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Their first meeting had not been a happy one.
But for Heizou, that was the norm. His was the realm of death and grief, after all. He was used to tears. To tragedy. To the bitter unfairness of life and its inevitable end.
For him, this day was just like any other, after yet another unforgiving winter night.
A wanderer, draped in red and black, had been caught out in a sudden blizzard. A cave had been claimed, and a campfire made, but it was too small, too cold and burnt out far too quickly. Too little and too late the flame burnt before it was extinguished, just like the young man’s life.
His silver spirit was curled up, hugging his knees to his chest and shivering violently. Yet even as he trembled, his gaze was not upon the mournful sight of his body, but rather on the trees blanketed with a shimmering layer of snow.
“Tell me,” The deceased said aloud, the cold not affecting his voice at all, “When will the first snowdrops appear?”
“There are still several weeks left before the first buds of spring make their appearance.” How interesting... the young man had noticed him even before he had announced his presence.
“A pity I will miss them…” The young spirit squeezed his knees even tighter, “I did so wish to see the woodland full of colour once more.” He let out a small sigh of disappointment. “That blizzard truly caught me unaware - I am usually much better prepared than this. I always prided myself on my ability to predict storms, but I suppose my luck had to end at some point.”
“You… are reacting very well to all of this, it must be said.” Heizou uttered after a beat of silence. Tentative steps took him towards the young man. The newcomer into his realm.
“It is rather disappointing, but there is little I can do about it now.” Kazuha gave a shrug even as he shivered away. “We are only in this world for a short amount of time. We live, then we die - some sooner than others. It is something that all living beings will experience. I am no exception to that rule.”
Heizou said nothing.
All the words he normally shared were ones that the ronin had given himself, after all.
He let out a small huff, feeling inexplicably fond of the young ronin, wise beyond his years. It really was a pity that they had to meet so soon…
He took off his cloak and draped it over the spirit’s shivering shoulders.
Initially Kazuha froze up, but then he wrapped the fabric tighter around him.
“It’s… warm.” He breathed, letting out a quivering smile at the gesture. A smile as beautiful, soft and fragile as all the blooms in spring. “I didn’t expect it to be so warm…”
“I thought that you would appreciate that.”
“It was a thoughtful gesture. Thank you.” Kazuha’s smile widened. “You know I expected you to be more impersonal and aloof - I am relieved to know that that wasn’t the case.”
“You’re not the first to tell me that, and you probably won’t be the last either.” Heizou sat down beside him, gazing out at the whites and silvers of the landscape before them, the snow catching the sun and glittering like diamonds.
“No one really knows what to make of me the first time they see me.” He admitted. “I can change forms to suit the people or animals I will be visiting - it makes them feel more comfortable that way. It also means that no one’s ever seen my true form. Or, if they have, then they will never know it.”
“My, my, was that a joke? You truly are full of surprises.” Kazuha smirked. “Do those sage-green eyes with the charming moles stay with every form you take, or am I just lucky?”
Any response that Heizou would have given died on his tongue the moment that the uncommon feeling of heat flushed his cheeks.
How unusual. What was happening to him? Did he need to go back and-
Kazuha’s laugh drew him out of his thoughts. There it was again - that smile he gave, full of so much life and mirth.
“Did my comments fluster you? It seems as though this fateful meeting isn’t what either of us anticipated.” Heizou let out a breath that he didn’t realise he was holding in. Not that he needed to breathe anyway.
“You are right, this isn’t what I expected,” He agreed. “But in a way that is quite the norm for humans, too. You could spend millennia among them and still not understand how they work. The manner of one’s death seldom encompasses the whole story of their life.”
Kazuha hugged the cloak closer around himself as he gazed back at his own body.
Well, it wasn’t his anymore.
Skin blue and cold to the touch. Body stiff from the bitter cold and the seizing grip of death. Purple lips parted for an exhale that will never come.
