Niall Tiernan's Story

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Niall was more than happy when Keisuke pulled him into his arms and started to warm him up right away. Keisuke's strong arms around him helped calm him and center him so his shaking slowly till the shaking was only the result of his chill. Keisuke really did ground him. Why was it that it was only him that he could anchor himself to? With Keisuke, he felt alive and present more than any other time in his life. Keisuke was quickly becoming more and more important to Niall and he realized how much he needed and craved the man's touch. This connection he had to him was amazing and he craved more of it. His hands gripped the man's arms, never wanting the safety to leave him. He was too afraid that if Keisuke let go, he'd fall back into the void and he'd never see him again.

"... don't go..." he said softly. "I heard you... in the Void. That was the only thing I could grasp. I was so.... scared. I was falling but you... I heard you." he swallowed hard before he opened his eyes to look up at his companion. "You were calling me... showing me the way out. I was afraid you'd... stop calling. If you had stopped... I would have lost it all." it was scary how true that was. Without Keisuke's voice he would have been trapped a lot longer and maybe he wouldn't have found his way out again. Keisuke really had save him and guided him when he needed it most.

Niall felt his heart squeeze as he watched the man above him. He was really beginning to fall for the man. Keisuke meant everything to him. That was the only rational explanation why Keisuke could ground him, how his kiss could make him feel like he was drowning and yet make him feel more alive than anything. "You really are my anchor..." he mused. "Yeah... I can't deny..." he said with a small shaky smile. In that moment, he didn't care that there were other people in the room. They didn't matter any more. They didn't exist. Keisuke was the only thing he cared for.

Niall slowly sat up and turned in the man's grasp. He looked over Keisuke's face and his heart tugged again. He was bared from ever truly touching Keisuke, but he had learned a way he could feel him and gain that feeling in his core that he was after. He lifted the collar of his shirt till it was covering his lips and he leaned forward without another care. He pressed his covered lips against Keisuke's and shut his eyes. He groaned against the man, his body shivering for another reason as fire raced through his veins. Everyone in the room gasped. Some awed and some made disgusted face but all of that didn't matter. Niall didn't care about appearances anymore. Ground me... don't let go. I... I am yours.

"... don't go..." The man smiled at the response, such a simple statement yet there felt as if there was such a bigger meaning beyond those two little words. The boy continued on, explaining what had happened, as if to explain what he meant by those words. Kei already had his answer though, he had it two months ago when he killed a phoenix, he had reaffirmed it one month ago when the boy had begged Kei to stay with him, and nothing had changed since then. “I would never go anywhere without you.”

Kei didn’t think he had a choice anymore, he couldn’t comprehend ever finding a reason to abandon Niall. His conviction was strong, stronger than the morals he had kept intact for over a millennium, and stronger than the fears that had made him a dog of the gods for all that time. He had heard of minor gods finding their mortal mates before, it always ended in despair, but Keisuke had spent his entire existence in despair and he was ready for something else no matter the consequences after. He was ready to tell the boy that, tell him everything about himself when Niall started moving.

He regretted the absences of warmth as Niall turned to face him, and he looked up to meet the boy’s eyes. Niall was looking at him with an expression he couldn’t quite place, he was familiar with disgust and rage, but with was something completely foreign to him. He studied the boy’s expression, not moving a muscle as he tried to work out what Niall might be feeling. His eyes followed the boy’s motions as he lifted the collar of his shirt above his chin. Kei felt his eyes widen, he was stripping, why was Niall stripping in front of him?

In his shock at the idea of seeing Niall’s bare chest, Kei had missed the motions Niall took to lean in close to him. He hadn’t noticed how close Niall had gotten to him until it was already happening. Kei felt his entire body tense at the contact. Niall’s lips against his, one single piece of cloth protecting him. Many of the party goers awed, and Kei felt the blood rush into his cheeks. He could feel the boy’s warmth, the ghost of his breath as he groaned. Immediately the man wanted more. He had heard the boy moan, felt him shudder, and Kei’s heart was pounding in his ears.

The boy was practically in his lap, so it was easy to disrupt the fragile balance between them and knock the silver haired boy back towards the ground. He used the crook of his elbow to keep Niall’s head from hitting the floor and cradled it there. He used his other arm to brace his body as he hovered over the top of Niall, eyes hooded. Several people hollered at them, and there was definitely one who whistled. The shirt was still over Niall’s mouth and the man leaned down, his breath ghosting over the boy’s lips but not connecting. He moved past Niall’s lips, hovering by his ear and he whispered. “Any further and I won’t be able to control myself.”

Losing control in this situation could end up lethal, something Kei absolutely could not risk.

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Niall panted when Keisuke pulled away dragged him to the ground. He only had eyes for Keisuke as he looked up at the man, his eyes dark in his need and desire. He felt his body reacting the man above him and all he wanted to do was press against him, feel his heat and touch against him. He shivered as Keisuke leaned down to whisper those agonizing words and didn't remove the cloth from his lips. Niall felt like he was out of control himself but this...he wasn't afraid of losing control like this. Why did the thought of losing himself in Keisuke not scare him? The thought of Keisuke loosing control because of him only made him want Keisuke more. His anchor desired him to. That is what it all meant.

"Okay, guys, enough. We all like a bit of fun and games and even some steaminess but if you guys have the mind to actually bed each other, I suggest you move on out of here," Arnie sighed. "You scared us Niall, but you are out of the Mist thing now and it looks like you are okay."

Niall forced his gaze away from Keisuke to look over at Arnie and there rest of the people watching them. Some of them... they looked like they wanted to watch. "Oh... sorry..." he answered, his response only earning giggles from some of the girls. He looked up at Keisuke and all he wanted was to kiss him again. He swallowed hard trying to calm himself and his grip loosened. He let Keisuke go and hated watching the man pull away from him. He sighed and sat up as well and rubbed his face. he was still shaking lightly from his exhaustion but he was all right mostly. He got to his feet and wobbled a bit till he steadied himself on Keisuke's shoulder.

"I think.. I think home... best...tired..." he answered a bit broken. He earned more giggles and a few suggestive stares. He took Keisuke's gloved hand into his own as they left the part. He shook his head trying to clear it. He felt a little awkward now but he still liked that kiss. He touched his lips again before he glanced at Keisuke and blushed. "Keisuke... I... well... I know our skin can't touch... but... we have... we have... ways around it," he mentioned, growing a bit more abashed. It made him feel even more awkward just suggesting it! All he knew however was that he really wanted Keisuke and the thought of never being able to share that intimacy was heart breaking. Maybe baby steps would help and one day they would find a way around the whole problem. "Would... would you... be.... um...willing?"

Kei was actually a little grateful when Arnie broke them apart with his words. He hadn’t been sure if he would have been able to stop without the intrusion. It was Niall looking away at Arnie that finally broke Keisuke out of his own trance. He was very aware of the people around them, a lot of them seemed to be rooting for a steamy hook-up between the two, anyone that hadn’t had already vacated the area. As Kei had many times in the past, he cursed the very nature of his being.

He pulled away from Niall as the boy offered a soft apologize to his friend and Kei in turn offered a polite nod. He pulled himself to his feet, and straightened, he could feel the eyes of everyone on him. The man that had won over the mystic seer, surly he would go down as a legend. He offered his support to Niall as the boy stood up, he seemed shaky on his feet and probably hadn’t fully recovered from getting lost in the void. The man looked Niall over, only reaching up to brush of few loose strands of hair out of his eyes. It elicited a chorus of oohs and aahs from their witnesses and Kei felt his cheeks heat. He ducked his head away from the onlookers to hide the blush.

"I think.. I think home... best...tired..." The way Niall stumbled over his words only made the possessiveness Kei had over the boy flare. As Niall pushed their hands to interlock Keisuke gave him a firm squeeze, to let the boy know he was there to support him. Even if many of the party goers thought they would no doubt be going to bed together Kei realized that to only be a far off dream or, hopefully, something to dream of that night. He let the boy lead him out of the party and into the street. The air was brisk and there was just a hint of snow falling. He let go of the boy’s hand and shrugged off the big black coat, throwing it over the boy’s shoulders before reclaiming the hand.

