For as long as Kuroko could remember, he could see things other people couldn't. These things were none other than youkai, spirits that many believe aren't real or don't exist. However, for Kuroko they were real and existed as much as the humans he saw every day of his life.
His life definitely wasn't easy with his ability to see youkai. It caused him much angst and trouble as a child, nobody believing whatever he said. Now at 20 and attending a university, Kuroko learned how to get by without standing out too negatively. He tried to ignore the youkai as much as he could, just like the little one that ran by his feet, or the bird-like one above him, or—
"Oomph!"
Kuroko did try when it came to ignoring youkai, but it didn't always work. Most of the time, he'd get caught staring at youkai or would accidently bump into something when distracted by youkai, such as that moment.
Kuroko stumbled back a bit, catching his footing. "I'm sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going," Kuroko immediately apologized to the person he bumped into. Though, he didn't get a response.
The person Kuroko bumped into only gave him a curious look, brows furrowed. His scarlet eyes scanned Kuroko from head to toe, making the student somewhat self-conscious.
"R-right. I'm sorry again—"
"Kuroko, what're you doing by yourself over there!" someone cut Kuroko off.
Kuroko turned, giving his own confused look at his friends nearing him. "I'm not by myself." He turned back, but the other person wasn't there. Realization then dawned on him.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
Kuroko faced his friend once again. "I-it's nothing," he waved off, joining up with his friend.
Nothing but a youkai.
Kuroko returned to his dorm without much of a hassle after literally bumping into the mysterious youkai. He hadn't see a youkai look so… normal before. Typically, youkai with a human form would dress in traditional ropes. The red-haired and -eyed youkai was dressed rather casually.
That was another odd thing to Kuroko. There weren't many human-form youkai around busier cities like Tokyo. They were mostly around little towns surrounded with a natural atmosphere.
Kuroko sighed, slouching in his chair. He was trying to study, but the youkai from before kept running through his head.
"Psychology getting to you again?" called Kuroko's roommate from his bed.
Kuroko turned to face him. "No, it something else—Waah!"
Kuroko yelped as he fell to the floor, startled. He startled his roommate as well.
"Kuroko! What's wrong!?" the other boy frantically yelled as Kuroko sat up.
Kuroko looked over at his roommate, or, more at the window beside his roommate. There the red youkai was, sitting on his windowsill. Their room was on the fifth floor…
"I-I just realized I was supposed to pick up a book I put on hold at the student store," Kuroko made up, eyes not leaving the youkai. Said youkai was only smirking at him, giving a mocking wave. Kuroko stood, backtracking towards the door. "I'll be right back."
Before Kuroko's roommate could say anything else, Kuroko had already darted down the hall. He repeatedly pressed the down elevator button as if it would make the elevator come faster. It didn't, but Kuroko didn't stop until the car finally came and he was on his way down.
Once reaching the ground floor, Kuroko rushed out of the dorm building. He looked at approximately where his room was, heading for said direction just as quickly as he had been going. There the red youkai was, now standing on the ground.
"So, you really can see me," the youkai said inquisitively.
Kuroko didn't respond right away. Couldn't respond.
"I need you to do me a task," the youkai said with an air of arrogance.
That Kuroko could respond to.
"Excuse me?"
"I have a task for you," the youkai reworded. "If you refuse it, you must face dire consequences for I am a very high class youkai."
Kuroko gave a deadpanned stare. This wasn't the first 'highly esteemed' youkai he had met. "Oh yeah? If you're so high and mighty, why do you need help from a human?" Kuroko sassed.
The youkai returned the hard stare.
The two of them continued their glare off until Kuroko asked, "Who are you, anyway?"
"You may call me Akashi, child of man," the youkai, Akashi, answered. "And you?"
"Kuroko Tetsuya," Kuroko introduced himself.
"Alright, Kuroko," Akashi started somewhat huffily, "I shall tell you why I am unable to complete my own task despite being a powerful youkai. I have been too far from my shrine for too long and my powers have depleted over the time away."
"Okay, but why be so far away from your shrine? Which shrine are you from anyways?" Kuroko asked.
