Endling (Kaito x Gakupo)

Chapter 4

Barely a couple of hours ago, Kaito had been sitting in a perfectly insulated room, with no immediate concerns except the looming exam. Now, he shivered due to the cold under a heavy coat of mud, trying to make sense of the world around him.

Had Gakupo transported them away from the city somehow? He had whispered something into his ear, just before the ground under their feet shifted. Was it some kind of spell?

Right on cue, Gakupo began singing; his voice was just a soft whisper against the storm, but the faint echo of his breath lingered on Kaito's cheek. Demonstrating an unexpected amount of strength, Gakupo surrounded Kaito's waist with his arms and leaped into the air, carrying them both into the turbulent sky. Kaito screamed, caught by surprise, and then vertigo made him press his face against Gakupo's neck.

The rain soaked them for a while as Gakupo flew around, looking for something Kaito could only guess. Given the current weather conditions, Kaito couldn't take the data assistant from his pocket to ask where they were headed, though in truth he doubted his arms would answer to his commands even if the machine still worked. He was squeezing Gakupo so tightly due to nerves that it was a small miracle that the fae could still breathe, much less sing. To compound the miserable experience, by now his clothes were utterly damp. Not even the warmth of Gakupo's body pressed against him was enough to stop Kaito from trembling uncontrollably.

Finally, Gakupo descended, so suddenly that Kaito let out a gasp. Gakupo stopped singing and mumbled something in his native tongue, perhaps an apology or reassurance. A moment later, they reached the ground, a narrow ledge on a mountain slope, close to a roaring waterfall. To their right, there was a chasm, brimming with rainwater and darkness. To their left, the rock wall opened into a roundish entrance, partially blocked with boulders.

Gakupo pushed the wet hair out of his face and flapped his wings a couple of times near the edge of the outcropping, sending raindrops everywhere. Then, he carefully passed through the narrow opening walking sideways like a crab. Kaito followed him after fishing out the flashlight from his pocket.

The trembling light illuminated a small cavern, with a surprisingly lived-in look. There were a couple of ancient-looking chests resting on the stone floor, surrounded by a wild variety of broken and old artifacts of human origin. Above them, bundles of dried herbs hung from ropes tied between the stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Close to the entrance of the cave, an unlit fire pit was surrounded by faded cushions for seating. In the back, a small mount of dry grass and flowers presumably served as some kind of nest. A gloomy passage to its right continued further into the hidden heart of the mountain.

Gakupo went to a corner and retrieved a bundle of firewood. He knelt by the fire pit and tossed the fuel inside, then straightened up and adopted a look of concentration. He sang briefly, and fire burst before him, dancing from log to log. Kaito took off his backpack and knelt by the endling's side, warming his hands gratefully.

"Is this your home?" Kaito wondered aloud. It was hard to accept anyone could live in such poor conditions in that age, even fae.

Gakupo didn't answer. Instead, he walked towards a big chest and began rifling through it. To Kaito's surprise, it was full with clothes, blankets and bedclothes. Interestingly, many of the clothes were completely devoid of the adjustments needed to accommodate Gakupo's anatomy. Together with the many disparate artifacts around them, the size and normalcy of the garments made Kaito suspect Gakupo indulged in either dumpster diving, or outright stealing from human settlements. He frowned in passing disapproval, but it was hard to judge someone so isolated and helpless too harshly.

Gakupo finally extracted some blankets, a cape and two worn-down rags, possibly sheets, and handed one of the rags to Kaito. The young man examined it with puzzlement, briefly wondering what the fae expected him to do.