Itsuki was bored.
In a town where people still believe in gods, Itsuki, the Phoenix, god of fire, was very bored. Tsubasa, his twin brother, god of healing was at another shrine across the lake.
'I could visit Tsubasa, but he would just scold me again…' Itsuki thought as he flew off in phoenix form. He flew with wings as black as midnight to the village to see if anything interesting was happening.
Low-and-behold, a festival was beginning. 'Must be that time of year again,' Itsuki smiles as he changes into human form. His hair silver-purple, eyes red, and wearing a black yukata.
As he wandered through the village, he saw many women, men, and children laughing and enjoying themselves, wearing kimono and yukata. The food, games, and dances were good too.
Then, someone bumped into him. "Sorry!" the boy yelled as he stopped to look back at Itsuki. Itsuki was frozen for a minute at the sight before him. The boy had the brightest emerald green eyes, honey brown hair that looked soft to the touch, and a smile that shined as bright as the stars, wearing a blue yukata. The boy tilts his head at Itsuki, waiting for a response.
Snapping out of it, Itsuki smiles, "It's OK." The boy nods before running off into the crowd.
As Itsuki watched him disappear, he could only wonder if he would see that boy again but shook his head. He walked up a hill for a good view of everything. As he walked, he spotted a boy, the same boy that had bumped into him, trying to climb up a tree with a baby bird in his hand. He tried to put it back in the nest, but he slipped and fell.
The boy shielded the bird and braced for impact, but… he didn't feel it. Blinking, he opened his eyes, only to see that he was in Itsuki's arms. Blushing, he stutters, "Th-thank you."
Itsuki smiles, "You OK?" as he puts the boy down. The boy checks on the bird, happy to see it fine. "Un!"
Itsuki takes the bird in his hand, climbs the tree, and puts it back in the nest, only to drop back down. The boy claps, happy that the bird's safe now.
"What're you doing here?" Itsuki asks. The boy smiles, "I could say the same to you. What're you doing here?"
Itsuki smiles, "I wanted a better view." The boy nods, "I…just wanted to see the view too."
"Would you like to see it together then?" Itsuki asks. Of course, "Un!" The boy responds.
"Ah. I forgot. I never got your name. I'm Yuta," says the boy, now Yuta.
Itsuki smiles, "Itsuki. It's nice to meet you, Yuta."
Yuta smiles, "Nice to meet you too." They walk together all the way up to the top.
When they get there, they see the whole village, the mountains, the lake, the sky slowly turning into night as the sunset, the light a bright red and orange. As they watched the stars slowly come out to play, Itsuki looked at Yuta, whose eyes were full of sparkles, and as Yuta turned to him, he smiled.
Itsuki felt his heart skip a beat, but tried to stay calm as he smiled back. "Well… I have to go now. I'll see you again sometime?" Yuta asks as he turns to leave.
Itsuki nods, "Yeah… Definitely." As Yuta runs back down the hill, Itsuki had only one thought, 'I want him as my bride.'
Little did he know that he was going to get his wish.
It was a few days after the festival that a sudden downpour of rain came upon the village. In order to prevent a potential flood, it was decided that someone had to be sacrificed as the fire god's bride in exchange for the sun to shine once more.
Itsuki, in phoenix form, knew this was going to happen, but when he saw the bride they chose, it was a shock. Dressed in white was a familiar brown haired, emerald eyed boy, left alone in a fire pit.
'Yuta!' Flapping his wings, Itsuki let out a cry, and the sun shone through the clouds, the rain finally stops, a rainbow in the sky.
Itsuki flew down to Yuta, changing forms mid-flight, his black wings still with him. Yuta stared in shock at him, "You're the fire god?!"
Itsuki smiles, "Yeah… Sorry, I never told you."
Yuta shakes his head, "No… I understand why you didn't, so it's OK."
"What I don't understand is how they could pick you to be my bride," Itsuki says.
Smiling sadly, Yuta says, "Itsuki, no one in this village has ever helped me. I'm practically an outsider and orphan at this point. But, I'm used to it."
Itsuki frowns, "Well, you don't have to anymore. Come with me, and I'll take care of you."
"But…what about your other brides?" Yuta asks, tilting his head.
Laughing, Itsuki answers, "Oh that? None of them interested me, so I let them leave," he leans in, holding Yuta in his arms, whispering, "You're the only one who has ever made my heart skip a beat. You're the only one I truly love."
Yuta blushes, looking at the ground, the sky, anywhere that isn't at Itsuki. The Phoenix smiles as he pushes up Yuta's chin with his hand and kisses him on the lips.
"I…think I love you too," Yuta shyly admits, pressing himself against Itsuki. Itsuki smiles as he picks Yuta up princess style and flies away, black feathers falling to the ground.
Itsuki and his bride Yuta now live happily together, with Tsubasa's blessing, of course. Tsubasa approves of this marriage.