AN: Hey all! Haku here. Well, after a long day at school, I came back to my home in Osaka, and my mom suggests we go out and eat. Nothing wrong with that, but...we went out to this Greek food place...I've never heard of such a thing in Japan. Surprisingly, it reminded me of my fic "Exiled", and after eating my food (this tasty sandwich called a "Giros". At least I think it's spelt that way. It was written 「ギロス」 in katakana. Anyone care to clarify? XP), I was like, "Goddamn, this inspires me to write a sequel to the fic", so here's my sequel to fic "Exiled", "Exiled: Art of Life". (Read "Exiled" to understand why I use first-person)
It has been almost two years since my exile to the Shapeless Isle. It has been the best time of my life. It seems that I have fallen in love with the "monster" who roams these lands. She is the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on, and is an excellent lover and mate in bed. She has the most beautiful eyes in the world, although I am one of the only people able to look into her eyes without turning into stone. It is true, Medusa has stolen my heart, and refuses to let it go, not that I mind. I'm simply in love with this woman, hands down.
Well over the past 3 months, I have been working on a project in secret. The project? A ship! I plan to take her to the summer Olympics in my hometown in Athens. Now I know that it's not really the smartest idea in the world, seeing as she is either feared, hated, or both in Greece, but I'm pretty sure that I got her covered in that aspect. Besides, the Olympics is simply a must-see for anyone who likes any kind of activity that involves using your body. I'm sure she'll appreciate it in the end, although I know that it might take a little convincing before she agrees to come.
I have been waking up extremely early every morning to work on my project. Let me tell you, it isn't an easy task to wake up early every morning. Medusa is a goddess and a stallion in bed. I get worn out so much every night, that sometimes, I worry if I'll ever be able to move again. Today was the day that I put the finishing touches on the boat, and when I was done, I couldn't help but marvel at my work. Now, I'm not one to brag, but I must say that I make a pretty decent ship, seeing as I used to help my father build them. After I made sure everything was perfect, I tried to push it back behind a large rock, but it was too much. I sighed as I decided to look to Stheno and Euryale for help.
Stheno and Euryale were the two sisters of Medusa. They were cute little girls, but could have an attitude sometimes. Outside of that, I got along pretty well with the two. I was fortunate in that I did not have to look too far for them. It looked like they were having an early morning stroll around the Isle. I waved my hands as I called out to them.
"Stheno! Euryale! C'mere!" I called out.
I saw them turn and then pause.
"What do you want?!" Euryale called out...at least I think it was Euryale. They both looked the same from afar.
"C'mere real quick! I need some help!" I called back.
"What do you need our help for?!" one said.
I sighed. Couldn't they just come over and find out?
"Something! Just come here and you'll see!" I shouted.
I saw them sigh and then head over to me. When they came up to me, they tilted their head up to look at me. I was quite a bit taller than them, but only a few centimeters taller than Medusa. She was pretty tall too. Wait a minute...I'm getting off track here.
"Can you two help me push that behind the rocks there?" I asked them.
They looked over at my ship and then back at me.
"What's that for?" Stheno asked.
"Yeah? What's it for?" Euryale said.
I sighed. I knew that they were going to ask that. Should I tell them? Should I bullshit my answer? I looked at the sky before looking at the two. Suddenly, Euryale gasped.
"Did you get Medusa pregnant and plan to run away?!" she said accusingly.
"WHAT?! NO!!" I shouted in defense.
"Well then what is the meaning of this ship?!" Stheno said, getting impatient.
"I'm gonna take her back to my hometown in Athens to see the Summer Olympics, alright?!" I growled.
I immediately regretted saying that. Both girls looked at me as if I just committed a crime.
"You're going to WHAT?!" they said at the same time.
I winced. That's not what I wanted to hear.
"Erm..."
"We are not letting you take our sister to Greece, where she will be ridiculed and possibly killed, mister! You might as well burn down that ship because we won't let you take her!" Stheno snapped.
"How wise is Stheno! I couldn't word it any better myself!" Euryale snarled.
I sighed. I knew I would get shit from those two, it's just that I acted out of impulse, and didn't stop to think before making my little outburst.
"Girls...c'mon...she'll be with me. I'll make sure she's safe." I whined a little.
I was looking forward to seeing the Summer Olympics with my lover. I promised my father and mother that I would meet them in Athens to watch it with them, as well as introduce them to my love. They still have no idea that my lover is Medusa. In the letters I sent them, I just told them that she was "the most beautiful woman in the world, as well as the sweetest lover". I just hope that they'll take my choice well, although I'm not too sure about my father. He gets objective with things he doesn't agree with.
"Oh that calms our nerves. You're not exactly a big man who can take care of our sister." Euryale said, crossing her arms.
"Aww c'mon, don't say that..." I whined.
"'Tis true!" she argued back.
I sighed again. I didn't need this shit.
"But I'm going to protect her with my life, alright?! That's all that matters! I'll be dead before she's harmed! I'll die without any second thoughts for her!" I snapped.
