The Legend Never Dies
..
Somewhere between Heaven and Hell laid a lovely crystal clear lake with birds fluttering above singing sweet songs with their soft chirps. Young green grass peaked out from the rich brown soil with flowers blooming fully around the area. Rainbow of colors lit up the place adding a strong vibrant of energy. And, right in middle of the horizon was the golden setting sun casting it's reflection against the light blue lake.
This was earth, a truly gorgeous site.
It had been this peaceful and this serene ever since creation. But, did Heaven and Hell really create such a beautiful gap between them just to achieve peace with one another? Or was it just a smoke screen to hide the never existing truth?
No one could give an appropriate answer, and of course, not even the Great Dark Lord could. He had been thinking about it a lot more lately as he visited earth once again.
He stopped by the beautiful lake and glanced over at the setting sun sinking past the horizon. His expression remained blank as though he could not absorb or understand the beauty before him. In this world, with or without the presence of a war, there was nothing that could break his stern expression.
Nothing…
…Except for one sacred phrase that couldn't leave his mind.
"I love you, Seiya."
Seiya? Who's Seiya? And what was love?
It was bugging him that he couldn't remember anything beside the soft voice saying those four words, surrounded by nothing but darkness as if veil of shadows had been dragged over his memories. The Dark Lord couldn't even be sure if it was a memory. For all he knew, he could be delusional since such message clearly made no sense to him.
But, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't push that voice away from his head, as if it was permanently inserted into him by someone or something. But by who or what? There wasn't anyone in Heaven or Hell who could even touch him, let alone force such message into him. So, it was just his imagination then?
He was rather lost at this point of time, and it seemed like there was no one who could answer his doubt. He tried asking his comrades about love, but he still couldn't understand the concept despite how hard they tried to send the meaning through either words or actions. Plans to make him fall for the beautiful goddesses from heaven failed when he couldn't even feel anything despite their tedious effort to get his affection. Nothing anyone did seem to affect him which was why he had decided to search for an answer on his own. But he had no idea what to do or where to start finding.
His intuition told him that whatever he was seeking for didn't exist, but his body disagreed. It felt strange, as if someone had cruelly removed a very important part of him from within, and everyday, his body strongly urged him to get it back. But what was it that he craved so badly to see, to hear, to touch and to be with?
He didn't know.
But whatever it was, it was important till the extent that he would visit earth every so often to look for it. He didn't think something this significant to him would be in Heaven, and if he couldn't find it in Hell, there could only be one place in which he hadn't search for, and that was earth.
"It isn't here…" The Dark Lord muttered to himself before glimpsing away from the disappearing sun.
He turned his attention to his left, in time to see an old lady walking out from behind a tree as she sat unsteadily down on the huge rock just by the lakeside. She was accompanied by a group of children that was seen dancing around her in a small circle. They settled down a second later, tugging onto the elder sleeve and bugging her with questions.
"Granny! Granny! What happened to the Maiden of the Light in the end?" One of the little boys asked innocently.
"Did you perish her from the story?" another one asked with enthusiasm.
"The Maiden of the Light?"
For the first time, the heartless Dark Lord actually widened his eyes at the name mentioned with interest. Who was this person they were asking about? He definitely didn't remember hearing the name being noted down in both legend or history. She must be a frictional character then; probably made up to satisfy the children's fantasy. But strangely, he found himself terribly interested to know this non-existing character.
The Dark Lord continued to stare at the mysterious old woman, waiting for her to say something, but instead of answering their questions, she lifted her head and glanced over at him.
She smiled at his doubtful expression and asked. "Are you lost, child?"
For a second, there was only silence as the Dark Lord furrowed his brows at the elderly woman. Though the brown scarf that she wore around her head had hid her face well, he could tell that she was smiling warmly at him. The Dark Lord definitely couldn't sense any godly or demonic presence coming from this mysterious elder, and from the look of it, she appeared to hold no difference from an average old lady. But somehow, he knew she wasn't any ordinary mortal. So, who exactly was she?
"Are you the one who called for me?" The Dark Lord asked plainly, taking in the possibility that she might be the one who voiced the four words into his head.
"I don't remember calling you by that name, child." The old lady smiled at his question.
"That name?"
The elder nodded gently, "Yes, child. You have a name, don't you?"
The Dark Lord smirked at her question, finding it ridiculous. "What nonsense. Of course I do. It's-…"
He paused at his midst sentence abruptly, and found himself in a disable state to answer her question. Wasn't the Dark Lord his name? Everyone called him that ever since creation, and there wasn't a soul in legend that didn't know who the Dark Lord was. Yes, that was his name alright. Yet, why? Why couldn't he answer her? Why was he stuck speechless at this simple question?
