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Chapter Text

The oldest of stories are passed down through the word of tongue; tales of the fiercest warriors, lessons woven into words… but how often are people taught the values of honor, respect, gratitude…

Love?

This is the story of how the moon came to be; how the night remained in pitch blackness before it came into existence. It’s a story about the Sun’s light and how even to this day, it shines upon the moon to aid in lighting the night time sky.

This is the story of the sun’s love and how it sacrificed so much to never be alone again.

Back in the days before the moon existed, men were born and bred to become soldiers. Their schooling revolved around the hardening of their mind and the thickening of their skin. Many took to these lessons easily and became the soldiers they were trained to be. For others though, becoming a soldier took more than just hard work. For some like Kaneki Ken, their hardest proved to not be enough and if you weren’t chosen by the gods for priesthood then you were deemed worthless. Incompetent. A literal waste of space that should cease to exist because all he was good for was taking up room.

That’s what his aunt told him anyway.

There was no mortal man or woman left for the young man to turn to so in times of personal crisis, he went to the temples with his bundle of colourful candles and rich spices and prayed to many that were known for their destruction. When he received no word, no blessing, not even a single acknowledgement, he turned to the last of his choices.

The temple of the sun god was adorned with extravagant gifts and rich fragrances and for a moment, as he set up the space around him with the items from his bundle and lit the candles aflame, he thought it wouldn’t work. Why would the god of the sun, healing, and music want to help Kaneki become merciless?

Then again, why would anyone want to help him?

Compared to his earlier prayers, the one offered to this god was the most honest. He confessed all of his wrongdoings and his feelings; he confessed that he was weak and a lost cause to an army that needed stronger men. Tears were shed in his admittance as the air that settled around him remained empty.

Why have I even bothered to try…? With the feeling of defeat he started to blow out the candles one by one and placed them into the bag next to him. Just as he was about to exhale his breath of the last on the flames, a gentle, warm hand reached out to touch his shoulder. Silver eyes looked up at the man whose smile was bright and just as kind as his touch; brown eyes dancing in excitement and charm.

“Y-your unlike any priest I’ve ever seen before,” Kaneki admitted, eying the rich, golden robes adorned with jewels. His skin was toned and whether it be the trick of the eye, or Kaneki’s own delusions, this man seemed to lightly glow in the darkened temple. To say that the man standing before him was stunning would be a mere understatement.  

“In what way?” the man asked, eyes sparkling with excitement as he strided over to the front of the raven haired male. He kneeled down so he could meet Kaneki’s eyes as his robes pooled around his feet.

You’re far more beautiful than any priest in the kingdom, he wanted to say but the words got lost on his tongue. Instead a light shade of pink dusted his cheeks as he muttered quietly, “Although some priests are among the richest of men, they do not dress in gold. You must be one of the men from the high kingdom.”

“Interesting deduction,” the blonde told him. “But what if I told you that I’m not from the high kingdom?”

“Where are you from then?”

“A higher kingdom.” A playful grin rested on the blondes lips as the emphasis of his words sparked Kaneki’s curiosity. “One that no mere mortal land could even begin to muster.”

Kaneki’s lips turned downward into a frown. This man is trying to play tricks on me. He grabbed the lit candle and blew it out. From the entrance of the temple he could see the tinted shade of pink that still settled over the sky as the sun prepared to set down. He had only a little time left before he would have to use the candle as his only source of light to get back to his home.

“It’s unkind to lie to people,” he said, as he shoved the rest of his belongings and slung the bag over his shoulder. “Or to trick people.” As an afterthought he added, “which you didn’t. I may be weak, but I’m not stupid.”

“Ah… mortals,” the blonde mused, letting out a laugh which only seemed to make him radiate more. “To think you came here in search of help but cannot believe the source trying to do so. To think I came all the way down from the heavens to seek the man whose heart was hurting with the torment of his current predicament but still beats with the determination to succeed. Do you know how far away the heavens are? My feet ache from the journey, Mortal, I do not make it often.”

