The world is divided in three realms, each one guided by a different element: the Sun, guarded by fire, the Sky, guarded by the wind, and finally, Earth, protected by the land.

In the times of creation, Earth was ruled by both land and water, but the gods of life were weakened since then, leaving the task that was intended for two, into one.

From that unification came to be Earth's second son, a pale-skinned boy, with large, round blue eyes and hair at the same shade of colour. He held ethereal beauty, but he looked frail and was cold to the touch. He was given the name Tetsuya.

The boy was born a Yukionna, a snow spirit, but that didn't stop his older brother, Tatsuya, from loving and protecting him.

The Sun god's sons, however, were a different story. Both were stubborn and proud, often arguing with each other.

The first son, Taiga, came to be out of the Sun god himself, much like Tatsuya was born out of the Earth goddess. The second son, however, came from the unity of Sun and Sky, and at first, terrified the god of fire.

The boy was born an abomination. His whole body was covered in feathers, he had a long tail, and a pair of wings instead of arms. Everything on the small creature was either red, yellow, or orange.

The little creature stared at his father and son, studying their expressions, and then, when they least expected it, it happened.

The boy was engulfed in flames, flames no one but himself caused, raising higher and higher. When they subdued, their eyes fell on the boy, whose appearance had changed, as well.

Instead of a newborn, he looked more like a toddler, already standing confidently on his two small feet, arms hanging in expectation. His eyes were a mesmerizing shade of fire red, but that wasn't what captured their attention.

The boy still had wings and tail, but now, they were created out of flames, swirling around in a never-ending, formless dance. He was given the name Seijuro, and he was the world's first Phoenix.

Of the four children, Taiga was the oldest. Seijuro and Tatsuya were close, only decades separating them, eventually counting them as of the same age. Tetsuya was the youngest.

As time passed, Taiga grew to be jealous of Seijuro. His younger brother was gifted with wings, so he could fly away whenever he wanted and visit the other realms. He had managed to change his form as well, either to that of a bird completely engulfed in flames, or that of an ordinary man. At the same time, Taiga, having only fire coursing through his veins, was chosen to take their father's side in ruling their realm.

At the end of every day Seijuro was away, he'd returned to speak to his older brother of the things he saw in his travels, observing the creatures that inhabited the other two realms, or help him with his duties, in exchange, Taiga was covering for him whenever their father requested his presence and he had yet to return.

It surprised him that the stories his younger brother shared mostly with him weren't about the Skies and the beings that roamed that realm, so similar to him. His stories were mostly about the Earth realm and, to be more precise, to those beings that walked and spoke like they did, blessed with wisdom by the Sky deities, with such seemingly boundless possibilities, chained down only by their short lifespans.

Taiga could see his brother was feeling sad one day, so he asked what it was.

"They don't have fur or hard skin to protect them from the cold. The furs they wear from the animals they kill won't protect them from the winter that's coming for them. They won't survive." the younger replied, looking away.

He's talking about the humans again, huh. Taiga thought. He really likes them.

Seijuro wasn't seen for a few days, making harder for the oldest of the pair to cover for his brother. He was getting worried. What if something happened to Seijuro? He couldn't live with the guilt.

But he returned, looking as if he was put through some taxing task. However, his face was radiant; whatever it was, it made him happy.

"Seijuro!" he yelled. "Where were you off to? You made me worry!" he scolded him, but when he came closer, he froze in the position he stood.

The brilliant, beautiful left eye of his had turned to yellow. And not the bright colour of sun, or the flames that the boy wore proudly like a crown. It was the coldest shade of gold.

It should have alarmed him, scare him even, but he was calm, as if he was aware of the change, and what caused him.

"I taught them how to light fires." he explained. "They were really grateful for my gift to them. They smiled and said thank you. No one ever thanked me before for something I did."

Taiga was enraged. "You can't give up your power like that, Seijuro! What if they use it against you? What if father finds out? What if-"

The youngest, for the first time in his life, interrupted his brother. "I'll be fine. Even if I can't control my powers anymore, or father decides to punish me for what I did. I can live on. Even of someone tries to kill me, and they make it, you know I'll come back, right? If I didn't intervene, they wouldn't make it. I couldn't let them die."

It turned out, the Sun god ended up approving of his youngest son's actions. The humans started praying to the Sun god and the beings of their realm, build shrines and make offerings to them. He found the stories of their saviour entertaining, as well. They spoke of a man who stole the fire from the gods, and gave it to them. In penance, the gods chained him into a mountainside, and sent a vulture to pray on his intestines every day, while the man healed at night, and the circle repeated itself.

