Hello everyoneeee
Here's my next story, Loved By The Gods. I've written out the complete story, but I still need to flesh out some of the chapters. It took me a while to get this one to the point that I actually liked it. Mind you, I'll probably come back to it in six months and cringe, but oh well (lol)
Umm, just a warning that this story does contain some violence, a bit of abuse and a little bit of sex. So if that's not your thing, now's the chance to run away to blanket mountain.
Otherwise, I hope you enjoy!
The small village of Alyrias was located on the outskirts of a lush, green forest, with a stream running through its centre, from which the villagers collected their water. Most of the buildings were very small and built of bricks and stone and the market that ran in the centre of the village was always busy with people buying and selling.
As it was a small town, nothing could be hidden from anyone. There were always prying eyes around every corner, and word spread incredibly fast.
So, it was no surprise to anyone who lived there that there was a woman who lived amongst them that didn't quite fit in.
Sakura carried her basket of freshly picked fruit and herbs on her arm, humming a soft tune to herself as she walked along the path towards her small house. She had just finished collecting her fruit from within the forest-she knew all the best places to go to find the sweetest berries and juiciest apples. She knew where to find all kinds of herbs and what parts of the forest to stay away from. She had the place memorised like the back of her hand.
As she walked, she spotted a small child on the ground, wailing at the top of her lungs.
Sakura knew she should just keep moving, but her mind screamed and protested, telling her to help the child.
She knew that going near the young child would surely incur the wrath of her parents, but the child was obviously hurt, and she couldn't just leave her there.
She battled with herself for a moment, but then sighed.
She walked over to the child and knelt on her knees, smiling softly.
"Hey, is something the matter?" she asked kindly.
The small girl sniffled and looked to her bleeding knee. Sakura spotted the cut and smiled, "Did you fall over?"
The little girl nodded and started wailing again.
"Hush now, everything will be alright." Sakura said softly, lifting her hand to the injured knee. A soft, pale glow wrapped around her hand and the wound started to heal. "There, see?"
The girl stopped crying as she realised the pain was gone and her knee was perfectly fine.
"Thank you, miss!" the little girl smiled gleefully and then jumped back up to her feet, running off to continue playing.
Sakura waved after her, relieved to see her smiling again. Then, she stood and carried on to her small home just around the corner.
Sakura lived alone. She had grown up with her beautiful cousin, Tomoyo, who she truly treasured as one of her closest friends, but unfortunately Tomoyo had left the village shortly after getting married. She hadn't heard from her since.
It had been many, many years since then. Too many to count.
So many years, he couldn't even remember her family. It was all a blur now. They had all passed away long ago. Sometimes she found herself wondering when she would forget their faces-how long would it take before she couldn't even remember her childhood? She was used to being alone. Being forgotten. Being ignored. But still-she longed to feel another's warm touch and to share her life with someone.
But that would never happen.
Not with her.
Sakura sighed softly as she shut the heavy wooden door behind her. Her house smelt of fresh spring flowers and earth. She walked over to her table and placed the basket down gently before sorting through its fresh contents.
She placed the herbs away and put the fruit into a large bowl before sitting down. She was exhausted from her long outing, but she needed food to survive and the villagers weren't kind to her.
She was different to them. She had watched countless children grow old and pass away, all while she remained in the body of a young adult. A body that never aged.
People didn't know what she was, therefore they feared her strange ability. Her strange powers had long been a cause for the villagers to hate her, to fear her.
She didn't understand.
She didn't understand why she was different to everyone else, why she had these strange abilities.
She had prayed to the god who guarded their village for answers, begging to be heard. She wanted to know why she was the way she was, why she was so different from the regular human being.
But she never got an answer. All she received was silence.
After a few long moments of thinking to herself, she stood and walked over to her bed.
Her house didn't have any extra rooms. Her bed was tucked into a corner and she had a small bookshelf with a few books sitting on the shelves tucked away against a wall. A handmade rug spread across the floor beneath her feet, and in the far corner was where she prepared all her meals. The fire place remained empty, but she made a mental note to light it a little later before it got dark so that she wouldn't freeze.
Sakura lay down on her soft sheets and closed her eyes, falling into a deep sleep.
...
A sharp knock at her door woke Sakura from her slumber. She looked around the room, realising it was incredibly dark. She shivered from the cold and cursed herself for not waking sooner to light the fire place.
"Coming!" she called out, carefully sitting up.
Rubbing her arms in a vain attempt to warm herself up, she stood and walked over to the door. Carefully, she unhooked the latch and opened the door, but frowned in confusion when she saw that no one was there.
She assumed it was just another prank by some teenager or child and was about to turn and head back inside when hands grabbed her and dragged her from her doorway. She shrieked with surprise, and soon came to notice three men were hauling her down the street.
"Are you trying to curse my daughter too?" the man on her right hissed at her.
