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Last Chapter:
"Obaasan, there's something I need to tell you..." Michiru stopped a few feet away from her frightened granny.
"I have to return back to the place where I belong." She intimately glimpsed at the glowing Taurus Stone in her hand. "To my true family and friends..."
"So, this is a goodbye…" Michiru departed in a sad tone.
She stared concernedly at her foster grandmother for a second longer before turning away, "Take care, Obaasan."
"I am returning to the other Celestials."
--
--
Clover: You're My Love
--
Tamaki slid open the window for the twentieth times that night, glancing out at the direction where two guards stood robotically by the mansion gate, seemingly to be expecting someone.
"Your Excellency, if you're expecting Michiru, we'd know if she arrives. As for Usagi-san, she won't be coming tonight." Taiki informed simply.
Seiya almost choked on his coffee as he glanced up at Taiki and Tamaki, his eyes widening slightly at the second name mentioned.
His half-brother just smiled at his baffled expression before shouting childishly back at Taiki who had now returned his attention to the book he was reading.
"She will come!" Tamaki insisted.
"She won't." Taiki objected in a mono-tone.
"What makes you think she won't?" Tamaki demanded in a carefree manner.
"I just know." Taiki answered uncaringly.
To everyone's surprise, Tamaki simply grinned at his reply. "But do you know or not know that she's actually part of the celestial stars?"
Taiki lowered his book and looked at him coldly, but Tamaki just brushed it off with a silent grin, apparently to be immune to his piercing glare.
"Can someone please explain to me what's going on here?" Yaten sighed, breaking the awkward silence that his two friends had created.
He was confused, as usual, and couldn't understand what his friends were confronting about. He felt like an outcast whenever the subject of Heaven or Starstones was being brought up. It was bugging him that he could not recall anything other than his name, and whenever he tried to recall his past, he would only see a layer of thick mist covering it.
Who was he? Where was he from? And, who were they?
Those were the questions that lingered inside him throughout his every action and thought. It seemed like his three friends had already found most of their answers, but why hadn't he? He was sicked and tired of living through another day of lies with foster parents making up stories for his identity just to cover up for the lost of their biological heir from the media.
It was pretty absurd that he would choose to believe his friends' reasoning of godly stones and heavenly origins rather than his parents' explanation. Maybe it was because he had witnessed some of their powers being exhibited, or maybe because it was just his intuition telling him that they were part of him. But, whatever the reason was, he wanted to know more about Star stones, Heaven, and most importantly, them, because only by being with them could he feel a sense of belonging.
"Michiru is the holder of the Taurus stone. Now that we can remember her, it only meant that she has gotten back her Star stone, and knowing her capability, she shouldn't face much of a problem finding us…" Seiya explained briefly.
"And what about Usagi?" Yaten pressed.
Seiya froze at the question, not knowing how he should be answering him. His troubled expression clearly showed that he was baffled by the issue as well, and it didn't take everyone very long to realize that as the room once again turned quiet till Tamaki cut in and answered on behalf of Seiya.
"She's Seiya's special someone."
"She's not-…" Seiya paused abruptly, taking back his words.
Something didn't sound right. At least, that was what his body was telling him when it forcefully stopped him from opposing to the acclaim. He had avoided thinking about her all day, fearing that he might lose control of himself and dash over to wherever she was now to take her with him.
"It's not like you to be hesitating..." Taiki commented bluntly.
"Yes! The Councillor is right! Stop avoiding the matter and turn back to the arrogant brother you once were!" Tamaki demanded dramatically while grasping Seiya by his shoulders.
"Firstly, take your hands off me." Seiya retorted and lifted his brother's hands off his shoulder before adding. "And secondly, what do you expect me to do? Steal her away when she already has a boyfriend?"
"I don't see why you can't when you've already stolen the sacred Phoenix wings from poor Hephaestus." Taiki muttered, making Yaten widened his eyes at Seiya's accomplishment.
"I didn't steal it. I defeated him for it." Seiya corrected with a sigh.
"Then defeat that mortal as well and win Usagi-san back!" Tamaki insisted.
"Usagi is not a tool. I can't just ignore her feeling and act thoughtlessly…"
"Letting her go to a man whom she won't be happy with isn't thoughtful of you either…" Tamaki commented simply.
Seiya kept silent, not wanting to agree to what Tamaki had just said, but it turned out to be an unbelievably difficult task, seeing as he just realized how uncomfortable Usagi looked whenever she was around Mamoru. He remembered her unwilling expression when she was yanked away by him, and the worse of it all, he didn't do anything to stop it.
He closed his eyes and cursed under his breath. Sometimes, Tamaki could just say the most sensible things, despite his frequent senseless behaviour, and he wasn't wrong this time. How could he be so stupid? Why hadn't he noticed any of her feelings earlier, or at the very least, his own feelings toward her? He cared for her, and yet he was denying it just because he couldn't be unfaithful to his forgotten lover.
It was a strange thing. Though he couldn't recall her existence, he knew there was a girl he wanted to cherish as he glimpsed at the silver bracelet that was hooked around his left wrist. He stared quietly at the crystallized four-leaf clover dangling around it and a sacred phrase instantly flashed past his mind.
