Chapter Text
A young woman walked alone. She trekked through the foliage, far beyond any pathway, into the deep, wild, untamed mountains of Kanto, Japan. The only company she had were the luminescent eyes of unknown creatures watching her from the shadows. Her stride was wide and unstable. A half-empty bottle of Dragonslayer sake was clasped precariously in her hand. Her balance veered drastically one way and then the next and yet, she was adorned with the largest smile she could muster. Her sharp outcries of laughter cut through the silence of the forest as she stumbled forward without a clue as to where she was or where she was going.
Suddenly, out of the dark came a terrible, trembling voice. “Human,” it beckoned dangerously. The lost drunkard perked up at the strange voice and looked around for its source. Her eyes squinted past the unfocused hazing at the edges of her vision. Although the moonlight cast a soft glow on her surroundings, it wasn’t enough to discern anything around her. She was left hiccuping perplexedly until the voice called out again. “Hear me, human.” Its strength shook the leaves free from the trees and disturbed her already teetering stance.
A small bloom of fire illuminated the setting. It drew her attention over and up, all the way up to the towering form of a horrible, unholy monster. Its flames drew harsh shadows on its face, highlighting its fearsome characteristics: big sharp teeth capable of crushing bones, vibrant red eyes that menaced her threateningly, huge curled horns crowning it’s reptilian head and pointing directly at her.
The dragon was collapsed in a ruined forest clearing. It’s body contorted beneath it, clearly uncomfortable but unable to move. It’s breathing was labored and weak. The cause of the beast’s suffering was stuck into its side, hiding just under its great wing. A long ornate spear simmering in a divine aura was pierced through the giant’s underbelly, trickling crimson trails of blood that pooled at its feet.
The wandering mortal could only gawk at the fantastical sight before her, suddenly aware of her own insignificance in the presence of such a powerful creature. The dragon’s own gaze was locked on her. A translucent film slid over its eyes as it blinked slowly at her without lessening it’s intimidating expression.
“Insolent human, I ask of thee,” it rumbled once more. “Would you grant a forsaken dragon one final drink?”
A blaring alarm awoke Tohru from her sleep. The noise struck sharp nails of pain into her head as she flailed desperately to find the off switch. Once the assault stopped, she lay in bed a moment to whine pitifully. With a great amount of effort, she pushed her hangover aside and forced herself out of her blankets to start her morning routine. She moved almost automatically, trudging to her closet to throw on an outfit before slipping into the bathroom to wash her face. The splash of cold water helped to open her eyes a bit, but not very much.
She continued to futz around her apartment, gathering everything she’d need for her day. Breakfast was a simple cup of tea, all she had time for in the mornings. Still, it made the chilly days of Autumn just a touch warmer. With the clock running out, she solidified her resolve and accepted her semi-unpleasant fate. That is to say, she put on her shoes and stood to leave her apartment for work. She pushed through her apartment door and stepped outside to begin another mundane day of her ordinary adult life, or at least she would have. Instead, she walked out only to bump into a scaly nose and fell back to be greeted with a wide maw of carnassial teeth.
Unable to process the pain of falling, Tohru froze in place. Her blood ran cold. Her system spiked with adrenaline. Her muscles twitched with the instinct to get away from whatever predator was in front of her. But before she could strain her vocal cords to scream, the dragon advanced towards her. Appearing before its mouth was a magic-looking sigal drawn in red light. It rotated and shined until the dragon was engulfed in its energy. The spell overtook its body, shifting and changing its shape until a humanoid form stepped onto the ground before her.
The stranger appeared as a slim, young adult of average height. She wore a dark suit with a neatly professional tie. A pair of wire-rim glasses sat on her nose in front of two dispassionate red and yellow eyes with slit pupils. Her rosy hair was pulled back into a ponytail that emphasized its transition into purple and blue tips. She might almost have passed for a normal human if not for the prominent pair of curved horns sprouting from either side of her head and the long steel-blue tail with spikes hiding behind her. However, the most bizarre feature of this individual was the look of concern she gave Tohru.
