Work Text:
Tomo breathed out a sigh, plucking a lone maple leaf from Kazuha’s hair. He ran his hair through the smaller boy’s white strands and shook away the tinier leaves. Kazuha gave Tomo a small smile, moving his own hands to grab onto the elder’s wrists. They both stared at each other for an agonizingly long time, trading small smiles and soft, pleased giggles. Alternating between staring at each other and looking at the maple leaves float to the ground, they were both entertained and completely content.
“You know, we should go back soon. It’s starting to get dark,” he murmured softly. Tomo nodded slowly in agreement, before resting his forehead on Kazuha’s shoulder and humming quietly.
“Stay like this for a bit longer. Please?” The younger only laughed in reply, a hand coming up to thread itself in Tomo’s hair and tug softly.
“We really should go.”
Even with that said, the two stayed there for the next five minutes.
Those five minutes turned into ten, then thirty.
After an hour, they finally stood up and made their way back to Tomo’s place, yawning sleepily and sending playful shoves at each other.
By midnight, they’d made it back and collapsed on the futon, utterly exhausted.
“Next time we’re not going so far away, I don’t think I can walk anymore.”
Tomo agreed.
--
“Tomo, do you think we could go out there one day?” Kazuha said, pointing at the vast, never-ending ocean before them. The elder chuckled and stretched, yawning, then flopping back onto the sand.
“Maybe,” was all he said in reply. They both stood there in silence, watching the clear water ripple around their feet and wet the bottom of their legs. The salty breeze pushed their hair back and made Kazuha shiver slightly. Continuing to stare at the water, he let his mind drift to things he usually wouldn’t think about.
What if he and Tomo could escape Inazuma and free themselves from the Raiden Shogun? If they could leave and never come back- they could create a whole new life altogether someplace else. He’s sure that they would open a small teashop, or maybe they could open a restaurant? Either way, they would live happily and peacefully.
Kazuha turned his head to face Tomo’s, effectively drawing the other’s attention. Lifting up a hand, he tucked a stray, blond strand of hair behind Tomo’s ear and poked him in the cheek playfully.
“Your hair is soft,” he spoke quietly. The elder gave him a wide grin in return and patted him on the head.
“You’re right.”
--
Laughing, Kazuha held up his sword and smiled playfully.
“You missed.” Tomo rolled his eyes and darted forward, intent on winning this battle instead. He couldn’t keep the smile off his face- this moment, this memory, he wanted to replay it forever. Tomo never wanted his precious time with Kazuha to end, likewise in Kazuha’s own thoughts.
“Come on, Tomo. You can do better than that,” Kazuha pressed, jabbing at Tomo’s hip lightly. Not enough to draw blood, but enough to leave a bruise. They both swung and parried over and over again for the next fifteen minutes, finally collapsing in a panting heap on the grass. Kazuha rolled over to lay on his stomach, pulling pieces of the grass out of the dirt, grunting softly. Tomo bounced back on his feet quickly, which was considerably concerning when one considers the fact that he practically had a half-hour constant workout.
“Get up, Kazuha,” Tomo instructed, planting his hands on his hips, “I wanna go again.”
“Are you serious?” Kazuha groaned, lifting his head up to glance at the older, “You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Nope! Now get up.” Tomo hefted the smaller boy up with one hand and propped him upright, laughing when Kazuha stomped on Tomo’s foot in retaliation.
“You piece of shit!” he sneered.
“Oh-ho, Kaedehara’s finally using swear words? Who knew the young master would say such things.” Kazuha went a bright shade of angry pink, grabbing his sword and carelessly waving it around while chasing Tomo.
Panting and leaning against his sword that had been embedded into the ground moments before, Kazuha stared up at Tomo with tired eyes.
“I surrender.”
--
Walking along the pier, hand-in-hand with Tomo, Kazuha gazed at the glistening water crashing against the sand. He felt whole, to be able to be with Tomo and letting the gentle sea-breeze tease the tips of his hair. Breathing out a breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding; he gave the world a small smile in gratitude. How grateful he was to be able to be with Tomo, unaware of his surroundings. It felt like heaven. Kazuha couldn’t hold in the small giggle that escaped, quickly snatching his hand way from Tomo’s to cover his mouth.
“What’s so funny?” Tomo asked, prodding the younger’s cheek with his forefinger.
“It’s nothing,” he replied, “I’m just happy. To be here. With you.” Tomo gave him a knowing glance and grinned.
“Me too.”
--
The amount of happiness Kazuha felt was utterly overwhelming. He was seated at a nearby restaurant with Tomo, sharing a small bowl of ramen and exchanging silent glances. Giggling, Kazuha prodded Tomo’s chopsticks with his own, earning himself a chuckle from the blond. The almost-silent atmosphere between them was a nice change for once, and the only sounds that escaped the both of them were those quiet laughs of amusement and pleasure. Dabbing his own mouth with a napkin and waiting for Tomo to finish the rest of the soup, he stood up and brought out a bag of mora, depositing it on the table and ultimately paying for their meal. For once, Tomo couldn’t bring himself to complain. It wasn’t often that Kazuha decided to treat someone. True, they had both shared the same bowl of ramen, but it was a kind gesture from the samurai in retrospect.
Tomo and Kazuha walked side-by-side back to Tomo’s house, feeling their fingers brush against the other’s and occasionally linking them. Of course, that wasn’t something that lasted too long.
Moving across the futon so Tomo could slide behind him, Kazuha said one last thing before falling into a deep sleep.
“Goodnight, Tomo.”
--
When Kazuha awoke, he was disappointed to find the space beside him cold. He sat up slowly and yawned, rubbing his eyes before squinting at the bedroom door. Where was Tomo? Maybe he was cooking breakfast. Kazuha shook his head in disbelief, there was no faint scent of food wafting from the kitchen. Tomo was gone.
Kazuha dressed himself quickly, leaving the house in a rush and frantically jogging around the buildings, hopeful that he’d find his friend somewhere. Where would he go? There had never been a time where Tomo left Kazuha without telling him, or leaving a note. Running up to a random, nearby stranger, Kazuha spoke quickly.
“Have you seen someone with blond hair in a ponytail? Tall, wears a purple scarf?” he asked pleadingly. The older woman looked at him with eyes full of pity.
“There was talk of someone of that description challenging the Raiden Shogun this morning. God knows if it’s true, though,” she responded. Kazuha froze. It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together. That’s why Tomo didn’t notify Kazuha of his absence, he knew that Kazuha would do his best to restrain him from leaving.
Fuck.
Kazuha stared at the body of his best friend, eyes welling up with newfound tears. Without thinking, he made a run for the fading vision of Tomo and snatched it up, ignoring the scalding burns surrounding his hand and arm. He would leave Inazuma, he told himself. For both him and Tomo.
Staring at the now-dead vision in his hands, Kazuha’s mind went blank.
He wished he had a chance to say goodbye.