Takamagahara
It was almost time.
Although she had done this process for over millennia, it still bothered Amaterasu every time. In a sense, she really couldn't blame herself. Despite the immense power she wielded as the Shinto Goddess of the Universe and the Sun, Amaterasu could not shine her light to all parts of the world at the same time. That fact alone wouldn't have bothered her so much, if not for the presence of her little 'Sun'.
It has been six years since the Goddess sent her child to the planet Earth. And every second that her little 'Sun' was away from her, was tortuous to say the least. But she had to do it. She had no choice. Her precious baby couldn't live in this world, especially with the dark and ominous presence that dwelled nearby.
Amaterasu frowned as she sensed the aforementioned dark energy growing. She could feel traces of pure hatred, sadness, bitterness, and scorching rage scattering across the realm of Takamagahara. The outpouring negative emotions were initially directed towards her father; Izanagi-no-Mikoto. But the long years spent in the Underworld had taken a toll on the dark being's sanity, causing her to spread her hatred to Izanagi's relatives.
The Shinto Goddess shook her head as she sighed in melancholy. As much as she tried, she could never forgive her father. Despite the animosity she shared with her brothers, Amaterasu knew they all agreed on one thing.
None of this would be happening if Izanagi had just waited. All of this could have been avoided.
Amaterasu sighed again and rubbed her forehead, trying to soothe her nerve-wracking headache.
"Amaterasu." A familiar voice made itself known.
At the call of her name, Amaterasu turned to see a man of Japanese descent. He was adorned in a robe that was styled with symbols of the Moon. Amaterasu gave the man a light glare, which the latter gave right back.
"Be patient, Tsukuyomi." Amaterasu replied.
"I've been patient for far too long." Tsukuyomi-no-Mikoto shot back, "Have you forgotten that there are other parts of the world that require your power?"
Amaterasu's glare deepened at her brother's attempt to use the guilt trip on her. Yes, she knew that there were other mortals that lived on the Earth. But she wanted to keep her light shined on her precious baby. She wanted him to know that even if she wasn't there for him physically, her presence as the Sun would always be there.
"I'm aware of that," She answered her brother, "I just want to make sure my child is aware that I am about to move."
Tsukuyomi snorted as his eyes narrowed in distaste at his sister's behavior.
"You've become soft, haven't you?" He asked rhetorically, prompting his sister to narrow her eyes, "How disgraceful."
Amaterasu widened her eyes at her brother's audacity, before she set her lips into a flat line.
"He is my child, Tsukuyomi. Do not question how I act in regard to him."
"Well if he is your child," Tsukuyomi began snidely, "Then why is he not with you? You claim to care for him, and yet you abandoned him with those foolish mortals."
"You know exactly why I sent him to Earth!" Amaterasu seethed, almost losing her temper, "Do not forget what dark force lives on this land!"
"Oh please, do stop being melodramatic," Tsukuyomi waved his sister's comment off, "Izanami is forever trapped in that cursed realm; Yomi. She can never leave. Our father made sure of that."
"…You clueless fool." Amaterasu said as she shook her head in disbelief, "You know better than to underestimate the power of a primordial. Just because she is trapped in Yomi, does not mean her strength has diminished."
Tsukuyomi rolled his eyes and sent his sister an annoyed glare.
"You are just being paranoid." He said, "I shall say it again. Izanami is trapped in Yomi, so there is no possible way for her to reach your child anyway."
"…He is not safe in this world." Amaterasu affirmed, "With Izanami's presence surrounding the land-"
"I grow tired of this conversation," Tsukuyomi interrupted, "Hurry up and transfer your power to another section of the Earth so I can manifest my power."
Amaterasu frowned darkly at Tsukuyomi's words, but settled with a sigh as she went ready to proceed. As she turned around, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Good night…" She began, her solar energy flowing around her, "My precious little 'Sun'."
Hyoudou Residence
"Hello?" A feminine voice greeted on the phone.
"Sachiko?" Another feminine voice replied.
"Onee-san!" Sachiko smiled as she answered, "How are you?"
Mrs. Hyoudou, or Sachiko, was a young woman with matching brown hair and eyes. She smiled as she walked around her living room with the phone on her ear. Her husband was still working at the office, so it was just her and their son. After she had finished cleaning around the house, the phone had rung, prompting her to answer it.