Tohru winced when she took a step towards her, only to crack her eye open and see the stranger offering her a hand off the ground. “I’m sorry, Miss Tohru. I didn’t mean to scare you.” The stranger followed her apology with a soft, sympathetic smile. It might have put Tohru at ease if not for the inhuman fangs that accompanied it.
Without thinking, Tohru gave her hand and was pulled off the ground with an impressive amount of strength. The stranger didn’t seem to notice that she’d all but lifted a grown woman with only one arm. Once on her feet, her grip shifted into a polite handshake. “It’s nice to see you again. Thank you again for this opportunity.” she stated politely. “I really look forward to working with you in the future.”
The entire situation changed into a strangely business-like transaction.Tohru allowed her hand to be shaken, firmly but not too tight; this dragon was a true working adult. “R-Right...” she finally managed to stutter out. “Um, remind me again what it is I hired you to do exactly?” She tried to probe gently. “And also who you are?” Unfortunately, she was far less refined than the businesswoman in front of her.
The stranger blinked her snake-like eyes at her. “It’s me, Kobayashi. You asked me to come be your live-in butler.” she stated plainly. However, upon seeing the confusion in Tohru’s face, she switched gears. “Perhaps it would be better if we discussed this inside?”
“Oh uh, of course? Yeah, come in.” She stood to the side and held the door open with questionable politeness.
“Thank you” Kobayashi replied and allowed herself inside. Tohru followed suit, questioning what exactly she’d just let into her house and if this were all just a weird dream.
Placed on either side of Tohru’s “living room” table, the two sat in tense silence. Tohru eyed Kobayashi with unsubtle suspicion while the scaly stranger smiled pleasantly over a cup of tea.
“I understand if it sounds a bit far-fetched, but that is how it happened.” the dragon stated simply. “Although, I can’t blame you if you don’t remember. We were both fairly drunk.” she chuckled.
“Uh huh… pardon me for being skeptical but why would a so-called powerful dragon want to come and be my butler?” Tohru kept her glare cold and hostile. It sounded like a plot to gobble up an unsuspecting maiden if you asked her.
Kobayashi placed her tea back down as she answered. “Isn’t it obvious?” She reached across the table and gently took Tohru’s hand into her own. With her other hand over her heart and a seductive smolder that would bring most women to their knees, the dragoness confessed heartfully, “Because I’m in love with you.”
Thoroughly unimpressed, Tohru slowly drew her hand back without so much as a blink. This person definitely wanted to eat her or something. “Yes well, Miss Kobayashi, I’m not gonna be able to honor the promise I made to you last night.”
“Huh?” Kobayashi’s cool exterior cracked.
“Yeah, I mean I’m a single working young adult. There’s no way I could afford a butler even if I wanted one.” she gestured to her small wreck of a one-bedroom apartment. It certainly did not read of a high standard of living. “Besides, I was drunk at the time. Did you really think I’d meant it or were you just trying to take advantage of something I said when I clearly wasn’t thinking?”
“N-No, I just…” she started to babble, looking crestfallen and embarrassed.
Remorselessly, Tohru continued on, “In any case, your services are not of need here, so you can show yourself out.”
“H-Hold on!” Kobayashi waved her hands frantically. Tohru raised an eyebrow at her. She flinched, but took a breath and pressed on, “Surely there’s some sort of compromise we can reach. I wouldn’t require any form of payment and I think there’s a lot I could do! For instance, I could, uh…” Kobayashi trailed off suddenly and didn’t pick up her train of thought for a while.
With a judgemental eye, Tohru picked out the problem. “You don’t know what a butler is, do you?”
