20 Years Prior
The Kingdom of Spades was in mourning.
A fortnight prior, the old and beloved King of Spades-Ukai Ikkei-had finally passed peacefully in his sleep. Soon after, the Jack of Spades had announced his decision to retire as soon as his replacement reached the proper age. With the Ace of Spades already reported as killed in action two years ago, this left the kingdom once more in the steady hands of the Queen to monitor until the rest of the new Suit got to the age to Claim their titles.
The city street were line with black banners as all around city goers hung their heads low, wiping their eyes. Today was the funeral to put to rest the great King. All across the Kingdom of Spades, and even from the other Card Kingdoms, mourners had flocked to the city to be present for the occasion
One of these visitors was little Kageyama Tobio-who, in the midst of the crowd, let go of his mother's hand.
Five year old Kageyama didn't understand why all these people were upset. His mother and father had told him that the King of Spades had died but that didn't make sense. Kageyama was right here! So, why were people crying?
The old king, Tobio, his mother had whispered to him and Kageyama kind of understood. The people were worried because they didn't have a King anymore. But, that was stupid. Kageyama could be their King! It was his destiny. His mother had said!
With this in mind, the small child pushed and ducked through the crowd until he finally got to the front of the palace. The Queen of Spades stood on the top of the steps-eyes downcast and poised to give a speech.
Kageyama pulled on the kind looking man's hanging robe and the Queen looked down surprised.
"It's an honor to meet you, Queen of Spades," Kageyama greeted, because his mother had always taught him to be polite even though most of the time, he was kind of bad at it.
Kageyama took off his right hand glove that his parents always made him wear and held up his bare hand, showing the all black spade symbol. The Queen's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to-
"My name is Kageyama Tobio," Kageyama told him in as strong a voice as his little body could manage, "I'm the King of Spades."
As soon as he said it, brilliant gold light shone from his hand and above. The sound of thunder echoed from the sky, causing nearby mourners to cry out. A fierce wind swept on and around his body and the young boy fought to suppress a shiver.
Just as suddenly the light died and Kageyama looked down to see a golden calligraphy "K" now shone bright in the middle of the spade symbol. He smiled up at the Queen.
The Queen looked...shocked, possibly verging on horrified. And...and that wasn't right? Why did he look like that?
Kageyama turned back to the crowd seeing hundreds of shocked, silent faces. His parents had made their way to the front and Kageyama frowned, looking at his mother.
Tears streamed down the woman's face as he held her hands over her mouth. Kageyama felt a lurch in his tummy and he had a feeling the tears had nothing to do with the funeral.
"Oh, Tobio," his mothered breathed, barely audible. "Oh, my son, what have you done?"
"This is...very bad."
"That's what I said," Hinata shouted, pointing wildly at the piece of skin Tsuki was in the middle of examining.
"And he said the Jack and the King, right? You're absolutely certain," Tsuki asked, sitting the box and it's grisly contents back on his desk.
Hinata nodded firmly. "Yeah, he definitely said he had both of them plus there were two boxes. What do you think? Is it...is it Yahaba's?"
Tsuki shook his head. "Highly unlikely. We'd definitely have heard by now if the Jack of Hearts had been killed and there's no way they'd be able to get any of the Jacks' marks without killing them first." He gestured idly to the back of his own neck where the black spade mark sat inlaid with a golden "J".
Hinata breathed out a sigh of relief, falling back in the chair opposite Tsuki's desk. "Then if it's not Yahaba's mark, who's is it?"
Tsuki frowned, thinking. "Most likely the previous Jack of Hearts. Both his and the King's bodies were never accounted for after Heart's Civil War ended."
Hinata frowned back, confused. "But if it's the previous Jack of Heart's, why does it still have the 'J' on it? I thought that whole generation Suit was judged unworthy."
"No," Tsuki answered. "Only that generation's Ace and Queen of Hearts became unworthy. They killed the Jack and King before they could reveal their status, so theoretically both the King and Jack died worthy."
