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Chapter Text

The air was cool with a gentle breeze, which grew stronger as the goddess of the sun and the god of the moon flew through the town.

It wasn't unusual for Maya and Zatz to be in the mortal realm during this time. After all, they had to raise the sun and set the moon. But tonight was different. They had taken some time to go through the town they saw almost every day to search for something. Or, more accurately, someone.

Two people, in fact.

The lovers had been flying for a few minutes before reaching the house they had been told to go to, the perks of being in a small town, they supposed.

"Is this the place?" Zatz asked, looking at the house before them.

Maya examined the house with her arms crossed, "This is where Candle Maker said to go."

Zatz was about to start flying again when Maya groaned in frustration, "I still can't believe no one told us about this!"

Zatz took her hand in his, "I know, mi amor. But, hey, at least we know now, right?"

"I guess." Maya took a deep breath and smiled, "Come on. We can't keep the sun and moon waiting for too long."

They both levitated around the house, looking through the windows for the couple they were looking for.

It wasn't until Zatz found an open window to a bedroom, "Maya! Over here!"

Maya made her way over to the window where Zatz was and looked at what he was seeing.

The room was dark, except for the moonlight. In the darkness, they could faintly see the couple in question in bed in the middle of the room.

Maya and Zatz looked at each other before going inside towards the sleeping couple.

Manolo Sanchez and Maria Posada. Or, well, Sanchez, now.

The newlyweds were curled up together under the covers, clinging to each other as though they never wanted to let the other go.

Zatz and Maya slowly made their way to them and sat on opposite sides of the couple on the bed.

"So..." Maya said, a chuckle escaping her lips, "They're our other halves."

"Right under our noses the whole time." Zatz replied.

The two gods were familiar with the mortal pair in front of them. In fact, they were supportive of their love, but they didn't pay too much attention to them.

Yet they felt drawn to the mortals for some reason.

Now they understood why.

"You know, it's funny when you think about it." Zatz said, "They loved each other in one life..."

"...Only to find each other again in another." Maya finished with a smile, "What are the odds?"

"That's how much I love you, Maya. It moves through lifetimes to be with you."

Maya blushed at the words of her husband. He always knew what to say to make her heart melt.

"They're good together, no?"

"Of course they are." Maya said, "It's us." Her comment made Zatz chuckle.

Maya's eyes drifted back to the open window as an idea crept up on her.

She got up from the bed and made her way to the window.

Zatz has been with his wife long enough to know from the way she walked that she was up to something, "What are you doing?"

"Just having a little fun. Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt them." She grabbed the handle of the window and closed it as hard as she could, with a loud bang.

The noise woke the couple up with a start, both of them sitting up, looking around the room frantically.

Remembering the state the newlyweds were in, Maya and Zatz looked away from them, blushing slightly.

"What was that?" Maria asked, her eyes wide.

"I don't know." Manolo replied, just as panicked as she was, "Wasn't that window open?"

They turned to the window where Maya was, and saw the window closed.

"Oh, was I not supposed to?" Maya said jokingly, knowing they couldn't hear her, "Just thought it was a little drafty."

They tried to remember if it was open or not, though they couldn't since that was something they didn't bother paying attention to.

After a minute, Manolo sighed, "It was probably nothing." He laid both of them back down, pulling the blanket back over them, warmth cocooning them once again.

Hearing the bed creak with movement, Maya and Zatz looked back at them. Maya walked back over and sat in her previous spot.

Manolo stared up at the dark ceiling, thoughts running through his mind of yesterday's events. He was both overjoyed and heartbroken at once.

He triumphed over death and married the love of his life, but also lost what was left of the family that raised him, a grief he told himself to feel in the morning, wanting to spend time with his new wife.

He almost never thought he'd see the day where he'd be laying with Maria like this, and here he was. However, a part of him was guilty that he chose death in order to be with her again, only to almost lose her all over again.

Manolo had told Maria of the circumstances of his death some time when they were alone during the reception, knowing keeping the secret would eat him alive forever. Maria's anger boiled over, earning him a good yelling for a bit, until she calmed down. She made him promise not to do anything so reckless again, something he swore on his regiven life.

Maria felt Manolo hold her tighter, telling her that something was wrong. She pushed herself up slightly to look at her husband's face, "Manolo, are you ok?"

"Maria... I'm sorry." He whispered, "About everything."

Maria sighed, having heard these words a few times now, "Manolo-"

"I wasn't thinking. I thought I wasn't gonna see you again, I know that doesn't excuse anything. Believe me, if I could take it all back-"

He was silenced by Maria lightly pressing her lips to his. When she broke the kiss, she pressed their foreheads together before leaning back to better look at his face slightly.

"Hey." She whispered, running a hand through his loose hair, "I forgive you. And I wouldn't trade it all for the world. I'm just glad you're here, ok. And remember that. That there's always someone who loves you. Ok?"

Manolo looked into his wife's large brown eyes and smiled, "I promise."

Maria smiled and pressed a kiss to both his cheeks and finally his lips again.

"At least it's good to know none of this was a dream."

Both of them chuckled as Maria snuggled into Manolo, her head laying on his chest as Manolo wrapped his arms around her.

"Manolo?" She whispered.

"Hm?"

"Can you sing to me?"

"Of course."

Ten minutes ago I saw you

You looked up as I came through the door

My head started reeling

You gave me the feeling, the room had no ceiling or floor

Ten minutes ago I met you, and we murmured our how do you dos

I wanted to ring out the bells

And fling out my arms, and to sing out

The news

I have found her, she's an angel

With the dust of the stars in her eyes

We are dancing

We are flying

And she's taking me back to the skies

In the arms of my love, I'm flying

Over mountains, and meadow and glen

And I like it so well, and for all I can tell, I may never come down again

I may never come down to earth again

As he sang, he held her closer, one hand in her hair, the other soothingly circling her bare back.

He felt Maria relax and snuggle further into him, "I love you." She whispered.

Those words swelled his heart as he planted a kiss on her head, "I love you, too." He whispered back.

They closed their eyes again to wake up at a more reasonable hour, snuggled close together relishing in the feeling of skin and warmth.

Seeing this interaction lit up Maya and Zatz. They've only known love so strong within each other, and seeing it within the mortal lovers before them further confirmed they contained part of their souls.

"They really are us." Zatz said.

"Yep." Maya smiled, "I hope they have a good life together. Especially after all they've been through. Or, we've been through."

"Of course they will." Zatz chuckled, "It's worth it after all that trouble." He leaned over the couple and placed a hand on his wife's stomach, "And hey, they'll have their own family, too, before long."

Maya smiled and squeezed his hand lovingly.

They turned their attention back to the couple.

Maya placed a hand on Maria's shoulder, "Believe me, all the trouble is worth it."

Zatz placed his hand on Manolo's head, "Be good to each other."

The divine beings got up from the bed to go back to their duties raising and setting the sun and moon.

"Come on, we've gotta go back to work." Zatz said.

"And later give Chaska a piece of my mind." Maya added venomously.

Right as the two left, Manolo and Maria briefly woke again, this time to voices.

Manolo heard a plethora of voices whisper "Zatz..." He looked around the room at the name. When he saw nothing, he went back to sleep.

Maria woke to voices saying "Maya..." She woke up blinking, confused. She didn't dwell on it too long and fell asleep.

The two lovers were none the wiser about the gods in the room.

Chapter Text

Maya was in what could only be described as a dark void, floating in emptiness.

The next thing she knew, she felt a soft surface beneath her.

She could feel again.

Maya slowly opened her eyes and brought her hands up to her face.

She had hands. Two of them.

Even eagle claw was whole again next to her.

They looked perfectly fine, as did the rest of her, she noted as she sat up. She looked around and saw she was lying on a pile of layed out blankets, the room was small and empty, dimly lit by a few candles.

As she looked around, she saw something in the corner of her eye that made her do a double-take. Across the room from her was a figure laying on another pile of blankets, in dark armor with silver white hair. Her heart stopped as she gasped, tears brimming her eyes.

"Zatz."

Maya ran to Zatz, who was still unconscious. She slowly reached her hand out to him and ran her hand along his armor and then his face, as though one wrong move would make him disappear.

But she could feel him. He was there in front of her. Breathing.

A million more questions ran through Maya's mind, but she chose to push them aside for now.

She held his face in her hands as tears fell from her eyes, "Zatz." She shook him gently, "Can you hear me?" A tear that fell from her eyes landed on his face.

Maya turned her head to the sound of a door opening. Peaking through the doorway was a tall, pale goddess dressed in red, with long black hair, the open door letting in more light.

"Oh, you're awake, finally." The goddess said entering the room.

Maya's eyes widened at the deity before her. From her last encounter with the gods, she didn't know what to expect from them. For all she knew, the goddess before her had more twisted intentions than Mictlan.

As the goddess came closer, Maya's face hardened, holding Zatz close into the crook of her neck, afraid he was about to be taken from her again. Her other hand reached toward eagle claw, should the worse happen.

"Easy, my dear." The goddess said, "You've been through much already."

"Who are you?" Maya said, still holding Zatz.

"I'll explain, but let me wake him up first." She knelt beside Maya, and held out her hand, holding a marigold petal. Maya reluctantly let go of Zatz enough so that he was in the goddess' view.

The strange goddess placed her hand with the petal on Zatz's forehead. After a moment, she removed her hand. Maya watched Zatz for any sign of life.

Zatz slowly opened his eye, smiling weakly when he saw her, "Maya?" He whispered.

Maya had never been so grateful to see his red eye, "Yes. It's me. I'm here." She threw herself around him in a tight hug, crying tears of joy into his neck. He sat up and held her back, just as emotional as she was.

They both had a million questions running through their minds, but for the time, they didn't care. All that mattered was that they were both alive and they were never letting each other go.

When they pulled back, they looked into each other's tear filled eyes lovingly and shared a soft passionate kiss.

It wasn't until they pulled away that Zatz asked, "Where are we?"

"I can answer that." The goddess said.

Maya and Zatz turned to her, eager for answers.

"I am La Muerte. A goddess of death and ruler of the Land of the Remembered."

"Goddess of death?" Maya said, "But Lady Micte was-"

"There are many of us. Also, Micte was my sister."

Maya's brows furrowed before realization hit, "So... you're my aunt?"

"Yes, Maya. I'm you're Tia." La Muerte smiled warmly as she continued, "You were both rewarded for your bravery and sacrifice. You didn't think you were actually transformed into the sun and moon, did you?"

Maya and Zatz looked at each other then back at La Muerte, "Well... yes. That's what happened." Zatz said.

"No. You're now the goddess of the sun and god of the moon. You now have ranks among the gods, new powers and responsibilities. More will be explained along the way, but right now, we should introduce you to some of the others."

La Muerte helped them both up and led them to the doorway, opening the door all the way.

Zatz and Maya flinched at the sudden brightness, but quickly adjusted to the light.

In front of them were three other deities. A golden wax one with a cloud beard, a tar one with wings, and a tall pale woman with gray wolf ears and tail with a large gray wolf at her side. The same goddess seemed to look at them with confusion and shock.

"Chaska?" Zatz asked with wide eyes.

"You know her?" Maya asked.

"Yeah, but I haven't seen her for a while. I guess you could say she helped raise me."

"Maya, Zatz," La Muerte said, "This is Xibalba, ruler of the Land of the Forgotten, the Candle Maker, he's in charge of balance, and Chaska, goddess of wolves."

Xibalba simply bowed his head in acknowledgement. Candle Maker waved, "Hey, y'all. Gods of the sun and moon. I don't think you could ask for a better promotion."

"Your bravery will forever be recognized in all the realms." Xibalba added, "And I must personally thank you for ending my brother's tyranny."

Maya and Zatz's jaws dropped, "He was your brother?!"

Xibalba rolled his eyes, "Everytime."

Chaska made her way to Maya and Zatz, "You clearly have much to tell me about."

"Hola, Chaska." Zatz smiled.

Chaska smiled back at him as she pulled him into a warm embrace.

Zatz felt a nudge against his leg. When he looked down, he saw the wolf Chaska's wolf looking up at him with icy blue eyes.

"It's good to see you, too, Estrella." He stroked the large dog's head.

Chaska turned her attention to Maya, "So, this is princess Maya."

"Yes, my lady." Maya said, bowing her head.

Chaska placed a hand on Maya's shoulder, "The things you've been through at your age one must never encounter so young." Chaska pulled her into a hug, which Maya awkwardly accepted.

She pulled away and turned to Zatz, "I'm sorry about your father."

Zatz nodded solemnly, "He's with mama, now. I know you and him were close."

"What happened?" Maya asked.

"Camazotz was like a brother to me." Chaska said, "I had to do something when I heard of his demise, I had been hiding from Mictlan for far too long. Vucuub and I attacked to buy you all some more time. I was injured." She touched a faint scar on her stomach that ran from her ribs to her hip, "I saw his eyes ripped from his skull."

Maya and Zatz looked at her with sympathy. Even while she didn't participate in the battle, there's no denying that even the gods went through loss. La Muerte lost her sister, after all.

"I'm sorry." Maya said.

"Thank you, my child."

"Allright." La Muerte chimed in, "You two should rest. We'll talk more in the morning. You have much to learn."

They both nodded and followed La Muerte after waving goodbye to everyone else.

"This is gonna take some getting used to." Maya said.

"Yeah." Zatz said, taking her hand, "We'll manage. We've been through worse, my princess."

Maya smiled at her love. At least they weren't doing this alone.

Back in the room they were just in, Chaska was talking with Estrella, "You noticed it too, right?"

Estrella yipped in response and nodded.

"Good." She began to pace the floor as she thought, "I know the scent of a demigod. Zatz no longer has his mortal half, and while I don't know Maya's scent, there's no doubt it happened to her, too."

Estrella snarled as he had a confused look on his face.

"You think I don't know that? Of course I know they're full gods now. But it still raises the question; what happened to their mortal souls?"

Estrella said nothing but tilted his head.

"There's a good chance that they've been reincarnated. One day, we'll have to search for them in the mortal realm. No one can know about this."

Estrella nodded as they went back home.

She just had to know where their souls were.

Chapter Text

It had been four months since the wedding, and Manolo and Maria were practically already settled into their new married lives.

The General had been insistent on the newlyweds living with him. Truth be told, when they had been first offered, the two of them had desperately wanted to decline, but it seemed as though the General had a counter argument for every excuse they had thrown at him. Having nowhere else to go, they reluctantly agreed.

The experience had been difficult to say the very least. Their patience has been pushed to the very limit on some occasions.

Manolo and Maria had delayed their honeymoon for a number of reasons; the town needed to be rebuilt, Manolo needed time to grieve his family, and Maria wanted to take time to settle into her town having been away from it for so long.

After a while and some convincing from Joaquin, they had decided to go on a proper honeymoon to the capital city.

It was late afternoon, the sun beginning to set into the sky.

Maria had just dropped off the last of their luggage in the living room and was sitting on the sofa reading a book. Joaquin had asked to talk to Manolo, so she stayed home to bring their things down so they could go to the train station.

Maria got up from the sofa when she remembered to write a note to her father about how to take care of Chuy. She made sure to not leave out a single detail of how to look out for him. She knew her father wasn't much of an animal person, which is why Joaquin will be helping him.

When she was done writing, she felt a dull pain around her eyes.

It went away almost as instantly as it came, so she thought nothing of it. That is, until the pain came back, sharper and stronger, almost unbearable.

Maria cried out in pain and closed her eyes tightly, her hands rubbing her temples, staggering backwards into a wall.