"I do not need to explain myself to some child of man," Akashi huffed once again. "I just need you to find someone for me. Another young human around here by the name of Nijimura."
Kuroko gave a wary stare. "And if I do refuse?"
Akashi narrowed his eyes at Kuroko once more before jumping for him.
Kuroko jumped back from reflexes, shielding himself with his arms. Sadly, that exposed his wrists to Akashi, which the youkai grabbed with a strong grip. A glow emitted from Kuroko's right wrist where Akashi was holding. When the youkai pulled back, red symbols had formed on Kuroko's wrist.
"Until you have helped me, the curse I bestowed upon you will only grow stronger," Akashi said as Kuroko was gaping at the curse.
Kuroko glared at Akashi once more, but Akashi only had a triumphant smirk on his face once more. "Alright, fine," he begrudgingly agreed.
Rain. No, showers. And on a day with the sun still shining through the clouds. It wasn't hard to say it was the most peaceful kind of days. The light droplets of rain plinking on every surface. The sunlight reflecting brightly off the wet pavement. The weather a perfect mix to enjoy peace and solitude. The streets of the countryside town were bare with many opting to stay in the dry indoors. That left a humble shrine empty as well, save a boy walking up the stairway with an umbrella in hand.
The boy, young with black hair and gray eyes, walked up to the shrine. He looked up at the structure with a solemn stare before letting out a heavy sigh. After setting his umbrella down, the boy pulled out his coin offerings and tossed it into the offertory box. A ring of the bell. Two bows. Two claps. One last bow.
Once standing back upright, the boy gave one last look at the beautiful shrine. Empty. Quiet. Making it easy to hear the shuffling of footsteps beside the shrine.
The boy turned to the source of the sound. "Who's there?" he called, meeting face to face with smaller boy dressed in traditional robes. "Oh, are you a shrine patron?"
Startled, the smaller hid back behind the corner of the shrine. He peeked out slightly before giving a perplexed look, turning behind him for a moment. When turning back, he pointed to himself.
"Yeah. Who are you?"
The smaller boy's brow furrowed a bit at the other's blunt tone. "Seijuurou. Who are you?"
"Nijimura Shuuzou," Nijimura answered. "I didn't know smaller shrines like these had patrons so young. I mean, you look younger than me." He gave a cheery laugh.
Seijuurou didn't know what to say about Nijimura's claims or how to respond to his laughter. Instead, he came out of hiding and walked towards Nijimura. He was hesitant about nearing Nijimura, but the boy's smile gave off no suspicion.
"What brings you to the shrine?" Seijuurou asked once reaching Nijimura.
Nijimura shrugged. "You know. Praying and stuff."
Seijuurou tilted his head. "For…? Better grades? You should study more instead of praying for that."
"Wha—no!" Nijimura huffed with a pout, making Seijuurou chuckle sweetly.
"I just assumed from your uniform," Seijuurou said with a sly smirk. "Usually when I see people still in their uniforms, they come straight from school with their report cards."
Nijimura couldn't help but laugh at the thought. "Actually, yeah, I can see that. But, no, it's not my grades." He gave another sigh, smile dropping sadly. "It's my dad. He's in the hospital and it's been hard, you know?"
Seijuurou's cheery attitude fell as well. "Oh, I'm sorry about your father…"
"It's fine," Nijimura replied, trying to put up a smile again. "I mean, what can you do but hope at this point."
Seijuurou didn't respond. Instead, he turned away in thought for a moment. Afterwards, he swiftly left Nijimura.
"O-oi!"
"Give me a moment," Seijuurou called back to Nijimura when the other boy reached out for him.
Nijimura gave his own confused look. Seijuurou had run back around the shrine. No, his movement was so elegant, Nijimura could've sworn it was more like he was floating with each step.
Nijimura was left alone on the holy grounds. He looked around once again at his surroundings. Rain still trickled against the sunrays. With a new desire to look up at the sky during such contradicting weather, Nijimura reopened his umbrella and stepped out into the rain. Standing at the center of the courtyard, there was a sense of surreality.
