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Getting lost wasn’t part of Kourai’s plan.
Does anyone mean to get lost? Probably not. Kourai certainly hadn’t meant to, but here he is, stranded on the side of a mountain with no cell service and no more water.
The thing is that Kourai doesn’t usually get lost. He’s pretty good with directions, and besides, he chose a relatively short route for his first time hiking alone. He must have taken a wrong turn somewhere, but he doesn’t remember straying off the path. He knew where he was a few minutes ago, and now, he doesn’t. Simple.
Maybe he’s ascended farther than he thought and the air pressure is getting to him, or maybe he’s getting sick, even though that’s impossible because Hoshiumi Kourai’s iron immune system is unbreakable. It must be the air pressure because he can’t retrace his steps because he can’t quite remember where he came from; these trees don’t look familiar and it’s getting awfully dark for early afternoon.
Maybe Ushijima was right. It’s dangerous to go alone, Hoshiumi. I can do what I want, Ushijima, except maybe he shouldn’t have because there’s a weird, sweet sort of smell in the air, like something’s rotting. The birds, too, sound like nothing Kourai has heard before with reedy, dissonant calls. Still, it’s nothing he can’t handle. He’s only a little lost, that’s all. It’s nothing. The path can’t be far off, and even if it is, Kourai will find it. Hoshiumi Kourai doesn’t get lost and he doesn’t get sick and he certainly doesn’t get frightened by just-this-side-of-too-loud birdsong. Certainly not.
Kourai pulls on the straps of his backpack. Kicks a tree root. Takes a few steps in the direction he’s sort of maybe pretty sure he came from and finds a fallen tree he’s never seen before. Staying put would be the smart thing to do, but really, he can’t be more than a few minutes off the main path, nevermind the quickly darkening sky. Nevermind the strange birds and the terrible smell and swathe of trees with no leaves in the height of summer.
When Kourai’s friend Hinata’s friend Kenma read the lines on Kourai’s palms last week, he said your life will change. Kenma has never been wrong before, or so says Hinata, and Hinata usually tells the truth. Or so says Kageyama. Kenma said your life will change and not you will die in a terrible accident on a mountain so Kourai figures he’s safe as can be and sets off. The creepy trees can’t hurt him and neither can the birds, and even if they could, Kourai is a few feet taller than a stupid bird. He’ll win, no problem. It’s fine.
Perhaps if Kenma was here, Kourai might feel safer. Not that Kourai’s spoken to Kenma more than once or twice, but he’s a little scary and the woods are a little scary too. Not that Kourai is scared, but. Objectively. It’s a bit creepy. It could be the setting of a horror movie, the sort Hinata likes to watch, the sort Kenma could be the antagonist of with his strange glowing eyes and odd but precise predictions.
But Kourai’s not scared. That would be crazy.
He finds more and more animals, though none come close enough to touch. It’s a flock of pitch-black crows singing the bizarre, unpleasant song, and he spots a playful pair of foxes leaving footprints in the mulchy layer of leaves on the forest floor. Squirrels chitter in the trees and insects nip at Kourai’s skin. The foxes remind Kourai of his friend Hinata’s friend Kenma’s two cats and the crows remind Kourai of Ushijima’s pet bird, uncreatively named Birdy, so it’s not all that strange. Even if Birdy’s eyes don’t follow Kourai like the crows’ do.
The sky gets darker and the trees get spindlier and the crows get louder. The foxes might be following him, but he’s confident he could take a fox. Even two of them. He’s not called the Little Giant for nothing. He could take two little cats, or dogs, or whatever it is that foxes are supposed to be like. Ushijima probably knows. Kourai would text him to ask him but he has no cell service. Mental note: message Ushijima about foxes later. Mental note: there is a cave in front of you.
It’s not a small cave. Kourai wonders how he missed it. The yawning mouth is pitch black and menacing. Something tells Kourai he should stay very, very far away.
But there’s a dog sitting by the edge of the cave.
There’s a dog sitting by the edge and it’s big and cute and it doesn’t look like a wild dog, not that Kourai knows anything about wild dogs (mental note: message Ushijima about wild dogs). It looks like it could go on runs with Kourai, or fall asleep in front of his fireplace, not that he has a fireplace. But if he did.
