4 CH4

Chapter 4: Uruk.

"Excuse me… are you alright?" A child-like voice entered my ears, jolting my mind awake.

Stirred from my slumber, I opened my eyes and caught sight of a rather adorable young man, no older than 16, with silky grass-hued hair that fell just below his shoulders, looking over me with concern in their eyes.

"Ah, good—" I gazed upwards to check the position of the sun, "—morning, lad. Anything you need?" I sat upright and faced the boy, scrutinizing his appearance. He wore what seemed to be a white blanket with little to no details, and was barefoot despite the grassy environment.

"Nothing… It's just that you've been sleeping here for the past week or so." He stood up from his seated position and was bathed with warm light coming from above, highlighting his features.

"Ah, I was merely taking a break my from escapades." To be honest, I don't remember what I was doing before this, but me taking a break was no lie.

"By going into hibernation?" He said incuriously.

"Indeed, young one." I nodded. "You'll understand when you're old enough."

Strange, my senses did not register him as a human, nor a magical entity. He felt artificial, given form by some higher power, a god most likely as wisps of divinity could be felt on him. I don't know which god(s) created this fella, but they better not have sent him to mess with me or they'll get the most brutal ass-whooping they'll ever get.

Gods of this world were the same, or at least close enough, to the ones from Earth's mythology, such as the Zeus and the Greek Pantheon, who were gigantic douche bags as expected. Well, most of them at least, Hades is cool. I even toured the entirety of the Underworld when I somehow ended up there (silly me).

"Why do you look like you're talking bad about someone?" The green-haired boy spoke, glaring at me. I gasped, putting a hand on my mouth, was he some sort of mind reader? Seeing my changing expression, he continued. "From what it looks like, I'm correct. It's not good to bad-mouth people behind their back, you know?"

"Who are you kid? Did the IRS send you? I said it once and I'll say it again, I'm not paying taxes." I shot up to my feet while putting my arms forward defensively.

His ocean-blue eyes sharpened slightly. "IRS? I don't know what that is, and you're not paying your due, you said? Are you a criminal on the run?"

Huh, were taxes already a thing during this far back in history? (The horror) Or did my magical language translator warp my words in a way he could understand? Well, doesn't matter.

"Uh, no. I was just joking. I don't even own a house, nor belong to any country. I'm merely a homeless guy going from place to place." I spoke truthfully. If this kid really possessed some semblance of divinity, he for sure could separate lies from truths.

I mean, not that I can't bypass it, but doing so would need me to use my godly powers. The only way for me to gain immunity to such ability was getting divinity myself, which involved bathing in copious amount of ichor, or being worshipped by countless humans.

The boy's eyes softened after finding no falsehood within my words. "Oh… well, there's a city nearby where you can take shelter, I can take you there if you want."

"Oh, you will?" He nodded in affirmation. "If you wouldn't mind, I'll have to trouble you, young man. Name's Leon, by the way, you are?"

"I am," He paused, appearing hesitant for a brief moment, "Enkidu."

My mind instantly flashed in recognition. Enkidu? The one from the Epic of Gilgamesh? Wasn't he supposed to be a big, muscular guy? Funnily enough, he did appear similar to Fate's rendition of the character. Huh, I guess works of fiction can sometimes be correct.

After our short introduction, Enkidu lead me through the forest, crossing some obstacles such as rivers and hills along the way, then emerged into a grassy expanse that stretched out as far as my eyes could see.

In the distance a cityscape could be seen, its ramparts were tall, but not enough to block the breathtaking structures within. Countless buildings could be seen crowding the city, and even more people could be found roaming inside it, going about their everyday lives.

"Well, there it is. The city of Uruk." He pushed his arm aloft, pointing at the city on the horizon.

I took a step forward before stopping, noticing the green-haired child's unmoving self. "What's wrong? Are you not coming as well? Or are you supposed to do something here? If so, I could lend a hand."

"Ah, no." He shook his head. "You can go ahead, I'll stay here. It's just that… I'm not supposed to be there."

"Oh?" My brows furrowed. Was he not supposed Gilgamesh's only friend? I placed a hand on my chin, recalling the Epic of Gilgamesh. It seems their fight, which led to them being the greatest of friends, hasn't happened yet.