"You are my lover."
Though he couldn't recall anyone telling him that, it did gave him a soothing feeling, and it was this exact feeling he felt whenever he was near Usagi.
Without another word, Seiya got up from his seat and proceeded over to the door.
"You forgot this." Taiki reminded as he darted a piece of paper over to him.
Without looking back, Seiya caught the card easily with two fingers.
"Thanks." He muttered as he closed the door behind him.
"What was it that you gave him?" Yaten asked curiously.
"Usagi-san's address." Taiki answered plainly.
"And how did you get that?" Yaten asked suspiciously.
Closing his book, Taiki reached under his desk and dropped a mountain of documents before Yaten much to his surprise.
"Here." He pointed at the information papers that were at least two metres high.
"You got all these in one night?" Tamaki asked as he casually flipped through the students' and teachers' records.
"A hour and a half actually." Taiki corrected.
Unlike Yaten who was shocked speechless, Tamaki seemed awkwardly carefree by his reply. It was as though he had expected such reply, making Yaten wondered whether it was really that easy for someone to gather so much information in such a short period of time.
"So, did you find anyone interesting so far?" Yaten asked, browsing through the files of documents.
"This." Taiki replied, gesturing at the book he was reading.
Baffled, Tamaki and Yaten glanced over at the brown book that titled the Circle of Stars on its cover and raised their brows at Taiki.
"This is the only astrology book I've read so far that mention the Crown of the Divinity. It even suggests that the disappearance of the stars was due to a betrayal among the zodiac guardians…" Taiki explained briefly.
--
"According to a classical myth, the Crown of Divinity was the legacy of Heaven's domination. Normally referred to as the power and symbol of Zeus, it was believed that besides the Heavenly King himself, one could obtain the divinity circlet by collecting all the twelve star stones and uniting them together to achieve power so great that it would crown the beholder the supremacy to become the next dominator of Heaven." – Myth
--
"A traitor?! Impossible! There's no way any of us, guardians, would side the rebellion group to take over father's throne!" Tamaki shrieked in disbelief.
"Then try explaining how we ended up in this filthy place, Your Excellency." Taiki argued calmly.
"Well, it could be because we are here for a vacation…" Tamaki nodded to himself.
"Right… A vacation…" Yaten agreed sarcastically.
Taiki shook his head with a faint grin as he glanced over to the author's name that was bolded with gold letterings at the bottom of the book cover.
"Ami Mizuno… hmm? This could be someone interesting…" He murmured with a confident smile.
--
--
Usagi lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. Part of her wanted to run away from here, but the other half told her to stay. This day was filled with surprises and disbeliefs for her, and Usagi didn't know what to do anymore. She couldn't grab onto the situation. The fact that Mamoru had become the holder of the Aries stone was way too overwhelming for her to handle in that instant. She had previously pushed him out of the room, without listening to his explanation, but she regretted doing that now after clearing her thoughts.
There was no use laying here and continue doubting him. She should listen to his explanation, shouldn't she? With a toss of her legs, she was up. But instead of walking over to the door, she glanced over at a velvet box which lay on top of her nightstand. Once again, she reached out for the box and lifted the lid.
For a moment, all she could do was stared at what was inside. A thin silver bracelet that came with a beautiful four-leaf clover charm sat on the silky cushion. Usagi ran her fingers down the crimson red charm, still unable to believe that it was actually a gem instead of a real clover. It looked as though it had a life of its own, and secretly, she believed that it did. Though she couldn't remember where she got it or who it was from, she knew that this bracelet was really essential to her. She didn't dare to put it on, fearing that she might drop or lose it if she wasn't careful. Beside this, she had no other personal belonging in this world, and she would do anything to keep it safe by her side.
-Tap-
Usagi jerked, almost dropping the bracelet when she heard a light knock from the window. She grasped onto the box and took a step back at the tapping noise. Was it just the wind or was it a burglar trying to get in? But a burglar wouldn't come knocking, would he? So, it wasn't a thief then. Then, who or what could it be? Taking in some courage, she lifted the curtain just high enough to get a peek out of the window.
Her eyes doubled in size at the sight of Seiya seated on top of the big sakura tree just outside her room.
"Hey…" He smiled and greeted her lightly.
Usagi began to wobble unsteadily from disbelief, and she would probably have fallen back if Seiya hadn't leapt front and reached out for her in time. She was too shocked to see him here to say or do anything else other than stare into his eyes of concern. For a moment, she was tempted to reach out her hand and touch to see if he was just a figment of her imagination till his voice broke her trance before she did something embarrassing.
"Are you alright? Can you stand?" Seiya asked in concern, not knowing whether he should let her out of his embrace already.
Usagi nodded and gently pushed herself out of his hold, shying away from him.
"I'm sorry… Did I scare you?" He asked worriedly, seeing that she looked really uncomfortable at the moment.
But to his relief, Usagi just shook her head and glanced up at him curiously. "Why? What are you doing here? Ho-How did you get here?"
"I was flying around the city and I thought I should pay you a visit…" He answered with a smile.
"Eh?!"
