Oni Boyfriends: Mori & Uji (complete)

Female Main Character x Male Monster x Male Monster (all cis)

I grew up in Rakshasa Country, far away from my family’s ancestral lands. My mother left before I was born, traveling with a small band of other women to start a brothel. They traveled from their native island of Shimokobe between the ocean and the Cobra Strait, and I was born in Rakshasa Country some years later. Aside from the other women, I never knew any other oni. I was separated from my heritage, and I grew up knowing more about the rakshasa than anything else.

When my mother passed away, Madame Seki taught me a traditional craft from back home. She made beautiful ornate masks, which she sold to customers who wanted to keep their anonymity. Granted, the ones she made for them were quite simple compared to the ones she taught me how to make. She started me out making them from clay, then taught me how to carve. I was passionate about the craft, and I learned all I could. I learned what different faces meant, and what the colors represented. I even went to the market to have one of the old rakshasa women teach me to make paints from pigments and spices.

I set up a small shop during the Festival of Color to sell my wares, hoping to make enough money to travel to Shimokobe and continue my education about my beloved craft. At first, it seemed no one was interested in them, but once the festival started I began to sell quite quickly. By the end of the night, I had nothing left and plenty of money to begin my journey to my native home.

Madame Seki was hesitant to see me go. She warned that back home I might not be well-received, and I should claim to be half-orc rather than half-oni. She gave me some clothes that once belonged to my mother, and her own hairpin for good luck and protection. I’d seen her threaten several customers with that pin, so I knew how to use it.

I bought passage across the Cobra Strait to Shimokobe. Unfortunately I could not enjoy the journey, as I suffered horribly from seasickness. I wasn’t quite right even when we docked, and it took a couple of days and some thin broth to get me on my feet to travel again.

The port of Shimokobe was only my first stop. Most of the Oni live further inland, along the mountains further north. I found out that a lot of the master craftsmen I was looking for would be closer to the mountains, where clay and wood are readily available, but right then the weather was frightfully cold. I wasn't worried, not taking into consideration the fact that all my life I'd known only the hot sun of Rakshasa Country.

The further north I go, the more I understand the folly of my mistakes. I use my mother’s clothes to bundle up, but that does very little. The caravan transporting me stops in a small village to pick up supplies, so I go to find warmer clothing for myself.

That’s when I see a vision of my mother, standing beside a building, wearing that beautiful dress covered in blossoms and butterflies.

“Come here, my darling Kiri. You look so cold.” Her voice is faint against the wind, but I recognize it instantly.

“Mama,” I step towards her, reaching out my hands. “Mama...” I take another step and my foot descends through thin ice. I sink like a stone with my clothes bundled around me.

I wake to warmth and a weight upon me. There is also a bright light swinging above me, so this must be heaven. I didn’t think the light would be moving so much. I raise my hand to try and catch it, but it feels too far out of reach. Something falls from the light and hits my chest, and a blurry red face surrounded by white comes into my vision.

“God?” My voice cracks. I reach up to touch. “Your fur is much softer than I thought.”

“Soso, get off of her this instant.” A deep, powerful voice shoos away God, and then a big red hand falls onto my forehead. “Good to see you awake, little stranger.”

I grunt and turn my head, chasing the warmth of the palm. “Where am I? Am I dead?”

“You almost were, but I think we got you out of the woods.” The big red shape sits down beside me, and I can start to make it out. “You’re lucky I was close by when you fell through the ice, young lady.”

“I thought I saw my mother,” I murmur. “I was so cold.”

“You were probably hypothermic before you even went through the ice,” he says. “But not to worry, Uji and I have been taking good care of you.”

I rub my eyes and I can finally make out his big, round head. His skin is blood red, shocking at first. He has huge tusks jutting upwards out of the sides of his mouth. His sharp red ears are dotted with jewelry, as is the center of his flat nose, and his white hair is pulled back into a ponytail at the back of his head, accentuating a massive widow’s peak and spiked horns at his temples. He has really long, thick arms, and he’s quite rotund in the middle.