It was every Suit member's fear to be judged unworthy by whatever magic or fate judged the Card Kingdom. To have the letter in the symbol suddenly disappear without warning, telling the carrier that they were no longer fit to rule the kingdom and to give up their title to the next generation. It was an exceedingly rare phenomenon-only happening about a dozen times in the recorded history of the Card Kingdom. Most Suit members lived their entire lives in service to the Card Kingdom, dying with the gold or silver letter still imprinted on their skin.
Hinata shivered lightly. "So...if the skin's not some kind of proof of death or anything, why would anybody wanted? It's not like the mark alone does anything."
Tsuki rolled his eyes and pointed again to the back of his neck. "Hinata, what is this? You can take your time if you need."
Hinata glared.
"It's your mark," he answered flatly. "The mark for the Jack of Spades. You. With the 'J' in the middle to show the title as Claimed."
"Very good," Tsuki responded sarcastically. "And why is it important?"
"Um," Hinata started, wondering where this was leading. "So people know your the Jack?"
Tsuki nodded. "Exactly. Hinata, have you ever tried to draw your mark? Just on a piece of paper or something?"
"...No," Hinata responded hesitantly. "Why would I?"
"Try to draw mine," Tsuki answered. "I'll wait."
He slid a paper over to Hinata, who took it along with a pen. He glanced down, trying to figure out what Tsuki was trying to do. Ugh, that tone of voice never ended well for Hinata.
Hinata sat his pen down on the paper and easily drew the spade symbol, same as the one on his shoulder. His pen touched down to start the "J" and...and…
How did Tsuki's "J" look again? Was there a line on top of it? Did it lean slightly to the right or had Hinata just imagined that?
Confused, Hinata looked back up at Tsuki, who was smirking widely in his classic I-Know-Something-You-Don't expression. Hinata hated that expression.
"Every mark is enchanted," Tsuki answered. "As soon as you look away from it, you won't be able to remember it clearly. Only that you saw it. Put all of a Suit's marks side by side and they'll look like they've been written by the same hand. But as soon as there out of eyesight, not even a member of the same Suit could remember quite what another mark looks like."
"Unless you never had the mark out of eyesight," Hinata finished, looking back at the box on the desk.
Tsuki nodded. "If someone was able to have the exact mark in front of them as they drew it then, yes, they would be able to make an exact copy."
"You think someone's trying to forge the King of Heart's mark so that they can become King," Hinata breathed out, him mind running with the implications.
"Considering that Hearts has been without a King for coming up on fifteen years, I think that's the most likely possibility," Tsuki answered.
"Shit," Hinata cursed vehemently. "We've got to tell the other Suits."
"I'm calling a meeting as soon as we're done," Tsuki agreed. "We can meet in the open chamber in the west side of the castle where it should be more clear."
"The one by the secret passage that smells like moth balls! Tsuki, you did that on purpose! I hate spying from that one."
"You'll live," Tsuki rolled his eyes, but conspicuously didn't deny why he chose it. "Go brief Suga beforehand and I'll handle Kageyama since it would look weird if a servant found out first."
Not for the first time, Hinata thought that Kageyama's adamance not to know who the Ace of Spades was could be really annoying.
"The buyer had a slight foreign accent," Hinata told Tsuki. "He was hiding it well, so he's probably had some experience; but, I could still pick up a trace of what sounded like a Hyakuzawan accent. Also, Mr. Watanabe called him 'Your Grace' once but I don't know if that was actually his title or if Watanabe was just being extra polite...for all the good that did him."
Tsuki absorbed this information. "You didn't recognize him as a Hyakuzawan noble?"
Hinata shook his head. "Nah, but I mean their former king did have twelve children and Hyakuzawa's not the most friendly with us. One of their nobles could have easily slipped through the cracks."
"If Hyakuzawa's behind it, that's extra bad," Tsuki frowned, rubbing his head like he was fending off a headache. "That could push this up from some random rich aristocrat wanting a chance at King to an actual act of war."
