your family. Where are they?"

"Oh. They're at the kingdom's border...I came here alone."

"So you ran away from home, cross-dressed to pose as your sister and attended a marriage meeting as that sister. All alone. With no plan beforehand."

"I-I had a plan!"

"And it worked out so well, didn't it."

"Ugh."

"The Mononokean will be detected if we travel past the border now. We should wait till morning."

What of the royal guards?

"They'll be distracted with the recent attack. Even the Emperor wasn't expecting this..."

Won't they call upon you?

"They would. Then again, we were attacked at the omiai, so we can use that opportunity and say we dropped the bride back at her family's place."

...The Emperor was very insistent that you meet. Is this why?

"Because the Abeno family and the Ashiya family were rivals?"

That's surprising. Abeno looks at him.

"What? When I started seeing demons, I did a lot of research. You couldn't exactly call us rivals though." Ashiya says, somewhat peevish, "It was more one-sided. On our family's side."

"Imagine that."

"Anyway! Is that why?"

Possibly.

"We can't do anything now, so we have to stay here for the time being. It'll be especially bad for you in that state."

"Okay."

"I'm going back to sleep."

"W-wait! You need a futon or something! You're injured, don't sleep on the floor!"

There's one in the cupboard...

"I'll get it."

"Hey! Don't move!"

"Shuddup already. Too loud." Abeno gripes, and he somehow manages to make his way to the cupboard and pull out a futon, "I'm going to sleep."

"Fine! I'll sit over there!"

...

"...What?" Abeno says.

"Did that scroll just triple-dot us?" Ashiya asks the obvious.

Aren't you injured as well?

"Um. Yes?"

Abeno wisely keeps his mouth shut at this time, and elects to glare at the scroll now.

Why don't you-

"No." That didn't last long.

Itsuki, it would be rude for us to leave an injured guest like this.

"What about that consideration for my well-being. Also what is wrong with you."

I just don't want to be rude. (￣ε￣)

"Is that. An emoticon??" Ashiya asks.

"They're very modern."

"Uh-huh."

"...Ugh, I'm going to sit over there. You, rest on the futon."

"But-"

"Rest. Now."

"Okay." Is the immediate answer.

Abeno sighs. Again. A heavy sigh. And drags himself out of the futon to sit next to the scroll, while Ashiya sits on the futon awkwardly.

He hears the scratching of words on the scroll.

"Don't start."

"I didn't say anything?"

I didn't either, Itsuki.

"Shuddup both of you. And don't you imply anything."

"Me?"

"Not you!"

But I didn't say anything. (￣▽￣ゞ

"Ugh. Let me sleep."

Alright. I'll keep watch over both of you.

"Um. Thanks."

"..."

More scratching.

You say 'you're welcome', Itsuki.

"...You did that, already." And Abeno closes his eyes.

So he hears the scratching of text on the scroll but he doesn't see it.

"N-no! I just..." Ashiya pauses, then lowers his voice, "I wanted to keep it a secret."

...

Sleepy.

Abeno doesn't hear the rest of it.

"It's not...I didn't want to drag him into this."

"..."

"Not her or mom or him."

"..."

"Don't tell him, okay? I just need to find him on my own."

"..."

"I didn't want to start the war again. I don't know why."

"..."

"Keep it a secret and if need be, I'll speak with the Emperor myself. Don't let Abeno-san know about anything."

"..."

"...!!! OR THAT! Ah, crap that was too loud...good he didn't wake up. Don't tease me!"

Somehow.

It feels like it was going to be a long night.

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#abeshiya #fukigen na mononokean #iratheweak writes #i am #tired #lmao im gonna sleep for so long after this

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