Work Text:
Eclipse
The wall had always been there for as long as Tsukishima had been alive. It was there for decades prior to that as well, resulting in the slow degradation of the stone and wood over time. Now it was nothing but a reminder and a placeholder, informing the cities and its denizens on either side that an unsaid rule hung over the wall. Crossing over was punishable by death.
He didn’t know why it was such a grave offense to cross over the wall, but he hadn’t given it much thought ever since finding a small portion of the wall that allowed him to slot his feet into crevices, offering him a way to the top. Since then, it was just a matter of dealing with his curiosity being satiated by looking out onto the long expanse of dry forest that seemed to replicate the one on his own side.
The wall itself was relatively boring, the disregard clear as day on its surface. Years of time and weather had worn down the fifty-foot tall walls, the tops turning jagged and rough with only small sections of flat rock. It was approximately ten feet wide and in broken areas, clay and wood foundation could be seen. Yet despite the years it had endured, there were small villages that focused on devoting their life and resources to keeping the base foundation of the wall in solid order. Even if the tops crumbled, at least there would still be division.
Casting a searching gaze across the forest on the other side, Tsukishima absently rubbed the semi-faded image that was on the inside of his wrist. A simple black crescent moon seemed pressed into his skin. He wondered what would happen if he ignored the requirement to get it permanently tattooed onto his skin once it completely faded away. He stretched his legs as best he could on the small section of the wall’s stable top, his back resting against the sturdy branch of a tree whose branch fell over the wall.
He couldn’t exactly see the other city from this far away, as the major capitals were located miles and miles away from the wall. However in the distance he could see smoke rising from the treetops and after time, he’d come to learn it was a smaller village. Reaching around him to drag his pack closer, he dug around for one of his snacks, a simple sandwich wrapped in cloth. Yet before he could even open it, a sound resounded, not more than twenty feet away. Nearly dropping his sandwich, he watched in horror as a hand slapped its way onto the top of the wall, hauling up a face and body with it.
Scrambling to his feet with the intent of grabbing onto the branch behind him and quickly sliding down, his eyes met the other’s and he watched as the other man gasped in surprise, hand slipping off the wall.
“Oh - shit! ” Came the cry of the stranger’s voice as the sound of more limbs slipping caused Tsukishima to change course and he lunged forward, grasping the man’s forearm before he could completely slip off.
“Oh my god, thank you,” wheezed the stranger and Tsukishima looked down with wide eyes at the figure who was barely hanging on for dear life. One hand was clasping his forearm equally tightly, the other barely finding purchase in the wall’s edges as one foot dangled precariously off to the side. “Can you, uh,” the man looked desperate to be pulled up.
Tsukishima did just that, still left speechless as this man who had appeared from the other side of the wall was on the wall now with him. There was no protocol for this, because no one ever did this. The ones that did and were caught were punished with instant execution by either side. It was only by luck that Tsukishima found a hidden section within the trees, and that no guards were typically ever present. But how this guy got up here unnoticed was a mystery.
He instantly released him when the man was successfully on top of the wall, but due to the structural damage, he was awfully close. Tsukishima tried to back away as much as he could, still staring at him warily. “Did you…just climb the wall?”
The stranger shot him a surprised look before scoffing and looking amused. “Duh. How’d you get up here? Flying?”
The personality was unexpected. Tsukishima was mildly taken aback and he gestured to where the man had appeared. “But did you just climb the wall?” There weren’t any close trees to where the man had pulled himself up from. “Do you know how dangerous it is? This thing crumbles every once in a while.”
Wiping his hands on worn pants, the man blew hair out of his eyes before running his fingers through his hair, attempting to smooth it all down. Now sitting propped on the top of the wall with Tsukishima, he could take a better look at him. A spray of freckles, unruly brown hair. For some reason, Tsukishima found himself surprised. He was expecting the other side to look… different?
“I…guess? But you’re up here. And it seems pretty sturdy to me…” He said thoughtfully, looking around.
“Yeah… it’s not,” Tsukishima said flatly, brows furrowing. “Did you even know where to climb?”
“Ahh… Nope,” the stranger said, now starting to look rightfully chastised, as if he wasn’t expecting this stranger to start pestering him with questions. “Why are you up here then?”
