Legend of the Gods - Part 3
Author: emmachase
Requested by: Everyone who took part in my poll
Title: Legend of the Gods - Part 3
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance, some fluff, some myth-y type aspects
Pairing: HSB X HS7
Summary: Remember that little poll I had a while ago? Well, I finally got around to making a quick story about it! I hope you like it
Notes: Stay tuned for the next chapter folks!
Part 1 Part 2
Chapter 3: The Branching Paths...
---Yabu---
After the events of the last night, Yabu resolved to keep his eyes alert for the smallest bit of trouble. He didn’t know just what would happen yet, but there was an unsinkable feeling of doubt deep in his stomach.
Still despite all this, Yabu managed to collect himself long enough to stroll around a few streets and take in the sights, though to me fair, he mainly wanted to observe some of the current fashions in the store windows. Having studied the at least a few dozen windows, Yabu smiled a bit as he walked though a small quiet alley, and after a few scanning sweeps to make sure no one was watching, Yabu let his clothes burst into pure sunlight again as they swarmed around his body, playfully teasing him before they resettled against him in the form of a grey polo with what he understood to be “This year’s hottest pair of jeans”, and a simple but elegant pair of tennis shoes. Taking a look at himself in the small glass window of the nearby shop, he frowned a bit, something seemed off…..
“Ah!” Yabu grinned as he snapped his fingers and his shirt shone brightly as the light turned from grey to a bright cheery red. The god nodded happily as he strolled out of the alley and towards the set to find the boy who had so entranced him the night before.
“Ah! You again….” Yabu recognized the voice as that of the director who had so loudly called him out the first time they met.
“Hello…” Yabu said politely as he walked towards the entrance to the area
“Ahh… so long as you don't mess up my shoot… we’re fine…. First the set’s not done, then he gets sick…. Now ugh today!” The director grumbled as he rode off in his small golf cart.
“Arrogant….” Yabu growled again as he pointed his finger at the back tire and grinned
“Bang.”
Just in that moment a small needle of light pulsed forward and slammed into the tire, puncturing it, making the driver stop and the director jump out, cursing his bad luck.
“Heheh..” Yabu chuckled as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked through the entrance gate.
“Yabu-Kun!”
“Ryosuke….” Yabu smiled gently, walking towards him.
“Jya…. I’ll try to speed this up as much as possible, then for the rest of the day, I’m yours!” Yamada grinned broadly, turning and dashing to the camerafront again.
Surprisingly, the next four hours seemed to pass in an instant as Yabu sat watching the interesting boy act his way through even the most complex of scenes. He did get a shock through when the lady who he surmised was his “teacher” punched him so he could receive a “vision.”
“Yabu? I’m done for today… sorry it took so long….” Ryosuke bowed shyly, watching carefully as Yabu shook his head and stood up again.
“Well…. Where should we go now?”
“Let’s go….. out for a walk!”
“Un, sounds fine with me.” The two boys grinned as they took off down the street, aimlessly walking in a random direction. Though to be honest, it didn't really matter to either of them.
“Wow…. That’s amazing! I cant believe you’ve been to so many places!” Ryosuke exclaimed as they laughed happily.
“Hm… where….. are we?” Yabu asked, feeling a strange but familiar place nearby.
“It seems… like we’re in a small neighborhood..Y-Yabu?” The boy asked, noticing the way the other boy began to walk in a hurry.
“Yabu! What’s wrong?”
“There’s…. something here…” Yabu walked through a small yard and through a small gateway that lead to…”
“A temple?”
“Welcome…. We don't usually have many young people here…” An old lady hobbled over to them on her cane. She wore the robes of a priestess and gently extended her hand to greet them.
“What… is this place?” Yabu asked
“This…. is a shrine to the gods of the ancient religion… we don't have many worshippers, but those who do come…. Their devotion is true…” The woman smiled as she opened the door to the main hall and Yabu froze.
“Wow…. Who is that!?” Ryosuke asked eagerly, hopping beside Yabu to stare at the large ornate statue that sat before them.
“That… little one, is the god of light, the king of the gods in the ancient religion. Would you believe me, if I told you, legend says that he was only… about your friend’s age when he sacrificed him self to become a god?”
“W-Why? What do you mean sacrificed?” Ryosuke asked innocently, genuinely interested now.
“You see child, many many ages ago, during the time of the legend, it was said that the gods were cruel, merciless and resentful of humans. They caused so much suffering, until five brave boys gave up parts of themselves to become gods and save all of humanity. Our god of light, gave up his sense of…”
“Fear…” Yabu and the lady said simultaneously, though his felt more remorseful than instructional.
“Yes dear, do you know the story?”
“The gods then fought for rule over the world…. And many lives were lost… some say the god’s sacrifices were noble, but unbearable….” Yabu said quietly, recalling the terrible war that replayed in his head.
“That’s… incredible….” Ryosuke sounded in awe.
“The god of light is usually the person that we pray to, when it seems our lives are getting too dark, when we feel we don't have the strength to carry on. It’s said that his bravery would empower you do to even the most difficult of things…” The lady smiled as she lit incense and bowed to the statue.
“Jya… I want to pray too then…” Ryosuke smiled as he took one of the incense sticks and lit it while Yabu stared in awe of himself. He could remember people here worshiping him, and he remembered all the prayers that would come to him. He heard the yearnings of their hearts, the very deepest of desires. He heard so many lovers, asking for the courage to confess, so many pleadings for the light to shine on their lives and make things easier. Now he turned to see Ryosuke kneeling on the ground upon the soft pillow set out, his head bowed low and the incense before him. He closed his eyes and heard the boy’s prayer deep within his heart.
I wish for the strength to live my life the way I want. I wish for the darkness in my life to become clear so I can see my path in this world, and…I wish for the bravery to tell someone I like being with him.
Yabu’s eyes opened, surprised at the last wish the boy uttered.
“Yabu… did you pray?” Ryosuke asked, running beside him and holding his arm as if he were a little kid.
“Y-Yeah…” Yabu nodded
“Hey… you kinda look like him…” The younger boy said, studying carefully the face of the statue.
“W-What a coincidence…..” Yabu tried his best to play it off, hurriedly dragging Ryosuke off.
“Come back again soon child!” The old lady called
“What’s wrong Yabu?”
“N-Nothing…” The older boy shook his head, still a little flustered with what he had heard.
“Well… we could always continue on our walk…. “ Ryosuke said suddenly.
Without another word the two set off again, Yabu a little more distracted than before…
“Hm… how about dinner?”
“W-What?” Yabu stumbled
“Let’s go to dinner…. “
“O-Okay…” Yabu nodded when the boy turned around to think of places to go.
In a way, Yabu loved this side of himself. In all the many years, he had never grown so conscious and afraid. Now he found himself worrying about what to say, what to do, or how to act. Being able to feel something like this, made him feel….. almost human again…
---Takaki---
“Takaki-kun!” Chinen called happily, skipping to the side of the road before running full-on into the god.
“I’m happy you came..” He said with a grin as Yuya looked incredulously at him.
“Only because you demanded it before you would finish your training…”
“Well… why is my training so important to you? Maybe… you want to spend time with me too….” Chinen nodded, making Yuya scoff
“Because… the weak will always need protectors, and I want them to know that they can become strong themselves.” The god said sternly, making Yuri frown.
“Couldn’t have just said yes… or even maybe… could you?” He said as he sighed and held out his hand.
“Let’s go to dinner then…”
Yuya took the hand, though he had to admit at the moment he was a bit more perplexed with what seemed to be… disappointment on the boy’s face. What more did he want from him?
The shorter boy led the way to a nearby shack hidden in the corner of the road. He grinned as he waved to the man who was now busy setting out a sign for the night’s specials.
“Oi Yuri-kun… you’re here again are you?” The elderly man nodded to Yuya and made his way into the shop.
“Masaki-San has been the owner and chef of this shop for almost 30 years, before that he was one of the champion martial artists that competed for Japan!” Chinen hopped as Yuya sat down gently into one of the wooden seats.
“Yuri-Chan…. You’re back again! Your usual?” An elderly lady asked, even though she already knew the answer and was busy writing it down on the small pad in her hands
“And you dear?” She looked at Yuya and smiled.
“I… will have whatever it is that is the house specialty.” He said a little hesitantly as Chinen began nodding his approval vigorously.
“Then the same as Yuri-Chan here!” The lady smiled, ending her writing with a firm tap of her pen.
The air was silent and uneasy as Chinen tried to think of a conversation starter and Yuya tried to think of a way to avoid such a thing. As far as he was concerned, Chinen simply needed to be…. Stronger.
