Seijin no Hi [Honeymoon | Mura & Mythica]

Job Info:

Well, his stuff didn’t roll off of Seiryu’s head, which indicated their final position to be left at when Mura decided to fly off. And why was it that he was packing his stuff like this? Well, the time had come for him to set off time to give himself some holidays, you know, a proper vacation of sorts. He and everyone else at Fairy Tail deserved some time to celebrate Christmas, but he had decided to do it elsewhere this time. His heart fluttered at the thought of finally returning to his homeland after over 4 years; Midi, the land of the rising sun and sinking moon, the land of sushi, ramen and kimonos, and the seedbed for this specimen known as Mura Kensho.

“Finally seeing Midi again… my home,” Kyuken murmured under his breath, “Mother… Father… my ground… Aaaaaaaaaaaaarghhhhhhh! Mura, let’s hurry up! I CAN’T HANDLE THIS!” The ghost kept pulling Mura back and forth in impatience, but Mura was also happy and eager. Happier than usually, too. Imagine, 4 years had passed by, and so much had happened… he just couldn’t wait to share his adventures with his huge family. His bloody family, bloody hell. He was going to see his father again after so long… hopefully, his old man was still kicking around. Ah, and his cousins - all of them in their numerous presence, close to his heart as brothers and sisters under the five-branched tree that was their family’s symbol - he was more than excited to show them how he was doing. The mage that he had become… again, hopefully, he wouldn’t blow their minds beyond functionality by showcasing a few spells of his.

But why did he summon a blue tatsu (“serpentine dragon”) just to carry his baggage when he was perfectly capable of bending the earth to do his bidding? Well, tatsus were classy creatures in Midi, and they were heavily revered as guardian deities among other entities. They resided in lakes, seas or any body of water in the land, and they were inseparably tied to Midian culture. And he was the Onmyōji, so he better show up in Midi as one - with style.

And if Mythica was his wife, then she would have to gain the blessings of his father. That was custom in Midi, to gain the blessings of each other’s parents. This usually happened before the marriage itself, but… we know how rushed it was.

“There, there, Azure-chan,” Mura soothed the dragon’s worries of being able to safeguard his belongings while patting its large, scaled head, “We’ll take off soon. I’m just waiting for her.”

WC: 439/1500

Guess he didn’t need to wait so long. A surprised expression popped out from his face as he felt Mythica’s embrace of his back, ever so tightly and with a level of excitement that he hadn’t seen from her in a while. She seemed genuinely eager to visit Midi with him. When someone so close to a person showed their eagerness to see or try something that the other found deep respect and love in, then… love would only increase tenfold. She was the strangest woman that Mura had ever met in his entire life, but that didn’t save him from healing his heart of the past and falling in love with her.

“Y-Yes, so am I…!” he replied joyously, not hiding his corresponding excitement to introduce his wife to his family and vice versa, “Have you got your luggage prepared? In that case, we should take off now… mhmmm, I can’t wait.” A rather unfamiliar action from the shaman, he rested his hands on Mythica’s as they were clinging around him, generously sharing some warmth with his beloved one. Her body pressing up on his back, her cheerful voice, it all made it clear that she was his and his alone. And he loved that feeling.

If everything was ready with Mythica concerning her luggage etc., then he would gently lift her up as a newlywed groom, let her take a seat right behind the skull of Seiryu’s scaly head where she could sit safe, and jump up on Seiryu himself next to her. “It might be a bit too much to ride on a dragon, but I promised someone…” he explained to her, “We’re ready now, Azura-chan. Nobore (Ascend.)” he commanded his summoned dragon, and lo and behold as the Azure Dragon obeyed the Onmyōji without a second thought, lifting itself up in the air via pure current alone - not basking a single muscle, but letting the changing, blowing airs levitate its body - soon finding themselves capable of covering all of Magnolia with their view in one glance. People would have to celebrate Christmas here in Magnolia without the Guildmaster of Fairy Tail for this December. He gave the town a rising, grinning smile as they took off, the dragon’s serpentine body cutting through the clouds without harming its passengers.

Above the grey clouds that let the snowflakes fall down, the sky was blue and crystal clear. The sun hung low and shone more reddishly than, for instance, in summer. Mura’s magic heated up the air specifically around himself and Mythica, and breaking down the oxygen molecules with heat of abnormal precision allowed for breathable air. It looked like something straight out of a fairytale, those two riding the Azure Dragon across the open skies.

The Azure Dragon caused downfall of clouds, rain and snow, to occur wherever it flew over. Soon, its shadw would taint the clouds over Desierto and Minstrel, approaching its destination. In the meantime, Mura… struggled to start a conversation. You know, small talk. He did, however, soon figure out that he could just comment on her new outfit, in which he turned around and made it as clear as possible to Mythica that he was, quote on quote, ‘checking her out’. His eyes made sure to witness every arc of her beauty before his mouth dared to speak: “That must be a new outfit of yours. Trying to impress me…?” He finished his sentence with a deeper, more playful tone as his nose reddened up.

WC: 584
TWC: 1023
Thread TWC: 1412

He sure hoped that nothing strange would happen to him or Mythica when they would arrive in Midi. Despite being a high-ranking wizard, he would no longer be in his safe confines of Magnolia Town, and Midi was just as flourishing with magical creatures as Fiore was - perhaps to an even more extreme degree. Differing from the beasts blessed with magic who roamed Fiore, entities here didn’t have a solid, physical bind to this plane of existence. They were floating between both, which did make them extremely dangerous… he was talking about yōkai, specifically. Mura had enough experience with them to know that, no matter how peaceful he wants his little ‘honeymoon’ to be, the possibility of a random monster knocking on their door once more was huge.