Usagi threw him a shock look, totally taken back by his answer. Besides staring startlingly back at him once more, she didn't know how she should be reacting at that moment. She kept quiet, waiting for more of an explanation, but he just peered silently at her, studying her expression. It seemed to him that she was terribly disturbed by his presence though she had turned embarrassed after realizing that she was staring at him for a little too long.
"I'm sorry. I know I sound ridiculous. Sorry to be disturbing your rest… I'll be going now…" Seiya trailed off with an apology, ready to leave.
But, a hand caught him by his arm, locking him on the spot. Seiya spun around, surprised to see Usagi scrunched her face up in disagreement.
"Wait! Please don't go yet…" She pleaded softly before adding. "I've got something to ask you…"
He looked bafflingly at her and watched her lips quivered as though she was trying to convey an important message to him, but couldn't.
"What is it?" He asked gently.
Usagi opened her mouth to speak, but a loud knock on the wooden door interrupted her inquiry.
"It's me, Mamoru. I see that your light is on. Can we talk things out for a bit? I'll be waiting…"
Usagi flinched at his voice, her heartbeats rising in panic. She didn't know what she should do at that moment. There was no way she could let Mamoru in with Seiya here. He'd definitely report him for trespassing. But, as much as she didn't want Seiya to get into trouble, she didn't want to let him leave without clearing her doubt and feeling for him.
Seiya, on the other hand, was trying to suppress his dislike for the man calling out to Usagi. He didn't want Usagi to be seeing any other man besides him, but who was he to be demanding when he was clearly the intruder here? He looked away and out of the window as he tried to hide his jealousy from her.
"Oh… That's your boyfriend right? Sorry about the interference… I guess I really should leave now…" He muttered awkwardly.
"Seiya! Wait! D-Don't go! Please don't go!" Usagi pleaded as she managed to grab onto his arm before he could leap out of the window.
He looked back at her, slightly baffled by her action. He didn't understand why she would insist him to stay when her boyfriend was just outside the door waiting for her. Shouldn't she be chasing him out already? But instead, she pleaded him not to leave and he couldn't say no to her, not when she was putting up a near tear expression.
"Please hide here…" Usagi directed Seiya to the wall closet.
"What?" He frowned, obviously against the idea of hiding in a woman wardrobe, but Usagi had already closed the folding doors right before he could protest further.
"Hey…" Seiya opposed, opening the door slightly enough to peek at her dissatisfiedly.
Usagi enlarged her sparkling blue eyes at him, begging him to stay. "Please…! Just for a minute…"
Seiya sighed before nodding his head in defeat, not knowing how he could reject her earnest request.
"Thank you! Thank you, Seiya!" She beamed widely at him, making him blushed slightly at her beautiful grin.
She looked twice as beautiful when she smiled like that, and her grin was familiarly sweet and warm. Seiya wished she would keep smiling this way and not put up a dispirited expression most of the time. Any sign of grief just didn't suit her face at all.
He watched quietly from the tiny opening as Usagi went over to answer the door. She opened it slightly and glanced up at Mamoru standing by the doorway. He frowned at her, wondering why she was taking longer than usual to answer his call. From the looks of it, he knew she doubted him and it didn't seem like she was ready to accept him as her Aries anytime soon.
"Can we talk again tomorrow? I'm a little tired right now…" Usagi excused awkwardly.
"You have been hiding in your room for hours already. You know you can't stay in there and avoid me forever. Why can't you just hear me out?" Mamoru insisted and pushed the door opened before she could resist.
Usagi kept quiet, not knowing what else to do besides backing away and grasping onto the velvet box uneasily. She hadn't realized that she was still clinging onto the bracelet box till Mamoru pointed it to her.
"What's that you're holding?"
Quickly, her eyes shot down to the fist sized parcel. She smiled faintly to herself before carefully removing the lid of the box and held the bracelet up by the silvery chain, watching the red clover spin lightly in the air.
Seiya's eyes widened as his mouth dropped at the bracelet Usagi was holding. It was impossible. How could there be another bangle that looked exactly like the one he was wearing? He held his breath, his eyes remained fixed on the clover jewel the entire time till Usagi grabbed his attention with a question.
"Did you give me this?" She asked, gesturing the bracelet to Mamoru.
Mamoru glanced at it, guessing that it was just another jewel he had bought for her.
"Could be… I've bought you so many of those…" He replied uninterestedly.
Usagi smiled sadly at his answer. As expected, he wasn't the one who gave her the bracelet. She looked back at the dangling clover bangle, hoping that it would talk and give her an answer.
"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?" Usagi asked him.
Mamoru sighed quietly. He was obviously unconcerned about the legend or myth of some insignificant flowers. There was only one thing he wanted, and that was her.
But Usagi was totally oblivious about his desire as she smiled faintly at the charm of a clover.
"It means...
… You are my lover."
Seiya froze as his ears swallowed Usagi's words. It was pleasantly familiar, from the way she said it to her tone and accent. Suddenly, it was difficult to breathe, and he couldn't think of anything other than what she had just said. His brain picked up those words, rearranging and repeating them until his heart was ready to jump out of his chest.
Was she the one? The mysterious lady who stole his heart away back in their world? The one girl whom he swore he would protect and love for eternity?
