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Shouji was left to his own devices when his crewmates docked and left the ship to hunt for the valuable item. There was just a skeleton crew left aboard The God Killer, and Shouji busied himself ensuring everything was in order before the captain and the search crew returned - hopefully with their treasure in tow.
He was expecting this trip to be relatively fast, but when the first night approached and the crew did not return he was surprised.
The stars twinkled above and the docks were silent with sleep. The ship gently rocked with the waves and the majority of the crew was below deck and taking rounds of watch in relative silence. It was a quiet first night along these far off waters.
Shouji was surveying the perimeter of the ship when he heard it. It was quiet, soft, and deep but it was unmistakable. Someone was singing. But why? Who? The voice was none he was familiar with. It made sense to sing while out at sea or even during the day when completing routine tasks. But at night? Odd. Best to proceed with caution.
Shouji kept a keen ear out as he slowly made his way towards the singing. His easy tracking led him to the front of the ship - specifically below it. Slowly, oh so slowly, Shouji knelt close to the railing and peered over the edge to find the source. The night was getting late so there was little light coming from The God Killer or the docks. It was almost pitch black. Yet he saw it. Rather, he saw them.
Oh, wrap me in my country’s flag
And lay me in the cold, blue sea
They were shrouded in darkness - almost as if it was clinking to them. Shouji was barely able to make out their outline, but the inky black feathers that even stood out against the night and golden beak that nearly glowed in comparison were hard to miss. Their skin was silvery white that seemed to glitter in the sliver of moonlight. With the shifting winds, the wings along their arms would ruffle. They were wearing rags but they looked elegant as they seemed to be bathing in the salt water. Their eyes were closed as they continued to sing,
Let the roaring of the waves
My solemn requiem be
And I shall sleep a pleasant sleep
While storms above their vigils keep
Shouji was completely entranced. They moved elegantly as they sang a truly haunting tale of a dying sailor, but regardless of the context, it had him completely entranced. Shouji wanted to keep listening, he wanted to hear how the song ended, but they suddenly stopped.
Shouji was not prepared for the maroon, glowing eyes as they opened and landed on Shouji’s not-so-hidden form. He didn’t even realize he was fully standing, staring down at them. He was tempted to hide but he remained - mesmerized.
“Hello, Stranger,” they greeted. Their voice was even lower than their singing, Shouji noted.
“Hello.”
“I apologize if my singing disturbed you. I will take my leave,” they said, already starting to slide off the rocks.
“No!” Shouji urged, a bit too quickly. They paused and glowing red orbs were pointed back at him. Those eyes should look evil. This creature should look evil. Shouji should be yelling for his fellow crewmates to kill this evil - singing about the death of a sailor (how dare he). But he couldn’t. He couldn’t find it in himself to hate such an entrancing baritone voice.
“I… quite enjoyed your singing, actually.”
If they had eyebrows, Shouji was sure they just raised one. “Truly? People usually find dirges blasphemous.”
“Death isn’t usually my preference, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.”
There was a moment of pause between them. The creature contemplated for a moment before asking, “Would you care to hear how this tale ends?”
“Please.”
They huffed a gentle laugh, but closed their eyes and continued,
My Captain brave shall read for me
The service of the silent air
And yay, shall lower me in the waves
When all the prayers are said
And I will find my long, long home
Among the billows and the foam
It was mesmerizing. Their voice was so low yet they were able to reach those high notes with ease. The cadence of their singing was melodic and nearly put Shouji to sleep if he wasn’t so engrossed in hearing more.
Farewell my friends, for many I leave
We’ve sailed together on the deep
Come, let us share our hands
I’ll sail no more but ship mains work for me
They opened their eyes and looked right into Shouji’s soul.
I’m bound above, my course is run
I near the port, my voyage is done
Their singing faded and all sound remaining was the crashing of the waves against rocks and wood. Shouji should be appalled. The creature in front of him wasn’t human. The song was morbid. What were they even doing at the rocks this late at night? Shouji shouldn’t be as enthralled as he is. However, the only thing he could think of was…
“Beautiful.”
They looked away, almost bashfully. “You are one of the few souls that finds death's song ‘beautiful’.”
“I meant you.”
Shouji would’ve given anything to see them blush but he was still atop the ship. He was about to go down when they continued, “I would return the kind words, but you conceal your nature.”
Shouji instinctively touched the fabric covering his nose and mouth. It was second nature to wear it. His hands flexed at his side as he was tempted to lower it and show the creature his face. But perhaps not yet. Shouji didn’t know much about creatures such as them, and he didn’t want to frighten them away.
“Please tell me your name.”
It was only a breath of thought, eyes towards the sea, but they looked back up at Shouji and simply said, “Tokoyami Fumikage.”
A small smile appeared on his lips that he knew the not-so-stranger couldn’t see, but for some reason wished they could. With a small bow of his head, he returned, “Shouji Mezou.”
