Divinitas

050 - Acceptance. Innocence.

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It had surprised him. The presence of the Child of Water within Cyaneus\' quarters. He had not expected the general of the Tenshi, his uncle by blood, to take on an Elemental Child, to act as his Keeper.

The vividly sapphire blue eyes watched him without emotion, partly veiled by long straight strands of silky ebony hair. They were eyes that showed immense intelligence and determination, but most of all loyalty.

Placing a finger on the flat of the cold steel blade, Ashura pushed the sword away from his face, smiling pleasantly. \"That\'s a wonderful stance you have there. I can tell you\'ve had formal training and from a very young age at that. You are nobility, aren\'t you?\"

The absence of a reply wasn\'t surprising. It just made Ashura want to break out into a grin. After all, it answered his question as clearly as any spoken reply would have.

\"Ashura,\" Cyaneus greeted, entering his quarters via the open balcony and calling the other Tenshi\'s attention to him. His long white hair, high-lighted with icy blue, settled around him gracefully, taming the savage look lent to his face by the electric blue markings there. \"I was most surprised when you informed me you would take that particular Child of Fire under your wing.\"

Ashura laughed softly, gesturing to the silent Child of Water who stood in front of him, his sword finally lowered. The boy\'s sapphire eyes had locked themselves on Cyaneus the moment he had appeared, as if drawn by some irresistible force. \"I can say the same for you and your Child of Water. What is his name?\"

Cyaneus\' cold grey eyes glanced over at the Child of Water. \"Draco. He will become the God of Water,\" the Tenshi replied calmly, sliding his glaze back to Ashura. \"Don\'t be mistaken, Ashura. I did not take on this Child of Water. He came to me.\"

The ashen-winged Tenshi raised an eyebrow, looking once more at the Child of Water. \"Why?\"

The other Tenshi gave an eloquent shrug of his broad shoulders. \"I never asked. He simply requested to stay beside me when I was allocating Keepers to the Elemental Children. I consented because I believe he will become a valuable tool once he becomes the God of Water.\"

\"Cold, aren\'t we, Cyaneus,\" Ashura commented with a slight smirk. \"Well, I hope your tool will live up to your expectations.\" The Tenshi let the smirk drop, his face taking on a serious demeanour. \"I thought you might want to know… Aether has fallen for my Child of Fire. My dear Father will get his wish.\"

For a long moment, the General of the Tenshi eyed the younger Ashura. Despite the immense years between them, the elder had come to respect, if not be weary, of Deus\' son. It did not matter that Ashura was half mortal and could count his years of existence whilst Cyaneus being a full Tenshi could not. Ashura was a dangerous and calculating fiend, and his talent for reading and understand the psyche of others only made him much more so. \"And why do you presume to think I would want to know such a detail?\" he finally asked.

\"Because I want to see what will happen,\" Ashura answered with an empty smile. \"I want to see what you will do.\" The ashen-winged Tenshi turned, making for the door. \"What you will do once Deus has what he wants and becomes so absorbed with in he no longer cares about ruling over Ten,\" he added over his shoulder before shutting the door behind him.

Cyaneus\' cold eyes glared at the door. To be drawn into a conflict with one that has a solid motive was one thing. You could determine their point of attack via what they desired. Ashura, however, had no motive other than to create action and reaction. Anything and anyone was his target. Loyalty from him could turn to betrayal the next as it suited him.

\"I don\'t want you going anywhere near Ashura,\" Cyaneus ordered softly. \"Or his Child of Fire until after the Full Moon.\"

\"I understand,\" the Child of Water acknowledged, finally sheathing his sword and unbuckling it from around his waist. \"Will you need me tonight?\"

Without replying, Cyaneus dropped his armoured garments, each making a soft thud on hitting the thick rugs lining the smooth marble floor. He turned and dropped himself onto the bed that took up the majority of one wall, storm-grey eyes appraising the Child of Water who waited patiently in front of him.

\"I\'m only using you,\" the Tenshi answered without emotion, eyes never leaving the sapphire ones that stared back so steadily.

The boy closed the distance between them with slow steps, until he stood only a hair\'s width from Cyaneus. Close enough to feel the Tenshi\'s cold heat. \"I know and accept that.\" So sure, those words. So completely without regret.

The Tenshi lifted his head and pulled Draco\'s head down to kiss him on the lips. Something he had done with a ritual\'s devotion since their first meeting on the lake so many moons ago. Cyaneus\' powerful arm encircled Draco\'s waist and pulled him up against himself, his other hand seeking out the boy\'s heat, and with a squeeze, drew a soft moan from his wet mouth.



