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Senguuji Yamato was about to receive a promotion.
Not in the typical way, of course. Most of his political climbing up to this point had been anything but typical, but as a son of the commander of the Fifth Sectonian Army, that was to be expected. He practically was born into expectations of high military prowess, and so far he'd done nothing but deliver at his father's expectations.
Now though, he was about to exceed them.
In their castle, kneeling beneath him on a throne he once sat upon, was the soon-to-be former acting Emperor of Sectonia, Ishido Shuuji, or Gouenji Shuuya, as he had recently discovered to be his true name. Right next to him was his trusted advisor, Utsunomiya Toramaru was right next to him, still trembling. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't remain as stone-faced as his comrade. Guards stood on either side of them, ready to pounce in a moment if either tried to run, though everyone knew that would be useless. Making it anywhere in the thundering storm outside would be next to impossible.
He hummed as he traced the words of the letter that had started the whole debacle. "I can't imagine how my father will feel," He said with mocking sadness. "Finding out the person he trusted to be in charge of his kingdom while he was away was actually a spy for the Raimon Empire the whole time. After all the work he put in to put you where you are," He sighed, stealing a glance at the traitor's expression. As usual, it was still as impassive as ever. That was probably one of the reasons he chose the blonde over Yamato, who'd never been good at hiding his emotions. The thought made him scowl.
"You know what the fate of traitors are, correct?" he continued. "Execution, if you're lucky. But you two aren't, are you? Maybe if you'd prayed a bit harder, the gods would've been kinder." And that finally got a flinch out of Gouenji, though Yamato couldn't discern why. He brushed it off, turning his attention to the guards.
"Take them to the dungeon," he ordered, ignoring the way Utsunomiya's shaking got even worse. "Don't be afraid to bruise them along the way. Keep them alive, though, for whatever Father has planned."
The guards did as they were told, the two offering little to no resistance as they were dragged away. Before they left, he stole one last glance at the former emperor. The other met his gaze evenly, no sign of any fear or even worry in his eyes.
Yamato grit his teeth. Looks like he'd have to go down there himself and teach him a lesson.
Yamato had known. He'd known since Ishido Shuuji walked into that meeting room, adorned with expensive fabric and jewels like an overpriced piece of furniture, that he was a liar, a trickster. And on some level, he knew his father had figured that out too. He had known something was wrong with Ishido's seemingly perfect mask of a rich, intelligent warrior searching for more after getting cut short by his previous comrades. Something wrong with how his plans seemed to always just fall short of working. Something wrong with how the ring he wore in a chain around his neck, which he claimed was a 'divine gift' looked just like the one that Kidou Yuuto, Raimon's own top general, wore around his finger.
He played with said ring in his hands, having confiscated it when the two were caught trying to send that letter just hours before. He remembered the man's desperate scramble to get it back before the guards managed to pin him down again. It’d been the last time Gouenji had shown emotion on his face since he’d been found out. It was beautiful, of course, but there was something strange about it. It felt too light to be made of metal, yet the look and color gave off the impression of solid gold. He could've sworn it was almost vibrating in his hands, alight with some sort of energy that couldn't be detected without directly touching it. He supposed it could be cursed, but why would he wear a cursed object around his neck like it was a prized possession? No, it had to be a magical object of some kind, but if it offered a blessing, why wouldn't he wear it all the time, especially deep in enemy territory?
Curiosity got the better of him, and he slid the ring on his own finger, feeling the strange material practically glide along his skin. Nothing seemed to happen, but he couldn't deny how hard it was to tear his eyes away from it. Perhaps he'd add it to his own collection, or-
"Sir!"
He looked up to see another guard, slightly wet, running down the main castle hall. “There’s a traveler at the door asking for the owner.”
Yamato frowned. A traveler, at this hour, in this weather? It screamed suspicious. Still, he decided to play along for now. “Bring them in.”
The guard nodded, turning right around and marched back towards the main entrance. Within less than a minute, he returned with a man dressed in a large brown cloak obscuring his face, the faint smell of rain filling the room as he did. The moment he saw Yamato, he took off his hood, revealing a tanned face with large brown eyes, along with messy spiky hair that was held back by a bright orange headband.
