Chapter Text
It’s always on these weekly visits to the markets that Ryuu gets in his own head too much. It always feels a little tense, knowing that the guards here in town do what they want to who they want. Tenser still, knowing that he and Saeko won’t hesitate to get in guards’ faces for picking on others. He hates the risk of picking a fight over the guards’ treatment of citizens, but he hates seeing it even more. He often wonders if the rest of Fukurodani is like this, or if it’s just so bad here in the shadow of the mountains.
He can’t complain too much, though. He and Saeko get by well enough. Even if the other folks don’t associate much with the Tanakas, they’re able to get by on growing what they can, and trading for what they can’t. It hasn’t been the same since their mother passed, but they do get by on the relationships she built, and the ones they’ve built on their own, too.
“Leave her alone, you brutes.” Ryuu is pulled back to the present by Saeko’s voice cutting through the small market district. There’s that tension again; he’d roll his eyes at how often this happens if the guards were in any way predictable beyond extorting the locals. They’re just as likely to laugh off his and Saeko’s protests as they are to threaten arresting the both of them. Better check in, he thinks, turning to look in the direction her voice came from.
He hears Saeko’s voice again, louder this time, as he turns around. He can’t make out any words, feels panic settling into his stomach. He starts scanning the stalls for her, more than a little frantic when— oh. Oh no. Saeko is doubled over, hands clutching at her stomach, with two guards standing over her. Those smug smirks on their faces, knowing they can do what they want if someone dares challenge their power. Ryuu can’t stand it; he’s already forgetting what he was doing and storming over.
Saeko cries out again as a guard kicks her legs out from under her, collapses in a heap on the ground. Squawks of laughter ringing out from the guards, as they prod at her with heavy boots. It’s too much for Ryuu to take, he’s almost sprinting down the narrow street, words leaving his mouth before he can think about it.
“Leave her alone!” His heart is pounding in his ears, and he can’t hear a thing even as the markets fall silent for a moment. A gust of wind tears through the street from behind him, almost knocking him to his knees. Stalls are collapsing under the pressure, foodstuffs are rolling and flying while people scream and duck for cover. Ryuu doesn’t know what’s happening, just that he’s angry, he’s scared and he has to get to Saeko. Another gust of wind roars, and the guards are thrown against a building at the end of the street. Ryuu grabs Saeko, scoops her up and pulls her onto his back. Then he’s gone as fast as he can manage, the wind dying down in his wake.
//
Ryuu doesn’t think about where he’s going; luckily he’s made this run often enough to know the way. This though, this wind thing, this is new. This hasn’t happened before, is it something Ryuu did himself? Or something else entirely? Ryuu decides quickly enough that the time for worrying about any of this is later, just as he arrives outside his home. He ducks inside and, after gently laying Saeko down on her bed, ducks back out to knock on their neighbour’s door.
“Udai-san! Are you home?” He bites back the panic creeping into his voice, but doesn’t stop knocking until the door swings open, Tenma on the other side of it.
“Tanaka-kun, is everything alright?” Tenma asks, noticing Ryuu’s anxiety almost immediately.
“It’s Saeko-chan, she’s been hurt real bad. I need to go see Sugawara-san, would you be able to look in on her?”
Tenma frowns grimly. “Guards again?” Ryuu nods. “Shoot, I’ll sit with her, just be quick if you can.”
Another nod and Ryuu is off again, ducking between other houses and across streets towards the edge of town. Sugawara is the first person Ryuu goes to in situations like this, he’s a decent apothecary in his own right and understands better than most the Tanakas’ reckless urge to do what’s right. Because of that, Ryuu and Suga became fast friends when Suga moved into town a few years ago. No one else would associate with people as outspoken as Ryuu and Saeko, but Suga cares just as much, and that’s why Ryuu always goes to him when he can.
It’s with that thought that Ryuu comes to a stop outside Suga’s house, the anxiety in his stomach replaced by a simmering dread. He reaches out to knock, but before he knows what’s happening he’s being pulled inside by the wrist.
“Hey, hey, what gives?” Ryuu is sputtering as he regains his balance. Suga closes the door behind the two of them, shushing Ryuu as he does.
“Sit down, Tanaka-kun. Take a breather.” He gestures at his dining table, two chairs pulled out already. “I figured you’d be by so I made some tea.”
Ryuu sighs, tension bleeding ever so slightly from his shoulders. “Okay… how did you know I’d be by?” He lets himself flop down in one of the chairs, only now realising how sore his legs are from running.
“Well,” Suga brings over two cups of steaming tea, along with the pot, on a small tray. He sits in the chair opposite Ryuu and meets his eyes with a serious expression. “You used magic today, in the markets.”
