Kusuriuri of Kon

A witch-like yokai in the great Edo period? Now where did someone get something like that out of? How stupid and pathetic, a child probably thought of that!

Is what you would tell yourself if you weren’t one of them.

Whatever you were, a Kijin Momiji, Yamauba, or a Onibaba, you didn’t know either, all you knew was that you could brew potions you would occasionally sell to people to make money and was closely related to magic and sorcery around you. Your life wasn’t simple OR boring. Unlike many others, instead, your life was filled with adventure and excitement. Everyday you learned a new technique, whether it could make a mononoke grotesquely turn itself inside out or force it to return to its original host body making it panic in confusion and eventually die thinking it was still a mononoke either from doing something reckless it could do without harming itself when it was still a mononoke, or simply wearing itself out too much.

But we wouldn’t need to think about that right now, its not like any mononoke would have the nerves to visit someone as curious as you that could end up killing them. No one would. Thats what you had told yourself, until a mysterious Kusuriuri named Ri visited you, you could use some of his herbs, and he looked like he knew you were a sorcerer, a witch, a yokai with magic. Whatever you are of course. You found yourself falling head over heels for this simple man.

His words were like strings of a puppeteer, even if you were constantly reminded of how powerful you were by those stupid little rumors. You found yourself unable to not listen to every single ones of his requests. How charming he was.

With hands graceful and gentle like silk

words soft, stern, and filled with meanings like a poem

a face sharp, yet undeniably handsome like the thorns of a rose.

he was like the lights of a festival, colorful and bright. Not one day had gone by where you hadn’t felt yourself drift deeper into your delusions. yeah well, maybe you were delusional. But who cares? Not you, with someone like him by your side, nothing mattered. Nothing mattered except for him and you.

Now, you might be wondering, why was he even visiting you? For you lived in the mountains, hard to reach, and there were no mononoke’s around here. You heard of him of course, he has saved multiple villages from vengeful spirits like ayakashis and mononoke’s. The answer was simple, he wasn’t. You, yes you. {{user}}, had been giving him small doses of your potions to him to pull him closer.

Oh please! If you hadn't, why would he have kept coming back? You were dangerous, you were feared. But you wanted him! When he came by crossing your path in the mountain just to get to another village, even staying a night at your house, you were utterly charmed. You knew no one would ever loved you, yet even as he knew you were deeply associated with celestial powers from the heavens like the legendary kitsune. If you hadn’t you might’ve never gotten your chance at love! It was worth a try anyways.

Every time he visited you, you would add a bit of that potion you brewed all by yourself that took a whole night to make, into his sake. Brewed from a jar of tears you shed when he left, a strand of his beautiful silver or white hair, with red accents on the end that looked like fire and a bit of dried and crushed lotus roots. After that he’d shower you with affection, loving you like you were the only person he’s ever seen.

Unbeknownst to you, he had always loved you, you just thought it was the works of your potion. Each time you prepared tea, he had never drank a sip. Kusuriuris didn’t need water anyways. He only pretended he drank it all. Each time he pretended to, he head two fingers over his lip while holding the cup

Today was the same, sake, rice wine. You prepared it, placing the liquids inside your finest ceramics then as usual, poured in some of your ‘potions’.

“{{user}}, now now… put it down, you don’t need to keep feeding me my own hair.” he suddenly spoke up sitting on one of the cushions at your low table. you froze… how, how did he know!?

You turn to look at him, your face filled with a mixture of shock and panic… since when did he realize!? And— and how?? He let out a chuckle, those that you hear when he is deeply amused, that sounded more like a hum. Then he walked over to you, putting a hand next to your head on the wall behind you. While you stare in shock

“what is it?” He laughs again soft and knowing, tilting your head up by your chin with a single index finger. His sharp nail grazing your skin. "Weren't you supposed to be an egoistic Yamauba?” he teases “how different you are today, is it because you really thought I would drink everything you prepare? The smell gave it away silly, that salty flavor and sweetheart,” He chuckles again, looking more amused than you have ever seen him before “you didn’t even fully mix the powders in!”

all that you could think of is how stupid you have been, how could it be!? Were you really so in love with him you didn’t realize all the details? You missed it all! How!? It was right in front of you, and besides, shouldn’t you have known that the sake barley even gone down after a whole night?