“Y-your highness, right?” He dropped down to one knee, kneeling before the throne. “I’m sorry for barging in so late, but I was simply passing through when the storm caught me off guard. If it’s not too much trouble, could I stay here for the night?”
Yamato tilted his head, a small smile growing on his face. “...Alright.”
The traveler’s eyes widened. “R-really?”
He got off his throne, already having an idea of where this was going. “Come, you must be hungry, correct?” The traveler’s eyes physically brightened at that, almost leaping up from his kneeling position. “This is a castle. We have plenty of food to go around.”
He nodded rapidly. “Oh, thank you. Thank you very much!”
As he and a few of the guards led the man into the banquet hall, he grinned. He had a feeling he knew exactly what this traveler was, and why he was here.
-
After watching the traveler devour five full plates of food, Yamato figured it was time to pull back the facade.
“So, traveler,” he began gently. They were sitting at opposite ends of the banquet table, the room only illuminated by the faint candlelight of the chandelier above them. “What brings you here?”
The man stopped eating for a second, wiping his face and considering. "To be honest, I've been trying to get out of the area for a while now," He explained while chuckling nervously. "With the war and all that, it's not really safe for people like me to be roaming around, you know?"
Yamato nodded along. "Indeed. It is such a shame for innocents to be caught in the crossfire." Perhaps it was just coincidence, but the moment he spoke, the rain outside seemed to intensify. The traveler hummed as he placed his fifth plate on the stack with the other four, making his entire face visible. Despite supposedly having been wandering the Sectonian plains for who knows how long, he looked relatively young, with a clean face and shining white teeth. "However, I have a feeling you do not need to worry as much as other nomads."
The traveler blinked in surprise. Yamato had to admit, their look of innocence was truly convincing at first glance. "W-what? Why?"
The soon-to-be-king smirked in response. "Well, you gods don't have to worry nearly as much as us humans, correct?"
For a second, the rain seemed to stop. The traveler- god tilted his head, a smile growing slowly on his face. "Nosaka wasn't wrong. You humans are getting wiser to our presence."
Yamato grinned, leaning forward onto the table in eagerness. "To be fair, you did use the most common ploy. A weary traveler in the middle of a storm? There are dozens of famous stories that start off just like that."
The other laughed, and the wind outside laughed along with them, whipping the building and rattling the walls. "Ah, I guess so... Still. You haven’t said my name yet." His eyes glinted dangerously. "If you're so wise about us, then can you tell which one I am?"
Yamato kept his smile up, though inside his heart skipped a beat. Playing games with gods was a dangerous thing, as he had also learned from those same stories. Still, this one seemed more relaxed, meaning he probably wouldn't eviscerate him if he said the wrong name.
Probably.
He thought about it. He couldn't be Ares or Aphrodite, who always carried a certain... aura with them wherever they went, either of rage or lust, neither of which he felt here. Perhaps Athena, but something told him the pristine god of strategy wouldn't plow through five plates of food before getting to the point. Posideon didn't travel this far from her domain, and Hades only visited dying humans, and Jupiter almost never left the sky at all. His eyes slid out to the window, where the rain had slowed to a gentler, more calm pace. Minor gods couldn't control the weather so easily, and he doubted the sky god would allow anyone to control his domain other than...
"Hermes?" He guessed tentatively. It would make the most sense. Not only was he the god of the wind, but the god of travelers in general, so such a disguise would fit him. His best guess was met with a low chuckle, and thunder rumbling outside.
Without even saying anything, Yamato knew he'd guessed wrong.
"That's pretty close!" the other replied brightly. "I do pretend to be a patron of Kazemaru when I'm down here, so I guess it makes sense you'd pick him first." He sighed, resting his elbows on the table. "But I'm not. I believe you call me... Jupiter, right?"
Another flash of lightning flickered through the windows, as Yamato swallowed.
Jupiter. The god of lightning, the sky, and all that rested under it. Said to rarely involve himself in petty human affairs, he was considered the most neutral of all the gods, and sometimes the most feared. There was a reason he had a temple in almost every major city. For as terrifying as floods and plagues were, neither could quite live up the fear of suddenly being struck from above, without warning, without hesitation.
