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needsmoresleepwrites · 2 years

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Gift For FanGirlofManyThings: Kei remembers the first time he met the boy with the stars on his face. (Sofa’22)

The Forest Spirit

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Kei has wandered the woods many times, but humans are rare so deep and far off the path. He's surprised to hear panting and wheezing, and the sound of the leaves crunching under a rhythmic weight stops him in his tracks. He watches from the shadows as a boy appears. He can't see his face but he’s wearing heavy clothing that makes noise with every breath he takes. He's resting by a tree, his head down, and his hands on his knees

He wonders about the way the boy must have come. It’s very likely he came from the shrine, which means that in order for him to have gotten lost this far into the woods, he must have climbed over the retaining wall

Kei isn't sure why he's here. Is he lost?

He gets his answer when the boy falls to the floor, his arms circling his legs. He can hear crying and Kei's face sours. His brother would help the boy.

Humans are attracted to the magic here, he’d once told Kei when he was so young Akiteru was still taller than him, We should always help them get back. It can be dangerous here. He’d paused there for a moment, his face sad, They’re very fragile…

Kei makes up his mind with a scowl on his face and walks toward the boy. He makes no sound, even as he steps on the red fall leaves. The boy doesn’t look up at him, still lost in his crying

“Hey,” Kei calls out, his voice breaking a bit at the end. He’s not used to speaking in the human language. He frowns, but it works. The boy looks up at the sound of his voice

His eyes are red, there’s some fluid exiting his nose, and his mouth is releasing quick breaths. But the noises he’s been making stop almost immediately and he uses his hands to clean his face. The boy stutters, “I-I didn’t see you, ah, I mean, where…are you lost too?”

Kei frowns when the boy’s face is free of his tears. There’s still something…

He touches the boy’s face and rubs, trying to get the dirt smeared on his face off.

The boy yells, “What are you doing?!”

It still doesn’t come off. Instead, his face begins to turn red, but Kei is sure he isn’t being too rough. He scrapes a bit, his nails are dull but still sharp enough to remove any type of creature that might have attached itself to the boy

The boy pushes him away, “Stop!”

Kei falls back on his butt and now they’re both sitting on the floor.

The boy’s arms flail and he’s sure he stops breathing for a moment before he yells out, “I’m sorry! Are you okay? It’s just, that really hurt. W-What were you doing anyway?” He touches his right cheek, the one Kei had been trying to clean. He can see a small red scrape

They’re very fragile…you should treat them delicately

Kei pouts and mutters a “lame” before standing up and turning away from the boy. He doesn’t even get to take a step before the boy launches himself at him, his arms holding onto his

“W-Wait” he says, “Do you know…ah, do you know how to get out of here? I got separated from my friends…”

Kei doesn’t shake him off. We should always help them get back. He asks the trees for other signs of humans but there’s nobody else there. This boy with the dirt on his face was left alone.

… you should treat them delicately

He turns his hand until their hands are intertwined. He doesn’t say anything, just tugs slightly. The boy gets up. He looks confused but follows him.

The sound of the leaves crunching under the boy’s feet is the only sound that accompanies them for a moment. Kei likes the feeling of their hands pressed together. The boy is soft and warm and perhaps a bit wet. But the smell coming off him is pleasant. It smells like the fruit his brother had given him that day in the woods

Come on, let’s try with this. Try to hold it gently in your hands.

They go downhill towards the shrine. Kei is careful, walking at a pace that is easy for the boy, making sure he doesn’t pull him too hard otherwise he will fall. Even with the boots on his feet, he’s sure he would tumble down and hurt himself.

“Who are you?” the boy asks as they near the retaining wall that separates humans from people like Kei and his brother. Or it would normally, but humans have lost their fear of the unknown in recent years

Kei isn’t sure how to answer that so instead he says, “Who are you ?”

The boy laughs and Kei is mesmerized by the way his eyes shine, “I’m Yamaguchi, Yamaguchi Tadashi.”

Kei nods in understanding. He meant his name, “Kei.”

There’s a pause and then Yamaguchi Tadashi says, “Just Kei?”

Kei doesn’t know a lot about humans. He’s not allowed to leave this forest, but his brother knows more. He’s told him about the way humans have two names.

Do we have two names? He remembers asking because he’d only ever known Akiteru as Akiteru. His brother had laughed, No, we’re just Akiteru and Kei. Do you want a last name?

He’d thought hard about that and had almost slipped. His brother had held his arm, Careful, it gets hard to see in the dark

Kei looks at the curiosity in the boy’s eyes, “Kei…Kei Tsuki…shima.”

He grins up at Kei and nods, “I’ll remember that. Thank you for helping me. Ah, are you coming down too? It’s getting dark…”

Kei watches the retaining wall. It’s an extremely old structure, much older than the shrine.

He lets go of Tadashi’s hand and instantly misses the feel of it. He doesn’t truly feel cold, but he knows that’s what it feels like now that they aren’t connected. He uses the same hand to point at the wall and Tadashi’s eyes follow, “That’s the shrine. Go back down that way.”

