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The water god dipped his head into the gently running current, feeling the coolness of the ripples ride over his head in a comforting manner. His eyes were closed shut, face as still as the rocks at the bottom of the riverbed. He breathed normally, the water being his vital source of power, his moving nostrils not even giving a hint on whether he was breathing in oxygen or not.
If he had a choice, he would’ve stayed in this very position for the rest of the day. Week, maybe. Eternity, if possible. Just standing in the middle of the river, head dipped low under the water, calm and cool. It was paradise, really.
Of course, life wasn’t that kind. He wasn’t alone in his paradise, regretfully. At the bottom of his rivers and guarding his oceans sides’ was the earth, solid and unmoving, strong and hard. Though sand sifted under his feet and his water eroded some riverbanks, the earth could never be washed away by the water god’s element. Not unless something drastic were to truly happen, like a global tsunami or typhoon.
The water god would never do something as rash as that, however. He knew he needed the other elements to survive just as much as they needed him.
Not that he wasn’t tempted to let loose hurricanes or floods onto the earth more often than not, though…
“Oi, Tsukishima.”
A familiar, not welcomed voice, ripped through the serene peace of the water god’s quiet haven, the voice low and rough, encapsulating the word ‘earthy’ to the very core of its meaning. Tsukishima didn’t bother to raise his head from the water, knowing that the other god could hear him quite well from where he was.
“Fuck off.”
He was calm, he swore. Being in rivers calmed him. Now, if he were out on one of his oceans, that would’ve been a different story.
“I’m drying up here.”
“Last time I heard, that’s what earth tends to do.”
“Oi! Tsukishima!”
The god lifted his head, scowl evident on his face. His brows were knitted and he stared at the petulant god that was sitting at the edge of the riverbank, arms crossed and with an irritated frown on his mouth. While Tsukishima was dressed in flowy robes that tended to match the nature of his water, Kageyama was dressed in leathers and wool that made him look more like an animal of his element than the animals themselves did. Greens, browns and blacks made him almost blend into the background foliage.
However, while the earth god usually looked as lively as his element did, now he looked a bit…dry. His skin was paler than usual and even the ends of his clothes had started to curl up as if they were set out next to a fire for too long. Even the air seemed to smell like something was slightly singed.
Tsukishima raised his brow. “What, has the fire god given you a run for your money? Proved that he’s much more competent at his element than you are?”
The element gods were not expected to meet. The world was too large with areas too diverse from them to ever cross paths. At least, that was how it was thought out statistically. Tsukishima and Kageyama were the first gods that ever crossed each other’s paths after centuries of time passing by, thousands of years passing by before the earth actually met the water. Because of that fateful meeting, they ended up never too far away from each other, always somehow in each other’s areas, or traveling to it.
Tsukishima liked to argue that it was because he preferred his calm rivers and lakes over his turbulent oceans and Kageyama just decided to camp out in areas where he could easily get refreshment.
Which was stupid. Earth was his nourishment. Kageyama just liked to bother the shit out of him.
The fire god was one that Tsukishima and Kageyama figured liked to stay in his natural habitat. Volcanos were far from the places that the other two gods liked to dwell so they weren’t surprised to have gone thousands of years without meeting him. As for the air, well, it was everywhere. There was no doubt the god of air was just as flighty as the breeze that rippled Tsukishima’s waters or Kageyama’s branches.
Yet, somewhere and somehow, Kageyama and the fire god crossed each other’s paths, much to Tsukishima’s happiness. It meant that the damn earth god was able to leave him alone for longer stretches of time, only coming back looking far more dried out than usual. It was amusing to see and think about, really. What was so intriguing about so dangerous of an element that it would convince such a strong god to push its own limits.
Regardless, because of their duty as gods, Tsukishima simply sighed and waved his hand, a huge ball of water rising from the river and dropping onto Kageyama’s head, soaking him thoroughly. The earth god seemed to immediately liven.