“Uji went out to get some ginger for you. He’ll be back shortly.”

I know I’m staring, but I’ve never met a male Oni before. “And you are?”

“Morikazu,” he chuckles. “But you can call me Mori. Who might you be?”

“Kiri,” I say as I sit up in bed.

Mori instantly puts a blanket around my shoulders so I stay warm. “What on earth are you doing here, Kiri, so unprepared for the cold weather?”

I frown, seeing that red face again at the foot of the bed. “I make masks. I was told master craftsmen lived here, so…” I squint as the red face continues to stare at me. “What is…”

“Soso, be polite.” Mori chuckles. He holds his hand out, and a monkey climbs up his arm, still staring at me with beady black eyes. “This is Soso. He’s a little awkward but he’s also a greedy ass.”

“Oh!” I marvel at the monkey just as much as I did Mori. “He’s cute!”

“I saved him the same way I saved you,” Mori laughs. “Found him in the ice and nursed him back to health when he was just a baby. Perhaps he was just practice for this moment,” he continues to chortle.

“I’m home. How is she doing?” a gentler voice calls. Another oni walks into the room, blue and much taller and leaner than Mori. His long black hair hangs down his shoulder in a loose plait. He has golden eyes where Mori has brown, and two sets of crescent-shaped tusks.

“She’s awake!” He sounds elated when he sees me.

“Kiri, this is Ujimasa, but you can call him Uji.” Mori holds his hand out as Uji comes to stand by the bedside. “He’s been doing most of the work caring for you.”

Uji smiles, showing off the deep curvature of his cheekbones. “Now, now, don’t let him undersell all the hard work he put in. After all, he’s the one who went into the ice to save you.” Uji sets a small box by the bed and places his long, willowy hand on my forehead. “She’s still a touch cold.”

“I grew up in Rakshasa Country,” I say hurriedly. “I’m not used to the cold down here.”

“Even still,” Uji clicks his tongue. “Mind if I see your feet?”

What a strange question. “Uh, sure. What for?”

Uji pulls back the blankets, revealing my feet wrapped in a compress. He peels back the wrapping, revealing wet leaves and a weird jelly underneath, and pinches my toe, wiggling it back and forth. “Do you feel that?”

“Yes, but it feels… weird,” I answer.

“Still a bit of damage.” He wraps my foot back up. “It might take a while for you to recover. Is there anyone we should send a message to?”

I frown and shake my head. “I came here alone, and the only people I know are in Rakshasa Country.”

“She’s a mask maker,” Mori says to Uji.

Uji turns towards Mori, and I notice he is missing an arm. His long sleeve hangs loose, and Soso tugs on it in a way that shows there is nothing inside. “A mask maker?” he says as he looks back at me.

Nervously, I blurt, “Half-orc.”

Uji and Mori both make a face.

“I am,” I say breathlessly. Half-orc, that is.”

Uji nods as he looks me over with a curious glint in his eye. Most of my life I had been confused for a half-orc. Like my mother, I have green skin and pointed ears, but my tusks only jut from my bottom lip, and I’m not as tall as most oni. I never knew who or what my father was, but I always knew I was oni on my mother’s side.

“Well then, Kiri the half-orc, I assume you were coming to study under the master mask-makers,” Uji says gently. “Is that correct?”

“Making masks in my passion,” I say staunchly. “I wanted to learn from a master in hopes of becoming one myself.”

“Were you not warned of the winter here?” Mori seems angry. “It’s not like the winter in the southern continents”

“I wasn’t aware,” I confess. “I guess I should have prepared better.”

Uji gives Mori a scolding look. “You had silk dresses and robes. What did you bring them for?”

“They were my mother’s,” I say weakly. “I admit I was foolish and under-prepared.”

Uji smiles. “We should let you rest. I’m sure you’re still quite tired. If you’re hungry, Mori will fetch you something to eat. Meanwhile...” He picks up the small box he brought in. “I will be making you something with this ginger.”