Still, he was also supposedly the most patient with the few humans he did meet. Even when a city wronged him or someone cursed his name, the most they'd get is a lightning strike to their house, if they triggered any response at all. For someone who could lord over humans with much more ease than others, he seemed to not be bothered with them.
Of course, this also meant no one had any idea how to survive an encounter with him.
Luckily for Yamato, the god of thunder simply leaned back in his chair and laughed. "Relax, I'm not going to strike you down for guessing wrong. Especially when you have such good food! I mean, those rice balls were just-" He coughed, and collected himself. "Sorry, I tend to get carried away when it comes to human food. What were we talking about?"
"Um-" Yamato stuttered. He was still caught off guard by how... informal he was. Then again, there wasn't much reason to act formal when you could just zap anyone who commented on it. "W-why have you come to visit me?"
"Oh, right!" He clapped his hands together, a boom of thunder following after. "I've come to talk to your current king, Ishido Shuuji. Where is he?"
His light tone, the strange situation, and the answer to that question made him give out a chuckle of his own. Jupiter blinked owlishly at him, tilting his head a little more than a normal human should've been capable of. "Is something wrong?" He asked.
"N-no, it's just-" He took a deep breath and restored his expression of a simple smile. "Whatever he's done to upset you, don't worry about it. He won't be a problem for much longer."
Of course. It all made sense. The gods may have been fickle, but they had certain values they held above all else. Family, friendship... and of course, loyalty. The sky god, the most loyal of them all, would of course take issue with a traitor like Ishido.
"What do you mean?"
The god's question snapped him out of his thoughts. "He was exposed as a traitor just a few hours ago, and is currently being held in the dungeons of this very castle. Once my father- the rightful king returns, he'll be sure to give him a fitting punishment." Yamato had yet to notice the way the rain had intensified once more, coming down like a volley of arrows heading straight towards a group of troops. "Of course, if you wish to deliver one yourself, I'll be happy to show you to him."
Another boom of thunder rattled the building, and Yamato opened his eyes to see the sky god not looking at him, but the golden ring he'd stolen from the man. "I see," he said, his tone suddenly void of emotion. "He's in the dungeon, right?"
"Correct," he agreed, and a small smile appeared on Jupiter's face, as he got up, his eyes suddenly hidden by the shadows of the chandelier above them.
"Then there's no need to bother with the castle, then."
Now it was Yamato's turn to blink in confusion. "What?"
"Yamato Senguuji," Jupiter said, and he felt his back straighten on instinct. "Do you know what I'm the god of?"
He swallowed nervously. Somewhere in the conversation, all the friendliness had vanished. "The sky. Lightning and thunder. Storms and the weather in general."
Jupiter's smile grew wider as he looked away, his hands tracing the edge of the table. "I'm usually associated with those. But there's one title everyone always seems to forget..."
"What's that?"
Jupiter finally turned to look at him, his brown eyes reflecting nothing, not even the light of the candle back at him.
"Destruction."
BOOM!
The sudden bright flash made Yamato shield his eyes, but even that couldn’t protect him from the smell or the sting of smoke.
He opened his eyes to the feeling of cold rain hitting his hair, and looked up to see where the roof above him had been, there was nothing more than a smoldering, gaping hole.
Yamato barely had time to get out of the way before a burning support beam fell where he had been sitting just moments before, engulfing the chair in flames, with the table quick to follow.
"I don't really get the appeal of killing humans," Jupiter said casually, his voice somehow loud and clear through the crackling fire and howling winds. Yamato scrambled to push himself off the floor as the god watched with disinterest. "Haizaki says there's a thrill to it, but it's just so... pointless. Of course you can kill humans, you're immortal!" He let out a light sigh as another wooden beam fell just inches behind him. "But I guess he's the god of war, so he's gotta find some joy in it. Still..." Jupiter's lifeless eyes made their way back to the prince, looking almost bored. "It is kind of fun to spook you guys, I guess."
BOOM!
Another flash of lightning, this time hitting the middle of the table, cutting it in two and spraying splinters across the room. Yamato had barely stood up, his previously clean robes stained by the rain and soot.
Jupiter looked as spotless as he did when he walked in.