He took a step forward, but his brain disagreed with his action and yanked his leg back. If he was to go out now, he would cause nothing but trouble to Usagi. He clenched his fists, restraining himself from doing anything reckless at the moment.
"It's just a flower, Usagi. My only concern is you." Mamoru stressed.
Usagi glanced away, unsure of how she should be reacting to his so-called concern. It seemed like he didn't understand her at all. It wasn't just a flower. It was something far more important and valuable than any finest jewellery combined together. He never seemed to notice what she was bothered and concerned about. She was tired of pretending to be satisfied when, in reality, she couldn't even find anything to smile about.
"I don't know what to believe anymore…" Usagi muttered softly.
"But, I love you, Usagi. Why can't you believe that?" Mamoru pointed out.
Usagi kept quiet, shaking her head solemnly as she took a step back.
Growing impatient, Mamoru grabbed her by the shoulders, "I don't understand you! Why are you still avoiding me? Why can't you accept my feeling even after I've found the Aries stone that you've wanted?!"
Seiya flinched. Aries stone? What was he talking about? The Aries stone was his! He was its rightful holder. He couldn't see how anyone could obtain his Star stone without defeating him. But before he could come out with an appropriate explanation, his temperate raised with fury when he saw Mamoru pinning Usagi to the wall much to her reluctance.
"Let go, Mamoru! You are hurting me!" Usagi shrieked and placed her hands on his chest, shoving him away from her but he simply grabbed her by the wrists, restraining her from her withdrawal.
"Do you know how frustrating it is when you never once let me kiss or touch you?" Mamoru frowned.
Usagi glimpsed back up at him in time to see him leaned towards her to steal a kiss. But an attack came from behind, saving her, and the next thing she knew Seiya was already yanking Mamoru up by the collar of his shirt with a deadly look.
"Don't. Touch. Her." He demanded angrily.
While Usagi covered her mouth with her hands in shock, Mamoru stiffed in the air, too startled to even react, as Seiya mercilessly gripped him by the neck a second later.
Mamoru could feel his throat burning crazily. His heart beat started to speed up, begging him for oxygen. He struggled to break free, but Seiya's grip just seemed to tighten at his each attempt. He was killing him, and it seemed like there was nothing he or anyone could do to stop his cruel intention till Usagi pounced on him from behind.
"Don't! Seiya, please don't hurt him!" She begged while clinching onto him.
Seiya widened his eyes at her, obviously not understanding her plead. "You expect me spare him when he almost violated you?"
"You don't understand! He… He saved me! I owed my life to him! So, please let him go…" Usagi cried.
Seiya was weakened by the sight of her tears as he released his grip against Mamoru's throat, causing him to crash onto the ground while choking in pain. When he had gathered enough strength to steal a glimpse up at them, Seiya had already hoisted Usagi up in his arms.
Instead of resisting, Usagi clung onto Seiya still in tears. Everything just seemed to happen so suddenly and it left her feeling utterly lost. Besides the comforting words Seiya was murmuring to her, she could hear and believe nothing else. She couldn't hear Mamoru yelling out to her or see Seiya glaring back at him with flare burning in his eyes.
For Usagi's sake, he restrained himself from hurting Mamoru any further, and decided to take her with him. There was no way he was going to allow her to stay with a boyfriend who almost raped her. Tamaki was right. He shouldn't have hesitated and let her go back then.
"I'm sorry…" Seiya breathed.
As soon as she heard his words, Usagi glanced bafflingly up at him. Why was he apologizing? She definitely couldn't find anything wrong that he might have done to upset her. Besides, he was the one who saved her. So, shouldn't she be the one apologizing or thanking him instead?
"Wa-wait!" Mamoru choked out as he struggled to stand back up.
He was never allowing them to escape like this. But before he could even run over to them, his body held itself back from the sudden unusual rise of room temperature. His eyes enlarged in disbelief as crimson red flame began to ignite from Seiya's back, forming a pair of huge fire wings like those of a phoenix.
Believing that he was going insane, Mamoru dropped back down to his bottom in absolute shock. Such illogical things shouldn't be happening. It couldn't be real! Yes, that was what he thought when the couple bizarrely vanished before him together with the surrounding flame.
--
--
Usagi gaped at the mystical creature carrying her as they flew over a forest of trees. She couldn't keep her eyes off him or his fiery wings. Her mouth opened to question him, but her vocal cords refused to function properly. He wasn't looking at her all these while, not knowing how he should be explaining himself.
He couldn't possibly tell her that he was actually a prince from Heaven, who for some reasons got separated from his Star stones and comrades, and ended up on an earth that talked only about science. Definitely, no one would believe that, and he wouldn't be surprise if she didn't.
Immediately, he descended when the city sight became visible. Usagi was still staring at him even after he had put out his fiery wings. He settled her down gently on the ground, hoping he hadn't invaded her personal space too much. But looking at her now, he could tell she was still overwhelmed by all that had happened.
"You can breathe now…" Seiya told her.
Usagi's cheek darkened as she became aware that she was holding her breath for the whole time. She released the air she had been restraining, breathing rapidly to catch up with the oxygen supply.
