Episode 2

"Ugh! Talk about harsh! I can't believe we can't use our powers!" The sudden voice takes Leon's eyes, and Immediately I duck under his arms and jump multiple feet away from him.

"The king comes up with some dastardly ideas. I wish he would've warned us earlier."

"This is going to be such a pain."

The gods from earlier walk in and gasp at us. Mostly Leon's fucked up face.

"Leon, what are you doing in here…? You aren't having a hard time handling her, are you?" Huedhaut comments, studying the lion's face and slightly pissed look when he notices I had escaped.

"Man… I was all ready…" The blond fake princely one comments. He vague words give makes me nauseous.

"Hm? But… Her clothes all seem a little disheveled. Did Leon already work his magic?" The grey haired ponytail asked, surveying me. He was the one who had a name starting with "I" that I didn't even wanna try to say.

"What, you wanna try too pretty boy? I'd love to try break fingers instead of a nose." The man throws his hands up, immediately looking away from me.

"She shouldn't have picked that stupid lion, the idiot. I almost feel bad for her." The one eyed shit head mused. Honestly, I think even him would've been a better choice. It was… Scorpio, I think.

"Yeah," The blond says. "It's gotta be a little- well, more than a little, pretty tough for her."

"You know it!" Ichthys says, laughing. "Honestly, she got herself into a world of trouble! Though, she handled Leo pretty well." he laughed, nodding to the extremely pissed Leon. His look silences the two.

"Oh crap… Did we make him angry?" Teorus glance to Ichthys, who shrugs and turns to the normal brunette.

"Dui, let me hide behind you."

"I don't think so. I'm not interested in facing an angry Leon either…"

"Teo, Ichthys, you should be more careful." Hue chastises, "Make Leon really angry, and you won't make it back to the heavens alive."

"Damn it…" Scorpio, shifts his glare from Leon to the floor, which seems surprising cause he doesn't seem the type to back down like that. Everyone begins to avoid his eyes, but when they hit mine, I refuse to let up.

"Anyway! We haven't been able to use it since you two left." Teorus suddenly blurts, looking up.

"Yeah. We can still fly, thankfully, but we can't use it. This sucks." Ichthys frowns heavily, almost like a pout.

"That didn't happen to me," Leon brags, though I'm lost about what. For the second I look away from him, he's suddenly at my side and touches my arm. "Shall we continue from where we left off?" His fingers snap and everyone watches as my bow unties itself again and buttons begin to pop open. My elbow flies so quickly into his gut and I've shifted out of his reach so fast that even I'm a little jarred.

"If you want you hands literally severed so you can never snap your little fingers again." I hurriedly button my shirt up. He clicks his tongue, glaring, but just boredly looks to the others, who seem preoccupied with their mouths hanging open at my defiance's to the lion, who seemed to be the main leader or whatever.

"So you guys are saying you couldn't use your powers either, huh?"

"Either?" Teorus says, gaining his voice first. "You mean it happened to you too?"

"Yeah, just once. But when I touched this woman, I could use them again. Meaning…" My heart began to sink.

"You have to be fucking with me…" Ichthys laughs at my word choice.

"Meaning," He says, through giggles. "That unless we're touching the goddess, we can't use our powers."

"I see…"goddess" and "powers"..." Hue eyes are glued to me as he manically whispers to himself. "It must have something to do with her eyes. If that's the case it would fit with what the king said, 'a goddess holds your destiny."

"So…" Ichthys continues, "The king knew about this but he didn't let on?"

"The king is a crafty man. I wouldn't put anything past him." Lion muses.

"I can't believe that even you couldn't use your powers, Leon." Dui comments nonchalantly. The lion shifts his gaze to the brunette smiling face.

"A god, unable to use his powers without touching a goldfish… What a joke."

"Impotent," I sing again, getting the sharp prick of his pupils. I stick my tongue out. Then, I pause. "Goldfish?"

"He's talking about you." I sent Hue a look.

"Got that one, blue. Wondering why he's using it, bud."

"Humans are like goldfish to us gods." Leon fills in with a smirk. "We watch them from above, helping them if something happens. That's all your existence is to us."

"All… it is." I mumble.