Ryuu stops short of picking up his tea. “What? No I didn’t!” He’s sure that’s impossible. How could he have?
“Someone did. And based on what my friends have told me,” he nods at a bird perched near his open window, “it was probably you. Which means there’s some things that need to happen, to keep you and Saeko-san safe.”
The dread in Ryuu’s stomach blooms, a wretched and painful thing telling him his worst fears are about to come true. “W-what do you mean?” He can’t keep the stammer out of his voice. Suga is right, if he doesn’t disappear right away, then Saeko will surely be under suspicion too for… helping an illegal mage, or something. The part that doesn’t make sense to Ryuu is where the magic is coming from. As far as he knows, he, Saeko, and their mother have always been boring, magically unattuned farmers. There is the question of his father, who he knows next to nothing about, but surely his mum would’ve said—
“You know what I mean.” Suga’s voice brings Ryuu back to reality, pulling him back from what was surely a long and confusing road to follow. “If they even think either of you know something, it’s bad news. And since I’m pretty sure it was you who called that gust down at the markets, I’ve reached out to another friend. Someone who can get you on your way.”
“On my way?” He’s pretty sure he knows what Suga means, but doesn’t want to accept it.
“On your way out. Far away from Fukurodani.” Suga reaches to his side below the table, and comes back up with two things: a backpack and a small pouch. “For you to pack what you need. Don’t worry about food, I’ll make sure you’re taken care of. And this,” he lays the pouch on the table, “is for Saeko-san. Brew a tea from the leaves and get her to drink it. The used leaves can make a poultice for any wounds, too.”
Ryuu swallows around a lump in his throat. He hates this, doesn’t want to accept it, doesn’t see any other choice. “Thank you, Sugawara-kun.” He downs the rest of his tea in one sip, then stands from the table.
“You get everything in order then meet me back here, I’ll make sure the details are ironed out to meet with this friend.” Suga, normally so lighthearted, wears a grim expression. “I’m sorry Tanaka-kun.”
“I know. Me too.” With that, Ryuu takes the backpack and heads home for the last time.
//
“Hey, um. Hi,” Ryuu offers when he finds Tenma sitting beside Saeko, in bed and still unconscious.
“Hey.” Tenma gets up quickly, padding over to Ryuu at the door. “What did Sugawara say? What happens now? Is everything okay?”
“I…” Ryuu almost chokes. He can’t find the words, still sitting with the gravity of what Suga told him. He takes a deep breath, then offers up the pouch Suga gave him. “For Saeko,” he says, going on to repeat Suga’s instructions.
Tenma nods, takes the pouch. “So… is it okay? You, um. You don’t look like it’s okay.”
Another deep breath. “It’s not. Can I have a minute, Udai-san? Just a minute with— with my sister?”
Tenma nods. “I’ll wait outside.” He steps around Ryuu and through the still open door, closing it behind him.
“Well,” Ryuu says to the now silent room. “Damn, um.”
He starts packing first, figuring it’s easier to do something than to think about any of this. Only the things he needs, which as it turns out is just clothes. It’s over too quickly, and he’s stuck again thinking about how to say goodbye. He starts to cross to where Saeko lays, slowing as he passes the table by their heath. He hovers over the braided leather bracelets his mother used to wear, and he can feel his eyes sting with tears as he ties one around his wrist.
He grabs another bracelet and walks to Saeko’s bed. He kneels, tears starting to flow more freely, and ties the extra bracelet around her wrist. He takes a deep breath, shaking with it on the exhale.
“Saeko I’m so, so sorry,” he starts. “I don’t want to go, I don’t want to leave you alone here. But, if I do then maybe you’ll be safe? I have to take that chance.” He leans in and kisses her on the forehead. If not for her wounds he’d think she looks peaceful.
“I’ll, um. If I can, I’ll come back for you. But until I do, you have to watch out for Udai-san.” He laughs a little as he says it, then crosses to the door and walks outside decisively.
Tenma watches him as he emerges. “You’re… going?”
Ryuu nods. “I am. I don’t want to, but I have to. That’s all I can really say about it.”
“Okay.”
“Tell Saeko goodbye, and that I’m sorry. I love you both so much, and I’ll see you again. That’s a promise.” Ryuu pulls the smaller man into a hug, fighting back more tears as he does. He feels Tenma’s arms wrap around him slowly.
Tenma sniffles. “I’ll hold you to it. Saeko would kick my ass if I didn’t.” They both laugh as they pull away, and Ryuu waves as he turns to walk back to Suga’s place.
He doesn’t look back. He knows he’d only cry more if he did.
