Mythology

(Itasaku Festival Day 3)

"You know, there are so many stories out there about lovers tragically separated," Sakura remarked as she jotted down a note on the margins of the page. Naruto slowly lifted his head to peek at her over the top of his book.

"Like Romeo and Juliet?" he asked. Sakura tapped her chin with her pencil.

"Not exactly. More like myths- you know, with gods and goddesses and stuff," she replied.

"Ah, like those Greek myths or whatever. Like with Zeus and those guys!" Naruto said as his eyes lit up.

"Mhm. And other cultures have them too. There's the story of Orihime and Hikoboshi in Japan," Sakura told him as she marked something else on the page before flipping to the next one.

"Who and whatsit?"

Sakura reached over to poke him in the cheek with the eraser of her pencil. Out of the corner of her eye she saw someone slip past the bookshelves and take a seat at the table next to theirs.

"It's the story of two lovers who can only meet once a year if it isn't cloudy or raining. Stuuuupid. Why do you think we have Tanabata? Do you think we're out on the streets celebrating the bugs?" she scoffed. Naruto scowled at her.

"But why do you think there are so many stories about that kind of stuff anyway?" Naruto then questioned as he pointed at her notes.

"What do you mean?" she asked as she tilted her head. Naruto then turned his book over to point at the long list of names listed down the page.

"I mean, look. In every culture, in every language, there's the story of two people who couldn't end up together. Don't you think that means there's something kind of fishy about that?" Naruto demanded. Cupping her chin in her hand, Sakura glanced over the list before she shrugged.

"I'm not sure about that. But Naruto, aren't you late for soccer practice?" she questioned in response. Naruto smacked his hands down on the table, earning a glare from the library monitor.

"Oh crap. You're right. Sorry, Sakura-chan, do you think-?"

"Yeah, I'll finish taking notes and you can come over tomorrow to read them over with me. Go," she interrupted him, flapping her hand to shoo him out. Grinning, Naruto swept his things into his backpack and ran out, nearly tripping over his chair in the process. Sakura shook her head when he paused to wave at her through the window in the door before bolting down the hall.

There was a peaceful silence after her friend's departure. Sakura tapped her pencil against her forearm as she read through the rest of the page. She listened to the tick of the clock and the rustle of pages from someone leafing casually through a book nearby. There were shuffling steps against the carpet.

"He seems like a good kid. Not terribly bright, though," a voice remarked.

The chair creaked a little as someone pulled it out and sat down across from her.

"He has a good heart. That's somewhat rare these days," she responded without looking at him.

Sakura took her time writing her final note before she lifted her chin. She smiled.

"Eros," Uchiha Itachi murmured as he dipped his head toward her. Sakura raised her book to cover the lower half of her face. She batted her eyelashes at him.

"Thanatos," she greeted in return. Her eyes roved over his smirk and the sharpness of his jaw. His eyes were almost black, almond-shaped and slanting just the slightest bit up at the corners.

"It suits you," Sakura declared after a moment. He ran his hands through his long black hair.

"No, I meant the face in general. You look good," she clarified.

She remembered his cold profile on that last summer day as she lay in the sun-warmed grass. The tattered ends of his black cloak swept over the flowers and everywhere the fabric touched, the petals withered and scattered into dust. The dryads' faint warnings died in her ears as she took his frigid hand. His eyes, infinite and piercing her soul, promised nothing. He pulled her to her feet, leaving her with a lingering gaze that tasted of winter.

And without a word, he strode off, through the meadow, leaving a brown trail of dried leaves in his wake. She stared sadly down at the cold blooms. And then as the dryads chattered in hushed voices, she lifted her head to follow his path through the flowers.

That was why she had been there in the first place.

A young couple, a shepherd and a farmer's daughter sitting among the sunflowers. The girl made a chain of the bright yellow blooms while he laid on the grass beside her. Her clear voice rang out through the meadow as she sang. And the face he made as he turned on his side to look up at her made her heart fill with joy.

But soon his shadow fell over them. His cloak billowed out around him as he bent over to draw the breath from the shepherd boy's lungs.

The girl's singing died down as she looked over and found her lover cold amongst the dying flowers. She closed her eyes as the girl's voice rose in shrill tones of panic. And then the cry of agony that tore through the air pierced straight through her. When her eyes opened again, he was standing in front of her. There was nothing on his face. He slowly lifted his hand to tuck a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. His touch chilled her to the bone. And when he wiped a tear away from her face with his thumb, his fingers curled lightly around her cheek.

"Everything must end," he murmured in a frigid voice.

That had been ages ago, from times long forgotten.

Sakura leaned back in her chair, book still covering the lower half of her face. And Itachi leaned back too, tracing her wide eyes and the shape of her soft hair clipped back behind her ear.

Her lack of terror had been the first thing to catch his attention.

So many of the other gods and goddesses spat after his name. They glowered at him whenever there was the inevitable summit of the deities. He lingered in the shadows.

Because he's evil, they all said.

Because you all hate to see me, he always thought in response.

And she always claimed that the first time they had spoken was that day in the meadow when he had come to tear a boy from his new love. He never had the heart to tell her that there had been one other time.

So little, fresh out of the foams of the ocean, she was just a child back then. She ran barefoot between the legs of the older deities. She chased butterflies and the eyes of all who landed on her lit up with an indescribable sort of joy. And she had approached him at one of the summits, her hands overflowing with flowers.

