Disclaimer: I do not own Servamp or any of the characters


Lily floated through the wall and looked around the room for his brother. He saw that only Mahiru was sleeping in the bed and he wondered where Kuro was. He returned to his human form and stood at the foot of the bed. Peering into Mahiru's soul, he saw his fire burning strong. It was still unbelievable to Lily that Kuro would give a minor god his fire.

"Don't touch him." A deep voice commanded and Lily turned to see Kuro step out from the shadows. He was carrying several books and it looked like he hadn't slept yet. Kuro placed the journals on the table but he watched Mahiru from the corner of his eyes. He went to his library to get some books but he rushed back when he sensed someone in the room with Mahiru. He was relieved when he saw that it was only Lily.

"I came as soon as I received your message. It's not like you to reach out to us." Lily said worriedly because he knew that something was wrong from Kuro's expression. He could see how tense he was as he glanced at Mahiru. He sat on the edge of the bed and adjusted the blanket over him. Then, he nudged Black Cat to wake it up and he whispered to the cat.

"I'm going to talk to Lily in the hall so protect Mahiru for me while I'm gone." Kuro ordered and the cat nodded. He gestured for Lily to follow him into the hall. He didn't want to risk Mahiru overhearing their conversation about Tsubaki. If he heard about his past, Kuro was certain that he would regret marrying him. He didn't know why but he didn't want Mahiru to reject him.

Kuro looked back at the bed to make sure that he was asleep before he closed the door between them. He faced Lily and sighed heavily. "I called you here because I want your help. Tsubaki's follower attacked the forest yesterday and she tried to capture Black Cat. She almost succeeded too. It's obvious that his followers are becoming more powerful and I'm worried that more will come."

"What would you like me to do?" Lily asked readily. He couldn't remember the last time Kuro reached out to anyone in their family. While Lily wanted to know what led Kuro to his decision that day, he didn't agree with Tsubaki starting a war over it. "I know that I'm not as powerful as you or any of our other siblings but I'll do whatever I can to help you."

"I don't want you to fight Tsubaki. I was the one that made the decision so this is my fight." Kuro said quickly and worried his lip. While their family had been fractured and distant for centuries, he still cared for his siblings. "For now, I want to know the names of his most powerful followers. My barrier will tell me whenever one of his followers enter the forest if I know their names."

He wished that there was something more he could do to protect Mahiru. He first surrounded his forest with a barrier to prevent only Tsubaki and Lawless from attacking because they were the angriest after his decision. While he was powerful enough to keep their followers from entering his forest as well, he didn't want to risk their souls wandering among the living after they died.

"It might be difficult because most of his followers worship him in secret after he created the blizzard. But you can depend on me! My information system is only second to Old Child's so I'll be able to find them for you. I already told you that it's my duty to help two fools in love so that's what I'll do." Lily said with a large grin. "It's great to see that you and Mahiru are closer as well."

"I wouldn't say that much changed." Kuro mumbled with a blush. He didn't know what would prompt Lily to say that when he only arrived a moment ago. "Mahiru has been adjusting well to living in the forest. But we were talking about visiting Earth for a bit. I need to think of how to evade Tsubaki if we—"

"Kuro, who are you talking to?" He stiffened when the door opened and Mahiru stepped out. While colour had returned to his cheeks, Kuro was still worried about his health.

Kuro hoped that Mahiru hadn't heard his conversation with Lily. Mahiru already had a lot to worry about without involving him in the war. Luckily, it didn't seem like he overheard them. "You're back, Lily! Why didn't you wake me up so I could've greet him, Kuro?"

"I just stopped by to deliver Misono's letter. Kuro said he didn't want to wake you because he wanted you to rest after what happened. Isn't he just the sweetest husband? I never thought I would see my brother so in love." Lily explained and patted Kuro's back excitedly. While Kuro didn't tell him that directly, Lily knew that those feelings were behind his actions.

