Lost (oneshot)
Edited: 2012.12.20
Title: LOST
Pairing: Ohmiya
Genre: au, old fantasy, reincarnation
Summary: The StoryTeller tells an old tale of their Village about the Water God and two lovers.
italics = past
Kazunari and Satoshi sat side by side and did not care that the waves crashed mercilessly against the shore, wetting their trousers. The two leaned together and watched the dark night.
"When do you want to sleep?" Kazunari asked and received no answer. He turned to the quiet man beside him and saw that Satoshi was nodding off. "You are sleeping!" Irritation flashed through him. Abruptly, he stood. "Let's go back to the village."
But Satoshi refused to budge and curled up stubbornly. With an exasperated sigh, Kazunari sat back down. Like a child, Satoshi snuggled closer to him, breathing down his neck. Just because Kazunari loved Satoshi's pout, he decided to stay put.
He asked, "Satoshi, will you forget me? I'll always love you, even if I'm born again." He paused. "But it'll be sad, won't it? That we might not remember what we had."
* *
The Village of K--
It was a starry night with a full moon. The villagers gathered for a small festival. A bonfire burned in the center. They stood around it, chatting and catching up on gossip. Dances and music were conducted to the side. Drumbeats, flutes, and singing filled the square. Laughter rang around. Only on these nights, at these times, did the villagers relax.
Then as the night deepened, a small circle gathered. The StoryTeller was starting her tale. This time, she would tell of an old legend, K-- Village's very own Legend. The crowd silenced.
The elder StoryTeller met the eyes of her audience and said, "We grew up knowing the Stone Image. I will tell you why it is there."
Those listening shifted eagerly. They all knew the Stone Image, that drawing engraved on the other side of the cliff overlooking the sea. No one knew the legend. It was an old story, a story only deceased great grandmothers now knew.
Viewing their shining faces, the StoryTeller started. "Our village exists by the sea. Our supreme deity is none other than the Water God. We fear him. We revere him, make sacrifices to him. These last few hundred years, he has been kind to us. Many of us have forgotten his wrath. But here, I will tell you the true story as to why His Majesty has blessed us for so long."
Once upon a time,
Kazunari and Satoshi were childhood friends.
The closest to each other.
They were orphans, stripped of both parents since young.
They had the same story, the same worries. Something none other would understand.
And though the village stepped in to help raise them,
it was with each other that they laid their hopes and trust.
Kazunari and Satoshi sat outside the hut, waiting for the family to finish their meal before the mother would come out to feed them the leftovers. It was her turn to take care of them after all.
The two boys were hungry as they waited. The sounds of chewing and eating from inside did not help their hunger. They had only one meal a day.
Kazunari's stomach growled out of his control. He clutched his knees closer to himself in embarrassment. What if the family inside heard? They would laugh.
Next to him, the older Satoshi smiled and reached out reassuringly. He took the younger boy's hand. As if to say I'm hungry too. As if to say we're starving together.
Kazunari smiled up at him. He knew. He was not alone.
It was because both had no family that they were closer than brothers.
Closer than anything. Much closer than what anyone could imagine.
They were inseparable.
It took a while,
but both of them realized how much the other meant to himself.
Much more than what they thought.
Much more than their life or the world around them.
Through thick and thin,
Kazunari and Satoshi finally realized their love for each other.
Kazunari and Satoshi watched helplessly as the hut they lived in, the place they had called home for several years, burned to the ground. There was nothing they could do.
At his side, Satoshi murmured, "I'm sorry. I only tried to warm up the bath for you."
Kazunari released his anger with only a sigh. There was no point in scolding Satoshi. "I'm sorry I didn't help you," he apologized instead. He felt Satoshi's hand reach for his, and he smiled and grasped it. Stronger this time, he repeated, "I'm sorry too. But don't worry, we'll rebuild our house together. Home is always where you are."
That night, they walked hand in hand through the darkness to the cliff overlooking the sea.
"Oh great Water God, watch over us," Kazunari prayed when they stood at the top, the waves crashing against the shore below. Beside him, Satoshi clasped his hands together and bowed.
Without warning, Kazunari turned and kissed him. He deepened the kiss when Satoshi stood motionless from his touch. He pressed closer, wanting this warmth, this comfort, this affection. Wanted the very person.
As if he understood, Satoshi's arms swept up to encircle him, pulling them together. He wanted the same. Everything the same.
