The sun was barely a thought in the sky when Koushi tip toed his way past the small group of priests chatting quietly near the front of the Torii. They were maybe Five feet away from the looming, wooden structure but it did not persuade him from turning back. The young boy of Six was on a mission and he would not stray from it this time. Relying on the shadows still heavily present, gripping his Geta firmly in one hand as the other stretched out in front of him, Koushi bent forward and waited for his chance to bolt. As silently as possible of course.
Once he was sure all backs were turned far enough away from him he bent his knees and pushed off with his left foot with force. The rough surface beneath his feet caused him to hiss and grit his teeth together in pain but he still pushed on. Unfortunately he did not make it as far as he'd hoped before needing to hide himself again. Ducking behind a tree just outside the Torri he pressed his back against the rough bark and tried to catch his breath. He'd forgotten to remind himself to breath naturally before bolting and his chest now heaved with the sudden intake and release of oxygen. His lungs burned slightly and he could vaguely hear footsteps drawing closer through the rushing sound in his ears but he tried focusing on staying low and as silent as he could. Sort of praying that he wouldn't get caught when he was so close to making it past the first obstacle of his mission.
What felt like years to the small boy was actually all of Four minutes. His breathing evened out and the footsteps passed without actually drawing close enough to catch him in the act. Slowly but sure he became confident again. Turning slowly on his heels, crunching tiny stones and dirt into the already sore pads, Koushi gripped the trunk of the tree as he ever so slowly, which wasn't slowly at all but we'll let him believe it was, peeked around the width of it. The group of priests were all but gone now with only two left and no sign of the odd one. A wide, rebellious smirk gently lifted the corners of his mouth. He remained in his new hiding place, just waiting for a second opening to bolt past the imposing Torii, through the Sando, and into the long winding pathway leading to the Secret Shrine.
The name always confused the small child. Everyone in the village knows about the shrine, always has as far as he knew, so it was no secret. Yet nobody openly talks about it. Anytime Koushi and his parent's have walked by the road leading to the entrance of the shrines pathway they have pulled him to the other side of the road to avoid it. Even going as far as to bow their heads away and encourage him to do the same. Of course he never actually asked any of the adults about the name, as it seems like it's not something you're supposed to talk about. At all. Ever. Never ever. Unless you're one of the few children growing up in the small village and you have an overly curious mind like Sugawara Koushi.
Shukketsu Sakura Shrine.
After several months of sneaking around the shrine grounds eavesdropping in on those allowed there, he'd finally heard it's proper name. It had been said in a deep, low timbre of a whisper from a priest that Koushi has only ever seen on the shrine grounds. Never in the village and never at the market that pops up once a week. The priest has always intrigued yet terrified Koushi. His voice causes him to inch closer to listen but the darkness surrounding the man sends cold shivers down his back. It doesn't help that he's also never actually seen the priests face. Unlike the other colorful priests, draped in silks and intricate patterns, this one always wears long Jinbei or Yukata with a long scarf wrapped carefully around his head. All muted colors with no design. As if he was simply trying to blend into the world than be a part of it. He's the priest Koushi likes to call the odd one.
He watched the two chatting figures closely. Eyes twitching along with the tips of his fingers, just waiting for that one chance to take. If he moved too soon he would be caught and no doubt punished. Again. But if he wasn't caught, yet anyways, he would move on to his next plan once he made it into the pathway and towards the location of the Chozuya just outside the shrine. The end of the pathway is the target for today. Which is always as far as he's ever gotten but that's besides the point. At least he wasn't stupid enough to think he could get any further than that without someone catching him.
Namely the sly one with the eyebrows.
Somehow the tall, dark man always, always, catches him and quietly walks him back to the road leading into the village. Unlike the other priests the sly one is never mad that Koushi sneaks in, in fact he usually looks pretty amused. Despite Koushi sneaking into the area almost everyday, basically every chance he gets, not once had the amusement swayed into anything else. Not even annoyance or impatience. His thick brows would simply lift as they eyed the small Silver haired child up and down as a wicked grin lifted a corner of his thin mouth. Eyes surrounded in thick black, lashes not from lack of sleep, and hooded low as if the man was bored. But the shine in his eyes proved the bored tone of his face was far from what he felt inside. The man should look intimidating with how tall he was, looming over most of the people Koushi knows, but he truly doesn't. Not like the odd one. In fact, he's always felt a sort of comfort mixed with slight annoyance whenever the sly one's showed up.