//
His eyes won’t stop stinging with fresh tears on the walk back to Suga’s place. It’s everything he’s ever dreaded since his mother died: that he’d, somehow, inevitably, end up alone and far away from anyone he knows. And that’s what Ryuu is expecting too—travelling alone for weeks meeting people he doesn’t know to get to somewhere where he still doesn’t know anyone. Just to keep himself safe. Is it even worth it?
He steels his nerves as he arrives back at Suga’s. For Saeko, he reminds himself. Whatever tomorrow brings, I’ll face it.
The door swings open as he arrives and Suga steps out, a hefty pack of his own strapped to his back. Ryuu can’t help the way he stares, his mouth falling open. “Wait, you’re coming with me?”
Suga flashes him a winning smile. “What, you thought I’d be sending you out there all alone? Of course I’m coming with you.”
Ryuu loses against the fresh wave of tears he feels coming on.
//
The walk isn’t too bad, though it isn’t what Ryuu was worried about. All the same, travelling alongside one of his only friends beats following some vague directions to meet a stranger. And Suga makes for great road company too—they spend the first few hours chatting, almost as if it’s normal. They act natural, hoping that they’re far enough ahead of the news of Ryuu’s outburst in the markets travelling further.
Once they’re about an hour away from town, where wide plains give way to sparse trees at the edge of the forest, Suga looks around for others on the road. When he doesn’t see anyone, he changes the subject. “So, I have an old friend in Shiratorizawa who can help us find refuge there.”
Ryuu trips over his feet in surprise. “Shiratorizawa? But that’s so—”
“Far away, I know. But it’s safer there than anywhere else I can think of.”
Ryuu traces a line in the air in front of him. If Shiratorizawa is there, and we’re— Never mind. “You’re damn right it’s far away Sugawara-kun! How exactly is it safer?” He wants to trust his friend, he really does. But he’s dropping his whole life for this.
“We’ll pass through Inarizaki after crossing the sea to get there. The thing is, we can’t go to Inarizaki or Itachiyama. Not permanently, at least. If we settle down and anyone’s looking for us, they’re just as likely to sell us down the river right back to Fukurodani.”
“And what about Seijoh?” Ryuu admittedly doesn’t know much about Seijoh, but he’s heard enough about the nation of wizards to question it.
“They’re just as likely to kill us as let us in. And my connections there don’t run very deep at all. Listen, my friend in Shiratorizawa? We’re closer than brothers, so I just need you to trust me, Tanaka-kun.”
“Brothers, huh?” Ryuu tries to ease up a little, biting back the intensity he can feel curdling in his throat. “So what does that make us, Suga-kun?”
Suga grins despite the gloom settling in between the two of them. “We’re best friends!”
Ryuu can’t help but smile back at that. He looks around as the trees grow denser, but it’s only another moment before they come into a small clearing.
“Let’s stop here for a minute,” Suga offers, shrugging his backpack off and setting it down. Ryuu looks around for a second, getting an idea of the forest around them, before Suga shoves a wrapped box into his hands. “Eat.” Suga shoots him a reassuring smile.
Ryuu sighs. He hasn’t thought about food all day and suddenly he’s starving. It's now early evening and he hasn’t eaten since breakfast before going to the markets with Saeko. Saeko… he wonders how she’s doing, it’s only been a few hours and yet he can’t stop his eyes from stinging with fresh tears. Is she awake yet? Does she know he’s gone, maybe for good? Is Udai-san there with her, can they weather this together, like anything else?
He tries to shake the thoughts from his head as he sits down leaning against a tree, unwrapping the box Suga has passed him. Rice and pickled vegetables, to keep his energy up. He eats ravenously, tears still streaming down his face.
It takes a while before he’s full and settled once the food is gone, and it’s only once he is settled that he notices Suga has been unpacking. Ryuu spies two bed rolls laid out carefully, alongside what looks like rations of dried meats for the both of them for a number of weeks. Ryuu’s eyes track across everything until he finds Suga again, perched on a fallen log, imitating a bird whistle through his hands.
“What are you—” Ryuu starts to ask before Suga holds his hand out to signal for quiet.
“Let me do the talking first, Tanaka-kun.”
Talking for what? Ryuu is about to ask when he hears rustling from the edge of the clearing.
A man emerges from the brush. He’s not too tall, and unassuming looking. Like he could be any other merchant Ryuu has met. But there’s a sharpness to his eyes, a wary intelligence that makes Ryuu even more sure of keeping his mouth shut.
The man cracks a smile, scanning his eyes across Ryuu and Suga both. “Good day for a walk in the woods, isn’t it?”