“What’s his name?” Tsukishima asked, meandering to the edge of the water and sitting himself down on the riverbank, just where his waist was still under water. Kageyama was wringing water out of his furry vest. The water god wasn’t genuinely curious. He just knew that the sooner he got Kageyama to finish talking, the sooner he’d leave. Plus, it had been weeks that Kageyama had been meeting with this fire god that had still yet to meet Tsukishima. (He wasn’t surprised. Water and fire were naturally not going to be the best of friends). He figured it was about time that he learn more than the typical information he gleaned from Kageyama’s appearances. All he could guess was that the fire god seemed elemental happy, what with Kageyama looking like he’d had far too many close calls with burning than he would’ve liked.
“Hinata,” the earth god grunted, rubbing his hands through his soaking hair. “Hinata Shouyou. He’s from the islands.”
“Then why is he here?” Tsukishima asked, letting small fishes run through his splayed fingers under the surface of the water. The islands were so far away; Tsukishima and Kageyama were practically in the middle of the mainland.
“He was passing through,” the other god explained, “claiming to be searching for us, the rest of the gods. He said he figured we should all be together, what with being the world and all that.”
The water god tried not to roll his eyes, the cheesy answer being too much for him to stomach. Whoever this Hinata Shouyou was, he sounded like a romanticist, and the world didn’t need any more romanticists. Too many people wrote disgusting poems or stories about moonlight reflecting off of the water or staring into the water at their reflection or their silhouettes and Tsukishima just wanted to gag.
“Well, he’s being doing a mighty fine job finding all of us,” he said flatly. His statement still stood. It had been weeks since Kageyama first met the other god and Tsukishima had yet to even catch a whiff of smoke other than the aromas emanating from Kageyama himself.
“He’s hesitant on meeting you next.”
“I’m not surprised. It’s not like I’m going to kill him, though.” Tsukishima, too, was a bit apprehensive on simply all this talk about fire. He stared at the river, circling his finger lightly. Off towards the middle, a tiny whirlpool appeared. However, a gentle push of the breeze caused a stray falling leaf to float gentle towards the middle of the vacuum. Tsukishima watched it as it sunk down below.
Where is the last god? He thought absently, flicking his fingers idly and watching as the water jumped. He could control the water, that was for sure, but his storms and hurricanes, typhoons and roaring waves could not happen if it weren’t for the tumultuous gusts of angry wind that accompanied them. The mastermind behind it all, the god of air, was still but a mystery to them.
He ran through Kageyama leaves, causing them to rustle throughout various seasons. He skipped on Tsukishima’s waters, causing ripples and waves everywhere. He no doubt also played with this ‘Hinata’s’ fire, allowing the element to even be able to breathe. How could his presence be so large yet his identity stay so hidden?
“-come around,” Kageyama finished, as Tsukishima realized he had tuned out a majority of what he said. Not that he cared.
“What if I don’t want to see his face?”
“Then that makes you a shitty god.”
“Then if I don’t want to be a good god?”
He batted away a pebble that Kageyama chucked in his direction.
The earth god laid down on his back, arms behind his head as he stared up at the sky above them. Tsukishima was quickly growing tired of his company and it didn’t seem like he was going away any time soon. Sullenly, he slid back into the water, content when the waves reached his neck. This far out into the river, Kageyama would be forced to exert effort talking loud enough for him to hear.
“What about that air god?”
Tsukishima closed his eyes again. “What about him?”
“Where do you think he is?”
“Why does it matter? Wasn’t it supposed to be completely impossible for us to run into each other anyway? Maybe we’ll never see him, ever. Maybe it’s better that way.”
A sudden gust of wind caused the water god to blink his eyes open in surprise when droplets hit his eyelids without warning. There was nothing around him except that off to the side, Kageyama was sitting up, looking at him in slight bemusement. “Looks like he wasn’t too happy with that comment.”
Furrowing his brows, Tsukishima turned his head away, trying to rationalize the situation. They had never chalked up certain wind patterns to the wind god – they didn’t know him personally to assume what his antics would be like. But thinking about it now, there could be no way the air god actually heard him, was there?
