Chapter Text
There was a boy frequenting his Temple lately –a young man, actually, although he could be easily mistaken for a mere boy due to his rounded cheeks and petite frame. He always brought with him scrolls upon scrolls, marking a spot hidden behind one of the temple’s vast pillars as his place to read. Sometimes the boy would unconsciously speak the words, the gentle, yet powerful timbre of his voice bringing poetic words to life unlike anything Hideyoshi has ever heard, lulling him into a trance.
Hideyoshi was the God of the Sun. Of music and poetry and also of medicine. He had lived thousands of human years, taught poets and musicians and balladeers the art of story-telling and song –heck, he was even the one who comes up with those cool prophesies his oracles make!– and yet never had he been so entranced by any such one –especially not just by the very act of reading aloud.
…well, he supposes the fact that the boy was just about the most adorable thing he’d ever seen ever might’ve had something to do with it but yeah, moving on!
But the thing that actually caught the Sun God’s attention the most was the completely desolate air around the boy. His voice, though beautiful, always sounded so pained and solemn (and no, Hide knows it isn’t just because of his… err… unusual taste in scrolls), his silver eyes downcast and shadowed, worn, almost hollow…
It tugged at the Sun God’s curiosity, he who was always bright and surrounded by laughter (who was commonly the cause of), so much that he desired to find out just what it is that could be bringing the boy such sadness and what he could do to take him away from it.
And thus finds Hide absentmindedly strumming his lyre while gazing at the figure displayed in his scouring pool, soft, mellow melodies dancing through the air around him.
“That’s weird…” a familiar voice snapped him out of his thoughts rather violently, nearly making him fall face first into his basin, and Hide turned around to find a steely gaze on him. “What’s got you all spaced out?”
“Touka-chan” he greeted, flashing the girl who was his twin-sister-but-not one of his ever-sunny smiles. Touka was the Godess of the Moon and the Hunt. They were born on the same day at the same island with the same mother, but not quite the same spirit. Hide was born during the day, while Touka at night, and that was exactly where their differences lay.
“You…” Touka’s steel blue eyes narrowed suspiciously, suddenly making the sun god quite uncomfortable. “You didn’t get hit by another one of Suzuya’s arrows again did you?”
Hide winced at the reminder. That was not a very pleasant experience for him, who was then still so bold and young. Especially when he found out just exactly why Yoriko was running from him like her life depended on it (apart from the other arrow). It already hurt that his first experience with love was complete and utter rejection, add to that having to suffer Touka’s wrath for years… Well. He vowed never to get on Suzuya’s bad side ever again.
Thankfully they were able to reverse most of the damage with a little help from the Goddess of Spring.
The moon goddess’s eyes hardened. “Better speak up now so I can get Ayato to lock you up in tartarus for a couple of months. Amon knows it’s for the good of the earth” she hissed in a voice so cold it gave the blond goose bumps.
He raised his hands up in a gesture of complete surrender, keeping a safe distance from the now seething Goddess. “I am still very sorry about that. I swear. And I didn’t mean any harm!”
A smirk made it’s way onto Touka’s lips and she rolled her eyes. “Yeah yeah, I know. But don’t you dare try to go anywhere near Yoriko or her tree again, or else” she threatened, eyes glinting like silver bullets, and Hide could only nod his head vigorously. “Hmm, so it’s a guy this time huh…” threatening aura dispersing, the moon goddess hummed as she peeked over at her twin’s scouring pool, eyes lighting with mild interest. “He is kinda cute… definitely your type. Maybe I can let it pass this time.”
Hide blinked… then flushed. “W-wait, Touka-chan. First and foremost it’s not like that! And it’s not an arrow!!”
“So, is he gonna run or is he doomed? Or both?” Touka ignored him, crossing her arms in contemplation.
“HEY!” Hide pouted, crossing his own arms in indignation. …Well, he really couldn’t deny that his love life has been… misfortunate… at best. He deflated. “Like I said. It’s not like that” he repeated, turning away.
Touka took one look at him and smirked. “Riiiiight”
“Really!! He’s just…!! I mean he’s frequenting my temple and he always looks so lonely and I just wanna know why!!” he explained. …And maybe make him smile somewhere along the way too.
The goddess raised a brow. “Then why don’t you just go down there and talk to him, Apollo?” she challenged. “I mean, surely he’s gotten way too used to your presence already that you can show yourself in person, oh great God of Prophecy” she mock-bowed.
Hide crossed his arms in a huff. “It’s not that simple, Artemis. And what makes you think he’d even talk to me at all??” he reasoned, suddenly deflating moments after he realized the truth in his own words. A cloud suddenly hovered over his sunny hair, promising rain and thunder.
A chuckle reached his ears and he glaring at his twin-sister-but-not. “S’not funny…” he pouted.
“No? But you definitely are right now” she stated, pure mirth in her voice. “But seriously. I at least know you can do it. Sheesh, you made Lord Marude laugh once, and that guy’s sour all year round!”
In the end Hide also couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory. The Sea God definitely wasn’t one for sunny skies. “You really think so?”
“Who are you and what did you do with my idiotic brother?” Touka rolled her eyes, ignoring the question and turning back to watch as the figure finally rolled up his scroll and stood up. She paused. “Hey… don’t you think this guy looks kinda familiar?” she questioned, brow scrunched.
“Really?” Hide tilted his head, mirroring her actions.
But before either of them could follow up on that, an obnoxious voice interrupted them.
“AH! Mes petits lapins, there you are!” the twins turned around in one fluid motion, mirroring looks of annoyance in their faces as they stared at the newcomer. “The council is about to begin and Lord Amon requests your presence” Shu gave them a flamboyant bow, raising the ever-present wineglass above his head so as not to spill.
The two merely shared a resigned look before trekking past the man, pace and posture completely identical, showing their origins.
Shu watched them go with a sinister smile on his handsome face, gaze landing on the scouring pool now showing only a temple’s empty grounds. “Oh dear little brother, do forgive me, but I’m afraid I cannot let you have this one” he smirked, vanishing the image with a wave of his hand before trailing out the doors himself.
“I’ve already had my eye on that precious one for quite a while, after all”