"If they're heading from here to Hyakuzawa, they basically have to cut through Diamonds' capital though," Hinata commented. "Any other route would take at least an extra week."
"Do you think you might be able to cut them off and follow them," Tsuki asked sharply.
Hinata weighed the odds. "I mean I can't say for sure. It's a big city. But, there's a chance if I leave either today or tomorrow. I know I'd at least beat them there."
"Good," Tsuki said. "Do that. We'll tell the rest of the Suits that you're carrying copies of my official findings to them."
Hinata got up to go brief Suga and then put a bag together.
"Oh, and Hinata," Tsuki called him before he could leave.
"Yeah," Hinata asked.
"Whoever's behind this is going through a lot effort not to be found out," Tsuki told him. "You're the best in the Kingdom, but remember the motto."
Hinata nodded, smiling faintly. "A known spy is a dead spy"
ooooooo
Kageyama tried to hide the tension in his shoulders as he followed Suga and Tsukishima into the west castle meeting room. He wondered hopefully if anyone would assume the tension was from the circumstances around the meeting rather than the mere fact of having a meeting in the first place...of being around people...where a single misspoken word could mean jeopardizing the entire kingdom.
I wish Hinata was here, Kageyama thought idly before quickly shoving that thought down and scowling to hide a blush. Based on the amused side eye Tsukishima gave him, he hadn't been entirely successful.
Still, having Hinata at the meeting would...help, make it better somehow in a way that Kageyama couldn't fully explain. Kageyama never had trouble talking around Hinata-or more accurately letting Hinata talk and making commentary around it. With Hinata, Kageyama never had that crushing doubt that every word he said would come out wrong and he'd let everyone down. Being with Hinata was...easy, in a way that Kageyama hadn't found before.
The three of them entered the chamber and it was time to put those thoughts away. Suga nodded to them before doing some kind of complicated hand gesture to seal the chamber against prying eyes or listening ears.
Tsukishima looked around the room. "They should be here soon. You told them it was urgent, right?"
"Yep," Suga answered. "The other Queens all assured me that everyone would be here."
As if he had said some kind of code word, a wall of water rushed in on the opposite side of the room.
"Suga?! Suga? Are you there? Did it work?" a voice called as the water slowly pulled into the shape of Lev Haiba-the Queen of Diamonds-with three other people shapes forming behind him.
Details and color finally filled in and a perfect water copy of the Suit of Diamonds stood on the other side of the room.
"That's my cue," Suga smiled back at Tsukishima and Kageyama. "Ready?"
They both nodded and Kageyama watched as Suga muttered something under his breath and waved his hands, causing a sweeping wind to cover their bodies. Slightly used to the sensation but still not finding it all that pleasant, Kageyama felt the wind run over his body and map every feature so that they could project a replica made of air and light for each of the Kingdoms of Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs.
"Suga! I can see you guys! Wow, this is so awesome," yelled Lev-the Queen of Diamonds, most powerful sorcerer in all of Hearts, the Mage of Water. "This spell is so cool! I can't believe I've never gotten to try it before."
Lev was...Lev was new.
"Idiot," the water version of Yaku Morisuke, Jack of Diamonds, reached over and whacked Lev on the back of the head, causing tiny droplets of water to fall to the ground. "You told us that Suga said this was a serious meeting. Be serious!"
"Sorry, sorry," Lev muttered, before smiling back at the rest of the group.
Behind Lev, the King of Diamonds-Kozume Kenma-gave a brief nod to the group before the most terrifying member of the Diamonds Suit stepped forward.
"So, Tsukishima, what's all the fuss about," asked Tetsuro Kuroo-Ace of Diamonds and from all accounts a terrifying fighter nicknamed "The Chessmaster".
Tsukishima just glared. "Wait, until everyone else is here."
"Aww, but I hate waiting," pouted Kuroo.
To Kageyama's left, the floor suddenly burst open and the dirt bellow it rose up to form four more figures. Sediments in the dirt shifted making eyes and noses until finally even the detailing on their clothing was visible.