"Seiya… Seiya…"
"This voice…" The Dark Lord stressed.
"Whose voice was it?" The elder asked gently.
Yes, whose voice was it? His right hand instantly flew to his throbbing head as he tried his hardest to keep this sweet voice from vanishing. He didn't know what or who it belonged to, but for some reason, he didn't want it to disappear.
In the end, he still couldn't understand why the voice was so essential to him when all it ever gave him was a headache. But he couldn't help it, not when his body was desperately fighting to keep it alive. And, that name. Why did it sound so beautifully memorable? Yet, there wasn't a single thing in him that said it was ever created.
A small smile that was barely noticeable crossed his face for a split second before he shook his head slowly with complete seriousness returning to his stoic face.
"It doesn't exist…" The Dark Lord replied in a murmur, and the old woman was quiet for a second.
Slowly, she got up from her seat and approached the Dark Lord with the aid of a walking stick.
"If it doesn't exist, then why and who are you searching for…?" She asked casually while stopping a few feet away from him.
The Dark Lord dropped his eyes down at the elder smiling warmly up at him. His expression remained cool and unexpressed like the words she said had no effect on him at all. But, deep inside, he was indeed bothered by her question.
Who was he looking for?
What a question. The Great Dark Lord needed to look for no one. Power, fame, and immortality, he had everything.
Yes, everything except…
"I love you, Seiya…"
Love?
He had heard it rung in his head a million times already and yet, his heart would still throb painfully at that phrase. It was a bizarre thing since the Dark Lord was meant to be immune to pain. Besides, he didn't even understand the meaning behind those four words, so there was no reason for him to get affected, was there?
But he was, deeply.
The bitter sting he felt each time the sentence was heard bothered him. As much as the Dark Lord didn't wish to admit it, somehow, he knew he had lost something precious, and it left him with nothing but this particular voice and phrase. He couldn't accept it. He couldn't accept the fact that whatever he lost could never come back which was why he wouldn't give up despite not knowing what or who he was searching for.
"If it exists, I would have found it by now…" The Dark Lord finally replied in a mono-tone.
"But child, haven't you already found it?"
The Dark Lord raised his eyes doubtfully at her, not understanding her question. He watched quietly as the elder lifted her index and pointed at his heart.
"She has always been inside you, hasn't she? All these while, she's right there in you…"
"She…?" The Dark Lord startled, his voice dropping as his heart began to beat faster and faster at the blurry silhouette surfacing in his mind.
The figure that took the form of a young lady was consumed with a layer of black veil, hindering him from distinguishing her features. Despite his effort to clear the mist, the darkness in him refused to vanish. Then, strange images and voices began flowing into his conscious, most of which were scenes that unraveled a young, golden maiden whose face was covered with peach colored smudge.
Who was she?
"My name is Light… but you can call me Usagi…"
Light? Usagi? He couldn't recall ever knowing anyone by that name.
Yet strangely, her every giggle and phrase made his heart flutter. This mysterious feeling was new to him, or was it? No, it definitely wasn't. He had felt it before. Now, he was more than certain that the maiden calling out to him was the one he was searching for.
It was the light that he had lost together with the name Seiya. An identity that should never had existed.
"Light…?" Seiya breathed her name.
Agony and guilt danced in his dim blue orbs when he realized that he couldn't remember her face. How did she look like when she smiled? What was it that made his heart throb so much whenever she cried? Seiya could feel his knees weakening as his whole world came crashing down on him, crushing his body with its weight. Why was her face covered with a peach colored splotch? Why couldn't he remember her smiles, her tears, and her existence? He had no right to love her, no right at all if he couldn't even recall how she looked like.
He couldn't accept this lost, not when he had promised her that he would return and that they would be together forever. In the end, he couldn't protect her, couldn't keep his promise, and the worse of it all, he couldn't even remember her lovely features.
"Child, you've let me witness such a beautiful promise."
Seiya's eyes immediately flew to the elder's thin lined ones, only to realize that she wasn't looking at him anymore. Instead, she was staring up into the night sky with a warm smile spread across her face. He glanced over to the direction that she was looking and caught the glimpse of the stars shining brightly above, illuminating the sky as tiny diamond-like specks.
His heart thump and his eyes lit up at one pink star that stuck out to him in particular…
It was the Wonder of all Stars, the Millennium Star.
For a minute, all Seiya could do was stare at the beautiful pink sparkle shining brilliantly against the dark hues. Soon, he was seen smiling faintly to himself as he extended his hand to the Millennium Star.
