211Last Chapter:
"But, you know…" She continued, smiling faintly. "Recently, I didn't feel scared anymore… because wherever I look, wherever I go… you were there, always there by my side. This might sound strange but I feel like I've known you for all my life. It's like you are the only one I know in this world. And, whenever I think of this, it just makes me feel so happy… That's when I realized how meaningful it is to live another day in this world, as long as you're beside me, it won't be scary anymore. Yes, even now, I'm scared to go over… to leave you… but those aren't what I fear most anymore. What I'm truly scared of is… to see you in pain. I-I cannot bear to see you suffer… I'm sorry… I just can't… so…"
Usagi paused, not completing her sentence, as she looked sternly over at Rei and Tomoe. "…Will you promise to give Seiya the cure if I go with you?"
Both Rei and Tomoe exchanged quiet stares before nodding together. It seemed like they had both agreed on the proposal as Rei took a step forward and extended her hand out to Usagi.
"It's a deal, Usagi-hime."
Wonder Wind
Mamoru froze on the ground where he was seated, taken aback by what was happening before him. There was no way a stone could transform into a human-sized serpent and tried attacking Usagi. But that was the truth which he tried to deceive himself from. He didn't want to believe that Seiya was the one who came forth and protected Usagi from the monster while he could do nothing for her besides getting knocked down to the floor.
Fury, envy, and guilt burned in his eyes. Anger because he hated seeing the girl he loved being held by another man, jealousy because he wanted to be the one who had protected her and guilt for causing the horrible scenario that they were stuck in right now. It shattered his heart to see her crying for Seiya and offering to go with the enemies for his sake.
He jumped back on his feet, wanting to stop her, but was once again beaten by Seiya who held Usagi back despite her protest. Mamoru watched as Seiya moved her to his other side, keeping himself between her and the enemies, before a long, beautifully crafted spear magically surfaced into his hand. The sharp head of the pole weapon, he noticed, was ignited with a burning flame of dark blue, one that took the color of its master's eyes, and slightly above its blazing head was a delicate set of Aries' horns.
Like its master, the mythical weapon was not only exotically beautiful but also deadly. Mamoru widened his eyes at Seiya who was pointing his spear at the enemies with one hand, warning them to stay away from Usagi. Tomoe and Rei flinched at the overwhelming power that the Spear of Aries was giving off but didn't back away. They knew how terrible Seiya's condition was, and was more than certain that he wouldn't be able to launch an attack on them. With such deadly poison attacking him from within, there shouldn't even be anymore strength left in him to call forth his weapon, yet he just did, though that just weakened his body further.
"S-Seiya! Don't! Please don't fight…" Usagi pleaded, embracing him from behind.
She wouldn't allow him to start a battle, knowing that he'd only hurt himself even more and risked getting killed faster by the poison. But Seiya was stubborn. As much as she didn't want him to get hurt, he couldn't let her leave him and go over to the enemies either. He was still holding onto her with his free hand while using his injured arm to support the long and heavy weapon, directing it at Rei and Tomoe.
"Let me go, please… I don't want you to die... Why can't you understand that?" Usagi cried.
"I won't die…" He told her gently, glancing over his shoulder at her.
"You would!"
Seiya smiled, "Then, I'll die protecting you."
Usagi looked up at him with bewildered eyes, stunned silent. Her arms dropped from his waist as she continued to stare at him, watching him dropped his smile and turned his attention back to the enemies who were ready to attack them.
Why? That wasn't fair. Why must he die protecting her? Why was he risking his life for her?
Usagi shook her head at him slowly, "No…"
She didn't want that.
Hadn't he done enough to protect her? He was already badly hurt and would die anytime from the deadly poison inside him, yet he still insisted on defending her? No, that just wasn't right. She couldn't allow him to do that. She couldn't even content herself to stand behind him anymore as she instinctively took a step forward, keeping herself in front of Seiya, just when Rei launched a ball of fire at him.
Time seemed to have slowed itself before Usagi as she watched the flaming ball flew towards her. Strangely, she found herself unable to move from where she was standing, not even with Seiya pulling her from behind. She couldn't hear him or Mamoru called out her name. She couldn't even see the shock look on everyone's faces. The only thing that flashed past her at that moment was the gentle sound of the wind and a blurry silhouette of a mysterious creature.
Usagi didn't understand why, but somehow, deep inside her, she knew what it was, yet she wasn't even consciously aware that she did or that she was already screaming its name aloud.
"Pegasus!"
Then, everything went by like a blur. All Usagi could remember was hearing a piercing noise of a horse galloping before a strong burst of wind swept past her and cut through the raging ball of fire. But even after extinguishing the flame, the current didn't slow down. Instead, it sped up and transformed into what looked like a ghostly image of a white unicorn with wings.
"My maiden…" It called out to her.
Little to her awareness, Usagi's body reacted on its own accord as she extended her hand out at it, her mouth letting her uttered a soft and barely audible command.
"Bring us out of here, my wind spirit…"
His memory of that place where he first met her was vague. All he could recall was its name, the legendary and forbidden forest, called Wonder Wind.
A group of Heavenly soldiers charged forward, chasing after a little, black ram and eventually surrounding it in a tight circle. The small animal glared up and locked its dark blue eyes at the old man approaching him while panting tiredly.
