Chapter Text
My name is Iyumi Chimuha. I was born on April 17th, 1914. Raised and taught by a cult. The cult of Akuata. A disgusting, perverted, cannibalistic hellhole. The time this takes place is June 27th, 1937. The cult was founded by Kaya Kawaguchi. The day it became official was October 30th, 1902. From then on, Kaya's son, Wakki, went on to rule the cult.
There are higher ups, low ranks, and the River Boys. The higher ups get more privileges, such as bigger meals, and the power to order others around. The low ranks, of course, are basically slaves. Doing the dirty work nobody else wants to do.
They get meager meals, and can not talk back to any higher up. Having children is mandatory for higher ups, and low-ranks typically get castrated by 15 if they can't get their rank up past 3. There are 20 ranks total, you're given your rank at around 10 years old, unless you're a River Boy.
The River Boys live near the river of the cult's compound. They typically help with combat and consist of boys aged 12 to 17. They live outside, sleep outside, and do mostly everything outside. They do come in for dinner and sermons.
When a higher-up has a child, especially if it's male, they're automatically assigned to be a River Boy as soon as they turn 12. And it's not like people choose this cult, anyway.
They're either born into it or kidnapped. The cult has some misogynistic views, even just plain creepy. Women are basically cattle to them. Not many women were taken into the cult. And those who were, had to be young and beautiful. Because their whole purpose was to have babies so Wakki could build his empire. They are not seen as people. Just wombs and warm holes. And by young, I mean at least 13. Sometimes, they would take even younger.
Here we are now, the big rules.
First, we have the obvious one, No bad-mouthing Wakki. Not even in private. Or Nene. Especially Nene. Or any higher-up for that matter!
Second, under any circumstances, no matter what, you CANNOT leave the cult. They will find you. And once they do, they gouge your eyes out, strip you naked, and tie you to a wooden beam while they take out your organs one by one. All while you're alive.
Third, no matter how bad it gets, stay calm. Any aggression or anger shown at a higher-up will get you punished.
Then, there's a rival cult. Mosashima. Us and The Nokomo hate Mosashima. The Nokomo are allies. Both cults, just like us.
One day, two scouts went missing. They hadn't come back the next day, as they were supposed to. So me, and Kohaku, Wakki's brother, set out to find them. I mean, he was nice enough to me, so I didn't mind. Kohaku would talk to me every so often.
“Hey, I remember that spot.” He said, pointing to a small clearing in the woods. “That's where I found Anchi. Half of him, anyway.” That confused me. “Half? What do you mean, half?” I asked. He looked over to me with a raised eyebrow like I was stupid. To be fair, it was kind of obvious what he meant. “Like, I only found his bottom half.” I looked towards the clearing again. Expecting to see a pile of bones of some nature. But there was nothing.
We continued on to the nearby village, only to find that it was quiet. “Huh. Raided already?” Kohaku said with a scoff. He gestured for me to start following him again, until I saw a shadow dart across the path. It ran away on all fours. It had to be an animal. But there was no way. The limbs were too long. “What was that?!” I shrieked. Kohaku sneered. “Mosashima is what it is.”
His hand drifted towards his dagger, just short of grabbing it. We heard another sound from the alleyway. A rustle of clothing. Two eyes peered out from behind a wall. It lunged out towards Kohaku, but before anything could happen, he had already slit its throat. It was a Mosashima.
There it was. On the ground blood seeping out from the wound while it lay there, struggling to breathe. “Let's go, Chimuha.” Kohaku said to me, surprisingly calm. “If he's here, more are too.” I swallowed. Still looking back on the now dead Mosashima. I forced myself to look forward. To ignore what Kohaku had just done. “Keep a lookout. They like to hide in trees. They think they're sneaky.” He told me.
Almost as if on cue, I spotted a flash of pale skin from above, Kohaku seemed to notice it too. A tall, lanky man jumped down, he looked young. He smiled at both of us. “Matsubara.” Kohaku whispered. I looked at Matsubara. “You.. know him?” I asked with a shaking voice. “Who doesn’t? Hey, Matsubara, is Nagamine here with you?” Fuma giggled. Nagamine was one of our River Boys they had stolen.
No one tried to get Nagamine back.
“Nagamine? Oh, we killed him just yesterday. Looking to join us for dinner?” Matsubara said with that sickening grin still on his face. “If you try anything, i'll have Kouga at your doorstep faster than you can blink.” Matsubara's eyes widened. Smile turning to a frown. Kouga was one of the strongest if not the scariest members of Akuata. Wakki's right-hand man. Matsubara put his hands up in surrender and backed away. “Alright, alright. I'll leave you alone for now.”
He ran back into the woods. Leaving me and Kohaku alone once again. Kohaku looked over at me with that same, amused but bored look in his eyes. We were still in the village when another Mosashima suddenly appeared out of the brush and tackled me to the ground, hands around my neck, it started to choke me. With its hands around my neck, it slammed the back of my head repeatedly against the hard ground.
