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ssho25 · 8 years ago

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My Thoughts Will Echo Your Name

This is my gift to @peanut-jars (Skye) for the @iwaoiexchange. I hope you like it!

This was heavily inspired by the lovely @ichigomaniac‘s artwork. Also available on AO3. *Warning: Character Death*

“Tooru!” A little boy with spikey brown hair called out. He ran through a thick forest holding a wooden sword, rushing past the trees and bushes. The patter of his footsteps and the rustling of the leaves echo in his ears. The branches left smears of dirt on his clothing and tanned skin as he brushed by them, but he wasn’t all too focused on his surroundings. “Tooru!” He called out again. “Where are you?”

“I’m over here Hajime-chan!” another voice rang out. The boy whipped his head towards the direction of the voice and charged forward. Pushing past the thicket, he came to a clearing where he saw another boy sitting on a large rock, swinging his legs back and forth as he weaved flower stems together in a ring.

The other boy also had brown hair, but his skin was much fairer, making his bright red eyes stand out even more so. Said boy’s eyes lit up when the first came into view. “Hajime-chan!” he happily shouted and jumped down from the rock.

“Tooru!” Hajime called back. The two little boys charged at one another and enveloped each other in a big, warm hug.

“Hajime-chan! Hajime-chan! Guess what?!” Tooru excitedly asked.

“Me first! I have something to tell you too!” Hajime countered.

“But mine’s better!”

“Rock-paper-scissors who goes first?”

“Fine.” Tooru raised a fist and Hajime followed suit.

“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot! Yes!” Hajime cheered when his open hand was met with Tooru’s closed fist.

“Ehhhhh…okay, you go first,” Tooru reluctantly said.

“Remember when I told you about knights and how cool they are?” Tooru nodded. “Well…dad made me this!” With a bright smile, Hajime finally held up the wooden sword he was carrying to show Tooru.

“So you’re a knight now?!”

“Well, not yet. This is just for now. But when I grow up, I’m going to get a real sword and be a really cool knight who’s super brave and strong!” Hajime pointed the toy towards the sky in a heroic pose. “I’m going to be the ultimate hero!”

Tooru clasps his hands together as his eyes glittered in awe of his best friend. “Wow! Hajime-chan is so cool!”

“Of course!” Hajime flashed a wide smile in Tooru’s direction. “Now it’s your turn. What did you want to say Tooru?”

“Oh! Look, look! My horns are starting to grow!” Tooru tips his head towards Hajime and points to the small bumps on his head.

“Do they hurt?” Hajime asked. He awkwardly patted the little horns atop Tooru’s head.

“Not really,” Tooru replied. “It’s like when your tooth fell out and you grew a new one. They just kind of come out. Papa said that they will get a lot bigger.”

“Do you think I can grow horns?”

“No silly! You’re not a demon.”

“I guess you really are a demon, aren’t you?”

“I told you when we met, didn’t I? But that’s not even the best part!” Tooru placed a ringlet of daisies atop his head like a crown. “I’m going to be the king Hajime-chan!”

“…King of what?”

“The King Hajime-chan! Papa said that when I grow up, I’m going to be The Demon King, just like him!”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah! I’m going to be the greatest king in the world!”

“How are you going to do that?”

“Papa said he would teach me how starting tomorrow. So that means we can’t play together as much anymore.”

“Oh…I see,” Hajime quietly replied.

Tooru nodded vigorously, full of excitement. “And as my first rule as king, you have to be my bride!” He thrust out a second flower crown towards Hajime.

Hajime jumped back, startled. A light blush dusting his cheeks. “W-w-what?!?! Why would I be your bride?!?! I’m a boy!”

“Because once I’m king, we won’t be able to see each other! The Demon King can’t be best friends with a human…,” Tooru trailed off. If horns could move, his would’ve most certainly been drooping right then. He suddenly perked up and continued. “But if you were my queen, it wouldn’t matter if you were a human and we would see each other all the time!”