My parents were… goldfish?

"So, if we need to use our powers, we can touch Goldie, right?"

"Try it, I dare you." Teorus lips purse at me dark voice, and he ushers for Ichthys to step go and try first. "Also, if you're shortening Goldie from goldfish and not because of my hair, you'll be the second on my hit list, fake prince.

"F-Fake prince…?"

"Tch," Scorpio's tongue click has me looking his way. "This is absurd. Let's go, Dui, Ichthys." I blink, quickly noticing those three wearing the same dark armbands. Why was the two gods, Dui and Ichthys, that I felt the easiest around, were being taken away, and leaving me with the three I was most uncomfortable around? Though.. The less amount of people the easier the escape.

"Uh-oh, he's pissed again."

"Ichthys, let's just go for now."

Ichthys and Dui disappear into another room with the scorpion.

"Those Department of Punishments guys never change."

"So the armbands do group you all. So you three white bands are the… Department of Wishes, right?" I remember them using the term back on the roof of the planetarium.

"You are correct," Hue reassures as Teorus continues in his own little world.

"Someone in our department reminds me a lot of them, though…"

"Don't group me in with those jerks, the lion snaps back at Teorus' teasing.

"By the way, about the goddess thing…" Teorus looks between Leon and me. "Does the fact that Goldie has stars in her eyes really mean…?"

"Yep." Hue says, "There's no doubt about it."

"You guys keeps saying stars in my eyes. Are you making fun of my name, or do you all really just reuse the same pick up lines?"

Teo smiles, bringing his hand out to rest it on my shoulder, but I step out of the way and raise a 'try it again' look.

"They're not visible to humans, so you wouldn't understand, but you have actual stars in your eyes."

"That proves you're reincarnated goddess." Leon nods my way, but I refuse to even look at him and keep my eyes centered on Teorus and Hue.

"It's an odd coincidence that your mother named you Hitomi." Hue says slowly, tapping his chin with a gloved finger.

"Said that it was because she saw stars in my eyes." Hue gives me a look at my words. I pursed my lips, cursing my own words. I had no reason, or any want, to tell these gods about my mother. They didn't deserve to hear of her or my life.

"But there is no way she could be a goddess…" The bluenette then shakes his head, moving on from the topic. "It may be hard to believe, however, we can use our powers when we touch you. That's a fact. That wouldn't be possible with a normal human."

"Pfft," I breathe a laugh. "Maybe that's why I like stars. I've been seeing them since birth." I'm given blank stares.

I hope I get out of this place soon.

I don't know which is worst… almost being raped, or having my jokes unappreciated.

….

It's definitely the first.

"You think you like stars because you're reborn a goddess? What a joke."

"No shit, dumbass," I snap, breaking my vow to not look at Leon anymore. He smiled at my temper, but I ignored it. "It's really sad that a god can't even understand a simple pun."

I knew why I loved stars. They were the things that my parents and I would watch for hours every single night together. They were what my parents loved the most, and bonded the most, with me. From getting a job at the planetarium to getting one of the highest apartments was all so I could continue seeing the star filled sky at night.

But I didn't feel any need to tell these shitty gods this, even if I was berated for a misunderstanding that I wouldn't clear up.

"Either way, you're valuable." The lion finishes with a nonchalant shrug.

"Well that's good news, Goldie!" Teorus smiles at me brightly. "Leo doesn't waste his time on people he has no use for."

"You don't know how much I'm wishing I had never been "reincarnated", fake prince." Teorus flinches again at my nickname. It was sticking until he dropped the "Goldie" thing.

Leon takes a few steps to circle around me, his smirk wavering close to a frown. "I'm not saying I can use her. I gave her pleasure, but I still haven't been returned to the heavens."

"Then, using the mundane skill of process of elimination, and, I don't know, common sense," My eyes are narrowed on the lion and I watch him stalk around. "It's obviously not the fucking answer." Leon glares threateningly at me, but it doesn't shake my resolve to rationally piss him off.

"Without you, we can't use our powers. You will cooperate with us until we can return to the heavens."