She heard the voice of an older woman say, "Princess Maya will be the sun!", while seeing flashes of what looked like an ancient kingdom, three warriors dressed in jaguar armor, and a woman with a large scorpion hairstyle with a large man with a metal eagle claw in place of his missing hand. The images went by too quickly to focus on, gone before she could grasp them.

The pain and voice went away instantly.

Maria opened her eyes, panting. She looked down at the floor in wild confusion, "Princess Maya?"

"Maria!"

The next thing she knew, she saw her husband rush to her side, "Are you ok? What happened?"

Maria looked up at him, not sure how to answer, "I... I don't know. I felt pain and I thought I heard..."

Manolo looked down at her and his eyes went wide, "You're bleeding."

She looked down and noticed her arm was cut by a sword that rested on a mantle on her father's wall.

"How did I not feel that?"

"Come on. Let's get you patched up."

Manolo led her to the large bathroom in the house. She sat down near the sink as Manolo found the first aid kit. He sat by her and used a damp cloth to wipe away the blood. He used another cloth to dab rubbing alcohol on the cut to disinfect it, his wife sucking air through her teeth at the sting of the alcohol. He finished up by wrapping a bandage around her cut. The cut didn't seem bad enough to need stitches, so the bandage would be fine.

As Manolo wrapped her arm, Maria asked, "How do you know how to treat wounds like this?"

Manolo's lips tugged upwards as he said, "Not every bullfighting injury needed a trip to the doctor."

Maria's eyes grew wide in shock at the implication of her husband's statement, remembering when he talked about some of his scars. Her shock didn't last long as she smiled back at him. She thought his training seemed to have also benefited her husband in one way or another, no matter how negatively they both thought of the profession.

"So, what did Joaquin want to talk to you about?" She asked as Manolo put away the kit.

"Oh, he offered to let us move in with him."

"What?"

Manolo shrugged, "I thought the same thing. I didn't say we would, I needed to talk to you about it first."

"Well... I mean, that's very generous of him, but I don't want us to intrude."

"I thought so, too. He said there was plenty of room. And given our current situation... that doesn't sound like a bad idea."

She agreed with her husband on that. She loved her father, but even she understood how difficult he was.

"We'll think about it."

Manolo nodded and gestured to her arm as he sat back beside her, "So, what happened?"

Maria pressed her lips together, trying to think about an answer. Finally, she said, "I... just had a bad migraine. It was probably nothing, I'll be fine."

Maria wishes she could give him more, but she didn't even know how to explain what happened to herself. For the time being, that was the answer she was gonna give to herself.

"Are you sure?"

Maria took his hand in hers and smiled and nodded.

Manolo smiled back at his wife as he gingerly cupped her chin and gave her a soft kiss.

"Come on. We should head to the train."

Maria got up and walked with Manolo downstairs to leave.

She kept telling herself that it was just a migraine that she experienced. Sure, she's never had a migraine before, but images flashing in your mind and hearing voices were normal for a migraine.

Right?

Maria pushed the thought away. All she wanted was to enjoy her long earned, awaited honeymoon with her husband.

And thankfully, she didn't have another migraine.

Yet.

Back in the realm of the gods, La Muerte, Xibalba, and Candle Maker were having dinner in La Muerte's castle.

Just then, they saw the doors open to see Chaska and Estrella walk in, the goddess looking quite tired.

"Ah, welcome back, Chaska." Candle Maker said, "How was your trip?"

"I'd hardly call living in nature as a wild animal for months a 'trip.'" Xibalba said.

"It's just to get more in touch with her powers." La Muerte said.

"Thank you, La Muerte." Chaska said as she took a seat, Estrella curled at her feet. She picked up a chicken leg and ripped a bite of meat off with her teeth, "It's healthy to relish in your powers now and again. I just choose to do so more often."

Xibalba glared at the goddess before taking a sip from his cup.

"Oh, Balby." La Muerte laughed at her husband's reaction.

"Wow." Chaska said, "A surprisingly peaceful moment. When will it be ruined?"

Right behind her, the door was kicked open by Maya, "Chaska!"

"There it is."

Zatz was right behind his wife as she marched up to Chaska and turned her around in her seat.

"Good to see you again, Maya. Zatz." She greeted the two gods, ignoring the livid looks on their faces. Chaska looked down and noticed Maya's baby bump, "Oh, my dear. You're expecting. Congratulations. How far along are you?"

"Four months. But that's not the point!" Maya snapped, "You lied to us!"

Zatz placed a hand on his wife's shoulder as he stood by her, "Take it easy." He turned his attention to Chaska, "How could you not tell us about our reincarnated halves?"

"Their what?!" Xibalba and La Muerte snapped.

"Yeah." Maya said, "Which he knows." She pointed at Candle Maker.

"Hey, don't drag me into this." He said putting his hands up in defense.

"You told them?" Chaska pointed her spear at him.

"I-Uh. Yeah."

"You mean, we made a bet on reincarnated lovers in a past life?" Xibalba asked, connecting the dots, "I never had a chance!"

La Muerte merely laughed harder at her husband's expense.

"Regardless, you remember very clearly that the other gods weren't going to carry with that idea." Xibalba said, "If they found out-"

"What? I'm not breaking any rules and neither is he." Chaska said pointing to Candle Maker.

"Again. Don't bring me into this." Candle Maker muttered.

"You would've done the same."

"Indeed." La Muerte said.

Xibalba was about to say something else before La Muerte cut him off, "We would."

"Uh, that's great and all, but, um... What about us?!" Maya snapped.

She felt her husband's hand on her shoulder, telling her to bring her anger back under control, "Mortal or not, they're our souls. Shouldn't we have a say in what happens to them?"

"Would you rather have not been reincarnated again?" Chaska asked.

"We didn't say that." Zatz said, "We just don't understand why you didn't tell us anything, we would've said yes."

"You were both still learning what it means to be a god. You had more important things to worry about than what was to become of your mortal halves."

"But they're our souls. That is something to worry about. We have a right to know."

"Did you ever intend on telling us?" Maya asked.

"Maybe. I'm not sorry."

Maya and Zatz were visibly frustrated at the goddess' stubbornness, but their anger had faded away at this point. At least now they knew about their other halves.

Chaska and Estrella got up to leave before Chaska paused and turned to Maya, "Oh, and by the way." She crouched down and sniffed Maya for a moment, "You're carrying twins. I'll let the genders be a surprise."

Maya and Zatz's hearts stopped as their eyes grew wide. This wasn't what they were expecting to find out during this confrontation.

Chaska left the room, leaving the two gods in shock. They then turned to each other, eyes and smiles wide.

"Well, that went well." Candle Maker said.

Chapter Text

To say Maria and Manolo weren't enjoying themselves on their honeymoon would be pure dishonesty.

The two became closer in the two weeks they had to themselves, even befriending another couple who've been married for a few years on vacation.

Looking back, they were glad to have taken Joaquin's advice. Had they not, they may not have had the chance to be alone to have the intimacy they wanted and needed.

It was their last night in the capital city. The couple had just seen a singer that was performing at the hotel they were staying in with their new friends, Rosa and Emilio. After the show, it was nearing midnight and the two couples had decided to retire for the night.

Rosa had asked Maria to stop by her and Emilio's room, wanting to give her a gift before parting ways. Manolo bid his goodbye to the couple and went up to his and Maria's room.

Manolo was in his pajamas sitting on the balcony floor of the hotel room, strumming his guitar, looking at the full moon in the starry sky.

Zatz and Maya were sitting on the roof just above him, listening to him playing. While they raise and set the sun and moon all over the world, they spend most of their time in their home land. It didn't feel right being away from it for too long.

Maya and Zatz have also found themselves watching over their mortal counterparts more than usual. It was interesting and heartwarming to see the bits and pieces that were themselves and parts that were the mortals' own.

Maya was sitting in between Zatz's legs, his arms wrapped around her with his hands on her large abdomen, creating a cozy space for his wife and unborn children.

She chuckled when she felt the babies move, "They like his music."

"He is good, isn't he?" Zatz said.

Maya turned to look at her husband with a mischievous grin, "You know, you could try-"

"Don't even think about it."

Maya playfully scrunched her face at him. They turned their attention back to the young man as he began to sing, the love, gentleness and passion can be heard in his voice.

Hello world, hope you're listening

Forgive me if I'm young or speaking out of turn

But there's someone I've been missing

I think that they could be the better half of me

They're in the wrong place tryin' to make it right

But I'm tired of justifying

So, I say to you

Come home, come home

'Cause I've been waiting for ya for so long, for so long

And right now there's a war between the vanities

But all I see is you and me

And the fight for you is all I've ever known

So come home

"That was beautiful."

Manolo jumped at the sudden sound of his wife's voice, plucking a few strings to make a distorted noise.

Maria laughed at her husband's reaction as she walked to join him outside, already in her nightgown.

"How long have you been standing there?" He asked, setting his guitar aside.

"Not long." Maria said, "I didn't want to disturb you playing, so I just snuck in."

Maria handed Manolo the small chocolate the hotel gave to newlywed guests as she ate hers.

Manolo blushed as he took the chocolate from her, "I still would've played for you either way." He put the chocolate in his mouth, letting the rich sweetness melt in his mouth.

"I can't interrupt such art, guitarrista." Maria scooted closer to Manolo, playfully walking her fingers along his shoulder, making him blush harder and smile bashfully as she kissed his cheek.

"What was it that Rosa gave you?" Manolo asked.

"This book is about an ancient legend of a battle between mortals and the gods." Maria said, handing him a small book, "She and Emilio have a copy. Said the story reminded her of us, so she bought us a copy."

From above, Maya and Zatz had their eyes wide and jaws dropped as they saw the cover of the book.

The cover had a simple illustration of a gold silhouette of a girl with bird wings embracing a silver silhouette of a man with bat wings.

"The Sun And The Moon."

The two gods were in tears at the sight of the beautiful irony. The story of the battle of the four kingdoms against Mictlan became legend in the mortal realm, but still maintains their loved ones in the Land of the Remembered. And now, seeing their counterparts learn about their story, their past life, was almost like an extra confirmation.

"Oh, Zatz." Maya said, choking out tears of joy.

Zatz held her closer and leaned his chin on her shoulder, "As if they couldn't get any more similar."

Manolo handed back the book to Maria, "Interesting, though I don't think I've heard this one before."

"Neither have I." Maria said.

"You lived it, idiots!" Maya shouted, Zatz laughing at his wife's comment.

Manolo and Maria looked up at the stars and the full moon.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Manolo said, looking at his wife with a smile.

Maria noticed and shoved him playfully, "Oh, you."

Maria climbed onto Manolo's lap, her voice dropping to a whisper, "You know, the night isn't over yet. And it is our last night away. How about we make the most of it?"

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Manolo replied, smirking.

"There's a room right behind you, you know." Zatz said, making Maya laugh.

"Well, we can start by finishing that song of yours." Maria said, moving to sit once again next to her husband.

"As you wish, mi amor." Manolo picked up his guitar once again and started playing, Maria singing the other half.

"I get lost in the beauty of everything I see

The world ain't half as bad as they paint it to be

If all the sons, all the daughters stop to take it in

Well, then, hopefully the hate subsides and the love can begin

It might start now, yeah

Or maybe I'm just dreaming out loud

But until then, come home, come home

'Cause I've been waiting for ya for so long, so long

And right now there's a war between the vanities

But all I see is you and me

And the fight for you is all I've ever known

Ever known

So come home, uhh"

Manolo and Maria locked eyes with each other as they started to sing together.

"Everything I can't be is everything you should be

And that's why I need you here

Everything I can't be

Is everything you should be

And that's why I need you here

So hear this now, come home, come home

'Cause I've been waiting for ya for so long, so long

And right now there's a war between the vanities

But all I see is you and me

And the fight for you is all I've ever known

Ever known

So come home

Come home, come home, come home

I've been waiting for you

Come home"

As the last chords were played, Manolo and Maria were staring into each other's eyes with love, lust, adoration, comfort, and peace.

Manolo set his guitar aside as the space between them closed, sealing themselves in a passionate kiss.

Maria climbed into his lap once more, looping her arms around his neck as Manolo picked her up and carried her back into their room, all during the kiss.

Maya and Zatz watched them with joy. It always warmed their hearts to see their mortal halves so happy.

"Is it just me, or does watching them make me fall in love with you even more?" Zatz asked, planting light kisses on Maya's cheek.

Maya giggled at the kisses and said, "Yeah, me too."

She turned to him and kissed him softly.

The kiss was broken when they both felt a kick from the twins.

Maya gasped as she and Zatz looked down at her stomach. It hasn't been long since the twins started moving and kicking, but it seemed to be as though their kids were quite active.

Maya and Zatz looked at each other and laughed as they stood up to go home.

They looked back at the balcony below them, hearing the laughter of the mortal couple from the open doors.

"They're gonna be just fine." Maya said before they disappeared in a flash.

Manolo and Maria fell asleep wrapped in the blankets and each other in peaceful intimacy, the night wrapped in love.

Chapter Text

A year has passed since the fateful battle of the four kingdoms against the god of war. Each kingdom has honored those who have passed and recounted the battle in the records, making sure they went down in history.

Rico and Chimi have been together since then, living in an area between Luna Island and the Jungle Lands. They would sometimes be summoned by the rulers of their respective kingdoms when they needed advising or a task done. They would often visit the King and Queen of Teca to see them and to see how Jaguar and Eagle were growing.

One night, during one of their visits to the Teca kingdom, Rico and Chimi were taking a walk in the nearby woods. It was a peaceful night with a clear sky, the bright moonlight shining down on them.

"You know, I'm pretty sure Eagle and Jaguar are gonna be a lot like their sister." Chimi said.

"That'll be a fun story to tell." Rico said, "When they're old enough, of course."

"Who says I'm not already telling them?"

"They're one."

"So?"

Rico was about to respond until Chimi held up her hand, telling him to be quiet. Something caught her eye, and it didn't take long for him to notice what she was looking at.

Standing on top of a tree was a tall woman. She seemed to be miles away from them, but Chimi could still see her. From what she could see in the moonlight, the woman had pale skin, long gray hair, darker gray wolf ears and tail holding a large spear.

It didn't look like the woman noticed them.

She tilted her head back and howled. It wasn't like when Chimi howled, that it was clearly a human. This woman's howl was eerily similar to a real wolf's.

After she howled, she seemed to be waiting for something. It wasn't until another distant howl was heard that the woman leapt down from the tree, disappearing into the forest.

"Who is that?" Rico asked.

"I don't know." Chimi said, "But there's something off about her. I can feel it."

She started to walk toward the direction they saw the woman.

"Chimi!" Rico said, "What are you doing?"

"What do you think? I'm just gonna make sure she's not up to anything. You go the other way, we'll cover more ground that way."

Before Rico could protest, Chimi was already gone into the forest.

Rico groaned and walked the other way. He didn't have Estefan with him at the moment, but he could still do magic just fine.

"Hey." He said to the trees, "Strange wolf lady." He didn't get a response, but he didn't know what else to do.

"We don't want any trouble, we just want to know what you're doing here. As long as you're not here to kill anyone, we'll just be on our way."

He froze at the sound of snarling.

When he turned around, he saw a pair of icy blue eyes staring back at him in the shadows. The creature walked into the moonlight, revealing itself to be a wolf.

It wasn't just the fact that a wolf was in front of him, snarling with its teeth bared. It was the unnatural largeness of the wolf that was the most terrifying. There was no doubt that this creature could rip him to shreds without blinking.

Were there even any wolves around this part of the woods? He's seen wolves around before, but never near the Teca kingdom.

Rico backed away slowly, but the wolf kept creeping closer.