Kourai approaches the dog.
It has a thick brown coat and fuzzy, floppy ears and hopefully not rabies. That would suck. But Kourai is maybe a little bit lost (suck it, Ushijima of the future who’s going to lecture him about something-or-other) and dogs are cute.
“Hello,” says the dog.
Kourai screams.
“Please calm down,” the dog adds.
And this isn’t that weird. Mythical creatures aren’t… impossible, even if they’re rare. Hoshiumi’s mom’s favourite idol just came out as a werewolf. It was a whole thing. Kenma, too, can tell the future. Probably. (Hoshiumi will get back to you on whether his life changes.) The dog can talk, but so can Birdy the African Grey.
“Okay,” Hoshiumi says, slowly walking toward the dog now that he’s caught his breath. “What’s your name? I’m Hoshiumi.”
The dog frowns, as much as a dog can. “Are you looking for him?”
“For who?”
“Sachirou,” says one of the foxes, who has appeared at Kourai’s feet. Somehow. The fox is cute, but their sibling is probably cuter, sitting a few feet away. Can you keep foxes as pets? Mental note: ask Ushijima.
“I don’t know who that is,” Kourai says. “Is he one of you?”
The fox snickers. “We’re not Sachirou. He lives in the cave.”
Kourai crouches down so his face is closer to the fox’s. “Is he an animal, like you? Does he talk?”
The fox knocks their nose against Kourai’s chin. “Go inside and find out. You came all this way.”
And yeah, Kourai did come all this way. He got totally-not-lost on a pretty small mountain, all things considered, and now he’s stuck in a weird, gloomy forest with a bunch of talking animals. Might as well talk to the apparently revered Sachirou. It can’t hurt, unless it does, but Kenma didn’t predict Kourai’s death so it’s probably fine. Maybe this is the big change he’s been waiting for.
“Alright,” Kourai says, scratching the top of the fox’s head. “I’m going in.”
He sort of wishes he brought a flashlight, but then again, he was supposed to be back home by three o’clock. Who needs a flashlight when the sun’s high and bright in the sky? He never intended to wander into a strange, dead, creepy forest filled with talking animals. Who could plan for that? (Ushijima probably would. Contingency number four hundred and twenty six: find yourself in a strange, dead, creepy forest filled with talking animals. Solution: be Ushijima and escape with ease because you know everything.)
The cave is just as dark on the inside as it looked from the outside, which shouldn’t be surprising. Kourai still feels surprised.
“Sachirou?” he calls, keeping his hand anchored to the wall so he kind-of-sort-of knows where he’s going in the darkness. “Sachirou? Are you in here? The fox said you were in here.”
“Who are you?” The voice is soft and soothing. Definitely not what Kourai would have expected from a mysterious, magical cave-dweller. He’d have thought something more like Kenma: unsettlingly quiet with glowing eyes. He shivers at the thought.
“I’m Hoshiumi Kourai,” he answers easily. “Do you have lights in here? It’s kind of dark. I want to stop touching the cave wall to know where I am. It’s kind of dusty.”
Silence.
“I’m sorry for insulting your home?” Kourai ventures. “I’m sure your efforts to keep your cave clean are admirable?”
Sachirou laughs. It should be creepy but it isn’t. “Are you not afraid, Hoshiumi?”
“No,” Kourai says stubbornly, because he’s not. Maybe he was, just a little bit, in the woods, but he’s not here. The animals were friendly and since Kourai’s life hasn’t changed yet, he can’t die. Simple.
“Really,” Sachirou says, voice echoing in the cave, and then a gust of wind nearly knocks him off his feet. Without warning, light fills the cave; Kourai blinks at the sudden brightness.
And then he gasps.
Because.
Wow.
Sachirou’s brown hair falls over his forehead in soft waves. His warm eyes are dark and wide. His massive, feathered wings fill the cave and his furry legs end in cloven hooves.
“I’m not sure how you got in here,” Sachirou says, crouching before a blazing firepit, “but I think you should leave.”
“No way,” Kourai says, sitting cross-legged on the cave floor in front of the fire. “I don’t know how to get back. I got lost and ended up here.”
“That makes sense. This place is enchanted to bar humans from entering; I’m sure it would be hard to escape.” Sachirou frowns. “Are you a human?”