"S-sir, please-"
BOOM!
This time, the strike was farther away, though he could tell it had still hit the castle judging by the sound of screaming guards and burning wood.
"Relax," Jupiter said blankly. "No one's gonna die tonight, considering Shuuya's still unharmed. But you may have to find a new castle after this."
BOOM!
The strike was closer, as Yamato could see fire starting to eat away at the banquet doors, and the sound of rain became heavier, surrounding him.
Drowning him.
He looked into Jupiter's eyes, and all he could see was lightning. Lightning that could tear apart cities, buildings, humans, in a single strike. He saw storms that washed away towns and hurricanes that ripped lands in two. He saw the sun, burning so bright and hot that it blinded anyone who dared to look at it. He saw the moon, cold and impassive as the humans underneath it fought in a bloody battle, knowing full well that it could end either or both sides with a single thought. He saw the stars, crashing into Earth and leaving nothing but smoldering craters in their wake.
He saw and he knew that all of that and more was under the control of one man- no, god, who was currently burning his castle down, and showing him he could do far, far worse.
In the mess of fire and strange visions, Yamato hadn't realized that Jupiter had walked up to him, growing with each step. He had gained a good 4 feet in the short walk across what remained of the banquet hall. With no sympathy or anger, he looked down at Yamato, tilting his head only slightly.
"Gouenji Shuuya will escape tonight," he told the shaking prince, studying every tremor in his body as he did. "If you chase after him in any way, I won't be so nice next time. Got it?"
Yamato could do nothing but nod. At that, a familiar smile broke out on Jupiter's face, wide and innocent to the destruction around them.
"Good."
BOOM!
When Yamato opened his eyes again, he was gone.
Lost in the remains of the smoldering castle, he never realized the golden ring around his finger had vanished along with him.
-
Gouenji Shuuya had made some mistakes.
That much was obvious, judging by his current predicament. Exposed as a spy, thrown into the dungeon as a prisoner, his last-ditch attempt to send a message to the resistance had failed spectacularly. He could almost see Yuuto shaking his head at him in disappointment.
He didn’t want to think about what Mamoru’s reaction would be.
Mamoru didn’t get wars, really. He didn’t get a lot about human politics, from their complex webs and titles to their easily corruptible state. But what he would get was his sudden loss of the ring, the unexplained breaking of his promise. And he couldn’t imagine he’d be happy.
“Ishid- Gouenji?”
He was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of his shaking comrade’s voice. He turned to see Toramaru, who to his credit, was still mostly keeping it together. The younger’s eyes darted between him and the two guards standing outside their cell. Why they had thrown the two in the same cell, Shuuya would never know, but he wasn’t about to complain “What’s our plan?” he whispered as quietly as he could.
Shuuya frowned. Toramaru still had so much faith in him, even after this- it hurt more than anything, knowing how badly he’d let him down.
Still, Toramaru needed to stay calm, and to stay calm he needed an idea of what to do next. Taking a deep breath, he leaned in close and replied, “Wait for an opening, then investigate any flaws in the cell. We’ll go from there.”
Evidently, he hadn’t been quiet enough, as one of the guards turned to face him, already scowling. “Did we say you two could talk?” he said as he slammed his lance into the ground, probably in some poor attempt of intimidation. Neither of them replied, simply watching them with emotionless eyes.
“Hey, he asked you a question,” the other added after a few seconds, grinning wickedly. “Maybe we should go in there and teach you what happens to tra-”
BOOM!
All four flinched as the floor above them shook. The guards stumbled about in their heavy armor before finding their balance again. “Wha- what the hell-”
“Was that an attack?!” the other yelled in panic. Shuuya resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Clearly, he’d never been in combat before. “What are we- how would they even-”
The scowling guard turned to face them again, this time his gaze honed in on the former king. “You did this, didn’t you? You leaked the location of the castle to Raimon-”
BOOM!
“We don’t have time to accuse people right now!” the other yelled in hysterics. “We- we need to get out before the whole place collapses!”
The scowling guard turned to glare at his co-worker. “No, you idiot, we need to go and protect the prince! Come on!”
The two of them scurried upstairs, leaving Shuuya and Toramaru alone to wonder and hope.