"Uh..." He said as he put on a nervous smile, "Hey, boy. You from around here?"

The wolf snarled and pounced toward Rico. On instinct, Rico held out his hands and pushed the wolf away with peasant magic.

The wolf was pushed pretty far back, and was lying still. Rico stayed where he was for a second before slowly making his way to the wolf.

"Y-You're not dead, are you?"

He reached his hand out towards the wolf's face. Before he could even touch the creature, the wolf's eye snapped open and snarled loudly, making Rico jump back screaming and run in the opposite direction.

Rico kept running through the woods, not caring where he was going, he just wanted to get away from the freakishly large wolf.

He looked over his shoulder and saw the wolf was following him, not close, but it wouldn't take long for him to catch up.

Using peasant magic again, he pushed the wolf away, buying him more time.

At this point, he was running so fast that he almost didn't notice he ran past Chimi when he hid behind a tree to catch his breath.

Chimi noticed Rico was panicking and must've been being chased, "Rico, Rico. What's going on?"

"HE'S GONNA EAT ME!" Rico freaked out.

"Huh?"

Chimi looked past him and noticed the very large, snarling wolf sprinting towards them.

"Whoa!" She took out her bow, which she always carried with her, ready to fire an arrow, "Geez! Why do I always have to save your- AHHHH!!"

Before she let go of the arrow, she was kicked to the side.

"Chimi!" Rico was about to help her, but the wolf tackled him to the ground, pinning his arms to the ground, snarling close to his face. The wolf was too strong to be pushed off, leaving Rico helpless.

Chimi got up, bow in hand, seeing the woman she saw in the trees.

The woman charged at her with her spear, snarling, revealing sharp wolf-like teeth.

Chimi dodged the woman's attack, firing some arrows at her, which the woman also dodged.

The two engaged in a small fight. It was clear the woman was a skilled warrior who was no stranger to the battle field, dodging every advance Chimi threw at her. For every growl and snarl the woman made, Chimi made her own, still shocked by how much the woman's noises resembled an animal, more specifically a wolf.

The fight ended with the woman knocking Chimi's bow away from her reach. She pushed Chimi on the ground with her foot and pointed her spear at Chimi's face, growling softly.

Chimi could see the woman in more detail. She had ice blue eyes, similar to the wolf holding down Rico. The woman's face paint was a simple black stripe along her face, underneath it was a pale blue line with a spike on both her cheeks, resembling wolf fangs.

She was waiting for the woman to do something, but then the woman's face became curious. She then started to sniff the air around Chimi, lowering her spear and getting closer to her.

Chimi didn't find what the woman was doing unusual as she often did this when meeting other animals or new people.

When the woman was about an inch away from her face, she inhaled deeply, and her eyes grew wide in shock.

"You're the archer."

"What?" Chimi asked.

The woman backed away from Chimi, "Are you not the skull archer who fought alongside the Teca Eagle Warrior and the Prince of Bats?"

"Yes. And that's the Rooster Wizard who fought alongside us." Chimi pointed to Rico, who was still pinned down by the large wolf, cowering as the wolf snarled in his face.

The woman looked at the wolf and said, "Did you know this?"

The wolf stopped snarling and turned to the woman with a smug expression. The wolf was just as expressive as Chiapa.

The woman groaned and rolled her eyes as she turned back to Chimi, "My deepest apologies. I was merely protecting my friend." She turned back to the wolf, "Estrella. Let him go."

The wolf, or Estrella according to the woman, rolled his eyes and got off Rico.

"Ha!" Rico laughed, "That's your name? And you're a dude?"

Estrella snapped his jaws at Rico and snarled loudly, making Rico yelp, "I take that back, that's a beautiful name."

"I must apologize for his behavior. He apparently just wanted to mess around with you, despite knowing who you are."

"Do you mind telling us who you are?" Chimi said.

"I am Chaska, the goddess of wolves. I'm here to find the mortal souls of Maya and Zatz."

"W-What are you talking about?" Rico asked.

"Maya and Zatz are demigods. Their deity halves are the sun and moon, but their mortal souls are nowhere to be seen. The only explanation is that they've been reincarnated somewhere. I've had wolves all over the world search for them, but so far we've had no progress. This is the last place we haven't searched and so far, still nothing."

Chimi and Rico were silent at what was revealed. They've heard of the concept of reincarnation, but they didn't think it was possible until now.

"Do you... How do you know they've been reincarnated?" Chimi asked.

"It was the first thing I thought of. I just have to know where their souls went. After what you all went through, they deserve this much."

"How are they?" Rico asked.

"They're doing well." Chaska smiled, "They miss you, you know. And your loved ones are very happy in the Land of the Remembered. And I promise you, even if it's not in your lifetime, their mortal souls will walk the earth again."

Chimi and Rico smiled and nodded, "Thank you."

"Anytime." Chaska and Estrella turned to the moon and howled, Chimi joining them after a second, and then Rico awkwardly joining in.

Before they left, Chaska said to Rico and Chimi, "Also, you may see them again sooner than you think. Good luck."

"Thanks." Chimi said, slightly confused at the last remark, "Good luck with your search."

Chaska nodded and grinned until the two disappeared in the forest.

"We've searched everywhere for them and we've had no sign of their souls." She said to Estrella.

Estrella snarled softly with a hardened face.

"You think so?"

Estrella nodded.

"That could be a possibility. We're gonna have to talk to Candle Maker."

Back in the realm of gods, Zatz was looking up at the night sky on the balcony of the temple he and Maya called home, wearing simple black garments, lost in his thoughts.

He and Maya just returned from visiting her brothers. Being related to a goddess of death had its advantages, one of them being that she can see her lost loved ones again. While Zatz and her brothers got along quite well, he still had this looming guilt whenever they spoke to him.

Maya then joined him on the balcony, "You know, I'm pretty sure Xibalba has a thing for La Muerte."

"You noticed it too?" Zatz asked without looking at her.

"Of course. It's so obvious."

She noticed that Zatz seemed to be distracted, "Hey, are you ok?"

"Your brothers... I'm not sure they think too highly of me."

"What are you talking about? They love you."

"I wouldn't be so sure after our first impression."

"Hey, first impressions can be wrong. I mean, look at us." She nudged his shoulder with laughter in her tone. When Zatz didn't laugh or smile, she knew this was really eating away at him.

"You were right. It all started with me. They'd still be alive - none of it would've happened if it wasn't for me."

Maya was silent as he spoke. When her brothers died, a part of her once blamed Zatz, but now she held no anger towards him at all and she knew her brothers felt the same. She had no idea her love felt this way.

"You're talking as though you were the one who personally killed them." She said,

"I might as well be." He said looking down, "Believe me, I hated all of it. I had no choice but to follow Mictlan's orders at the time, or else he would've taken something else from my body."

Maya turned to him when he said that, knowing he was referring to his eye, which he almost never mentioned. She wanted to ask him about it, but she knew now wasn't the time.

"If I had the choice, I would've met you completely differently. Part of me felt responsible for what happened to your brothers, which is part of the reason why I gave you their weapons. That and it was just the honorable thing to do."

Maya smiled when he mentioned honor. Even now, honor is still a high priority to him.

"I'm sorry."

Maya smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his waist, "I forgave you a long time ago. And yeah, I did blame you back then, but now I understand what you were going through. You were under the watch of a murderous tyrant, you were forced to do it. The fact that you just said you'd rather us have met differently says you didn't want to.

I saw there was a softer side to you when you gave me their weapons. I started to fall for you at that point, but you know, I wasn't going to admit that back then. I never understood why you gave me their weapons or why you were helping me at all. But you showed your true self to me, you've earned my trust. And anything you've done, or think you did, I will never hold against you. I'm also sorry for the things I said to you, I didn't mean it. I mean, I did at the time, but I was angry. Not anymore."

Zatz looked down at her with a surprised expression. He wasn't expecting this when he told her his thoughts. He couldn't say he was too surprised, though. Maya always made sure he was ok, even for the mildest things.

"I deserved it at the time." He said as he held her closer, "I didn't think much of you until I gave you their weapons. Like I said, me and my father were planning on sacrificing you at the time. But then, I saw you, so ready to protect your father. I knew you were different, that you were special, that you were also my equal. I wanted you to succeed in your mission, that's why I helped you."

Maya could feel herself blush as he spoke. Before she could stop herself, she asked, "What did you notice in me?"

"You were courageous. Loyal. Beautiful."

She blushed harder. Why does he have to talk like this all the time?

"What about you?" He asked.

"I did think you were handsome." She said quietly, "I noticed how much of a fighter you were. And I knew you were a man of your word."

Zatz smiled and buried his face in her hair.

"Maya?"

"Yeah?" She asked.

He pulled away from their embrace and got on one knee, "Will you marry me?"

Maya looked at him with wide eyes as joy overflowed her heart. She smiled as tears filled her eyes, "Yes."

Zatz laughed, tears brimming his eye as he got up and lifted her up in a tight embrace.

They laughed together as tears of joy streamed down their faces. While they were fated to spend eternity together, they would now do so as husband and wife.

Chapter Text

It was dark.

He could hear her voice calling out to him. He knew she was in trouble.

He couldn't move. Something was holding him tightly to the ground, almost squeezing the life out of him.

Suddenly, he heard a familiar sound making his blood run cold.

A hiss.

In a flash of movement, the jaws of the snake lunged toward his face with a loud hiss.

Manolo bolted awake, sitting up in his bed. His hair was sticking to his sweaty neck and he felt his heart pounding in his chest as he tried to catch his breath.

He took a moment to take in his surroundings, making sure he wasn't in whatever death trap he was in moments ago.

He was in his bedroom, dimly lit by the moonlight shining from the window. To his relief, was his wife, sleeping soundly under the covers next to him.

It was another nightmare. 

Not long after the fateful day of the dead, everyone has been affected to some degree. 

Manolo and Maria have had nightmares about that day. They'd dream about the town being destroyed or the other dying.

Some nights were manageable enough, but other nights, they'd wake up crying or screaming. The other would do their best to console the other on those nights, reminding the other they were alive. 

This didn't stop them from visiting the proposal tree to watch the glimmering city on some early mornings. It was snakes they were now most afraid of.

The clock on the wall said it was a quarter past midnight.

Manolo sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He needed something to relax his nerves. 

He quietly got out of bed and lit a candle to make his way to the kitchen to make tea.

Two months after Manolo and Maria returned from their honeymoon, they've had enough of the General and decided to take up on Joaquin's offer.

Joaquin had always been in and out of his mansion as the town hero. Even still, he's the town hero, with or without the medal. He's been spending more time home since then, but still occasionally goes on missions for weeks at a time.

The couple had been living with their friend for about three months. While it took some getting used to, they were able to adjust to each other pretty easily, especially since there was, in fact, plenty of room.

As Manolo put some water on the stove to boil, he felt pain around his eyes. 

It was dull at first, but gradually became more and more unbearable pretty quickly. He cried out, putting a hand on his head.

He heard a voice of a man almost snarl, "Bring me Princess Maya."

He saw quick flashes of a place he could only assume was hell, and flashes of various odd people and creatures. At least, he thought they were creatures. Many of them had odd proportions and properties. One of them he thought had a split face, but he couldn't tell because of how fast the images left his mind.

As fast as the pain came, it went just as quickly.

Manolo panted and looked down at his hands, confused at what just happened. 

What was all that?

Before he could process anything else, he was suddenly punched in the face really hard, "Ow!'

Manolo stumbled to the side and caught himself on the kitchen counter top.

"Oh, Manolo." He heard Joaquin say, "Sorry about that."

Manolo rubbed his face as he turned around and glared at his friend, "Joaquin, what the heck?"

"Sorry." He nervously grinned, "I'm still not used to living with other people, I guess."

Manolo gave Joaquin the stink eye as he went back to his tea. The water was already starting to boil.

"What are you doing here? I thought you had to leave earlier."

"Yeah, I did, I just remembered I forgot something. What are you doing up?"

"Nightmare."

"Oh." Joaquin wasn't a stranger to this kind of thing. But he learned how to manage it. He was eternally grateful for his friends on days he couldn't. 

"I can't thank you enough for letting us move in." Manolo said pouring his tea into a mug once he thought it was cool enough. 

"Hey, it's not a problem. The whole town could live here if they could. But I thought it'd be better for my best friends."

Manolo smiled as he drank his tea. He might as well have drunk it all in one gulp.

"Geez, slow down. How bad was that dream, anyway?"

"Not too bad. I just needed to relax."

The truth was, he also needed to relax from the strange migraine he had moments before. He shrugged it off, telling himself that it was merely a part of the nightmare. 

That came with a migraine. Right...

"Besides, you punching me gave me a headache."

"Well, that hickey was starting to look like it needed a friend." Joaquin chuckled. 

Manolo rubbed the dark spot on the base of his neck his friend was referring to and elbowed Joaquin in the chest. 

"Ok, I gotta get going. I'll see you and Maria in a week." Joaquin said, grabbing a bag.

"Take care, amigo." Manolo said as his friend walked out the door.

Manolo poured the rest of the tea from the pot into a thermos in case he might need it again and walked back to his room.

He sat up in bed next to his wife and looked at her sleeping peacefully. 

He pushed a stray hair behind Maria's ear and leaned down to softly kiss her cheek.

He snuggled under the covers next to her, hoping to get better sleep, trying not to let the nightmare get to him.

Meanwhile, in the realm of gods, Maya's screams could be heard throughout all the realms. 

She was in labor.

Zatz was by her side, letting her hold his hand during the whole process. Her grip was unbearable, but he didn't blame her for that.

"Aaahhhhhh!!!! Please tell me it's almost over!!" She screamed.

"Good news, my lady." The celestial midwife said, "You're ready to start pushing."

"You're doing great, mi amor." Zatz said, wiping sweat off her forehead with a damp cloth.

"Ok, I see the head. Push!" The midwife said.

Maya cried outright as she pushed, the pain unimaginable. 

"Here, my dear." Chaska said, bending down to grab her spear, "If it helps, you can-"

During another push, Maya squeezed Chaska's tail to try to deal with the pain.

Chaska shot back up at how tight the grip on her tail was, "Ahhh!! Take this, not my tail!"

She yanked her tail out of Maya's grasp and replaced it with her spear, which she intended for Maya to grip.

"Just keep going." La Muerte said, "You're getting there."

After hours of gripping both her husband's hand and Chaska's spear, and going through the most pain she's ever had to endure, Maya had finally given birth to both of her children. 

A boy and a girl.

As the little bundles were handed to her, she and Zatz looked down at their children with love and awe.

Zatz planted a kiss on Maya's temple, "I'm so proud of you." He whispered. 

Maya chuckled as their children looked up at their parents. 

The boy resembled his mother. He had her skin tone and hair with his father's eyes.

The girl resembled her father, having his pale skin and white hair with her mother's eyes.

"Do you have names in mind?" La Muerte asked, warmly looking at the new family.

Zatz chuckled as his son gripped the finger he held out toward him, "This one is Dusk."

Maya shed a tear as her daughter smiled up at her, "And this one is Dawn."

"Children of the sun and moon." Chaska smiled.

"Now I know how mama felt." Maya chuckled as more tears streamed down her face.

Zatz took Dawn to hold his daughter for the first time, "Hola, mija." He choked out, his eye welling up.

"They're beautiful." Maya said, looking at her son.

"Indeed they are, my princess."

Chaska and La Muerte left the room along with the midwife to let the new family be alone together. 

Had they known what they went through would lead to this moment, they wouldn't have changed a thing.

Back in the mortal realm, Manolo was woken up by the sound of his wife screaming.