Huh? Ryuu isn’t sure what to make of that.
The man continues, “Good season for it. But the birds are quieter this time of year don’t you think?”
Suga flashes a smile back at the stranger. “Maybe, but there’s plenty of owls still around.” Ryuu isn’t sure if he imagines it, but it’s almost like some tension eases from the man’s shoulders at Suga’s response.
“Sugawara-kun. It’s good to see you, but I had to be sure.”
“Of course, Ennoshita-kun. I understand. I just wish we were reuniting in better times.”
The man named Ennoshita nods, his smile giving way to a more serious expression. “Of course, you know I’ll do what I can. I’ve passed your message on, and Keiji will be expecting to meet us in Ubugawa in four days.”
Suga nods, before turning to Ryuu. “Tanaka-kun, can you help me get everything packed away again? With this timeline, we have a fair bit more walking to do today. I’ll clear everything up for both of you on the way.”
The three of them set a good pace once they’re walking, and Ennoshita is disarming enough to have them all talking like old friends in no time at all. Suga spends at least an hour—Ryuu stops trying to keep track of time—explaining the situation to Ennoshita, and explaining the travel plan to Ryuu. His geography isn’t so good, so most of the place names go right over his head.
The sun is low in the sky by the time they call it a day. Ryuu is wrung out, mentally and physically. Achy in lots of places, but he was able to settle into a mindless rhythm after a certain point of tiredness. Suga directs the three of them to a spot behind some trees off the side of the road, hopefully covered enough for a campfire to be safe.
Ennoshita turns to Ryuu as they set up camp. “I’m sorry you’re having to go through this, Tanaka-san.”
Ryuu shrugs. “Still trying to make my peace with it, myself.”
Ennoshita nods. “If we had more resources, or were it more viable…” he trails off. “Nevermind. No need for what-ifs.”
“I guess not.” The conversation should be wearing on Ryuu, but he finds himself grateful for Ennoshita’s sympathy. “Thanks.”
Ennoshita smiles slightly. “Of course.” His expression darkens again. “If Suga-kun hadn’t told me everything, I would hardly believe the Duke was such a petty man to put the entire region on high alert. But he did, hence the caution.”
Ryuu nods at that, and makes a face. “Nothing else for it I guess.” Nothing else for it, he repeats to himself, settling in to wait until Suga returns with food, and to wait until he’s somehow okay with all of this.
//
If not actively okay with it, Ryuu does find a rhythm to his days. One foot in front of the other, stop for meals, to hunt, to hide in the bushes as guard patrols pass by. He’s not used to it by any means, but with some of it he could be, in better times at least. Gathering firewood. Resting under the stars and a canopy of trees. Picking berries, plants and mushrooms. But mostly walking.
The mountainous terrain gives way to greener forests over the days, as they travel further from the Mujinazaka mountain ranges and through central Fukurodani. Nowhere near the capital, Suga points out one day, in response to Ryuu’s observations. That’d be much further North of where we are now, he said. Probably better that way, too. The Queen’s followers are that much more galvanised in the capital.
Like this, Ryuu likes the shape of these days. If he could forget the rest, if he could walk like this with Suga with no other problems, that wouldn’t be bad at all. He likes listening to Suga talk. He knows a lot, and Ryuu likes watching him. Because he’s nice, and interesting, that’s all! he thinks. Nothing weird about feeling that way about your best friend, no sir.
Ryuu is pulled from his (normal, platonic) thoughts when he realises Suga and Ennoshita have come to a stop ahead of him. Suga looks back at Ryuu over his shoulder, raising a finger to his lips silently. Minding his steps, Ryuu closes the gap between them as quietly as he can.
“What’s going on?” he breathes. Suga’s eyes flick towards the road ahead, where Ryuu notices a man leaning against a tree. “What about him?”
Suga whispers, “A few others closed in behind us out of the trees a moment ago. We might be in for a fight, just be ready.”
Ryuu nods as the three of them resume walking with a forced nonchalance. As they approach the man on the road ahead of them, he calls out, “Greetings friends!” stepping into the middle of the road as he does.
Ennoshita raises a hand in greeting. “Hail! What can humble travellers such as ourselves do for you, friend?”
“Well, you see…” the man starts with a smile. “This here is a toll road. By order of the Duke and everything.”
He clearly doesn’t work for the Duke, Ryuu thinks.
“So you gotta pay if you wanna pass,” the man continues.
“Oh, of course!” Ennoshita says loudly, as if he just heard the most obvious thing in the world. “It wasn’t a toll road last we came through here, but it makes sense that they’d be setting up new ones.” The man nods along, a wicked tilt to his smile. “The rub here though… is that we’re broke. Not a coin between us.” Ennoshita flashes a smile.