Seiya giggled at her reaction before extending his hand out to her. "We got to walk from here… I will lead the way."
Usagi stared at his hand for a second longer before timidly slipping her hand in his. "May I know who exactly are you?"
"I could ask you the same thing." He replied mysteriously with a smile.
She glanced up into his night blue eyes, not replying to his statement. How could she possibly answer him when she practically knew nothing about herself? Deep down, she really would want someone to tell her about her identity and who she really was.
"You are my lover…"
Usagi's face shot up at the quote. His words weren't the only thing that captured her attention. Something glimmering from his right wrist caught her eyes as well. She blinked when Seiya lifted their locked hands up to her eyes level. He carefully unfolded his sleeve, bringing the familiar bracelet into her view.
She gasped, not believing her eyes as she finally glimpsed down at the bracelet she was grasping in her left hand, only to find that they were indeed a pair. Calming down by a little, Usagi managed to swallow the lump forming in her throat and looked up at Seiya. She pointed at his bracelet, gesturing it to hers.
"Sa-same… Four-leaf clover…" She muttered, struggling to complete her sentence with no success.
Seiya simply smiled as he reached out and took the bracelet from her.
"A bracelet isn't for you to hold." He told her and hooked it around her wrist.
For a moment, Usagi could only stare at the silver bangle, unable to believe that something this beautiful would fix around her wrist so perfectly. Seiya, on the other hand, held her hand up, watching her clover charm spin around with his, both giving off beautiful sparkles, illuminating the site as star-like specks. It almost looked as though they had captured the night stars, sealing them around their hands.
"It looks perfect on you…" Seiya commented with a smile.
Usagi gawked at him blankly, too amazed to respond. She glanced down at their bracelets again and then resumed gazing at his face. Her jaw dropped as she unsuccessfully tried to speak. After a minute of pointless gaping and shutting her mouth, she nervously took a shallow breath.
Worried, Seiya touched her shoulder, only to have her almost fall over. Immediately, he kept his hands out towards, ready to catch her if her legs gave in, but seeing that she had managed to steady herself, he lowered his arms and gazed worriedly back at her.
"Are you the one who gave this to me?" Usagi finally asked, gesturing at her crimson clover charm.
He blinked in surprise for a second before smiling warmly back at her. "I would like to know too. Did you give me this clover bangle?"
"Eh? But, I asked you first…" Usagi replied, determined to get an answer from him.
Deep inside, she somehow knew it already, that they did exchange these clover charms somewhere before, but she wanted an assurance from him. According to legend, lovers who found a pair of four-leaf clovers together, and later exchanged them, was said to bind an emblem of eternity love between them. That would explain why she felt so comfortable with Seiya as soon as she had met her. She had a feeling that she would have trusted him with her life back then, regardless of the fact that her mind believed they had just met.
"Stay with me if you want to know the answer…" Seiya hinted, keeping a tight grip against her hand so she couldn't pull away from him no matter how hard she tried.
But little did he know, Usagi had no intention to evade from him. She couldn't, not when she was overly stunned to do anything besides blushing at his statement. Did he just ask her to stay with him? That couldn't be right, could it? Though she knew she was in no situation to reject him, she didn't wish to be a freeloader just because he had unconditionally offered her a place to stay.
"I'll work hard for it!" Usagi burst out suddenly.
"Work hard?" Seiya asked, giving her a baffled expression.
"The rent! I'll get a part time or something to pay for the rent!"
"You don't have to… really…"
"No! I must! You've helped me a great deal already! It'd be really horrible of me to keep depending on you for everything!" Usagi insisted.
"Odango, that wasn't what I meant…"
"Eh?" Usagi squeaked, obviously not understanding his words.
He raised his brows at her before sighing in defeat. "You are really dense, aren't you?"
Usagi stared innocently back at him as though she was still trying to figure him out.
"Never mind…" Seiya shook his head with a smile as he led her out of the deserted field. "It's fine, as long as I know that you are the one…"
Usagi blinked at his remarks, and her eyes instantly settled themselves on their locked hands, observing the beautiful specks that were given off by the bracelets they were wearing.
"Seiya, I feel like I've known you for all my life…" She breathed, still staring down at the clover charms.
"What did you said?" Seiya stopped his steps and asked, not catching her words.
Usagi shook her head as she looked into his dark blue orbs with a pleasant smile. "Will you fly me around the city the next time round?"
Seiya smiled at her request, before leaning over to her ear and whispered. "I'll bring you around the world... and to wherever you want to go… That is… If you allow me to…"
His words lingered in her ears, and suddenly, she felt the urge to wrap her arms around him, but decided to restrain herself so as to save her from the embarrassment. This feeling, it was so intense, the attraction so strong that it started to scare her. It left her incapable of doing anything else besides nodding her head with a faint blush.
"Let's get going, shall we?" Seiya stated and turned around to focus on the horizon in front of him, trying to keep her from seeing his overjoyed expression.
It was pretty obvious that even though neither of them could remember each other, their bodies still do. Deep inside, they secretly hoped that one day they would regain what was lost and finish their journey together. That would be a dream come true.
