“It’s starting to rain”

 Right, normally sitting on the edge of the roof at highest skyscraper in town, during heavy storm would be a problem. Right. Normally. Problem would also present itself, if you tried to read manga at the same time…

 “Whatever.”

 However, in that case in didn’t make much difference. Neither person nor, book seemed to be affected by bad weather in any way. While down below, people ran around in distress seeking shelter, here nearly six hundred meters above ground the only sign of living was rustle of turning pages. And occasional bored sighs.

 “Heh? Is there really a car rolling on the ground?”

 For one moment rustling of pages stopped, and roof was covered in amused silence. Yes, just for one moment.

 “Same old, same old.”

 Exasperated female voice sounded once again, after which the figure sitting on the roof released book from its hands. Immediately as if in this moment some mysterious force stopped protecting pitiful bunch of paper, and fury of nature took over. In last spur of defiance colorful book stayed perfectly still hanging in the air; just to fall apart immediately after. Former owner of the book just watched bored several scraps of paper twirling, and dancing with the wind and the rain contemplating.

 It presents strange charm. As if story came to life. Just to die right after.

 “You know, it’s not the way to treat a book.”

 Suddenly over the roof sounded another, this time male, voice. What was strange, was the clarity in this voice. Completely disregarding the roar of the storm, as if possessing so much power, that nature held no authority over it.

 However, there was no response.

 “I’m also happy to see you.”

 Again, his only answer was wind and rain.

 Whatever.

 Newcomer came to the same edge of the roof and sat down in a similar fashion to the person already here, with his feet hanging in the air. Silence covered the two.

 It’s hard to describe the two. They had humanoid shape. And that’s about it. They had no material form. It was clear that there was something sitting there. But whatever it was varied from the angle looked at it. Once it was mass of heated air, once a bunch of shadows. If you came close as to three meters from them, you’d see clay like white statues. However, if you’d then turn your head left and look at them from corner of your eye, it would seem like stain of darkness. Always different. With the only constant being their human like silhouettes.

 But they were definitely not human.

 “What are you doing here? “

 Female voice demanded to know. It sounded as if computer said that. While it conveyed its gender and even emotions to some extent, this voice lacked… Identity.

 “Do I need a reason? It’s not like I’m occupying your time.”

 Silence. No response came from the female, and, male didn’t really require it. He didn’t really come here to talk. Just being together with one of their own kind was good for them.

 Their group didn’t have a name, neither did them. They were clusters of sentient energy; Concept given form. Both living and dead at the same time. Simultaneously most powerful beings of the universe and pitiful shadows, unable to actively interact with physical world. Out of lack of better description they were gods.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

 “By the way, why are you hanging all the time in this world? It’s not like you’ll see something not boring. “

 He expected another silence following, so he was honestly surprised when response came.

 “The stories. This world is filled with them. While I’m aware, that watching here movies, reading books or whatever, isn’t much different from observing world changing in real life… “

 She faced last, lone page of her book caught flattened on the wall of the building good kilometer form them.

 “…there’s something exciting in being led by an author by hand. I treat it as a spar with creator of this story trying to predict how the story will end. There’s more mystery in this than in end of the real world. “

 “I guess everyone, have some ways in fighting the eternity. I personally like finding mortals and using Concept of reincarnation create new stories with them as focus. Of course, I have to limit my foresight for it to be of any fun, but still. “

 “You’re right. I like these stories. Nobody suddenly thrusted into foreign world with a god-like power. I didn’t know that you were into this kind of stuff.”

 Her response was amused chuckle.

 “You’re close. However, my hobby is a bit different. I’m taking successful, almost brilliant people in prime of their live and throw them in hostile environment on the bottom of the food chain, with barely any handicap at all. They either claw their way through and survive, or they break and die. Or worse. And since I anchor them in the cycle of the reincarnation, they have to try over and over again.”

 “Eh? But overpowered characters are so much more fun. Maybe I should find somebody and use the Concept of reincarnation myself to show you how it’s done.”

 “Ha-ha, be my guest.”

 However, neither of the moved or took any action. They just sat there watching how nature relented its attack and left human city alone. For them, whose lifespans counted in billions of years, there was no need to hurry.

 While, life slowly appeared again on the streets below, on the roof two primordial beings observed these tiny ants like people hurrying to work, home, shop, or whatever they wanted to do. At the same time, they saw, the day when they, they children, grandchildren, eventually this whole planet dies.

 For them it was like bunch of candles fluttering on the wind, ready to go off at any moment, not realizing even what is the purpose of their existence.

 And yet to some extent they seemed content. Content of their short, mostly uneventful lives. Chasing some small goals just to put another afterwards, if they accomplished it. For those gods up high, who never experienced live in a meaning the people do, it was at the same time bizarre, foreign, pitiful, and also strangely… attractive.

 They longed for some change and unknown, yet they hesitated to reach for it. However, the thought always lingered somewhere in their minds. What if?

 Finally, the male decided to ask the question.

 “Why have you never used Concept of reincarnation of yourself? It’s not like you would be the first of us to do it, yet your personality seems most likely to go after such course of action. But I’m aware that you never tried.”

 “Hmmm. I don’t know. It’s not like I never thought about it. I did. I wanted to jump into one of the stories that I read so much and live it through, or create whole new world from scratch just for the purpose of me living there. But I didn’t. I guess I couldn’t relate. You know. To normal humans. Even if I temporarily assume living form, if I pick up true emotions and physical body, I won’t suddenly become human. I guess that’s what keeping me from trying.”

 “I see. I can understand it.”

 They returned to observing small river of humans filling the streets, like bloodline of this massive metropolis with millions of inhabitants. They will probably sit on this this spot for years to come. It’s not it would be the first such case. Or rather, they would if in this moment male god didn’t ask a question.

 “What if we did it together?”

 “Eh?

 “What if we used the Concept of reincarnation together? I mean start our life together. It will be hard to relate to other humans, but at least we will have each other.”

 “Are you serious?”

 “Yeah, completely. I can even go with your style of doing things. You know overpowered and all. For our first life maybe, it would be even better this way.”

 “I don’t know…”

 “Come on, what’s keeping you? Even if we leave it alone, our energy won’t disperse for millennia so it’s not like our disappearance will have any consequences on this universe. And even if it will, then what? It’s not the only one. So?”

 “I…”

 “SO!? Which world are we going to?”

 Female god sat there at a loss of words. This idea was…

 … sudden…

 …bizarre…

 …impulsive…

 …but above everything else, BRILLIANT.

 Fuck this. What can go wrong?

  Feeling excited for the first time in last hundred or so thousand years she thought of a manga she was reading earlier that day.

 “Did you hear the story of Naruto?”