Jason scampered off the boat when no one was looking, down the dock and into the harbor town they'd landed in. He wandered through the streets, looking at all the people and mamono walking, talking and shopping for goods. It was nothing like he'd heard from the Order members at home, horror stories about monsters roaming the streets and snatching men up to eat them or drag them back to their lairs as slaves. But the only monster to worry about was his stomach, as he thought about how long i had been on the boat, nibbling on the meagerest of his rations and occasionally taking something from the ship's storage. But without money, he didn't dare to approach any of the stalls, despite all of the delicious smells wafting through the air. And as the sun set, he still had no idea how he was going to get food or a place to stay.
In one of the many houses lining the streets that Jason was roaming, there was a couple getting very busy in their bedroom. The man lay on the bed, his arms and legs bound as his wife, a jorou-gumo, gleefully rode her husband. "Yes! Yes! He cried, moving as much as he could in the bindings, and basking in the pleasure she provided from her nightly behavior changes. But as she threw back her head, movement caught her eye from outside the window. She jerked her head to the side and caught sight of a young boy, roaming the streets. Her movements slowed. "Sweetheart? What's the matter?" Her husband asked.
"I thought I saw someone outside".
"Well it couldn't have been anything important", he replied impatiently. But she was shifting from her position, and now moving closer to the window to see better. The streetlights shined down on a young boy, perhaps not more than 9 or 10 years old. He was very clearly lost, or at least without anywhere to go. She was already pulling on her clothes and cleaning up the mess she had made. "Sweetheart? Where are you going?"
"It's a child. I'm bringing him back home", she said as if they'd already decided it together.
"Wait, we can't just bring in some random kid. Maybe someone else will see him?"
"And I suppose you want to be the one to tell him he has to leave tomorrow?" Her husband tried to parse what she'd just told him.
"Now wait, I'm not saying I don't care about this kid's safety, I'm just not sure if we can help him as much as he might need". He was also struggling to think clearly when he'd been so abruptly interrupted from their usual routine.
"look, I'll bring him in tonight. We'll talk about it tomorrow. But I can't just leave that poor boy all by himself". She scuttled out of the room and down to the front door.
Jason was walking down the street, now deciding to look for a shed or some other building that he could use as a shelter, when he heard the sound of something moving very softly and very quickly down the street. His hairs stood on end as he tried to pick up the pace, but the sound continued. As he dared to look behind him to see what it was, he jumped at the sight of a lovely human woman walking gracefully up to him. She had long, flowing black hair framing her face, and dressed in a soft blue kimono. As she approached him she gave him the kindest smile. "Young man? What are you doing here all by yourself so late at night?"
"I...I was just taking a walk. I'm going back to my house right now". She gently took his hand in her own.
"It's not nice to lie, dear. I happened to see you from my house, and I could tell you had nowhere to go. So let me ask again. What are you doing so late by yourself?"
"I'm sorry ma'am", he said, ashamed at being caught. "I snuck onto a ship that arrived in this town, and when I got here I realized I had no idea where to go after that".
"Well, that's not so bad. Come with me. You can stay with my husband and I".
"What? I couldn't. I don't want to inconvenience you". She held his hand firmly and began to lead him down the street.
"Didn't you say you had nowhere to go? Worry about us later. For now, you need a place to sleep". His stomach growled in response.
"Oh! That's quite a ferocious sound you're making. Might be good for keeping some monsters away. But we'll have to take care of that, too". Jason looked up at the woman.
"Um, ma'am, would you mind telling me your name?"
"Of course! I'm Mikuru. And what might yours be?"
"Jason".
"Lovely. Sounds a little like my husband's name". When they stopped at one of the houses, she walked up the steps and opened the door. He followed her inside, where he mimicked her actions of removing her shoes. They were loose sandals, while he'd been wearing heavy boots. She bustled around the kitchen, pulling out some leftovers from the fridge, rice, fish and other vegetables. "Jason, I'm very sorry that I can't prepare you a proper meal right now, but I think you need to rest, and I don't want you to go to bed hungry". She set the food in front of him and he bowed his head.