"Kuroo!" one of the newcomers yelled. "What's up, Buddy? I haven't seen you since the Spring Festival."
The earth figure next over sighed. "Bokuto, that was only three months ago."
"Three months is a long time though, Akaashi," responded Bokuto, the King of Clubs. " A lot can happen."
"Hey, Bo," waved back Kuroo on the other side. "Nice to see you or, at least, the rock version of you. Nice job with detail, by the way"
Bokuto beamed back proudly. "Yeah, Akaashi's gotten really good at this spell."
Akaashi-Queen of Clubs, Mage of Earth-tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement. Behind him, the Jack and Ace of Clubs-Akinori Konoha and Yukie Shirofuku, respectively-stood silently.
On the right side of the room, the candle on the wall seemed to spill forth flame like a waterfall forming what Kageyama always thought was the most unsettling of the projections.
Three bodies, that somehow managed to look like they were made of fire instead of on fire, formed with the flames twisting and turning different colors until finally the shapes looked more human than fire.
Iwaizumi Hajime, the Ace and unspoken leader of Hearts, stepped forward. Flanking him with what looked like almost military precision was the Jack of Hearts Shigeru Yahaba and their Queen, Mad Dog the Mage of Fire. Of the Queens of each Suit, Mad Dog was about as opposite from Suga as Kageyama thought it was possible to be.
Iwaizumi stepped forward, immediately getting to business. "Tsukishima, you called a meeting."
If there was one Suit member that Kageyama admired-other than the members of his own Suit, of course-it was the Ace of Hearts. Iwaizumi Hajime had Claimed his title at fifteen, right at the end of the Hearts Civil War, and then proceeded to lead the country entirely alone until Yahaba had Claimed Jack of Hearts three years later. The fact that Hearts still existed was nothing short of a miracle and the laurels rested entirely on their Ace.
Tsukishima nodded and pulled a small box out from behind his back.
"Before I open this," Tsukishima started. "I just need to confirm something. Yahaba can I see your mark?"
The Jack of Hearts frowned, looking confused, but nodded.
"Sure," he turned and lifted the end of his hair from over his neck. Visible even in flame appearance was the bright red heart with a silver "J" in the middle.
Tsukishima nodded. "Thank you, it's just as I thought."
Without another word, Tsukishima opened the box in his hand and showed it to the crowd. Kageyama leaned forward uncosciously, spying the piece of skin that Tsukishima had already shown him and Suga before they came.
"Fuck," Iwaizumi swore, dragging a hand through his hair and momentarily interrupting the flame appearance.
"Well put," Kuroo agreed.
"I always wondered what happened to their bodies after the War," Iwaizumi muttered. "But, I just never had time to check into it."
"You were rather busy rebuilding a kingdom," Suga commented, not unkindly.
Iwaizumi nodded absently. "Where did you find it?"
"I'm afraid it gets worse," Tsukishima answered, placing the top back on the box. "Yesterday, I received word that a trade deal was going down in our capital. The details seemed suspicious so I sent our Ace to investigate."
"The mysterious Ace of Spades," Kuroo all but purred. "I see he's once again not at the meeting. Any chance you'll finally tell us who it is? We are supposed to be allies, you know."
Tsukishima smirked. "It's not about trust. A known spy is a dead spy." Before anyone else could comment, he cleared his throat and went back to the report. "Anyway, the mission was supposed to be a simple reconnaissance but our Ace was able to overhear the meeting between the buyer and sellers. According to the Ace, two boxes were bought and he distinctly heard them referred to as 'The Jack and the King's'. Assuming they were talking about Spades, the Ace intercepted this box to ascertain its contents but had to retreat before he was able to put it back...which ended up being rather lucky for us, judging by the contents."
A deep silence followed the news.
Finally Mad Dog growled and Akaashi commented in a quiet voice. "Are we assuming that the buyer now has the mark of the former King of Hearts and is planning on creating their own forgery King?"
Tsukishima nodded. "That's what our Ace and I concluded, yes."
