-Deity AU-
Warnings: Snakes, power imbalance
Rating: T
The air was thick and heavy in and around the mysterious shrine; Long, straggly-limbed trees doubled over, their dark, lush foliage dragging the misty grasses and a low, mournful wind rustled her hair and sent shivers down her spine.
Sakura swallowed, glancing behind herself for a quick second before tightening her grip on the offering in her hands. There would be no turning back now.
She took her first step onto the smooth stone of the stair, and all at once a creeping feeling made goosebumps bloom all along her arms, hairs standing alert.
Something was watching.
The weight of what seemed to be a hundred eyes bore into her back as she climbed the stairs and entered the little building. Statues adorned the inside, twin snakes at each side of the gaping maw of the entrance and slabs of text hung on the walls. In the very center of the little shrine was an altar, the shadowy statue of a man brandishing a katana standing in a silent vigil over it. Two braziers stood at either side, faithfully burning with the god's presence and casting a warm glow about the room.
Slowly, one of her knees hit the floor, and the rest of her soon followed as she lay the cloth-wrapped sword atop the altar, her family's crest glimmering from the hilt in the glow of the fire. Trembling, she prostrated herself, forehead pressed against the cold stone, hair spilling over her shoulders and down her back..
"I beg you to hear my pleas," she began. "My village... my family... our lives are in great danger. A foreign nation wishes to invade and kill us all. I have been sent as a sacrifice for you, Hebi-sama, so that you may graciously grant the prayer of my village. Please spare them and take me instead, whether to eat me or to keep me."
For several long moments, there was no answer.
Sakura waited, her fingers dragged along the stone and feeling the grit under her nails. The village elders had told her that Hebi-sama was a stubborn god, a silent one that preferred results to meaningless prose.
Yet as she waited, she could not help but feel a little silly, kneeling before a cold altar in what should be an empty shrine in the middle of the Forest of Death.
They already expect me to die, she reasoned with herself as she opened her eyes. I could leave. I could leave and they would never know otherwise; all they would have to fear is death.
She let out a silent breath from her nose, guilt panging in her heart at the thought. Could she abandon them like that?
Just as she decided to get up, a frigid wind blew through, making her shudder and extinguishing the fires in one moment.
Fearfully, she dared to lift her head.
Cold red eyes stared down at her from the sudden darkness. From what she could make out, they belonged to a very tall man. Hair black as the night sky framed a handsome, pale face. His brows were furrowed in displeasure, his lip curled into a sneer.
Sakura's blood felt like ice. Her heart began to pound in her throat, sending pulses of dizziness through her skull.
"You dare look upon a god?" His voice, velvety in timbre, scoffed from the shadows. "Either you are brave, or very, very foolish, mortal."
"A thousand apologies, sir," she stumbled over her words as she hastily bowed her head again, "I- I only come on behalf of my village and its elders."
"So I heard." A rustling caught her attention, though she didn't look up again. Something cold and scaled brushed against her leg, making her breath hitch in her throat - a snake.
She bit back a squeak as a smooth hand curled beneath her chin and lifted her face, and suddenly those ruby eyes were right before her, making her face heat up in a creeping blush.
"And what," he spoke no louder than a murmur, "would you give me in return for the lives of your countrymen?"
She was certain he could feel her throat bob as she swallowed, before shakily answering, "I give you my life."
The god didn't answer right away, calculating eyes narrowing and scanning her up and down.
That same scaled tale brushed against her leg a second time, and for the quickest of moments her eyes darted down, only to widen in realization.
Hebi-sama wasn't just a god associated with snakes...!
A low chortle made her look back up, and an amused smirk adorned his face.
"You're a smart one," he praised, one of his sharp nails caressing her jawline. "You amuse me."
Without another word, he let her go - and when she made to get up, his tail looped around her waist.
Sakura really did squeak this time, hands scrabbling for purchase on the slick tail as she was lifted aloft.
The young-looking god brought her closer, the black tomoe in his eyes now spinning slowly.
"I'll make you a deal," he breathed across her lips, nose-to-nose. She hoped he couldn't hear how loudly her heart was racing as he stared into her eyes. "I will spare your village. But in return... you will be my bride."
Her eyes grew wide, for a split-second in fear, but it melted away into surprise. "That's... that's it? No catch?"
Hebi-sama tilted his head in question. "What would you consider a catch?"
"I dunno... um, death?" She mumbled, shrugging her shoulders. "You'll grant them your protection? And all I have to do is...?"
"Unless you would prefer they die."
She swallowed hard, studying his handsome visage for several long moments.
This was not how she expected to end her fruitless voyage into the forest. But it wasn't wise to look a gift horse in its mouth...
Slowly, she nodded. His hand cupped her cheek as she whispered, "Very well. I will accept."