“Piss off and leave me alone,” he answered, unoriginally. Kageyama snorted but didn’t move, much to Tsukishima’s chagrin.
“Maybe he wants you to piss off for saying something shitty like that.”
“Seriously, what are you still doing here?”
Wind ran through the trees and for a moment, it felt like the air was laughing.
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Days passed without any indication that the air god was a nearby presence. He faded from Tsukishima’s mind, replaced quickly by the first meeting of the fire god and the water god. Kageyama shared that Hinata was finally ready to venture into areas near him and Tsukishima couldn’t bother to give a damn. He did bother to take a few steps out of his lake and sit on a rock, however.
The earth beneath the water god’s feet felt like it was drying and he had the sudden urge to water it as usual. But there was an underlying sense of divinity accompanied with the sensation and Tsukishima knew that it was simply the fire god. When Kageyama appeared out from behind the trees, a smaller figure in tow, Tsukishima tried all he could not to look just as tense as the fire god probably felt.
The other man’s head was flaming. Wait, no. His hair is just orange. Weird. He had bright eyes that seemed to crackle with life and he wore little clothing, his bare torso looking as sunburnt as if he had visited the star itself. The air smelled like smoke and burning wood and Tsukishima realized that Kageyama and Hinata standing next to each other smelled like a campfire. He suppressed the urge to shoot water at the two of them.
Hinata behaved just like a fire would. Fidgety and excited, his fingers didn’t stop moving and neither did his body. He was either somehow shifting his feet, lifting to his toes back to his soles, or moving his arms in some weird fashion that reminded the water god of the way fire would flicker outwards spontaneously. Staring at him for too long practically made Tsukishima’s eyes hurt and he turned away, staring at Kageyama. “This is him?”
“Hey! You can talk straight to me, you know!”
Raising an eyebrow, Tsukishima turned back to him. The other god’s brows were furrowed and he had his fists clenched at his sides. The calm god snorted. Fiery temper.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Usually Kageyama here never passes up a chance to open his mouth. Are you proving yourself worse?”
Hinata scoffed, crossing his arms and bouncing on the balls of his feet. Next to him, Kageyama stood unmoving with a conflicted expression on his face.
“This is supposed to be a happy meeting!” Hinata argued, looking genuinely upset that Tsukishima didn’t look wholly excited to meet him. “We’re the elements! We’ve been working together side by side since the beginning of time!”
“Correction, you two have been working together. As I recall, you and I aren’t really supposed to ‘cooperate’ in any way, shape or form, unless you’re planning on being put out any time soon.”
Hinata’s face fell even more and Kageyama glared. “Oi, Tsukishima, shut up. Just…just be civil or something. For like, a minute.”
The water god proceeded to stay silent for a solid minute.
Letting out a deep exhale, Hinata took quick steps forward, sticking his hand out. It looked so dry and brittle that Tsukishima didn’t even want to touch it. He simply stared.
“What? Shake my hand! I’m trying to be nice!” Hinata shot his hand out to grab Tsukishima’s but the water god pulled it away quickly. “Oi! Tsukishima!”
“And I thought fire was supposed to work fast.”
“Oi! OI! Work with me here!”
A gust of air made leaves swirl around Tsukishima’s feet, the action going unnoticed by the two other gods. But the water god glanced upward briefly, his distraction allowing Hinata to finally grab his wrist and slam their hands together, shaking vigorously. Though wary, Tsukishima swore he thought he heard a laugh this time, somewhere far in the sky.
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As time passed grew, so did Tsukishima’s patience, unfortunately. Being forced to hang around Kageyama and Hinata as much as he was, it was inevitable that he found himself getting used to their antics. The two were absurdly close, despite their banter that could reach extremes. One of their ‘fights’ involved the destruction of one volcano where Hinata’s magma was successfully trapped under the intense weight of earth that Kageyama was pressing down on him. The explosion was horrible and, as expected, Tsukishima was the one in charge to put out all of the fires on the land lest Kageyama die at Hinata’s hands.
That was not a particularly fun time.