“Prove it.” If he was wrong he would probably pay for it with a god’s curse, but there was no way this man was who he said. Gods don’t visit the Humans of today’s time; they live on in the legends before them. Priests are touched with their word alone, but never their appearance.

“Is my glowing complexion not enough proof? Must I really supply you with more?” With a huff, the blonde walked over to the priest’s stone chair and sat atop with his legs dangling over the side. “You’re an oblivious man, Kaneki Ken.”

A gasp got caught in Kaneki’s throat; he never mentioned his name and unless his reputation was truly that horrible in the kingdom, there was no real way for him to know it. He composed himself and let out a single breath.

“Your name isn’t the only thing I know. From the day you were brought in the world, to the day your mother left it, to you standing here now… I know you. I maaaay have read up a bit on the finer details, but the truth remains the same.”

Dread set in the pit of the raven haired male’s stomach as he slowly backed away. I called a god a liar…I insulted him.

“Please forgive me…” He could kiss the god helping him goodbye. Surely he wouldn’t help him now. “I apologise for my foolishness, God of the Sun.”

“I’m not a huge fan of the formalities…”

“I’m sorry Hideyoshi…” The human looked down at the ground now.

“You’re forgiven… I find you and your kind quite amusing in the ways you think and arrive at conclusions. I’m well aware that gods rarely travel to the realms of your world so it’s obvious that you would think I’m trying to deceive you.” Hideyoshi reaches down and places his hand below the human’s chin and lifts his head up so they meet eye to eye again. “Typically the requests of the mortal ones bore me and unless they’re gravely serious I don’t pay them any mind. But yours sparked my interest so I shall help you.” He pulled away and folded his arms across his chest, noting the shiver that Kaneki let out. It was cold in the temple now that the sun went down outside and Hide’s hand was warm. “With your determined heart, you will succeed in finding what you seek with my aid. There is however, a price that must be met.”

“I’ll do whatever is asked of me… I just want to feel needed by my kingdom.” His words rang true, but there was more than that… he hid more of the truth. The raven haired male touched his chin and briefly looked away after speaking.

“You must honour me with all your heart and dedicate yourself to my worship. You will not only fight for your kingdom but also in my name. A prayer must be made to me every week; tell me the stories of your conquests, your glory… and I will make sure your name never dies through the tides of time.”

It was odd to think that someone cared about Kaneki, but never in his wildest dreams did he ever think that a god would truly come to his aid. A million thoughts and feelings raced through his head before he looked up at the sun god, in all of his radiance, warmth, and charm. He placed his hands on the ground in front of him. He sat on his knees and bowed forward until his forehead touched the ground.

“I swear. I will honour and worship you. I will fight in your name for my kingdom and pray to you about my days in battle. From this moment on until my dying day, this is my oath to you Hideyoshi.”

“On your feet, Kaneki Ken.” The human did as he was told and looked at the god was met with the same kind expression and openly blushed when the blonde’s warm hands cradled his cheeks. He placed a kiss on Kaneki’s forehead and let out a small chuckle. “You may call me Hide, since we will see each other very often.”

Chapter Text

In the weeks that followed, Kaneki found that he has taken a great liking to being in the god’s company.

 Living the life of immortality certainly gave Hide a lot to talk about; a lot of stories to tell. He spoke of the other gods and his relationships with each of them. The one he found most interesting was the story of the goddess Hinami’s creation; how unlike the others being born from the other gods, Hinami emerged from the dusty sands beside the sea. Kaneki loved how Hide had a way with words and how to make a story more appealing. Maybe it was how soothing his voice sounded or his use of exaggerated annunciation, but Kaneki could listen for hours.