Once he'd actually described the man to his mother. She'd been impressed with how much description Koushi had put into it, even agreeing to sit down with her art materials and sketch him when he'd started begging her to, as he wasn't one for focusing on too much around him. Preferring instead to run and leap before looking in any situation. To put it in perspective; Koushi could barely describe his best friends face, who he sees literally everyday and has seen everyday since they were Two. Yet he described this one person so well his mother was able to actually draw him for her son. Right down the eyebrows and wicked grin. Of course he'd gotten into so much trouble after the conversation that he hadn't been able to leave the house to play let alone attempt to sneak out for almost two weeks. His mother had drowned him in chores that she would normally do until his muscles ached and all he could do was eat and sleep in between the tasks.
A soft breeze swept through the air, swirling up and around him, even lifting the top of his Jinbei to whisper across the suddenly exposed skin, before rustling through the leaves high above him. A shiver ripped through his body causing goosebumps to litter his arms and legs. A sense of foreboding hung around him as the gust of wind left as swiftly as it has arrived. Once everything had settled again the heat of the oncoming morning settled in against him again. It was the middle of Summer and all signs pointed towards it being one of the hottest they've ever had. Probably why his mother had allowed him to wear one of his Jinbei outside for the fourth time that week. The sky was brightening and the sun would soon peek through the surrounding mountains, no doubt giving him away in a matter of minutes. If he was to act it would have to be soon.
Nodding to himself as if confirming the situation he shifted his eyes back and forth over the still remaining men in front of him. Debating on whether he could outrun them from their distance or not. The silk was no doubt heavier than his attire and they were old, probably fragile as most elderly are (according to his mother which is a reason why he's supposed to treat them with utmost respect), so it was quite possible that he could outrun run if he got enough of a head start. Deciding to act now rather than wait he brushed his hair behind his ears and bent his knees, leaning more on one than the other as it shifted slightly forward, he prepared to bolt. Reminding himself to breath this time.
"Patience is a virtue," his whole body froze at the husky, all too familiar timbre that was suddenly whispering in his ear. A whimpered sigh passes his lips as the realization of being caught floods his veins. Koushi had been caught, once again by the sly one. Not bothering to turn around to face his daily fate, the boy dropped his head in defeat and slumped his shoulders toward his chest.
"How!?"
"Shh. Quiet or we'll be caught,"
"Wha-"
"Shh," a large hand covered his mouth gently and a broad chest leaned into his back forcing his head and shoulders to lift back up. They both remained silent. His heart sped up and relaxed and sped up again in uneven waves as he tried to understand what was happening. A cold sweat broke out and beaded against his forehead and upper several minutes the hand slipped away but instead of moving completely away from him it landed on his shoulder.
"Patience Koushi," to say he was confused would be the most accurate description. On any other day he would have been dragged by the hand or, on days when he hopelessly tried to fight back, hoisted up and carried against the man's hip like a sack of rice, long arm around his middle, away as soon as he'd been found. However today the sly one kept repeating in whispered breaths that he needed to wait. To be patient. But for what? The answer soon arrived when the sun was almost completely seen over the mountains, filtering shining beams of heat over the Earth. This was the longest he'd ever remained here and, it was somehow eerie. Back home there would be all sorts of sounds from nature once the sun broke through and shone down upon them. But slowly, Koushi became aware of the lack of sound. No birds chirped, the leaves and grass swayed slowly but didn't truly make the same sound he's heard earlier when the odd, slightly powerful breeze had rushed past. The noise of chatter, Geta scrapping and tapping against the stone and earth could be heard, but the nature was almost absent. His mind tried to wrap around an idea as to why, but he was too young to truly question it. Instead he mentally shrugged, concluding that it wasn't of importance in the moment.
