the owl's wish

chapter 10: what lies beneath

The grey filter of fog is thick and suffocating. It diffuses the dawn light and spreads it over them like a blanket. Through it, only the edges of Akaashi's form can be seen. Faded and distant. Like a ghost.

They walk through the tightly packed trees until they reach another clearing.

Before them, a boulder rests on the path, heavy and tired. Blurred clusters of moss have burrowed into its ledges and cracks. Around the hulking boulder stands a torii gate, weathered and dusty, older than time. Its wooden frame creaks and strains against the wind.

"Do we shrink the boulder?" Bokuto asks thoughtfully.

"I believe so."

Bokuto watches Akaashi's shadowy figure as he unclasps his cloak and drapes it over the side of the boulder.

"Akaashi, I gotta be honest," The words burst out of Bokuto before he can think about hiding them. "I can't think of an uncomfortable truth. I've been trying to think of one the whole way here and I just can't do it. I'm stumped. I'm sorry."

"That's alright, Bokuto-san," Akaashi tells him calmly, idly smoothing out the folds of his cloak. "I think I know one."

The wind moves in whispers and exhales. The mist slinks lower against the forest floor. Akaashi takes a deep breath.

"My name is Akaashi Keiji," He says. "I am twelve years old, and I believe I am close to death."

"What?" Bokuto wheels around. "Wait, Akaashi, what did you say?"

The boulder rumbles as it shrinks, and a flood of harsh light comes spilling in from where it used to be. The mist has receded, lying in tendrils at their feet, and the sun is finally allowed to fully illuminate the scene laid out before him.

Akaashi stands wearily, with shadowed eyes and clenched jaw. He picks up the boulder - now the size of a stone - gingerly, like his skin is made of paper and bones are made of glass.

Then, Bokuto sees the shadows, the wings, unfurling behind Akaashi.

"Akaashi, you have wings," Bokuto whispers, simultaneously a question and an answer. "You're a bird spirit."

"An owl spirit," Akaashi isn't looking at him. "I'm an owl spirit."

In the light, Bokuto can see Akaashi's wings are jagged and moulting. At even the slightest movement, his dull feathers loosen and flutter to the ground. Something dark and red slides down the mottled vanes and drips into the leaves. It smells like rust and iron.

A cold, cold wind runs its fingers across the back of Bokuto's neck.

"Akaashi," Bokuto says. "Are you dying?"

Akaashi pulls his mouth into a flat line. His pale fingers tap the stone nervously, erratically.

"Yes," He admits softly. "Yes, I think I might be."

"You're going to be okay, Akaashi!" Bokuto promises, eyebrows furrowed, taking the stone from Akaashi's hands. "We're gonna go find the Lady of the Yellow Springs and wish for you to be better. She can heal you! I know she can. She'll help you, I promise!"

Akaashi says nothing.

The newly cleared path leads off of the edge of a cliff. The breeze pushes Bokuto's hair back and ruffles through his feathers. Akaashi's eyes close as the salty air rushes over them. Hesitantly, Bokuto peeks over the ledge.

Below them is a thin stretch of rocky beach, easily engulfed by the roaring ocean waves. Further out into the ocean is a great, gaping pit. Swirling water froths and circles around the edges before plunging into the unseen depths of the abyss. A growing sense of unease is clawing its way up Bokuto's ribs.

"Akaashi, I think we're going to have to jump," Bokuto glances at Akaashi's tattered wings dubiously. "Can you glide?"

"I can try," He murmurs. But Akaashi's eyes are barely open and his mouth pulls into a tight grimace when he tries to take a step.

"Here, lemme help you," Bokuto pulls one of Akaashi's arms over his shoulders, supporting his weight. He's not heavy - if anything, he's concerningly light - but the jump might be clunky and awkward, let alone the landing.

Bokuto gives a few experimental wing flaps, rolling his shoulders and squinting into the horizon. Akaashi doesn't even react. His breathing is rapid and shallow, eyes unfocused.

Bokuto can't afford to waste time, not with Akaashi like this.

He straightens up and takes a deep breath. Fiery panic foams in Bokuto's throat as he looks down into the sea, but he grits his teeth and walks back down the path. As Bokuto starts running, he tries not to think about the waves crashing into the rocks, the deep roaring of the ocean, of what might happen to them if they don't make this jump.

He leaps off of the edge of the cliff, wings spread wide. One of his arms is wrapped tightly around Akaashi, the other is clutching the three objects held snugly against his chest. Below his feet, the pit yawns, water flooding into its dark, rocky maw.

Bokuto squeezes his eyes closed and tucks into a dive as the ocean rises to meet them.