"Maria!" He said, shaking her awake, "Maria, hey. Wake up."

Maria snapped her eyes open as she sat up, panting as hot tears streamed down her face.

"What happened?" 

Maria turned to see her husband looking at her with concern.

Overwhelmed by the horrific nightmare she endured, she started to silently sob.

Manolo wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his chest, "Hey. Hey, it's ok. It's ok, I'm here."

Maria wrapped her arms around his torso and cried into his chest, "You were gone." Her breath began to turn shaky, "You were gone, right in front of me."

Manolo brought a hand to her cheek and wiped her tears away, "Shhh. I'm here. It was just a nightmare."

Maria's breathing began to slow back down once she felt her husband's heartbeat through his shirt. On nights like these, she found solace in listening to his heartbeat. It reminded her he was alive and with her.

Manolo sang softly to her to try and calm her down more.

All my senses come to life

While I'm stumbling home as drunk as I

Have ever been, and I'll never leave again

Cause you are the only one 

And all my friends have come to find 

Another place to let their hearts collide 

Just promise me you'll always be a friend

Cause you are the only one 

Maria finally was able to calm down as she took a deep breath.

"Better?" Manolo asked.

"Mhm." 

"I had a dream earlier, too. I have tea up here if you need it."

"Please."

Manolo reached with one arm and grabbed the thermos from the bedside table and handed it to Maria.

She unscrewed the lid and took a few long sips from it.

It was rare for the two to dream on the same night. It was a good thing Manolo brought the thermos, then. 

When she was done, Manolo put the thermos back and layed back down. Maria layed down and snuggled into his chest.

"Thank you." She whispered as Manolo pulled the blanket over them.

"Anytime. I should thank you for putting up with me when I'm like this." He said.

"It's no problem. I'm always here."

"So am I."

Chapter Text

Chaska and Estrella had returned to the realm of the gods shortly after their conversation with Chimi and Rico and went to the Candle Maker's home. She was about to knock until she noticed the door was open.

"Candle Maker?" Chaska called out as she stepped in the room. 

When she saw the room was empty, she and Estrella began to look around. There was the lingering scent of mortal souls, but not as strong as the actual cave of souls.

After a bit, Estrella yipped and nudged his paw against a wooden box on a low shelf. He found something.

Chaska knelt down to where he was and sniffed the box. She immediately smelled the mortal souls of Maya and Zatz. 

"What?" Chaska said darkly as her blood ran cold. 

She heard the door open behind her, "Oh, Chaska. What are you doing here?" She heard Candle Maker ask.

She stood up and turned to him, anger painted on her face, "Their souls were never reincarnated."

"Wha- Oh... uh..."

"That's impossible, you were going to, right?"

"Listen, I wanted to, I really did, but they wouldn't allow it. Said it would be cheating death."

Chaska's rage directed towards the other gods. How dare they deny them a second chance. They helped save all the realms from endless bloodshed and tyranny, and this is the thanks they get?

Chaska stormed out of the room, Estrella by her side. 

"Hey, where are you going?" Candle Maker asked following her.

"To confront the gods." She said, "I won't let them get away with this."

Candle Maker called a meeting with some of the gods that night. He wanted to stop her, but he knew he couldn't stop the fierce goddess. 

Chaska furiously explained how much Maya and Zatz have gone through to defeat Mictlan and their mortal souls at least deserve a chance to live out the lives they never did. 

There were some gods who sided with what Chaska was saying, but most of the higher-ups refused to budge. 

They said that Zatz and Maya were already rewarded for their bravery by becoming gods and that reincarnating their mortal souls would be cheating death, that one half of a soul cannot live at the same time as the other.

Chaska became furious at this.

"You ungrateful hypocrites!" Chaska snarled. La Muerte and Xibalba had to arm lock her as she was threatening to jump at one of the higher-ups, "You dare to leave two souls in limbo while thousands of souls have the chance at a second life! You disrespect their souls!"

"The decision is final, Chaska." One of the higher-ups said, "And I'd suggest you think twice before losing your temper like this."

Chaska was about to retaliate when the door swung open. Everyone's heads turned to see Maya and Zatz run into the room, broad smiles on their faces.

"Candle Maker, we'd like you to..." Zatz trailed off as he and Maya looked around the room. Seeing the other gods in the room and La Muerte and Xibalba arm-locking Chaska, they felt the awkwardness sink into them.

"Did we come at a bad time?" Maya asked. 

"No, we just finished here." One of the higher-ups said, "What's on your minds, children?"

Chaska felt a stab in her heart as she was dismissed so disrespectfully. But she kept quiet, knowing she had lost.

Maya and Zatz's smiles returned as they stepped closer to each other, "We'd like Candle Maker to... marry us." Zatz said with a chuckle. 

"I cannot think of anything else I'd love to do more." Candle Maker said as he stepped forward, "When would you like to?"

"How soon can you do it?" Maya asked. 

"Wonderful. Alright everyone, you heard em! We have a wedding to do! Let's regroup in a few hours! We have no time to lose!" Candle Maker called out to all the gods as they started moving to make preparations.

Chaska was let go from the arm-lock and approached Maya and Zatz, "You have an eternity together and yet the gods still choose marriage." She said with a smirk. 

"Come on, where's your romantic side?" Maya asked. 

"Regardless, congratulations to you both." Chaska smiled and brought them all into a group hug, a part of her heartbroken that their mortal souls would never have another chance of life. 

While the other gods were helping in preparations for the wedding, Chaska made her way to the training grounds. 

Transforming into her wolf form, she attacked and destroyed whatever she could, releasing her anger of the outcome of the meeting. 

Estrella watched the demolition with casual interest. He was always intrigued whenever his friend transformed into her wolf form. She and Cipactli often spared in their beast forms. Now THAT was always quite the show. 

After a bit of destroying half the training grounds, Chaska transformed back into her god form and threw her spear into a wall as hard as she could.

Chaska panted as the events of that night crushed onto her. She promised Chimi and Rico that she would reincarnate their friends' souls and she failed, not only them, but Maya and Zatz as well.

She fell to the ground on all fours, her anger replaced with frustration and sadness. Estrella walked over to her and nuzzled his head against hers in comfort with a soft whimper. 

"I see the volcano's wrath has cooled to a simmer."

Chaska's ears quirked at the familiar voice.

She looked up to see the grand celestial herself, Ah Puch, floating down to her.

"Hello, Ah Puch." She said as she sat down, "I suppose you know what happened?"

Ah Puch scratched Estrella behind his ears, "Well, I don't think there's a god who didn't hear your cries. But, yes. The eagle and bat have fallen as quickly as they rose again."

Chaska sighed and placed her head on her knees, "I don't understand why they don't see what I'm trying to do. I know Maya and Zatz have all of eternity together, thanks to you, but what's the harm in reincarnating them? They deserve another life."

"Ah, the love of the eagle and the bat." Ah Puch grabbed Chaska's tail and stroked it as she draped it around her neck like a scarf, "What started with denial and friendly rivalry ended with happiness and peace. The sun and moon shine brighter with love."

Chaska narrowed her eyes at Ah Puch as she moved her tail out of her hands, making Ah Puch chuckle.

"You wish to preserve that love. I can't think of anything more loyal, as a wolf should be."

"It doesn't matter now." Chaska's ears flattened in sadness, "The gods forbade it."

"Since when have you let ignorance dictate you, Chaska? Doesn't a wolf listen to its instincts?"

Chaska thought for a moment before looking at Ah Puch with surprise, "You think I should do it?"

Ah Puch said nothing but smiled.

Chaska breathed a sigh of relief with a smile, "Oh, thank you. But, you're above any of the gods, why do you think I should?"

"The universe has many suns and moons. When one ends, another begins, but they all have one thing in common. The sun and moon shine on in their new beginning."

Chaska thought for a second. There really wasn't anything wrong with what she wanted to do. What the gods were saying weren't reasons, they were excuses. She didn't know or care why they were so insistent on keeping them from another life, but she was pretty sure the celestial herself was giving her approval. 

It seemed as though all the signs were pointing for her to do it.

Chaska furrowed her brows and nodded, turning to Estrella who had the same expression, "Alright, then." She turned her attention back to Ah Puch, "So... you're alright with me doing this?"

Ah Puch smiled sheepishly and said, "My dear, you know I can't intervene."

"Is that a yes or a no, then?"

"I merely speak, it is up to you to listen. Now, I must join my sisters." 

Before she could say anything else, Chaska watched as Ah Puch disappeared back into the sky.

Chaska and Estrella exchanged confused looks before Chaska got up, "Gracias, Ah Puch!"

She pulled her spear from the wall and ran to the grand hall for Zatz and Maya's wedding. 

The ceremony itself was beautiful and short, the feast afterwards was grand with lost loved ones to celebrate. 

The couple had looks of pure love and happiness, one would think they only saw each other in the room.

The celebration went well past midnight, and when it started to die out, Maya and Zatz retired to their temple.

The newlyweds had changed into more comfortable garments and were starting to slip into bed under the covers. 

Maya really wanted to ask about Zatz's eye, but she didn't think it was the right time.

Zatz, however, could tell something was on her mind, "Mi princesa, is everything ok?" 

Maya stared at her new husband for a moment, thinking about what to say.

Before she could answer, he said, "Don't try lying your way out of this one. I know you're thinking about something."

She let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. She had no choice.

"Ok..." She said hesitantly as she avoided eye contact. "I... was just wondering... about your eye. I've wanted to ask you about it for a while, but I wasn't sure if you'd be comfortable talking about it. You never even mention it, so..."

Zatz was caught off guard by this. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable talking about his eye, he just never thought about it too much to mention it. But if his wife was curious, who was he to deny her?

"Ok. I'll tell you. If you wanted to know, you could've just asked."

Maya sighed and turned her body to face him, placing her hands in his.

"I barely remember this. I was just an infant and it was right after my mother died. My father couldn't avoid Mictlan forever, he had no choice but to go back. Mictlan was furious at him for going behind his back, marrying a mortal and having a half-breed child."

Maya gently squeezed Zatz's hands as he spoke. She could see where this was going.

"Papa said he was being merciful that day. He let me live, but as leverage... he took my eye."

Maya sighed and looked down, "And I thought Mictlan was a monster before. You were just a baby."

Zatz shrugged and said, "Well, now you know the other reason Papa and I were plotting against him."

His wife smiled and placed a hand on his cheek. She furrowed her brows and asked, "Can I... see?"

Zatz was once again caught off guard. No one's ever asked him that before.

He hesitantly nodded and closed his eye as he felt Maya move her hand.

She felt Zatz stiffen by her touch as she slowly lifted his eyepatch, revealing a small, thick, dark scar.

Zatz opened his eye at the sound of Maya gasping softly.

She had a look of shock and hurt on her face. This gave her one more thing to hate about Mictlan.

They stared into each other's eyes as Maya took in the wound. She returned her hand to his cheek and whispered, "I'm sorry this happened."

With her other hand, she lowered his eyepatch. 

Zatz didn't know what to expect, but he was glad with this outcome.

He smiled at her and took her hand in his, placing his own hand on her cheek.

She smiled and leaned into his touch.

The newlyweds leaned forward and caught themselves in a soft kiss.

The kiss grew more and more passionate by the second and after a bit, they laid down onto the soft surface beneath them.

Candle Maker was about to retire for the day after a long, eventful night.

He was writing something down in the book of life, "Well, book, another marriage under our belt. Unlike last time, this one won't be catastrophic. Maybe La Muerte and Xibalba will be-"

Just then, he was startled at the sound of Chaska kicking his door open, "Change of plan. We're doing it."

"Chaska, you know we can't. The gods said-"

"Well, what if I told you my plan had the approval of the grand celestial herself?"

Candle Maker's jaw dropped, "Ah Puch said she was cool with it?"

"Well, that's what I understood, but who knows what she's talking about. Even if she didn't talk to me, we know that there's really nothing wrong with reincarnating them. They just don't want to."

"You do have a point. Oh, alright, you've convinced me. Because this was your idea, I'll give you the honor of choosing their families. Normally, it would more or less be random, it's not exact, but this time, it will be with you."

Chaska nodded with a smirk, "I'll spread the word at dawn. But I'm gonna need their souls for a few days to pass on their scent."

"Now, hold on. Souls are a delicate matter and I can't just hand them off to-"

Chaska snarled and pointed her spear in his face.

"I-I mean, sure, go ahead, as long as you're careful."

He handed her the box containing the mortal souls.

"Thank you for helping me with this, Candle Maker." She said, bowing her head.

"Anytime. Also, gotta warn you, finding the right families might take a long time, centuries even. I'm just telling you you're gonna wanna be patient."

"Got it." Chaska turned to leave but then turned back and said, "Also, along with the other gods, Zatz and Maya can't know about this."

"Wait, what?" He asked, "But these are their souls. Don't you think they'd want to know about this?"

"They've only been full gods for a year and they just got married. They have more important things to worry about than what we're doing. Promise me you won't tell them."

Candle Maker reluctantly agreed to keep the secret, as much as he didn't want to. 

Chaska was grateful that Ah Puch had come to see her. If she hadn't, she wouldn't have thought to do this on her own.

She'd send the scent and message to the wolves of the world at dawn. One day, they shall walk the earth again.

Zatz and Maya lay snuggled together under the covers, both of them drifting closer to sleep. 

They were relishing in the feeling of warmth and skin, Zatz snuggled in the crook of her neck and Maya's hands in his hair.

Zatz kissed a mark his fangs left on Maya's neck and whispered, "I love you, mi princesa."

Maya sighed happily and ran her hands through his hair, "I love you, too, mi príncipe."

She felt her husband sigh as he snuggled closer to her as he drifted to sleep. 

Maya stared up at the ceiling for a moment, smiling as she hugged her husband's head close to her, relishing in the closeness before falling asleep. 

Tonight, the loves turned to lovers, to husband and wife, to spend eternity together, forever and ever.

Chapter Text

Three years have passed since Chakal's defeat and the Day of the Dead was just a few days away.

The three amigos couldn't have been happier. Joaquin has moved on from his romantic feelings for Maria. It wasn't easy, but he managed and is more than happy seeing his two friends in love.

He knows he'll find love like that one day. 

Neither Manolo nor Maria had any more migraines since then, and have almost forgotten about them.

The three have become closer than ever, especially since they live under the same roof, which they've all gotten used to after a while.

Manolo and Maria have found themselves loving the story Rosa had given them. They've read and reread the story a number of times now.

There was just something so intriguing about it they couldn't explain.

One morning, they had been out on the town. Manolo was playing with the mariachi brothers as Joaquin stood with the small crowd watching their performance. Maria sat by the fountain reading "The Sun And The Moon" as she listened to her husband's performance. 

Long ago, during the age of the gods, were four ancient kingdoms.

Luna Island, the Jungle Lands, the Golden Mountains, and Teca Kingdom. 

In the Teca Kingdom, lived a mighty eagle warrior princess with her jaguar brothers.

However, the eagle wished and longed to go on great adventures, to be more than a princess. 

One day, on her 15th birthday celebration, the mysterious Prince of Bats appeared. He told the Teca Kingdom that their princess was a demigod, of the goddess of death herself, and was to be sacrificed by the god of war, which would grant him immeasurable power.

After he disappeared, none of the kingdoms were willing to help, in fear of the god of war. 

However, the Teca Kingdom had a prophecy that three jaguar warriors and one great eagle warrior would destroy the divine gate that linked the god and mortal realms.

The Teca Kingdom sent a great army, along with the little eagle's jaguar Brothers and father.