I thought that was it. I would die at the hands of an inbred freak like a Mosashima. Before Kohaku grabbed it by its hair and yanked it off of me before stabbing the Mosashima in the face with his dagger multiple times. Even after the guy was dead, he continued. He stopped after a few moments of blind rage. It had to take great force to do as much damage as Kohaku did. I was still dazed from the intensity of it all. He closed his eyes for a moment, breathing heavily. “We're going back to Wakki-sama. There's no way those scouts are alive.”
He turned away without another word, leaving me to stumble after him. Something bright red caught my eye. It was behind a large tree, several feet away. Kohaku noticed I wasn't following and he grabbed me by the collar of my robe, pulling me along.
We arrived at the compound shortly after, since Kohaku and I had taken a shortcut. Once he found Wakki he shoved me aside, but then grabbed my arm to steady me. Letting go, he instead grabbed Wakki by the shoulder. “Mosashima raided the village. They probably killed our scouts.” Kohaku said with gritted teeth. Wakki didn't even look over at him.
Instead Wakki sighed and stayed quiet. Kohaku smacked Wakki in the back of the head. He whipped around with angry eyes. “Touch me like that again and I will have your head on a spike!” Kohaku glared but backed off anyway. “The scouts were meaningless anyhow. We have plenty of others.” Wakki said. Kohaku snarled. “We went all the way out there for nothing?!” I could never imagine yelling at Wakki like that.
I walked away quickly. I was done with Kohaku and his knack for getting in trouble. I was tired. I made my way to the lower ranks quarters. I lay down on my makeshift bed of rags, next to many other kinds of beds belonging to all kinds of different low-rankers. Sleep came and went quickly that night. I got up early, as usual.
I saw Urua walking towards the basement with a strange looking piece of meat. I knew he was going downstairs to feed Kokomura. I had hit Kokomura in the head with a hammer, which surprisingly didn't do much but make him insane and unintelligible. I only hit him because he tried to push me down a well while he was drunk. I was supposed to drop the hammer down the well. I wanted to see how deep it was.
Wakki kept Kokomura in a cage to keep him from attacking anybody. Because whatever part of his brain I messed up, it made him incredibly aggressive. Urua is in charge of keeping him alive. I gave him a small wave.
He didn't look my way. He was always so timid. He always braided his hair, something his father used to do for him. Not only was he a caretaker, but he was a messenger for all 3 of the cults.
I finally exited the compound, walking towards the river where the River Boys resided. But.. Umemoto was there too. I've always liked the tattoos that sat on his neck and hips, it made him all the more sexier. He was known as a prostitute. He went to other villages for prostitution to help make money for the cult.
Umemoto spotted me and got up from his spot leaning against a tree. He walked over to me and grabbed my shoulder. “You didn't pay me last time.”
He spoke in a way that gave me butterflies. He always knew what he was doing. I didn't reply. Instead, I just looked down at the tattoos that decorated his hips. He smiled at me with half lidded eyes. “Maybe I can give you a pass for now.” I licked my lips nervously. “Oh, uh, thanks…”
I still couldn't look him in the eye. He obviously noticed that, and grabbed my face to make me look at him. God, why couldn't he just leave me be? “Why so nervous, Chimuha? You should be more… enthusiastic.”
His right hand grabbed my waist pulling me closer. “J-just go away, Umemoto I- I have somewhere to be.” I knew what he wanted. He scoffed, his hand left my waist. He gave me a flick on the forehead and rolled his eyes, “You're a bore.” he said.
Before I could turn to leave, one of the higher ups was standing right behind me. “Wakki-sama would like to see you, Chimuha-san. You've been a naughty boy…” He said, sickly sweet. I froze. What could he possibly want from me? I haven't done anything wrong, have I? I sprinted past the higher up and ran to Wakki's quarters.
“Wakki-sama? You called for me?” He was standing there with MY journal in his hands. He just.. had a smile on his face. The kind of smile that let's you know you're fucked. “Care to explain, Chimuha? Nene-chan found this… blasphemy just laying around. And tell me why your name is all over it?” That harlot. Nene was Wakki's husband. A needy pathetic, little pampered wretch.
He was always trying to ruin my life. He hated me. I hated him. He was so whiny and arrogant and he- and he found something that could get me killed. I blinked rapidly. “I just- That's just my journal. I write.. my thoughts down.” Wakki deadpanned. “Oh, your thoughts. More like treachery.” I backed away towards the door. “Wakki-sama, it's not what it looks like! Nene-sama must've-”
The stupidest thing I've ever said. In Wakki's eyes, Nene could do no wrong. He looked taken aback before I could finish my sentence. He walked right up to me, and when I tell you he stunk, he stunk. Like rotting meat and mildew, mixed with his unhygienic body odor. “Are you accusing Nene-chan of such sins?”
I swear, I tried to say something, but the words were caught in my throat. A few strange noises stumbled out of my mouth. He grabbed my hair and pulled my head back.
“Look at me, Chimuha. LOOK AT ME!” I flinched as he shouted in my face. Partly from the noise, and his breath. I reluctantly made eye contact, which seemed to calm him a bit. “You will pay for your sins.” He let go of my hair and snatched my forearm with an iron grip. “Wait, wait, Wakki-sama! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!”
