"He is a man of promise, but a foolish one, believing he could be everyone's salvation. At first, I thought he'd be like every other god, egoistic, two-faced, only interested in personal gains. But he wasn't like that. And because of that, he began gaining favors of many that took me thousands of years to gain. Just because I'm the Heavenly Emperor, it does not ultimately mean everyone will favor me, though they obey my orders.

As time went by, I saw that he was quite intrigued by the Moon Goddess, Selia. Being insistent and stubborn. So, I was actually going to use her as bait to draw him in, but then you came along, a demon. And not just any demon, but the Nameless Demon King. I see the way he looks when he talks about you, how he smiles. About how every time he returned all injured, he'd brush it off, saying it didn't even hurt because you weren't serious. He relentlessly pursued after you to get you to change your ways because he still believed in you. I know you both have a history together, and that's what I used," he smiled, looking over his shoulder to Kirin.

Kirin furrowed his brows, "What do you mean?"

"Spreading a little rumor here and there was quite simple for someone like me. I just needed to reel back all of my support from him. Using his intimate ties to a demon worked, after all, demons are just all trash and nuisances. But you," the heavenly emperor pointed back at him. "You are the biggest nuisance of all. You devoured the other lowly demon kings and rose to the top. Many gods feared you, so I used that to my interest, saying that Lord Jin was colluding with the Nameless demon king to overtake the heavens."

"And the famine and epidemic? What about those?" Kirin growled in disgust.

"Ah~, those. It was to weaken his followers and their faith. Just to stir things up a bit. And it worked, collapsing completely. Instead of letting him be forgotten, I chose to banish him."

"So that he would remember his place, am I right?" Kirin finished closed his eyes slowly before opening them again. "And why are you telling me all of this? Aren't you afraid of me telling everyone else?"

"Of course, I'm not afraid. They wouldn't dare believe a demon like you. And, seeing that you came all the way here on your own, you intend to handle things your way."

The Heavenly Emperor smiled at him. Though Kirin looked calm and elegant on the outside, he was raging on the inside, cursing all the possible curse words at this evil god that people worshipped. "However, I'm certain that you already knew of all this, which is why you're here, right? So, what is it that you want?"

"For Lord Jin to ascend once again. It is his fate to become a god again."

The Heavenly Emperor clicked his tongue, "Even if he is fated to become a god again, I will do everything in my power to delay his ascension until his last breath."

"You know the god. He does not want to be crowned or anything. He's had a taste of godhood, making it harder for him to forget and live a normal life as a mortal. If he marries the Moon Goddess, he will settle down, and you know it. What you fear is not how others view him but rather the power he can have over the others, making you think that if he wanted the throne, everyone would side with him," Kirin answered.

The Heavenly Emperor had a thoughtful look on his face. "You are quite right. He has the power of persuasion, one worthy of being a king." The Heavenly Emperor walked over and stood over Kirin, looking down on him. "If I let him ascend once again, what would I get in return?"

Kirin's eyes met him, clear and focused with no trace of fear, just tranquility.

"My life."

The Heavenly Emperor raised a brow.

"I know that's the other reason why you began the rumors. Not only do you fear him, but you fear me as well. You fear the both of us siding together. So, I will give you my life if you allow him to ascend. I am freely offering myself to you. Is that not better than you trying to fight to defeat me?"

The Heavenly Emperor thought for some time, pacing back and forth in steady strides. "Alright. Deal. In three days time in the mortal realm, I will send a messenger to deliver the message of his betrothal."

"What?"

"What better way to ascend than on the day of his wedding in the heavens, right?"

"You better keep your words."

"And you yours. On the day before their wedding, your life will be in my hands."

With that, Kirin turned around to leave.

"You... You love him, don't you?" The Heavenly Emperor slowly grinned.

Kirin halted. Love? I Love Jin? "Hmph, of course I love him. He's my sworn brother."

"You know that was not the meaning I am talking about."

Kirin didn't stay to linger around and swiftly left the heavens back to the demon realm.

===

Upon returning, Kirin rushed to his sleeping quarters, extremely exhausted, sweating as color drained from his face.

Ao came through his doors to replace the blankets they've taken out to wash to see his king stumbling beside the bed. "My king!!" Ao dropped the blankets and rushed over to Kirin's side, helping him onto the bed.

Kirin gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I'm just a bit tired. I'm going to rest for a while, alright? When Lord Jin returns, just tell him that."

Ao nodded his head, pursed his lips then proceeded to speak his mind. "M-my king, y-you've been going to bed quite frequently these past few days. A-are you feeling well?"