 “Do you want to hear something strange, Kaneki?” Even through the brilliant smile and his shining complexion there was the tiniest hint of sadness. “Hinami is the goddess of love and beauty, yes? I myself am also a god of love, though it is not what I am commonly known for.”

 “I fail to see how that is strange…”

 “Both Hinami and myself have never felt love for ourselves… yet we give it away to those that want it. It’s weird how we can aid in something we ourselves have never understood.”

 There wasn’t much for Kaneki to say, not having really experienced love for himself. To those in the kingdom who he could have courted, they thought him to be too ordinary. Maybe they were right; to Kaneki there wasn’t too much to really look at. So he kept to himself and his studies of fighting and war and made it unworthy of thinking much about.

 The only time he could say he felt loved to any degree was by his mother, but it was love through maternal nurture. She was the only one who probably ever thought of him as something precious and unique.

 “Maybe you both aren’t meant to understand love through romantic means…” A bit of a far fetch, but a theory nonetheless. “Love has many facets, does it not? Parental love, platonic, unconditional… but they’re all still love.” Hideyoshi listened to his words in curiosity and his smiled brightened.

 “See! This is why I love the human mind! We gods can be so simple minded about things… but you bring so much… depth… more understanding.”

 Just as the human opened his mouth to speak; to ask if Hide was blind to the other sides of love besides the romantic kind, the blonde changed the topic to something different. The soldier once again became transfixed on the soothing aspect of the god’s voice and he was lulled into another story.

 Just as he was promised, Kaneki fought against opponents with ease. The kingdom sent out all of it’s soldiers onto ships on a long journey on the questionable sea. They were to take over more land and convert its people to their way of life and make their warriors part of their own growing army. For the most part the soldiers were silent as they sat together in rows with the handle of the oars in front of them; they would save their energy for traveling the sea and making it to land alive.

 “My liege,” one soldier stood up and addressed the king at the stern of the ship; draped in ornate, blue robes and crowned in an olive branch of golden leaves. “This will be a long journey and the seas are often ruled by the emotions of the sea god. We should make a sacrifice to honour Nishiki and pray that he makes our travels easy.”

 “All things on this earth are ruled by the emotions of the gods,” the king replied matter-of-factly. “No amount of praying could sway the tides of Nishiki’s wrath.” Those words alone did little to calm the aura that settled around the soldiers as they began their journey. As warriors there was little the men were afraid of, but a god’s wrath wasn’t something to trifle with. In the blink of an eye any of the gods could fill you with regret through the use of their punishments and Nishiki was not one to mess with.

 Kaneki could guess through the silence of everyone around him that everyone was praying and he joined them in one of his own. In his mental image he focused on the golden threads of Hide’s robes and how even in his mind, they glistened with light. He prayed mind to the gentle smile and blonde locks of hair that just barely grazed the god’s shoulders. So much detail that he could remember in only a few short weeks of meeting with the sun god and just thinking of him made him feel at ease.

 Please grant me your protection, Hide. Please help to ease the burden of fear from the hearts of us all. Help us to all have peace of mind.

 In a week they made it halfway through their exhausting travels and found shelter on an island in the middle of the sea. Everyone set up camp and crowded around the warmth of the campfire, but it was barely enough to heat Kaneki’s skin the way Hide’s touch could. Just that feeling alone made him realise how much he missed being in the close proximity of the deity; how he missed the stories and his voice.

 It plagued his heart to be so far from the kingdom and so far from Hide’s temple. Why did loneliness now come to fill his heart with it’s black fog?

 Kaneki stood up from the men, bowed to them and announced he was to retire for the night. When he got to the tent aligned with furs for the comrades he would later share the space with, he stripped himself of the heavy, bronze armour and cleaned his skin of the sand and dirt. Just as he put on the white civilian robes and sat down on the furs, a voice came to him. It was in his mind then in actuality but the gentle tone was enough to bring a smile to the soldier’s lips.

 Pray to me of your travels, Kaneki.