The two girls gasped in shock. I could tell that it wasn't the fact that I said that, but just in the manner that I said it. After a few minutes of silence, they finally sighed.
"Well...alright, we'll help you with your effort, boy, but you'd better bring our sister back in one piece, or we'll curse your bloodline until kingdom come!" Euryale threatened.
I nodded my head.
"Thank you." I said graciously.
Euryale sighed as she walked over to one side of the boat.
"Should we help him?" Stheno asked.
"Ay Stheno, we shall." Euryale said.
Stheno sighed as she got on the other side of the boat. I then headed over and then in a team effort, we pushed the boat behind the rocks. I let out a breath and wiped the small amount of sweat on my forehead, coming mainly from earlier work. The two girls were pretty much able to move the boat on their own. I was barely doing any work, if at all when it came to moving the boat.
"Thanks girls." I thanked.
"Don't mention it, but heed our warning...if our sister doesn't come back alive..." but I cut her off.
"I know I know. Then I'm basically a dead man." I said.
"We'll make sure Hades has lots of fun with you." Euryale said.
I sighed again.
"Well, I'd better get back to Medusa and wake her up and show her." I said.
"How soon do you plan on leaving?" Stheno asked.
"I'm leaving tomorrow." I said.
"Tomorrow?!" she exclaimed.
"Ay." I replied.
It seemed that the two had no reply. So I shrugged my shoulders and then walked off, back home to my lover. Time to break the news to her. I reckoned that if we left by tomorrow, we'd get to Athens in time for the game. Any later, we might be late. I walked into our bedroom and smiled at her sleeping form. I blushed a bit. There was something about her perfectly sculpted naked body wrapped in sheets that semed to turn me on. I stepped out of the room. How would I wake her up? I decided to practice a couple times, as stupid as it sounded.
"Good morning, miss..."
"How you doing, madame?"
"Hey baby..."
"Rise and shine love!"
Hmm...none of these lines appealed to me. I sighed as I just walked back in and then sat at the edge of the bed and then shook her lightly.
"Hey...wake up." I said softly.
It took her a moment, but she slowly woke up, groaning as she slowly opened up her eyes. She turned her head slowly to look up at me.
"What...are you doing up so early, love?" she asked tiredly as she raised her hand up to stroke my cheek.
I grabbed her hand gently and held it.
"Wake up. I need to show you something." I said softly to her.
She yawned and rubbed her eyes with her other hand.
"What do you need to show me so early in the morning?" she said softly.
"It's a surprise, just come." I said.
She yawned again and then sat up, the sheets sliding off her, revealing her perfectly shaped body to my eyes. I blushed as I let her hand go and turned around, so she could go pull a robe on or something. Even though it's been some time, and even though every night I get to see her naked, her body still made me blush. I don't know why, but no matter how many times I've seen her with nothing on, I still get all red and embarrassed about it. She walked over and then pulled on a white dressing, similar to what her sisters wore. She didn't bother with her Breaker as she rubbed her eyes and walked over to me. I held her hand as I walked out rather fast.
"Hold on, can't I have breakfast and freshen up a bit before we go?" she protested slightly, still a little tired.
"No time. You can do it afterwards." I said quickly to her.
I heard her whine a bit. I laughed a little as I just kept on going.
"I don't mind skipping breakfast, but can't I clean up my face a bit?" she said, trying to negotiate.
I turned around and faced her, cupping her face in my hands and meeting her gaze.
"Medusa, you're absolutely beautiful, alright? Don't worry about it. This will only take a few minutes. After that, you can wash your face and eat and everything like that." I reassured her.
She sighed and then finally nodded her head. I smiled as I leaned forward and kissed her lips softly for a moment before pulling away and then taking her hand again and then leading her once more. When I go to the rocks, I turned around to face her.
"Okay Medusa, close your eyes, and no peeking!" I said.
She closed her eyes.
"Tighter!" I said
She complied. I then walked behind her and placed my hands on her shoulders and then guided her behind the rocks. I stopped when she stood in front of the boat.
"Okay, you can open your eyes now." I said.
She did and then when she did, I heard her suck in a breath. She let her hand touch the edge of the boat. She turned around to look at me before stepping forward and then pressing her lips against mine. I was shocked for a moment, but eventually succumbed to it. She held it longer than I had expected, and then when she pulled away, I sucked in a deep breath.
"It's beautiful...thank you but..." she said.
She paused as I saw her bite her lower lip and turn her head away.
"Yeah?" I asked, wondering if something was wrong.
"But...what am I going to use it for? I have no where to go but here." she said softly, wrapping her arms around my neck, as if trying to say 'no offense...I still love you though'.
I chuckled a little as I placed my arms around her hips.
"Silly, that's not the present." I said.
She looked at me confused.
"The boat is what will get you to the present." I said.
"Well if this is not the present, then what is it?" she asked me.
"I'm going to take you to the Summer Olympics in Athens!" I said happily.
At that, I wished that I never said that...
AN: What do you think? Please read and review!