And that night, they both lay on the cliff, holding the one precious person in their life.
The Water God had heard.
He knew.
He saw the sincerity and purity of their feelings.
And he grew jealous.
He wanted Kazunari for himself.
The villagers screamed as their people drowned. The Water God conveyed his wrath at their refusal, Kazunari's refusal, to go with him. He wanted only this man and he would do anything to get what he desired.
The waters receded that one day and all the villagers went to beg at their doorsteps. They surrounded the small shack, trembling bodies on hands and knees pleading and begging for mercy, for Kazunari to give in to His Majesty. For this sacrifice.
Satoshi and Kazunari sat inside their hut in darkness and heard the cries of the people that had raised, begging. Satoshi held Kazuanri his arms and buried his head in his shoulder. "Don't go," he whispered.
Outside, the cries went on, "PLEASE! PLEASE!"
"Don't go," Satoshi repeated in the stillness. In the darkness.
"HELP US! HELP MY CHILD!"
"My WIFE'S PREGNANT!"
"My FATHER's ILL!"
"Don't go," Satoshi said.
It was all Kazunari could do not to break down.
Kazunari knew that if he went to the Water God,
his soul would belong with the deity forever.
Kazunari would never be human,
never reincarnate,
never meet Satoshi again in any world or eternity.
It was a sacrifice of his whole existence.
Satoshi begged him to not go,
even to save their Village.
But the villagers continued to plead.
And cry.
And drown.
And die.
Kazunari made his decision.
Kazunari stood on the very edge of the cliff. He watched in stony silence at the waves below him. Satoshi cried at his back, the only person that caused him to pause and hold still. The men held his best friend, his lover, behind. Satoshi screamed.
Kazunari did not turn around as he stepped off.
Kazunari left. Forever.
There was no one to blame.
Satoshi could not accuse the Villagers of forcing Kazunari to leave.
He understood why they had done so.
He knew of bonds, of family, of love.
He knew who and why they wanted to protect.
He spent the rest of his life carving Kazunari's image on the cliff.
The person who would never be born again.
That was the only proof of their love.
A creature darted out of the sea.
Satoshi fell back, his tool falling out of his hands. With a splash, he landed in the water.
The creature crashed into the cliff, against the picture that he had carved out. He covered his eyes as dust and debris flew into his face. Was the Water God angry?
The creature disappeared back into the sea, as quick as it had come. Like a bolt of lightning.
Satoshi breathed. He stood, sopping wet, and blinked up slowly. Had all his hard work been ruined? Was the image gone? He had just finished the carving.
But to his surprise, new engravings appeared next to the image of Kazunari, words the creature had left behind.
[ I'm sorry for loving you. ] Kazunari's, knowing that their love tied Satoshi down.
Satoshi cried. He fell back into the water, clutching himself protectively, all alone. He was sorry too. He was sorry he couldn't protect the person he love most.
That image became the Stone Image of K-- Village today.
The Water God had been appeased.
Now, a few hundred years later, still watching them kindly.
And Satoshi.
He grew old and died alone.
He left his memories behind. Finally, in his new life, he would start anew.
The old StoryTeller sat back as she finished. She looked around her with weary eyes.
All was silent, thinking, comprehending. Some wiped their tears. They contemplated the truth of this tale. Could it be? Or not?
At the very end, one small boy burst out crying, clutching his chest. He ran out of breath. His worried mother crouched down and rubbed his back. "Are you all right, darling?" she whispered soothingly.
"He must've panicked," another women at her side said. "Maybe the story was too much for him. He shouldn't have listened."
The small boy shook his head, sobbing uncontrollably. "I don't know..." he cried in agony. They did not understand. "My heart hurts..."
Of course, no one knew the reason. So as to not spoil the villager's revelry, his mother took him home while the circle around the StoryTeller dispersed.
The festival continued and the night wore on.
* *
"We might not remember what we had," Kazunari had said.
Satoshi had only pretended to sleep. At Kazunari's harsh words, his grip Kazunari's arm tightened. Not true.
Not true.
He mumbled something inaudible.
Finally, an answer! Kazunari cocked his head, lifting his head to hear better. "Hm? What did you say? I can't hear you."
Satoshi curled up tighter, embarrassed. But he repeated, a little louder this time, "Even if I forget, I'll remember. I'll always remember. Our feelings will still be here. Forever."
A/N: The crying boy was Satoshi's reincarnation.