“Yuya? Er… Takaki-kun, do you…. Come from far away? I realized I don't know much about you.”
“Why would you need anything about me?”
“Because… I… I want us to be friends..” Yuya could sense the uncertainty behind the words and he was a bit taken aback.
But before any more words could be exchanged, the lady appeared beside them, holding in her hands two of the biggest plates of gyoza he had ever seen.
“These are from the batch we made just 15 minutes ago!” She beamed with pride, setting the plates down.
“Itadakimasu!” The petite boy pipped happily, breaking apart his chopsticks and remorselessly dug in.
Awkwardly, the god who hadn’t eaten anything for eons, picked up his chopsticks and cautiously picked up one of the dumplings….
With dinner out of the way, the two boys sat at the small bench just outside the shop, feeling the calm winds waft over them. Yuri stared ahead, looking into the shop and watching as the elderly couple began putting everything up for the night.
“Takaki-kun, is there… still nothing that you want to tell me about yourself?”
Silence followed
“If you don't tell m-“
“If I don’t tell you you’ll what?” Yuya challenged, making the little boy hesitate.
“I…”
“You’ll refuse to do anymore training? Again? Isn’t that a bit childish?” He said rather harshly and he noticed the way Chinen appeared crestfallen and even if just for a moment, he felt something twinge within him. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything else, though he couldn’t figure out why.
Sighing, Yuya leaned back on the bench, folding his arms and staring at the boy’s back.
“Fine, I’ll make a deal with you, for every training session you go through with me, I’ll let you ask me five questions…okay?” Yuya didn't know why he was dealing now, it was never part of his nature.
Chinen looked up from his twiddling fingers and nodded cheerfully, smiling as if he had won some semblance of a victory.
“Then I want to ask you one now… do you think…. If I asked you to come out and have dinner with me again, you’d say yes?”
“Are you asking?”
“I’m asking what would happen if I did….” Chinen said, perhaps a bit more confidently than Yuya was used to hearing.
“Then I suppose I would have to say yes, or else you’d just refuse training again.”
“Then…. Would you come out to dinner with me again?”
“Yes, and that’s two questions by the way…”
---Inoo---
The next day had been one of meditation for Kei, he spent the day deep in the waters, letting their soothing currents embrace him. Feeling the waters swirl around his arms and his body he felt calm and closed his eyes to explore the depths of his mind and the dream that had haunted him as of late.
“C-Come back… I’l wait… I’ll wait!”
Just as Kei approached the barrier in his mind, his entire body trembled and he jerked out of his trance, startling the waters that instantly jumped into a swirling protective bubble around him.
He heard the sounds of someone calling to him still, somewhere beyond the vast horizon. Sending his power into the waters, the small bubble that surrounded him glowed, lanterning the water. Only the stillness of the ocean greeted his sight….
“This is getting me no where…” The god sighed disappointedly, willing the water to send him to the beach shoreline. He noticed the amber streaks of sunlight as they dashed across the water and remembered this would be around the time Yuto would be playing. Somewhere deep within his spirit he felt a flutter, and he clutched his chest, worrying for a moment if he was losing his ability to hold his body together.
Kei reached the surface but just before he allowed himself to walk up, he touched the bubble, turning the sphere instantly into ice and with another snap of his fingers, the globe shattered. Shimmering crystals of ice surrounded him, washing his clothes into a soft powder white shirt and a pair of lightly blue tinted jeans. With their job done, the crystals gave their master one final circle before dissipating back into their liquid forms and melding into the endless ocean.
Kei walked ashore, feeling the sands under his feet, he frowned a bit at realizing he had forgotten to create shoes for himself. The tides that gathered around his feet seemed to hear his worries as they crashed forward and covered his bare feet, leaving a pair of white sandals in their wake. Silently he thanked them as he strode forward onto the shoreline and the water in his clothes evaporated into thin air.
Hearing the commotion at the small stand, Kei walked towards where he was sure Yuto would be.
“Wow! Whooo!”
“Go go go!”
“Woooo! Go Yuto!”
Kei heard the crowd cheering as he approached. Quietly he swam his way through the gathering to the center, where a lone boy sat amongst his drums, his eyes closed and head bobbing to the sounds his hands were making. For a few moments, Kei closed his eyes too. He felt the beats of the drums strike his body, vibrating his entire being, and at the same time, his mind cleared as a single vision presented itself.
He was on the beach somewhere…. Somewhere long ago and in his hand he held something, It was something important… something he couldn’t remember… someone called his name, the same figure from his visions, and just as he turned to see who it was, his dream vanished.
“Kei?” Yuto asked, gently laying his hand on the god’s shoulder, shaking him gently.
“Yuto… “
“Are you okay? Everyone left when I finished, and you were kinda just… staring into space and wouldn't talk to me…”
“Sorry… I must have… had my mind on something…”
“Well… today I made enough for us to go out a bit if you wanna come…” Yuto grinned, pulling the money he had collected from his cap.
“You should save the money, in case you need it…. “ Kei said thoughtfully.
“Well… I do need to eat… and I do need company…” The taller boy’s grin widened still.
“What?” Kei didn't understand what he meant…
“So… you should come be my company while I eat…”
For a moment, Kei considered the words, why was he so insistent…?
“Very well.. but…. only at the place we went to yesterday, the okonomiyaki store.” He replied, thinking the small restaurant would be best if Yuto were to save any money…
“That’s fine with me.” The boy nodded eagerly, setting his drums into the small shack that housed them.
“These are the store owner’s son’s drums…” Yuto explained, noticing the look on Kei’s face.
“One day… when I save enough…. I’ll buy my own… until then though… the owner of this shop, is letting me use his son’s, in exchange, I help attract customers to the store…” Yuto said, locking the doors.
“I see….”
After a few minutes of walking, and Yuto occasionally poking Kei to make sure the boy was still “alive” as he put it, the pair arrived at the small restaurant and sat down to two of the largest okonomiyaki they had ever seen.
“He’s feeling generous today…” The younger brother grinned, setting down the plates while Yuto waved to the brother that was busy cooking.
“So… Kei, what have you been doing all day?”
“Meditating.”
“Meditating…? Like… you just sit there…. And think of stuff?”
“I try… but it doesn’t always work.”
“You don't ever get bored?”
“Why?”
“Well.. I mean… it’s just sitting there… and thinking… or whatever… doesn’t it get boring? Don’t you just want to… go out play some music… run around?”
“Knowledge is a great thing to have Yuto, why would it be boring?”
“Er… never… mind…” Yuto nodded, taking a big bite and chewing slowly. Kei looked a bit perplexed, everything that had happened since he met Yuto confused him, he didn’t understand what the boy was saying, much less the boy himself…
Somewhere through dinner, a woman came in, dressed in a fine black pantsuit and stared around the restaurant.
“Yuto? Yuto where are you?”
“M-Mom?” Yuto stood up as the lady walked over and gave Kei a disapproving glare.
“Yuto, you are to come home right now. Raiya’s very sick, and we’re not… entirely sure what’s going to happen…” She said in a hushed voice.
“R-Raiya!?” Kei could sense the panic in Yuto’s voice, and he stood up to join Yuto, placing his hand awkwardly on his shoulder.
“Kei… my-my little brother…”
“I know…”
“Your friend can come too if that will make you feel better, but, you must come home to see him..” The lady said rather sternly to her son.
The ride into the city was quiet as the lady sat in the front of the car, and the two boys in the back. Kei thought it was a bit strange how the pair never talked to each other. The only communication in the car, was the small pleading looks Yuto would give him. Though, Kei didn't understand what Yuto wanted, he offered his hand like he had observed between couples. Just as he observed, this seemed to bring comfort to Yuto, and Kei could relax.
Ornate gates guarded a small mansion in the city, and as the car approached the door opened and the small four-door slipped in.
As soon as the car stopped, Yuto got out and ran to the door, quickly opening it with a key he seemingly produced from thin air, and Kei followed. They went up a small spiral staircase, and through the hallway to the right into a large room centered with a small bed, and an even smaller boy laying on top.
“Nii-Chan…” The figure called, reaching out for Yuto’s hand and Kei felt Yuto’s clutch loosen from his and the boy dashed forward. For some reason Kei stared at his hand, it was still a little red from where Yuto had gripped his hand so hard, but it tingled now… wanting the touch to come back..
“Nii-Chan…” Kei turned his attention to the brothers now.
“Raiya, how did this happen?”
“We… went… on a trip.. and I got a cut… the doctors say it’s some kind of infect-in…”
“infection?” Yuto finished as the boy on the bed sneezed and coughed loudly and squinted his eyes in pain.