"What? Hell no. I don't know if you haven't realized, or grasped any human life that you've had to watch for hundreds of years, but I have a job, and life, and a small amount of patience for bullshit like you and your minisquadron of fallen gods." Leon gives an icy sideways glance as he stops at Hue's side.

"I'm a god- no, I'm the man who saved your life. Are you really going to refuse me?"

"Yes." I spit, crossing my arms in defiance. "You're also a god that's fallen because he did the most human things possible- sin. You are also the man who just tried to rape me because of some dumb illusion that sinning like that would send you back to the heavens!"

"Human, how dare-" Leon begins, but Teorus jumps in front of him. I take this as a godly sign to continue.

"And I'm a human! The woman you've been calling goldfish! How do you expect me, who just learned of this goddess reincarnation, to have the power to erase a sin, something you don't even know how to do!" He huffs loudly, pushing Teorus away, who has begun to nervously give Hue looks, who also seems ready to step in.

"Of course you don't know how to. We'll find the way back ourselves. All you need to do is offer yourself to us, so we can use our powers when we need them. We'll release you when we find out how to return to the heavens."

"Try rewording that, ass. Do you think i'd let your paws anywhere near me? Or any of these guys?"

"We're gods-"

"I don't give a flying fuck what you are!" I yell, cutting Teorus off. "You're gods that ignore prays and people who have worshipped you all their lives! You have an ego bigger than the entire celestial body! You could be humans, gods, demons, or pigs- I don't care." I freeze, though, mulling over the situation as Leon's face contorts and Hue shields me and Teorus leaps to their boss.

I'm unbelievably angry. More rage than I felt in the whole "anger, denial, acceptance," steps back right before I moved to Japan. And, like usual, it was blinding me.

I was hollering at the top of my lungs to gods. No matter how much I hated them, I was still a human. The power level between us was pretty big. I knew they wouldn't kill me, I was the precious reincarnated goddess. But… That didn't mean they couldn't make my life a living hell. They definitely had the power.

"Hey, lion." Leon stops his violent ranting to Teorus, and snaps his flitted eyes to me, who had stepped out from behind Hue. "If you let me go home, and never keep me here for more than a couple hours at a time, i'll agree to be… cooperative."

A cheshire like smirk curls his lips.

"BUT, I swear if you try anything like you did today it won't be just your stupid nose bleeding. Also, i'll only help you for an hour at a time."

"What right do you thin-"

"Okay!" Teorus interrupts Leon, who rolls his eyes as the blond happily claps his hands together and looks to me. "Let's get started. Why don't Goldie and I go check out the human world?"

"...That was you goal all along, wasn't it, Teo?" Hue raises an accusing brow, and the blond looks away like a kicked puppy.

"It's not like that… It's just that it's important for gods to observe humans up close." I blink, a bit surprised. I'd never thought i'd hear something so reasonable come from these guys. Hue frowns, though.

"Those clothes are going to stick out… You can't use your powers now, so you should probably try to avoid unnecessary trouble." Teorus nods like a child being told something they're forget a second later, and then looks to me.

"Then, Goldie, can you get some human clothes for me?" I blink slowly, the innocence of his and Hue's interaction calming down my anger.

Towards them, at least.

"I mean… I guess? I'd have to go to my place. Actually… I don't think i'd have any clothes that would fit you…Cause all I have are my clothes.

"Of course. Didn't you just say you didn't want to be here? Did you think a human would be able to live in the mansion of the gods." I flick Leon off, refusing to even give him a response.

"Aww!" Teorus points. "I didn't think you'd agree Leo! It would be so much more fun to live with Goldie!" I pull a look that makes Hue snort and hide his smile.

"Teorus," Leon rolls, eyeing Hue. "We may be on Earth, but I'm not so far gone as to shack up with a goldfish."

"And I have standards that involve not living in the same house with six strangers, where one of them assaulted me. Also I don't like rooming with utter dicks." Leon clicks his tongue, reaching out to grab my arm.

A cold shiver runs through me as I flinch away and stumble.

My heart is racing as I stare wide eyed at him.

"Human," Leon says, finding it amusing that I reacted in such a way. The idea of him touching me I… I don't think I could. I was…

I was scared.

The idea stuns me, and I don't see Teorus waving his hand in front of my face until he gently pokes my cheeks. I come back.