"What-no! I would never-" horrified, she tried to protest, but she winced as his grip tightened around her arm painfully, sure to leave a bruise.
"Please, let go of me." She begged, "I was just trying to help her-she fell and hurt herself and I was worried."
But they didn't listen to her pleas to leave her alone.
She was forced through the dark forest, freezing in her light clothes, until they came to a stop at the edge of a lake. It was a lake Sakura knew well-that everyone knew well.
The lake guarded by the goddess of water.
If you dared to enter the lake, you were sure to incur the wrath of the goddess herself.
"Come near my daughter again, and I'll kill you."
Then, without having any time to react, Sakura felt herself being lifted and tossed into the icy river.
She felt herself sinking and couldn't summon her ability to help herself. The cold was too much of a shock to her system. Her chest ached for oxygen and she choked on the water, her vision starting to darken. Just as she was about to lose consciousness, she thought she saw the silhouette of someone, but before she could comprehend it, she blacked out.
'Why god? Why me?'
...
Many would think that the life of a god was easy and simple, given the vast amount of power they had. However, that was not the case. Syaoran had a pact with the small village of Alyrias that went back hundreds of years. The village would present their offerings, and in return he would protect them from all threats and ensure their survival and safety.
He rarely meddled in their human affairs. The only times he stepped in were when it was absolutely necessary.
He listened to the people's prayers, and very occasionally would he grant a wish.
He watched the children grow and prosper, and then pass on leaving behind another generation.
Syaoran watched the small village tiredly. Briefly, he wondered how many years it had been since the day he'd made that promise to the village. It had been several hundred years, possibly a few thousand. He wasn't sure anymore. It wasn't like he experienced time the same way a human did, anyway.
He saw a small child running up a path and she tripped and fell, injuring her knee. He watched as the child wailed loudly for a long time, waiting for her to stop when she finally realised she would get no attention.
He had seen this occur hundreds of times before-the regular behaviour of a human child-so he wasn't particularly worried.
Then he spotted a young woman with short auburn hair. She appeared to be in conflict with herself about something, but then she moved over to the child and started talking to her.
He was familiar with this woman. She had been alive longer than most, which was not unusual for someone like her. He often kept watch over her-he knew what she was, after all, but there was no need for her to know. Not yet.
There were times where he stood at her side while she cried herself to sleep, keeping his existence a secret from her. Other times he watched her while she kept herself busy, weaving tapestries and baskets and sewing clothing.
One of her tapestries hang on the wall in his house-an offering she had left behind one year when she was unable to leave anything else. He remembered the guilt she felt that year as she sat in front of the small shrine in the heart of the forest. He remembered the accident that had caused her tremendous amount of guilt, the accident in which she had hurt several people in the act of protecting herself.
The act that had caused the entire village to despise her.
It hadn't been her fault-not at all-but he knew how she tore herself apart over what happened, how she felt it was all her fault and that she was entirely to blame. He wanted to hold her and tell her it was alright, that she shouldn't rip herself apart the way she did, but he couldn't.
He watched her as she healed the child, who thanked her happily and then ran off. The woman waved after her and continued to her home.
Syaoran sighed softly and headed back into the forest. He walked for a long while through the quiet, occasionally stopping to assist some animals, and then made his way back to his home in the heart of the forest.
His home, the shrine, looked small on the outside but was much larger on the inside. He passed through the barrier, or rather the door to his home, and entered the warm house. A fire crackled in the hearth and sleeping peacefully in the corner of the large room was an injured wolf cub.
Syaoran walked over to the small animal and checked its injuries, careful not to wake the child from its slumber.
Then, He stood and made his way over to the bench to make himself something to eat.
He spent most of the rest of his day roaming around the forest, and when it fell dark, he returned home once again. Syaoran gave the wolf cub something to eat before sitting down in his favourite chair with a book. It was an old book, and it was nearly falling apart, but Syaoran was careful with it. It was a book his mentor had given him a long time ago, back when he was still learning about his duties.
He stopped reading as he heard a familiar voice in his head. Then, he heard a voice outside, followed by a short shriek and then a splash.
'Why god. Why did you do this?'
He heard the girls' cry and rushed outside to see three men walking away. Syaoran looked to the water and sensed a familiar presence in the depths.
He dove in, not letting the cold affect him, and grabbed the woman's hand, pulling her to him. When he had her, he swam to the surface and over to the edge where he lifted her out of the water and onto the grass. He climbed out of the icy water and checked to see if she was breathing.
She wasn't.
He placed his hands over her chest and a soft green glow surrounded them. Slowly, he lifted his hand, and with it came the water still in her lungs.
When the water was safely removed, he flicked his hand to the side ridding himself of the liquid.
Then, he picked her up and carried her into his warm home.
He placed her in his bed and removed her wet clothing before covering her with several blankets to warm her up. She was a pretty woman with soft, pale porcelain skin and carefully sculpted features. Her eye lashes were long and her lips full and pink.
