They lived in a world where the Sun and the Moon were forbidden to meet. A world where if the Moon touched the Sun she'd burn and if the Sun entered the world of the Moon his light would extinguish. Long ago they had agreed to never meet, to stay apart in their respective worlds. However things change, and war causes people who were never meant to meet to do so in the most unexpected and ironic of times. Eclipses, well, those things simply do not happen for these people, not without a little push.

✧˖°☾☼ 20 years ago ☼☾ °˖✧

The Sun and Moon only meet once a generation. It's common for the Sun and Moon to skirt around each other, and catch a glimpse of one another from across the galaxy. But only seldom does a full eclipse happen and just as rarely do these eclipses come with viable offspring.

The Moon shone brightly and fully one night. Her dress swished between her legs and hugged the curves of her hips with every fluttering step she took. She carried the wooden bucket tightly within her grip, swinging it freely as she walked towards the forest well.

There was nothing she loved more than the walk to the well at midnight. The branches loomed above, the stars creating shadows along the path. The air felt misty despite being perfectly crisp and clear. Frogs croaked in the ponds just beyond the trees and a low buzz filled the air from the insects who thrived at night. Just like her. She wondered if she too emitted some sort of buzz.

She neared the well, her steps so gentle, as if she was making sure not to hurt the wind itself. Something cut over the pleasant buzz, however, ripping through the crystal air like a blade. It was a cry. Not the crying you may hear from a young girl with her first heartbreak or the cry of a little boy who has lost his mother. No, this was a cry of pain. Of agony. The cry of death.

"Hello?" the Moon said.

The only reply was another strangled cry. When the well came into sight, she found a person lying in front of it. His light hair was splayed across his forehead and his hand clutched to his chest, crumpling his shirt and exposing his stomach.

It was obvious he was the Sun. His hair was lightened and his skin was tanned. She'd never seen a Sun get caught in the nighttime before.

The Moon had heard the stories of course. The stories of Sun spies being tortured by being thrown out at midnight or finding the body of a Sun who wandered out just before dusk.

But, when she looked at him -his taunt muscles useless against the darkness and the way his front teeth dug into his bottom lip- she didn't see the strength the Sun was supposed to be. All she saw was a man who needed help.

The bucket fell into the grass as she dropped to her knees. Her eyes scanned over his body, her breaths rising up from her stomach. She felt a tug at her heart, staring at his struggling body shake from left to right.

"What can I do?" she asked.

The Moon looked to the sky, feeling her own power run through her body like a quiet stream you stumble upon unexpectedly. She'd never used her power in this way, it felt wrong in some ways as she splayed her palm across his chest hoping her power could somehow fix him.

He was warm. Almost hot. Although she'd heard stories of the Sun burning the Moon to dust with just a glance, she felt comforted by the heat emanating from his body. It felt too soft to be hot enough to burn her.

"Moonvine," he said with a cough.

"You can find Moonvine."

Moonvine.

The counterpart of Sunbloom.

Sunbloom was the only thing that could allow the Moon to stay out all day. Moonvine did the same for the Sun.

The Moon looked around the forest floor. Moonvine only grew near free-flowing water in the deepest parts of the forest that only moonlight could reach. She glanced back down at the Sun. His skin was paling with each passing second and the light was leaving his eyes.

"We don't have time for that," she said.

Reaching into the pocket of her dress, she pulled out the only potion she carried, a minor pain reliever that had a couple of drops of Moonvine incorporated into it.

"I don't know if this is going to hurt, but take this."

She pressed the glass vial to his lips and tipped his head forward. The shining potion fell down his chin, but most of it dripped down his throat.

Tossing the glass vial to the side, she sighed at the thought of what she was about to do. Straddling the Sun, she placed her hand flat against his chest. It was colder now, the change making her worry. She brought her other hand on top of the first and interlocked her fingers, taking a deep breath.

She concentrated on the flow of water through her body. Closing her eyes she guided it downward awkwardly. She'd never asserted this dominance over her power before, only in the discussion of the barbaric Sun people had she even known it was possible.

It didn't hurt as they said. It didn't even feel wrong. She liked the way it made her feel, every ounce of her power all at once leaving from her palms.

A clear-blue light stream emitted from her hands. His body convulsed as the power entered him, his eyes falling closed for a few seconds before they shot open like lightning.

"It's cold," he said, his voice even deeper.

She got off him. The Moon could stand but wobbled as she did. Her dress clung to her from the sweat.

"Woah, wait, what's wrong?" the Sun asked, extending his hand to hold her.

His grasp was sturdy yet gentle. The warmth in his fingers traveled quickly down her arm.

"I-I'm not used to using my powers like that--I--I'm so tired."

The Moon collapsed against the Sun for the first time in thousands of years...

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾　»»--⍟--««　☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