Kourai nods vigorously. “Yes! I’m a human. Are you? I mean, I know you have the wings, but I don’t want to assume, you know. One of my teammates is two hundred and two centimetres and I thought maybe he wasn’t a human, but he definitely is because I’m faster than him and my jump is better than his, and I’m human. So.”
Sachirou blinks. His eyes might be glowing a little bit, but it’s a lot less scarier than when Kenma does it. “You’ve met non-humans?”
“My friend’s bird is not a human, so definitely,” Kourai says, and then laughs, loud and shrill, because it was funny. “I know what you meant, though. Like human non-humans. My friend Hinata’s friend Kenma can tell the future, I think he’s human but I don’t know. Something’s up there. And this guy who plays for Argentina, I forget his name, but he’s my friend Hinata’s friend, he’s a siren.” Kourai pauses and perks up. “And! My mom’s favourite idol came out as a werewolf! So I know three people.”
“Three,” Sachirou echoes, staring into the fire. “Wow.”
“Yeah, it’s cool. I sort of wish I could be one of those people. Except for Kenma, because he’s kind of scary. He’s got these tiny little hands, like claws.” Kourai shivers. “Not actual claws. But they definitely could be.”
Sachirou leans forward. “You wish you could be one of us?”
Kourai nods, hesitant. Who wouldn’t? If he had wings like Sachirou, he wouldn’t have to jump. The Black Jackals would never win if Hoshiumi had wings. “It’s cool. I mean, I’m pretty cool on my own, but I might be cooler if I had wings. I think I’d like mine to be white, to match my hair.” Kourai tugs on his hair. “Do you live in this cave?”
Sachirou smiles, except it looks sort of sad. “Sort of. I live in this forest, Hoshiumi. It’s my home, so I take care of it. I watch over the trees and the animals.”
Hoshiumi nods. “They seemed to like you a lot. I don’t think you’re doing a good job with the trees, though. Sorry. They’re kind of dead.”
Sachirou freezes, and then he laughs. It’s a nice sound, not like a bell twinkling or whatever they say in those movies Ushijima likes, but it’s kind of loud and snorty. It’s cool. Or whatever. “Things don’t quite work the same in here as they do where you’re from. They’re supposed to look like that this time of year.”
“Oh, so you’re from here?”
Sachirou shakes his head.
“So how long have you lived here?” Kourai would like to live in a place with talking animals. Birdy doesn’t count because she’s loud and shrieky and the sound makes Kourai want to curl up in a ball and pull all of his hair out. The fox outside was more friendly.
“A hundred years,” Sachirou says, “give or take. Maybe one hundred and fifty.”
“A hundred years,” Kourai echoes, and then, “wow! A hundred years! That’s a long time. Did you come from my world before? Why did you leave?”
Sachirou looks at the floor. “I wasn’t welcome. I lived near a village, but they… didn’t appreciate me. I’m a healer and I wanted to help them, but I was chased out. Of there, and out of everywhere I settled.” He pulls his loose shirt down over his shoulder to reveal a ragged scar. “I only wanted to help, but I suppose I wasn’t doing enough if they were afraid of me. It’s safer in here.”
Kourai stares. “That’s kind of stupid, Sachirou.”
Sachirou glares. “How would you know?”
And Sachirou is right, sort of. Kourai doesn’t know what it’s like to be chased out of a village for having massive wings and cloven hooves. The whole ‘being chased out’ thing probably sucks, but having wings and hooves wouldn’t. Still. “It’s not your fault they chased you out,” Kourai points out. “If they wanted your help they wouldn’t have tried to kill you or whatever. You don’t owe anyone anything. They sound like they sucked. Like, a lot. Jeez.”
Sachirou shrugs. “I guess,” he says, but he’s smiling, just a little. “I guess you’re right, Hoshiumi.”
“And besides, people are nicer now. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone with wings like that, but no one’ll chase you out of a village again!” Kourai grins. “And if they do, I’ll get revenge for you. I’m pretty scary, you know.”
Sachirou nods seriously. “I’m sure, Hoshiumi. There’s something special about you if you managed to get in through my wards. I’ll be safe in your capable hands.”