Heizou reached over and closed the glazed over eyes, once such a vibrant shade of red. Kazuha watched as Heizou draped the beautiful haori that Kazuha’s father had gifted him over his corpse, like a funeral shroud.
Ah yes.
They would be reuniting again soon, wouldn’t they?
A flurry of faces sprang to mind. All the people he had loved and lost far too soon. So many - too many - for one so young, but it hardly mattered anymore.
“Tell me…” His voice was soft. Fragile. Like a breath on the wind. “Will my afterlife be full of peace and comfort? Will I be able to reunite with the loved ones I have lost?”
“I am not the one who makes such decisions.” Heizou responded, looking over in interest as Kazuha knelt beside his own shroud and busied himself with anchoring it in place with rocks littered around the small cave. “... Though I see no reason why that wouldn’t be the case.”
He watched as Kazuha accidentally touched the ground, gasping as a snowdrop sprang from the rocky soil, healthy and hale.
There was a long silence as both of them took in the flower’s fragile white petals, and how it seemed to bask in the beams of the low midwinter sun.
“Ah…” Heizou’s pale eyes gleamed with interest, “My intuition tells me that fate isn’t quite done with you yet, Kaedehara Kazuha.”
—
Death wasn’t the end for him.
It was merely a prelude.
He had always loved nature, and it seemed as though this love had not gone unnoticed.
Snowdrops, tulips and roses.
With a sweep of his hand, he painted the landscape. With a twirl, he formed a shower of sakura petals, laughing in delight as they danced around him.
From a deserted nest of unhatched eggs, Heizou watched him and all the life and light he brought to the world.
How precious, fragile and endearingly beautiful life was…
—
“Ah… I was wondering when I would see you again.”
“Where there is life, death must follow.” Heizou replied as he approached the den that Kazuha was caring for. “Our reunion was destined to happen, and there will be many more to come.
… I hope your family is doing well.”
“After they stopped scolding me for dying so young, the reunion went wonderfully.” A sad smile tugged at Kazuha’s lips as a baby rabbit curled up to sleep in his palms. “My mother truly is an incredible person, I can see why my father fell for her.
… I only wish that I could have met her sooner.”
“Well, you met her in the end, didn’t you?” Heizou responded as he cradled the still body of the runt of the litter. “It may feel tragic at the time, but for the people you love it is not an eternal goodbye, it is merely a ‘see you later’.” In his palms, a silvery apparition of the infant rabbit hopped around, no longer bound by weakness or illness. Heizou let out a small smile as he ran his hands over the wispy remnants of its fur, looking over to see Kazuha doing the same with one of its own siblings.
It would be easy. So easy. For Heizou to forsake his duty. To just pursue his own selfish desires and sit in warm and comfortable silence with Kazuha, the newest Caretaker of Life. A spirit he felt inexplicably drawn to, despite their differences.
But it wouldn’t be right. He was still needed.
He was always needed.
“Say goodbye to your brothers and sisters.” He murmured as he held his cupped hands up to Kazuha’s own. The small runt, now stronger and more active than before, hopped over and gave its siblings a small sniff.
Heizou extended his hand out once more, and the tiny spectre hopped on, before disappearing altogether. Leaving for a place of peace and comfort. Waiting patiently for the fateful reunion.
With a sigh, Heizou rose to his knees.
“Are you leaving now?” Kazuha asked with a hint of disappointment.
“I have a job to do.” Heizou gave him a wry smile. “As do you.”
A small blush coloured Kazuha’s cheeks as he looked away.
“I may have become more distracted than I care to admit.” He mumbled sheepishly. “What good is being a Caretaker of Life if one cannot enjoy the fruits of one’s labour? Namely, how adorable and fluffy baby rabbits are?”
For the first time in uncountable years, Heizou snorted. Kazuha’s eyes gleamed with interest at the unique sight, but even as he did so, Heizou’s face returned back to its cold, stoic self.
“At least stay with me a little longer. The company is nice.”