"Ah, see. They're leaving," his wide eyes focused in front of him, around the width of the trunk once again just as he had before the sly one had shown up. Sure enough, the remaining priests had turned in opposite directions, their conversation now ended, and they were shuffling away from them. The hand on his shoulder gave a light squeeze before the man moved away from him. Turning his head he glanced over his shoulder to see the looming figure now standing at his full length, a hand outstretched towards him.
"Come on, before they come back and catch us," Koushi did not move, confusion clear across his features. The man, as usual clearly amused with that grin and that spark in his hooded eyes, just stood there with his hand held out. After a minute he bent down closer to the child, attempting to seem more trustworthy and less threatening.
"You wish to see the shrine right? Iwaizumi isn't here today, for once, so I can sneak you inside without being caught," the joy the mans words brought him caused a wide grin to spread across his face, wrinkling the corner of his eyes as they turned into slits. But a question popped into his mind and all but killed the smile and joyous feeling that had almost spread throughout his small chest.
"Why?"
"Hmm?"
"Why would you sneak me in? Won't you get in trouble?" he whispered the questions so low the man barely heard them. But he had and didn't skip a heartbeat before replying.
"A friend of mine wishes to meet you,"
"Who?"
"A friend,"
"Who?"
"A friend,"
"Who? Who?"
"What are you an owl?"
"Maybe," it was said so quickly, without a second thought, and with such a blank, serious face that it caused the man let loose a howling laugh at that response. He simply hadn't been expecting it but he should have. He's known the small, wide eyes, silver haired boy for almost Two years now. Has been the one to drag him away, almost every day since his first curious and sloppy attempt at sneaking inside. Actually, he recalls the first attempt at coming inside the restricted area being the most amusing thing he'd seen in hundreds of year. This tiny child, in short pants, no shirt and no shoes just socks, simple walked down the middle of the path just past the Sando as if he owned the place. Eyes looking around in such pure curiosity and slight innocence, a swing to his arms and a skip in his steps. It had been the first time someone, let alone a child, had ever simple... Waltzed inside that every priest and being had watched with jaws dropped, frozen actions and wide eyes that followed the boys movements. Even Iwaizumi had starred in blatant disbelief before stuttering out a demand for someone to take him back to the road.
That being had been Matsukawa. He'd laughed for days with Hanamaki and Bokuto over the incident. Both wishing they'd been present to see it for themselves. Even Iwaizumi had chuckled a bit over the child but he'd caught himself and gone back to silently brooding before leaving the group as usual. The group had gone quiet themselves as they watched their friend stalk away.
"Well little Owl, do you wish to see the shrine or not? You will not get this chance again, I promise you that," a small pout appeared as the Hazel-Brown eyes sunk into low slits again, staring into Matsukawa's. The man simply grinned back into the child's stare. After the slight hesitation Koushi took the larger hand in his own and allowed the man to lead him out of the hiding place. He winced as rocks and stray, fallen twigs dug into the exposed flesh of his feet but he didn't speak up about it. Afraid it would disturb the chance of finally, finally, seeing the one place he keeps being drawn to. The one place he can't stop thinking about.
Somehow the man noticed. He stopped just in front of the Torii and let go of Koushi's hand, bending down to grip one of his legs and, surprisingly, gently gripped his foot and turned it towards him to take a look. The bottom of his feet were extremely dirty, covered in earth, rock and stray greenery, underneath the dirt and grime he could see flecks of dried blood. The sly one shook his head slowly as he brought his eyes up to Koushi's. In one smooth movement the small boy was lifted up by his arms and thrown onto the mans back. A shrieking yelp fell out of his mouth as it flew open as wide as his eyes in shock. The man chuckled as he gripped his knees in his hands as Koushi slung his arms around the sly ones neck, shoulders bouncing Koushi up and down and the sound vibrated through his chest. The boy pouted even though he knew the man wouldn't be able to see him. Just as suddenly as he'd bowed he rose back up, jostling Koushi around a bit but the boy refused to complain. He was too close to his goal.
