Akoya was growing dissatisfied.
He had been spending his day being introduced to various gods, goddesses, and miscellaneous deities, and giving each of them the opportunity to impress him. Some of them had been reasonably good at it. He'd seen a nature goddess create an entirely new species of flower for him, had a poetry god compose odes to him, and spent a pleasant hour being flattered by the patron spirit of rhetoric. He'd seen warrior deities battle it out with each other to show off their fighting prowess. He'd watched great storms being conjured and mountains leveled. He'd been given some truly spectacular gifts.
He was bored out of his mind. Somehow, he'd imagined things would be different with the gods, but really, it was the same play with a different cast. Oh, there had been a few bright spots - he'd thoroughly enjoyed his visit to Io's treasure vaults, for example - but most of it had just been the same old grind he'd wanted so badly to get away from.
But at least now he had a moment to breathe. He was sitting in one of the many lovely gardens that were scattered throughout the Heavenly City, having bid goodbye to one of the minor crossroads gods he'd spent the last hour with. A nice enough fellow, he thought vaguely, but no one he cared to spend eternity with. The last thing he wanted was to pair himself off with someone hardly anyone had ever heard of and spend the rest of what would doubtless be a very long life hearing people whispering that he could have done better. But now the last suitor was gone, and the next one hadn't shown up yet. Akoya was too grateful for the reprieve to be affronted by the idea that someone might actually be willing to be late to meet him.
This isn't as much fun as I thought it would be.
He pushed that thought away. He was not going to admit that he might have made a mistake. Even if he had, there was no getting out of it now. He'd made his choice, and now he was going to find some way to make the most of it.
A sweet scent, like cherries and roses, preceded a burst of reddish flame, and then Vesta burst into view.
"Sorry I'm late," he said, flashing an ingratiating grin. "Got so caught up in preparing to meet you I lost track of time."
"I see," said Akoya dubiously. "I suppose your time is yours to spend. So, you are here now. What is it that you do?"
Vesta laughed. "Not much!"
"I beg your pardon?" said Akoya frostily. This man was not doing much to impress him. If he didn't know better, he'd say he didn't actually want to be courting him.
"Just being honest," said Vesta, unabashed. "I mean, I'm the god of love. I don't throw lightning bolts, I can't cause tidal waves, I can't even bend steel with my bare hands. I am, as they say, a lover, not a fighter. What I do is what I am." He held his arms wide and struck a pose, clearly inviting Akoya to admire him. Akoya frowned. He was not accustomed to admiring other people.
"So... what do you intend to accomplish by meeting me at all?" he asked carefully.
"Well, I figured the thing to do is to give you a chance to test the merchandise," said Vesta brightly. "Let's face it - marriage between gods lasts a long time. It might be pretty impressive to be able to conjure up volcanoes or whatever, but what it comes down to is going to be whether we're actually going to want to spend time together or not."
Akoya raised an eyebrow. "And how do you intend to discern that?"
"That depends," said Vesta. His expression turned suddenly sly. "How would you feel about a kiss?"
Akoya felt his face flushing. Despite his many suitors, he'd never actually kissed anyone. Partially that was because if he'd kissed one person, he'd have had to bestow similar favors on all the others, or else risk people thinking he was playing favorites. Mostly, though, it was simply because he'd never met anyone who seemed worthy of the honor. The very idea of letting one of those people touch him so intimately made his stomach turn. But this was different, wasn't it? Vesta was no ordinary man, he was a god - and moreover, he was the god who had practically invented kissing. If anyone in the universe was a worthy candidate, surely he was. He wasn't unattractive, all things considered, even by Akoya's lofty standards. More than that, he had a vitality, a sort of inner glow that made what he looked like almost irrelevant. And really, wasn't Akoya just a bit curious how it would feel?
He forced himself to meet Vesta's eyes and saw that he was smiling. In the end, it was that smile that won him over. There was nothing predatory in that smile. It was just a general announcement, a signal flare to the whole world, letting them know that he was there, and offering unimaginable pleasures to anyone brave enough to take him up on his offer. Akoya had never been the type to not accept gifts when they were offered to him.
"Show me what you can do," he said.
Vesta's grin widened. He took the two short steps he needed to cross the distance between them to press his lips to Akoya's.