"Not a problem at all! I'm very grateful". He wolfed down his meal, then leaned his head down on the table, feeling like he could fall asleep right there. She led him to the couch, and left, before returning with a set of sheets, blankets and a pillow.
"Once again, I wish I had a proper bed for you. But we'll get one tomorrow. For now, I hope you sleep well. The bathroom is the room on the left down the hall. The door after that i our bedroom. For now, you'll find that room is locked at night, so don't forget".
"Thank you for everything..." Jason said, trying to hold his eyes open.
"Don't you worry about a thing. Sweet dreams, Jason". The boy promptly zonked out, his breath slowing to the sound of someone fast asleep. Mikuru leaned over him, and confirmed he was asleep. Then she returned silently to her room, regaining her spider form and looking at her husband as she closed the door behind her. "Let's see...we'll need a bed for him. Clothes. A lock on our door". She began disrobing as she sprayed a strand of silk across the handle, ensuring it would be difficult to open. Then she walked over to her husband, laying where she'd left him. "Husband...thank you for waiting. I'm sure it wasn't easy, but our guest will appreciate it later".
"Honey? I'm sorry for what I said before. I was thinking too much about myself in the moment. There's no way we could just let some kid by himself at night. It sounds like you're already thinking about what we'll need for him to live here?"
"Quite. But I won't hold it against you. As soon as you meet him, I'm sure you'll see what a nice boy he is". She resumed her position on the bed. "And now..." a shadow fell upon her face as she returned to her more aggressive night face. He shivered excitedly. "We should make sure not to wake our little guest". She smothered his lips in kisses as she spun a mass of silk into a mask to muffle his voice. Placing it over his mouth, she asked, "Can you breathe properly?" He nodded. "Good. We'll take it slow to start. Um..." she freed one of his arms. "Make a fist if you need to slow down or take a break, ok?"
---
Jason opened his eyes, looking around in panic at the surroundings. He was on a couch, in an unfamiliar house. Then he recalled the previous night. He breathed a sigh of relief, and got up to walk to the toilet. When he stepped out, he saw Mikuru and a man sitting in the kitchen. They both smiled. "Good morning, Jason", she said.
"Good morning. Hello sir", he nodded to the man.
"Hey there bud. My name's Elijah. They shook hands.
"Jason, will you join us for breakfast?"
"Thank you, I was just about to leave".
"About that..." As they finished the meal, Mikuru stood up. "Jason, there's something you should know about me. I'm...not a human. I'm a mamono. A youkai to be specific. But I didn't want to startle you last night, so I greeted you in my human form". Jason looked at her nervously.
"Uh, what kind?"
"I am known as a jorou-gumo, which means...spider woman. Would it be ok if I showed you my real form?" Jason nodded, and in the blink of an eye her body had shifted below the waist. It looked like a huge spider, eight black and yellow striped legs, and a huge thorax in the rear end. He tried and failed to suppress a shiver. Elijah chuckled.
"Nothing to worry about, son. My wife might look a little scary, but she's a real sweetheart". She made a small pout at his comment.
"You see, Jason, the other reason that I wanted you to know my true form is that we mamono are always seeking to have a child, someone whom we can raise with love and care. But it can be difficult to have one. Which is why...we wanted to ask you how you would feel, living with us as our son?" Jason looked at her in shock.
"I never had parents. The Order raised me".
"Oh, poor dear. May I give you a hug?" Jason approached her and she wrapped her arms around him, her front legs holding him in place. It lasted longer than he expected, and he found himself unable to move. "Oops! I didn't mean to get carried away. But now I couldn't bear the thought of turning you out. What do you think?"
"That's so kind of you", Jason replied. "Would you really be ok with me staying?" Elijah stood up and put his hands on Jason's shoulders.
"We've already talked about what we'll need to get you in order to live with us. And we'll be more than happy to have you".
"Thank you! I don't know what to say, Mikuru, Elijah".
"Hmm? Is there something else that you might call us?" She replied gently.
"Um...mother and father?" Elijah looked at his wife's face, as she gave Jason the biggest smile he had ever seen from her.