--
--
"These replicas are really worthless…" Akito commented, staring blankly at the tiny crack on the blue Star stone.
"What do you expect? This is just a reproduction. It can never replace the real thing." Jadeite pointed out while adding more food to his plate. "You're not eating?"
"I've lost my appetite just by looking at this." Akito stated as she crushed the replica into tiny grey fragments.
"Will you stop insulting my experiment, Akito?" Tomoe walking into the dinning room, groaned.
"If you could make us a Star stone as powerful as the guardian's… I might reconsider using it as my power." She retorted uncaringly.
"Why you-..."
"Don't start, Tomoe…" Zoisite from the other end of the table pointed his fork at him. "You know you can never win someone with the bloodline of a gorgon."
--
"In Greek mythology, a so called gorgon was a vicious female monster with power so strong that anyone with the attempt to look upon her would be turned into stone." – Story's myth.
--
Tomoe looked away, frustrated by the fact that he couldn't defeat Akito just because he was only a half-demon, unlike her.
A short moment of silence passed before the phone started to ring. Tomoe went over to the booth, picking it up at the third ring, and a familiar, ominous voice greeted him.
"Hello…?"
"Hello… Tomoe-san… It's Rei here… I've found the guardians…"
--
--
Scattered across the tables were over a hundred of magazines and newspapers all posting the different available jobs in Tokyo. While Usagi was gratefully thanking Taiki for the huge stack of employment articles, Seiya was scanning through the pile in displease.
"You are actually serious about getting a part-time?" Seiya frowned.
Usagi nodded, "Of course! I've got to earn my own saving for school and the rent…"
"You really don't have to…" He sighed.
"No! I must-…!"
"Can the two of you please not start it again? You've been arguing about this matter ever since you step in here." Yaten interrupted.
"Precisely!" Tamaki agreed with a nod. "I don't get what you are fussing about, Seiya. In this era, it's perfectly fine for a lady to work for her own pocket money. Besides, such discipline from Usagi is supremely admirable."
"I didn't ask for your opinion, Tamaki. Besides, you should know how dangerous it is to be working in this society. All these jobs got no insurance or whatsoever!" Seiya retorted.
"Usagi-san will do fine. So, stop acting like an overprotective husband, Seiya." Tamaki stated in a carefree manner.
"Eh? Husband?" Usagi squeaked in shock, while Seiya glowered at him with a death glare.
But Tamaki seemed to ignore his deadly look. He swiftly grabbed an article from the pile and presented it to Usagi, telling her to take up the job as he knew the director there. This made Seiya glanced over at the piece of employment, not trusting Tamaki's recommendation. And, as expected, his eyes widened with objection.
"What makes you think she'll be a whole lot safer working in a Cosplay Café?" Seiya burst out.
"Calm down, my dear brother! This isn't any ordinary Cosplay Café. It's one of the capital's biggest restaurants, managed by my best friend, Kyoya Ootori, whose family owned hundred over restaurants and hotels around the world. Just to let you know, they only serve the rich and the famous… and they come with the best insurance just for the sake of you and Usagi-san…" Tamaki explained light-heartedly.
"And what sort of insurance could that be?" Seiya asked, eyeing suspiciously at his brother.
"Of course, it would be none other than the charming ME."
"You. Are. The. Worse. Insurance. Ever!" Seiya responded through gritted teeth.
He would have beaten his senseless brother up if it wasn't for Yaten who held him back in time. A Cosplay restaurant was definitely the last place Seiya would want Usagi to work in. Knowing that she would look ridiculously cute in a maid or some other cosplay costumes, he was more than certain that she would have a rough time servicing customers whom needed to be treated as masters in the café.
But Usagi, on the other hand, was totally oblivious about his worries as she gratefully accepted the offer from Tamaki. She thought it was a great idea to be helping out in one of Tamaki's friend's café, and besides, the salary there looked attractively good for a part-time.
Seiya opened his mouth to protest, but as soon as he saw the happy look Usagi was giving him, his will to do anything that didn't coincide with her wishes just disappeared. How could he argue with an angel who looked so innocently overjoyed? The answer was simple. He couldn't. As much as he didn't like the idea of her working in a cosplay café, he didn't want to see her get upset over his mere rejection either.
He would respect her decision, even if it meant that it would leave him with no other choice but to watch over her during her work shift. Obviously, there was no better way to do this besides working by her side.
--
--
Mamoru stormed into the classroom angrily and approached his seat, ignoring anyone who tried to talk to him. He was in a foul mood. Actually, he had been irritated after he dreamt of Seiya taking Usagi away from him, and his spirits only seemed to worsen after waking up to find that she had indeed left him. He hadn't seen Usagi in over a week now. She hadn't come to school since the day she left, and neither did the three Kous.
He had no idea what to think, or where she was. But, he knew that even if he had found her, she might not forgive him for his thoughtless action the other night. That was why she left him right? He couldn't find any other reason that would make her leave. He even got the Aries stone she wanted! So, why wasn't she satisfied and allowed him to have her?
So absorbed in his own thoughts, Mamoru didn't even notice when the classroom door opened. He only looked up when he heard a familiar voice greeting Koichi Sensei. He was surprised to find Taiki standing in front of the classroom. He was accompanied by a new female student with long, wavy green hair. She looked pleasantly graceful, her eyes still staring at Taiki as he handed over a note to their homeroom teacher.