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The night was no longer dark. The roaring flames cast the empty night into a flickering orange and gold light, filled the silence with angry crackle and pops as the fire ate at the edge of the well-kept gardens. Heated breaths heaved from Phoenix\'s mouth, inhaling and exhaling, desperate for oxygen. The flames seemed to eat all of it up, from both the air and within his own body.

He couldn\'t sleep, he couldn\'t rest. He was too fucking upset and angry. Good enough he had tried. It wasn\'t as if Ashura had been there to check up on him.

Another angry slash of his double ended sword, another roaring arc of flame slicing through the air to explode violently against a perfectly pruned tree.

\"Waaa!\" The surprised cry cut through the steady roar of the fires, snapping through Phoenix\'s blind rage and causing him to pull his sword up short to prevent another fire ball from racing out. There was the whooshing sound of something heavy falling through air and material that was too light to hold it, followed by a heavy and undignified thud hitting the ground.

Phoenix blinked, chest still heaving from exertion. The bundle on the ground groan, struggling like a newborn animal. \"Ow, ow, ow, that hurt…\" a child\'s voice whimpered.

A child…? What was a child doing out in the gardens this deep in the night? Stabbing his weapon in the thick grassy ground, Phoenix trotted over to the heap on the ground, squatting down beside it and giving it a tentative poke.

\"Waaa! Dun poke me!!!\" it wailed, squirming frantically.

Phoenix sweat-dropped. It was just like a fhubbhubby worm… \"Just hold still for a moment. Let me try and unroll you out of your blanket or something…\"

\"It\'s a cacoon!\"

The Child of Fire twitched, grabbing a corner of the blanket and giving it a violent tug. With another long wail, a small boy rolled out of the blanket, sprawling onto the soft green lawn.

\"That was mean!\" the boy cried, sniffling. \"You were trying to roast me alive!\"

\"Eh…\"

\"I hate this place! I want to go home! These trees are funny to sleep in! They\'re too smooth and not green!\" the child sulked, rolling around the ground imitating a very disobedient puppy.

The boy\'s words caught Phoenix\'s attention, finally making him realise that this boy was also from Chikyuu. Grabbing the younger boy by the back of his shirt, Phoenix hauled him to his feet, half-glaring into the large teary emerald eyes. \"Stop your crying. Chikyuu is nothing to shed your tears over.\"

The words only made the boy bawl harder and louder.

\"Ah, okay, okay! I\'m sorry! Would you shut up already? I didn\'t mean to burn you and make you fall out of your tree. I didn\'t know you were there! So could you please be quiet now?\" Phoenix pleaded, awkwardly petting the boy on his head in a pathetic attempt to calm him.

Slowly the sobs subsided to sniffles, which ended with the young boy latching himself to Phoenix, hiccuping cutely. \"Can I-hic, sleep in-hic, your bed-hic, tonight-hic?\"

\"I don\'t think that\'s a good idea… I\'m sure your Keeper will be worried about you,\" the Child of Fire began, only to be met with large puppy-dog eyes pleading at him. \"Okay, okay…\" Phoenix muttered, giving in. Somehow, his anger had retreated before those sulky eyes, unable to stand up against their cuteness. Now he just felt exhausted and deflated… and somewhat tricked.

No sooner had Phoenix literally carried the boy into his room did the child jump from his arms and onto his bed.

\"Waaa! This is perfect for jumping on, ne? Ne?\" the boy exclaimed cheerfully, bouncing up and down on Phoenix\'s bed.

With a resigned sigh, Phoenix closed his door and tossed his sword onto the table. \"I wouldn\'t know. I haven\'t exactly been using it to jump on. I usually just sleep on it. Like what most normal people do,\" he said pointedly.

\"Really? Hmm… I don\'t sleep in beds. I prefer outdoor places. Well, when I was at home anyway. This place… is weird. Everything outside is too perfect. It\'s not natural.\" The child frowned, flopping back onto the bed and watching Phoenix as he walked over to the bed and sat down. He roughly caught the boy\'s wrist and pulled his arm out, wiping at the bleeding cuts and scratches he had gotten during his fall.

