Chapter Text
“Taking on a curse, defeating a member of the Kunitsukami, and getting all buddy-buddy with the Navy…” Narumi sighs, “the life of a devil summoner sure is interesting.”
Raidou stands on the bottom step leaning into Narumi’s office and breathes. He only half focuses on what his boss is saying and tries not to topple over. Narumi doesn't seem too pleased, rather the opposite if his excessive temple rubbing has any meaning, but the words are almost flattering. He’s not really sure what an appropriate response would be?
So he just settles on nodding like always—which is immediately followed by rapidly trying to blink the sudden vertigo away.
It’s been nearly five hours since he defeated Hitokotonushi and freed himself of the curse but everything still hurts. The worst of it has long since ebbed away, fading with time like every horrible ache, but now he’s left with this baseline agony that spreads under his skin like rot.
If he stands perfectly still it's fine but the second he makes a move…
Gouto said it was to be expected, especially considering how long he was under the curse. When prompted about how long it'll linger the cat was far less helpful.
Which meant, for the foreseeable future, Raidou would just have to once again bear the pain.
Really though, there's far more pressing matters: Kaya is once again missing and possibly possessed, Narumi is acting vaguer than usual, and the goddamn Navy wants him to check out a tower near Harumi-Cho that's possibly acting as a demon conduit. The Capital needs its protector now more than ever.
Truthfully, Raidou would love nothing more than to just curl up in a ball and remain absolutely still until the pain fades.
“–I suppose this is where we go our separate ways for a while.” Narumi still talking. He tries to zero back in on the conversation, tries to focus on anything beyond the pounding at the base of his neck. “I've got some of my own business to take care of–”
Raidou bites back a wince, slamming his eyes shut as a door three rooms down slams shut. It's like a molten spike is being driven into his skull—hammering away at his thoughts with a vengeance.
“–Raidou are you even listening?” He hears Narumi ask, exasperated.
He should respond, even if he hadn't really been listening. Narumi was still his boss and friend.
“I–” His vocal cords shatter, giving way to a violent coughing fit.
It’s like someone shoved handfuls of gravel down his mouth, scraping his throat raw and leaving him voiceless. He doubles over, nearly brought to his knees as the rot squirms in his skin. Thrumming in time with his heart.
“Raidou!” Narumi squawks. A chair crashes against the floor, a typical occurrence around here, but it feels like someone launched a cannon right next to him. “What’s wrong?”
Cool hands grab his shoulders. “...Curse–” He shutters out between coughs. “–still hurts.”
“What?! I thought the caster was dead?” A hand is pressed against his forehead, blessedly cold. “You’re burning up kid. Do we need to take you back to the shrine?”
Raidou shakes his head. “He’s dead, just–” How did Gouto explain it? lingering energy? “–leftovers.”
That sounds so stupid but it's the best he can manage while trying to hack up a lung. Sometimes he wishes Narumi understood the cat, everything would be so much easier.
“Leftovers…?” Narumi mutters as Raidou fights to get his body under control for the second time today. “Like… an earthquake’s aftershocks?”
Well, it's not a perfect comparison but… “Yeah.” Raidou cracks an eye open, blearily looking up at a concerned Narumi. “‘m fine now.”
“Forgive me if I find that hard to believe.” The older man snarks, biting his lip in concern. “You were just going to go out there like this? You'd get eaten alive Raidou!”
Raidou squints in confusion. “It’m duty.” He tries to aim for a clear, succinct delivery like always, but embarrassingly the words slur together. This absolutely does not help his case.
Besides, by the time he got to Harumi-cho and located the signal tower he's sure the rest of the curse would burn itself out. If it hadn't he could always summon Parvati for a quick heal.
They didn't have a lot of time to waste here.
“It’s your duty to protect the capital, sure, but you can't do that if you recklessly charge at every obstacle.” Narumi frowns. “Surely the world isn't in such great danger you can't take a night to recover?”
He grits his teeth, an unusual annoyance bubbling in his gut.“We can't waste time–”
“Raidou, you can barely talk right now. All you’ll accomplish in this condition is ensuring the capital won't even have a protector.” The man snaps. He turns to look over in the corner, considering something. His eyes dart between Raidou, the door, Gouto and that corner. Eventually Narumi seems to come to some kind of conclusion.
“I don't like doing this but…” Narumi looks him over, taking in the rumple dust covered clothes and still healing nicks and bruises. “In the name of Yatagaratsu and as your boss, I am insisting that you recover.”
"Wait–" Raidou snaps his head up. The movement was too quick—lightning ricochets down his spine and spots dance in his eyes. He nearly topples over.
Ow.
Narumi's the one to steady him—surprisingly gentle hands grabbing his shoulders and holding him in place. His lips are pressed into a thin line.
"He's got a point Raidou." Gouto finally pipes up. The cat jumps down from the banister to sit next to Narumi's feet. "We're short on time but none of that will matter if you fall. Rest and we can leave at the first sign of dawn."
