"Appa!" 

"Hmm, Mingyu?" Donghae looks down at the small hand tugging on his shirt. 

“Tell me the story about how the Sun loved the Moon so much he died every night to let her breathe."

"You wanna hear it again?"

"Mmm! Yes, Appa!" 

"All right, Mingyu. I'll tell you." 

Legend is that the sun and moon were a couple - well, some may say that they were siblings. Now, let me tell you the real story of the sun and the moon. The sun and the moon were a couple. In fact, they were both men. 

And of course, they didn't start off as being the sun and the moon. They started off as people, just like you and me. 

 

South Korea, 1852

Back then, there was no sun and moon. One day, a man discovered a book with illustrations depicting drawings of light, something that was bright, and illuminating. It was a new discovery that intrigued the citizens as everyone only knew one thing - and that was darkness. 

The king started giving out rewards for those who could bring him possible solutions to creating a light source. Hence, many started searching for possible sources of light, thousands dying along the way. Many were unhappy about this. 

This hence led to the separation of the country, to become the West Kingdom and the East Kingdom; the West searched for the light source while the East continuously tried to stop the West, while living lives as they always had. 

One day, the king of the west issued a decree. 

"Anyone who comes in contact with the people from the East, will be executed."

And it was from then on, that everything began to change. 

-

"Prince Hyukjae!" The said man turns at the voice, frowning when he sees the old servant running towards him. 

"What do you want?" The young boy, holding onto his bow and arrow, starts running as well. 

"My prince, it is time for your lesson!" 

"No!" And Hyukjae runs, as he always has, into the forest. 

-

Hyukjae sighs, throwing the hundredth stone into the lake. He looks ahead, and he sees nothing but darkness. He looks at the dark sky, and he wonders whether the thing called 'light' would ever exist in the future. He remembers his father telling him that they would find it, and that he would be the one leading his soldiers in the future in the search. Hyukjae shrugs his shoulders- that is a thing for the future, and that thought is pushed into the back of his mind, never to reappear, until a few years later. 

At that moment, he hears a rustle, and he immediately stands, arrow aimed at the precise position. He then sees it-or rather, him. A small boy, probably around his age, cowering in a corner of the wall separating the east and the west. The boy is trembling as Hyukjae steps nearer. 

When Hyukjae is just a step apart, the boy picks up a small stone, aiming it at Hyukjae's face but miserably failing, the stone only weakly hitting his shoulder. Hyukjae tries to bite back a smile. 

However, as he steps even closer, he frowns. It is a person from the East, in fact, it is a young soldier, donning the uniform from the east. 

"Don't come near me!" The boy squeaks, tears gathering in his eyes, as he tries to maintain his posture. 

"Why are you here?" Hyukjae keeps the arrow aimed at the boy. 

"I-I..." As Hyukjae gives a menacing glare, the facade of the boy breaks, and he starts sobbing. Hyukjae is taken aback, lowering his bow and arrow. 

"I was playing, with Sungmin and I was finding a place to hide. I found a small hole in the wall, a-and I managed to squeeze through. And suddenly, I found myself here." The boy pouts, clutching at his uniform. 

"Don't worry," Hyukjae murmurs. "I won't hurt you." 

The boy's eyes widen. 

"You won't?" He visibly heaves a sigh of relief. "That's weird." 

"Why?" Hyukjae keeps his arrow back into his straw woven bag. 

"Appa always told me to stay away from the people of the West, for they only know evil, and they only know how to kill. He said they are desperate, for the light." 

Hyukjae bites his lips, ruffling his hair. 

"That is true." Seeing the boy visibly stiffen, he hastily adds, "But I'm not like the rest." 

"Oh." 

"I have never believed in my Appa's ways. I believe there has to be kindness in this world. Evil will never triumph, in this desperate world." 

The boy smiles, slowly reaching out his trembling hand. 

"I'm Donghae." 

"I'm Hyukjae." 

That night, it is the beginning. A beginning of a change to be made.

-

Years pass, and the two young soldiers grow into fine young men, continuing to don the uniforms of the east and the west. Throughout the years, nothing changes. 

The two boys squeeze through the small hole in the wall to have conversations, and they talk about the books their parents show to them. Hyukjae tells Donghae about the wonders of light, and how beautiful the world could become. Donghae tells Hyukjae about how this topic is a taboo in the East, and how his Appa would beat him with a whip once he mentioned light to him. 

Hyukjae spends every single moment gently treating the wounds on Donghae's body, quietly kissing away the tears. 