That was all it was supposed to be, wasn't it? Lips touching lips, not much different from a handshake except in the level of intimacy. That was all Akoya had expected. That was why he wasn't prepared. It was like expecting a candle and getting the sun, expecting a puddle and finding the ocean spread out forever in front of him. Everything about that kiss reminded him that no matter how much Vesta looked like a human, he wasn't any such thing. He was one of the primal forces that shaped the world, and just now, he was focusing all his attention in one small place. His lips were sweet and warm, and his body was warm, as warm and welcoming as a blazing hearth in the middle of winter. Akoya had never known he'd been so cold until this heat had come to warm him. He pressed himself closer, tangling his fingers in Vesta's hair, drawing him forward in a desperate effort to deepen the kiss just that little bit more. He felt Vesta chuckle softly, a low, purring vibration in his chest, and he brought one hand up to trail his fingers slowly over Akoya's cheek, down his throat, across his collarbone. The other arm curled around his waist, supporting him, and Akoya willingly let himself relax into the embrace, relinquishing any efforts to stay upright under his own power in favor of giving over every atom of his attention to the wonderful things Vesta was making him feel...
And then suddenly Vesta had slipped out of his grip, leaving him staggering and gasping as he tried to regain his balance. Regaining his self-control, at the moment, didn't feel like an option. His higher thought processes had been burned out, leaving his instincts in control, and they were telling him he needed to go back where he'd been a moment before, back to that lovely warm place he'd gone when Vesta's lips met his. He took a step towards him, reaching for him, but Vesta backed away.
"Sorry," he said, not unkindly. "One is your limit - for today, anyway."
Akoya blinked at him, his mind slowly clearing. "What?"
"For a first date, one kiss is all you get," said Vesta. "I mean, Io's a great guy and he's really understanding about stuff like this, but there's only so far I want to push my luck."
His tone was light, but there was no doubt in Akoya's mind that he meant every word he'd said. Akoya was, for a moment, intensely jealous of Io, who could clearly enjoy such pleasures as often as he pleased. He had been on his way to liking Io, but this...
"So, do I pass?"
"Hm?" Akoya was jolted out of his thoughts. He turned to stare at Ryuu, who was watching him inquisitively.
"Do I pass muster?" Ryuu asked. "Are my amazing talents enough to keep me in the running? I ask only out of practical concern. I mean, if I'm going to get married again sometime in the near future I'd like a heads-up."
Oh, right, that. Somewhere in the last few minutes, Akoya had forgotten exactly why it was they were having this meeting in the first place. He didn't need to be jealous at all. All he had to do was go to Aurite and say he'd made up his mind, and he would no longer have to worry about any one-a-day restrictions. He wouldn't have to worry about any restrictions. If a single kiss could feel so good, what might other things feel like? And then there was Io himself, with his mesmerizing eyes and elegant manner. He was part of the deal - if Akoya chose Vesta, Io would come with him. Would kissing him feel as good? What could the two of them do together...?
For a moment, all he wanted to do was say "Yes! Take me! Never let me go again," but he couldn't. Old habits died hard, and now they were telling him, "Never succumb, never trust, never give a straight answer, always leave yourself a way out."
"Let us say," he replied, keeping his voice light, "that you haven't been struck off the list yet."
Ryuu laughed, and Akoya had the uneasy feeling that Ryuu could see straight through his dissembling.
"Gee, thanks a lot. That makes me feel great," said Ryuu. "You sure know how to flatter a guy."
"I believe that is part of your job description," Akoya answered smoothly.
Ryuu laughed again. "Fair enough. Well, I don't think I can do anything else to top that, so I'm not going to drag this out." He flashed a grin and a wink. "Drop in any time, though, if you want to hang out again. I'll be waiting."
Then he vanished in a burst of flame and sweet-smelling smoke, leaving Akoya standing there gaping. He shut his mouth, feeling his cheeks burning. That arrogant little...! Who did he think he was, playing with Akoya's emotions like that? Why, he had half a mind to go straight to Aurite and tell him that he'd made up his mind and that he'd be accepting Vesta and Sulfur's proposal. Vesta wouldn't be able to brush him off then. If they were married, there would be no more excuses for not giving Akoya what he wanted. There was a nice thought.
But no, he wasn't going to rush into anything foolish. Vesta was obviously a strong-minded sort, and Akoya wanted someone who would show him the proper respect. No matter what he had to offer, it wouldn't be worth it.
Or perhaps, he thought hopefully, he's just playing hard to get. It would be the clever thing to do to make himself stand out among the hordes of other admirers, and surely the god of love was clever enough to think of such a strategy. In fact, he'd told Akoya he wanted him to call on him again. He was just trying to make Akoya pursue him instead of the other way around. Which, presumably, meant he wanted to be caught. Akoya relaxed and began to smile. Well, perhaps he would do just that, in time. He wouldn't want to seem too eager.
But in the meantime, he had some time to kill, and some solitude to do it in. It would be nice to have some time to himself.
