Effortless

"Goodnight."

gods & goddesses

2 / 2

The immortal word dictated that each human was allowed a long soul cycle in exchange for a short lifespan resulting in the deterioration of memory and energy. Oikawa knew the outcome of your fading promise — you would eventually stop reincarnating due to your attachment to a god-bound contract he unknowingly placed upon you. The burden weighed his mind, bugging him endlessly due to his guiltless desire in keeping you grounded in his realm. The world of gods allowed a human soul to thrive regardless of how many cycles of reincarnation they experienced and enjoyed boundless energy in a slow-aging body.

"She's fading." It appeared you were standing on the last words of the immortal ruler: body lacking sufficient energy to carry onward, lacking any desire to do anything productive, constant blank thoughts with no motivation to socialize, Oikawa's forever was reaching a cruel end where he was left with no choice but to see every particle of you dissipate from the known universe. Romantic promises made with powerful people often ended in disaster and it was entirely his fault for being blind to his obsessions. Everyday he visited your unconscious form resting comfortably within your untouched chambers — every inch of this room reminded Oikawa why he refused to enter your abode years before your current body arrived.

"I've made sure to keep my promise with those villagers. I never want to disappoint you, but I also...", Oikawa couldn't find the right words to continue his mindless chatter that paused at the sight of your eyes opening. You had the same tired expression; those familiar bags underneath your eyes told stories that begged his silence.

"_____." Your name escaped his lips in a desperate whisper that carried too much emotional burden and weight that fell on deaf ears. If he touched you, would you disappear? Did you even remember who he was?

"_____!" Oikawa finds his voice as your name reverberates within your room. A cold feeling washes over the brunette who finds himself swallowed deep into the depths of your emotionless eyes that finally rolled to face him. You were a shell of your former self — the thing that carried your soul was lacking in skin color, good body fat, and emotion of any sort. The body was awake but the conscious appeared to have disappeared, the exact thing Oikawa feared.

"______." How many times can he hope to reach you? The rule was carried out strictly, an upper crest god was powerless to the immortal word of the Heavenly Ruler. Oikawa did not dare to cross the rules of the heavenly realm, for if he chose the wrong words, he would be banished to die a human.

Was it even a decision that he would regret if he was able to die as you perished many times before him?

"Stop, I know exactly what you're thinking." Iwaizumi's familar tone padded closer with his numerous attendants scurrying behind their master. Iwaizumi and his posse didn't bother to even greet you, but the aura the war god emitted told Oikawa it wasn't a good idea to focus on small gestures. With a single wave of Iwaizumi's hand, attendants rushed to your side to observe and physically take note of your current state of living. Oikawa knew these fools were treating you as any other patient, but the way they touched and ogled you without care summoned his anger. Iwaizumi was correct in forcefully inserting himself between you and the devastated water god, especially since Oikawa was attempting all he could to fulfill whatever wishes you could communicate to him.

"She doesn't want anything!" Oikawa didn't want to hear those words, it sounded like he gave up on you.

if i asked you to take me away, where would you take me?

probably out of the heavenly realm, i haven't explored the lengths of this wide universe yet.

are you allowed to?

a 1000 year event allows us to leave our personal realms to venture past the heavenly realm, so yes, yes i can.

will you take me?

i would love to.

A letter blown by the wind messengers, a smell of tuberoses, and a single drawing of a unfinished canvas of stars floats then sinks into a distant pond. Oikawa holds many physical memories of you and sinks them into the abyss bordering his realm and the void teeming with karmic beasts. He would protect you by whatever means necessary, even if he had to protect what remained of you from himself.

"You would have loved the Milky Road." In Oikawa's hands is a painting each of your reincarnations worked on: upon canvas is a wide black base dotted with a rainbow of dotted stars and colorful planets surrounded by detailed galaxies and asteroid belts as he remembered describing to you. The vibrant image of your fading memories leaves a bitter taste in Oikawa's mouth, but he was happy knowing you weren't completely empty on the inside.

"Are you prepared?" The Star Festival begins — 1,000 years of waiting for two star-crossed lovers to finally meet at the star bridge feels ironic to Oikawa somehow, but there was no need to contest the happiness of other couples.

Iwaizumi and his attendants had done all they could, but your soul was a tiny dot — gone.

"Yes." Oikawa's eyes rest on the last remnants of your soul and life imprinted onto the image of your final wish to be brought amongst the stars. He could sense a small living part of you on the black canvas, but you no longer responded to your own name.

"The chariot is here on time at least, those annoying bastards." Iwaizumi's irritation added some humor to Oikawa's melancholy, but no words could describe his feeling of intimate loss. Iwaizumi offers condolences by a single pat of the brunette's shoulder before leaving first to the waiting chariot. Maybe when his time as a god was over, he would be able to meet you again as a normal human.

"Goodnight, my love."

take her to the stars

end