CW/Mentions: Graphic descriptions of violence/gore, grieving
Forewarning: This story is part of the "Rewinded: Shadowside" saga for the Yo-kai Watch Rewinded series I and @tatonslice are collaborating on. Many Yo-kai previously excluded from YKW4 and the Shadowside anime are part of the story, but for today it'll be focused on Damona and her two guards, Onigumo (Arachnevil) and Onigama (Toadal Demon). Like I did with Arachnus and Arachnia before, their names will be color-coded so my skimmers don't get lost.
Onigumo sat leaned against the wall, clutching a fragment of a yari shaft. His claws traced the wood grain, as if trying to ensure it was still there in his hand. It wasn't just any yari.
It was Onigama's. His brother-in-arms.
The two weren't always close. When their clans were wiped out in the Great Purge, they found one another trying to make the trek to the Shadow Pinnacle to meet with the then king Plundros. They saw each other as competiton at first, but seeing as they were both refugees from defunct clans, they agreed to instead work as a unit to reach their destination. They had been inseperable ever since.
In recent years however, following the crowning of Princess Damona as queen, Onigumo found himself distancing himself from his battle brother and focusing more on his personal life. He even found a new group that could truly accept him for all of his fiery temperament and obsession of all things spicy. They even already had an oni among them, which was a comforting surprise.
And it seems this distance had upset Onigama, as the blue oni kept trying to insert himself into the group just so he and his brother wouldn't be separated. Each attempt just made Gumo pull further and further away from him.
They never had a chance to reconcile before disaster struck, and the Onimaro invasion meant the Ancient Oni had risen to take back the kingdom they left behind in ruin.
For this one time, they had to set aside their quarrelling to protect their queen.
It was a dangerous mission, breaking her free from the dungeon beneath the palace and out of the Badlands into the Yo-kai World above, but they had to try. The future of their world depended on it.
Just when they thought they had a surefire exit, Damona heard the sound of armor puncturing, then felt Onigama's hand tighten around hers before suddenly letting go.
She turned only to find her beloved royal guard impaled on the spear of a larger, much more imposing oni, fear in his eyes and choking as black blood poured from his lips.
Onigumo whipped around at the commotion only to watch in horror as his only true family dropped to his knees, that spear ripped free from his chest.
He had no time to react before their assailant snapped Gama's weapon in two and promptly beheaded him with the blade of his own yari. His body collapsed, and his spear fell with him.
The fury was instantaneous. Onigumo exploded into a rage like an active volcano, lunging for the monster responsible for slaying his brother in cold blood. All he saw was red, shredding through armor with just his flame-tempered claws before snatching them by the throat to slam them into the passage wall with enough force to crack the blackstone. Only when they stopped moving did he unhand them, dropping their lifeless corpse to the floor and staring blankly at the inky black blood painted across all six of his trembling arms.
Everything past that was a blur.
All he knew was that the only thing he had left of his fallen comrade was the remnants of Gama's cherished yari and his Soul Gem.
He never got the chance to apologize. Now it was too late.
The door to his room opened, Onigumo's head snapping up to find whoever it was trespassing.
"Gumo?" a voice spoke quietly.
It was Damona.
"You were scratching at the floor again," she continued, "Are you alright?"
"All is well, my queen," Onigumo responded.
"I know you're lying," Damona pressed him, "You're clearly troubled. Talk to me."
"It really isn't--"
"That's an order, Onigumo."
The crimson spider sighed, leaning his head back against the wall as he tried to force himself into answering.
"Onigama died for nothing," he growled, "That fucking coward only struck after we had an opening to escape. They were weak. Weak and pathetic, much like the banner they stand for. I should have torn them to shreds before they had the chance."
"There's nothing you could've done to prevent this, Gumo," Damona said solemnly, "I'm sorry."
"Couldn't I?!" Onigumo barked, "If I had disposed of our enemies before they could issue a counterattack, he would still be alive! I failed him, just as I failed him before!"
He stopped, feeling a hot droplet roll down his face. What was this?
"Gumo, you're... crying."
The red oni ran a hand across his cheek and brought it before his eyes to examine.
"...So I am," he croaked, "These feelings, they are... strange to me. I've never shed a tear in my life, yet here I am. Everything feels so empty..."
"You're grieving, Onigumo," the demon queen told him, "It's a natural response to losing someone close to you. I know these emotions are uncommon among our people, but that doesn't mean they don't exist."
She came closer to rest a hand against his cheek, flinching when she felt the boiling hot tears against her skin.
"My brother died for nothing," Onigumo brokenly repeated, "His death was without honor... What oni are these honorless bastards if they are to stoop so low as to slay our own kind during the first peaceful era we've had in several millennia?"
"They will pay for this," Damona stated, "Our people are dying for a selfish war that only exists to satiate the ego of a tyrant of old... We will stop them by any means necessary, do you understand me?"
"Yes, my queen," the spider sniffled.
The queen sighed, "Good. Now go clean yourself up. We need to regroup with the others. Enma calls."
