Chapter Text
Since he was a little boy, Tadashi loved the night.
He loved the quietness of it. He loved how the world turned silent and mysteriously comfortable, how he could read alone and not be interrupted, how every second seemed magical when no one is awake, how the stars were always there making company for the lonely moon in the sky, who shined brightly even if its shine didn't actually belong to it. And even so, his favorite thing of the nighttime would always be the moon.
His mother noticed how he liked the night, and as the sweet and caring woman she was, never failed to entice him with incredible stories about the moon, about gods and magic things, about legendary powers and melancholic fates. Every night, she would tell him about how there were a lot of gods that took care of humans every day. There was the god of the sun and the days, the god of the wind and the rain, the god of the animals and the forests, and much more. But of course, the one he loved the most to hear about was the god of moon and the nights.
His story was nothing heroic like the other gods, but it was amusing to young Tadashi. The story told he was a bright and cheerful person, who never stopped smiling and was kind all the time. However, after the war that his people had to endure and the death of his entire family and the brother he loved dearly, the man became a cold and cruel person. He decided he would become an emperor to make sure the kingdom that was responsible for the suffering of his people would pay for it. And so he started to train hard and although everyone around him said he wouldn't be able because of his personality and lack of skill, he did it. He arrived at the seat of the emperor and made it his. The war began with the enemy kingdom not much after, however, to afford it, he had to make the people pay more, and there were hunger, deaths, and more deaths. The gods didn't appreciate his behavior, the egoistic man making the people suffer when he was supposed to protect them, and doing it just because of his revenge. He received punishment and was made the god of the moon and night, isolated in the faraway moon with nothing but himself, alone.
This type of story would make other kids get literal chills, but for Yamaguchi, it was something amazing. He would spend hours with his mother, who believed firmly in these stories, making theories of how the god would be doing. He would play alone, pretending he was the god and create his own version of the story. Sure, there was the bad side too. One day, he innocently tried to confront one of his classmates who said that the gods didn't exist. Since that day, he would be frequently bullied for no other reason than his appearance and his "silly" belief. But that didn't matter. He still had his family.
Until his mother died.
His life took a different turn after that. His father became a cold-hearted person and sent him to live with his grandparents. Of course, little Tadashi thought that he did it because he didn't like him or because he was not good enough, so he tried hard to be the best in his class. He studied hard, did everything he could so his father would want him back, but nothing worked. He never came back.
Among the terror and the sadness, he reached out for the moon. Every night, he would vent to the one who was always there in his life. He would show the weakness he showed to no one, talk about the deepest things in his heart, cry his heart out and ask for advice, even when there was no answer. But he didn't care. Just being there, talking to someone, made him feel at peace. And that was enough. There was someone there, looking out for him. The god he believed so firmly in, he was sure of it.
He decided he would go to the moon, even if after years of studying he learned that it was kinda not possible that a god could exist, he didn't give up. He still believed in it. And he thought that maybe, if he was able to make it to the moon, he would be closer to whoever it was who looked out for him.
He applied for becoming an astronaut when he was 19. He was accepted due to his impeccable works and scientific projects over the years. One of the youngest astronauts ever accepted.
And he was 23 when he was sent on his official mission to the moon, his current third time being sent to space. He couldn't even hide the excitement when he was chosen, and it would be a solo mission! All by himself there in the space, he would feel lonely, but he would make it. He only needed to stay there for two weeks. Nothing compared to what he already had been through.
In a blink of an eye, the months passed by and it was the last day before the official day. Things were perfect, until the director announced:
"We're not making it only with Yamaguchi. Kenma and Kageyama will be on board too. We need to gain people's trust again."
There was silence in the room. That was true, people were losing their trust in the agency, but such an impulsive decision? That was bad.
"Sir, I'm sorry, but we can't. The project was done for only one person, the calculations we did... " one of the engineers spoke.
"And? The base for the project was to count with seven people on board, but we choose only one because it was cheaper. Now we have the money, and both of the astronauts are capable of going. They will, that's my final decision. Dismissed, all of you."
Again, the silence as people left their seats. Tadashi looked out for Kenma and Kageyama, both also looking nervous. They knew they couldn't do anything about it but bet everything on the small chance they had that it would work. They would be fine, right? If it was really dangerous, the engineers wouldn't let them go.
They would come back... right?
And with that, the official day came. Tadashi hoped his family was watching him from Japan. He looked to Kageyama and Kenma beside him, they waved to the crowd and entered the spaceship. They went to their respective places and waited for the commands.
After some minutes of preparation, they heard it. The tensest moment.
"Ready to launch. We will be launching in 10..."