“We don't know what’s causing it… none of the anti-biotics are working… we may… have caught it too late… whatever virus it is… it’s doing too much damage to his nervous system.” Another voice chimed in, and the two turned to see a man in a doctor’s coat.
“There’s nothing more we can do…” The man said grimly and Yuto’s head fell and the man left.
“Nii-Chan… it’s okay… I’ll get better…. I just…” Raiya yawned, and excused himself, saying he had gotten some “groggy medicine” from the doctor.
Kei walked forward, but before he could say anything Yuto grabbed hold of him and embraced him.
“Yuto?”
“Kei.. my little brother… is dying… How… how can this happen?” The taller boy’s breath trembled as he spoke, his tears on the verge of breaking free.
“Yuto…” Kei’s voice changed from confusion to pity as he sat down on the bed one arm around Yuto as he felt the boy cry tears into his shirt. With the other arm though, he sighed as he ran it over Raiya’s body, feeling the boy’s blood come alive and react. He could feel something wrong inside and his face grew serious.
“Yuto… you should get some sleep… when Raiya wakes up tomorrow, you should be fully rested so you can spend time with him… okay?” Kei said softly, with more compassion than he had shown in the last hundred years alone. Yuto nodded, and the two boys walked to Yuto’s room.
Letting Yuto lay down on the bed, Kei pulled the blanket over him and went to turn off the light, noticing along the way the awards strewn around the boy’s room.
“Academic excellance… Advanced achievement award… “ He read as he walked towards the light switch, and grinned. Yuto was a very.. gifted mind…
“Yuto?” Kei was about to ask if he would like to have the lights dimmed rather than off, but when he turned, the boy was already asleep…
Now with no one around, Kei walked through the house back to Raiya’s room and quietly let himself in. Gathering some of the moisture in the air, he forced them to harden and freeze over the door, sealing it shut from the inside.
He approached the bed now and ran his hands over the boy’s body now, gathering drops of water from the air and solidifying it in his hands. A swirling layer of water appeared soon after, as the air grew more and more dry. Kei watched as his hand turned a clear crystal and pulled the center of the suspended whirlpool into Raiya’s body. Instantly the whirlpool turned crimson red and Kei poured his concentration into searching the small hurricane.
Moments later, bits of water gathered at the center of the vortex and the whirlpool vanished, leaving only the watery, swirling globe behind.
“Shuichi…” Kei called, summoning his servant, and the boy appeared as a torrent of water splashed onto the floor and vanished, leaving only the boy in imperial clad armor in its place.
“It is time to heal this boy… I have already cleansed the blood….” Kei nodded to the globe that hung in mid-air.
“Kei-sama…” The boy nodded as he ran his hand over Raiya’s body and his hands began to glimmer. Kei stepped in, taking a deep breath, and extending his hands. A thin layer of water encircled the small boy’s body and a gentle glow appeared as the water slowly rushed into the form, slowly regenerating the blood, and healing the damage to the boy’s lungs and throat. The water swirled in such intricate patterns as Kei guided it through the body as if it were a thread, repairing even the smallest damaged nerves, his position as the healer god wasn’t for show….
“It is always amazing how fast you are… Lord Inoo…” Shuichi remarked as he grabbed hold of the globe with what he perceived to be millions of virus impurities inside and twisted his hand, freezing everything inside.
Bowing lowly, the boy turned into water again and disappeared from the room, taking the globe with him and Kei sighed, looking at Raiya who seemed perfectly content and asleep now.
Kei left the room now, releasing his frozen lock on the door and walked back to Yuto’s room…
At least he would live now…
---Hikaru---
“Keiiiiito!” Hikaru happily jumped up to the boy who stood beside him at the bench.
“Whoa…. You’re still just a spirited aren’t you?” Keito chuckled
“I was waiting!” The god said happily, still jumping.
“Okay okay! C’mon, let’s go!”
Keito took the other boy’s hand and together they ran towards the edge of the field and towards the large ferris wheel in the distance. Naturally, hearing the screams of the many customers on the roller coaster, Hikaru grinned devilishly, pointing to it as Keito shook his head vigorously.
“That… could be… too much for me…” Keito said quietly, as Hikaru frowned.
“But it’ll be fun! All the air rushing through your hair… feeling so free….” Hikaru sounded almost dreamy as he spoke and it seem that he would not relent.
“I’ll….. go on the next one….” Keito turned to walk away but was caught by Hikaru’s arm.
“How about that one then?” The younger boy looked to see the ride that had caught Hikaru’s attention now.
“The ferris wheel?”
“Yeah! Let’s go!” Hikaru yanked Keito along before he could protest.
The open air basket let in the gusts of winds that, although were powerful, proved no real threat to the hanging pods in which Hikaru and Keito sat together.
“Uwa… it’s so high…” Keito was breathless from the sheer height.
“It’s so much fun up here!” Hikaru hopped slightly in his seat, imagining himself coursing through the air. The winds waved to him as they swirled around in the clouds and whispered of the fun things the sky had to offer.
“You know, sometimes I wish I could fly…. Haha, but… I cant get over… eh… heights…” Keito chuckled nervously, and Hikaru noticed the way his hand gripped the hold tightly.
Grinning, an idea began to form in his head, and he knew… tonight would be the night to carry it out.
The entire day passed in the blink of an eye, with Cotton candy, three prepared bento boxes, and one hair-raising roller coaster ride… Keito was exhausted.
“Ne… Hikaru… don't… you ever get tired?”
“Nope!”
“But… how… you didn't even eat anything all day..” The boy whined as he sat down to catch his breath, screaming so much on the rides had taken such a toll on him.
“Are you okay?” The wind god sat down beside him, tilting his head slightly.
“Just… a little… cold… and… shaken…” Keito smiled awkwardly, trying to steady his trembling hands.
“Let me see…” The god took Keito’s hands into his own, and feeling their coldness, he gathered the warm winds within his body and sent them in a small brushing stream that wrapped around the English boy’s hands and curled up his arms before surrounding his body and covering him in a cocoon of warmth.
“W-Wow….” Keito closed his eyes, feeling the entire warmth spread through his body, he felt…. So relaxed here, the cool night air mixed with this strange warmth and it seemed… so perfect.
After a few minutes, the Hikaru retracted his winds back into his body and smiled as Keito opened his eyes and gazed at him.
“H-Hikaru… the wind-“
“Ah! It’s so late… I don't want to keep you out too late…” The god jumped up from his seat before Keito could finish his thought.
As soon as they had said their goodbyes for the night, Hikaru waited until Keito was out of view before he let himself dissolve into the night air again and followed the boy home.
He waited until he noticed the light in Keito’s room turned off, and he grinned, making preparations with the currents around him.
“Keito….” Hikaru carried his voice on the currents that wafted through the boy’s room.
“W-Who..?” A groggy Keito sat up to see what looked to be a thousand silken threads of wind winding into the form of a body in his room.
“W-What?!?” He panicked now, as the threads coiled up and Hikaru’s body appeared before him.
“H-Hikaru!?”
“Come with me Keito…” Hikaru said calmly.
“A-Am I dreaming? You just… a-and then you….but.. winds?!” The stuttered words seemed to convey his confusion exactly.
“Come with me Keito… and together… we can fly…” Hikaru extended his hand.
“I… have got to be dreaming…right?” Keito repeated, trying to get back to bed, and Hikaru frowned, streaming two gusts to blow the blankets off the boy’s body.
Hikaru didn't wait anymore, and he rushed forward, grabbing Keito’s hand and pulling him out the window and jumping out into the air, sending a pulse of air back to propel them forward.
“AHHHHH!” Keito screamed as Hikaru’s currents began to wrap around him. The two boys arced through the air, diving down towards the pavement below.
“AHHHH!!!!” Keito’s screams grew louder as Hikaru told his winds to lift now, and the two barely grazed the street below. The winds howled against Keito’s ears as they swam around him, carrying him and their patron god into the air above.
“H-H-Hikaru… w-what’s happening!?”
“You always wanted to fly right? Well… tonight… it’s time. You’ll be safe… with me… I promise.” The god grinned with a playfulness only a thousand years of carelessness could bring. Dashing through the air, they soared across the ocean, leaving a mist in their wake; they ran across meadows, feeling the gentle brushes of the blown dandelions swim eagerly behind them.
“Keito… you can relax….” Hikaru repeated calmly, and while the younger boy had slowly been coming out of his shell, his grasp on his companion’s arm loosened a bit, as he tested his stability.
“i-I’m flying?! It… It feels so real! It’s… its incredible!” Keito said as he almost let go of Hikaru’s hand and felt himself drifting away to the side.
