When Madara had asked him to come to the Moon Court, Hashirama hadn't felt there was a need to bring his attendants. After all, it was just a simple invitation for lunch, probably at the behest of the moon gods' new consort, Minato. In his excited haste, the sun god made a lapse in judgment in that he forgot how easy it was to get lost (even if he had visited the Court more times than he could count). Still, sometimes getting lost could lead to the best surprises.

He stood a little behind the tree trunk of a willow. The hanging branches, including the constant night that was of the Court's realm, hid his form and the golden glow that surrounded his body. But the willow's leaves were cut into a gap and gave him the perfect view of the lake beyond.

His wide eyes were entranced by the scene before him. A person he had never seen before was dancing on the lake's water without disrupting its surface. It wasn't such an odd sight since it was a fairly common scene with all sorts of beings from either Courts. But Hashirama had never seen a sight so beautiful before.

Dark robes fluttered around the mysterious male as he danced. From his position, the sun god could make out the hints of jewelry the pale skinned man wore: rings on his right hand, earrings in both ears, and silver diadem with a large gem that sat across his forehead. His arms were bare but Hashirama could see dark sheer short sleeves and silver cuffs that connected similar draped dark fabric to the man's obi around his waist.

The stranger's hair sparkled against his dark locks. Hashirama wasn't sure if it was natural or if it was because of the lights that surrounded him while he danced.

Around his arms, head, and waist were much smaller orbs of light, something Hashirama silently called Twinklies as they sparkled and shined. As the man danced in a way the sun god had never seen before, the Twinklies would switch with each other with no reason or pattern. Sometimes, when the man turned, one would fly off. But when it did, it would immediately be pulled back toward the owner's orbit.

The dance wasn't necessarily erotic, but there was a certain sensuality in the movements. In the way he moved his hips, arms, neck, and in the way he would bend his back or do a flip. It made Hashirama's heart beat fast and mouth go dry. He would be lying if it didn't also give him ideas about what other positions he could get that body to perform.

The sun god couldn't tear his eyes away, even when the dance came to an end.

The mysterious stranger stopped close to where Hashirama hid. He breathed deeply but not harshly and there were no other signs that the dance had worn him out. His arms had created a circle and, inside, all the Twinklies had gathered. He gazed at them with a tilt of his head and a soft smile.

"That looks like it has done you all some good," he murmured proudly as he nodded his head.

Hashirama didn't hear a response and he wondered if it was something only the other man could.

When the young man spread his arms, Hashirama expected for the Twinklies to scatter and return to their previous positions. Instead, a small ripple happened in front of him. A little dimensional portal then opened and all the Twinklies were funneled into it. When the last one went through, the stranger waved a hand and the portal closed.

He had to be a god with a power like that. On top of it, Hashirama had felt the shift of Essence in the air: the kind that set his hair on end and made his insides shiver. It was like his own but surprisingly far powerful and older for a man that looked younger than the sun god.

The mysterious god turned toward Hashirama with closed eyes and a gentle grin, and started moving forward to the shore where the tree was.

Hashirama gulped to wet his throat before he emerged from his hiding spot. He put on his brightest grin and call out, "Hello!"

The man jumped with a loud gasp as his eyes snapped open.

If felt like the air had been punched out of Hashirama's lung when they met. The god's wide irises were beautifully dark and fathomless, but the sun god could see flecks of tinier lights twinkling brightly in them.

They both stared at each other for a moment and Hashirama felt like a fool. Normally he would have something else to say but at the second his mind had gone blank. Then, ever so slowly, the man before him stiffened as his pale cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink. It also delighted the sun god that the Twinklies had seen before were not the cause of the sparkling light in the other god's hair as they started shining brighter and twinkling rapidly.

Hashirama bit his bottom lip to suppress a giggle at the display but felt the corners of his lips tilt upward. He turned his head to the side, covered his mouth, and cleared his throat to cover it up.

When he looked back the mysterious stranger was still standing close to where the water met land, just staring at him. It made Hashirama smile and then slowly start to approach him. "Hello," the sun god repeated, the jewelry on his wrist clinking together to break the silence. "I'm sorry to intrude but I couldn't help but see you dancing-"

He stopped moving and blinked when the stranger let out a strangled sound in his throat and his face became an alarming shade of red.

The younger man then turned to the side with a bowed head, slapped a hand over his mouth, and cursed softly. The sparkling in his hair increased as well.

Hashirama felt himself stiffen. "Oh," he breathed, "did I accidentally stumble upon you doing your Sacred Dance?" Some gods were known to have Sacred Dances that were not allowed to be seen by others.

"What!? No!" the man yelled as he snapped his head back towards the sun god. He frowned, eyebrows coming together. "I-no!-what I mean-!" He let out another strangled sound before he bowed his head and his hands covered his face. During his stuttering, the rest of his body turned towards Hashirama.