As they grow older, and are unable to fit through the small hole anymore, they decide to climb over the tall wall. The climb is torturous, with bushes with thorns on each side, and traps set at the top of wall. At first, they get wounded, but it is worth it, to be in the other's arms, to have the other gently kissing the tears and the pain away. As time passes, the boys learn to avoid the traps, and they spend their years growing up together. 

They grow up together, against the harsh reality of the real world, the barrier between the east and the west, the tears, the pain. 

-

Years had passed, and people were getting closer to finding the light source. And people were getting worried, worried that the relationship between the East and the West would worsen. 

Tensions were growing between the two sides. When the West carried out searches too near to the East, the East would launch arrows over the wall, as a warning. 

Time passed, and it was time for both Hyukjae and Donghae to take on their roles. 

 

"Tomorrow, Hyukjae." Donghae whispers, clutching onto Hyukjae sleeves, warmly tucked into the older's embrace. Hyukjae only quietly hushes him, soothingly running his fingers through the younger's hair. 

"Don't worry, Donghae. Nothing will change between the two of us." 

"What if we have to fight each other one day? What if we- what if we have to kill-" Donghae breaks down into Hyukjae's arms before he can even complete the sentence, and Hyukjae only tightens his arms around the sobbing boy. 

"Then we'll fight, Donghae." Hyukjae whispers sadly, a faraway look in his eyes. 

"We'll fight, like how our fate was always meant to be." Donghae sniffles, burrowing his head deeper into Hyukjae's chest, and Hyukjae presses a soft kiss to Donghae's forehead. 

"But don't you worry, love. I'll never let anyone hurt you." 

 

Hyukjae dons his new uniform, the gold metal pinned onto his collar. Thousands of his men are bowing to him, the crowds shouting the name of their new leader, but his heart... his heart is with a certain boy, that has been the one to capture his heart. 

-

Everything changes one day, when a warning shot from the East hits a soldier from the West, patrolling by the wall. 

That day, as the leaders assemble in the meeting hall, Hyukjae looks at the faces of his men. He sees the king looking expectantly at him. He sees two young boys at the back of his mind, cuddling while hidden among the trees. He blinks, and all he sees is the uniform of the West once again. 

"We will take action, tomorrow." 

The next day, it begins. The long awaited and feared war. The war between the West and the East, the war within a country. 

It all begins. 

-

Hyukjae looks out into the darkness, seeing the bloodied remains of his men. He looks away. 

"Good job today, son." The king looks at the bloodied sword tightly held by his son. That hand starts to tremble, and Hyukjae looks at his father with bloodshot eyes. 

"Until when, father." Hyukjae trembles so hard he loses his grip, the sword clattering to the ground. 

"Till when are we going to continue this evil?"

"My son," the King mutters. "This will never end, at least not till all the people from the East are dead."

"Besides," the old man adds. "Once they are dead, the search for the light source can proceed, with no unneeded disruption."

Hyukjae bites his lips so hard they bleed, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. 

-

With increased patrol at the wall, the two young leaders cannot meet. Hence, they resort to passing letters. 

After a long day of fighting, Hyukjae leans against the stone by the lake, reading the letter with bloodstains. His heart clenches uncomfortably, for he is unsure of who the blood belongs to. 

My Hyukjae. 

When will our battle end? I feel that we are trapped in a cycle that will never end. Our love for each other, will it be strong enough to overcome the hate between the two sides? How do I stop the fighting if my people do not want to stop the fight? When will this end?  I just want to be in your arms again, lying by the lake, as if there is nothing else in the world, but you and me. 

My Donghae.

I wish for the war to stop as soon as possible. I wish I could have you in my arms again. We are torn between duty and passion. For now, we must keep going. We cannot break what we have kept up for so long. We must continue to show our men this side of us. 
My love, I promise you. I will find a way to see you again. We must find a way to end this, for I cannot live without you any longer. 

"I want to end this, Father." Hyukjae grits his teeth as he stands in front of the man he is unable to recognize anymore. The man who took care of him when he was young was long gone. 

"What are you talking about, my son? We all know what we aim to achieve."

"What you aim to achieve, you mean." 

The king frowns, grabbing his son by the collar, pulling him forward. 

"Why my son, are you possibly thinking of backing out?" His grip tightens, causing Hyukjae to gasp a little. 

"Get this clear, Prince Hyukjae. You will continue this war, and lead the soldiers for me. You had better do as I say." The King shoves the young prince aside, and the boy cries silently, slouching against the wall. 