Tadashi breathed deeply. He thought of his mother, her love for the moon.
"9, 8..."
The bullies, his grandparents, his late-night talking to the moon, his silly belief in the so-called god...
"7, 6..."
Was his father watching him? Was he enough now?
"5, 4..."
Was it safe? Would he come back alive?
"3, 2..."
"If there really is a god out there..." he thought to himself.
"1... launching!"
"... please, let me come back alive." he closed his eyes for a moment as he felt the ship moving.
The loud sound filled his ears, the shaking... It was different than before when he went to orbit the planet, but he didn't know how to explain.
"Everything is stable. Speed increasing."
"Alright." the three of them answered.
The feeling was not pleasant, they could barely move due to the sudden pressure change and the gravity. Tadashi knew Kenma hated it the most, he saw him cursing about gravity a lot of times during their preparation for other missions. He couldn't help but laugh to himself.
Something like thirty seconds had passed already. It felt like ages. Yamaguchi tried to establish his breathing.
"Sudden speed decreasing!" the voice from before sounded alarmed "Requesting manual adjustment to the turbines!"
The lights around them started to turn red suddenly. Oh, shit. Shit shit shit shit shit.
"Request accepted. Trying to identify the error." Kageyama said, the panic evident in his voice.
Tadashi turned over to the panel beside him, looking at the information quickly before noticing something that made his heart skip a beat.
"The engine isn't working properly! The turbines will stop at any-"
Just when he said, they stopped going up. Instead, they were falling. Fucking falling. It was a question of time before they were dead.
"WE ARE FALLING! NO SPEED! WE NEED HELP!" Kenma yelled.
The three of them looked at each other in total panic. It was it. That was the end. Those who tried to get too close to the sun always burned themselves.
Tadashi thought, again, of his life. Was it really over like that? He couldn't even hear whatever the man was saying now on the speaker, seeing how close he was to the ground as every second passed. He closed his eyes and when he opened them up again, there it was. The moon, shiny and elegant as always. The god who he believed, would he save him of he pleaded? Was there any salvation for him?
He closed his eyes and all he saw was black.
"Hey, wake up." he heard someone calling his name.
Everything hurt, his eyes, his body, his arms. He could barely move, and when he finally opened his eyes, he saw someone he didn't recognize.
He blinked, and then he saw it clearer: a tall and blond man, who wore some green and white robes. Quite exotic clothing, he thought. As he tried to get up, the memories from the ship came back to his mind, the panic rising again and he wobbled, almost falling if not for the person beside him.
"Am I dead? Where are my friends?" he asked, turning to see the man's face and noticing the glasses and the more exotic ornaments around him.
"Hey, calm down. You're not dead, your friends are fine. You just got separated." he answered in a calm and quiet way, contrasting to Tadashi's panic. The freckled boy remained silent, not knowing what to say. He recalled the most recent memories on his head, the spaceship falling, the imminent death...
When he looked around, he noticed that place was weird but in a familiar way. The sky was pitch black, but with so many stars he felt overwhelmed. Not in any of his travels to study had he ever seen so many stars without a telescope. When he looked at the ground, it was made of... not sand, nor dirt, but something in between. And it was greyish and very soft.
"Tadashi." the blonde whispered his name, making him look up.
"How do you know my name?" he asked in confusion.
"How would I not know?"
"What? Who are you? Is this a dream or something?"
"I think it's easier if you come with me, I can tell you on our way there."
"Either I'm crazy or this is the afterlife. But you're too hot to be an angel since they're all delicate and stuff." Tadashi pondered out loud, noticing the blush on the blonde's face. Normally, he would be unable to be so bold, but he almost died and was in a weird place with a weird guy and he had no idea what was happening. He allowed himself to be like this. "No offense, it's just that you are delicate in some way, but not in an angel's way, you know? Oh shit, then is this hell?"
"Oh my god, shut up!" the man said, his face burning red. Tadashi giggled at the sight.
"Okay, sir. If I'm really dead, might as well enjoy it. What is your name since you already know mine?"
"You're not dead. And I'm called Tsukishima Kei. Look, I'll try to explain it the best I can. But try not to freak out."
Tadashi nodded quietly.
"This is the moon. I live here, with many other people. And no, we're not aliens." he said casually, not like he was putting Tadashi's entire academic life in check.
"Excuse me?" he asked, finally getting up to face Tsukishima properly.
As he got up, he saw it behind him: the Earth. Big and round, incredibly beautiful and so far away. He was in such awe he almost fell again but felt hands on his waist before it happened.
"I told you so." Tsukishima said with a smirk "The moon."
"Still, this makes no sense. I'm supposed to be dead. There's no way we completed the mission, and that I'm even alive right now. I am breathing, and there is no oxygen here to breathe. But I am!"