They walked past the Torri, Koushi looked up in wonder at the tall and intimidating structure. Another, softer, yelp fell from his still wide open mouth as they man bowed deeply before passing the Sando. His heart skipped a beat when they were finally passing through the entrance. He listened as the man's footsteps crunched the earth beneath his feet, the sound echoing around them so loudly he swore he couldn't hear anything else besides his thundering heartbeat and the crunch, crunch, crunch. To Koushi it was the most beautiful and enchanting noise he'd heard so far that day.
Both remained silent as they walked down the long, winding path. The man mostly in amusement as he listened to the soft gasps and exclamations from the child he carried on his back, more than sure he wasn't even aware he was making such noises, a small yet content smile across his face. It was vastly different from his usual smirk. It was softer, more along the lines of fondness. Koushi was silent, at least he thought he was, because he was simply trying to take in his surroundings as much as he possibly could. Today he wasn't rushing, wasn't trying to make it as far as possible before getting caught and dragged away. For once he was able to actually see everything around him as they walked. Somehow he hadn't realized the path was enclosed in what seemed to be a very thick forest, made entirely of Sakura trees. More surprisingly was the fact that they were huge, towering well over their heads. He had to crane his neck upwards to see the actual blossoms.
It was a sea of dark, winding bark when he looked straight. It was eerie and nightmarish to look at. The trunks of the trees were skinnier than any Sakura tree he's ever seen, not that he's seen all that many but still, they didn't look normal. Tied around the width of each of them was a braided rope that he prided himself in knowing what it was. His father had explained to him what the rope was and how it was used last year when he'd seen a priest carrying one. The rope was called Shimenawa, or enclosing rope, and they were used in rituals to purify or entrap an evil spirit. The explanation played over and over in his mind as he stared at rope after rope tied around the trees as tight as they could be. His mind tried to wrap around the reason as to why there would be so many and why they seemed to be on every single tree they passed by. Koushi just couldn't see why it was needed, it seemed an over the top kind of act. Surely not every tree needed to be purified and what could possibly need to be entrapped inside a Sakura tree, to the innocent child it was just such an oddity. He chose to ignore it, instead jerking his head up to stare at the blooming blossoms above them.
With the sudden movement of his head upwards he accidentally shifted his weight too much and nearly choked the man holding him up. Quickly righting himself, while still focusing his eyes at on the treetops, he braced himself to be scolded or even for the man to turn around and take him back in annoyance. Neither happened. He relaxed again, leaning his chest against the warmth of the sly ones back as his eyes danced happily around. Small pieces of bright blue, cloudless sky peaked through the millions of clusters of the most beautiful clusters he's ever seen in any tree or field of flowers. Each cluster was a delicate fluff of pure white to the softest of pinks. Koushi was convinced that of he was able to reach out and touch one of the petals it would be softer and smoother than the most expensive of silks in the world. The bright and liveliness of the blossoms was a brilliant contrast to their almost dead looking trunks. A contrast that took his breath away in excitement and somehow caused him to shudder in terror.
"What do you think?" the boy didn't even have to wonder what the man was asking about. He knew it was about the Sakura.
"They're so pretty!" a chuckle was his reward for the enthusiastic response.
"I'm glad you're enjoying them," for some reason this caused Koushi to blush a deep crimson across the bridge of his nose and up his ears. It still wasn't enough to stop him from turning his head around in every direction it could. Up ahead they were drawing close to the Chozuya but Koushi was too busy to really notice. He vaguely registered the slow trickling sound of running water and the fact that one of his knees had been let go for a brief moment as the sly one waved to someone waiting for them.
Matsukawa shifted the boy slightly so he could wave at Hanamaki, who was waiting ahead as planned at the Chozuya, before sliding his hand back under the small knee. Hanamaki grinned and waved back so hard it caused the sleeve of his silk Kimono to sway with the motion before falling from his wrist and bunching around his elbow. Hanamaki sent a wink his way causing his usual smirk to spread over his face once again, this time so wide that a dimple appeared.
"Tempting fate once again, huh Issei?"
"Hiro, my love, I always tempt fate and she has not bitten me yet," the new voice had Koushi's eyes darting forward in an instant, away from the beautiful Sakura to what he would call an equally beautiful person. The boys face scrunched up in concentration and confusion as he tried to figure out why, what appeared to be, a man would be wearing a woman's Kimono.
