Hyacinthus
Dramatis Personae
Kira: Zephyr, god of the west winds, Hyacinthus's admirer
Light Yagami: Apollo, god of truth, prophecy, and much more. Hyacinthus's lover
Misa Amane: Deiphoba, a sibyl, or priestess. Serves Apollo, has eternal life
L- Hyacinthus, Apollo's mortal lover
Act 1: Light
I got a man who's beggin' for me
I got a man who makes the Devil pale
I got a man who makes me wanna kill
I got a man who makes me wanna kill
-"Man", Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The god Apollo was incredibly bored. It was quite sad, really, he thought as he lazily rested his head on his hand. His chocolate-brown eyes slowly slid shut as he let out a sigh. While he was never unhappy over his existence as a god, Apollo (also known as Light to the other deities) found it to be simply boring. It was one of the drawbacks to being immortal, he supposed: They were unaffected by the passing of time, had no fear of death, of dying… They had all eternity to do as they pleased, and once they did what they pleased… there was not much left to do.
With a small stretch the god of prophecy stood up and stepped down from the heavens and onto the earth, to his temple at Delphi.
"Misa, are you here?" He called. A young girl stepped into the room before the echoes of Light's voice had faded.
"Light-sama, it is wonderful to see you!" Misa, more commonly called Sibyl Deiphoba, said with a smile. She quickly took a moment to smooth her robes and her long, blonde hair. While she had seen Apollo plenty of times in the past, she never could quite get over his divine appearance. His light brown hair framed his face and his slim figure was clothed in robes of gold and white. His noble features lit up with his charming smile.
"How have you been, Misa? I see the temple has been well-kept."
"Yes, Misa was just outside preparing some offerings for you." The priestess's brows knit with worry. "Is anything the matter, Light-sama? It is not often that you come to the mortal world."
"Oh, no," Apollo replied with a smile. "I just wanted to visit. I take it little has happened here?" He asked as they walked outside.
"Nothing of great importance, but Misa has been taking good care of the temple!"
"Yes, I can see that." The girl was always so eager to please, he thought. He would think Misa would spend her eternal life doing other things besides taking care of his temple and offerings, but he supposed he couldn't complain.
It was a beautiful spring day outside, and petals seemed to fall from the flowering trees like snow. The sky was a clear blue, and not one cloud could be seen in the sky.
And yet something did not seem quite right.
With a slight frown Light noticed that the west winds were rather calm today. If this had been the case for any of the other winds it would not be quite so unsettling. But in this case, Light could not quite help but wonder if Zephyr was up to something mischievous.
Zephyr, or Kira to the other gods and goddesses, was not exactly a favorite of Light's. The god of prophecy was known for being very good-natured, and got along with even the hotheaded Ares on a fairly reasonable level. There were a few exceptions, of course, such as Cupid, Aphrodite's son, and Hera, Zeus's wife. Cupid was a trickster and had not been a good friend of Light's since the god of love had decided to use him and a woman he once loved for target practice. (Little to Light's surprise, Cupid and Zephyr were good friends.) And Hera… well, she never really got along well with anyone.
But Zephyr was one that Apollo could not ever see himself even becoming acquainted with, let alone befriending. The two were complete opposites in almost every way, and when the west winds were not blowing, Zephyr tended to be up to something.
This irritated Light to no end, since it was commonly whispered behind his back (never face-to-face, as this was one of the few ways to anger Apollo) that the two of them bore a very striking resemblance to one another. The only real difference was in the eyes. Light's were a rich brown, and Kira's were a red so deep they could be described as bloody. The Fates must have sick senses of humor, Light often thought, to have two individuals that look so similar be so different. If it were to do any good, Light wouldn't mind throttling that damn Kira and then chucking him into the Underworld to rot.
Ah, if only.
"Um… hello?" Misa's voice broke his (progressively violent) train of thought. "May we help you?" The priestess seemed frightened for some reason. The disguised god looked up and resisted a gasp of surprise.