“ we have... ways around it," Kei tilted his head back, looking up at the dark sky and watching as his breath puffed in lazy clouds each time he exhaled. He considered what the boy was saying and hummed in response. He wanted to claim Niall, in every sense possible of the word. Just a kiss had tested his control to the maximum, he didn’t feel confident in his own control to go much farther than that. “I would be willing. But only if you were sure whatever we do is very safe, I mean really safe. Niall, if I lost control, if there was an accident and I… If I lost you I’d have nothing. I can’t go back to nothing.”

He tightened his hold on the boy’s hand, still looking up at the overcast night sky. The moon barely shown through the clouds, it was impossible to see any of the stars. He grimaced at the thought of losing Niall, to be in the middle of something intimate and have the boy go limp, it terrified him.

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Niall stopped walking and looked up at Keisuke. Was he really thinking about doing this? Were they really going to do this? Niall had never had actual sex but he knew about it. He'd didn't know the mechanics of what needed to be done between too men but he was sure it wasn't too different from what men did with women. Niall knew that that level of intimacy would never be his and Keisuke's. They wouldn't touch and so that was far out of the question it was on a different plain and had no value here though he couldn't deny his desire for it. He pushed the thought away as his cheeks brighten in his abashed awkwardness with this conversation he was having with Kei.

Niall's hand tightened on Keisuke's arm as he tried to think of what to do. They couldn't go home right now if this was something they were really going to do. There were too many people and they were to sure to be interrupted again. Niall didn't want to be interrupted. Where could they go so that they could at least share a little bit of bliss and intimacy? He didn't want to freeze out here either. Then he remembered the little storage shed his family had on their property. His father kept supplies there. They could go there. They would be sheltered from the weather and there would be blankets there. His body shivered at the prospect. Perhaps he had solved their problems momentarily. He tugged Keisuke with him then, not bothering to tell him where they were going. He knew Keisuke would follow him.

Once they reached his family's house, he snuck with Keisuke over the ground until he reached the storage and pulled the man inside with him. He shut the door and shivered as he shook off the chill. He turned to look at Keisuke and swallowed hard. He couldn't believe they were actually going to go through with this. He had never thought he'd actually want to be intimate with someone and now he had Keisuke who was willing to try with him though it would be odd and awkward since they couldn't go about this normally. He held a hand open to indicate that he wanted the man to wait as he started to rummage through the items that were held here. He pulled on the gloves he found and dragged warm blankets to the center of the room and lay them out. All the while, he blushed, hyper aware that Keisuke was watching. He was shaking for a whole new reason now.

Niall lay down and patted the blankets beside him. "Your turtle neck collar can extend over your lips and nose so that we... we can kiss. No skin. We can... hold each other. Both men.. so.. pressure and just.. just the motion should be 'nough," he explained. "I want you..."

Kei’s chest was heaving as he stared down at the boy who had just finished. Niall looked thoroughly fucked, as crass as the statement was, and Keisuke loved it. He let his body drop to the side once he was done taking in the boy’s expression and enjoyed the bliss that came after a good orgasm. He opened himself up and let Niall snuggle into his chest, dropping and arm lazily around the seer’s waist. He let the boy pick at his clothing, and turned his head to give Niall easier access to kiss him. He never wanted to stop kissing him.

It surprised him when the boy called him beautiful, it wasn’t a word humans generally directed towards him, most people were too scared of his eyes to even bother to get close in the first place. He was even more surprised when the boy said he loved him. It sent a soft warmth through his body and he tightened his slack arm on the boy’s waist, pushing their bodies together. “Niall, I love you too.”

When he said the words for himself everything felt undeniably real. He moved and pressed a kiss to the boy’s forehead, enjoying the sensation of the circles being drawn on his chest by Niall’s delicate fingers. He let out a soft sigh and closed his eyes, letting his own hand trace meaningless patterns gently over the boy’s back. The mood was content and he shifted his weight, pulling them apart so he could look Niall in the eyes and he pulled the turtle neck away from his mouth so Niall could look at his expression. He brought his hand up to trace a dark mark at the base of the boy’s neck where Kei had bitten him. It was a bruise and he guessed it would be slightly tender, but he enjoyed the fact that the boy had been marked his, a smile gracing his lips.

“Niall,” He started in a semi-serious tone, though he was sure the blissful expression he was wearing didn't make him seem serious at all. “If you ever called my name in that tone you used early I would do anything you asked of me.” He didn’t add to the end that Niall didn’t have to use the tone, or even say his name, and Kei was already willing to do anything he asked him to. He thought if he used a bit of humor it might ease any awkwardness the boy might feel once the dream-like state of post-orgasm faded away.

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Niall grinned up at his lover, enjoying just watching him. If only he could just touch Keisuke without the shelter of clothing. He wanted to see Keisuke but knew that was too risky. One misstep and he would be dead. It was sad but he'd take what he could get. He even smiled when Keisuke traced the bruise he left on his neck. It was tender for Niall but he liked the fact that Keisuke had wanted to mark him and claim him. It was primal and instinctual. He pressed a hand against Keisuke's and sighed happily. His eyes grew half-lidded in his exhausted and content state but Keisuke pulled him away from the grasp of sleep for a little while longer.
“If you ever called my name in that tone you used early I would do anything you asked of me.”

Niall gave Keisuke the happiest smile he could. "I know, Kei. I know. I should have realized you loved me before but it took me a little longer to realize. You riddled me blind," he chuckled. "I am the happiest man alive. I will do whatever I can to protect you to, Kei..." Niall yawned then and stretched against the man, his eyes closing again. Today had been very exhausting. "We... we... need to leave. Its not.... safe. I don't... I don't want to get lost 'n you... you need to keep... keep moving.." he managed to get out before he yawned again and pulled a blanket up to cover the both of them. He needed rest and was sure he was going to be out for hours. As long as he had Kei beside him, he didn't have to worry about anyone coming in and disrupting his rest. After tonight's scare, he was going to have to get away from his parents least he continue to use his power and truly loose himself beyond even the aid of Keisuke. He had Keisue and Eos to look after. He couldn't do that if he was insane.

"Ask it... and I... do anything...forever."