"Nijimura!" called Seijuurou's voice.
Nijimura turned, seeing Seijuurou trotting up to him.
Once reaching Nijimura, Seijuurou took his free hand. "Here. For your father." Gently placed in Nijimura's hand was an omamori amulet charm. The one Seijuurou gave was for safety and well-being. For his father's health.
"It should work if he always has it on him," Seijuurou said, folding up Nijimura's hand with the omamori sitting within. He looked up at Nijimura. "I promise it'll work."
Nijimura was speechless. He didn't know what to say, distracted by scarlet eyes looking so earnestly at him. He blinked furiously, blushing as he stepped back and pulled his hand along with him. "R-right!"
Seijuurou smiled softly.
Nijimura turned the smile, cheeks still fairly pink. "Thanks, Sei." He looked down at the charm. "I'll give it to him right now."
Seijuurou was glad to hear Nijimura say he would pass on the charm, but something else caught his attention. "Sei?"
"Yeah," Shuuzou responded, looking back at Seijuurou. "I mean, it's your name right? Is it alright for me to call you that?"
Seijuurou was surprised. He never had a nickname before. "Alright," he answered unsurely.
Shuuzou's smile grew bright. "Awesome. And you can call me Shuuzou then too. That way, we'd both be using our names."
"Shuuzou…" Seijuurou mumbled, testing the name on his tongue. He liked the name.
"Well, I better be getting to the hospital," Nijimura said. He took a step away, but then realized he was the only one with an umbrella. "Oh! Here," Nijimura said, quickly turning and giving the umbrella to Seijuurou.
Seijuurou was taken aback. "Wait, you'll get wet," he called as Nijimura was running, using his book bag as a new umbrella.
"It's alright!" Nijimura yelled back as he ran. "A little rain's not gonna hurt! Bye! Thanks again!"
Seijuurou watched as Nijimura ran out of sight. He smiled softly, walking back to his shrine with the umbrella. Humans seemed so strange to him.
Nijimura had returned a few days later, hoping to meet Seijuurou again. He ran up the flight of stairs, calling, "Sei!? Sei!? You there!?" However, he didn't get a response.
Reaching the shrine courtyard, Nijimura slowed down to a stop. "Sei?" he called once more as he looked around. Seijuurou still wasn't there. Or at least, he couldn't see him.
Seijuurou was seated directly in front of Nijimura at his shrine. He smiled at how the human child returned. However, he really shouldn't be seen by normal humans. It was only on special days where rain and sun mixed that allowed youkai to be seen, just like the previous day. On regular sunny days like that day—
"Sei?"
—there was no way Seijuurou could be seen if he didn't want to be seen.
"Huh, maybe he's not working today," Nijimura said to himself. Looking around once more, he managed to spot something at the foot of the shrine.
Seijuurou watched as Nijimura trotted up to him, though not for him. Lying beside Seijuurou was Nijimura's umbrella, waiting to be returned. Seijuurou knew Nijimura didn't come up to him for him, but it didn't help the feeling of disappointment he felt.
Nijimura looked down at the umbrella he picked up. He gave one last look around and found nothing once again. With a shrug, he left, Seijuurou watching his retreating back.
"It's for the best," Seijuurou said.
Despite Seijuurou believing it'd be best Nijimura didn't see him, that didn't stop the boy from coming every few days.
Nijimura would call out his name for a while, going as far as snooping around the shrine. However, Seijuurou still would not show himself. He would only watch. He knew it wouldn't be long until Nijimura would give up. Time past could pass by as instantly as a blink to youkai like him. It only took a week for Nijimura to stop visiting.
At five weeks of no visits, Seijuurou found himself mumbling again one night, "It's for the best…"
Only to hear his name being called for once more.
"Sei!" Seijuurou heard.
Shocked, Seijuurou turned to where his name was being called from. It was Shuuzou's voice, breathing heavily as he was clearly sprinting up the stairs.
"Sei!" Shuuzou called, coming into Seijuurou's view.
