Hades couldn't sleep. He was lying in his bed staring at the ceiling clutching his heart. The full moon was shining through his window. The light that leaked through barely brushed his uncovered feet.
Earlier that day, Yui's voice struck something within him that he didn't understand. Throughout all of the centuries that he has existed, no one has affected him as Yui does.
He could tell that song was important to not only her life but to her heart. When she sang in class, he was drawn into each word that she sang. Her voice shook his very core. He found himself lost in the emotions that she conveyed. Her body swaying to music that none of them could hear, but that could feel it.
When she finished singing and opened her eyes, he saw himself reflected in them. She understood the pain of misfortune. She understood how it felt to be alone in your darkness. Even though her song kept repeating the phrase, 'you don't know what it's like', he knew exactly what it was like.
He rolled over and groaned giving up on his battle with sleep. He put on a shirt and shoes and took a walk into the deep night.
-x-
Yui was having one of her 'cram nights'. There were times where she would stay up for well up into 12 hours and work on something. Even if she was exhausted, once she wanted to get something done, not even exhaustion could pull her away. Tonight, it was a cram night where she decided to research into something that she was interested in. It wasn't for an assignment, it was just one of her recent obsessions.
She sat on her bed with a single lamp lit, surrounded by stacks of books. Balanced on her knee, was an open book. She kept looking over at it and write down something in her notebook.
Melissa peeked out from his house on the table. He groaned as the light hit his face, "Kutanagi, what are you doing? It's one in the morning."
Yui looked up from her work and gave Melissa an apologetic look, "Sorry Melissa, it's just another cram night for me."
He grumbled as he rubbed his button eyes, "The last time that you had a cram session, you hadn't slept for 18 hours." He rested his head on the lip of his opened house. "If I remember correctly, that was when you decided to research into ancient rulers of the Myans."
She smiled, "I've moved on from the Myans since then. This is something that I have been wanting to do for a while but didn't have the urge until earlier today to look into it."
He yawned, "What's your current obsession Kutanagi?"
Yui held up the open book in her lap. Using her finger to save the page that she was on, she lifted the book so Melissa could read the title.
He sighed, "Greek mythology? Really? You literally have four Greek gods sleeping in the next building."
She giggled and put the book down, "I know. I'm not just looking into the Greeks, but I'm also looking into Norse and Japanese Mythologies. I was just wondering what myths were true and which weren't." She ripped a piece of blank paper from her notebook to use as a bookmark. "I was taking notes so I could ask them later."
He nodded, "Do you think it will help you teach them about the human heart?"
She stopped backing her books in a bag and contemplated, "I think it will help me to see how humans perceive the gods across different mythologies." She began packing her bag again, adding in her iPod, small speakers, a blanket, and her notebook. "I'm hoping it'll help me to get them to relate to humans a little more, or at least understand where they are coming from."
He yawned and nodded his head in agreement. "Makes sense. What are you doing by the way?"
She put on her slippers and grabbed a jacket before slinging her backpack on her back, "I want to change venues, that way you can get some sleep and I have a chance to stretch my legs a bit." She grabbed a pillow and hooked it under her arm. She shut off the lights and waved goodbye to her roommate.
After she shut the door, she let out a sigh and stretched out towards the night sky. 'Finally, I can have some time to myself.' With that thought, she rushed over to the school to set up her little area. As she stepped inside, it began to rain.
-x-
The weather was perfect, that is until it began pouring down rain.
Hades sighed. 'My misfortune strikes again.'
He saw that he was near an entrance to the school and decided to take shelter there. He sprinted to the door, only slipping on the wet sidewalk once, and slammed the massive doors shut. He leaned up against the door and wrung out his baggy pants and long heavily drenched hair. After a few minutes, he began to faintly hear something coming from somewhere in the building. Curious as to what it was and deciding he had nothing else better to do, he went and investigated. He wound his way around corridors, up and downstairs, and even found rooms that he didn't even know the school contained trying to find the source of the noise.
He reached the third floor of the building and heard the noise getting louder. Looking down the long, dark hallway, he saw a single door open with light pouring from it.
