Notes

...okay, I have officially taken things too far. XD

I'm sorry, people! Really, I am! But after reading Ryu's latest, I just couldn't stop thinking about what Athena's reaction would be. (It didn't help that I knew how my Athena would react immediately.) Finally I just decided to write it - after asking Ryu beforehand, of course (I've learned that lesson ;P). So here's my take on an epilogue for The Valentine Spell. Many thanks to LordryuTJ for the inspiration, the story - and the permission to mess with it, lolz.

One more quick note - Athena's appearance here was heavily inspired by this artwork (remove underscores):

snk._fandom._com/wiki/File:_Nona-Athena-2._jpg

Check it out later to see how close I got, hehe. ...or check it out now to get an idea of where this story's going O_o

Hope you enjoy!

Joyeuse Saint Valentin?

Athena knelt dutifully in the stall as her lover took his leave, reaching for the toilet paper so she could start cleaning up. (Granted, he hadn't told her to...but he hadn't told her not to, either.) She smiled a dreamy smile as she wiped off her face, still basking in his warmth, the afterglow...and her love. Not just lust, but love - a euphoric devotion that had consumed her mind, body and soul.

She hadn't come to Pao Pao expecting anything like this. She'd mostly come for the reason she'd told Ash: with all her teammates off on dates, she'd sought safety in numbers elsewhere. But like Ash, Athena had come seeking companionship as well. Despite never having a beau of her own, she'd always loved Valentine's Day...but this year, she didn't have friends with her, either. Not even Sie, the one friend she'd sworn would never leave her. As a result, she'd started to feel those old abandoned blues herself - nearly as much as her companion.

...and then it happened.

She didn't know what happened, exactly. She just remembered having some sort of argument with Ash, then falling on top of him. And then she'd opened her eyes and her life changed, her perspective shifting so many degrees there wasn't an angle big enough for it. There he was: Ash Crimson, one of her least favorite people...only now he was her favorite, her only favorite, the only person who would ever matter to her again.

Whatever caused the shift had been thorough, too. Athena had zero doubts about this, even in the back of her mind. Every fiber of her being agreed with her that this was right. She closed her eyes, smiling wider just at the thought of it; she had never felt so in love, so fulfilled, so completely, truly happy -

- and then the spell wore off, and it all drained away in an instant.

Her irises faded back to purple; her smile faded to a slack line. Her eyes opened wide, getting wider by the second. She remembered it now, all of it...every chilling detail. The aura of menace as he approached her. The dark energy teeming in his hand. Her own childish naivete, as she reached over to grab it. The touch. The feel. The fabric of her heart, reweaving. Her lips plastering to his...her body raising in his arms...and then the rest of it, a series of the most lurid, degrading acts she'd ever been a part of.

"Oh my god," Athena whispered, falling out of her kneel (and flat on her ass). What had she done⁇ What had he done⁇ The attack couldn't have been psychic; she could've defended herself if it was. This had just been a sudden flood of emotions, drowning her mind and sweeping her body away with the tide. She'd done such lewd, disgusting things, anything her "lover" asked...and she hadn't just done them. She had liked them. With every fiber of her being.

She began to tremble. Her tears started to spill. Never mind the violation, the humiliation, the shame - Ash had changed her. He'd forced her to obey his commands, made her delighted to do it. He'd brought out her deepest, darkest instincts, made her enjoy them all the while. He had made her fall in love with him - a love so focused, strong and pure she might never feel anything like it again.

...then, once he'd had his fun, he left her, kneeling on a bathroom floor and dripping with his cum.

Now Athena's eyes narrowed.

Well he wouldn't be leaving her for long.

"It's...it's so pretty!"

"Yes...beautiful..."

"Isn't it, though?" Ash teased, wearing his widest grin of the night. This thing just keeps getting better and better...

That was twice, now, that Ninon's "rock of love" had saved his night. First he'd given it to Athena, and gotten a beautiful Valentine's Day gift in return. Now he'd showed it to Elisabeth and Mignon as a joke - and gotten them to calm down instantly, just from looking at it.