Not too far from his face was the most peculiar man he had ever seen. His skin was so pale he looked as if he hadn't left his home in years, and his black eyes' piercing stare was accented by the dark smudges beneath them. His ebony hair was unkempt and his long bangs fell into his face. His light-purple robes seemed a bit too big for his skinny body.
His stare was unnerving, even for Light.
"Can I help you?" He asked. The man tilted his head to the side, nibbling the top of his thumb.
"No."
All was silent save the chirping of a cricket somewhere in the grass. Then a bird came and ate the cricket and there was not even chirping to fill the silence.
"You look… interesting." Light raised a brow at this strange statement.
"You do not mean this as a compliment."
"No," the mortal responded. "I don't."
Impudent fellow.
"Care to explain why?"
"You already know why."
"I can assure you I don't."
"You are lying."
"Is this an interrogation?"
"Perhaps."
Very impudent fellow.
"Don't speak to him that way!" Misa exclaimed. "He's-,"
"Misa, it's alright." Light turned back to the mortal. "I don't know what you are talking about. Perhaps you've confused me with someone else." At this the mortal broke into an intrigued smile.
"Yes… perhaps."
Light's curiosity spiked at this. The dark-haired man slowly got up from his crouched position in an awkward yet practiced manner, still wearing that small smile. He slowly walked away with an obvious slouch and without another word to either the god or the priestess.
"Strange man…" Misa said after he had gone. "What on earth was he talking about, Light-sama?"
To Misa's dismay the god got up and quickly followed in the direction the bizarre mortal had gone.
"Hello, L. How have you been?"
The mortal shivered and quickly turned around to face Zephyr. The god's blood-colored eyes seemed to laugh at him.
Yes… L thought. Their eyes are different… His were brown.
"What do you want, Zephyr?"
"So formal. I told you to call me Kira, remember?" L did not answer. He only glared. "You know, it has not been long since I last saw you, but I have missed you terribly," The god purred as his finger played with a strand of L's hair.
The mortal's calm demeanor slipped, and he shoved the god away in disgust. For a moment the god seemed unfazed.
A burst of pain bloomed on the side of L's face. He crumpled to the floor. Zephyr had only struck him with the back of his hand, but it felt like the fist of the city's strongest warrior. With a twinge of fear L noticed he could taste blood. He spat and red droplets covered the ground. Yup, that was his.
"Now, L, I really am fond of you, but I do wish you would be more respectful." Kira said as he stood over the mortal, a shiver of delight going up his spine as he glanced over the ruby-colored blood.
"You mock me," L quietly said with a glare.
"Stop being so cold."
"Go burn in Vulcan's forge, then. It'll be warmer."
The god gave a small chuckle before bringing his foot back and-
A rustling in the bushes stopped the kick just before it connected with L's stomach.
"Who's there?" Kira barked. The rustling stopped. With a wave of the god's hand the bushes were blown aside with a strong gust of wind. Nothing. Zephyr turned back to where L was to find that he was gone. Vanished.
Damn.
Humans did not simply disappear... Kira growled at the realization that he had been duped.
He really should have questioned L when he noticed him walking from the direction of Apollo's temple. It would be typical of that bastard to have been behind this. While Light was an expert at putting on a charming front, Kira knew all too well that the god hated him.
Sharing his face with someone like me was just too much for his ego, the wind god thought with a snort.
But as much as he hated to admit it, there was little that could be done now. If L was indeed with Light, Kira would be no match for him- they would be at Apollo's temple, where his power was at it's zenith.
And yet the thought of L, his L being with someone like…
The god roared with rage and the winds whistled and whipped around him, splintering and crushing the surrounding trees. He finally stopped, and his eyes seemed to glow with anger. Only after a few minutes had passed and he had regained his composure did he speak.
"I suppose you win this time, L." Kira said grudgingly. "Till next time, then."
In a torrent of howling winds, Zephyr vanished as well.
L slowly woke to a pair of concerned, brown eyes. Funny, how the eyes alone made him so different from…
"Kira." L said as he slowly sat up. "He's gone?" Kira's doppelganger gently laid him back down.
"Yes. You should rest for a bit."
