Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Kaigaku held no belief in magic because if magic was real, he would have already mastered it. 

Real things could be held in his hands. Just think of the rubber insulator of tubes, the cold press of metal against his skin as he worked, the slight sparks of electricity that threatened to shoot up into his body. All of those things were real because Kaigaku could grasp those sensations with his own two hands. They weren’t fictional. They were something he could change with enough time and patience practicing under his master. 

He just wished Zenitsu would get the same idea through his thick skull. The kid cried over each shock of the powerful machine, saying his heart ‘is going to stop at any moment!!!’ He whined and cried so much that their master finally caved and put him to work at the front of the store. Kaigaku couldn’t care less about the sniveling brat; that kid would have died in the wheels of some machine sooner or later anyway. Master had no time to deal with insects who didn’t even bother to learn the ways of electricity. 

And so, to Kaigaku, his life ended up being merely mildly annoying. He would spend his days working in the back and fixing all sorts of different machines while ignoring Zenitsu trying to flirt with the customers as much as possible. Apparently, that trash actually made some friends. Who would ever want to hang out with Zenitsu was beyond Kaigaku’s comprehension, but it meant less time in the dumb kid’s presence, so he was nonetheless secretly grateful to whatever poor soul had to listen to Zenitsu’s moping all day. 

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Kaigaku always told himself that magic didn’t exist but life changing events that seemingly come from nowhere certainly did. Especially on nice days, the type where everything felt like it would be exactly the same as the day before that. He was staying in the shop to finish up on a repair despite the fact that both Zenitsu and Master had both gone home hours ago. 

The last rays of sun hit Kaigaku’s eyes, forcing him to come to the realization that he should really be heading back by now. Putting away his tools and fixing his still messy hair into a somewhat decent style, Kaigaku left the shop and began to weave through the evening crowd. Getting home as fast as possible made the most sense or Master would have his head. 

While on his way, he looked up to the tall ornate buildings of the palace for just a moment. At the sight of them, he remembered his old dreams of being king, or at least the very rich bride of some member of nobility. But those wistful fantasies were from a lifetime ago, and as he dwelled on them today, Kaigaku could certainly say that Zenitsu most likely still harbored the same dream if his constant attempts to get married to anything that breathes showed the truth. 

Almost with too much practice, he grabbed hold of a trolly car’s handle and gripped on tight for dear life, all the while only using a single hand. Falling off one of these things certainly wouldn't be deadly, but with how packed the car was, along with the fact that he was leaning more outside the door then inside, Kagaku had a sinking suspicion that falling would hurt quite a bit at least. He watched the world go by as the car continued its constant trek through the city; it wasn't a quiet moment by any means, yet Kaigaku found a certain pleasure in seeing the lives of others go by him. It’s like I’m a ghost in this city.

The walk back home always took Kaigaku through a short alleyway. Being whistled at by a few soldiers or hooligans while heading on his way was basically routine. This time however, the soldiers were a tad bit more forward than usual. 

“How about we go back to my place, pretty boy?” A hand rested by Kaigaku’s head. He felt a growl forming in his throat. What a goddamn waste of his time. Fuck, he really didn't want to get into a fight today-

“Are these men bothering you, love?”  

Kaigaku looked up in surprise at whoever had his arm wrapped around his shoulder. Who the hell was this guy? Looking up, he saw a man with black markings on his face and green hair tied up in a loose ponytail. His clothing seemed decently fancy as well, not that he was an expert. The guy seemed disinterested in the whole affair, simply glaring down at the two soldiers like they were mere bugs under his shoe. 

“We’ll be off then. Sorry, you two, but we’re in a slight hurry.” 

And like that, the two were walking at a brisk pace through the streets of the city, going down staircases and corridors at seemingly random. Kaigaku had no idea what was happening and the tight grip on his shoulder kept him from doing much but following along in the other’s footsteps. It was like a silent agreement between the two men that neither would discuss what had just occurred. 

“Who the hell are y-”

“I’m Gyuutaro. Sorry for roping you into my mess but they got to me faster than expected.”