His face flared up when his self-confident question got turned right back at him. So much for taking such a dominant role for that second… but he could also be honest with himself. “Yes, it’s working a lot…” he replied quietly, rubbing his cheek up against hers in comfort, “My family will be glad to see you, don’t worry…”

…

Well, that was a rare sight. It also indicated their arrival… when Mura rose his head up, he saw a silhouette with a golden contour flap its wings and cross the higher skies with grace. Its five, long tail feathers danced in the wind behind its rear, and its beak was opened as it let out a high-pitched shriek. It was Hō-ō, the king of birds. And seeing it reassured Mura that nothing particularly bad would happen here in Midi. “Hō-ō… we’re in Midi now. My home…” Mura mumbled with a wavering tone as his homesickness rushed in, “Azure-chan, please descend a little.” The dragon did as told and cut down through the grey clouds, letting Mura and Mythica see the vast, spiky landscapes and mountains of the land of miso soup and samurais.




Green, thin trees stuck up like fields of grass from their height. The mountains were divided into regular, wide ranges and classic, pole-like hills. There were signs of small villages built atop the mountains, safe from the potential dangers of earthquakes. A soft mist travelled across the surface, harmless as people yet assumed their daily lives, mostly wearing their festival kimonos and yukatas as they were celebrating their children’s coming of age. A lone warrior holding his sheathed katana was standing on a bridge, watching over the young boys and girls who passed over with their lanterns to fetch off the darkening from the mist. Rivers slithered around the earth too, revealing groups of kappas brawling each other. Inside a small hut hidden behind grown vegetation, a couple was hanging out.

“Hmh… I gotta see someone veeeeeery quickly, pinky promise,” Mura warned Mythica as the Azure Dragon made a halt right next to the top of a fancy-looking bell tower. This was a temple working under the official Onmyōryō, and on the top of the tower, a little gathering of Onmyōji were dancing in harmony, trying to summon back the King of Birds but in vain.

That was, until one of them got a small bell tossed into their hands by Mura. He merely waved and let the dragon fly away, causing a shocked expression on the other priests’ faces. One of them also spotted Mythica, that alone almost causing her to puke out of an irregular fear of something that they couldn’t put their fingers or tongues on. The other priests dismissed it as mere surprise to see who they clearly assumed was the Great Onmyōji back in Midi again and patted the poor priestess’ back.

“W-Was that…?”

As time passed, the shaman allowed the dragon to land at its destination. Right in front of the entrance to the Kensho estate… it had grown a lot since last time he was here. It was a classic, Midian fortress now. In the estate, many activities were also set up. Most were inspired by Fiorian Christmas, but there were also Midian customs put up for the traditional sake. A-Anyway, his family was waiting inside, or so he thought. Mura would lead himself and Mythica off of Azure-chan’s neck and feel the surface again before dismissing the blue tatsu, watching Azure-chan fly straight up into the skies and becoming one with the stars once more.

“*heavy breathing*… Okay, let’s go meet them. You ready, Mythica?” he asked her one more time before entering the estate as soon as she felt like it. And destiny led to the first other Kensho member that Mura would meet being two, small twins - one with a long ponytail complimenting her delicate but apparent approach of the situation, and another with bushy, black hair complimenting his tricky approach - each trying to push their daily luggage onto their big brother. The girl’s name was Shirobina, her twin brother was Kurobina. And the big, purple-haired and fuming one was Tsunematsu.

Once the big brother had spotted Mura entering their estate, his very first reaction was to put the luggages back onto his twin siblings’ backs as he ran towards Mura, pulling up a wooden bat. Mura was in the middle of a ‘Tataimaaaaaaa-‘ which got cut in two as the shaman had to move to the side to avoid a bat straight to the face. “W-WHAT THE HELL?!” Mura cried in shock, his entire face white with horror.

“Don’t you ‘what the hell’ me, how the hell do you have the balls to show yourself here after letting us wait so many years, you little rat…?” Tsunematsu growled, his face contorted in rage as he slowly turned back to look at Mura, causing flickers of lightning to escape his eyes, “YOU’VE GOT A LOT OF NERVE, HURTING MY BROTHER’S AND SISTER’S FEELINGS!!!!!!!!!!!” It was… clearly because of Mura’s absence that Tsunematsu was angry and about to explode. And given how busy Mura had been, he couldn’t have visited them more frequently, which must’ve hurt Shiro&Kurobina’s feelings too.

“I-I… I’ve been busy with a lot of stuff over-“

“DOESN’T MATTER! THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT! YOU COULD’VE SENT A LETTER! A LACRIMA STORING YOUR VOICE! OR A GODDAMN MESSENGER BIRD! OR DID YOU HIT YOUR HEAD TOO HARD IN ONE OF YOUR MISSIONS AND FORGOT HOW TO COMMUNICATE!? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW EAGER SHIRO AND KURO HAVE BEEN TO TALK WITH YOU AGAIN?! HOW DARE YOU CURSH THEIR HEARTS AND LEAVING ME TO EXPLAIN THE WORLD TO THEM TO GET THEM TO UNDERSTAND THAT YOU’RE BUSY WHEN IN FACT, YOU LITERALLY HAVE ALL THE MEANS IN THE WORLD TO SEND US SOMETHING TO KEEP IN TOUCH WITH!? AND WHAT’S WITH RIDING A TATSU WHEN WE ALL KNOW THAT YOU CAN FLY, YOU LAZY ASSHOLE?! ARE YOU TRYING TO PISS ME- who is she?”

Tsunematsu’s rebuke and constant poking of Mura’s face came to a halt when he spotted Mura’s wife along with him. A face he had not seen before and questioned Mura to explain. Shiro and Kuro were, protectively, clinging to their big brother’s legs trying to make him stop fuming, but they also looked up at the strange girl’s face with curiosity.