 And so he did. He carried on the conversation in his mind about the calm of the sea and the ease of their journey; how the generals and the king praised them for their hard work and found it in their hearts to grant them rest. He prayed and prayed and prayed until the thoughts died into nothing as sleep overcame him.

 The battles were long and the war raged on for a couple years before the kingdom’s army succeeded in their conquest and returned home. The number of men returning home was much less than anyone anticipated and everyone returned with at least one bad scar or two. He could still remember the begging of his enemies who met the end of his blade; how they cried about returning to the wives and children. Through the horrendous amount of people he killed and the guilt that plagued his heart, he learned that it takes much more than just strength and brute force to become a fearless fighter; it takes a heart made of iron too. His hardened after a while, after his hands were stained with the blood of his enemies.

 The opposing army must have granted favour with the god of war later on, because trying to conquer the city came with a price. They returned to their kingdom with more bitterness because in the long run they never took over the city; no they destroyed it. The remaining civilians; priests, royalty…Women and children…

 The soldiers were forced to slaughter them all.

 His heart may have been hardened, but Kaneki wasn’t heartless.

 Upon arriving at the temple, the human fell to his knees and cried. Who could ever offer his aching chest any mercy from the daunting pain that would forever be buried there; the screams and cries of those innocents that he slaughtered for his country. Those children would never grow up and experience everything the world had to offer them; he took that away from them all with his sword.

 It hung on the side of his body like a dead weight and Kaneki wanted to destroy it. In a fit of sorrowed rage he unhooked it from his armour and flung it across the temple stones.

 “It’s nice to return with your shield instead of on it, no?” Kaneki was sure those words Hide spoke were supposed to be comforting in some kind of way, but proved to only make his heart ache more. Just how many of their own soldiers returned on the tops of their shields… too many. “Many have died in war and many more will die in the future. You shouldn’t let yourself become sick with grief… you should feel overjoyed that you came back at all.”

 He openly shuddered at the thought that he actually survived and looked at Hide; wiping his tears on the sleeves of his robes.

 “I… I murdered them, Hide!” With a shake of his head, the deity opens his arms wide and takes the human into them.

 “You are a soldier that did what was told of him. Though the outcome may be one in the same, you acted based on the command of your general. It was not murder, Kaneki… it was the spoils of war.” Kaneki nuzzled into the warm contact; the first gentle embrace since his mother was alive. Hide’s heat surrounded him as he cried the last of his tears that night before the exhaustion suddenly hit him. It had been a long time since Kaneki had gotten a decent amount of sleep; so long since nightmares didn’t haunt his memory with the so called spoils of war.

 “Sleep,” Hide told him, reaching down to cradle the human with both hands. “I’ll see to it that you’re returned home.”

Chapter Text

In the years that followed, Kaneki’s devotion rivaled that of the highest of priests in the kingdom. When he wasn’t training or defending the country’s high walls, the soldier could be found in the temple in prayer. He would stay until nightfall, when Hide would come to him in a physical form. The pair spent many years behind the walls of his worship growing to know each other. It was in that time that Kaneki realised something very valuable and it would forever change everything.

He realised his heart raced when gazing into the blonde’s warm eyes when they traded stories of their past, that his hands would clam up any time the god got close to him or when he could smell the enticing scent of honey and amber wafting from him. All Kaneki ever wanted was to stay in Hide’s presence; to live in that temple and never face the horrors of the outside world again.

Kaneki realised that he had become infatuated with a being that was not mortal; a god that blessed him with the strength to battle and a life that he had never had before. People would kill to be in his place and catch a glimpse of Hideyoshi just once, where he got to see him on a frequent basis and grow to fear, respect, and cherish their time together.

But no, Kaneki locked this up and didn’t dare tell the world. Didn’t dare tell Hide. What would become of him if he did?