Desperately trying to save face, Kobayashi turned away. “N-Not entirely, but I can learn! If a butler is the best thing I can be to you then that’s what I’ll be: the best butler you can imagine!” She bowed her head and pleaded, “I just need the chance to prove myself. Please, I’ll make sure you won’t regret it.”
Looking over her shoulder at the clock, Tohru read the time and sighed. She was most certainly going to be late to work. Although she didn’t really care that much on principle, she still ought to get going. She glanced back over to the peculiar creature sweating nervously in front of her. Torhu didn’t think it very becoming of anyone to beg like this, least of all supposedly scary monster. You’d certainly never see her doing it. Perhaps she’d overestimated how dangerous her guest might be. If this were a plot to get her to let her guard down then it was failing spectacularly. She was getting the odd impression the stranger might be sincere about her innocent intentions, even if she had a very odd way of expressing it. What an unusual circumstance to be in. She couldn’t help but take mild interest in it all. She could never wrangle in her incurable curiosity when it got her into trouble and since she didn’t really have much else going on in her life right now, it seemed she wasn’t going to start now.
“Tell you what,” she started to offer. Koabayashi looked up hopefully. “I have somewhere to be right now, but if you’re really so determined to prove yourself then go ahead.” She stood up from the table and once again started to collect her things. “I’ll be at work for a few hours. If you can clean up the apartment by the time I get back, I’ll consider letting you stay.” Kobayashi blinked at her wordlessly. “There’s plenty to do from dishes to laundry to dinner so feel free to knock yourself out.” Keys in hand, she made her way to the front entrance. Pausing halfway out the door, she looked back to throw on a warning, “Oh and it should go without saying but don’t steal anything or burn my apartment down. Dragon or no, I’ll make sure you pay the price, ok?”
“Uh,” Kobayashi started to protest, but was immediately cut off
“Great.” She chimed without waiting for a response. Turning back around, she bid her a “Have fun” before finally stepping out.
The door shut with a slam behind her, leaving Kobayashi to sit alone with a dumbfounded expression. A moment passed and then two and more and more until it became clear that Tohru had actually left and wasn’t coming back. Looking around the room fearfully, she tried to find something easy she could start with. The human’s instructions have been short and straight forward. All she had to do was clean. It was just a bit tricky because, as a nearly-invincible mythical beast, dragons couldn’t fall ill or get sick. It was an advantageous perk in most ways, but it did mean that their hygiene was sometimes lacking. As such, Kobayashi wasn’t intimately familiar with the concept of “cleaning.” She wasn’t entirely sure what around her was considered dirty or how to clean it or what “laundry” was… The expectations put before her were intimidating, she’d admit, but this was for Tohru! She didn’t know how just yet, but she’d have to find a way to make this work!
Meanwhile, Tohru had paused in front of the door, just after locking up to consider her choice of actions. It probably wasn’t quite the most responsible decision she could have made. Nevertheless, she was having trouble finding the will to care one way or another. She already had to deal with Elma chastising her when she eventually showed up to her job so everything else would simply have to wait. Hopefully by that time she came home, her hangover will have cleared and her brain can start functioning again. Until then, the dragon would have to handle the problem on her own.
By the time Tohru left work, the sun was dipping behind the Tokyo skyscrapers, casting a dim shadow over everything. The lights of the city continued to illuminate the busy streets, but unlike the overworked salarymen around her, Tohru had at long last been unchained and let free. She moved along slowly, walking onto the train just before the doors closed behind her. A heavy yawn escaped her lips. She never really had recovered from her hungover exhaustion and a shift full of running around hadn’t helped. Even as she lumbered up the stairs to her apartment, her head felt as heavy as when she had left. The only thing on her mind was falling on her couch and resting for the rest of the day. Already she’d forgotten the events from this morning, too stressed by everything else to remember. Unfortunately, when she reentered her home, it all came back to her.