WC: 1204
TWC: 2227

Tsunematsu bowed down in response to Mythica’s greeting, something most - if not all - Midians were groomed and raised to do per custom. Although, he felt a slight pain when meeting Mythica’s gaze, but it soon disappeared and he shrugged it off as a random cramp. “W-Well, thank you for watching over my bratty cousin… I’m Tsunematsu Kensho. Shiro, Kuro, introduce yourselves too…!” he replied and looked down at the two, smaller people who were feeling much safer clinging to Mura’s legs than to their own brother’s for a moment there. They saw how the situation eased down and found courage enough to aim their gazes at Mythica too, bowing down as each one stated:

“Pleasure to meet you… My name is Shirobina Kensho. I’m the cooler one of us two.”

“Pleasure to meet ya! I’m Kurobina Kens- w-wait, hold on a second, what do you mean by that?! Are you saying that I can’t be cool?! I can be plenty cool…!”

“There’s nothing cool coming from my screaming brother. Don’t you agree, Mura-nii?”

Shirobina cackled quietly and threw Mura a mischievous look, merely wanting to mess around with her twin brother whose whole face started to redden up like a tomato. Their vocabularies had skyrocketed since he met them last time; that was all the way back when they were, like, 4.

“Well, we should hurry up and meet Dad-“ Mura spoke up, but Tsunematsu had remembered something and cut him short: “Actually, I could need your help right now. There’s a yōkai hiding somewhere here that keeps attacking my mum.” This changed the atmosphere a little. Shirobina showcased the bandages around her left thigh where she had been injured, presumably by this monster. “I was with Mother when it suddenly attacked her. I was able to save her, though… but after it hit me, it just disappeared again…” Shirobina’s leg began to shake a little, showcasing fear and anxiety of a potential second attack despite her confident tone.

Mura would take on these anomalies with his eyes closed. These people lived life differently than him, however, and didn’t possess the life-saving tool called magic. That was why he put his own, personal needs aside and nodded.

“… There you are,” he spoke, turning his gaze towards a tree that appeared to manifest icicles at an abnormal rate. The icicles fell down and formed feet, growing a torso and at last a head that finished the manifestation of an icicle humanoid. Its overall arrival was grand to Tsunematsu, Shirobina and Kurobina, but to Mura and possibly Mythica too, it was nothing too warning. The shaman wanted to make Shirobina and Kurobina see him as a legendary hero right now, so he slowly approached the monster step by step and unsheathed a rusty Harusame.

“N-No, wait… M-Mura-nii, your sword…!”

Tsunematsu had an idea that Mura wouldn’t be in need of his katana at all. He simply held back Shirobina and Kurobina and let them watch. The icicle humanoid approached Mura with hostile intent and quickly lifted one of its spike-like arms, attempting to stab him. As it jabbed down its arm, the icicle was melted away by a heat emitting from the shaman’s body all along. The monster found itself backing away from him, but it was far too late. Mura’s katana was coated in fire, and the two younger samurais were in utter awe at the sight.

“H-H-H-His katana is on fire! Is this Onmyōdō? Is this what Mura is capable of?”

“OH MY GOD, THAT TSURARA BASTARD DOESN’T HAVE A CHANCE! FIRE-SLICER!!!”


The icicle monster’s throat was swiftly cut off, and the kids got something to tell their parents about. That was one, and no other similar monsters emerged to aid it in battle, in which Mura dismissed the threat afterwards. “… Ooooookay, let’s meet Dad now!” Mura suggested, having Tsunematsu nodding and leading the two kids along as Mura ran back to grab Mythica’s hand and lead her to the main house.

On the way, Tsunematsu as well as Shiro&Kuro would ask Mythica specifically about some things such as:

- “You seem to be a close friend of his. When did you meet each other?”
- “Waaaaaaaait… you’re not from Midi at all! You don’t look like i-“ *BONK* “Ignore him… but actually, where are you from? I genuinely hope that you’re from a place that you’re proud of hailing from.”
- “Are you a wizard too?! I heard that Fiore is full of powerful wizards! Oh man, oh man, I wanna be a wizard too, now!”

The main house had a part of its wall that was able to be pushed aside. No doors. This way, Mura entered and lead Mythica into the main house where his old man was sipping tea. Mura’s dad was right there, wearing his wooden owl mask and gazing up at his long-gone son. Soon enough, tears escaped the eye openings of the mask.

“M-Mura yo… by the gods, it’s you…!”

“… I-I’m home, Father…”

His father, Miki, sniffed loudly, rose up and opened his arms, inviting a charging Mura to a hug as they both embraced each other atop the table. The elder man let out a cry: “Mura! Mura! My little jewel of life! Your old man has missed you sooooooooo muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuch, waaaaaaaaaaaahahahaaaaaaaaaaaa…!!!” It was clearly an emotional moment between father and son that caused them both to cry out loud, drawing the attention of his cousins from further ahead at the hallways. Suzaku, Tsurara, Naga and Yuurin walked out as they heard the commotion, then broke down in tears and embraced Mura as well. At some point, Mythica was mistakenly pulled into the group hug given her position close to the shaman. Naga had noticed her and awkwardly made some space, warning the others of the delicate lady who was accompanying Mura. Naga’s face was reddened slightly.

Things calmed down, and the group sat down on their knees again, inviting Mura and Mythica to do the same.

“My, it’s been a long time, my son… how are you feeling?”
“I’m great! How’s the house doing here?”
“Things have been calming down between us and Musashi, y’know, since back then and all… we’re pulling through with other issues lately.”
“You’ve certainly grown a lot since last time, Mura.”
“I second that! Like, a whole inch!”
“… And greetings to you as well, Miss… uhm, are you, by any chance, in a relationship with Mura?”
“What are you saying, sis? You know that he’s too fixated on swords; he won’t be interested in women, not at all… uh… right?”

“Well, you’re obviously wrong, Suzaku.”