"There. " Tsukishima pointed to a place Tadashi didn't notice before, far away from where they were. He saw something that was destructed, metal everywhere. "That is... or was, I guess, your spaceship. I... we tried to not damage it, but it was either it or your lives."
"Where are my friends then?" Tadashi started to panic. He couldn't be alive and his friends dead. That was not fair, that couldn't happen. He started to go in the direction of the spaceship, but Tsukishima held him by his wrist before he got too far away.
"They're fine, don't worry." Tsukishima sighed, before looking serious. "Look, It all will be easier to understand if you come with me. I promise. I need you to trust me." he offered Tadashi his hand, a gentle smile on his face.
Tadashi smiled as he held the hand, unsure of what would happen.
"This may be uncomfortable, but I need you to hold my neck." Tsukishima put a hand in his waist again and Tadashi thought he would combust of embarrassment. Damn his love for pretty boys.
As he did as asked, he slowly felt his feet getting off the ground, and when he looked down he was floating. Or flying? Maybe they were just walking on the air, but when he looked at Tsukishima, he was calm and just held him tighter.
"Don't look down. I won't let you fall, so don't worry." he said with a smirk.
This was pretty romantic, this walking on the air with no distance between the bodies thing. Tadashi was glad he wasn't scared of heights, so he just enjoyed the view and held Tsukishima's hand tighter. They passed through the craters and holes of the moon's surface until they reached the dark side of the moon after a while. It was pitch black, with no light, nothing to be seen, only the stars in the sky. Tadashi should be worrying over a million things at that moment, but he just drowned himself in this view of the universe in front of him and the warmth of a stranger by his side. A grin made its way on his face.
Suddenly, green lights appeared around them and guided them through the darkness. Something like fireflies but bigger and brighter. Tadashi was so caught up in wonder that he didn't notice Tsukishima's hand was also glowing.
"What the fuck are you?" He shouted, almost falling. "Are you an alien that took the form of a human?"
Tsukishima sighed beside him "Just stop asking for a minute, and you'll understand." Then they started to descend, at first seemingly to nowhere, only the darkness, but as they approached the ground, with the help of the cosmical fireflies, Tadashi saw the big hole that was hidden between some craters. That was where they landed, and he barely had the chance to see around when Tsukishima grabbed him again and loomed over the hole.
"This may feel terrifying if you're scared of heights, but I suppose that's not the case hence your professional occupation" he said, and didn't wait for an answer as he jumped down the darkness below.
At first, all he could see was pitch black, which was becoming quite a common view now, but then green lights were visible at distance, brighter as they descended until he could see the ground, only a few feet from him. They were falling so fast that there was no chance that he would be able to survive. Panic took over him and he didn't even notice that he was shouting and clinging on Tsukishima as if his life depended on it. The ground was closer and closer, and he closed his eyes, preparing for his death the second time that day.
When they were mere inches from the ground, they suddenly stopped. He opened his eyes to find a smirking Tsukishima mocking him silently. His cheeks burned as he put his feet on the ground, attesting that it was indeed safe and he could escape the blonde's grip. As he looked around, they were in some sort of deep hole, but it was illuminated by lots of the green lights he saw before and there were some weird blue flowers on the walls. It was big, at least twice the size of his room, and there was some sort of bifurcations that lead to other places he didn't know if he wanted to know about.
"You good? Didn't look like it when you were screaming like crazy and trying to suffocate me with how desperately you were holding onto me." Tsukishima said, walking ahead of Yamaguchi in the direction of one of the holes.
"I just met you, but you can be so annoying!" he said as he followed Kei, his face so hot he knew he was looking like a strawberry.
"Say whatever you want." he disappeared behind the walls, making Tadashi run after him.
"Wait for me, asshole!"
When he entered the hole there was a corridor, and he had to run to keep up with Kei, whose cape he could still see at the end of the corridor. He walked, walked and walked, through walls of moonstone, until he finally saw Kei waiting for him at what seemed to be the end of that labyrinth. Many lights shined ahead of him, but Tadashi couldn't see any of it because the blonde was freaking tall.
"I would like you to meet the Darkside of the moon." Tsukishima said, as he walked to the side to let Yamaguchi see whatever it was he was hiding.