"Return…" Seiya demanded in a soft murmur.
As commanded, the Millennium Star shone another powerful glow before it diminished and fell from the night sky. It left a trail of pink sparkles against the dark heaven as it descended gracefully onto his palm and the story of an untold beginning unraveled itself.
..
- A Thousand Years Ago: The Fateful Encounter –
..
"Run! Usagi-chan! Bandits! The bandits are here!"
The golden maiden turned towards the source of the cry in time to see her two mortal friends running towards her in panic. They had the most terrifying looks on their faces yet all they could ever think about was to keep their savior out of harms way. None of the villagers could afford to let the bandits harm this beautiful maiden, not when she had unconditionally saved them from a strange disease a month ago. She was like a god to them, and everyone in the village swore they would protect her at all cost.
"What? Bandits?" Usagi shrieked out of concern for their safety. "No, I can't run at a time like this! Let me help…"
"No! You got to get out of here! Quick!" Her friends urged and pushed her.
"I'm not going! I'm not afraid of bandits!" Usagi opposed forcefully.
"Get help! Go to the town and get help!" The shorter girl suggested, hoping that Usagi will buy her idea and leave.
And as expected, the innocent maiden nodded at the suggestion. Thinking that it was the only way to save the defenseless villagers, she rushed into the field and out of the settlement. She remembered a short cut to the town that her friends had shown her a week ago and turned into the forest. The ground was more slippery there though. She was having a harder time trying to remain in an upright position with the wet leaves and grass underneath her feet.
Usagi didn't know how long she had been running or whether she was heading into the right path anymore when she tripped and fell over a small rock in the middle of the road. She bit her lips at the scrape on her knees but decided to ignore it as she got up and ran awkwardly. She was determined to get to the town for help, so as to keep the bandits from doing any harm to the villagers who accepted her in despite her bizarre powers.
Usagi kept her eyes straight ahead, averting the blood that was seeping out of her wounded leg. She smiled gratefully when she saw the familiar path leading out of the forest and started to race down to the light.
But she soon dropped her enthusiasm when she stumbled into an open field filled with corpses. She gasped as her eyes unconsciously followed the line of bodies that stretched into the far distance. A strong gust blew past her, urging her to move forward.
Usagi obediently followed the breeze till she could see an outline of humanly figures among the field of unknown corpse. Growing nauseous from the smell of blood and rot, Usagi covered her nose with both hands while straining her eyes at the five dark silhouettes kneeling before a gigantic rock.
On top of the grey stone stood a dominating man with long, black hair that drifted freely against the breeze. His cold, dark blue eyes glanced expressionlessly down at his inferiors bowing down before him. Usagi noticed the thick metal locks that were chained against his wrists as he raised his right hand in command.
"Move out." He demanded in an eerily cold voice.
"Yes, My Lord." The five generals obeyed at once before they disappeared bizarrely.
Everything once again turned quiet as Usagi continued staring at the mysterious man before her. He didn't seem to have notice her presence as he kept his eyes glued to his cuffed left hand.
Usagi, on the other hand, couldn't keep her eyes off him either. She thought he looked beautiful despite his plain expression and the sun glinting off his dark hair only made him look more ethereal than he already was.
Was he an angel?
But before Usagi could come up with a clearer answer, her heart stopped momentarily upon realizing that he was now staring blankly back at her.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to stare…" Usagi blurted out an apology with a thick blush, not understanding why she was feeling nervous all of a sudden.
He kept quiet at her apology and his face remained inexpressive. This had Usagi wondering how he would look with a smile. Maybe a hundred times more striking than he already was? Wait a minute. What on earth was she thinking? There wasn't any time left for daydreaming. She got a village to save.
But she doubted that she could reach the town in time for help after wasting so much time on getting herself lost and such.
"Bandits have invaded into our village! Could you please help us? Please…" Usagi pleaded him, seeing that he was the only person whom she could ask at a time like this.
The young man remained silent and from the look of it, it didn't seem like he was going to agree to aid her or her village. But Usagi couldn't blame him, since it was pretty absurd if a stranger like him was to agree and help fight off the bandits. Besides, what could one man do against a band of bandit? He would get himself killed.
"I'm sorry for being thoughtless…" Usagi bowed slightly before heading back into the forest where she had came from.
She didn't bother turning back to catch another glimpse of him as she kept on running while praying for the villagers' safety. But her prayers were left unanswered when she gaped much to her agony at the awful state the village was in. A few huts were on fire and the rest destroyed. Men were either harshly beaten up or killed, and women were seized into a big wooden cart.