“Yes….. You’re flying!” The god giggled as he let the part of his arm Keito clung to, turn to air again, and the boy gasped as Hikaru left him and vanished into a stream of swirling green and blue tinted winds. He curled across Keito’s body, clothing him in his body of air and smiled as he pulled Keito through the night sky and up above the clouds.
“Ahhhh!” The boy screamed at the top of his lungs as he streamed through the cold night air. He had never felt so alive, and so thrilled at the same time. Feeling as if he were weightless, Keito gathered the courage to jump and backflip through the night sky, and he laughed as he learned to control the currents with a now re-solidified Hikaru beside him.
Night quickly passed and Hikaru smiled as he cocooned his winds around a groggy but still happy Keito and pulled him back to the small house he had taken him from. Sending his winds into the room, he pulled the covers off the bed and gently set his now-sleeping friend onto the bed.
“Sweet dreams….. Keito…” Hikaru whispered as he turned back into his sparkling wind form and swept the room, remembering his first visit, and his first night with Keito like this….
Shutting the window behind him… Hikaru left for the light, feeling happier than he had been many a century.
---Arioka---
Daiki had spent the greater part of his day walking through the small forest on the edge of the city. He loved conversing with the ageless trees and playing with the small flowers that seemed to jump out at him with every turn he took.
He frowned when he saw a small budding tree dying of thirst and gently bent down to the ground, placing his hand on the branch, the god coursed his power through the plant, nursing it and causing it to grow larger and larger, joining its neighbor in the unknown maze above. His job done, Daiki grinned happily amongst his plants as they thanked him for joining them.
Still, he wanted to see Ryutaro, and reluctantly, he told the plants that he would have to leave now. Quietly Daiki strolled through the city dressed in his new soft green t-shirt the trees created for him from their leaves, and a pair of shorts that seemed to match his shirt almost perfectly.
He appeared at the small shop that he and Ryutaro and visited, and waited awkwardly around, watching the people pass him. They would nod to him and he would bow in return, but all these interactions seemed to be so superficial to him…
“Oiii! Dai-chann!” Daiki looked in the direction of the voice to find Ryutaro charging towards him, happily wrapping his arms around him
“Sorry I’m late… did you wait long?” Ryutaro asked worriedly, while Daiki shook his head.
“Where are we headed to today?” Daiki wondered aloud and Ryutaro grinned
“Well.. the park that we were supposed to go to…. seems to be undergoing some maintenance, so… I got us some reservations at the botanical garden onsen!” Ryutaro looked particularly proud with this statement.
“Onsen?”
“Y-Yeah! I love onsens… its nice to go there with someone… or with your friends…. And enjoy yourself!” The boy said cheerfully, plucking Daiki’s hand from his side and tugging for him to follow.
“C’mon! We can look at the flowers and plants while in the onsen.”
“Onsen…” Daiki sounded reluctant still, but let himself be dragged forward.
“Oh! That flower! It only blooms once a year! And-And this tree! They say that the bark is almost as sweet as sugar because of the sap!” Ryutaro jumped around the garden, gazing at the plants.
“Grow….” Daiki whispered to the small rose bushel in the small corner of one area, he smiled when the plant, hearing his call, awoke and sprung to life, blooming its petals into vibrant red flowers.
“Dai-Chan… what are you looking a- whoa! Those roses!”
Truth be told, Daiki was slightly amused by the boy’s zeal in observing plants, and he sometimes wondered what it was that Ryutaro saw. Where as he saw the budding growing lives that would reach out to him, Ryutaro saw only art, beauties in its simplest, natural form…
“C’mon Dai-Chan… let’s go to the onsen. If I stay here too long, I may end up putting down roots myself….” Ryutaro chuckled at his own joke and Daiki could only follow, still not sure what to say.
The two boys changed into the small robes provided by the garden spa and walked carefully over wet and slippery stones and wooden planks to the small spring in the room they had been given.
“This particular room is called the rose room.” Ryutaro explained as the smell of fresh roses washed over them.
Daiki smiled to all the roses who seemed almost to bloom in anticipation of his touch.
“Each room is filled with a different flower…” The younger boy continued, shedding his robe and gently testing the waters with his toes.
“Ryutaro… do you like roses?” Daiki asked, gently brushing one of the blossoms and making it glow a soft red.
“I love them…but…. are you coming in?” The god turned to see the boy already deep in the soft white waters.
“Sorry..”
“It’s okay… you should come in now though! The minerals in the water are better for your skin the longer you stay in!” Ryutaro eagerly nodded and Daiki quickly followed his advice.
Ryutaro stared for a moment, in awe as Daiki’s robe slipped off his frame and the roses seemed to donate their petals in an effort to hide Daiki’s body.
“Thank you… but it’s okay…” Daiki whispered and the petals dashed away on invisible winds and into the water, scenting the air even more.
The warm water teased Daiki’s body, warming him to his very core, and he sighed as he settled against the wall of the spring and Ryutaro plopped down excitedly next to him.
“Isnt this beautiful?” The boy asked excitedly, gazing at the roses that outlined the soft sky when they looked up.
“It is…” Daiki nodded softly, he stared at the moon and sighed in relief. It had been quite a while since he or his fellow gods had taken anything remotely like a “vacation”. This….. was a rare chance indeed. Somehow though, he had a feeling that this wouldn’t have been as enjoyable if Ryutaro wasn't beside him. A few minutes of light conversation later, Ryutaro yawned but despite his best efforts to stay awake, Daiki felt the boy’s hand land on his own and the boy’s head leaned against his shoulder.
“If you’re tired, don't come to a hot spring…. You wont be able to enjoy it.” Daiki lectured quietly, though he couldn't bring himself to wake the boy. Instead he reached out to one of the nearby roses that promply plucked itself from its stem and floated to his hand.
“Ryutaro… this rose is for you… even if you don't know it, you are the only mortal I’ve ever really felt this way about. The things that I gave up so long ago, I felt now with you… but I can’t stay with you… “ Daiki sighed, and he looked at the rose with a soft despair and watched as it turned to a soft ethereal blossom. He pushed it into Ryutaro’s chest, and smiled as the boy’s entire body glowed red for a moment, before it vanished and Ryutaro’s smile grew wider in his dream.
Quietly, Daiki brought the boy up from the waters and laid him down upon one of the nearby chairs. Feeling his time here was up, Daiki turned to sand and let himself dissolve away through the rosebushes and out into the world again.
He resolidified himself near the small campground where he had first encountered Ryutaro and touched the ground gingerly. As he did, the images the earth remembered flew into his mind and he smiled peacefully.
Walking to the nearby river, he reached across the gods’ shared power and whispered to his friends.
“Kei, I need you…”
and as he opened his eyes the waters of the river began to gather and swirl upwards, as the watery outline of Kei’s form appeared to him.
“Daiki…” The watery figure spoke softly, his voice garbled by the flowing current.
“Kei… you gave up love to be a god… you gave up companionship… was it… something you regret doing?” Daiki sat down on the ground and watched as the watery figure sighed and walked onto the surface, his body turning to flesh again as he set foot on the earth.
“What brought this about?”
“I felt joy again… today… I felt it, and it was… something so wonderful… but…”
“But… if you regain what you gave to be a god… you’ll lose your powers…. “ Kei finished and Daiki nodded.
For a brief moment, the two gods sat silence and Kei sighed before turning to his friend.
“I… regret giving up love… as we all regret giving up any part of ourselves. But it had to be done… and it’s our job now… to guard our creation.” Kei said solemnly.
“I found… someone I think… that I love Kei, but how can I be with him, but never be happy?”
“Then… for us gods… companionship was never meant to be….” Daiki was about to protest, but Kei cut him off.
“I must go… Yuto is waking up.” Kei released his power on the water, letting it all fall and be absorbed by the earth below, and his split consciousness flew back together into his form at the Nakajima manor.
“Never meant to be….” Daiki whispered, staring at the trees, as they extended their branches in an effort to comfort him.
Back in the hot springs, Ryutaro woke up to find himself alone in the room and he quickly threw on his clothes and went to look for Daiki, finding in the locker where the other boy’s clothes should have been, a pile of leaves instead. He ran out through the spa’s main entrance and looked for his companion only to find the stillness of the night.
Somewhere in the winds the scent of a rose caught his nose, and he looked around trying to find the source.
He discovered much to his surprise, that despite being out of the water for so long, and the sweat from running around so much, his entire body smelled lightly of roses and no matter what he did, the light scent persisted….
“Daiki… where are you?”