As Niall fell asleep his last statement worried Kei. What did it mean that he had to keep moving? What dangers could there be that it required that Keisuke be the one to run rather than Niall? He kept his body still for the sleeping boy as he pondered the words, it took him awhile to come to a conclusion, his mind seemingly a bit hazy. Niall had told him while in the Void that the gods were after him. He looked down at the sleeping boy, he had to keep him safe from the gods.
~~~
It was finally Spring, it had taken nearly three and a half months, and a lot of travelling south, but somehow the strange group of three had finally escaped the clutches of winter to make it to a more survivable climate. Kei had been pushing Niall to travel quickly, he had taken the lead since leaving the boy’s home village. They hardly ever stayed in a village or town for more than three days, and when they travelled Kei moved them in sporadic directions, never travelling one way for too long. He was lucky Niall had allowed him to, he knew that as time went on he was getting more and more paranoid.

He paused his steps and turned around to gauge Niall’s condition. If he had been by himself, moving would be a lot easier, but if he were by himself he wouldn’t have been running in the first place. The silver haired boy was everything to Keisuke, his condition always came first. He moved closer to his lover, offering a hand as he looked towards the sky. They hadn’t covered as much ground as he had wanted to, but he wasn’t going to push the boy any harder than he was already was. Eos was perched on the Niall’s shoulder, she seemed anxious. Her eyes didn’t focus on one area to long, and she kept swiveling her head as if looking for something.

“I was thinking of setting up camp here tonight.” He said kindly, a smile on his lips. He reached for the hem of a new turtle neck he had bought about a month ago. The fabric was sheer and thin and almost felt none existent when he kissed Niall. Kei pressed a soft kiss to the boy’s lips before examining the area more thoroughly. The ground was dry here, but he could hear water in the distance, the grass was thick, and it didn’t seem like a spot frequented by any wildlife. He leaned against a tree and looked up at the sky, the sun was just lowering to the horizon and had not yet started staining the sky the signature crimson colors of a sunset.

He looked towards Niall, taking in the boy’s soft features from the little ways he was away. Since that night in the dead of winter the relationship between him and Niall had become very physical. The poor boy’s body was constantly littered with bruises from where Keisuke had marked him, and he did feel a little bad, but the boy never complained about them. His attraction to the seer had not faltered in the slightest during their journey. There had been times when they had gotten short with each other, times when Niall wasn’t in the mood because Kei had a sex drive that wouldn’t slow down, but true to what he had said that night Kei always did what Niall requested of him no matter what it was. No matter if it was as small as, ‘help me open this’, or commanding him to do or act a certain way Keisuke always obliged without ever a question.

He walked towards the boy again, the hem of his shirt still well above his nose and he encompassed the boy in a hug from behind inhaling Niall’s scent. He hummed contently and then released him moving away a few steps, sometimes when he found himself craving Niall all he had to do was initiate contact for a moment to satiate his desires.

Kei watched the boy and the bird settle into the grass from a few paces away. He could tell Niall was fatigued and mentally scolded himself for not stopping earlier. Everything about Niall seemed right to him. His silver hair that had grown longer since they first met, his mismatched eyes, the way he smiled and blushed whenever he caught Keisuke staring at him. He supposed that was what a soul mate was though, someone that was right in every way imaginable. He almost wished the boy had an immortal body because it would mean Kei could hold Niall in his arms for centuries without having to let him go.

"Keisuke... where you... we... go?" It pained Kei that Niall had become so badly damaged from overusing his sight, even now Niall still had trouble with coherency and keeping in check with reality. He approached the boy and sat beside him, pressing their shoulders together and reaching over to run his fingers over the bird’s feathers. He let out a sigh before resting his head on Niall’s shoulder, thinking of a good answer for him. “For now, where ever the wind will take us.”

An exasperated sigh came from across the clearing that caused Keisuke to tense up and jerk his head away from Niall. “Now, now boys. I hate to break up such a… touching scene, but Mr. Thanatos, you are quite the hard man to find.”

Kei hadn’t recognized it from the sigh, but as a female voice emerged from the figure in the distance the man felt dread pool in his stomach. He repositioned himself so that his body stood as a barrier between the voice and Niall and glared at the figure across from them. Her voice was soft and melodious, but the undertone of her words held nothing but distaste and venom. How had she found him already?
“What do you want Hera, I’ve finished the job you asked of me.”

He heard the woman click her tongue with impatience and sauntered towards them with a predatory look in her eyes. The mortal body crafted for her to roam the earth was ungodly beautiful, the goddess could have any mortal man or woman she wanted with just a glance looking like that, and perhaps maybe she had. Hera had at one point been a kind goddess, but the unfaithfulness of her husband Zeus had driven her mad and she had since become a ruthless foe to any who opposed her. He noted that almost all her skin was covered though, a precaution taken for facing him.

Kei couldn’t actually kill Hera, she was immortal for a reason and he’d have to hold her true form for centuries before he would be able to make her fall, but her mortal body was a different story. Just like a human, one touch of his skin would wither the crafted vessel and Hera would be forced back to the realm of the gods. Her approached him and bent over, her forearms resting on Kei’s shoulders as she became eye level with him. “Oh Thanatos, is that even a question? I want you of course. You’re not done until I say you are.” With her being so close with the right movement he could make contact with her skin, but the weight of her arms on his shoulders was keeping Kei pinned to the ground. In irritation the man spit in her face.

“I’m done.” He watched Hera’s eyes flash in rage and in a swift movement she grabbed Keisuke’s chin between two fingers and, with a strength that shouldn’t have belonged in the body she wore, Hera yanked him to his feet. He winced under the pressure, the force applied would definitely leave nasty bruises, but did not submit to her. They held steady eye contact for over a minute before Hera’s eyes flickered down to Niall and Eos behind him, and in a panic he jerked against her hold. She immediately wore a grin that told him he had lost and Kei felt his stomach drop.

“Hmm, Thanatos, I didn’t realize you were still playing house.” He watched as Hera’s eyes roamed the pair behind him, and was pretty sure he heard a hiss from Eos. It only made the goddess’s grin grow more manic. Kei struggled against her again in a desperate act to distract her, “You’re a fucking cunt Hera.”

“Don’t you fucking tell me what I am.” The goddess hissed with venom. She jerked her arm to the right and sent his body flying until his left shoulder collided with a tree, probably dislocating it and he watched as the woman approached Niall and Eos. She ran her fingers over Niall’s cheek, hovering his purple eye for a moment before tracing her thumb under the boy’s blind eyes. “Why Thanatos, you’ve picked up quite the cute… pets.”

Kei felt his eyes widen and his heart drop and pushed himself to his feet, he knew what was about to happened and had to stop it. He charged forward, but Hera was already in action. In one swift movement her fingers dug into the socket of Niall’s blind eye and ripped it out of the socket. She examined it carefully, blood dripping down her delicate looking hand and wrist.

“All portal into the Void is quite the powerful weapon to add to my arsenal.” She popped the eyeball in her mouth and swallowed it whole as Keisuke tackled her to the ground, straddling her abdomen to keep her pinned. She grinned up at him, “I wouldn’t kill me Thanatos. My body is covered in poison, the moment my fingers touched that boy’s blood he got infected.”

“I’LL FUCKING KILL YOU” Blinded with rage he slammed his fist into her face, smashing her nose in, but he was wearing his gloves so the goddess wasn’t returned to the heavens with his touch. He could hear Eos screeching in the background, flying frantic circles around them all, but Keisuke couldn’t stop himself. He slammed his fist into the woman’s face again, and again, and again. Over and over, screaming the word die at her every time his fist made contact with her flesh.

He beat her face until the vessel was unrecognizable and she was breathing through shallow, hiccupped breaths. Still though, he could tell she wore a triumphant smile and she choked out one last sentence as he peeled his glove off. “You can’t save him, and you’ll come crawling back to us when you’re done deluding yourself with your silly game of domesticity.”

He hit her one last time with his bare hand, feeling the body go slack beneath him before he raced to Niall’s side. Eos had healed the boy’s eye, though it seemed that the Void eye did not regenerate, and only the bleeding and damage was fixed, a gaping hole remained where the eye once was.

“Niall,” He started, his voice strained with despair. “I couldn’t protect you, I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.” He pulled the boy into a hug, his body shaking as he tried to suppress his tears. He could only hope that Eos’s magic could reverse the poison that Hera’s vessel wore.