They were on top of a hill, and as he looked up, he saw it. He didn't even know how to react, everything, since he woke up in this place, has been surreal and this would just add to the list. In front of him was something like a big city. There were buildings made of materials he had no idea what could be, many lights, this time yellow, and noise. Weird noises that were different from anything he was used to in Earth, but that were familiar at the same time. He saw roads too, and in the distance, up another big hill, there was a castle made of moonstone. Its walls reflected all the lights from the city and made it look like it was shining above it. It was mesmerizing, to say the least. He wanted to go there, wanted to explore. That was one of the reasons why he wanted to be an astronaut: to know the unknown. And the unknown, the undefined term in his head that was bugging him since he ended up in this place, it was just in front of him. Answers. He was so mesmerized he didn't notice he was walking ahead, in the direction of the cliff that they were a few feet apart. His feet didn't have the chance to feel the air below as Tsukishima embraced him, not letting him fall.
"Are you stupid? I take my eyes off you for a second and you're walking into death?" he shouted, but his face was terrified. Tadashi didn't know why he seemed so scared for, but was so shocked by the sudden increase of voice of someone that seemed so calm that he didn't say anything.
"I'm sorry. For... uh... shouting." Kei continued when he didn't receive an answer. "But you humans are so... fragile." there was a hint of sadness in his voice. Tadashi didn't want to pry, but he couldn't deny he was curious now. Had Tsukishima met another human? How can he live in this place with minimal life conditions? What was Kei? An alien? Some evolution type of human? What if he wants Tadashi to make experiments on him? Chills ran down his spine as he thought about it. Suddenly, all those alien movies he used to joke about made him scared for his life.
"Tadashi?" Kei repeated when he didn't receive an answer again. "Look, I'm really sorry-"
"It's fine." Yamaguchi interrupted, trying to keep up with a rational line of thinking, but his mind was running miles per minute, he couldn't think straight, and saw himself blurting out one of the dumbest questions he had in mind. "What exactly are you?" he said.
Tsukishima thought before answering, and he put his hand with his palm up, invoking the green lights again. "I'm a god, by what human tradition considers as a god. By more specific terms, I'm a manifestation of nature, in my case the manifestation of the moon. So, you could call me the Moon God, although I prefer Tsukishima Kei." he said nonchalantly.
Tadashi wasn't expecting that, but it made sense. Him being a literal god explained a lot of things that happened in that last hour. But... he was the Moon God. The one Tadashi's mom told him about every night, the one who made him a little bit happier during the darkest times of his life. The one he believed with all his soul that existed, and he really did. He was in front of him, really. He couldn't help but grin happily. Suddenly, Tsukishima didn't seem much of an asshole anymore. He didn't know if Tsukishima knew f how important he was to Tadashi. Maybe he listened to him, maybe he had no idea of all those late-night conversations he had with the moon while crying, but Yamaguchi hoped. Maybe he would ask later in a better place and when he has his other questions answered. For now, he remained quiet.
"That's... amazing!" he smiled, not able to contain the enthusiasm he was feeling at the moment. "Is that place your castle, then?" he pointed to the building in the distance.
"Yes, that's where I'll be leading you to, actually. Your friends are there." Tsukishima answered, a bit hesitant. "We'll have to cross the city, so I need you to walk with your head down so they don't notice you're a human."
"There are aliens here?" Tadashi almost shouted, not able to contain his surprise. Gods? Aliens? He shouldn't be surprised anymore by now.
"Not aliens, it's just... It will be easier to explain if you just come with me, okay? Then I will answer any questions you have."
"That seems very suspicious, you know. You said that at least five times already." Tadashi smirked by himself, seeing the annoyed look on the blonde's face.
"Shut up Yamaguchi. Just follow me." he said, walking ahead, not waiting for the freckled boy as he descended the stairs that he didn't even notice were there until that moment.
"Sorry, Tsukishima!" he said, not sorry at all, as he followed Kei.
They walked in silence for some minutes, until they get to a path that probably lead to the city. There were lots of rocks, and most of them looked like moonstones by what Tadashi knew. He identified other crystals, like amethysts and aquamarines, building a pretty scenery of blues and purples. Tsukishima was quiet, but now Yamaguchi didn't think of him as so much of an asshole as he thought he was. Okay, it definitely was related to the fact of him claiming to be the god he believed in, and he didn't know if he even knew how important he was in his life, but still. He wasn't that bad, he was just a bit mean and way too serious. He saved his life twice and said he was sorry for shouting at him. It all was confusing, he had so many questions. Why did he save him? Why was he here? Shouldn't he be dead by now? All of that made him a bit anxious, but he would trust Tsukishima for now. He said since the start he would answer all his questions if he followed him, and that was what he was doing. He just had to wait.
After something like ten minutes, they arrived at the entrance of the city. Darkside of The Moon was its name on the sign that adorned the moonstone entrance. Tadashi was going to enter the city when Kei yanked him back, hiding both of them behind a stone some meter away from the entrance.