"I hope he's been doing well." Mahiru said as he took the letter from Lily but there was something bothering him. Between Lily's secretive smile and how Kuro wouldn't meet his eyes, he didn't know if they were being entirely truthful. He would like to think that Kuro didn't wake him because he was concerned for him though. "Will you be leaving immediately? I can quickly make something for us to eat while we talk."

"I would love to stay but I only came to deliver the letter. Anyways, I don't want to intrude on you two when you must want to be alone. After that ordeal yesterday, you need to hold and comfort each other and do all the things young lovers do." Lily said teasingly and then transformed into a butterfly. He landed on Kuro's shoulder and whispered in his ear so only he could hear him. "I'll send you a list of Tsubaki's followers but you must tell Mahiru about the war. I think he will understand."

Lily flew away before Kuro could answer him. Even with his brother's warning, Kuro didn't know if he could tell Mahiru about what happened centuries ago.


"Mahiru, what are you doing out here? You should be resting." Mahiru looked up from the flower bed when he heard the voice. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Kuro standing behind him. He couldn't sleep and he wanted some fresh air so he went out to the garden. Mahiru had to admit that his mind was still heavy, trying to think of what Kuro and Lily were discussing earlier and why they couldn't tell him.

"I wanted to take a walk in the garden but then I noticed that this flower bed was trampled. It probably happened yesterday. I wanted to try tending to it but I have no experience gardening." He admitted and scratched his cheek shyly. Kuro knelt next to him and saw the dirt covering his hands.

Black Cat purred apologetically next to him and rubbed its head against his leg. Mahiru scratched its head and said softly. "You don't need to feel bad. It wasn't your fault because that siren used her song on you. How about you help fix the garden with me? Then you won't feel guilty anymore."

Black Cat nodded in agreement and Kuro was glad to see that the two were still close. The cat jumped off Kuro's shoulder and started to dig through the dirt with him. Then Mahiru took the cup sitting beside him and showed Kuro the seeds inside. "I was able to collect some of the seeds in the garden. I think they're lilies. Even if I don't have much experience gardening, we can try replanting them. It'll be a shame to just leave this beautiful garden a mess like this."

"I guess we were thinking the same things." Kuro found himself chuckling as he took out several books from his cloak. They looked worn from time and Mahiru realized that they were journals. He was curious as Kuro turned the pages until he stopped at a certain page. "These are the original plans for the garden. I thought I could use these diagrams to restore the garden."

"This is perfect! We can fix the garden together with these," Mahiru said excitedly and took the journal from his hands. The sketches of the garden were detailed and easy to understand. "Why didn't you tell me that you were planning to restore the garden sooner? We could've planned it out together."

"I was hoping to surprise you. I know how much you like this garden and that you would want to replant the flowers or something. But you still need to rest so I thought I could fix it for you." Kuro told him and he had to look away to hide his blush. He took out a bag and placed it in front of Mahiru. "You said you liked daisies so I got some seeds for you."

"Thank you, Kuro! I love them. You didn't need to do all of this for me." Mahiru's eyes naturally wandered to his ring. It touched him that Kuro remembered that he said something so inconsequential. He smiled softly but then a thought came to him. Kuro was most likely talking to Lily about the surprise and that was why he was acting secretive that morning. He felt guilty that he doubted him.

"Let's work on this garden together now that I know your secret." He moved closer to Kuro and playfully nudged him with his shoulder. He placed the journal between them so they could both see it. Mahiru tucked his hair behind his ear and their arms brushed because they were so close. They would share his throne during trials so Kuro thought he would be accustomed to Mahiru being so close to him. But he only became more aware of him and his warmth the more time they spent together.

"I have to admit that it's still a little surprising to me that you have such a large garden." Mahiru admitted.

"Because I'm the God of the Dead?" Kuro mumbled and his eyes fell to the ground. He was taken aback a little when Mahiru placed his hand over his. He looked up and saw that his brown eyes were soft.

"Because you're so lazy." Mahiru said and Kuro relaxed when he heard the pleasant laughter in his voice. He covered his mouth and said, "I'm sorry, that was rude to say. But you have to admit that you're a sloth. Despite your personality, you have this beautiful garden. It must've been hard for you to plant all these flowers and maintain them by yourself. From your journal, it looks like you have a complicated irrigation system as well."