From what he could see the Juban wasn't a traditional one, which are usually all white, this one was white with teal trim and stitching. The design was swimming Koi fish in teal water with Water Lilies, oddly colored like the Sakura surrounding them, the Koi themselves a vivid and contrasting mix of Orange, Red, Yellow and a strip of Black going down their back from the head to the tip of its tail. To complete the whole image was a matching Obi, mostly Teal with gentle swirls of Gold, Orange and Black. There's a flash of something else tied around the Obi itself but they were too far away for Koushi to see what it was properly. If anyone else had been wearing it Koushi would have called it beautiful but in comparison to the one wearing it it could only be dulled down to pretty.
Much like the sly ones, or Issei as the other one had called him, he looked amused but in a more muted tone. A small curve to his lips was the only sign of a smile towards the duo, eyes slightly hooded downwards in what could be described as boredom if you weren't looking into the slow burning spark within the eyes. It was difficult to tell the color because the pupils were small, almost beady, but Koushi still found it beautiful rather than terrifying. His face relaxed a bit the longer he stared at the man, some of his own amusement coming out at the shade of the man's hair. It was Pink. A giggle bubbled up within his lungs and he simply couldn't stop himself.
"Nice hair," the slightly amused look dropped to shock in all of Five seconds at his words. Issei nearly dropped Koushi when he burst into a huge fit of laughter. The boisterous sound of his laughs echoing off the densely packed trees back to the three of them making it sound much louder than it actually was. Koushi gripped the man's clothes tightly as he fought to not fall down. He yelped like a wounded dog when Issei suddenly bent forward, nearly sending Koushi flying off his side.
"Careful Issei! You'll drop our guest and then we'll all be caught for sure," another new voice broke through the sound of laughter as gentle hands reached out and covered his smaller ones before wrapping around them and tugging, trying to pry them from the cloth he currently gripped so tightly his knuckles were white. He tried to no avail to turn around and see who newest person was to their odd group. When Koushi couldn't see the person he shook his head and buried it into Issei's back. Someone sighed, he guessed the newest person behind him, as the hands left. There was whispering but he blocked out the words suddenly feeling exceptionally shy and cautious which was not something Koushi usually felt. After several minutes the hands came back to surround his but this time they didn't try to pull him away.
"It's alright Koushi, you can relax," he did, slightly, but still refused to let go of the one person he was familiar with. Even if he wasn't really acquainted with the man. Not really. His mother was going to really kill him this time when she found out that he'd trusted a complete stranger. And said complete stranger brought him into the shrine area that was unspeakable to everyone. And off limits to those not it priesthood. Not to mention he was now surrounded by three strangers who all seemed to know who he was by his given name. Oh yeah, he was beyond dead when he got home.
"Koushi, you can trust Tooru and Hiro," Issei's laughter had died down and it seems he'd picked up on the mix of emotions surrounding him now. Instead of answering he buried his face so far into the man's back his nose bent awkwardly.
"Do you want me to take you home?" his first instinct was to scream yes but something inside him clamped his jaw shut before he could give in to it. Too overwhelmed to focus on the feeling and why it was causing him to hesitate Koushi didn't bother to answer at all. After a few moments of silence there was more whispering.
"Are you injured?" the voice was soft and gentle, it sounded smooth like Honey but also lyrical. Koushi relaxed more into the sound, enjoying how it rang through his ears. His nose was no longer shoved so harshly into Issei's back so it didn't hurt when he gave the newcomer a sharp shake of his head. Just once.
"Do you need anything?" he recognized this voice as the one Issei had called Hiro. Koushi enjoyed the gentle timbre of his voice as well, but not as much as the lyrical one from a moment ago. He wanted to hear that one instead. In an act of defiance he didn't respond. Issei chuckled lightly.
"He doesn't seem to like you very much Pinky," a giggle almost slipped but he pushed it back down.
"Shut it eyebrows," instead of being offended Issei just chuckled louder, gently bouncing Koushi on his bent back. How the position and his weight wasn't fazing the man was surprising. Not that Koushi was heavy, he was actually pretty small for his age. Probably why the man had so easily swung him over his broad back and carried him down the long pathway.