There was a brief pause before Tsukishima was finally able to collect his thoughts and put them all on one streamlined path. He held up a hand, “Wait. Wait. You’re from that side,” he said, pointing down towards the forest that the stranger hand appeared from. “I’m…” he trailed off, unsure how to say he was from the opposite side of the wall. Luckily, the man looked surprised and supplied the answer with his own.
“Oh, you’re from the moon side?”
Tsukishima nodded, hand twitching. He listened to the instinct and turned his wrist over, showing off the faded crescent moon.
The man leaned in, peering at it curiously before leaning back with a quiet ‘ahhh…’. He
then began shrugging off the thin coat that was around him, pulling his left arm to show Tsukishima his shoulder, tapping on it with a finger. A small sun, equally faded, was printed on his tanned skin. “Sun side. I’m Yamaguchi,” he said, sticking out a hand.
Having backed up when Yamaguchi was pulling his arm out of his coat, he now stared at the hand extended to him with clear uncertainty in his eyes. The other man seemed to have picked up on it after a long second had gone by without any movement between the two. He then appeared slightly uncomfortable himself.
“I’m not… going to kill you or anything,” he said with knitted brows.
Tsukishima stared at him, still unmoving. “What? Then why are you up here? Isn’t this…” he gestured between the two of them. “Shouldn’t we not be doing this?”
At that, Yamaguchi pulled back his hand, placing it back in his lap while looking perturbed by Tsukishima’s words. “Doing what? Talking? We’re not breaking any rules. We’re not on each other’s side.” He turned away, looking down towards Tsukishima’s side of the wall. “It looks the same.”
Dianis and Solor, the moon and sun sides respectively, were two major capitals on opposite sides of the wall that had functioned separated for as long as Tsukishima had ever heard about. The only beginning he had ever heard of was centuries ago when the two peoples decided to divide themselves, and it was their ancestors themselves that built the wall.
Those born with the symbols of their respective city were expected to stay on their side, never to meet, converse, or even visit the other side. Tsukishima simply knew of the sun side, though he knew nothing about it as Dianis and its people stayed tight-lipped regarding their city counterpart. The rules were simple, if someone with the wrong symbol was found on the wrong side, they were killed, no questions asked. It’s not where they belonged, and to stay safe was to stay on your side.
Yet here was this stranger, this Yamaguchi, that had scaled the wall - a fifty foot wall - all by himself. Just to see the other side, just as Tsukishima had once done so long ago. Only to be both surprised and underwhelmed at the realization that no, there was nothing beyond the wall aside from forest. No change in scenery, no difference in terrain. And by the looks of it, people from the sun side didn’t even look different. Tsukishima wasn’t sure what he was expecting.
“Yeah,” he ended up saying after a pregnant pause. He turned, peering over the edge of the wall at Yamaguchi’s side. “It’s all the same. I’m guessing you also have villages by the wall?” He asked, unable to help the curiosity.
“We do!” Yamaguchi said brightly, already turning and gripping the edge of the wall in order to crane his head down, as if trying to find anything interesting in the forest of the moon side. “There’s one nearby here which is where I came from. Well, I’m actually from the capital, but I stopped there on my trip to the wall.”
Tsukishima looked at him, shock written on his face. He didn’t expect to hear the man so openly explain his plans, his origins, and even a confirmation of villages. The surprise must have been clear as day because Yamaguchi glanced up, letting out a small sigh and sitting rightfully. “You know we’re not enemies, right?”
“What?” Stark surprise colored his tone.
Yamaguchi offered him a small smile, nodding. “Yeah. I don’t know what they teach you in Dianis but it’s probably the same where I’m from. Don’t cross the wall, don’t talk to people from the moon side,” he waved a hand dismissively. “They tell us it’s because we don’t work the same way or live the same way. But that doesn’t mean I have to hate you, or fight you on sight,” he explained, sounding incredibly casual, as if these were thoughts he’d mulled over all his life.
Yet it took Tsukishima by surprise as he furrowed his brows in thought. “That’s true, but…”
“There isn’t a but,” Yamaguchi said, cutting him off with a swing of his legs over the edge of the wall, facing Tsukishima’s side. “Everyone takes it for what it is. Because of the death penalty. But even that, no one seems to question,” he said, kicking his feet back and forth as he glanced over at Tsukishima with wide eyes that seemed to reflect the evening sky. “Even if we can’t be on the other side, I don’t see what’s the problem in talking to you.”