He found his wisdom and guidance from an unexpected source; emerging from the ocean and draped in colours of the cerulean sea and it’s shimmering surface. Her brown hair was adorned with a crown of gold and just barely grazed her shoulders. It remained dry even though she came from the sea as did her clothing and as she approached him slowly, Kaneki noticed that not even a single grain of sand stuck to her. He could tell from her appearance alone that they were not human and that he was once again gazing into the eyes of someone who came from the heavens above.

“I heard the call of a confused and troubled heart.” He could feel the statement radiating in his chest as she reached out to grab his hand. He couldn’t speak; found himself speechless in her presence as she smiled warmly at him. “Are you frightened of me, Kaneki?”

“…” He felt his cheeks warm as his eyes drifted away from her. “I… do not fear you, merely why you have come to me.” His raised his hand to his chin as he continued. “I… do not know why you are here.” The goddess squeezed his hand and pulled away to gesture to him to walk with her. To move forward next to the moving tides of the ocean.

“Perhaps because I listened to the cries of your honest heart and not the troubles of your untrustworthy mind.” It was as if she could read him like a book. “As the goddess of love, it is my calling to answer the hearts of the deserving to find love and what you seek has been written in stone long ago by a being higher than even myself.”

“My fate… has already been written?” It sounded strange, once an ordinary human who could barely get the gods to acknowledge his existence… now he consulted with two and found his future journeys to already be predestined. The goddess nodded and looked up to the sky.

“Your story will be told through the ages of history, for your life’s travels into love will be envied for centuries…” The sentence died on her lips as did the smile and her brown eyes focused on him. “…As will your tragedies, but you were placed into this world to need him and in turn for him to need you. Your love for each other will grow like a rising tide. Fear not what your heart feels or what it tells you. Follow it to it’s rightful keeper and you will find the warmth and happiness that you so desire.”

“Happiness and warmth…” Kaneki could just envision Hide from those two words alone. “It’s as if you describe him.” They stopped walking and turned back toward the kingdom that Kaneki protected; looked up toward the golden sun that presided over it like a personal guard in itself.

“As should be described of Hideyoshi, no?” She giggled and reached her hand out to grab Kaneki’s. “He’s wonderful and I’m happy that he finally has the chance at something that he bestows of other people… that I bestow upon you, Kaneki.”

“I…” Kaneki was always taught to fear the gods; that they would not hesitate to curse you if they seemed you of such a punishment, but all Kaneki could find from both Hide and the goddess of love was kindness. “…Your blessings mean more to me then you know. Thank you, Hinami.”

Where Kaneki had had courage on the battlefield protecting his kingdom, he lacked it when he was face to face with the sun god in his temple in the dead of the night. Hide sat amongst the offerings left throughout the day by priests and guests and couldn’t help but to smile when Kaneki came in.

“Welcome home!” Hide exclaimed standing up to run over to help grab things from Kaneki’s arms, much to the soldier’s protests. He brought his bag of candles and his praying mat which he now mainly used to sit upon with Hide to tell tales long into the night, it’s original purpose abandoned years ago when their contract developed into a friendship. Among the usual items was a bottle of wine which Hide locked his eyes on with a grin. “Oh? Is it one of those nights then?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kaneki answered nonchalantly as the bag was taken from him. “I merely wanted a drink.” He grazed his hand across his chin in thought as his heart thudded in his chest, ears and rattled his inner body like a prisoner trying to escape. Kaneki didn’t want just one drink. No, he wanted several. He wanted to empty the bottle and several more afterwards until even Tsukiyama, god of wine would envy him.

Kaneki wanted to drink until he felt the bravery he lacked; till he could press wine soaked lips against the warmth of Hide’s mouth and sink into the depths of the comfort he craved from the sun god without any doubts or hesitation.

Instead, he stood in the doorway to the temple as Hide pulled out the candles from his bag and started to set the wick’s alight with soft glows that filled the room. The silence that passed between them was short, and Kaneki found himself thankful when Hide spoke once more to end the silence.

