Work Text:
It amused him how mortals always had a new problem. First, it seemed that his husband had decided to finally leave his kingdom of the dead to wander the earth. Naofumi didn't particularly care about the news his precious bats had brought to him that night as they fluttered into his window when his hopes of him leaving his world to come look for him proved to be in vain. L'Arc had cut out his heart, leaving him cruel and merciless to the mortals he was once a king to. Though it angered him greatly that his husband had done something idiotic and foolish, there wasn't much he could truly do in the state he was in now. He simply stayed in the small hut he confined himself to for all the centuries he'd been turned, gaining full control over the swamp lands he made into his home and protecting the people that lived within the trees for their faith and worship in return. His life had been remotely peaceful, becoming a doctor and medicine man to the inhabitants of the swamp as well as a soothsayer of sorts. The locals all knew of his power, of the way he kept them all safe from the plagues that began to affect the earth and hidden away with his magic from the wars that were beginning to rise up. Then his bats returned one night with dreaded news; it seemed that a scheming noblewoman had killed the queen of the eastern kingdom with the help of her spies and double agents, using the fallen woman's power and armies to begin scourging the lands in search of the legendary chest that held his husband's still-beating immortal heart. Under the veil of night, Naofumi had sent only the villagers he trusted the most, along with his bats, to steal the body of the dead queen. She was a vital piece in stopping the new queen from doing something incredibly stupid, after all. Because of this chaos, a number of kingdoms began to either align themselves with her so as to save themselves, or form alliances to stay strong and keep their army away. And then one particular kingdom that was stationed very far away from them had decided to send their local hero to try and find others to form an alliance to counter the wicked queen and defeat her once and for all.
Naofumi had hoped the balance would shift enough for the gods to interfere, but a silent whisper through the winds told him they had given up on the world long ago. Fitoria knew a lot of what was happening in the world as Goddess of the winds, and the only other deity he allowed into his swamp. Her whispers left his heart heavy, making him dread the war the wicked queen had set upon the world. He had also begun to lose hope, deciding to use his power to protect the people living in his swamp until one of the locals had knocked on his door one night. It seemed the local hero from the far away kingdom had found himself a group, and they had needed his counsel. How they knew about him was a mystery for another day, but he had welcomed them into his home and purposely forgot to warn them about his bats until one had decided to swoop down and almost hit the hero with long, blond hair. Despite the disgusted look the hero with a bow had as he stared at a jar of eyes and the way the dark haired hero seemed to jump at every creak his floorboards made, Naofumi had offered them predictions of future events, a few potions of health, and even a jar of what he called "living dirt." It was living in the way that it was packed with nutrients, held a few seeds of grass, and moist with water. Best part about the jar? Should they ever need to hide something from someone who was very attuned with death(cough cough, his husband), the living dirt would conceal it completely from their sixth sense. He never stated what the heroes would need it for, but a few teases and manipulation on his part had made the blond hero named Motoyasu rather attached to the big jar. He sent them on their way afterwards, going back to mixing things into his cauldron to try and resurrect the old queen.
The heroes' adventures had several ups and downs, according to his beloved bats, like the time the sword-wielding hero Ren had died from distracting a dragon long enough to let the others escape, finding out the new queen had found his husband's heart and was now using his army to ravage the world, and introducing the remaining heroes to the resurrected fallen queen to help them navigate to the ends of the earth to bring back their friend. The heroes were beginning to bring hope to the world that had seemed lost in despair. And though the heroes did indeed worship the sun god whose followers imprisoned him so long ago, Naofumi held no ill will towards them... Until Glass had revealed his true lineage to them despite his warnings not to. She had been foolishly optimistic, hoping the trust the group had all gained with each other would pull them closer in hopes of helping Naofumi be free and defeating the queen that had begun to lay waste to the world. Instead he was taken away and imprisoned on a ship while Glass was locked in her room while they began to sail towards the warrior queen's old kingdom. He supposed he couldn't blame them; after all, he had sided against their god when the civil war happened, but at this point they should've been able to trust him easily enough.