\"At least the pain is natural,\" Phoenix commented with a smirk as the boy winced and squirmed under his less than gentle treatment. \"So what is your name anyway? I\'m nice enough to share my bed with you, the least you could do is tell me your name.\"

The child made a face. \"Chimaera. My friend calls me Chimaera. I don\'t really like it. Sounds tormaormal. But he insists.\"

\"Don\'t you have a birth name? Like one your parents gave you?\"

\"Huh? Oh yeah. It\'s Kyou. But I left home when I was like… five or something, and haven\'t used it since. My friend calls me Chimaera, so that\'s what I go by.\"

\"You left home?\"

\"Ya. My family is really big, and we\'re really poor too. So it was better for them. I wanted to go, besides.\" Chimaera fell silent for a while, staring up at the ceiling. \"I think they would have been worried about me. I didn\'t say goodbye to them or anything.\"

It probably would have been proper to say something comforting there. Only it wasn\'t a situation Phoenix could even begin to comprehend, let alone empathise with. So he did the next best thing.

Tossing the damp blood stained cloth onto the engraved wooden bedside table, Phoenix pulled the younger boy into a brotherly hug. \"Well, it\'s nice to meet you, Chimaera. I\'m Phoenix.\"

Called that by my adversary.



~ * ~
As strange as it was to have someone sprawled all over him and drooling on his chest, Phoenix was actually quite relaxed. He should have been tense and uncomfortable. He always was around others, not to mention extremely distrustful and weary. But that had changed, hadn\'t it? After he had agreed to the offer Deus had made him, after he had come to Ten and met Ashura. Or perhaps it was only because this boy… there was nothing corrupt about him in anyway.

Phoenix didn\'t bother moving as the door opened and closed. The familiar footsteps stopped at the side of his bed, finally prompting Phoenix open his crimson eyes and look at Ashura who was trying not to grin broadly at the sight in front of him.

\"Too cute,\" he finally mouthed, so as to not wake the slumbering child.

The Child of Fire simply raised his hand and flipped Ashura off. The Tenshi only smirked, dropping himself down onto his seat beside the bed.

\"You do realise that the boy you have drooling all over your chest is the only Child of Earth we brought to Ten, don\'t you?\" Ashura commented, stretching out on the chair. \"Must say I wasn\'t expecting you two to become a couple…\" he added playfully.

The fiery boy pointedly ignored the last comment. \"Only Child of Earth?\" he asked instead, refusing to react to Ashura and his wide grin.

\"Yes. That boy may as well be named the God of Earth now. Unlike the other Elemental Children, who share the hosting of their Divine Beasts with others, this child is the only vessel for the Divine Beast of Earth. The Divine Beast of Earth even calls him Chimaera, its own ancient name, to symbolise their union,\" Ashura explained, looking pleased and smug that Phoenix was actually interested.

\"I thought you said that a Divine Beast couldn\'t live in just one person… because it was too powerful or something.\"

\"True. But that boy makes up for it because he has completely opened his heart and soul to the Divine Beast of Earth.\" Ashura shrugged slightly. \"I don\'t know the fine details of how these relationships work. Things just are the way they are.\"

Phoenix muttered a comment about useless and uninformed Keepers before gently prying himself out from under the sleeping child.

\"You were practising in the gardens earlier tonight, after I told you to rest.\"

The Child of Fire gave a small nod, swinging his white clothed legs over the edge of the bed and facing Ashura. \"Ah. That was where I met kiddo here.\"

\"You destroyed most of the southern border.\"

\"Don\'t try and guilt trip me. You and I both know that everything regenerates here in Ten. I didn\'t destroy anything that was irreplaceable,\" Phoenix replied with a slight glare.

Ashura gave a slight smirk. \"So it does. Well, in any case, I hope you had a restful sleep after your self-extended training session. I wanted you to train with a Child of Air today.\"

\"What\'s the point? It\'s not as if I will need to defeat one of them,\" Phoenix answered, pushing himself off his bed and pulling out a change of clothing.

\"You think too narrowly, Phoenix,\" Ashura returned, watching with smiling eyes as the boy undressed, discarding his night clothes onto the cool marble ground. \"This Child of Air is someone you should become acquainted with. Let\'s just say I have my suspicions that you two will work together in the near future.\"

Phoenix turned and stared directly at Ashura, fully clothed now in his white training outfit. The dawn light spilled in through the open windows, catching on the crimson trimming and casting the Child of Fire in a blazing glow. \"I see.\"

Unnoticed by either Ashura or the Child of Fire, the large emerald eyes of the Child of Earth were wide open, staring with just a hint of pain at the Child of Fire in all his blazing glory.

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