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Niall heard a strange woman's voice and frowned. He didn't recognize that voice. Was he hallucinating again? Had he gone he gone into the Void again? He sat up a little and looked over at his lover but saw that he to was staring ahead at something. Oh. Maybe he wasn't hallucinating after all. He turned his gaze to where Keisuke was staring and his eyes widened. The woman before them was rather attractive. Where had she come from? There was something off about her but he couldn't quite place it. She didn't carry anything either so she couldn't be a normal traveler. Or maybe she was. Keisuke didn't have any baggage or anything when he met him after all. Was she like him? But then... why did she call Keisuke Thanatos? Keisuke called her Hera. Was this really Hera, the mother goddess?

Keisuke and this Hera person talked but Niall found himself confused. What was really happening here? She draped herself around Keisuke and it instantly made him angry and jealous but he found he was stuck to the spot. Why couldn't he move? Why did his heart beat so fast? She and Keisuke began a staring contest and he frowned, unsure of what he should do. it was obvious that Keisuke wasn't comfortable with this situation. He needed to do something about his lover's plight. Then Hera looked at him and Niall stiffened. He didn't like that gaze centered on him. It was hard to breathe. In just a moment, the woman had shoved Keisuke to the side like he was a rag doll and approached him. He gasped and tried to lean back but then she covered his eye to leave his blind eye exposed. What was she doing? He heard Eos hissing and fluttering in his arms but he didn't see Hera's fingers coming towards his eye until it was too late.

Niall screamed in surprised pain as the woman ripped out his eye. As soon as she let him go, Niall curled forward, his hands flying to his eye as it oozed with blood. Tears spilled from his good eye as he tried to apply pressure to his injury but he couldn't think clearly it hurt so much. He heard Eos screeching and she was clawing at his arm and tugging at his clothes with her beak, trying to get him too expose his injury to her but for the moment, he couldn't. He tried to throw her off while he tried to gain some composure but eventually she got what she wanted and managed to drop two cool tears into his empty eye socket. Niall panted and heaved as his eye healed and the ache receded. He took off his gloves and very gingerly touched his eye. His eye had not grown back and his problems were only beginning.

Keisuke pulled him into his arms then and Niall clung to the man's shirt. He wasn't feeling good. He groaned and curled up tighter. His body was beginning to burn and he was dizzy. A fever was quickly rising in his body and his shaking was the result of the poison that now coursed through his veins. He opened his eye and looked up at his crying lover. He didn't want him to cry. Tears had no place on his lover's face. "Don't... don't... cry..." he answered. Eos was cooing for him as she scrambled up to his face again and dropped another tear on his eye socket and then one in his open mouth hoping to stop poison and heal her boy. Unfortunately, this was not something she could heal.

He was a hypocrite. He told Keisuke not to cry and yet.. he had a tear rolling down his own face. Surprisingly, he wasn't afraid of death. That weight was pulling him down but he didn't fear it. He just looked up at the man he loved. His lips pulled into a smile before he started to cough, the poison circulating through him and making that much harder to breathe. He wheezed but he didn't wipe the smile off his face. "Your...name... not... your... Thanatos then..." he called softly. "Ego booster... I made... I made God of Death fall.... fall in l-love" he tried to chuckle but started to cough instead, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

Niall felt the dark sleep pull him just like the tendrils of his Sight had back when Keisuke had saved him only this time, he couldn't be saved. his eye was growing half-lidded as he fought to keep his consciousness. He wanted to keep looking up at his beautiful Thanatos for a little longer. "I... l-love you, T-Thanatos... he whispered. "'tis not... not.. g-good bye.. I...mmnn..." No, not yet! He had a little more to say. He had to stay awake just a little longer. "see you.... other side..." he was dying after all. Thanatos would be there with him, wouldn't he? If his soul was going to the underworld than he could still be with Thanatos in his home world. At least that is what he hoped. "K-k... kiss m-me...." he begged. He was dying as it was. He wanted to at least feel his lips once. He wasn't sure if he'd make it though, his vision was blurry and he could hardly make the man out. His body began going limp, breath labored.

"Don't... don't... cry..." despite Niall’s urging the man couldn’t hold back. The tears didn’t stop, running from his eyes and down the bridge of his nose as they dropped onto Niall’s bloodied face. This wasn’t fair, this wasn’t supposed to happen, this wasn’t Niall’s end. He pulled the boy closer to him as he sobbed, hoarse and whispered ‘no s’ being whimpered as he cried, unable to control himself. His whole body shook, his gasping breaths turning wet and mucus filled when he couldn’t calm down. This wasn’t fair, it wasn’t right. Hera had killed outside of the destined end; she had gone against the natural flow when it wasn’t her business too. Surely she would pay.

"Ego booster... I made... I made God of Death fall.... fall in l-love" He tried to laugh, tried to bring up his mood to respond to the boy, but it fell flat. All Kei managed was a halfhearted shaky smile that crumpled into more tears mere moments later. With his head bowed all Keisuke could think was it wasn’t fair. “Niall you can’t leave me alone. I can’t be alone again, I need you. Re-remember when we thought I was dying? A-and you told me to stay w-with you? Now it’s my turn.”

“You have to stay with me, I’m begging you. This can’t be your end, you and I were supposed to have a long and happy life. I’ll protect you better next time, I’ll save you, I’ll be the hero, so don’t abandon me Niall. I can’t be without you.” He knew what he was asking was unfair. He knew that nothing was going to change, He knew that saying these things might only make Niall feel worse, but he couldn’t stop. He was so desperate to keep the boy with him. It was the only thing he wanted, it was the only thing he would ever ask for in the rest of his eternal life.

“I love you too.” He whispered in his hiccupped breathes, “I love you, I love you, I love you , I love you.” Why did this happen? He watched as the boy struggled to hold on to reality. He watched him suffer with each breath he took. He watched him strain against the pain yet still smile. Kei’s entire face stung with tears, and he leaned down to the boy’s lips, his own quivering uncontrollably, and pressed a kiss to them.

Kei watched him die.

He felt Niall go limp in his arms, felt his pulse fade, felt him go cold. He broke. He cradled Niall’s body in his arms and screamed, screamed until his voice was gone and all he could do was continue the motion as he tore apart his vocal chords. Eos curled up on the boy’s chest and didn’t move and Kei had to stand up and walk away. He paced the ground, punched the ground until his hands broke, cried until there was nothing left to come out. The nothing that was left was replaced with anger.

He felt it well up in his chest, and briefly noted that Eos had flown away. His chest heaved as he breathed heavily until the point where he was hyperventilating, and with a voiceless wail he hit the ground with his fist. The ground boomed beneath him, as if an explosion had gone off, and everything around him died, wilted, and withered. And he had felt it, everything within a mile radius of the man had ceased living.

He heard the flap of wings as Eos returned to him, landing beside the man in silence. He was getting Niall back. In the shock wave he had felt a door and Kei took off running without another thought, get to the door, get to Niall. Get to the door, get to Niall. Get to the door, get to Niall. Get to the door, get to Niall. Get to the door, get to Niall. Get to the door, get to Niall. Get to the door, get to Niall. Get to the door, get to Niall. Get to the door, get to Niall. Get to the door, get to Niall. Get to the door, get to Niall. Get to the door, get to Niall. Get to the door, get to Niall.

Eos was beside him as he ran, he ran for two hours as fast as he could without stopping, he didn’t slow as he reached the door either, he crashed through it, his mortal vessel ripping away and leaving his true form standing at the edge of the River Styx. Eos was right behind him, she was technically an immortal being, and that alone would grant her free passage on the ferry to the underworld.

He looked down at himself, flexing his fingers and observing his pale arms. It had been so long since he had assumed his true form he had forgotten what it had looked like, what being a god truly felt like. His hair was dark, long and wavy, reaching just above his waist. It was messy and wild, yet beautiful all the same. A crown of thrones sat atop his head, keeping his hair in place. He was wearing a black robe, though it exposed his entire chest, that was adorned with teal accents running along the edges, and when he looked into the water his bone structure was even different from Keisuke’s.

It features were sharper, thinner, his nose straighter, but his eyes remained black and lifeless like those of a dead fish. Eos chirped at him and he looked up to see a ferry waiting. Being Thantos, he was allowed to travel the river without paying fare, something not even the great and mighty Hera could do, and boarded with ease. Phlegyas stood at the end of the ferry, oar in hand, and bowed to Kei. “Welcome back, Master Thanatos.”

Thantos’s silence had the ferryman raising an eyebrow, but one look at the god’s features had any questions caught in his throat. Phlegyas had known Thanatos to be the kindest of the permanent underworld gods, he was never brutal and despite his sad fate to kill when he did not wish it Thanatos was never cruel to anyone. But looking at him now, Phlegyas thought that for the first time Thanatos’s eyes matched his expression, dead.