"Your mentor is getting old, Seiya-kou. You shouldn't make me run after you like this…" He sighed at the little ram.
"Blame yourself for turning me into a stupid sheep, damn old man..." Seiya growled at him.
His mentor shook his head, "If you hadn't try running away from the supreme election, I would never have cast that spell on you, my adorable student."
"Stop wasting your breath, old man…" Seiya muttered uncaringly. "I already told you for a hundredth and one time that I don't have any interests in becoming the next king or guardian."
"Stop arguing with me and take some interest in it!" His mentor yelled at him. "Do you know how much hard work we have put into hosting this election?! And, all because of you, your father has just ordered the Council to hold it back! My anticipation, my hard work… It's all gone! And it's all thanks to you!"
"Well, what can I say? You're most welcome?" Seiya shrugged uncaringly.
His mentor gave him an unenthusiastic look, "If you are going to keep up with that nasty attitude of yours, I swear that I'll tie you to a tree or something and throw you into my chamber after I've done capturing you!"
He finished and gestured his soldiers to seize him. Seiya took a step back, glowering at the men who were inching closer towards him from all direction. He swore that he would have slaughtered every single one of them in that instant if he wasn't in an animal form in which he could do nothing to fight back or use his powers.
His mentor chuckled to himself, happy that he had finally discovered a new spell and way to tame this stubborn student of his. Regardless of how powerful and talented of a prince or fighter Seiya was, he'd never be able to escape his men when he couldn't even use his fists to fight back. Contented with his fine plan, the old man watched as his group of soldiers reached out to grab onto Seiya, but before their hands could get anywhere near him, a fierce blast of wind stormed past them, causing the troop to fall backwards.
"Ganging up on a defenceless, little animal… All of you heaven's gods should be ashamed of yourself!" A female voice was heard echoing through the breeze.
Everyone including Seiya glanced around their surrounding wildly as they tried to spot the source of the voice without an avail. It was as though the wind around them had just spoken or that someone was using the current to send a message to them.
"Who's there? Show yourself before us!" The old man shouted.
The breeze caught up in an incredibly fast pace, sweeping another strong gust at them before a winged mount was seen gliding down from the sky. It flew back up as quickly as it came, scooping the little ram along with it.
Seiya stiffened and widened his eyes, startled to find himself held in a pair of soft arms. Instantly, he glanced up and found himself accidentally meeting her in the eyes. She smiled warmly down at him and for the next minute, all Seiya could do was continued to stare back in pure disbelief.
But he wasn't alone. His mentor and every soldier who were after him were shocked speechless as they gaped with their mouths wide open at the maiden seated on top of a winged unicorn. As ordered, the legendary creature flew down and landed before the entrance of a hill, a far distant away from the troop. The breeze sped up again, carrying her message over to them.
"I'm the guardian of the wind spirit, and in the name of Wonder Wind, I won't let you harm this baby ram."
She ended her statement shortly and disappeared into the mysterious forest behind her. Caught in disbelief, none of soldiers moved from where they were standing and was stunned silent.
So, it wasn't just a myth then. The legendary forest known as Wonder Wind really did exist.
It was a mysterious place that little was known about, since it was believed that the entire forest would often shift its location along with the wind, disappearing and reappearing in various part of the world depending on where the current was heading. There was also another claim stating that even gods were forbidden to enter, and anyone who tried intruding would be blown back by the overpowered defensive whirlwind that guarded its entrance.
Yet despite the impossible, many would still go on a conquest in search for the legendary forest, and there were many reasons for the great interest. While, women wanted to seek an opportunity to tame the mythological winged unicorn that was believed to be able to make anyone beautiful for eternity, men were crazy over Wonder Wind's sole guardian who was responsible for controlling the wind spirits to protect its territory from any intrusion.
Although it was highly unlikely that the guardian would come into contact with men, it was said that if she was seen by one, her beauty was so great that, according to folklore, the man would instantly wish to capture her. But as invisible as she was claimed to be in the presence of Wonder Wind, it was greatly impossible that any man would even get a chance to catch a glimpse of her, let alone capture her. And because it was never likely that anyone would learn her name, those who seek and hunted for her eventually named her, Virgo.
"I know what all of you are thinking, but don't even think of going in there to get her or the prince. No matter how many times you try, you'll never make it in successfully. So, just pretend that we lost him and didn't know where he went, got it?" The old man instructed.
"But sire, shouldn't we inform His Majesty or the Great Council about this?" The head of the soldiers asked.
The elderly mentor stood his head, "There's no need to create anymore commotion. That girl who took the prince, she's not just the Guardian of Wonder Wind, but also the daughter of the King of Wight."
'Wight was a class of "demoted' gods who were thrown out of Heaven, either because of their rebellion against the Heaven's King or they weren't good enough. Not being accepted into Hell, they were caught in between, leading them to develop an extreme hatred for the Gods in Heaven. Eventually, they formed an empire on earth and allied with the demon realm, viewing all Heavenly gods as their enemies.' – Story information.
"What?!" All the soldiers exclaimed together.