I got a few more questions if that's alright, regarding the hard-core au!
1. Is Yokai fusion still a thing or is it a taboo? (Whisper and Jibanyan's fusion, Thornyan, Baddinyan)
2. Does Hailey still have her detective agency with Whapir and Usapyon? Is Whapir any different?
3. Would Nate still interact and help out with the war between Arachnus and Toadal Dude?
1: fusion is the same as ever, however unlike where fusing Jibanyan still gets rid of Roughraff or Coughkoff, Getting Baddinyan and Thornyan doesn’t have any consequences at ALL. So yeah, Nate has the Medals For Baddinyan, Thornyan, Buchinyan, and Jibakoma just… There.
2:Detective Agency still Happens the same way, not much changes about it aside from Hailey actually keeping Usapyon as the Mascot
3:He kinda has to?
At the End of the war, however, instead of Unfairy JUST beating up people, He stalls enough time for Dame Dedtime to… “Make new recruits” out of the generals and their Lackeys.
When you fight Against Unpleasent, you then need to fight Shadow Venoct to free Venoct.
When you fight Untidy, you then need to fight Darkyubi to free Kyubi.
When you fight Unkaind, you then need to fight Toadal Demon to free Toadal Dude.
When you fight Unkeen, you then need to fight Arachnevil to free Arachnus.
"All done!" Onigumo pushed his bowl towards mine, it was empty with nothing but the chopsticks sitting inside,
"Ah, I'm glad you ate it all.." I smiled, balancing his bowl in mine and placing it on the side in the other room. I heard Onigumo's footsteps behind me as I snuffed out the fire.
"Is there not any more?" I jumped a little, Onigumo had leant his head around me and was right against my arm,
"Ah- n-no, not right now, I don't think it'd be good to eat too much right away..."
He frowned, stepping back. "Besides, we need to fix this." I ran my fingers through his hair. Despite how nice it looked, it was extremely damaged and messy to the touch. "Come on." I beconed for Onigumo to follow as I walked through a narrow entranceway to the washroom. It had a large round bath in the corner and a few crates and boxes of medical supplies that were strewn about the floor.
"I-I don't really want a bath.." Onigumo muttered, I turned to him, surprised.
"Why not?"
He shifted from foot to foot.
"I.. I don't wanna.." I noticed him fiddling with his clothes, pulling up the trousers and tightening his grip on the kimono top.
"I won't be in here with you if that makes you happier." Onigumo finally looked me in the eyes with a smile.
"Y-Yes please… I trust you but… I-I wanna do it alone…"
"Okay, I'll run the bath, then you can get changed alone. But I want you to leave the clothes outside because I'm going to shorten them so they fit you, okay?"
"Yeah!" Onigumo gave me a wide smile before sitting down on a wicker box. I leant over the bath, turning the taps on. They creaked and moaned for a second before water shot out. Quickly, I pushed the plug into the bottom of the bath, then stood up straight again.
"It only takes a moment, you should feel it so it suits your temperature preferences."
"P-Pref-?" Onigumo looked between me and the bath.
"T-To see if it's warm enough.."
I didn't think he'd be stumped by big words...
"Oh, I get it!" He jumped up off the box, leaning over the side of the bath and cautiously waving his hand in it. The level was almost high enough now. "It's nice and warm.. It's my pref-pr um..."
"Don't worry, I understand!" I laughed, turning both taps off and dipping my hand in the water, waving it around to mix the cool and hot parts more evenly. "Remember what I said okay?" I smiled, ruffling Onigumo's hair before walking out.
"Thank you!" I heard him call after a little while.
My eyes travelled around the room, the pan still sat in the fireplace and the dirty bowls lay on the side. We'd have to find a river to wash them in though I remembered one nearby. I sat on a small stool, turning so my back faced where the washroom doorway was.
Something was bugging me. The way Onigumo spoke and acted, it was all too similar to a child. Nothing remained from before, including my feelings for him. I held my head in my hands. I felt so strange, having to look after him like a parent.
"I just have to wait a little longer.." I whispered to myself, "You've waited this long, a few days means nothing..." Just then I heard a shuffling noise that broke me from my thoughts, I turned quickly to see Onigumo's clothes in a heap by the doorway. I sighed, laughing to myself a little, I don't know why I expected him to fold them neatly.
Picking them up, I moved to the room where we'd eaten. There was a small shelf against the wall with random baskets and scrolls. I shifted a folded up blanket aside, remembering I'd found some scissors not long ago and left them beneath it.
Carefully, I spread out the kimono, the garment creating a t shape on the table. I'd remembered how large Onigumo was compared to me so I cut it to size. Something inside me felt sad for cutting up the clothes I remembered, and plus, they seemed like the only part of the old Onigumo left now but... I'll get him new clothes once he comes back anyway. I hadn't realised I'd self conciously stopped cutting. I shook my head and continued, throwing the scrap fabric in a pile. The kimono top was still a little wide but now it was shorter, and I'd cut the eco trousers into hakama styled trousers instead.
