Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

When Yuu arrived to the outskirts of the forest, the sun was slowly rising up above the horizon.

Shoyo must be awake, Yuu mused to himself.

The newfound light shined through the greenery, trees ever so steadily reaching up to bask in the beams. Yuu loved these mornings. They calmed him, and provided a good place to wake up to start his day.

His days were important, one must understand. He was one of the Jūnishin. The ‘Twelve Gods’, those who created and managed Earth. While each one held important roles to sustaining life, Yuu was life itself.

Every sun rise, Yuu was given light to come to the Forest of Tamashii. There, he would select the healthy, bright and promising souls to take back and ready for birthing. Every sun rise, new life graced the lands.

As he walked through the arches of Tamashii, his presence awakened the souls’ glow. He began his task.

Selecting those vibrant and youthful, Yuu picked the buds and placed them in his bubble, a radiant holder of energy that could carry all his finds without damage. He hummed softly as he did, healing or re-rousing souls that were waiting to be sent out. Those bloomed beautifully, each and every one how it should be. Just like the two fresh baby souls coiled in a human’s womb, and the litter of wolf pups he blessed with future breath the other week, and the five flowers he’d made for Daichi to plant later.

Yes, three blue, one mauve. Three…. blue… one.. mauve? …Where was the fifth?

The god looked around with furrowed brows. He’d placed these yestermorning, they should be here.

Things often disappeared without a trace, much to Yuu’s displeasure. Plants and humans alike, before their souls even got to break the threshold of this realm, vanished.

Now, there were rumours. Small whispers from realm to realm, talk of the most powerful god there has ever been. One that jumps from place to place, visiting every created domain, beyond Yuu’s moons and stars.

Death. An old god, one who no one had ever seen, yet who was still feared by all.

However, Death, whomever that was, he thought tersely, did not scare Yuu. Death coiled a unique rage within him. That Death had the nerve to take away his perfect creations. How could anything deny life itself? How could the fact of being be denied at all?

But that did not matter at the moment. Yuu could always make new buds, he supposed. Even though souls were each unique and perfect and special and, and, ugh! Who could strip a soul of its chance on Earth before it even knew the beauty of existence?

A cruel bastard, he decided.

As Yuu continued his task, he heard a soft padding, like bare feet against stone. He paid it no mind. It was likely water that has slipped from Shimizu up above. Or perhaps someone had simply come to get him. But then it came again, this time accompanied by the slow crush of leaves and gentle sink of moss. Yuu whipped his head around, trying to find the source of the sound. Maybe this was the culprit, the one stealing his precious buds!

He was about to call out, ask for a name, but all words ceased in his throat when he saw it.

A large figure came into view, two or three heads taller than Yuu himself. The thing was blurry, but soon became clear as it flowed into the now fully raised sun. Yuu stared at the creature.

Its face was gaunt, jawline sharp and cheeks slightly sunk in. Its body was strong, obvious muscle showed from under flowy cloth. Toned and defined, biceps curling and forearms flexed as hands held tightly to a large stone basin settled upon its shoulders.

It was eerily angelic, a powerful aura settled around the being. Majestic, Yuu suddenly though, and absolutely gorgeous.

Though, it wasn’t this creature’s body that caught Life’s eye, nor the long locks that pooled in front of its face and over its shoulders, but two almond shaped eyes that glowed with such beauty. Darkened blues and blacks marbled within white, a hue of jade glossing over them, reflecting the surrounding leaves and grass.

They were bright, but they were sad. These eyes held a shadowed pain, a deep loneliness that seeped into the swirling pools. They were beautiful. Yuu watched them in awe, watched as they trail around the forest floor and scan the trees, watched as its gaze met his, and still as the white of its eyes swallowed the black and blues, residing into the standard glow of most celestial creatures.

The being froze.

It looked… scared, almost.

But then, slowly, it raised its hand, a golden shine humming from a front facing palm.

Yuu quickly turned, his back knocking against the backside of a tree as he took a deep breath.

He had to tell the others.

As fast as he could, he sprinted away, feet heavy against the mossy ground. His wings conjured and pushed him into the air with a large gust.

Ryuu will never believe this, he thought.

Chapter Text

Everything was operating smoothly. The sun had risen, the temperatures were warming steadily, and the white clouds that dotted the sky were slowly gathering mass for a well needed shower.

Yes, everything was as it should be, thought Daichi proudly. Noya had actually gone out on time, Hinata made an effort to actually sync his movements with Tsukishima’s, and Kiyoko had clouds on the ready for where they were supposed to be.
The morning was almost perfect.

All it needed was a little Suga.

“Someone’s happy today,” Koushi hummed, “What happened?” The god went through his endless scrolls as his husband folded his arms around his middle.

“Why can’t I just be happy with the love of my life?” asked Earth, nose grazing the column of his lover’s neck.

Now, the Knowledge Keeper frowed, though an amused smile stayed stretched on his lips. “Because you’re a grouch,” he chuckled, finally turning to the other.

Daichi’s grin widened as his love’s face came in view. “Maybe I am.” He sighed in defeat before he placed a gentle kiss to Koushi’s head. Koushi returned the gesture, placing careful hands upon Daichi’s face. “My grouch,” mumbled the god, eyes closed and lips pressed firmly against his husband’s forehead. They only stayed there for two sweet, peaceful seconds before the protests loudly came.

“Can you two like.. Not?” Tsukishima, as always, was the first to complain about the public display of affection. Kageyama grumbled in agreement, which roused Hinata’s frustration. “You two don’t understand love!” he wailed, still miffed from Kageyama’s refusal to give him morning kisses. The eldest gods shook their heads, breaking apart as fast as they had come together.

“Now that we are all noticeably more miserable than before, do you have something important to say, my Moon?” Koushi had that ‘sick of your shit’ look, but as always, a genuine smile pulled at his lips nonetheless. Tsukishima tisked and brushed the question off, going to his ledge to wait for Tadashi. Since spring should be right around the corner, the young god had much more work to do than usual, thawing small patches of snow that remained stubbournly in the shade, and rousing buds for the upcoming season on trees and flower stems. It took especially long now that the animals needed to be woken up. You couldn't imagine how difficult it is to wake each frog in a single pond. They are very heavy sleepers.

With the conversation to an end, each god resumed their tasks of dawn. Hinata took extra care raising the sun to it’s given point, the movements the same practiced arch as every morning he brought forth. At the same time, Tsukishima mirrored his movements in reverse, the moon slowly but surely sinking down into the horizon. Kageyama slipped his darkness further away as the sun’s light grew ever stronger, and replaced it with gentle shadows that stretched lazily across the land. Daichi, with perfect placement as always, set down more foundation, measured masses of ground moulding into his Earth, carving out homes for sprouts that Noya will fertilize in the afternoon. Kouchi returned to his scrolls, eyes taking in the flows of knowledge that illuminated around him, transcribing onto parchment as fast as it flew in.

The others were just coming back, too. Kiyoko from a newly placed pond, elegance seeping from dew kissed skin as the new sun created a heavenly glow about her. Tanaka was close behind, ready to heed orders of Earth, and just beside him was the Season’s God, Tadashi hiking up to join Tsukishima on his little ledge.

They were all here, and for once, it was quiet.

That’s strange.

Daichi looked up to the sky, wondering when Noya would finally drop in. The god wasn’t usually late, always so excited to give life to his newly cultivated findings. There was a good chance he was held up by someone, Daichi rationalized. Yes, that was plausible. Except no one else was allowed in Tamashii. Maybe the young god found something big and cool and was trying to drag it to their home, then. This seemed more probable than the former explanation, unfortunately. Daichi simply made a mental note to prepare a stern scolding. No, Noya, you cannot simply bring a stinking bear carcass into kingdom, no matter how ‘ginormous’ it is, just because it’ll ‘look cool’ and would ‘liven up the place’.

But, before his speech was complete, the Life deity zipped through the air, pulling a sharp halt as he dropped to the ground, wing folding in, dematerializing.

“You won't believe what I saw!!” he exclaimed, arms waving and legs bent at the knee. As always, Yuu’s presence was bigger than life(!). A buzzing energy of excitement instantly filled the atmosphere of the plateau, the tiny god’s vibrating form seemingly about to burst by the seemes if he didn’t share this dire news.

“Calm down, you almost crashed!” worried Koushi, pausing his writing and assembling with the others who formed a vague semi-circle around Noya.

“This isn’t calm down information, Suga! This is freak out central!! Guess. What. I. Saw!” His grin was ear splitting and his fists were clenched in front of him as his body bounced on the balls of his feet. Realizing Noya actually wanted them to guess, Ryuu suggested a bear carcass, to which Daichi scowled internally.

“Even better!” he replied, still louder than he needed to be. Suddenly, a thoughtful look took over his face. “Well.. maybe.” Yuu deflated in an instant, everyone taken aback from the change in mood. “What would, uhm, happen if we found another God?”

“A what!?” It was Suga’s turn to shout. A stillness took over the plateau at the outburst.

“There aren’t- well, there shouldn’t be- wait, wait, Noya, you saw someone in the Tamashii Forest?” Yuu nodded, his eyebrows knitted together. “It was... Just walking. Holding like a, a vase, or something? But it was huge! And glowed!! But didn’t, too. I thought it might have been the theif stealing my buds!”

“No one else is able to get into that forest without you. How would a thief get into one of the most secure places in Karasuno?” Tsukishima stood up from his ledge, Tadashi close to follow. “And either way, I thought you were the only one who could pick those things.” His tone was condescending, which really irritated Yuu.

“Are you saying I’m lying!?” he demanded. “I know I saw something! And if it can get in and steal my shit, that’s pretty damn important, Tsukishima!”

The blond rolled his eyes. “Maybe you did see something and just maybe you happen to be losing your stuff. That all sounds like a you problem.” He shrugged, leaning to one side and folding his arms. “Why didn’t you just talk to this ‘mystery’ guy and sort things out or whatever anyway?”

Tanaka was close to wacking the brat upside the head, but before he could, Kageyama surprisingly added to the debate.

“If something can take Life’s things, it could pose a threat to Earth, and to us.” Yuu threw his hands up and thanked the god for his input.

Koushi shook his head and waved his hands vigorously. “No, no, everyone- This is a serious problem! I- uhm, Daichi?”

The Earth God frowned. “What did it look like?” he asked, turning to face Yuu.

The questioned god was quiet for a moment. Gorgeous, he thought. Absolutely beautiful. His memory turned to the creature, its image ringing clear in his mind.

“It looked like us,” began Yuu. “It was definitely not something I’ve given life to. It looked like a God, I’m sure of it!”

Tsukishima groaned. “What part of Jūnishin do you not understand? Only twelve of us were ever made, it’s impossible for there to be another god, idiot.”
Koushi shook his head. His eyes glowed a stormy blue, glyphs conjuring from his palms. Each marked with the title a different God. The god of the Earth, of Knowledge, of Life, of Darkness, of Seasons, of Gravity, of the Sun, the Stars, the Moon, the Guardian, and the Protector.

Ennoshita read over each quickly. “Where’s Kiyoko?” he asked.
The goddess’s glyph then appeared, but in a different hue, it’s glow obviously unique from the others.

“Twelve Gods made, Eleven Gods stayed..” Koushi repeated the phrase, muttering under his breath. He appeared to be trying to recall something from the far recesses of his mind, his face contorted into a look of confusion, concern, then shock.

“The twelfth..I- I don’t..” He took a shuddering breath, attempting to calm his nerves. The God of Knowledge, not knowing?

“Shimizu wasn’t made with us, we all know that, but..” His powers subsided and all its effects shimmered away. “The third is missing. I don’t know…” he whispered, a pale hand rising to cover his mouth.

“But- But you know everything,” protested Hinata. “That’s your job!”

“Oh no.. What if there’s another one? Will- It can’t be, can it? Daichi?” Koushi turned to his husband suddenly, silver eyes searching dark brown for an answer.

“If it is, we can’t interact with that thing.” He seemed urgant and panicked. Daichi was often serious, but the gods had never seen him this upset. It unnerved everyone.

Yuu, though, did not like that answer. “Why not,” he challenged.

Daichi looked standoffish, resigned. “Because I said so.” His expression steeled. It read finality.

That damned phrase, Yuu growled. Of course. It was always said when the doyen didn't want to explain his reasonings. Or when he didn’t even have one! It’s absolute garbage.
An itching feeling tingled up and within Yuu’s arms, surging through his body. It made him want to see the creature again, even more so now.
In fact, he just might know how..

Suga looked tired, noted the Earth god. Of course he was. With addition to his continuous obtination of cognizance of life, Daichi knew he was searching through his archives to find information about their fourth God. It was tiring work, and there was no reprieve as he found the scroll he wanted, as it only meant more reading and analyzing.