L glanced over Doppelganger's shoulder to see that he was at the temple where the two of them had met not long ago. Outside he could see that priestess, Misa, sweeping the stone steps.
"You were talking about Kira before."
"Did my obvious clue give you that impression or was it the friendly meeting I just had with him?"
Light resisted the urge to wince. He didn't bother trying to redeem himself; that glare could make Athena scream and wet herself.
"Have I been here long?" L asked, pressing a hand to his cheek. The taste of blood was gone and there was no indication of swelling where Kira had struck him.
"No. You woke up not long after I brought you here."
"You healed me."
"Yes."
"You are a god then."
"You don't seem surprised," Light said with a smile.
"And you don't seem surprised that I'm not surprised," L responded with a small smile of his own.
L had a nice smile.
"I'm sure you suspected me of being a god since you first saw me." L's smile stayed where it was. "So you're L. That's an interesting name." The mortal shrugged.
"I just like the sound of it, I suppose."
"'L' does have quite an unusual ring to it."
"It's something others commonly call me."
"What's your real name?" Again, L shrugged.
"Not telling." Light rolled his eyes. "Since this is Apollo's temple, I must assume you are Apollo," L said, switching the topic.
"Yes," the god replied, trying to cover his irritation. "But I'm also known as Light."
"Fitting," said L with another smile, "For the god that is known for being a deity of light."
The two sat in silence for a few moments, leaving each other to their own thoughts. So much had happened in so little time, especially for L: becoming acquainted with two gods so quickly was quite an impressive accomplishment, even if one god's company was less welcome than the other's.
The thought of that god erased the smile from L's face. He hardly even understood how he had gotten into this mess- one day he was minding his own business, and the next he was being idolized by the god Zephyr. L chewed his thumb as his thoughts grew deeper and deeper. He had heard of gods approaching humans with romantic intentions, but the… "lucky" mortals had all been women. And L really did not wish to be the one to break this particular trend. And what about Light? How could he possibly benefit from helping him? It was clear the two of them had obvious differences now… but perhaps this was all just an act? A more elaborate scheme set for him?
"I'm sorry about Zephyr… or Kira," Light said. He sounded genuinely apologetic. "He is… a sick god, to say the least. I'm happy to help you in any way that I can." L glanced at him before turning back to the window he had been starting out of.
"Why is that?" The mortal asked. "Pity? Guilt? Or are you in league with Kira?" At this Light looked at him as if he had been slapped.
"If I was with Kira why did I save you back there?"
"To win my trust, of course." Light glared. Surprisingly, while he looked considerably less amiable, he still did not look like Kira.
"I feel bad for you," the god slowly said after a few moments. "So I guess there is some pity, and I do feel guilty there isn't more I can do for you about Kira. But I never have and never will get along with him let alone work with him on anything."
Silence reigned once more. Light continued to glare, shocked by L's thoughts. Maybe he wouldn't have bothered saving that stupid mortal if he knew this was the thanks he would get-
"I do appreciate your saving me," L said "But I am naturally suspicious of others, and this trait is enhanced for obvious reasons due to this Kira business. I do not suspect you very much, but it's still suspicion nonetheless."
Silence again. The cricket's next of kin could be heard lamenting the loss of his brother and vowing revenge against the bird.
"Thanks for being honest," Light eventually said, looking over at the dark-haired mortal. "But I'm asking this purely out of concern for you: What do you plan on doing about Kira?"
"That's easy," L said as he got up and headed towards the temple's exit. He turned to Light with a small smile. "I'm going to fight him… and I'm going to win."
He left without another word.
Ah, drama. Such a bitch, ain't it? The last chapter got quite a few reviews, thank you all so much for the encouragement and positive feedback! Hopefully this chapter was just as enjoyable, even if poor L-kun is in such a tricky predicament! The next chapter is still in the writing process, and once that's done it'll go through some edits (Thank you to Psyko Sandwitch!), so it may be a while before the next update. As I said before though, I will keep everyone up to date on how this story's coming along on my profile. Thanks everyone for your patience!!
Till next time!