"Whatever you say Peaches'n'Cream,"
"Burnt Beanpole,"
"Sakura Blossom of my heart,"
"This is nauseating," the newcomer piped up and Koushi could feel the bubbling of giggles rising in his chest again.
"Tally, lanky Iwa-chan imposter,"
"Hmm, that would make you a Beautiful copy of Tooru," Issei gave Tooru and Hiro the biggest most mischievous grin he could muster.
"Rude!"
"Stupid Kitsune," Issei smiled fondly when he saw the slight blush creep up Hiro's cheeks, giving him a delicate flush. Tooru made a gagging sound causing Koushi to shake as he pushed away his giggles. The trio of friends pretended not to notice.
"My Fallen Kami,"
"Okay then, just ignore me and act like me and Koushi are not here. It's fine," a soft snort escaped past his lips and he hoped none of them heard. Still hanging on to the last bit of stubbornness he could muster.
"Aww, the little Blossom Child is jealous," Tooru finally shot the two of them his infamous pout, but as usual it just caused them to chuckle harder at him. This time, however, another sound joined them. It was soft at first, but it quickly grew until they all froze and focused on it. After a minute Hiro and Tooru looked down at the child still clinging to the back of Issei. His whole body was shaking as he giggled and snorted into the mans back. They all grinned at each other. Tooru met Hiro's eyes and his friend mouthed out 'He's finally relaxed,'. They waited patiently until the hysterics died down and Koushi finally lifted his head enough that his eyes could be seen through his now unruly mop of Silver locks.
"You guys are weird," Koushi breathed out the words as his giggles settled.
"Yeah, we are," Hiro smiled calmly at for a minute before reaching out his hands, a silent signal for Koushi to go to him. Tooru reached for his hands once again to help him down and away from Issei. This time he let him take his hands and lift him effortlessly away but kept his widened eyes trained on Hiro. Once his bare feet hit the ground he winced noticeably at the pain that shot through them but he ignored the worried stares he felt in the back of his head and limped over to the opened arms. He briefly questioned again exactly what made him trust these strangers so willingly but no reason came to mind. He simply did and his body just reacted to them naturally, as if he'd known them all his life. Those thoughts were erased once he climbed into the man's welcoming lap, turning around to sit across his legs, and finally laid eyes upon the newcomer named Tooru. The sight literally took the child's breath away and Hiro had to whisper in his ear for him to breathe, a knowing smile across Hiro's face as his eyes met Issei's who was returning the knowing smile equally.
Naive little Six year old Koushi missed the looks between them, not that he was old enough to really suspect anything was amiss. Even if he had caught on and even if the older ones had explained it all in full detail how could anyone expect him to understand? If Koushi knew of half of what would have been said in such a situation he would have scrunched his face up in confusion because in this lifetime for him, such things were just stories told by the elders of the village. Not actually real to them in any way shape or form. Even if it was all in fact completely truth.
Tooru stepped around Issei wordlessly, a small smile pulling at his mouth when he caught the looks on his friends faces, as he walked over to sit himself next to Koushi and Hiro on the wooden bench in front of the Chozuya. After a moment Issei also stood and walked past them without a word, heading out of earshot of them. Koushi barely registered the retreating of his footsteps as he stared openly and shamelessly at the man in front of him. He'd thought Hiro was described as beautiful for a male but if that was true then the one named Tooru was down right Angelic.
He was tall, like the other two but not as tall as Issei the sly one. His Chestnut colored hair flowed and swayed around his head as if it was made of silk threads and Koushi found himself wondering if it was as soft as it looked. Wondering if it would be rude to reach out and run his fingers through the thick locks to find the answer to that mystery. His shocked, Hazel eyes slowly swept over each feature as if committing them to memory. Which was a possibility, he could even ask his mother to draw him a sketch or two of Tooru later if he asked. Sure if would get him in a load of trouble, even though he was already convinced his mother was going to murder him the moment he got home, but he decided it was entirely worth it. Tooru has a strong angled jaw, straight and narrow nose, high cheekbones, just barely slanted and wide eyes almost the same shade as his hair with flecks of gold swimming within them. They were outlined in short, thick lashes that fanned out at the ends making it seem like the slant to his eyes was far more dramatic than it actually was. There was a bit of darkness underneath the lower lash line, as if the man hadn't slept very well lately and bags were beginning to form. A long, slender neck swooped down to meet a partially exposed collarbone that looked as if it had been sculpted out as artwork and didn't belong on an actual person. Besides being very tall Tooru was also broad shouldered, hinting at a hidden strength beneath the gorgeous Kimono he wore.