Koushi flopped onto their large, shared bed. It was made of clay and glass, lush fabrics woven from the finest of pelts once belonging to animals residing in their Kingdom. The greatest of cotton harvested from wild planes draped on a mattress plush with leaves and mosses. It was of Daichi’s creation, of course. The god was masterful at creation. Goos with his hands, mused Koushi with a small smirk.

His husband soon followed, sitting on his side of the bed, head in his hands and elbows digging into his thighs. Koushi pushed himself up to his knees and knobbled over.

“What if it comes true?” Daichi’s voice was low and hushed. There was a pause. “I don't think we need to worry about that right now,’ comfored Koushi, “we know what might happen, so we can work to prevent anything from ever happening.” He now had his face craddled between Daichi’s neck and shoulder, placing gentle kisses down the strong yet trempling slope of muscle, trying to calm the other down.

Finally, Daichi nodded and rolled into the bed, holding his lover close on his chest. “You’re probably right..” he murmured.

“I always am, dear.”

They stayed like that, quiet in each other’s arms, a scroll discarded on the side table laying open.

It was adorned with a painting of the God of Death striking down Life, surrounded by dozens of bright, glowing trees.

Chapter Text

It was early, even the Sun had not yet risen when Yuu got up. He saw from his window that Tsukishima and Tadashi were out on their ledge, and that Kageyama stood further down on a higher precipice. They were all working as usual, the Gods' abilities making sure night was a reality. Yuu knew that Kinoshita and Narita were on the other side of Karasuno, tending to farther out planes in space, the distance requiring more concentration than others.

Perfect, Yuu thought. Everyone awake was distracted. He could slip away unnoticed.

The small god jumped off his bed, trying not to trip over his baskets in the dark and clumsily stepping over pots of seedlings.

His body gradually regained its glow as he woke himself up a bit more, skin a radiant white to orange hue as he shook about, trying to get enough energy for his plan. Slowly but surely, Yuu was awake and growing more and more excited as time elapsed.

He ran out into the huge, empty corridors, the pattering of his bare feet echoing off the high golden walls. When Yuu reached a large arched window, he leapt out, conjured his wings and with a strong beat, he was off in the sky.

Soaring as to not make too much noise, Yuu navigated the open air towards his destination. His Forest wasn’t far away, but it was difficult to traverse large distance when riding wind currents.

When he arrived, he de-conjured his wings and dropped to the ground, a muted thudd filling the empty night. Immideately, Yuu sprinted into the Forest. He easily maneuvered between trees and bushes, cold air whipping through his hair as he ran almost noiselessly on the mossy earth floor.

This was going flawlessly, he thought smugly. He snuck out fine, he was actually being quiet for one, to his honest surprise, and the more he gained speed the wider his grin became. He was going to catch that thing whether Daichi wanted him to or not.

Yuu slowed as he reached the heart of Tamashii Forest. Coming to a stop, his eyes darted around looking for some sort of clue. When he first saw the creature, it was near the middle of his sacred grove where all the freshest of budds resided. He travelled gingerly along newer trees, inspecting the occasional branch and pocketting some floretts. Ohh, Yuu was gonna catch it red handed!!

“Uuuuggghhh,” Yuu groaned loudly, “I've been looking for hours,” he moaned, even though it’d been five minutes. “Where the hell is this thing!?”

Then, he saw the thing.

Yuu scrambled to hide behind a small shrub, peeking above it to glare at the creature. It was off in the distance, prodding at a tree with one hand, the other holding its basin on its shoulder. That bastard! It has been stealing the buds! What would someone even want with fresh soulings? Really! It’s not like they.. did… any..

What?

As the creature’s hand reached towards a small bud, it’s luminessence slowly seeped away, replaced with a dull, lifeless grey. When its fingers closed around the souling, it became darker, tiny whisps of smoke gently billowing between the apendages. The thing then tugged it off the branch bith a deafening snap, and dropped it in the basin.

Yuu gaped at the scene before him as it replayed over and over, an almost careful consideration elipsing the gaps of movement, as if that thing had rhyme or reason behind its distruction.

Destruction. That is what it had done. Yuu watched as it took his precious soulings. Why??

With wide eyes, he focused on the thief. It had the same aura as yestermorn, but now, Yuu could see it more clearly. Yuu could see its marbled eyes, now simply swirled with monochromatic scheme of blacks and whites. Its hair was still down, flowing in large wisps and covering the rest of its face.

Yuu observed the beast in its entirety. The being’s thick arms were now adorned with engravings, long expanses of rivers pooled in valleys carved from flesh. Black flowed, cascading up and down the entirty of both limbs, ending in round symbols on the back of its hands, the pads of its fingers and nails stained obsidian. Its abdomen was visible, only covered by a thin strip of cloth connected through a black metal ring rested on the free shoulder. Sculpted, and just as impressive as it’s arms, the stomach also possessed markings. These were messy in comparison. While the others seemed as though they were skillfully traced with devine precision, these markings were strokes of wet black ink on parchment, feathering at the edges. Two markings flowed, each from one of its sides, originating along the ribs and extending, curling around pecs. It ended in two dark and glowing glyphs, the feathering beading, dripping into the other streams like overflowing blood.

Markings were not uncommon for Gods. Koushi had small ones on his cheeks and hands, Hinata on his chest and arms. Even Daichi had bold, thick lines contouring his back and shoulders. But these were different. They moved. They flowed like water through the divets in the thing’s skin. And even stranger, quick licks of gold would shine in the streams of ink.

The creature was intimidatingly large, even more so up close. Towering with its huge basin and killing hands.. Yuu was almost scared. The more buds it took, though, the more Yuu felt anger bubbling in his core.

Rage emboldened him, and with all the courage he could muster, Yuu marched towards the thing, planted his feet firmly, and shoved his fisted hands on his hips.

“What are you doing with those souls!?”

His voice was loud, booming through the silence.

A jolt went throughout its whole body, flow of ink halthing and marbled eyes widening with what Yuu decided to think was fear. It wiped its head towards the smaller god, quickly stumbling back and away from him and his tree.

“Y-You! You’re the, uhm.. woah..” A deep, deep voice that dripped down through Yuu’s body spilled out of the thing’s lips, its now normal gaze fixing upon the small god.

“Yeah, what about me?” Yuu’s voice was still boisterous and it once again shook the other. It curled into itself, taking another step back.

“I’ve never.. seen….” His speech trailed off as it looked to the ground, mouth closing in a tight line. The basin came down off its shoulder, now resting between two large hands. Its eyebrows furrowed and it looked very troubled all of a sudden, panicked almost. The expression changed, though, suddenly his face un-crinkled and became alert, wide with surprise.

“Oh!” With the sudden exclamation, it shook its head and took another step back, now wearing the same look as before, like it scared itself.

What a weird thing, Yuu thought.

The two stood in silence, the being glancing around and slowly inching backwards as if trying to get away from the other’s intense gaze. Yuu took a step forward and jutted out a finger in its direction.

“Are you a god?” he demanded.

The thing froze. Instead of a verbal explanation like Yuu wanted, it simply nodded its head, timidly. Eyes rose up to meet Yuu’s through hair that cuitained its face, like it expected an answer in return. Yuu would give it no such pleasure.

“Why are you stealing my buds,” Yuu repeated, his voice now stable, more serious. He sounded like Daichi, he mused to himself proudly.

“Stealing..?” Its face morphed to confusion, head bobbing back. “This.. this is my, uh, my job..” it mumbled quietly, almost as if it was talking to itself. There was a stretch of silence before it lifted its head to meet Yuu’s eyes. “I do this every morning,” it explained, “the souls I take aren’t supposed to reach you. They’re not fit for life.”

Yuu decidedly did not like that answer, not one bit. He growled and stompped forward once more.

“Not fit!? These are mine! I made them! To live! For life!! Who are you to take that away from them!?” he shouted.

“Death.” It answered, matter of factly.

That… took Yuu aback. Death..? Life stilled. Death, like, from the whispers between realms? Death, as in, the strongest and most dangerous of all Gods? Yuu felt cold. A seeping bitterness rooted up his legs and gripped his heart with an icey hold.

Death, he thought. The only thing that could kill Life itself.

Death seemed to notice his realization. It looked uncomfortable again. Its mouth opened to speak, but Yuu was quicker.

“Do you know who I am?” He demanded.

“N-No? Well, not like, ah, uhm.. Personally? Like your name or… or,, something,” Words dying off its tongue the harder Yuu stared at it.

“You’re Life, uh, right? You, uhm, own this forest?” The sentence was choppy, pauses between words accentuated by flitting glances
.
“Yeah! You know what that means!?” Yuu was shouting again, and Death was panicking again.

How could someone so small be so loud? He looks like he might bite me or something..
Death remained silent as it vigorously shook its head.

Yuu stilled, squinting. “Me neither,” he said, “I got too excited,” he laughed.

“You’re not that scary, are you?” said Yuu, shifting his weight on one leg and folding his arms. He had an amused smile on his lips. “For someone so big and powerful, I thought you would be.. Well, deadly!” He laughed loudly, then again at the look on the other’s face.

“I, uh.. I’m not..” it went silent again. It chewed on its bottom lip and looked away, a small tint of pink creeping up it’s neck. Yuu stared. Gorgeous still rang clear in his thoughts. Cute even, he thought, tilting his head to the other side. He took in the sight of the tall, handsome God. Intimidating, it looked innately powerful. But yet, here it stood before him, blushing. Gentle and flustered. Yuu felt his heart twinge.

While Life admired the other, Death became hyper aware of his sweaty hands and cowardly vibe.

“Name!” Yuu exclaimed suddenly. “What?” said the other, just as surprised.

“You said you didn’t know my name!” he explained, throwing his hand out in between them, a wide grin on his face.

Death didn’t move, though only for a very short moment, as billions of thoughts swirled around its head. Shaking off the shock of everything Yuu presented in the short while they’ve encountered each other, Death took Yuu’s hand and shook it once before pulling away sharply.

Cold!

Its hand! It was freezing, thought Yuu. He pulled his own hand to his other, rubbing them together. It felt like there was no life in it! Usually everything Yuu touched had some sort of feeling, an entity, a soul warming it’s form. This creature, though… was frigid.

Yuu shook it off, trying to keep his smile stable.

“Nishinoya Yuu!” The other didn’t say anything for a good while. Yuu grew uncomfortable.

“What’s your name?” He asked, trying to catch the rapidly falling conversation, if you could even call it that.

“Oh! M-me?” It looked genuinely surprised. “I, I’m sorry. My name is, uh, Azumane. “ Another pause. “A-Asahi.”

Death slowly came to meet Life’s eyes, a small smile on his lips.

“It’s nice to meet you, Yuu.”

Chapter Text

Asahi did not have big plans for the day. He never did. So, when he encountered the God of Life, he was shaken, to say the least.

He was strange to Asahi. Little of the other’s presence made sense to him. Nishinoya shone brightly, more than anything Asahi had ever seen. He was excited, and never really stayed still for more than two seconds, either. For someone so small, Death thought he would be more fragile, and never expected the God of Life to be so crass, so reckless, so, so… so alive, supposed Asahi. It confused him and left the poor god nervous and uneasy, moreso than usual. However… Nishinoya also made him feel brighter. Like a darkness that loomed around him left, or lessened, perhaps. His presence felt warm, he guessed. Asahi had never felt warmth before.

Now, Nishinoya was still smiling and Asahi’s started to feel himself sweat. He wondered if he was supposed to say something, do something, or if the smaller god would yell at him again when he remembered his precious buds. He was about to shift away and say goodbye, but an ache began to bloom from the tips of his fingers, seeping its way to his chest, roots grasping deeper at the thought of leaving. So, Death stood there, face settled like stone, observing.

Before he could properly absorb his features, the latter shot up and slapped a hand over his mouth.

“It’ll be morning soon!” He gaped. “I have to go, I can’t be late- shit!” Yuu’s wings jutted out of his back and batted once, twice, and he was off the ground, gaining height by the second. “I’ll see you later, Asahi! I’d stay longer but if I stay any longer I’ll be in big trouble with Daichi and Suga!”

Wide-eyed, Asahi stayed planted firmly on the ground. Just like that, Nishinoya left him alone in the forest.

The ache slowly spread, a cold, slow tar filled his body once more. Asahi looked down and picked up his vase.

Distantly, he wondered who Daichi and Suga were… 'Maybe theyre nice,' he told himself. '... like Nishinoya,' a gentle thought supplied.

Yuu shot through the window and crashed to the ground, rolling to and slamming in the ajescent wall.

“Ouch..” He groaned and rubbed his shoulder. He put his hands on the ground in front of him, preparing to hoist himself up, but his right hand grasped a foot. He raised his head slowly, vision trailing up from strong calves to a dusty blue and gray robe, leading to familiar markings on a sculpted chest. Yuu pushed himself up to face his best friend.

