𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 ||𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐲𝐚𝐤𝐮||

Chapter 15 (Bonus)

A/N the chapter is unedit so sorry for mistakes. I'm really sleepy so.

"Yeah, this is perfect" he said as he stared at the horizon. Every single color created a harmony, making him smile.

He closed his eyes, enjoying the sound of wind brushing against the pine tops, when suddenly..

"Tsukki!" Yamaguchi sprinted towards Kei, who opened his eyes and sighed loudly.

"What is it?" He asked once he finally turned around and faced the boy. His cheeks were burning red and he was trying to catch his breath.

"I.. I found this.." he said and took out white shells out of his pocket.

"W-Where?!" Kei panicked as he took them from his hand carefully.

"By the river. These are all  that I could find. Sorry, I know this isn't much, but..." Yamaguchi apologized.

"It's more than enough Yamaguchi. I can make enough paint from these" Kei smiled and hugged him tightly.

"So, where are we heading?" Yamaguchi asked as Kei finally released him from his grip.

"I was thinking about Iwaizumi kingdom. I remember Hajime saying something about a painting of him and Tooru. Also, sleeping in comfy beds sounds really nice now" Kei laughed a bit.

"Alright! Then.... Let's head south from here and we should reach it in a few hours. We will need to cross the river though" Yamaguchi put his compass away.

"Okay, let's head there before it gets dark" Kei said and picked up his bag with tools.

Yamaguchi and Kei had been travelling for years now, they don't even know how long themselves. From kingdom to kingdom, selling paintings and earning money.

He was known in almost all kingdoms except Fukurodani kingdom and Yuuji, which was good. They let him and Yamaguchi in, treat them to dinner and give them rooms. Then, they would crash there for a few weeks till the painting was finished and then would set out again, after buying food and other things ofcourse.

That was their nomadic lifestyle. From place to place, with almost no rest. And yet, Tsukishima was happy. He loved his life. Travelling like that with Yamaguchi made him happy, and that's all that he needed.

They soon reached the Crow Forest and stepped in. The atmosphere of this forest always made Tsukishima feel cautious. You never knew who might have been lurking in it.

There is even a legend that speaks of a wild tribe that would drag innocent young man into the forest and sacrifice them to gods for good health and fertile ground. And yet, this forest was so empty, but full at the same time. Nothing, apart from trees, grew here. The ground was covered in pine needles. It was full of darkness and mystery though.

The only place that was actually a tad green was the Blue Eye river. It was called like that because of it's clear blue water, flowing straight from the Snow Lion mountains. It wasn't big or deep, but one could catch salmons here.

Yamaguchi and Kei travelled quickly till they reached it. They decided to take a couple minute break and sit down for a moment. Yamaguchi had practically mastered the salmon fishing, whenever he and Kei would pass this place, he would cook some for them both. Food is important.

"It's getting cold, isn't it?" Yamaguchi asked as he washed his hands in the clear river water.

"Yeah, that's why we're heading ti Iwaizumi kingdom. We need to stay somewhere during the cold months, if not, we will freeze to death" Kei said and yawned, damn, sleepiness was getting to him these past few days.

"Yeah, that's true. Winter in these regions is really harsh" Yamaguchi hid his hands in his pockets  and sat down next to Kei, who was eating a piece of bread that they had.

And it was true. Winter in these regions was a nightmare. It would hit Iwaizumi and Haiba kingdom the most. Temperatures would go down to around  0°F (-28,9°C) and the blankets that Kei and Yamaguchi had would be worthless. That's why they tend to stay somewhere during this time of the year.

After a couple more minutes they started moving again. The sun was setting and Kei wanted to reach the Iwaizumi kingdom as soon as possible. Travelling at night is extremely dangerous since there might be rouge travellers around, who steal money and even kill people. The last king of Yuuji kingdom was killed by a rouge, that's why his son became the king.

Soon they saw the beautiful blue flags in the horizon. The guards didn't even stop them, they just opened the door and greeted with smiles. They knew them way too well. They did send a messenger to the kings, to inform them of the guests arrival.

The word travels fast and soon half of the town knew who came into the kingdom.

The royal guards came to escort both of them into the castle.

"Kei! What a surprise!" Hajime said as he greeted the artist.

"Yamaguchi, hey dear, you didn't catch a cold now, did you?" Tooru asked as he greeted Yamaguchi with a hug.

"Ah, I'm glad you guys came. I was actually thinking of finding you myself. The winter is coming and I don't want this talent to die"  Hajime said as they all walked into the kingdom.

"That's one of the reasons why we're here after all, I don't want Yamaguchi getting that sick again" Kei said and glanced at Yamaguchi who was chatting with Tooru.

"It doesn't matter what reason, you're always welcome here young prince" Hajime said and led them into the main hall.

"Take off those weird clothes and have some hot tea to warm you up" Tooru said and turned to Kei "Why did Hajime call you a young prince?"

"You don't know?" Yamaguchi asked as he fixed his hair.

"No, not really. Please tell me" Tooru said and sat down patiently.

"I'll be more than happy to listen to this story again" Hajime sat down beside him.

"Well, I've only been travelling like this for a few years. The truth is, I was a prince. A prince of the Tsukishima kingdom. I was treated with care, but my parents were strict. Like yours Tooru. Anyway, they wanted me to marry some princess, but I refused. Instead I fell in love with  one of the simple workers in the town" Kei turned to Yamaguchi. "Him, to be exact. And so, I was kicked out"

"Wow... I haven't heard about the Tsukishima kingdom though" Tooru said and scratched his head.

"It was over taken by Fukurodani shortly after. I am the only remaining royal family member. That doesn't matter. I love painting, I love Yamaguchi and I'm gonna be like that till my last days" Kei smiled to himself and squeezed the paintbrush in his hands.

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Here's a short Tsukkiyama chapter for y'all.

I sprained my ankle, burned my finger and fell on my face today, so today's not my lucky day.

-hatari.