"Should I make her something to eat?" he briefly wondered to himself.
She had yet to eat dinner since she'd been woken and then forced from her home, so he decided he should and then proceeded to make a hot vegetable soup for when she woke.
She was going to need to be kept as warm as possible for the next few hours.
While he knew that she wouldn't die from the ordeal, it was still very unpleasant.
After putting the meal together and waiting for it to cook, Syaoran sat in his favourite seat and picked up his book.
...
Sakura woke with a terrible headache and an aching body. She didn't recognise her surroundings-it certainly wasn't her home, and she frowned in confusion as she saw a familiar tapestry of the forest hanging on the far wall. She could smell herbs and some garlic, along with cooking vegetables.
She highly doubted it was a home that belonged to any of the villagers-they all loathed her and would jump at the chance to see her disappear for good.
So…
"Where...?" she rasped.
She heard footsteps and a tall brunet came into view. His eyes were a gentle amber, and he was quite muscular but not bulky.
"Who...?" she barely managed to whisper.
"How are you feeling?" his voice was strong and gentle. "This should help." He gently lifted her head so that she could drink the warm contents in the cup.
Sakura cringed at the disgusting taste and turned her head.
"No, no, all of it." He ordered softly.
After a moment of debate with herself, she chose to obey.
Once she had finished the contents of the drink, she could feel her body becoming warmer and her throat stronger. Honestly, she had fully expected to be drugged and put back to sleep.
"Thank you." She whispered.
He nodded and turned to put the cup on the table.
"Excuse me, but..."
"This is my home if that's what you're wondering. I was disturbed from my time reading when I heard you." Syaoran answered.
"Were you the one who pulled me from the lake?" Sakura asked.
"Yes." He replied. "Why did you let them throw you in the lake?"
"What could I have done? There were three men, all stronger than me." Sakura replied tiredly.
He stayed silent, irritated by her reply, but he didn't let it show. Instead, he sighed softly.
"Um...thank you for saving my life. I'm very grateful." Sakura spoke softly.
"It's fine." He murmured.
"May I ask...your name...?"
"My name is Syaoran." He answered, walking back over to her with a bowl. "Can you sit?"
Sakura slowly managed to sit up.
He handed her the bowl which she took and looked at him warily.
"I don't poison the food people worked so hard to grow and create." He spoke, as if knowing what she was thinking.
Sakura lowered her eyes back to the bowl and hesitantly picked up the spoon.
The soup tasted of herbs and garlic and tomatoes. The vegetables were cooked perfectly.
She ate in silence, her thoughts running amok, but she was unable to comprehend them properly.
Her emerald eyes stared at the now empty bowl for a very long time, until she lifted her eyes to meet intense amber.
Her breath caught in her throat and she felt her face heat up, a blush spreading across her cheeks.
"You can stay here for the night. It's dangerous to wander the forest in the dark." He spoke.
She didn't answer for several moments, too shocked by his words.
Syaoran stood and took the bowl from her hands, carrying it back over to the kitchen.
"Oh-um-thank you for your kindness, but I shouldn't..." she protested weakly.
"You're in no fit state to leave on your own just yet." He turned his head and frowned at her.
Goosebumps rose on her skin and she shivered. It was then that she noticed it-she wasn't wearing any clothes.
Her face turned beet red and she pulled the sheets up to her shoulders.
"What's wrong?" he asked, seemingly unfazed by it all.
"Um...where are my clothes?" she whispered.
"They're still soaked through." Syaoran murmured, "I removed them and set them in front of the fire to dry."
"O-oh..."
Sakura's face still burned with embarrassment. He had seen everything.
"They should be dry by morning." He added as he walked back over.
"Um...I don't suppose...there's something I could wear, is there?" Sakura blushed.
He watched her for a brief minute, seeming almost confused by her words, and then he moved over to a set of draws. She watched as he pulled out a hunter green shirt and he walked over to her.
"How's this for now?" he asked, offering her the shirt.
"Thank you very much." Sakura blushed and pulled the shirt over her head quickly.
It was a lot bigger on her frame, reminding her of how much smaller she was.
"Um..." she started, but stopped.
"Yes?" he murmured softly, sitting down in a chair by the bed.
"Are you a medic...? I don't think I've seen you before." Sakura said.
"I'm not a medic, and I'm not a resident of Alyrias either." He replied, and he was met with confusion.
"Then...?"
Sakura didn't understand. She'd never heard of anyone living on the outskirts of Alyrias, or even in the forest-and she knew the forest by heart. She'd never seen a house or any other person in the forest except for when walking up to the shrine.
Instead of answering her unspoken question, Syaoran just gave her a small smile.
"You should really rest, Sakura."
She nodded and shifted to lie back down, briefly wondering how he knew her name.
Errm don't have much to say other than thanks for reading. Chapter two will be up in a few days! Please review and tell me your thoughts. No flames please.