Iwaizumi began to pace across the room, minding the limits of the projection.
"Shit," he muttered.
"I don't suppose you've happened to find your long lost King yet," Kuroo asked lightly.
Iwaizumi shook his head. "Still nothing."
The King of Hearts was one of the biggest mysteries in the entire Card Kingdom. Normally, it was unheard of for a country to go any more than three maybe five years after the loss of a Suit member without at least some word of their replacement-even if the kingdom decided to keep the identity mainly quiet until the member was old enough. Hearts had gone almost fifteen years without a single word on their new King. Nothing since the former had been killed before the Civil War began.
"Is it possible that they're...well," Kenma left the sentence unfinished.
"Dead?" Iwaizumi asked bluntly before shaking his head. "Even if they died before making it to the palace, a replacement should have been born already. Fuck, with the time we've had, two replacements could have been born. No, whoever it is has to be alive somewhere."
Tsukishima politely and efficiently moved the conversation on. "Because of the seriousness of the matter, I plan to send our official courier on to each of your kingdoms to deliver my official report.
This was news to Kageyama and he, quite selfishly, felt deeply disappointed before he ruthlessly suppressed the feeling. This was for the kingdom and it was Hinata' job. He could live without him for a couple of weeks...right?
"Awesome!" Bokuto boomed happily. "Hey, send Hinata over here first! I haven't seen the little guy in ages!"
"Again only a few months," Akaashi pointed out. "But, Bokuto, remember, Hinata should probably go to Hearts first. It is their King we're concerned about."
"Oh, right" Bokuto frowned.
"Actually," Tsukishima put in. "I've instructed Hinata to go to Diamonds first since our Ace had a small suspicion that the buyer might be from Hyakuzawa. We wanted the Diamond city guard to be aware in case the buyer passes through."
"Hyakuzawa?...That's not good," Yahaba muttered at the same time Lev shouted out, "Ha, take that! Diamond rules!"
"Aww," Bokuto pouted. "That's not fair. Lev's only been here a year why do they get to see Hinata first!"
"It's cause we're the most awesome" Lev grinned and was about to say something else before Kuroo quite forcefully put a hand over his mouth.
"You have our deepest regrets for Lev," Kenma offered to Tsukishima in a tone that implied he didn't just mean at this meeting.
"Kenma! That's so rude," Lev let out before he was tackled back by a combination Kuroo and Yaku.
Kageyama always seemed to forget that it wasn't only him that looked forward to seeing Hinata. As the official, courier, Hinata was friends with practically the entire kingdom. Everyone loved seeing him...Kageyama wasn't special.
"Tsukishima, tell Hinata to go to Clubs last then," Bokuto told the blonde. "That way he'll get to stay here the longest."
Tsukishima let out a sigh as if put upon. "I'll make sure to pass along the message." Giving it a beat, Tsukishima clapped his hands once and brought a semblance of order to the meeting. "Alright, now that everything's been settled. I'll make sure I send our Ace to gather as much information as he can and report any findings back to you. Barring any news, we can all get together in person at the Summer Festival to discuss possible long term solutions." Tsukishima turned to the Hearts Suit. "Also, not to beat a dead horse, but if you could find the real King of Hearts before then that would be wonderful."
Iwaizumi smiled sardonically. "Trust me if I knew who it was, I would drag that asshole in myself."
ooooooo
It just so happens that the hand that held the bright red heart that marked the King of Hearts was currently just refraining from shooting a very rude and not at all kingly gesture. Which was probably for the best considering that the person that the hand's possessor was speaking to just happened to be his head of the village.
Oikawa Tooru held back a sigh. Okay, so if flipping the village leader off, leaving, and slamming the door behind him wasn't an option; what were his other strategies?
Let's try whining.
"But, I don't want to deliver a message to the palace," Oikawa blurted out.
Irihata looked unmoved. "Oikawa, the message has to get to the palace. It has our new census numbers. Without them, it will look like we're underpaying our taxes."
Maybe bargaining?