"Shuuzou?" Seijuurou mumbled back, standing. When he saw the tears streaming down Shuuzou's face, the youkai threw all rational thought away and met him halfway. "Shuuzou!" Finally, Seijuurou showed himself.
Seeing Seijuurou for the first time in a long time, Shuuzou instantly grabbed him in a hug. He picked the smaller youkai up, spinning him in glee.
"S-Shuuzou?" Seijuurou called, throw aback by Shuuzou's actions. "What happened?"
Shuuzou finally set Seijuurou down, though his arms were still around the youkai. "My dad," he breathed through his tears. His tears of joy. He couldn't stop smiling. "He's getting better. A lot better."
Relief filled Seijuurou when he saw Shuuzou wasn't in pain. "That's wonderful, Shuuzou."
Shuuzou hugged Seijuurou tightly once more. "Thank you. It was the charm, wasn't it? Thank you so much."
A smile of his own graced Seijuurou's lips. He pulled back, helping wipe away Nijimura's tears. "I promised it'd work, didn't I?"
Shuuzou gave a laugh, nodding his head.
After catching his breath, Shuuzou stared down into Seijuurou's eyes. Those unforgettable scarlet eyes. Drawn into such eyes, Shuuzou found himself asking, "Where were you? I came, but you were never here."
Seijuurou looked away. He couldn't say. Instead, he answered, "It doesn't matter where I was. From now on, I promise I'll wait for you to come see me." He looked back up at Shuuzou. "Alright?"
Shuuzou smiled brightly once more, nodding his head. "Alright."
And once more, Seijuurou was sure his promise would be kept.
Whenever Shuuzou was free, he would stop by the shrine. Waiting for him, always, would be Seijuurou. The two of them would spend time ranging from 3 minutes to 3 hours just talking. Seijuurou would ask about Shuuzou's days, which Shuuzou would happily answer. Shuuzou would ask about Seijuurou's services at the shrine, and Seijuurou would say what he could.
Their friendship went on for weeks, months, even years. Seijuurou had watched Shuuzou grow from a young middle school second year up to their present, Shuuzou now a high school third year.
"How long have you been here at the shrine anyways?" Shuuzou asked. "I mean, to know you'd want to be a shrine patron and stick with it since you were young."
Seijuurou, who had slowly changed appearance to match Shuuzou's in age, smiled down at the human. The two of them were relaxing beneath a tree within a little forest area on the shrine grounds. Shuuzou was laying on his back while Seijuurou sat beside him.
"It's not that I wanted to be tied to the shrine. It was as if I was born to be."
Shuuzou turned to Seijuurou, noticing the solemn look behind his smile. "…But there's gotta be something you want to do. You could see Tokyo or something. There's so many possibilities, even just there."
Seijuurou hid a laugh behind his sleeve. "There you go spouting your nonsense again." He dropped his hand, leaning against the tree they were under. "I told you, it's impossible for me to be far away from here. Especially for too long."
"Right…" Shuuzou mumbled, looking away.
Seijuurou looked at Shuuzou unsurely. He leaned over the other boy, propping himself with one arm as he hovered over Shuuzou. "Is there something on your mind?"
Shuuzou's heart stopped for a moment before he sat up suddenly. "It's nothing," he said quickly. When he looked back, he found Seijuurou still looking at him worriedly. Shuuzou sighed. "Remember when I said I wasn't sure what I wanted to do yet?"
Seijuurou nodded.
"Well, it's just that," Shuuzou grumbled, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "And… the world's such a big place to just. While around here…" Shuuzou lost his words once more with another sigh.
Seijuurou couldn't say he understood Shuuzou's words, but he still offered his ear and support. "Whatever you do, whatever you find, I'll be right here for you, Shuuzou."
Shuuzou finally faced Seijuurou again. The youkai was offering a sincere smile, something Nijimura felt he couldn't return. "…right…"
Shuuzou stood, grabbing his bag. Seijuurou watched him step away curiously before he turned with a smile. "I'll see you around."
Seijuurou nodded happily, watching as Shuuzou left. He was oblivious to how the smile was forced.