I tried to pull away, but he just yanked me forward. Panic blew up inside of me when he grabbed a bloodstained cleaver off of a nearby table that he kept around for this exact reason. He slammed my arm down on the exact table he got the cleaver from. I looked around, hoping to find an escape.
Maybe I could-
And before I knew it, he had chopped off my right hand. That was the loudest I've ever screamed, hyperventilating, I grabbed my wrist watching as blood just kept spilling out.
Dripping, spurting, all over me and my robes.
I could feel my head getting lighter, my vision blurring. I was going to pass out. OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!
What was I going to do?
WHAT WAS I GOING TO DO?
I cried, I felt as if someone was deliberately squeezing the air out of my lungs, I was shaking furiously. I could see the look on Wakki's face, he bit his lip as he watched me panic, almost like he was getting off on it. He liked it. He liked that I was in pain.
I couldn't hold on any longer and I collapsed on the floor. After I woke up, my head hurt like crazy. I was bandaged up. It was probably because of Urua, he cared, somewhat. Wakki was nowhere to be seen. Neither was my severed hand. I rested my head against the wall.
At least it wasn't worse. It still hurt like hell but I got up, albeit wobbly. I walked slow and sluggish, my body still tired from the trauma. I swear, I felt like my hand was still there. It hurt terribly. I shook my arm hoping to soothe it, but nothing worked. Good thing I'm left-handed. It was dark outside, so I figured it was dinner time. It was way later than that.
The dinner hall was empty, and so were the rest of these godforsaken rooms. I decided I'd go down and see Kokomura. I hadn’t said anything to him in a while, not that he understood what I was saying. But
I liked having someone to talk to without having to think about my words. I went down the winding stairs that led to the basement.
Its walls were lined with shelves of preserved organs, animals, and bones. Several crates sat nearby.
I walked as close as I could to Kokomura's cage without him freaking out. “Hey, Koko-chan. How are you?” I liked him a lot more because he was… brain dead, you could say. He gave me no answer. He was just laying there, it was weird to me. Until it hit me.
He was dead. And I hadn't noticed because this place always smells like death. He'd been dead for a few weeks now, I could tell. But that didn't make sense, I'd seen Urua go down and give him food, right? Well, Kokomura had obviously not been getting it. I grabbed the key hanging off of a hook next to his cage. I unlocked the door, and stepped inside. I kicked Kokomura's side. “Yeah, he's dead.” I thought to myself.
You know, I was a little... upset? Even though he'd scream nonsense at me when he was alive. But the thought of him being dead also sent delightful shivers down my spine. I put the key back and went right back up the stairs to see if I could find Urua. I found him all the way in the back of the building, near Wakki's quarters.
“Urua-kun!” I yelled, trying to get his attention. He turned his head to look at me. Something was off about him, his eyes looked dead. His face was wet with tears. He looked away from me and ran down the hall. I chased after him but I wasn't sure which way he'd gone. Until I'd seen him peek around the corner of the hallway he went down.
He stepped back into my sight. “Didn't know it was you.” He mumbled. “Weird. I thought I was memorable.” I looked at him with my stupid slanted smile. “Something happen with Wakki-sama?” He looked down at his feet. “Nothing.” Whatever. I just accepted it. Not like he was gonna tell me, he never told me anything.
So, I changed the subject to what I originally went up stairs for. “Say, uh, you've been feeding Koko-chan, right?” Urua backed away from me when I said that, eyes widened. He knew he'd been caught. “W-What? Yeah, yeah, I've been feeding him.” he said shakily. “Why's he dead, then?” I squinted my eyes at him, waiting for an answer.
His jaw dropped like he hadn't known. “D-dead? What-” I cut him off. “Don't act dumb. You haven't been feeding him, it's obvious!” Urua turned his back to me, his hand covering his mouth. He let out a choked sob, he wasn't sad Kokomura died. He was sad that someone found out about his dirty little secret. He started playing with the braid in his hair nervously.
“I needed it more than he did. I'm sorry, I really am! I just- He didn't even do anything for our family!” He was full on crying now, he buried his face in his hands. “So, you let him starve to death? You have your own food! But no, you had to eat his!” Urua rubbed his eyes. “You never even liked him in the first place,” he sniffled. “You're the reason he ended up like that.” I wanted so badly to just… grab him by the throat and just choke the life out of his stupid body.
But what harm could I do with one hand? “You're wasting your tongue. It was never my fault!” I lied. I have a huge problem with lying. “Yes, you did!” I lost it when he raised his voice at me. I slapped him so hard he fell to the ground. He looked up at me. But instead of the fear I usually saw, it was… anger. Hate. He got up slowly, never breaking eye contact. He turned and walked away with quiet footsteps. I really thought he was going to snap. I had forgotten to ask him why he was crying. I stood there in silence.
There was this… feeling of unease that swallowed me whole. My whole body was tingling with something I've felt before. I could never name it, but it was a mix of fear and… knowing? I walked forward and didn't look back. Something was telling me I shouldn't. Maybe this feeling was because of the loss of my hand. It stung, but I had to ignore it. I had to find the reason.