"Yes, but according to my research, she went missing a few years ago after the Wight King, her father, forced her to get engaged to a demon prince. And because her beauty is said to be compatible to the features of one of the Pisces mermaids in Atlantis, everyone, including the Prince of the Demon Realm is battling to seek her out. I won't want Heaven to interfere with this and risk getting caught up in another war with the Wight Empire or the Demon Realm again. So, even if it kills you, never mention what had just happened, do I make myself clear?" He finished sternly.
"Ye-yes sir!" His team of men nodded and bowed without further question.
The elderly mentor stood there in silent for a moment, pondering over his decision in attempt to figure out if he had made the right choice or not. He sighed and mentally scolded Seiya for always creating a problem for him to stress over. Still, he was positive that once the spell on Seiya wears off, everything would turn out right. He would get thrown out of Wonder Wind by the guardian, knowing that she would never tolerate him if she was to find out that he was the Prince of Heaven, while Seiya who could never endure staying near any girls, no matter how pretty they were, would gratefully leave her.
Yes, that was exactly how it would all end for them. The old mentor nodded and smiled to himself, catching a last glimpse of the magical forest, before he ordered his men to head back to Heaven.
"My name is Usagi! What's yours, little ram?"
Seiya looked wearily at the girl lifting him up in the air as she smiled happily at him as though she had just found a new toy to play with. He didn't understand why she was so fascinated with him when he looked like a dull animal now. Though he was used to girls clinging and chasing after him back in Heaven, he wasn't comfortable to be lifted by one in such a silly way. He struggled for a bit, but his attempt to break free only made her tightened her grip around his tiny body.
"Do you want to go back home? But you mustn't go out now, little ram. The bad gods might be still out there…"
Her reminder stopped Seiya from resisting as he cursed quietly to himself. Great! Now, he was stuck in this strange place with a silly girl who kept talking to him and a fierce winged unicorn that wouldn't stop glaring at him. Still, it was better than following his mentor back to become some boring guardian and upright his duty as a prince.
He turned back to look at Usagi when he heard her gasping, watching her eyes widening at the blood escaping out from a tiny cut on his hind leg.
"You're hurt!" She exclaimed worriedly before she shot up and rushed down a short stone path while carrying him in her arms.
Seiya continued to stare at her anxious expression, not understanding why she was getting so upset over a small cut of his. He remained silent and allowed her to settle him gently down on a huge marble stone, a short distance away from the freshwater lake.
"This might sting a little…" Usagi warned before cupping her hands into the lake to fill it up with clear water.
She turned her attention back to him and poured the water over his cut slowly. He flinched slightly, not expecting her to do that, but remained perfectly still, not making any movement away from her process of cleaning the injury. When the last drop of water had dripped out, Usagi began ripping the bottom of her white dress much to his surprise. He peered at her oddly, taken aback by her action as she took the white strip to wind it around his hind leg a couple of times. Her expression turned a little serious as she tried to figure a way to tie the bandage so that there'd be just enough pressure to stop the bleeding but not enough to cause him any pain.
For a brief moment there, Seiya found himself secretly smiling at her caring nature. He thought she was silly to get so stress up over his little injury, especially when he was just a useless ram now, yet why did she appear so adorable at the same time? Strangely, his heart felt warm just by looking at her and it even skipped a beat when she finally glanced up and smiled at him after she had done dressing his wound.
"Does it still hurt? Can you walk?" Usagi asked.
Seiya lifted his legs and took a few steps forward as his reply, making Usagi beamed gratefully back. She continued to stare at him, her eyes widening by a little with admiration when she found herself accidentally meeting his eyes.
"You have such beautiful pair of dark blue eyes, little ram…" She muttered, still admiring him with a smile.
Seiya looked away from her intent gaze, deciding to ignore that compliment. Though that wasn't his first time getting these kinds of remarks, he couldn't help but feel a little awkward when she praised him. Maybe it wasn't a bad thing being a ram since he could get to pretend that he didn't understand her or choose not to reply.
"Don't ignore me…" Usagi pouted and picked Seiya up much to his reluctance.
She gently held and positioned him until he was at her eye level. He looked unenthusiastically at her, wondering what she was going to do next, but judging from that stupid smile that she was giving him, he was certain that whatever idea that had just hit her wasn't going to be something he'd like.
"I've finally come up with a good name for you, little ram!" She beamed excitedly at him before continuing, "From today on, you shall be called Aries!"
Immediately, Seiya threw her an exasperated look, clearly showing her that he didn't like that name, but Usagi was too excited to notice his displease as she happily introduced him to the winged unicorn that was standing next to her.
"Aries, I would like you to meet Pegasus. And Pegasus, this is our new friend, Aries!" She exclaimed and held Seiya out to show him off to her wind spirit.
Pegasus huffed unhappily at Seiya before reaching its neck out and widening its mouth at him. Usagi gasped and quickly yanked Seiya away from Pegasus before it could even land a bite on him.
"No, Pegasus! Aries is not your food! You don't eat or hurt him!" She scolded, holding Seiya against her chest protectively.
Seiya blinked a couple of times but remained perfectly still, enjoying the pleasant feeling of warmth that she was giving him. He shot a sideway glance at Pegasus and smirked arrogantly at it which made the white mount widened its eyes with pure frustration. But Seiya simply ignored its angry expression and continued to lie comfortably in Usagi's arms.