"Take all their properties! Burn down the houses! Kill the men and take their women!" The leader of the tribe of bandits ordered.
"Yay!" The band of bandit yelled together.
"No, no! Please spare them!" Usagi pleaded and stretched her hands out wide, wanting to protect the family of four behind her.
She refused to run despite the villagers' tedious effort to convince her and soon, her loud protest had caught every one of the bandit's attention as they started to form a circle around her.
The leader immediately dismounted and joined his crowd of subordinates. His eyes doubled their sizes with lust and interest at the beautiful maiden glaring up at him.
"What a beauty…" The leader breathed as he grabbed onto her chin.
Usagi jerked her face out of his hand and looked down, hiding her fear from them.
"You can have me… So, please don't hurt them…" She pleaded softly.
The men stared back at her and chuckled to one another at her plead.
"Fine, fine! Release the other women! We shall all take our turns on this beauty!" The leader ordered while chuckling happily.
He grabbed Usagi by the waist and tossed her over his shoulder, gripping her legs with her upper half dangling on his back. She did not resist and allowed the bandits to throw her into the backseat of the carriage. The leader entered and moved in at her, followed by three other younger bandits.
Usagi could feel the horse carriage setting off unsteadily as she tried backing away from the men laughing wickedly down at her, but she soon realized that there was no escape now. Though she had managed to save the entire village, she couldn't save herself from the coming assault.
Despite so, Usagi held back her tears and looked down, not wanting to look anymore frightened or vulnerable than she already was. They laughed bitterly at her action before the leader reached out and ran his fingers down her lovely face. Usagi flinched at his touch but made no other movement.
"Let's do it here…" The leader decided with a wicked smirk.
Her breathing quickened and her eyes doubled in terror when she felt him ripping the top of the dress she was wearing. Finally, she let out a soft shriek and began to struggle but she couldn't break free from the hands holding onto her hands and legs.
She was frightened, terrified even, as the men continued stripping her. But despite her fright, she didn't shed a tear. She once thought that she could fight back, but bringing harm to others wasn't something Usagi was familiar with. She couldn't and didn't know how to.
The only think she could think of was to shut her eyes, and unexplainably, the bandits back away from her as she did. She heard them screaming followed by several loud bangs before everything turned dead quiet.
"Filthy creatures…" A solemn sounding voice commented.
Usagi's eyes rose, settling on the face of her savior. She gasped when his dim-blue eyes caught her big shock ones. There was no mistake. That long, black hair and sparkling night blue eyes could belong to no other than him.
"You..." Usagi startled and her voice dropped as her heart beat faster and faster at his presence.
She glimpsed at herself before clasping her hand over her half opened top in shame. Her mind was blank from confusion and embarrassment as she stared blankly on the ground, not knowing what to do at a situation like this. She should be thanking him already right? But all she could do was shiver as the wind brushed against her near bare body. She couldn't even bring herself to realize the dead bandits around her, let alone react to his sudden appearance.
Then she felt a heavy, leather cover dropped on top of her as she blinked at the black, exclusive coat.
"You can have it." He told her coolly before leaping off the carriage.
Clutching onto his long coat, Usagi crawled back up and chased after him.
"Th-thank you…!" She shouted across to him but he just kept walking, seemingly to be ignoring her.
Usagi quietly trailed behind while draping his oversized coat around her shoulder, realizing that it was big enough to conceal her entire body. She could even smell the pleasant scent of his presence as she grasped onto the lower part of the long suit and lifted it up from the ground. Though it was rather difficult to walk while hauling onto the heavy end, Usagi didn't wish to dirty this exclusive coat of his.
She just kept following him, stopping only when he stopped and moving only when he moved. He seemed to be ignoring her all these while till he finally stopped his step and glanced over his shoulder at her.
"How long are you planning to keep following me, lady?" He asked bluntly.
"Until I find a way to repay you…" Usagi replied shyly but with determination in her eyes.
"Repay me?"
Usagi nodded, "You saved me and the village-…"
"I was just passing by…" He cut in directly.
"But you still saved us! I've got to repay you!" Usagi insisted.
"How? By following me?"
"No, by protecting you!" Usagi burst out immediately.
For the first time, he actually raised his brows at her in surprise, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous thing being blurted out to him. But that rare expression only wavered for a second as he quickly regained the cool composure he normally exhibited, turning away from her while releasing his pair of broad, dark wings.
"Don't bother…"
Usagi dropped her jaw at the sight of the mystical creature before her. She hadn't seen anyone with a pair of black wings before and words can't describe the gorgeousness he appeared to be at that moment. But she wasn't given much time to admire his beauty when he simply set off into the blue heaven with ease.