One night after the army left, the little eagle set out to see the army's return, only to find her father weakened by the battle, and the Prince of Bats, there to return her fallen brother's weapons.

The kingdom mourned the fallen army that night, especially the little eagle for the loss of her brothers.

That night, from beyond the grave, the jaguar brothers guided the little eagle to the true prophecy, that a little eagle, a rooster wizard, a skull archer and a puma warrior would be the ones to destroy the divine gate.

In her mother's armor and on her father's jaguar, the little eagle set out to find the warriors of the true prophecy. 

But her goal was to destroy the god of war himself. 

"Isn't that like the millionth time you read that story?" Joaquin asked as he walked toward where Maria sat.

Maria closed the book as she stood up, "It's a good story. And, I don't know, it feels like I'm... connected to it, you know?"

"Yeah, we all relate to characters, you have a point there."

"No, no, I mean... more than that. I don't know how to explain it."

"Well, when you put it that way, can't say I relate."

"Think of it as reading a mirror. Should be easier for you that way." Maria laughed. 

"Haaaa, funny." 

Her laughter was short-lived when she felt the sudden, sharp pain around her eyes. She sat back down as she groaned in pain and rubbed her eyes.

"Maria?" Joaquin asked as he knelt down to her level, "Are you ok?"

She could hardly hear Joaquin talking to her from the plethora of voices saying, "If it is to be, it is up to me."

Images of different people flashed in her mind too quickly to focus on. She saw three different people, an albino girl, a boy with a staff, and a muscular boy.

As quickly as the pain came, it disappeared just as fast. 

"Maria."

Maria looked up to see her husband beside Joaquin, both men kneeling to get a better look at her, concern on both of their faces.

"Are you ok?" Manolo asked.

Maria panted as she tried to regain herself. It happened again...

After a bit, she grinned and nodded, "Yeah. I'm - I'm ok."

Maria stood up and immediately felt extremely lightheaded, making her faint almost instantly. 

Manolo caught her before she hit the cobblestones, "Maria!"

His worry had risen tenfold. Maria was a strong woman, it took a lot for her to be weak, physically at least. He knew something was wrong. 

A few bystanders had gathered to see what was going on, concerned for the young woman.

"She's not ok." Joaquin said. 

The two men took Maria to the doctor, Manolo carrying her the whole way.

After Maria woke up, she told the doctor about how she's been feeling, about her symptoms, and even included the migraine. Maybe it had something to do with her fainting. 

After a few questions and tests, the doctor stepped out to go over the results. 

Maria was in her chair, gripping the cup of water she was given tightly as she explained the migraine to Manolo and Joaquin further. 

"And this is the second time its happened?" Joaquin asked. 

"Yeah." She said, taking a deep breath, "I didn't think too much of it at the time, I've never had a migraine before."

"Are you sure you're feeling better now?" Manolo asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. 

"For the hundredth time, mi amor, I feel fine."

They all turned to the door opening, the doctor's apprentice, Luisa, walking in.

The young girl was about 18, her chestnut brown hair tied back in a low ponytail and she wore a simple teal blue dress with an old apron.

"Doctor Ramirez is with another patient." She said, "So he sent me."

"That's alright, Luisa." Maria said, "So, what's the problem?" She brought the cup to her lips and drank the cold water.

The young girl looked at the paper in her hand and said, "Well, based on the things you told us and the tests we ran, you're pregnant."

Manolo and Joaquin's hearts stopped as their eyes grew wide. 

Maria choked on the water she was drinking and coughed a few times, "What?"

Luisa walked up to Manolo and Maria, "You're going to have a child." She placed one hand on Maria's shoulder and the other on Manolo's as she smiled warmly, "Congratulations."

The couple hardly acknowledged the young nurse as they were in a shocked trance, eyes wide with dopey grins on their faces. 

Maria snapped herself out of the trance, "But - But what about the migraine?"

"Hm, it must've just been a result of the pregnancy. Also, Mrs. Sanchez, I'm sorry, but migraines don't cause images to flash in your head. Is there anything else you're worried about that might be causing that?"

Maria didn't know what to say. If the doctor or Luisa couldn't figure it out, she was gonna have to do her own digging into this, see if this was a medical issue or not. If it was, she'd go back to them with it.

"Uh... no." She said.

"Alright." Luisa said. She handed her the paper she had in her hands, "You're about 4 to 5 weeks along." She walked to a box on the shelf and pulled out a few papers, "Here are things you need to know about pregnancy, what you should and shouldn't do, what to keep in mind. Get plenty of vitamin D, get plenty of rest, and we'll see you in a bit to see how you're doing. If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask."

With that, the young nurse and apprentice bid the group goodbye as they left. 

None were aware of the goddess of the sun watching through a window.

No one in the trio said anything, all of them lost in their own shock. 

It wasn't until they stepped over the threshold of their home and Chuy nudged Joaquin's leg with his snout that Joaquin finally said, "Ok, can I please get a reaction from you two? I know I haven't said anything, I'm just as surprised as you are, but I thought you guys would be all-"

Manolo grabbed Maria's face and pulled her into a passionate kiss, Maria let out a surprised squeak before she kissed him back.

"We're gonna be parents." Manolo laughed when he pulled away, tears of joy brimming his eyes. 

Any other thought Maria had in her mind was pushed away as it all sank into her fully. 

She was pregnant with Manolo's child.

Her and Manolo's child.

She was gonna have a child with the man she loved and she wouldn't have it any other way. 

She laughed along with her husband as tears streamed down her face.

Joaquin brought them all in for a warm, tight, group hug, sharing this moment with his brother and sister. 

"Uh, guys." Maria said, "I don't think this is good for the baby." 

Manolo and Joaquin instantly backed away from her, Manolo going back in to quickly kiss her cheek.

Chuy bleated at Maria's feet, as though to ask what was going on. She chuckled and knelt down to her beloved pet, "I'm pregnant, Chuy."

Chuy bleated happily as he snuggled up to her, making her laugh.

"Yeah, I can't believe it either."

In the realm of the gods, Zatz was in his and Maya's room, sitting up in bed, Dawn and Dusk on either side of his lap, the twins taking a nap after a hectic morning. 

Maya soon came into the room after guiding the sun back on course. She was about to speak until she noticed the twins sleeping against her husband's torso. She smiled at the scene and walked to his side.

"I just found out that Maria's pregnant." She whispered. 

"That's amazing." Zatz quietly replied, "I bet they'll have twins, too."

"No, don't jinx it." She then turned more serious, "Hey, do you think they could remember their past lives?"

"I don't know. What do you mean?" 

"Maria said she saw things. People. She didn't exactly remember what they looked like, but they sounded a little like our friends."

Zatz stayed silent as he thought for a second, "I guess it could be possible. We'll keep an eye out for anything that sounds too familiar."

"Got it." She looked down at the sleeping two-year old deities and ran a hand through her daughter's hair, "Quite the morning, huh?"

"They get their energy from you." Zatz whispered. 

Maya smiled and rolled her eyes.

She was happy for Maria and Manolo. They deserved the happiness she feels now.

Chapter Text

Centuries. 

It's been centuries. 

Nearly 400 years and so far, Chaska's search has been fruitless. 

She refused to give up. Throughout the years, she had passed the scent to every wolf she and Estrella had encountered in hopes of covering more ground.

But even still, there was no vessel that was worthy of carrying souls as powerful as their deity halves. 

One night, Chaska was staring up at the night sky lost in thought. 

There were some days where she wondered if it was worth it to keep searching. She thought if it's been this long, perhaps there were no worthy vessels.

But she'd always tell herself to keep going, to search for a little longer. The wolf often searches for a full day to find its next kill.

Estrella came into the room and yipped.

Chaska's ears quirked at the news her friend had just delivered, "What? Are you sure?"

Estrella nodded.

One of the wolves had found a potential vessel.

Chaska turned around to face him, "Take me. I want to see for myself."

Estrella passed the scent to Chaska as they set off for the mortal realm. 

The town of San Angel. 

A quaint and small town that has been in the center of the world for a few short years. 

It hurts to see the fall of a kingdom, but it's fascinating to see the rise of one.

The scent that was given to them led them to the home of the Sanchez's.

The bullring. 

Chaska doubted Vucuub would approve of this profession. 

Chaska looked through the windows and eventually found a sleeping couple, the woman with child.

"This is it?" Chaska asked.

Estrella yipped.

"Alright. Let's have a closer look."

They stepped into the room and sniffed the air.

From what they could smell, the couple were both strong people, caring, loving. The woman was creative, musically inclined, gentle and understanding. The man was more stubborn and firm, but still had a gentle touch to him.

Even so, she could tell they were both more than worthy.

"They're perfect." She said as she gave one last confirming sniff, "Who do you think they should have?"

Estrella thought for a second before yipping.

"Zatz it is."

They returned to the realm of gods to tell Candle Maker they found a vessel.

"Give the soul of Zatz to Carmen and Carlos Sanchez." She told him, "They're more than worthy."

A few weeks later, Manolo Sanchez was born. 

Chaska had gone to see the child that night.

He was asleep in his crib by the time she got there. She ran a hand through his dark hair and said, "You have a greatness within you. More than you may ever know."

It was a little harder to find a suitable vessel for Maya. But one night, as she and Estrella were wandering near San Angel, a certain scent caught their attention.

After following it, they were back in the small town. They were now in the house of what seemed like a couple of high status.

Once again, the woman was with child. 

After sniffing around with Estrella, she found that the woman was cultured, well read, independent, and empowering with kindness. 

The man was less favorable, being the exact contrast of his wife, thinking less of women, she even smelled a hint of manipulation.

Yet, they seemed like the best fit. 

"It's them."

Estrella groaned and gave a questioning look.

"I know. Let's just hope the child doesn't take much after their father."

They had told Candle Maker to send Maya's soul to the Posada residents. 

The next day, Maria Posada was born.

Like before, Chaska had seen the child when it was asleep. She touched the girl's head and said, "Strength will always be a part of you. As it served you once, it will serve you again."

That night, Chaska had the best sleep in her life. Her goal was accomplished. 

May the children have the lives Maya and Zatz never did.

Chapter Text

The sun was practically gone from the sky as the sky grew darker and darker. 

Maya had returned to the realm of gods not too long ago as she was done setting the sun, but Zatz was still in the mortal realm raising the moon.

"Papa, can I lift the moon?" Dusk asked, holding on to his father's back.

"Maybe one day when your powers are strong enough." Zatz chuckled.

"What are our powers?" Dawn asked from Zatz's leg.

"I don't know. But don't worry, you'll find out in time."

As he talked to his children, Zatz's eye caught a familiar trio walking down the street with a pig.

Manolo, Maria and Joaquin were walking home with Chuy from the general's home to tell him about the news they'd gotten that morning. 

"I don't think I've seen your dad so happy about anything before." Joaquin said, "Not even for your wedding, which is really sad."

"He thinks this is his chance for a son." Maria said, rolling her eyes, "Boys run on his side of the family according to him."

"Well, what are you hoping for?"

"Hm, I don't know. I'd be happy with either one."

"Oh, come on, you know you're hoping for one."

"Well, I'm kinda hoping for a girl." Manolo said, "But I'd be alright with a boy, too."

"As long as I'm the uncle." Joaquin said.

Manolo's chuckle lasted for a moment before he stopped in his tracks. He felt a dull pain around his eyes before it quickly became sharp.

He groaned in pain and doubled over. 

"Manny!" Joaquin called out.

Manolo heard the sinister voice of a girl he didn't know saying, "But of course, mi príncipe."

He saw a dark-haired girl in purple, another purple creature, and a skeletal animal with fire in the sockets. 

The pain left as quickly as it came. When he came to, he was on his knees in the street. It wasn't until he felt Chuy lick his face when he looked up.

"Manolo, are you ok?" Maria asked.

Joaquin and Maria helped Manolo off the ground as he said, "I... I think I... I saw..."

"What did you see?" Maria asked.

"I don't know. There was this girl in purple, this... purple creature and a... skeleton animal with fire eyes. And I heard a voice I never heard before."

"Isn't that what you said happened with your migraine, Maria?" Joaquin asked.

"Yeah..." Maria's eyes grew wide, "You've been having them, too?"

"I guess so."

Chuy bleated in confusion as they started walking back home. 

"Ok, I don't know if I should be feeling worried or a little left out." Joaquin said, making Maria smack his arm. 

"We have to find out what's going on." 

Zatz watched the whole thing with interest. What his mortal half described sounded like Acat, his father and Colmillo. 

"Who are they, papa?" Dawn asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"You'll know when you're older." He smiled, "He's someone very special." 

Were they really remembering their past lives? What did this mean?

Chapter Text

Maya and Zatz have been doing the same dance for centuries and they wouldn't have it any other way. 

They saw the rise and fall of kingdoms and empires, their friends and families coming into the land of the dead. The battle of the four kingdoms against Mictlan became legend, which was enough to keep their loved ones in the Land of the Remembered. 

It was interesting to see the mortal realm from the perspective of a god.

Though Maya and Zatz raise and set the sun and moon all over the world, they spend most of their time in their home land, despite the four kingdoms being no more. 

There were some mortals the two deities found interesting to watch, but there were two mortals that stood out among the rest; Manolo Sanchez and Maria Posada. 

They didn't pay too much attention to their lives, but there was something about the mortals that fascinated them. They were especially supportive of their love for each other, a rare love that was as strong as their own.

They watched them grow up, get separated, be reunited twice, conquer death itself, and finally be united forever. 

Maya and Zatz were aware that Manolo had entered the land of the dead, but they never encountered him. Zatz also felt something when Manolo died. He felt as though something snapped into place within him, as though it's been gone for hundreds of years. 

That night, Zatz watched as the mortals' wedding celebration went throughout the night. He also notices the newlyweds leave before anyone else. Maria seemed as though she was angry for a bit before embracing her husband, leaving the celebrations after a few more minutes. Zatz didn't pay much attention to them as he was raising the moon.

Manolo sat on the edge of Maria's bed staring at the floor, the events of the day running through his head. On one hand, he married the love of his life, and apologized to her a number of times for being reckless. But on the other hand, he had just lost his father and great-grandmother. 

He didn't know if he should be feeling joy or grief. 

He felt weight sit on the bed next to him and a hand on his shoulder. He turned at the touch to look at his wife looking at him with a warm expression. 

Maria sighed and said, "If... if you want to be alone tonight-"

"No." Manolo said. At that moment, he knew he wanted to feel joy, "I want to be right here with you."

Maria smiled and pulled him down for a gentle kiss. They parted for a moment to look into each other's eyes before they kissed again, more passionately as Maria undid Manolo's ponytail, running her hands through his soft hair.

Zatz came home later that night when the moon was high in the sky.

As he stepped through the threshold of his and Maya's room, he was immediately tackled by his wife in a hug that almost knocked him down. 

"Oh... hey." He strained as Maya squeezed him tightly. 

"I'm pregnant." Maya whispered with a laugh in her voice.

Zatz now understood the sudden attack. He smiled as he hugged his wife back, a tear escaping his eye as his heart flooded with joy. 

"Really?" He asked, his voice cracking.

Maya pulled away, tears streaming down her face as she nodded happily. 

Zatz brought her face to his and kissed her forehead, "When did you find out?"

"Just today. I'm only a few weeks along." 

"This is wonderful."

They stayed silent, basking in their joy for a while. After centuries of being together, they were to be parents.

After a bit, Maya spoke, "I'm happy for Maria and Manolo. You think they'll be as happy as we are?"

"Of course." Zatz said, "I still think it's strange that La Muerte and Xibalba were the ones involved with them. Xibalba usually isn't so fond of mortals."