WC: 1105
TWC: 2227 + 1105 = 3332

Ah, Mura had almost forgotten about the necromancer. It was a good amount of… two of three years ago. Clearly, it had prevented bigger issues in the future, but when it came to Mura’s and Mythica’s romance, his feelings for her didn’t start there. They had to be shaken a bit more before emerging over the span of what could’ve been a year in itself.

“… N-No way-“
“Ah, I see! Congratulations, Mura! Father, you must’ve realized-“

“… S-She’s your girlfriend, son?”

“No… wife.”

“… O-Ohh, I can finally die happy now…” Without pause, Miki leant back and hit the floor in bliss, having found out that his son had found himself a spouse, which directly informed the older samurai that offspring were soon to come to this world. The idea of having succeeded in planting Mura in this world as an heir who could father more members of the Kensho family filled Miki’s belly with honey, and his blessed face smiled joyously behind his wooden mask. While Tsurara and Suzaku lifted him up again, Naga looked at both Mura and Mythica… with a slight scent of worry on his face. Or was it fright? Anxiety? Or did he need to go to the bathroom? He looked a little pained to see them, which did throw Mura off for a moment, being sharp enough to notice that Naga was looking intently at him.

“Hey, Naga, I guess Dad- I mean, sorry, Father hasn’t lost his edge over the years.”

“Oh, uh, uhm, yes, he hasn’t. Don’t worry about us; we’ve been doing much better since we settled with the Musashi… nah, actually, we’ve been met by new issues lately. Strange beings, yokai, waddling around Lower Midi hasn’t been a thing before, but now… I think that you’re only going to draw in more.”

Straightening his back, Naga regained his composure and explained to Mura that his family had been dealing with more yokais than before. You see, Midi usually had all its magical moments and extremities dealt up in the Upper Midi, while the Lower Midi was mostly inhabited by non-magical civilians and was far more peaceful and calm than the lively and ferocious north.

“And yes… c-congratulations. Could’ve invited us to your wedding, you know… b-but it’s fine. I forgive you…” Naga revealed to the shaman who, for quite a good reason, couldn’t have invited them to the ‘shotgun’ wedding. He wasn’t that informed whether or not they were going to have another wedding, you see. “You… really found a beautiful one for yourself, cos’.”

“Hehe, thanks… can’t really say that I tried. We honestly met by chance, but a great chance, that was.”

“*cough*… A-Anyway, it’s my greatest honor to meet you, Miss Mythica,” Miki greeted properly as he bowed his head to her as well, “Please, take good care of my sloth of a son. He’s lovely, but he’s not the most motivated one at times.” Despite being said with a sweet and playful voice, Miki did know his son better than anyone… or so he thought. It had been a while since Mura visited them before, and the boy was now a man who might’ve changed.

*CRASH!*

Suzaku leant on one leg with her foot having furiously stomped a creature that was approaching Miki from behind. “W-Where did that scorpion come from…?” she asked nervously, causing the family to stand up as they looked around. Mura spotted the icy remains on Suzaku’s foot, and just having dealt with an ice creature before, he assumed that it wasn’t totally done yet.

Unfortunately, he had to focus back on Suzaku again when she was about to faint in the middle of it all. Miki quickly grabbed her, his hidden face full of shock. “S-Suzaku! My dear, what’s wrong?! Are you there?!” he asked in worry, not getting much of a response from the shaking lady. Her body had gotten cold, and her teeth clicked like a rattling snake’s tail…

WC: 661
TWC: 3993
Thread TWC: 6312

Damn it… Mura expected too much peace in his vacation, for it appeared that his worst worry for this winter had arrived; monsters hoarding in numerously, attacking the civilization. He was up on his feet in an instant, his left hand tightly holding the sheath of his katana while he nodded at Mythica’s assurance. She seemed to be eager to take them down, which was quite reasonable; it was her honeymoon too, and she probably disliked such interferences more than Mura did.

“I-I should’ve known better… this season’s much darker than the others. Lots of space and time for monsters to ascend, and it happens every year.”
“But I wanna beat up the yōkai! They hurt my sister!”
“You all have to stay here, where you’re most safe from whatever they can pull off.”

Walking over to Suzaku, Mura checked her skin’s temperature by grabbing her arm. It was lowering pretty rapidly overtime… and it wasn’t normal injuries, but a venom at work. He needed an antidote, and for that, he had to get his hands on some scorpion venom. Ice scorpion venom, specifically.

“Watch over them, Father,” Mura asked his dad before dashing out in high tempo, “We gotta hurry! I won’t let anyone ruin my time with you…!” His feet caught aflame and fired him off like jets, sending him straight towards the smoking village. Back at the home, Naga had been thrown off guard by Mythica’s sudden facial expression, and… well, he was somewhat conflicted about her intentions with that.

The ice scorpion that Suzaku stepped on was completely melted away… that must’ve meant that he needed it to be alive for its venom to be extracted. That would be troublesome, but nonetheless necessary for Suzaku’s well-being. She could die from that venom if he didn’t hurry up!

The roads and alleyways in the nearby village were wide, so Mura had a good field of vision. He knew that Mythica had a habit of showing up in the blink of an eye just where she needed to be - like the many times she showed up in Mura’s path up until now - and he had gotten a good feel of her magic from their mission against the necromancer as well as the other events where she supported him. If she could speed up the individual time for a person to decay within seconds of everyone else’s times, then… maybe she could stop time too. But until then…

Mura had obviously been hurrying a bit too fast. When he spotted an ice scorpion, he hastened and lashed himself at it to try and grab it with his hands coated in iron gloves. It just managed to jump between the space between his thumbs and index fingers to escape, and he wildly crawled after it. “G-Get back, you! My cousin’s life depends on you…!” Mura mumbled irritatingly. His crab crawling bore fruit only a few moments later when he slithered himself between some pieces of a wooden fence to catch the scorpion; none of the elements in his path could slow him down with the magic power that he possessed.

