Curse and Vow

Braith bashed his head against the roof of the capsule as a sharp noise jolted him awake.

“Ah-!”

He sucked in a breath and blinked, disoriented. A digital clock embedded in the wall glowed faintly.

9:02 AM.

That explained the hunger.

He flicked the lights on and sagged back down, rubbing the top of his head. One of his arms was completely numb - then the reason became obvious.

Yumie was lying on top of it.

She was awake, her unseeing eyes open, fixed somewhere near his collarbone.

“Are you okay?” she asked quietly.

“You heard that, huh?” He nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine. How long have you been-”

A gunshot cracked through the building.

Braith stiffened.

Before he could move, Yumie spoke.

“Don’t move.”

Her voice was steady.

“We promised. Remember?”

He swallowed, then nodded.

“…Is that why you didn’t wake me?”

She nodded in return.

He rubbed his head again, the ache dull but persistent.

“So what do we do?”

Another burst of gunfire echoed, followed by screaming.

“Nothing,” she said. “We wait until it’s over.”

He nodded, jaw tight.

“Do you know what’s happening?”

She shook her head.

“No-”

Another scream cut her off. Closer this time.

His skin prickled.

“This feels… unsafe.”

She shrugged slightly, still lying on his arm.

“I’m not killing anyone.”

A breath escaped him - half laugh, half sigh.

“And neither am I.”

Running footsteps now. Shouting. The gunfire came in controlled bursts.

Whatever was happening, it was getting closer.

He forced his voice to stay calm.

“So… what would you like to do today?”

She thought for a moment.

“You need a job, right?”

“Yeah…”

“Then you should find one.” She hesitated. “I don’t want to be the reason you run out of money.”

He smiled despite the chaos outside.

“I won’t take any job that separates us. Not even for a little while.”

Her expression softened, her gaze lifting toward his face - toward his mouth.

“You’d do that? For me?”

“Of course,” he said gently. “Anything else would be cruel.”

She hugged him tightly.

“Thank you…”

The gunshots were very close now.

Not random. Measured. Every few seconds.

Braith’s stomach dropped.

“…Oh God,” he whispered. “They’re shooting through the doors. Every closed capsule.”

Her eyes widened.

“Oh… then maybe I was wrong about not leaving.”

But it was already too late.

From the sound alone he knew - if they ran now, they’d run straight into the hallway. Into the shooters.

There was nothing they could do.

Not without breaking the vow.

He swallowed hard.

“Yumie… can you heal constantly? Like that turtle?”

She shook her head.

“No. Only once. Every time you think about it.”

His face went numb.

“So if we’re hit badly enough…”

“If you mistime it,” she finished softly, “we’ll die before we even realize.”

Footsteps stopped outside a nearby capsule.

One door down.

Then another.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. She smiled faintly.

“You want to die holding me?” she teased weakly. “You’re so romantic…”

But her voice shook.

She was terrified.

And still - she wouldn’t shoot.

Wouldn’t break the vow.

He pressed his forehead to hers.

“I love you.”

He filled his mind with thoughts of healing, bracing himself - ready to time her magic to the exact instant the shots would come.

Green wisps bloomed softly around them.

Gunfire tore through a nearby capsule. He tensed.

Footsteps.
Gunfire.
Screams.
Footsteps.
Gunfire.
A wet, gurgling gasp that ended abruptly.

He squeezed her tighter as the footsteps neared their capsule.

And then, without warning, she leaned forward and kissed him.

His eyes flew open.

For half a heartbeat his mind shattered - panic, confusion, warmth - all at once. Her lips were soft, warm, real. Too real. He struggled to keep his thoughts anchored on healing as her mouth pressed against his, gentle but certain.

The footsteps stopped.

He could almost see it - the rifle lifting, the barrel aligning, a finger tightening on the trigger.

Yumie’s magic drifted around him as he kissed her back, trembling, trying to predict the exact moment the world would end.

But it didn’t.

The footsteps moved on.

Another burst of gunfire erupted farther down the hall.

His lungs nearly gave out in relief.

Yet neither of them pulled away.

The kiss deepened, slow and grounding. Their breaths brushed together, their arms locked tight as their hearts thundered in perfect, terrified sync. They shook - not from desire, not from fear alone, but from having survived something they shouldn’t have.

Heavy footsteps thundered past. Shouted orders followed. Then sharp, controlled cracks of gunfire - final, decisive.

Military.

True purists, then. No warnings. No surrender.

He barely registered it.

His world was Yumie.

Only when there was a knock did they finally part, a thin strand of saliva stretching between them before breaking. She smiled faintly. He squeezed her hand.

“Hello?” he called.

A gruff voice answered from outside.

“Ah. So there is someone in there. You lucky bastard, you forgot to leave your slippers outside, that must’ve saved your life. Are you injured? We’re evacuating the building.”

Before Yumie could hide her ears or tail, the capsule door slid open.

A soldier crouched outside - broad-shouldered, battle-worn. His eyes flicked over the cramped space, his expression shifting from irritation to disgust.

A cosplayer, maybe. A prostitute. Capsule hotel, one-night stand-

Then he saw where the tail sprouted from her body, right above her black panties.

Not a costume. Not a prop.

Real.

He sucked in a sharp breath.

“Oh… you’re that Mahotona.”

His jaw tightened.

“Crap. I wasn’t expecting this. Crap.”

A voice called from down the hall.

“Everything clear, Yusa?”

Before he could answer, another soldier leaned into view - a woman, calm, professional. Her eyes widened, then she let out a low whistle.

“Well,” she said, “that’s a problem.”

Braith’s stomach dropped.

“What?”

She shrugged lightly.

“When people find out you were here during the attack, they’re going to wonder why you didn’t save anyone.”

Yusa glanced at her, uneasy.

“But… we’re not telling anyone, right?”

She shook her head.

“Of course not. I like my job.”

Then her gaze sharpened.

“But now we have to get you out without anyone seeing you.”

Yumie clutched Braith’s arm tighter.

“Alright,” the woman said. “Let’s move.”

She extended a hand.

“Hide the ears and tail. Follow us.”

As Braith guided Yumie out of the capsule, a strange thought settled over him - he felt more anxious now than he had when the gunmen were still alive.

And as they disappeared into the corridor, he began to wonder if they were truly cursed.