However, throughout the entire reconstruction period, it was questionably windy. While Kageyama was lying in bed sick to his stomach as his earth burned and Hinata was by his side blubbering apologies, Tsukishima was out on the grounds, throwing water here and there. The wind, interestingly enough, was also wild and strong, blowing out some fires that Tsukishima couldn’t get to in time.
He almost, almost, raised his hand in the air to thank the man he thought was behind it.
As Kageyama and Hinata enjoyed each other’s presence, their activities growing more peculiar with time, Tsukishima found himself with long stretches solitude. Yet wherever he went, there was always a breeze and even out on his oceans, the wind caused his waves to crash thunderously. It was like the air god knew that out here in the primal areas of vast nothingness, wind and water clashed in a sickeningly wonderful way.
Even when he was near small streams or ponds, the breeze was never too far away. It was like a tickle in his ear, a small reminder that someone was out there, controlling it. Sometimes it felt tangible, like a presence was next to him, only to disappear within seconds, just like the wind.
He wanted to know who was out there, but at the same time he didn’t. He deemed this element as unpredictable – as quirky as fire. What if it was another Hinata? He didn’t think he could handle that if it were to happen.
What if it was another Kageyama? No. The breeze is too playful to seem as solid as the earth.
What if it was another him? That wasn’t too fun of an idea. He already knew his personality was a bit of an acquired taste, if it even was a taste.
Pondering his dilemma while the curiosity about the other god grew, it wasn’t long before he made up his mind. Three out of the four gods had already found each other, was his excuse. Might as well meet the last, right?
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“You should stop hiding and come out,” Tsukishima said bluntly, pausing in the middle of a large lake where he was walking, hands clasped behind his back. Sometimes he took the time to peer down into the depths of his waters, checking to see how his creatures were doing. The wind, as usual, whipped around him turbulently, just like how it always would out on open waters. Yet after Tsukishima spoke, the wind abruptly stopped. It almost seemed startled. The water god hid a smirk. Got you. “It’s a bit weird following me around everywhere and not ever doing or saying anything. You might as well just talk to me.”
Without any wind at all, the top of his lake was as still as glass. Tsukishima waited patiently. When no god appeared before him or voice appeared in his ear, he spoke again, a bit flatly.
“I know it’s you. I know it’s been you. You’re always there and I’m sure you’ve already seen Hinata and Kageyama. You’ve helped me clean up their messes. Who are you? I think I deserve to know at this point.”
There was a ripple in the air, as if the entire element itself was shifting uncomfortably. Then, like a gentle windchime, a sound reached his ear.
“-ima…”
He froze, eyes narrowing as he tried to sense a presence around him. There was nothing. Hesitantly, he closed his eyes and tried to focus.
Instantly, sound exploded all around him.
“Tsukishima! Tsukki! Finally, finally, oh gosh, you can hear me! Finally, finally finally-“
“What the hell?” Tsukishima spluttered in surprise, eyes flickering open in surprise. There was still nothing around him but water, but there were ripples now, appearing almost excitedly. They echoed the intensity of the voice in his ears. “Who the- ‘Tsukki’?”
“Yes!” The voice practically screamed in his ear and the wind whipped so hard suddenly that he staggered sideways. Immediately, there was an apology. “Oh, shoot, sorry Tsukki! I’m just so happy that you can hear me now! You never bothered to pay attention-“
“Me not paying attention?” The water god said, affronted. “You’ve been hovering around for ages and I’ve been waiting for you to appear!”
He quickly started walking towards the edge of the lake and the voice followed like it was tethered to his being. “No, you never bothered to listen to the silence! You kept paying attention to my wind!” It almost sounded like the god was pouting.
“That makes absolutely no sense.”
“Tsukki-“
“Why the hell are you calling me that?”
The wind caused leaves to skitter around his feet once he touched land, dancing around him in what seemed like agitation. “Your name’s too long, okay? Anyway, I mean what I say. My element is the air, you know that, right?”
“Assuming the elements haven’t changed since the beginning of time, I’m assuming so.”