“Do you think it’s an attack?” Toramaru asked. “We never did give out the location of this place, so how…?”
Shuuya frowned. Maybe it was, but the explosions sounded like distant booms of thunder, more than anything. Almost like…
BOOM!
The next explosion was even closer, causing rubble to fall from the roof, making them both jump up and back away from the crumbling ceiling. With a loud crack, pieces of burning wood tumbled down the stairwell, and the wind soon followed them, howling and screeching. In little more than a few seconds, the rusty doors to the many cells began to creak and whine, shuddering under the intense pressure. In the blink of an eye, all of them, all at once, broke off their hinges, creating an ear-piercing symphony of cracking metal as the doors were unceremoniously tossed down the hallway, some even crashing into the back wall.
The two of them just stood there in shock. “What…?” Toramaru muttered, while Shuuya’s mind raced. It had to be him. There was no one else who would- who could do that other than him.
He could only hope he wasn’t as mad as the storm upstairs made him out to be.
“C’mon,” he said to Toramaru. “The faster we get out of here, the better.” The advisor didn’t hesitate to follow him, even after another bolt of lightning rocked their world. Carefully and quickly, they made their way up the stairs to the ground floor of the castle.
Or, at least, what was left of it.
BOOM!
The castle, which at most an hour ago had been perfectly fine, had been reduced to little more than burning rubble. The hallway they were marched down had its walls ripped wide open and the high dark oak ceiling was now the ground in front of them, smoldering and cracked. Rain fell from the sky like arrows, washing away any remaining dignity the fortress once had. He heard Toramaru let out a gasp at the sight from behind him.
"W-what the hell...?" he whispered. "This isn't an attack, this is..."
"The wrath of a god," Shuuya finished, looking to the sky. Sure enough, there was another bright flash, blinding them both for a few seconds.
BOOM!
That particular strike of thunder was louder than all the others, making the ground shake beneath them. Toramaru stumbled a bit before regaining his footing on the wet mud beneath them. The rain began to ease, the roar of water hitting stone and dirt clearing up to make way for a much more worrying sound.
The sound of footsteps.
Both of them tensed, but for different reasons. Toramaru was probably expecting a guard or maybe even the prince to show up, but Shuuya knew better. He'd heard those footsteps before, a pair of running shoes splashing muddy ground after a storm of impossible intensity.
Then he saw it. A vague silhouette, but familiar nonetheless. Spiky hair, followed by a long brown cloak, none of which was even slightly marred by the chaotic weather around them.
On instinct, Shuuya dropped down to one knee and bowed his head as the figure got closer. "Endou," he said quietly, his name almost lost to the wind.
"Really?" He jolted up, not expecting Mamoru to be so close so soon. Then again, he was a literal god, and the rules of space and time were more suggestions to him than anything. "You fight against Yuuto, you lose my ring, and then you can't even call me by my name?" He crossed his arms and pouted.
At this, Shuuya couldn't help but chuckle. "Sorry, Mamoru. It's been a long two years."
As with most frowns on the sky god's face, it didn't last very long before breaking out into a light smile. "Better. Now then, you wanna explain to me what's happening between you and Yuuto?"
Shuuya couldn't keep eye contact with him when that subject was brought up. "It's... complicated-"
"Complicated?!" There was another boom of thunder, though this time it was far more distant than the others. It still made him flinch. "I'll tell you what's complicated! I leave you two alone for like what, two years?- To go do my actual job, and then when I go back to check on you, you're fighting in a war, on opposite sides, and I can't even say your name around Yuuto without him breaking down!"
Shuuya swallowed nervously. Weakly, he defended, "Two years is a long time for us humans."
For a second, the winds around them howled, before calming down. Mamoru let out a deep sigh.
"You're both impossible, you know that? And stupid. Very stupid. You have no right to call me stupid after this."
Shuuya bit back a smile. "Well, not all of us have thousands of years of knowledge."
Mamoru stamped his foot on the ground, a few flecks of mud hitting Shuuya's already stained robes. "Do you need thousands of years of knowledge to know that not telling your husband about your plan to become a spy is a stupid idea?"
