In the Woods Somewhere (Tsukkiyama)

'Till Death do us Part

This entire chapter is a major trigger warning for violence and dissociation, so if you don't want that I'll include a summary at the bottom of the page. Stay safe!

Tadashi's mind went blank the second he saw the village guards on the doorstep. He had lost them in the woods; he was sure of it. The forest loved him, and he was fast, and he knew the woods better than any human had a right to. How did they find him? They had no dogs; they couldn't have tracked him down. Unless?

The snow.

There was snow on the ground when he ran into the forest. Oh gods, how could he be so stupid as to forget he would leave footprints in the snow? If he hadn't left a trail, they would've given up, but no. Stupid, stupid, Tadashi just had to forget how snow worked and give his hunters a perfect lead into fae territory. He really was worthless, a detriment to both communities. Maybe, just maybe, if he let them take him back to the village and execute him, they would spare Kei and the fae folk. Yes, he should just turn himself in, craft a story to place the blame on himself, and take the fall.

A hand on his arm snapped Tadashi out of his panicked wallowing. Numbly, Tadashi stumbled along as Kei kicked down the back door and pulled them further into fae territory. Why was Kei doing that, why was he leading the enemy into his homeland? They were running, or Kei was running, and Tadashi was forced to keep pace by the hand on his arm. Kei should just leave him behind; Tadashi would never amount to anything more than dead weight. Still, they ducked and weaved through trees and ran.

The numbness caused the normally nimble Tadashi to stumble over roots and stones, half-buried in snow. Nevertheless, Kei kept them on pace, sprinting with agility and speed humans could not keep up with on foreign terrain. This time, though, they did not lose their hunters. Perhaps the soldiers had grown used to sprinting through the forest, or maybe Tadashi really was slowing Kei down. Either way, the weapon-wielding humans ran hot on their heels.

Tadashi decided to stop looking behind him, instead choosing to face wherever Kei was leading him to. Looking at Kei's face (was Kei his boyfriend? Fiance? Husband? Tadashi wasn't sure) Tadashi saw that the other was speaking, mouth forming words that Tadashi had drowned out in his panic. Try as he might, he just couldn't seem to tune back into the sounds of the world, and Kei's words remained muted and fuzzy as if spoken from a very far away distance. Still, he tried to decipher them, gleaning something about 'help' and 'others'. Whatever Kei's plan was, Tadashi sure hoped it worked.

Rather rapidly, the trees they passed increased in size, more and more resembling Kei's living house. Curious and worried faces peered out of doors and paneless windows, all pointed ears, and sharp teeth, and winding facial patterns. In any other situation Tadashi would've been happy to visit the fae kingdom proper, but seeing the panic on the faces of the fair folk just made him feel more guilt. Kei didn't stop pulling Tadashi, even as the other fae pulled out weapons and clad themselves in armour. Instead, the faerie just led him further into the fae settlement.

As Tadashi forced himself to focus on glowing mushrooms and plush mosses, he heard screams and the clashing of metal. His village had likely brought reinforcements by now and their weapons were all iron, but by the sound of the winding ethereal language being shouted, the fae had their magic at the ready. Through cries of pain and anguish, clashing of metal, and the pointed thwip of arrows, Tadashi allowed himself to hope. Faeries were known to be more powerful than humans, so they must be winning, right?

The sounds of battle started to fade away as Kei led them around and back towards the familiar parts of the forest. Tadashi wanted to stop, to just give up and lie down, but Kei urged him on, both physically and in spirit. Their sharing of names had connected them as no human could ever be, and Tadashi felt Kei's determination to live and keep living seep into his bones like rain onto parched soil. He could push the thoughts away, ignore Kei and instead push his hopelessness onto the both of them, but instead, he trudged forward; he would live for Kei.