He had some lovely things to think about...
The maid, a young woman named Akemi, sniffled as she began boxing up the last of her late master's things. That poor young man. Master Gero had been so young and so pretty - he'd had so much potential. Such a shame for him to pass away so suddenly. Perhaps he hadn't been the kindest master, but he'd never been cruel either, and she'd always been happy just to be able to look at him. She was, at heart, a motherly soul despite her youth, and she'd always had a protective streak where her master was concerned, orphan that he was. Losing him was a sad thing.
A small sound alerted her. She straightened up, heart racing. Was there a burglar in here? Had someone come thinking that the house could be empty and the dead master's things would be theirs for the taking? Anxiously, she reached for the jug next to the washbasin and readied herself to throw it. The noise came again - definitely the sound of a throat being cleared. Slowly, she turned around.
There was a hedgehog sitting on the windowsill. She stared at it. Its nose twitched. It looked like a perfectly ordinary hedgehog, except for the fact that it was apparently a hedgehog that was capable of clearing its throat, and also of climbing up onto second-floor windowsills. Also, it was bright green.
A demon. It had to be a demon. A small one, to be sure, one of the little imps that served the greater demons. They weren't a particularly large threat - this one would probably flee if she threw the pitcher at it - but they weren't exactly comforting to have around either.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded."
"I'm looking for Akoya Gero," it said, in a surprisingly deep voice. "Do you know where to find him, da?"
Akemi was puzzled. "You'd know better than I would."
"This is his house, is it not, da?" asked the hedgehog, looking puzzled in turn.
"It is... I mean, it was, but..." Akemi felt a sob coming on and choked it down. "I'm sorry to say that the young master was poisoned three days ago. He's dead."
"Dead?" The hedgehog's spines bristled in alarm. "That was not supposed to happen, da!"
"Well, it did!" the maid protested.
The hedgehog muttered to itself. She thought she could pick out phrases like "didn't plan for this" and "going to tell him". It seemed that whatever was going on, the hedgehog didn't like it and was anticipating trouble for it. She inched closer, trying to hear better. Bad enough to lose her master and her job. If demons were getting involved in this situation on top of everything else, she was going to be extremely irked.
The hedgehog saw her movement and twitched, spines bristling.
"This is none of your business, da!" it snapped. "I have to go tell... the person I have to tell. You find out who was responsible for this. Someone is going to have to pay, da!"
With that, it turned and bounded out the window. Akemi watched him curl into a ball as he plummeted. He hit the ground, bounced a few times, and then vanished into the grass. The maid stared after him a moment longer to see if he would come back. Then her better sense asserted itself, and she slammed the window down.
I need to tell someone about this, she realized.
Fortunately, help was near at hand. Forgetting her packing, she turned and started resolutely towards the door. It was time to visit the temple of Aurite.
Io was unsurprised to see Ryuu appear in the room. What did surprise him was how put out Ryuu looked. Usually, Ryuu was the very image of good humor. Why shouldn't he be? As far as Io could tell, Ryuu's job was mostly fun, or at least, something that Ryuu found enjoyable. He was popular among gods and mortals, and he had a happy home life. Io had expected that if anything, having a legitimate chance to go on a date with an attractive person with Io's full permission would have put Ryuu in a better mood than usual.
"What's wrong?" Io asked, getting up from his desk. "Did something happen with Akoya?"
"You could say that," said Ryuu. "I kissed him."
Io was not in the least bit surprised.
"And what does that mean?" he asked. "In practical terms, that is."
"It means you were right," Ryuu replied. "I can tell a lot about somebody from a kiss, and believe me, you were one hundred percent right - nobody's ever loved this guy." He shook his head. "I shouldn't have done it. It was like throwing a torch into a haystack. Makes me feel like a heel."
Io went to stand behind him and drape his arms around him, resting his chin on Ryuu's shoulder. "Don't feel bad about yourself. It's not your fault. You tried, remember? You tried to find him someone and he wasn't having it."
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to be a jerk and rub his nose in it," said Ryuu.
"Maybe it will teach him a lesson," said Io. "Make him realize what he's missing by pushing everyone away."
"Maybe," said Ryuu. "Let's hope so. I'm starting to feel bad for the guy. I mean, yeah, he's still a vain, self-absorbed jerk, but... I dunno. I guess I'm just a sentimental softy, but the guy's starting to grow on me. He wants to be loved so badly and he doesn't even know it..."
Io smirked. "So he was that good a kisser?"
"Hey, that is not the point!" said Ryuu. "Anyway, I'd rate him about a seven out of ten. No experience, obviously, but plenty of enthusiasm to make up for it. Try it yourself next time you get a chance."