Greed... It drives people mad, shoves people to the brink of insanity. It claws at hearts, destroys, breaks. Greed... It drives people mad. And that was what had happened to the King. 

-

"Fire!" At Hyukjae's command, the arrows are fired, and several soldiers of the East collapse. He hears his lover's voice in the distance, and he prepares his men for a return attack. And soon enough, arrows from the East are fired. 

He pauses, and there is no movement. 

"Charge!" 

As the men from the West move with no warning, the soldiers of the East are taken aback. A few civilians do not manage to escape, and Hyukjae closes his eyes when he sees young children fall to the ground. 

"No!" Hyukjae's eyes snap back open as he hears that familiar voice. 

"Mother! No!" And Hyukjae runs. 

Hyukjae reaches the bloodied woman on the ground, barely breathing. He sees his lover sobbing on the ground, his duties long abandoned. He gently grips the young man's bloodied shoulder as the latter has his hold tight on his mother, whispering to her. Hyukjae quickly tears a small part from his uniform, pressing against the woman's wounds. At that moment, he hears movement, and his body reacts quicker than his mind. He feels the hard metal strike him on his stomach, his skin slowly tearing apart. He winces, but he keeps his hold firm on the older woman's wound. 

Donghae quickly takes out his bow and arrow, and the soldier from the West is dead in seconds. 

Donghae looks at his lover worriedly, but the latter only shakes his head. 

"My son," the dying woman whispers. 

"Take care of yourself when I am gone." Donghae shakes his head, tears rolling down his cheeks. 

"Promise me, o-okay?" His tears fall, and he nods, as his hands grip tightly onto the woman's bloodied hands. 

"And," she turns to Hyukjae. "Take care of my son for me." 

"M-Mother." Donghae whispers, astonished. 

"I have always known, my son."

"Take care of him for me."

-

Hyukjae collapses after he and Donghae bury her, and Donghae picks Hyukjae up, rushing towards his hideout, a place only he knows. 

I can't lose you, not after I've lost her. 

As Donghae looks at his lover, lying on the bed with bloodied bandages around his abdomen, a pale and weak face, he is reminded of all the times Hyukjae nursed him when they were younger. 

He remembered how after his father beat him, running into Hyukjae's arms would make everything better. He remembered how Hyukjae would kiss his tears away. 

And now, as he gently wiped his lover's sweat away, and kissed his pale cheeks, he soon falls asleep, his hand tightly wrapped around the older's. 

He dreams of a land where there is something bright, glowing, consuming. They have finally found it- the light source. But yet, he cannot see Hyukjae, his lover is getting further away. He screams, but the light source only consumes his lover, engulfing him in the sea of yellow. 

 

"Hyukjae!" Donghae jolts up, only to feel a gentle pressure on his hand. 

"Hyukjae?" Donghae breathes, seeing his pale lover smiling weakly at him. 

"What's wrong, my love?" 

And Donghae cries, tears falling onto Hyukjae's chest. 

-

"My love, what should we do?" Donghae looks at his lover, their hands tightly clasped together. 

"Let's run, Hyukjae." Donghae gently kisses the pale lips. 

"Let's run to a place where no one can ever find us." 

 

After a few hours of rest, Hyukjae leaves the hideout, limping to the wall, with the guidance of his lover. 

"I'll see you soon, my love." 

And they separate, but this time, they are determined. And this time, they will make a change for themselves. 

A pair of eyes silently watch in the distance. 

-

"My son, we are getting weak. Send in all our men." Hyukjae looks up weakly at the man. 

"Let us end this, once and for all." Hyukjae says nothing, only looking at the small charm held in his hands. 

"Forward!" Hyukjae shouts, and his men do as commanded. Swords clash, and bodies fall. Hyukjae closes his eyes. 

Some days, Hyukjae lies in his bed, clutching at the small charm in his hands. He envisions a future where there is only him and Donghae, where there is no war, where there is only peace, kindness and happiness. He hears cries in the distance, and he opens his eyes. 

Five days till the plan begins. 

-

His men are resting, and Hyukjae silently stands up from his bed. He places his sword onto his pillow, recalling the first time his father had given him this sword when he was merely a young boy. And now, he would be leaving it forever. 

He quietly walks to his father's room, and he bids a silent farewell. He sees the man lying on the bed, and he thinks of what life would have been like, if that man had not succumbed to greed. 

He picks up his straw-woven bag, and he turns to leave. 

He arrives at the wall, and he spots his lover pacing about nervously. He smiles, gently holding the younger's hand. Donghae looks up, and smiles once he sees Hyukjae. They share a sweet kiss, beside the wall that has given them so many memories, both painful and happy. 