---
Uwa sorry this chapter took so long! Its kinda hard to write a story like this that’s written in different parts every time, but this time I tried to make the story a bit more diverse and less uniform by letting each boy’s path in the world go on their own. Hopefully this wont be such a failure……
Again, let me know what you think! Comments are <3
~Emmie
Requested by: Everyone who took part in my poll
Title: Legend of the Gods - Part 3
Rating: PG
Genre: Romance, some fluff, some myth-y type aspects
Pairing: HSB X HS7
Summary: Remember that little poll I had a while ago? Well, I finally got around to making a quick story about it! I hope you like it
Notes: Stay tuned for the next chapter folks!
Part 1 Part 2
Chapter 3: The Branching Paths...
---Yabu---
After the events of the last night, Yabu resolved to keep his eyes alert for the smallest bit of trouble. He didn’t know just what would happen yet, but there was an unsinkable feeling of doubt deep in his stomach.
Still despite all this, Yabu managed to collect himself long enough to stroll around a few streets and take in the sights, though to me fair, he mainly wanted to observe some of the current fashions in the store windows. Having studied the at least a few dozen windows, Yabu smiled a bit as he walked though a small quiet alley, and after a few scanning sweeps to make sure no one was watching, Yabu let his clothes burst into pure sunlight again as they swarmed around his body, playfully teasing him before they resettled against him in the form of a grey polo with what he understood to be “This year’s hottest pair of jeans”, and a simple but elegant pair of tennis shoes. Taking a look at himself in the small glass window of the nearby shop, he frowned a bit, something seemed off…..
“Ah!” Yabu grinned as he snapped his fingers and his shirt shone brightly as the light turned from grey to a bright cheery red. The god nodded happily as he strolled out of the alley and towards the set to find the boy who had so entranced him the night before.
“Ah! You again….” Yabu recognized the voice as that of the director who had so loudly called him out the first time they met.
“Hello…” Yabu said politely as he walked towards the entrance to the area
“Ahh… so long as you don't mess up my shoot… we’re fine…. First the set’s not done, then he gets sick…. Now ugh today!” The director grumbled as he rode off in his small golf cart.
“Arrogant….” Yabu growled again as he pointed his finger at the back tire and grinned
“Bang.”
Just in that moment a small needle of light pulsed forward and slammed into the tire, puncturing it, making the driver stop and the director jump out, cursing his bad luck.
“Heheh..” Yabu chuckled as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and walked through the entrance gate.
“Yabu-Kun!”
“Ryosuke….” Yabu smiled gently, walking towards him.
“Jya…. I’ll try to speed this up as much as possible, then for the rest of the day, I’m yours!” Yamada grinned broadly, turning and dashing to the camerafront again.
Surprisingly, the next four hours seemed to pass in an instant as Yabu sat watching the interesting boy act his way through even the most complex of scenes. He did get a shock through when the lady who he surmised was his “teacher” punched him so he could receive a “vision.”
“Yabu? I’m done for today… sorry it took so long….” Ryosuke bowed shyly, watching carefully as Yabu shook his head and stood up again.
“Well…. Where should we go now?”
“Let’s go….. out for a walk!”
“Un, sounds fine with me.” The two boys grinned as they took off down the street, aimlessly walking in a random direction. Though to be honest, it didn't really matter to either of them.
“Wow…. That’s amazing! I cant believe you’ve been to so many places!” Ryosuke exclaimed as they laughed happily.
“Hm… where….. are we?” Yabu asked, feeling a strange but familiar place nearby.
“It seems… like we’re in a small neighborhood..Y-Yabu?” The boy asked, noticing the way the other boy began to walk in a hurry.
“Yabu! What’s wrong?”
“There’s…. something here…” Yabu walked through a small yard and through a small gateway that lead to…”
“A temple?”
“Welcome…. We don't usually have many young people here…” An old lady hobbled over to them on her cane. She wore the robes of a priestess and gently extended her hand to greet them.
“What… is this place?” Yabu asked
“This…. is a shrine to the gods of the ancient religion… we don't have many worshippers, but those who do come…. Their devotion is true…” The woman smiled as she opened the door to the main hall and Yabu froze.
“Wow…. Who is that!?” Ryosuke asked eagerly, hopping beside Yabu to stare at the large ornate statue that sat before them.
“That… little one, is the god of light, the king of the gods in the ancient religion. Would you believe me, if I told you, legend says that he was only… about your friend’s age when he sacrificed him self to become a god?”
“W-Why? What do you mean sacrificed?” Ryosuke asked innocently, genuinely interested now.
“You see child, many many ages ago, during the time of the legend, it was said that the gods were cruel, merciless and resentful of humans. They caused so much suffering, until five brave boys gave up parts of themselves to become gods and save all of humanity. Our god of light, gave up his sense of…”
“Fear…” Yabu and the lady said simultaneously, though his felt more remorseful than instructional.
“Yes dear, do you know the story?”
“The gods then fought for rule over the world…. And many lives were lost… some say the god’s sacrifices were noble, but unbearable….” Yabu said quietly, recalling the terrible war that replayed in his head.
“That’s… incredible….” Ryosuke sounded in awe.
“The god of light is usually the person that we pray to, when it seems our lives are getting too dark, when we feel we don't have the strength to carry on. It’s said that his bravery would empower you do to even the most difficult of things…” The lady smiled as she lit incense and bowed to the statue.
“Jya… I want to pray too then…” Ryosuke smiled as he took one of the incense sticks and lit it while Yabu stared in awe of himself. He could remember people here worshiping him, and he remembered all the prayers that would come to him. He heard the yearnings of their hearts, the very deepest of desires. He heard so many lovers, asking for the courage to confess, so many pleadings for the light to shine on their lives and make things easier. Now he turned to see Ryosuke kneeling on the ground upon the soft pillow set out, his head bowed low and the incense before him. He closed his eyes and heard the boy’s prayer deep within his heart.
I wish for the strength to live my life the way I want. I wish for the darkness in my life to become clear so I can see my path in this world, and…I wish for the bravery to tell someone I like being with him.
Yabu’s eyes opened, surprised at the last wish the boy uttered.
“Yabu… did you pray?” Ryosuke asked, running beside him and holding his arm as if he were a little kid.
“Y-Yeah…” Yabu nodded
“Hey… you kinda look like him…” The younger boy said, studying carefully the face of the statue.
“W-What a coincidence…..” Yabu tried his best to play it off, hurriedly dragging Ryosuke off.
“Come back again soon child!” The old lady called
“What’s wrong Yabu?”
“N-Nothing…” The older boy shook his head, still a little flustered with what he had heard.
“Well… we could always continue on our walk…. “ Ryosuke said suddenly.
Without another word the two set off again, Yabu a little more distracted than before…
“Hm… how about dinner?”
“W-What?” Yabu stumbled
“Let’s go to dinner…. “
“O-Okay…” Yabu nodded when the boy turned around to think of places to go.
In a way, Yabu loved this side of himself. In all the many years, he had never grown so conscious and afraid. Now he found himself worrying about what to say, what to do, or how to act. Being able to feel something like this, made him feel….. almost human again…
---Takaki---
“Takaki-kun!” Chinen called happily, skipping to the side of the road before running full-on into the god.
“I’m happy you came..” He said with a grin as Yuya looked incredulously at him.
“Only because you demanded it before you would finish your training…”
“Well… why is my training so important to you? Maybe… you want to spend time with me too….” Chinen nodded, making Yuya scoff
“Because… the weak will always need protectors, and I want them to know that they can become strong themselves.” The god said sternly, making Yuri frown.
“Couldn’t have just said yes… or even maybe… could you?” He said as he sighed and held out his hand.
“Let’s go to dinner then…”
Yuya took the hand, though he had to admit at the moment he was a bit more perplexed with what seemed to be… disappointment on the boy’s face. What more did he want from him?
The shorter boy led the way to a nearby shack hidden in the corner of the road. He grinned as he waved to the man who was now busy setting out a sign for the night’s specials.
“Oi Yuri-kun… you’re here again are you?” The elderly man nodded to Yuya and made his way into the shop.
“Masaki-San has been the owner and chef of this shop for almost 30 years, before that he was one of the champion martial artists that competed for Japan!” Chinen hopped as Yuya sat down gently into one of the wooden seats.
“Yuri-Chan…. You’re back again! Your usual?” An elderly lady asked, even though she already knew the answer and was busy writing it down on the small pad in her hands
“And you dear?” She looked at Yuya and smiled.
“I… will have whatever it is that is the house specialty.” He said a little hesitantly as Chinen began nodding his approval vigorously.
“Then the same as Yuri-Chan here!” The lady smiled, ending her writing with a firm tap of her pen.
The air was silent and uneasy as Chinen tried to think of a conversation starter and Yuya tried to think of a way to avoid such a thing. As far as he was concerned, Chinen simply needed to be…. Stronger.
“Yuya? Er… Takaki-kun, do you…. Come from far away? I realized I don't know much about you.”
