Trick or Treat - IwaKen
Come trick or treating in my inbox! Leave a āTrick or Treatā and a character or ship in an ask, and Iāll treat you to some autumn-themed fluff or trick you with some twisted spooky aus!
Trick So as usual, Ezzy and I have no chill, and may or may not have challenged each other to take a list of pretty, soft autumn prompts and use those for our tricks this year. At least, thatās what I heard, in between the sass and the frankly terrifying butter gifs⦠Anyway, this oneās prompt is āadmiring the colors of the fallen leaves"
There was a soft and tender scent in the air, dark, wet earth beneath a cover of leaves that had not yet rotted or blown away from last yearās autumn. Hajime walked as silent as ever through the wide spaces between the trees. Part of him, a vague, half-formed part, wondered if he was even capable of something so human as noise anymore.
A sturdy breeze passed through the canopy, unhooking some of the leaves from their tethers above and sending them drifting down toward Hajime and the rest of the creepy things lurking amongst the roots. He reached up and caught one by the stem, twirling it between his fingers. This one was a mottled collection of colors, yellow and red with a hint of green still clinging here and there. A snapping twig behind him had him smiling. He didnāt even bother looking away from the leaf as he said, āYou know, there are other ways to get my attention.ā
āYou shouldnāt be here.ā Hajimeās smile went a little wider, and a little softer. āGross. Donāt make that face.ā
āYou going to show yourself today?ā Hajime asked. Another breeze moved through, and Hajime caught a second leaf. He settled it next to the first, a bouquet in the making. Kenma didnāt answer. āOkay. You donāt have to,ā Hajime said, and walked on.
He knew Kenma was walking with him. The woods were growing silent, a momentās pause as they neared the edge. Soon, the wailing would begin, the sobbing and the keening, all the sounds that Hajime wasnāt sure he could even produce anymore. Soon, when the fire reached the other end of the village tucked in a little bend in the treeline, like the elbow of a river, like the cradle of a valley, but never meant for human habitation. It was the natural order of things, and Hajime had set it right. Kenma had helped, his winds stirring and shaping the flames so that they lept from thatched roof to thatched roof, but left the treeline alone. Sure, they had kept it mostly away from the innocent. There were casualties in any war, though. The red of the leaves matched the blood on both of their hands.
Finally, Kenma did manifest, a small and cool hand slipping into Hajimeās own to pluck the leaves away. Kenma moved them to his other hand, then twined their empty fingers together. He considered the contrast, one pale yellow elm leaf and one red-gold-green from a maple.
āTheyāll be back,ā he said, not looking at Hajime. Hajime nodded, not looking at Kenma.
āThey will,ā he agreed. āThe world spins, the leaves grow and fall and grow again, and humanity will rebuild. But weāll be here to remind them when they forget, just as we have time and time before.ā Kenma squeezed his hand and leaned into his side as they came to a stop at the treeline at last. From their place on the edge of the forest, they watched the human village burn.

