"Let's go," Hyukjae whispers, gently brushing his lover's fringe. As the two turn to go, they share another longing glance at the wall. At the place that has held their past, present and future. Now, the future is theirs, not restricted, not bound by their destiny. 

They take a step. 

And Donghae cries out in shock. 

"Seize them!" 

Hyukjae pulls Donghae, but whichever direction they turn to, they are faced with arrows. Hyukjae quickly pulls Donghae into a protective embrace, and Donghae silently cries. 

As the men pull them apart, they grip tightly onto each other, but Donghae feels Hyukjae's sleeve slowly slipping out of his 
grasp. 

"No, Hyukjae!" As they get pulled apart, Hyukjae glances longingly at his lover. 

"I love you, Donghae!" He screams, getting cut by the ropes that bind him, as he gets pulled away by his own men. 

Donghae can only blink the tears away, feeling his own hands getting tied. 

I love you too, he mouths. And with that, Hyukjae smiles. He smiles, even though his heart is tearing apart, even as the ropes cut even deeper. 

They smile. 

 

Under the moonlight, an old woman moves slowly. She has travelled for months, to finally reach this country. As she arrives at the majestic entrance, she smiles, and makes her way in. 

"It is easy, the solution to the light source." The old man moves forward, eager to hear. 

"What is it?" 

"Simple," the woman mutters. "A person of high standing, through sacrifice." 

"What does that mean, and why must I believe you?"

"Come here," the woman whispers. "And you shall see." 

With a snap of her fingers, the old man feels his body becoming weaker, and he gasps as his sees a small, glowing ball in front of him. 

"Your qi, for example. It is sufficient for the light source to be possible. You are seeing light for the first time, am I right?"

The old man nods, fascinated by the warm, glowing object. With another snap of the fingers, the brightness disappears, and darkness looms over the two of them. The old man finds himself craving for that warmth, that brightness. 

"You know what to do, your majesty." 

 

"This crime is not a light one. You have betrayed both your kingdoms." Hyukjae tightens his hold around Donghae's waist. 

"Besides breaking the promise of your countries, you have committed yet another grievous crime. And that is- that you are both men. Normally, the punishment is execution. However, the two of you are different." 

The lovers listen silently, the whole room watching the intimate actions of the two supposed criminals. Two men. If it is a crime, then why does the punishment feel so... wrong? 

"As you two are the princes of your countries, you have sufficient qi to become the permanent light source of the earth. And as a punishment, I will banish the two of you to the sky. I will call you the sun and the moon. The sun appears during the day, and the moon during the night. You will be the light source for humankind for the rest of the years to come. And of course," the King pauses, a smile on his face. 

"Father!" Hyukjae shouts, but his slight movement causes a sword to be pointed at his neck. 

"You will never meet, for the sun will give up his life for the moon every night, and there will never be one time where both will appear in the sky."

-

And so, Hyukjae and Donghae became the sun and the moon. Every day, as Donghae shone his energy onto the earth, he would think of all the times spent with Hyukjae, hiding behind those bushes, in the forest, in his hideout. 

And at night, Donghae would watch his surroundings become darker. Finally, as he craned his neck, trying his best to see Hyukjae, his life source would extinguish, and he would fall into a deep sleep, before the next day began again. 

Sometimes, before vanishing, Donghae would hear Hyukjae whispering to him. And he would whisper back, letting the wind carry their voices. 

Their life remained so. Even as time passed and both the West and East Kingdoms fell to the rising of a new ruler, the sun and the moon remained. As time passed, the two forbidden lovers never stopped searching for each other. Every time day dawned, and every time night fell, they continued yearning. 

 

"Hae, what did you tell him to make him cry?" Donghae jolts out from his reverie, staring blankly at Hyukjae who has a worried look on his face. 

"I was just telling him our favourite story." Donghae smiles, gently rocking their son to sleep. 

It is only then that Hyukjae realises the older man is crying as well. He moves forward to engulf Donghae in a warm hug, pressing soothing kisses against his nape, quietly wiping the half-dried tears away. 

"I love you." Hyukjae murmurs, and Donghae only smiles, leaning back to give Hyukjae a kiss on the cheek. 

"I love you too." 

If you looked clearly, you would see it. The black imprints on their chests. That of the sun and his dear lover, the moon. 

 

-

Thank you for reading, and do comment :) Sorry for all the angst recently, I promise to write something lighter soon!!!