It didn't matter if he had made a rival because of her. The strange feeling that he had for her had gradually grew so strong that he was even willing to make the world his enemy if that would keep her by his side. As the days past, he had come to learn a few things about this mysterious girl. She was well-liked and respected by all the creatures that lived in the forest, and could even communicate with most of them. The little birds would sing to her whenever she strolled by and the golden eagles would even fly down to present her with gifts. Now, even a mermaid of Atlantis had come up to shore just to meet her.
"I met a really hot centaur the other day, his name is Yaten… and I think I'm in love with him…" The golden mermaid updated Usagi.
Usagi nodded and listened to her friend bragged about that Yaten person before adding, "But Minako, wouldn't you be in trouble if the King and Queen of your kingdom finds out about your relationship with him? You'd be severely punished…"
"I don't care… I'd run away like how you did if they won't allow me be with him…" Minako concluded, folding her arms.
Seiya yawned at the on-going conversation between Usagi and Minako. He continued to lie quietly on Usagi's lap, obviously uninterested in their topic till Minako mentioned something about a Demon Prince and another Wight King who were trying to capture Usagi.
"I heard that they have sent more men out to hunt for you, Usagi. So, you better hurried back to Wonder Wind and stay in there, it'd be dangerous if you keep venturing out to meet me…"
Seiya's ears perked up and he instantly awakened from his rest when he heard Minako's remark. He mirrored Usagi's serious expression, not liking what he was hearing at all. Why were people out to get Usagi? What did all these men want from her?
"Why won't they just let me go?" Usagi sighed, sounding a little distress.
"That's because your father is a selfish man! Forcing you to marry a man who you didn't like just for the sake of strengthening his empire… How wicked…! You were right to run away from them, Usagi." Minako commented with a nod.
Usagi smiled but kept quiet, not really interested in discussing the matter further. She looked down when she felt Seiya brushing his face lightly against her arm as he tried to comfort her. He stared up at her, and as each second passed his head filled with another question he was dying to ask her. There was a lot he wanted to learn about her, a lot he needed to know about her. His head was swarming with hundred of questions, most of them he would probably not get a chance to ask.
He didn't think that she would accept him if he was to open his voice and speak to her in his present form. She might even end up hating him if she learnt about his status as the prince of heaven, and that possibility of hatred somehow scared him. It was his first time experiencing such an uncontrollable feeling like this, the fear of losing someone.
Why did it matter so much to him whether he could continue seeing Usagi or not? He'd admit, he had enjoyed the days they spent together in Wonder Wind, but that didn't change the fact that he hadn't known her for very long. He couldn't have developed any feeling for her in such a short amount of time he had known her. That was impossible. He tried to tell himself that she was just another person and that he could stop seeing her whenever he wanted to, but he realized he couldn't do that.
His eyes would follow her every movement, watching her as she settled down at the centre of a huge clover field. There, her lips were seen curving up into a bright smile when she spotted a four-leaf clover.
"Look Aries! A four-leaf clover! How lucky!" She exclaimed happily, picking it up to show it to him.
Seiya looked oddly at the plain-looking plant as he tried to figure out her excitement. But his attention immediately flew back to Usagi when she bent forward and tried tying the clover around his tiny front leg.
"They say that if you find a four-leafed clover and make a wish, your wish will come true. But do you know what a clover actually means?" She asked before looking back up at him with a warm smile.
"It means… You're my lover…"
Seiya stared at Usagi, switching his view from her lovely expression to the clover knotted around his leg, enchanted by her words.
Lover…?
That sounded nice.
Was there even a possibility that they could be one?
Yes, he had finally found his first interest. At that moment, he decided he would be with her forever, even if he meant to go against the Wight or the Demon Empire. He didn't care. He wasn't going to let anyone lay a finger on her and was even willing to remain as a ram just as long as they could be together. But to stay at her side forever would probably be near impossible considering that he would transform back into his original form after the spell wears off, which he knew, would be in one or two days time.
He was reluctant, but in order to keep seeing her, he got to leave her for the time being and find a way to get his mentor to permanently turn him into a ram or something. That was the only solution he had came up with as he took the opportunity to sneak out in the middle of the night while Usagi was asleep. He hadn't expected her to wake up panicking to find him gone, but she did, and even rushed out of Wonder Wind without Pegasus to look for him.
"Aries? Aries?!" Usagi called out worriedly.
She was running further and further away from her home without realizing. Her mind was completely focused on finding Seiya, fearing that he might get hurt in the world outside of Wonder Wind. She was sure that a little animal like him couldn't defend himself and he might even get bullied or cooked alive by those evil hunter gods.
She had to find him. Yes, Usagi clearly believed that it was her fault that he had run away. She should have known that he wasn't happy staying with her from the beginning but at the very least, she wanted to say goodbye and watched him go safely.
Usagi clutched her fist together, determined to find Seiya, as she continued to run about wildly, yelling out to him. The clouds shielded the moon, hiding the light it would have provided. Usagi spun around when she heard the sound of loud footsteps but the only thing she saw were darkness and clumps of trees.
As the noise got louder, her eyes caught sight of several fire torches heading towards her. Usaagi turned around and tried to back away but found herself stepping onto the trigger of a foothold trap. She let out a soft shriek of pain and fell onto the grassy ground, unable to move from the spot.