A cold chill ran down Kaigaku’s neck as he saw something leak out from the walls over in the next corridor. Something black and gloopy flopped onto the pavement under the wall; to make matters worse, the thing had an awful stench, like multiple car exhaust systems going off at once. Gyuutaro made a quick turn, only to leave them both faced with more creatures. They wobbled towards him like men starved of food, looking for their next meal in the skinny man. 

“Hold on...” Gyuutaro said suddenly. Before Kaigaku could question what they were going to do, he found himself up in the air. His whole brain fuzzed over with fear at first as he kicked his legs helplessly in the sky above the town. His eyes widened and he clasped Gyuutaro’s hand tight in his; sometime after the jump but before he regained clarity, the stranger took both of his hands in his own and pressed Kaigaku’s back to his chest, making sure to keep the two close together. 

“Kick your feet out, just like you're walking with no ground.” Gyuutaro showed him how; it was as simple as pretending to walk on thin air. Kaigaku couldn’t believe what was happening at the moment. He was actually flying, flying through the sky of his city like he weighed as light as a feather. 

His fear quickly turned to wonder and wonder formed its way into curiosity. As the two walked over the bustling streets, Kaigaku for once had to admit that he was wrong. Magic was real, and it could be mastered and used to do amazing things like this. The experience opened his mind just a tiny bit more to the world he could reach and feel. 

By the time the two landed on Kaigaku’s patio, Zenitsu was already screaming from the shock of seeing his brother flying down from the sky with some strange man. But when Kaigaku turned quickly to ask Gyuutaro how he learned to use magic, he was already gone, like he had never existed in the first place. Zenitsu shattered the small doubt that all of the magic stuff could have been a delusion however because the crybaby had seen it all as well. 

Kaigaku now knew that magic existed, and by god, he was going to master it, just as he did with the cold machinery that ran his heart.

Chapter Text

Going to work the next day was hard for Kaigaku. His brain continually tried to wander back to what had happened only yesterday; he even got zapped doing a repair he had done a million times prior. Finding himself behind in his work after a few hours, he ended up doing what he usually did: staying at the shop long into the night to finish any lost work.

He took a deep breath as he examined the finished repairs in front of him. Satisfied, he swung a trusty wrench over his shoulder; the weight was comforting. It seemed that everything was in order in the back. Kaigaku walked through the door that led to the front of the shop, deciding to check on the front before finally going home for the night. 

Kaigaku made sure that all the clocks, gears and bolts they sold were in order, not a single one out of place or missing. He never really did inventory but he preferred staying in the shop over dealing with Zenitu’s annoying mutterings of how he had met a ‘man-eating magician’ any day of the week.

(Yeah. Apparently, the guy was famous. Who would have guessed?)

The sudden sound of the door opening behind him smacked him back into his physical body. He turned swiftly around to see who would have entered - probably a robber, seeing as he was almost one hundred percent certain he had locked that door tight. His grip on the body of his wrench grew tighter as he glared at the man now standing in the doorway. 

The man looked relatively frail, like one hit from the novice mechanic would send the man flying out into the street, and smaller physically than him to boot. But that wasn't even the surprising part. That would be the ugly scar tissue that seemed to travel down the mans face; his entire upper face was taken up by purple, veiny flesh only slightly hidden by dark black hair. 

“Hey! We’re closed. Get the fuck out.” He can be rude to customers if they weren’t open.  

The man only gave Kaigaku a worrisome smile, the type of smile one might give to a screaming child before they were tossed into their room for time out. It was the smile of a very tired parent. 

Kaigaku found that smile to be infinitely disturbing to look at. 

“Didn't you hear me, geezer? Get the hell out or I’ll-” The man held out one thin and pale hand as to silence him. It was demeaning, sure, but Kaigaku found that he suddenly could not speak. The blind stranger looked around the shop despite not having eyes to look with. There was a long stretch of silence. 

“What a disgusting little shop.” The man said at least with that ever present small smile. “It’s so small and quaint. Surely, it’s a rightful place for one of the lost magicians to take residence.”

What the fuck was this guy talking about?

Kaigaku could feel his anger boiling inside him. What the hell did he say about Master’s shop? Calling the place disgusting should be a high crime in this part of the city! He had found his tongue again and was certainly planning on giving the guy a big piece of his mind.

“Get the hell out, you piece of shit! I’m not gonna let you come in here saying that garbage and expect to get anything out of it.” Kaigaku growled, a deep rumbly sound that started at the back of his throat and worked out through his clenched teeth.