"Make Matsu or Makki do it," Oikawa argued back. "I'll pay for the horse myself."
Irihata gave him an unamused look. "I wouldn't trust Hanamaki or Matsukawa to deliver a letter across the street, let alone to the capital."
That was probably fair. What about excuses?
"I'm really busy right now, though," Oikawa prevaricate. "I've got to do weeding on my garden if I want the plants to last until Fall."
"Get Takeru to do it. I'm sure he'll be thrilled and if all goes well, you'll only be gone a week."
Flat out denial, then.
"No," Oikawa said firmly. "I don't want to go to the palace to deliver the letter. And nothing you say can change my mind."
Irihata sighed heavily. "Oikawa, the villagers are worried. Winter hit us hard and we can't afford another tax increase. You're the town hero, having you represent them at the palace would ease their minds even if it should be just a simple task. Do it for them."
Well, shit.
Oikawa sighed back, sitting back in Irihata's visitor chair. His hand with the mark itched idly over the bandages that covered it.
"Fine, I'll do it," Oikawa answered and tried to pretend he wasn't pleased by Irihata's answering smile.
"Thank you, Oikawa," Irihata said sincerely and held out the offered letter. "Here's the letter with the new census report. Just go to the palace and give it to the Ace. In and out in less than a day. With travel it shouldn't take more than a week, there and back."
Oikawa nodded glumly, taking the letter and feeling like he was taking his own death warrant.
He waved an absent goodbye, leaving Irihata's office and going out onto the empty street.
Oikawa slipped the letter into his pocket. Going to the capitol, talking to the one of the Hearts Suit in person. Honestly, it was like Oikawa's biggest fears wrapped into one convenient package. A too convenient package.
"This is your fault, isn't it," Oikawa accused, glaring at what would look to anybody else like the empty air.
The human personification of the Fate known as Order looked back at him placidly.
"It became obvious that you were not going to be proactive in Claiming your title so I took the appropriate measures to point you in the right direction," Ushijima said calmly.
Oikawa threw up his hands. "You're right! I'm not taking the proactive measures. Because as I've told you a million times before, I DON'T WANT TO BE KING!"
Ushijima just blinked at him, unfazed. "It is your destiny, Young King. The mark on your hand decrees it so. There is no need to be difficult."
"Yeah, I am difficult. In fact, I'm too difficult. I'd make a terrible king. So, take this stupid mark off," Oikawa shot back. "I know you have the power to. Mark me as unworthy. Get it off and find some other idiot to fulfill whatever destiny you want."
"If the mark's still there, it means the kingdom still needs you," responded Ushijima. He tilted his head, like one would a misbehaving puppy. "I know I've told you this before. Are you forgetting on purpose for humorous effect?"
"NO!" Oikawa shouted, stalking off and away from the Fate and down the street. "I'm reminding you since you always seem to forget that I. Don't. Want. This."
Oikawa walked into the market street, Ushijima trailing behind him.
Sometimes Oikawa wondered what he had to have done in a past life to have a personification of fate follow him around like a little lost duckling. It had to be something terrible like maybe mass murder. Or maybe he was a really bad traveling minstrel or something.
"I am as always sorry that you feel that way, Young King," Ushijima said, stepping up to walk beside him. "But, if you would just go to the palace, I'm sure you will see I'm right."
"Stop it with all of the 'Young King' nonsense. You've been calling me that for years. I'm twenty-seven!" Oikawa muttered under his breath.
One of the nearby shop keepers looked up at the sound but upon seeing that it was Oikawa appearing to be talking to himself, the shop keeper just settled into a bemused but indulgent expression. Oikawa felt his eye twitch. Somehow, he was pretty sure that after "town hero" then term "town lunatic" was his second most used descriptor. Not that it would be a problem if Ushijima just chose to show himself instead of staying as an invisible pestering presence.
Could he turn visible? Yes, Oikawa had seen him do it before.
Would he? No, because by now, Oikawa was pretty sure that it was Ushijima secret goal to drive him insane while sending him to an early grave.
