Somewhere to Belong

The Wish

The Festival of Lights happened once a year, in every village that worshipped the sun god across the entire mortal realm. The week-long celebration of light and life was marked by nights bright with floating lanterns and candles, stirring music, and many nights of food and drink and dancing.

After a week, revelry would culminate on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year when the sun climbed into the sky with seemingly no intention of stopping. As it began its long descent, a beautiful young man or woman, one of the village's favored children, would make one wish to be granted by the god of light. Then he or she would be spirited away to serve in the temple of the sun god for a full year, until the debt of granting the wish had been paid. Serving in the sun god's house was the highest honor, and those who returned were changed, filled with great peace, but also a sadness, as if there was something the mortal realm lacked for them now.

The wish was always the same, a time honored tradition of faith, trust, and love shared between the people and their benevolent deity.

"We wish for the sun to rise and set upon us, today, tomorrow, and all the rest of our lives."

All in all, the Festival of Lights was said to be one of the most beautiful tributes of any dedicated to the immortal gods. It was a merry, bawdy time (and was often said that nine months later would see the busiest time of the year for the midwives and nursemaids).

Kageyama Tobio couldn't wait for it to end.

The solemn, dark-haired boy leaned against a tree some distance away from the rabble-rousing, sipping from a cup of something that tasted too sweet and heady on his tongue even after he'd attempted to water it down considerably. It was impossible to find a drink that wasn't heavy with the flavor of wine during this week.

The sight of his reflection in one of the flat gold sculptures arrayed artistically around the festival grounds made him scowl. The occasion meant he was forced into putting more effort into his appearance than usual—but he didn't own any fancy jewelry or nice clothing. The most he could do was actually take the time to apply the trademark black kohl the people of his village liked to wear, but he wasn't very skilled at it. He squinted at his golden reflection. The kohl around his eyes was already smudging, making him look even more dour than usual. Just what he needed.

He would have loved to leave, to slip away while nobody was watching, but he knew that would only bring trouble. The only thing the elders of his village enjoyed more than pretending he didn't exist was having a reason to discuss how he'd shamed them, again.

At least it was the last night. After the wish was spoken, the lights and noise would die down as the sun fell below the horizon, just a faint shimmer on the surface of the great river that wound its way past their village, until everything was dark and quiet once again. And it wouldn't be long now, it was late into the night and though it was still light out, the telltale red and orange tinting the sky meant it was almost time.

"Oy, oy," someone said nearby, "Look who it is. What are you doing over here in the dark, Tobio?"

Tobio tightened his grip on his cup. He knew that unpleasant drawl of his name all too well.

It was a group of people about his age. He knew all of them by name, had grown up with them side by side, though he wouldn't necessarily call it growing up together. They certainly weren't friends. Currently, they all looked as though they were ranging from mildly to very drunk, and they all had their sights set on him with expressions he wasn't fond of.

"Have to piss," Tobio said instantly, turning on his heel to walk away.

"Where are you going, Tobio?" the same boy asked again. He was sturdy and attractive, emboldened both by alcohol and the knowledge that he was the elder's choice wish speaker for that year. "Shouldn't you be with your family on a night like this?" He paused and then snapped his fingers as though he was just remembering something. "Oooh, I forgot. He doesn't have one."