Although, now he was laying down on his belly with a wild scorpion in his hands along with a group of ice golems and a bigger wave of ice scorpions right in front of him. They eyed him down as prey, blinded by the power as well as the plan that he possessed at the very moment…

“… M-Mythica… now would be a good time to show me your magic. Y-You know, been a while and all…”

WC. 599
TWC: 3993 + 599 = 4592
Thread TWC: 7308

A yellow flash was all Mura saw in that instance. He was still holding the ice scorpion in his hands, one hand holding the poisonous tail busy while the other hand held its body. The speed of actions done in the interval it took Mythica killing the monsters surrounding them was an absolute instant; it wasn’t just too quick for Mura’s eyes and mind to perceive, but it was simply an instance. He was convinced that time was a huge part of Mythica’s magic and that she was able to regulate it to her likings depending on the situations.

That was… amazing.

“W-Woah… my eyes couldn’t follow,” Mura replied, “Yup, it’s right here. Let’s see if there are any more mon… sters…” Looking around, Mura had realized that not just the monsters in his field of vision had perished, but all the monsters around him had taken a big L from Mythica’s spell. “… Nevermind. Let’s get this one back and make an antidote.”

…

Terrifyingly, the process of converting the ice scorpion’s venom into an antidote took longer than expected. The shaman had went back to their house and found a room where he could proceed alongside the fainted cousin of his, and he realized that the venom would evaporate if it was exposed to temperatures over that of 0 degrees Celsius. Therefore, he had to keep the temperature down around the venom by applying ice, but that required finesse that would cause the whole process to take… a while…

Meanwhile, Mura’s family members were gathered out in the living room of that building, all worried for their dear Suzaku but also confident in that their returned wizard brother and son would heal her.

“It’s… terrifying to think of, really,” Mura’s father spoke up, “What the world of magic can bring… and us and our defenselessness towards it. It makes you think a lot… but I believe that Mura can save his cousin. I believe that fate is on his side.” The father turned towards Mythica, smiling behind his mask. “I do know him better than anyone. I am his dad, after all… which begs the question, my lovely daughter, how long have you been married? I’m sure spending a lot of time with him must’ve made you realize what a blessed soul my son is… I only know good from him.”

Naga was sitting next to Mura's father, and he was also intently watching Mythica. It would come off as curiosity at first, but...

WC: 416
TWC: 4592 + 416 = 5008
Thread TWC: 8303

”Mhm. For a long time, out of spite, our family scorned magic. But today, I clearly see how idiotic that thought was,” Miki admitted. As time passed, they were proven just how influential of a role magic played in today’s society - all the while Lower Midi was known as the ‘non-magic’ part of the country, even here in these classic terrains, magical creatures and a handful of wizards roamed and called the lands their home. Miki, Mura’s father and the current head of the Kensho family, had to learn a thing or two about ancient, Midian arts in arcana from the moment he found out that Mura possessed magic himself. That boy sure changed their view on magic and the world, really…

“… A-A year?” Miki responded to Mythica’s answer concerning the time span of the two of them - his son and her - having been married. A year was a long time. 365 days with the two of them in such a close relationship sure led to certain events taking place that were uncommon between a dedicated, loving couple. Events such as solidifying their love in form of…

Miki began thinking.

In the meantime, Naga listened closely to Mythica’s response. There was a depressing tone in the air around him when he heard about how unique she thought of Mura. To think that his careless, young cousin got together with her… someone as stunningly beautiful and soothing vocally as the woman who was sitting with them in this room… for one reason or another, it pained him. He had just met her, so it would seem strange to think that he already had a crush on his own cousin’s wife. Then what was the reason for his troubled expressions?

Naga's Reasons for Envy:

He held it all back. He couldn’t express himself and hurt Mura’s feelings like that. Mythica’s returning gaze at him did cause him to move his own away from her, a small blush appearing on his cheek.

“Hooo! Wait, a year, right?! Does that mean-“ Miki expressed in a sudden burst of excitement. Tsurara focused her gaze at him and interrupted: “Father! You don’t have to raise your voice so suddenly… we can all hear you loud and clear…”

“O-Oh, I’m so terribly sorry, Tsurara, b-but I… I must ask,” Miki lowered his voice and continued, respecting the warning that Tsurara gave him. Maybe Mura was focusing inside the other room, and having his father raise his voice that loudly would definitely stir up trouble.

Poor Yuurin clung onto the coat of her older brother, Naga. She was being shy around this strange woman who was with them, but Naga gently patted her and assured her that everything was alright. The young girl would often throw gazes at Mythica, merely out of curiosity.

“… Do you and Mura… have kids?”

The question that came from Miki’s mouth made Kurobina spit out his tea as Tsurara was in the middle of serving everyone in the room tea - also to Mythica, who had first priority being the guest of their house and all. Shirobina quickly jabbed her twin brother with her elbow to make him stop reacting like that, for it was embarrassing to her, and it would probably be embarrassing to their guest too. Naga’s reaction was a tiny bit more widening of his eyes, but it was nothing to be surprised at if it was confirmed to be the case.

“Oooh, maybe I can finally join my dearest wife again…” Miki mumbled in a state of bliss, despite not having received an answer yet.