“My ‘company’ is detrimental to the health of those rabbits that you raised and care for so very much.”
It was true. Kazuha had noticed how their movements had gradually become more sluggish. He initially thought that they were simply sleepy, but now that he thought about it, they were less warm too.
“Worry not, we will meet again.” A gentle hand placed on Kazuha’s head flooded his body with a cold sensation. It wasn’t the bitter cold of when he was a wandering ronin caught in a snowstorm, nor was it the dull chill of death. It was a refreshing cold, like when someone splashes their face with water to wake themselves up.
“You will see me soon,” Heizou continued, “But my work is full of misfortune, so sometimes you will regret my presence and for that I apologise in advance. It is simply the natural order of things.”
“I don’t think that I will ever mind your company.” Kazuha confessed as he carefully placed down the rabbits and followed Heizou out of the den. Since he was trailing behind Heizou, he didn’t see the way his words affected him, nor the blush that faintly dusted his cheeks. “But just out of curiosity, what do you normally do when you aren’t working? Perhaps we could meet again in a more informal and happier setting.”
“... I can’t remember.” Heizou confessed. “I have been taking care of souls for so long, I wouldn’t know what to do with free time if it was handed to me.”
“Not even singing or dancing?” Kazuha asked, genuinely bewildered.
“Dancing…” Heizou mumbled, vague memories bubbling to the surface however briefly. The moving of feet. The rhythm of a drum. A green pebble and the promises it contained, long lost and forgotten, dragged under by the slow and unceasing wave of time. “I think I knew how to. Once.”
“Well, would you care for a lesson, to refresh your memory?” Kazuha extended a hand out to him, his eyes full of earnest wishes.
He was so young and full of life, even as a spirit. Heizou found himself envying the man before him. Were all Caretakers of Life like this, or was Kazuha the exception? He found it hard to believe that anyone else would pass him a cursory glance, nor did he expect them to. Kazuha was everything he was not. Unbroken. Carefree. Loving and loved in return.
A pang of pain in what was once his heart caused Heizou to flinch. He curled his hands into fists and looked away, Kazuha’s sight too bright for his cold, dead eyes to handle.
“... I think you should stop worrying about me and my lack of hobbies and just focus on doing your job.
Make more beauty in the world. Spring and summer still need your care and guidance to be fruitful, don’t let me get in your way.”
“Then let us meet afterwards.” Kazuha replied instantly.
“Kazuha, I-”
“Once the harvests are gathered, and before the bitter chill of winter is upon us, let us meet here.” As Kazuha spoke his soft words into existence, a tree rose from the ground. A maple tree, tall and proud, full of verdant green leaves. “Do you promise?”
“All of this for a dancing lesson…?”
“All of this so that you can have fun and live a little.”
“I am literally an embodiment of death.” Heizou deadpanned. Kazuha let out a small chuckle, his cheeks rosy with mirth.
“From what I have seen and what I can guess, being an embodiment of death is tiring and lonesome work. Dance with me after summer. If you hate it then I promise to never bother you about it again.” Kazuha held his hand further out. “Do you agree to these terms?”
“Yes.” Came the voice of betrayal from his intuition. His very own assistant was against him now! Was no one worried about how his actions might affect Kazuha but himself? Even his body was against him, marching forward and clasping Kazuha’s hand. “I promise.”
Even as he spoke, the warmth from Kazuha’s hand seemed to permeate through him, carrying with it memories of his past life. Long ago, back when he was Shikanoin Heizou, the detective extraordinaire of the Tenryou Commission.
Shikanoin Heizou, always with a grin and a sharp, witty comeback for any situation.
Shikanoin Heizou, a fighter and advocate for justice and whose dearest wish was to free the world of the sin that held humanity captive.
Shikanoin Heizou, who held these beliefs no matter what, even if it cost him his life. Who comforted his comrades in their final moments even as he himself lay battered and broken on an unforgiving battlefield, a casualty of a war he never believed in and never wished for.