Rebuttals failed Tsukishima because the stranger was correct. Their cities weren’t at war, there was no external conflict that he knew of in the capital that involved Solor. In fact, anything regarding the other city was practically non-existent compared to the typical economical and internal problems Dianis had. It had been so long that the two cities lived in peaceful division with a grossly strict policy against rule breaking, no one had bothered to question it.
“Alright,” Tsukishima said, rolling his shoulders and straightening up, allowing his curiosity take hold of him completely. “You’re right. We can’t be in trouble for this. So why are you here?” He asked.
“Probably the same reason you are,” Yamaguchi said with a little laugh, before expression turned amused. “Do you always look and sound like you’re interrogating someone when you talk?” Tsukishima blinked, face coloring. “Sorry!” Yamaguchi chuckled, “It’s just… you’re looking at me like I’m some sort of experiment. I’m just another guy who wanted to know what the other side looked like,” he said, sounding earnest. Another leg kicked outwards, landing back against the wall with a dull thud. “Spent most of my life in the capital, but I’ve always been curious as to why we don’t go over here.”
“What were you expecting?” Tsukishima asked, taking a moment to look out across the moon side.
Yamaguchi hummed, wrinkling his nose. “Hmm… More rocks? Less…” He gestured a hand vaguely. “I don’t know. I didn’t think it’d be the exact same. But when I got here and learned the wall was in the middle of a forest, I guess that’s when I figured.”
Tsukishima nodded, “I thought the same,” he admitted, turning his gaze towards the sun side. “Thought it’d be something like a desert.”
A loud laugh startled him and he looked over to see Yamaguchi already quieting down, trying to hide his small giggles behind a hand. Bright eyes filled with mirth turned to him and he felt heat crawl up his neck. Maybe he shouldn’t have spoken.
“The desert, really?” Yamaguchi said, and Tsukishima coughed, reaching up to scratch at his temple underneath his glasses frame.
“What? All we were taught growing up was that you guys represented the sun. So I figured it’d be a hot place.”
Yamaguchi still looked delighted by Tsukishima’s far-off guess and he shook his head. “No, definitely not. The same way I thought there’d be more rocks where you’re from. It’s the same planet, same land.” He flicked a tiny pebble off the wall. “But that’s funny. I didn’t take you as such an imaginative guy.”
Tsukishima looked at him, aghast. “You don’t even know me.”
“Yeeaah,” Yamaguchi didn’t look fazed, “But it’s still good to know I’m not the only one who was curious and came up with wild ideas about the other side.” The moon sider quieted, understanding the sentiment. “That and I didn’t expect you up here either,” he admitted, looking at Tsukishima sheepishly. “So I’m glad I’m able to talk about it a bit, rather than just stare at the other side, feeling disappointed.” He looked up, “when did you get here?”
“Only an hour ago,” Tsukishima said after a thought, hand absently rubbing across the tiny rocks that were atop the wall.
“No, I meant when did you start going up the wall, sorry,” Yamaguchi clarified, turning sideways to peer curiously at Tsukishima.
Looking up to meet his gaze, Tsukishima was struck by how lively Yamaguchi looked, despite indulging in what was a dangerous dance close to the death penalty line. “Oh, probably…” He had to think, “A few months ago?” He rubbed at the moon on his wrist. “When this started fading. “
Yamaguchi looked down at the symbol, having had shrugged his coat back on a while ago. “Oh, yours is too? I guess you looked around my age…” he mumbled, studying Tsukishima so intently that the moon sider had to turn his gaze away, unnerved. “Do you guys tattoo them back on?”
Somewhat surprised, Tsukishima nodded. “You guys do that too?” He stuck his wrist out, the light of the slowly appearing moon illuminating the print.
“Yeah,” Yamaguchi replied, and to Tsukishima’s curiosity he looked peeved. “When it fully fades when we’re thirty. I don’t want to, though.”
This time, Tsukishima’s brows lofted high as he tucked his arm back into his lap. “You don’t? Why not?”