Usagi pouted, feeling unhappy about his way of escape. She was more than determined to repay him for his kindness and to fly away like this wasn't going to stop her from achieving that goal.
"Hump! I can fly, as well…" She muttered with determination as she released her set of angelic, white wings.
She flapped her wings and chased after him, but he had already flown out of her sight. Unlike her, who was new in flying, he was amazingly skilled. She couldn't catch up with him and, to make matter worse, her inexperience had caused her to lose control of her balance while trying to avoid a fowl of birds.
Usagi soon found herself falling from the sky. She let out a soft shriek as she shut her eyes in preparation for the hard impact. But she felt none, other than someone lifting her into his arms.
Baffled, she opened her eyes only to find the familiar pair of dark blue eyes looking down at her.
"What are you doing?" He asked plainly, switching his view from her face to the golden white wings behind her.
Usagi gaped at him in surprise before her eyes lit up with excitement, as if she was looking at something utterly amazing.
"I know who you are!" She exclaimed, grasping onto his blouse with enthusiasm sparkling in her eyes. "A guardian angel! You are a guardian angel, am I right?"
"What?"
For once, he looked taken aback by her words. He, the Great Dark Lord, was a guardian angel? Who was she kidding? It seemed to him that she knew nothing about his identity as the ruthless Hell King who only existed to kill and destroy. He was definitely no angel, not to mention one that was created to protect and save lives.
"My name is Light… But you can call me Usagi… everyone here called me that…" She introduced herself cheerily and asked. "What's yours?"
He just stared at her, unsure of how he should be answering the question. No one ever asked for his name. They naturally knew and fear him as the Dark Lord. It was his first time meeting someone who didn't recognize and wasn't afraid of him. He was taken back by her obliviousness and something about her lured his attention making him forget all else.
Who was she, really?
Was she a goddess sent down by heaven to spy on him? It seemed highly possible since only high ranked archangels have the ability to grow broad, strong wings. No, not even powerful angels like them have such beautiful, gold-white ones. But, whether she was a goddess or not, she definitely wasn't like any other girl he had met before, and her presence was also warm and comforting even for someone as cold as him.
Not only was her warmth welcoming, she also had a strong hold on him. What else could have made him abandon his initial plan to start another war with Heaven just to save her? For some reason, he felt the urge to just keep her by his side, despite the fact that he knew he couldn't bring her into the battlefield.
"Stay here." He told her firmly as he settled her at the peak of an unknown mountain.
Usagi nodded obediently, oblivious by the war going on beneath her. She watched as the Dark Lord flew downhill and disappeared into the cloudy mist below.
Concerned, Usagi moved front till she was standing at the extreme end of the cliff. The bottom seemed a long way down, but she could still hear crashing noise of blades and blasts. It sounded as if something dangerous was currently taking place below, making Usagi backed away anxiously and wishing that her savior would come back safely.
"It's the Maiden of the Light!"
Usagi spun around at the source of the shout, stunned to find three messenger gods hovering above her. She froze, gaping at them as they approached her. Their initial plan to spy on the Dark Lord was less of a concern now after spotting the Heaven's treasure.
Startling to tremble, she backed away slowly, but one of them caught her by the hand, yanking her over to them. Usagi knew she should be yelling and running already, but she didn't want to leave this place without knowing the safety of her savior.
Usagi kept quiet, despite her unwillingness and fear to follow them back. She didn't want to be used as a tool or to get married to the next King of Heaven. She restrained herself from using her power to escape, fearing that she would alert an army of heavenly gods over to her present location. She had hid her presence well enough so that none of the gods could find her, but all her effort would go into a waste if she was to fall into their trap now.
Using all her available strength, Usagi managed to pull her hand out of the grip, and the next thing she knew, the floor below her gave way as her body fell backward against gravity. Usagi shut her eyes, expecting a long drop, but instead, someone caught her by the waist a second later and held her in a one-sided embrace.
A startled Usagi looked up and found herself staring at a familiar, handsome face. Her worries vanished and she immediately felt at ease. Maybe it was how perfectly his arm fit around her waist, maybe it was the way he embraced her, or maybe it was just his presence alone, but Usagi somehow knew who her savior was even before he spoke.
"Seiya!" She cried as she threw her hands around his neck, much to everyone's surprise.
"Seiya?" The three generals of Hell and Hermes raised their brows and asked together.