"We haven't been to the mortal realm in a while, like, actually there, you know. We should do that one day, walk around, be mortal again."

When she mentioned the mortal realm, a thought came to Zatz.

"Speaking of the mortals, when Manolo died, did you feel anything... strange?" He asked.

Maya turned to her husband, "What do you mean?"

"I know he wasn't even dead for a full day, but when he died... I had a feeling. It was like... a missing part of me was brought back, it was... liberating. I don't know how to describe it."

Maya thought for a second, "You think Candle Maker might know something?"

"Maybe. Is he back from the mortal realm?"

"I think. Let's go."

Candle Maker had just returned to his realm well after midnight, "Man, that town knows how to party."

He heard a knock at the door, "It's open."

Zatz and Maya walked in, "Hello, Candle Maker." Maya said.

"Hey, y'all. Oh, and Maya, the other gods told me about the news as I was coming in. Congratulations!"

Maya and Zatz smiled, "Thank you. We actually had a question we thought you might help us with."

"Anything for my two favorite former demigods."

"You know that mortal, Manolo Sanchez?" Zatz asked.

"Yeah, I was one of the ones who married him."

"When he died, it felt like... I was... whole again? I've never felt incomplete, but when he died, it felt like I was missing something for a long time. We were wondering if you knew what it meant."

Hearing the situation, Candle Maker's eyes went wide and started to look nervous, "Uh... I'm not sure what you mean... he-he, probably just an existential crisis."

Based on his delayed response, they knew he was hiding something.

"Candle Maker." Maya said suspiciously, "What do you know?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. I'm not hiding anything."

The book of life was nudging him, "Stop it." He hissed to it, "I don't like it either, but we promised Chaska-"

"Chaska?" Zatz asked, "What does she have to do with anything?"

"Whaaaat? Her? Don't be ridiculous. She doesn't know anything about anything."

Maya and Zatz weren't convinced. 

"Candle Maker." Maya said, her tone sending a warning, "What's going on?"

"Nothing! I don't know anything, and there's nothing you can do to get anything out of me!"

Zatz and Maya summoned Eagle Claw and Crimson Moon. They had no intention of hurting their friend, they just wanted to scare him. 

"Candle Maker." Zatz said, fangs bared, "Tell us the truth."

Candle Maker sighed and said, "Chaska's gonna kill me."

He turned to the deities in front of him as the book opened before him, "Are you familiar with reincarnation?"

Maya and Zatz put away their weapons and nodded.

"Sometimes, when a mortal dies, their soul splits. One half goes to the land of the dead while the other half later becomes a new life. They have some traits of their past life while having their own. When you became gods, your celestial halves were brought back, which is the state you're in now. Your mortal halves, however, weren't brought back."

Maya and Zatz became intrigued. They didn't even think of this before Candle Maker brought this up.

"I didn't want to keep your souls locked up, neither did Chaska when she found out. She tried to convince the other gods to allow your mortal halves to be reincarnated, but they wouldn't budge. After your wedding, she said we were gonna do it anyway, that she got the permission from the grand celestial herself. I agreed, letting her pick who the souls would go to."

Book turned to the two gods open to a page of an illustration of what looked like Maya and Zatz behind what looked like Manolo and Maria. 

"After centuries of searching, your mortal souls were reincarnated as Manolo Sanchez and Maria Posada." Book closed and floated onto its shelf, "Kinda romantic, if you ask me."

Zatz and Maya were shocked. Now everything about the mortals made sense; their love for each other, the similar traits. What Zatz felt was because his other half was in the same realm.

While the two deities were shocked at this, they were also angry that this was kept secret from them for so long.

"Are you serious?!" Maya snapped, about to pounce Candle Maker, but Zatz held her back, "You couldn't tell us until now?!"

"I wanted to, but Chaska wanted me to keep it a secret." Candle Maker said, "But now you know, don't shoot the messenger."

Maya calmed down as Zatz put her down, "You're right. It all makes sense now, doesn't it?"

"Yeah." Zatz said, "This day just keeps getting more and more interesting."

The two deities would later visit their halves that night, their love continuing through mortals.

Chapter Text

Maria had been trying to search for an answer for her and Manolo's visions for a few weeks, and so far, she had found nothing.

Since she found out about the pregnancy, the symptoms she hadn't felt before had started. She found pretty quickly that she could do without them, especially the nausea. 

Manolo and Joaquin had been doing their best to support Maria through it all, tending to her whenever she needed something. 

Maria had written to her mother to tell her about the pregnancy while also mentioning what's been going on with her and Manolo. If she couldn't find anything from her own books, maybe her mother had something. 

When Maria had started her third month, Maria left the bathroom after a morning of nausea, Manolo right behind her after holding her hair back.

"Hey, Maria!" Joaquin said as the two entered the kitchen. He held up a package wrapped in simple brown paper with a letter tied to it with string, "This came for you. It's from your mother."

Maria sat down at the table as she took the package and opened the letter.

Dear Maria, 

I was so overjoyed when I read that you were pregnant! You and Manolo are going to make wonderful parents. I'm gonna have to come visit to see how you're doing. Expect me to come within the next month. And please don't tell your father, I do love his reaction when he sees me. He looks so terrified. As for your predicament, I do believe this book should help and I expect to get it back when I come.

Best wishes,

Mama

After having a breakfast enough for two people, Maria had been in the sitting room reading the book her mother had sent. It was about dreams and how to interpret them.

It was a large book, but Maria had refused to put it down until she got answers.

It wasn't until late afternoon when she finally found something that seemed helpful. 

While many dreams are of what's to come, what one desires, or what could have been, there is the possibility that what you're dreaming of could be a past life. It may be difficult to confirm this possibility, but it could be why your dreams have people and beings you've never encountered before. 

"Maria?" Manolo said as he sat next to her, "Have you been spending all day going through that book?"

"Yes." She said, "And it was worth it because I finally found something. After six hours."

"What did you find?"

"It says that there's a chance we're remembering a past life. I know it sounds a bit crazy, but it's the only thing that makes sense."

"So, it's saying that reincarnation is real?" 

"I guess. But don't you think that's amazing? I mean, who knows who we were in our past lives. We could've been kings, queens, knights, warriors."

"That does sound unbelievable. I can't imagine who I was in a past life."

"I bet you were someone great."

Manolo smiled warmly as he kissed her temple.

Just then, Maria felt a sharp pain around her eyes. She groaned as she shut her eyes. It seemed as though each time she had a vision, the pain became more and more unbearable.

"Maria." Manolo held her close waiting for the pain to end. After the first few visions, he knew the pain would subside soon. It still hurts seeing his wife in pain.

Maria heard a voice saying, "Be well, Princess Maya. I will see you soon." What was strange was that it was her husband's voice. She saw a white-haired boy wearing black armor with red eyes, the image was in her head long enough for her to somewhat focus on.

After a second, the pain stopped. She panted as she regained herself. She almost didn't notice Manolo was holding her close to his chest. 

"Uh, Manolo." She said, "I'm good, now."

"I know." He said.

Maria smiled and snuggled closer to him, keeping in mind how much space her stomach had.

"What did you see?" Manolo asked. 

"I saw... I saw a boy." She said.

"A boy?"

"He had white hair and black armor, that's all I saw."

"Do you think he was important to you in that life?"

"Maybe. Are you jealous?" 

"No."

Maria looked up at Manolo with a smirk and a raised brow. 

"Maybe a little. It's not you I don't trust, it's other people."

Maria laughed as she got up, "And there's nothing you need to worry about. But it's good to know you have an eye out."

She gave him a quick kiss before going upstairs, leaving her husband a blushing mess.

She found her sketchbook and pencil and made a quick sketch of the boy in her vision. She wanted to draw it while it was fresh in her mind.

After about five minutes, she had a rough sketch of the boy. Looking at him more closely, she didn't notice at first that his bangs covered one of his eyes. He looked younger than her, but seemed handsome for his age.

Maria didn't know who it was, but she knew he must've been someone close to her in her past life. Maybe even someone she loved.

She sighed as she set the book down and went to the bathroom to shower.

Little did she know of the goddess of the sun watching through the window. As soon the mortal left, Maya stepped into the room and walked to the sketchbook. 

She opened it and flipped through to the page that was used moments ago. 

As soon as she saw the sketch, her heart stopped. It was a rough sketch without much detail, but she recognized who it was. Her husband. 

This only confirmed Maya's suspicions that they were remembering their past lives.

In an instant, she left the mortal realm back to the realm of the gods. 

She found Zatz outside their home, the twins off playing elsewhere. 

"Zatz!" She said when she got right in front of him.

"Maya, what's wrong?" Zatz asked, seeing how uneasy his wife looked.

"Maria, she drew you. She's remembering you."

Zatz's eye went wide, "So they are remembering."

"Should we tell someone?"

"Not yet. We should keep record next time they remember. We need to have proof that this is happening."

Maya agreed as they went inside. They didn't know what this meant or if this was even possible.  

Chapter Text

Maya and Zatz have been keeping a closer eye on the mortal couple for more visions. They needed proof of what was happening before they told someone, more specifically, Candle Maker. As of yet, nothing seemed to be happening, still they kept watching and waiting.

Everyone watched as Maria's child grew as she was now six months along. Manolo and Joaquin were helping her out in whatever way they could, tending to whatever she needed and doing some of the work she couldn't do. 

Waiting around for another vision to happen didn't seem at all efficient after a while, so Maya and Zatz decided to take matters into their own hands. At first, they didn't know how they'd get proof of the visions. But when it came to what was going on in the mind of mortals, they knew exactly who to go to. And they'd rather not go to this person. 

Maya and Zatz approached the home of Tezcatlipoca tentatively. They were never close with Tezcatlipoca, as being the god of chaos gave him a reputation. He has a history of doing both good and bad to both mortals and deities, so they never knew when he could be trustworthy. They had left the twins with La Muerte and Chaska while they visited the god of chaos and hoped he was in a helping mood.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Maya whispered. 

"No, but do you know anyone else who can see the minds of mortals?" Zatz replied. 

"Ugh, fine." 

They stepped over thresh-hold, taking in their surroundings. The temple looked eery in the darkness, the only source of light being a single candle against the wall. The feeling of being watched told them he was home.

"Uh... Tezcatlipoca?" Maya called out, "We need to ask you something." 

They turned their heads to the sound of movement only to be met with more darkness.

When they turned back around, they were met with the god of chaos right in front of them, effectively scaring them, "Boo!" 

Tezcatlipoca laughed as Zatz and Maya jumped as he lit up the rest of the temple. Maya rolled her eyes and was about to leave until Zatz grabbed her shoulder. 

"Ahh, hello, Maya and Zatz." Tezcatlipoca said, "How're the kids? Speaking of which, where are the little ankle biters?" 

"They're fine." Zatz said, "And they're not here. Look, we need a favor from you." 

"Wow. You know, I am hurt that these days people only ever visit when they need something. Why not stop by for breakfast? But, because you're my friends, I'll help you. What do you need?"

"We need your mirror." Maya said. 

"Ooh." Tezcatlipoca had a smirk on his face as he began to slowly circle Zatz and Maya, "You want to use one of my mirrors. Who are you spying on?"

"It's none of your business."

"Oh, yes it is. It's not like you're asking for a regular mirror, you're asking for my mirror. That means you want to look into someone's mind, meaning that they're important, they mean something to you."

He got in between Maya and Zatz and put his arms around their shoulders, "I need to know what kind of business I'm dealing with. Is this a revenge thing? Blackmail? What secrets are being revealed?"

"We just need to get proof of something going on." Zatz said, "That's all we can say."

When Zatz and Maya found out about their reincarnations, they were mad it was kept a secret from them, but they understood that it had to be secret from the other gods. Them being reincarnated was denied centuries ago. They did nothing wrong, but they still didn't want trouble from the higher-ups. 

"Can I at least know who we're dealing with?" 

"Just someone from the mortal realm." Maya said.

Tezcatlipoca walked to a large wooden box and leaned against it, "You know, this hurts. You ask me for a favor and you don't tell me what it's for. Do you know what this does to our relationship? To our trust?"

Maya and Zatz looked at him with a blank stare. 

"Are you gonna give us the mirror or not?" Maya asked, getting impatient. 

Tezcatlipoca stared at them for a while, his expression unreadable as he tapped his obsidian jaguar foot on the ground in thought. The sound it made against the floor was deafening. 

After a moment, Tezcatlipoca reached into the box and pulled out his obsidian mirror. "Alright, lead the way." He said as he started walking out of the temple. 

"W-Wait, where are you going?" Zatz asked. 

"Well, I don't know if you forgot, but I'm the only one who knows how to use this mirror, so you're gonna have to bring me with you." 

"You-" Maya fumed, "You can't just show us how?" 

"No. Guess I was gonna find out about your little secret no matter what." 

Maya looked as though she was about to pounce at him, but took a deep breath, "I knew this was a bad idea." She said under her breath. 

"Just don't try anything funny." Zatz warned as they followed Tezcatlipoca. 

"Me? Never." He replied. 

Maya and Zatz rolled their eyes as they left. They were gonna have to swear the god of chaos to secrecy.

Manolo was suddenly woken up by the familiar pain around his eyes, the pain worse than he remembered as he squeezed his eyes shut. There was a voice in his head saying, "Because I hate you!" There was laughter in the voice as though she wasn't being serious. What was unnerving was that he was hearing his wife's voice. He saw a dark-skinned girl with short black hair, wearing brown and gold armor, the image held in his head longer than usual. As quickly as it came, the pain disappeared. 

He finally opened his eyes to his dark room, the moonlight providing a soothing atmosphere. He slowly sat up running a hand through his hair. Thoughts were running through Manolo's head about what he saw. Was the girl he just saw someone important, like who Maria saw? He looked at the clock and from what he could see, it was 2 in the morning. 

Manolo turned his head at the sound of the door opening, his wife coming in holding a candle in one hand and a plate in the other. 

"Maria, what are you doing up?" He asked softly as she came in, setting her things down on her bedside table.

"I could ask the same about you." Maria said climbing back into bed and leaned onto her extra pillows, "I woke up hungry, so I just got some cake." 

"This doesn't happen too often, does it?" 

"No." Maria grabbed the plate and fork from the bedside table, "Just once in a while. It's nothing to worry about." 

Manolo placed a hand on Maria's enlarged belly, "Hey, mijo. You shouldn't wake up your mother in the middle of the night like this. She needs her rest." 

Maria smirked and playfully punched her husband's shoulder, "Who am I to deny them if they're hungry?" 

When Maria looked away for a moment, Manolo licked some of the frosting off with his finger. 

She turned back in time to see him look away acting innocent knowing what he did, "You little thief." She laughed. 

"I don't know what you're talking about." Manolo said as he grinned at her. 

Maria laughed as she wiped the frosting off his lip with her thumb. 

"Now, tell me. Why are you up?" 

"I had another vision." 

"What did you see?" 

"A girl. She had armor that looked like an eagle." 

"You think she may have been important?" Maria asked with a mouth-full of cake, "Maybe a past lover?" 

"Now who's the jealous one?" 

Maria nudged her husband as he chuckled. 

"Now that we're up, how about we continue with the story." Manolo suggested, "I have the feeling they like it." 

Maria smiled and grabbed "The Sun and The Moon" from the bedside table and handed it to Manolo. He opened the small book and started to read aloud to their unborn child. 

And so, the little eagle started her journey through the kingdoms in search of the three warriors of the prophecy.

The Rooster Wizard of Luna Island, who longed for greatness, the Skull Archer of the Jungle Lands, who longed for a family, and the Puma Warrior of the Golden Mountains, who longed for a noble cause to fight for. 