“Isn’t it just a dumb idea?” Yamaguchi said, seeming to absently reach up to place an arm on the shoulder that had his own symbol. “I guess if you’re proud of where you’re from… that’s okay. But it just means that you’re committing to staying divided, or something…”
Tsukishima couldn’t help but make a surprised sound in reply. “Are you saying if we didn’t have our symbols we could just…”
“Go where we want? Yeah,” Yamaguchi said, absently fiddling with the hem of his coat. “Think about it. If we didn’t have these signifying marks, no one would know where we belonged. Or, we could argue we belong in both places. Or all places. Who knows what other places are divided by this wall,” he said, lifting his head to look up towards the sky. The stars were slowly beginning to appear.
“Belong in both places,” he repeated, the concept foreign on both his tongue and in his mind. “Do you guys do anything different? From us?”
“What sort of question is that?” Yamaguchi asked, once again appearing amused, and Tsukishima nearly spluttered in response. “We don’t learn anything about the other side, much less what your own cultures and traditions are,” he said and Tsukishima simply nodded. “But what I can tell you is that we do worship the sun,” he explained. “Our days are really productive and at night, everyone feels empty.”
A curious concept, especially in the way that Yamaguchi explained it. “Empty?” He repeated, almost in a murmur.
Yamaguchi nodded, “Maybe it’s culture, but people seem to essentially stop working properly when the sun goes down. Everyone’s at home and nothing is open at night. Some see it as an actual god, other people see it as our life force.”
“And you?” Tsukishima asked, tilting his head imperceptibly to the side. “You’re out and about and it’s basically my time.”
A laugh, before the sun sider nodded, leaning back on his hands. “Yeah, I’m an odd one. There’s a lot of cool things that happen during the night. A lot of different creatures, the world looks differently. Even people, they act differently at night,” he said in thought. Turning, he smiled at Tsukishima. There was a moment of quiet surprise, because despite the lack of sun, Yamaguchi smiled brightly. “That’s probably another reason I’m out here.”
“You’re interested in the night time?” Tsukishima couldn’t help but ask, trying to suppress an amused expression. “So you decided to go all the way over to the wall?”
“Hey!” Yamaguchi retorted, “where better to go but the place that worships the moon and the night?”
Tsukishima tch’ed and shook his head. “We don’t worship the moon. We just respect its authority,” he explained, watching Yamaguchi whip his head around, eyes bright and ready to hear more. With a deep breath, he leaned back against the branch he was on, crossing his long legs over the other. “When the sun goes down, the moon is what lights up the rest of the world, right? So just because your main source of light is gone doesn’t mean everything needs to stop.” He nodded, “You’re right though, there are different things that happen at night, and we do pride in working by light of the moon. A lot of people find it comforting.”
Yamaguchi was staring at him in rapture, as this was the most Tsukishima had bothered to share since they had started talking, and appeared very invested. “Wow…see! That sounds so different…” he shook his head, “Most of the people on this side would call you crazy for even going outside of your house at night. It’s scary to us.”
A snort left him at the idea of anyone being afraid of the night. “Ridiculous. There’s a lot of things you can do at night. Even talking,” he gestured between the two of them, “can feel different at night.”
Nodding slowly in thought, Yamaguchi hummed his acknowledgement before straightening up. “Can you show me more, you think?” He asked, and Tsukishima startled at the question, brows knitting as he stared at the other man.
“What do you mean?”
“Like…what else is there you do? What a moon side town looks like, or-”
Tsukishima quickly held up a hand, “Wait, you’re asking to come over onto the other side? You know that will get you killed, right?”
Yamaguchi didn’t even look nervous and he shook his head quickly. “No, no! Listen, have you ever thought about how easy it is to sneak onto the other side?” He said, eyes growing bright with excitement. “The rules are only that if we get caught do we get killed. But what if we’re not?” He thrust out his own wrist, devoid of a symbol, and gestured excitedly at Tsukishima. “We can just draw it on or something. I’d wear a shirt all the time, no one would know I’m from the sun side.”
It sounded too easy - crazy easy, and Tsukishima’s gut churned at the thought of doing something so daring. It was true, no one actually walked around, demanding wrists be shown or shoulders bared. It might have happened once, ages ago when the walls were just erected, but now it was the expectation that people were where they belonged. In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time someone had asked for his wrist. Probably when he was a child for some random government check at his school.
“That’s insane,” he insisted, still unconvinced on this plan, yet Yamaguchi appeared determined. “We’re going to get found out. And what for, just so you can check out one of our towns?”