Perhaps it was that integrity and resilience which led to him becoming a Caretaker of Death in the first place…
“So it’s a promise then.” Kazuha’s voice roused him from his trance. Heizou blinked as he took in his surroundings once more. “In that case, I should probably adhere to your wishes and resume my work. I look forward to our next meeting.”
“O-Oh… yes. See you then…”
But he was talking to thin air.
Kazuha had left, and with him his warmth. Only the ghost of the feeling remained, lingering on the hand that was still outstretched.
—
Between the warm light of summer and the dark cold of winter, there Kazuha stood. Under fading canopies and the golden glow of the afternoon sun. Between the realm of life and the realm of death.
“You came…” Kazuha’s small smile was one of serenity and relief. “I was wondering if you would. We have hardly seen each other over the past few months. I thought that you may have been avoiding me.”
“Normally people would take the lack of my presence to be a good omen.” Heizou remarked as he made his way into the clearing, the grass browning beneath his feet as he did so. “But I never break my promises, so here I am.”
“And I am endlessly pleased to see you.” Only a few words into the conversation, and Heizou felt his cheeks heat up. How did Kazuha always have such an effect on him? “It is a good omen to me that you stayed true to your word. After working so much, seeing a friendly face brightens the spirit, wouldn’t you agree?” His beam of happiness was so bright it was almost blinding.
“I wouldn’t know…” Heizou mumbled as he looked away. “But it is true that I wanted to see you again. I wanted to thank you for before, but I wasn’t sure… how to approach the issue.”
“Before?” Kazuha tilted his head in confusion. “What happened before?”
So either he didn’t know the effect he had on Heizou or he was simply playing dumb.
Knowing Kazuha, both options seemed likely.
“When you touched me… you helped me remember who I am. Or, should I say, who I WAS. In my past life.”
If anything, his beam increased in intensity. Heizou was tempted to shut his eyes to hide against the intense glare.
“I did?! How wonderful! What can you recall?”
“The adventures of a young man called Shikanoin Heizou.” He responded with a small upturn of the lips. “A detective who, when he wasn’t trying to rid the world of crime or injustice, liked to dance. But his main hobby was puzzles. Lots and lots of puzzles.”
“I could definitely see that.” Kazuha chuckled. “You do strike me as the analytical sort. So, could you show me some dancing?”
“No.” He said before his intuition could intervene again and embarrass him.
“Not even for a few seconds…?” Kazuha asked, his wide eyes emulating the look of a kicked puppy exceedingly well. Eyes wide and full of betrayal. On anyone else it might have worked.
It almost worked on Heizou, too - this spirit would be his undoing…
“I shall rely on my dear teacher for a demonstration.” Heizou said, a slight lilt making its way into his tone completely by accident. A lilt that caused Kazuha to go so red, he almost matched the colour of his eyes, and the small streak in his otherwise platinum hair.
“I… I shall do my best…” He muttered before taking a deep breath.
“So… put your left hand on my waist.”
“Like this?” Heizou obeyed, raising an eyebrow when Kazuha jumped a little in shock. His confusion was replaced with relief, however, when that wonderful warmth filled his body once more. Ah, to experience this feeling all the time…
“A-And then…” Kazuha squeaked, suppressing a shudder, “You place your right hand on my shoulder.”
“Okay…” Heizou obeyed. From this position, he was able to feel the trembling of Kazuha’s body. “... Are you alright?”
“You are a little cold…” Kazuha laughed breathlessly, “But it is fine. A nice and surprising cold, that is all.”
“Should we stop?” Heizou’s brows knitted with concern.
“No, no, I am fine.” Kazuha shook his head quickly. “And we haven’t danced yet, so stopping now would be breaking your promise anyway. I am just cold and a little nervous, no need to worry about me.”
“Nervous? How come?”
“It has been a while since I last danced.”
“Then what were you doing for most of spring and summer, then?” Heizou felt a smirk threaten the corner of his lips.