For a second, Koichi Sensei just widened his eyes in surprise before he nodded at Taiki and turned to the class with an announcement.
"Listen up, class! We have a new student with us today! Her name is Michiru Kaioh! I would like everyone to treat her well."
Michiru bowed before the class with a pleasant smile, enticing most of the boys in the classroom. "Watashiwa Michiru desu. Yoroshiku (I'm Michiru. Nice to meet you)."
After her greeting, she proceeded to the back of the classroom with Taiki and took the two empty seats by the window. Mamoru turned his head over his shoulder and glared at Taiki, but Taiki didn't even bother to look his way as he whispered something to Michiru.
Michiru nodded a few times before pulling out a pink notebook and began taking down notes as Koichi began to speak.
Mamoru's eyes enlarged in surprise when he realized that the notebook Michiru was writting on belonged to Usagi. Why was Usagi's notebook with the new student? It seemed to him that both Taiki and Michiru knew where Usagi was, but wasn't informing him. And, that indeed bothered him to no end.
As soon as the bell ended, Mamoru was out of his seat. He headed to the back of the classroom in determination to clear things up with them and locate Usagi's whereabouts.
"Why is Usagi's notebook here with you?" He asked Michiru directly.
But instead of replying him, she closed the book and glanced over at Taiki for permission. "Should I answer him, Great Sage?"
"Don't bother." Taiki told her bluntly, his eyes still glued to the book he was reading.
Mamoru slammed his hand on Taiki's desk, yelling. "Don't ignore me! I know Seiya Kou took Usagi away when I wasn't around! Tell me where she is!"
"And, why must I?" Taiki asked coolly, flipping a page.
"I'll kill you if you don't!"
"Can you?" Taiki challenged.
Mamoru's temperature rose with fury at his reply. His hands were already clenched into tight fists, ready to strike at the man seated before him. Taiki, despite reading his intention, didn't even budge. He just remained seated there, totally absorbed by the book he was reading, as the entire class turned their attention to the on-going commotion.
It took Mamoru a full minute to actually calm himself down as he smirked down at Taiki. "Fine! I will just report Seiya Kou for abducting Usagi then, and let the police handle it."
This brought Taiki to finally look up at him with a deadly glare. Michiru shook her head disapprovingly at Mamoru, knowing that this foolish man had just provoked the most dangerous and unforgiving guardian among the twelve zodiacs.
She watched as Taiki abruptly got up and settled his right hand on Mamoru's shoulder, making him stiffened at the huge impact. Suddenly, his legs turned weak from the force as he struggled to keep his stance. What with this ridiculous among of weight? It was as though he was carrying a mountain on his shoulder. And, when he finally looked up, he found himself staring into a pair of malicious, violet orbs.
Taiki pulled Mamoru closer and his body obediently swayed towards him till he was whispering into his ears, "You can try bothering Seiya, and I swear I'll make your life so miserable that you wish you were never born."
If his mind hadn't gone blank a second ago, it sure did now. He wanted to retort back to his statement, but his brain couldn't give any command. It was as though Taiki had frozen his mentality or something, and he could do nothing now other than stared fretfully at his mysterious grin.
Soon, he felt the weight on his shoulder disappeared as Taiki released his grip. Mamoru struggled to keep his stance as Taiki walked past him without another word and exited the classroom with Michiru, leaving everyone in deep silent.
--
--
Yaten hurried out of the building, clutching onto his fists. Only an hour had passed, and he had already lost sight of Tamaki. While Seiya had been helping Usagi to settle down with her new home and work, Yaten had been through a busy week of babysitting Tamaki. It sure was a tiring task to watch over such a hyperactive creature that kept pestering him, every now and then, to tour him around the country. To make matters worse, Tamaki would always get discovered by his fans, despite his disguise, and they would end up running from the gang pursuit for hours. So, losing him now could be a blessing after all.
He sighed, deciding to head back home without Tamaki. Glancing up at the sky, he realized that he'd have to hurry. There were huge storm clouds gathering above. By the looks of it, it didn't look like he'd be able to make it home before it began to rain. Soon, pellets of rain fell to the ground in a light drizzle. People were either running for shelters or pulling out their umbrellas. As for Yaten, he decided to run in the rain, not bothering to wait under a shelter or enter a nearby store to purchase an umbrella.
Being in the rain was a whole lot better than to stick with the crowd. He never liked the city mass, but after all the unpleasant experiences he had with Tamaki involving mobs, he hated them more than anything now.
He didn't bother to call for a cab or his chauffeur, since he knew the shortest route to his house from the street he was running in. He turned into the forest and quickened his steps despite the slippery ground. The rain fell harder and faster with the droplets slapping his already frigid skin more rapidly than before. Nevertheless, he kept his face forward, only to stop when he spotted a blurry figure floating by the large, freshwater loch that he was passing by.
