The Underworld's Sunshine (SakuAtsu Godly AU)

A God Of Sorrow

Kiyoomi's eyes shot open, and he was back in his throne room. He sighed and rubbed his temples, looking up as Motoya walked into the room. Kiyoomi blinked in confusion - Motoya usually only came in the mornings.

"Hiya, Kiyo!" Motoya greeted, "Damn, you look like shit," he pointed out.

"Good evening to you too, Motoya," Kiyoomi replied with a deadpan expression.

Motoya furrowed his eyebrows, "Evening?" He echoed, "It's just after sunrise. You okay, Kiyo?"

Kiyoomi's eyes widened before he squeezed them closed and rubbed his temples. Had he slept through the rest of the day and and the whole night? That dream had seemed to only last a few minutes at most...

Kiyoomi had heard of demigod dreams, how they showed the dreamer a glimpse of their quest, dropping hints on what they needed to do to succeed. He'd heard of this happening to gods too, like when Morisuke, god of prophecy, upset Suguru and was turned into a mortal for a few years. Morisuke had experienced dreams that translated into reality just as demigods did. Kiyoomi had never experienced one himself before though, and he began to wonder if it was just his subconscious playing tricks on him.

"Kiyo?"

Kiyoomi jolted, snapping out of his thoughts and finally looking at Motoya properly. Motoya was one of Kiyoomi's closest friends. The messenger god was in charge of guiding the souls of the dead to the Underworld, so he was often stopping by to chat when he had nothing to do.

Motoya was cheerful and mischievous, and good friends with Takahiro, the god of mischief himself. Motoya had short chestnut hair that was always messed by the wind, and strangely round eyebrows. His eyes burned a blue like the cold silver of the laurels around his head. His skin was tanned from racing around the world under the watchful eyes of the sun, and his tall, strong frame spoke of his need for great control over the winged high-top sneakers that carried him through the Underworld to the surface world. Dressed in casual athletic-wear, Motoya looked out of place in the throne room of Kiyoomi's obsidian palace.

Kiyoomi hummed and Motoya furrowed his brows, "You seem distant today..." He pointed out, always one to be blunt and straight to the point.

Kiyoomi sighed, "It's nothing..." He answered, he himself unsure of what was wrong with him.

Motoya nodded slowly, disbelieving, "Uh...huh?"

Kiyoomi ran his tongue over his bottom lip behind the jackal mask, "Have you heard of the rumors?" He asked suddenly, "Of Atsumu's singing?"

Motoya made an 'o' shape with his mouth and nodded knowingly, "You heard it, didn't you?"

Kiyoomi raised his eyebrows, and nodded, realising that the question must come up often.

Motoya hummed, "I'm surprised it took you so long to hear it," he thought aloud, "It's powerful, isn't it? Eita sometimes stops by to hear it."

That was news to Kiyoomi - the muse of music had been visiting his kingdom? He had no idea.

Kiyoomi furrowed his brows, "Motoya... Do you perhaps know where Atsumu is?" He asked, "Or why he doesn't just leave? If he tried, he could overpower Suguru, so why doesn't he?"

Motoya shook his head sadly, "Suguru forced him to eat a pomegranate from one of the gardens in Elysium," he explained, "Atsumu cannot leave."

Kiyoomi's right hand curled into a fist, surprising himself with how angry he was, "How did Suguru get his hands on fruit from the gardens of Elysium?" He asked lowly.

Motoya closed his eyes and looked down, a shuddering exhale left him, "He told me he was going to invite you up to Olympus for a celebration... I-I didn't know he was going to feed the pomegranate to Atsumu!" He exclaimed.

Kiyoomi clenched his jaw, "...What did you do, Motoya?"

Motoya's lower lip trembled, "I got the pomegranate for him," he said quietly, "I didn't know! I swear! Atsumu and I were friends! I would never... I could never do that to him on purpose."

Kiyoomi closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he suddenly slammed his fist down onto the arm of his throne. The torches that lined the walls flared with blazing blue fire before returning to their usual orange.

"Does the god of summer know of this?" Kiyoomi asked lowly.

Motoya nodded, "After he was forced into the Underworld, I went to find him... I told him everything, but, damn it, he's too kind... He forgave me instantly," he explained, clenching his jaw.

Kiyoomi sighed, "Where did you find him?"

"He was walking on the banks of the River Lethe," Motoya answered, "But I do not know where he is now," he added, and Kiyoomi nodded.

Motoya suddenly flinched and shivered slightly, "Sorry, Kiyo, I've got to go," he informed, "Duty calls."

With that, Motoya was gone in a whisk of wind, flying out on his winged sneakers.

Kiyoomi sighed and got up from his throne to do his usual rounds. First to Erebos, then to the Fields of Asphodel, then the Fields of Punishment, and then Elysium. After that he made his journey along the River Cocytus, and then the River Phlegethon, and then the River Acheron.

These tasks had become monotonous to Kiyoomi after doing them daily for thousands of years. He'd noticed that Cerberus had not been at the gates of Erebos again. He'd even asked Issei if he'd seen the hell hound but the daimon said he hadn't.

Kiyoomi sighed as he walked the shores of the River Lethe on his way to the River Styx. He eyed the red poppies that grew along the banks of the Lethe. They reminded him of his dream the night before, of the beautiful yet eery flowers that grew near the shallow slow-flowing water.

It was just as he was remembering the way the flowers had looked in his dream, that he realised that he was actually looking at them. He blinked and rubbed his eyes to check if he was just seeing things, but, when he took his hands away from his face, the flowers were still there. Pale yellow sunflowers, midnight blue coneflowers, and blood red zinnias, all on dark mauve grass.

That's when the singing started again.

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😝✌️

Anygays, bye!
-CrackshotReaper

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