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TATSUYA

T he mountain was quiet. Too quiet. It had been our home for months now, a place to hide, to breathe, and to keep our distance from the world that wanted to tear us apart. But even the solitude was becoming suffocating.

Momoi was pregnant now—far too young to bear the burden of the things she didn’t understand, the things we had dragged her into. I should have protected her from it all, but I hadn’t. The Oni’s rage still burned in my veins, but even as I tried to control it, he wanted her. He wanted her more now. And that fact, along with her growing belly, made everything feel... as if it was teetering on the edge of a cliff, ready to break.

We had to go to the city today.

Momoi had food cravings, and she had a way of making me feel unable to say no. I wasn’t proud of the fact that we needed to go into that chaotic mess, but she wanted something, and there was no chance in hell I’d disappoint her. Not now. Not ever.

But as always, the moment we left the safety of the mountain and entered the bustle of the city, the Oni started to stir.

“Do we really have to do this?” I muttered, trying to focus on the task at hand.

"Of course we do," the Oni growled from the recesses of my mind. “I’ll make sure she gets what she wants. No one stands in our way.”

“You’re not taking over,” I snapped. “We’ve discussed this. We’re here for food , not bloodshed.”

The Oni’s voice rumbled darkly within me. “They think they can cross our path? I’ll tear them to pieces.”

I gritted my teeth, but before I could stop him, I felt my body shift, a dangerous growl reverberating through my chest. His power surged, and we were already on the move, eyes scanning for anyone who looked as if they might get in our way.

We found trouble, naturally.

Some men, probably thinking they were being tough, tried to approach us—probably for money or some kind of territory play. It was always the same. But this time, the Oni didn’t wait.

The moment they got too close, something inside me snapped. I felt the familiar rush of power, the dark hunger that rose like a tidal wave. My body— our body—shuddered, a violent tremor that cracked through my bones, as though my skin was being stretched, torn apart, and remade.

My spine contorted in a way it shouldn’t, the muscles in my arms and chest bulging as though something inside me was trying to break free. My vision blurred for a moment, and then everything sharpened. My fingers twisted into claws, nails extending into black talons as my body grew, skin darkening to a grotesque, deep red. The flesh stretched unnaturally over my bones, the outline of the Oni’s terrifying form taking hold of me like a nightmare emerging from my own skin.

My spine cracked again, longer and more twisted, and before I knew it, I was no longer Tatsuya . The Oni stood in his full, terrifying form—a massive, towering, hulking demon with dark eyes full of rage and hunger. A low growl rumbled deep within me, vibrating through the air.

The men, who’d been thinking of confrontation, froze, their faces drained of color. They were already dead, but I didn’t care. I didn’t care about anything except the satisfaction of tearing them apart.

With a snarl, I charged, every movement now a fluid, predatory action. My body was no longer mine— I was no longer in control. The Oni had taken over.

I wasn’t even aware of what happened next. There was no thought, no reason, just the brutal satisfaction of ripping through the men, leaving nothing but a trail of mangled bodies and blood splattered on the sidewalk behind. I was a monster, a force of destruction, and I relished it.

The Oni's laughter echoed in my mind, mocking the fleeting remnants of Tatsuya’s consciousness. "Pathetic," he hissed. "You can’t stop me. You never could."

My heart pounded, guilt sweeping over me, but there was nothing I could do.

“Really?” I muttered, shaking my head. “This is the last thing we need, Oni. You always do this.”

“I did what needed to be done,” he responded coolly, his voice dripping with dark satisfaction. “Let them try to take what’s ours again. I’ll make sure they never dare.”

I had no patience for his pride, but I knew arguing with him was futile. Instead, I focused on the task—getting what Momoi wanted and getting the hell out of there before we drew too much attention.

We made it to the food store after that little massacre. The Oni’s rage had subsided—though only just—and I grabbed the items she craved, pretending not to notice the people screaming for their lives when they saw us approach, covered in blood. As long as I made it back to her, everything would be fine.

And the Oni? Well, he was quieter for the rest of the trip back.

“This is why we live in the mountains,” I muttered under my breath as I navigated our way back. “You can’t be trusted in the city. Every time we go near it, you start killing.”