“Why can’t you be my bride?”

“Don’t be silly! Kings aren’t brides! They’re…they’re kings!”

“But I don’t want to be a bride!”

“But that’s the only way we can see each other!”

“Well…then…,” Hajime’s eyes darted around, searching for something, anything that he could make into an argument. His gaze fell onto the sword in his hand. “Then what about when you go fight a battle?”

“What about it?”

“Girls can’t be knights and I want to be a knight. If I was your bride, I wouldn’t be able to help you fight battles. You might get hurt or die and I would never know.”

“But if you went to fight, then you could get hurt or die and I wouldn’t know either!”

“That’s why I can’t be your bride. I’ll be your knight instead!”

“My knight?”

“Yeah, knights get to be beside the king all the time because they have to protect the king. All the really good kings have the best knights by their sides.”

“But then who protects the knight?”

“No one. The knight does the protecting, he doesn’t get protected.”

“Then you could still get hurt.”

Hajime scratched his head in thought. “How about this: I protect you, and you protect me. Deal?”

“…Okay, deal.” Hajime bent over to allow Tooru to place the daisy chain on his head as a symbol of agreement. “That means I really have to become the greatest king in the world. So that I can have Hajime-chan by my side.”

Hajime nodded. “And I’ll to become the strongest knight so that I can protect you no matter what.”

Tooru raised a pinky finger towards Hajime. “Promise?”

Without hesitation, Hajime raised his own pinky to wrap around Tooru’s outstretched one. “Promise.”

Like the cherry blossom petals in spring, the scene of an endearing promise between two young boys flies away, fading to black. Soon enough, the darkness is gradually replaced with a meadow that stretched out as far as the eye could see, a tall castle perched on a hill in the distance.

From afar, the great stone castle looked eerie and intimidating. Black and dark red accents mixed with the grays of the castle walls that added to the ominous feel. But taking a closer look, many of the flaws come into view. The holes in the walls, the broken windows, the torn tapestries and collapsed towers, the grand entrance looking as if a recent epic battle completely destroyed the place. In the midst of all the rubble, a couple of men lay side by side on the floor huffing and puffing.

“You…you sure didn’t…hold back at all,” the first one said through large breaths. His black robes and cape contrasted with his white boots and vibrant red eyes. 2 horns sprouted out from his head, a clear indication that he was demon. And yet, the armoured soldier beside him didn’t seem fazed at all. “You sure you’re my best friend Iwa-chan?”

“Trashykawa,” Iwa-chan replied, just as out of breath. “I didn’t hold back because I’m your best friend. Someone had to knock some sense into that stupid big head of yours.”

“I thought I already told you to stop calling me mean nicknames.”

“Trashy Oikawa.”

“Don’t rephrase it!” Iwa-chan couldn’t help but laugh at Oikawa’s childish nature. It was like they were still 5 years old, two little boys playing in a clearing where no one could find them.

“And how dare you call my head big! Yours is at least twice the size of mine!” Oikawa shouted.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Iwa-chan answered. It became eerily quiet between the two of them before he continued. “…So? Are you done being an asshole? Or are you still hellbent on taking over the world?”

“Kings conquer lands, don’t they? What better task for The Demon King than to rule the world?”

“‘Cause you’re Oikawa. Doing this won’t make you better than anyone else. Or happy for that matter.”

“Happy? What are you, my mom?”

“Watch it, Crappykawa.”

“I’m The Demon King, Iwa-chan. I have to terrorize the humans and lead my army to victory.”

“But before that, you’ll stress out and overwork your body. You’re just going to self-destruct instead.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes I do. I know you.”

“But then how will I prove that I’m the greatest demon king?”

“You already have. And even if you weren’t, I’d still be right by your side as your knight.”

“Even if I’m not the best?”

“I didn’t make a promise to Oikawa Tooru, The Demon King. I made a promise to Oikawa Tooru, my best friend.”