Time passed and Seijuurou still waited. Days. Weeks. Months. For a youkai time felt like nothing, but when years had passed…
"It's for the best…" Seijuurou lied to himself. "It's for the best," he repeated with fists clenched. "It's for—"
Footsteps. Seijuurou heard footsteps. They were so familiar.
Suddenly on his feet, Seijuurou dashed for the footsteps. "Shuuzou?" he called. Only. It wasn't him.
A younger girl was standing before Seijuurou, looking curiously up at him. She shared the same eyes as Shuuzou, but…
"Oh!" the girl chirped. "You must be a friend of Shuu-nii's." The girl gave a sweet smile. "I'm his sister. I'm here for-well," she sheepishly held up an envelope, report card, "I'm sure you see this a lot, huh?"
Seijuurou offered his own smile, though solemn. He nodded, watching as the girl passed right by him.
"I hope they're good," the girl said aloud. "I'm hoping to get into Tokyo University just like Shuu—" she turned, but Seijuurou was already gone. Out of her sight. "Huh?"
Seijuurou watched her look all around for him before she shrugged and carried on to his shrine. He then looked out into the distance, at the land he'd never seen. "Tokyo…"
Tokyo…
Tokyo.
Kuroko stirred from his sleep. He sat up from his bed, confused. "What was that…?" he mumbled to himself, holding his head. That dream…
Kuroko then noticed the mark that was still on his wrist and realization dawned on him. It was Akashi's memories.
Running his fingers over the mark, Kuroko couldn't help but feel sympathetic for Akashi. "So that's why you came here…"
Kuroko yawned for the umpteenth time that day. College classes plus dreams from the memories of youkai was never a good combination. There was also Akashi that morning who kept trying to follow him to class, but Kuroko managed to make him stay in his dorm. Yeah, that took a lot out of him as well.
"This is an afternoon class, yet I'm barely staying awake…" Kuroko muttered to himself, continuing down the college corridors. He continued to tiredly trudge his way through the crowd until the spotted something in the distance. No, someone.
Kuroko froze, eyes wide when he spotted Nijimura—the same Nijimura from his dream—walking into the same building as he was in. They had classes in the same building. Literally right under his nose.
However, Kuroko didn't use the moment to dwell. Feet moving on his own, Kuroko darted for the other guy. "Nijimura-san!" he shouted as he ran. "Nijimura-san!"
As Kuroko ran up to Nijimura, reason finally came to him. What was he supposed to say? He just ran on impulse and there was no backing out now. Not with Nijimura spotting him and Kuroko now standing right in front of him.
"Uh, yeah?" Nijimura asked, confused. Uncertainty was clear on his face since he was sure he'd never met Kuroko before. "Hi. Uh, who are you?"
Kuroko bit the inside of his lip, trying to stay calm. As quickly as he could, he thought up a quick plan on what to say and improvised how to succeed it. "Kuroko Tetsuya. We had a class together," he lied.
Nijimura looked even more confused.
"It's alright; people don't tend to notice me," Kuroko said. This seemed to help ease Nijimura's uncertainty. "However, we were in the same class and I was trying to get a few people from that class to maybe hang out again. I was told you'd probably enjoy that."
"Oh, alright," Nijimura responded, still unsure. "Wait, what class did we share?"
Kuroko froze. What class? What class!? It wasn't like Kuroko knew anything about Nijimura other than what he saw. But which classes tended to be needed for majority of majors?
"...English," Kuroko answered, hoping for the best.
"Oh," Nijimura responded once more.
It worked.
"That was a pretty crazy class," Nijimura added.
"Yes, so 6 o'clock at the quad? Are you able to make it?" Kuroko asked.
"Uh, maybe," Nijimura answered, scratching the back of his neck. "I can try to pop in I suppose."
"That'll be great," Kuroko said, relief filling him. "Even 5 minutes would be enough. Thank you."
"Yeah, alright, see you then then," Nijimura said, starting to head to his own class. Though, after a few steps, he stopped. "Wait, who said—" Nijimura cut himself off when he turned to find Kuroko gone. Nijimura twitched, spooked. He looked around to see if he could spot the weird boy, but found nothing.