“Whatcha doin’ there, bud?” asked Tanaka. He placed a hand on Yuu’s shoulder and ushered them over to a more private hall.

“It’s super early,” he continued, “and Daichi made it pretty clear a while back that he doesn’t want you sneakin’ out to drag more trees and animals into the main hall.” He wore a fond smile and rubbed the other’s back as he spoke. He loved his crazy friend, even if he often got him in trouble with his Meishu. Yuu shook his head and returned the grin, quickening his pace until he could turn and face his friend.

“How did you feel when you first met Kiyoko?” Yuu was excited as always, and the question wouldn’t have been strange to Tanaka if it wasn’t the first thing out of his mouth after barreling through a window at the ass-crack of dawn.

“What do you mean?” Tanaka followed the other, hands in his pockets, glancing lazily at the tall statues that lined the walkway.

“When you first met her, what happened? What did you feel inside? Or like, in your body?”

Tanaka stopped near an arched apeture, leaning against the sill. His brows furrowed and his lips pursed.

“I felt scared,” he began. “She was older than I was, more developed. Already had a purpose. Daichi had just unearthed me, y’know? Everything was new to me and the first god I met was some tall, powerful being. It was terrifying. Her eyes pierced through ya, and her hands were cold and wet. I thought she was beautiful. She was, beautiful. Scary, but… perfect.” His gaze was far and unfocused, but his lips were slightly apart, upturned in the barest hint of a smile.

Yuu’s own smile grew, knowing that the only time Tanaka was remotely poetic was when he was talking about his Shimizu.

He joined him at the window and nudged him in the shoulder. He recalled to how Asahi looked, when Yuu had first yelled at him.

“What made you less scared?” he asked.

“Honestly, I still kind of am!” He laughed and placed a hand to the back of his head. “Intimidated might be a better word, though. She’s still strong. And still cold. But the more you get to know her, the less serious she seems. Her edges rounded out and I became comfortable, or maybe she got more comfortable around me. Either way, after that, I fell. But I think I was falling from the moment I saw her.”

“Get to know her, huh... “ Yuu thought back to Death. 'Guess I’ll just have to talk to him more.’

Tanaka nodded, then his face scrunched.

“Why do you ask?” He turned to face the other with one brow raised. “Does it have to do with why you came crashin’ through the window?”

Yuu beamed up at him and nodded, grabbing his friend’s elbow and dragging him to a corner, shushing him profusely- which is ridiculous, Tanaka thought sourly, because Yuu has Never Been Quiet a day in his life.

“Ay, ay, Noya, geez! Calm down!”
“SSHHH” He had a finger over his grin as he rushed to the secluded spot.

“Okay, okay, promise not to tell anyone!”

“Noya, that’s never good coming from you..”

“C’mon!! Don’t you trust me!?”

“Not after that so-called ‘interior design’ stunt, no! Daichi is still making me clean up after it! You’re welcome, by the way, ungrateful bastard!”

“That was not my fault! ...Okay it was my fault, but you gotta trust me on this, I’m sure of it!”

“Sure of what?”

Yuu finally stopped his marching and crouched down taking Tanaka with him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. The two have been in this position many times. They were famous for getting into trouble, conspiring in hallways and whispering behind pillars. Still, no matter what, they always had each other. The familiarity of it made Tanaka ease slightly, and he mirrored Yuu’s hand placement.

“I left early today to meet the thing,” he whispered. “I talked to it and learnt why it’s stealing my stuff! I was gonna try to see him again today and ask more, but, like… He’s so different from what you’d expect! He’s HUGE and gorgeous and he's all soft and weird!” His free hand was moving wildly and his face looked pinched, but he had this lop-sided smile spead across his face and his core glowed radiantly. “He looks like he’s about to melt any second even though he’s so big- and I’m talking MASSIVE- and he’s just so- so beautiful, Ryuu!!” His gaze shifted from the floor to meet Tanaka’s, eyes wide and alight, both hands now grasping his friend. “And Dumb-chi thinks he’s a threat! He’s like a little bunny! Yknow, I was thinking! Like, maybe they can speak to each other and-”

Tanaka waved his hands in Yuu's face suddenly, and vigorously shook his head.

“The Thing? The Forest Thing that Daichi specifically said not to interact with??”

Yuu nodded and smiled even wider. “I promise, he’s not that bad! I’m sure!”

Tanaka was silent for a while, indredulous. He bent upright and placed his hand to his chin. Now, Yuu has done some pretty crazy things and has disobeyed big orders from Daichi before, but there was something different about how his Meishu had said those words that rubbed Tanaka the wrong way. He knew he should tell Yuu to let it go. He knew he should inform Daichi and Suga of his friends little ‘adventure’. Duty dictated it, and he felt his purpose as Guardian twinged in his chest… But the strength within Yuu’s eyes was stronger than any ferocity shown by their leader. That passion burned brightly, it was something that he knew couldn't be extinguished so easily.

“You spoke to him?” He asked, crouching back down, elbows resting atop his knees.

“Not for long, but yeah. Oh, you’ve gotta believe me, Ryuu!” Yuu’s small fists were balled up and his legs shook as he bounced with barely contained energy. Tanaka sighed and slowly mulled all his options over in his head. He had a feeling, a strange one. His admiration and desire to follow Daichi was strong and stable. However, his loyalty to his first and closest friend was ever-so-slightly more prominent in the structures of his soul.

“Noya, buddy, I…” His words fell short. He bit his tongue and furrowed his brow. “Tell Suga, at least,” he said firmly.

Yuu squealed and pounced on him, practically strangling him in a hug.

“Ryuu this is going to be amazing!! A new God, a new friend! And, hey, maybe Daichi’ll loosen up a bit, too! Urghh, this is great! Thanks for listening, man- I’ll go right now!”

“Go?” Tanaka asked, the word jostled by laughter as he scrubbed his knuckles against Yuu’s skull.

Yuu placed his feet down on the marble floor, a soft tap of skin against tile echoing in the halls now that silence befell the two. The sun could be seen rising slowly through the large archway.

“I’m going to talk to him again,” he stated firmly. “I’m not stupid, Ryuu. I won’t bring anyone to this realm without knowing them better. So, I’m gonna do what you did and talk to him! I’ll tell Suga tonight, I promise, but it’s work time now anyway!” Yuu was fast, already making his way to the nearest exit. Tanaka couldn't help but smile.

‘He’s so happy..’ He thought.

“You better! And be safe,” he called out. “Fly away the second you get a bad feeling! This dude could be big trouble!”

A few hops and flaps of his wings took Yuu away as he waved to his friend.

Talk to him. Get to know him. Prove Daichi wrong. Easy!

When Life had asked the Guardien deity what it was like when he first met his wife, Yuu was going off pure instinct and adrenaline, blurting out the first thing that came to mind. Some part of him distantly wondered how his friend might have found it weird, comparing a stranger to their perfect goddess. To Yuu, though, the connection was fitting. Asahi, too, was new, and held that distinct fear of everything that came with unfamiliar meetings. The towering god coward from Yuu, who was practically a third of his size. As much as he loved Tanaka, Yuu knew that at his core he wasn’t as confident as the god tries to let on. Of course he was terrified of Kiyoko, he reasoned. Anyone would be, when faced with such perfection. Yuu simply decided he would have to be more welcoming than the goddess was. This way, their relationship would bloom quicker, and they could avoid the drawn out annoying bits of 'etiquette' or whatever. Surely, this god was strong. He could handle a conversation or two. The sooner they could prove Daichi wrong the better, and he could probably convince death to leave his buds alone, too!

Yeah. This’ll be fun.

Chapter Text

Ever so slowly the sun rose up. Asahi watched it, perched securely on his nice sitting rock. Every morning, when his routine isn’t warped by a spit fire god who threatens you at the crack of dawn (Asahi shivered at the thought of having to feel such high energy everyday), he would sit on a large grooved stone cross legged as the sky transitioned from night to day in a perfect gradient of colours, some he couldn’t even name. It let him relax, think about his daily routine, even if it never changed throughout the centuries.

Today, he planned to finish his route through the Forest of Tamashi and make extra care to double check the buds he picked, not wanting to fuel the now planted unease that he was stealing Life’s healthy buds and that he’s been doing his job wrong his whole existence.

Then, he was going to go down to the waterfalls and look for the worn down animals and plants who were barely surviving the winter melt and take them as well.

And finally, he would return home and clip a few strings, then ultimately finishing his day and attempt to enter a much yearned slumber.

Asahi stood slowly, his eyes lingering towards the view before he walked down a path that led to the Tamashi outskirts.

He chose one carefully, inspecting it for a quite a while before he placed his fingers upon the bud. A slow, deep frown etched into his features while he pinched it by the base and pulled it gently away from the small branch. He never enjoyed taking the buds. The aspect of taking a chance of life before it even had one was terribly sad to him. It made everything colder, his fingers ached with a dull pain, small pinches of a sharper hurt ran up his hands as the souling withered and greyed.

Briefly, Asahi remembered the warmth of Nishinoya’s hand against his, the contrast in temperature causing it to feel like the appendage was on fire. He pulled his hand to his chest and frowned deeper, the starts of his eyebrows knitting together. He eased the inside of his cheek in between his molars and chewed. Carefully, Asahi walked away, trying to focus on the feeling of his feet against the cool dirt path. Grounding, he thought,

The rest of the trek was the same. A delicate choosing, an even more cautious picking and a painful throb of pain. Then a wave of panic and a tight pull in his chest consumed his senses as he tried to move on to the next, his eyes wet and red from squeezing shut when he was done.

Death sat down, placing his basin on the grass, watching as the blades withered under its weight and being. His back pressed against a tall tree, bark numbingly digging into his back. He pushed against it and winced. He was tired. Incredibly so. His bones felt heavy and his arms drooped. His head felt like it was clogged with cotton and cattail fluff. His eyes closed gently. A deep breath entered his lungs. It paused, then was released in a big gust. The god tried to relax, focusing on the red behind his eyelids. It was going well until the red was replaced with black.

Opening his eyes, he saw red fabric hanging off of pale hips and shoulders, gold marking littering defined, slim arms. They slipped closed once more. What a strange animal, he thought, usually they don’t wear things, even the weird tamashi critters… that's new..

Wait.

His eyes opened again, wider, as he lifted his head to meet the gaze of a grinning god.

“Asahi!”

His voice was loud and hands were again planted on his hips. The god in mention gaped at him.

“N..Nishin..noya..” His voice trailed as he stuttered quietly. The bright exposition scared him slightly and hurt his eyes. But an excitement seeded itself into the pit of his stomach, overwriting the negative feelings.

“You remembered my name!” He beamed, his hand jutting in front of Asahi’s face. After a while, the seated god realized he was trying to help him up. He lifted himself up, awkwardly declining the offer, scared of the contact. He didn't think he was ready to feel that again.

“You’re s-sort of, uh, diff-diffi… h-hard to f-f-forget… I guess... “ His stutter was heavy, he noticed, his tongue flubbing in his mouth unwillingly. His focus was solely on the small entity in front of him. He wasn’t this close last time.

“Thanks!” He laughed as he put his hands behind his head, interlacing his fingers. Asahi stood there, not quite knowing what to do with himself. Nishinoya’s gaze was piercing, he whined, hoping the god would be satisfied with a short greeting.

“I came to spend the day with you! Get to know ya!”

Asahi blanched. The day? Know him? How long was a day for Nishinoya? What in Karasuno would he want to know? Why would he want to know??

Panic surged through his body, a flight instinct pulling his body towards the path, but another feeling, horribly fainter and much more appealing was also there. A soft feeling seeped deep in his chest, out of reach but still noticeable. He couldn't quite name it, which bothered Death greatly, forein things were not very appreciated, especially in the emotions department. He filed it, with a small twang of unexpected giddiness, under ‘Nishinoya feelings’.

After he realized he was quiet for an embarrassingly long time, Asahi nodded stiffly, “O-okay.”
Not knowing what to do with company, he gingerly lifted his basin and pressed it tightly to his chest as he followed the path out of the forest. He kept his eyes on the ground and once again focused on the dirt.

“Sooooo…. What are we doing today?” Nishinoya’s big eyes once again burned holes into him. ‘We?’ he thought. That would change his plans, definitely, but Asahi came to the realization that he has never had a change in plans before. What would he do? What should he do?

“Uhm… well...I’ll uhm.. Be going to the f-falls-”

Nishinoya beamed and grasped at Death’s forearm with both hands.

“The falls!? I’ve never been! Let’s go!!”

Asahi tried to ignore how comforting those hands were.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The area was large and filled with lush vegetation for as far as the eye could see. Large trees circled the immense pond, their branches shading tall, thick grass and rocky banks. Pear trees, ferns and pines grouped together along with towering ashes and willows.

