mmmm feels good to be regularly updating again :D I finally found a good ending for this story, so now it's complete! In a ... few chapters or so! so don't worry ^_^

Thank you to all who reviewed, faved and alerted~ you guys are amazing!

Lilou-chan talked me into uploading this one quite a bit early~

Sun Kissed

Chapter Two: Prayers

Antonio, a young man living with only himself and his older sister, walked outside. He had to tend to the garden that supplied most of their food supply. Rosana had given up a short while before, claiming it was too hot outside.

That never bothered the young man. He loved the sun, he loved the way it felt on his skin, and despite most of the people he knew, he never burned under its intense gaze.

He shadowed his face to look up to the sky. Not a cloud in sight! He laughed to himself and picked up a basket to go harvest some of the fruits and vegetables.

For as long as he could remember it had been just his sister. She had raised him and taken care of him. Now, it seemed he took care of her.

Antonio enjoyed this time of day. There was no one to bother him while he gardened. They all were inside. As much as he loved taking naps, he would prefer to nap outside under the sun.

People always joked that his skin was perfectly sun kissed. He believed it.

Only about thirty minutes into his work, the sun began faltering. The rich light dimmed a bit, then spiked, then dimmed again. He frowned. That had never happened before. He checked to see if there were any clouds and he was still seeing nothing. So why was the sunlight doing this?

He packed up the vegetables that he needed and got to watering the plants. The sun was still acting up, like there was nothing there to regulate the light. He frowned to himself. His beloved sun was faltering?

~o~

"Lovino!"

The sun sat up his bed and drowsily looked up to see his brother, Feliciano. The moon looked horrified.

"What do you want?" Lovino growled.

"Ludwig woke me up. Why aren't you at the balcony? Ludwig said that the sun is acting up. I got up and you weren't there!"

"I'm tired of catering to people who don't appreciate what I do." he sighed, finally admitting it.

Feliciano sat on the edge of the bed, despite the obvious discomfort of being in total light. He couldn't stay very long in the sunlight without feeling worn out and faded from overexposure to the raw power, while Lovino didn't like total nighttime because it left him feeling drained as well. That's why the tapestry in the throne room was so important. It kept the brothers in check while in each other's presence.

"I thought you were over that." Feliciano said, sadly, placing his hand on his brother's arm.

Lovino glared up at the ceiling, "Who could just get over the fact that no one likes him?"

"I like you."

"You don't count! You're supposed to like me. I supply you with your power."

The moon laughed, "But it happens automatically. I don't have to worry about you taking away that power, so I'm free to feel about you how I please."

"Shut up." Lovino rolled his eyes.

Feliciano smiled, "I know you're mad, but you need to get back to the balcony before grandpa shows up angry."

Lovino's tanned face drained of color and nodded. It was true. While they haven't seen him in a long time, they knew he would probably destroy him and create a new sun, one that listened.

Reluctantly, he pulled his robes back on and made his way back to the balcony.

Feliciano wished him a good afternoon, before returning to bed. Lovino sighed and fixed the ray of light that showered the people.

The sun was lowering in the sky now, so more and more people were coming out. He decided to do some people watching, something he hadn't wanted to do for about fifty years.

As expected, they were complaining about the heat, the sun, and the blisters they were getting.

He moved onto another person and it was the same thing.

Switching his view once more he landed on a young man who appeared slightly older than Lovino's physical body. His shirt was discarded into the dirt as he sat on his knees pulling weeds from his garden. The man let the sweat drip from his brow as he concentrated on cleaning up his food source.

Lovino didn't know why, but there was something odd about this man, in a good way. He was bright and warm and it was like he'd soaked up some of Lovino's power.

His smile was bright as he turned to a young woman bringing out something for him to drink.

'Antonio, it is too hot for this. Come inside before you blister!' she scolded, making Lovino's heart hurt.

'Antonio' turned to her and thanked her for the water, took a deep drink and wiped his mouth.