“You know very well that I meant dancing with a PARTNER.” Kazuha retorted with a small pout as he started to move his feet. One, two, three, one, two, three, he led Heizou through the steps of a waltz. Steps that felt oddly familiar to him, so he allowed his body to follow Kazuha’s lead, while his mind became wholly entranced with the young spirit in front of him.
“So is that what we are?” Heizou whispered. “Partners?”
“Hmm…” Kazuha gave an experimental twirl. Heizou caught him easily. “I would say so. I doubt you have as much of a kinship with the other Caretakers as you do with me.
Am I wrong?”
“No…” Heizou admitted breathlessly. “No you are not.”
No matter how much he tried to deny it, there really was an inexplicable link between them. A fondness for the spirit who he had met once upon a time, one winter ago. The pleasant surprise the next time he saw him as a Caretaker of Nature, of life itself. It seemed as if the more they met, the warmer and more vibrant he felt.
He let out a breath and held Kazuha even closer, their steps in perfect synchronicity under the dappled shade of the maple tree.
—
“Oh? What’s this?” Heizou looked on as Kazuha inspected a maple leaf on the ground. “I have never seen them in such a shade before…”
It was true. Heizou had seen their leaves in greens and in browns, but never before in such a vivid shade of red. He didn’t think too much of it at first, but Kazuha seemed wholly captivated by it.
As he touched it, however, its colour changed back to the verdant green of summer.
“Oh… how interesting.” Kazuha breathed.
“It’s not just the leaves on the ground.” Heizou noted as he gazed up at the surrounding trees. “Look around us.”
“Oh wow…” Kazuha gasped.
The leaves of the trees, usually so green when overhead and a dull brown when fallen, were now sporting all manners of wondrous hues, from faint amber, to a glowing gold, to a flaming rouge.
The very forest itself seemed to be aflame with colour.
“Did we… do all of this?” Heizou’s voice was muted in awe.
“I believe so.” Kazuha’s eyes gleamed with joy and a boundless sense of wonder. Amidst the vivid hues of the world around them, he looked purely within his element. So captivating was he, that if Heizou had any talent for the arts he would have penned a haiku or painted a portrait of the very image.
As it was, he simply had to commit the image to memory, to be cherished forever.
He was roused from his thoughts by Kazuha holding up the green maple leaf once more.
“I have a hypothesis that these wonderful colours are only possible because of both of us.” He grinned, stepping closer to his dear ‘partner’. “Care to test my hypothesis, former detective Shikanoin Heizou?”
With a smile, Heizou reached forward and held the maple leaf too. He watched, entranced, as it turned that beautiful vibrant crimson again. One of the many wondrous colours that now surrounded them, but undoubtedly his favourite so far.
“Incredible…” Kazuha whispered, “Who would have known that we would make something so beautiful together?”
It really was stunning. Ethereal and breathtaking. But the sight of the fiery landscape paled in comparison to the radiant man in front of him. Whose face drew closer and closer to his own, until their lips met.
Between the long, lazy days of summer and the frigid, shimmering beauty of winter, two spirits of life and death embraced, filling the world around them with such colour and light. But all Heizou cared about were those lips on his, warm and teeming with vitality. His hold on Kazuha tightened as he swallowed down all the gasps, all the whimpers and little noises that Kazuha gave him, returning the kisses with just as much ferocity.
He tightened his grip on Kazuha's waist.
Heizou loved it. Craved it. Anything and everything this beautiful man could give him, he needed it, and so much more. He had never felt this way before. This joy. This peace. This love. It was all so incredibly perfect.
Far too good to last.
One second, Kazuha was against his lips, then the next second he was slumped in his arms.
“Kazuha?!” Heizou cried out, “Oh no, oh no, you were around me too long, weren’t you?! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry-”
A comforting hand was placed against his cheek, its warmth helping to quell the chaos in his mind.