"You can't go in like this. They will know you're a human!" Kei whispered harshly as they heard voices behind them, near the entrance.
"How am I supposed to know if you don't tell me anything, Mr. God?" Yamaguchi whispered in response. He watched as Kei sighed and started to take off some of his clothes. He offered him his robe, which was a deep blue and had drawings of the moon on it.
"Wear it!" Tsukishima said, waiting as he put on the piece of clothing. Although they were almost the same height, the robe was big on him. He didn't complain, though. It smelled of eucalyptus and rain, and something about it made him feel very safe, and he caught himself smiling about it. When he was done, Tsukishima didn't even let him think anything else as he yanked him again and led them to the city. "I need you to keep your head down and to keep holding my hand so I can change your aura. If I don't, they will notice."
"Aura? What are you talking about?" Yamaguchi said, but he saw the people from the voices they were hearing behind the stone and went quiet, holding on Kei's hand.
"Hello, Tsukishima!" said one of them, getting closer. "New guy?" he pointed to Yamaguchi, who instantly got tense.
"Yes, this one is shy, so I got him myself. Everything's fine with Daichi?" he squeezed Tadashi's hand as if telling him to shut up. He appreciated the gesture.
"Oh, hey then, boy! My name's Suga." he waited for Yamaguchi to hold out his hand the same way he did, but all the freckled boy could do was to nod a little. Suga didn't seem to care and laughed it out, keeping the conversation with Tsukishima "Daichi is fine, we're very happy now! Who would guess being dead could be better than being alive? Anyways, I won't bother you anymore, you're busy already. See you, Tsukishima!" he waved as he got back to talking with other two people.
After hearing that, Yamaguchi noticed the translucid aspect of their bodies, and he understood then what was happening. After they were distant enough, Yamaguchi raised his head a little, just enough for Kei to hear him "Are they spirits?" he asked. Kei nodded, elbowing him to keep his head down.
"They are all spirits. They can sense your aura, and your clothes are very... unusual. That's why we're doing this" he squeezed his hand once again "Don't be afraid, they aren't dangerous. And before you ask again: you're not dead."
Tadashi remained silent the rest of the walk. Tsukishima stopped at various times to talk with different people. He would stop for how many times it was necessary to listen to them, and even with his somehow could behavior, they weren't afraid of him. Actually, they seemed to adore him, which probably was expected since he was a god. They walked further down the city until they reached a place with fewer people, a big staircase that lead directly to the palace in front of them. Tsukishima walked ahead, Tadashi following him closely, until the blonde opened the big door of the castle with a movement of his hand, making Yamaguchi's hair fly a little.
Inside the castle, he saw a big room with lots of the lights he saw before, this time yellow. Another staircase was on the back of the room, and as he scanned an area that had some armchairs, he saw his friends with other weird people who probably were also spirits. He didn't think before running to them and jumping on Kageyama and Kenma, hugging them as tight he could.
"I'm so relieved to see you're okay" he said as he got away from them. Both of them were wearing clothes similar to the one Tsukishima was wearing, something like a kimono. He felt out of place with his clothes but didn't comment on it.
"We're glad to know you're okay too, Yama." Kenma said, him and Kageyama smiling at Tadashi. "Quite an unusual event we got on our hands, huh?" he laughed.
"I don't really know much about whatever is it that's happening here, because he-" he pointed to Tsukishima behind him "didn't tell me anything!"
"I figured it would be easier to explain to all of you at the same time. Now, let's get to the point: we are gods." he gestured to himself and the two other men that were a little behind them, who Tadashi completely forgot about "We saved you because we've been saving you humans from your own stupidity since I became the moon god."
"What he meant is that we save people from accidents that happen in missions to the space. Oh, my name's Hinata, by the way! I'm the god of the Sun." one of the men said happily. He was small with bright red hair and seemed to just radiate energy, which made sense since he was the Sun God.
"Exactly. But we need you to help us with some tasks, as a payment for us for saving you." the other man, who was a bit smaller than Tadashi, approached them. He had short black hair and a friendly but somehow still serious posture. "So, we'll have to keep you here for a while. It's a rule we have to follow. And the name is Daichi, by the way. I'm the Earth God."
"How do we explain to the press that we died while everyone was watching but appear alive days later?" Kenma asked.
"We're gods, we can make some unusual situations happen without a problem. And this place has a different... passage of time, because of its connection to the spirit world." Hinata answered, getting seated on one of the armchairs by their side.
"Spiritual world?" Kageyama asked, his first words during the entire conversation.