"Idiot," said Io fondly.
"Well, you asked. I figured you wanted to know," said Ryuu. "Speaking of which, I've been doing some snooping. Want to see what I found out?"
"You're incorrigible," said Io. "All right, show me what you've learned."
Ryuu disentangled himself from Io's embrace. "Loan me a mirror, then."
Io shrugged and reached out into the empty air. His hand closed on a silver mirror with a mother-of-pearl inlaid handle and pearls of various sizes set into the frame. He tossed it to Ryuu, who caught it expertly.
"All right," he said, waving a hand over the surface of the mirror, "have a look at this."
He turned the mirror so that Io could see the image reflected in its surface. The mirror showed a stocky woman with a square, blunt-featured face. She was probably not old, but she had a careworn look about her that made her seem older than her years. Her hair was lank and colorless, and her eyes were a muddy brownish-green. The dress she was wearing looked expensive, but its bright colors and gaudy frills only served to emphasize her ordinariness rather than alleviate it.
"Who is that?" Io asked, puzzled.
"That would be the late Mrs. Gero."
Io raised his head to stare. "You mean that's Akoya's mother?"
"The one and only," said Ryuu. "Mind-blowing, isn't it?"
"No, that can't be right," said Io. "They look nothing alike."
"Trust me, I don't make mistakes about these things," said Ryuu.
Io frowned. "What about his father, then?"
"Already checked into it," said Ryuu. "Not a bad looking guy, if you like the brawny square-jawed he-man type. I remember both of them. Her family had money, his family had no money but lots of connections - he was a military man - and his parents pretty much made him marry her. I tried to stop it from going through, but some people have minds you can't change with a hatchet. Anyway, he ran around on her a lot, wound up getting killed in a duel after he got caught with some other guy's wife. She went about six months later. Pneumonia. Akoya was only about three years old when it happened. The whole thing was a mess."
Io continued to frown down at the mirror. "It just doesn't add up, though. I understand that sometimes traits can be submerged for a generation or two before resurfacing, but... this is like putting two sparrows together and getting an eagle. It just doesn't happen."
"No, it doesn't," Ryuu agreed, "which just means there's another part of the equation we don't know about yet. The thing is, though, I've already found out as much as I can without spending some favors I'm not prepared to give up yet. I thought maybe you could talk to your neighbors and see if you can get to the source."
"I could do that," said Io slowly. "I think you're right - I think this is something worth knowing."
"Glad you see it my way," said Ryuu.
Io smiled. "You can always persuade me. It's one of your great drawbacks, always getting me to do things I don't want to do."
"I'm just irresistible," said Ryuu proudly.
"That is also a drawback," said Io. "That you're irresistible to everyone, not just me."
"Yeah, but you're the only one who matters," said Ryuu.
"You're sure of that? Because there seems to be someone else drawing your attention," said Io. Catching Ryuu's look, he added quickly. "I'm not jealous. I'm just wondering."
"Good, because you've got no reason to be jealous," said Ryuu.
"I know," said Io. "It just occurred to me in a general sense that we both seem to be getting interested in spite of ourselves, and I was wondering where all this is leading. Purely out of academic interest, you understand."
"You don't say," said Ryuu. "So, purely out of academic interest, what's your take on the situation?"
Io smiled. "That you're a romantic through and through, and you're going to do exactly what you told Aurite you'd do - find Akoya a love match. No matter what it takes."
"Why do I not find this as reassuring as I should?" Ryuu replied.
"I can't imagine," said Io, straight-faced. He looked down at the mirror. "I suppose this means I have work to do. Not what I was planning for today, but I suppose it can't be helped."
"Yeah, and I have work to do that I've been putting off," said Ryuu. "Let me know what you find out, all right?"
"I will," Io promised.
He watched Ryuu vanish in his customary flash of fire. Then he turned his attention thoughtfully to the vision in his mirror. He studied it a moment longer before letting the mirror vanish back to wherever it had come from.
"As if this situation weren't complicated enough," he mused aloud.
Well, he would manage. Ryuu would deal with the emotional side of things. This, on the other hand, was something Io was equipped to deal with. If Akoya's father had been a shameless rake, he might well be in the Land of the Accursed Dead, and out of Io's reach, but the late Mrs. Gero was presumably blameless, and probably dwelled in more accessible lands. If she wasn't among Io's subjects, then she was surely among the Peaceful Dead, and the queen of those lands was on friendly terms with him. She'd be able to give him the answers he needed.
"Time to call in some favors," he said, and disappeared.
To Be Continued...