#Fushimi is a lovely grumpy bride who does not cook or clean

[ridiasfangirlings]

Oni Mikoto and Fushimi who was chosen to be the offerings/bride. (I have this mental image of Fushimi in some kind of shiromuku)

Poor oni Mikoto, getting such a gloomy bride. Imagine Fushimi’s village is like right on the edge of some forest, where it’s rumored a fearsome oni lives.  Everyone in the village is told never to leave or else the oni will eat them, but then at the same time the villagers treat the oni like a protector god as well. Say there’s like a great drought one season and the harvest fails, everyone’s afraid of a famine. That’s when one of the village elders states that according to an old tale the oni can make it rain if you give him a good enough offering. It’s decided that one person in the village will be chosen to become the oni’s ‘bride,’ everyone of course assuming that the bride is going to end up eaten.

The problem is that none of the villagers want to offer their children as a sacrifice and that’s how Fushimi gets chosen, his dad was a vagrant who everyone hated and who only caused problems in the village. Niki died years ago after getting drunk and Fushimi’s mom, Kisa, never bothered much with him so Fushimi’s been living largely on his own. Because he has no family everyone figures he’s the best choice for the oni’s bride, like why should we sacrifice our own when Fushimi has no ties to anyone. Fushimi’s all bitter about this, probably making acid comments about how everyone else acts like they’re so high and mighty when really they’re all just selfish in the end. 

Fushimi’s dressed in a wedding kimono and taken to be offered to the oni. Imagine they take him in like a carriage carried by bearers and it’s treated like he’s a real bride, Fushimi sitting there in his carriage complaining about the stupidity of such pomp and ceremony for a human sacrifice. His carriage is left in the middle of the woods and he’s told to wait for the oni and that he’s going to be the one to save the village. Fushimi is pretty much like yeah screw this and decides to leave the carriage, except the moment he steps out say he’s attacked by like the wolves that prowl the forest. Fushimi pulls some knives out of his kimono but he couldn’t fit that many in there and he’s complaining about how all the idiots who dressed him wouldn’t let him hide more when suddenly all the wolves are scared away by fire and Fushimi finds himself face to face with the fearsome red oni Mikoto.

Fushimi tenses as Mikoto looks down at him, wondering what Fushimi’s supposed to be. Fushimi looks away and clicks his tongue, grumbling at Mikoto to get it over with. Mikoto’s a little amused by this and Fushimi snaps that he’s the human sacrifice to Mikoto, Mikoto might as well just eat him now. Mikoto says that Fushimi’s pretty fancy for a sacrifice and Fushimi grimaces, Mikoto smirks and wonders if the village really sent him a bride. Fushimi doesn’t answer, just clicking his tongue, and Mikoto easily reaches over and hoists Fushimi over his shoulder. Fushimi sputters and Mikoto’s like you’re my ‘bride’ right, may as well take you home.

Mikoto takes Fushimi back to his cave and dumps him on a pile of blankets, Fushimi can’t believe Mikoto actually expects to make Fushimi his bride. Mikoto wonders if Fushimi would rather be eaten and Fushimi snorts like maybe, Mikoto laughs and says Fushimi’s an amusing guy. He figures that if the village sent Fushimi to be his bride that must mean Fushimi upset someone right. Fushimi looks away and mutters that he doesn’t care about those people anyway or what they thought of him, Mikoto hands him some water and says he figured it was like that. Fushimi states that he doesn’t intend to be Mikoto’s bride and Mikoto just shrugs like you can leave whenever you want. Of course Fushimi has no way to get through the forest and so he’s possibly stuck here for now at least, he has no idea if Mikoto’s being serious about this ‘bride’ thing and Mikoto probably doesn’t either, he just hasn’t had company in a long time. Eventually though Fushimi finds himself not really wanting to leave, like he claims he’s going to run away soon but Mikoto notices that he’s still sticking around even though Mikoto isn’t keeping him captive at all.