Brushing off his uncertainty for now, Nijimura continued on to class.
Kuroko still couldn't believe he found Nijimura. The campus was huge. What were the chances?
Checking the clock on his laptop, Kuroko deemed it was about time to get Akashi. That way, there was enough time to go through an actual plan and arrive on time.
The student quickly packed up his bag and headed out of the library. In his mind, it was better to study there without a certain arrogant youkai bothering him. It didn't take long for Kuroko to walk down the stairway and head out the door, however it felt like forever for a certain someone waiting for him.
"There you are," an irritated voice called to Kuroko, making the boy jump.
Kuroko turned, seeing Nijimura glaring at him as he made his way over to him. Nijimura was waiting just outside the library doors for Kuroko to come out.
"Alright, who the hell are you?" Nijimura demanded. "I asked a few friends about you being in our class and they had no idea who you were."
"I-I'm not noticeable—"
"Don't give me that," Nijimura cut in. "One of my friends does know who you are through his brother and can confirm we did not share any classes together. Now, I'm gonna ask this one more time, who the hell are you?"
Kuroko shrunk a bit under Nijimura's harsh gaze. This was not the guy he saw in the dream. At least, that's how Kuroko felt.
Taking a breath to calm his nerves, Kuroko found his voice again. "Please, just come with me. There's someone—"
"I'm not going anywhere with you, creeper," Nijimura interrupted again. "I'm just here to tell you to leave me alone. If you ever try to creep on me again, you're gonna regret it."
Nijimura gave one final fierce glare before turning his back on Kuroko. All Kuroko could do was watch Nijimura hop on his bike and ride off, the cap hanging on other's belt loop dangling from the speed.
Kuroko's stomach plummeted. He was so close to helping Akashi. Especially with what the youkai went through, Akashi deserved at least a proper goodbye. Yet, there Nijimura was, running once more in Kuroko's eyes.
The student sighed dejectedly. What was he to do? Nijimura looked serious when he was threatening him. All Kuroko thought he could do now was tell Akashi the truth. He hoped the youkai would still undo the curse. From the dream, it looked like Akashi was pretty reasonable. Then again, so did Nijimura.
Kuroko shook away his thoughts. There was so helping the situation now, so he sadly dragged himself back to his dorms.
Kuroko reached the dorms sooner than he had hoped. He ran through what he planned to say to Akashi over and over again in his mind. However, it didn't make it any less easier. All Kuroko could do was take a deep breath in and open in door.
"I'm back," Kuroko called upon reflex. When to looked around his room, he saw his roommate wasn't there. That would make some things easier.
"Welcome back," Akashi greeted from his spot on Kuroko's bed. "You took your time. It amazes me how humans prioritize education more and more as decades go by."
"Right…" Kuroko mumbled, gaze dropping to the ground.
Steeling his nerves once again, Kuroko made his way to his bed. He sat beside Akashi, mentally preparing for what may happen. "Akashi-kun… I met Nijimura-san today. However… he didn't seem too keen on meeting." Kuroko finally looked Akashi in the eye, guilt growing heavier.
The look on Akashi's face. He was smiling, but there was no way it reached his downcast eyes.
"But I can try again," Kuroko blurted, throwing Nijimura's prior threat out the window. "I'm sure if I explain some things better to him, I mean, it's my fault for not doing a good job at first."
"No, it's alright, Kuroko," Akashi gently cut Kuroko off. "I was prepared for this since the beginning. I knew it was a long shot, yet I still pressed forward and involved you. I'm sorry. Thank you for still trying to help."
"Are you sure? And what about the curse?"
Akashi's smile grew a bit more. "I apologize once again. The mark I left on you is actually a charm, not a curse. I'm a prosperous god and can only make flourish, not punish." Akashi took Kuroko's wrist into his hand, running his fingers over the mark with the other. "It was just to scare you. This charm actually dispels negativity."
