#shirime

A one year anniversary was an impressive thing to celebrate! Three-hundred and sixty-five days of firsts with someone just as smitten as you was amazing. And for Kanoh, he pulled no punches when booking a traditional rental home in Mount Yoshino for an extended weekend. Best of all, it was spring, which meant the mountainside was covered in gorgeous green and luscious pink cherry blossoms.

The house looked over the hills with a rather extensive forest near the back of the structure. Inside, the entire place had old paintings and artifacts decorating every room, but your favorite had to be the samurai sword residing over your bed mats in perfect condition.

"Thank you for bringing us here," you cooed, cuddling into Kanoh's body while you soaked in the hot spring.

"This place felt right," Kanoh replied. "Thank you for a year of bliss."

~*~

It was a mostly quiet stay with only a few homes nearby being equally rented out, but you paid them no mind. Instead, you stayed up late teaching Kanoh how to tell scary stories in the lantern light. He wasn't afraid of the tales that spun from your mouth, yet he listened closely to the unique story you had to offer.

"I have only ever heard the legends of the yōkai. Your knowledge is vast. I enjoy hearing you talk, y/n," Kanoh complimented.

"I know you do, babe. Wouldn't it be scary if some of those spirits did exist? Not sure how well we'd fair against them," you replied. "Supernatural beings aren't the easiest things to kill."

"From my perspective, it might be simpler than it seems," Kanoh began. "The shirime cannot see without its eye, so puncturing it would weaken it for an attack. Enemies can be disposed of quickly once you find their crutch."

"Right... but the shirime's weakness is in its ass..."

"I never said it had to be in a pretty place," Kanoh winked.

"What about the rokurokubi? A woman's neck and head that leaves it's body to drink oil from lamps?"

The Fang considered his strategies, genuinely analyzing the situation. "Cutting off the neck would be best. I'm assuming it can stretch, so bending it wouldn't work."

"You could practice tying knots. If we had three of them, I could teach you how to braid," you joked. "I wish my neck could do that. Can you imagine the mayhem I could bring about my enemies if I could just wiggle around like a snake?"

He loved how wicked you were, but also how ridiculous your imagination was. "I would prefer you become a rokurokubi than a shirime. I'd rather not engage in intimacy with a third eye watching me work."

"You're disgusting," came your loud snort. "Let's go to sleep."

~*~

As the night came to a close, you cuddled close to your lover, buried deep in his grasp as the sounds of nature sang you to sleep. He loved staying awake while you were snoozing. Something about acting as your guard dog made him feel stronger, more connected to you. He followed your heartbeat and breathing, admiring the softness of your form. Kanoh wasn't one for romance when you first met, but he was getting better.

Just before his eyes began to close, the sound of a sliding door could be heard in the living room. Someone had entered the home. His body stiffened, waiting for footsteps that never came. His gaze was set on the bedroom door as it slowly slid open, yet there was no body, no shadow to be seen. However, there was a smaller creature that slithered across the floor and over to the dresser. Kanoh's eyes could barely read the figure in the darkness, unsure what kind of nocturnal animal could open doors so efficiently.

"Babe," you grumbled, turning to face the door, "what's going on?"

Kanoh pressed a hand to your mouth, pulling you close to his body for protection. You were frustrated in your drowsy state until the sound of inhuman whispers filled your ears. Fear struck your chest upon the blurry sight of a mysteriously long shadow lining the length of the room.

"What the fuck is that?" You whispered.

"I'm not sure, I don't have a light on me. Where's your phone?" Kanoh whispered in reply.

"Here," and you knabbed the cell sitting next to your pillow.

Turning on the flashlight might have revealed the most disturbing sight you had ever witnessed in your life. A neck the color of fresh snow had crawled into your home and, attached to said neck, was the head of a woman who had greeted you upon your arrival to the mountains. She was licking the oil from the lantern you had recently blown out. Neither you nor Kanoh could believe your eyes. A Japanese spirit that plagued ancient folklore for years was right in front of you doing exactly what the tales foretold. Fuck, this was bad, and just before you could suggest running out of the back paneled doors, the Fang ran towards the creature, ready to fight.

"Kanoh!" You yelled, shining the light at the rokurokubi. "What the fuck do you think you're going to do? Tie her neck in a knot?"

Kanoh wasn't sure, but he wasn't going to let it get near you. He rushed the woman's head, causing her to hiss and rear up the same way a cobra prepared to attack. She had a lot of strength in that neck with plenty of length to work with. Perhaps it would be best to cut her down to size.

On the wall opposite to him was the ancient samurai sword displayed in all its glory just waiting to be wielded again. For the Fang, it the perfect battle weapon. Darting away from the beast, he grabbed the sword from its display and unsheathed the blade. Slice after slide, the woman's neck fell to pieces onto the floor, bleeding and struggling to return to its original body. Kanoh waited until she stopped twitching to witness her body fade into ash.