Making up my mind, I scooped Enkidu off his feet, gently carrying him in my arms like how a groom would to their wives. He let out an startled yelp as he instinctively wrapped his arms around my neck. But before he could utter a single word, the two of us vanished from our previous position and appeared in the heart of Uruk undetected in courtesy of my magic (I've learned a lot throughout the years).

Enkidu's lips curved into a frown, and his body quivered slightly as he took in the city's bustling streets. He appeared apprehensive to even be here, I wonder why, wasn't he created for the sole purpose of putting Gilgamesh in line with the gods' desires? Shouldn't he be here to interact with the demi-god?

As I placed the silent young man on the ground, letting him stand on his own, a youthful voice sounded from behind us, snapping Enkidu out of his thoughts. "Oh? Who might you be?"

I turned to face the speaker and spotted a golden-haired child with ruby-like eyes, wearing a blue shirt with gold accents and a pair of colourful shorts. He was veiled in a kingly aura, his presence alone forced anyone before him to kneel. Not me though, I'm not weak willed enough to fold to such things.

The young man beside me stiffened upon seeing the 10 year old child, I too stared at the boy in bewilderment, but for a completely different reason. I shifted by gaze between the smiling kid and Enkidu, finally realizing why they looked so familiar.

'I'm in Fate?' The revelation pinned on the spot. My mind froze, rendering me unable to speak.

"Well? You mustn't keep this king from waiting, you know?" The child, Gilgamesh, said with a bright smile while leaning forward, placing his hands behind his back. 

A small shiver down my spine. I was susceptible to cuteness, and goddamn was he the most adorable looking thing I've ever seen. His puffy cheeks, huggable figure, and delicate features—okay, now I'm just sounding like a creep. Though, I noticed he looked more girly than I remembered, probably my imagination.

"Oh, don't mind us. We're just going sight seeing." I resisted the urge to burst forward and pat him on the head, which was killing me on the inside. Maybe I can get away with it? Well, what's there to lose?

With renewed confidence, I strode forward, stood before the King of Uruk, then ruffled the top of his head with my hand, causing the golden child to let out a confused noise as I continued to gently caress his hair. A surge of dopamine washed over my mind, causing me to drop to the ground like a stringless puppet. 'Ah… now I can die in peace.'

While lying on the floor, I threw a glance at his face, which showed that of befuddlement mixed with slight curiosity. Apart from his parents, this was most likely the first time he received such treatment from a stranger as the future king of Uruk.

"Is he okay?" Gilgamesh inquired worriedly and glanced at my companion, who was still as a statue, providing him no answer.

"No worries." I swiftly lifted myself off the floor and dusted my clothes before going on the defensive. "My apologies, you're too adorable for me to resist."

"Oh? You find this king adorable?" He tilted his head cutely before nodding to himself. "Indeed, only a being such as myself can be called as such."

Enkidu and I watched as the King of Uruk twirled around in place, happily humming while sporting a bright smile that could blind even the sun itself. My legs threatened to collapse once again as Gilgamesh halted his spin to stare at me with his ruby-hued eyes, thankfully I pulled through and remained standing.

"Cherish this moment, mortal! For you are before my adorable self. I am Gilgamesh, speak your name." He demanded while propping his hands on his hips, donning an air of confidence that bordered on arrogance.

"I am Leon," I introduced myself before turning to my companion, "And this is Enkidu, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Umu," he said in approval, "Follow me, your devotion would do wonders in my home." He turned around - not even waiting for a reply, fully expecting us to agree - and walked away in the direction of his abode.

Enkidu's mouth opened, about to say something to the child, but my words flowed out first, cutting him off. "We would love to." I accepted with a smile, ignoring the clay-construct's sharp glare that bore a hole into my back. If looks could kill, I would've died a few dozen times already.

He smacked my back repeatedly in annoyance, but I merely grabbed his wrists in response before pulling him into a tight hug, leaving him greatly flustered, then trailed behind the future king with an upset Enkidu in my grasp. I couldn't help but smile at the clay-construct as he quietly complained with an angry expression, which I found cute more than anything.

The three of us weaved throught the busy streets, turning various corners until we arrived in front of a large building that could only belong to those who possessed enourmous wealth. The golden boy flung the wooden doors open, entering the home without a care in the world.