Sachirou is. Well. He’s pretty. He looks like he should model for Nike or something, like Kageyama. Sachirou would probably like it more than Kageyama does, because Sachirou is nice and Kageyama is a little bit prickly. Just a little. Kourai still likes him, though. Kourai and Kageyama and Ushijima have weekly movie nights and sometimes, they take their morning runs together. It’s nice. Nicer than nice. The nicest.
Anyway.
“You should come visit the rest of us, Sachirou. Don’t you get lonely in here?” Kourai traces the dust on the floor of the cave. It looks lonely. Talking animals are nice, but they can’t go to the movies with you, or take care of you have a cold. Not that Kourai knows what that’s like because his immune system is unbreakable, but. Theoretically.
Sachirou shrugs. “I have friends here. And it’s been so long now, I’m afraid to leave.” He laughs. “I’d stand out a little.”
“Not really,” Kourai says, because, well, Sachirou has to leave now. He has to. Kourai likes him, which means they have to be friends. “My teammate is two hundred and two centimetres, remember? You’re probably shorter than him if you don’t count the wings.”
“I’ll think about it,” Sachirou promises. “I can’t leave today. I have things to take care of here.”
“But soon?” Kourai flaps his hands, excited. “I’ll show you around, Sachirou. I’ll introduce you to my friends. I bet you would like them. My friend Ushijima has a bird that talks, but it’s not like your foxes or anything. She just repeats words.” Maybe Birdy would help Sachirou feel more at home, even if her terrible screeching makes Kourai want to cry. It would be worth it for Sachirou.
“We just met,” Sachirou says uneasily. “Are you sure?”
“I trust you. You risked your life to help people, and everyone out there,” Kourai turns to point to the mouth of the cave, “seems to like you. So I trust you. And it makes me sad to think that the world got better without you there.”
“Hoshiumi,” Sachirou says, and then, “Hoshiumi. I appreciate it.” He wipes at his face. “But it’s a lot to think about, and I have family here.”
“It’s okay. Don’t rush.” Maybe Sachirou was hurt so badly he never wants to see humans again. That would be okay, too, Kourai supposes, but hopefully Sachirou would still let him visit. He would, right? “If you don’t want to leave, you’ll still let me visit, won’t you?”
Sachirou’s eyes widen.
“And I wouldn’t want you to do your healing stuff. I mean, if you wanted to you could, but I don’t really care about your magic stuff. I mean I do care, it’s cool, but I already have a doctor.” Kourai stands up and crosses his arms. “I just want to be your friend, Sachirou.”
“Of course I’d let you visit me,” Sachirou says. “As many times as you’d like. I’ll show you around so you don’t get so lost.” He looks over Kourai’s shoulder. “Maybe next time, though. You should be on your way home for today. It’s getting late. I’ll show you the way out.”
Kourai kind of wants to stay here forever, but Kageyama might be calling the police right now. Or park rangers. Whatever. Who knows. Not Kourai. “I’ll be back next week,” Kourai promises as Sachirou leads him through the creepy woods. “And the next week after that. However long you want.”
Sachirou pats his head. “That’s a big promise, Hoshiumi. If you change your mind, I’ll understand.”
“I won’t. I won’t. I promise.” Kourai takes Sachirou’s hand. “You’ll see. I’ll prove it to you. I’ll stay for as long as you’ll have me, Sachirou. I’m special, remember? I got through your wards.” Now it’s a challenge: Sachirou doesn’t believe Kourai will follow through, which means Kourai has to do it. He has no choice.
Sachirou stops. They’re at the border: rich deciduous wood on one side and gray, lifeless trees on the other. “I suppose you are special.” He squeezes Kourai’s hand. “You should get going.”
Kourai nods. It’s dark and he should probably get Kageyama to call off the international search party. “I’ll see you next week. Promise. Tell those foxes I said hi, okay, and the dog, and the trees. You have to tell them.”
“I’ll tell them,” Sachirou says, letting go. Hesitantly: “I hope to see you soon, Hoshiumi.”
“Of course. I promised, didn’t I?”
Sachirou nods, flaps his great wings, and disappears.
Opening his miraculously not-dead phone, Kourai dials Ushijima and asks, “Ushijima, are foxes supposed to be dogs or cats?”