"We've finally caught you, Princess…"
Usagi turned to face the source of the voice, and was startled to find Zoisite with his group of demons standing around her. She flinched, and had completely forgotten the pain on her leg, when she saw him reaching out his hand for her.
"Our Prince Dimande has been looking everywhere for you…" Zoisite smirked and tried to grab onto her.
"Don't come any closer!" Usagi yelled as a powerful air current sent him and his group of demons falling a few steps back.
The strong gust continued to stomp past them, putting out their fire torches and shifting the clouds to reveal the full moon. Within seconds, the fast moving air around her transformed and turned into an outline of a translucent wind shield, preventing anyone from coming any closer to her comfort zone. This unbreakable defensive magic of hers was one reason why she remained untouchable throughout the years.
Zoisite frowned but stopped his men from trying to attack the protective wall. He was told by his prince that Usagi wasn't just another weak girl with a pretty face. Instead, she was strong and exceptionally difficult to deal with which was partially why Dimande wanted her as his wife. If she hadn't come out of Wonder Wind to look for someone, Zoisite was positive that he'd never get the chance to even catch a glimpse of her. Though he didn't know who she was looking for, he had heard her calling his name and maybe he could use that concern of hers to his advantage.
"You'll never get to see your friend, Aries again if you don't come out of there, Princess Usagi."
"A-Aries? What have you done to him?!" Usagi demanded anxiously.
Zoisite smirked, feeling pleased that his plan worked as he continued to lie. "You don't have to worry, Princess Usagi. He's unharmed for now, but I couldn't guarantee his safety for long…"
"Don't hurt him!" Usagi shrieked, glaring sternly at Zoisite.
"You'll have to come with us if you don't want your little friend to get hurt."
Zoisite snickered as he watched Usagi bit her lips in hesitation before the powerful gust that surrounded her slowly died down into light breeze. Every one of the demons stared back at her, surprised by her obedience. They chuckled to one another and moved in towards her, ready to take her with them.
Usagi clutched her fists as she shut her eyes to endure the hands that were about to touch her but before any one of them could even get close enough, someone leapt out of the darkness and landed himself between Usagi and the group of demons.
"No one is allowed to touch her."
Usagi's ear perked up at the solemn sounding voice that didn't seem to belong to any one of the demons. Soon, a few loud crashes, cries, and screams of agony were heard before everything grew eerily quiet. Slowly, Usagi opened her eyes, taken aback by the scene before her. The entire horde of demons lay motionlessly on the ground, some were so badly burnt that their bodies powdered into ashes. She didn't know whether they were unconscious or dead, but she couldn't bring herself to care much after she had caught sight of Zoisite pierced against a tree by a thick, long spear that seemed to let out a dark blue glow against the darkness.
Usagi widened her eyes as she watched the man, who had stabbed Zoisite with his spear, mercilessly forced the blade deeper into his left shoulder, causing Zoisite to scream out in pain.
"Did you try touching her with this filthy hand of yours?" He muttered in a flat and cold tone as he closed in at his prey, feeling the urge to rip Zoisite's arm apart.
Zoisite swallowed nervously as he stared back at the man who appeared even more ruthless and frightening than the demon prince whom he was serving. The shadows of the woodland played with the faint moonlight, making him looked twice as fearsome. But he thought he had seen this man somewhere before and even though he couldn't figure out who he was now, the godly aura around him was so overwhelming that he was, without a question, an elite god from heaven.
"Consider yourself lucky that you didn't actually lay your hand on Usagi because I'd have torn your arm apart if you did." He told Zoisite seriously, sending a quick shiver down his spine as he continued. "Still, you have hurt her and I should have slice off your legs for that, but then again, you won't be able to travel back without them. So, don't worry, I won't kill you just yet… I still need you to pass a message to your demon prince…"
He grabbed Zoisite by the collar, forcefully pulling him closer so he was whispering into his ear, "Tell him that I'll fight whoever that is foolish enough to keep me and Usagi apart, and if he dares to lay a finger on her, I would personally burn his entire demon empire down along with him."
He finished and released Zoisite from his spear before turning around to face Usagi who was still staring back at him, stunned silent. She watched him hurried over to her after Zoisite had disappeared and quickly moved down to work on the foothold trap that was painfully holding onto her leg.
Even though he was being very careful in trying to separate the metals that were gripping onto her ankle, Usagi still winced in pain, making him gazed up at her worriedly.
It was at that moment when their eyes met.
"Aries…" Usagi muttered in disbelief, recognizing his beautiful pair of dark blue orbs. "You are Aries…"
For a moment, he avoided her eyes and kept quiet until he had successfully freed her leg from the trap did he start to draw in enough courage to introduce himself. "My real name is Seiya and I'm actually… a prince… from Heaven…"
Usagi just stared, bewildered from what he had just told her. She slowly backed away from him without peeling her eyes off his face. Seiya looked desperately at her as he tried to grab onto her arm, but she slapped his fingers away, sending a tremor of pain down his body. What hurt him wasn't the fact that she had rejected him but the tears that were forming in her eyes.
Why was she looking this sad?
She was always laughing whenever she was around him, if not smiling, and it was his first time seeing her cry. Though he didn't understand, he could feel his heart throbbed painfully at the sight of her tears.
"Don't touch me!" She shouted at him before her voice cracked in the middle. "Yo-You lied to me… why did you lie to me? I-I was so worried for you… an-and yet…"
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to… I just didn't want you to leave me…" He admitted.
