Chapter Text
The forest was dark and so deeply green it looked almost black. Kunimi slinked slowly through the brush, following the heavy set footprints left in the dank mud. The village had hired the apathetic traveler as he passed through to hunt the ‘Goblin in the woods.’ Really, Kunimi nearly scoffed at their words, there couldn't possibly be a goblin in the words terrorizing the town.
But then they offered a big sack of gold and well… money was money. So now Kunimi trudged through mud and smelt like shit. He hadn’t showered in days, he’d been living on whatever rations he’d brought and the berries he’d scrounged as he passed. His beg sat heavy across his back, and the sword in its sheath felt like it weighed a ton. Kunimi could not tell if it was the responsibility weighing him down, or exhaustion.
By the scent in the air, Kunimi could tell it was going to rain soon, and all he wanted was to be in a nice bed, and have a warm bath. As if simply the thought of it made the sky open and begin its downpour; rain fell. Kunimi groaned. Now he was wet, and the tracks were disappearing. He couldn't see barely a foot in front of him anymore, and the sky only darkened considerably. With his visibility gone, Kunimi stood to his full height, trying his best to peer into the rain-trodden darkness.
A faint orange light shone like a beacon, far off and dimming as it moved farther away. Kunimi spent only a few seconds pondering before haphazardly following the flickering light.
It felt like hours of tripping on tree roots he could no longer see, unsnagging his clothing from branches and thorns that grabbed at him, and slipping in the mud as the rain refused to let up. The only thing that remained consistent was the light that Kunimi followed, as he got closer and closer, moving forward. Then the light was gone.
Kunimi felt his foot slip, but exhaustion made his reactions slow, and when he tried to steady himself, or grab maybe a branch or something that would keep him up, it was too late. Kunimi gasped and yelped as he slipped down the slope, feeling the slick mud and rocks guide his body farther down, and down, and down the cliff side. Branches slapped him and cut him, his bag and sword battered his body as he rolled, and his hand became raw and scraped as he desperately grabbed for anything to slow the fall.
It didn't work and finally it stopped with one final kick to Kunimi from the cliff side, flinging his body full of momentum into a stagnant half-filled bottom. The rock bed was hard against his skull, and the night sky, water laden and starless turned to complete and utter darkness.
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It was warm. And light. And soft. Kunimi felt such a stark contrast from the last thing he remembered. The cold water that was around him, the hard rock bed at the bottom of the cliff side, the darkness that creeped in until it was all he had. A soft touch to his hand jerked his survival instinct and Kunimi jerked his hand towards himself and quickly flicked his eyes open, trying to scoot away from whomever touched him.
Kunimi hissed at the pain that rocketed through his body, his vision swimming and the room shifting. A gentle hand took his hand again, and he was led to lay back down. Too sore and disoriented with pain Kunimi didn't fight, and the soft touches returned when he was settled back down. When his vision stopped spinning, and his body slowly stopped throbbing, Kunimi glanced at the person that he assumed saved him.
Only, it wasn't a person. Their skin was a greyish-teal, their face slightly pinched, and their hair was black and spiked upwards. It was the Goblin. Kunimi alms the jerked back against, but the feeling of calloused handing on his, slowly applying a salve and wrapping them in a crisp white fabric stopped him. The goblin had saved him, dragged him from the disgusting basin of the cliff, and was helping him. It’d be poor manners to draw his sword and run it through the monster. Speaking of, Kunimi felt that his bag and sword were missing, and sparing a glance around, he couldn’t see them in the room.
With his attention now drawn to the room, Kunimi looked around to see the well lit little hit was well kept. Skins of various animals were stitched together in different pieces to make bedding, and covered parts of the floor there were masterfully crafted wooden pieces of furniture. There were lanterns hung from the ceiling, which was surprisingly high, and there was a great fireplace across from the couch that roared. A bit aways, there was a mix-matched kitchen, more wooden counters, a basin of water, and neat shelving for pots, pans, and dishes that don't match. Probably scrounged or stolen, he was a goblin after all.
Little plants in pots (both clay and cooking) lay littered about, on various surfaces. There was a bookshelf tucked into a corner and so full of books that it was stacked on the top, and in various places around the room. And that's what it was, the home was one big room, with little to divide the space besides artfully placed furniture.