“Well, there you go. I’m air, Tsukki. I’m the nothingness in the sky. My breezes and storms are just like when you’re making whirlpools or hurricanes. But when you and your water are calm and quiet, that’s when you’re approachable.”
Tsukishima made a face, wondering if the air god could see it. “So, what, I’ve been listening to the wrong thing this entire time?”
“It’s like if I were to just stare at the waves you make instead of your face while you make them.”
The water god frowned. “Alright then. What’s your face?”
There was another hesitation in the air.
“Don’t give me that. I believe I have a right to know by now.”
“It’s a bit harder for me to come down there.” The voice was wary, a bit shy and slightly reluctant. Tsukishima pushed on.
“So? You’re a god. Make it work for you.”
Silence filled his ears.
Eventually, the gentle breeze that had been swirling around his feet began to pick up, growing in strength to the point that Tsukishima had to take quick steps back into the shallow water to ground him so that he didn’t topple over. He stared in awe as a small cyclone began to form before him, and from that, a human figure.
The air god appeared slowly in front of him but in such a strong gust of wind that Tsukishima held his arms before his face, trying to shield himself from the sticks and pebbles that blew at him. The figure eventually materialized and after the wind slightly died down, Tsukishima lowered his arms.
The man before him was nothing like he expected. He was not huge and buff nor did he look small and fragile like Hinata. He didn’t seem as irritating as Kageyama and he sure as hell didn’t come off as a cynic like Tsukishima felt he was.
Instead, the air god looked shy and slightly anxious, eyes darting about from side to side, only resting on Tsukishima’s face after it looked down at himself and saw that he had properly formed. With wide eyes and a spray of surprising freckles, Tsukishima realized that the god of air was seemed more unpredictable than it did intimidating.
“Um, ummm…hello!” He spoke cheerfully and Tsukishima blinked when a small breeze seemed to blow at him with every word the other spoke. “I’m Yamaguchi Tadashi, god of the air.”
“I’m, um, Tsukishima. God of water.”
“I know,” Yamaguchi said with a smile, fingers fiddling with his sleeves. He wore a lose fitting tunic and baggy pants, flapping in the wind around him. “I’ve seen all of you before, from up there.” He pointed towards the sky.
The water god furrowed his brows curiously, crossing his arms. “What did you mean when you said that it was harder for you to ‘come down’ here? You’re here now.”
Chuckling like the answer was obvious, Yamaguchi even had the gall to roll his eyes. “Tsukki, I’m not as…tangible as you three are.”
Oh. Well that makes total sense. The gears clicked into Tsukishima’s mind immediately.
“It’s harder for me to maintain a form on land when my elemental form is practically…” he waved his hand vaguely, “anything and everything and everywhere. I’m concentrating a lot of wind to be in this specific spot and if I don’t focus, I could just disappear back into the sky again.” He shrugged. “You guys have it easy. Kageyama, the most, because the entire planet is made up of earth.”
“I see. That’s completely understandable. So that’s why we’ve never really seen you around.”
Yamaguchi nodded, happy that Tsukishima caught on quickly. “I mean, I’m around, I’m definitely around. You can’t exactly hide from the air.” The grin on his face made Tsukishima quickly mentally dive to do a huge life review. “And I have been helping. Those two sure are a handful…”
The water god snorted. “Glad you noticed.”
“Uh huh. I help keep Hinata’s fires alive and I provide Kageyama’s plants and animals with oxygen as well. You’re just fun~”
Tsukishima blinked at the statement. “Excuse me?”
“You’re fun, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi repeated without batting a single lash, the easy going smile still on his face. “You don’t need the wind for anything unless you want to make storms or something. And doing that is really fun with you.”
Exhaling through his nose quickly, Tsukishima turned his head away with his brows lightly knitted. In front of him, Yamaguchi laughed and the water god tried not to let the feelings of embarrassment rise. “Yes, well, it’s a bit aggravating when you know you’re working with someone you can’t particularly see.”
“Sorry, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi said without dropping his grin. “So why now?”
“Why now what?”
The air god shrugged. “Why’d you decide to try and meet me now?”