Little did they know, Seiya was the name Usagi had came up with after the Dark Lord had refused to tell her his identity. But after noticing that the maiden was actually wearing their lord's suit, the name seemed to be less of a concern now. Somehow, it did send a misleading message that this beautiful maiden was actually the Dark Lord's property. Everyone knew who the Dark Lord and the Maiden of the Light were, but none knew they were lovers; at least, that was how they appeared to be right now.
"You are safe and unhurt! I'm so glad! I'm so glad!" Usagi exclaimed with a bright smile on her face while her eyes were covered with tears of joy and relief.
He smiled faintly at her adorable reaction, making Usagi blushed heavily at the beautiful sight before her. For once, he actually smiled at her. The maiden, however, did not know that this was the first time the Dark Lord had ever smiled, and to top it up, she was actually the one who initiated it.
Her blush grew another time darker when she realized that she was clinging so dearly onto him that they were even close enough to be kissing already. She panicked and quickly withdrew her hands back to herself while shrieking apologies to him at the same time.
She quieted down a second later and mentally scolded herself while avoiding his stare. Thinking back, he had saved her more than twice today. But, it wasn't supposed to be this way. In return, she was supposed to protect him, not the other way round. How was she ever going to repay him now? She couldn't just thank or apologize to him each time he saved or helped her could she?
Seiya, on the other hand, kept quiet and continued staring at the maiden who had suddenly turned serious. He seemed to enjoy watching her change of reaction very much as though he had just found a new toy to play with.
And, as expected, her beautiful face began to turn red as soon as her eyes met his. Feeling fascinated and wanting to find out for himself how warm her skin was, Seiya pressed the side of his face against her cheek in a loving gesture. He could feel the heat increase rapidly when he did, and he smiled. He adored her blush, but decided to move his face away from hers before she burned to death.
"Let me protect you instead…" He breathed into her ear.
Her heart froze for a second before beating faster and faster. His warmth breath tickled the side of her neck as she buried her dark red face into his chest, hoping that no one can spot her anxiety. She wanted to object to his proposal, thinking that it was unfair, but she had lost her voice due to her bashfulness.
"Release the messengers." Seiya told his subordinates, his voice once again cold and unfeeling.
They obeyed and immediately released their grasp on the messenger gods, causing all three of them to fall onto their bottoms in fear. They gaped at the Dark Lord hovering above them in intimidation and saw him raised the Doom-will at them.
"Tell Heaven that the Dark Lord has the Maiden. No one is taking her."
It was this declaration that started the loveliest story, beginning the legend that would live forever.
..
..
Indeed, their story never did end as Seiya stared at the magnificent pink ring on his palm, all the memories with her returning into existence.
"She's waiting for you, child."
A powerful gust of breeze blew past him, as if fate was directing him to move forward. His body reacted to the signal and he bolt down the riverside hopefully.
His heart skipped a beat when he spotted a beautiful figure standing at the edge of the lakeside which was bordered by a variety of colorful roses. He froze instantly, mesmerized by the beauty of the golden maiden staring up into the sparkling sky. The moonlight illuminated her face, giving her a fair complexion. The free floating silver stream made her dress appear pure white, and along with her golden hair that sprawled out against the wind, he had almost lost his breath just by looking at her.
She blinked when she spotted him staring. Turning towards him, the golden maiden smiled a sweet, pleasant smile and he blushed faintly at her joyous expression before walking up to her. She watched in surprise as he kneeled down before her and poised the Millennium Star before her left ring finger.
"My precious Light, you may not know or even believe it, but I've been in love with you since the very beginning. You taught me to feel, to smile, and most importantly, to love. I love you, Light. I love everything about you. And, I hope you'll agree to shine by me forever. Marry me?" Seiya asked in such an enchantingly sweet tone that all Usagi could do was to nod at his proposal as her hands flew to her mouth with tears of joy glistening in her eyes.
"Yes." Usagi muttered shyly as she watched him slid the Millennium Star into her left ring finger.
She was only able to gaze at it for a mere second before she was swept off her feet and ensnared in a tight embrace. He carried and swung her around jubilantly before pressing his lips on hers. Her blush deepened as the kiss did, and he continued to hold her in that lovely gesture. To finally win and be together with her made Seiya believed that he was the world most fortunate and blessed man.
He wasn't ready to put her back down though he had reluctantly stopped kissing her to let her catch some air. Usagi peered at him shyly, only daring to look at him after he had tightened his embrace around her waist.
"You might hurt our baby if you're to hold onto me so tightly…" Usagi told him softly with faint blush.