The speed at which the rain was falling at created a wet veil over his surrounding, making it hard to see. What was it that was coming out of the lake? For a second, he actually hoped that it was a sea monster since he had always wanted to see one after hearing and reading so many myths about them. But his fantasy was soon destroyed when it discovered the dark silhouette had the shape of a human.
The rain soon lightened as the obscure figure came closer to the shore he was standing. To his amazed, the lake was surfaced with fishes popping their heads out of the water while they continue to surround the approaching silhouette.
Curious, Yaten took a step forward, only to freeze when he realized that a girl was actually in the lake flooded with colourful fishes. Her glittering blue eyes seemed to be skimming around the water surface, seemingly to be looking for something. Her expression looked blank but troubled as she continued to scan through her surrounding hopelessly.
"Hey! Are you alright over there?" Yaten asked aloud, not knowing how he should be approaching a girl in a lake, not to mention one with a flood of fishes in it.
She turned towards the source of his voice, and he saw a clear feature of her for the first time. Yaten's mouth dropped open in awe as he stared blankly at the divine beauty before him. Even the falling rain couldn't hide her fair and smooth complexion, and damping her golden locks with droplets only made her looked more beautiful than she already was. For a second, Yaten actually thought she was a mermaid from the ocean till he saw her walking out to the bank on two feet.
"I couldn't find my Star stone…" She told him, in a relatively sad voice.
She was approaching him with shaky legs, but Yaten was too stunned to do anything besides keeping his hands out towards her, ready to catch her if her legs gave in. But for the next few seconds, she just stood a close distance away from him, eyeing at him with a painful look.
"I couldn't find my Star stone… where is it? Do you know where it is?" She repeated sadly, hoping that he would answer her.
The sadness in her eyes brought a sudden grief into his soul and his body winced in pain just by looking at her. If he knew a way to make her feel better, he would have killed for the answer already. He didn't understand why it hurt to see her looking this sad. Was it simply out of pity? Or was it because of something else? Whatever it was, the feeling was strong, so strong that his body moved on its own accord, supporting her into his arms when her legs finally gave in.
He called out to her worriedly, but she just stared back at him wordlessly, the misery in her eyes refused to vanish. Avoiding her miserable stare, Yaten managed to think logically as he reached for his cell phone in his pocket. He took it out wanting to call for help, only to realize that there wasn't any reception in this remote area.
Cursing under his breath, he decided to pick her up, but was interrupted by a loud call from behind.
"Minako!"
Yaten turned his head towards the call, only to find a tall girl running towards them while eyeing worriedly at the beauty in his arms.
"Haruka, Naru! Minako is here! I've found her!" the girl shouted out to her two friends behind her as the group scurried across the muddy field towards them.
The second they dropped down besides them, Haruka protectively took Minako over from Yaten, eyeing suspiciously at him.
"Who are you? And, what have you done to Minako?" He demanded.
"I did nothing! She was already like this when I found her…" Yaten half-shouted at his accuse.
Dropping his fury for a moment, Haruka eyed worriedly at Minako while her two friends called out to her. She stared blankly at them before grabbing onto the girl on her left.
"Makoto! The stars... I saw the stars falling into a lake! I really did!" She told her friend desperately before adding sadly. "But, I couldn't find any of them… I couldn't…"
"Please Minako… forget about the Star stones… they don't exist…" Haruka stressed, not wanting to see his friend get overly upset over the matters anymore.
Minako shook her head, "No, I can't…"
"You can!" Makoto encouraged. "Just as long as you stop thinking about it…"
"Yes, listen to Makoto. You got to stop stressing yourself over such things… Star stones aren't real…" Naru added.
"They are! They are real! They exist! They really do… Why can't anyone just believe me?" Minako cried softly, her voice weakening.
The pain of being force to lose her memory, her identity, and her life she previously had was unbearably torturing. It was a painful torment that left her with nothing except for this small belief. But why? Why was it so that everyone, even the people she grew to treasure and trust, want to destroy her only hope to remain sane? Why couldn't there be someone who would believe her?
"I believe you…"
All eyes flew to Yaten as he repeated those words, "I believe you…"
Minako's eyes widened at his statement, not believing what she had just heard. She watched as his lips curved into a gentle smile. Though she knew nothing of him, not even his name, she somehow knew he wasn't lying. Even if he was, she would still feel happy to hear someone telling her that. At the very least, he didn't try crushing her belief. But instead, he was intending to grant it for her much to everyone's astonishment.
"And, for this... I shall get your Star stone back for you…"
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Credit: Akito from Fruit Basket, Kyoya from Ouran High Host Club
Gosh! I've finally updated this story as requested! Ya, it had been a year, at least, since my last update. Like promised, I did come back to this after my completion for the Love Legend, and in return, I hope you guys did enjoy this chapter. I've received a couple of emails requesting for my stories to be translated to Spanish. And, yes, I've actually approved it, so that readers who are unfamiliar with English could read them as well. I've allowed Kiara Kou to translate the NPA. So, do give her some support :). I wanted to learn Spanish too. It's such a beautiful language. But, I've a terrible gene in language, and sadly, I can't find anything time for it. I hardly have the time to write or complete a chapter with my tight work scope, so the next update you will see from me will probably be a month or two later. Oh well…
Leave a review before going! Thanks for reading!