Loud and crashing, the water could be heard even before the pair arrived, a wide fall gushing down the precipice of a mossy ledge. The mist around it shined in the sun, rainbows and bright haloes glowed around the scene.

Within the pond, there lived lily pads and crowfoot, all bloomed and open, soaking in the nutrition of the day.

Asahi had to admit, this was his favourite place to go, especially in early to mid spring. The snow could still be seen shining from the high mountain edge, but down below life flourished. In an ecosystem like this, Death had little to do during these times. It was stable and little did not survive the cold. He did most of his damage before the last storm which left him with his task for today. Overturned roots and animals who couldn't wake from their slumber had to be taken care of.

They trekked along the banks, Asahi reaching into the water, feeling the flow through his fingers.

“Woah, I never knew the falls looked like this!” Yuu pranced around, running up and jumping to grasp tree branches, rolling in grass and fuzzing moss covered stones and roots.

Asahi only hummed in response, fishing out a struggling bumble bee. It’s wings were torn and overworked. He thanked the little bug for its hard work and pet furry abdomen before placing the now dead body on the ground.

Yuu waddled over to his side and layed down on his stomach, elbows propped and chin in his hands.

“That was a bee,” he asked, “What was wrong with it?”

Death was taken aback by the question. Could Nishinoya not understand… hurt.. Beings?

“It’s wings were wrecked..” he mumbled.

“Why didn’t you just fix them?” Yuu’s eyes were fixed onto Asahi. Said god wriggled under the gaze.

“Well… uhm… I can’t..” His voice was quiet, almost ashamed. Asahi felt bad enough taking lives, even worse knowing he couldn’t do anything about it, however there was a new stress within him. What if Nishinoya began to resent him? Why did he care if Nishinoya didn’t like him? The two were still quiet. Asahi thought for a moment. He’s never been in the company of another being, let alone a god… What should he do? The company was nice and he didn’t want to lose it just yet.. Should he lie? All outcomes he thought of resulted in him being alone again. But apparently, Yuu wasn’t as harsh as Asahi’s anxiety driven simulations.

“I guess that was a dumb question to ask death, huh?” He smiled wide to the other. Finally, Asahi had a chance to inspect him closer. His eyes were crinkled at the sides and grin bright and big. He had small markings on his cheeks, glyphs that glowed with a soft red-orange hue. His hair was unruly and up in spikes. Nishinoya was intense, he even looked loud, thought Asahi.

“So, what do you do?” Yuu turned his body to him, now sitting on his legs.

“Well.. I.. When things need to go, I uhm….. Take them, I suppose. The bee, it worked hard, and lived it’s life, but wouldn't be able to get food or anything with wrecked wings. It would have starved and been all alone and just suffer more than it needed to. So I gave it a painless out, so to speak. Ah, uhm… Right now, with the snow thawing, animals and plants, their lives are changing, or have changed. Some aren’t meant to make it.”

…

Asahi shifted. He opened his mouth to speak after the long silence, but Yuu cut him off almost immediately, his arms flailing up and and eyes aglow.

“That’s the most I’ve ever heard ya speak! You’re really openin’ up to me, aren't you?”

Death stilled. Was he? He supposed so.. He stood up, looking around with his hands to his chest. He looked down to Yuu, watching the smaller god give him a little smile, a softer one that made Asahi feel something new all over again. Once the emotion was filed, he slowly reached down, offering his hand.
Yuu took it, pulling himself up.

“You do your thing, I’m gonna explore! Then we can go somewhere else, yeah?”

“Y-yeah.. Be careful…”

The last few words weren’t heard, for Yuu had already ran off, jumping around and following common butterflies around the fielded space. Asahi stood there, digesting the interaction. A while ago, this thing was yelling at him for taking buds, and now he seemed to understand, or at least not mind.. He would ask, later. First, he busied himself with work.

After a while, Asahi had finished and found Yuu hanging off a tree from his knees.

“Are ya done?” He pulled himself up and jumped down, bouncing on the balls of his feet. After Death nodded, Yuu put his balled fists on his hips.

“So! Where to now?” Asahi gave him a look. He thought Nishinoya would have been bored, left or wanted to go home.

“I was going to go home.. You should too, probably…” He tucked his hair behind an ear and shifted from one foot to another.

“I should. But I like being with you!”

Asahi smiled. That was nice, someone enjoying his presence. Yuu beamed and vibrated up and down.

“You can smile!?” He seemed genuine and excited, which made Asahi chuckle, his head throwing back while a low rumble bubbled in his chest.

“Yes, I can laugh.” His smile stayed, faint and for once, comfortable. “Though, you should really get home.. Or do your tasks.. You’re really important, Nishinoya, what you do…”

Yuu felt a strong tug in his chest. He should, and he knew what he did was important, but he felt more excited, happier than he’s ever been in a long while with Asahi. He wanted to make him laugh again. Make him smile. Feel him again. His arm and hand, they were cold, but firm and strong. The muscle under his skin was apparent, it felt incredibly nice in his hands.

Yuu shook his head, trying to get rid of the thought. ‘Calm it, Noya, you thirsty bastard.’ He could hear Ryuu’s voice in his head.

“Can I come with you?” He asked. His hands rung together, trying to resist the urge to touch the many markings that he was now hyper aware of. He was surprised with himself, the sudden urge to touch. The strong pull was already there when he found the god sitting under the tree, the want to be near the other. But now, watching him work, hearing him laugh and seeing him actually smile? His stomach fluttered and he could feel his cheeks and fingertips tingle at the thought.

Asahi nodded, hesitantly.

“Follow me,” he said gently. And Yuu followed happily.

Chapter Text

Once he had waved Yuu off, Tanaka wandered through the halls aimlessly, waiting for the sun to rise above the treeline so he could ring the morning bell.

He loitered around, slowly making his way up to the highest tower. He pulled the large rope once, twice, and stepped back as he listened to the gongs that rang out through Karasuno. Once they subsided, the god made his way down to the front garden.

He selected some hydrangeas, bellflowers, lavender and a few wild daisies. Once he’s happy with the little bouquet of blue, purples and whites, he wanders off a bit further to the little pond they keep that trickles into a larger lake which runs through the Tamashi Forest. There were an abundance of lilies and crowfoot that float otop the water, large bees buzzing around the opening florai. He inspected them closely, taking in the sweet scent of early pollen, his hand dipping in to pick a singular lotus.

Their room was cool and the air was damp as it always was, sunlight reflecting beautifully on the thin mist that filled the area. Tanaka watched from the doorway as his lover brushed her hair silently, reading a parchment he had gotten her from earth.

“Good morning,” she said, not once pausing her motions, however a small smile grew onto her slim pink lips. He watched her, entranced by her beauty. It was funny to him, he saw her every day, woke up beside the goddess each morning but somehow he was still taken aback each time.

He padded over to her side, placing the bouquet on her lap and taking the brush from the goddesses hand. He resumed the pace she set, letting the strands flow in between his fingers and going lighter when he hit a knot.

“Mornin’,” he mumbled, focused on not hurting her head. They sat there in silence for a while, the sound of brushing and mourning doves the only thing accompanying them. Once he was happy with his work, he wove the root of the lotus into a braid, securing the flower above her ear.

“Thank you.” She turned, making sure the flowers on her thighs did not fall and placed a kiss on Tanaka’s brow, then another on his cheek. “These are pretty,” she hummed, “Are they new?”

Tanaka hummed, his cheeks and heart growing warm. He wrapped his arms around her tightly, nuzzling and kissing her once neat hair.

“You have to work today,” she remarked, “Sawamura would not like it if you were late again.”

The god groaned and plopped his cheek on her head, not loosening his grip since she had only started to hug back.

“Can’t I say I’m sick or something?” He whined. She smiled and untangled herself, holding his hands in hers. Her thumbs rubbed smoothly along his palms.

“Gods do not get sick,” she mused. With that, Kiyoko was up, flowers in hand. She replaced old with new in a swirled glass vase.

“The sooner you get to Earth, the sooner you can meet me back here.”

She was right. She’s always right, he thought.

Together, they ventured to the main floor, giving one last embrace and a quick kiss before she made her way to where she was needed.

“Tanaka! I have an important job for you today!” His Meishu’s voice was loud as always, warm and present.

Tanaka found himself on Earth for his assigned task. Daichi had placed a new meadow that Yuu had already fertilized and riddled with green life. All that lacked were animals.

The god had been instructed to safely guide them once they woke out of hibernation. This meant Tanaka had to pair up with the Seasonal God; Yamaguchi Tadashi.

Together, they began to round up the list their Meishu gave them. Twenty rabbits, ten doves, six racoons, six squirrels, two moles, eight robins [cut for length]...
With that, they were off.

Yamaguchi was currently placed upon Tanaka’s shoulders, reaching up into their last bird's nest.

“C’mon, I know you like it here, but we have a new fancy home just for you..!” He cooed. The bird cleaned it’s back feathers.

“I don’t think this is working,” admitted Tanaka, “The thing seems pretty comfy. I mean, I would be too, pretty sweet nest it’s got there.”

“Agh-! Please be careful when you’re looking up!”

The other muttered an apology before looking out to the novel meadow. He saw a ginormous willow, habituated by a few of the doves, that covered a small body of water. The doves had adorable little chicks that he couldn’t help but want the best spot for them. It would be difficult to find a good home for this bird. At first, he suggested they leave it. What’s one less? It’s not like Daichi would find out. But then Yamaguchi said that Daichi would, infact, find out and he did not want to be on the receiving end of that scolding. Tanaka had been a bit annoyed at that, not because the god was right, but because the tone was a bit too similar to the one of a certain bratty Moon God who rubbed him the wrong way. But that’s a given for Yamaguchi, he thought, it wasn’t his fault he has shitty taste in friends.
A bit further, he saw a thicket of woods that were on the other side of a shallow ravine. He could see splashes of colour though the leaves and trunks, a good indication that there could already be life.

“I got her!” Yamaguchi sounded proud as he climbed down Tanaka. Said god looked to see the bird, only to find it snuggled and nested in his friend’s hair.

“That’s what you get for looking like a tree.”

“I do not..” He stuck his lower lip out in a very successful pout and folded his arms. Tanaka sighed. These young ones have too much power over him, he grumbled.

“Ahh, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. But look, I found a place for her!” He gestured towards the fixture with a jerk of his head.

“Oh! Lovely! Are you excited, ma’am?” The bird gave no response other than sinking deeper into her new nest.

The closer they got, the less calm the bird was. She had tried to fly off Yamaguchi’s head, but upon feeling her standing up, he took her into his hands.

“I know you miss home, but there’s lots of food and flowers and animals and probably many cute birds around too!”

It didn’t seem to be convincing enough, for the animal continued to squirm in his grasp.

“C'mon Mrs. Birdy, it can’t be that bad! Ya got some trees, some some nice ‘ol sitting rocks.. What else do birds like?” Yamaguchi frowned and shrugged. Tanaka ran the back of his pointer finger along the small creature's head. It cooed quietly, nuzzling up into his hand.

Yamaguchi padded quickly towards a luxurious clearing. Long drooping cypresses and ashes reached over a patch of flowers, sun peaking out from the open spaces between leaves. It was still and quiet. Nothing moved, but then again looking at it, Tanaka felt like the ground was breathing, the pits of florae staring into him. They warped slowly and the sun seeped from a glorious golden to a stained, blurry cyan. He squeezed his eyes tight, the light leaving strange red phosphenes behind his eyelids. When he opened them, everything was normal again.

“Do you uhh… Think this is a good place?” Yamaguchi beamed and walked a bit faster.

“Of course! It’s gorgeous! She’ll love it here, I know it! Look, ma’am, the flowers compliment your feathers, very flattering, if I do say so.”

The optimism seeped into Tanaka, his grin slowly returning. Yamaguchi was too darn cute to dwell on some dumb eye slip.

“Extremely flattering, m’Birdy! We have some pretty mums, darling lycoris, a few lovely ipomoeas, and uh… What are those?” He pointed towards the center of the flower cluster. Yamaguchi pursed his lips.

“Not sure..” He mumbled. Suga would know, thought the god, they look familiar, like from a story or something. He looked at the flower harder, trying to rack his brain for the name.

He placed the bird onto the large bed, his hands brushing the centre. His body went cold. Every nerve ending stung, pain erupting through him.

He jerked back violently, gasping for air. His lungs felt like they had the most frigid fire inside them. His sight left him, blackness entering as he shivered, falling to his knees. He couldn’t feel his hands. He couldn’t see. He couldn’t hear. Yamaguchi’s ears were filled with a low ring that almost registered as shouting but he couldn’t tell. Everything was numb. Everything slipped from him. All he noticed was his head hitting the ground.