"I'm fine." Her sister answered, "Listen, I was wondering if it was all right for our daughter to come over to see Issei tomorrow."
"What?" Sachiko asked, bringing the phone closer to her ear, "Leiko-chan wants to come over tomorrow?"
"Yes. She really wants to see him. I don't know why she's thinking about him now."
Sachiko placed her hand on her hip, wondering what to do.
"I mean," She started, "It's all right with me. Leiko-chan has been over here for a couple of times though."
She paused as she waited for the reply.
'Hmm. Aside from his father and I, Leiko-chan is one of the few people who Ise-chan actually likes to interact with.' Sachiko said in her mind, 'Even though they're cousins, Leiko-chan and our little Issei have a strong bond. A bond that goes beyond family.'
Mrs. Hyoudou blinked at her last thought.
'I don't know whether to interpret that as good or bad.' She finished as her reply came back.
"I don't mean for her to bother you." Her sister replied.
"No, no. It's all right if she comes over." Sachiko said before chuckling, "It's ok, don't worry about it. She can come over here for as long as she wants to. Besides, she seems to like spending a lot of time with Issei."
As she waited again for a reply, Sachiko turned to look out the window of her house. Her happy smile noticeably faltered as the Sun was starting the process of its descent. Mrs. Hyoudou adopted a sad look as she inwardly sighed. The sound of her sister's voice brought her back to reality.
"Well, ok. I'll go ahead and tell her. I'll see you guys tomorrow."
"Ok. Good night," Mrs. Hyoudou smiled as she hung up the phone.
Looking out the window again, Sachiko sighed and turned her head to look upstairs. It was almost time for her son to go to bed, but she knew he was still awake.
It was the same thing every night. Her little Issei would stand on top of his toy chest, and watch the Sun descend while the Moon ascended. Mrs. Hyoudou could never figure out how long her son had been doing this, nor did she know why he did this.
Placing the phone on the table, Sachiko walked upstairs, her footsteps faint yet noticeable. As she walked off the last of the stairs, she stepped toward the last door of the hallway, spotting a fleeting light from the room. Releasing a soft sigh, Sachiko placed her hand on the door knob and opened it slowly.
As expected, her little Issei was standing on top of his toy box. His back was turned to Sachiko, his full attention on the disappearing Sun. Mrs. Hyoudou gazed sadly at her son, and opened the door fully.
"Sweetie," She called out softly, "It's time for bed."
If Issei heard her, he gave no indication that he had. He continued to stare silently at the Sun, the light slowly leaving his eyes. Waiting for a response she knew she wouldn't be getting, Sachiko sighed sadly and went to leave.
"Mommy?" A soft voice called out quietly.
Mrs. Hyoudou widened her eyes in shock, and almost tripped as she sped back to the door. Did Issei just speak? Did he respond? It wasn't as though her son had never spoken to her and her husband before, but even then it was almost rare.
So shocked was Sachiko, that she took a step forward towards her son. Issei still didn't move from his spot, but his head was inclined so that he could see his mother in his peripheral vision. Mrs. Hyoudou blinked as she watched her son wait for her to answer.
"U-um," She hesitated before regaining her composure, "What is it, honey?"
Issei was silent for a moment, before he turned around fully to look at his mother. He then got off of his toy chest and sat down, looking up at Sachiko.
"Where does the Sun go?" He asked, his childish voice showing his naivety.
Mrs. Hyoudou blinked again. Out of all the things her son could have asked, she certainly didn't expect him to ask that. Where does the Sun go when it's away?
Walking closer to Issei, Sachiko knelt down in front of him. She looked into her son's eyes.
His different colored eyes. His left eye was a warm brown, the color of an innocent doe, while the other was seemingly the color of the Sun itself. Issei's different coloration never bothered the Hyoudou family, as they all assumed it was heterochromia. But for some reason, Mrs. Hyoudou; and vaguely Leiko, knew that there was a special reason for Issei's eyes being different colors.
Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Sachiko cleared her throat and tried to think of what to say. As she looked at her son, she could see the genuine curiosity and confusion in Issei's eyes. It was such a rare expression from him that Mrs. Hyoudou was just glad to see him express something else other than silent melancholy.
"Well, sweetie," She began hesitantly, "The Sun doesn't go anywhere."
The little Issei blinked at his mother's words, and he looked back at the window, watching more of the sunset. Turning to his mother again, Issei shook his head.