He approached it and heard music and someone humming along with it. Peeking in the door, he smiled at the sight.
Yui was laying in the middle of the room. She had pushed the desks together so the would create a table for her. She laid out a pillow and a blanket and was using the makeshift table as her bed. On chairs, were stacks of books. On another desk, she had set close-by, was a small device that seemed to be tethered to a box where the music was coming from. She was facing away from him as she laid on her stomach and scribbled down notes in her notebook.
He wanted to leave quietly, leave her to her world, but that idea was thrown out the window as he let out a loud sneeze. The sneeze was so powerful and his shoes were still so slippery that it knocked him back and he fell onto the floor.
Yui turned and saw Hades rubbing his nose and she made her way over to him.
She got up from her desk bed and ran over to him. "Hades! Are you okay?"
He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just my misfortune."
She helped him to his feet. "What are you doing here Hades?"
He rubbed the back of his head, "Well I couldn't sleep so I decided to take a walk. My misfortune caused rain and I decided to take shelter in the school. That's when I heard music. I followed it to this floor." He paused and looked at her, "What are you doing here?"
She blushed from embarrassment, "Oh…. Uh….." She bit her lip and looked back at her study area. "I…. c-couldn't sleep e-either. I-I figured I could use the t-time and work on s-something that I think will help you g-guys."
He raised an eyebrow, "You decided that you would steal a classroom in the middle of the night to do that?"
She laughed nervously and shrugged, "Melissa couldn't sleep because of me so I decided to make my arrangements for the night."
He nodded, "Ah, I see."
They stood there awkwardly before Hades went over and picked up a book, "What are you working on?"
She ran over and snagged the book away from him. "Nothing!"
He sighed and turned his head to an unopened book. In large letters, he could read, "Greek Mythology".
He turned back to the embarrassed girl who was fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. "Are you interested in Greek Mythology?"
She sighed, defeated and decided to tell him. "I wanted to see how humans saw you guys across different mythologies. I figured if I were to compare that to your side of things I could find a sort of middle ground where gods and humans could relate."
He blinked a few times, "Makes sense." Looking between Yui and her pile of books. "Do you want help? I am the eldest of my family so I could be of some assistance if you would like."
Her eyes widened as he saw excitement wash over her face, "You would do that?"
He blushed, "I'd do anything to help you Yui."
She blushed and nodded.
-x-
For the next hour, Hades and Yui sat atop the desks facing each other. Yui was asking questions and taking notes while Hades patiently answered all of her inquiries.
The music then shifted to a familiar song causing Hades to stop mid-sentence.
Yui looked up curious as to why he stopped, "Hades? Is there something wrong." She followed his gaze over to the speakers as a familiar lyric was being sung over it, 'You don't know what it's like."
She looked back at him, remembering the events from the day before. "Hades, why did you hug me after I sang this song yesterday."
He stiffened and began blushing. "I-I just thought your s-song was beautiful."
She cocked her head to the side, "Really?"
He nodded and met her gaze with his, "I-I felt like I relate to the lyrics."
She smiled at him, "It's okay Hades if you don't want to talk about it that's fine. I'm here if you need me."
She leaned over and looked at her iPod and sighed, "Well, school is going to start in two hours, I suppose I should start cleaning up."
He snapped out of his embarrassment, "R-right I'll help."
He helped her clean up and returned to his dorm as his nephews woke up. Looking at Apollon, he thought to himself, 'I won't tell him that I spent the night with Yui.'
-x-
Yui returned to her dorm and got ready. All the while Melissa was scolding her about being gone for so long.
His words were drowned out by her thoughts, 'It would make sense that out of all the Gods, Hades would relate to depression the most.' She paused, 'I can't tell if he's depressed or just miserable with his misfortune.'
"Kutanagi! Are you listening to me!?"
She threw on her school jacket and grabbed her bag, "Of course! Have a good day Melissa!" She ran out the door before he could protest.
She had to prepare to read a poem to the class, 'I still don't understand why Thoth wants me to recite them a poem.' She sighed to herself as she caught up to the Gods who were patiently waiting for her.