_______________________

Tanaka watched his friend place the small bird on the flower. Watched as the sparrow turned from a lovely maroon, grey and black to a sickly, translucent hue before the whole thing became still. He watched Yamaguchi’s hands brush against large petals and a slow grey creeped up his fingers as his whole body was practically thrown away from the flower bed.

It took three seconds, but they dragged on like centuries. He stood there, frozen. Yamaguchi fell in slow motion in front of him, his body hitting the ground. He could barely hear himself shouting at Yamaguchi to get up, to respond, to tell him why his arms were grey and cracking. The dysphoric scene returned, a rush of panic following. The trees reached around them, stretched their long arms and clamping shut, sunlight leaving only to be replaced with a horrid darkness, the eyes of the flowers growing larger, their heavy gaze burning into Tanaka’s skin. His throat closed, his arms wrapped around himself squeezing tight, eyes closed. A gasp raked through his body. One, two, three huge gulps of air through him before he pulled himself together. The god grabbed the other, hawling him into his arms and rushing as fast as he could back home, not seeing the bird crumbling into the earth, the clearing left with no blemishes or intruding estrangements.

_______________________

“Sugawara! Sawamura! Chikara! Someone get out here dammit!!” His voice was hoarse and breaking in high squeaks as small cries left his throat. Yamaguchi still hasn’t woken up and the cracking was making its way up the arms. He was horrified, this has never happened before.. It shouldn’t happen at all! Gods don’t crack! Their markings don’t disappear!! This was all wrong and he didn’t even know if Yamaguchi would ever get better or if they would ever be able to work together again and in that moment, he would give anything to hear the younger god babble about frogs and how soggy warm foods were good and how Tsukishima wasn’t a dick and-

“Tanaka, what are you- Holy shit…”

Ennoshita guaped at the two.

“Suga.. H-He’s in the main..” he shook his head quickly and ran behind Tanaka and pushed him towards Karasuno’s plateau.

“What’s all this noise, you can’t keep coming home yelling!” Daichi’s voice boomed and a snarky remark could be heard from Tsukishima who had his back turned, once again seated on his ledge. He turned, planning on making fun of Tanaka for being a bad influence on Tadashi but his face paled and blood ran cold.

Everyone rushed towards them.

“What the hell did you do!?” He screamed, trying to pry Yamaguchi from Tanaka’s arms, only to be shoved away by Koushi. Ennoshita and Daichi tried their best to keep the others away while Kouchi laid the unconscious god down.

“Tanaka, what happened?” His voice was solemn and serious, deadpan and unwavering. The Guardian only shook his head. He was still crying. No words could be formed over his quiet babbling and every time he tried to open his mouth, salty tears seeped into his mouth leaving a salty and sticky residue.

Koushi frowned, trying to search within him to see if a familiar situation has ever happened before. He heard Daichi try to calm Tanaka down and thought how much easier it would be if his friend was there for him. The thought of Yuu yanked him to a memory. The transcript. The legend. Life being stuck down. Greys and golds filled his vision, the painting in full coming into his head. He clearly saw Life’s chest cracked open, the rest of his body dull and shattered. He was regurgitated back into the moment, his heart sinking.

“He’s dying.” He said. His eyes found his husbands, locking on in the most intense gaze he could muster.

“We need Noya. Now.”

Chapter Text

When Karasuno came to be, the forces needed to maintain a World were set in its foundation. Twelve beings seeded deep within the fabric that laced Karasuno together.

The first one to sprout was a strong, broad shouldered being. Dark features, earthy tones settled upon defined, raw potential. One to create the beginnings of it’s new home.
Slowly, but surely, strips of clay and soil were placed down, rough hills and slopes outlining the plans of it’s world.
Then, the second pip began to rise.

A glorious thing, it was. Bright and caring, a vessel for wisdom and knowledge. Gentle, calm, glowing auras, flowed around and through the being. Capable and powerful, full of expanding intelligence, it began to guide the other, slowly weaving knowledge and grace into the firm terra.
When it joined the other, the two began shaping their world. A place they were given the reigns to.

The others popped up slowly to join, one by one. Ever so steadily, the world began to grow.

Life filled their home and land with lush organisms and gave breath to new creations. The dull browns and reds were replaced with bustling greens and yellows.
They were blessed with Water, an essential to Life.
Forces came, grounding energy that kept it all in place. Elements, large groups of power that fueled the land. Darkness came, Light came, Seasons came.
Earth had even created its own Gods, with the help from it’s Kurieta; two Guardians. One for the mountains to the seas and another to protect delicate life on Earth, giving them knowledge and guidance.

Daichi was the first God of Karasuno. He and Koushi raised the others, made their group the family it was today. A deep rooted bond was sealed between them all. Daichi took pride in being their leader. He was proud of the Gods around him and dedicated his life to making them happy and keeping them safe, and he’s done a pretty good job, or so he thought… Everything kept going wrong. From Yuu, to the potential of Death among them, to Yamaguchi hurt and possibly passing. Life was nowhere to be found. His family was hurting.

Daichi’s head spun. He barely registered Koushi telling him to find Nishinoya. He wasn’t in control, and for once, there was nothing he could do about it. Where the hell is Noya?

They scrambled about, some preparing to look for Nishinoya, others trying to help Koushi. But before they all knew it, Yamaguchi gave a big gasp, shot up, and screamed.

The colour of his arms slowly returned as his cracks mended. He was panting heavily, looking like he had been dumped in ice cold water. His hands steadied themselves onto Koushi while the others quickly scurried around the two.

“Holly heck Yamaguchi, are you okay!?”
“He’s obviously not, Dumbass! Look at him!”
“Stop yelling, Meanie, you’ll startle him!”
“You’re yelling too, idiot-”

“Will you two shut up for once!?”

Tsukishima’s voice was loud and aggressive. He didn’t take time to relish in Hinata and Kageyama’s shocked and scared expressions. Instead, he kneeled in front of Yamaguchi, gently placing a hand onto the god’s cheek.

“Talk to me, Wagashi..”

Yamaguchi had his eyes closed. He felt the gentle touch of Tsukishima’s palm and heard his quiet voice. It sounded desperate, far away and yet so close. Soft and caressing, Everything about it threw him off guard, tenderness was not something Tsukishima used, however Wagashi was only something he said during moments that were important to him.
His moon was reaching out, just for him. Yamaguchi smiled.

“I-I’m okay.. Tsukimi…”

Tsukishima jolted slightly, quickly looking away. His cheeks were pink and brows were furrowed, the exact expression Yamaguchi was looking for.

“Shut up..”

The other only laughed, then collapsed into his arms. “I’m tired,” he mumbled.

Koushi offered him a small pat on the back.

“Try resting a bit, I’m sure you're exhausted.”

The seasonal god nodded, accepting Tsukishima’s help to get up. They slowly made their way inside, Tsukishima giving a small nod to Koushi, telling him he’d take care of the other.

A few moments passed and everyone seemed to let out a long breath. Hinata and the others began sprouting questions at him while Koushi desperately tried to wrap the occurrence around his head himself. Before he could manage to answer someone, Tanaka took his wrist gently, but firmly enough to show urgency.
“Suga, can I talk to you? It’s about Noya.”

Chapter Text

The two gods walked in silence through what seemed endless woods.

Branches overhead filtered golden sun, beams illuminating their path. Rocks felt cool beneath Yuu’s feet. His toes wiggled in gravel and padded softly against thick, smooth stone.
The tall trees were some that he’s never seen before, white and black bark, deep burgundy and warm dark browns mixed with leaves of greens and yellows. Certain younger greenery were budding or bloomed, a darling smell exuding from them, bees and bugs drinking in sweet gold that poured out of small open flowers.
Birds sang and water that poured from the waterfall, it’s powerful gust only white noise in the past. The sound of feet against ground and leaves filled the ambiance.
However, none of that was Yuu’s main focus.

While Asahi walked, he hummed ever so quietly. Deep rumbles rising to soothing tenderness Yuu had never heard before. The tune was unfamiliar, but short and simple, repeated and built on as time passed.

The god in front of Life seemed more in his element than before. His lips curled gently at the corners and his grip on his basin loose. A gentle smile was accommodated by cute creases about the ends of his eyes, lids half covering those glassy brown-gray swirls. Yuu couldn’t look away.

It was strange. The initial intimidating aura that radiated from Asahi was gone, replaced with a gentle, comfortable energy Yuu has never felt before. Everything about Death was new to him. He loved it. It thrilled him, but at the same time, Asahi made him calm, relaxed and open. Asahi was…

Yuu’s hands wrung around his loose clothes. Thoughts ran through his head quickly, all centered around Death. Worries and excited curiosities flooded through Yuu’s brain. But they all stopped as Asahi stopped and turned to look at him.

“I know it’s long but, ah..” He worried his lip between his teeth, pushing his hair from his face. “I really like the view..”

It took embarrassingly long for Yuu to realize Asahi meant the forest, not him.

“It’s gorgeous! I've never been in these parts of Karasuno. Where did it come from?”

Asahi began walking once more, but this time, he was beside Yuu, close enough to feel the small god’s perfect warmth. He laughed, running his fingers across tall grass.

“It is incredibly old. No one’s ever been here but me.” He looked up, then to Yuu with a shy smile. It made his chest feel fuzzy. “But now you’re here too. It’s, uhm.. It’s nice.”

They fell back into silence. It felt awkward to Yuu, but only for a moment. He was too happy to let some bastard emotion get in the way.

Contrastly, Asahi could feel himself sweating. Yuu was very small up close, and never seemed to get bigger each time Asahi noticed. His presence, though, was different. He was calmer, thankfully, and Death did not have to worry about passing out because of overstimulation. His head hurt dully and certain footsteps were uneven, but he felt that way with all and any change. He remembers, way back, how discombobulated he was when seasons and light became a thing. It took him years to not have a panic attack upon seeing snow.
Yes, Yuu was new and uncharted territories, but Asahi was somewhat okay with that. He still wanted to feel those hands against his, hear the loud voice bounce off the surrounding surfaces. For the first time, new was okay, but just as nerve-wracking.

When Asahi stopped, a large black-iron gate stood in front of them. Behind its swirled bars were stairs which sunk into the ground, darkness swallowing them. Death raised his hand, a glow humming from the center of his palm, and the gates slowly creaked open. Yuu watched in amazement. He couldn’t do anything like that!

“Awesome, Asahi! How’d ya do that!?” Eyes bright, he beamed with a new intensity.

Said god stuttered, pulling his basin close to his chest to cover the bottom of his face. Yuu frowned.

“What are you acting all wimpy for?” How can someone that cool just become a mess in two seconds?

Asahi pouted slightly, not quite knowing what to say. Instead of giving a response, he waddled to the gate, gently placing a foot on the first step.

Immediately, the stair bursted with colour, swirls of gold and white bloomed along with the obsidian black, each other step following the same design as he padded down them. The walls went from void of colour to a midnight blue shifting from Indigo. Hung from the top of the well were chandeliers, large pieces of metal intricately designed, dark shaded gems encrusted within. Candles lit the way, the flames burning a bright lapis. Yuu followed, the floor cold against his feet. They went down and down, the case slowly spiralling the deeper they descended until it stopped, a narrow rosewood door hinged to the tall disappearing wall. It opened on it’s own, sounding rusted and old. The room inside was blindingly gorgeous and Yuu rushed to get inside, but was stopped by one of those large arms.

“Uh-uhm.. Could you.. Wipe… your feet please?” Asahi stood awkwardly, one foot pointed out to a rectangle of dewed moss. Yuu’s laugh echoed on the tall walls, but he obliged, then continued his pursuit to the large unknown room.

The space was ginormous, at least ten times bigger than Karasuno’s main hall, he thought. Gold floors, large vine covered pillars which were made of some sort of rock, walls that were a deep, dark purple type quartz reflected the light and Yuu’s image... All of that was breathtaking, though not the main attraction of this hall.
The ceilings could not be seen, but from the void dropped endless amounts of copper coloured strings, thin thread falling in wavy tendrils, bunched to the side and disappearing again into silver wells. Lining the room was one long curved rock, dips and divots holding thousand upon thousands of lit and unlit candles.
In the middle of it all stood the most peculiar thing, though. A sizable octagonal fountain rose, glossy golden-hued white liquid flowing from each corner. It trickled down, straight sharp lines down to the floor and across to the silver wells. The moment it was all connected, a bell sounded, large and powerful, yet sounding off into the distance.

Yuu guaped at the scene. It was unreal, so novel. He slowly turned to Asahi, breathy words spilling from his lips.

“You.. You live here..?” His smile was so big it hurt. Of course Asahi lived here, it suited him. A beautiful home for a beautiful god..

“Yeah.. W-well, it’s more of my work pace than.. Living space. But it’s part of my home,” he mumbled, trekking across to where the fountain dwelled. Yuu followed excitedly.