WC: 963
TWC: 5008 + 963 = 5971
Thread TWC; 9849

She sounded a little different when Miki brought up the topic of kids. He noticed this, but at first, he shrugged it off as mere shyness, until the possibility struck him; maybe they didn’t have kids yet. Yes, it had been a year, but still… there was that possibility. Although, it would be great if they had kids-

She sadly confirmed the possibility; she and Mura did not have kids, which saddened Miki behind his mask. “A-Oh… well, that’s alright,” Miki assured her rather fatherly, “I pray that you two will become great parents, one day… h-hopefully before I kick the bucket-“ “You’ll be able to live to see them one day, Father,” Tsurara comforted the sniffing, old uncle of hers as she gently held his hand, “Although, I am curious as to what Mura thinks…”

The door where Mura entered to tend to Suzaku’s wound opened, him exiting the room while Suzaku was gently sleeping on the couch inside. “The poison’s been extracted, but she’ll need some rest… her body needs time to adjust itself after that,” he explained, much to Miki’s delight. “So she’ll be alright… thank the gods for your aid, Mura. Come here, boy…!” The emotional father embraced his boy with both arms, then held one arm around him as he whispered something to him while holding something in his clenched palm:

“Here, take this key. As my token of gratitude, I’ll give our suite to you two…”

He whispered something else to Mura, which caused the shaman’s face to flare up in an instant. Leaving Mura to stutter at what his father suggested, Miki stretched his arms all innocently as he proclaimed: “I’ll be tending to Suzaku and watch over her. You’ve done your part in helping her, my son. You and Mythica should don up and enjoy the rest of the day - go out, show her around the nearby streets, visit the shrine and make her accustomed to our beloved, Midian culture. Oh, and you may choose your wear, for I got some quite fashionable yukatas and kimonos that you can choose from.” While he said that, his cousin Tsurara would pull over a clothes rack with a couple sets of yukatas and kimonos. It wouldn’t be a true, Midian walk in the park without wearing the traditional wear to immerse oneself in the atmosphere.

“Trust me, these are very comfortable and delicate to the touch. Choose whatever you like the most.”

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“… Uh, uhhhh,” Mura stuttered a little, trying to recollect himself after the awkward suggestion his father gave him. Miki had no chill; that poor man inherited his wife’s burning wish to see Mura grow up and form a family himself, almost like an obsessed aunt. Understandably, when Miki had suffered the loss of his wife, why wouldn’t he wish only for great prosperity through his only child? With that said, those robes looked mighty fine, and Mura was almost negligent to remember that his father had fetched them specifically for the baked couple. As long as Miki didn’t grow too obsessed with their relationship, then… Mura could tolerate the interest. It was his father, after all; there was many a thing to tolerate.

Mythica sounded just as eager to sightsee the land with him, and given Mura was standing in his seedbed, he could definitely provide a lot of interesting trivia about Midi on their walk. That, for some reason, excited him; he couldn’t wait to express his vast knowledge of Midian lore, etiquette and norms, their tastes in fashion and food, similarities between here and Fiore as well as differences and so much more.

“Sure… hmh, they all look great, but…” he hummed in deep thought, gently clenching his wife’s arm in affection, “Hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng… the red one, with the white lilies. How about you try that one?”

“Ahhh… she sits and stands a peony, she steps and walks a lily,” Miki hummed with his eyes closed in deep remembrance of his own youth. Mura gently took a hold of the kimono and held it up in front of Mythica. “White lilies are classic, Mura. I think that’s a good pick,” Tsurara commented quickly. The red surface was donned with an artistic bouquet of white lilies along with a single, orange lily hanging down low near the edge meeting her feet.

“I should probably take this one, then,” Mura spoke as he chose a yukata fitting his build. It was white and had a dark-blue cape accompanying it. It looked identical to the one his father was wearing, and it looked pleasant and comfortable too.

“If you’re sure on your choices, then please change in here,” Tsurara suggested them as she had been in the room where Suzaku was resting moments ago. The bratty girl was awake, and in quite high spirits! Yes, sure, she was still leaning on her sister’s shoulder, but she held a big smile on her face. “I-I feel much better now… t-thanks, bro,” she thanked Mura with a thumbs-up, “Say, you’re going to change now? Women first, then - and no peeping~!”

Darn her. Not a minute had passed, and she jabbed at him. "Hmpf..."

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Mythica was more than impatient to try the wear out that Mura had chosen for her. He let go of the garments as soon as they were in Mythica’s hands, allowing her to check it out and compliment on his taste for Midian fashion. The kimono had accessories patched with it, and Tsurara too held a small bag that contained a fan. Any lady in Midi who cherished discretion was to possess one - and it sure added a lot of affection points. Nothing was cuter than seeing a flustered girl in a kimono, hiding her blushing face behind a modest fan. What lengths men in the fields would go to be in the company of such a jewel.

They were both satisfied with each other’s choices; Mura couldn’t wait to see Mythica in traditional, Midian wear and see her in a whole new light, and Mythica looked just as eager and excited to see Mura embrace his heritage even more. Since Suzaku incited it, Mythica was to change first, but Mura’s little sulk was quickly replaced by timidness and heatwaves by Mythica’s comment. She was… soooo in the mood, which made his heart beat faster and faster until he couldn’t think about anything else.

It felt as if his face melted.

“Awwww, you can’t help but envy the spring of youth~” Kyuken moaned in delight as his face sparkled. The ghost then approached Mura, still but a blue spirit ball head, and a mischievous grin grew on the face of the ghost. “Hey, hey, Mura, think about it… when night comes, I’m 100% sure that she’ll give in to her desires and embrace you fully. You gotta learn how to satisfy her, that’s a husband’s duty… I can teach you some techniques of mine-“

“B-Bah!” Mura let out as air escaped his lungs in haste, his face tomato-red and his eyes hidden under his timid bangs, “.. E-Eh?”