"Do you want one?" she asked.

For a moment, he looked around. Surely she was speaking to someone else. Perhaps to her favorite Aphrodite or to little Persephone who seemed to be her playmate. But then she stood in front of him, pigeon-toed and smiling up with all the kindness in the world. He hesitated. Reaching down, he held out his hands and she spilled the flowers into his waiting palms. The flowers crackled and dried up into dust as soon as they touched his gloves. She stared up at him, green eyes so filled with trust.

"Did you do that on purpose?" she questioned. When he silently shook his head, she looked down at her now empty hands.

"If you touch me, will the same thing happen?" she then inquired. He shook his head again. He hooked his finger into the top of his dark scarf and pulled it down to speak.

"You're a daemon like me. You won't die from something like that," he whispered.

And to his surprise, she put both her hands in his.

"Do you like being alone like this?" she queried. She dangled from his grasp, her little feet swinging in the air. She let out a squeal of delight when he lifted her up higher.

"No. Not particularly," he sighed in response as he watched her laugh.

Itachi reached out to take the book from her. Slowly she revealed her smile. Something sparkled in her gaze as she watched him. Her nails were painted green and her lips pursed into the same impish smile he remembered from days long past.

The curve of her elegant neck and the shape of her small hands was engrained into his brain. She was seared into his memories like an old brand that never faded with each new body. He set the book down and reached out for her hand resting on the tabletop. Her skin was smooth and warm. He knew that his hand would feel cold to her.

"Eros," he said again.

Her mouth curved into a tender smile.

"I like the way you say that old name," Sakura told him. Leaning forward, he clasped her hand in both of his and kissed her knuckles.

"Eros, you haven't changed at all," he mumbled against her skin.

Eros

She heard his voice in her ear before she turned. She let out a gasp before she felt his cold hands slide around her waist. The rose in her hand began to wilt as his cool breath washed over her.

"Thanatos," she sighed. His chin rested against her shoulder.

"I've missed you," she whispered. She turned in his grasp. Pressing her hands to the sides of his face, she smiled up so brilliantly at him. He leaned into her warmth, the harsh lines of his pallid face softening ever-so-slightly under her touch.

"We can't be seen. We have to be careful," he answered. Her lips parted. He leaned into her, pressing his mouth against hers, letting the heat from her seep into his skin. Her fingers threaded into his hair, pulling him in closer. He exhaled against her lower lip. She felt the hint of winter in his breath.

"Who cares for those gods? What is Zeus without death? What is life without you to take everything away?" she laughed in a careless way. She nuzzled against his throat even as his expression stiffened. He pulled her away just the slightest bit to look into her eyes. They sparkled, soft greenish blue like the color of still oceans.

"Eros, be careful with your words," he urged. But she continued to smile, completely at ease.

"Those gods up on Olympus reduce us to daemons, half-gods not even worthy of temples. But they should all bow to you. Tremble at your feet," she giggled. His tense look softened as she kissed him again.

"Then what is life without love? What is humanity without love? They should fall at your feet as well," he responded.

"Me and my big mouth," Sakura sighed as she let her forehead hit the table. Itachi reached over to stroke her hair.

"You should have listened to me. Let me take the fall," Itachi said.

"Thanatos! Thanatos, you need to run. Please!" she exclaimed as she threw herself into his arms. She was disheveled, hair messy and cheeks flushed.

"Eros?"

"Someone heard us. Someone told Zeus what we said. They're screaming for your blood, Thanatos," she almost sobbed. He cupped her cheeks in his hands. He forced her to look at him until her frantic gaze could focus.

"Run, Eros. I'll say that it was all me. Run away, Eros. The worst they can do is…" he trailed off.

And through her tears and the puffiness of her eyes, she smiled so blindingly up at him that his chest contracted sharply, ribs squeezing uncomfortably.

"And what's the worst they can do to me then?" she asked in return.

She kissed him with all the searing heat of the sun.

"I had no idea they would cast us out of the realm of the gods, into mortal bodies. It's really a minor inconvenience at best," Itachi sighed.

"I don't exactly like dying and being reborn. It's not as much fun as people think it would be in all their movies and books," Sakura remarked.

"You should have run like I said," Itachi insisted. She shot him a sharp look.

"And go where without you, you impossible man?" she said in such an exasperated voice that he smiled.

They regarded each other for a long time. They listened to the birds past the window, to the yells of boys practicing baseball outside. He reached across the table to caress her cheek.

"So where are we now?" she asked.

"I just transferred to your school today. I saw your name on the roster in the office," Itachi admitted. She hummed thoughtfully in response. Drumming her fingers against the top of the table, she looked at him for a long time.

"You know, maybe we're lucky, Thanatos," Sakura said after a long time. He raised an eyebrow.

"Because if not for that ridiculous punishment, I wouldn't have the chance to met the love of all my lifetimes. I wouldn't have the chance to meet you and fall in love with you every single time, until the end of time," she declared. Itachi regarded her so fondly that her stomach filled with butterflies, even after all the lives of seeing him in so many different faces.

"You know, Eros, you're a hopeless romantic," he finally told her in such a helpless voice that she couldn't help but laugh.

Fun fact: Thanatos was the name that Ancient Greeks used for death while Eros was the greek god of Love (remembered today as Cupid with his bows and arrows).