The Boy of the Moon

A Lending Hand

It had been six days since your mother's death. Her body was taken away and you found that she already had a headstone made and paid for. That's where you were now, standing in front of her fresh grave. It was nighttime now, dark circles were under your eyes, having not been able to sleep at all. Your clothes were disheveled and your button-up shirt was hardly buttoned. Mayumi (l/n) was carved into her headstone, along with the words, "A mother and an honest woman". "Mom," You whispered so quietly that it seemed I hadn't spoken at all. "Please...tell me what to do," you whispered before falling silent once more.

"Hey, are you alright?" Your eyes flickered to the person, only to see that it was a boy young with bluish black hair and deep amber eyes. "Yes, I'm fine," you said, giving him a weak smile. "You're lying. Your eyes are really sad." The boy said, and you chuckled, saying that he was sharp. You turned to fully face him, "My name's (m/n) (l/n), what's yours?" You asked and the boy smiled. "My name's Po." He said and you smiled, saying that you liked his name. He turned to look at the grave you were looking at. "Mayumi (l/n). That's your mother's name?" The boy said, stating the name rather than questioning it. "Yeah," you confirmed. "She was a good woman." The boy said.

"She was... uh, how do you know?" You asked and he turned to look at you. "Because she raised all by herself, into the wonderful person you are today." He said and you blinked in surprise. "Don't worry about what to do, (m/n). Just go where your roots are, you'll see what's in store for you." The boy said, oddly making you feel at peace. He smiled and leaned in to kiss your cheek before he turned and ran away. You slowly stood up, your hand touching where he had kissed you. "Go back to my roots, huh... roots." You looked up at the night sky and saw the star Polaris, the Guiding Star. You gasped in shock when everything fell into place.

"Po... is short for Polaris!" You spoke out loud and saw the star twinkle as if congratulating you for your discovery. You looked over at the moon and knew exactly where you needed to go.

The shrine of the Moon God

///

It was the next morning and you were preparing for your journey to the Tsukuyomi Shrine. The shrine was on the outskirts of the next town over, so it was a big trip, to you at least. You filled a bag with travel necessities and everything that was important to you. You then took a shower, since you haven't taken one since that day. It felt good to take a shower as if it washed away all your pent-up emotions. Once you were out, you threw on a pair of clean clothes and grabbed a bag. You made a note to your landlord, saying that you would return for your other belongings. You went to the front door and slipped your shoes on.

Before you left, you looked back at the small apartment. You've spent most of your life in these walls, and you have a lot of good memories. You smiled softly before you opened the door and walked out. You walked to the train station and waited for it to arrive. "Oh, are you traveling all by yourself?" You turned to look at a small, old woman and smiled. "Yes, but I'll be okay," you said, and she only giggled. "That's good to hear, what a brave, young man you are." She complimented and you thanked her. "Say, you wouldn't mind being my temporary traveling companion, would you?" She asked and you turned to face her directly.

"Not at all," you said as you gave her a warm smile. She giggled once more and thanked you. The train arrived and she took your arm. You helped her onto the train and found an empty seat for her. You took the seat next to her. During the trip, you talked with the old woman. She told you stories of her youth and her interests, which you found entertaining. You learned that she was getting off at the same station you were. "You have such beautiful hair, (m/n). I'm absolutely jealous." She teased and you thanked her. You get a lot of compliments for your hair since you keep it nice and not abuse it as other guys do.

Soon, your stop arrived, and you helped the woman off the train, whose name you learned is Sana. "I'm afraid it's time for us to part ways, Sana," She said, and you only smiled. "Well, it was a pleasure meeting you, Sana." You said and she agreed. "I hope that our paths cross again, you are such a treat." She said and you thanked her, hoping that you two would meet again too. You walked away and then started asking around for where the shrine was. Once you had directions, you made your way to the Tsukuyomi Shrine.

///

The shrine is near the base of a mountain. Luckily, there's a road that leads you directly to it. You continued walking until you now stood at the bottom of the steps of the Tsukuyomi Shrine. The only problem was that the shrine wasn't in good conditions, making you sad. "Hello, is anyone here?" You asked as you walked up the steps. You had just reached the top when you heard whispering. You whipped around to look from where they came from but saw no one. "I heard you, please come out," you spoke, hoping that you weren't going crazy and hearing spirits 24/7 now. A gust of wind swooped down from the mountain, making you quickly pull your shirt down, revealing your chest.

"Look, it really is Tsukuyomi! He has returned!"