I scratched the side of my face, I think he'd need some kind of belt since the waistline was still far too wide. I moved back to my room where most of my bags resided and rifled through them, hoping to find some more scrap fabric.
"Ah- what about-!" I suddenly remembered something, pulling out a familiar large orange ribbon. It was from a town I visited once, they had a wonderful array of fabrics and ribbons on sale. Even though it wasn't exactly my thing, I found myself buying something anyway because it reminded me of him.
I hadn't noticed my hand had tightly gripped around the orange fabric. Something splashed against my hand, quickly, I felt my face. Tears were rolling down my cheeks.
"Stop it!" I stood up suddenly, shouting at nothing. My heart rate had suddenly risen, "What is wrong with me.. I should be happy..." I held the ribbon to my face, closing my eyes. Just for a second I saw his face: it wasn't childish, or scared, it was confident and fierce, just how I always remembered it.. "Gumo.."
"Onigama!"
I suddenly broke out of my daydream, Onigumo called again and I rushed back round to the washroom.
"Is something wrong?!" I called from the doorway, still looking away, "Are you done?"
I looked back down at my hands, the ribbon was slightly crumpled from my tight grip.
"A-Almost-!"
Quickly, I ran back to the table, folding the clothes and carrying them back under one arm. I placed them down where Onigumo had left them before and sat back on the stool, "Okay, you can get them." I heard him get out of the bath, his footsteps making a wet sound.
"Onigama.. You can look.." I was surprised, but slowly turned around, he'd found one of the towels and had wrapped it around himself.
"Oh- yeah I forgot about that, sorry I should've told you where they were before-"
"Can you help me change.." His voice sounded a little sad. I began forwards but stopped.
"Is something wrong?"
He looked away, his lip was quivering slightly.
"You shouted just now, didn't you... I was thinking... Everything you've done..."
Why did he sound so much more mature all of a sudden. "I'm not who you wanted me to be, am I..?" He stared right at me, his face stayed emotionless yet floods of tears fell from his eyes.
"O-Onigumo-!" I reached out but recoiled, my words only came out as a stutter. "I-I.."
I fell to the floor, my whole body shaking. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry.." I grabbed my chest, gripping onto my top. "I.. I just.. I've been looking for him for so long and- you-"
I looked up, he'd stopped crying but his expression was the same. I just didn't understand why he looked like this, my Onigumo was so large, strong and confident, why had that all disappeared?
"You.. No-!" I stood up without a second thought, placing my hands on Onigumo's shoulders, "You're exactly who I was looking for-! You're Onigumo! There's no question about it, it's just going to take a while a-and that's okay!" I nodded harshly, smiling as best I could. Onigumo kept staring at me, then slowly, he smiled too and looked away.
"Okay.. I'm sorry... I'll try harder to remember..." He nodded again, wiping his face,
"We'll get you cleaned up, okay!" He didn't respond but I took his hand, sitting him down on the stool. I noticed he kept looking away as I rubbed the towel.
"Tell you what, I'll get you something to look at while I cut your hair, okay?"
He nodded silently, "Can I.. See something to do with Onigumo?"
I paused.
"O-Of course!" I looked at our things plenty just to remember what he looked like. Sometimes I felt like he wasn’t even real anymore but seeing his writing and drawings reminded me to not lose hope.
"What about these?" I came back in, it seemed like Onigumo hadn't moved. I put a box on his lap, untying the ribbon. He slowly held it in his hands.
"How short do you want your hair?"
"I want it like Onigumo's."
I'd begun running my fingers through his hair but stopped as he spoke, his words unnerved me but I stayed silent. I picked up the scissors I had used to cut the fabric as well as the kitchen knife from the wall. Kneeling down, I looked at the trail of hair in front of me,
"Perhaps... I'll find a brush.. I think we have one." I stood up again, leaving the room. I could see Onigumo out of the corner of my eye, he must've not thought I could see him as he'd started looking through the contents of the box. I hadn't checked it so I hoped it was all appropriate.
"Aha! There!" I picked up a small comb and brush from one of my bags and returned to the kitchen. "I found one of each!" I held them up to Onigumo but he just nodded, seemingly uninterested.
The rest of the day was silent, I'd cut Onigumo's hair then decided to leave to house for supplies. I left Onigumo alone with food for lunch and dinner but kept the seal on the house, making sure it was stronger this time. The way he'd acted struck fear in me. But perhaps it was for the best however...
The sky was now a solid black, clouds covered the stars and the wind blew slightly through the trees. I gently opened the screen door as to not make too much of a noise. I peered into Onigumo's room, feeling relieved as I saw him asleep under his sheet. Numerous pieces of paper and books were strewn around him, but I decided to leave them untouched.
I almost fell down as I entered my room, my bag was quite full of supplies I'd bought and scavenged from a town a little way away. I untied my hair and threw off my top, laying down with a sigh.
I'd waited so long for Onigumo to return but now… I wasn’t really sure if that was what I wanted at all.