When Tadashi turns back around, he’s gone.

He watches from the shadows, the way the boy turns from one direction to another, confusion on his face.

Kei doesn’t expect to see Tadashi anymore. Many humans come to the shrine but very few are as young as him and very few return more than once.

Even fewer go over the retaining wall

He’s heard a few people stand on it, looking on in awe at the forest beyond. They admire it but know that there is something clearly off about the space beyond.

Why don’t humans come and see us? He’d asked Akiteru once. He’d been practicing with the fruit again. He had gone from completely crushing it and scraping it with his nails, to finally being able to pick it from the tree himself without destroying it.

His brother had been talking with the trees. He hummed and then said, It’s probably the wall at the back of the shrine. Remember the last time you touched it?

The memory is upsetting enough that he instantly crushes the fruit in his palm. He grimaces, apologizing to the fruit.

He’d heard voices that day and had wanted to see the humans. After hearing about them so much from Akiteru, he’d wanted to say hello. To tell them he wasn’t scary and wanted to be friends. When he touched the wall to try and climb over it, he’d been zapped and pushed away. It had taken weeks for his hand to heal

He’d never seen Akiteru so scared or upset.

Promise you’ll never try that again! He’d promised, the fear in Akiteru’s eyes contagious.

Akiteru picked another fruit from the tree and gave it to Kei, gently and lovingly, It pushes them away too. More gently, but still as insistent. He had smiled sadly, But not all humans listen. Magic calls to them too but it’s dangerous on this side, especially at night.

Kei had never understood the danger Akiteru talked about until he’d grown into his own power

The same power his brother used to talk with the earth around them. The same one that warns him now of a human in the woods.

Not that he needed that when Tadashi is crunching around the woods yelling out, “Tsukki! Tsukki! Are you here! It’s me, Tadashi!”

It doesn’t take Kei very long to get to where Tadashi is yelling. He’s dressed differently this time, not properly for a hike in the woods. It’s a uniform of some sort, all black, and he has a bag on his back. A scarf is wrapped around his neck but Kei sees a few leaves and twigs stuck to it

He realizes why that is when Tadashi leans back against one of the trees

Kei appears behind him, “Why are you here again?”

Tadashi jumps away from the tree, “You scared me!”

They both stare at each other. Kei is frowning at the way Tadashi’s face is still covered in dirt. He reaches out again to clean his face, but again, it doesn’t come off. He decides to voice his concern this time instead of hurting him again, “Why won’t this come off?”

Tadashi laughs and Kei feels it on his hand, it’s warm, just like how it had felt to hold his hand.

“They’re not supposed to come off,” he smiles, “I was born with them.”

His frown deepens, “Fruits with spots mean bad health.”

Tadashi looks a bit awkward at the comment, “I-I’m not fruit?”

No, he is human. He is like fruit. Smells just as sweet, has life, and is fragile. Kei moves away and starts walking back to where he had been caring for the trees. He hears Tadashi following him and it doesn’t take long before he’s talking, his voice animated

“Do your feet hurt? You weren’t wearing shoes the last time either. Or are you cold? It’s been getting chilly lately. Isn’t your yukata too thin?”

He gives Tadashi a fruit and he holds it without having to think about his strength.

“Do you like these?” he asks instead, and Kei nods. They pile a few fruits carefully into a woven basket

“Do others know that you’re here? I’ve never heard of anyone meeting someone up here.”

“No,” Kei answers. It’s only ever been him and Akiteru.

Tadashi smiles, “You finally answered! Also, where are we going?”

Kei gestures forward, “I’m going to leave the fruits over there.”

Over there is the only place on the grounds that Kei can come anywhere close to humans without being hurt. It’s a small shrine, tiny enough that sometimes the stronger winds would knock it over. Tiny enough that it could and was usually overlooked by any visitors.

There is no physical barrier here but the magical one is still in place

He leaves the basket at the cliffside, as far as he can go without losing his form

He looks at Tadashi, “There are stairs built in past the trees there. You can take that route down.”

Instead of leaving, Tadashi holds his hand. They stand there, looking over the city until it gets dark

The next time they meet, Kei frowns at Tadashi. He’s appeared from behind a tree again, spooking him, “Why do you call me that?”

Tadashi has a hand on his heart and his face is red, “W-What do you mean?”

Kei says “Tsuki” as if he’s eaten something sour.

The boy looks slightly embarrassed, making the marks on his face pop, “Oh, well, it’s a nickname. You said your name was Tsukishima so Tsukki…for short. Do you…Do you not like it?”

Kei isn’t sure why but he likes the way Tadashi can’t look him in the eye. It makes him want to chase him. He touches his face again and makes sure he’s looking at him

“Call me Kei. That’s my name.”

“O-oh,” he whispers. Kei doesn’t want to let go and Tadashi lets him linger for a moment. Then he asks, “Do you like them?”