The man laughed a high pitched kind of laugh that left the room cold in its wake. As soon as it had started, the laughter was over, and all that remained was the smallest bit of a bigger smile. “Young man. I'm not here for any service. I’m here to ask about that magician you met yesterday. Oh, and do not try to deny it. My minions saw the two of you together.” 

So this was the bastard that sent those weird blob creatures? That must mean this guy could use magic as well. But why would he be after Gyuutaro?

Kaigaku blinked a few times but shook his head. He had no idea where Gyuutaro was or how to find him. Last he saw of the guy, the man was floating off into the sky like walking on air was normal. “I don’t know anything. You got your answer; now get out.”

“I don’t think you know who you are speaking with, child.” The man showed off his other hand, adorned with a golden ring that had been obscured by his robes. “I am King Kagaya Ubuyashiki, your ruler and a practiced wizard. Now, I would tell the truth before something bad happens.”

Kaigaku was visibly in shock. The king?! Now this just raised more and more questions, all of which seemed to have answers that were just out of reach. This was too much for him. What had Gyuutaro done that warranted the king himself to come looking for information?

“Like I just said… I don’t know anything. He left just as quickly as he came.” Kaigaku snapped back, but suddenly it felt as though electricity was crackling against his skin.

“Well then,” Kagaya started as puffy black clouds swirled around his hands. “how about you bring him to me? I’m sure you will want this curse gone as soon as possible.” Almost on cue, Kaigaku was surrounded by the black storm. He covered his face in shock, dropping his wrench in the process, as he felt currents of electricity crackle over his body and water bound clouds fill up his lungs. I’m dying, he thinks, suffocating in thunder and lightning. 

What a fitting way to go.
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It took a day of him cooped up in his room before anyone checked up on him. Kaigaku had locked the door to his bedroom the night before and hid under the thick covers of his bed, trying to block out anyone who would dare look at him.

“Kaigaku? You didn’t come to work today. Are you feeling okay?” His master knocked a few more times on the door, trying to get his attention.

“I-I’m sick.” Technically, this was not a lie. He was genuinely sick, ever since last night.

“Can I come in? Surely you want to go see a doc-”

“N-NO! I mean… Don’t come in! You might catch it, Master. Please just let me rest a bit.”

There was the sound of a long sigh and then heavy footsteps going away from his room. Kaigaku let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Carefully, he got up from his bed and wandered towards his desk. On it was a small hand mirror he used to check his hair in the mornings. Instead of what he wanted to see, the reflection staring back at him was like a cruel mockery of what he onced looked like.

His pupils were now a dark charcoal color and similarly dark marks dotted his face. Opening his mouth revealed sharpened canines and a spiked tongue, definitely longer than before. He stared and stared at himself for what felt like forever, lost in the now electric blue irises that fill the black of his eyes.

At one point, he might have called this ‘the sickest shit on earth’, but now that he had a tad bit more smarts to him, Kaigaku knew how grave this situation was. Everyone in town got told of demons who eat the hearts of young and misbehaving children. The older you got, the more gruesome those tales became. He was stricken with the horror that he was now one of those demons.

But, hey. At least the sun thing wasn't entirely right. He was standing in a pool of sunlight streaming from his window, and yet, he wasn't at all burning away. That was a plus to his situation at least.

There wasn't much Kaigaku could do about this. Seeing as the king had turned him in the first place, that guy was no help, and Zenitsu would definitely freak out and tell the master if he saw Kaigaku like this. Well, it seemed like there was actually only one choice to make here: go find Gyuutaro and force the slimy scoundrel to turn him back into a human. No matter how many fists or awful words he needed to throw to get the man to turn him back, Kaigaku was more than willing to do it all if it meant he got rid of this curse. 

So, while Zenitsu and Master left for work, he snuck out of the house with nothing but the clothes on his back, a cloak to help shield his face, and a small bag of food. He knew at the very least that wizards and witches lived on the wastelands that were past the very outskirts of the city. One of them would have to know where Gyuutaro was or maybe even more information around his curse.

Kaigaku knew his new exploration of magic would lead to changes but he was honest to god never would have expected this of all things to occur.