Oikawa didn’t say anything, but Iwa-chan knew he was able to get his point across. Because when he turned to look at Oikawa, he saw Oikawa’s face already turned towards him, sporting a genuine smile he hadn’t seen in a long time. “I’m glad that Iwa-chan is my best friend,” Oikawa eventually said. Iwa-chan grinned in reply.

Oikawa stood up from the ground and brushed off the bits of castle wall that had settled onto his clothes. He extended his hand out to Iwa-chan. “Will you be my knight again?”

“Never stopped,” Iwa-chan answered as he reached for Oikawa’s hand to pulled himself up. He looked Oikawa in the eye and made sure to return Oikawa’s smile one hundred-fold. Suddenly, Iwa-chan noticed something shiny behind Oikawa. He tipped his head to see past Oikawa and saw that the shine came from the glint of a sword. Iwa-chan’s eyes widened in realization as a masked individual holding the sword charged ahead. “WATCH OUT!” he screamed. But it was already too late.

The sound of the sword piercing through Oikawa’s body echoed in Iwa-chan’s ears. A deep red blood burst from Oikawa’s wound, his eyes wide from the impact of the stabbing. Iwa-chan stood there in disbelief, unable to focus on anything except for the lifeless body of his best friend. The masked killer took this opportunity to swiftly pull out their blade from Oikawa’s body and run away before anyone could capture them.

Iwa-chan snapped out of his shock just in time to catch Oikawa’s body as it fell forward, but not enough to fully comprehend what he just saw. The shouts and rushed footsteps of Oikawa’s henchmen chasing after the killer were muted in his ears. Nothing mattered except for Oikawa. He pulled Oikawa’s body away from his own to cradle Oikawa in his arms. Iwa-chan looked down at Oikawa’s face as the cloth around the wound became darker and damper.

“O-oi…,” Iwa-chan started, his voice shaking. “Oi…Oikawa?”

“That…that h-hurt a lot more th-than I expected it to,” Oikawa stuttered, the shortness of his breath making it difficult for him to speak.

A sudden rush of panic coursed through Iwa-chan. “It’s okay. Everything’s fine. You’re going to be fine. You are fine.”

“Ah…never thought this…would be the way I’d die.” Oikawa brushed his fingers against the gash in his chest and turned his hand to see the blood coating his fingertips.

“Don’t do that. And stop talking like that, you’re not dying,” Iwa-chan said, hoping the franticness he felt wasn’t projecting into his voice.

“I wonder what…Heaven is like.” With each word, Oikawa’s voice became softer.

“You don’t need to know that.”

“Oh, right. Demons…don’t go to Heaven.”

“You’re not going to Hell either!”

“Well where…else would I go?”

“Nowhere! You’re not dead!”

“Yet.”

“Stop saying that! Just…you’re going to be okay, you hear me?”

“Do you think…God would…forgive me enough…to let me in?”

“He doesn’t need to let you in!”

“I heard he’s very…forgiving, but I did…a lot of bad things…” At this point, Oikawa’s voice was barely above a whisper.

“Stop it! I…I’ll think of something! Jus—”

“Ne, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa interrupted. “Do you forgive me?”

“…Huh?”

Oikawa reached up to cup Iwaizumi’s face, a small apologetic smile adorned his face. “I didn’t…keep my promise…I couldn’t become a king…worthy of you…as my knight.”

Iwaizumi’s panicked face contorted into one full of pain. “Why are you the one apologizing?”

“‘Cause Iwa-chan…did nothing wrong.”

“I did everything wrong! I couldn’t protect you! I broke my promise!” Iwa-chan yelled. Hot, angry tears began to fall from his eyes. “I joined the other side to fight against you. I…I failed you as a knight,” he said, his voice wavering.

“But you did it…for my sake,” Oikawa countered. “If you really turned against me…would you be…holding me…right now?”

Iwa-chan’s hands trembled as he held Oikawa. “I should’ve never left your side.”

“I should’ve never…let you leave.”