"Mother! I have returned!" Gilgamesh exclaimed excitedly, his voice bouncing around the house.

"Gil!" A woman's voice sounded from another room. "How many times have I told you not to open doors like that."

From around the corner, a woman of impeccable beauty wearing multiple layers of fabric made her appearance. The divine feel she casted didn't go unnoticed by the grass-haired kid in my hold, causing him to stare at her with wide eyes.

'A goddess.' I quickly concluded upon seeing her figure, whom I can only assume to be Ninsun, goddess of cows, and mother of Gilgamesh. My eyes shone with curiosity, the Age of Gods had been on the decline some time ago, forcing gods to retreat into the Reverse Side of the world, yet she remained in the lower world, possibly weakening herself, just to spend more time with her child.

She quickly cupped Gilgamesh's cheeks with her hands and begun reprimanding him. On the corners of her vision, she spotted two more individuals standing at the door while looking at them.

Upon letting go of her child, Gilgamesh immediately bolted it into the kitchen to grab something to eat. Seeing his behavior, she let out sigh and inquired. "You two are?"

"Gilgamesh invited us over." I placed my chin atop Enkidu's head, much to his chagrin (he's bloody adorable), and introduced ourselves. "I am Leon, and this one is Enkidu."

She placed a hand over her mouth and faced Gilgamesh. "You've invited your friends over? You should've told me so I could prepare some treats. Ah, where are my manners, I am Ninsun, Gilgamesh's mother. Sorry about her, I'm sure my daughter caused you some troubles."

"I have not!" Gilgamesh's voice reverberated from another room, to which Ninsun ignored in favour of ushering us inside her home. Enkidu smacked my arms off his person and begrudgingly entered on his own, while I followed shortly behind.

Suddenly, Ninsun's prior words finally registered in my mind, causing me to freeze in my tracks. "I think I misheard something, did you say daughter?"

"Hm? Oh yes, I know she can be a bit haughty a times, but Gilgamesh is one of the purest girls out there, she can barely even talk to a boy without stuttering, you know." She laughed, letting Gilgamesh's embarrassed squeals go from one ear to another. 

Her baby girl was a tad socially inept due to position as the future ruler of Uruk, and barely had interactions with anyone apart from government officials. So Ninsun was plently happy at the fact that Gil finally built up the courage to invite people over to her home.

After the sudden revelation, I quickly recovered, chucking it up Fate's machinations. If King Arthur, Minamoto-no-Raikou, and many more figures of legend known to be male were actually the opposite gender, so be it, not like I had a problem with it.

Enkidu and I joined Gilgamesh and Ninsun in the living room, talking about various things, especially how her child and we met, which greatly surprised the goddess for a completely different reason.

"Oh my, who knew my little Gil has enough heart to give strangers shelter for the night. You truly are my girl, you'll be a great ruler one day." I had explained that we were from the outside, practically homeless. She threw Gilgamesh a glance, making her a bit uncomfortable while snacking on a loaf of bread.

"She sure will, miss." I face my companion, noticing the not-so subtle glare he's giving the golden child. "And you, stop staring at her like that."

The clay-construct broke from his reverie and in turn stared at me with a complicated expression. His entire purpose was to rein and punish the demi-god, yet he could not bring himself to harm such an innocent child. Enkidu originally wanted to observe from a distance, waiting for her to grow into adulthood to enact the wrath of the gods, but Leon made that impossible now.

"I know it might sound rude, but may I ask what you are, Enkidu?" Ninsun suddenly asked, causing the grass-haired construct to quiver. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to. It's just that… I feel the presence of divinity inside of you."

"Its…okay," Enkidu shakily said, before straightening his back and staring right into the goddess' eyes, "I… was made to chain the keystone… Gilgamesh, back under the control of the gods."

He was a being born from mud, given shape by the "King of Gods", Anu, and the "Goddess of Creation", Aruru. While genderless, Enkidu took the form of Shamhat, the divine harlot - whom he copulated with for six days and seven nights - out of respect.

He was bestowed upon the simple task of enacting their will, to put the 'arrogant demi-god' in place, reminding her of their position as a puppet. But Enkidu, upon finding out that the person they're supposed to punish was but a child, decided to wait and spectate. He slowly grew to realize that Gilgamesh was nothing more than an innocent child, wanting to spend their days ignorant bliss.

