Chapter Text
The plan was:
1. Give God’s children—those cute little spirits floating around—some human bodies
2. Let them test drive the bodies on earth
3. The ones who listen to the rules get to live with Dad in Heaven again after their bodies wear out
4. The ones who are little shits have to go to Hell for eternal damnation instead
5. Oh, and God can’t just make human bodies willy-nilly, so it’s also a rule that the humans have to reproduce so all the other spirits get their chance
6. But also it’s a rule that no one is supposed to know about the process of reproduction because that is naughty.
7. ...
8. So…
9. Shh, God’s rules are perfect. Shhhhhhhh.
“They seem kind of contradictory, though,” Yuuta said. “Like, does He even want His kids living with Him again? Kiiiiinda seems like He doesn’t.”
Hinata, doing flips in the infinite aether, stopped to look at the other angel. “No, He does, He does, He just won’t break the rules because that wouldn’t be perfect, and He’s perfect cuz He’s God.”
Yuuta tilted his head back and forth, hair brushing his chin. “Mmmm, so how’s He planning on getting any of them back if they’re doomed to fail?”
“I mean, they can do enough good things to balance the bad things. They just have to hit net positive to go to Heaven.”
“No.”
“What? Wasn't that the deal?”
“It’s right here. In the rules.” He pointed to the stars that outlined their father’s laws. “If you do anything bad, even once, it’s a red mark forever. It’s like, if you get a roach in your ice cream, even if it’s just one roach, the rest of it doesn’t matter.”
“...I’d still eat the rest.”
“Yeah, because you’re not God. You’re gross.”
“I am not! You and me are the best angels of all! Hinata and Yuuta, most awesome twins ever! The coolest, the strongest, the ones who can do anything together!”
“It’s really not much of a contest. The rest of the spirits are still like, single-thought organisms.”
“They won’t be for long, though. Dad showed us what was going to happen.” Hinata waved a hand, and a nebula formed the images of the coming eons. The little floating spirits would become angels, then, a few million or billion at a time, go inhabit human bodies on Earth, and die and be sent to either Heaven or Hell.
“What’s gonna happen is gonna suck. You remember, right? He said there’s only one way to get rid of the red marks of sin, and it’s if someone super powerful and good volunteers to go be a human, gets tortured for every other human’s sins, and lets humans kill him afterwards. It magically erases all the roaches and purifies all the ice cream in the world in one shot for all of time, and then the other spirits just have to go, ‘yeah okay, thanks’ and say sorry when they screw up.”
“Right, I know. It's basically just giving them a little boost so they can do enough good to balance the bad. What’s wrong with that? Everyone is happy at the end, right?”
“Not whoever it is that gets sacrificed! You know that would be one of us, right? There’s no one else strong enough.”
They stared at each other. The only two beings in that solar system, so far.
Hinata smiled and patted his brother’s head. “I know. It’s fine, I’m ready.”
“Hell no! Who decided it was going to be you? Neither of us is going through that! It’s stupid!”
“Sh! Yuuta! Don’t say stuff like that!” He squinted towards the sun, checking to see if their father was around.
Yuuta rolled his eyes. “All God has to do is just make it so people can’t sin. It’s not hard. He’s gonna force them to have all kinds of other conditions, so why not one that just lets them get mortal bodies, try stuff out, but has a limiter so they can’t do bad things? They’re not gonna be able to fly, not gonna be able to glow, not gonna be able to sin. Easy.”
“It—it’s not just about getting them all home safe the easy way. They have to practice making real choices and deciding to try to be good.”
“If they’re destined to fail anyway, what’s the point? Let them practice, but if they’re about to mess up, the leash stops them from running into the street or messing stuff up for other people.”
“The choice doesn’t mean anything if there’s no real consequence.”
“So you’re just gonna copy whatever the rules say without thinking, huh? Fine. Then I’m gonna rewrite the rules.”
“You can’t. Only God can, and the rules are perfect because He is.”
“Then I’ll become God, and the rules will change with me.”
“Y-Y-Yuuta!” Hinata clamped a hand over his mouth. “Shhh! Be good!”
His brother licked his hand. When he yelped and let go, Yuuta held his wrists down and leaned in. “You know what? I’m not gonna be good. What kind of good, omnipotent father is okay with hurting one of us—his kids—that much? If that’s ‘good’ and ‘perfect,’ then I don’t want to be either of those.”
“It’s, it has to be like that, for all the spirits—”
“It doesn’t have to be. He’s all-powerful, He could find another way.”
“Please, come on, don’t start your rebellious phase now.” Hinata gently pulled his wrists out of Yuuta’s grasp. He held his brother’s shoulders, then wrapped him in a hug. “Look, even suffering for all mankind isn’t going to take that long, in the grand scheme of things. It’ll be over super fast once I get down there.”
“No!” Yuuta ripped himself away. “You’re not doing that! If you’re sooo determined to do it Dad’s way, we’ll share the job. Both of us take half.”
Hinata grabbed him, thrumming with fear. “You can’t! I can’t let that happen to y—”
Yuuta gave him a look.
He rubbed his neck. “Oh. Yeah, okay, I see where you’re coming from, but you’re you. You’re so important and wonderful—you’re the one that brings light here. I just gather the other little spirits together. You’re the one that inspires them to want to be something more.”
It must have been true, because the only light in his eyes came from the fire in Yuuta’s.
“Hinata! You don’t get it! They need both of us!”
“Not really. Anyway, I was born into consciousness first, so it’s my responsibility to take care of you and the others.”
“We both saw each other at the same time! But it doesn’t matter anyway. You’re not listening to me, so I’ll just show you. I’m going to make it so everybody gets home safe and happy, even you. And if I have to fight God to do it, fine.”
-
God was either a laissez-faire parent, or a sadistic one. Hinata liked to think He just wanted His children to learn through experience, let them make their own choices, but he almost gave up when God told him that he, Hinata, would lead the defense against his brother.
“But I can’t. I love him.” He tried to imagine driving a spear into Yuuta’s chest, or locking him up somewhere dark and alone. It was impossible. Not Yuuta.
“He is only one of my children, seeking to prevent billions of the rest from joining me in Heaven. You know they must be shut off from my presence, if they are not tested and found pure. Heaven cannot house those who would sin, lest it cease to be a haven and a paradise for the good.”
“That’s not what he’s trying to do, though. He just wants us all to be happy.”
“The law is the law. It is inerrant and eternal.”
“Please, I can’t—”
“If you both rebel against me, I will end the existence of you both in a single—merciful—stroke, and await the next of my children to become strong enough to suffer and ascend as Savior of all mankind. On the other hand, if you accept your role, you will also be the one to decide your brother’s punishment. It need not be death unless you wish it for him.”
It wasn’t a choice.