Kuroko looked in disbelief at Akashi. But then he thought about how, for once, there weren't many smallfry youkai bothering him at all that day.
"It'll last a little longer, but will fade," Akashi reassured. He then pulled something from his pocket. Once placing the item in the Kuroko's palm, Akashi rolled up the his fingers. "This was meant for Shuuzou, however, it's best you hang onto it now."
Akashi looked up at Kuroko, giving him shining smile. It shattered Kuroko's heart along with the youkai's following words.
"I've been away from my shrine for far too long." Akashi stood. "It's best I be going. After marking you," he laughed at himself, "I don't have any powers left."
Akashi gave one last smile before retreating for the door. "Thank you again. Goodbye."
Kuroko couldn't say anything as he watched Akashi leave. He stared at the door the youkai closed behind him for moments longer before looking down at what he left. Opening his hand, Kuroko saw yet another omamori amulet. One for education and scholars.
Kuroko ran his fingers over the silk. He traced the edges. Held it up from the strap. Kuroko then turned back to the door, rushing out.
"Akashi-kun," Kuroko called out the door. He looked both ways down the halls only to find it barren. "Akashi-kun…"
Kuroko looked down once at the omamori. Something lit within in when he read characters on it once more. Clenching the charm once more in his hand, Kuroko took off. He was sure he knew where to find a certain someone.
Kuroko stared intense through the glass of the coffee shop he just reached. He knew he saw the hat Nijimura had before. There the other guy was, brewing up coffee behind the counter.
With a nod, Kuroko strolled right in.
"Grande Iced Caramel Macchiato. Venti Mocha with 4 shots. Grande Iced Green Tea Latte," Nijimura called from behind the counter, serving one customer after another. It was just another night for him. Until he was met with narrowed eyes staring right at him from some ghost kid. "Holy—!"
"Nijimura-san," Kuroko greeted despite his feelings at the moment, cutting into Nijimura's yelp.
"You again," Nijimura hissed. "I thought I said—"
Kuroko cut Nijimura off once more, shoving the amulet into the barista's face. "You were right. We never had a class together and we've never met before. However, you do know someone I'm close to. A relative."
Nijimura stared intensely at the charm, realizing what it was as Kuroko pulled it back.
"How dare you leave without saying goodbye," Kuroko scolded, gaining attention from others for once.
"Woah, woah," Nijimura tried to calm him down, growing uneasy from the eyes. He sighed. "My break's in like 45 minutes. Mind coming back then? I swear I'll talk to you then."
Kuroko only glared at Nijimura more. "...Fine," he agreed. "45 minutes. But I'll be waiting right here."
Kuroko began backing up, still glaring. He signaled Nijimura he would be watching, pointing two fingers to his eyes then pointing them to the other's. The student did so a few times until he found a place to sit at a booth.
Nijimura wasn't sure what to think as he watched Kuroko back away. He didn't have the luxury of thinking about it, being rushed back to work.
Kuroko waited as the 45 minutes past and Nijimura came, staying true to his word.
"Alright, we have 15 minutes," Nijimura said once reaching Kuroko's booth. "Is that enough time? Because if it's not, then I can give you my number and we'll finish things later."
"That should be plenty of time," Kuroko reassured. He was not as cross now since Nijimura genuinely wanted to talk.
"Great," Nijimura sighed before suggesting, "We should talk outside. I don't want to bother the other customers."
The two looked around the shop, seeing a handful of sleep deprived college students doing their best with studies.
Kuroko stood. "I think that would be best."
Kuroko followed Nijimura outside the coffee shop where the outdoor furniture were. Since it was evening time, there wasn't anyone out in the area or the streets.
The two took a seat at one of the tables, Nijimura letting out a heavy sigh. "So, you're Sei's relative?"
Kuroko nodded. "Why did you run without a word?"
Nijimura ran his fingers through his hair. He knew Kuroko was going to be asking some tough questions. "I don't know. It was just hard to say goodbye."
"That doesn't mean you shouldn't."
"Yeah, I know. You're right."
"He waited for you, but you never came. You could've at least let him know if you weren't coming back."
"I know."