Usagi gazed up at him, taken aback by his words. She hadn't expected him to say that and didn't know what to reply. All she could do now was to stare back, watching him looked away awkwardly before turning his attention back to her injured leg.
"I know you don't want me here… but will you at least allow me to clean your wound and send you back to Wonder Wind?" Seiya asked.
Usagi turned away from him and kept quiet, reminding him that she was still angry with him and hardly wanted his help. But he paid no mind to her expression, or at least, he didn't let her know how much that sullen look bothered him as he quickly hoisted her into his arms and took her down to the nearest lake that was around the area while ignoring her protest.
"If you had just woken that lazy horse of yours up and bring him along with you, you won't have to end up hurt and getting carried by me…" He sighed at her.
"Eh?! Whose fault do you think it is? If you hadn't run away, I won't have come out of Wonder Wind and got myself injured!" Usagi shrieked angrily at him.
"I know… and I'm sorry… You can hate me for all you want, but please try to put up with me for now… I couldn't bear to see you hurting yourself again…" He told her remorsefully.
Usagi glanced silently up at him and didn't protest further. It was strange. Despite feeling cheated and angry, she couldn't bring herself to hate him like he though she would. It sickened her to feel how secure and comfortable she felt in his arms even with all those angry thoughts racing through her head. He was a prince from Heaven, one of her kingdom's sworn enemies, and that alone had already given her all the right to detest him, but yet why?
Why did this strong and mysterious feeling that she had for him remained unchanged?
To her, it didn't matter whether he was a ram or this handsome young man carrying her, she still felt warm and secured being with him. She remained quiet, allowing him to settle her down close to the water, as he gently cleaned her cuts the way that reminded her of how she did with his during their first encounter. But unlike her, he didn't start tearing his long, leather coat for her to use as bandage. Instead, he reached behind his neck and pulled out the white ribbon that was tying his hair together.
Usagi's eyes enlarged with admiration as she watched how those beautiful long, black strands of his spouted out against the breeze before they settled gently down his broad shoulders. Once again, she had forgotten the pain that was acting on her leg just by looking at this stunning night creature before her.
She didn't even notice that he had done dressing her wound with the ribbon until he glanced up to check on her, only to find her reaching her hand out for him. But coming into an eye contact with him brought Usagi back to her sense as she quickly held her hand back to her chest before she could even graze a touch.
Seiya stared back at her, a surprised expression on his face, as Usagi anxiously turned and looked bashfully down on the ground, pretending to be interested in the grass that was underneath her. She didn't dare to look back up at him until she heard him giggling softly to himself. She peeked up and blushed at the beautiful smile that she instantly fell in love with.
"Wh-What so funny?" Usagi demanded, trying to sound angry.
Seiya shook his head before looking directly back into her eyes with a gentle grin, "Nothing… I'm just happy that you still like me…"
"I didn't say I like you, you stupid ram!" Usagi denied aloud, her cheeks flushing a deep red.
She attempted to glare at him, but instantly dropped that idea when she saw him held out a four-leaf clover to her. Usagi's face bobbed down as she stared at the plant for a brief moment before her jaw dropped in surprise. He still had the one she gave him tied around his left ring finger, so it could only mean that he was presenting her with a four-leaf clover that he had found.
"Even though I could no longer see you in Wonder Wind anymore, I'm just as lucky to have met you, Usagi…" He told her, smiling warmly.
Usagi flushed a light red as she once again faced the ground before slowly extending her hand out to accept the clover from him much to his surprise.
"What are you saying, you stupid ram…?" She muttered and finally peeped up at his startled expression before smiling gently.
"Wonder Wind still welcomes you…"
His lips immediately curved up into a wide smile at her last sentence. And, along with it came the beginning of the rise and fall of the stars.
Yaten watched how Minako's eyes snapped wide open before they softened ever so gently with tears as she brought the half piece of Pisces stone to her lips. It was strange how her memories, though not all of them, and confidence could return to her after just coming into contact with a broken fragment. But this fragment that was given to her by Yaten wasn't just an ordinary piece of stone. It was her Starstone, her identity, her past and her future.
"Thank you, thank you so much for finding it for me…" She murmured, looking gratefully at him with tears still forming in her eyes.
Yaten looked back at her and nodded uneasily, dumbfounded for a second. Though he was extremely popular and had got used to being idolized by girls, he paid no mind to any of them and definitely didn't know how to handle one who was crying to him. He thought of comforting her but that would be silly when she was obviously crying out of joy and appreciation. Maybe he should give her a smile or wipe her tears then. But wouldn't that be a little awkward?
As he was busy contemplating to come up with an appropriate response, Tamaki suddenly appeared out of nowhere, stepping in between Yaten and Minako, as he simply took Minako's hands into his before either of them could react.
"You don't have to thank me, my lovable mermaid. It was my honor to slay the Naga King and retrieve part of your Starstone for you." Tamaki stated in a dramatic manner.
"I was the one who retrieved her stone! You did nothing besides charging aimlessly at them!" Yaten shrieked at Tamaki from behind.
Tamaki shook his head at him, "Tsk, tsk. Don't forget that I was the one who did most of the killing, while you, my loyal horseman, just conveniently looted the Starstone from the Naga King which I've killed."