“I see…” The man’s face has fallen slightly, his hopes that the three of them were easy marks crushed. “Doesn’t matter, I s’pose.” He raises his hand. “In that case, we’ll just have to take your stuff!” He lowers his arm in signal, and Ryuu hears footsteps rushing behind him.
Ryuu does the only thing he can think to do when he hears it: he ducks. He turns in the direction of the sounds, feeling his shoulder collide with something heavy. He shoves forward, trying to regain his balance, only to find himself on top of another person. He hears Suga yell something behind him, and he lashes out with a punch. It’s enough to know it’s not a friend he crashed into.
He looks around, stumbling to his feet. Suga is clashing with someone, knives in his hands. Ennoshita is holding his own against two, maybe three assailants. Ryuu tries to step forward, to do something to help. Something whizzes past his ear, and Suga cries out again, and Ryuu is on his ass. His heart is beating in his ears again, he hears sounds of struggling around him, he hears wind again, rushing. Howling. He can’t take it, feels like he’s going to collapse, or his eardrums will burst, and—
Suga is leaning down in front of him. He’s awfully close. Something hard is pressing into his back, a tree maybe? How did he get here?
“Tanaka-kun? Are you with me?” Suga says. He’s holding something out for Ryuu. “Drink this.”
Oh. A waterskin. Ryuu takes it and begins sipping from it.
“It’s over. We’re okay, Tanaka-kun. Fight’s over.”
“Everyone else is okay too. We knocked them out, and just tied their hands for now.” Ennoshita is a short distance away, dusting himself off. He has a welt coming up on his arm, and a nick on his cheek, but he looks otherwise okay.
Ryuu takes a deep breath, then sighs it out. “Okay. I’m okay, Suga. Just not used to… this, I guess.”
“Right. Hopefully you don’t have to get used to it, either.” Suga looks exhausted when he says it. Despairing almost.
Ryuu tries not to think about it as he takes a few more sips of water.
“Well,” Ennoshita says as he walks over to the two of them. “With that out of the way, we’ll get moving again when you’re both up to it.”
//
It’s early evening the following day when the three of them arrive in Ubugawa. Ryuu is dead tired; the only thing that kept him going was the promise of sleeping in a real bed when they arrived. Better to take an inn room, and hide in plain sight, Ennoshita said on the way.
Now though, Ennoshita looks more than a little frazzled himself. “You two go ahead to the inn, a room is paid for under the name Chikara.”
“What about you, Ennoshita-san?” Ryuu can’t help but ask. He’s gotten used to having him around.
Ennoshita smiles. “I’ll be fetching some supplies, and making contact with Keiji. I’ll see you off if I can.”
Suga nods. “Be safe, Ennoshita-kun. If you hear from Sawamura, tell him I’ll be seeing him soon.”
“I will.” With that, Ennoshita disappears into the bustle of the Ubugawa docks.
Suga sighs almost happily, and turns back to Ryuu. “Let’s get set up at the inn, yeah? It’s been too long since either of us have slept in a real bed.”
“It’s only been a few days!” Ryuu is sure he’s had it worse.
“I know!” Suga starts laughing. “And that’s too long!” He runs off in the direction that Ennoshita pointed them, and Ryuu is helpless to do anything but follow him.
//
Ryuu really is happy to be in a real bed again. He lets the time drag on; before long it’ll be tomorrow, and tomorrow means moving on. He wants to enjoy this. It’s past sunset now, the last embers spreading through the clouds when he looks out the window. Ennoshita was by not too long ago, with fresh clothes and supplies and a promise that Keiji would be along with news of their passage across the sea.
Ennoshita was also sure to have a quick word to Ryuu when Suga had gone off to meet Keiji. He handed Ryuu a staff with the rest of the stuff. “For protection, and plausible deniability,” he said. “If you can, pose as a monk returning from pilgrimage. You pass for one well, if you keep your temper in check, and it’ll help you keep a low profile.”
Ryuu still doesn’t know why there’s all this need to keep a low profile, and why everything is such a big deal for small potatoes like him and Suga, but he tucked the advice away all the same. The last thing he wants is to put Suga or anyone back home in more danger. He’ll just have to play his part, and he knows it helps that he keeps his head shaved besides.
Beyond that, he finds himself waiting and wondering when Suga will be coming up. Not that he can’t take care of himself, but Ryuu worries all the same. It’s the two of them against the world, and some friend he’d be if he didn’t have Suga’s back.
