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The gods Life and Death went through a cycle every millennium. They would die and be reborn, death had grown old, had taught life all that they could in order to teach the next death. It was a cycle that would repeat.
First death, then Life, Repeat.
"You will do well my boy" Death had said to Life "My successor will have a great teacher"
Death was dying, they were leaving and young Life was afraid. He had not done his duties alone ever, Lord death was always by his side. He was still so young, he still had so much to learn.
"You'll do well Katsuki" Death had said with a small smile and with that they were gone.
Katsuki did not cry. He didn't have time too, plus death would be reborn soon. What good tears would do for someone he would see soon.
Death was reborn later than usual. Katsuki wasn't sure why he expected Death to look the same, they never did look the same when they were reborn. But he was still shocked when he found a sobbing green haired boy in the woods.
It was no mistaking that he was death. If the black mist that wrapped around him like clothes was anything to go by. Katsuki was stunned, the boy was sobbing.
"Why" the boy cries "why"
Katsuki inched closer and saw he was holding a rabbit. The rabbit was fairly young, Katsuki knows because Katsuki breathed life into it.
"Oi, the hell are you doing? I just made that" Katsuki yells startling the little boy. Who's head whips around quickly, tears brimming his big green eyes.
"Life" the boy breathes "Please fix it"
He holds out the bunny to Katsuki. Katsuki was in shock that the boy had recognized him but he guesses that makes all things considered.
Katsuki grabs the lifeless body, mouth turned downwards in a frown. "I cant"
The boy cries even more "You are life aren't you?"
"Yes but that's not how this works"
"Why not?! I didn't mean to. I just wanted to pet him!"
Katsuki set the bunny down and crouched to be eye level with the child.
"What's your name?" Katsuki questions, remembering how he felt when he was first reborn and remembering how gentle Lord death had been with him.
The boy sniffles "Izuku"
"Deku?"
The child glared "Iz-u-ku"
"Well, Izuku do you understand what happened?"
Curls shook from side to side "no"
"You are death" Katsuki says there is no other way for him to say it. He cannot sugar coat it even for a child "While I give life, you take it. Even if you don't mean too"
"Death? But why?"
Katsuki shrugged that wasn't something he had an answer to because he did not understand it either. "It just is, we are just."
Izuku had stopped crying and was looking at Katsuki in amazement "You are really pretty Life"
"Katsuki, my name is Katsuki"
"Ka-" Izuku tilts his head "Kacchan"
Katsuki scowls "close enough / Deku /"
So Katsuki spends his time doing his duties and teaching Izuku what Death taught him. Katsuki teaches Izuku things about life that he will eventually have to teach the next life.
Though Katsuki was growing concerned at the rapid rate, Izuku had been aging. When Katsuki found him a month ago he seemed to be around the mortal age of 5 now it seemed to be 10.
If he kept aging at this rate, he'd be gone faster than Lord Death and that thought filled Katsuki with so much dread.
Katsuki had walked around his forest after a day's work. To the beach, where he had found Izuku sitting. Quietly sobbing, the boy had always been a crier, something Katsuki learned early on.
"You better not be crying over the dead again." Katsuki says, throwing himself next to the boy.
Izuku quickly wipes his face "'M not crying"
"Mhm sure." Katsuki replies leaning on his hands, staring at the ocean.
Izuku didn't reply, in fact he didn't utter a word. Just sniffled beside Katsuki drawing flowers in the sand. This isn't normal, Izuku would ramble on and on about the people he had visited or the animals he saw doing his work.
Katsuki nudged him "Come on out with it"
Izuku just sniffled and didn't say a word. The silence stretched for a long while and Katsuki was just about to tell Izuku he didn't have to talk. The boy opened his mouth
"They hate me" Izuku says
"Who do?"
"The mortals” Izuku looks at him "They hate me and love you. Why? Are we not two sides of the same coin? You cannot exist without me and I cannot exist without you. It's why we get reborn"
Katsuki was caught off guard by the question but he remembers sobbing as a young boy to lord death about how upset he had been that they hated him but loved Katsuki.
"I'm a beautiful lie Izuku. And you are a painful truth for mortals." Katsuki says "To be loved by them is nothing but a fleeting thing"
Izuku sighs "I want to be loved"
Katsuki doesn't say anything. He didn't know what to say because he too wished he could be loved. Loved in the way the mortals fall and have partners. Loved in the way the mortals preach to have for him but not mean.
Loved in a way that was all consuming.
Katsuki was worried. Izuku was already a young adult, he was aging far too rapidly to be considered normal for gods. Izuku would pass before Katsuki and the cycle would be thrown off.
Katsuki wants to say he worries greatly for the cycle and he is but he has grown fond of Izuku. Katsuki does not think he'll be able to bear another death cycle.
Izuku walked toward an old fawn in Katsuki's forest and placed gentle hand in her head and kissed her nose "peace be with you little one"
Izuku had grown greatly in using his power. He also had grown beautifully as well, stars across his face and chest. The black mist fell upon his defined muscles beautifully and rested nicely upon his now long hair was a skull of an animal that he wore like a crown.