The reason never came to me. But I always had this strange tingly feeling at night. Especially when I went outside. I stood near the river that separated us and The Nokomo.
They were almost the complete opposite to us. They lived outside, respected women, and most importantly, didn't eat each other. They hold festivals for their God, Ak-Ak, every July. I had never been to one. But recently, Wakki decided to bring everyone along. That day was coming up very soon.
Their leader was Orichimo. He didn't have a last name, I don't think. He was also the only one without a dash in his name. Having a whole name represents respect or whatever. He never mistreated his members. I don't understand why they were even considered a cult, they were maybe more of a.. Tribe. I could hear them across the river. Doing… whatever they do. Wakki always saw them as loud and obnoxious. Animal-like. But it wasn't true. I think they were more civil than us. Mosashima were the savages.
I snapped out of my day-dreaming when I felt a hand on my shoulder. And I turned to see Umemoto's stupid face. “Jealous, Chimuha?” I scowled at him. I wasn't in the mood for his antics. “Of what?” I sighed. “The Nokomo, duh. You wish you were one of them?” I mean, he was right. “Of course not, you freak. I would never betray our family.” Another lie. “Oh, I don't know. You seem pretty focused.” He started to lean closer.
Then he jerked back a bit. “God, what happened to your hand?” I flinched. “Wakki-sama happened. Accused me of treachery. Nene-sama found my journal,” I took a deep breath. “And I wrote some… less than appropriate things in there.”
Umemoto tilted his head. “Anything about me?” Of course he'd ask that. His ego is massive. Just like his- “No. At least, I don't remember. Wakki-sama has my journal.” He tsked and crossed his arms.
“Of course you don't. You never liked me anyway.” He was joking, of course. He was always like that, bratty in a humorous way. “Well, forget you, I guess. I have River Boys to attend to.” Umemoto not only hung out with them only 24/7, he was also responsible for training them. Or whatever the right word is for it.
I never really saw them do much besides laze about in the sun and mess around in the water. I could see him glancing at my missing hand now and again. After Umemoto left, only the sound of rushing water and bugs buzzing around me were present. Oh, God. It had been so long since I had quiet. I breathed in the humid air, smelling the oppressive yet comforting smell of a summer night. I laid down on the grass and stared up at the stars.
I thought I would close my eyes just for a second, but I realized I had fallen asleep and it was already the next day. And guess who was there standing over me? Nene.
“Get up! Get up!” He commanded with his stupidly high voice. “Okay, fine.” I sighed. My muscles ached, and I was covered in bug bites. Nene humphed and shoved my journal into my arms. As soon as he ambled away, I flicked open my journal only to see the pages of the so-called blasphemy completely torn out.
“Whatever.” I said to myself. At least I had gotten it back. I dusted off my robes and made my way back inside. I was starving from not eating the night before, so I hoped I wasn't late for breakfast. I sat at the far end of the low-ranked table next to Shiawase, whose job was to clean the bathing area. I tended to ignore him, he was way too much of an awkward talker.
He slowly turned his head towards me and just, I could see him in the corner of my eye, looking at me with those stupid crossed eyes of his. At least, I thought he was looking at me. You could never really tell with him. “Chimuha-san?” He uttered. “What?” I hissed, putting my head down. “Your hand. Where has it gone?” I couldn't help but groan. I was sick of being asked about it. “Doesn't matter.”
Shiawase let out a soft ‘Oh’ and looked away from me. Once our food was served, I began eating away at it eagerly even though I could barely tell what it was. He turned his head towards me again. He looked anxious. “What? What is it now, you-” my words were cut off when he threw up all over my lap.
“Shiawase! How dare you?!” Heads turned to see what I was yelling about. “I'm sorry! I didn’t mean to- I just-” I stood up, I could feel the warmth seeping through my robes. “Ugh. Disgusting.” I could see Nene giggling from across the room, sitting on Wakki's lap. I growled and stomped away from the dinner hall.
I sat at the river, kneeling, washing my vomit-covered robes, completely naked. Umemoto sitting right next to me. “You've just got terrible luck, don't ya?” He laughed. I stayed silent. “Fine, fine, be that way.” He said, acting like he didn't care. Although I could tell he was intently staring at my groin. I felt uncomfortable yet aroused under his oppressing gaze. “Quit staring, freak.”
Instead of listening, he scooted closer and put his hand on my inner thigh, stroking. “Well, you may not like it but HE clearly does.” And by he, he was referring to my… private area. It wasn't so private when it came to Umemoto, though. I'm sure he knew every part of me very well. “Cut that out. Someone will see!” I whispered harshly. He pouted, but his touch never wavered. “I don't see anybody.” He said, feigning innocence.
I pushed his hand away from me and ran with my soaking wet robes. I put them up to dry and so I could see if I could get a spare. Of course, I'd have to talk to Wakki about it. So there I was, standing completely bare in front of Wakki's door. I was awfully hesitant. I'd never asked for a spare robe before, since nobody here ever washed their robes.
“Wakki-sama?” I trembled, knocking on the large brown door. No answer. Damn it all. I had to find him. Because there was no way I was walking around the whole day with my junk on display!
