lunaris | akaashi keiji

𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚚𝚞𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚛

All the remnants of an era long gone were all around you, proving that though time continued flowing ceaselessly, tirelessly, some things would always be remembered. But when you glanced at the seemingly normal boy right next to you, eyes staring deep into nothingness, you couldn't help but think that there were also objects and people that end up forgotten in the past, too.

"I'll remember you, you know. When you have to go."

The consciousness in Akaashi's eyes returned in a split second, furrowing his brows when he turned to you. "That's a little out of the blue, (Name). What brought it up?"

You found yourself smiling up at him slightly, a wealth of ease filling every niche in your body just by being next to him. Your eyes drifted down to the charm on your wrist, where it hung inconspicuously from the band. For the past few days you've spent hanging around the yokai, not once did your charm light up with its telltale, protective glow—even during the time he let you poke his fangs in yokai form the other day. From your limited knowledge with charms and warding spells, you knew, at least, that personalized ones like yours only react to entities that the user perceived as a threat to their life.

But Akaashi was far, far from that.

"No reason," you told him dismissively, one hand encircling his wrist as you pulled him over to the next wing. "Come on. I'm in the mood to see some Taisho Roman fashion!"

———༺♥༻———

Your next stop was at a cultural center in the middle of Asakusa.

"If you told me this was just going to be an educational field trip, we could have just watched a couple documentaries," Akaashi grumbled as the two of you stepped inside the air-conditioned complex.

It was but a wide space with booths and kiosks lined in neat intervals—offering a wide array of lessons from sword fighting to hand-weaving, and merchandise from several time periods. People came and went with satisfied smiles, and the sight filled you with a familiar wave of nostalgia.

You tutted at him. "Nope. There's nothing better than getting to experience things firsthand. My grandmother used to bring me here a lot as a kid, so... Oh, hey! There's an origami-folding lesson over there."

"Oi—" Before Akaashi could even voice out another complaint, you already led him to where a group of children no older than twelve years old were watching an elderly woman fold a sheet of kami paper into intricate shapes. Your eyes lit up with recognition, and you spoke her name before you could even think.

"Kanae-san!" you chirped giddily as you jogged over to her table. "It's been a while!"

Kanae looked up from her handiwork, eyes squinting behind the glint of old-fashioned glasses before her lips stretched into a kind smile. "Ah, if it isn't Amatsuki-sama's granddaughter. What brings you here? I haven't seen you around the cultural center since you were in elementary school."

"I'm showing my friend over there around Tokyo," you explained, jamming a thumb back at Akaashi, who's just catching up. "He's...going away soon. So, I'm making sure he'll remember this place with striking clarity!"

The elderly woman glanced behind you, eyeing Akaashi with the careful curiosity, but for a split second, you could have sworn you saw her expression turn grim. Before you could assess it further, however, she was back to smiling sweetly once Akaashi was finally by the table as well.

"You're (Name)-chan's friend, no?" she asked him, and Akaashi nodded respectfully. "I see, I see. Fufu, when she was little, she would always flub the origami figures because she would get too excited and fold in all the wrong places, didn't you?"