With one big swoop, Asahi dumped his basin. Souls dripping in one by one, mixing in with the liquid. Each lit up as they flowed through the streams, sending to the other wells. Steam rose from them, a gentle simmer could be heard as it misted to the candles. Some went out, then others would light, each connected by tendrils of smoke.

Yuu sat on the edge of the fountain. He watched Asahi work. Large hands curling around the vase, intense and focused eyes darting around to follow the traveling souls, tinted lips pursed ever so slightly. He sighed, looking down at his feet. Can’t get distracted, he reminded himself.

“What happens to them?” He asked, finger grazing the smooth surface of the ledge he sat upon.

Asahi was quiet. He knew they were once Life’s creations. Watching his purpose being thrown away like this must hurt, especially when Yuu would have been able to watch them grow. He knew their potential, saw a uniqueness in each, but Death was destroying that. He knew that. His eyebrows furrowed.

“They die, I suppose. The souls aren't developed,” he began, “They have no history, no being. I don’t quite know where they go… but, they fuel new souls.” He looked up to Yuu’s eyes. “Those new candles, they’re the lights of your newest buds...” Yuu had never thought of that.
“I know they mean a lot to you. But this is important. It gives new opportunities, a life to things that otherwise wouldn’t have existed.” He didn’t know why he was lecturing Life about himself, but Asahi couldn’t stop his anxious-excitement filled drabble.

“When those light up, I would always imagine Life blessing them, like I knew they would be. And the candles would grow brighter and brighter like they were being filled with new love. A-and their strings would become strong and develop friends. And I thought, wow, what an amazing god, that Life. He works so hard for each of those little buds.” Asahi chuckled, low and light.

“You know, I had all these expectations for you, like what you would be like,” he continued to laugh, his words shaking as his smile grew bigger. “I thought you’d be huge, and strong and so caring and beautiful, like an.. An angel. Powerful yet gentle, something that brought warmth no matter what, even though I didn’t even know what warmth was…”

He turned to meet Yuu’s eyes. His lips stretched into a gentle lazy grin, cheeks dusted pink as he quickly looked down to his fingers as they laced together.

“I wasn’t too far from the truth, I suppose... “

Yuu’s body felt like it was on fire. He didn’t know if he should laugh, cry or kiss him. He was breathless for a moment, still entranced by the way Asahi’s big dumb body moved.. Then, those stupid big dumby doe eyes looked at his and he practically exploded.

In a brilliant moment of word association, Yuu shouted.

“Pears!”

. . .

“P-pears..?”

Yuu shot straight up and turned beet red. PeArS!? Good fucking job, Dumbass.

“Uhhm, from the-the uh, waterfall!! I grabbed some and they’re in my pockets and heavy and I wanted to know if you’d like one, if you even eat food and holy shit what if you don’t eat I’m so sorry, I’m an idiot and you just fucking spouted poetry about me and I’m talking about PEARS-”

His arms flailed about until they were caught between Death’s cold ones. That deep rumble of a laugh came back and sent Yuu skyrocketing.

“It’s okay, Nishinoya. I’ve never eaten, but I wouldn't mind trying.” He suggested, clapped his hands around Yuu’s twice for reassurance, then opened them palm up. A pear was placed there soon after.

A huge bite was taken out of Life’s as he tried to stifle his dumb mouth, but small bits came out as he laughed watching Asahi try to stomach a bite of his own fruit. His face contorted at the overwhelming flavour. He tried, he really did, to swallow it but it just wouldn’t budge from his suffering mouth. So he sat there, a completely defeated look on his face and cheeks full of foreinly sweet pear. He whined and squeezed his eyes shut while Yuu’s laughter grew.

“You’ve actually never eaten, huh? Just spit it out, ya weenie!”

Deflated, Asahi opened his mouth to let out a sad pile of half chewed pear. He tried, he really did. Yuu found it just a bit cute.

Together they spoke for a while, talking about Asahi never eating before and Yuu eating clean an entire blackberry bush, about Yuu’s bear ornament in his house even though literally everyone in it begged to have it removed, of Suga and Daichi and how they kissed all gross all the while Yuu tried his best not to blurt out how much he wanted to try some of those kisses with Asahi, and how Death once owned a little chicken named Okashi centuries ago.

It was amazing, Yuu loved every moment of it, but that wasn’t why he looked for Death today. All he needed to do was tell him to stop touching the buds, maybe coax him into stop killing his things all together, then ask him to come with him to spit on Daichi. Yes. This time, it was the utmost important to stick to his plans. He sucked in a breath and turned to Asahi, but the air simply puffed out as he looked at him. Why was this so hard!? Okay, deep breaths… Try again. One, two, go.

“Do you need to take my buds?”

The words came out fast, too fast for Yuu to stop when he saw Asahi deflate, hunched into himself.

‘Oh..’

Of course, Asahi knew this was coming. He had a suspicion Nishinoya just wanted something from him, but what he hadn’t expected was for it to hurt as much when he asked. Was he really that bored that he had to cut to the chase so soon? Probably, he reasoned. Not talking to anyone other than a pet chicken and the occasional bee took a toll on his small talk abilities. Death sighed. His familiar cold seeped back within him. He thought he had already explained many times, but maybe Life just couldn’t see the use in Death. Did Nishinoya not understand what he did was just… right?

“Well, yes.. It’s my job… Do you need to make those buds?” He tried to reason. Nishinoya looked at him in a way he couldn’t quite place.

“Uh, duh? Yeah? What do you mean do I have to? I’m making important things and you’re just killing them. Why can’t you stop?” Now, Yuu had no intention in malice or being rude, he was stating what he believed was the truth. He did make important things and all Asahi was doing was stealing things that weren’t his, then taking away the life he gave them. Did Asahi not understand what he was doing was wrong?

Death paused. Stop? He didn’t think he could. Then he got an Idea. Just like with the bee, he would show Nishinoya what he did, then he’d understand.

“Nishinoya, when I take your buds, I take beings that aren’t meant to be, I told you. It’s beyond my control who lives and doesn’t, I just carry on the task. But, most of the time, I take away the pain or struggle that living gives them.” Before Yuu could say anything, he raised a hand and called down a thread. It was dulling from the tip, slowly rising up. It was thick, and coloured a light grassy green.

“This being is in pain. It hurts, wouldn’t it be horrible if it had to be that way forever?”

Yuu was still quiet, but seemed to be listening. His gaze followed Asahi’s hands and the string. He supposed that made sense. But.. But.. But nothing! They were important and if Asahi wanted to help he should just take away the pain, not take away everything!!

Asahi could tell this wasn’t quite sinking in like he wanted it to. This was difficult, getting to Life. He let go of the string, setting his elbows on his knees.

“I wouldn’t be a God if I wasn’t important..” Yuu immediately shot up, but Asahi was struck with a thought before the other could say something.

“We’re opposites, but those are just as crucial in the God world, right? The dark and the sun, Seasons changing and water disappearing to drop somewhere else. I’m your other half, don't you think?”

Yuu stilled. He hadn’t thought of that. But it (finally) made sense. Shoyo and Tsukishima, Suga and Ennoshita.. It was like all the pieces were put together in his head. He still wasn’t happy about his things dying but… If they didn’t, Asahi wouldn’t exist. He didn’t want that. But why? Why did he care? Why was Asahi important to him?

Asahi watched as Yuu thought, his face shifting in twenty different emotions at once. He made a move before the other could speak again, he wasn’t sure if he could take anything more before crying.

He touched their hands together, palm flat against palm.

“You… You want me to stop doing things that hurt your work. I get that. But I can’t do that. Do you understand?” Yuu nodded slowly, eyes fixed on Asahi’s. This wasn’t right. The hand burned so badly against his skin and in his chest. If Nishinoya got his answer, then it was over. Everything would go back to normal.

“We could both keep going our ways, doing our jobs. And it’d be fine.” his hand fell from Yuu’s and brushed his hair behind his ear.

He frowned. Maybe that was for the best. It was nice, the time they spent today, but Yuu’s presence was too much right now, as the cold feeling seeped deeper within him.

It all rushed Yuu faster than any revelation had, and made him feel like he fell flat on his back, air forcing out his lungs with a rough punch. He didn’t want that. Why didn’t he want that? Asahi couldn’t want that, could he? To stop talking? Before he knew it, Asahi stood up. The colder Death felt, the more he wanted to forget Life’s warmth. Of course he just came to convince you to stop, why would you ever think he wanted to be with you?

He tried to put on his best smile. “You have somewhere to be, right? I need to keep working. It was nice to speak with you, Nishinoya.”

He turned and walked to a distant door, leaving the room, and Yuu, alone.

Life frowned hard. No, this was stupid. Death was being stupid. ...Right?
He grumbled and grasped onto the string Asahi had tried to show him. The moment it touched his fingers, it exploded with its proper colour. Yuu cursed and let go. He got his answer and was unharmed, which proved Daichi wrong. This was what was important right? He didn’t need to be friends with Asahi. Like Death said, they were opposites. He didn’t belong in this place. Even if that thought hurt his brain and chest more than anything had.

Maybe.. He growled and folded his arms, getting up and speeding up the stairs trying to ignore his head aching.

Maybe Daichi had been right about something.

Chapter Text

Leaned against his door, Asahi heard the faint stomping of Life’s feet as he left. He took in a deep breath but it got caught on its way out. His eyes were closed, face scrunched and fists tightly rung together. ‘It had been going so well…’

Death had only known Nishinoya for two days. It wasn’t necessarily rational to be so crushed about this, he reasoned. But even with the limited time being together, Asahi had already fallen into a comfortable position with him. He was unnerving, yes, but made their time spent together exciting.
Perhaps, in hindsight, Asahi should have known what was to come, and should have expected Nishinoya to only want to resolve the issue with his possessions and leave it at that. No friendship blossomed and no feelings were hurt. But there was hurt and he did think they could get closer. Asahi let out a soundless whimper and sank to the floor. The first God he had ever met left him just like that and it was back to being alone and cold and miserable. He didn’t want that again.

He didn’t know how long he stayed on the ground or when he had started to cry, but when he tried to stand up he couldn’t ignore the deep settled ache within his bones. The pull towards the grown and droopiness of his eyelids only amplified as he opened the door and walked out to his main room. Everything was back to usual. He was alone, encompassed with a pain that never quite left his weary body and left to doing a job he didn’t like. With Nishinoya, all that was gone. Temporary bliss, he thought, running his finger along his palms which were still buzzing from their contact with Life’s hands.
For the first time, he wasn’t alone, with that one God. He had felt like he never had before.

Asahi’s brain continued to spiral as he leaned against the large pool. It’d be selfish, the thought, to seek the company of someone else only because it made you feel better. But he liked his presence and really did like hearing about Life’s family and job and strange antics even if he didn’t understand more than half of it.

A large gust came from his core as he limply draped himself over the ledge. He was tired and sad.
With a large push prefixed with a few minutes of mental preparation, he rose from his former position to resume work so he could rest. He called upon a few threads, pulled them tight then cleavinging them through the middle. His heart couldn’t take watching their life play out tonight.

With a final string cut, he trudged away to another stairwell that led to his room. His body flopped onto the hard carved out bed that protruded out of his wall and wrapped himself with a thick woolen blanket. It took him a while to fall into his craved slumber, however when he did, it was far from pleasant.

Yuu ran out the large gates and darted his way down the path. His eyes were blurry with moisture and his lungs burned as he tried not to make any stupid crybaby noises…
Aurgh!! ‘Keep going our own ways?? It was nice talking to you???’ What the hell does that even mean? Was Yuu that rude? Did Death hate him because he just HAD to ask about those dumb fucking buds? Why did he care more about his relationship with Death than his creations? Why did touching Asahi’s hand feel like the best damn thing he had ever experienced?

Questions muddled in his head while he desperately tried to find an answer to all of them. He stopped to breathe, leaning against an oak tree. He cursed silently, the bark rough and jutting out in every which direction. It looked old and almost dead. Can’t even find a decent tree, he grumbled. When his brain calmed down slightly, it was then he realized he had no clue where he was. This whole time he had been fixated on Asahi, the way he moved, spoke, looked.. He hadn’t even considered looking at his surroundings when they traveled to Death’s home. Stupid, stupid… Yuu turned and kicked the Oak, shouting out at impact. ‘Fuck that hurt….’

What was his problem, he mentally scolded himself. This shouldn’t be a problem! They didn’t fight, they didn’t yell, Yuu had gotten what he wanted. But when he thought about it, looked more into himself, he realized he didn’t really want this. When he layed eyes on Asahi just that morning, all his plans flew out the window and the only thing that filled his mind was that God. Together by the waterfall, Yuu had fun, he enjoyed speaking to Death, he loved swinging around, teasing Asahi and learning about all the different things he thought about and had to do. He loved the weird mushy-swirly feeling he got when their eyes met and he adored every second of Asahi’s dumb blushy nervous rambaling. He liked being with him, even if they didn’t speak at all. But that can’t be right, right? They’ve only known each other for like- not even, what, two days? But those feelings were there. And no matter how hard he tried, Yuu could not deny anything around wanting to be with Death every moment of the day.

