He didn't know who he was.
He simply walked in this land, a land that was close to him, but didn't call out to him. This land whispered his name-"Rìběn"-but who is that name, that person? He doesn't know where he's getting these words to express himself, he doesn't know why this land feels familiar and wrong, all at the same time.
And so, he walks.
Crossing lush fields of wheat, flooded plains where the vegetables will one day grow and support lives. He tastes some steamed rice, cooling on the ledge, and decides that it is delicious. His small hands run along smooth bark and jagged rocks, his feet run through lakes that reflect the burning in the sky. It is God, he decides, staring up at the golden disk. But what is this God's name? He longs for an answer, because he knows that this God will be able to answer his questions, if only he knew who to ask.
One day he climbs up a large mountain and stands up at the top, close to the edge. The journey took the whole night, but he still pushes himself to take that last step, because there's something peeking up through the horizon. His breath catches in his throat.
Oh.
The God he had seen before, this nameless God, was creeping upwards, extending glowing rays as though to reach out and touch him. Him, a nameless boy wandering in an unknown land, lost and confused. He stepped forward, reaching out a hand to catch the light, and the air around him flared.
The God raised itself upwards, until they were face to face. Him, trembling and awestruck, and this God, warming his face with its radiant beauty. "Who are you?" he finally found his voice, "Who am I?"
The God spoke.
With a voice that echoed all around him, he heard the God's name, and he heard his own, all for the first time. "I am San, the God who lights this sky. And you are Nihon, land of the rising sun."
He tried out the name. "Nihon. But these lands call me differently. The wind whispers to me, and the grass sighs to me-they call me Rìběn."
The God, this was San now, moved up slightly, leaving Nihon's face just a little colder. "These are not your lands. This place is Zhōngguó, the land where the sun falls, the Middle Land, between Heaven and the Earth. The Celestial Kingdom speaks in its own language."
Nihon nodded, though he wasn't sure if he understood. "When will I come to my true lands?"
San moved further away. "Someday."
Nihon stretched out a hand. "Please wait-I don't want to be alone." His voice grew quiet. "It's not nice, being by myself…"
San spoke, and though he didn't know it, this would be the last time Nihon would hear from this God. "The sun rises every day. I will always be with you. And don't worry, Nihon. Soon, very soon, you won't ever have to be alone again, if only you take the chance."
The voice faded away. San moved forward, leaving a small, frightened young child behind. Nevertheless, Nihon clasped his hands together, and these words were burned into his mind, as surely as was the light that San emitted.
"I'll be the land of the rising sun…and I'll make sure that no matter what, San will rise again every day."
And so, when he found the other one San had talked about, he realized that this was his chance. If he went with this person, he would never have to alone anymore. And this person seemed to be kind-not like those others, the ones who felt different, who yelled at him and chased him away.
"Hello Zhōngguó where the sun falls. I'm Nihon, where the sun rises."
He didn't know why this was rude-or maybe he did, who could tell-but Zhōngguó extended his hand, and Nihon never wanted to be by himself again. The small country reached out and placed his small, delicate hand, the hand that would one day rule over much of Asia, into the palm of this country.
Home. Family. A big brother. It was a nice thought.
Their hands closed around each other, and against the dark forest the sun began to rise, and so began the start of more than two thousands years of history.
I do hope that it didn't completely suck. It's the introduction, anyway, to exactly what you read in the description-if you read it, that is. I'll be skipping around on years, there'll be some AU chapters, and it won't all be connected. But I hope to follow some sort of plot, with a focus on general life. As a heads-up, there will be things based off of head canon, but that will all be explained at the start of each chapter.
Of course, Nihon and Rìběn are the wrong names to use-the earliest name of Japan, referred to by the Chinese, was 倭 (Wō or Wa),which Japan, Korea, and China used until the eight century, which is when Japan found out exactly what the word was implying ^^
Oh, one more thing. This is an M RATED STORY FOR A REASON.
THERE WILL BE SEX. A LOT OF IT. IF MALE/MALE SEX OR OTHERWISE BOTHERS YOU, PLEASE STOP READING OR SKIP THE CHAPTERS THAT INCLUDE SMUT. I'LL POST A WARNING AT THE TOP OF EACH CHAPTER.
Thank you!