“There’s no reason to be nervous around me…” Hide had his back turned to him as he spoke. “You… haven’t been nervous to be with me in years. What’s the matter?”

“N-nothing,” Kaneki answered. Hide turned to look past his shoulder; eyebrows pulled together as if reading Kaneki like a temple scroll and Kaneki just knewthat Hide was aware that he wasn’t being truthful. The soft glow that glimmered from his skin dimmed ever so slightly as he frowned and finally turned to face the soldier completely.

“Do you feel that you cannot be truthful with me, Ken?” Hide walked slowly toward Kaneki. “Is it… is something I have done?”

Kaneki couldn’t stand to see the glow from his sun god diminishing in front of him; hated to see the smile replaced with something foreign to someone of Hide’s nature.

“You’ve…” Kaneki could feel the warmth from Hide as he stepped into closer proximity and reached up to gently cradle Hide’s cheek. He swallowed his fear as his heart continued to thud in his chest; listening to it instead of fighting against it. “You’ve done nothing wrong. I’ve… fallen for you.”

Upon his admission, the god’s eyes widened as he gazed at the human, hishuman, like if he moved a single muscle he would break.

“You’ve… fallen for me?” A single warmed hand gently reached up toward his face, to the hand already settled upon his cheek. “I…”

“Hideyoshi… I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. There is no mortal being in any kingdom, not even that of the high, that could make me feel like this…” Kaneki swallowed hard after letting the words fall from his lips like he had no tongue to hold his secrets captive. He let his thoughts and feelings free; a bird no longer held prisoner to the security of the cage. Kaneki dared to move forward as he closed the distance between them both, squeezing Hide’s hand before bringing both intertwined hands down to rest at their side.

“Kaneki…” The name came from Hide’s lips like a whispered prayer before Kaneki closed the distance and sealed the new chapter of their destiny with his lips against Hide’s own.

It didn’t take but a few light-less nights for the other gods and goddesses to slowly make their appearances, much to Hide’s chagrin. The first to come out of hiding and introduce himself was a god draped in rich purple fabrics. His violet eyes shone bright in curiosity as Kaneki entered Hide’s temple and the soldier immediately got down on his knees. As he looked up, the god merely chuckled and poured himself a glass of blood red wine.

“You act on ceremony, but there is no need.” He raised a golden chalice decorated in deep red rubies to his lips and smirked with satisfaction. “Come. Lift yourself from your knees and appease me by joining me for a drink.”

The soldier was about to move from his spot when he could feel a hot anger burning from behind him. Kaneki couldn’t help but to be struck with confusion as Hideyoshi came forward to stand beside him. The visiting god found humour in this as his purple hues radiated with mischief.

“Ah! At last Hideyoshi shows his face among the company of another god!”

“Don’t start to believe that you have the right to waltz into my temple and harass those that seek worship, Tsukiyama.” Venom dripped in the blonde’s words as Tsukiyama laughed in reply.

“Seek worship? Is that what they call it now?” The god of the vine placed his golden cup down on the stone floor and moved closer to them both with the smell of distilled grapes and other pleasantries wafted from him. “Worship of the mind or body, I wonder?”

“Take your disrespect and-!”

“I see you picked a good mortal… does he spend a lot of time on his knees for you?” With Tsukiyama’s latest insult, Hideyoshi scowled and held out a hand to Kaneki.

“Please rise, Kaneki. You do not need to respect one that is as disgraceful as this imbecile.”

The insult didn’t seem to phase Tsukiyama in the slightest and he merely stood in silence as Kaneki rose back onto his feet and moved to stand closer to the sun god. Hideyoshi stood with a scowl on his face and folded his arms across his chest. There was a brief moment of uncomfortable silence as the two deities stared each other down, before Hide piped up again. “Do you plan to continue standing there like a fool, or will you humour me as to why you would come in here and harass my company?”