He knows a losing battle when he sees one.
With both Narumi and Gouto conspiring against him, there's no way he's leaving this office without one hell of a fight. If Raidou can be honest… he's grateful Narumi's so stubborn. The idea of having to climb the tower in Harumi-cho feeling this way, so clearly disadvantaged and hurting, scared him.
Gouto was right, if he pushed himself too hard there's a very real possibility that the Capital would end up without it's protector. With the condition he's in, all it would take is one lucky strike.
Against his better judgment, his shoulders sag in relief. "Fine." He whispers, lowering his head slowly in clear defeat.
"Atta boy!" Narumi squeezes his shoulder but his voice is more then a little conflicted. "Honestly, I thought you'd put up more a fight. Is it really that bad?"
Raidou lets out the barest chuckle. "It's horrible." He looks up at Narumi through his lashes. Somehow, the man presses his lips into an even tighter line.
He sighs. "Take a seat kid, try to relax. I'll grab us some dinner." Narumi tugs on his jacket, slipping his hat over a mop of unruly hair. "Gouto, make sure he doesn't die on us."
Though the detective says it as a half-hearted joke, Gouto sits a little higher. That piercing green gaze lands on Raidou.
Hilarious—Raidou Kuzunoha the XIV, protector of the Capital, renown devil summoner, being babysat by a cat.
The bell to the door chimes and it slams shut with a little less force then usual. How considerate of Narumi.
The couch is just a few meters away, and Raidou gazes at it like a pining lover. He would love nothing more then to sit down, but it feels wrong. He's been given direct orders, and it wouldn't be befitting of one bearing the name Raidou Kuzunoha to deny them, but how can he?
The Capital—possibly the country or even the world—hang in the balance. It's his duty to rise to the occasion and protect the innocent no matter the personal cost. So, is it really okay for him to just… rest? At a time like this?
"Raidou?" A lithe form weaves between his ankles. He glances down to see Gouto standing between his legs, tail lashing in worry.
"Sorry." He bites back a cough. "Just– tired."
Gouto huffs. "I can imagine. Sit."
"I don't know–"
"You can." He can hear Gouto's patience run thin—with who he's not sure. "Narumi gave you orders, listen to them."
He hesitates. A hand reaches down to grab the sheath of his katana, thumb running along the guard. The demon vials weigh heavy on his chest, a crushing reminder of all he needs to be–
A tiny weight pushes against his leg.
He blinks. Gouto is pushing against him, straining his tiny cat body just to get Raidou to step forward. "Gouto?"
"I will sit on your chest if I have too–" Gouto pants, paws scrabbling across the hardwood floor. "The Capital isn't going to explode just yet, so rest goddammit!"
Well, how can he say no to that?
With one last, steadying breath, Raidou starts his small trek to the couch. Immediately his body begins to protest—muscles locking up and a vertigo inducing headache flairing to life. Spots dance in his vision, too fucking similar to the red haze from earlier.
He's barely able to stop himself from being acquainted with the freshly waxed floors, flailing arms hooking around the stairway banister and locking him in place. It jolts his entire body, hard, rattling a vicious coughing fit lose.
"Raidou!?"
He really needs people to stop saying his name. Soon it won't even sound like a word.
"Fine–" He wheezes between coughs. Peachy, even.
The last handful of steps, thankfully, aren't as catastrophically bad. He's forced to lean against furniture or walls the entire time—hobbling at a snails pace as if he were an old man. Eventually his leg brushes against the edge of the couch.
His body falls boneless into the surprisingly soft cushions.
The pain doesn't go away, far from it, but finally getting off his feet and letting his battered muscles relax... He almost lets out a sob of relief.
Near indubitably, Gouto bounds over to join him, making good on his threat and sitting down smack in the middle of Raidou's chest. "See? That wasn't so hard."
It takes everything Raidou has not to roll his eyes. "Shut up." He grumbles instead.
Gouto, seemingly far more relaxed now that Raidou isn't liable of cracking his skull open on the coffee table, flicks his tail with a smirk. "Someone's moody today."
"Shit day."
The cat starts to settle down, stretching out over his chest and making himself comfortable. "Yeah, it was. Try and get some sleep before Narumi comes back, I'll keep watch."
Raidou's tempted to make a joke about 'keeping watch for what?' but sleep sounds really tempting right now. His eyelids are heavy and the pain's retreated back to that numbing, almost forgettable baseline. The office is warm, but not sweltering, and Gouto's steady breaths work to calm him.
An unexpected peace falls over him. Bathed in the slight vanilla scent that permeates the air, under the dim glow of a flickering overhead light that's overdue for a replacement, his eyes grow heavy.
The Capital is on the brink of destruction and Raidou Kuzunoha the XIV falls asleep on his boss' surprisingly soft couch.