Kei stood the moment the boat reached the shore of the underworld. He didn’t so much as spare Phlegyas a glance as he walked up to Hades’s castle. He didn’t acknowledge anyone, his eyes set on his goal, his expression tight and unwavering. He stormed into the castle, not caring for those that saw him. Time in the underworld moved differently for sentenced souls. While he was on the surface for five hours after Niall’s death, for the boy’s soul that may have felt like fifty or more years.

”Where is Hades?” He yelled, his voice thundered off the empty stone walls.

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Niall felt his lover's lips on his own and the soft warmth filled him and eased all of his fears. The moment was brief; his lover's touch stealing away the light faster than the poison and it was not something he could fight. He gave one last shuddered breath as his soul left his body. His body immediately went limp and his head fell back without any support left in him. His heart had finally given out and his newly freed soul hovered just a moment before a door materialized beside him. It was a portal that could only be accessed by the souls of the dead and Niall's little orb of light was drawn to it, a moth to its new cage. If his soul stayed in the living realm, it could very will disintegrate into nothing or get stuck, forcing him to forever wander lost, never truly 'here' or 'there' just like the Void. It would not be a pleasant experience he was sure. At the door, the ball of light formed Niall's image again though devoid of all color, and he glanced back at the scene he was departing. His heart ached, watching his lover keen over his body. "Good bye, my love. I'll see you in the Underworld..."

The dark tendrils of the land of the dead beckoned him however and he could not refuse the call anymore. He slid through the portal and it immediately vanished behind him, locking him away from the land of the living. Cold. Everything was cold. Niall hugged himself as he looked around. There was a desolate wasteland behind him with nowhere to go and he had a feeling that no matter what direction he began walking, he'd reach this exact spot over and over again. He would just go in circles for eternity. In front of him, the river Styx awaited. The water was murky, oily almost and a chilled fog rose from its depths.Then there was a candle light that beckoned him and he walked through the fog towards it until he reached a boat and the ferryman. So all of this really was true. He would go to the Underworld by boat led by a ferryman. He wondered what else was true or false about the stories he had heard.

The hooded figure extended his hand then. "Coin for the ferryman, Boy."[/color]

Niall's eyes widened. He did have to pay to get across? "But I don't have anything-"

[b]"Pay your price, Boy. I'll leave your soul for Cerberus if you don't pay." The man beckoned with his hand again and Niall swallowed hard.

Niall shoved his hands into his pockets then, frantic to find money. Thankfully, he had a bag of money on him when he had died and he did have silver to offer. He gave a sigh of relief as he paid the two silver pieces. The ferryman quickly pocketed the money and moved aside to let Niall into the ferry. Niall stepped into the boat and sat down. He watched a bit awe struck as they glided over the murky river around them. He peered into the water now that he was closer and saw that the river was actually green. Beneath its surface lay souls of the dead, face portraying fear for the rest of their eternity. Niall gasped and pulled away from the water. The ferryman chuckled. "The souls of those that don't pay," he grinned. Niall swallowed hard and avoided looking down even when the pale slimy hands reached for the boat in desperation.

"Boy, if you have anything to say, say it now. Once we pass the Gates, you will loose the ability to speak. Souls have no need for voices in the land of the dead.

Niall didn't know what to say. He raised a hand to his lips. He'd never speak again? That was heartbreaking. "Does Thanatos come here?

The man couldn't help but laugh at the boy in his boat. "Does Thanatos come here, he asks. What a silly question. Death is always around us. This is the realm of Thanatos. But aye, he comes. He hastens even now." he answered.

Niall smiled. So he would see Thanatos again. He glanced back to see movement in the shadows, 6 glowing eyes watching him. There was a rumbling growl as the Cerberus came into view, its large three heads towering over the boat. One head watched him while the other two kept their gazes pinned at the door. Niall shuddered as the large head came down to inhale his scent. He tensed when the dog snorted, releasing the stench of decay from its maw. If he had a stomach, Niall would have thrown up. Or maybe pissed his pants. He was sure the dog would have chomped him in seconds. It wasn't much longer before the ferry stopped at the doc and the ferryman motioned for him to get off the boat. Niall hurried onto the shore and glanced back at the ferryman but he was already moving away. Niall swallowed hard approached the looming black gate in front of him. He took a deep breath then. "Here goes..." he murmured and pushed the gate open.

The gates led to a obsidian marbled pathway. Candles of blue flame wavered on the sides of the hall and he realized he was actually in a castle hallway. A subtle push from behind had Niall striding forward to the door at the end of the hall. Upon entering it, Niall was welcomed to a feast hall where other souls, pale and grotesque from their various deaths, were wandering about, busy with different tasks. None of them looked up at him and it was silent in the room, save for the crackling of the fire. Beyond the dinning table sat a man clad in black. His features were as pale as the rest of the people here but he did not look sickly or even dead. His perfect marble features were stunning as the man wore a grin on his inviting lips. Hades sported long silky strands the color of raven wings and his eyes matched those of Thanatos, empty though his expression was not. The man wore a crown of bones on his head and his presence was suffocating.

In a blink, Hades was before him, circling, observing, a vulture eyeing its prey. "So... you are the mortal that so enraptured Thanatos to make him shun his duties," he purred, smooth as honey and just as intoxicating. "I almost want to hear your voice. At least Hera left you mostly unscathed for me save for the loss of your Sight. No matter." Hades stood before Niall again and gripped his chin to force his gaze upward. "I will have my uses for you. A mortal that reaches too high must pay for the error of his ways," he grinned, eyes flashing with glee. "It will teach my wayward son to defy his betters. You'll be my personal servant. That way he'll have the pleasure of seeing you by my side."

Instantly, shackles appeared on Niall's throat, wrists, and ankles. The chains that dangled seemed to vanish from sight but Niall could feel them tugging his soul forward as Hades moved back to his throne, unable to defy him in any way.


Hades was sitting on his throne, watching as Niall poured the spiced wine into his outstretched goblet. He had to admit that he could see the physical allure the boy had but he didn't think he was worth the trouble Thanatos had placed on himself over him. Mortal life was fleeting anyway. Maybe there was something about the boy when he was thriving and full of life. Ah well. If Thanatos had continued his tasks without question, he would have been able to have this boy when he died. He sipped at his wine and waved the boy away and Niall sat down on the floor beside the throne, staring absently at the floor in front of him. He was used to his life down here now and knew better than to resist. The last time he tried, Hades had chained him above the Pit of Woe, threatening to let his soul drown in the most despairing memory of his life. He shuddered at the thought.

When Hades heard his son, he grinned. He had been expecting his arrival. He had gotten to the door a little faster than he thought. Hades raised a hand and the gates flew open, inviting Thanatos back home. And oh, there was another with him. The fire in the bird's life alerting him immediately to what his son was bringing with him from the outside world. Hades moved a black clawed finger to Niall in a 'come' gesture then. Niall immediately stood. The voice was not one he recognized since it was different than the one he was used to with Keisuke so he just grabbed the goblet from Hade's hand and set it down in its place.

"Thanatos! So nice of you to join us. It has been such a long time since you've graced these halls with your physical presence. How has the mortal realm been treating you?" he asked with a smile.

Niall looked up then and saw Thanatos stride into the hall and his eye widened. This is what Thanatos really looked like? He was intimidating but so beautiful. He wanted to run to him, hug him, kiss him, and simply feel that closeness they once shared. The bounds on his soul burned then and he winced. Hades tsked at him. "Young souls are still so ruled by the body they so recently vacated. You don't have a body anymore, Niall,"[/color] he chided. [b]"Those things are bared for you." He pulled the boy's chin up so Niall was looking at him and not Thanatos. "You belong to me now, Niall.

Kei felt his entire body stiffen as he entered the great hall. Hades, his father, sat at the end of an excessively long dining table made of the same marble as the floor. The god’s eyes bypassed Hade though, something more significant held his attention. Niall’s soul, shackled and bound, serving his father as if he were a dog. His eyes flickered to his father as the god began speaking. He attempted to keep his composure; he knew Hades was all about deal making, he could bargain the boy’s soul free. He ignored his father’s question and chose to instead push his own agenda.