He could tell it was doing more than calming them, too. At first the spellbound stone had just drawn their attention - but now it was drawing them, compelling the two women to slowly inch towards it. Ash had no doubts they'd try to touch it, and he wasn't sure how it made him feel. He truly did love Elisabeth, in some way at least; he'd rather have her as a person than a disposable handi-wipe.

...now Mignon, he wouldn't mind "disposing of". (She looked even feistier than Athena.)

Her sister didn't seem to mind the idea, either. Immune to her own magic, Ninon stared at the women instead of the rock, smirking at the strange turn of events. Elisabeth meant nothing to her, of course; just more proof the magic was working. But Mignon? Ninon had asked her to help test this project, and she'd been too big a fuddy-duddy. Well now she'd be helping her after all...but as a subject, not a tester.

The two were right in front of Ash, now. They had slack jaws and blank faces, their eyes fixed squarely on their doom. Ash had decided to trap them both, then get Ninon to snap Betty out of it; thus he simply stood and held out his hand, letting them seal their own fates.

Slowly, they leaned towards him, reaching for the stone...

...and then the bathroom door blew off its hinges, crashing into the main bar.

All eyes whipped around to find Athena - the scariest Athena they'd ever seen. Her hair alone thrummed with power, standing straight up in the air. Her violet aura flared out in violent tendrils; her sailor suit billowed in a phantom wind. Pieces of rubble from the door actually floated around her, as if caught in her gravitational pull. But the worst part was the idol's once-lovely face, now twisted in a hateful scowl with eyes glowing solid magenta.

Slowly, she looked over Pao Pao's patrons, giving them a glare that would haunt their dreams for days. And then she found her target.

"...you."

The entire cafe seemed to back up at once, clearing the way for Athena to stalk towards Ash and his cohorts. For their part, the four of them were stunned; Elisabeth and Mignon in particular looked totally confused. Of course Ash and Ninon weren't confused at all...but while Ash looked properly terrified, Ninon just frowned a little bit.

"Well, pooh," she pouted. "That spell normally lasts until the target's released, not less than fifteen minutes. I guess this version needs a little work after all..."

"A-a-a-a little work!?" Ash shrieked. "You told me you knew what you were doing‼"

"I also told you I was testing the effects," said Ninon calmly. "One of the tests was for duration. It's shorter than I had hoped, so I'll have to make some adjustments. Simple." She put her hands on her skirt and gave him a prim and proper curtsy. "You've been most helpful today, Mr. Crimson. Thank you for your services."

And then she vanished, teleporting away in the blink of an eye.

Shouting, Mignon ran out after her - but Athena ignored them. She just kept marching towards Ash, radiating power and death. Before she could get to him, though, Elisabeth stepped in between them, pointing her crop at her like a rapier.

"Stand down, Asamiya!" she barked. "Whatever your grief is, this isn't helping! You're frightening everyone in the cafe‼"

Athena responded by throwing her out of the cafe, using telekinesis to fling her through the doorway and fifty feet besides. She then used the same force to shut the door, lock it, and bar it from the outside.

Several of the patrons screamed. Most of the fighters grimaced, steeling themselves for a rough night. As for Ash, he started slowly backing away, giving his victim a sheepish grin (and subtly pocketing the stone). "A-ahhh, demoiselle...wha, what seems to be the problem...?"

Athena didn't even dignify that with a response. She just kept right on stalking him, her aura whipping out ahead of her and her rubble trailing behind. Soon Ash ran out of backup room, bumping into the locked-and-barred front door. As she got closer and closer, he looked back and forth wildly, his breathing heavy, his eyes wild -

- and then suddenly unleashed the Sans Culotte, his "fear" turning into a grin.

But when the flames died down, Athena was no longer there.

She'd phased backwards the instant they'd started, avoiding them completely. Before he could follow with the Germinal (or anything else), Ash found himself immobile, his body locked in the iron grip of Athena's power. He gaped at her in shock, his grin turning right back into fear; meanwhile she didn't bat an eye, didn't even stop walking. She finally stopped inches away from his face, her glowing eyes staring directly into his soul.

