Cuddle Tax
Beneath a smoke-choked sky, Hayato’s katana gleamed blacker than sin, his father’s blood glowing red along its void edge. At his feet slumped the tyrant—jaw slack, eyes hollow—felled by the blade’s dark kiss. Black flames coiled silently along its length. Lost in the duel’s fury, a woman’s whisper brushed Hayato’s mind: Pyre burns in your name… The victory felt hollow.
From behind, frantic, uneven footsteps pounded stone.
“Hayato!” Grandfather stumbled forth—hair wild, robes charred, face raw with dread. His sharp gaze flicked to the blade, then locked onto the boy.
“What have you done?” he croaked with panicked eyes, voice fraying with more plea than blame.
Stirring through rage-drowned memory, the pale woman's whisper returned: Screams forging death’s…—Smoke bellowed from the distant fortress. Needled by his father’s lingering scorn, Hayato’s gut twisted. The weight and permanence of his decisions began to set in, and he wailed in anguish as black fire flared from his blade.
Tall and pale, a figure loomed in the sword’s dark sheen. Her beauty was a cruel lure, with frost skin and soft lips curling into a satisfied smile: …I reap what you sow. Her pure black eyes gleamed. Something scurried in their depths as her bony hand gripped his shoulder possessively—unfelt beyond the reflection. Hayato thrust his blade toward his gut.
“Stop!” Grandfather lunged, clamping Hayato’s wrists just as the sword grazed his stomach. Bright crimson welled against the black steel. “That would bring you no escape, boy!” he rasped, fingers digging in as he glared at the empty space behind his grandson. From the old man’s throat tore ancient words—jagged, sharp—a primeval chant pounding the air. Shimmering golden lines traced the ground as Grandfather wove rapid handsigns. Black flames guttered on the blade in response.
Hayato’s sight blurred. The pale woman loomed in the reflection of his katana, amused laughter threading chaos. The cracked stone split beneath them as Grandfather grabbed his arm.
“You must face this sin.” he growled between chants, then barked a final syllable as he slapped a rune on the boy’s chest. Golden light swallowed Hayato, stealing his breath as the scene ripped away.
Hayato woke to silk sheets and a yokai’s purr, the woman's warm face pressed affectionately against his chest as she traced his scars with a claw. His head throbbed. He could still taste sake on his tongue as he tried to remember the night before, a brothel room materializing around him as his vision cleared.
"Pleasant dreams, Hayato?" the red woman giggled.
“Ugh, how long was I out?” he asked groggily as he rolled out of bed and began gathering his clothes.
"Four and a half hours, and you know the rate.
Cuddle time's not free! You tied up my night."
"Come on, Candy. You know I didn't agree to anything like that. You just...wore me out." He smirked, cracking the door open while still in his underwear, clumsily attempting to pull his pants up with one hand.
“Wellllll..." The woman bit her lip. "I could maybe knock 20% off each hour if you stay a little longer to do that vibrating thing with your—”
"Shit! Tsugumi’s here!” Hayato yelped as he peeked through the door. Even across the hall to the lobby's entrance with her head turned in conversation with the establishment's owner, that red hair was impossible to miss.—He scrambled to yank on the rest of his clothes as he tossed some coins in Candy's lap.
“Gotta go! Put the rest on my tab!”
“Oi!” she yelled, “This barely covers last time, you sleaze!” But he was gone—already tumbling into the alley.
He hit the street running before vaulting up to the rooftops. He leaped between them quickly, trying to beat his shrewd assistant back to Yomi Castle, before stopping as he heard the unmistakable jangling of chains.
“Boss! Down here!” A scruffy undead with a dopey grin waved.
"Tsugumi’s lookin’ for ya!"
Hayato hopped to the ground below. He smirked, slinging an arm over Hajun’s shoulder.
“Just the guy I was looking for," he said.
"Figures she'd be missing me by now—listen, kid, women love a guy who’s late sometimes. Builds mystery."
"But you're always late?"
"Never mind that. Just tell her I was out on a job last night—go to the brothel now, let her know I’m headed back."
He paused, grinning.
"And be sure to show off those chains around all the ladies—chicks dig a bad boy.”
Hajun nodded earnestly. “Got it, boss—job, headed back, bad boy!”
Hayato chuckled before vanishing before Hajun's eyes.
Scattering the land of Limbo were remnants of long-forgotten empires, buildings which had sunken into the ground, deteriorated, often split between unending canyons. Yet, emerging from this unstable and fractured landscape was the colossal and imposing Yomi Castle. Its half-ruined spires pierced the high fog, as if threatening to force their way through the surface above to emerge into Youdu itself. Sprawled across a bench in the castle courtyard was Hayato, lazing about with a sake gourd in hand. While he wouldn't call it a sunny day on account of Limbo not actually having a sun, the air was warm and only mildly haunting.
Tsugumi strode in through the front gate—elegant in her office dress, but carrying an annoyed expression. Hajun trailed behind, chains clinking. The woman crossed her arms as they reached their boss, while Hajun dug a pinky into his ear.
“Out late on a job, huh?"
“Yeah, busy night.” Hayato yawned, stretching like a cat across his bench.
Tsugumi raised an eyebrow, a malefic smile creeping across her face. "Funny thing is, I never told Hajun where I went to look for you. So..."
—"Hajun, you idiot!" Faisal shouted from the gate.
"Help me with this thing!" She was panting, all of her arms straining to pull a thick rope slung over her chest. From it dragged the tail of what appeared to be a massive serpent. Faisal's blue skin was painted almost fully red with the monster's blood. As Hajun helped relieve the burden and more of the colossal beast came into view, it became clear that its head had been completely blown off.
"Breakfast anyone?" Faisal bellowed.
Shion peeked from a doorway into the courtyard. Her green eyes narrowed, simmering with rage as she saw the carcass and the massive trail of blood before her ruining all the hard work she'd done just the day prior.
“Not my mess,” she muttered to herself before heading back inside.
Brunhilda waddled out from behind Shion just as the door closed, her little legs tapping against the ground as she clutched a broom in her stubby, stitched flippers.
“Vow, big catch, ja! Ve’ll sweep zis up in no time, Shion-dono!” she chirped to a housekeeper who'd already left. Her feathers puffed out from her apron as the little undead penguin swayed back and forth, humming a jaunty tune as she sized up the gore with gleaming, eager eyes.
Tsugumi glanced at Faisal, then back to Hayato, her smile turning sly.
“Nice work keeping the butchery busy, Faisal," she said.
"As for you...” she looked at Hayato once more, still sprawled with his gourd—“client’s due in an hour. Should I tell them the legendary Yahata boss is too busy perfecting his sake nap to show?”
Hayato cracked an eye open, tipping the gourd her way with a lazy grin.
“Tell ‘em it’s a tactical hangover—keeps ‘em guessing,” he said.
“Plenty of time, Tsugu.”
She rolled her eyes, holding back a faint smirk as she grabbed the gourd from his outstretched hand for a sip of her own.