Before she could so much as remove her shoes, Tohru had to pause and notice that the floors of her apartment were strangely wet. She dared to look up in horror at the state of her home. When she’d left this morning, there had been a fair amount of trash on the ground. Tohru didn’t pretend to be a very cleanly person, but now it was almost entirely barren. She didn’t mean to say it had been picked up. It was just gone. A good portion of her possessions were missing: books, electronics, decorations, even furniture like the couch she’d wanted to collapse onto. She looked into the kitchen and saw what appeared to be a soggy heap of her clothes piled in the sink. Next to that was a stack of dishes. They, at least, seemed to have been cleaned. Although there were significantly less of them than she remembered owning. Only a few porcelain plates and bowls remained. She shuddered to think what happened to their siblings. Suddenly, Tohru felt something cold under the collar of her shirt. Putting a hand against the back of her neck, she found it to be a bit of water and when she gazed up to find its origin, she saw that her ceiling was dripping wet. She couldn’t even brace herself against the wall, because that too was damp. She was surrounded on all sides and the culprit behind all this destruction was a mere ways away, diligently finishing her work with a flourish.
Kobayashi placed a platter of unknown meat on the dining table, one of the only pieces of furniture to survive the rapture. The meal looked somehow both undercooked and burnt. Pools of rare blood spotted the plate and yet the “butler’s” last act before greeting Tohru was blowing out a small flicker of flame that still lingered on it. “O-Oh!” she started, clearly wishing she’d had more time before her master returned.Nevertheless, the dragon stood to attention with her hands behind her back and trepidation in her eyes. It was the same cool disposition she’d put on when first visiting, but far less effective now that the results of her incompetence were revealed. “Welcome home! I uh, did exactly as you asked and um, cleaned your home!” She went on with counterfeit cheerfulness. “I washed everything, the dishes, the “londery,” the floors, the walls, the ceiling. I got rid of all the clutter and cleared up the room a-and! I prepared dinner!” She gestured proudly with a salesman’s smile.
Tohru stood in silence. Her gaze swept back and forth, trying to take in everything at once. She didn’t even know where to start. It was a mess. A disaster. An utter catastrophe! The corner of her lips started to twitch suddenly. Her body shook with shuddering breaths of disbelief. When she eventually tried to speak, she stuttered incoherently in a way that sounded almost like chuckles until breaking out into full on laughter!
“What did you do!” she cried out with amusement. Kobayashi jumped with surprise. With one hand on her side to keep her from doubling over, Tohru continued to giggle out exclamations. “Oh my god, you destroyed it!.” She spoke with so much emphasis, she sounded more impressed than anything. “All of my stuff is gone! There’s laundry in the sink and -- Did I hear you say you washed the walls and ceiling? Is that why they’re dripping wet!?” She asked with a morbid sparkle of curiosity in her eye.
“Yes?” Kobayashi responded hesitantly. She hadn’t any idea whether this was a good reaction or a bad one and she wasn’t being given time to figure it out either. “You told me to clean so... Is this not what you-?”
Completely dismissing her answer, Tohru moved on excitedly to something else. “And what kind of meat is this even? Where did you get it?”
“I-I went out and found a cow for us to slaught-”
“You found a cow?” Tohru interrupted again with fascination. “Like just in someone’s fields and you stole it!”
“Well!” Dragons didn’t exactly have supermarkets to buy their groceries. Kobyashi wasn’t aware of any other method to procure a meal aside from hunting for it?
“Oh my god, you can’t just do that!” She giggled out, without much concern for the actual crime committed. Gradually though, her howls started to die down into a quieter fit of chuckles. Even as she tried to re-catch her breath and control herself, a humorous smile was still plastered on her face.
Meanwhile, Kobayashi could feel her heart break in two. It was obvious she’d failed. Despite her efforts, the only thing she’d managed to do was ruin Miss Tohru’s lovely home, even after she’d been so kind as to give her a chance to prove herself. It went without saying that she wouldn’t be permitted to stay. Perhaps that was for the best. It didn’t seem like a no-good dragon such as herself had much to offer her anyways. She was about to speak up and voice her apologies when-
“You can stay.” Miss Tohru suddenly stated with a few lingering snickers.
