Unselfish Wish

Chapter 37- Susano'o Playing Hide and Seek

As much as other kami wished to be one of the Three Precious Children, Susano'o would rather not. It was a heavy title, and it was lonely. Not that he had any trouble finding... companionship... it was just that the one he really wanted didn't seem aware at all, and he frankly had no idea how to woo her. The only relationship she'd had was with Tsukiyomi, and everyone knew there was no romantic love lost between them. Additionally, his own philandering, because that was exactly what it was, had him in her black books with all the other gods that fooled around. This was not well-looked upon in an environment that valued purity.

He was the bad boy of bad boys, and she was definitely the good girl. He sighed as he sat by an ornamental lake within the palace. He'd actually been celibate for a hundred years, which he thought was as good a sign as any that he had reformed. He hadn't played a serious prank in centuries, turning serious to become Amaterasu's invaluable right-hand man. He also avoided excessive sake or alcohol, as it tended to make him do massively stupid things that got him in loads of trouble.

He heard the fluttering of wings and noted one of Amaterasu's tsuru flying around. Since he'd been gone at least an hour, it was a good bet she was looking for him. He ducked below the edge of the gazebo he was sitting in, waiting for the sound of wings to move into the distance. He just needed a break from, well, his heartbreak. He knew all this fluffy stuff with Tsukiyomi and Fumiko was making him grumpy. It wasn't their fault. He wanted that for himself, was all. He'd thought he'd had it once, but Kushinada-hime had eventually realized that they were better as friends. Their children had agreed, tired of years of them bickering. It was one thing to be a savior, another to be married.

Thankfully his son had volunteered to guard the entrance to Yomotsu-kuni in his place, though there were many gates that had surfaced over time, and Yashimajinumi, Majin as they called him, did the best he could as a single entity. He'd sent an emissary with an official apology letter to the palace for allowing Fumiko's kidnapping to happen, but nobody had blamed him. Amaterasu was aware that more guards were needed, but getting anyone to talk about it at court proved to be difficult.

He was still squatted down when he heard the tsuru again. He rolled his eyes. He could not wait until his brother and his bride ascended, as it meant more help with running the palace. Maybe he could take a journey somewhere he was unknown, just meditate or something for a while. He knew Amaterasu was the only one he could desire this way, but it was painful. Seeing her at that pool party, outside of her standard gold kimonos- in a bikini of all things!- had driven him crazy. She was always so formal and reserved. His opposite, he supposed.

He started to move quickly, keeping himself low to the ground, hiding in the ornamental bushes each time the cranes fluttered by. Next thing you know they were going to make some kind of emergency announcement. They had a system for that, but it was quite rarely used. It was then that he spied golden hair, elaborately styled, bobbing up and down as she strode around the path, looking for him herself. She was wearing another of her fitted gold kimonos, which showed her curves but kept everything deliciously mysterious.

He peeked at her as she stormed around the paths that crisscrossed the natural area in the center of the palace, dotted with lakes and waterways. He kept moving around carefully, watching for the tsuru in case she caught him by surprise. He nearly laughed when she stopped, stamped her foot, and shrieked in frustration.

"Susano'ooooo!!" She finally shouted. "Come out this instant! No more of your tricks. I will find out who you keep running off to!" She barked. "It is not playtime right now, you beast!" And then, to his surprise, she was angrily dashing tears away before stomping off the way she had come.

Huh, he thought, is she... jealous? He grinned widely, rubbing his hands together. Perhaps things were not so bleak as he had imagined.

Amaterasu was angry. She knew Susano'o had gone to the courtyard. He had not re-entered the palace. It had been so long since he'd misbehaved, she'd almost forgotten that it was his normal behavior. She was so disappointed. She'd come to rely on him almost as much as she relied on Ame-no-Uzume. It was a dangerous thing to do, she realized. He felt like a partner, and even if she pretended otherwise, behind closed doors she knew the truth. She had feelings for him.

She was a fool for trusting him, Even more of a fool for allowing him into her heart. It wasn't as though they needed offspring any longer, between them, including their epic battle, they'd spawned more than enough for prosperity. At this point in their eternal lives, they were both looking for that one person that they could trust and love no matter what. They didn't know that they'd found it in each other, of course. She sighed and leaned on her door, trying to mentally prepare herself for the next political mess she had to deal with.

Susano'o had followed her, and snuck up stealthily. He wanted to test a theory. He'd been very careful to maintain a certain distance between them out of respect. Today, he was going to push it and see what happened. Her response would give him the answer. If it was poor, he was returning to guard Yomotsu-kuni with Majin, indefinitely. If it was good, as he was hoping, he was going to pursue to the ends of the earth until she gave in.

Her forehead was against her office door, so he moved in until his entire body was pressed to her back, and ran his hands up her sides. "I'm right here." He whispered and wanted to shout in joy at her wicked shiver. She did not pull away, as he thought she might.

"Where were you?" She whimpered, turning to face him, her golden eyes searching his nearly black ones. She laid her hands on his chest, which was partly exposed. He wore traditional garb, but had never been one to completely button up. Her thumbs rubbed the smooth skin there.

"I was hiding." He grinned before turning serious again. "I needed a moment to collect my thoughts."

"Is it this... new person you are seeing?" She asked stiffly, but did not move away. Very good, he thought. Jealous and not backing down. He cleared his throat.

"It's not exactly new." He said. "I've had my eye on her for a long time." She lifted her chin, eyes like golden fire.

"Your eye on her? As in, you've not made a move yet?" She tilted her head a little, eyes flicking to his lips.

"Well, no. You see, we have a long and complicated history. At one point she pretty much hated me." She raised a brow.

"I've probably seen you at your very worst, and I can't say even then, that I ever actually hated you." She huffed. Susano'o had become so much more than he was in the old days.

"Did you not?" He asked her. She shook her head, then sighed.

"I couldn't." She said softly, looking at him steadily.

"And why could you not hate me, Tera?" He whispered.

"Because... I..." It was his turn to raise a brow as she stuttered. She let out a breath. "Because towards you, even more since you brought me the regalia, actually... I've beheld you with regard." She rushed out.

"Just regard, huh?" He could not resist teasing, it was just who he was. She lightly smacked his chest.

"You know I mean more than that. Just, come into my office and let's get to work shall we?" She grinned.

"You know, I think I can give up my break for my favorite and most beloved person of all time." He quipped.

Finally, they were in perfect accord.