"This is something we call spiritual cities. It's where souls rest before their reincarnations, and we have gods to take care of these cities. This is the Dark Side of The Moon, one of the biggest spiritual cities we have around. As the one who controls everything here, I'm the Moon God. And I'll be the Moon God until my next reincarnation begins, when another spirit will take my place." Tsukishima explained. His face got darker as he talked about the reincarnation process, which made Tadashi curious and a little worried.
"That's basically all there is to say. We can talk more tomorrow, it's been a long day! Your accommodations will be shown to you by Kuroo, who should be here already..." as Daichi was about to invoke one of the magical lights, another man appeared from the door Tadashi and Kei entered before. This one had a very messy black hair that stood up in all directions.
"Oya, is it me you call, Daichi?" he singed happily as he approached them "Follow me, gentlemen, shall I be your guide!" he started walking towards the stairs, just as Tsukishima called his name.
"Kuroo." was all he said, and he made a negative motion with his head that made the smile vanish of Kuroo's face.
"You can't be serious, Tsukishima!" he said harshly, getting closer to him as if they were gonna fight.
"Please, you can talk later." Daichi interrupted, looking to Kenma, Kageyama and Yamaguchi, all watching the scene confused "We have visitors."
"You know what we have to do, Kuroo." Tsukishima pushed him away and started walking to a room that was at their left, leaving them in complete silence.
"Well." Kuroo sighed deeply, his smile back "Don't be afraid, it's just a family fight. Let's get back to what we were doing, follow me!" he singed again, as if nothing happened. The three of them said bye to Hinata and Daichi, who went to the place Tsukishima was.
Yamaguchi wasn't afraid even after the weird conversation he just had seen. Something about that place just made him feel safe, more specifically something about Tsukishima. He couldn't like a ghost, he reminded himself.
As they walked, Kuroo told them about his life when he was a human, which probably was around 1909. He died in the First World War, had met Tsukishima as a human and they encountered each other as spirits again. He started talking about his chemistry experiments and how he helped a famous Japanese scientist Tadashi had no idea who was, but Kenma seemed to know and they were very entertained by their conversation about chemical reactions. Such nerds.
"Oh, that's where you'll stay." he pointed to a door at the end of the corridor they were in. "Kenma and... Kayama? You can go and start getting settled down. Yamaguchi, I think you don't have a set of clothes of your own yet, right? I need you to come with me to choose the right size."
"Sure. I'll see you later, guys!" he shouted to his friends and waited for Kuroo to lead the way.
They walked in silence for a moment, which was weird since Kuroo was very talkative. Suddenly, he grabbed Yamaguchi's arm and pulled him inside one of the rooms, closing the door behind him.
"What do you want?" Yamaguchi said, getting as far as he could from him. He knew it wouldn't help much since Kuroo was much stronger than him given how he yanked Tadashi and he didn't even flinch when he resisted.
"Shh! They're gonna hear!" he waited a little, his finger over his mouth as he put his ear on the door for a moment. "Okay, we're clear. Look, Yamaguchi, I know this is absurd, but we need your help."
"I already know that. Daichi told us about the payment and the tasks we have to do." he answered cautiously, still not sure what to wait.
"What? No. Not that." he let out a frustrated sigh, sitting on a chair that was near the door. He run his fingers through his hair and muttered a list of curse words before looking at Tadashi again. "Did Tsukishima tell you something? Anything?" he looked devastated. Yamaguchi had no idea what was happening, so he decided being honest was the best option.
"No, he didn't. All I know is that they save people from accidents and that you are gods, that he is the Moon God and we have to do tasks as a payment before going back to Earth." he waited a little, Kuroo even more frustrated than before "Kuroo, what's happening? What is this all about? I've been confused since your weird fight with him before."
Kuroo looked down at his feet for some seconds before he looked up straight to Yamaguchi "Tsukishima is dying, and you probably are the only one who can help him."
"I thought you all were dead already?" Yamaguchi answered, almost laughing.
"I forgot you're a mortal for a moment, sorry, sorry." he laughed at himself, getting serious right after "I know he is already dead, but this is another type of death. This is a spiritual death, which means his soul will cease to exist. He won't reincarnate anymore nor will go to a spiritual city, because he won't exist. Nothing. Just vanish into thin air as soon as his time as the Moon God ends, which is in less than one human year."
That was a lot of information, and the feeling Tadashi had is that although he was given more and more answers, with them came even more questions. But he had a main one that he couldn't keep to himself "Why me, though? What can I be useful for? If it's something related to making a plan or using intelligence to avoid his death, Kenma and Kageyama are much more reliable than me."