'I'll be damned.' To be frank, I didn't expect him to reveal it himself, surprising me somewhat.

"I can leave if you want me to…" The aloof aura surrounding Enkidu shifted to that of depression. Surprisingly, instead of telling him to get away from her child, Ninsun chose to pull him into a motherly embrace, placing a hand atop his head and gently caressing it.

"It's okay, there's no need to be scared, I'm not mad at you." Ninsun spoke softly. As Enkidu was about to speak again, she opened her mouth first. "Hush, child. The circumstances of your birth doesn't matter, it is what you do with it that does, remember that."

The green-haired child could do nothing but accept the goddess' one sided assault, closing his eyes and letting calmness take over his entire being. 

Gilgamesh and I on the other hand stayed quiet on the sidelines. Well, she was happily stuffing her face with some delicious food Ninsun had prepared earlier, keeping her pretty occupied. I thought I've gotten over it, but the fact Gilgamesh of all people turned into a girl still bounced around my head.

----

"Well, that was certainly interesting." I stroke my chin while gazing at the endless expanse before me. Gilgamesh, who's wearing nothing more than a shawl to hide her voluptuous figure, stored the golded axe in her grasp inside an equally blinding portal that appeared behind her—the Gate of Babylon.

It had been over 8 years since Enkidu and I intruded into her life, and the two grew on me. Gilgamesh was no longer the shy, yet assertive young lass I met all those years ago. Well, she's still very much assertive, some might say dominant, but shy no more.

Her appearance has had a drastic change over the years, her previously short stature now a respectable 182 centimeters tall, only 3 cm shorter than me, her beauty matching those of goddesses, possessing a bountiful chest, slim waist, and rotund rear no man or woman could resist. Her golden hair that fell behind her back was tied into twin-tails after much coercion (begging) from yours truly, and the style only increased her cuteness factor by a whole level.

Currently, Gilgamesh and I were on an expedition to the south to eliminate a certain wind bird that's been terrorizing the place for some time. Well, I say "we" but it was Gilgamesh who did all the work. She'd used her Gates to bombard the poor avian off its playing field—the sky, then finished it off via decapitation with her great axe. Her treasury wasn't filled to the brim with Noble Phantasms yet, possibly due to my intervention, but the things I've made and gifted her more or less made up for it (which contained many items from various video games).

"Good job, Gil." I applaud her feat. She merely extended her open hand towards me in response, causing me to tilt my head slightly in confusion. "What?"

Her eyes turned sharp, the air surrounding her becoming more heavy. She then clicked her tongue, appearing more annoyed. "Towel, give it to me. And don't even start with your jokes, Leon."

"No." I firmly declared as if to challenge her authoritative tone.

"I liked you better when you adhered to my every word." Gilgamesh sent me a glare that promised violence. True, but that was only when she was - still very much is - an adorable little cinnamon roll. I've spoiled her with many things, and given her everything she ask when she was still a child, but I never allowed her ego to balloon by occasionally reprimanding her.

"And I liked you better when you were cute and shy." I returned without missing a beat. "Oh, where had my little Gil go to? Where was the girl who kept pestering me to teach her magic, read her stories as she fell asleep, hm? I remember you liking the Dark Souls stories more than anything else. Where'd she go—"

"Enough!" She shouted in anger, turning around to prevent me from seeing her reddening cheeks, which didn't work of course. Gods, I really want to pamper her, but couldn't lest she throws a tantrum, saying that she no longer needed my protection unlike then, which caused cracks to form in my heart.

That's right, I became what some might call the "Big Brother" of none other than the King of Heroes herself! Throughout my stay in Uruk, I spent most of it taking care of Gil after her mother's unfortunate departure to the Reverse Side of the world, and her father's untimely demise, leaving Gil to take over the throne. Though she still possessed that arrogance the King of Uruk is was known to have, it was more demure, and was completely non-existant whenever she's alone with me or Enkidu.

And, speaking of—Enkidu, after being accepted into the family, has learned how to deal with administrative work as my little sister refused to do them for she thought it was a waste of time, becoming the Golden King's pseudo-secretary, so he stayed behind to do whatever it is Gil was supposed to do.