Kei nods, “What are they?”

Tadashi grins, “Freckles. The others don’t really like them and bullies used to always say mean things about them.”

He lets go of his face and starts walking into the woods, “They’re very pretty.”

Kei hears him laugh behind him, “You can’t just say that with your back to me!”

But Kei does and he doesn’t turn back. He feels his face warm.

Today, Kei is cleaning up the fallen twigs and leaves. Tadashi helps him but also complains when his hands and clothes are completely covered in mud, “I should have worn something else!”

Kei takes Tadashi’s hands in his and cleans off as much of the mud as he can. He folds their hands together and guides Tadashi to another part of the mountain that others have not seen before. It’s a slow trek. The sun is already setting and he wonders if this is even a good idea. It would have been easier to send him off, some other human could help him

But he’s not ready to let go.

It’s dark by the time they make it to the river that feeds into the streams surrounding the shrine

“Wash here,” Kei gestures. Tadashi is staring openly and not moving

“How…and people don’t come up here?” he exclaims, one of his hands coming up to touch his forehead, “This place is amazing.”

Kei pulls him towards the water, sitting on the rocks lining the edge, “Now your face is actually dirty.”

Tadashi only grins, sitting as well, “You should clean it then.”

Kei does exactly that. The water is cold and he notices the way Tadashi moves away from it initially. Kei likes the warmth of his skin, which doesn’t go away for long. His hair sticks to his face slightly as it gets wet and Kei moves his fingers through it to push it back. It’s soft

“Are you stuck here?” Tadashi whispers

Kei doesn’t answer at first. He remembers crying to his brother, feeling sad and angry that he couldn’t leave, I want to go back! I don’t want to hear them laughing anymore!

Akiteru had held him and rubbed his back, We have an important job. If you go back, who will take care of the trees? Then the humans would be sad too

“I can move around freely in my forest,” he says instead.

They watch the sky and Kei decides that the freckles on Tadashi’s face are not the unhealthy touch of death but the brightness of the stars

The first time Tadashi meets Kei's brother is in the winter.

Instead of going to find Tadashi, Kei waits for him to find him. He no longer yells out his name either, especially after (as he’d told Kei one time) he’d been asked why he was making so much noise by the shrine caretakers. He’d been embarrassed but also worried that people would become curious and start coming up into Kei’s forest

Instead, Kei sits against one of the larger trees. The ground is packed with snow and the trees have all gained a cap of it on their limbs. Kei’s body sits above the snow, unsinking and unbothered by the temperature change

But that doesn’t stop him from wearing the scarf that Tadashi had gifted him.

“There you are!” Tadashi exclaims and Kei opens his eyes to see his star-touched face. His breath is visible in the cold and he’s wearing heavier clothes. His feet, unlike Kei’s, do sink into the snow and he shivers a bit when some of the snow gets into his boots

He sits next to Kei and teases, “I almost couldn’t see you. You blend in with the snow. Good thing I gave you that scarf.” He looks up at the tree they’re leaning against. It takes up most of the clearing, “This tree is huge! I can’t believe I hadn’t seen it before.”

Kei leans his head back against the trunk and whispers, “This is my brother.”

Tadashi sounds nervous when he says, “Oh, uhm, what’s his name? Is he…okay? I’ve never seen him before.”

Kei moves his head so it’s leaning against Tadashi’s and weaves their hands together. Kei’s hands are bare against Tadashi’s gloved one.

It’s been years since his brother last took human shape.

“He’s healing,” he tells him, “Not many humans come up this far, but some have.”

Tadashi turns and Kei can feel the kiss on his head, “What is he like? Is he as tall as you?”

Kei smirks, “No. He’s short. I was taller than him these last few years.”

Snow sprinkles on them and Kei laughs, “He says that’s not true.”

Tadashi smiles, “I bet he's nicer than you at least.”

“He is,” he agrees, “I wouldn’t have helped you that first day if it wasn’t for him.”

Tadashi cuddles closer to him, “Well, then I’m glad he’s your brother. Tell me more about him.”

Night comes quickly in the winter, but Kei isn’t able to stop telling story after story about Akiteru

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A/N: omgggg this is the first time writing for this ship and i had so much fun!! i hope you all enjoy, but esp you rebecca! a few notes

- loosely based on the song tonight by lie ning

- the setting is based on a shrine in Hiroshima bc its my favorite

- i decided to focus on the meet cute and happy scene prompts, i hope this fits the bill!

- apparently, tree spirits are called kodama and they are often depicted as glowing orbs of light and I was like oh hey doesn't kei mean firefly which is also a floating light, and yeah, there is no plot, just wood spirit kei. that's also why he wears white

- kodama trees are said to bleed when cut so they are generally left alone

comments feed my soul~

#I write ff #fanfiction #gifts and exchanges #seasons of anime gift exchange 2022 #First Meetings #tsukiyama #tsukishima overthinks things #haikyuu

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