"Leo just wants to put you back to you home." I nods slowly, and then shake my head. Instead, I hold my hand out to Teorus. He looks between it and me, gives a glance to Leo, and then takes my fingers.

There is not even the slightest of reaction when he holds my hand, other that the snap he gives to open the front doors and reveal my apartment.

"The door to your apartment and the door to this mansion are connected," Leon says. "It's a one-way connection. You won't be able to get back here by opening your door."

"But you lot can just come in whenever? Perfect." I sigh, but flicker my eyes up to the blond when he squeezes my hand, which he had yet to drop.

"You see, the front door to your apartment isn't connected to this door. After you buy the human clothes, put your hands on your door and wish. Once that wish reaches us, we can connect the doors." I nod slowly, looking to my apartment that seemed very misplaced compared to the rest of the apartment.

Then, it clicks.

"I get it. You lot are the Department of Wishes, right? You said it at the planetarium… If I wish for the shortcut, you guys'll know cause it's a wish. Since the door is already one-way linked, it'll be easy to open it even without my help."

"You...Human understanding has its limits when it comes to the powers of the gods. In keeping truth with that, humans cannot overturn decision gods have made. You've… accepted both rather easily." I shrug his way.

"If you've been following, I have probably been the least cooperative human in the history before three gods. But.. I'm not completely stupid. The faster I agree and bargain, the quicker I get home."

"End of discussion," Leons cuts in, forcing Hue and I to focus on the rust head. "If you don't want to input the wrath of a god, which you deserve, you'd better try to get on my good side." He then shut the door, opens it to, not my apartment, but a dark void, and walks through with a slam.

The loud laughter that peels from me causes Teorus to start snickering at his place at Hue's side.

"Shh, shh, you can't laugh!" Teo tries to says through his own giggling. I wipe the tears from my eyes, quick to try and muffle the shouts as Hue narrows his eyes on me.

"...To put it in human terms, he's the minister of our department, the Department of Wishes. Only Leon, the head of the department, can enter that space."

"The inky black darkness?" Hue confirms with a nod.

"We can't go in there." Teorus chirps. "It's reeeeeally scary. We have to be careful not to accidentally open the door onto that space, lest me "incur the wrath of a god"." Both of us start giggling again at the absurdity that was the lion. Hue rolls his eyes at Teorus, and then turns to me with a small nod of his head.

"Please, you've been here long enough. Go home for the day." Hue walks past me, reopening the door the lion shut, to show my apartment once more.

"See you soon Goldie!" I blink, a bit surprised Teorus was saying goodbye. I stop in the doorway and, after a second though, turn and give a smile.

"Hope not!" I wave cheerily and then shut the door behind me.

I sigh, my knees giving out mid step and I fall face first onto my couch. I groan loudly, feeling the need to either call Hiyori, or punch multiple holes in my wall.

Today... I had met the very gods my parents worshiped from birth to death. The gods that they prayed to every night, the ones that started my parents love for the stars, and the ones that ignored my father's sobbing plights as he watched my mom die.

That's.. Right…

It's why I became so furious with Leon. Other than the obvious reasons, he was also the one who had heard my dad's wishes- the one that ignored his crying for his wife to get better so she could come back to our tiny family and not leave the middle schooler daughter with only a dad for the rest of her life. My parents, who had only wishes and prayed to those gods of the stars, were abandoned by them. My mothers passed away with cancer, and my dad soon after. Even his last damn words to me were about their vile gods.

Having seen them…

My hands trembled and I shot up, whipping around to crash my white knuckles into the wall.

"Why?!" I yell to know one.

Immediately I regret it when I hear my neighbor move around. I sigh, my hand slipping to my lap as my forehead bumps the dent I had just made.

Why… did I have to learn that I was right?

It was obvious I was pissed that my parents gods left them- mostly because it angered me that they believed so hard when there really was no god. Yet… Those six assholes proved, not only, that they were real and had been there to hear them, but also that I was right to curse them. Egotistical, horrible, wicked gods that believed they were everything even though they were now on this planet, asking a girl for help, because they had sinned just like the "goldfish"

I take a deep breath, and then lean over to pick up my cellphone. I always left it at home. Wasn't like I ever needed it since the only friend I had in Japan was Hiyori, and I always saw her at work.