As they both turn to leave the room, I reach up into my hair and find it’s down. I gasp in alarm and begin searching around the pillow in a panic. “Oh, no! Where is it?”

Mori stops and looks back at me. “What’s the matter?”

I feel tears welling up in my eyes. “My hairpin! It’s important!”

Mori comes back into the room, kneeling beside the bed to pick up a small bag. He dumps the contents into his palm, and it’s the hairpin. “We took it out when I brought you here.”

I grab the pin and clutch it close, breathing a deep sigh of relief. “Oh, thank goodness!”

“We kept it covered because Soso loves shiny things.” Mori watches me curiously. “My grandmother had something similar to that, what with the enamel butterfly and...”

I glare up at him. “It was a gift from someone.” I look at it in my hands. “I’m just glad it’s okay.”

Mori nods with a slight frown on his face. “I’ll go fetch you something to eat now. You’re going to need food to survive this cold,” he chuckles.

Once he leaves, I look back down at Madame Seki’s hair pin and sigh heavily. “Some luck this has brought me so far,” I grumble. “Being sick the entire boat trip, and nearly freezing death. I sure hope all of this is worth it in the end.”

I look around the room, seeing scrolls and prints on the walls. There’s a desk in the corner with massive ink pots all over it and a shelf made of cubbies full of quills, parchment, and various other tools. Uji comes in a moment later, carrying a tray with one hand. He places the tray on my lap, which is nice and warm from the tea set. “I hope you don’t mind if I join you for tea. Mori is busy making something special for dinner.”

“He cooks?” Back home I never knew a man to cook.

Uji smiles softly. “Too bad you didn’t come here to study the art. Mori is a master chef, and studied under his grandmother most of his life.” He pours tea surprisingly elegantly using only one hand. “Before we had the war, that is.”

I hadn’t heard of that. “What war?” I ask.

Uji looks at me with another curious stare. “Some years ago there was a dispute with the cyclopes over territory. That’s how Mori and I met. We were both warriors.”

“Oh,” I gasp in surprise.

“I know I don’t look it,” Uji chuckles as he hands me a cup of tea.

I shake my head. “That’s not it at all.” I take the tea into my hands and marvel at the warmth.

“We were both young men - boys, really.” Uji smiles gently as he pours another cup. “This tea will help build you stamina again and support what the cold has weakened.”

“Thank you.” I sniff the cup, finding there to be a spicy herbal note to it. “Is it bitter?”

“Only a little.” Uji takes a drink.

I take a sip, half expecting an experience that would connect me to my roots and teach me about my lineage. Instead, it’s the most disgusting thing I have ever put in my mouth, including the mud pie I ate as a toddler. I almost spit it out, but I gulp it down painfully. Uji is holding back a smile and trying to remain polite.

“No,” I whimper and cover my mouth. “Oh, no!”

“Not to your liking, Kiri?” Uji sets his cup down.

I set mine down with his. “Thank you,” I say simply. “But that was quite enough for today.”

“I’m afraid I have to insist you endure that cup, and another.” Uji is still stifling his laughter. “It’s for your recovery.”

“You’re mocking me!”

Uji breaks into a beautiful grin. “No. I would not do such a thing. But your expression, on the other hand, hit a soft spot inside me. Reminds me of my Mori.”

I scowl at him.

“It made me instantly fond of you. Come, now.” He picks his cup up again. “I will drink as much as you drink. The ginger will be your reward for finishing this.”

I scowl at him. “If it wasn’t so hot, I would take it in one go.” I take the cup again, enjoying the warmth of it at the very least. I take another drink, as does Uji. “It’s horrible!”

Uji nods, only his nose wrinkling. “It doesn’t get any better with age, like my grandfather told me.” He shakes his head. “I do apologize.”

“You make Mori drink this, too?”

“He gets congestion easily during the cold months. I make him drink it every morning to ensure his health. Somehow, he still loves me.”

I stick my tongue out as I see I still have over half a cup. “Wait, are you and Mori…?”

“Mori is my brother-in-arms,” Uji replies. “As well as my partner in life.”