It’s a while after dark when Ryuu hears murmuring from outside. He hears two voices and, recognising one of them as belonging to Suga, cracks the window as quietly as he can. Even so, Ryuu can only make out some of what Suga and… Keiji, he assumes, are saying.
“—uch danger is he in? And his family?” Suga is talking quietly and quickly.
“…of danger. Less danger is… …home. The focus is on him.” Keiji is quieter, further away maybe? Ryuu can only make out parts of what they’re saying.
“What about after we cross the sea?”
“Hard to say… could die down but… not. Magehunters are involved now.”
Suga gasps. Clearly he knows what that means, and it doesn’t sound good, but Ryuu can only wonder. He can guess what a magehunter is by the name, but beyond that? He’s never heard of such a thing. He shakes himself from thought, leaning in to listen again.
“—see them again?” Ryuu catches half of what Suga is saying.
“If… to Shiratorizawa, and only then… could be a chance for us… help them travel.” Keiji trails off after that, and Ryuu sits up straight.
He doesn’t dare hope but, it could be that he can see Saeko again? If they make it through all of this. Best to focus on the task at hand, he thinks, feeling a wave of emotion coming on. It's too hard to think about Saeko, to think about home. He hears the inn door close below him, and closes the window.
He rolls into bed after that, already in his sleep clothes. He has more questions than answers from what he heard, and can’t help but wonder what Suga isn’t telling him. He has no one else out here, and it’s one thing to be alone, but another for others to be in danger because of him. He closes his eyes as he hears the door swing open. Whatever answers Suga has, Ryuu won’t be asking for them tonight.
//
Ryuu can’t help but rub his eyes as he boards the ship to Inarizaki. He didn’t end up sleeping well last night, even in a real bed. He’s suspecting Suga had a similar experience, if the bags under his eyes are anything to go by. Blessedly, it all starts to blur together for Ryuu: the anxious chatter of boarding travellers, the bluster and shouting that comes with loading cargo, and the tired faces of others like him and Suga— people who need to be somewhere else. He’s vaguely aware of the hours ticking away, the ship pushing away from the docks, and it’s all smooth sailing as the ship leaves the harbour.
Except, it isn’t. The sway of the waves is unnatural. Unnatural, and inescapable. Ryuu closes his eyes, praying that time will pass quickly, or for the movement to become more natural.
“Okay, okay. Um… Suga?”
“Ryuu. You okay? You look a little green.”
“Yeah, um. Talk to me. About anything, anything at all, I just need to focus on anything other than the swaying.”
“Right, okay. So… seasickness huh? I actually have a few things for that.” Suga starts rooting around in his various pockets and pouches. “There’s various things you can use for seasickness, or motion sickness in general… peppermint, ginger, licorice root.” As he lists them off he produces various pouches and phials, holding each one out to Ryuu. “What I can do is—” he pulls out another phial, except it’s bigger, and starts emptying small amounts of each of the ingredients, and some others he didn’t mention, into it. “Then I just add some water,” he does, “and now we wait. If I’d known I’d have boiled some water and prepped this before we left, but oh well.” Suga flashes a satisfied smile, and Ryuu can’t help but feel a little better at his enthusiasm.
They sit in silence for a moment. Ryuu watches. Is there more? No? No time like the present to ask then. “Suga-kun, what’s a magehunter?”
Suga sighs deeply. “You heard that huh?”
“I did.”
“Okay. Gods. Well… mostly it is what it sounds like it is. They’re hunters, usually employed by nobility or wealthy people to hunt down certain mages. They have particular skills and equipment to protect them from the most dangerous magicks that most magi can muster, so they aren’t your run-of-the-mill mercenaries.”
“And they’ve been sent after us?”
“Yeah. They’ve been sent after us.”
“Oh.” Ryuu leans over the side of the ship and vomits.
Suga winces. “Yeah.”
They sit in silence again, and Ryuu almost dozes, trying to ignore the rocking and waiting for his stomach to settle. Later, when he’s feeling almost deliriously dehydrated, Suga holds the waterskin up to his face again. He drinks and, wiping his mouth, asks, “Suga-kun. Koushi. What if I can’t do this? What if”—hiccup—“What if it’s too much?”
Suga smiles down at him kindly, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “You’re tough, honey. You’ll be fine.” He reaches down to cup Ryuu’s cheek. “Now, get some sleep. You clearly need it.”
Ryuu does, and when he wakes up, the sway of the ship seems a little bit more manageable.