“Stop trying to take the blame on yourself.”

“Heh…you should try…taking your own…advice sometimes,” Oikawa retorted. Oikawa’s voice was so weak, it terrified Iwa-chan. He could feel Oikawa’s grip losing strength and grabbed at Oikawa’s hand on his cheek, fighting the reality that was staring him in the face.

“But this is my fault,” Iwa-chan argued. “What kind of knight am I if my king can’t even depend on me?” He tightened his grip around Oikawa’s hand.

“That’s easy,” Oikawa smiled. “You’re my knight…the best kind.” And with those final words, Oikawa shut his eyes. If Iwa-chan didn’t know any better, he might’ve thought Oikawa was enjoying a peaceful nap.

Except that wasn’t the case and Iwa-chan didn’t know how to stop his hands from shaking. He held Oikawa close, like a young child squeezing their favourite toy. But no matter what he did, the shaking didn’t stop. Tears ran down his face and fell onto Oikawa’s cape, darkening the already soaked fabric.

“I’m sorry, Tooru.”

“Black coffee for Iwaizumi-san?”

The voice of the young barista rang throughout the coffee shop and startled Iwaizumi. He blinked again and again, but the image of the two men in his mind was already long gone. The ending was lost yet again, vanishing without a trace. He looked around to regain his bearings and remembered he was in a coffee shop. He looked over to the front counter and saw the barista was looking at him. Probably waiting for him to pick up his coffee.

As Iwaizumi slowly approached the counter to retrieve his cup, his mind kept drifting back to that sad dream. Well, flashbacks according to Matsukawa.

For as long as Iwaizumi could remember, he would have dreams about those strange people: Oikawa and Iwa-chan. As he grew older, the dreams started to happen even when he was awake, at any time and place. No matter what, it would always be the exact same story that would always end in the exact same way. Iwaizumi learned at a young age to keep his mouth shut when it came to these dreams, realized no one was interested in what he had to say let alone believe him. At least until high school.

It was in high school that he met Hanamaki and Matsukawa, an oddball duo who seemed fascinated with the supernatural and strange occurrences. After much pressure, he told them about that reoccurring tragic tale.

“Sounds like it could be a memory from your past life,” Matsukawa suggested.

“Past life?” Iwaizumi asked skeptically.

“Yeah, a past life. You know, an ‘Iwaizumi Hajime’ from a long time ago,” Matsukawa repeated. Hanamaki nodded in agreement.

“Why would I let someone call me ‘Iwa-chan’?”

“That’s the part that bothers you?” Hanamaki asked dumbfounded.

“Well, it’s not the only thing,” Iwaizumi replied. He sheepishly scratched at the back of his neck. “I mean, even if there was such a thing as rebirth, why would I have memories of a past life?”

“The idea of rebirth is that when you die, your consciousness is supposed to have a fresh start in a new body, letting go of everything in your previous life. Some people believe that when you’re reborn, memories from your past lives can be passed on if your previous self felt deep regrets,” Hanamaki explained.

“You said Oikawa dies in your dreams right?” Matsukawa continued. Iwaizumi nodded. “And Oikawa and Iwa-chan were friends?” Iwaizumi nodded again. “Well, maybe Iwa-chan regretted that he couldn’t fulfill his promise Oikawa. Maybe he felt like he failed as a friend. So his memories live through you and it’s your job to find Oikawa again. To make up for his mistakes.”

“All of this? Just so that past me won’t feel guilty anymore?” Iwaizumi questioned.

“Maybe it’s not just guilt,” Hanamaki chimed in. “Maybe he had something important to say?”

Iwaizumi would admit, yes it was nice to finally have people who believed him. Being able to openly talk about these dreams made him feel a little bit better. He just wished they hadn’t planted that idea into his mind all those years ago. Memories from a past life seemed a little farfetched, but quite plausible at the same time. And if Hanamaki was right, then what was it Iwa-chan wanted to say? The scene would always end with Oikawa being cradled in Iwa-chan’s arms before cutting off. How was this story supposed to end?