I went back to the dinner hall to see if he was still there, my face red with embarrassment as I passed by several other members, some were giving me strange looks, while others completely lewd. Wakki wasn't in the dinner hall, either. I rubbed my right arm, pain striking through it again. I glanced over to the chair I sat at earlier, the same chair where Shiawase humiliated me. That was over, though. I still had to locate Wakki.
I yelped as I felt someone swat my backside. I whipped around to see Umemoto smiling at me. “For Akuata's sake, why are you following me?” I said, irritated. “I wasn't. You were just standing there. And I just wanted a snack.” God, he was always hungry. He grabbed me by my waist and pulled me against his chest, the back of my head resting against his shoulder. “Why don't I give you something to wear? I mean, I never wear my robe.” He murmured. He wore pants, of course. But he was shirtless most of the time. “Thanks, Umemoto.”
“Yeah, yeah, wait here. I'll go get it.”
He returned with a dark green robe, which had quite a few holes. The cult's symbol sewed into the left shoulder. I slipped it on and he helped me tie the sash, it was much bigger on me than on Umemoto. He patted me on the head and made his way back to the river. He didn't even get food like he said he was.
Before I left, I glanced over to the chair again. I had to look a few more times before I realized my journal was still there on the table. I put it in this large pocket I had on the inside of my robe. Kokomura was still there, rotting. Of course nobody bothered to take him out or… Use him for dinner.
So, I figured I'd do him a favor. I stuffed my journal inside the pocket that lay hidden inside of my robe. I unlocked the cage door, grabbed Kokomura by his right ankle and dragged him with all my might. He was surprisingly light, considering I could move him with only one hand. Typically, there'd be tons of dead weight. Going all the way up the stairs was a nightmare, the rough surface scraping against his face and leaving trails of blood as I went. My eyes widened as I saw Urua by the top of the stairs. I looked down at Kokomura, and back up at Urua.
He looked both confused and petrified. “What are you doing?” He stuttered.
“Doing Koko-chan a favor. You're the reason he was left to rot.” I continued dragging Kokomura without another word.
The River Boys watched as I dragged him across the river into Nokomo territory. I left him in the same clearing Anchi had been found in. The Nokomo would take care of him for sure. I crouched and gave him a kiss on the forehead. “Sweet dreams, Koko-chan.” I caressed the side of his face, staring down at those lifeless and bland eyes. I ran my fingers through his disgusting hair, smiling sweetly, remembering.
I froze as I heard the sound of branches crunching behind me. “What's going on?” A voice called out. I looked over my shoulder to see Kohaku staring at me. I immediately sprang up from my crouching position. “Oh, um, burying Kokomura.” Kohaku seemed unimpressed until he saw my missing hand. I saw genuine concern in his eyes, along with hearing it in his voice. “My goodness, what'd you do this time?” He gripped my forearm to get a better look at my stump.
“N-nothing.” I grimaced as I felt pain run throughout my arm. Kohaku must've realized as he let go quickly. He cleared his throat and turned away. He didn't even look back at me. “Wait, Kohaku-sama!” He stopped walking. “You don't have to refer to me that way when we're alone, Chimuha.”
Later in the evening, Wakki had a sermon about “purity” and a bunch of bull crap. I was basically half asleep the entire time. I find it hypocritical, since Nene has probably slept with the entire compound. I smiled to myself. Who would ever sleep with that rat?
Wakki seemed to notice me glaring at Nene, who was perched on Wakki's lap. Where he was almost all the time. He noticed, too. He stuck his tongue out at me and wrapped his arms around Wakki's neck. Several members turned their heads towards me. God, I hated being stared at.
Umemoto was in the far back, slouched in his seat. Probably from all those weird plants he's been eating lately. Shiawase sat right next to me. I could feel him staring at me again. My shoulders tensed. I gave him a quick side-eye and went back to half-listening to whatever Wakki was saying.
I felt Shiawase tug my arm toward him. The arm without a hand. I didn't even glance over, even though I should have. Considering he bit me right then and there, and he wouldn't let go. “Ow!” I pushed on his head trying to knock him back. He only bit harder. “What's wrong with you?! Quit it!”
Wakki heard the commotion and stopped speaking. He stared down at me with terrifying eyes. Shiawase finally let go.
“You two need to keep it together.” Someone whispered next to me, on my left side. I hit him in the nose with the back of my hand. The other cult member rubbed his nose and scowled at me.
Shiawase continued to gawk at me. He looked different, this time. Almost like he had no idea what was happening… That wide-eyed stare. It felt almost familiar. It'd be even more uncomfortable if he could look straight.
“Why'd you bite me?!” I snapped.
The intensity of his stare never wavered.
“I'm sorry.” He replied in a monotone voice. My eyebrows raised. I was surprised by his lack of emotion. Gosh, it'd only been a few hours. What happened to him? “Uh… It's fine, I guess.” I was too stunned to be upset at him.
Later that night, I was by the river again. I loved it over there, the fireflies, the water, even frogs. The River Boys were bearable too. They were just a bunch of kids, anyway.
