Title: Strength of Love
Character: Kiriha, Deckerdramon
Chapters: 1-1||Words: 500
Genre: General||Rated: G
Notes: This is an AU.
Written For: Diversity Writing Challenge, section A78, randomly chosen word (nerves) appears in the story
Summary: Kiriha tries to understand why the God of Love chose him as High Priest.

Kiriha stood before the altar, his attention focused on the statue, white marble overlaid with pure gold, that represented his God. The God he'd never chosen to serve, but had been chosen by, and even after the many years since then, he had yet to completely understand why.

Why did Deckerdramon, God of Love, choose him as his chief servant and high priest?

He'd asked before, on those few occasions when his God appeared before him. Deckerdramon never gave him an answer beyond 'because of all the world, your love is the strongest and the most pure'.

Kiriha didn't yet know what that meant. He'd never soft and squishy or pranced around with flowers and hearts declaring how much he loved the world and everyone in it. For most of his life, up until Deckerdramon appeared to him, he'd planned to join the army and dreamed of one day leading one of his own.

But from that moment onward, all of his previous goals didn't seem to matter as much anymore. He hadn't lost his edge at all. He knew himself well enough for that. But the idea of leading armies to victory didn't appeal as much as it had before.

Deckerdramon's laws remained clear, though: being a devotee of love did not mean that one could not fight, either in defense of one's self or another. Harming those who had done no wrong was right out. But being Love's High Priest hadn't in any way meant that Kiriha couldn't keep up his physical training and be ready to defend for the right causes.

Love wasn't what he'd thought it was when he was younger. Kiriha had come to that conclusion over the years. Sometimes he even considered that Deckerdramon had chosen him because of his strength to defend that which he cared about, not in spite of it.

And you would be right.

Kiriha bowed to no one, not even his God. Deckerdramon had never insisted on it. But there was always that one first moment whenever the great god spoke to him when his head slipped forward that one small fraction of respect, his nerves and heart thrilling to the acknowledgment of his God.

"Lord Deckerdramon," he murmured, not surprised at all when the statue lifted its now glowing head to look at him.

Your strength and your love call to me, as they always have, Kiriha, the god told him. Love will forever need strength. This wasn't the first time that he'd told Kiriha something like that. It was, however, the first time Kiriha felt he understood it in the deepest parts of his hart. There too many who believe love is weakness. You stand to prove them wrong.

Kiriha wasn't blushing. But perhaps he did fidget a small trifle. "No one will believe that with me around," he promised.

I trust you, Kiriha. His God did not touch him, but Kiriha knew approval when it flooded him. He would stay strong. For the cause of love.

The End

Note: Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the story. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.