Why, hello! So the Kane Chronicles archive needs more stories, and the Godly Couples Contest came up, so I decided to write this short, fluffy piece about Nut and Geb. I suppose their acronym would be Neb (or Gut, Get, or Nub...so we're sticking with the first one).

I wanted to make this longer, but it already stretched on as it was. I feel bad for writing something so short, but otherwise it would've been too rambly. I still hope you like it though!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Kane Chronicles, Egyptian mythology, or When You Wish Upon A Star from Pinocchio.

When you wish upon a star

Makes no difference who you are

Anything your heart desires

Will come to you

~Disney's Pinocchio

I've heard mortals say life isn't fair when they're denied something petty that they want, like a new toy or their dream job or anything else that, in the end, has little value. They don't understand unfairness – they don't understand what it means, not the way I do.

I know I'm lucky; the Per Ankh has been unable to catch and confine me, like they have for most of the gods of Egypt. As the goddess of the sky, I don't need a human host, for the sky itself is my body. It should be enough to feel grateful, but even after five thousand years, the pain of being away from my beloved still stings fresh.

Geb, my husband, is only just below me, now that he has been freed and has returned to the earth, of which he represents. It has been too long since I have seen his handsome face, although hopefully my message has gotten through to him, courtesy of Sadie Kane and my daughter, Isis. I stare down, pulling myself together to attempt once more to reach the ground. Closing my eyes in concentration, I fall through the air, beginning my plummet to the earth.

The air flies upwards against my skin, my black hair floating above me, and I feel like I'm finally free. Perhaps it's my mind playing tricks on me, but it seems that I've been dropping longer than my father usually allows. Has it finally worked? Will I finally see Geb again? My heart flutters in anticipation, a smile creeping up on my face, and as my descent continues, the end of my freefall must be nearing, where he will be waiting–

A sharp jab knocks into the side of my body, the electricity flowing through my body and shocking me violently. The pain lasts for only a moment, but then the air below me starts to push upwards. The wind moves faster against me than it did on the way down, lifting me back to my home, my prison. No, no, no, no. This can't happen! Not again! Why? Why?

I struggle against the air, trying to force my way back down, but to no avail. As the winds die down, I land hard back in the sky, crumpled on the surface that serves as the ground of the sky. I shouldn't be like this; I'm a goddess, and I should act like one. But it's hard to maintain a dignified presence, especially after my dream has been crushed once again. Talk about an overbearing father.

Slowly, I push myself up, sitting on a couch I conjured. My breathing is heavy and unsteady, and it's all I can do to push back the tears threatening to fall from my eyes. Pulling my thoughts together, I call out, "Father! Why must you keep me away from my love?" For a few moments, the only response is silence, stretching on longer than I feel comfortable with. Just when I'm about to give up waiting for an answer, a low, calm voice rings out through the air: my father, Shu, the god of the winds.

"Daughter, you know what Lord Ra has ordered. I would never disobey him, and you should learn not to question his choices. You know very well that he could have ordered a far worse punishment."

"I know, Father, but even I have heard that he has been banished. He won't know if you let me see Geb. Even just once, and I will be happy," I plead, trying to persuade him into letting me down.

Unfortunately, he has a counterargument. "But you have not learned that the Kanes have awakened Ra from his slumber. You are the one that disobeyed him; you are the one who must pay the price."

"But I didn't. Lord Ra said that I couldn't give birth to my children on any of the three hundred and sixty days of the year, and I didn't. My five children were born on the five days I made out of the moonlight I gambled from Khonsu. I didn't break any rules."

"He may have worded the order so that you found a way out of it, but you understood what he wanted, and you refused to listen. Therefore, this is your punishment, and you are not to complain about it anymore." I start to protest, but a fierce wind blows by me, obviously a message from my father that he's not going to continue arguing with me. Crossing my arms, I lean my head backwards, groaning in frustration. I feel like one of those teenage girls I see every now and then, brooding in their rooms because their parents grounded them. If only they knew how much worse it could be…imagine thousands of years of it!

Searching through my mind, I look for the best memories I have of Geb, all of them buried under the years of yearning that have passed since our separation. The pictures in my head are blurry and unclear, and I can't tell what reality is and what I might have made up. What is the exact color of his eyes? How did his arms feel around me? What did his laugh sound like, or even his voice? I…I…I can't remember.

The effects of our division has never hit as hard as it is right now. Suddenly, I can't keep my composure any longer, and the tears would've been uncontrollably cascading down my face if I hadn't returned to my usual free-form state. It's too much effort to hold a human figure, especially now that my emotions are so out of control. I want to see him, just once; after all this time, shouldn't I get a small break from my prison sentence?

I can't even begin to guess how long it takes me to calm down, but eventually I'm able to return to a human state. It's more comfortable, but difficult to maintain at times. I don't understand why the heartbreak continues to hurt with such an intense pain, but I hate it. I hate it. I don't want it. I don't want to be in love, now that it's been torn away from me for five thousand years and any joy that came from it has buried itself in the recesses of my mind.

Gleaming stars decorate my blue skin, and I stare at them, connecting the constellations with invisible lines. As meteors accompany the other motionless dots of light, I want to make a wish on the shooting stars. Because maybe, maybe, it'd actually work, and I'd finally see Geb again, to be back with him after all the waiting...

But after the brief absorption in this dream, I sigh, shaking my head clear of this silliness. If shooting stars really had that power, I wouldn't have been in yearning this long. I would've seen my husband and been with him, happily in love with no pain in my heart. Because if I was to wish upon a star, my dream would not come true.

So yes, the ending was sad, but overall, the story is pretty depressing. I tried to relate Nut (her name is just so awkward, I'm sorry) with a modern teenage girl, even though she's a five thousand year old goddess, but I don't think that got through very well. Oh well. Hope you liked it!