“You think I died a virgin? I’ve left hundreds of beds with women crying for more - trust meeeeee, I know my stuff! First of all, when she comes on to you, make sure to give it a fun start. Feign embarrassment, or… w-well, just do what you’re doing right now to make her work for it. Trust me, it’ll be so entertaining for her! But don’t feign it too long, or she’ll get bored… so then, when she least expects it-“ Kyuken began lecturing him under four eyes, while only Zirconis could hear the ghost talk. Detailed explanation about using all the muscles in Mura’s hands and fingers, how to touch her in the right areas, how to mentally endure (for some reason, that was the most important thing) and other techniques were orally conveyed to the poor shaman who was almost brought to tears. This was too much… way too much…

Thank the gods, Mythica’s return broke the silence as everyone’s eyes were upon her in her red kimono. Naga gasped so deeply that he almost regurgitated (that can happen, trust me, it’s not a show of digust but an actual exaggeration of awe). Just when Mura thought that his heart couldn’t take any more, it almost burst out from his chest; that elegant kimono hugged her in all the right areas and donned those beautiful lilies with pride, her hair was cutely tied up in twin tails, and… t-that fan, that was the icing on the cake. It looked as if steam escaped from Mura’s mouth as he was trying to muster up a word to answer her cooing: “Y-Ye… T… T-Tha- It-It looks… a-amazing…”

He turned around, poked his index fingers together and took a deep breath. As blissful as the scene was, he couldn’t lose his head right now. My head feels so light…

It was his turn to dress up, so he quickly entered the room - not before softly smooching Mythica on her cheek to show his gratitude, which brought a quick whistle from Suzaku - and in about 10 seconds, he emerged from the room in his comfortable yukata, arms stretched out and with Harusame and Futsu-no-Mitama strapped onto his hip. Pure swordsman.

“Hah… you look just like father now,” Tsurara commented as she clapped her hands, “I suggest that you go visit the Meiji Jingū- the shrine, that is, first. It is the day of celebrating the coming of age, after all - a delicate coincidence.” The Meiji Shrine allowed them to walk through the village and sightsee stuff, a strategically ingenious idea from Tsurara. Mura nodded and hoped that he remembered the way. He would then turn to Mythica and offer to lock arms with him before they both walked out through the main gate to the estate, having his family wish them a blessed voyage through the afternoon. His father, who broke down in tears, called upon the blessed souls in heaven and on earth in traditional, Midian language, and begged them to guard his children at all costs while his arms were held up in prayer. Tsurara patted him in an attempt to ease his worries, for oh boy, was this emotionally taxing on him…


Mura prompted the couple to walk over the bridge towards the village houses where many other young men and women were celebrating Seijin no Hi - the Coming of Age. Mura didn’t mind the mild buzz, but they were far from the focus of this story - his wife was the center of his attention today. That said, he assumed that she knew little about the holiday… or about the shrine that was their destination. While some people threw eyes at them in mild curiosity (and others simply recognizing the famous wizard from afar), Mura decided to throw some exposition down to her: “Say, Myth… about the shrine we’ll visit - there’s some sweet lore behind it, if you’re interested-“

“Oh! Oh! I know! I know!” Kyuken burst forth, eager as a child to tell them the tale as he entered his ‘narrator’ spirit, the sky blackening and a scene popping up in true, Midian theatre fashion for those with great senses of imagination to envision, “You see, blessed boy and girl, long ago… the emperor of Midi lied on his bed, inflicted by the pains of old age. Blind and crippled, he felt his fanes of life flicker away, but he refused to embrace death as his only child, the son of his and the heir to the empire, had not yet found a spouse… but his son was but an infant. He had yet a decade of years to grow, and another decade to mature himself before anyone could talk about marrying him… and the old emperor was yet dying of illness, but…

… But the emperor kept his word. For 20 extra years, he raised his son - they say that his skin flaked off and that his bones stuck out like the dead, but he kept living. He taught his son everything he knew, everything necessary to know for an emperor, and when the time came where his son found a spouse and held his wedding, only then did the old emperor fall to the ground with a grin on his face, shocking everyone present. They say that he was reduced to ash, drained of all energy despite how scarce it was to begin with. His age, his sickness and instabilities did not prevent him from grooming his son to become a favored emperor himself.

The old emperor stuck to his promise and only died when he realized that he had served his purpose. Gambling his own life just to further it a little longer was torture, but he ensured that his blood would continue through his son and his grandchildren. That was Emperor Meiji, the burdened guardian of youth.”

The existence of the shrine was self-explanatory; of course, the Midian populace revered their selfless emperor and asked him to bless their young children too, just like his blessed and sacrificed for his own child.

The river underneath the bridge had a nice tune…

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Hnng… they looked lovely on the bridge. It was a scene worthy of being immortalized in paint on a screen. Mura felt like his heart bubbled; it just felt amazing to connect with your home country after years of separation. Albeit his identity having transformed into Mura of Fairy Tail overtime, he was still Mura of Midi right now. The wind touching his neck was the wind of Midi, which he welcomed with open arms. The water flowing below the bridge was of a river of Midi, which he eyed with content. The thin oak trees and the cherry trees were all the green of Midi. He was home…

And he remembered. He remembered what had happened back when he was only 11 years old… the event that led him to become a fugitive. The event that tore him away from his seedbed… it tainted his view, came as a shock for him. He hadn’t tried to remember it for such a long time, but… now that he was back in Midi, his mind couldn’t help itself.

Luckily, Mythica’s words struck through and brought Mura back to the present. Yes, the present; this was his honeymoon, and he had lots of things that he wanted to do with his lovely wife. She asked him an interesting question about the tradition of leaving offerings to the shrines, which seemed like a faint exaggeration. He was ready to inform her of the truth: “We simply pay our respects to the guardians of the shrine. We bow in our greeting, and then we toss a coin into the shrine box… it’s a bit more specific than that, but I’ll show you once we’re there.” There was a set way of paying just the right respects to the shrine and its guardians, and Mura hoped for good that he remembered the procedure. Although, he could always just look at other visitors and mimic… but that would hurt his pride.


Thanks to the small size of the village, the shrine wasn’t that far away. Despite the small size, this village harbored many younglings who dashed about in traditional wear and celebrated this event. Some of them eyed Mura and Mythica, especially the latter who really caught the attention of young men and women alike, partly for her stunning beauty and also for her foreign appearance overall as well as the heterochromatic composure of her eyes.