July 11th, 1937
Just a few more hours until the Nokomo's festival. They had invited us once again. I was hoping that these festivals were really what brought incredible light into my pathetic life. The River Boys were coming, as well. Most of the higher ups were too busy grooming themselves for Orichimo. Despite what Wakki may have thought about Orichimo, he still drilled respect into our heads. Us low ranks were trying our best to clean.
Even though the only real bathing water we had access to was our own saliva.
I was sweating, the tingling feeling was coming on again. I tried to shake it off, but winced when my stump started to hurt again. And before I knew it, we were heading to Nokomo territory.
Orichimo was there waiting for us. He smiled sweetly, long black hair adorned with beads, a few streaks of gray caught in the setting sun. He held Wakki's hand in his own, a greeting of some kind. Wakki recoiled in disgust and pulled away. Orichimo's smile seemed to falter. I noticed something about him. He had.. metal in his face. Only then did I notice the metal that went through his nose and ears. I wondered if that was an accident. He led us deeper into The Nokomo's camp. The sound of drums and rhythmic yelling filled my ears. I didn't know voices could do that.
Before I could even find something to occupy myself, something, no, someone caught my eye. Someone with short white hair, white as snow, dark irises with a red tint to them. Pale, almost translucent skin. An albino. My jaw dropped in shock as he passed by. He gave me an uncomfortable smile. I always knew the Nokomo were beautiful, but I never knew they had one of THOSE. I trailed after him, staring at the back of his head.
I grabbed his shoulder, and he turned around with an almost petrified look on his face. “Heeeyyyyy….” my voice cracked embarrassingly. I didn't realize how creepy I sounded until I thought about it later. I knew I must've looked stupid, I had that same look on my face that I usually had with Umemoto. I noticed his eyes seemed to move back and forth rapidly, I'd never seen such a thing before. Maybe it was something unique to his kind.
Well, what would I know? I'd never seen an albino. "Don't touch me!” I staggered back as he yelled at me. I had never heard a Nokomo raise their voice. He sounded… almost fearful. I apologized profusely and tried to explain myself-
Then he put a hand in front of my face to silence me. “Who knows where you've been.” He whispered harshly. I felt my heart sink. I mean, of course. Who would ever want me touching them? I was dirty, ugly, and a part of Akuata! “I'm sorry, I really mean it! I've just never seen someone of your kind before…” He seemed almost offended.
“I uh… Mind if I touch your hair? I asked. He gave no answer. So instead, I wrapped my arms around his torso and buried my face into his bare chest that was revealed by his parted robe, breathing in that delicious masculine scent. Oh, it was so good. But maybe that's just because he was an albino. “Stop that!” He let out a choked shout. “What do you guys use to bathe? You smell exquisite.” I reached up to stroke that soft silky white hair. I wondered how great it would feel if I pulled it. “I told you, don't touch me!” He tried to shove me off of him, but I tightened my hold. He eventually got out of my grip and went off to start talking to a Nokomo woman I could only assume was his wife. I could faintly hear what he was saying. Talking about how “that whisper” basically attacked him. Whisper. That's what Nokomo called low ranks.
I kept my distance, considering I didn't need Orichimo or Wakki finding out. I'm sure I'd get in terrible trouble.
I weaved around the crowd of both Nokomo and Akuata, to find myself at a strange body of water. Not a river by any means. It felt warm. And there were Nokomo in it. Oh my god. They were naked. Together! Both men and women, but surprisingly, they kept their distance from each other! I had never seen anything like it. Men and women sharing a space? Impossible!
One of them seemed to notice me staring. She inched away cautiously. I wasn't staring at their nakedness! I mean, I was, but not like that! In Akuata, bodies are meant for reproduction. Not to… be shared. Not unless you're married. And unless you're me and Umemoto. But the point still stands. The thought of being freely naked like that was… almost orgasmic.
Bodies were always inherently sexual. But here, nobody cared. The idea of bathing sounded surreal. Maybe I could. Just this once. I mean, being surrounded by Nokomo men? Especially naked? That's the dream. I'm not sure how long I stood there until Umemoto put a hand on my shoulder.
“You're not supposed to do that here, you know.” He snickered. “Do what?” I started fidgeting with the hem of my robe. “Stare, you pervert. Now, why don't you come with me?” He took me away from all the loud sounds and bright lights. I saw the albino again, my mouth began to water. I would kill just to spend time with him. Umemoto led me behind a decently sized tree and pinned me against it. He held my face close to his and kissed me deeply. Well, I think it was more than just a kiss, considering we were on the ground within seconds, all over each other. His fingers tangled in my hair, tongue twisting with mine. The freedom and livelihood of the festival was exhilarating. I just wanted to eat him alive. I completely ignored the faint sounds of drums and focused on our heavy breathing and the way we were moaning into each other's mouths. He kept “accidentally” biting me. I went along with it, although he was doing it purposefully.