"Everyone human is young compared to me, Young King," Ushijima was saying but, honestly, Oikawa had gotten pretty good at tuning him out by now.
"Oikawa! Oikawa!"
"Scram," Oikawa muttered and was pleased to note that the next time he blinked, Ushijima had vanished into thin air.
"Hey, Takeru," Oikawa greeted the twelve year old. "What's up?"
Takeru looked up excitedly. "Is it true that you're going to the capitol to become a knight?"
"What? No! Of course, I'm not. That would be terrible" Oikawa answered vehemently. "Who told you that?"
Takeru frowned disappointed. "I was listening at the pub and Hanamaki said that Irihata had ordered you to go to the capitol and then Matsukawa said that with your luck, you'd probably end up being a knight by the end of the week."
This is why no one trusts them with letters, Oikawa mused dryly.
"They were just kidding," Oikawa told the boy. "I'm not going to be a knight, I promise."
"Why, though?" Takeru asked. "If you try out, I bet you'd make it. And then you'd get to go do awesome stuff and serve under the Ace of Hearts!"
Oikawa fought for a neutral tone. "Uh, huh, the great army of Hearts and the great Ace Iwa-whatever. Fat lot of good they do."
"What do you mean," Takeru demanded curiously.
"Nothing," Oikawa waved him off absently. "Just that there's no way I'm becoming a knight."
"But-But you're the town hero," Takeru protested. "If you're not going to be a knight, then no one in the village has a shot."
Oikawa rolled his eyes and said, "Well, if I'm a town hero then I better stay in the town, hadn't I? Not much point of being its hero otherwise."
What he didn't say was that becoming the town hero wasn't exactly something he remembered fondly. What he didn't say was that being the town hero just meant having a village that was so desperate and tired and bloody from invaders that they'd listen to any idea if it helped the survive, even if the ideas came from a fifteen year old. He didn't say that being a town hero meant being fifteen and working to the bone just trying to be one step smarter, one step faster, one step better than the enemies so they wouldn't kill everything you loved. What he definitely didn't say was that when you looked out onto bodies of men who had died from your orders, that you didn't feel like much of a hero at all.
And maybe because he hadn't said all of this, Takeru just groaned and did say, "Ugh, you're like the worst town hero ever."
"Yeah, yeah," Oikawa said lightly. "Preaching to the choir. Say what you mind weeding my garden while I'm gone?"
"Sure," Takeru shrugged. "Not like there's anything else to do."
"Awesome, now leave me alone so I can go get packed," Oikawa said, giving him a light push to some of the other village kids.
The rest of the way to Oikawa's small cottage just on the edge of the village went fairly pleasantly, without any nosey villagers or spirits of divine destiny getting in his way. Which was why it was all the more pleasant when he opened his front door and saw-
"Ugh," Oikawa groaned. "Don't you have something better to do! What do you even do for fun? Just go measure how many centimeters the grass has grown or something."
Ushijima continued with his normal blank expression. "Measuring the small incremental movements of life is always an enjoyable pastime."
The thing was from over a decade of experience with him, Oikawa knew he wasn't kidding. Oikawa felt his eye twitch again.
"However," Ushijima continued. "I came to make sure you actually were packing to leave for the palace and not trying to avoid your destiny."
Oikawa huffed. "Yes, I'll deliver the stupid letter to the stupid palace for my not-so-stupid village. You don't have to keep pestering me about it. Leave me to my remaining peace."
Ushijima nodded and for once, walked normally to the door.
"By the way," the Fate commented before leaving. "I fixed your garden for you while I waited. You're welcome."
With that Ushijima disappeared without a trace.
Oikawa banged his door open to look at his garden. The garden where he had specifically planted his flowers in messy, unorganized jumbles just because it might annoy the personification of Order. The garden that was now in perfect rows and organized by color in a precise rainbow pattern.
Without a word, Oikawa turned on his heel and walked back inside the house to find a pillow to scream into.
Fate was such a bitch.