Gently rubbing Ao's head, Kirin smiled, "Yeah. Just tired." Getting onto the bed and lying down, Ao finally went back and grabbed the mound of blankets off the ground with a slightly guilty expression.

"I dropped these new blankets on the ground. N-now they're dirty. I-I'm sorry," Ao apologized looking like a puppy with a drooping head.

"Don't worry. It's alright. Just leave them at the foot of the bed. I'll be sleeping for a while."

Ao bobbed his head, placed the blankets as instructed and excused himself.

As Kirin lied on the bed, he was lost in his thoughts.

Me? Love Jin? That's impossible. I've disposed of that emotion for a long time now... right? For a person like me, loving another is not possible...

Unbeknownst to Kirin, he fell asleep. Later that evening, the doors to his sleeping quarters were pushed open, so quietly that even the gentle breeze outside could overpower it. Sitting on the edge of the bed beside Kirin who was resting peacefully, Jin was also at peace as his lips curled into a smile. Reaching over, he brushed a strand of hair back that was covering Kirin's face.

Jin has realized for quite a while now, a strange feeling in his chest. His heart was always full when he was beside this sleeping beauty. Whenever he saw him smile or laugh, Jin's heart was always on the brink of exploding with happiness. He always felt restless if this boy wasn't with him, but he didn't dare do anything for the fear of scaring him away.

Jin has also noticed how Kirin had irregular sleeping hours. Though his sleeping face looked peacefully, Jin could see the fatigue Kirin had been trying to hide. Why was he always so tired? Jin figured that if he asked, Kirin would still never tell him the truth; that's just how he was with certain things – always keeping them to himself.

"During our first and last war, you refused to leave me. Even now that I've fallen from godhood, you've never left my side," Jin gazed down to Kirin's sleeping face, revealing the broken yet warm smile. Seeing the mole located on Ki Rin's left ring finger, he could not help but reach over, lifting Kirin's hand to meet his lips – planting a soft kiss on the finger. "What should I do with these feelings of mine, A-Yu? Tell me," he whispered quietly so that it was as if he was talking to himself.

Suddenly, the doors to Kirin's sleeping quarters opened and a small figure came in, Ao, with a tray of brewed tea. When Ao came in, Jin's lips was still planted on Kirin's fingers. Ao's face exploded in embarrassment - flushing to a beet red color uncontrollably as his stumbled to keep his balance from spilling the tea. Though there was an additional presence in the room, Jin was thick faced enough to go at his own pace. Jin slowly pulled back and brought a finger up to his lips; Ao complied and quietly placed the tray on the table.

"Let us leave first so that A-Yu can sleep, okay?" Jin smiled at Ao, slowly ushering him out.

===

Sitting on a bench that was situated underneath a wisteria tree, Jin handed a treat from the human realm to Ao, and  Ao ate it happily.

"Ao, do you like A-Yu?" Jin finally asked.

"My king? O-of course I do," Ao blushed profusely.

"Why is that?"

"H-he is kind, g-gentle and very loving," Ao replied.

"Oh~? Is that so? I've heard that he was rather feared many years ago, that he'd even go as far as to eating demon flesh... does that not scare you?" Jin glanced over to Ao.

Ao was looking at the ground as he fiddled with his fingers in his lap, slightly pursing his lips. "I-it's true. I-I was scared at first when my king took us in. H-however, he s-suddenly changed. I-I like him better as he is now... and I think it was because of you, L-Lord Jin."

Jin's eyes slightly widened as he turned his head to look at the small demon. "Me?"

Ao timidly nodded his head. "A-About a year ago, before my king visited the human realm, he said he needed to find someone important to him. A-and then you showed up."

Listening to the demon child's voice, there was this unexplainable beating in Jin's chest.

"My king really cares for you," Ao stated as he looked up to Jin. "Do you care for my king as well?"

Looking into this little demon's eyes with a steady gaze, Jin smiled, "Of course, I do."

"I-Is that why y-you kissed him?" Ao's face slightly blushed.

Jin chuckled, "En~, I really care for him. We grew up together. So, naturally we'd care for one another. I can see he really cares for you and your siblings. You guys are lucky."

Jin's dashing smile and comment made Ao blush and shrivel like a drying grape. Suddenly, soft footsteps on the grass came sounding behind them.

Aza threw himself onto Jin's back as Ai hugged Ao and said, "What are you two talking about?"

"About how your king likes me better than all of you," Jin smiled jokingly.

"Ah! We're not letting you take our king away!" Aza cried as climbed higher and began brazenly rubbing the top of Jin's head, turning his head into a bird's nest.

As they bickered and played, the sounds of their hearty laughs could be heard faintly through the night breeze, sounding extremely pleasant to the ears and heart-warming to the core.