Kanpeki na arashi - 3

Hizashi/Els AU
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Elly shivered on the cold sand. She hadn't wanted to approach the human too closely, and unfortunately he was close to the fire. This meant she went without, just as she had refused food earlier. She didn't trust him and her mind was filled with too many racing, disastrous thoughts. She drew her long tail around her and tried again to sleep. 

"You're probably not gonna get any rest right away."

"Thanks," she said drily, staring up into the other demon's intense green eyes. "Do you even sleep, by the way? You're far too awake for what time it is." 

He shrugged. "I sleep as much as I can. And that's not much when he captures someone like you."

She sat up suddenly, anger flashing in her eyes. "You said you would help him!" 

"Ah, remembered that, did you." He winced and rubbed the cuffs on one of his wrists. "Look, you know I'm just as bound as you. I can't refuse any request he makes and he can force me to do anything."

"Why? Why is he doing this?" She bit her lip, her ears flattening back. "I didn't hurt anyone there. I don't deserve this."

"I told you," he grunted, sparks crackling about his fingertips as he rubbed his hands together. "He doesn't listen. Even if you had proof he would still say you lied." 

"Humans forced me into this wretched form, and now they want to punish me for it."

"You're a yokai?" He raised his eyebrows. They had already died once and could shapeshift because they were sorrowful souls. Their tragedy gave form to them at their time of death or grief.

"I was given to a rich woman as part of a wedding gift as a kitten. We were inseparable. Or so I thought." Elly looked out over the water as she told him her story. "I grew old with her. Lived my life with her - <i>for</i> her, doing all I could. I loved her so much."

"Uh oh," he murmured, dreading the bad ending to her tale.

"My humans took me on a fishing trip on the ocean, something they used to do. I wasn't suspicious; why should I be? I had no idea they had planned it until the master picked me up by my tail and threw me over to drown."

His swirling green eyes showed his sympathy. "You were almost eleven."

She nodded bitterly. "And when cats live that old they turn into demons. Except they don't." She bit her lip and held her arms up, ducking down to cover her face. "As they sailed off I could hear my lady discussing what type of cat she was going to replace me with. Like I was an old accessory she just threw out." Tears rolled down her cheeks and she refused to wipe them away.

"Your grief did it." Hizashi sighed sadly. "So you are a yokai." That was pretty bad news. She couldn't be killed and the villagers would inflict horrible pain on her with no end. 

"Worse yet, these are her favorite colors and pattern. That's why my fur is now such an unnatural, gross color." She pulled at her purple hair and he grasped her wrists quickly.

"Hey! Stop that."

"Hizashi, I don't want to be tortured. I'm - I'm <i>scared</i> of humans!"

"I know," he told her helplessly. "But all I can really do is offer to warm you up a little." He raised an arm and settled it around her shoulders. She was shaking even more, and he wasn't sure if it was from fear or the cold. He supposed it didn't matter anyway.

When Aizawa opened his eyes sometime in the night he saw the two demons huddled against one another, the smaller female curled protectively in his familiar's arms. His gray eyes narrowed suspiciously. Hizashi had never offered comfort to another of his kind before. He would have to keep a close watch on them both.