"It's hard to explain, okay? And I can't tell you. It's not up to me. But you... he cares about you. If it's you, maybe he will try." Kuroo got up from his seat and walked towards Yamaguchi "I'm sorry for all of this, Freckles. It must be very confusing for a mortal, but I just can't watch him disappear and do nothing about it. He's family to me." Kuroo took his hand and squeezed it, his eyes so intense Tadashi wasn't able to look away "Just promise me you'll talk to him about it. Ask him if he's dying, about your bond with him, you can say I was the one who told you about it. Tell me how it went, and we'll see what we can do about it."
"I... I will." Yamaguchi tried to keep his voice firm, but Kuroo was a very intense person. He felt obligated to do it after the way he looked at him and the way he talked. But he would have done it either way, had Kuroo been so intense or not. He deserved answers.
"I need to go now. Do you know the way to your room or do you need help?" he opened the door, holding it for Yamaguchi to pass.
"I'm fine, I know where it is. Don't worry."
"Oh, and here are your clothes!" he got some clothes from the bag he had, giving them to Tadashi. "Good luck, boy! You'll need it!" he turned, leaving Tadashi behind as he walked in the direction of the stairs.
Yamaguchi pretended he was going to his room until he didn't see Kuroo anymore, going through the same path he saw him doing. When he descended the stairs, he saw him going to the same room Tsukishima went, and where Daichi and Hinata went after their reunion. He waited until he was inside to get close enough to hear something through the door. Luckily, it was not entirely closed.
At first, everything was silent when Kuroo arrived. He was the one to break the silence, saying "Are you serious, Kei? Don't you think he deserves to know?"
"You know it's not that easy!" he shouted, making Tadashi flinch "He won't understand. The Divines didn't let me get a mortal reincarnation this time because I was fated to disappear since then. He doesn't remember, and after I'm gone he won't need to remember anymore."
"But you are soulmates! You are supposed to be together. He deserves to know, Kei! It's about him too!" Hinata shouted. The word soulmates made something bloom in Tadashi's chest.
"Why are you so scared? Didn't it work in the past?" Kuroo shouted again, this time louder than before.
"We are, but we're not meant to be together anymore. I'm glad my last reincarnation was with him, but now? There's absolutely no way. He's a mortal, I'm a god. He will have lots of reincarnations, I will cease to exist in less than six months. The least I can do is to get close to him and enjoy these moments with him." Tsukishima said so low that Yamaguchi almost didn't hear.
"But what about your mission? Isn't it what will make you die? Can't you complete it now?" Kuroo seemed helpless. Tadashi couldn't imagine how it felt to have someone you care about dying and not being able to do anything.
"I... tried. I really did, but I don't have enough power."
The room was silent again. Yamaguchi considered they were about to leave as he heard Daichi speaking again.
"It's about the legend, isn't it? That your power only works at its fullest with the help of the stars."
Another long silence.
"Yes." Tsukishima answered.
Yamaguchi heard a loud pang, something like a chair hitting the ground, and then Kuroo's voice yelling again.
"Are you stupid? You are putting all of your future together aside because you don't want to talk with him about it! You are a coward, that's what you are!"
"It's not like this! What if he refuses?"
"What? You are soulmates!" Kuroo whispered, sounding incredulous.
"What about it? We don't have any other connection. He doesn't know me. He probably doesn't even believe in soulmates. There's no reason for him to trust me the slightest."
"I'm done with this conversation. If you want to be suicidal, then be it. I won't interfere anymore." Kuroo said dangerously close to the door, making Yamaguchi run as fast as he could. To his surprise, when he reached the stairs, the door wasn't even open yet. He figured the conversation didn't end as Kuroo said, but it was safer to get to his room.
"What took you so long?" Kenma asked when he opened the door. For some reason, he had his gameboy and it was working just fine.
"Got lost on the way back." he jumped on the bed that was supposed to be his. "What a day, huh?"
The next day, or was it the same, Yamaguchi woke up to Kenma playing in his gameboy again. Kageyama was nowhere to be seen, so he supposed he was doing his morning exercises, even if they were on the moon. He didn't know if he should be laughing at it or deeply worried.
"Something is up, isn't it?" Kenma's voice got his attention. Tadashi didn't notice that at which moment did he move to sit beside him "You were strange yesterday, but I figured you wouldn't want to talk about it. So. Yeah" he gestured to the space between them "You can talk now. If you want, of course."
How stupid of him to think Kenma wouldn't notice his anxious behavior. He was the one who helped him whenever he had an anxiety crisis, of course he knew exactly when he was on edge. He sighed, figuring that it would be better to tell him everything. Kozume was smart and probably would have some useful ideas. He sighed as he started telling him the weird conversation with Kuroo and the one he overhead through the door. About how Tsukishima was dying and apparently he was the one who could help. He didn't mention the soulmate thing, though. It felt very personal and he had to talk to Kei about it first. It probably would make things more confusing for Kenma, but he was trying his best.
