A singular biwa accompanied by the banging of large drums brought you back to reality. After nearly tripping on your own two feet, you remembered where you were. Red bulbous lanterns hung in the corners of the stalls as it covered them in a red glow; as if it was made for it.  

     They say in these lands lived a terrible monster,  sometimes with the features of a lion, unicorn, and ox. By the name of 'Nian', it brought terror to the hearts of everyone living in a village nearby. Despite it living in the mountains, it would come down at the end of the year to destroy the fields, crops, and animals and to terrorize people or even kill them.

     You never believed that there was an actual beast lurking around in these times. So you made the journey to the West to this beast by yourself. How foolish is that? Guess curiosity killed the cat. Well, good thing you brought a tour guide with you - Oh, wait. You remembered how the man's face contorted into one filled with horror as it furiously rejected your offer of showing you the village of your destination. Let alone giving you a ride there. So you had no choice but to bring your bug friend with you.

     Once you heard that the Nian had a weakness, you immediately skittered to this village, not missing a chance to see its defeat. You finally found your inn. The map stated that it'll have a door that stands out. Funny because every door seemed to wore red paper decorations and paint of the same color as if it was ready for war. 

     "Shino, how about you wait here while I change, then you can come in and change?" you were dealing with the hand faith gave: one bedroom situation; It also came with one bathroom.

     "Sure." you stepped inside the bathroom while the bug man waited. Shino intended to cover the lamps and red banners with his bugs. When the beast arrives his bugs will return to his body, revealing the red decor as the villagers set off fireworks. 

     You stepped outside the bathroom. The short-sleeved red qipao you picked clung onto your body, the gold yellow trimmings stood out even in the dark bedroom. You fluttered the crimson fan that danced with some of the loose hair you had tied into a low bun. 

     "What do you think, Shino?" 

     "It's gorgeous on you, (Y/n)." the sentence left his word without a stutter. Now it's Shino's turn. He entered the bathroom with his clothing and he threw his green jacket on the bed. You decided to lay down on the bed, wrapping yourself in a burrito of his jacket. The scent of rain and grass emitted from the clothing item. 

     Shino exited the bathroom turned changing room, which made you sit up, still wrapped in his jacket. The sight made his cheeks appear with a slightly pink color, that complemented the red tang suit. It was fastened down the front with golden trimmings, similar to yours. He kneeled on the bed, the furniture creaking under his weight. Shino embraced you as you took in a lungful of his scent. He planted a quick, short kiss before parting from you.

     Suddenly, the area went pitch black. Darker than it originally was. Shino ducked you under him as he went on top. You were able to hear his puffs of air due to how close his face was to the side of yours. 

     "I apologize. I thought we were under attack there." sure, Shino.

     "No- look out the window." you pointed at the curtain-covered window as Shino took a peak. Surely they were under attack. A hideous beast that wore its red and gold fur, proudly walked down the street. Its mouth was ajar, showing its fangs that took the lives of many. You saw why people may assume it was a lion, as it walked on all fours. You also saw why people may assume it's a unicorn, as it looked unreal; as if straight from a fairytale. However, this one had no dragons and princesses, just a terrorized village and one hungry monster.

     In the vast night sky that had millions of stars scattered across it, those stars soon disappeared as colors filled the dark sky. Purple, yellow, red, green, all crowded and accompanied the lonely moon. Fireworks and crackers were soon joined by the furious beating of drums, cymbals, and gongs. All in hopes of chasing the Nian away, never to return.

     Oh, how sweet is it to kiss on a night like this? Shino pulled you in as your lips meet under the colorful sky. 

     "I love you." he managed to breathe out as he pulled away, declaring his love for you.

916 words

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🎉✨Big Announcement :D✨🎉

This has been planned for a long time actually- so, I've decided to challenge myself to write everyday since I write at least twice a week now. I wrote eight stories in total - this one is one of em - and that's when I decided: should I use them to replace a few chapters that I'm, let's say not so proud of. And that's what I did :)

Here's the list of chapters I redid:

1. Sasori (Chp. 17)

2. Aoba (Chp. 82)

3. Charasuke (Chp. 51)

4. Shino (Lunar) (Chp. 21)

5. Kabuto (Valentine) (Chp. 49)

6. Sai (Chp. 36)

7. Indra (Chp. 16)

8. Tobirama (Chp. 69)