“Don’t you worry, my dear Heizou.” Kazuha’s voice was soft, tired, and full of so much love. “I’m immortal now, remember? I don’t die, I merely become… sleepy.”
His hand was still warm. There were no warning signs - Heizou would know if there were. He was going to be okay. Kazuha was going to be okay.
Heizou let out a shaky sigh and cradled Kazuha’s hand in his own.
“Don’t scare me like that…” Heizou sounded so… broken. Kazuha wanted to kiss the worry off of his face but he couldn’t really move much anymore.
“My sincerest apologies, my love. I should have warned you sooner, but I was too enraptured by our kiss to pay much heed to the rest of my physical health. It was my fault and I take responsibility.
… It also doesn’t help that I have been working for months now and we are on the cusp of winter. I was rather tired even before our reunion.”
“But you still became worse due to the dancing, didn’t you? Oh archons, and it was the kiss that reduced you to this state!” Kazuha’s grip tightened on his wrist to an almost uncomfortable degree.
“Heizou. Shush. None of that.”
Being talked to in such a tone was so jarring that it broke Heizou out of his state.
He just stared at Kazuha and blinked, unsure of what to say next.
“Yes, I was tired and cold in your arms, but worry not, you didn’t hurt me at all.” The smile he gave was tender, full of trust. “As a matter of fact, I rather liked it.”
“You did…?” Heizou gaped in bewilderment as Kazuha nodded.
“It is a comforting cold, like a cool glass of water on a hot summer day. Crisp and refreshing.”
“But… you shouldn’t be cold anyway…” Heizou looked on as Kazuha gave a small yawn, seemingly unable or unwilling to move.
With a sigh, he carried Kazuha over to the maple tree, where the young spirit nestled himself into a rather comfortable nook.
“And I shouldn’t have tired you out even more. I should have thought things through- hey, are you listening to me?”
“The ‘shika’ in Shikanoin…” Kazuha mumbled, sleep slurring his speech, “Izzat the same as the letter for ‘deer’?”
“... It is.” Heizou mumbled in defeat. Seemed as though yet another person would start making puns based off of his surname.
“Iss pretty…” Kazuha let out a sleepy, almost drunken, chuckle. “Don’t worry your pretty, pretty head, my deer. I’ll be fine after some resttt…” With a smile, he patted Heizou on the back of his hand. “Wake me up when it’s snowdrop season, k?”
“... Okay.” Heizou promised. He watched as Kazuha’s eyelids drooped. “Anything else?”
“More dances, please.”
Ah yes, this was supposed to be a dance lesson, wasn’t it?
It seemed as though they both became too distracted to dance for very long.
“As long as you promise not to tire yourself out beforehand.”
“I promiss.” Kazuha’s head drooped and, just like that, he was out like a light.
Just like before, Heizou draped his cloak over the sleeping spirit, to keep him warm in the inhospitable months that lay ahead.
Right on cue, the first chill gust of wind tore through the woodland, whipping through the amber grass blades and tearing gold and crimson leaves from their trees.
Heizou rose to his feet, his body energized in the biting cold air.
Winter was here.
Time to continue his work…
—
Once upon a time, so the stories go, there was no autumn at all.
The long, lazy days of summer could change to the merciless cold of winter at the snap of a finger.
Nowadays, the change is far more gradual, and autumn is a season in and of itself. One full of life and death. A period of paradoxes. Beautiful harvests, dying crops, warmth and cold, vivid colours and dull, grey clouds.
It is a season of change, where life starts to tire and where death, his lover, takes over for a while. A period where both can coexist for a time.
You can hear them if you try.
When the emerald leaves turn ruby, you can hear their laughter in the air. If you are in the right place at the right time, you can even see them. Silver and burgundy. Scarlet and sage. Two lovers circling each other, crisp leaves crunching underfoot. So enraptured by each other that nothing else matters as crimson leaves float around them.
Blink, and you will miss them. Do not chase them, leave them be.
It is rude to interrupt lovers, after all…