I'm quiet as the phone rings.

"Hitomi-chan? Are you okay? You ran off…"

"Hey… Hi-chan. Sorry about that…"

My entire body relaxed at her voice, and my heart returned to normal as I leaned back and began a quiet chat with my friend.

Days later, after our early shift at the Planetarium, I convince Hiyori to come shopping with me.

"Okay so, what's next on the list?" I ask, grinning as I nudge Hiyori with my bag loaded arms.

"What did you just get?" She asks, looking down to the paper bags. "I didn't even notice… but they multiplied." I snort.

"Yeah, I ran in and got some clothes while you were looking at those flowers." At this, Hiyori pauses on the sidewalk. When he brown eyes snap to me, I realize my mistake. "Wait- no-"

"Those are the clothes are for that guy that saved you from the roof!? That's so cute!" I cringe as Hiyori begins her walking again.

I couldn't tell Hiyori that I had been nearly raped. Not only did I not want her to worry anymore for me, but also because there was no easy way to explain why I was now helping him and the others.

"Oh my god! I can't believe you have a boyfriend that hot! I'm super jealous!"

"Ha! He's a piece of shit, Hi-chan. I'd never date trash like that." She nodded slowly, and then smiled.

"I knew it. Those guys were totally full of hot air!" I hide a smile at her childish censor for cursing.

"Wait, what guys?" I nudge Hiyori to the side to slip around a touchy couple, shielding Hiyori from being knocked over by them. She nods in thanks.

"These five guys kept telling me all this weird stuff about you and him. Like how you fell in love with him at first sight and how you promised to serve him always or something."

"Ew," I say, unable to react any other way. Hiyori laughs brightly.

"They also said he's a magician?"

I imagine the lion hunched over a black top hat pulling out a rabbit and I can't help but start to laugh.

"Yeah. Card tricks and everything. Hey- can you-" Hiyori immediately helps me by taking some bags from my arms, and immediately circulation is restored. I take the list from my pocket, then, and begin scanning the items we had halfheartedly jotted down.

It was another plan night for us. Tonight, we'd buy everything, and then tomorrow we'd hang out after work and Hiyori would sleep over at my place, since the Planetarium was closer.

"Oh, uh…" Hiyori grabbed my eyes, her cheeks going a soft, rosy red. "I got a boyfriend, you know…"

"..You what?" My jaw drops at Hiyori's flustered look.

"I-it's the guy I've been seeing, lately. After the event at the planetarium he asked me out.. Officially."

"He was the one who came with us to dinner at the boss's, right?" She nodded slowly.

"You said you liked him.."

"I did. I did."

It wasn't that Hiyori needed my permission to date someone, or something. However, I had been the one to warn her of the seemingly abusive man she dated last. She thought I was wrong, dated him, and a month later I had to come charging in because he had started beating Hiyori, and she had tried to hide it from me.

I had now become Hiyori's go to, because she was terrified of ever getting into another relationship like that.

Another reason I couldn't tell her what Leon almost did to me.

How would she be able to trust me to save her, if I almost was unable to not save myself?

"Remember the Horoscopes you read that day? They both really came true, huh?"

"What?" I blink, though I do quickly remember my tradition. "Oh right. Mine was a "fateful encounter", and yours was "love will find you", right?" Hiyori nodded quickly. "Ha. Believe my horoscopes now?" She laughed, batting at my arm.

Leisurely, we finish the rest of our shopping.

We split the items, and walk our separate ways to our places.

When I get to mine, I'm quick to put all the food and drinks into my fridge, and then throw all of the sets of guy clothes into an empty bag. If I did this tonight, I wouldn't have to bother with it tomorrow.

Also, the sooner I did it, the less likely those assholes won't just barge in.

Setting my hand on my closet door, I begrudgingly wish for the godly mansion, and fling the door open.

Sadly, it worked.

The white marble and gold lined foyer is splayed out to me and, with a huff, I step in and shut my escape.

"Yo, got a delivery!" I yell, but only my echo answers me. "The clothes for your asses!"