With a heavy sigh and a scowl on his face, Naofumi, adjusted the fur-lined cloak he wore over his simple clothing and fished out a locket he had left alone for so long. It was as big as the palm of his hand, heavy from the silver and the machinery inside that transformed it from a simple locket into a music box. He had made it as a gift a long time ago, in the infancy of his romance with the god of the dead. He undid the latch to the heart-shaped box, slowly opening it as the walls of his cell began to echo the beautifully haunting melody it started to play. He didn't care if anyone else could hear it; the memories the music began to pull out from his mind were too bittersweet to ignore. He curled up on himself as he leaned against the wall, remembering the way he was swung around in L'Arc's arms in the grotto the God of Death had built for him in his kingdom, and how he commanded ivy and morning glories to grow along the pillars to shield themselves from possible curious eyes as they professed their love. Naofumi idly watched the gears turning in the box, closing the lid as the melody ended too soon for his liking. With a huff, his green eyes stared at the intricate designs etched along the silver and the inscription on the bottom that he chose to ignore. The sudden chiming of its long-lost companion tore him away from his musings, and Naofumi narrowed his eyes as he sat up and glared into the darkness of the room. He rose himself to his feet, mud-stained boots echoing on the wooden floors as he approached the bars of his cell. Beyond the darkness played the melody made to accompany his locket, the matching locket held by a bloody, clawed hand. The figure slowly stepped into the light as the music continued to play, and Naofumi couldn't help the small smile on his face despite the other's ghastly appearance.
"My love... You've come for me?" He purred quietly, eyes never leaving the figure even as he was revealed. The beast in front of him was lupine in nature, though its red fur did little to hide the old blood staining his fur and armor, and his face seemed as though the skin and muscle were torn off and left only the skull exposed, There were no eyes; only red glowing lights in the pitch-black sockets as thin, fleshy tendrils seemed to be the only think connecting the top skull to the bottom, furry jaw. His ears were intact, though one side had a sizable tear through it. But Naofumi never truly cared for outward appearances, even if they were cursed. The monster let out a low growl, red lights boring into his emerald eyes.
"You were expecting me..." The monster stated, voice a mixture of what he could only assume was anger and amusement. But the former god didn't back down.
"It's been torture, trapped in this mortal form..." Naofumi huffed, tightening his grip on the bars. "Cut off from the forests and plains... The orchards and the jungles and the grasslands that I've spread around the world... From all that I love..." He sighed, looking down for a moment before meeting the beast's eyes again. "From you." He whispered, which earned him a scoff in return.
"Two thousand years... Two thousand years I devoted myself to the title you nominated me for..." He grumbled, clawed feet scratching the floors as he began to pace around the cage. "Two thousand years I look after the mortals that die on land and sea, in wars and in wheat fields... Two thousand years I love you with all that I have as your king and husband..." He continued, looming closer to his cell. "And when the civil war happens, I demand that you do one thing and you refuse to do it." He growled, baring his lower fangs at the former god. "I had never demanded anything from you before; yet you turned your back on me and left me. And when you go missing, you never once try to look for the other gods to try and change you back so you can return to me!" The god snarled, and for a moment Naofumi worried someone may have heard them. Instead, no one came, and the God of Death snapped his locket closed before glaring at him. "Why didn't you obey me?" He whispered harshly as he pocketed the locket away. Naofumi merely stared at him for a moment before his lips curled into a smirk.
"... Two thousand years and you forgot that it's my nature...?" The former god teased lightly, smirk growing wider as the beast growled again. "Would you love me if I was anything but what I am; a free-thinker, a rebel, a god who refused to be bound to someone's rule?" He challenged, smirk falling as the monster turned away sharply.