"But it's going down." He answered.
"That's true," Mrs. Hyoudou replied, "But remember, when nighttime comes, the Moon rises to take the Sun's place. When the Moon comes, that means it's time for the Sun to…rest."
She wasn't technically lying.
Issei tilted his head cutely as he thought it over in his mind. His confused expression then softened to a melancholic look as he gazed up at Mrs. Hyoudou.
"Why does the Sun have to go, Mommy?" He asked sadly.
Sachiko wanted to tightly hug her son right then and there. It was as though the very presence of the Sun seemed to affect Issei. When the Sun was up, Issei was fine. When the Sun went down however, her son just looked so lost.
Placing her hand on Issei's cheek, Mrs. Hyoudou gave him a warm and soft smile.
"Issei," She said lovingly, "The Sun is everywhere. It's all around us. But it can't always give light to everyone."
Issei widened his eyes, his eyebrows furrowing in puzzlement, prompting his mother to elaborate further.
"There are a lot of people that live on this Earth, honey. You, me, Daddy, Leiko and her parents, aren't the only ones that live here. While the Sun gives us light on this planet, it can't just provide sunlight to us only. There are other parts of the world that need sunlight too."
"…" Issei blinked twice, and then he lowered his eyes, "I don't want the Sun to go away."
"Oh, sweetie," Mrs. Hyoudou cooed as she went to hug her son gently, "The Sun just needs time to rest. It'll come back up, just like it does every day."
It was Issei's next question that made Mrs. Hyoudou's smile falter a little.
"But what if the Sun never wakes up?"
Sachiko's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she looked at her son curiously. The way her son had asked that question…it sounded even more saddening and even frightening. Issei looked worried, almost afraid of the implications of what he'd just asked.
"What if the Sun never comes back?" He asked again, his voice getting a little weak.
"Don't say that, honey. The Sun came back today, didn't it?" Sachiko asked, prompting Issei to nod, "And it came back yesterday, right?"
Issei once again nodded. Mrs. Hyoudou rubbed her son's head gently attempting to soothe his nerves.
"Then it's going to come back tomorrow. It will always...come back."
Sachiko's soothing voice seemed to calm her son, as the latter stopped shaking. Looking up at the darkening sky, Sachiko sighed as she formed a small smile on her face.
"Your cousin Leiko is coming over tomorrow." She told Issei, looking down at him, "That'll be nice, right?"
For a while, there wasn't a response. Frowning slightly, Sachiko looked at her son closely, wondering what she said wrong.
"Sweetie," She asked him, "Are you all right?"
No response once again. Mrs. Hyoudou blinked as she tried to think what was going on in her son's mind.
"Do you like spending time with your cousin, Issei?" She asked him again.
"…" Issei's mouth was shut, before he looked up at his mother and said in a quiet voice, "Leiko-san watches the sunset with me."
"Hmm." Mrs. Hyoudou hummed as she smiled, "So she keeps you company. Do you like it when she does that with you?"
It was almost faint, but Sachiko could've swore she saw Issei nod. Smiling down at her son, Sachiko picked him up and brought him over to his bed. Tucking him in the covers, Mrs. Hyoudou's smile turned warm as she rubbed the top of his hair softly.
"Have a good night, sweetie," She whispered before kissing him on the cheek, "Sweet dreams."
She chuckled in amusement when Issei tried to rub her kiss off of his cheek, and walked over to the door to close it, until she heard her son speak once more.
"Mommy?"
Sachiko paused in her movement and looked back at her son. The younger Hyoudou's expression was unreadable, but Sachiko could detect a sad undertone in her son's face.
"…I don't want Leiko-san to go away."
Mrs. Hyoudou's expression softened as she went to speak, until Issei continued his words.
"I don't want you or Daddy to go away, either."
Sachiko felt her heart flutter at her son's words, and she walked over to Issei to kiss him on the forehead.
"We won't ever leave you, my little Issei." She began sweetly, "We'll be here with you."
Patting her son on the head again, Mrs. Hyoudou sat on his bed and gazed at him lovingly.
"Your father and I love you." She started, "Always."
Issei's eyes fluttered as they started to become accustomed to the darkness of the Moon. Closing his eyes, his voice was merely a whisper as he spoke before falling asleep.
"Always too."
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