“Why would you need anything about me?”
“Because… I… I want us to be friends..” Yuya could sense the uncertainty behind the words and he was a bit taken aback.
But before any more words could be exchanged, the lady appeared beside them, holding in her hands two of the biggest plates of gyoza he had ever seen.
“These are from the batch we made just 15 minutes ago!” She beamed with pride, setting the plates down.
“Itadakimasu!” The petite boy pipped happily, breaking apart his chopsticks and remorselessly dug in.
Awkwardly, the god who hadn’t eaten anything for eons, picked up his chopsticks and cautiously picked up one of the dumplings….
With dinner out of the way, the two boys sat at the small bench just outside the shop, feeling the calm winds waft over them. Yuri stared ahead, looking into the shop and watching as the elderly couple began putting everything up for the night.
“Takaki-kun, is there… still nothing that you want to tell me about yourself?”
Silence followed
“If you don't tell m-“
“If I don’t tell you you’ll what?” Yuya challenged, making the little boy hesitate.
“I…”
“You’ll refuse to do anymore training? Again? Isn’t that a bit childish?” He said rather harshly and he noticed the way Chinen appeared crestfallen and even if just for a moment, he felt something twinge within him. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything else, though he couldn’t figure out why.
Sighing, Yuya leaned back on the bench, folding his arms and staring at the boy’s back.
“Fine, I’ll make a deal with you, for every training session you go through with me, I’ll let you ask me five questions…okay?” Yuya didn't know why he was dealing now, it was never part of his nature.
Chinen looked up from his twiddling fingers and nodded cheerfully, smiling as if he had won some semblance of a victory.
“Then I want to ask you one now… do you think…. If I asked you to come out and have dinner with me again, you’d say yes?”
“Are you asking?”
“I’m asking what would happen if I did….” Chinen said, perhaps a bit more confidently than Yuya was used to hearing.
“Then I suppose I would have to say yes, or else you’d just refuse training again.”
“Then…. Would you come out to dinner with me again?”
“Yes, and that’s two questions by the way…”
---Inoo---
The next day had been one of meditation for Kei, he spent the day deep in the waters, letting their soothing currents embrace him. Feeling the waters swirl around his arms and his body he felt calm and closed his eyes to explore the depths of his mind and the dream that had haunted him as of late.
“C-Come back… I’l wait… I’ll wait!”
Just as Kei approached the barrier in his mind, his entire body trembled and he jerked out of his trance, startling the waters that instantly jumped into a swirling protective bubble around him.
He heard the sounds of someone calling to him still, somewhere beyond the vast horizon. Sending his power into the waters, the small bubble that surrounded him glowed, lanterning the water. Only the stillness of the ocean greeted his sight….
“This is getting me no where…” The god sighed disappointedly, willing the water to send him to the beach shoreline. He noticed the amber streaks of sunlight as they dashed across the water and remembered this would be around the time Yuto would be playing. Somewhere deep within his spirit he felt a flutter, and he clutched his chest, worrying for a moment if he was losing his ability to hold his body together.
Kei reached the surface but just before he allowed himself to walk up, he touched the bubble, turning the sphere instantly into ice and with another snap of his fingers, the globe shattered. Shimmering crystals of ice surrounded him, washing his clothes into a soft powder white shirt and a pair of lightly blue tinted jeans. With their job done, the crystals gave their master one final circle before dissipating back into their liquid forms and melding into the endless ocean.
Kei walked ashore, feeling the sands under his feet, he frowned a bit at realizing he had forgotten to create shoes for himself. The tides that gathered around his feet seemed to hear his worries as they crashed forward and covered his bare feet, leaving a pair of white sandals in their wake. Silently he thanked them as he strode forward onto the shoreline and the water in his clothes evaporated into thin air.
Hearing the commotion at the small stand, Kei walked towards where he was sure Yuto would be.
“Wow! Whooo!”
“Go go go!”
“Woooo! Go Yuto!”
Kei heard the crowd cheering as he approached. Quietly he swam his way through the gathering to the center, where a lone boy sat amongst his drums, his eyes closed and head bobbing to the sounds his hands were making. For a few moments, Kei closed his eyes too. He felt the beats of the drums strike his body, vibrating his entire being, and at the same time, his mind cleared as a single vision presented itself.
He was on the beach somewhere…. Somewhere long ago and in his hand he held something, It was something important… something he couldn’t remember… someone called his name, the same figure from his visions, and just as he turned to see who it was, his dream vanished.
“Kei?” Yuto asked, gently laying his hand on the god’s shoulder, shaking him gently.
“Yuto… “
“Are you okay? Everyone left when I finished, and you were kinda just… staring into space and wouldn't talk to me…”
“Sorry… I must have… had my mind on something…”
“Well… today I made enough for us to go out a bit if you wanna come…” Yuto grinned, pulling the money he had collected from his cap.
“You should save the money, in case you need it…. “ Kei said thoughtfully.
“Well… I do need to eat… and I do need company…” The taller boy’s grin widened still.
“What?” Kei didn't understand what he meant…
“So… you should come be my company while I eat…”
For a moment, Kei considered the words, why was he so insistent…?
“Very well.. but…. only at the place we went to yesterday, the okonomiyaki store.” He replied, thinking the small restaurant would be best if Yuto were to save any money…
“That’s fine with me.” The boy nodded eagerly, setting his drums into the small shack that housed them.
“These are the store owner’s son’s drums…” Yuto explained, noticing the look on Kei’s face.
“One day… when I save enough…. I’ll buy my own… until then though… the owner of this shop, is letting me use his son’s, in exchange, I help attract customers to the store…” Yuto said, locking the doors.
“I see….”
After a few minutes of walking, and Yuto occasionally poking Kei to make sure the boy was still “alive” as he put it, the pair arrived at the small restaurant and sat down to two of the largest okonomiyaki they had ever seen.
“He’s feeling generous today…” The younger brother grinned, setting down the plates while Yuto waved to the brother that was busy cooking.
“So… Kei, what have you been doing all day?”
“Meditating.”
“Meditating…? Like… you just sit there…. And think of stuff?”
“I try… but it doesn’t always work.”
“You don't ever get bored?”
“Why?”
“Well.. I mean… it’s just sitting there… and thinking… or whatever… doesn’t it get boring? Don’t you just want to… go out play some music… run around?”
“Knowledge is a great thing to have Yuto, why would it be boring?”
“Er… never… mind…” Yuto nodded, taking a big bite and chewing slowly. Kei looked a bit perplexed, everything that had happened since he met Yuto confused him, he didn’t understand what the boy was saying, much less the boy himself…
Somewhere through dinner, a woman came in, dressed in a fine black pantsuit and stared around the restaurant.
“Yuto? Yuto where are you?”
“M-Mom?” Yuto stood up as the lady walked over and gave Kei a disapproving glare.
“Yuto, you are to come home right now. Raiya’s very sick, and we’re not… entirely sure what’s going to happen…” She said in a hushed voice.
“R-Raiya!?” Kei could sense the panic in Yuto’s voice, and he stood up to join Yuto, placing his hand awkwardly on his shoulder.
“Kei… my-my little brother…”
“I know…”
“Your friend can come too if that will make you feel better, but, you must come home to see him..” The lady said rather sternly to her son.
The ride into the city was quiet as the lady sat in the front of the car, and the two boys in the back. Kei thought it was a bit strange how the pair never talked to each other. The only communication in the car, was the small pleading looks Yuto would give him. Though, Kei didn't understand what Yuto wanted, he offered his hand like he had observed between couples. Just as he observed, this seemed to bring comfort to Yuto, and Kei could relax.
Ornate gates guarded a small mansion in the city, and as the car approached the door opened and the small four-door slipped in.
As soon as the car stopped, Yuto got out and ran to the door, quickly opening it with a key he seemingly produced from thin air, and Kei followed. They went up a small spiral staircase, and through the hallway to the right into a large room centered with a small bed, and an even smaller boy laying on top.
“Nii-Chan…” The figure called, reaching out for Yuto’s hand and Kei felt Yuto’s clutch loosen from his and the boy dashed forward. For some reason Kei stared at his hand, it was still a little red from where Yuto had gripped his hand so hard, but it tingled now… wanting the touch to come back..
“Nii-Chan…” Kei turned his attention to the brothers now.
“Raiya, how did this happen?”
“We… went… on a trip.. and I got a cut… the doctors say it’s some kind of infect-in…”
“infection?” Yuto finished as the boy on the bed sneezed and coughed loudly and squinted his eyes in pain.