Hashirama waited, relaxing a tiny bit but not fully. Still, with a smile, he dared ventured a little closer until his bare feet touched the edges of the water. He took it when the sparkling in the man's hair died down, it meant the other man was okay to talk again.

The theory was proven right when the other deity finally lowered his arms and lifted his head. His face was very red with a tired frown. "It wasn't a Sacred Dance," he muttered flatly. "I just... I'm just not... used to others seeing me dance."

Hashirama let out a soft sigh, body loosening fully, as he smiled. "Well that's a relief to know," he chuckled. "I was very worried I had there for a moment!'

The man huffed, crossed his arms over his chest, and turned his head to the side. Hashirama couldn't stop his smile from growing at seeing the other's mouth tilting upward a little.

"As I was saying...," the sun god went on with a cough and caught the other's attention again.

"I, uh, got lost, you see," his smile turned sheepish as one of his hands came up and rubbed the back of his neck. "Then I saw you dancing and was wondering if you could help me."

The god uncrossed his arms, letting them fall to his side and he tilted his head with a small frown. "You got lost?"

"In my defense!" Hashirama guilty giggled and shifted on his feet. "This place is very easy to get lost in."

The other just huffed with a roll of his eyes and shook his head.

"You're... you're looking for the Moon Palace, I take it?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

After Hashirama nodded, the man turned his head and pointed toward a forest path not far away. "You're not far," he explained as he lowered his arm and turned to look back at the sun deity. "Just follow that path all the way down until you come to a covered path at the end. The covered path will take you directly to the Palace."

Hashirama bit his bottom lip. The instructions were easy enough but knowing his luck at this point there would be a fork in the road that the other had forgotten to mention. Also, he really didn't want to let this mysterious god go just yet.

"Can you accompany me?" he asked. When the other's eyes widened and blinked at him, Hashirama grinned and added, "I don't trust myself not getting lost."

The other god looked at him incredulously. "It's literally a straight path!"

Hashirama slumped in defeat, head dropped, and a small pout on his lips. "My apologies," he muttered, "you're probably very busy."

There was a moment of silence before he heard a soft, "Well... not-not too busy." It made the sun god blink with wide eyes and he raised his head.

The other wasn't looking at him, eyes cast to the side. There was another pinkish blush on his cheeks with the sparkles in his hair moving fast again. "If- if you really need a guide," he shifted on his feet and looked up at Hashirama for a second before his blush darkened, "I- I guess, I can take you."

A wide grin crossed Hashirama's face. He breathed in as he stood straight and his chest filled with a pleasant, inexplicable warmth. "That would be wonderful!"

The other nodded, still refusing to look at the sun deity, before he strolled to the shore.

When he was close enough, Hashirama stuck out his hand for the other to take. Startled, the god stopped as his eyes went wide. He looked up and his face grew an even darker shade. But rather than getting stuttery, he scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. With a small huff, he then walked right past Hashirama's hand and onto the embankment.

Rather than take offense, Hashirama just giggled at his antics as the other breezed past him.

The two of them then set off. Hashirama kept to the man's right while they strolled along but didn't say anything. He was more interested in observing the man out of the corner of his eye.

The first thing he noticed was the close details of the man's earrings. There were multiples of them. Two were silver studs, one on top in a form of three dots and another through the tragus in a five-pointed shape. Another was a silver conch earring looped around the upper middle of the ear on the side. The last two though were intricate.

At the bottom of the ear looked like a delicate thread. It almost looked like two different earrings as one end was pierced and then sewn through the ear lobe. But with the ends of the piece of jewelry hanging loose for the sun god to see, he assumed they must be interconnected. But it was the last one that really stood out.

It was a piece of art; each point was an individual piercing. Hashirama easily recognized the shape of the Big Dipper as the pan started on the upper ear lobe and the handle curved onto the rest of the ear. Each stud had small, thin chains that started off from behind the ear and ended with bursting, pointed stars.

And that seemed to be the theme with the god: stars. From his hair that now reminded Hashirama of the distant stars in the night, to the robes where he could see the outlines of constellations in the cloth, the silver rings that adorned his right hand, and even to his slippers which had a starburst as the tongue of each shoe.

But... Hashirama knew the star god couldn't be him. Although he had personally never met the other, the god of stars was one of the Eternal deities, and they all looked ancient.

So that begged the question, who was this god? Perhaps the consort to the star god?

The other man had his hands crossed over his chest still, so Hashirama could see the left hand fully if he turned his head. When he did, he caught the other's attention and their eyes met. Hashirama grinned and the other god's face grew red again before he quickly looked away and hunched his shoulders as he walked faster. But the sun god had seen what he needed, the other god's left hand was bare of any jewelry, meaning he wasn't married or taken.

Hashirama's grin widened as he caught up to the other again. He wondered if the bubbling warmth in his chest was something Tobirama felt as he solved a puzzle.