It took quite some time for her to gain their trust, but in time, they found family within each other. 

Throughout the journey, they've encountered countless gods trying to capture the little eagle for the god of war, but none prevailed.

Occasionally, the little eagle would run into the Prince of Bats, who aided her in her journey, as he had fallen for the little eagle.

The little eagle tried her best to repress her feelings for him, but in the end, she couldn't deny her love for the Prince of Bats.  

It was in one of these encounters that the little eagle found she had the power to kill a god. 

After a lengthy journey, they made it to the divine gate. When they crossed into the Underworld, they were met with the Prince of Bats, wishing to join the warriors on their quest, wanting to overthrow the god of war. 

The little eagle allowed him into their group, knowing he could guide them through the Underworld.

However, their plan to confront the god of war didn't go as planned. They were no match for his great power and were weakened in the conflict. 

The warriors were barely able to escape. The puma warrior sacrificed his life to save the lives of his newfound family, earning the noble death he had been searching for.

The goddess of death herself, the little eagle's mother, helped the warriors escape in disguise, weakening herself in the process.

After mourning the loss of the puma warrior, the little eagle sent the rest of the warriors to warn their respective kingdoms that the god of war was coming. 

The little eagle looked after her birth mother as she regained her strength, the two reconciled, as her mother would always visit her on the day of her birth. 

Maria felt the baby kick as Manolo read the story, "Oh. Guess they like that part." 

Manolo smiled as he gingerly kissed his wife's womb, earning a smile from his wife.

The couple had fallen asleep not long after they finished the story, unaware of the trio of gods in their room. 

"Ok, you know I'm down for a little mischief, but what do you have against them?" Tezcatlipoca asked. He gestured to Maria's bump, "They seem happy. Their efforts paid off, and you know I draw the line at messing with children." 

"We're not gonna hurt them." Zatz said, "Just use the mirror." 

"Alright, jeez."

Tezcatlipoca held up the mirror to the mortal couple, looking into their minds, "Ok. Uh-huh. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Why is Mictlan in this guy's head? Chimi? Rico? Pichu? You guys are in here, too-" 

His eyes went wide in realization, "Oh! They're your reincarnations! Your mortal halves got reincarnated!" 

Maya and Zatz stood there awkwardly as Tezcatlipoca laughed at the situation, "This is awesome! You know, I always supported this, anyone who was against this is an absolute moron! Does anyone else know?" 

"Just Xibalba, La Muerte, Candle Maker, Chaska and Xochi." Maya said. 

"Xibalba knew and didn't tell me? Do I even have real friends? Wait, why are these guys remembering their past lives?" 

"That's what we're trying to figure out." Zatz said, "We needed proof of them remembering to tell Candle Maker." 

"Ok, you see, if you had just told me in the first place, so much confusion would've been avoided. I'm not that bad." 

Maya and Zatz glared at him, "Ok, we got what we came here for." Maya said, "Let's go." 

The three gods left the mortal realm with the proof they needed. Hopefully, Candle Maker had answers. 

Chapter Text

Maya, Zatz and Tezcatlipoca rushed to Candle Maker's home as soon as they returned to the realm of the gods. 

They needed to tell him about what they found as soon as possible. 

"Candle Maker!" Maya said as they entered.

"Oh, hey guys." He said, "What are you doing here?"

"Something's been going on with Manolo and Maria." Zatz explained, "We couldn't tell you until we had proof. Tezcatlipoca?"

"Not until you apologize for keeping secrets from me." Tezcatlipoca said, "You know, I've always thought of us as family, and family tells-"

"Tezcatlipoca..." Zatz snarled as a warning. 

"Alright, alright. Take it easy, emo boy."

With a wave of his hand, Tezcatlipoca projected Maria and Manolo's visions from his mirror for everyone in the room to see.

Chimi, Rico, Pichu, King and Queen Teca, the past gods, Acat, Colmillo, Chiapa, and Maya and Zatz themselves. 

Candle Maker watched the whole thing with his jaw dropped, "Wha...?"

Tezcatlipoca ended the projection and picked up his mirror, "Well, if I'm not needed here-"

"Tezcatlipoca, wait." Maya said, "We need you to promise that you won't tell anyone else about this. We don't want to get into any trouble."

"Of course. My lips are sealed."

Tezcatlipoca had a smirk on his face, making Zatz grab him by his shirt collar and pull him toward his face with a death stare.

"Tell anyone, and you'll lose more than just your foot." He threatened in a low voice.

Tezcatlipoca stared back at him, his expression more serious as he nodded, "I promise." 

Zatz let him go and Tezcatlipoca walked toward the door, "And just for you guys, I won't mess with them either."

When he finally left, Candle Maker asked, "Why are they remembering their past lives?"

"That's why we're here." Maya said, "We thought you would know."

"I-I don't know. Normally when a soul remembers their past lives, both of them are already dead."

"There has to be a reason why this is happening."

"Ok, tell you what. I'll do some reading and if I find something, I'll let you know."

"Thank you, Candle Maker." Zatz said.

And with that, the two gods went on their way.

All they can do right now is wait.

Weeks passed like days back in the mortal realm. Before anyone knew, Maria's due date was only a matter of days.

To say Manolo was anticipating the birth was an understatement. He kept an eye out for any sign that Maria might be in labor. Maria teased him whenever he panicked at a mere kick, but she was touched by how attentive her husband was.

One afternoon, everyone was in the sitting room as the sun was starting to set.

Maria was reading a book on the sofa, Chuy sleeping beside her, Manolo was mindlessly playing his guitar and Joaquin had stepped out for a moment. 

Just then, the door opened as Joaquin stepped in, hanging up his cape, "Any word on the miracle of birth yet?"

"Nope." Maria said. She set her book down and motioned for Manolo to help her stand up.

When she got on her feet, she walked to the kitchen to get some water, "And believe me, this guy's been stalking me like a hawk for the past two weeks."

"If the roles were reversed, you'd do the same." Manolo said. 

Maria smiled and shook her head as she grabbed a cup.

Before she could even fill it, the pain returned to her eyes, sharper than she's ever felt it before. 

She dropped the cup as she doubled over, rubbing her temples. 

This vision was different from the others. It was an event. She saw some of the same people she saw in other visions, along with a few other creatures. The vision was flickering, not shown to her clearly. From what she could see, they were being chased, they were on a giant white owl. It seemed as though they were having a hard time escaping. But then, it seemed like the strong boy she saw was sacrificing himself, as he leapt into the turmoil below. 

The flashes stopped and the pain ended.

"Hey." 

Maria looked up to see her husband's hands on her shoulders and Joaquin by his side, "Are you ok?"

"I had another vision." She said as she straightened up.

"What was it this time?" Joaquin asked.

Chuy had followed the two men into the kitchen and picked up the dropped cup. 

"It looked like an escape. I don't even know the context of what happened. There was an owl and... I think someone sacrificed themselves."

"That's new." Manolo said, "Did you see much of it?"

"It came in flashes, I don't even know what was really going on."

"I've made up my mind." Joaquin said as he started playing with Chuy, "I'm kinda jealous of you guys. I wanna remember my past life. That sounds awesome."

"Well, it doesn't feel awesome." Manolo said.

Maria chuckled at her husband's comment. She only laughed for a moment before her smile fell and eyes grew wide.

"Maria?" Manolo asked.

"My water just broke." She said barely above a whisper.

Manolo's heart stopped as he looked down to see a puddle at his wife's feet. 

"Joaquin-" 

"Don't worry, I know who to get!" Joaquin called a he ran out the door.

Maria groaned in pain as she doubled over, clutching her belly.

"Just breathe, Maria." He said softly as he and Chuy helped her up to their room.

Joaquin soon came back with a few nuns, the midwife, doctor Ramirez and Luisa.

Everyone did their role in helping with the birth as the afternoon stretched into the night. 

Maria was gripping Manolo's hand to deal with the pain, while her grip hurt, he didn't let on. He was at his wife's side the whole time, brushing hair out of her face, wiping sweat off her face providing words of encouragement. 

Maria had given Joaquin permission to stay, so he mostly took orders from the doctor and Luisa to help with the process.

Luisa had taken the role of the midwife, the midwife telling her to take over to get more experience and that she'd be there if Luisa needed help with anything.

"It's almost time, Maria." Luisa said, "Are you ready?"

Maria replied by screaming out in pain.

"I'll take that as a yes. On the count of three, push. One, two, three!"

Maria gritted her teeth as she pushed, gripping her husband's hand tighter, Manolo flinching at the sudden tightness.

"Anything else I can help with?" Joaquin asked as he stood next to Luisa. 

He made the mistake of looking down at what Luisa was dealing with, his face blanched and fainted.

"Traitor!" Maria said as Chuy grabbed Joaquin by the collar, he and another nun dragged him out of the room. 

After what felt like an eternity, the room was filled with the cries of a newborn. It felt as though time stopped for Manolo and Maria. 

It was a girl. 

The midwife took the newborn to clean her off, as Luisa turned to Maria, "Congratulations, Señor and Señora Sanchez. And might I add, you did wonderfully."

Maria laughed weakly, leaning against her pillows, exhausted. 

Luisa noticed something and looked down, "Oh, what do we have here?" She said to herself.

She looked back up at Maria, eyes beaming with excitement, "There's another one!" 

"Wait, what?" Maria asked, her exhaustion disappearing. She groaned as the pain started up again. She grabbed Manolo by the collar and shook him furiously, "You did this to me!" 

After a bit longer, there was a second wailing newborn in the room.

Another girl. 

Twin girls. 

Once both were cleaned up, they were handed to Maria. 

Manolo and Maria looked down at them, tears of joy welling up in both of their eyes. 

They both had their mother's skin and eyes, their father's hair. One was wrapped in a small tan blanket, the other was wrapped in a yellow one. 

After a bit, Joaquin came back, "Hey, sorry I missed it." 

"It's ok." Manolo said, "You were still a big help." 

Joaquin noticed the twins in Maria's arms, "Whoa, you guys really hit the jackpot." 

"There weren't any more in there, right?" Maria asked Luisa. 

"Nope. Just the twins." Luisa smiled, "Did you have any names in mind?" 

Manolo gently took the one wrapped in yellow and kissed her head, "This one's Celina. We already knew that."

"But then again, we didn't plan on having twins, let alone two girls." Maria said, smiling at her other daughter. 

"Hm..." Joaquin thought, "How about Cecilia?" 

The couple thought for a moment, "That's beautiful, Joaquin." Manolo said, "Thank you." 

"It's the least I could do for fainting in the middle of it." 

After a bit, Joaquin and the others had left the room to give the couple some privacy as a family. 

"You don't know how proud I am of you, right now, mi amor." Manolo whispered, looking warmly at their daughters. 

"I knew they'd have your hair." Maria laughed as Manolo kissed her cheek. 

Outside the couple's window, was the goddess of death and the gods of the sun and moon. 

"They're going to be great Sanchez's." La Muerte said. 

"I knew they'd have twins." Zatz said, nudging Maya's shoulder. 

"They're so cute." Maya gushed. 

Zatz and Maya watched the peaceful moment between their mortal halves and their newborn daughters. If their children were anything to go by, the children of Manolo and Maria would be just as great. 

Chapter Text

Not long after Maya, Zatz, and La Muerte returned from the mortal realm, Maya and Zatz found Candle Maker outside their home, looking rather frantic. 

"There you guys are." He said. 

"What is it, Candle Maker?" Maya asked. 

"I found something I think should be able to help you." 

"Really?" Zatz asked, both of them lighting up. 

"It took a lot of digging and asking around, but I found that when two halves of a soul meet in the land of the dead, the reincarnated one remembers their past life when they touch for the first time. Did you go to Manolo and Maria recently?" 

"Well, we went to them when we found out they existed, but other than that, we've always watched them from afar," Zatz explained. 

"Did you ever touch them?" 

Maya and Zatz racked their brains, trying to remember if they did touch them or not. After a moment, it hit them. 

"We did... but briefly." Maya said, smiling nervously, "Were we not supposed to?" 

"Well, I guess you didn't do anything wrong, it's just unusual for this to happen this way. If they're remembering in bits and pieces, it may be because you didn't touch them long enough." 

"Well, what do we do?" 

"That's up to you. You can sit back, let the visions keep happening, or you can tell them the whole story yourselves."

Maya and Zatz sighed and looked down. "Thank you, Candle Maker." Zatz said. 

"Anytime." 

As Candle Maker left, the couple had some things to think about. 

"I don't know what we should do." Maya said. 

"They're going to remember either way." Zatz said. 

"But should we let the visions keep happening?" 

"I don't know."

"Ok. Uh... Let's just table this conversation for a bit. We'll figure it out."

It's been two months since the birth of the twins, and Manolo and Maria had adjusted to their new roles as parents. 

More or less.

It wasn't easy, but they had Joaquin to help them out.

It was evident that they were all exhausted from taking care of two newborns, especially during the first few weeks. But the couple was able to figure out what did and didn't work and were able to adjust, along with Joaquin any way he could. 

More or less.

They were grateful the crib built before the birth was big enough for two infants.

One evening, they were all in the living room, the sky growing darker and darker by the minute. 

Celina was in a small wooden cradle, which Chuy was gently rocking with his foot while Cecilia was in Joaquin's arms, taking a nap. 

Maria was close to falling asleep herself on the couch. 

"You should rest, Maria." Manolo said as he placed his hands on her shoulders from behind.

"Later." Maria said with a whine in her voice. "It's almost time for the girls to sleep anyway. I'll sleep when they do."

"I think this one already beat you to it." Joaquin said, referring to Cecilia. 

"You've been busy." Manolo said softly, as he stroked her hair, "They've been keeping us up for a while. You need a break."

"Don't cut yourself short, Manolo." Maria said, "You've been doing just as much as I have. And, you know, I'm grateful for that."

Joaquin cleared his throat, grabbing the couple's attention. 

"And, of course, we're thankful for your help, too." 

"Oh, you don't need to thank me." Joaquin shrugged. 

Manolo smiled before he felt that pain around his eyes. He shut his eyes as he groaned in pain, the pain stronger than he remembered.

Here we go again. 

"Manolo..." Maria stood up, worried for her husband. She moved him to sit down on the sofa.

Unlike the other visions, this one was more like an event. It was shown to him in flickers, making him confused as to what was going on. He seemed to be pinned against a wall, and he thought he heard snakes in his ears. There were creatures he remembered seeing in one of his past visions. He could see a purple creature being held by a horrific red one with a split face. The next thing he knew, the purple creature was killed in front of him, his heart ripped out. 

The pain left as quickly as it came. 

"Manolo?" 

Manolo looked to his side to see his wife look at him softly.

"I'm ok." He said, holding her hand.

"Another vision?"

"Yeah."

"What was it?"

Before he could answer her, Cecilia had woken up and was crying.

Manolo got up to get what was most likely what his daughter was crying for; the pacifier she had grown attached to in her short existence. 

"Here you go." He smiled as he handed it to her.

The moment Cecilia saw the pacifier, she reached out her little arms to grab it and sucked on it as though it was her life source. 

Manolo laughed as he watched the soft scene, sitting back down next to his wife.

"Well, it was an event, like the last one you had. I was against a wall. And one of the creatures I saw in the visions, he got killed."

"You've been having a lot of visions with these creatures." Joaquin said. 

"I don't know how else to describe them." Manolo sighed and looked down at his hands, "It's really hard to put everything together."

"You're telling me." Maria said, rubbing her temples, "I wish they came to us in a way that made sense."