"I don't love you..." He snarled, a growl rumbling low in his chest as he took a few steps forward. Naofumi narrowed his eyes, releasing the bars as he followed him along.
"You were many things, L'Arc Berg; but you were never cruel or merciless." He stated, locking his green eyes with the red lights when the beast turned to look at him again. "You've corrupted your purpose, the task you've been given, and as such you've corrupted yourself..." He growled accusingly, reaching a hand out through the bars. "And you hid away what should've always been mine." He added, placing his hand flat against the beast's chest. Almost instantly, the red fur and the monstrous visage melted away, and Naofumi found himself staring back at the shocked look of the redheaded man he had married so long ago. L'Arc panted shakily, almost afraid of himself as he cast his eyes down towards his body. Naofumi couldn't help the small purr that left his lips as the other's strong, calloused hands reached through the bars and cupped his face. He leaned into the touch, placing a small kiss on L'Arc's thumb when it traced his lip. He reached up, caressing the side of his husband's face as he gave him a small smile.
"... Melanthe..." L'Arc whispered almost desperately, reaching further to run his fingers into the other's hair. Naofumi's smile fell at the mention of the name given to him as a god, pulling away slightly at the other's touch.
"I will be free... And when I am, I would give you my heart. And we would be together always..." He muttered, tracing his hand down along the redhead's arm before resting it on his wrist. He pulled away and let go, watching as the man's visage morphed back into the hideous beast. "If only you had a heart to give me..." He muttered, letting out a grunt when those dangerous claws suddenly reached forward and squeezed his throat. Naofumi narrowed his eyes, staring up at the monster his husband had become as those claws dug into his skin. "Tell me; why did you come here?" He questioned, shaking him off when L'Arc released his hold. He got a growl in response at first, as the beast reached for him as he backed away. With a huff, the god morphed through the bars in a sick display he could only describe as flesh and blood melting around the bars before reforming themselves into his persona. Naofumi stared up at his husband, keeping his eyes on him even as the beast scoffed.
"And what plan do you have for your captors?" L'Arc asked, a hint of dark amusement in his voice. Naofumi glared at him, turning away.
"Who? The fallen Queen and the Warriors Three? Depends on their next course of action..." He stated, crossing his arms as he began to pace. "But should they choose the wrong option, the last thing they'll all learn in this life is how cruel I can really be, and why the legends always warned to appeal to me when I resided in the land of the dead with you..." He snarled, returning his focus to his husband when the beast began to walk away. "And what of you, L'Arc Berg? What of your fate?" He challenged back, gazing up into those dangerous red lights when they looked at him again. But they were different this time; the light was much softer.
"My heart will always belong to you..." The monster whispered, and for a brief moment, Naofumi felt something bloom in his chest that hadn't stirred since the god had proposed to him. He watched the god as he left, morphing through the bars like before and disappearing into the shadows. Once he found himself alone, the former god dropping himself on the small cot in his cell and cried.
Bonus:
Despite his anger over being locked up and then tied up when Glass and the others brought him out and led him to an old temple, he couldn't help but feel rather relieved that they had chosen the right option and freed him from his mortal coils with the help of the Church of the Sun. Before he had disappeared in a hurricane of flowers and rain, Naofumi screamed as his skin became littered in runes long dead to human knowledge.
"Across the land that cries and the earth stained with your people's blood, find the path to those who have wronged me and my love!"
His words had been both a command and an incantation, commanding the weather and the earth as the group and their newly-recruited army marched towards L'Arc and his army of the Undead. The beast looked up into the sky as the sun was quickly blocked out, and his ears perked up as he heard the approaching army shivering and complaining about the sudden cold. Immediately, several flurries of snow began to fall. His army was confused; they had broken the formation in lieu of looking up at the sky, as though they were awaiting orders from another power; another deity that reigned over them as well. The ground was soon covered in white, and L'Arc shivered as the snowstorm grew stronger.
"... Melanthe...?"