The goblin stood, and Kunimi trained his eyes quickly to the movement, and the goblin refused to make eye contact as they lumbered towards the kitchen, taking a bowl and filling it with water and carefully rinsing their hands in the water, not spilling a drop. A little bucket a ways away is where the now dirty and bloodied water was dumped, and with a small glass cup; a glass teacup Kunimi realized, was filled with water from the basin (what Kunimi deduced was the clean water) and was brought to him. The goblin set it on the bedside table, wood with a lit lantern on top, before lumping away. Kunimi now actually looked at the goblin for the first time.
As previously seen, the goblin was a grayish-teal, they wore a mash of vines and furs for clothing, the bottom consisting of what looked like skunk tails sewn together and wrapped with a vine, the top looked like human fabric, the holes filled with leaves maybe. The goblin did not wear shoes, but considering that fact, their feet were exceptionally clean, and the goblin took great care to not track any dirt into the house if the clean flooring and fur-made carpets were anything to indicate. The goblin lumbered around just doing… goblin things? Really, what did goblins do? Kunimi wondered. He knew they typically stole, not that he judged them for that, because he did too.
Was the goblin organizing? From Kunimi’s horizontal angle, he couldn't really tell, but it all seemed a bit… domestic for a goblin. “Thank you,” he croaked, and the goblin startled. Hesitantly the goblin turned, giving Kunimi his first clear look at the goblins face. Kunimi has never really seen goblins, but he was under the impression they were small, this goblin however, was not. The goblin was decently tall, for a goblin Kunimi supposes, they stood probably at around five foot three. His face was humanoid, but a bit pinched in the nose and eyes.
The goblin had surprisingly big eyes, staring down at Kunimi from where he stood. “You're welcome.” Kunimi’s face did not move, but internally he startled at the smooth deep. Voice of the goblin. What the hell? Weren’t goblins supposed to be little scrounging menaces? What was going on?
“What's your name?” Kunimi croaked out. The goblin glanced at him, lumbering over and helping Kunimi sit up against the headboard, propping a pillow behind his back. The goblin put the glass of water in his hand before sitting back in the little chair beside the bed. “Kindaichi Yuutarou.”
Kunimi gingerly took a sip of water, and with that he realized how thirsty he was, downing the cup as quickly as he could. When the cup was empty, the goblin took the cup out of Kunimi’s hand and set it on the bedside table again. “I’m Kunimi Akira, thank you for helping me.” Kunimi was pleasantly surprised that his voice sounded like it’s normal smooth soft inflections.
The goblin— Kindaichi, Kunimi reminded himself— nodded, awkwardly shifting in the chair. Kunimi could only infer that Kindaichi did not have many interactions with humans. “I’d recommend you stay for a couple weeks to heal up, you broke three ribs from your fall.”
Kunimi was startled by that information, “Shit, really?” Kindaichi nodded, standing and walking to the kitchen, sifting through a little basket and pulling out a shiny green apple. Brandishing a wicked looking dagger from the little pouch on his hip, he began gingerly slicing the apple into even pieces.
Putting the pieces into a little stone bowl, he walked back towards the bed and offered the bowl up to Kunimi. The goblin nudged the bowl a bit closer in the air when Kunimi didn't move before setting it softly into his lap. Kunimi stared at it, his brain was truly malfunctioning. Did a goblin just cut up an apple for him?
Clearing his head of his questions, which never seemed to cease, he picked up a slice and bit into it. It was crisp and sweet, fresh too. “It's good,” Kunimi hummed unconsciously, finishing the slice he bit into. Kindaichi nodded, “I picked them from the rest in the forest.”
Slowly he ate his way through the apple slices, leaving two and nudging it back to the goblin. Kindaichi looked up, slightly startled, before grabbing the bowl back after Kunimi tapped it again, and he began to slowly nibble on the remaining slices. Curious, Kunimi asked, “Your home is very nice, how long have you been here?”
Looking up from the hole his gaze was wearing into the floor, Kindaichi cleared his throat before answering, “A long time.” Kunimi normally wasn’t one to make small talk, but considering he was literally tasked with killing the goblin that saved his life, the silence felt heavy and foreboding. “What were you doing in the forest?” Kindaichi suddenly asked.
Kunimi tensed, telling the goblin who saved him while he was still immobile and injured seemed like an incredibly inopportune time to mention how he was tasked with killing him, so, like any sane person would do, he lied, “I’m an herbalist and i was looking for a specific plant for a new concoction i've been trying to brew.”