"That's absolutely crazy!" was all he said when Tadashi finished. As some kind of joke from the universe, Kageyama entered the room the exact moment the freckled man finished his talking. Kenma and Yamaguchi stared at each other, laughing as a confused look showed up on Kageyama's face.
"I need to tell you something" Tadashi said to him, retelling everything he already said to Kenma. Of course, this version of the story now had very acidic humor jokes made by none else than Kozume himself and lots of extra explanations since Tobio was slow to understand things.
It was nice to not be alone on it. Whatever was it that was happening, Tadashi would still have people with him. His friends.
After some time, Kuroo showed up on their door, reminding them of the tasks and to use the clothes they were given. "For your safety and stylish" he said. They put them on and followed him all the way to the room they were the day before. Daichi, the man Yamaguchi recognized as Suga, Hinata and Tsukishima were there.
Tsukishima looked devastated. Maybe it was due to the conversation he had with the others, but whatever it was the reason, Tadashi never wanted to see such a look on his face again. He was so nervous, and the encouraging looks Kuroo gave him weren't helping either. He had to do that alone. To face Tsukishima.
"Everyone's here, I assume." Daichi s voice made him go back to reality " So, now we will start with the tasks. I decided it would be easier if we split up, so Kageyama will stay with Hinata, Kenma with Kuroo and Yamaguchi with Tsukishima." Daichi told everyone.
Yamaguchi headed off the castle with Tsukishima, waving goodbye to Kageyama and Kenma before losing them of sight. They walked in silence, which was awkward since Tadashi usually doesn't shut up. Yamaguchi knew the blonde was quiet, but now he was quieter than the day before. He even looked sad, somehow. He needed to say something, he just didn't know how we would do it. His anxiety was getting the best of him already.
"We need to solve some matters in the city so we have to do a lot of talking. Hope it doesn't bother you."
Yamaguchi didn't answer. He was too caught up thinking when would be the best moment to say something. Not now, probably. Or was he wrong? Didn't he believe communication is the best way to solve things? Shouldn't he just get it over with?
"Um... I-"
"I need to ask you something." Yamaguchi said at the same time Tsukishima was going to say something. That was it. There was no way back now. He just needed to keep talking.
"Go on."
"Do you know how much I believed in the Moon God through my life? How I've reached to him when I was sad? Or you don't have any idea what I'm talking about?" that was better than he expected. Not straight to the point but also not hesitant.
Tsukishima didn't say anything, making Yamaguchi speak again to break the silence.
"Please don't lie to me, Tsukishima." he took a step closer, looking the blonde directly in his eyes. He seemed scared and sad, and for some reason Tadashi felt like he didn't want to see him like that ever again.
"I..." he sighed, looking down "I do. Gods are able to sense the connection with those who believe in them."
He started to get away from Yamaguchi, but he was faster and took both his hands in his, making him pay attention.
"Then you know how much I believed you were real even when everyone mocked me? How I turned to you whenever life was harsh on me or in the best moments? How I admired the moon so much since I was a kid?" he wanted to laugh at the confused expression on the blonde's face but he didn't.
"I do. What about it?"
"Then how did the thought I wouldn't accept being your soulmate ever passed through your head?"
An uncomfortable silence settled between them. Tsukishima now looked absolutely terrified. That was not how it was supposed to go. Yamaguchi thought he would be happy or relieved, not sad. What was happening?
"I heard it last night. You are dying. We are soulmates. You need my help and I want to help you."
Kei got away from him, turned his back and started to walk towards another direction. "We need to talk later. I can't do this right now."
Yamaguchi just watched for some seconds as he walked away, until his gut told him to go after him. He runned as fast as he could and grabbed Tsukishima, making him look at him.
Yamaguchi didn't know where he got all that courage from, but he got on his tiptoes and reached for Tsukishima lips, kissing him. A wave of feelings rushed through him. Memories, images of the past and people he didn't knew. But in every of them he saw himself and Tsukishima in so many different settings. They really were soulmates.
They parted lips after the initial shock of so many things at the same time, staring at each other's eyes. Then, Tsukishima kissed him, and it was so real Tadashi forgot for a moment he wasn't a human. For a moment, it was both of them against the world.
When they got apart, Yamaguchi with difficult of breathing and Tsukishima just fine because apparently ghosts didn't need to breathe, they smiled.
"We're together in this since the start. How stupid of you to think otherwise, Tsukki." he laughed, being hugged by Kei who was, for Yamaguchi's surprise, also laughing.
They would be fine. He knew that.