Iwaizumi finally made it to the counter and picked up his order. He gave the girl a nod of thanks before heading towards the exit with his coffee in hand.

As soon as he stepped outside, he was met with a gust of cold air. Appropriate for the time of year being winter and all, but that didn’t mean Iwaizumi had to like it. He pulled up his scarf to hide the lower half of his face, doing his best to keep his already rosy cheeks from getting any colder. At least the coffee could keep one of his hands warm. He shoved his free hand into his pocket and walked to the crosswalk to wait for the light to change.

If Iwaizumi thought about it, he guessed that Iwa-chan did look crazily a lot like him. And Iwa-chan could come from his name he supposed. It would be one hell of a coincidence that his name and Iwa-chan’s was the exact same if they weren’t the same person. If it wasn’t a past life, at the very least Iwa-chan was an ancestor or something. Did that mean Oikawa would look the same as well? That sure would make things easy…if he was looking for Oikawa of course.

The crosswalk light finally turned green and the large crowd that had accumulated began to walk across the street. Iwaizumi, not completely focused on walking, was pushed along with the mass of people. He looked down at his feet to make sure he didn’t stumble over them and prayed that his coffee wasn’t going to spill everywhere. Maybe those dumb sticks to plug up the hole were useful after all. He looked up to make sure he was moving in the right direction and at that same moment, Iwaizumi eyes met another’s.

At first glance, this man didn’t seem special in any sort of way and Iwaizumi quickly diverted his gaze to avoid an awkward staring situation. But for some reason, he felt a strong urge to look again. Keeping the man is his peripherals, he saw that he was about to pass by the stranger. If he was going to do it, it was now or never. Iwaizumi couldn’t fight the feeling and turned his gaze towards the man once more, only to find that again the man was staring right back at him. In that brief second just before he passed the man, Iwaizumi didn’t see a stranger, but instead saw a familiar demon who haunted his dreams.

Iwaizumi stopped dead in his tracks. He quickly whipped around to look behind him and saw that the other man had done the same. Though there were no horns on this man, there was definitely no mistaking it. The same hair colour and style right down to the last strand, sharp features mixed with a youthful face that made him look handsome but also gave him somewhat of an odd boyish charm, all encased in beautifully pale skin. The man’s eyes weren’t red, but rather a warm, chocolate colour that Iwaizumi liked a lot more. Iwaizumi was sure he had never met this man in his life. And yet, there was an air of familiarity about him like Iwaizumi had known this man since forever.

“Iwa-chan?” the man tentatively asked.

Iwaizumi gaped; he was speechless. But almost immediately his face broke into a grin as he opened his arms wide. “I’ve been waiting, Oikawa.”

Oikawa rushed into Iwaizumi’s outstretched arms, actually jumping into them with the last few steps. The impact made Iwaizumi drop his coffee onto the pavement earning him many heated looks as people walked by, but he didn’t pay them any attention. They desperately clung onto each other, like if they let go they’d wake up from a dream. Or even worse, history would repeat itself and they would lose each other all over again. Neither one cared they were blocking the crosswalk; the only people that mattered were the two of them.

“I missed you,” Oikawa whispered.

“I won’t let you go ever again.”

“Do you know how long I’ve waited to tell you that I love you?”

Iwaizumi widened his eyes in shock. Maybe he had something important to say? Oh.

Iwaizumi hid his face in Oikawa’s neck. “That’s not fair,” he mumbled.

“What isn’t?”

Iwaizumi raise his head to whisper into Oikawa’s ear. “You weren’t supposed to say it before I did.”

#iwaoiexchange #peanut-jars #iwaoi #haikyuu!!#hq #major character death #hurt/comfort #fluff #angst #soulmate au #reincarnation au #fantasy au #this got...really mushy at the end #but I prefer happy endings so #¯\_(ツ)_/¯#my writing

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