the owl's wish

chapter 5: black cat, by the fire

Night blankets the forest in hues of deep blue and swirling purple. The stars are tiny, small white dots glinting just above the horizon, peeking out from behind the clouds. Bokuto hums happily, the wooden yakiniku tucked against his chest. Akaashi holds the bento boxes securely in his arms, pale hands almost glowing against the weathered grey. Around them, the trees stretch up into the sky, framing the sky in dark, tattered lines.

Up ahead, through another torii gate, a campfire swishes invitingly. As they get closer, Bokuto recognizes the spirit sitting on the log behind it, warming his hands, form cut out in stark planes of orange and yellow.

"Kuroo!" Bokuto jogs up to him, taking out the fake yakiniku as proof. "Look! We did it! We passed the first trial!"

"I can see that," Kuroo takes the yakiniku from him, slowly turning it over in his hands as his mouth pulls up into a smile. "Clever." He passes it back to Bokuto. "But something tells me Akaashi did most of the heavy lifting on this one."

"Maybe," Bokuto sits down beside Kuroo, pushing closer to the fire until he gets feeling back in his fingers and a sharp elbow in the ribs. Akaashi calmly settles on the other end of the log, rubbing his hands together for warmth. "Yeah, okay, he did. But I tried! I tried really hard, right Akaashi?"

"You tried very hard, Bokuto-san," Akaashi offers indifferently, handing Bokuto one of the boxes.

"Yeah! Yeah, I did," Bokuto grins smugly. "I had a feeling it was the yakiniku. I just knew."

"Sure you did," Kuroo doesn't sound as believing as Bokuto would like. He decides to ignore this. "Akaashi, really, you would stand a better chance on your own. I'll hold him back if you want to start runnin-"

Bokuto accidentally-on-purpose pushes Kuroo off of the log before he can finish. He ignores the pitiful wails coming from his friend and opens his bento box.

In the light of the fire, Bokuto can see the food tucked inside. A pile of soft rice, thin slices of beef, an assortment of broccoli. Kuroo's hand reaches for a piece of meat and Bokuto knocks it away with his wing, holding it between them like a shield of feathers.

"I'm your friend, Bo!" Kuroo complains from the other side of the makeshift wall. "You can share!"

"You can have some if," Bokuto pauses for dramatic effect. "You tell me what the next trial is."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," The cat spirit sighs theatrically. "I have to keep up the intrigue and mystery. It's part of my charm. You can't have tall, dark, and handsome without 'dark,' you know."

"You can't have it without 'handsome,' either," Bokuto grins.

"Bokuto!" Kuroo gasps. "You wound me! I'm both deeply hurt and very proud! But unfortunately for you, I know being hated is simply part of being beautiful. It's not an easy burden to bear, but I manage. Somehow. So, give me some of your food." He blindly reaches over Bokuto's wing with quick, grabby hands.

"No way!" Bokuto holds the box close to his chest. "This is mine! I'm hungry!"

"Please, take mine, Kuroo-san." Akaashi says, holding his half-eaten bento out to Kuroo. "I'm not hungry."

"'Kaashi!" Bokuto gasps, betrayed.

"Are you sure, Akaashi?" Kuroo pulls Bokuto's wing down so he can properly look at Akaashi. "I don't want to take it from you if you're not finished."

"I'm sure." Akaashi nods. "I don't want it to go to waste. I've already eaten enough. Please, have the rest."

Bokuto folds his wing back up against his shoulder. Kuroo hesitates, but eventually takes the box from Akaashi.

"Okay. Thanks," He says, cautiously taking a bite.

They eat quietly for a while. In front of them, the fire crackles and pops.

"So," Bokuto says, trying to sound casual. "You'll ask Akaashi for his food, but you'll just steal mine?"

"Look," Kuroo begins, in his best rationalizing voice. "No offense, Bo, but Akaashi is much scarier than you are. If I'm going to steal I'm at least going to pick the weaker target."

"What?" Bokuto huffs. "How am I the weaker target?"

"Is that a genuine question? Because if so, how much time do you have? We might be here a while."

"Oh, ha ha," Bokuto glares at the cat spirit.

"I can send in a written response, if you want," Kuroo says lightly.

"Well, I'll just send you one back, and it'll be even longer!"

"Oh, you're on," The cat spirit grins widely.

Their shadows stretch, deep and endless, into the forest. They seep into any shielded space, pooling behind Bokuto's hanten and dripping from Kuroo's hair. Akaashi is drenched in them, his hooded figure sewn together through patches of light and dark.

"Wait, Kuroo," Bokuto asks slowly. "Why are you here? I thought you had to stay by the front gate?"

"I was waiting for you two, of course." Kuroo pinches Bokuto's cheek hard enough to hurt. "I wanted to see if you passed the first trial."

"And we did!"

"Yes, you did," Kuroo tosses a twig into a fire. "One down, two to go. You ready for the next one?"

"Yes!"

Kuroo nods thoughtfully, snapping another branch in half.

"I can help you with this one, too, you know," He tells them, much more reserved this time. "Do you want to try to answer the question again?"

"Um," Bokuto turns to Akaashi, eyebrows raised.

"It can't hurt to try," Akaashi says, shrugging.

"Okay!" Bokuto nods, determined. "I'll do it."

"Alright then!" Kuroo straightens up, stretching his arms out and sitting up tall. He turns to Bokuto, eyes glowing yellow with reflected firelight. "Bokuto Koutarou, what do you remember?"

"I remember... I remember..." Bokuto grimaces, shaking his head.

Flashes of... something tumble through his mind. The foreground comes into focus. Hands. Large, rough hands that could entirely cover his smaller, stubbier ones. Two blurred faces loom over him.

"I... I have parents. And..."

And more, clattering around in his brain. Shorter figures, softer hands, poking and prodding his face.

"And siblings? Sisters? I don't know," Bokuto grimaces as he tries to discern more, but it won't budge. "I can't remember anything else."

"Yes!" Kuroo has jumped to his feet, tail lashing excitedly from side to side. "Bo! You got it!"

"I got it?!" Bokuto's standing now, too, feeling confused but excited at Kuroo's laughter.

"Yes! You got it! You're making progress! Okay, okay," Kuroo takes a deep breath, scanning them. "Give me one of your feathers."

Still stunned, Bokuto numbly ruffles his hair until a stray feather falls out, then hands it to Kuroo.

"Alright, here's how this is going to work," Kuroo closes his fist around it, eyes sparkling. "This feather will point to where you need to go, but it will only work as long as your morale is up."

He holds out the small, grey feather that is now glittering with an all-new sheen. Bokuto blinks.

"That's it?"

Kuroo cackles at this.

"Believe me, you'll need it. But if you'd rather I kept it then I am more than willing to oblige."

"We appreciate any help you can give us, Kuroo-san," Akaashi cuts in quickly, speaking before Bokuto could. He takes the feather from Kuroo's hand with a nod. "Thank you for your assistance."

"You're welcome, Akaashi."

And in the flickering light, Kuroo smiles, but it doesn't quite reach his eyes.