Seiya gaped back at her with waves of shock and confusion flowing in his eyes. She chuckled at his baffled look before leaning forward to whisper something into his ear. He almost dropped her after hearing the news, but managed to hold her there lovingly while smiling delightfully back at her.
He settled her on the floor gently, careful not to hurt her in any possible ways before putting his hand on top of her flat abdomen and exclaimed in wonder.
"Our baby is actually inside you…?"
Usagi nodded with a grin so wide that it made the edge of her lips sting. She hadn't seen the Dark Lord looking so child-like and delighted before, and she felt blissful just by looking at his joyous expression.
"He take after you so much…" Usagi stated happily while placing her hand against her belly.
"He does?" Seiya blinked in surprise, not getting why his fiancée was so certain that the baby inside her was a boy.
She nodded and placed her hand gracefully against his left chest, "To change this world, I wasn't suppose to exist anymore, but you kept me inside here. And like you, this little one along with the Millennium Star protected me… But, I'm no longer needed anywhere and the Maiden of the Light doesn't exist anymore… I'm actually no one now…"
"No, you aren't…"
Usagi's eyes shot up to his, surprised to see him smiling down at her.
"You are my wife, my light, and the future Queen of Hell. And I'll still love you no matter what… and of course, our precious baby too…" He declared in a clear and sincere voice.
Usagi blushed but giggled happily. Though she didn't think that she would become a good queen or mother, she was more than happy that he still loved her despite her lost of identity. She glimpsed down at herself and placed her hand over her belly.
"You heard that Sei-chan? Daddy said he loves you too." She smiled cheerily down and brushed her stomach.
"Sei-chan?" Seiya raised his brows at the name of their baby.
Usagi nodded happily and looked up at him with her big, sparkling eyes, "I'm naming him after you, and I hope he'll grow up to look exactly like you! I can't wait to see him! Sei-chan is going to be so cool!"
Seiya simply stared back her, trying his best to suppress the jealousy growing inside him. He sighed softly at himself. What was he thinking? Getting jealous over his own son, but who could blame him since this was his first time seeing Usagi poured her love and attention over to another guy other than himself.
Deciding to ignore this feeling, Seiya carefully picked Usagi up and startled down the path with her cradled in his arms.
"Seiya! I can walk by myself! I'm not hurt or anything…" Usagi protested with a faint blush.
"It'd be bad if you fall." Seiya opposed while checking for direction to start his flight.
"I won't fall!"
"But you still can't fly very well, can you?"
Usagi pouted at his question, unhappy that she had once again lost a disagreement between them. Even if she hadn't lost her ability to fly, she understood her fiancé well enough to know that he would never let her go flying off alone. But, this was Seiya and his protectiveness, so she wouldn't complain.
"I'm going to carry you around like this for the next nine months." Seiya told her and nodded to himself, thinking that this was one important role of being a good husband.
"Eh?! You can't! It's embarrassing to meet others or to go shopping for baby goods like this!" Usagi squealed, flapping her hands childishly.
"No, no. Safety is our biggest priority."
Love endlessly flowed between them even though they were arguing while they flew past the bright full moon. Throughout their journey, the Millennium Star continued to sparkle brilliantly against the night sky, as people gathered on the ground to admire the beautiful pink light flying across the dark sky.
"Look! A shooting star!"
Everyone immediately closed their eyes and put their hands together to make a wish. The scene seemed perfect and, like all fairytales must do, the Love Legend did end with a happily ever after.
Or did it?
..
- Years Later –
..
Usagi wandered impatiently outside the entrance of the Hell Gate, waiting for the return of her husband and son. Like usual, Seiya had taken little Sei for their weekly flying lesson, leaving Usagi back at home. Though she was well aware of her husband's ability to protect himself and their son, Usagi still didn't like the idea of not knowing where they were or what was happening to them.
"Please calm down, Your Highness. Nothing bad is going to happen to our lord and prince." Pluto, the Hell Breaker, tried consoling her worried queen.
"But they are taking longer than usual." Usagi explained her worries. "What if they encountered something horrible? Like a demon…"
"That's one dead demon." Pluto commented directly with assurance.
"Relax Light-chan. I'm sure Dark-sama will be back soon." Minako convinced while patting her friend lightly on the shoulder.
"Soo! Soo!" A little boy with short, golden hair exclaimed as he pointed his bow and arrow at Cerberus.
"No, Cupid. No pointing your love arrow at Cerberus." Minako scolded her son.
"No soo?" Cupid asked innocently as he locked his pair of emerald eyes back at his mother.