“I’m here to strike a deal with you.” He didn’t miss, however; how Niall reacted when Hades spoke his true name. It pained him that the boy had not immediately recognized him, but he knew it was understandable. His true form resembled nothing of Keisuke save for the eyes, but he had always been told he possessed his father’s eyes so they were not a give away to his identity. He longed horridly for Niall, he had no idea how long Niall had experienced being a slave to Hades down here, but all of Kei’s wounds were still fresh. Niall’s death still at the forefront of his every waking thought. So when Hades grabbed the boy by the chin to advert his gaze, Keisuke couldn’t control himself as he snapped.

It had been so long since he had been in his godly form that the speed he had used to close the distance between himself and Hades had surprised Kei. His father hadn’t even finished his sentence and Keisuke caught the tail end of it. “-long to me now, Niall.” It sent unbridled rage through his veins, and without any hesitation Kei slammed Hades’ head down into the marble table. There was a sickening bomb that echoed throughout the castle, the entire table split down the middle and broke in half, but Kei knew that the violent attack hadn’t even scathed Hades. Still, he didn’t let himself waver as he lifted his hand away from the god’s head.

“You put one more god damn finger on that boy and I will tear you apart and feed you too that hound you fucking wannabe Olympian.” His voice was stiff and cold, merciless, as he stared down at his father. He wondered if the god would be proud of him, Hades had constantly belittled him for being too soft and a push over, maybe he was finally acting as the son the god had always wanted. He raised his eyes slowly to look at Niall, and when he met the boy’s one eye he felt his expression soften. Even though his soul was bound and shackled to Hades, at least he was safe from worse fates of the underworld.

“Niall…” He whispered the boy’s name with the utmost tenderness and affection. The god reached out to the boy, wanting to trace his fingers along Niall’s cheek, and Eos remained perched on his shoulder. She had been taking in their surroundings the entire time since entering the underworld, probably in an attempt to comprehend where they were. It was probably every overwhelming for the young phoenix.

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Hades was honestly surprised when his son had grabbed him and slammed his head through the table. His son had always been a meek half-ling, easily pushed around on a whim. He had no spine towards him or any of the other gods. To see him acting violet and trying to force his will was exciting. Hades couldn't help the dark laugh that bubbled its way out of his mouth. He straightened himself, excitement in his cold eyes. The god of the underworld looked unscathed, save for his now tousled hair and the crooked crown of bones atop his head. He reached up with his long elegant fingers to the crown and adjusted its position as he turned to look at his son and the way he ran to Niall's soul. It was touching. It was pathetic. He did have to had it to the mortal though; if this is the demi-god the boy produced out of his son, he had to applaud him. If anything, he had given the boy a reason to stand up for his own desires. He completely ignored his son's threats, unafraid and unperturbed. Thanatos couldn't kill him or even go through with his threat.

Hades snapped his fingers and Niall's soul vanished from Thanatos's grasp. "Thanatos! How rude you are. First time home in ages and that is the greeting you give me? Come, sit down at the table you so wonderfully shattered and enjoy a feast." Hades waved his hands and a variety of delectable tid-bits appeared on the fixed table. Though the food itself appeared to resemble mortal delicacies, the food on display seemed... off. The color was dimmed here just like everything else. this was the food of the dead, not of the living after all. Hades plucked a faded purple grape off the vine and popped it into his mouth. "Your mother has already gone back to the land of the living, Thanatos. You just missed her. I am sure she would have been happy to greet you as well."

The god couldn't help but grin at his son. "This form suits you much better, Thanatos. Why would you ever dine to live among the mortals? Their life is fleeting and as you see, you can have them for eternity down here. True, the souls don't have a physical form, but they are solid enough to entertain your desires. You could have had the boy here all you wanted. Why you played mortal above is beyond me." Hades sat down in his throne again and tapped his lips with a black claw. He could have sympathy for the boy. After all, he to had fallen in love with a mortal but he had not given up his duties for her sake. He had dragged her down to his realm and he would have had her completely if not for Zeus's intervention that forced Persephone from his side during the spring and summer.

"You mentioned something about a deal?" he questioned then. Hades did love deals. He usually won after all and the outcome was always in his favor. This was the first time Thanatos had tried to make a deal with him, knowing full well that Hades always did his utmost to ensure he won. It truly was intriguing. "I can only assume it is for the sake of the boy. Why do you wish to save him so much, Thanatos? He is just one mortal. His soul has been here 76 years now, you know. The body itself is only a few hours old, but the time is ticking," he hinted.

Kei’s eyes flashed the moment Niall disappeared, but this time he was able to contain himself from any violent outbursts. They were pointless anyhow, and only served to entertain his father. He knew that any threat he could make would be empty, and even though Hades was his father their power levels were in no way equal. Hades of born of the strongest titan Cronus, whom sired all the Olympians as well, and Thanatos could barely be called a god.

So when his father commanded him to sit and eat, the boy did just that. Sitting himself to the chair on the right of the head of the table. He didn’t move to take any of the food off the table though, the dishes seemed merely a pleasantry as gods had no need for food. He sat still with his head down, not acknowledging any of Hades’s small talk. The sooner this was over with the sooner he could get Niall out of this realm.

“You could have had the boy here all you wanted. Why you played mortal above is beyond me." The last comment caused the god to twitch, and he finally looked up to address his father. He met the man’s flat colored eyes and knew Hades was staring back into eyes that looked just the same. His hand, that had been resting on the broken table, curled into a fist and his lip curled in disgust. “You know as well as I that it is not as simple as you’ve said.”

Souls were the essence of life. Which is why they thrived in the mortal realm, unlike the heavens or the underworld, a life spent in the mortal world was that the energy of a soul most desired. Even when a soul lived a miserable life their energy still craved to stay on earth. It was a matter of free will and choices, the energy that the mortal realm surged with could not be replicated in any other realm. Any soul that came to the underworld craved that energy. No matter what their living conditions may have been in the underworld a soul would fall into despair and depravity eventually. It would always long and crave for life because that was what they were. Even if Kei kept Niall’s soul for all eternity eventually his soul would lose any semblance of his mortal personality.

"You mentioned something about a deal?" Kei straightened at the mention of his objective, and wasn’t surprised when Hades knew what he was after. It worried him that it had already been 76 years though, he didn’t want the boy to think he had abandoned him. He cleared his throat and shifted his weight, suddenly feeling a lot more nervous.

“Yes, I want you to let Niall’s soul back into the mortal realm. You know that this wasn’t Niall’s destined end, are you going to let Hera start going around and killing anyone she pleases?” He could feel the bloodlust in his own words as he said the goddess’s name, everything felt so raw even if Niall had already been serving his father for that long a time. He swallowed, and knew what he was about to say was a deal that Hades shouldn’t be able to refuse. “In exchange, I will give anything you ask of me.”

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Hades watched his boy and debated. Thanatos really would give him anything he wanted? That was such a dangerous admission, even for a demi-god. Hades could ask for any number of things. He could order that Thanatos stay here in the Underworld. He could tell him to throw himself into the Pit of Woe. he could even say he wanted him to be Cerberus's chew toy. And worse of all, Hades could easily request that Niall's soul be damned in the darkest pits of the Underworld when he did eventually die again in the mortal realm. Why was his son not thinking before he spoke? Had this runt really enslaved Thanatos this much of there short year or so that he'd been with him? It was disgusting and Hades found that Thanatos had taken all pleasure out of this deal. What fun could he have when the man he was dealing with was already so broken?

He extended his hand gracefully and within moments, Niall's soul reappeared. Niall blinked and looked over at Thanatos and reached for him but he couldn't get to him. In moments, the form disappeared to leave a little ball of energy formed in his hand. "This is the raw form of Niall's soul. Shapeless, memory-less, vacant. His essence is much more vulnerable than the form you saw earlier and all it craves is life. If you get it back to the body, it will eagerly take up the empty vessel and form its shape again. All his memories will return.