"… I didn't make this garden." Kuro told him in a small voice. The moment he said the words, his mind started screaming at him. Why did he tell him that when it would only lead to questions he couldn't answer? He felt so comfortable with Mahiru that the words left his mouth before he could stop himself. He could feel Mahiru's curious eyes on him and he didn't know if he should answer his silent questions.

"There was a human that would visit my forest often because the human was curious about us gods." He said after a moment. Kuro decided that he could tell him pieces of the truth if he was careful not to tell him about the war.

"The mortal became close with the Olympians. We all thought highly of the person trying to help the world. So, when the human asked to make a garden in my cave, I allowed it. With the irrigation system and constant weather, the garden was self sufficient and I didn't need to worry about maintaining it. The human would use the flowers grown here to make potions and remedies."

Mahiru could hear a deep pain in his voice and he knew that the mortal had already died. He wanted to hold him and comfort him but he stopped himself. He didn't know if he would accept his support or even wanted it. But seeing the pain in his eyes, Mahiru had to do something. He cupped his cheeks and gently guided his face to look down at him. "Instead of a lesson tonight, do you want to just sit by the fountain and talk?"

"You're letting me have a lazy day?" Kuro smiled weakly and Mahiru wished that he could do more for him. As much as he wanted to stay in the quiet moment, Kuro reluctantly pulled away and focused on the journal. "I get to do nothing after we fix the garden so let's finish this quickly."

"The soil looks good so we can plant the seed after we till the dirt. We should check the irrigation system first." Mahiru looked over the diagram in the book and tried to make sense of it. The fountain was the center of the irrigation and it delivered water through tunnels running under the flower beds. He dug through the dirt and found a circular pipe made of boxwood. He was glad that it wasn't damaged and covered it with dirt again. "The human must've been very innovative to make a system like this."

"Yeah." Kuro said absentmindedly. Mahiru chastised himself in his mind when he saw his expression. He wanted to compliment the person because he knew how important the human was to Kuro. Before he could apologize, Kuro knew that he would and spoke. "It's okay, Mahiru. I can't change what happened so it doesn't matter anymore."

Silently, Kuro gathered his shadow in front of him and solidify it into a small garden fork. He loosened the dirt and Mahiru planted the seeds. From the corner of his eyes, he could see a lonely shadow in his eyes. Mahiru tried to think of something he could say or do for him.

"Kuro, when we go to earth, I want you to meet all of my friends. I'm sure you'll get along with them. There's Sakuya, Licht, Koyuki and Ryusei. They're all kind and accepting. Well, Licht might be a little hard to get along with because he doesn't trust gods but I'm sure you'll win him over with Black Cat. He loves animals," Mahiru said confidently.

After he planted the last seed, Mahiru leaned against Kuro's arm and told him stories of his time among the humans. He didn't know when they would be able to travel to Earth but he hoped that Kuro would be able to make more friends while they travelled. Mahiru thought telling him of his own experiences with humans would make him more comfortable with the idea.

"It's rare for a god to have so many close friendships with humans." Kuro noted after Mahiru finished telling another tale. "Most of the gods spend their time in Olympus drinking wine and celebrating."

"I couldn't stand living among the clouds after everything… Seeing the sun and knowing that…" Mahiru bit his lip and leaned against him more, seeking his warmth to protect him from the painful memories. In return, Kuro tenderly stroked his hair. He was glad that he didn't push him to say anything more.

"I decided to go to earth and pretended to be human so I could help them in secret. I was shocked when I went to earth and saw how terrible their situation had become. The rich were safe from the winter but the poor… They lived in caves and in huts that you could barely call a home. They were freezing to death, dying of starvation, hunted by wild beasts and…"

Mahiru shuddered and Kuro wrapped an arm around his shoulders. His touch comforted him and he went on. "But in that Pandora box of misery, the humans had hope. I had to respect their tenacity. The more I got to know them, they more I grew to care for them. They were my friends and I wanted to help them."