“Oh, I’m decently versed in her biology, what are you looking for?” Kindaichi asked over his shoulder as he walked to the kitchen with the dirty bowl. Shit, Kunimi internally cursed. He banked on the goblin not knowing anything about jehrbolody, so now he’s monumentally screwed. “Oh, uhm…” Think, think! Kunimi chanted in his head.
“Calendula,” Kunimi quickly exclaimed, thankful he remembered that one hotel owner who recommended it for a balm for a wound. Kindaichi hummed, “Interesting. There should be some patches a couple miles to the west from here, when you leave you can nab some. You came at a bad time, the monsoon season has hit us.” Kunimi exhaled harshly in relief, but it didn't go unnoticed by the goblin, “Are you alright? Are you in pain?”
Kunimi pursed his lips, okay, maybe he felt super guilty about the bounty he was put on to hunt the goblin that was so dutifully taking care of him. How was he supposed to know that the goblin was some weird domestic breed or something? “I’m fine, a little sharp pain.”
Kunimi actually wasn't lying, there was a sharp pain in his ribs when he inhaled or exhaled a bit too hard or deeply. Kindaichi hummed lightly in thought, before ducking behind a curtain that Kunimi just noticed. Kindaichi was gone a while before he returned wet, and dripping water. Kindaichi grabbed a little towel by the entrance he came back through, toweling off a bit before walking back into the kitchen.
Taking a pot, he put some water in it and put it over the fire. As the water boiled, Kindaichi threw in some little plants. It seemed the goblin lived in relative silence, not speaking as he moved, and awkward apathetic Kunimi wasn't one to make unnecessary conversation so instead he just observed.
He wasn't surprised that the goblin didn't speak much. Inferencing that he lived deep into the forest on his own for gods know how long, he probably didn't speak to others much. Kunimi had a passing thought, wondering if he sang to himself, and if that's why his voice was rich and smooth. His mother used to sing when, “The house felt too empty,” she would say.
A steaming cup brought Kunimi’s attention back to the present, “Here. Chamomile, for pain.” Kunimi flushed. How long has it been since someone brewed him tea? Ten years? Since he lived at home with his mother? “Th—thank you Kindaichi.”
Taking the cup, Kunimi sipped the hot liquid, it was good, and the chamomile taste was strong. “Were the plants dried?” Kindaichi shook his head, “Not yet, I have a fresh garden on the surface, I picked a few flower heads.” Kunimi nodded before he cocked his head with a sudden realization, “Wait, surface?”
Kindaichi flushed, and Kunimi nearly laughed at the slight violet color, “I uh… live underground.” Kunimi did now laugh, although his body immediately protested, “Like a hobbit?”
Kindaichi frowned, “No… and if I’m a hobbit, you're one too now.” Kunimi sipped his tea again before asking, “Me?” Kindaichi nodded, “You're staying aren't you? There’s a storm and you broke ribs. I mean… you can leave if you’d like, I’m not holding you prisoner, but I’d highly recommend not leaving.”
Kunimi thought hard and long about that, should he stay? Some of his things were at the inn he had rented for a couple weeks, but that time was almost up. His bag had many things he needed, but Kindaichi was right, he really wasn't mobile and breathing hurt, there was a raging storm, it wouldn't be smart to leave. But his bags… “I really should stay, but I have some things at the inn I’m staying at that I really need…”
Kindaichi shrugged, “I'll go get it for you when the storm lets up, would that sate your worries?” Kunimi almost smiled, Kindaichi was really something else. “That would be wonderful, thank you.”
“Then it's settled then. It's late, your body needs to heal, so sleep after you finish your tea,” Kindaichi said before turning and blowing out the candles and lanterns around the bed and kitchen.
Finishing the tea, Kunimi turned ever so slowly to set it on the side table. Kindaichi walked back, helping Kunimi lay back flat, pulling the sheets up over him,and pulling the fur covering higher to cover him. Kunimi couldn't meet his eyes as he did this, feeling too childish with his actions.
Walking away, Kindaichi laid himself on the couch, which looked uncomfortable at a first glance until you noticed all the pillows, fabrics, and furs that blanketed it. Facing away from Kunimi, but facing the flames of the fire, Kunimi let his eyes first to the flames too. In the flickering fiery wisps that flitted around, Kunimi wondered, just what in the hell had he gotten himself into?