"There are conditions however. As mentioned, this form is the most vulnerable for a soul, easily devoured and ripped apart. If that should happen, his soul will disintegrate and will be unable to return her or to the mortal realm. Your trip back to his body will not be easy. Cerberus will not allow you to just take a soul back across the river and he will attack. You need to ensure he doesn't manage to get to the soul. Secondly, the souls of the dead in Styx will hunger for the essence, wanting to feel that energy of life again, even for just a brief moment. They hunger, and are greedy. The boat will not be there for you. You will have walk the river. Fourth, you cannot touch it with your skin. Just as you have drained his life before, your touch will bleed the essence to nothing. And lastly, you have 19 hours, judge by mortal time, to get that soul to its body. If you do not, the body cannot accept the soul again, as I am sure you are well aware. " Hades used some of his own energy then to capture the soul within an orb like cage and handed it towards Thanatos.

"That will keep the soul in one piece as you leave the Underworld. Now, if you complete this task, you will not remain by his side. As soon as he breaths life, you will forget him. Your memories, your love, your sacrifice, all of it will be wiped clean and you will go back to doing your duty. You gained Hera's ire and you know as well as I that she will not give you peace. She will hunt this boy again and destroy him otherwise. Niall however, will remember you and everything that has happened to him. When he does eventually die and come back, he'll have his eternal rest like the other souls here and will not be subject to our games. Remember, Niall has suffered greatly for the use of his Sight and will be disoriented for the rest of his mortal life. However, he will not fall deeper to insanity consider Hera has taken the seat of his power. Do you really want to subject him to that loneliness?" Overall, Hades was not a cruel god though he played the part well. He dealt in punishments sure, but all punishments were deserved and nothing more. He did not willingly rip apart the souls that came to dwell in his kingdom and once this ill against the gods had been avenged, there was no reason to punish the mortal further when he returned. The task ahead of Thanatos was an arduous one. "These are the terms of my deal. Do you accept them?"

“Hades… Father, that soul you’re holding… he’s the one. He’s the one I was meant for. So I will do everything in my power to make sure he gets the life he was meant for, even if it means I’m not in it.” Even if Niall was only a ball of energy right now Kei could still feel him. His presence was unmistakable and indisputable, and even in that moment he yearned to be near it.

“I accept.” The conditions were horrible. Absolutely horrendous, stacked in Hades favor and with little room for error. Worse, by saving Niall’s soul he was throwing away the only time in his life he had ever been happy. He approached his father and took Niall’s soul from him gently, holding the caged energy with the tenderness he always used when he was with the silver haired boy. He looked up at Hades once more before turning away without a word. It was time to save the boy he loved. He walked out of the dining hall, snagging a dish that had been prepared to look like a roasted turkey without missing a beat. He needed something to feed the hound after all.

Keisuke was much more cautious leaving than he had been arriving. He could feel the eyes of the dead baring into him as he left. Even the souls that Hades had bound to servitude were casting longing glances and showing interest in what he was doing. No doubt the feeling of Niall’s soul was striking the deep seeded will to live inside them all. He was able to discourage these souls with simple glare though, they had already lost so much of themselves that their wills were china glass.

He could smell Cerberus before he saw him. The tangible rank of rotting flesh and blood was a give away of the dog’s presence. It was a beast unlike any other in the underworld and it only listened to Hades. Its three heads were all ferocious, but all had separate personalities of their own. They didn’t speak, but just the way the heads interacted with each other was a give away to that. Cerberus sat as the towering watch figure on the River Styx, a loyal dog that knew the rules and enforced them without any give. Getting by the dog would surely be the hardest of his tasks.

The menacing growl that erupted from all three as he approached stop Kei in his tracks. Three heads full of bloodlust and drool glared down at him and the soul. One salivated more than the others though, the head on the far left was looking at the turkey he had snagged off of Hades table before leaving. He felt himself smirk, winding up his arm to chuck the piece of meat as far as he could in the opposite direction before letting it fly. The head jerked as the meat sailed past it and threw the entire animal off kilter. He took the opportunity to run as the monster regained itself, one head still fighting to chase the morsel of food while the other heads attempted to lunge at him. He narrowly missed the snapping jaws of one of those heads and took off down the bank, he could hear Cerberus snarling and biting at one another before the thundering sound of paws hitting earth chased after him.

He thought he was dead, no way he could outrun the beast all the way to the point in the river he had to cross to get back to Niall’s mortal body. They had gotten so close that Kei could feel the breath of the middle head each time it exhaled and prepared himself for the worst when he suddenly heard a high pitched shriek echo against the emptiness of the underworld. He felt something hot blast by him and then heard the monster yelp in surprise. He smiled in relief, Eos had saved him and Niall.

He was gasps for breath by the time he reached the crossing point that would give him the shortest amount of time spent in the river, it was a nasty place what he would have preferred to never touched, but he didn’t have a choice here. Keisuke whistled for Eos, and raised the container holding Niall’s soul, it would be much easier for her to fly the boy across rather than risk one of the lost souls getting their fingers of the energy of the boy’s soul. Once Eos snagged the cage in her talons Kei took the first step into the river. Without the bird to distract them Cerberus was already gaining on him again, but he knew the beast would not cross the river it was outside of its domain.

The river was thick and heavy with resistance as the souls latched on to the energy of his immortal body. They were hungry for anything, souls lost and sentenced to an eternity of disorientation and despair, and snagged his ankles and he could feel the misery of their human lives permeate his skin and he felt goosebumps rise, but he trekked forward. Forcing his body through the sludge of souls Kei felt the energy being drained from him in troves and knew if he didn’t move faster the river would kill even him. They moaned at him, whispered and cursed his name, the despair they felt seemed his own and as he walked his sight became blurred with images of Niall’s dead body and he felt himself begin to hyperventilate. Niall’s body, the pain he felt, the anger, the bloodlust, the despair and agony. It was all too much, he wasn’t going to be able to hold on. The souls that swirled around him beckoned the god to stay, they whispered Niall’s name too, they wanted them both. And his hand collided with the dry ground of the other side. He dragged his body out of the river, his chest heaving with effort, and laid on the ground for a moment.

Eos came up to him and nudged at his arm. He pulled himself up and smiled at the bird, grateful to her. “Thank Eos, I wouldn’t be able to save Niall without you.” He picked up the cage with the boy’s soul in it and pulled himself to his feet. Phlegyas was sitting on his ferry looking at him with concern, probably because he cross the river without a ferry and he waved the deity off.

“Deal with Hades.” He murmured and the man nodded in understanding, though Kei didn’t miss the hint of surprise on his features. It was understandable though, Thanatos had never once struck a deal with his father before, gossip would no doubt reach the ears of every being in all the conceivable realms now that Phlegyas knew about it though. He was good friends with the Olympian Hermes, another god that often visited the underworld, though Hermes never made it farther than the River Styx, and Hermes could spread news faster than anyone else, and that included gossip. Surely he would be the talk of the realms. He suddenly straightened and looked a Phlegyas, the ferryman straightened with him looking concerned, if people learned the story of Thanatos, the god of death that fell in love with a life, their story would become engrained in mythology, but more importantly the Thanatos that forgot Niall would come to understand what had happened, and he might be able to find the boy again even once he had forgotten.

“Say Phlegyas, would you care to listen to my story?” The ferryman looked surprised, but eventually nodded and sat on the ground beside him. He smiled and tilted his head back, looking up towards the endless cavern of the underworld. He supposed he would start at the beginning, when everything had just been a phoenix and whim. He recounted his story as an epic, how he fell in love yet could not touch, his vow to protect, throwing away everything he had stood for in order to protect the boy he fell in love with. The deterioration of Niall’s sanity, the warning from Niall about Hera, running from her, being caught by her and he stuttered as he got to the boy’s death. He recounted Hera killing Niall, taking his Sight, Kei destroying Hera’s vessel and his grief. He told the ferryman of how in his grief death exploded all around him, the landscape had become barren and the wildlife and died where they stood in a mile in all directions. And he got to the deal with Hades and where they were now, “I am to return the boy’s soul, but as payment I am to forget about him and his entirety.”

“That is a story of Olympic proportions Thanatos, creatures of all realms shall recognize your story and the sacrifice you have made for all eternity.” The ferryman bowed to him and Kei smiled, Phlegyas had known his goal from the beginning. He stood up and nodded, Eos fluttered next to him and he walked towards the doorway to the mortal realm. He was on a schedule.