A tinge of guilt pressed over my shoulders, I could've helped him, but that kind of job just wasn't for me. Paper wasn't even invented yet, making administrative tasks even harder. 'Sorry Enki, I'll be sure to cook your favorite meal when we return.' I promised in my heart.

I broke free from my thoughts after sensing Gilgamesh's glare, who still had her arm up, waiting for the towel she asked for. As much as I wanted to continue to tease her, we better finish our task here, so I gave her the towel to clean herself. I have more opportunities to play with her at home, after all.

After that, we left the wind bird's colding carcass behind and returned to Uruk via teleportation and was greeted by none other than Enkidu himself, who took some time-off from his post. Enkidu's appearance didn't change that much, only that his evergreen hair now reached his shins and a necklace now hung on his neck which was gifted to him by Gilgamesh.

"Welcome back," He frowned after seeing my ruffled clothing, "Leon, how many times do I have to tell you not to cause trouble for Gil?"

My brows quirked at his accusatory tone. "Whoa-whoa, why am I the one getting blamed? Can't you see I'm the one who got assaulted here?" I point at the tears in my tunic, then extended my arms towards the perpetrator, Gilgamesh, who walked past the two of us, ignoring our banter as if it wasn't happening.

"Uh-huh." Little Enki crossed his arms, saying nothing more while giving me the meanest look he could possibly muster. "Gah!" The clay-construct exclaimed as I pulled him into a tight hug, unable to resist his adorable charm.

"Come one, Enkidu, you can't do this to me. I thought you were on my side." I sadly spoke. Instead of resisting my embrace, he fondly wrapped his arms around me, having grown used of my odd antics.

"Now, now," His voice softened, "Go clean yourself up, I'm getting hungry." Another crack threatened to appear across my fragile heart after hearing his words.

"Is that how you view me? Nothing more than your personal chef?" I release him from my hold before pinching his soft cheeks in annoyance.

"Your fault for spoiling us." Enkidu replied after pushing my hands away. Well, I suppose it's my fault, I've been providing the two of them the best home-cooked meal one can possible make since I started taking care of them, but goddamn was it worth watching them melt while they took a bite of my food.

Seeing the usually stoic Enkidu express himself and watching Gilgamesh who ruled with an iron fist plead for second servings is one of my favorite past times. Dare I say my skills in the kitchen contends even the likes of a certain Hero of Justice's.

After giving him one last pat on the head, I left to replace my clothes with new ones. The fashion in Uruk wasn't that great, mostly consisting of multiple layers of fabric, shawls, simple tunics, and robes, so I took it upon myself to introduce various other types of garments using the resources they currently had access to.

Suddenly, I stilled before swiftly snapping my head to the left in the direction of Gilgamesh's throne room, sensing the arrival of something; it was of divine origin akin to a god's, no doubt, but the gods had all been kicked out of the greater world, so what could it possibly be?

I quickly finished switching clothes and rushed towards the intruder's presence. My mana hummed to life, preparing itself in case of an altercation. After turning a few corners, I was inside the royal hall within seconds to find a Gilgamesh and Enkidu standing at the end of the room, and across from them was a woman with a youthful appearance wearing nothing more than undergarments outlined with shimmering gold with a crown planted atop her silky black hair.

"What's going on here?" The atmosphere between the trio was tense, as if a fight could break out at any moment. With but a mental command, a barrier was briskly formed around the building.

"Nothing, Leon." Gilgamesh cooly replied while glaring at divine being before her in disdain. "My answer remains the same. Leave, lest you incur my wrath, goddess."

"You have the audacity reject me? I gave you the chance to be betrothed to me, yet you throw it away…" The delicate goddess huffed, ignoring the recent addition to their conversation, and placed her hands on her hips while slightly tilting her head upwards, flooding the room with her divine status, causing the Golden King's face to contort in disgust.

"Ishtar?" I blurted out, finally recognizing the intruder. So, it's finally time for this to happen, huh. It appears I have to find a way to sever Enkidu's connection with the gods so he could stay in the mortal realm. So what if I'm changing things? Nothing is stopping me from doing so (more like nothing can). I'll take responsibility for once in my long second life.