"That was a pretty jerkish thing you did."
"I know… You're right, I am a big jerk."
Nijimura ran his finger through his hair once more with a frustrated sigh. He was frustrated at himself.
Kuroko waited for Nijimura to ready himself again.
"I still think about him a lot, you know. I really do regret not saying anything clearly to him. I wish I said something, but… he was meant to stay back and I was meant to… I don't know, but I didn't belong in the small town that's for sure." Nijimura let out a mirthless laugh. "Would you let him know he doesn't have to wait for me or anything? He shouldn't need to feel like he's tied to me."
Kuroko gave his own sigh, gaze dropping to his fingers drumming against the table top. With a bit of thought, he met with Nijimura's eyes once more. "I'm sure he understands he doesn't have to wait for you, but he's definitely one to keep his promises." Kuroko offered a smile, pulling out the charm to pass onto Nijimura. "And I'm sure he won't mind waiting for you. I mean, you'll meet him again, right?"
Nijimura took the charm, remembering when Akashi gave him one for his father. Nijimura smiled nostalgically down at it. "Honestly, I hope so… Yeah, we'll meet again some day."
Nijimura thanked Kuroko for running up to him and for passing on the charm. He could feel that load on his shoulders lift.
"Thanks again, Kuroko." Nijimura stood, needing to get back to work. "I'll see you around some time."
Kuroko smiled, nodding his head. He watched Nijimura head back inside, smile dropping when noticing someone the other just walked right passed.
"Goodbye, Shuuzou."
Akashi.
Kuroko stood once seeing Akashi. He made his way over to the Youkai himself after Nijimura went back inside. "Akashi-kun, why didn't he see you?"
Akashi's bittersweet smile grew. "I told you. I'm not strong enough anymore. Not even for a mere moment can I make myself be seen. However, it's for the best. Humans weren't supposed to interact with youkai in the first place."
Kuroko dropped his gaze to the ground. What he couldn't drop was the feeling of sadness dwelling within him. Akashi stepped forward, taking Kuroko's hands. When Kuroko noticed the youkai's hands beginning to glow, he looked back up with urgency. "Akashi-kun."
"Thank you for everything," Akashi said, ignoring the tear that fell.
"W-wait. What's happening?" Kuroko panicked, gripping onto his new friend's hands tighter.
"It's alright, Kuroko," Akashi responded with a small laugh. "I need to return to my shrine. I'll be resting there and… I'll still wait for him. I promised, didn't I?"
Kuroko's owns tears threatened to fall as he watched Akashi fade into light disappearing into the starry sky.
"Thank you, Kuroko… Goodbye…"
Kuroko watched the remainder of Akashi's light fade. Once it was all gone, he took a breath and calmed himself. He turned to see Nijimura one last time through the window. From what Kuroko could see, Nijimura seemed more peace peace as well.
Kuroko gave one last smile, turning back to return to his dorm.
A few weeks had gone by since Kuroko's meeting with Akashi. By then the charm on his wrist had long vanished. Not that Kuroko minded. He seemed to not mind the youkai appearing in his daily life as much as he did before.
Kuroko walked out of his classroom, stretching his arms over his head. Another exhausting class, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. Kuroko then made his way through the building to reach the exit. Upon taking his usual route, he saw a familiar face walking the opposite direction.
Nijimura was laughing at whatever his friend had joked about. He then noticed Kuroko as well. When the two of them met eyes, Nijimura gave a soft smile. Kuroko returned it. The two continued on their separate ways.
After walking past each other, Kuroko couldn't help but stop. He turned back for a moment, watching Nijimura's retreating figure. Kuroko's smile grew when spotting Akashi's charm hanging from Nijimura's backpack.
Turning back forward, Kuroko continued on his route. Things were looking up for all of them.
based on Natsume Yuujinchou! bittersweet fic! the reason why nijimura could see akashi that first time was bc according to the anime, youkai can sometimes be seen like that. akashi however can control if he wants to be seen or not (just didn't realize for that day) bc powerful and all. up to you if they meet again~ beta'd my a good friend!