“H-Huh, what!?”
“Yeah, yeah,” the human waved her hand dismissively, completely unburdened by that commitment she’d just made. “I said you can stay here. It’s fine.”
Poor Kobayashi’s neck was starting to hurt from all this whiplash. Were humans always this difficult to understand? “Are… you sure?”
“What? Do you want me to change my mind?” Tohru challenged with a smirk.
“No! I would love to stay here. I just… uh, thank you.” the bewildered servant relented. Instead of trying to keep up, she would just accept the opportunity presented to her.
Although, just because Miss Tohru had forgiven her this time, she didn’t want to end up in the same position again. She felt embarrassed enough as it was. “Thank you for having me. I’ll do my best to improve in the future”
“That would be appreciated. For now, we can just order some dinner.” Honestly, that was what Tohru usually did anyways. Without even glancing over to her new roommate, Tohru started to shrug off her coat and look through her phone. “Hey can you get back the couch from wherever you put it? I’d love to lie down for a bit while we wait” she asked as casually as anything else, boldly assuming that the couch could even be brought back.
“Yes, of course!” Kobayashi replied in a scramble.
As it turns out, there was a lot more to servitude than Kobayashi had originally imagined. It had taken her a good amount of time to return the living room back to order. Yet when she finished, she came to find there was still so much more left for her to do. In her world, humans were known for their diligence, but she’d never really understood the scope of things until now. Truly the human race was to be admired in that regard, but she wouldn’t be outclassed. Her prejudice may not be as strong as her peers’, but no self-respecting dragon would allow himself to lose to a human in any arena.
To that end, Kobayashi was currently folding clothing. Tohru had taken the time to explain some of the processes of cleaning, like that of laundry, and introducing the otherworlder to the concept of soap. In the rare occasions that dragons found the need or resources to bathe, they were always simple rinses with water. Anything that couldn’t be taken care of this way could be licked off. Similar to cats and dogs, dragon saliva was a powerful cleaning agent. This was the method she had used to do the laundry earlier, but Tohru suggested a different technique. Apparently, since humans lacked the same adaptation, they created a substitute composed of animal fat and it proved to be even more effective. She was once again impressed by human ingenuity, even if she herself did not benefit from the technology.
Now that the laundry had been correctly washed and dried, Kobayashi took the liberty of putting it away as was her duty as a butler-in-training. Thankfully, the intelligent dragon was a quick learner. Already she was able to fold Tohru’s shirts with a professional neatness. She may have been a bit confused about her responsibilities at first, but with a little clearing up, she was well on her way to being the amazing assistant Miss Tohru deserved.
“Hey Kobayashi?” Tohru called, coming out of the bedroom.
Perking up immediately at the sound of her mistress’s voice, she responded, “Yes, Miss Tohru?” She set her most recently finished shirt down, completed that stack just in time to stand and give her full attention.
The human’s hair was tied up out of the way, still wet from her recent bath. She had declined Kobayashi’s offer to assist, saying that wasn’t part of the butler’s cleaning duties; a pity. Yet even changed into a loose pair of shorts that was nearly completely covered by her oversized shirt, she was still as beautiful as ever. “Here are some clothes that might fit you. Most of what I have would probably be a bit big on you, but I found some smaller stuff that could work.”
Kobayashi carefully accepted the outfit like a precious gift, ”Thank you. And I’m supposed to wear this at night, right?”
“Yeah, it’s not as formal as other clothes so you can’t wear it outside of the house, but it's really comfy so it’s nice to sleep in.” the human explained
Kobayashi nodded along. “Excellent! Let me try them on.”