Truth be told, not many from the village recognized Mura, despite him having grown up here. Had it really been that long ago…? Surely, they knew about him, right? About the Wizard Saint from Midi? The On… the Onmyōji? Or maybe they just didn’t know it was him?

“Hmmm…” he hummed before spotting something that brought his spirits up - the sight of a young man holding a little girl and boy on each hand. The wooden sticks that each held brought back memories of his childhood, when he was too young to be in possession of a real katana and had to do with a wooden sword that he swung morning and evening. His eyes sparkled pleasantly.


A torii gate would welcome them to the shrine which was located at the other end of another bridge. The gate was guarded by two stone monkeys - komasaru. They guarded the shrine, and they symbolize how a young human’s ascent into adulthood signifies their preparation to start a family of their own down the line. A red box with lined openings on top was located at the front of a small house further ahead, and it held all the coins tossed in there for the guardian. Conveniently, the shrine was inhabited by small monkeys who kept the visitors company…

Mura took a deep breath and spoke: “Okay, we’re here… now, you must be very quiet.” He gently squeezed Mythica’s hand just a bit, wanting to lead her to the box so he could show her how to greet it and offer one’s coin. If she willingly followed suit, then he would walk towards the box and bow slightly as if he was greeting a person. Another couple were leaving the box after paying their respects, and another person was waiting behind.

After Mura had bowed, he eyed his dear wife. He was silent for a reason; this was sacred grounds, and the air itself was vibrating in a soft frequence. He wanted her to try and mimic his actions, in which he nodded to signal that to her. Afterwards, he picked up a jewel from his purse and tossed it into the box through the openings. Its fall onto the bottom of the box was the only sound within several meters for a second. Slowly, he walked towards a bell hung above on the edge of the roof, close enough to be reached by a hand. 3 times, he rang it to signal to the guardian that he was here.

When the Onmyōji announced his presence, the border between the world of the living and the world of the dead leaked. The air around him grew… moist. The tint of the view was blue, and a silhouette manifested itself behind the box. Was this a ghost? C’mon, Mura was in the middle of teaching his wife about something very important - yet whatever was happening right now was beyond his control. The silhouette merely looked at him with long, grey hair running down its… his back as it spoke:

“… My children yet grow up without me… my children yet honor their father… their mother… but my honor lies only in my son…”

Everything else was silent. Mura continued to listen.

“… O you who pray at my shrine - do not neglect your offspring, even if they pain you. Treat them well… and spire…”

To that, Mura had no other answer but to nod. The ghost was surprised to see the Onmyōji’s reaction to his words; he saw him? What a change of events. This soft realization appeared on the ghost’s face… but another had noticed it. A lad among the visitors, donning white garments with red knots.

… When Mura’s senses returned, he bowed deeply in respect of the ghost, then clapped twice. I thank you for the wisdom that you’ve bestowed upon me. I thank you for the life of a child that I was blessed with, he thanked the guardian before meeting Mythica’s gaze again. He would slowly bow to her as well, as a way of silently apologizing for taking so long.

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… The mysterious man with the tall, black hat couldn’t help but glance at the couple from a discreet distance, blending in with the rest of the visitors at the shrine. His garments and closed fan revealed his status as a high-standing official, but it also related him to Mura in a special way. However, he hadn’t met the Wizard Saint before… and yet, he found himself drawn to his presence by an invisible aura. It felt like awe, being amazed by the company of a person that he had never met before, but he couldn’t exactly figure out why…

It was only when Mura moved a finger quickly in an attempt to tip over a coin that a little kid had tossed towards the chest but missed the lined opening by a centimeter. The swift use of magic was faint, but the other Onmyōji caught notice of it. The stranger scratched his chin, seeing potential in a possibly new recruit, but while Mura looked like a random but promising gentleman, he had mixed feelings towards the beautiful maiden accompanying him. Shaking his head, he shrugged it off as exhaustion and decided to return to his own place for today.

…

“There was the ghost of an old man right there,” Mura explained to Mythica while pointing towards the other side of the chest where the ghost had been standing a moment ago. A happy grin grew on his face. “I think he just wanted to give us blessings before he passed. Pretty nice of him.” On their way away from the shrine, they passed a street in the middle of the village where a shop owner was selling masks and ringo ame, the ‘apple on a stick’ treats coated in melted toffee and sugar.

Masks were highly popular decorations in Midi. They often had a white or black surface with red drawings and patterns to resemble specific creatures of legend. An old saying went that by wearing a mask, you would become the mask - typical stuff to hype children up or scare them shitless. “Hmh…” Mura hummed in deep thought, taking a glance over Mythica’s appearance before handing her a ringo ame and coming to the conclusion, “I bet you’ll look even cuter with a mask. How about we take a look?”

The mask seller said not a word, but repeated his arm movement towards the mask to let the couple have a look. He must’ve been working all day during this event, that poor guy; his eyes were baggy and dark, and he looked like he was in a terminal need for a sugar rush. There were ringo ame in front of him, so Mura paid no mind to it and, instead, took a look at the masks hung up on a red carton wall. Very classic creatures could be recognized as inspirations for the designs; foxes, wolves, elephants, hawks and mice were among the ordinary animals, while there was also designs of tengu with their long noses and angry looks as well as oni with their spiraling tusks and demonic eyes.

“Oooh, that tengu one looks cool!” Mura expressed while picking it up. Tengus were renowned, priest-like creatures - aesthetic monks of some sorts that lived up in the mountains all their lives. While wearing the mask, it gave a silly and humorous vibe off, which he could feel just by being in the center of it. “… I look rather silly, don’t I?” he sighed curiously at Mythica, whose opinion he dearly craved for.

In the meantime, one of the masks still hanging on the wall had… uh, pupils sticking out from its eye holes. Although, nobody was standing behind it and wearing the mask, for it was actually one of Midi’s auric creatures - a yōkai, with the form of an otter, spying the couple as the sun hit the horizon and turned honey-orange…

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