Seijuro always watched humanity, either from his home, or closer, whenever he chose to fly in his celestial form. While passing over the Lands of the Setting Sun, and reaching the Isles of the Rising Sun, he felt a cold breeze. Was there a human there, freezing? Worried, he landed hastefully, but with utmost grace, and walked closer.

It was a boy. His hair and eyes were the shade of icy blue, and his skin pale as snow. His body seemed frail, and he could swear he'd miss him if his sight wasn't superior to most.

The boy seemed startled, seeing the other standing in front of him, seemingly appear out of place. "What are you doing here?" he asked, while taking a few steps back. "Who are you?"

"I'm Seijuro." he introduced himself. "I wandered here. I'll leave, if you wish me to." he offered, only to be stopped by the boy's voice, and his hand reaching out to him.

"Wait!" he spoke. "Stay, please. Only for a while." he pleaded. "I haven't talked to anyone else besides my family for a while now." he added.

"What's your name?" Seijuro asked, and the pale boy, smiled.

"I'm Tetsuya."

That moment, Seijuro didn't register how cold Tetsuya's hand felt. Later, he brushed it off as being an expected contrast to his own, natural warm touch.

(timeskip)

As time passed, Taiga was given the namesake Kagami, chosen as the Sun God's advisor, while Seijuro became Akashi, the roaming red guardian from the Sun realm. Having a title was proof to be seen as an adult, shouldered with both duties and responsibilities, but at the same time, privileges.

Seijuro still visited Tetsuya, only his visits became rarer. When questioned about it, he replied that he was an adult now, and he was expected to fulfill certain responsibilities. Tetsuya nodded in understanding saying that, he has reached adulthood as well, according to the people. Seijuro didn't dare give him his new name, in fear that he'll be found out, Tetsuya will know he wasn't human, and the boy would shy away from him. The very first, and only true friend he ever had.

In the current meeting, Tetsuya wasn't there. Instead, it was an equally pale boy with lustrous black hair that covered his left eye. He gave off a similar aura to Tetsuya, excluding his weak presence.

"Fire child." he referred to the redhead, something that irked him. "Stay away from Tetsuya if you value him. Your presence near him will only endanger his existence." he warned.

"It's Tetsuya's choice if he wishes for my presence or not. If he orders me to not return, only then I'll stay away. In the meantime, I'll be close. You may see me as an outsider, and abomination, even, since you roam the Earth and I soar among all realms, but you can't break the bond we have. No one can." he declared, before jumping, disappearing from his sight. He could have never guessed the scarlet bird he saw flying in the distance was the boy from moments before.

Seijuro and Tetsuya met only millennia later. Neither could make it the right day to their meeting point, that cave up in the mountain, their brothers and duties almost overwhelming them. The time they didn't meet was seemingly a golden era for both, revered as minor deities, having shrines and temples built in honour of their noble names. Akashi who brought the fire of creation, the fire that prepares a familly's meals and the fire that crafts jewelry and weapons, and first and foremost, the fire that warms the people during the chilling winter nights. Kuroko who brought forth the snow, the snow that was the children's entertainment, the snow that guarded the seeds the farmers planted from being eaten by birds of all kinds, the snow that brought the families around Akashi's warm, protective fire.

In that sense, it was as though they were never separated, joined by their praises of those who worshiped them. Praise Kuroko for bringing us together, Praise Akashi for sheltering us, they used to say.

However, the era of gods was long gone, and all deities slowly erased from people's memories. The people focused on what they could manage with their own hands instead of craving guidance from those above, but surprisingly, they didn't mind, although those like Seijuro, who had made sacrifices to ensure humanity's well-being had every right to turn against them. What he wanted most was one last meeting with Tetsuya, so he traveled to their meeting place, hopefully waiting for the boy to return. And return he did.

"Seijuro!"

"Tetsuya!"

Both smiled at each other, saying nothing. The silence didn't bother them, on the contrary, it calmed them from all that plagued their minds.

Surprisingly, it was Tetsuya who broke the silence.

"What's your name?"

"Tetsuya, that's a silly question. I'm Seijuro, of course. You know that." he tried avoiding the question.

"I meant your other name. The one people call you." he explained. "Like, in my case. I'm given the name Kuroko."

Seijuro knew. Seijuro always knew. "Mine is Akashi."

Silence again.

"Show me your true form." he asked.

"No."

"I'll show you mine, as well." he offered.

The redhead seem to ponder deeply on it, and then, he spoke again.

"Fine. Only if we do it together." he added his term, in which the frail-looking boy agreed.