---
In such a short time, it became a routine. Shouji would make his rounds aboard The God Killer and once the moon shone proudly against the pitch darkness, he would hear Tokoyami. Recently, he decided to leave the ship and join the creature on the rocks. They would sometimes talk. They would get to know each other but not intrusively. They would look up at the stars and Shouji would share what he knew about them when it came to navigation in the waters. Tokoyami would tell the lore of each constellation - each story would be dark and gruesome, but Shouji oddly found each tale less and less disturbing with each telling.
But more often than not, Shouji would just listen to Tokoyami sing.
Some songs were vague but dark and others had direct names and graphic scenes of how they perished. Regardless, Shouji listened and enjoyed every one of them. But not just their singing. Shouji genuinely enjoyed spending time with Tokoyami in those fleeting hours before the sun rose. As the first light hit each night, Tokoyami would give him a bow and use those large raven-like wings to chase the darkness. Shouji couldn’t help but rub his arms pressed firmly to his side each time he watched Tokoyami fly away. Tokoyami was interesting - certainly more so than his loud pirate crew.
Which made his next visit so bittersweet.
“We’re setting sail soon,” Shouji began, “My crew couldn’t find what they were looking for and the captain has decided to search another port, so tomorrow will be my last.”
Tokoyami picked at his black sharp nails for a moment - not looking at Shouji. “Will you return?” he asked, almost whispering.
“I don’t know.”
With a deep breath, the creature’s back straightened and looked right at Shouji. “Oh, blood and darkness! We cannot stop the ever-marching madness of time. The void shall consume us both eventually. Let us make tomorrow momentous then.”
Shouji smiled behind his mask. “I look forward to it.”
-----
Dusk of the final night, Shouji made his way down the dock towards the rocks, but Tokoyami wasn’t at their usual perch. Shouji looked around for them but they were nowhere in sight. He didn’t see the ethereal glow of their skin or eyes. He couldn’t hear them singing.
He contemplated sitting on the stones to wait - and he felt like he would’ve waited an eternity to see those enthralling feathers again - but he was interrupted by the powder monkey screaming at him. “Yo, Shouji!” Kaminari yelled as he ran up the docks.
“Yes, Kaminari?”
Out of breath, the blond pirate grabbed at one of his arms and started to tug him back from whence he came. “Captain needs you! We found what we’ve been looking for! But it’s putting up one hell of a fight! We need our big gun!”
Shouji was slightly confused but nodded towards Kaminari and allowed himself to be dragged towards the rest of his crew. He looked back towards the rocks one last time as they disappeared into the maze of buildings and cobblestone.
His fellow mates were screaming and fighting something in the distance. Shouji heard the gunshots before he saw the monster. His fellow crew members were sent flying away onto the beach and some even into the water. Shouji understood the urgency of his aid.
Then he saw it.
A black mass.
They were fighting a shadow demon. The thing roared and swatted a massive hand across the sand, pushing those closest away. No direct contact to the crew but still rage still strong in its bellows.
Shouji stood there taking in the sight. This was what the captain was looking for? How could they possibly contain it? Who would request such a thing? Weren’t they looking for an item?
As he moved closer, he noticed the monster continued to not attack directly. Whenever someone shot at it or swiped a sword towards it, the shadow went on the defensive and began throwing the pirates away. And as he got even closer, he realized the shadow demon was just that: a shadow. There was something at the center. There was someone at the center. Familiar wings and eyes shone through the darkness like a beacon.
“...Tokoyami,” he breathed.
“What?” Kaminari said as he stood by his side, also just staring at the creature.
Wordlessly, Shouji jogged forward. He pushed his way through the crowd toward the front lines where Captain Bakugou and first mate Kirishima were doing their best fighting off the shadow. Kirishima was slashing his swords at it while Bakugou kept his distance and fired round after round from his multitude of guns. The shadow wailed - and it was only now did Shouji hear that it was not of anger but pain.
Tokoyami was in the center of the chaos. They were curled in on themselves - clawed fingers digging into their biceps and legs drawn towards their chest. He was shaking and his eyes shifted scattered glances between squeezing closed. It was almost as if… it was almost as if he didn’t have control of the shadow.
“TOKOYAMI!” Shouji screamed.
Red eyes immediately snapped open and landed right on him. If Tokoyami said anything, Shouji couldn’t hear it over all the gunshots and screaming pirates.
With determination, Shouji stepped forward towards the shadow. It was currently trying to fend off Bakugou and Kirishima so it wasn’t paying attention to him. The captain’s teeth gritted and his eyes became manic. Shouji knew that look far too well as he recognized the first of many shining red scales growing along the first mate’s skin.
He had to end this. Quickly.
Shouji burst through the crowd with his arms outstretched. All of them. Six arms extended under his poncho and tried to create a barrier between the two rivaling sides. He yelled to his captain, “Stand down! Please, stop!”
Everyone seemed to freeze then - pirates and shadows. All attention was on him - which alone made his skin crawl. But that didn’t matter right now.