Tsukishima hesitated, quickly debating whether he should tell the truth or not. “I didn’t know if it’d be worth it before,” he said.
Yamaguchi tilted his head to the side a bit, eyes wide in question. “What do you mean?”
“Adding the fourth god…it sounded like a nice little gettogether plan. I just wasn’t sure if we’d…” Hit it off? Be friends? I don’t even know what I was expecting when I wanted to meet you.
“Be compatible? Don’t be silly, Tsukki. Of them all, you’re the one I’m most compatible with.”
Tsukishima looked at him in surprise. “What?”
“Yes, how do you not see? The earth is the earth because of the heat that keeps it together. Kageyama and Hinata are practically what gives this planet its structure.” He rolled his eyes. “But you and me? We-“
“Just make storms together.”
Yamaguchi gave him a slightly amused smile. “Not really, Tsukki, no. You realized it too, didn’t you? You can’t really do much with your water except move it around.” It sounded like an insult and it certainly was phrased like one, but it was true. “I help give your water life. Go on, try something.”
Tsukishima never really liked being told what to do, but Yamaguchi’s open expression practically made him automatically lift his hand. Accordingly, the water to his right began to swirl.
Yamaguchi quickly raised his own hands, aiming his open palms for the small whirlpool. With a look of concentration, wind began to whip around and when Tsukishima glanced down, he saw waves crashing in a miniature version of what it would be like out on the open seas. Amazement filled him, though he tried to keep his expression stoic.
“I see.”
“Right? I think it’s pretty cool!”
“It is.”
Tsukishima turned back to the air god, stopping the little whirlpool and watching the waves crash into ripples. He didn’t want to over-exert Yamaguchi because then he might have to go. “So that’s what you and I have been doing all this time?”
Yamaguchi pouted but playfully. “You make it sound like it’s a bad thing. Working with Kageyama and Hinata…it’s like a chore. But with you it’s so much more relaxing. Wouldn’t you agree?”
He did. He did agree. He really only ‘worked’ with Kageyama since Hinata stayed far from his waters. Yet here was Yamaguchi, claiming that they didn’t necessarily work but instead had…fun.
Tsukishima nodded, eyes zoning towards the Yamaguchi’s left foot. It was beginning to dematerialize and panic flooded his chest. With concern in his eyes he looked back up to the air god’s face and saw that there was just a thin shine of sweat on his forehead and the look of concentration had morphed into one of effort.
“Are you-“ He asked quickly.
“Ah, yup. I haven’t been down here in such a long time, my skill’s kinda…rusty. I might have to…” Both legs were now swathed in wind, the element slowly creeping up Yamaguchi’s thighs.
As quickly as he could, he spoke. “Will you come back? Can you? Or-“
“I’ll be back,” Yamaguchi said with a smile. “Now that I’ve met you, I don’t think there’s any way I couldn’t come back at this point.”
Tsukishima couldn’t tell if Yamaguchi had been flirting this whole time or really was as flighty as the wind. He could only grunt in reply. “Right. So. Tomorrow?”
The smile on Yamaguchi’s face made him suddenly wish that the air was not a free-for-all element and that the air god could sit with him by the lake’s edge and that they could talk for a while.
“I don’t know about tomorrow. But I can still talk to you, kinda. If you don’t mind a creepy voice in your ear.”
“I don’t mind.”
Yamaguchi chuckled. “Of course you don’t.” The air was already up to his chest. All that was left was his shoulders and head. “I’ll see you later, alright, Tsukki?”
The water god nodded, having given up hope on properly filtering the words coming out of his mouth.
“Don’t forget, I’m always around if you need me!”
Yamaguchi disappeared in swirl of air, leaving Tsukishima to stare at the spot he once stood, frowning lightly. His first interaction with the air god left him feeling conflicted, yet intrigued all the same.
All the moments that he felt lonely, excluded from the little world that Kageyama and Hinata had enclosed themselves in, he realized he was wrong. The gentle push of the breeze that touched his cheek seconds after Yamaguchi vanished was evidence of that.
He had always had a companion since the very beginning.