"Ha! Remind me again. Who was the one who claimed that the Naga's corpse stinks and won't want to go near any of them to investigate and retrieve the Starstone?" Yaten retorted calmly.
Tamaki threw him a shock look, "There was such a despicable person?"
"That despicable person was none other than you, damn lion!" Yaten snapped at him. "All thanks to your reckless killing, I've to spend a whole damn hour searching for the Starstone and clearing your dirty mess!"
"My, I didn't know you enjoyed cleaning the corpses so much, my loyal horseman. You don't have to thank me, really. But, you're certainly most welcome." Tamaki nodded and patted Yaten on his shoulder much to his exasperation.
Yaten raised his fist at Tamaki, swearing that he would have punched him on the face if Minako hadn't came in between them in the attempt to prevent the imminent outbreak of violence.
"Ah! I'm really grateful to the both of you for helping me get my Starstone back. So, please don't fight, Your Excellency, Yaten-kun." She interrupted nervously, switching her views from Tamaki to Yaten from between.
Yaten held back his punches with a frown, swearing that he would get back at Tamaki one fine day. He then turned to face Minako, surprised to find her smiling at him out of relief. His lips curved up a little at the sight of her grin, but before he could even open his mouth to give a reply, Tamaki once again interrupted him.
"I wasn't thinking of fighting him, my lovely mermaid. So, you don't have to worry about my safety." He told her, adding a bit of drama into his tone.
"I wasn't worried about you, Your Excellency." Minako replied honestly without giving his words a second thought.
Instantly, Tamaki's image froze, turning into a sliver statue before his sculpture broke into a million pieces at her response.
"You definitely did say the right thing, Minako." Yaten laughed with a nod.
Minako blinked a few times at Yaten before gasping nervously when she realized what her statement might have meant to Tamaki. Whoops. She had offended their prince. Minako wanted to fix this misinterpretation somehow. But her apology couldn't reach Tamaki in time as he quickly retreated into his little, dark corner and began mortifying his wave of agony into many, tiny mushrooms.
"I'm sorry, Your Excellency… it's not that I wasn't concern about you… I'm just afraid that you might end up breaking the things in the house…" Minako tried explaining anxiously.
"… and causing more troubles for everyone." Yaten added, rubbing it in which sent Tamaki further into his depression.
"Yaten-kun!" Minako half-heartedly scolded him as she tried to console Tamaki.
Yaten sighed, deciding to help Minako out for a bit before Tamaki turned the whole place into a mushroom farm which would be just as bad as breaking furniture and crumbling walls. "Stop growing mushroom at the corner already… Don't you have Usagi and that Chiba guy to look after?"
"Neither of them have regain conscious yet. Michiru said she can watch over them herself, and she ask me to check on Seiya. But Taiki won't allow me into the treatment room…" Tamaki replied with wave of agony still streaming around him.
"So even Your Excellency doesn't know about Ouji-sama's condition?" Minako asked sadly. "Yaten-kun told me that he was found badly wounded at the gate of the main house? What actually happened?"
"We don't know either. I guess we'd just have to wait for one of them to wake up before we can find out what actually happened while we were away in Okinawa." Yaten replied, looking a little distress.
"But I don't think Seiya will ever lose to anyone in a battle…" Tamaki commented abruptly and stood up, his once depressed expression morphed into a serious one.
"I agree! The Ouji-sama I know will never lose in a fight! He's always strong and dominant! And, I'm sure he's going to be alright! I know he will…" Minako exclaimed, grasping both her hands together worriedly.
Yaten glanced at Minako's upset expression before turning away, slightly bothered by her extreme concern for Seiya. Sure, she had gotten her memories back and maybe she had a past with Seiya, but that didn't mean they were lovers right? At least, that was what he wanted to believe. He didn't want to ask her about her relationship with Seiya or any one of the zodiac guardians whom she could remember. He wanted to personally remember her and his relationship with everyone on his own. But the idea of retrieving his Starstone frightened him.
What if, by the end of everything, there wasn't a Starstone that actually belonged to him? What should he do then? How could he continue living with these people if he wasn't part of them?
Taking a deep breath, he cleared his mind of all thoughts of their shaky future. There'd be no benefit gained from focusing on all the 'what ifs'. Right now, he should be thinking of how he could help Seiya into recovery, even though he didn't have any medical skills or know anything about treating poison unlike Taiki.
Still, he didn't think that he would be of much help even if he was a certified doctor because the damage that Seiya suffered wasn't anything ordinary that the modern medical science of this world could cure, which made admitting him to a hospital just as pointless.
Just when he thought that things couldn't get anymore complicated, Haruka stormed into the room with a couple of maids and servants trying to stop him from behind. Yaten eyed at the intruder wearily for a second before waving away the servants. He was positive that Haruka was here for Minako. Haruka's action and expression had made it perfectly clear.
"Haruka, how did you-…?"
"Find you?" Haruka completed the sentence for Minako with a sigh as he shook his head and walked over to her. "Minako, you were practically screaming when that shrimp called you."
"Who are you calling shrimp, damn intruder?!" Yaten snapped.
"Intruder? You should be grateful that I didn't report you for tricking Minako into coming here." Haruka retorted, pointing his index at Yaten.