He closed his eyes as he was reminded that he was one of the reasons they had so little. "That was when I decided to steal and gift them with fire. If they had fire, they could keep themselves warm and cook food without needing to prayer each time. It'll help them build houses and make tools easier as well."

Kuro had lived for centuries but he never knew anyone as compassionate and brave as Mahiru. He looked down at him and the strength in his brown eyes. "Do your friends know that you're a god?"

"It was hard to lie to them so I told them eventually. Koyuki and Ryusei were shocked. Licht was angry but he forgave me for lying. Sakuya seemed to know that I was a god the entire time. I was relieved that they all accepted me and continued to be my friend."

"I can't see why they wouldn't forgive you." Kuro said. He felt a little guilty that he unintentionally pulled him away from his friends when they got married.

He ran his hand over the dirt in front of him and the flowers bloomed around them. Mahiru's face brightened in time with the flowers. The mixture of white lilies and daisies was breathtaking and Mahiru hesitated to pick one so soon after they bloomed. He leaned down and smelled one of the daisies. "This is beautiful, Kuro! Have you ever seen something so beautiful?"

"I have…" Looking at his bright smile and soft eyes, Kuro couldn't help mumbling the words beneath his breath. He was glad that Mahiru didn't hear him because his attention was on the flowers. Mahiru did look up at him though. His brows furrowed for a moment before he placed his hand on his cheek.

"You have a little dirt here. Hold still and I'll get it off for you. How did you get dirt on your face when you used your powers the entire time?" Mahiru lightly chastised him and rubbed his thumb over the dirt. It only made a smudge so he took out a napkin and soaked it with a rain cloud. His hands were gentle as he wiped his face. When he was finished he grinned, "There you go."

On Kuro's shoulder, Black Cat lightly tapped his dirty paw on his face. Mahiru shook his head with a faint smile and he wiped the dirt off Kuro's face again. But Black Cat would merely repeat his action every time he finished. Mahiru would lean closer each time as well. Kuro was certain the two of them were determined to give him a heart attack with their little routine. Finally, Mahiru took Black Cat off his shoulder and placed him on his lap.

"You're not allowed to play with Kuro with your dirty paws." Mahiru said firmly but petted the cat gently. Then he turned back to Kuro. "You were saying something earlier when I was admiring the flowers. I didn't catch it. What did you say?"

Kuro didn't know how to answer him and felt his ears burn. As he fumbled over his words, Black Cat purred. "Tell him that you think he's beautiful."

He was grateful that Mahiru couldn't hear the cat's voice. Under Mahiru's gaze, Kuro suddenly felt nervous and he gathered the journals. "I was just talking to myself and saying that I need to seal these away again. Can you give Black Cat a bath while I do that?"

Mahiru watched him hastily walk away, slightly confused. He wondered if he said something that made Kuro leave but he couldn't think of anything. He looked down and saw that he accidentally left one of the books behind. The pained expression Kuro had appeared in his mind and he picked up the book carefully. It was probably an important memento of his late friend. "I'll give this back to Kuro later. I need to give you a bath first, you naughty little cat."


A light tune filled the sky as Hyde played his pan flute. He tamed the storm around them with his song so they could fly easier. He couldn't stop the storm entirely without confronting Tsubaki. Hyde started to gesture to Licht and tell him to follow him but he saw that he had already flown off. With an amused smile, Hyde quickly followed him.

"Wait for me, Lichtan! I know the way so don't fly off without me." Hyde quickly chased him. Once he reached his side, he wrapped his arm around his shoulder to stop him from going any further. Licht tilted a glare at him but he stopped flying.

"You said that the Forest of Ash is in the south and on the edge of the world. I'm flying in the right direction, aren't I?" Licht pointed out and flew forward again.