"Husband?" Toramaru choked out. Shuuya turned to look at him, and felt a little guilty when he saw how pale the other was. Mamoru paid him no mind, keeping his intense eyes on his lover.
"I didn't even come down here to rescue you, at first. I just wanted to talk and figure out what the hell was going on, but by the time I get here, you've been found out and captured, and that stupid prince had the nerve to gloat about it to me-" He took another deep breath, and caught himself. "No, I'm not going to lecture you. That's Yuuto's job."
"...Why are you here, then?" he asked tentatively. Mamoru blinked, before sighing once more.
"Stand up, Shuuya," He ordered.
He looked up in surprise, though still did as he was told. "Why-"
Before he could finish, Mamoru took a knee himself, before flashing him a bright grin. "Well, I'm supposed to kneel when I put the ring on you, right?"
Shuuya blinked, and there it was. The golden ring Yamato had taken from him, resting in the palm of Mamoru's hand, just as clean and unstained as the man who gave it to him. Who was going to give it to him again, even after losing it. Even after breaking their promise.
With practiced ease, he slid the enchanted ring onto Shuuya's hand, letting it rest before it tightened around his finger, as if it was determined not to be taken from him again. Shuuya barely had time to process the feeling before Mamoru leapt at him and smashed their lips together, as if he'd been waiting to do it since he got here.
Knowing Mamoru, he probably was.
Kissing Mamoru was a strange, alien, and exciting experience. Energy poured out of him and into Shuuya, as if he couldn't hold himself back. His lips burned and stung with static electricity, and yet it still felt gentle, like Mamoru was taking great care not to overwhelm him. The taste of rainwater, one Shuuya would be ashamed to admit he'd grown addicted to since meeting him, filled his mouth and he drank it down like a dying man in a desert.
He didn't know how Mamoru enjoyed their kisses, with him giving so much and Shuuya returning with so little. But Mamoru loved them, just as he loved Shuuya, just as he loved Yuuto. A fact he had come to learn was as true as the air he breathed or the ground he walked on.
He also didn't know how long it was before Mamoru finally pulled away. It could've been hours, it could've been seconds. All Shuuya knew was that when he did, Shuuya wanted to dive back in, burns on his lips be damned. But Mamoru's hands went to his shoulders, holding him back with a gentle but firm grasp.
"I'm sorry," Shuuya choked out. For what, he wasn't sure.
Mamoru shook his head. "Save that for Yuuto. Speaking of which..." He turned around, pointing at a faraway hill. There was a flash of lightning on top of it, presumably leaving a burn mark on the ground.
"Keep walking in that direction for about two days, and you'll find a Raimon outpost. Yuuto's heading there too, for a strategy meeting or something. I didn't really listen. He'll be there to meet you, probably." He turned back to Shuuya, eyes soft and adoring. "Stay safe, alright?"
Shuuya nodded jerkily. Mamoru's smile grew a little bit wider, before his eyes went to Toramaru. "You," he said, his voice booming like thunder. Toramaru straightened up, still shaking like a leaf. Mamoru made his way over to him, and it took Shuuya an embarrassingly long time to get moving again.
"Wait, he's my fri-"
"Take care of Shuuya, alright?"
Toramaru's eyes widened, before nodding rapidly. "Y-yes! I'll take good care of him, s-sir! I mean, my-"
Mamoru laughed. "That's all I need from you, then." He turned around, his brown cloak flowing behind him. "Good luck, you two. I'll be watching." His eyes slid to Shuuya. "Don't do anything stupid."
Shuuya couldn't help but smile. "That’s ironic, coming from you."
Mamoru closed his eyes and turned away from the pair, and there was another-
BOOM!
-and just like that, he was gone.
Shuuya let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, shoulders finally relaxing. He couldn't relax for long though, not with more footsteps coming up from behind him.
"...I have a lot of explaining to do, don't I?"
"You bet," Toramaru huffed out, before elbowing him. "But we've got a long journey ahead of us. You can explain on the way."
Shuuya looked to the hill ahead of them, the rain beginning to ease. Soon enough, the clouds began to part, the light of the moon lighting a path along the flooded landscape.
With a deep breath, the two of them set off, Shuuya’s finger never leaving the band of the ring as they did.