'I won't blister. You know that, Rosana.' He laughed, returning to his work.

She sighed, 'Your luck will run out eventually.'

'It's no luck.' he grinned running a hand through the warm, curly, brown hair on his head, 'The sun blessed me with good skin.'

Lovino felt his heart hammer against his ribcage. This person … this Antonio … didn't shy away from his heat?

He watched the bright and warm man for a few more moments before finding it best if he back out of this view and watched the rest of the land.

Gilbert had moved some cloud into the east and began a light shower. Lovino knew it was to get him angry, but he found himself not caring much.

Soon enough, Feliciano came out for the twilight hour where the two would share the sky for a short while before the other took over.

"How are you doing, brother?" the Moon asked.

Lovino didn't answer right away, "I'm … better …" he muttered. Neither brother said anything as they looked at all the people coming out of their homes to do their shopping and last minute things while the air was cooling off. Lovino wanted to see what that human was doing, but couldn't while his brother watched the same sky.

"Oh, Ludwig told me that he spotted grandpa by the beach today. Apparently, he's still parading around as a human."

"Oh? How lame." Lovino rolled his eyes, just glad that his grandfather wasn't going to show up and scold him for his behavior earlier.

Feliciano just laughed, "I think he'd playing around again. Creating new creatures and what not."

"Still lame. Just more things to prefer you over me." He muttered.

Feliciano placed a hand on his shoulder, but Lovino brushed it off, "I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

Not a moment later, a white haired gust of annoying flew right up to the edge of the balcony. Red eyes bore right into hazel, "What gives? Usually when I make an unexpected rain shower you dry it up right away. It's been raining for thirty minutes straight."

"Go away, Gilbert." Lovino glared, crossing his arms.

Gilbert frowned, sitting back on the back of his giant eagle. It was the lesser god's mount. Most of the lesser gods had them. Gilbert's was an eagle when he rode it, but if he walked the land as a human, the bird was small and yellow, like a little chick.

"Not until you tell me what that fit of yours was about earlier. You know, the light flickering between too hot and very dim. People thought it was me playing with clouds!"

"I don't have to explain anything to you. Now get back to your little puddles before I dry you up!" Lovino growled, noticing it was time to lower the sun completely and raise the moon. He turned away from the albino weather god and raised his arms in unison with his brother's and completed another day.

"Good night, brother." Lovino said.

"Good night." Feliciano smiled, taking over the watch. Lovino walked back to the sun hall and down to his room which still shone brightly. It was how he had always slept. Unlike his brother, and the vast majority of his people, he actually loved the bright warm light he supplied.

He stripped of his robes and jewelry and walked to the far corner of the room where a large fountain served at his bath. He dipped his body in and felt the cold water quickly heat up around him. It cooled his body a few degrees and he shivered in delight.

Suddenly his mind became fuzzy and something happened that hadn't for centuries. Someone prayed to him.

It over whelmed his senses. No one even believed in the sun and moon gods anymore! He closed his eyes and received the prayer.

'I read somewhere this was supposed to work … um … sorry … I feel silly!'

Lovino frowned. This is what was interrupting his bath?

'I was … I was just worried about you, Sol.'

That was the southern name for him. He began blushing, instantly recognizing the voice to be the one of that young man from earlier.

'Are you sick? Can the sun even get sick? Ahahaha, I hope not! I really love the way your warmth feels on my shoulders! I'd hate to lose it…'

Lovino had heard enough, he quickly tuned the prayer out and brought his knees to his chest, sinking a bit lower into the water. It was beginning to bubble with his face getting so red. Why now? Why is there someone who loves the sun so much? Why did he have to appear right when he'd become so obsessed with hating himself?

He sunk under the water and tried to cool his body off so that he would be able to sleep.

So~? How did you enjoy the chapter? :D I hope you liked it ^_^

~ Lady Pyrien