The next few days of sailing pass by quickly, with nothing but fair weather after that first day. Ryuu busies himself by making friends with a few people around his age—people with the forward thinking to bring knucklebones and a set of playing cards. Ryuu isn’t very good at either, but it’s a good way to pass the time. Suga does the thing he always seems to do when he thinks Ryuu isn’t looking, which is blending into the background. Eavesdropping, gathering information, being a friendly face. A friendly enough face that people can’t help but answer his pointed questions.
The weather is just as fine as it was on the sea when they disembark in Inubushi, a small port town in Inarizaki territory. A lot of waiting, again—the slow process of disembarking, stretching their legs, and then the waiting. Clearing customs is a formality at most, but Suga mentioned a contact in customs on the way over, and it means they need to wait at the back to get through quickly and quietly.
When their turn comes, Ryuu eyes the customs officer. A tall slender man, with what would be a severe face, if not for his disarming smile.
“Names?” the man asks, his eyes searching theirs.
“Hmm.” Suga makes a thoughtful sound, clearly ignoring the question. “Not many owls this far south, are there?” he says, quietly enough that no one can hear them.
“Ah. Keiji sent word.” The man’s voice is low and serious. “Would that we weren’t stretched so thin, so we could send someone with you.”
Ryuu raises an eyebrow at this. Again, with the heavy and serious stuff. Why does this feel so big? He knows about the magehunters now, but still.
“Oh well,” Suga offers. “Desperate times right?”
“Indeed,” the man murmurs, before raising his voice in a jovial tone. “Well, your papers seem to be in order.” He hands a scroll to Suga. “And if I were you, I’d stay in the shade of the trees. The sun can be harsh on the roads this time of year!”
Suga nods knowingly as he takes the scroll, and Ryuu thinks he understands too. Advice on staying unseen.
//
The landscape surrounding Inubushi is even more heavily wooded than the forests of Fukurodani, marking the customs officer’s advice as redundant, if not accurate. It makes for a blessedly uneventful day of travel, one which Ryuu is grateful for. He can’t help but think back on the excitement of their earlier run-in with bandits as something he’s eager not to repeat.
By the end of the day the path stretching out ahead of them is a little smoother, the trees are a little more sparse ahead of them, and the temperature has started to drop noticeably. The man’s advice makes a little more sense to Ryuu; he can see the forest thinning ahead of them. There’s one thing he was wrong about though: the sun is definitely not harsh right now! Ryuu is freezing!
The two of them come to a stop in a silent agreement to make camp, just as the sun dips below the trees. They fell in sync quickly, setting out from Inubushi, and Ryuu appreciates the comfortable silence that sits between them. He doesn’t feel the need for words and neither does Suga, and they had time enough to talk while cooped up on a ship for almost a week. Right now, all that matters is this leg of their journey. Except that Ryuu worries about that sense of finality. Except… What comes next? It’s been a week, almost two weeks that they’ve been running, and Ryuu can scarcely remember or imagine life being any different. What will he be to Suga once they arrive? A job well done, Ryuu is safe and sound, time to leave him alone again? Ryuu sure hopes not. Suga has been the one constant through all of this, a friend, someone who is always by his side, always has his back. All Ryuu knows is that he wants it to stay that way. Even if they arrive, even if they’re safe for the foreseeable future, he still wants Suga by his side.
By the time they have camp set up—really it’s just a small fire and two bedrolls behind a fallen tree. Suga has already portioned out food when Ryuu comes to sit by the fire—congee with some of the dried rations they picked up in Inubushi. Ryuu flashes Suga a smile and a small bow, before they eat in relative silence. Silent, that is, aside from aggressive and hasty eating sounds from the two young men.
“We’ll get moving early tomorrow, so I’m turning in,” Suga says, having barely finished his dinner.
Ryuu is just as ready to sleep, so he agrees readily. He thinks for a moment, eyeing the little distance between their bedrolls. Something in his chest turns and he shifts closer, closing the distance between himself and Suga, gripped by a sudden boldness. Well, that and the cold. He hears Suga’s breath hitch a little as he slides closer.
“It’s cold,” Ryuu mumbles as an excuse.
“Yeah, it is.” Suga shifts.
Ryuu is about to pull away when Suga wriggles closer, until his back is flush to Ryuu’s chest.
“You can…” Suga pauses. “You can put your arm around me.”
Ryuu does, ignoring the heat in his cheeks and the butterflies in his stomach. “Suga-kun, I—”
He’s cut off by the crunch of twigs underfoot nearby. They both look up, rolling away from one another quickly. Ryuu barely blinks before Suga is on his feet, slowly and silently unsheathing his daggers. Another second of fumbling for his staff and Ryuu is on his feet too. He turns and swings at more rustling behind him, finding his staff connecting with a blade. He looks up, and locks eyes with a stranger who looks as dazed as he is.