"No, no… Yaten-kun didn't trick me… I was the one who wanted to come over…" Minako immediately jumped into Yaten's defence.
"Let's not quarrel, my faithful peasants. You won't want your noise to reach Taiki's ears…" Tamaki stated calmly.
"Yes, yes. The Great Sage is really scary when he gets angry, so please don't fight." Minako added anxiously.
Haruka threw Yaten a final menacing gaze before deciding to drop the matters as he turned over to Minako, silently asking her whether she was ready to leave. But Minako just shook her head at him and insisted that she wouldn't go anywhere until she learnt about Seiya's condition.
"Fine then. I'll stay with you till that whoever prince of yours wakes up." Haruka agreed with a sigh, not wanting to force Minako to leave if she didn't want to.
"I didn't say anything about allowing a damn intruder like you to stay." Yaten objected, glaring at Haruka.
"What are you going to do about it if I insist on staying? Kick me out?" He shrugged.
"You think I won't?" Yaten challenged.
Haruka smirked, "I just think you couldn't even if you try."
"Huh, is that so? Then try this." Yaten smiled forcefully as he pulled back his fist and threw it out at Haruka.
Haruka stepped towards the right, barely dodging the fierce strike. It didn't take Haruka very long either to learn that Yaten was quicker than all those harassers, who he had severely bashed for pestering Minako in the past, and certainly, he was a lot stronger too. Haruka turned serious, glaring at Yaten as he blocked his next attack with his right elbow. But just when he was about to strike a counter-attack, two huge fishing nets abruptly flew out of nowhere and landed onto them.
Instantly, the boys stopped fighting when they found themselves separated and trapped within some elastic wired nets. They turned around together, surprised to find Minako holding onto the end of the netting with an angry look flashed across her lovely face.
"NO FIGHTING!" She yelled fiercely at them.
Both Yaten and Haruka flinched slightly and widened their eyes in surprise, wondering where she had gotten the huge nets from. They were clearly missing the picture though, since they knew nothing about her Pisces' ability. Tamaki stood there, shaking his head at the two boys with a sigh.
"Fighting among each other over mermaid-chan isn't something you should be doing, my faithful peasants."
The veins on Yaten's and Haruka's foreheads could be seen bulging out of fury together as they turned to glare at Tamaki who had placed one hand on each of their shoulders. But they didn't shove him away as they would have expected themselves to. They couldn't, not when he was looking so seriously at them.
"Shouldn't you be fighting those who are out to get mermaid-chan instead?" Tamaki asked in a voice that was barely audible to Minako who was standing behind him.
The two boys stared back at Tamaki, giving him a 'what are you saying' look.
"Heaven has made too many enemies, and because of mermaid-chan, we have offended yet another empire, the Kingdom of Atlantis." He informed them softly before adding, "And according to the Great Sage's prediction, Alantis will soon rise, forming an ally with the Wight and Akuma (Demon) Empires to steal mermaid-chan back…"
"What is your next plan, Tomoe? Prince Dimande won't be pleased to know that you didn't manage to bring Usagi-hime back to him." Jadeite stated.
"Why don't you ask Rei? She was the one who insisted that it was possible to kill Seiya-kou instead of following my plan to capture Usagi-hime when we had the chance to..." Tomoe replied, glowering at Rei who was staring blankly out the window.
She let out a tired sigh before turning around to look wearily at him, "You have misunderstood me, Professor. I didn't say that I'll agree to help you capture Usagi-hime back to Prince Dimande. Our empire might have allied with yours, but that doesn't mean I've to take orders from any of you."
Tomoe shook his head with a sigh, "This is why I never like working with the warriors of Wight."
"Aren't you half-Wight yourself?" Jadeite smirked at Tomoe.
"But I'm proud to be half a demon." Tomoe shrugged before turning back to Rei. "I'm unlike you who pretended to harm Usagi-hime just for the opportunity to kill Seiya-kou. It was a good plan but you've underestimated the Prince of Heaven, Rei. He's tougher than you think he is, and even our future king can't beat him, what makes you think you can huh?"
"Even if I can't, I won't let him off that easily…" Rei declared in a murmur.
"Oh? What has Seiya-kou done to make you hate him this much?" Jadeite asked with a shrug.
"He stole a best friend who was once mine and failed to protect her… I won't forgive him for that…" She muttered lowly.
Both Tomoe and Jadeite raised their brows at Rei, wondering who she was referring to. But she simply ignored their curious looks and made her way past them. Ironically enough, she didn't leave the room when they had expected her to. Instead, Rei turned around to give them a serious look as she opened the door.
"I almost forgot to mention this…" She uttered, sending them a final message. "For the sake of my empire, I maybe siding you demons for the time being. But that doesn't mean I'm supporting Usagi-hime to get hurt or go back with you. Those who harmed our princess are my enemies… I'll never forgive them and your Prince Dimande is no exception…"
'-kou also means prince in Japanese, while –hime means princess.' – Japanese translation.
A/N: I wasn't planning on updating this story anymore, but because of the many demands that I received through the months, I decided to submit another chapter. I'll be updating the NPA next, so if you'd like to see another chapter for this story, leave me a review and let me know, if not, I'll just go ahead and leave this in the cold. Thank you for reading and I wish everyone a Happy New Year =)!