“Oh.”

Uji chuckles. “Is that rare where you come from?”

I shake my head. “Not exactly. I just didn’t expect… You make a very handsome couple, really.”

“Well thank you, Kiri. I do consider Mori to be very handsome.”

“And you, Uji, are very beautiful.” Mori comes and looks down at the tea in my lap. “I see. You’re making her drink that now?”

“She’s still got one and a half cups to go. She needs to finish it before she eats your wonderful cooking.” He looks at me and smiles. “Hurry up, he worked hard.”

I manage to finish the tea, horrible as it is. Mori then carries me to the dinner table, which is quite low to the floor. He has a massive spread of food prepared, and I’m ravenous since I’ve only supped on thin broth since leaving home. I eat so much that I fall into a deep sleep as soon as Mori takes me back to bed.

Each morning, Uji wakes me to serve me that awful tea. Afterwards Mori comes and gets me to have a big, hearty breakfast, and Uji sits at the desk and does calligraphy. Mori sometimes takes me into the kitchen when Uji is working, as Soso tends to try and cause havoc.

I think about how nice it would be to continue being part of this world, to be included in Mori and Uji’s lives so lovingly. They’ve both been so kind to me. I’ve found myself growing attracted to them, which is quite a shock. I’ve never had a crush before, but Mori is so warm and affectionate, and Uji is so beautiful and calming. While working on masks, I have daydreams of kissing them.

I have to shake these thoughts from my head. Back home, I never really had a comfortable life. Growing up in the brothel I wasn’t exactly coddled, and even when my mother died it felt like things went on as usual after the funeral. Madame Seki treated me well, but I think it was just because she favored my mother. That’s why I poured everything I had into the masks. They brought me comfort.

“During the war, Uji was our tactician.” Mori has been telling me stories about him and Uji from their youth, while feeding me bites of what he’s cooking. “He helped me to keep cool and not lose my temper.”

“Have a temper, do you?” I ask.

Mori laughs. “A family trait. I used to get so angry I’d go blind with it.” He looks up from the counter for a moment. “But Uji helped me to see through the anger, and taught me not to rely on it. You’re half-orc, so I’m sure you understand the importance of such discipline.”

I fidget in my seat as the lie is brought back to me. “Oh… yes, of course.” I chuckle nervously, eager to change the course of the conversation away from me. “Is that why you fell in love with him?”

Mori chuckles. “Well, not exactly. Uji and I didn’t really start all that until after we came home.” He hands me a dumpling to eat. “See, he lost his arm, and he didn’t want to go to his home, so I brought him here to heal.”

I gaze starry-eyed at Mori, wondering just how romantic that must have been. I would so love to be taken care of like that. I guess I am right now, but surely there’s nothing romantic about this. I’m just some poor fish they pulled out of the river.

“That’s enough storytelling, Mori.” Uji comes into the kitchen holding a scroll.

“I wasn’t storytelling,” Mori chortles.

Uji just half-smiles as he lays the scroll down on the table. “I just received word back from Oyama. He says once the winter passes, he will consider taking on Kiri as an apprentice.”

I look between Mori and Uji, who both have smiles on their faces. “Who is Oyama?”

Uji places his hand on my shoulder. “A master mask-maker we both knew. Mori and I discussed it one evening and sent him a letter asking if he was interested in taking a new apprentice. We told him about you, of course. Sometimes the masters are reluctant to teach outside their clans.” He shrugs and frowns, but slowly his smile returns.

“Anyway, Oyama said he’d be happy to take you on if he approves of your work. He requests you make ten masks for him between now and spring, and that will help him decide.” He looks at me seriously. “You can stay here, of course, but you will have to earn your keep around here once you’re strong enough.”

The excitement inside me is such that I can barely contain myself. “Of course!” I jump up in excitement. “This is wonderful! Thank you so much!” I don’t realize until I’m hugging Uji that this is the first time I’ve stood on my own since being pulled from the ice, which causes another burst of joy inside me. At that moment, I fall for Uji and Mori even faster.