"Hey, I'm sure things will make sense in the end. I mean, it's not like you're not gonna know forever."

"That's true."

They stayed up a little while more until they put the twins to bed. As Maria said, she and Manolo were gonna call it an early night. 

Maya and Zatz still didn't know what to do about Manolo and Maria.

They didn't know whether or not they should let the visions keep happening. 

It may have been a simple decision for others, but it was difficult for them, considering it was their reincarnated halves. 

One night, after they tucked Dawn and Dusk into bed, Maya was talking to Zatz about what they should do.

"I think the visions are gonna confuse them more." Maya said, "They don't deserve that."

"Especially since they're parents now." Zatz added.

The two sat in silence for a second, the answer echoing in the silence. 

"I think the answer's pretty obvious." 

"You're right." Maya said with a smile, "I don't know why we were overthinking it."

Zatz smiled as they went to bed.

They knew what they were going to do.

They were going to tell Manolo and Maria the truth.

Chapter Text

The night was silent as the sun was barely starting to rise over San Angel.

Manolo and Maria were sleeping soundly in their room, their daughters in the next room over.

They were suddenly awoken by pain around their eyes. This pain was far worse than the other times. They groaned and shut their eyes tightly.

They saw a giant two-headed snake in the sky that breathed green fire and roared loudly. They saw flashes of what looked like a great battle; creatures, warriors, soldiers being killed by the giant snake. It was horrific. 

It wasn't until the pain went away that Manolo could hear his wife screaming next to him.

He instantly sat up and wrapped his arms around her, "Maria! Maria! Hey! What happened?"

"The visions!" She screamed, "They keep coming back. They're getting worse."

"It's ok. Everything is ok."

"The-The girls. Are they-"

"They're ok, like they were two hours ago." Manolo held her face in his hands and kissed both of her cheeks, "We're ok."

Maria stared back at him for a few seconds, "Thank you." 

Manolo let go of her face as she leaned against him, his arm wrapping around her.

"You had a vision, too?" He asked.

"Yeah." Maria said, "You had one, too?"

"Mhm. What did you see this time?"

"A war. And..." Maria took a shaky breath as she buried her face in her husband's shoulder, "...a snake."

Manolo's eyes went wide at what she said, "What?"

"And a two-headed one, too, like the one you said killed you."

Manolo pulled away to look at her, "That's... That's pretty much what I saw."

"Really?"

Manolo nodded, "Did we really have the same vision?"

"I... guess we did. That's never happened before."

The two sat in silence for a second, thinking about what happened.

"Do you think... Do you think we knew each other in a past life?" Maria asked.

"I don't know." Manolo replied, "I guess it's possible."

"You're right."

The couple jumped at the sudden voice. They looked up and their hearts stopped at what they saw.

The boy and girl from their past visions. 

It wasn't easy to recognize them, but Maria remembered her sketch and how much it resembled the boy in front of them and Manolo was able to recognize the girl.

All Maria and Manolo could do was stare at the strange beings before them. 

The boy and girl glanced at each other before looking back at the couple before them.

"We know you're confused." The girl said, "You have questions."

Maria's heart stopped at the sound of her own voice speaking to her.

"Who... who are you?" Manolo asked, holding Maria closer.

"Well... we're you." The boy said.

Manolo was unnerved at his own voice speaking to him.

"I know that doesn't make sense, but we promise it will."

The boy and the girl held out their hands towards the couple.

Manolo and Maria looked at their hands with uncertainty. 

"Just give us your hands." The girl said, "This is the easiest way to explain."

Manolo and Maria looked at each other for a second, then back at the strange pair before them. Were they really the answers to what's been going on?

They slowly reached out and grabbed their hands.

At first, they felt nothing, but then it felt like something was pulsing in their heads. It was painful, but not as painful as the visions.

Manolo and the boy's eyes glowed a bright, pale blue while Maria and the girl's eyes glowed a bright, pale yellow.

Manolo and Maria flinched and groaned at the strange sensation. If the boy and the girl showed the same discomfort, they didn't show.

Their visions started to burn brightly away from them, the light almost blinding.

(Cue the music!)

Manolo and Maria's vision returned to them as the bright light faded. They looked around and saw they were in what looked like a dimly lit temple. 

They looked at each other as they started walking around, taking in the scenery before them.

No words were spoken about where they were, yet they felt the memories flooding back to them. They began to figure out where they were.

The Underworld. 

Different figures appeared and disappeared in front of them as they kept going, the faint echoes of their voices being heard as they seemed to be reenacting moments and events that happened.

Manolo and Maria remembered who they were. Lord Mictlan, Lady Micte, Camazotz, Cipactli, Cabrakan, and so many others.

The scenery changed before them, as they walked. Different locations and figures were shown to them.

Memories from this life were flooding to them without needing explanation. Somehow, they knew what was going on.

Chimi, Rico, Pichu, Chiapa, King and Queen Teca, the jaguar brothers, the kingdom of Teca, the Jungle Lands, Luna Island, and the Golden Mountains. 

The journey they went on, Pichu's sacrifice, those who were lost in the battle against Mictlan, the sacrifices made, being rewarded for their bravery. 

Their suspicions were confirmed. 

Manolo and Maria knew each other in a past life. 

Not only were they warriors and royalty, but they were in love. And here in their present life, they were lovers again.

It was all overwhelming for the couple. They didn't know how anyone could go through such horrors at such a young age.

Soon, the scenery changed to Teca Kingdom. 

It was all empty and quiet, like the calm after a storm.

The only people in front of them were their past selves.

Maya, Teca Eagle warrior princess, and Zatz the Prince of Bats. 

At the sight of them, Manolo and Maria's eyes were flooded with tears, overwhelmed by what they saw. 

Maya and Zatz had sympathetic smiles on their faces as they reached their arms out to the mortal couple. 

Tears streaming down everyone's faces, they came together in a warm group hug, the mortal couple finally understanding who they once were and what they went through. 

Manolo and Maria let go of their hands as they gasped, eyes wide as they looked down, tears streaming down their faces.

Maya and Zatz watched the mortal couple silently, waiting for one of them to say something. 

"Y-You're..." Maria finally said, "You really are our past lives."

"That's right." Maya smiled.

"But... How are we both here?" Manolo asked. 

"Maya and I were demigods." Zatz explained, "When we died, our souls split in two. Our god halves are who we are now, the gods of the sun and moon."

"Our mortal halves were in a state of limbo for centuries." Maya added, "Due to some divine intervention, you became reincarnations of our mortal souls. You weren't supposed to remember your past lives for a while, but a little... accident on our part, made you both have visions of the past."

Manolo and Maria took in what they were saying with wide eyes, never taking them off the deities. 

It was a lot to process. They were the reincarnations of two lovers from a past life. 

They didn't know what to think.

"You know, even before we knew about this ourselves, we supported your love." Maya said, "You guys are so similar yet different from us."

"And that story you're both so obsessed with," Zatz said, "That's our story."

Yet another thing that caused the mortal couple shock. The story they have read hundreds of times at this point was their own past life all along.

It was almost no wonder they were so obsessed with it.

"Ok, I understand this is a lot to process, but it would be nice if you said something." Maya chuckled. 

"Well... What's happened since then?" Manolo finally asked, "With you, I mean?"

"We've been raising and setting the moon for centuries. We've seen kingdoms and empires rise and fall, our friends and family come to the land of the dead, heartbroken to see some forgotten." Zatz said. 

"Does that mean our..."

"No. The story you're reading now is a legend in your time. It's enough to keep our friends who were involved in the Land of the Remembered."

"Also," Maya said, "Like you, we've had twins; a boy and a girl."

"Really?" Maria asked with a smile.

"Dawn and Dusk. Also, I must say, you have two beautiful daughters."

"Thank you." Manolo laughed.

"We need to get going." Zatz said, grabbing Maya's shoulder, "The sun and moon are waiting for us."

"But don't think this is the last time you'll be seeing us." Maya said.

"Thank you for coming to us." Maria said, her and Manolo bowing their heads in respect.

"There's no need for that." Zatz said, "Be good to each other."

With an exchange of smiles, Maya and Zatz vanished, leaving Manolo and Maria in shock and tears.

"Everything they've-- or... we've been through." Manolo said.

"And we were reading our story this whole time." Maria laughed, "We were lovers in one life..."

"...Only to find each other in the next."

Maria laughed as more tears sprung from their eyes as they shared a tender kiss.

After a moment, Maria brought her arms around her husband's neck, pulling him closer, kissing him more passionately. Manolo was caught off guard by the sudden movement, but quickly kissed her back as they leaned back onto the bed.

That early morning, Manolo and Maria had learned that no matter what obstacle came their way in any life, they would always find and love each other.

And they knew the sun and moon would make sure of that. 

Chapter Text

It's been a few days since Manolo and Maria had discovered the truth about their visions. Since then, the visions stopped.

It seemed as though their relationship made more sense to them, why they were so desperate to be together. Knowing who they were in their past lives only made their love grow stronger. 

It was midmorning, Manolo and Maria were in the living room telling Joaquin about their discovery, Maria breastfeeding the twins. 

Joaquin listened to his friends with wide eyes and his jaw dropped. It didn't take long for him to start pacing the floor.

"Let me get this straight; I'm gone for, like, three days, and the sun and moon themselves told you that you were ancient warrior lovers who fought gods in your past lives?"

Maria and Manolo looked at each other warmly and looked back at their friend, "Pretty much." Manolo said. 

Joaquin pursed his lips and nodded. "Well... that kinda makes sense. I wonder who I was in that life."

"I bet you were a mighty warrior who fought alongside us." Maria said, "Who else?"

A knock was heard at the door and Joaquin got up to answer.

When Joaquin opened the door, there was a man with short black hair in a green shirt, and white pants, and a woman with short blond hair in a light blue dress.

"Hello, señor." The man said, "I'm Emilio Rosario, and this is my wife, Rosa. We were told Manolo and Maria Sanchez live here. Are they home?"

"Yeah, they are." Joaquin said, "I'm Joaquin. Come on in."

The couple followed Joaquin into the living room. When they saw Manolo and Maria, they said, "Surprise!"

Maria and Manolo looked up to see Emilio and Rosa, their eyes growing wide and jaws dropping.

"Emilio! Rosa! Hey!" Manolo got up to greet them, "What are you doing here?"

"We're going to visit family." Rosa said, "You said we could visit, and we happened to be in the area, so here we are."

"It's so great to see you again." Maria smiled. 

Rosa noticed the twins, "Oh, you had kids!" She gushed as she and Emilio sat down, "Congratulations!"

"Thank you." Maria gestured to her left, "This is Cecilia," she gestured to her right, "and this is Celina."

"They're wonderful." Emilio said, "You know, Rosa and I hope to one day have kids of our own."

"Well, when you do, keep in mind that parenthood is not easy." Manolo said.

"So we've heard."

There was another knock at the door, "Wow. We're really having a party, huh." Joaquin said as he got up to answer.

"So, how long are you in town for?" Maria asked as she finished feeding the girls, Manolo taking Cecilia from her.

"Oh, just for a day or two." Emilio said.

"You can stay here." Manolo said. 

"Oh, no, no, we wouldn't want to intrude." Rosa said.

"It's really no trouble. We have plenty of space."

"Well, it would be easier than getting a hotel. Why not?"

Joaquin came back into the room with more people behind him. Manolo and Maria's hearts stopped when they saw who it was.

Zatz and Maya. 

They looked almost exactly like they did when they met them, only Zatz was wearing a simple black outfit and Maya was wearing a white shirt and teal skirt. They also had two children with them, who they could only assume were Dawn and Dusk.

"Hey, guys." Zatz said.

Manolo and Maria got up to greet them, "Hi." Maria said. She turned her attention to the toddlers, "Oh, are these your kids?"

"Yeah." Maya said, "We thought we'd introduce you to them."

Zatz and Maya noticed Rosa and Emilio. "Oh, we didn't realize you had company." Zatz said, "We're just stopping by for a few hours."

Joaquin gave Manolo a confused look, asking about the family who somehow knew them. As Maria introduced Zatz and Maya to their friends, Manolo whispered to Joaquin, "It's them."

Joaquin's eyes grew wide in realization. He pointed at Zatz and Maya, "You mean...?" He whispered. 

Manolo nodded as he and Maria placed their daughters in the cradle they had in the living room.

"This is Dawn and this is Dusk." Maya said.

The twins waved happily at the adults looking at them with adoration. They started playing with Chuy on the carpet as their parents sat down.

"So, Maria," Rosa asked, "I wanted to ask. Did you like the story I gave you last time we saw each other?"

"Of course we did." Maria replied.

"They've read it, like, a thousand times." Joaquin laughed.

"What can we say, it's a great story." Manolo said. 

"Oh, I think we've heard of that one before." Maya said. 

The mortal and deity couples look at each other with knowing smiles. 

"Wasn't the ending really tragic?" Zatz said with a smirk.

"I'd say the ending was more bitter sweet." Emilio said obliviously.

"Let's find out." Manolo said. He got up to get the book, opening it to the ending as he sat back down.

But the warriors weren't ready to abandon the little eagle so easily. 

They returned to the Teca Kingdom with their armies to help defeat the god of war. From there, a great battle took place. 

Many have fallen that day, gods and warriors alike. Among the fallen were the Prince of Bats, the little eagle, and her mother.

The little eagle realized she had to sacrifice herself in order to defeat the god of war, willing to protect those she loved.

With a final blow to his heart, the god of war was defeated.

After the battle, there was a reunion among the living and the dead.

As a reward for her sacrifice and bravery, the little eagle became the sun and the Prince of Bats became the moon.

Every dawn and dusk, when the sun and moon are seen together, the warriors are reunited again.

Since the fateful battle, the little eagle and the Prince of Bats dance together, forever and ever.

Manolo closed the book with a warm smile.

Maya and Zatz and Manolo and Maria were looking lovingly into each other's eyes. 

"Forever and ever." Emilio repeated, "Yeah, they die at the end, but they're still toge-"

"And no matter what came their way..." Maya said. 

"...their love grew ever stronger." Zatz finished. 

"For even in a thousand lifetimes..." Maria said. 

"...they'd always find each other again." Manolo said.

The two couples each shared a soft, warm kiss, knowing where they were and where they are now.

Joaquin watched the couples with a knowing smile while Rosa and Emilio watched in confusion. 

When Zatz and Maya left, they had given Joaquin an orb saying it would tell him who he was in their lifetime. 

It seemed as though they were trying not to laugh, which only confused Joaquin. 

Manolo and Maria laughed shamelessly when they all found out why when their guests had retired for the night. 

"It's really not that funny." Joaquin said, "It was another life, I was different back then."

"You were Manolo's ex-girlfriend." Maria wheezed, "And you tried to kill me!"

Joaquin had a blank look on his face as his friends were in stitches. 

"Come on, Joaquin." Manolo said, "You have to admit, it's ridiculous how different you are to her!"

"Yeah, I guess." Joaquin grumbled. 

Manolo and Maria hugged Joaquin once their laughter died down.

"See what we have when you're not trying to kill us?" Maria said. 

"I get it. I was a sociopath in my past life. Can we move on?"

"Of course, brother." Manolo said. It didn't take long before his and Maria's snickers returned, "Tomorrow."

Manolo and Maria started laughing again as Joaquin got up to go to his room. 

Once their laughter died down again, Manolo and Maria embraced each other.

"I wonder who our next lives will be." Maria asked.

"I just know that I'll love you no less than I do in this one." Manolo said, leaning down and kissing her.

Zatz and Maya found each other in one life through Manolo and Maria. Both couples knew they'd find each other again in many more lifetimes to come.