“Sometimes,” the Oni sneered, “they need to be put in their place.”

I sighed, running my hand through my hair. “You’re a bull in a china shop. You don’t think before you act.”

He growled in response, but I pressed on, my patience thinning. "If you don’t control that rage, you’ll destroy everything, even yourself. A man who can’t control his anger is like a boat adrift without a rudder ."

The Oni’s silence hung in the air for a moment, and I could almost hear the growl of irritation building deep within him.

“I know your heart,” I added, my voice steady despite the turmoil brewing inside. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll let you run wild every time we step into town.”

“You speak too much, Tatsuya,” he grumbled, his voice dripping with disdain.

“Sometimes, words are the only weapon we have left,” I shot back. "The sword is quick, but wisdom takes time."

The Oni didn't answer, but I could feel him simmering, his desire for violence still lurking just beneath the surface.

I rolled my eyes. “The world is full of people who need putting in their place. We’re not going to kill all of them. We’ll never leave the mountain.”

“And you think that will stop me?” he taunted. “We’ll go back to the mountain when I say so. Until then, there’s plenty more blood to spill.”

The thought made my skin crawl, but I stayed silent, knowing it was better not to fuel his anger.

It was a long, quiet walk back up the mountain path. The sound of our footsteps was the only noise in the otherwise still air. But with each step, I could feel that familiar guilt building in my chest. The Oni had been right in some ways—there would always be bloodshed when he was in control. And Momoi, sweet Momoi, was still in danger.

But as we finally reached the cabin, the sight of her waiting for us on the porch with that same soft smile made all the weight feel lighter.

“I hope you got everything,” she said, voice full of sweetness.

I handed her the bag of food, letting out a long, tired breath. “You’re lucky we don’t live anywhere near civilization. If I had to deal with this on a regular basis, I’d lose my mind.”

Momoi gave me a pointed look that said she had to deal with us on a regular basis, making me scowl.

The Oni’s voice reverberated low in my skull, laughing. “Not my fault, human. You should’ve known what you were getting into.”

“Yeah, well, I’m stuck with both of you now,” I muttered, my eyes on Momoi as she eagerly took the bag and began pulling out her food. “And I’m never going back to the city.”

Momoi smiled, oblivious to the internal war I was fighting with the Oni. “I’ll make sure you both stay here with me. I enjoy it here, surprisingly. It’s peaceful.”

For once, I almost believed her. But I knew the Oni, and I knew that peace would be a fleeting thing, always out of reach.

But for now, we were home. And I’d do whatever it took to keep it that way.

As I watched her eat and moan seductively with every bite, I realized something.

No matter where we ended up, she was our home. The mountain, the city, it didn’t matter. As long as she was with us, that was the only place I’d ever truly want to call home.

The Oni’s presence stirred within me, a simmering mix of rage and possessiveness. It was quiet now, though. Almost contemplative, if you could call it that.

He watched her with a hunger, not just for her body but for something deeper—something he couldn’t quite name. Maybe it was the fact that she was the only one who had ever made him feel anything other than hunger.

"She belongs to us," the Oni muttered, his voice a low growl in my mind. “No one else can have her.”

I didn’t answer, not out loud anyway. I could feel the truth of his words gnawing at the edge of my thoughts, the truth we both knew. Momoi was ours. In ways neither of us truly understood, she was what anchored us, what made us… whole.

The Oni shifted, his restlessness stirring inside of me.

“Do you feel it?” he demanded, his tone shifting. “She’s the key. Everything else is just a distraction. This—this is what matters. Us. Her. This... unit we’ve created.”

I didn’t know how to respond. What could I say? He was right, in a way. Maybe we hadn’t asked for any of this, but here we were. And as much as I hated to admit it, there was something in his words that resonated with me. Family .

Even if it was just the three of us, even if it meant navigating this dangerous, twisted path together—it was the only real thing I had left.

And for once, I didn’t feel the overwhelming need to fight him. The Oni and I were bound by this strange, terrifying bond. One that I couldn’t escape, no matter how much I tried.

Instead, I just sat there, watching her, and for the first time in a long while, I let myself believe that maybe this could work.

Maybe, just maybe, we could make this dysfunctional family of ours last.