"This may be rude to ask," the sun god finally spoke. He waited until the other man looked at him with a questioning expression. "But do you live in this realm? I'm afraid I never have seen you before."

The god's cheeks darkened before he turned away. "It- It's fine," he mumbled his shoulders relaxing as he unfolded his arms. The right fell limply by his side but the left went up to his other ear. He was doing something with it, something that Hashirama could not see.

"I, uh," the man started, "I do live here... I just... never really wanted to meet other gods..."

Hashirama nodded. He knew many gods who were just too shy to come out and talk with others.

"You should come to a celebration some time," he tried to persuade. He grinned at the other's noise of surprise and he turned his head to the sun god. "You dance beautifully! And maybe we can even dance that dance together!"

The other's face became an alarming shade of red again, stars in his hair twinkling faster. "It-It's a solo dance!" he snapped.

Hashirama just tilted his head to the side as his grin widened. "That's alright," he stated, unperturbed, "there are plenty of couple dances I know. I could even teach you!"

It nearly sent the sun deity into giggles again when the other let out another strangled noise as he turned his head forward.

Although when the other suddenly snapped out with his right hand towards Hashirama's wrist and began forcefully pulling him along, it was the sun god's turn to let out a surprised yelp.

"H-here!" the mysterious god stuttered. "W- We're almost there!"

Hashirama looked ahead of them and there was a polished, railed marble overlook. In the center, there was the covered walkway that the other had described.

When they came to a stop at the overlook and walkway stairs, below them the whole Moon Palace gleamed under the projected moon's light. And as the sun god had been told, the covered pathway led straight to the palace. He also hadn't failed to notice that the other god had yet to let go of his wrist.

"Oh!" Hashirama sighed in relief and refused to comment on the continuing touch. "Thank you so much for bringing me!"

The other man turned to look at him and once again the sun god was lost in his fathomless eyes. There was still a pinkish hue to his cheeks which brought out the sparkle of his orbs. And then the god smiled, big and bright with teeth, and Hashirama couldn't help but notice how charming it made him look. "You're welcome," the other laughed.

Then he looked down and his eyes widened before he snatched his hand away. Hashirama tried not to pout; it felt colder where the other had let go.

The younger man coughed and began playing with his left earring again. He turned away to go back to the forest and it allowed Hashirama to see the act.

As the other god twirled the starburst end at the bottom of the small chain, it took Hashirama a moment to realize it, but there was something different about the silver piece of jewelry that made it different than the others. It shined and sparkled with a sort of energy around it that reminded Hashirama of the other man's Essence. It was a piece of Essence Jewelry. The sun god's eyebrows shot up before they furrowed. Deities weren't known to wear their own Essence Jewelry. It was always given to the one they claimed as their own.

"Well, you can't get lost now," the god spoke over his shoulder and pulled Hashirama out of his ponderings, "so, I guess, this is where we part ways."

"Oh..." Hashirama couldn't stop his shoulders from slumping, mouth twisting into an unsatisfied frown.

The other stopped before he turned around, his hand falling away from the earring, with a small frown. "What?"

"Well I...," Hashirama shifted on his feet and his cheeks grew warm, "I was sort of hoping you could continue to walk with me."

The man raised an eyebrow. "Why? The walkway is right there. No way you can get lost."

Hashirama smiled as he chuckled. "Because I want to get to know you!" he told plainly.

The sun god nearly giggled again when the other blushed red and hair sparkled. "We- well I am busy!" he snapped, but without much heat and crossed his arms over his chest. He huffed turning his head to the side with a comical pout.

"I understand," Hashirama chuckled and nodded. "Thank you again for bringing me this far." He felt his smile soften. "Perhaps I can see you again?"

When the other man turned to look back at him, there was something that flashed in his sparkling eyes. It was out of place and deep. But before Hashirama could decipher it, the god cast his eyes to the ground and closed them as he raised a hand to the left earring again. "Maybe..."

Hashirama felt something twitch in his chest but pushed it down. "Alright," he nodded, even if the other couldn't see. He didn't have a right to demand to see the other god but he silently vowed he would. Just from the little they interacted, he knew he couldn't let the other slip through his fingers.

He turned away. As he put his hands on the banister to go down the stairs, he stopped when a thought occurred to him. He nearly wanted to smack himself in the face. "Forgive me, I completely forgot to ask!" he rushed out. He felt Essence shift in the air but ignored it as he turned around. "My name's Hashirama. What's yo... urs...?"

His eyes widened as he looked at the spot where the other man had once stood. But now there was nothing; as if he had never been there at all.

Hashirama's bottom lip stuck out as he frowned and leaned up against the support beams of the walkway. But just as quickly as his down feeling came it was replaced by something soft and warm as he thought about the other man's antics.

He smiled and chuckled softly. "What a strange god...," he mused with a hum as he turned and walked away.