Seeing another man in a woman's Kimono added to the confusion surrounding the Shrine for him, but he was beyond the point of questioning it all at this point. It was almost surreal, as if he was actually dreaming now and not in the present although he knew that to not be the case from the slight throbbing of his beat up feet.
Issei returned after not too long with several items held between his hands. Two small towels, a salve of some sort and what looked like a roll of material Koushi had seen his mother use on his father's hands if he injured them. He realized then that the items were meant for his feet. His eyes stared openly as Issei passed the items to Tooru, who laid one of the towels over his lap before setting the others aside before reaching for one of Koushi's feet. The touch was extremely gentle, so gentle in fact it was as if the fingers weren't actually touching the sore and battered skin.
Hiro wrapped his arms around Koushi's middle and started to hum a tune he didn't recognize. Despite not knowing it he found comfort in the sounds. The hummed voice was smooth like honey, sweetly lyrical like the first group of tweeting birds in the morning. Koushi found himself leaning his back into the man's chest, enjoying the feeling of soft vibrations up his spine as the humming continued while they both watched Tooru slowly clean off the stones stuck to his feet. The brunet whispered something that only Issei heard and Koushi found himself feeling disappointed that he couldn't hear his voice over the humming. But watching his movements helped dull the feeling.
Issei leaned over the side of the Chozuya and lifted one of the Hishakus from it's resting place. From the corner of his eye Koushi watched him go through the motions of cleansing his hands. Gripping the Hishaku with his right hand he dipped the cupped end into the pool of running water before pouring it slowly over his left hands, then repeating the motion with the opposite hand. The cupped end was once again dipped into the pool of water before it was lifted to Issei's lips. He swirled the water around in his mouth, cleansing it, before pouring the rest of the water slowly over his left hand again. Instead of following the usual way of turning the handle of the Hishaku to cleanse it before returning it to its resting place Issei dipped it back into the water and handed it to Tooru.
Tooru rolled up the long sleeves of the Kimono before going through the same motions Issei just did, with Issei passing the Hishaku back and forth between the water and Tooru's hand. Once it got to the part of cleaning the handle again Tooru turned to pour the cool water over Koushi's feet instead. His eyes shot open wider than they've probably ever been and he sucked in a quick breath at the sensation of the cold water passing over apparent heated skin. The arms around his middle gave him a quick squeeze and he relaxed a bit into the touch again, eyes continuing to watch the shocking sight before they started to roam over the man again. This time taking in the Kimono.
Like Hiro, the Juban Tooru wore wasn't the usual white, his was a very soft shade of Pink with bright Red stitching that popped in contrast against the baby soft shade of the rest of it. The Kimono was in short, absolutely gorgeous to look at. It was the prettiest one he can ever remember seeing, even prettier than the ones he's seen others wearing during the festivals in the Village when everyone wears their best outfits. It's design was simple, but elegant. That background of the design started White then faded to the same soft Pink of the Juban before fading up into what looked like a similar Red to the stitching also found in the Juban. At the bottom growing upwards and wrapping around a large section of the middle was dark, almost black looking branches. Attached to the branches was Sakura in various stages of blooming. They looked a lot like the ones that surrounded them and the Shrine but the middle of the blooms were Red. Slipping and flying away from the branch clusters was various blooms and petals twisting and turning with an invisible wind. The Obi was larger than Hiro's, almost twice it's size in width, and it was Gold with a stripe of Red through the middle. If you looked closely enough, which Koushi did, you could see tiny petals sewn through the stripe in Pink looking as if they were floating through the same invisible wind as in the Kimono. However, tied around the Obi was a small rope that looked oddly like a Shimenawa.