“Yes!” Yamaguchi said, suddenly lunging forward and grabbing Tsukishima’s hand. He stilled, unsuspecting the touch, but not withdrawing. “Look, we’re the same age too, so it’s expected to be fading. It doesn’t have to look super clean or good, so long as it’s on there, right?”
Worrying his bottom lip, his frown creased his brow heavily and he tugged his hand away from Yamaguchi. “Yeah, but…”
“But what?” The man asked, settling back down in his seat. “Come ooon,” he insisted, “it’ll be informative for us both. Hell, if this goes well and you want to, we can sneak you in to my towns!”
Now that piqued Tsukishima’s interest despite his poor attempt at covering it up. Wide eyes looked at Yamaguchi and a heavy exhale left him. “Okay,” he acquiesced, hearing a whoop from the other, and he continued on quickly. “But we go straight to the capital,” he decided. Yamaguchi looked at him in surprise.
“What, really? Not even to the surrounding villages? I figured that’d be easier…”
Tsukishima shook his head. “No, they’re the ones by the wall, so they’re more likely to check for symbols more often, even if it’s uncommon to expect it. No one checks in the city anymore, that I’ve noticed…” He trailed off, the plan formulating in his mind.
“The capital… that’s perfect ,” Yamaguchi practically crowed. “I think that’d be fun. I can’t imagine all the differences!”
Shooting him a weak smile, Tsukishima nodded. “Right. Well, we’re going to have to figure something out rather than just bringing you over… I could try and find some ink to use for the mark.”
“Tomorrow then?” Yamaguchi asked, hope clearly full in his voice. Tsukishima looked at him in surprise.
“Uh - yeah I suppose that could work. Don’t you need to go back at some point?”
Yamaguchi shrugged, and for a moment Tsukishima thought he saw the flash of discontent in his eyes. “At some point, but I took this trip planning on being out here for a while anyway.” He then appeared to remember something and he looked at Tsukishima with a frown, “I won’t be interrupting with any of your activities either? Do you have a job?”
Tsukishima rubbed his wrist, “Sort of, but I don’t think it’ll be a problem. I…” Was he really committing to this plan? “I think it’ll be fine.”
At that, Yamaguchi grinned. “Great. Perfect, that sounds great uh -” He then stuttered to a stop. “Hell, I never asked for your name.”
Huffing both in surprise and bemusement, Tsukishima shook his head. “You didn’t. But it’s Tsukishima.”
“Great! I’m looking forward to it, Tsukishima,” Yamaguchi said brightly, and Tsukishima couldn’t help but return the smile if at least faintly.
“Well. Guess that means I gotta go find something for your wrist. And it’s a farther trek back to my town…” He trailed off before changing gears. “We’ll have to bring you over during the day.”
Yamaguchi looked up at him, curiosity on his face. “Oh really? Are you guys really active during the night then, I’m guessing?”
Tsukishima nodded, just as he’d explained, they prided themselves in all the work they could do under the simple light of the moon. Not that they didn’t rest, or were nocturnal, but the nightlife in Dianis was expansive. “Just to be safe,” he said. He took one more long look at Yamaguchi. He didn’t look out of place whatsoever. He was a normal, breathing, human being. If only for the sun etched on his arm.
“Alright, so that means I’ll see you tomorrow?” Yamaguchi asked, a hopeful smile on his face.
After a beat, Tsukishima nodded, sitting up. “Yeah. We can meet here then, does that sound good?”
“Yeah,” Yamaguchi agreed, adjusting himself to start crawling back down the wall before pausing. “I…” Tsukishima stared at him, clearly seeing the problem at hand as well. “I need help.”
“Clearly,” Tsukishima said, already moving to adjust himself in an attempt to help Yamaguchi start the incredibly slow descent down, holding his arms steady. “Are you sure you can actually do this?”
“I got up here,” came the voice, nervous and wavering. “I have to get down somehow!”
“You’re going to fall,” Tsukishima said, voice straining as he held onto Yamaguchi for dear life, the man clearly working his hardest to find spots in the wall he could slot his hands and feet into.
“Don’t let me, Tsukki!”
“T-Tsukki?!”
“Too long! I’m focusing!”
“Christ -” and Yamaguchi slowly let go. “You got it?”
“I do, I do!” came the voice, starting to fade.
“Tomorrow!?” Tsukishima chanced to call down, watching Yamaguchi’s brown mop of hair start to descend.
“Tomorrow!”