“We don't know what’s causing it… none of the anti-biotics are working… we may… have caught it too late… whatever virus it is… it’s doing too much damage to his nervous system.” Another voice chimed in, and the two turned to see a man in a doctor’s coat.
“There’s nothing more we can do…” The man said grimly and Yuto’s head fell and the man left.
“Nii-Chan… it’s okay… I’ll get better…. I just…” Raiya yawned, and excused himself, saying he had gotten some “groggy medicine” from the doctor.
Kei walked forward, but before he could say anything Yuto grabbed hold of him and embraced him.
“Yuto?”
“Kei.. my little brother… is dying… How… how can this happen?” The taller boy’s breath trembled as he spoke, his tears on the verge of breaking free.
“Yuto…” Kei’s voice changed from confusion to pity as he sat down on the bed one arm around Yuto as he felt the boy cry tears into his shirt. With the other arm though, he sighed as he ran it over Raiya’s body, feeling the boy’s blood come alive and react. He could feel something wrong inside and his face grew serious.
“Yuto… you should get some sleep… when Raiya wakes up tomorrow, you should be fully rested so you can spend time with him… okay?” Kei said softly, with more compassion than he had shown in the last hundred years alone. Yuto nodded, and the two boys walked to Yuto’s room.
Letting Yuto lay down on the bed, Kei pulled the blanket over him and went to turn off the light, noticing along the way the awards strewn around the boy’s room.
“Academic excellance… Advanced achievement award… “ He read as he walked towards the light switch, and grinned. Yuto was a very.. gifted mind…
“Yuto?” Kei was about to ask if he would like to have the lights dimmed rather than off, but when he turned, the boy was already asleep…
Now with no one around, Kei walked through the house back to Raiya’s room and quietly let himself in. Gathering some of the moisture in the air, he forced them to harden and freeze over the door, sealing it shut from the inside.
He approached the bed now and ran his hands over the boy’s body now, gathering drops of water from the air and solidifying it in his hands. A swirling layer of water appeared soon after, as the air grew more and more dry. Kei watched as his hand turned a clear crystal and pulled the center of the suspended whirlpool into Raiya’s body. Instantly the whirlpool turned crimson red and Kei poured his concentration into searching the small hurricane.
Moments later, bits of water gathered at the center of the vortex and the whirlpool vanished, leaving only the watery, swirling globe behind.
“Shuichi…” Kei called, summoning his servant, and the boy appeared as a torrent of water splashed onto the floor and vanished, leaving only the boy in imperial clad armor in its place.
“It is time to heal this boy… I have already cleansed the blood….” Kei nodded to the globe that hung in mid-air.
“Kei-sama…” The boy nodded as he ran his hand over Raiya’s body and his hands began to glimmer. Kei stepped in, taking a deep breath, and extending his hands. A thin layer of water encircled the small boy’s body and a gentle glow appeared as the water slowly rushed into the form, slowly regenerating the blood, and healing the damage to the boy’s lungs and throat. The water swirled in such intricate patterns as Kei guided it through the body as if it were a thread, repairing even the smallest damaged nerves, his position as the healer god wasn’t for show….
“It is always amazing how fast you are… Lord Inoo…” Shuichi remarked as he grabbed hold of the globe with what he perceived to be millions of virus impurities inside and twisted his hand, freezing everything inside.
Bowing lowly, the boy turned into water again and disappeared from the room, taking the globe with him and Kei sighed, looking at Raiya who seemed perfectly content and asleep now.
Kei left the room now, releasing his frozen lock on the door and walked back to Yuto’s room…
At least he would live now…
---Hikaru---
“Keiiiiito!” Hikaru happily jumped up to the boy who stood beside him at the bench.
“Whoa…. You’re still just a spirited aren’t you?” Keito chuckled
“I was waiting!” The god said happily, still jumping.
“Okay okay! C’mon, let’s go!”
Keito took the other boy’s hand and together they ran towards the edge of the field and towards the large ferris wheel in the distance. Naturally, hearing the screams of the many customers on the roller coaster, Hikaru grinned devilishly, pointing to it as Keito shook his head vigorously.
“That… could be… too much for me…” Keito said quietly, as Hikaru frowned.
“But it’ll be fun! All the air rushing through your hair… feeling so free….” Hikaru sounded almost dreamy as he spoke and it seem that he would not relent.
“I’ll….. go on the next one….” Keito turned to walk away but was caught by Hikaru’s arm.
“How about that one then?” The younger boy looked to see the ride that had caught Hikaru’s attention now.
“The ferris wheel?”
“Yeah! Let’s go!” Hikaru yanked Keito along before he could protest.
The open air basket let in the gusts of winds that, although were powerful, proved no real threat to the hanging pods in which Hikaru and Keito sat together.
“Uwa… it’s so high…” Keito was breathless from the sheer height.
“It’s so much fun up here!” Hikaru hopped slightly in his seat, imagining himself coursing through the air. The winds waved to him as they swirled around in the clouds and whispered of the fun things the sky had to offer.
“You know, sometimes I wish I could fly…. Haha, but… I cant get over… eh… heights…” Keito chuckled nervously, and Hikaru noticed the way his hand gripped the hold tightly.
Grinning, an idea began to form in his head, and he knew… tonight would be the night to carry it out.
The entire day passed in the blink of an eye, with Cotton candy, three prepared bento boxes, and one hair-raising roller coaster ride… Keito was exhausted.
“Ne… Hikaru… don't… you ever get tired?”
“Nope!”
“But… how… you didn't even eat anything all day..” The boy whined as he sat down to catch his breath, screaming so much on the rides had taken such a toll on him.
“Are you okay?” The wind god sat down beside him, tilting his head slightly.
“Just… a little… cold… and… shaken…” Keito smiled awkwardly, trying to steady his trembling hands.
“Let me see…” The god took Keito’s hands into his own, and feeling their coldness, he gathered the warm winds within his body and sent them in a small brushing stream that wrapped around the English boy’s hands and curled up his arms before surrounding his body and covering him in a cocoon of warmth.
“W-Wow….” Keito closed his eyes, feeling the entire warmth spread through his body, he felt…. So relaxed here, the cool night air mixed with this strange warmth and it seemed… so perfect.
After a few minutes, the Hikaru retracted his winds back into his body and smiled as Keito opened his eyes and gazed at him.
“H-Hikaru… the wind-“
“Ah! It’s so late… I don't want to keep you out too late…” The god jumped up from his seat before Keito could finish his thought.
As soon as they had said their goodbyes for the night, Hikaru waited until Keito was out of view before he let himself dissolve into the night air again and followed the boy home.
He waited until he noticed the light in Keito’s room turned off, and he grinned, making preparations with the currents around him.
“Keito….” Hikaru carried his voice on the currents that wafted through the boy’s room.
“W-Who..?” A groggy Keito sat up to see what looked to be a thousand silken threads of wind winding into the form of a body in his room.
“W-What?!?” He panicked now, as the threads coiled up and Hikaru’s body appeared before him.
“H-Hikaru!?”
“Come with me Keito…” Hikaru said calmly.
“A-Am I dreaming? You just… a-and then you….but.. winds?!” The stuttered words seemed to convey his confusion exactly.
“Come with me Keito… and together… we can fly…” Hikaru extended his hand.
“I… have got to be dreaming…right?” Keito repeated, trying to get back to bed, and Hikaru frowned, streaming two gusts to blow the blankets off the boy’s body.
Hikaru didn't wait anymore, and he rushed forward, grabbing Keito’s hand and pulling him out the window and jumping out into the air, sending a pulse of air back to propel them forward.
“AHHHHH!” Keito screamed as Hikaru’s currents began to wrap around him. The two boys arced through the air, diving down towards the pavement below.
“AHHHH!!!!” Keito’s screams grew louder as Hikaru told his winds to lift now, and the two barely grazed the street below. The winds howled against Keito’s ears as they swam around him, carrying him and their patron god into the air above.
“H-H-Hikaru… w-what’s happening!?”
“You always wanted to fly right? Well… tonight… it’s time. You’ll be safe… with me… I promise.” The god grinned with a playfulness only a thousand years of carelessness could bring. Dashing through the air, they soared across the ocean, leaving a mist in their wake; they ran across meadows, feeling the gentle brushes of the blown dandelions swim eagerly behind them.
“Keito… you can relax….” Hikaru repeated calmly, and while the younger boy had slowly been coming out of his shell, his grasp on his companion’s arm loosened a bit, as he tested his stability.
“i-I’m flying?! It… It feels so real! It’s… its incredible!” Keito said as he almost let go of Hikaru’s hand and felt himself drifting away to the side.