Still, nothing.

"Imma leave it here, then!" I pause, for a moment, and then drop the bag.

I wasn't about to hand deliver this shit to them. They could come and get it themselves when they came to try and chastise me for not bringing it to them.

My hand, which was about to grab the doorknob, is stopped by distant mumbling of voices. I frown, slowly turning around to see if I can spot where the intangible voice come from but, unsurprisingly, can't.

"Hello?" I try, but with no answer, I decide to find out who was ignoring my yelling.

If it was Leon, i'd cap his ass.

The voices take me down a hallway, much like the one I had seen before, but shorter. I check every door, which was locked, until I come to the very last one, which is just slightly cracked open. The noises that accompany the voices immediately have me pulling a face of disgust.

Slapping and moaning was not just the gods hanging out and playing a card game.

"I want… more…!" Coos a delirious womans voice.

"What a cute little goldfish…" That's Teorus's voice. "If you want more, come here."

"I want you too.. Don't tease me, Leon…" I silently gag, glad I didn't peek into the room.

"If you want to be touched, come to me." Second after Leon's voice, I hear a grunt in annoyance.

I shake my head and turn away.

"Oh? Peeping in on us…?" I pause, my face falling into a glare at the wall at Leon's knowing voice. "Not a bad way to spend your time, I suppose."

"Heh, Goldie saw us!" Teorus calls out, "Do you want to join in? I'll do all kinds of nice stuff to you."

For a moment, I do nothing.

And then I'm charging at the door and slam it open. All eyes shoot open to me, and I avoids all of them but Teoru's and Leon's.

I make sure to keep eye contact because everybody in the room was completely naked.

"In your dreams fake prince. I dropped off your human clothes like you wanted." I then grind my teeth a little in annoyance. "Aren't you two supposed to be gods? Gods who were so grossed out by "goldfish"? Why're you both doing that?" At my clipped voice, Leon suddenly stands. I purse my lips and then immediately turn around and begin walking away.

"What do you mean by "that"?" Leon follows after me, ass naked.

"Oh my god don't come near me you creep!" I hear his loud bare footed steps behind me, and I quicken my own.

"How dare you tell a god to stay away!"

"Yeah, well come fight me about it when you're not butt ass naked as the day you were born!" The hallway gives way to the foyer, and now his bare feet slap on the uncovered marble.

"You sound upset.. Did you want pleasure too?"

"Wh- no! I rather eat sea urchin!"

I really.. Really… hated sea urchin.

Leon laughs cruelly at my back, as if he isn't the one nude in the middle of a manion chasing some girl.

"Humans swarm around me when I offer them a treat. They're like tragic little goldfish hungry for a bite."

"You know, you're really weird.. Like the creepy weird that usually gets you arrested just by walking too close to high schoolers."

"If you're honest about what you want, I'll take pity on you and give you pleasure too."

"Doesn't that kind of stuff mean anything to you?!" He laughs even louder this time, and I hope he ruins his voice.

"I figured you'd say as much." I stop, just before the door that leads to my apartment, and I slowly turn around and meet his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He raises a slim eyebrow when I face him and his grin curls up high.

"Humans are always talking about that stuff. 'Feelings', 'love', 'meanings'. What is this 'love' you speak of? Attachment? Jealously?"

He wants a response, but I stay quiet.

"If it is, then you're in love with me right now."

"OH, and how'd you figure that one out?" He slowly creeps closer, but I hold my ground.

"You don't like seeing me with other women, do you? That's what humans call 'jealousy', correct?" I blink, and then snort.

"Aw, do you want me to care? Is that why you ran out, chasing me? Please. When I'm jealous or attached, it's really fucking obvious. Lion, i'd never, ever, get that way about you."

"You say that.." He then takes a step into my personal bubble and my eyes catch something I hadn't noticed before. It's a black and purple tattoo-like mark on his left pectoral. "Kneel before me and beg for pleasure, just like those animals in there. Do that and I'll comply. I swear on my name as a god."

"Leon…" I say slowly, my hands fluttering out to rest on his chest. He smirked, lowering his hands to cover mine. "Keel over." I shove him back, and he stumbles, almost falling if not for the pillar.