Some of his hands transformed to eyes as made sure he crew was calm, but his main gaze was on the creature. He cautiously made his way closer. The creature glared with curiosity but it shrank in intensity with each step. With his crew remaining calm, the eyes shifted towards the shadow as well, but his main focus was the shivering form at its center.
“Tokoyami… are you alright?” he asked once he was close enough. With those words and a glance towards Tokoyami, the shadow deflated. With genuine concern in his voice, the creature shrank - the mass receding into Tokoyami’s back - and became nothing more than a small bird that clung to Tokoyami’s shoulder in wary protection. Shouji knelt next to the ball of shaking feathers and placed a tentative hand on his. The claws let up on punctured and wounded skin.
“I… I am fine…” they rasped out.
Tokoyami didn’t quite look at him, but they subtly leaned closer to Shouji’s human shield. His arms instinctively surrounded them both - obstructing any view of but refraining from contact. His gaze turned sour as he noted Tokoyami’s still shaken form. How could he let this happen? Why was this happening? He wanted nothing more than to scoop them up in his arms and protect them. Would Tokoyami let Shouji protect them?
“Nice work, Octopus,” Captain Bakugou said, breaking the spell between the two. Shouji looked over towards his captain with curiosity. “Bind it and get it on the ship.”
His eyes widened. “What?”
“That’s the valuable item we were lookin’ for,” Bakugou explained, “I was about to fuckin’ give up when I heard its scrawny ass sneaking its way towards my ship.”
“Valuab - they are what we were looking for?”
“Yeah? ‘A mindless harpy that sings about death to come’ or some shit. Some collector paid us to bring it to ‘em. The whole monster thing was new though - maybe we should charge the ass extra for that little surprise. Whatever. Bind it and let’s go,” Bakugou ordered. With a flourish of his coat, he turned and made his way towards the docks.
Shouji’s arms fully encapsulated Tokoyami.
“No.”
The proud strides of his captain paused. “Ex-fucking-scuse me?” Bakugou growled over his shoulder.
“I will not let you take them. Especially not to some… collector.”
Bakugou faced Shouji and Tokoyami again. Shouji’s arms hid the creature away from ruby eyes. Bakugou stared him down with curiosity and annoyance.
“Why?” Bakugou simply asked.
“They aren’t mindless. They have intelligence.”
That made Bakugou’s eyes widen in anger. “You don’t say?”
“His name is Tokoyami, and I won’t let you take them. And I know you won’t let them be taken either.”
The captain scoffed in annoyance. Shouji knows Bakugou has been had.
With a roll of his eyes, Bakugou said, “Well, you know we ain’t the only ones hired for this shit. Bird Brain over there’ll be in danger.”
Shouji nodded. “I understand and I beg for your pardon.”
There was an air of pause. The crew remained frozen in their stares as Bakugou eyed Shouji with a sneer laced with fascination. Tension dropped from the captain’s shoulders in a huff. His glare lightened but was still on his brows. Bakugou then continued to walk away and called over his shoulder, “Fuckin’ whatever. But that bird better be useful, Octopus!”
It was Shouji’s turn to let his shoulders drop and relax. He pulled Tokoyami further into his embrace with a deep sigh. Maroon, shining eyes looked up at him with a slight tilt to their head.
“It’s his way of saying you can stay aboard the ship… if you would like.”
“It didn’t particularly sound like I had a choice.”
“I suppose not, but I can bargain with him.”
“You dare bargain with the devil?”
“If needed… yes.”
Tokoyami looked down in thought. It didn’t take long for them to lean further into Shouji’s embrace though. “Would I not be the nightmare haunting the ship?”
Shouji chuckled. “Not more so than I.”
It was then that Tokoyami seemed to have noticed the several arms surrounding them. Shouji wouldn’t blame the creature for not noticing sooner, but it was amusing to see his head whip back and forth examining the many arms.
“You too are a damned being?” they asked.
No prompting needed, Shouji lowered his mask. He knew his stretched mouth wasn’t appealing in the slightest. He was expecting Tokoyami to recoil in fear, but when he didn’t he mentally scolded himself. Of course they wouldn't find his form unsettling. “I’m sorry I didn’t say anything earlier. I didn’t want to scare you. But now I see how silly that thought was.”
Tokoyami looked with fascination and a new brightness to his eye. “A ridiculous thought indeed.” A clawed hand tentatively reached up and traced the corners of his mouth. It took everything in Shouji to not lean forward and place a chaste kiss on those sharp digits.
He smiled at the feather-light touch and continued. “Besides, The God Eater houses many creatures. The first mate is Dragon-Born himself.”
“Really?...Hm… Then I would be honored to sail amongst a most otherworldly crew. If you will have me.”
Shouji couldn’t help but chuckle as he brought the both of them to their feet. “I wouldn’t give them a choice. If you wish to be aboard, then you may.”
With a slight uptick to their beak - a look Shouji was treasure - Tokoyami said with vigor in his eyes, “Blood and darkness. I accept.”