Life tried to compose himself. Okay. He was kinda sorta lost, but that could be fixed by flying high enough to see the paths clearly. He was not going to get his buds back or stop them from being stolen, but that was okay because death is a God with important work to do just like the rest of them. He has unsorted feelings towards Death, but that’s an entirely different issue for another time.

Current mission: Get home, talk to Daichi and Suga, cry to Ryuu. Okay- Go.

Back at Karasuno, things were dying down.

Koushi and Tanaka had wandered off a ways away from the group, a strained silence strung between them. It wasn’t often Tanaka would adopt such a serious expression, and even more rare for him to seek counsel with Knowledge in private. It put Koushi on edge, he didn’t like this. He didn’t like that his family was getting hurt and that he couldn’t do anything to help or reassure them.

They reached a small clearing, a sitting area in Tanaka’s garden. Said god sat himself onto a large stone, hands resting on his knees, upper body stiff. Koushi tried to smile, but it came out too forced for it to help anyone.

“What did you need-”
“Noya’s been seeing Death.”

. . .

“He’s been WHAT!?”

Tanaka cringed. Koushi yelling was never enjoyable.

“He’s.. He said he spoke to him a bit and how nice he is, he went pladdering on about the guy like he was the next best thing. How he wanted to talk to him more before bringing him to Karasuno.”

“Dvf- He can’t- Here!? Being him here!? And it's a he now?? What the hell is going on Tanaka, Daichi had specifically said NOT to talk to him and he goes and pulls this crap!?” Koushi looked beyond angry. His hands flailed and face contorted into a nasty scowl.

“I- he.. Noya Just wanted to scope out if he was really dangerous or not, is it really that bad?”

Koushi grumbled and folded his arms, turning away from Tanaka. He tapped his foot against bare earth trying to find a way to explain his worries in a way that wouldn’t send Life’s best friend into a tizzy. He whipped around and took in a deep breath.

“It might not have been a big deal if Yamaguchi didn’t just almost die.”

The words layed heavy, implications and underlying blames weighing upon Life. Tanaka was put aback. ‘Did Suga really think Noya caused this?’ He went to speak, but Koushi cut him off.

“He should leave that thing alone, we don’t need more gods here or need to interfere with whatever it does.”

“You’re sounding a lot like Daichi..” Grumbled Tanaka.

Koushi frowned heavily with an offended look.

“Because Daichi was right, that thing can’t bring anything good! What if it kills one of us? What if it kills Noya? What do we do then? This isn’t just Noya not listening and getting into a little trouble, this is Noya being needlessly and selfishly reckless at everyone else's expense! The literal embodiment of Death shouldn’t be anywhere near Life!”

“Why not?”

The voice came from above, Life hovering over the other two. Yuu tucked in his wings and landed with a dull thud.

Koushi’s mouth went into a tight line as he balled his hands at his sides. Life and Knowledge had an intense stare down, neither looking away, both trying to convey something without having to say it aloud.

“I’m.. gonna gooo…” Tanaka jutted his thumbs towards the exiting path and walked backwards before sprinting away. A yelling match between those two was never fun to be around.

A long sigh left Knowledge as he scrubbed his palms against his face.

“And where were you?” Koushi had a stony look. He was disappointed with himself, he couldn’t bring himself to adopt that signature fake smile, but what bugged him most was how Yuu looked at him straight on without wavering.

“I think you already know, seeing how you just told Ryuu about how much I wasn't supposed to be there.”

They stood, eyes locked once again.

“You were ordered not to.”

Yuu scoffed and turned away, arms wrapped about himself.

“Yeah, well, Daichi orders a lot of dumb stuff.”

“Don’t be rude, Yuu.”

“I wasn’t,” he spat.

There was a pause.

“We’re only trying to keep you safe, Noya. You need to understa-”

“Blah blah, quit it with that keep me safe bullshit, you and Dachi are just cowards! You don't even know him! It's not like it matters anymore anyway, I’m here, no harm done, now quit your bitching about Death!”

Another pause.

“Yamaguchi almost died.”

“I said quit your- wait, what?” Yuu’s head turned and his expression immediately changed from a hard coldness to deep concern. “Holy shit- is he okay? Where is he-” “Noya..” “Gods, And I wasn’t there-” “Noya, come on-” “But Asahi didn’t do anything with those fancy strings and stuff, no one could have die-”

“Yuu!!”
“Yes..?”

“He.. Tadashi is fine. We should.. We should go and talk. I don't know what’s got you all mad but you have to understand where I’m coming from.” Koushi offered a hand as he took a step back towards the main area. Yuu took it, muttering an ‘okay’ as he fixed his stare to the ground.

With a huff, Yuu plopped down onto Koushi and Daichi’s bed, the former soon following.

“So,” began Koushi, “Who’s Asahi?”

Yuu frowned deeper, hands rung together on his lap.

“It’s Death’s name..” He mumbled.

Koushi’s eyebrows raised in shock.

“You know it’s name?”

“Yes, I know HIS name.”

A slow breath came from Knowledge. Obviously there was something that happened. Now if only he knew how to get Noya to tell him and understand about this Death.

“You… You spoke to him?”

Eventually after a quiet bout, Yuu nodded and looked out a window, face pinched.

“And he didn’t hurt you?”

Yuu shook his head quick.

“He would never…” He mumbled. That surprised Koushi.

“How do you know?”

Life shrugged and squirmed in his seat. He held his hands close to his chest and let out a small grumble.

“We spoke a lot.. He’s..” Memories of Asahi flooded through Yuu’s brain. His gentle smile, strong but careful hands and sweet voice, Death’s admirable wisdom and soothing insights. ‘He’s… gone, now..’

“He was wonderful.”

The two gods sat, the sentence hanging heavy over them.

Yuu snapped first.

“He was wonderful, Suga! He was everything I never knew I needed! He’s so kind and gentle and sweet to everything around him and so smart and good at what he does and when he speaks my body feels like its warm honey and when we touched it was like the cold moon baths along the springs. Oh, Suga, he showed me these wonderful places, they were so gorgeous and cool and HE’S cool and amazing and powerful, like, he can open these huuuge doors with his hand like woosh!! And has these beams and strings that are so amazing and awesome!” Yuu’s hands waved around as he gushed, his words fast and eyes wide. He glowed golden feverishly and his neck and tips of his ears slowly turned pink.

“I’ve never felt so drawn to someone in my life, Suga. And it’s all gone because of my dumb ass and stupid buds..”

That was a lot to take in. Koushi and Yuu’s eyes met, Life panting gently as he calmed down.

He should have known, really, that Yuu would have gone and spoke to death. But now, he’ll just have to deal with what is already done. Obviously, the two had shared something or another, but thankfully it seemed to have fizzled out on one side.

“Well,” he slowly began, “If it’s gone, you don't have to dwell on him, right?” Yuu gave him a sharp look. “Aren’t you supposed to tell me something supportive?” He grumbled.
Koushi frowned.

“Yuu.. If he didn’t feel the same way as you did, then maybe it’s better for everyone to let it all go.” Before Yuu could interject, Koushi threw his hand up as to tell him to wait.

“I really don’t know how to segway this properly, Noya.” Life looked confused, but continued listening. Koushi thanked him before he wandered to his desk, taking the scroll that rested there.

Sat once again, he opened the scroll to show Yuu. Said god scanned the picture, eyes resting heavy on the image of what he assumed was Death.

“That looks nothing like him..” He mumbled. His brows knit together and lips pursed, trying to put the two beings as one. The painting had his long hair, but it was webby and darker than his actual colour, his eyes were black and stern, an intensity Yuu could never see Asahi having. What bugged him the most was how he looked so.. Angry. Asahi’s supposed face was contorted in a way that made him look otherworldly, cursed or something. One hand was placed on Life’s neck, the other glowing a strange colour Yuu couldn’t quite place.

Koushi’s hand brushed along the page, figures coming to life. In the Tamashii forest, Death held Life’s throat, a thick spear manifesting from above, shooting itself down. Before it hit anything, the painting exploded with black ink, the mix slowly seeping into a deep red, fire encompassing the world around what looked like Yuu’s bed. The flame burned bright until white took over. The painting faded, slowly returning back to it’s matte stillness of an old scroll.

“It’s an old legend,” he started, “Daichi and I never thought too much of it, when you came around. We figured since Death wasn’t here, it wouldn’t matter too much. But now that you two have met, and we know he actually exists in Karasuno and our Earth, we can’t risk this, Yuu.” Koushi placed the scroll down on the floor, his hands then cupping Yuu’s face.

“We can’t risk him ever hurting you, hurting us, this world we’ve all worked so hard on making and keeping safe, Noya. Together, you’ll only find carnage and pain, he’ll bring the end to our home. Please, if not for you, for the rest of the Jūnishin, stay away from that-that monster.”

Yuu’s eyes were hazy, glossed over and had a distant look to them. ‘Monster?’

…

“Yes, Suga.”

Chapter Text

A suffocating weight wrung his body, breath coming out in short gasps, pressure crushing his burning throat. Endless darkness stretched far, the inky blackness consuming his senses. He couldn’t feel his hands or seem to see past his nose no matter how wide his eyes enlarged.

Despite his paralized state, he could feel himself running, movement evident as he slowly became more and more out of breath and felt the pounding sting of feet smashing against a surface.

The more this continued, the more effort he put into thrashing around, trying to regain control of his body. A particular jerk sent white hot pain to his brain, head exploding in the bright tone as the world feathered into view.

Only as he felt himself be thrown forward did he realize he had tripped.

Each nerve end burned as they screamed while he rapidly fell faster and faster.
At first, he was simply falling through a night sky, but the longer it went on the more land came into view. A scream tore through the core of him, flinching roughly and curling inwardly to brace for impact.
But it never came.

Opening his eyes, Asahi slowly registered his surroundings. It was a lovely garden, though all the colours were muted by the night. He cast his gaze upwards, a hazy focus settling on three large orbs far in the sky. One a deep earthy tone. Another, which seemed significantly closer, a light grey, jagged patterns dancing across the surface. Lastly, the third one was distant and rather small, yet somehow a different shade of darker black against space. It had a large golden crack going through it.

Asahi made his way through the garden, passing a rock, a small pond and finally coming to a large area covered in large stone tile. He made his way around, the bare padding of his feet echoing in the empty space along with the shallow thumping of his heart that roared in his ears.

The thumping gradually got faster as he reached an enormous palace. He eyed the giant gold statues that sat on each end of a tall door. His hand itched to open it, fingers curling and uncurling as they slowly raised to brush along cold iron. With the small contact, it swung open quite violently, the ringing creak defining and gust of frigid yet stuffy air stinging. The smell almost reminded Asahi of rotting flesh.

The hallway was long, looked like it went on for miles as it blurred out in the distance, but Asahi noticed the walls, which were also lined with statues, were also faded and muddled in appearance, faces undetectable and feet never really reaching the warping ground.

His feet moved on their own, though, as he made his way through.
It felt like centuries, but also mere seconds when he came into a four way intersection.

Each hall called to him. Whispering voices contorting as they reached him, moaning high and low as they begged him to come to them. They grew louder the closer he approached an opening, whispers raising to ear piercing screeches of defiance and threats. His head whipped around, trying to find a safe place, but he collapsed, feet unable to follow as they were in the tight grasp of many shadowed hands that lead into the separate corridors. His fingers scraped for purchase on the smooth floor. He looked behind him in terror and was met with thousands of little eyes that blinked back at him. When he turned his vision forward again, a door stood in the place of whence he came.

His hand raised slowly, shaking as it struggled to reach the knob. When his longest finger grazed it, all tension from his body fell, screams slowly disappearing to hushed and remote whispers once more.

Asahi shakily rose to his feet and opened the door. It made no sound as it swung.

Inside, the room was messy, orbs of glowing energy splayed across the room. A bed sat against the wall to his right, a large arched window carved in the one parallel of him.
Outside, he noticed distantly that it was getting brighter out, creeping hues of light yellows and oranges coming from the edges of the sill.

The god approached the bed, trying his best not to knock over the strange orbs.

A small figure laid motionless in the bed, no sound coming from it. That was not what bugged Asahi.

It’s face was sunken pale, eyes wide open as if the lid had been peeled off. They secreted a dark ooze that leaked down the sides of it’s temples and gathered in a disgusting pool under the figure. Asahi took a step back, a shudder racking through his body as he cringed violently, but the walls had been slowly closing in as his back was met with stone.

