SailorStar9: Well, I was watching Saint Seiya Omega when this idea came to me. I blame my plot bunnies for this since they won't let me go even in my sleep. A rehash of episode 22 of Saint Seiya Omega and continues from there. Hopefully this turns out to be a Haruto/OC fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, will it kill you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?
Summary: What if Yoshitomi wasn't Shinzoku's only child? Haruto returns to his home village not only to regain his resolve, and also to stop Kikyo's pending betrothal.
Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the pairing.
Prologue: Feelings Toward My Friends! The Pride of the Saints and the Way of the Shinobi!
The now grown-up Kikyo, in her Shinto Miko grub was kneeling in front of her brother's gravestone, her catalpa bow laid out beside her as she paid her respects to her late brother. "What do you want, Ōshū?" she stood up, reaching for her bow as she sensed a prescence behind her. "I have already told you I'm not interested in dating you…"
"I have found a way to get around your lie." Ōshū cut her off. "As a ninja, I can go to your clan's council and arrange for a marriage contract. If your clan's laws are like the mine, then the elders can overrule the heads' decision if it benefits the clan. And marrying me will benefit you more than anything else."
Kikyo knew Ōshū was actually correct in his assessment of clan laws, but before she could say anything else, Ōshū grabbed her roughly by the arm, "You will be my wife, whether you like it or not!" he sneered.
"You touch her again, and I'm taking your hand." Haruto sent a smoldering glare at Ōshū, his punch having sent the older ninja skidding across the floor. "Hi Princess." He grinned at the Miko on his arm. "You look even more beautiful than last time I saw you. Let me take you back." Scooping her into his arms, the pair disappeared via a Shunshin, leaving the fuming Ōshū to vow to put the interceptor in his place next time he saw him.
"You know I never blamed you for what happened." Kikyo voiced, after the pair returned to the clearing where Yoshitomi used to practice.
"Don't tell me you're surprised." Haruto snorted. "You knew I'll come here if I ever returned."
"You're right." Kikyo agreed. "I did know. After that day, I knew how everything would end and I couldn't stop it. You're a hopeless dimwit, you realize that. You just love to wallow in your own ridiculous suffering. That Saint was the one who killed my brother, not you. Don't you think you've blamed yourself enough for not being perfect? Haven't you blamed me enough, too?" she whispered.
"Kikyo," Haruto started. "I never regretted for the things between us. If things had been different, it would have been a beautiful life." With that, he shushinned away.
You really are an idiot. Kikyo mused.
"What do you want?" Haruto asked, Ryuho having ran through the devastated forest to find him. "You can stop your yelling. Why didn't you leave?"
"Those are…" Ryuho was on alert when Shinzoku and his squad appeared.
"Ryuho, this is my fight." Haruto recognized the group.
"Who are they?" the Drago Saint asked.
"I had problems with them long ago." Haruto replied. "And it looks like it's time to settle them."
"Then, I must stay." Ryuho stood his ground. "As your friend, I'll stay and see what happens?" and donned on his Cloth.
"Haruto, why did you come back?" Shinzoku demanded.
"You don't understand why I'm here," the bespectacled ninja replied. "But I know why you're here."
"Why?" Shinzoku pressed. "Are you tired of living in shame?"
"Haruto…" Ryuho prompted.
At Ryuho's cue, Haruto summoned his Cloth.
"What are you doing?" Shinzoku drew out his katana. "I'll take revenge for my son."
"Then you're Yoshitomi's father?" Ryuho realized.
"Ryuho, get out of here." Haruto warned, deflecting the incoming shurikens with his kunai and parrying off Shinzoku's assault.
"You ran, and because of that, Yoshitomi died." Shinzoku snapped. "And then, you ran from the village, too."
"What's your point?" Haruto retorted.
"You do nothing but run." Shinzoku scoffed. "Why return? You knew we'd try to kill you."
"No one asked for your opinion." Haruto shot back.
"Doton: Genkugutsu no Jutsu!" Shinzoku summoned vines from the ground.
"Doton: Dorui Tenjou!" Haruto countered with a dirt wall.
"A coward's trick." Shinzoku growled, Haruto shushinning out of harm's way when his wall was breached and summoned clones of himself, Haruto doing the same. "There!" he pointed, his clones taking out Haruto's replicas and trapping the younger ninja with his grappling chains. "What are you thinking?" he taunted, knocking Haruto to the ground with a punch to the stomach. "You abandoned the path of a ninja to be a Saint. But you're still using ninjutsu. It doesn't matter. There's no point in asking a weakling like you anything. Fuuton: Kamaitachi no Jutsu!" he moved in for the finishing kill.
"Giving in to guilt and throwing away your life?" Ryuho glared, blocking off the attack with his battered shield. "That's the act of a coward, Haruto. Haruto, you became a Saint to follow in your friend's footsteps, right? Then you can't give up halfway."
"Stop talking!" Ōshū, who was also in Shinzoku's squad, sent Ryuho to the ground with a kick. "He can't do anything. He can't be a ninja or a Saint. Or save his friends. Now, you'll let another of your friends die again. Shinzoku-taichou," he glanced at his squad leader. "You'll honor your promise, wouldn't you?"
"Of course." Shinzoku nodded.
"Wonderful." Ōshū turned to his adversary. "Kuchiyoshe no Jutsu!" he summoned a scorpion. "Haruto, I ask you this question. Who are you? Are you a ninja? Or a Saint? You'll never stop my scorpion without being one or the other."
"I'm a Saint!" Haruto declared and took to the skies, the scorpion having caught Ryuho in its claws. "Suiton: Zettai Raido!" he froze the scorpion's stinger.
"You've chosen to be a Saint," Ōshū snapped. "So why do you use ninjutsu?"
"I am a Saint," Haruto admitted. "But I'm also a ninja."
"Curse you!" Ōshū growled.
"I won't run away anymore." Haruto swore. "I won't abandon anything. Choose one and give up the other? Never! I'll carry the burden of all I've done. And I will save my friends. Hakurouken: Denshin Musou!" he let loose his attack, forcing the scorpion to drop Ryuho and vanish.
"Why?" Shinzoku pressed, Haruto's kunai pressing against his chest before he could draw out his shuriken.
"I told you." Haruto replied. "I won't abandon anything anymore."
"Is that your answer?" Shinzoku inquired.
"Yes, that's right." Haruto answered.
"Very well." Shinzoku relented. "Ōshū," he turned to his subordinate. "My deepest apologies, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline your marriage contract."
"What?" Ōshū demanded, enraged.
Shinzoku simply grabbed Ōshū by the shoulder and vanished.
"It will be a hard path to follow." Morigakure appeared before his son.
"I'm ready for it." Haruto replied. "You asked me why I came back." He added, Morigakure turning to leave. To see you. To follow my path."
"Are you done running?" Morigakure questioned. "You're grown, Haruto. Be well." He bade his son farewell.
SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.