“Yes….. You’re flying!” The god giggled as he let the part of his arm Keito clung to, turn to air again, and the boy gasped as Hikaru left him and vanished into a stream of swirling green and blue tinted winds. He curled across Keito’s body, clothing him in his body of air and smiled as he pulled Keito through the night sky and up above the clouds.
“Ahhhh!” The boy screamed at the top of his lungs as he streamed through the cold night air. He had never felt so alive, and so thrilled at the same time. Feeling as if he were weightless, Keito gathered the courage to jump and backflip through the night sky, and he laughed as he learned to control the currents with a now re-solidified Hikaru beside him.
Night quickly passed and Hikaru smiled as he cocooned his winds around a groggy but still happy Keito and pulled him back to the small house he had taken him from. Sending his winds into the room, he pulled the covers off the bed and gently set his now-sleeping friend onto the bed.
“Sweet dreams….. Keito…” Hikaru whispered as he turned back into his sparkling wind form and swept the room, remembering his first visit, and his first night with Keito like this….
Shutting the window behind him… Hikaru left for the light, feeling happier than he had been many a century.
---Arioka---
Daiki had spent the greater part of his day walking through the small forest on the edge of the city. He loved conversing with the ageless trees and playing with the small flowers that seemed to jump out at him with every turn he took.
He frowned when he saw a small budding tree dying of thirst and gently bent down to the ground, placing his hand on the branch, the god coursed his power through the plant, nursing it and causing it to grow larger and larger, joining its neighbor in the unknown maze above. His job done, Daiki grinned happily amongst his plants as they thanked him for joining them.
Still, he wanted to see Ryutaro, and reluctantly, he told the plants that he would have to leave now. Quietly Daiki strolled through the city dressed in his new soft green t-shirt the trees created for him from their leaves, and a pair of shorts that seemed to match his shirt almost perfectly.
He appeared at the small shop that he and Ryutaro and visited, and waited awkwardly around, watching the people pass him. They would nod to him and he would bow in return, but all these interactions seemed to be so superficial to him…
“Oiii! Dai-chann!” Daiki looked in the direction of the voice to find Ryutaro charging towards him, happily wrapping his arms around him
“Sorry I’m late… did you wait long?” Ryutaro asked worriedly, while Daiki shook his head.
“Where are we headed to today?” Daiki wondered aloud and Ryutaro grinned
“Well.. the park that we were supposed to go to…. seems to be undergoing some maintenance, so… I got us some reservations at the botanical garden onsen!” Ryutaro looked particularly proud with this statement.
“Onsen?”
“Y-Yeah! I love onsens… its nice to go there with someone… or with your friends…. And enjoy yourself!” The boy said cheerfully, plucking Daiki’s hand from his side and tugging for him to follow.
“C’mon! We can look at the flowers and plants while in the onsen.”
“Onsen…” Daiki sounded reluctant still, but let himself be dragged forward.
“Oh! That flower! It only blooms once a year! And-And this tree! They say that the bark is almost as sweet as sugar because of the sap!” Ryutaro jumped around the garden, gazing at the plants.
“Grow….” Daiki whispered to the small rose bushel in the small corner of one area, he smiled when the plant, hearing his call, awoke and sprung to life, blooming its petals into vibrant red flowers.
“Dai-Chan… what are you looking a- whoa! Those roses!”
Truth be told, Daiki was slightly amused by the boy’s zeal in observing plants, and he sometimes wondered what it was that Ryutaro saw. Where as he saw the budding growing lives that would reach out to him, Ryutaro saw only art, beauties in its simplest, natural form…
“C’mon Dai-Chan… let’s go to the onsen. If I stay here too long, I may end up putting down roots myself….” Ryutaro chuckled at his own joke and Daiki could only follow, still not sure what to say.
The two boys changed into the small robes provided by the garden spa and walked carefully over wet and slippery stones and wooden planks to the small spring in the room they had been given.
“This particular room is called the rose room.” Ryutaro explained as the smell of fresh roses washed over them.
Daiki smiled to all the roses who seemed almost to bloom in anticipation of his touch.
“Each room is filled with a different flower…” The younger boy continued, shedding his robe and gently testing the waters with his toes.
“Ryutaro… do you like roses?” Daiki asked, gently brushing one of the blossoms and making it glow a soft red.
“I love them…but…. are you coming in?” The god turned to see the boy already deep in the soft white waters.
“Sorry..”
“It’s okay… you should come in now though! The minerals in the water are better for your skin the longer you stay in!” Ryutaro eagerly nodded and Daiki quickly followed his advice.
Ryutaro stared for a moment, in awe as Daiki’s robe slipped off his frame and the roses seemed to donate their petals in an effort to hide Daiki’s body.
“Thank you… but it’s okay…” Daiki whispered and the petals dashed away on invisible winds and into the water, scenting the air even more.
The warm water teased Daiki’s body, warming him to his very core, and he sighed as he settled against the wall of the spring and Ryutaro plopped down excitedly next to him.
“Isnt this beautiful?” The boy asked excitedly, gazing at the roses that outlined the soft sky when they looked up.
“It is…” Daiki nodded softly, he stared at the moon and sighed in relief. It had been quite a while since he or his fellow gods had taken anything remotely like a “vacation”. This….. was a rare chance indeed. Somehow though, he had a feeling that this wouldn’t have been as enjoyable if Ryutaro wasn't beside him. A few minutes of light conversation later, Ryutaro yawned but despite his best efforts to stay awake, Daiki felt the boy’s hand land on his own and the boy’s head leaned against his shoulder.
“If you’re tired, don't come to a hot spring…. You wont be able to enjoy it.” Daiki lectured quietly, though he couldn't bring himself to wake the boy. Instead he reached out to one of the nearby roses that promply plucked itself from its stem and floated to his hand.
“Ryutaro… this rose is for you… even if you don't know it, you are the only mortal I’ve ever really felt this way about. The things that I gave up so long ago, I felt now with you… but I can’t stay with you… “ Daiki sighed, and he looked at the rose with a soft despair and watched as it turned to a soft ethereal blossom. He pushed it into Ryutaro’s chest, and smiled as the boy’s entire body glowed red for a moment, before it vanished and Ryutaro’s smile grew wider in his dream.
Quietly, Daiki brought the boy up from the waters and laid him down upon one of the nearby chairs. Feeling his time here was up, Daiki turned to sand and let himself dissolve away through the rosebushes and out into the world again.
He resolidified himself near the small campground where he had first encountered Ryutaro and touched the ground gingerly. As he did, the images the earth remembered flew into his mind and he smiled peacefully.
Walking to the nearby river, he reached across the gods’ shared power and whispered to his friends.
“Kei, I need you…”
and as he opened his eyes the waters of the river began to gather and swirl upwards, as the watery outline of Kei’s form appeared to him.
“Daiki…” The watery figure spoke softly, his voice garbled by the flowing current.
“Kei… you gave up love to be a god… you gave up companionship… was it… something you regret doing?” Daiki sat down on the ground and watched as the watery figure sighed and walked onto the surface, his body turning to flesh again as he set foot on the earth.
“What brought this about?”
“I felt joy again… today… I felt it, and it was… something so wonderful… but…”
“But… if you regain what you gave to be a god… you’ll lose your powers…. “ Kei finished and Daiki nodded.
For a brief moment, the two gods sat silence and Kei sighed before turning to his friend.
“I… regret giving up love… as we all regret giving up any part of ourselves. But it had to be done… and it’s our job now… to guard our creation.” Kei said solemnly.
“I found… someone I think… that I love Kei, but how can I be with him, but never be happy?”
“Then… for us gods… companionship was never meant to be….” Daiki was about to protest, but Kei cut him off.
“I must go… Yuto is waking up.” Kei released his power on the water, letting it all fall and be absorbed by the earth below, and his split consciousness flew back together into his form at the Nakajima manor.
“Never meant to be….” Daiki whispered, staring at the trees, as they extended their branches in an effort to comfort him.
Back in the hot springs, Ryutaro woke up to find himself alone in the room and he quickly threw on his clothes and went to look for Daiki, finding in the locker where the other boy’s clothes should have been, a pile of leaves instead. He ran out through the spa’s main entrance and looked for his companion only to find the stillness of the night.
Somewhere in the winds the scent of a rose caught his nose, and he looked around trying to find the source.
He discovered much to his surprise, that despite being out of the water for so long, and the sweat from running around so much, his entire body smelled lightly of roses and no matter what he did, the light scent persisted….
“Daiki… where are you?”
---
Uwa sorry this chapter took so long! Its kinda hard to write a story like this that’s written in different parts every time, but this time I tried to make the story a bit more diverse and less uniform by letting each boy’s path in the world go on their own. Hopefully this wont be such a failure……
Again, let me know what you think! Comments are <3
~Emmie