He flinched at contact, his head going to turn to look at the intrusion, but his eyes snapped back to the thing on the bed. Low cracking popped from it’s jaw as it opened, a shallow breath being forced out. The room slowly filled with the stench of flesh he smelt earlier, this time encompassed with sulfuric undertones.

The pupils of the figure trailed their way to meet Asahi’s, a low grumble erupting from it that morphed into a horrific scream. His hands flew up to his ears but it did nothing to muffle it, the scratch getting higher and louder by the second.

Asahi searched for a way out, his eyes darting left and right for an escape. They landed on the window, now heavily lit up. He paced forward to it, but another sound reached him. The crackling of burning.
Outside a roaring flame devoured the landscape. The fire licked up and through the window, illuminating the room. His eyes burned and felt hot and dry as he stepped back.

Everything was dead, the world was burning around him.

As Asahi woke up, his hazy memory held tightly to how much that corps on the bed looked like Nishinoya.

Chapter Text

The days slowly crept along, the usual routine steadily finding its pace. Tears dried and work had to be done. Asahi told himself that, but at late hours he would find his cheeks wet and he couldn’t bring himself to go to the Tamashi forest.

In his head, Asahi had already sorted out his feelings about Nishinoya. He came to the conclusion that it was a brief meeting, and it wasn’t meant to be anything else. Life had a question and probably couldn’t find the right time to ask. There was no other reason he would want to be around Asahi. No one did. And now, they could resume doing their jobs, no connections to anything. It was a good thing, really. For a split second, when Life looked at Asahi with the brightest smile and warmest eyes he considered to stop his work if only to keep that smile forever.

Of course, that was ridiculous.

Over the next few sun rises and moon shines, Asahi made it closer and closer to the Tamashi forest. Passing the waterfall and sitting rock hurt every time, but slowly, the feeling withered down to a dull throb. His mind would wander as it always did, however the muse of his mind ached his heart.

At the outskirts of the Tamashi, he ran his hand along a branch, gingerly feeling the petals and leaves. With a deep breath, Asahi took his time to follow his habitual path, plucking buds and dropping them into his basin. They looked old, he noticed, none of them as vibrant as they used to be. They wiggled loose easily, some fell at the lightest of touches akin to a dying rose being shook by the wind. It was concerning, this ment there was something wrong with Life, or more scarily, Death was growing stronger. Asahi quickly shook those thoughts, of course there were tons of other reasons for the limp lying buds.

Gradually making his way, filling his basine as always, it got easier. His chest no longer felt as heavy and his eyes did not sting. The familiarity of routine did wonders for him, the gentle lul of wind through trees and the pittering of small animals on the forest floor. The smell of damp leaves and moist bark filled his nose, each breath soothing his now peaceful mood.

Everything was tranquil until he heard a large thud coming from a few paces away.

This is bullshit, everything is bullshit, Suga and Daichi are full of bullshit. That mantra chanted in Yuu’s brain for days on end. The more the god thought about his conversation with Suga, the more frustrated he became. Then, he had been so overwhelmed with prophecy garble and his sorrow surrounding Asahi, but now, being able to truly think this through, the more holes he could punch into the concept. Asahi was no monster, and never could be. That clementful giant could never do anything to hurt anyone, even when taking lives his hands were careful and graced gentleness to each one. Secondly, the fact that Suga is placing the entirety of his judgment on some grody old parchment is the stupidest thing Yuu had ever seen Knowledge do. Who is he to base everything he was willing to know about Asahi from that? Especially when Yuu had told him otherwise? No one in Karasuno seemed to care to listen or even consider Yuu was anything but crazy for even wanting anything to do with Death.

It pissed him off to no end. When he was ungrounded (Daichi had his own two cents on punishment, saying Nishinoya doesn’t listen to half of what people say to him anyway) Yuu found himself still stuck in his room, unable to think of working in a positive light. Whenever he woke and the sun peeked over his window, he would feel the warmth and eagerness of life. But, after a few moments of his mind settling, his heart would wander to someone who made him feel that exact same warmth and excitement. Every day, a deepening pit of loneliness kept him stuck. He stayed in his room and played with the souls he had there until there were none left to nurse, then went to cater to the dulled creatures he found when tagging alongside Ryuu. Eventually, he dragged himself over the Tamashi, repeating to himself that one bad thing wasn’t going to ruin his life. He went through the woods, lazily brushing along the new and old buds, blessing what he felt like and ignoring what seemed too far of reach. When all the buds were radiant enough to his dampered standard, he would laps back home to mope some more, waiting for the new sun to repeat everything over.

When Yuu noticed that none of the buds were missing, and no grey could be seen purging his creations, he became slightly concerned. Where was Death? Why was he not able to do his job? Regardless, he thought, it made it all the more easier to work when not worrying himself about running into the other god. But he felt a frustrated ache, a more petty side of him grumbled that if Asahi was not going to make an effort to find him, he wouldn’t trouble himself either.

Today was the same as any old day, rousing his creations and wandering aimlessly between the brush. He was almost done, nearing the center of his forest, when he heard a sound coming from the east. Yuu’s ears perked and head whipped to see if he could catch a glance of the creature. It wasn’t often to see larger animals in his forest, but it was always welcome. Nothing was more thrilling than seeing a towering elk or a crouched wolf. Maybe he could get another bear.

Quietly, Yuu bent his knees and sprung up with a dull swoosh of air that shook the leaves at his feet. His wings manifested and batted slowly. He hovered around, traveling to his right to investigate the sounds. For a while, he saw nothing but trees and bushes, an owl and a cat draped lazily on a branch, but no huge thing. Disappointed, he turned around to go back to where he left off, but when he did, his whole body went cold.

There stood a tall figure draped in blue cascades and adorned with ebony tendrils, its back turned to Yuu. Life knew instantly what that was, who that was. His wings stopped in his shock and all he saw before hitting the ground was Asahi’s concerned eyes looking back at him.

Yuu woke up back against a tree and soft grass under his feet. His eyes were still closed, head throbbing dully. He wiggled his toes, feeling the cool blades of green and warm earth beneath them. His hands dropped from their position atop his knees and felt around his sides, his left hitting a cold hard thing. Brows furrowed, he trailed his hand up, palm flat against the object. He felt grooves and divots swirling around the probably ceramic. Begrudgingly, his eyes opened to peer at it. He recognized it, the basin being that of Death’s, the one the god had showed him so many sun downs ago. It felt like an eternity since they met, a sentimental ripple flowing over him. His fingers traced along the design before remembering why he fell in the first place; Asahi was here.

He shot up, then instantly regretted it, dizziness grabbing hold of his sore head swaying him around uncomfortably. Before he could fall again, a firm cold grasp clasped itself around his arms, effectively holding him in place. Those hands shot away before Yuu could even begin to relish in their presence.

They looked at eachother, seconds stretching on like years. Yuu drank in everything he could. All the emotions he felt over the past few months surged to his throat. Asahi was still just as he remembered, albeit more tired perhaps, his shoulders slacked and under eyes dark. Asahi, however, looked at Life in a strange way. He looked scared, surprised, maybe a little mad. Everything bubbled up in a distasteful murky concoction, pushing itself up into Yuu’s mouth. A strange gurgle came from him before he took one step closer, then lunged himself to Asahi, arms wrapped firmly around Death’s torso.

It took a long moment for Asahi to respond. His brain paused, skin flaring up in prickling heat. what is this..? Everything swirled in a confusing flurry. Though, the most prevalent thought was Nishinoya.. Didn’t… hate him?

Ever so tenderly, Death’s hands brushed over the sides of Yuu’s arms. They laid, then, on warm shoulders. It wasn’t uncomfortable for either, to Asahi’s surprise. They just stood there, ever so slowly melting into each other. It was nice.

When Yuu spoke, Asahi jumped slightly, then took a step back to look at the other fully for the first time in so long. Life’s words did not register. All he could focus on was the angelic glow of his skin, golden and so bright, dark melting amber looking up, wide and deep. Asahi was trapped into a gaze that highlighted the tiger agate hues of the god, his thin bottom lip and small canary coloured speckles sprinkled over cheeks like loose pollen. Most importantly, there was the ghost of heat that danced along Asahi’s skin.

“....what about you?” His fixations came to a halt when the underwater warble became coherent. Yuu looked up at him with intent and anticipation, obviously looking for an answer.

“Uhm, could you.. Repeat that? Please?” He felt the nape of his neck warm slightly.

Yuu tilted his head slightly, eyebrows perked. He then grinned a smile that made his eyes scrunch and teeth peek from behind stretched lips.

“I’m glad to see you haven’t changed much,” he laughed.

The two untangled themselves and stood back. A silence fell over the two that, over time, grew more and more awkward. Yuu was the first to speak, his hands wringing together in a semblance of nervousness. Asahi noted the new action, constantly registering it in the file that had been growing dusty in his mind.

“So, do you.. Want to come with me this time? I can tell you what I said, again.” His offer was cautious and laced with hopefulness that only made Asahi feel even more compelled to the him. After a quick nod of the head, Yuu brightened and busted out his wings. He started to hover, wings gently beating and hand outstretched. Asahi took it gingerly, slowly stepping closer to the flying god. “Where do you have in mind,” he asked. Yuu simply shot him a smirk and shrugged his free shoulder. With that, they were in the sky.

Asahi felt like his arm was going to rip off. He had never been big on being too high up, let alone flying. But before he could ruminate too deeply, he found himself plopped down on a slightly damp, soft surface, almost like the moss seas he would have to trudge through in the north.

Oppon opening his eyes, he saw a gentle peach blush their surroundings, fluffy mists of whites, pinks and blues reflecting the warm colours that spread underneath and around him. A yellow glow encompassed them from the east, smoothing out the pastels in a gentleness he’d never seen before. They were in the clouds, Asahi registered. Yuu stood a pace in front of him, a smile dancing upon his lips as Life looked around, basking in the beauty. The mellow hues of the sky reflected within Yuu’s eyes, the ones that trailed to meet Asahi’s, the ones that slipped shut as a myrful laugh rippled through him.

“You’ve never been up here before, have you?” Yuu spun around with his arms spread, then plopped himself down. He barely sank into the clouds, Asahi noticed, his lyth being seemingly floating upon the watery masses.

Asahi shook his head. “Have you?” It was a dumb question, he relized belatedly, however the other simply nodded and folding in his wings.

Once again, silence stretched between them. Asahi spread his fingers in the mist beneath him, tentatively scooping his hand within the cloud, feeling through the condensed fog. When he looked back at the other, he found a fond expression on his face, shoulders relaxed and hands supporting behind him. He sighed and tilted his head, his golden bangs brushing above his eyebrows in an almost unreal grace.

He’s beautiful, Yuu thought, extending his arms back. When Death looked up, Yuu couldn’t help but awe at his hair pooling past an ear and in front of maroon glazed eyes.

“I never thought I could miss someone so much,” he whispered. His eyes fluttered shut as his head fell back between his shoulders. “I was so scared that I would never see you again.”

When he was met with long silence, he looked over to the other. Death's eyes were wide, eyebrows bent upwards in a sympathetic type shape. His mouth hung open slightly.

“You-You missed me…?” Yuu was surprised, who wouldn't miss Asahi, he thought. Before he could answer, the other chuckled ruefully, shaking his head. “I was so sure you’d never want to see me again. I thought… I..”, he looked over, sadness evident on his face.”I thought you hated me.”

Yuu’s eyes flew open and he jutted towards Death in a panicked manner. “No, Gods no, Asah!i I just.. It wasn't like that at all, it never was, I could never, you’re…. You’re wonderful.. To me.” The last bit came out as a whimper. What in the lands ever made Asahi feel like that? Begrudgingly he came to the realisation that it was him.

Life sighed. “Asahi. When I left I was angry, and I didn’t fully understand what you had said but after a while I did! I get you now, I think. I want to! At least. Being here with you now, I’d.. well I’d give up a thousand buds to be with you! Its not even about those stupid plants anymore Asahi, I.. I should’ve just told you the truth right out the gates. I’m sorry.”

Again, no response came after a long while. Slowly, Asahi looked as though he had built up the courage to speak.

“I didn’t mean what I said before y’know, I didn’t want to leave you. I don’t want our lives to be separate. I wanted to be with you, I just thought.. I thought I was doing the right thing. For both of us.” He laughed. “I thought it would hurt less, just being apart and coming to the conclusion that we simply shouldn’t be together. Imagine how dumb I felt later on.”

Yuu smiled and took his hand. “There’s so much I don’t know about you, but.. Still, I would rather anything than to be without you now that I know you’re there.” He looked up to meet Death’s gaze. “I want to be friends,” he stated firmly, shaking hands once. Asahi broke out in a smile.

“I’d like that too.”