After we were finished, Umemoto offered me a hand to help me up. We continued to the middle of the festival, walking along and appreciating the colorful lanterns, the smells, the sounds, my heart swelled with joy. The sight of children with soft bellies instead of protruding ribs awoke a softer version of myself. I also noticed depictions of Ak-Ak. I stopped to stare at one of the tapestries. Umemoto leaned forward, his hands on his hips. “What's that supposed to be?” He questioned, pointing to the strange bird-like creature that was displayed. It had long ears, the beak of a bird, feathers, humongous wings, and the paws of what I assumed was a large cat. I stood there and wondered, too. What on earth does this thing represent? I decided I'd ask Orichimo. “Come on,” I beckoned Umemoto to follow.
I found Orichimo sitting next to Nene on a bench. Nene stroked Orichimo's arm, probably praising him in some way. Just like he did with Wakki. Orichimo looked incredibly uneasy. I strutted right up to him. “Orichimo-sama.” he raised his eyebrows up at me. “Yes?” His voice was deep. You could almost compare it to a bear's growl, yet it was surprisingly soft at the same time. Nene let out a whine. “Go away, Chimuha. He doesn't actually want to talk to you!” Orichimo opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, but instead, he patted Nene's head and released himself from his grip. Nene pouted.
Orichimo stood up and dusted off his robes, contrasting ours, since his were a deep purple. He was significantly taller up close, the gray streaks in his hair were more visible as well. His skin, a beautiful brown. He smelled of incense. “What is it?” I stopped day-dreaming for a moment. “Oh, right, right. Uh, what does Ak-Ak symbolize?” He raised his eyebrows. Almost like no one had ever asked him that. “Mostly love and guidance.” I knew it. They really were just a bunch of hippies. “But that's not all. It's just what we mainly focus on. The rest is not necessary or up for discussion.” He said sternly.
“Okay, uh, I have another question. Who’s that albino?” Orichimo took a deep breath. I'm sure many have been asking him that. “That albino, is my son.” I was baffled. “Okay, but you're not an albino. Did you take him in or something?” He kept his blank expression. “No. It's a recessive gene.” Oh, great. Of course the Nokomo had to have phenomenal genetics too. “What's his name?”
“Unna.” I thought it sounded stupid. But then again, they did have their own sort of naming process. “Thank you, Orichimo-sama.” Umemoto and I went off to find Unna. I had to show him. I searched all over, until I found him in those warm waters they had. Oh, he was so beautiful. Now I got to see all of him! Me and Umemoto kept our distance so he wouldn't see us. I sat down. “That is… something.” I looked up at him with disbelief. “What do you mean? He's more than something! He's… unreal. So perfect.”
I wanted nothing more than to jump in that water and be right next to him. Touching him. While he touches me back. Loving each other. But no, of course I had to have Umemoto. “I don't see the big deal. It's just an albino.” It? It?! I sprang up immediately. “It? How dare you. He's more than an it!” Umemoto grimaced. “You're getting really attached to someone you haven't even met.” No, no, no, he's wrong. “I touched him! I smelt him! I… know him.” Umemoto rolled his eyes. I jumped as I felt warm breath ghost over the back of my neck. “What is that?” A sad, soft voice said. Shiawase. “An albino.” I replied. “A what? Alien?” Sometimes I thought he was deaf. “No, idiot. Albino!” Unna looked up as he heard my loud voice. I saw the same petrified expression. My hand slapped over my mouth. Unna basically jumped out of the water. He snatched up his robe and went farther into the woods. Umemoto chuckled. “Wow, you really blew it.”
Before I could come up with a retort, Shiawase lunged at me. He bit onto my arm again, but this time it was more… animalistic. It felt like he was trying to rip it off. Umemoto bashed his head with a rock. Almost like I'd done with Kokomura. Shiawase immediately let go, clutching the back of his head. “I'm sorry!” He squealed. I could see the angry red bite marks on my arm. “Sorry won't cut it, you animal! Stop biting!” Shiawase wiped the drool off of the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. “I didn't mean it…” I could see his eyes welling up with tears. The monotone version of himself must've been a temporary thing. I left Umemoto and Shiawase standing there. I needed to find something else to do.
I stood in front of a strange looking tent, bones, feathers, and teeth all draped around it. I lost focus once Nene walked past me. I almost instinctively stuck my foot out. Nene fell flat on his face. I suppressed a laugh as he almost instantly started fake-crying. “Chimuha! You ruin everything! Look what you've done! I'm all dirty now!” He was always so dramatic. It was just a few streaks of dirt… “Wait until Wakki-sama hears about this! You'll lose more than just a hand!” I could tell he was trying super hard to REALLY cry. He kept rubbing his eyes. He mainly did it to get Wakki's attention. To make him think he's a delicate little flower. In reality, he was just a stuck-up lap dog.
We were interrupted when a loud, sort of musical noise blew through the air. It went on for a few seconds. Followed by a shrieking horn. It sounded like it was in the far distance. And for once, me and Nene didn't look at each other with malice. Our night was ruined by Mosashima. As always. It was never… war. It was almost always just them terrorizing and hurting people. Is that war? I don't think we've ever had one. Nene shoved me inside the tent and he stumbled after.
“Sit down!” Funny. He was telling me to get up a few days ago, and then he wanted me to sit down. It felt like an eternity, waiting for the manic laughter of Mosashima that mimicked the bark of hyenas.