"I have to go to the mortal realm" Izuku says to Katsuki
"What for?"
Katsuki didn't like the sound of this at all.
"The mortals have started a war, I'm needed there" Izuku does his best to not touch Katsuki's work space.
Lest he accidentally takes the life of whatever Katsuki is creating.
"When will you back"
"Don't know. The reapers can no longer keep up. The war has gone on for long time. In mortal time."
"Send out more reapers. You aren't ready for that"
A lie. Izuku was more than ready, Katsuki was just scared.
Scared to lose him.
"Kacchan"
"You are not ready"
"Kacchan i'm more than ready"
It was true. It was a fact but Katsuku did not want to hear it.
Fear had a hold of him. Katsuki would never admit to being scared but he is.
Not for the cycle.
But for his heart.
He had fallen in love.
He had fallen in love with Izuku.
He would never admit that at least not to him because it could / never / work.
They were doomed to die separately, Katsuki is supposed to go first but at the rate Izuku was aging he could die tomorrow.
"No" Katsuki screams, dropping his creation, shattering it. "Are you not concerned?"
Izuku's eyebrows furrowed "concerned about?"
"HOW FAST YOU ARE AGING? YOU WERE 5, three months ago"
"Yes? So? Is this not how fast gods age?"
"No! Izuku no. I am supposed to die before you. It is the way of the cycle" Katsuki runs a hand through his hair "I am to die and be reborn before you. But you are aging at a rate that i've never seen before. Not even in my past lives. You /will/ die before me and i do not know if you will be reborn again."
Izuku was silent, staring at Katsuki.
"You haven't aged at all" Izuku says
That was true. Katsuki hasn't aged, in fact Izuku was close to the age in which Katsuki watched lord death die. While Katsuki hasn't aged not even a single year.
Katsuki should be at the age in which he's ready to be reborn.
But he is not.
"I-"
"Are you not concerned? The cycle will be thrown off"
"I am very concerned which why you need to stay here so we can figure it out"
Another lie.
"I cannot abandon my duties as death. Even if I die tomorrow."
Katsuki knew he was right. That's why Katsuki let him go. It's why Katsuki watched the male leave for the mortal realm but didn't say goodbye.
Because if he did, he would have cried.
Katsuki feared Izuku would die in the mortal realm and Katsuki did not want to tell him goodbye if it meant that would be their last.
Katsuki wanted to hold on to the hope that Izuku would return. That he would see him once more before he passed.
The months stretched long, and Katsuki was alone. Utterly alone and he threw himself into his work, his duties as life.
Katsuki was walking along the beach one day. Izuku had been gone for a long while, so it was hard to keep track of how long it had actually been.
Katsuki had a thread of hope that Izuku would return. He promised himself he would confess if Izuku did.
A figure stood tall in the distance, watching the waves crash against the shore.
Katsuki's heart sped up and he slowly picked up the pace in which he had been walking. Tears springing at his eyes as he took in the dark mist clothing, the animal skull crown.
"IZUKU?!"
Green met red
Katsuki was offered a smile on a face that had matched him in age.
"Hi kacchan"
Katsuki was crying when he reached the greenette and for the life of him. He could not care.
"Izuku. You are back"
Izuku wipes Katsuki's tears "of course i am"
"You are all grown up"
"I was grown up when I left"
Katsuki flicks him in the forehead "You know what i mean"
Izuku smiles and nods.
They sit in the sand and catch up. The war ended long ago but Izuku stayed to learn things, he was always fond of learning. Izuku was smart and Katsuki loved that about him.
"I figured out why I aged so quickly" Izuku says "The mortals have books, lots of books on us gods."
Katsuki nods his head "what did you learn"
"Some gods are meant to be" Izuku says "so they go through rapid aging for their soulmate"
Katsuki blinks "Soulmate?"
"Ah yes it is a mortal concept but it accurately describes what has happened to us" Izuku says drawing a heart in the sand "Sometimes in our cycle the gods life and death are meant to fall in love."
Katsuki does not say a word, he feels as though he cannot breathe.
/Soulmates, love?/
All the concepts are foreign to him.
"They are meant to grow old and die together. In order for the cycle to start anew" Izuku says finally looking at Katsuki "It's why i am now the same age you"
Katsuki doesn't say anything but he cups Izuku's face and kisses him deeply. Hoping that the kiss is enough to convey all the feelings he has.
Because Katsuki has always been shit with words.
Izuku kisses back with just as much emotion. When they pull away, chest heaving Katsuki brushes a thumb over Izuku's freckled cheek.
"Do the mortals still hate you?"
"Terribly so"
"How can they? When I love you so much"
Izuku smiles and kisses Katsuki again. "I love you too".
Katsuki brushes Izuku's hair from his face and smiles.
"How dare the mortals say Life is beautiful" He says "When Death is even more so"
Katsuki god of Life & Izuku god of death, live happily growing old together.
And the cycle repeats.
End