Seijuro couldn't help but blink, seeing the boy turning even paler than he was -if that was ever possible- his hair taking a lighter shade of sky blue, similar to hair touched by sunlight and snowflakes, piercing blue eyes emitting an unimaginable shine in them. On his skin, small crystals had started to form, resembling diamonds, and he couldn't rule out the possibility of being the tiny pieces of the precious material.

He could feel Tetsuya eyeing him with amazement. The way his wings had spread out, or the swishing of his flaming tail, even the scarlet markings on his skin that reminded both of fire and blood, the symbol of having ascended into the status of a minor deity. He could feel his surprise when his body shifted away from the form of a man and closer to a Sky child's than a Sun prince.

Beautiful is what each other thought, curious to why they waited so long to witness the full glory of one another's existence.

"I don't expect you to answer, but..." the snow child muttered, no trace of confidence in his voice, "but why does your left eye has such a cold colour?" He could have sworn he heard a sigh escape from his friend, and his eyes widened in surprise, when he opened his beak and spoke.

"In the past," he started, "I taught humanity how to start fires to shelter them from the cold, using my own flames. As the price of my actions, my eye changed colour. I was born of Sun and Sky, but gave a part of me to Earth, as well."

"You really care for humans." he voiced his conclusion. "Do you feel betrayed? For being forgotten, I mean."

A sound much similar to what a human's chuckle was supposed to sound echoed, and the man-turned-bird spoke once more.

"Not really. Times change. Nothing can last forever, not even a realm. You know how the Flowing realm dissolved among the vast lands of the Earth realm, right? Nothing guarantees for our homes to exist forever, so why should we?"

Tetsuya could feel from such wise words and understood how Seijuro, with his somewhat wild personality, was also calm and wise. He was a Sky child as well, after all.

"Will you guarantee me a selfish request, Tetsuya?"

"What is it?"

"Let's die together, now."

Die? Here? How? Why?

"I'd prefer to end it alongside a friend rather than wait for the inevitable myself, alone, wallowing in self pity and lose my mind thinking of my past glory."

Tetsuya seem to think of it carefully. "You make a fair point, as always, Seijuro." he replied. "I understand what you're trying to say. I, too, don't want to go alone. My brother has left me already. So, let's do it."

Seijuro lowered his head in a way it resembled a nod, and flew closer to Tetsuya, burying his head into his chest, and instinctively, Tetsuya warped his arms around the flaming bird that was his best friend's true form.

He started melting. He could tell; however, he didn't bother pushing the other away, even if his mind screamed at him to do so. The water he was slowly dissolving into doused the fire bird, extinguishing his flames. No one from the Sun realm could continue to exist if their flame, internal or external, was gone, and he was no different.

From the first time since he was born, the Phoenix wasn't reborn from his ashes.

(end)

I swear my original intention was to write a fantasy setting and sweet akakuro friendship, why did those 2500 words took that turn, I don't know. I love writing about friendship and platonic relationships, so why self?

I've been working on this one for three days now, there might be some mistakes on it, so if you spot anything, let me know. This is an experimental style, after all.

So, this universe combines elements of history, modern world, and mythology from different countries (despite only Greek and Japanese making it into this story, myths from other cultures, like Scandinavia, Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia exist in it). Some things are altered from the actual myths, like Kuroko being born as a Yukionna rather than turning into one after dying, being the embodiment of winter, in a sense.

Also, Akashi's existence as a Phoenix is a combination of three myths: the actual Phoenix, the bird who gets reborn from its ashes, Prometheus, the man who, according to Greek mythology, stole fire from the gods and gave it to humans (this wasn't the first or the last time he did something to cause Zeus' wrath), and Dionysus, who is better known as a god of merrymaking in general. Why Dionysus? Well, his mother, Semele, was a human who got tricked by asking Zeus (who was the boy's father) to show her his true form, which resulted to her death and near death of the child. It bonds quite well, doesn't it?

I was thinking Akashi and Kuroko not having any family mentioned but then I thought, Kagami is associated with fire (since his name is, in fact, written with the kanji for fire god) and Himuro with ice (I know it's there in his name's kanji), but it felt strange after I justified my pick of Akashi as a phoenix (the cycle of birth, death and rebirth as a cycle of Oreshi replacing Bokushi and vice versa, even though there's no Oreshi or Bokushi here.)

Fun fact: Kagami and Himuro have met each other because of their roles, and don't get along like their younger brothers do.

Fun fact 2: Each realm has its own governing system, the most democratic being the Sky realm.

Fun fact 3: Akashi dies and is reborn by the end of each era, except you know, the last time.

Reviews are greatly appreciated, if you want a small part with someone else appearing in this universe, or suggestions on what beings they could be, feel free to tell me. (Izuki is a sphinx, you can't change my mind about it.)