I could hear the sharp flute-like noise along with the ear-splitting horn getting closer. Too close. I stuck my head out of the tent, and almost instantly, I felt something hard strike the side of my face. Nene yanked me back in by my ear. “Are you crazy!?” I sprinted out of that tent. I'm not sure why, but that tingling feeling was coming back. I clutched my right arm, pain searing through it again. The Mosashima were everywhere. It all happened so quickly. I yelped as I felt a heavy weight drop on me from above, knocking the wind out of me. Crouched on my back was no other than a Mosashima. It stepped on my head as it ran forward with surprising speed. I got up wheezing, and spitting out dirt. I ran back to the tent again. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe staying with Nene would be better.
I saw Kouga wrestling with a Mosashima as I passed by, Orichimo trying to get everyone safe. Wakki was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Unna. The howls of laughter and chaos of the festival were all around me. Savages. I quietly made my way back into the tent where I found not only Nene, but Urua, too. I sat next to Urua, not saying a word. He seemed to lean into me. We tried to keep quiet, I could hear Orichimo's booming voice along with the recklessness of Mosashima. I heard that flute once more.
I knew they were gonna find us eventually, but why was it playing now? Urua held my hand tightly, his breathing shallow. It stopped once it reached behind us. But then, everything stopped. The hyena-like laughter, the destruction, all of it. The shrill horn blew once more. What made them decide to stop? Mosashima raids were much more thorough. I poked my head out. No Mosashima. Just a mess of the Nokomo's camp. Nene, Urua, and I all made our way out. Everyone was out of hiding.
I could see Unna standing right next to his father, looking frazzled. Nene scampered over to Wakki. Urua and I never left each other's side. “I apologize for yelling at you.” I mumbled, my nerves still shot. “It's okay.” He held my hand once more, looking up at me with pathetic eyes.
Umemoto crashed into me from behind, kissing my neck and holding me tight. “Chimuha! I thought they'd taken you!” I smiled to myself. I loved him. He pushed Urua to the side and made me walk with him. Orichimo said his goodbyes to Wakki and the rest of us, looking utterly tired and over it.
The cool summer night with my one and only by my side was better than anything I could've imagined. Despite everything that happened that night, I had Umemoto. And it felt as if going home wasn't such a bad thing. He slept with me in the Lower-ranked chamber. My head rested against his chest, listening to that steady heartbeat.
I awoke to see Urua braiding his hair in the far corner of the room, looking at his reflection in a puddle that had been left by a bursted pipe. I laid back down and snuggled up against Umemoto. He smelt different. He felt different. I reached up to grab at his face, too tired to open my eyes. He bit my finger. There was no Umemoto. There was Shiawase. Umemoto had rolled off in his sleep and was now on the floor. Or maybe Shiawase pushed him off. “Get out! What are you doing?” I tried my best to sound normal. My arm was hurting again. I clutched it against my chest, rocking back and forth a bit. I felt sick today. Well, sicker than usual. Feverish.
“Chimuha-san?” My eyes clenched shut. “Yes?” I responded in an irritated, strained voice. “Are you ready for the villageeeee…?” Huh? “What're you talking about?” Shiawase wrung his fingers together. “Nothing.” I grabbed him by his shoulders. “What do you want?” I was right up in his face. He screamed, and I covered my ears. Umemoto's head shot up from the floor. “Oh. I thought you were one of the River Boys.” He laid back down. “You need to get your shit together, Shiawase!” I sprang up and nudged Umemoto with my foot. “Get up.” Gosh, I sounded like Nene. Shiawase was really creeping me out. What did he mean? All of this nonsense isn't helping with my… Tranquility.
We heard arguing coming from the dinner hall. Wakki and Orichimo. What was he doing here? I know me and Umemoto would be punished if we were caught snooping. Orichimo was saying something about “We bring trouble wherever we go” and by we, he meant Akuata. I couldn't disagree with that, to be honest. And then he said my name. Umemoto tried to pull me away, but I stayed. Orichimo was talking about ME. I smiled widely, maybe I was finally getting the recognition I deserved! Then he went on. He said that I “assaulted” Unna. He told. Unna told. How could he! My smile dropped immediately. I wanted to go in there and break a chair over his head. I was screwed, now that Wakki knew. I couldn't deal with it anymore. I needed to get out of there before I ended up on a silver platter. Or maybe Wakki wouldn't care.
I staggered into the room, anxiety shooting through me. Orichimo side-eyed me. I laughed nervously. Wakki looked quite upset considering I just interrupted their conversation. “Uh, I think I need to make a complaint.” I said it more like a question than a statement. “It can wait.” Wakki growled. But it couldn't wait. I would forget later, I needed to tell him now! “Wakki-sama! It's urgent!” He didn't even look at me. Instead, he pulled out a dagger that looked similar to Kohaku's and pointed it at my face. “Go.” Orichimo put a hand on Wakki's arm. The dagger went towards his face, just barely missing his eye. A thin line of blood welled up just below it. That was now the second time I'd seen Orichimo angry.