The stranger reacts first, wrenching their shortsword free and following up with quick swings and thrusts. Ryuu finds himself backing up, deflecting as best he can. He feels his staff slipping, palms already damp with sweat, anxiety turning just as quickly into adrenaline. He slaps the flat of the stranger’s shortsword aside and twists around, bringing the other end of the staff up to connect with an arm. The stranger bites out a curse, and Ryuu jumps back before they can recover, calling to Suga desperately.
Luckily for Ryuu, Suga is as quick as he seems. He lunges in, two daggers to the stranger’s one sword. Suga makes it look easy, deft swipes and thrusts of his daggers pushing the stranger, a scout by the looks of them, back. Suga looks frantic, almost feral, fear and desperation writ plain on his face as the scout’s back meets a tree trunk.
“You’re not”—Suga cuts off, deflecting a blow and thrusting with his other knife—“getting away!”
The scout makes a choked sound, a yelp cut short as Suga’s knife is buried in his throat. Ryuu looks away as the scout weakly reaches for the knife, scrambling and struggling to grab it. The sounds of their scuffle are all but gone, swallowed by the trees, leaving only the sound of wet coughing and gurgling. After a moment, that too is gone.
With the rush of the fight gone, Suga falls to his knees, coughing and retching. Ryuu can’t find it in himself to stay standing either, crumpling to the ground nearby. The pain of his struggle catches up with him, his arms aching like hell and an almost burning pain tears at his jaw. His fingers come away bloody when he checks, but it doesn’t feel deep fortunately.
Suga is looking… bad. No wounds that Ryuu can see, but he’s curled up with his back to a tree, a faraway look in his eyes. Ryuu inches his way over, bandages from his pack in hand. Neither of them say a word as Ryuu checks Suga over, cleaning and wrapping the defence wounds on one of his hands. Then, nothing. They sit, the silence of the woods slowly giving way to crickets and other animals once more. Ryuu isn’t sure, it could be seconds, or it could be an hour before Suga looks up at him, eyes red and anguished.
“I… I didn’t want to, you know.”
“I know, Suga.” Ryuu takes Suga’s hand in his, choosing his words carefully. “You… only did what you had to.”
“Did I have to?” Suga yanks his hand away. “I sure as hell didn’t come out here looking to kill anyone.”
“I know! I—”
“I hate this too, you know? I didn’t want to do this, and I didn’t want you to have to, either.” Suga rubs at his eyes with his unbandaged hand. “I want to go home.”
Ryuu’s heart wrenches at that, and he doesn’t know what to say. He hears Suga sniffle, and he feels his own eyes stinging with tears. He feels lost, so far from home with someone as lost as he is. If anyone were to come across them, they’d see two boys sitting in what is barely a clearing, next to barely a campfire, crying for the homes and the people they both left behind.
Ryuu doesn’t even try to keep track of time after that. Across the remains of their campfire, Ryuu watches Suga and Suga watches Ryuu. Neither of them sleep. Hours must pass like this, because when Ryuu opens his mouth to speak, the earliest hints of dawn’s light are streaming through the trees.
“Suga-kun?” Suga doesn’t break his gaze, so Ryuu continues, “I… don’t know if I’ll get another chance to say this, considering, well, everything that’s going on. And what might still happen, I don’t know! But…” He pauses, taking a deep breath. It’s now or never. “I hate all of this, but I couldn’t do it without you. I’m glad it’s with you, even. Because I, well, care about you a lot. I like you, like, a lot. If I have to do this, I wouldn’t have anyone else with me. Because, um—” a smile is slowly, surely spreading across Suga’s face as Ryuu continues— “you make me feel safe. You make me feel like I can be happy, you know, after… all of this.”
By the end of Ryuu’s confession, Suga is giggling, but not unkindly. “Why, Tanaka Ryuunosuke,” he starts in a small voice. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were saying you liked me or something!”
Before Ryuu can protest, Suga is crawling over to him, settling close beside him. He pulls a blanket from their bedrolls and pulls it over both of their shoulders.
“This is maybe the worst possible time for a confession like that, but I’ll let you off because I like you too.” Suga leans in to kiss him on the cheek, before settling his head on Ryuu’s shoulder.
Ryuu knows he should react, feels the urge to blush and sputter and lose his cool, but he’s too tired for that. He’s worn out and wrecked, they both are, and everything about this feels so stupid and terrible and unreal. That is, except for the one good thing sitting beside him, curling into his side and dozing. Suga feels very real, and if Ryuu knows anything, it’s that he loves him. He loves Suga, and just maybe, the two of them together can face whatever the rest of this journey throws at them.