He ran out of the underworld, holding tight to Niall’s soul as he felt his godly body condense and shrink its power into the restraints of his mortal vessel. It was always an uncomfortable experience, but the man didn’t break stride. He had a couple hour of running ahead of him, and although he had a safe cushion of time he didn’t want to risk an unforeseen variable getting in his way. Eos flew beside him quietly as his breathing became labored and the sweat dripped down his face.

It seemed like forever before he reached the clearing, Niall’s body had remained untouched and because Kei had killed everything no animals had come to scavenge the body yet. He approached slowly and fell to his knees at the boy’s side. Kei ran his fingers over the boy’s cheek, it was cold and stiff and he felt the lump in his throat forming already. He turned to Eos, the phoenix watching him with careful eyes. “When Niall wakes up, I’m going to leave. You have to promise me to never leave this boy’s side, ok Eos?”

The fiery bird cocked her head to the side and looked between them, but it seemed she understood what he was saying and he gave the creature a grateful smile. He leaned now and pressed a soft kiss to Niall’s cold lips, there was a still a tinge of blood there from when he had been coughing up poison and Kei felt his expression scrunch up as he tried not to cry. It was inevitable, the tears started falling as his body shook. “I love you, Niall. I love you”

As he opened the small cage containing Niall’s soul he continued repeating the phrase, as if it would keep him from forgetting. He watched as the little ball of energy drift down and fell between the boy’s parted lips. He smiled weakly, tears streaming his cheeks, and Kei could immediately see the life return to the body. It was hard to believe that all of the things he was feeling would be gone in the blink of an eye. He kept repeating the phrase though, desperate to hold on.

He blinked.

There was a boy laying in front of him. He looked injured, blood on his face and mouth, yet he was still breathing. He had the most unusual shock of silver hair on his head, yet Kei found it suited him. The man had thought the boy might be dead, but the shallow rise and fall of his chest indicated that the boy was holding on. He looked around, shocked to see all the nature around him wilted and dead and he realized he couldn’t quite remember what he was doing here in the first place.

His eyes hurt, as if he had been crying, and when he tried to remember all it did was bring him a headache. He stood up and looked around, the carnage to the live around him made his heartache, he couldn’t imagine the power of the monster that had taken so much life unnecessarily. He clenched his fists and looked down at the human below him. Had the boy down this?

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Hades watched his son as he took the caged soul and sighed. "The one, huh? Well then you both are going to have onehell of a tortured eternity." he murmured. If Thanatos never remembered the boy, Thanatos would never find love again but at least he would ache for what he lost. The mortal however would know and remember and yearn for what was lost even after death until his soul finally began to give up its will and past experiences just like the rest of the souls here. Hades shook his head and stood from his throne. He went to his orb that would allow him to see into the mortal realm where he himself could not venture out simply to see if his boy would succeed at his deal.

Eos cooed to both her boys and looked down at Niall who was yet lifeless. His skin was pale and his blood was a deep contrast it almost looked staged. He remained motionless as Thanatos caressed his cheek and his soul seemed to brighten with its desperate need to claim the soulless husk. As soon as Thanatos released the soul, it slipped into Niall via his mouth, the same way it had departed only hours ago. The soul had experienced so much without its body but it was rejuvenated with the prospect of gaining life once more. The affects weren't immediate. It took a little while for a soul to reanimate a body and in Niall's case, it had to regenerate internal bits that had already begun to deteriorate with the natural progression of death. His body was yet stiff even as his lungs began to take in air and excel a portion of what would be normal.

As Thanatos stood and looked around them, Niall's fingers twitched. His soul was determined now. It was regenerating faster and it wasn't much longer before Niall's eye shot open and he gave a horrid gasp, truly alive now. His entire body was shaking as he rolled slowly onto his side to curl up in the fetal position. His lips were still a shade of blue and his skin as pale as snow as he panted and heaved, his body trying to remember its functions. The longer one was dead, the longer it took the body to remember.

"C-c-c-c-c-old-d-d-d..." was all he managed to choke out at first. Eos was quick to coo to her human as she lay down beside him. He reached for her with stiff arms and pulled her close to his body and relished her heat as she warmed his death chilled body. Niall forced his eye open again as he glanced around trying to ground himself and what was happening. He saw Thanatos a distance away from him and he reached out to him weakly.His lover was there... he was right there beside him. It had been so long since he'd seen him.

"T-than...at-t-tos...." he whispered. Eos nuzzled his face and rested her long neck over Niall's to drape herself like a scarf around him.

The man jumped when the boy that had been previously laying in the clearing gasped to life. Kei had been trying to figure out the cause of the carnage when he made his dramatic return from unconsciousness and the man found himself staring with wide and shocked eyes. He hadn’t expected the boy to wake up anytime soon, and he had been planning on leaving once he was sure that the boy wasn’t actually dying. Even if he didn’t know him Kei couldn’t leave a living thing to die. He knew better than anyone how precious life was and he would do anything in his power to ensure a person lived for as long as they were supposed to.

What was more curious about the boy was the flaming bird that was wrapped around his neck. Keisuke couldn’t remember ever seeing a phoenix in the wild before, they were extremely rare and hard to come by due to their abilities and nonexistent mating behaviors. For the boy to have one either made him extremely lucky or an incredible person. It peaked his interest, enough for him not to run the moment the boy awoke. He watched as the silver haired boy stuttered out he was cold and suddenly felt bad. If only his touch wasn’t dangerous, then he could aid the boy somehow.

"T-than...at-t-tos...." Keisuke felt his heart jump into the throat when the boy said his name. He immediately took a few steps back in shock, fearing the boy to be a bounty hunter of some sort. It scared him that the human knew his hit-man identity, killers were generally not accepted or treated kindly in any realm. He reached up to feel for the porcelain mask he wore when carrying out jobs for the gods and was surprised it wasn’t in place. The boy in front of him knew his mortal identity without the mask? There was a possibility he could divert him.

“Ah, sorry, I think you have mistaken me for someone else… My name is Keisuke Hotaro.” He pointed his index finger at himself and offered a friendly smile to the boy, and he suddenly noticed he had a gaping hole where his left eye should be. The man tried to search his memory for what had happened, but it really seemed like there was nothing, he didn’t even remember being here in the first place. He had been pretty sure his most recent memories placed him in the underworld. When he attempted to remember a dull throb began in the back of his head, it was warm and heavy, Kei found it wasn’t unpleasant though. Actually it seemed comforting, the warmth was gentle, not painful.

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Niall frowned as he looked up at his lover. Why was he being so distant? He remembered clearly the image of his lover holding his dead body, crying over him and wishing he'd come back like it was yesterday. Thanatos had come to the Underworld to save him from his fate. Why was he saying that he wasn't Thanatos? There was no reason for him to hide anymore. He accepted him for who he was. Had wanted him to kiss him. He'd do it all over again if he could. Thanatos had nothing to fear in him. He extended his hand weakly towards the man and offered a small smile. He was alive again. Keisuke could come back to him and hold him. They would be okay now. They'd go somewhere and sequester themselves away and everything would just... be fine. He wanted it to be fine. He didn't want any more sadness.

"You don't have to lie to me Keisuke. I know who you are. I saw you," he smiled softly. "You are beautiful in your full glory to. You came back for me... I remember all of that. I don't hate you," he answered. He tried to get up then but he ended up falling back. He was too tired and his body still needed to heal before he started moving away. His baby girl was already warming him up nicely. She cooed at him affectionately and nipped at his ear to make him smile and remind him that he was her boy. Niall ran his finger through her plumage gingerly and closed his good eye to try and rest it. At least he was used to not seeing with his other eye so not having it didn't affect his day to day life too much.

"We... we should go somewhere. Somewhere else. Somewhere quiet and just for the three of us. Then no one can bother us," he mused. "Yeah... that's what we should do..." he curled up tighter and earned a squawk from the phoenix when he hugged her too tightly. He buried his face against her and started to drift back to sleep. When he woke up next, he would be energized and everything should be working in proper order again. "Keisuke..." he murmured. He wanted the man to hug him like he had when he slipped away to the Underworld. Keisuke was very far away from him now and he didn't like that little fact. Why was he so far away anyway? What happened when Keisuke got to the Underworld? He remembered seeing him and then... everything went black. Ah well. He'd ask him what happened when he woke up.