“I don’t know how well it’ll fit. It might be a little loose but hopefully it’ll be close eno-pfft.” Tohru had to stop herself short to laugh. Kobayashi was attempting to put the shirt on over her suit until grabbed her arms to stop her. “No no, it goes on instead of these clothes.” she said with a snicker.
With her head still inside the shirt, Kobayashi protested, “But aren’t I supposed to be in uniform?” Her horns were caught on the neckline.
“Only during the day when you’re working, okay?”
Finally she popped her head out. “Okay.” Reluctantly, she set the pajamas to the side and reached to undo her buttons before Tohru interrupted her.
“Nuh uh, away with you. Humans don’t change in front of other people.”
Kobayashi allowed herself to be shoved towards the bedroom, simply sighing that “Humans are so finicky.”
A few moments later, Kobayashi reemerged. She was wearing a black tank top with blue plaid pajama pants. Both were soft enough to make good sleepwear. Tohru was right that even these were a touch big on her. However, being slightly oversized ended up making them look all the more cuddly. The whole outfit flattered her really. Her hair looked much prettier when it was down and having less on showed off the draconic strength Kobayashi often boasted about. Her build was still lean and slim, but looking at her arms, her shoulders, her back, one thing was apparent. Kobayashi probably gave great hugs.
Tohru looked up from her phone and gave a thumbs up in approval, remarking casually that it “looks good on you.” It was barely a compliment, but it was still enough to make the big bad dragon look away with a humble blush.
“Sorry I don’t have a second futon by the way.”
“That’s alright.” Kobayashi assured her. “I usually sleep in caves or mountains so pretty much anything is an improvement over that.”
“That’s good to hear.” Tohru yawned, standing up from the couch. “Well with that settled, it’s about time to turn in.”
“Oh? Alright then, Miss Tohru.” Obediently, Kobayashi started to head for bed. However, the bed she chose to head for was, in fact, Tohru’s.
Quietly padding over, the dragon bent down, lifted the covers, and carefully climbed into the futon. The mattress cushioned the ground more effectively than she’d anticipated and the pillow accommodated her horns better than anything else she’s used before it. Even the blankets were soft and warm, adding a small pressure that gave a feeling of security. They smelled nice too.
Tohru watched from the doorway as Kobayashi fidgeted until she was nice and snug. She waited until her guest had closed her eyes before finally speaking up. “You know, that meant you were supposed to sleep on the couch.”
Kobayashi’s eyes opened suddenly. She sat up in a panic, “I’m sorry!” only to see Tohru snickering at her. The human had a very mean sense of humor it seemed. “Clearly, I’ve misunderstood. Let me get out of your way.” Embarrassed, she started to stand, but was waved down by Tohru.
“It’s fine.” she affirmed. With a smirk she put her hand on the light switch, “for tonight” and flipped it.
The room fell into darkness. Kobayashi listened as Tohru’s gentle footsteps navigated the shadows perfectly. Her silhouette could only be seen in movement against the passing light of the window. The mattress shifted with it’s new addition. The blankets slowly traveled away to cover another body. Tohru’s legs slid into the futon delicately until her whole body finally settled next to Kobayashi. Her hair fell gradually behind her, leisurely drifting down to the pillow like a flower petal caught in the wind. The distance between them was minute, almost insignificant. The slightest twitch would connect them, but it felt like an impenetrable wall to her. She wondered to herself what it would be like to cross that barrier.
In the stillness of the night, Kobayashi let out a silent breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. It felt unreal for her to be where she was right now. So different was this world from the one she was used to. Never would she have imagined such closeness from a human being. The events that had led her to this position suddenly felt mysterious and outlandish, as if they’d only been a dream. Yet as she watched the subtle rise and fall of Tohru’s chest as she rested so vulnerably next to her, there was no way to deny reality. She didn’t recognize the emotion that was filling her head, but even without an explanation, she hoped it wouldn’t go away. Tomorrow would be the start of a new day and a new life for both of them.