"Remember why you asked me to join you and why you put up with me, Angel Cakes. I can show you the quickest route to the forest so no running off. Anyways, who else will protect you better than an Olympian?" Hyde said confidently. He took out his pan flute and played another melodious tune. "Do you have any requests for me? I know a lot of love songs I can serenade you with."

"Please don't play anymore. From what I heard so far, you haven't gotten any better since we first met." He replied but Hyde continued playing his pan flute. "I didn't ask for your help and I don't need your protection. I'm an angel. You, on the other hand, are a hopeless god and I don't know how you survived as long as you have. I was the one that saved you from Tsubaki."

"You're always saving me. So, does that make you my guardian angel?" Hyde teased and he grinned when he saw that he was able to make him blush. He nimbly evaded his kick and he couldn't help laughing. He thought Licht's reaction was adorable with how his shy blush contrasted his aggressive attacks. Hyde had a small smile as he started playing again. "Thank you for saving me… both times."

"Don't make a habit of it." He told him. As they flew side by side, he watched Hyde play his pan flute. He remembered how he would often play the instrument when they first met. Licht's family had always loved music and he had many instruments in his home. While Hyde wasn't as talented as his parents, the song he played was pleasant. But Licht knew that he could never tell him so.

"Hey, Lichtan, can I ask you something?" He spoke after he finished his song.

"You're going to ask me your question no matter what I say." Licht shrugged as he answered. "Olympians like you always do whatever you want anyways."

"You're right. I've been wondering this for a while. You never tried to hide the fact that you hate us gods. Mahiru is a god but you're willing to defy one of the most powerful Olympians to save him." Hyde said slowly and recognized the feeling of jealousy swelling in him all too well. He shouldn't feel jealous when he and Licht weren't lovers. He didn't even know how to define his relationship with Licht. Few would call them friends but Licht came to him for help and saved him numerous times.

"I hate the gods for what they did to my family. But, before being a god, Mahiru is a friend to me." Licht said. He realized that Hyde had stopped flying and he wasn't by his side anymore. He turned to face him and continued. "He helped me even when I didn't want it and pushed him away. Mahiru is the only god that treated me with respect and didn't look down on me."

Hyde knew that most of the people looked down upon Licht for being a demigod. It wasn't rare for a god to lay with a human but it was always lust rather than love. His father was the first god to fall in love with a human and forsake his godhood for her. Since then, the gods had turned their backs on his family. Licht could still remember struggling to survive. He would watch his mother prayer at night, only for it to go unanswered. He learned early in life that he had to rely on his own skills to survive.

"Mahiru isn't the only god that helped you, Licht. I'm here for you and I'll do anything you ask me." Hyde pouted and his expression was almost childish. "Why are you close with him and not me? He lied about being human like I did too."

"Mahiru apologized for tricking me, unlike you. He didn't bother me with silly pranks after I kicked him out of my home either." Licht pointed out. He paused when he noticed something in Hyde's expression. Was he jealous? Mahiru was merely a friend to him so he didn't know why Hyde would be jealous or why he cared enough to feel envy. He thought that he only enjoyed playing with him.

"Okay, I'm sorry for lying back then. I thought it would be better if you thought I was human. I'm actually a little glad that I lied because I got to know you better. It was fun to be human for a while and live with you." Hyde admitted. They were both a little surprised that he apologized.

"I will never understand you gods." Licht mumbled. He assumed that Hyde was selfish like other gods he knew. But there were moments he could see something else beneath that persona. He agreed to help him rescue Mahiru. Despite the bitterness he had whenever he spoke about his brother, Licht could tell that he was also lonely.

"But I'll forgive you this once." He took the pan flute from Hyde and played the song he used earlier. The snow stopped completely and Licht said, "What I cannot forgive is how poorly you play."

"No one can ever compare to my angel of music." Hyde chuckled and smiled at him. He loved hearing Licht's music, no matter what instrument he used or song he played. It was always able to lighten his heart and made him feel stronger. Hyde knew that he needed his song to have any confidence to face his brother. He hoped that he could hear it more after everything was over.


Honestly, I was supposed to be working on another fanfic but I was really excited to write more of this.