Crows Like Shiny Things (Hinakage)

Natsu's Adventure or How not to babysit, a guide by Hinata and Kageyama

Tsukishima had not quite expected this one.

Neither had the young creature, it seemed.

Blue eyes stared into hazel ones.

"Puhhhh you stink!!" the little creature finally whined, covering her nose. Tsukishima raised one eyebrow.
"You're a rude little shit. Didn't your parents tell you some manners?"
"Kaa-san said not to talk to humans!"
"Did Kaa-san tell you to go to the humans?"
The little creature paused for a moment, then slowly lowered her head.
"...no... but I saw a pretty deer and followed it!"

Tsukishima kept staring at this thing. Well, at least it could speak, but it didn't seem anything human-like.
"Well," he started in again, pushing up his glasses, "You know your way home?"
"Mhm!!"
"...then why are you still talking to me?"
"You're mean!!"
"I'm not mean. I just don't see why I should talk to something like you. You didn't even introduce yourself and I'm not about to be caught meddling with the forest spirits."
"Ehhh?! I'm not mean!! I'm Natsu!!"

Kageyama and Hinata were staring at Natsu from within the forest, both carrying a deep frown.
"You're so in trouble..." Kageyama mumbled at Hinata, who grumbled a "You too" back at Kageyama.
"Why is she even out here...?!" Hinata whined, exasperated. He sat back a little, wings wrapping around himself like some sort of protective cocoon. Kageyama jabbed his fingers gentle into his side.
"Don't you hide yourself, you're as much in this as I am. We were supposed to watch her and now look at this."
"Who even is that?? You know him??"
Hinata slowly lowered his feathers just a bit, only for his eyes to poke out of the covers to keep watching her.

"His name is Tsukishima Kei. He's an asshole, and I hate him," Kageyama stated matter of factly. Hinata grimaced. "So I doubt we can just call her over and be done with it?"
"Not if you want both of us to be ratted out to the elders."
"But your Tsukishima doesn't seem all that bothered with Natsu."
"Natsu is a child, that's different."

"Why don't you go home?" Tsukishima questioned, raising one eyebrow. Natsu just shrugged. "You're talking to me."
"Fair enough."
The blonde took a glance towards the forest, only for Kageyama and Hinata to hide further between the leaves. Kageyama almost felt a bit melancholic, seeing the comforting lanterns glimming on the road, and the first houses a few hundred meters nearby.
"You spirits are a weird bunch."
"I'm not a spirit tho!"
"Then what are you?"
"Uh... Kaa-san didn't teach me yet."
"Then I don't give a shit either. Get out of my way."
Tsukishima brushed past Natsu, who stumbled out of his way with a loud gasp, before slowly starting to sob. The blonde immediately froze in his way, tensing, then breathed out a soft sigh.
"...you wanna come with?"
"Eh?"

Natsu perked up a little. Coming along with the human? She didn't exactly think of that, but she was curious and while that human was rude, Kageyama was nice enough. So that human had to be too, right?
"Up." She demanded, raising her arms expectingly. Tsukishima frowned, then sighed and just swooped Natsu up in his arms. How did he get himself into this, being the goddamn babysitter for a forest spirit? Nobody was going to believe him this.
Tsukishima took off his jacket and wrapped it nicely around Natsu's back, covering up her wings.
"There you go. You need to hide those wings in the village, else people won't like you. If I'll treat you to some food, will you leave me be?"
"Yessss!!" Natsu squealed excitedly, wrapping her arms around Tsukishima's neck, unbothered by the heavy jacket on her shoulders that somewhat squished her baby wings onto her back.

Kageyama and Hinata exchanged a glance.

How the fuck were they going to get Natsu back before Hinata's parents would notice?

***

Natsu was having the time of her life. With Tsukishima carrying her around the village, introducing her to other people with his jacket hiding away her wings, Natsu had more attention on her than she could have ever wanted. Especially when Tsukishima bought her an extra portion of Dango.
"Mmmmmm so gooooood!!!"
Natsu was happily chowing down on her food, sitting comfortably on Tsukishima's lap. The lad observed her quietly, deep in thought. Slowly but surely he was getting suspicious about this. It was obvious that Natsu wasn't the spirit he assumed her to be, with everyone being able to see her and perceiving her as a normal human being with his jacket on.

So what on earth was she?

With his knowledge, Tsukishima knew just fine there was a chance for different life to be out there, something that was just like humans out there but living their own lives far away from humanity, with their own culture.
"Where do you live exactly, Natsu?"
"Can't say!! Kaa-san wouldn't be happy if I told you!! She was already so nervous when Shouyou brought Kageyama!!"

Now that's interesting.

"Kageyama?" he pried further, only to receive an excited nod in return.
"Mhm! Shouyou just showed up with Kageyama, and now he's living with us!! Tou-san wasn't happy at all at first, but Kageyama's nice!! And he's been helping in the village."
Tsukishima fell silent again. Oh my. Oh my. If that wasn't an interesting piece of information. So at least Kageyama wasn't dead. A good thing, even tho he wasn't quite fond of that king.

"Kageyama, huh... and he's fine?"
"Mhm!! He wasn't really liking mom's spicy stuff but he's doing good! You know Kageyama?"
"You could say so."
Tsukishima let out a sigh, watching her finish her food.
"Natsu, I think you should go back home. Thanks for letting you know."
"You gotta come see me again tho! Promise?? Promise it!!"
Tsukishima rolled his eyes.
"Yeah yeah promise. Let's go."

It wasn't long until Tsukishima finally reached the sandy path that parted human territory from the forest. He slowly let Natsu down onto her own legs, slipping his jacket off of her shoulders. It was getting cold, so Natsu shivered a little.
"Shoo. Get home now."
"Thank you Tsukishima!!"
Natsu wrapped her arms around his leg, leaving Tsukishima a bit stunned.
"I love you Tsukishima!! Y-you should come visit!!"
The blonde slowly reached down, awkwardly patting her head. Her hair was rough, full of knots and tangles.

"Look- if you come see me again I'll give you a bath. But you need to promise me not to tell anybody. Could ruin my image."
"Promise!! Promise!!"
Natsu's wings fluttered a little with her own excitement as she made herself ready to take off, only to shoot up into the sky, even if not half as fast as her older brother Shouyou was able to do.
"Byeeeee Tsukishima!!! Thanks for the food!!"
"Yeah yeah..." the blonde mumbled, rolling his eyes.

Well if she was a spirit, which he highly doubted,  he was at least on her good side. Tsukishima sighed, shaking his head.
"Nobody's going to believe me..."