"I don't know what you did," she told him, her voice icy death. "I don't know how you did it. And I don't know what the fuck you were thinking. But now, Ash Crimson..."

She took his face into her hands.

"...I want you to do it again."

And then she kissed him, one hand crushing his head against hers while the other snaked behind his back.

Immediately, all her power faded. The aura vanished; the rubble fell; her hair cascaded around her shoulders. After a few scattered laughs and cheers from the crowd, Ash realized he could move. A few seconds after that, he realized Athena had let him move...so he could fulfill her request.

Smiling around the kiss, he retrieved the stone and reached behind him, pressing it into her hand. Understanding quickly, she took it, and a shiver ran through her body. Her irises changed color again, lighting up her closed eyelids with a warm, pink glow. Once they faded, the real changes began, her kiss becoming far more passionate and her hands beginning to roam.

Ash didn't let it go for long, though; he just had to ask. He broke away from her, looked down and said, "So you liked it!"

"I loved it," she admitted, grinning. "I still love it, even though I know I shouldn't. Whatever that thing does isn't natural, it isn't fair, it isn't right...but I have never felt this good before. And I never want to stop."

"Well, you'll have to stop sometime," he pointed out. "The spell doesn't last that long, it seems."

"Yes, that's why I did this," she told him. "If I had thought I couldn't go back, I would have been too scared. ...but to lose myself for one night, and feel like this in return? It's worth it. It is so worth it," she gushed, actually tearing up as she smiled.

Ash, however, couldn't help but laugh. "Tut tut, Athena. Is that 'Psycho Soldier' thinking? What if I really am the villain...?"

"That's why I scared you," Athena teased. "If you didn't think I could hurt you, you might try to go too far. ...even if I couldn't, though, I still might have risked it. Now that I've felt this, I don't even want to be a Soldier tonight. I just want to be happy. ...I just want to be yours."

She leaned up to kiss him again, and he accepted her eagerly. But at the same time, he couldn't believe what he'd just heard. The Psycho Soldier, paragon of virtue, casting it all aside? And for what? The feeling of true love, even when she knew it was a farce?

...this spell is more powerful than you think, Ms. Beart.

He broke off and looked down again, this time with a smile. He started to say something appropriately romantic-slash-cheeky...but then something else occurred to him. "Are you saying I haven't gone too far already...?" he asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Oh, you've gone way too far," she laughed. "Using a love spell on me? You're just lucky it was a good one." Then her lips curled into a sultry smile. "...but the rest of it? No. Not even close."

"...really."

"Really." She put her hands up on his shoulders. "You have no idea what I'm willing to do for you, Ash Crimson. Even later, it'll be worth it...and right now?"

She leaned up and breathed into his ear:

"...I want it."

She fell back, and for a moment he stared at her, his face blank.

Then he swept her into his arms even faster than before.

"Where are we going, my love?" she asked innocently, putting her arms around his neck.

"Drug store. Now," he muttered, kicking down the door. "Then hotel. Forever."

"Drug store...?" Then it clicked. "Oh! No, there's no need for that."

"Why."

"I'm an idol, Ash," said Athena. "...I've been on the pill for years."

Ash stopped cold. Blinked. Looked at her. And then he grinned.

"Oh, ma chérie...you just keep getting better and better."

End Notes

...ahaha, illy's gonna kill me XP

Before the rest of you kill me, let me be clear: I am not trying to pass this off as a happy ending. Never mind the moral issues, Athena basically just got hooked on drugs. There's a whole lot more story to tell here before it reaches a happy ending. (...I'm not gonna be the one to tell it, though. This bit turned out to be hard enough O_o) This is just the part that wouldn't get out of my head, that's all. Now it's written, and I am satisfied; hopefully reading it was satisfying too.

On a final note, don't worry - this won't become a trend. Feel free to write Athena stories without thinking I'll mess with them, hehe. (And even if I want to I'll ask first, so feel free to tell me to go to hell. ;)

See you next time!