It wasn't long before Tooru was patting his second foot dry, both now sitting in his lap and clean. Once dry Tooru just as gently as before applied the slippery feeling salve to the cuts over his feet and wrapped them in the strips of material. Somehow the two strips fit his feet perfectly, from the ankle and stopping just before his toes. Silently Koushi slipped his Geta over his feet himself, wiggling his toes for a minute or two before letting his legs dangle over the front of Hiro's lap. He gave Tooru and Issei, who was finally cleaning the handle of the Hishaku and replacing it, a bow and his thanks in a whispered voice.
"Well, I don't know about you all, but I'm starving," Hiro had stopped humming and helped Koushi to his feet before clapping his hands together and stating that. Issei chuckled but agreed, Tooru held out his hand to Koushi with a smile and tilt to his head in question. With a small grin Koushi gripped the outstretched hand in his own and allowed himself to be lead further down the path that had brought him here. Not too far off in the distance two shadowed figures had sat, watching the whole interaction starting at the tree near the Torii.
Iwaizumi and Bokuto sat silently together even after they disappeared around the corner of a patch of Sakura trees. A gentle wind brushed past them, ruffling Bokuto's hair slightly. He itched the back of his neck before stretching out and mumbling softly about needing a good soar soon before going silent again. For once he wasn't constantly chattering and bugging which Iwaizumi appreciated. Slowly, he unraveled the scarf from around his head and stretched out his neck muscles, working the ache out of them from the weight he always wore. If the theory was correct, he wouldn't be needing the scarf anymore. He'd only needed it to hide his eyes, pure black in color like the dead of night, but if Koushi is who they thought he was he wouldn't need to hide anymore.
"What do you think Bo? Think he's one of us?" finally Iwaizumi spoke up, but of course he was too late. Bokuto had lost his patience in his friend and had shifted. When Iwaizumi had received a mewling 'who' instead of words he'd turned to see the Horned Owl nipping and cleaning at his feathers, a wing spread out in all its beautiful glory. With a roll of his eyes Iwaizumi turned to walk back into the forest of Sakura they all call home with the protection of the priests. As he walked he hoped that his and Issei's suspicions had been correct because bringing a child into this place was risky, especially if he did turn out to be human. The village could swarm the place and try to kill them all like they had a few hundred years ago.
But that was a memory they all wished they could forget.
A/N: Some extra info:
Oikawa is a Kodama of a Sakura Tree; spirits that inhabit trees that are considered to be able to nimbly bustle around at will. They look like normal trees but if someone tries to cut one down it is said that the person will become cursed and there is an old theory that the trees will actually bleed if cut. They can take on the appearance of ghost lights, beasts and even humans. A pop culture reference would be the little white guys from Princess Mononoke, the ones with the black eyes and 'O' faces.
Bokuto is a shapeshifting Owl Kami (God).
Iwaizumi is a Yokai; Ghost, Phantom or sometimes described as a strange apparition.
Hiro is also a Kami but I couldn't decide on which one to make him, sorry!
Issei is a Kitsune; A fox. In a lot of older stories and in pop culture they are described to have supernatural powers and can even be shapeshifters.
Suga is supposed to be a reincarnated Sakura Kami which is why he's so drawn to the Shrine and to Tooru.
Torii: Large gateway.
Sando: Entrance pathway.
Chozuya: A Shinto water ablution pavilion.
Hishaku: A wooden ladle.
Shukketsu Sakura roughly translates to Bleeding Cherry Blossoms and I chose this as the name because as it's barely mentioned, there was a point where the Village people had tried to kill off those living in the Sakura forest that surrounds the shrine and they had actually tried cutting down the trees to rid them of what they believed was affecting their Village in a negative way. And like in Tooru's explanation if you try and cut down a tree that a Kodama resides in it can start to bleed and the people cutting it will be cursed, some did bleed and one of the affected trees is actually Tooru's (he has a scar on his body to show where his tree had been cut into). Hope this helps in understand the story a bit more! Hopefully I'll get around to adding in the scenes I cut out. :)