The little Cupid chuckled when he felt the three-headed hell hound licking him gently. He waved his arms and hugged the enormous dog before sprouting out his tiny wings as he clumsily flew and landed on the back of Cerberus with a happy chuckle. Cerberus barked loudly in excitement before racing into the distance with the baby god of love on its back.
Minako sighed at her son's mischief as she picked up her speed to chase after them.
"It's sure isn't easy being a mother." Pluto commented in a murmur, watching Minako go after her son.
Usagi kept quiet, not knowing whether to agree with the comment. Sure it wasn't easy being a mother of the future King of Hell. But, just like his father, Sei was the sweetest son one would ever want as a mother. Besides, it was her excessive worries that made everything seemed difficult. So, she shouldn't be blaming anyone but herself right?
"Have you seen my wife and son, Usagi?"
Usagi spun around, only to find Yaten standing behind her. He was accompanied by Haruka and Michiru who was carrying their nine months old daughter with them.
"They went off shooting with Cerberus." Usagi replied with a grin and pointed to the north.
"Not again…" Yaten grumbled with a sigh.
And, without further hestiation, he released his translucent wings and set off to retrieve his family.
"Little Cupid sure loves archery." Haruka commented.
"Well, like father, like son…" Michiru added.
"Da Da! Mama!" The little girl in Michiru's arms shouted, asking for attention.
"Little Hera is interested in archery too?" Haruka asked gently, kissing his daughter lovingly on the forehead.
But their sweet moment was soon interrupted by a loud scream and rapid footsteps coming their way. Everyone turned towards the entrance, and as expected, Hermes popped into their sight while chasing after a little girl who was reading a book.
"Nike-chan, don't you want to play with Uncle Hermes?" Hermes pestered childishly.
"I'm sorry, Uncle Hermes. But, mother ordered me to stay away from you." The little girl with short auburn hair replied politely while lowering her book to glimpse at her uncle.
"Nike, also known as the goddess of victory, was the daughter of Ami and Taiki."
"Mercury is right! Nike-chan shouldn't be anywhere near you. She should be playing with me instead." Eris appearing into the scene stated.
"Konnichiwa Eris-san." Nike greeted courteously with a light bow.
"Konnichiwa, Nike-chan. Come! Let Onii-chan teach you the proper way to dissect bodies while they are still alive…"
"Don't influence her with your sadist hobby, Eris." Nyx voiced, knocking Eris on the back of his head.
"I agree with you Nyx! Nike-chan should be learning the proper way of sex first!" Hermes added randomly.
Nike blinked at the three adults quarrelling, not understanding their dispute. She spun around and smiled upon noticing Usagi waving cheerily at her.
"Konnichiwa, Your Highness, Uranus-san, Gaia-san, Pluto-san." Nike ran out of the entrance and bowed politely to her queen and the three superiors.
"Konnichiwa, Nike-chan. What are you reading?" Usagi asked, patting the little girl on her head.
"Your Highness, it's the Love Legend. I like it very much." Nike smiled with a nod.
"Eh? Where did you get that from?"
"A kind old granny gave it to me the other day… she said it's a beautiful story…"
Usagi blinked at her reply, but before she could open her mouth to question further, she was interrupted by a young, familiar voice greeting her from above.
"Okaa-sama!"
All heads turned towards the source of the cry, and immediately everyone except Usagi lowered their heads at the scene of the Dark Lord descending down while carrying his son in his arms.
"Welcome back, My Lord."
"Okaa-sama!"
The little angel with black and white wings flew out of his father's embrace and threw himself into Usagi's chest. He clung onto her possessively before locking his crystal blue eyes at her.
"My Okaa-sama!" He smiled charmingly up at Usagi, making her blush a little at this familiar grin.
Besides the beauitful sky blue eyes in which he had gotten from her, Sei looked no diifferent from Seiya. It was as though she was carrying a little Dark Lord in her arms which made Usagi smiled as she brushed her fingers against his dark, fine hair before kissing him lightly on the forehead.
"Welcome home, Sei-chan."
"Aren't you going to greet me with a kiss too?" Seiya asked, sounding rather dissatisfied.
"Eh?" Usagi freaked out at her husband's request, seeing that everyone was currently looking at them right now.
It was strange that she could openly display her motherly love for Sei, and yet she would turn timid when it came to her affection for Seiya. But lucky for Usagi, Sei cut in with an opposition, hugging his mother tightly.
"No, no! Otou-sama kissed Okaa-sama a lot today! It's Sei's turn now!" Sei cried and gave Usagi a peck on the lips.
Everyone turned away at once, not daring to see their Lord fuming in the background. Usagi, on the other hand, smiled nervously back at her enraged husband as she tried switching the subject.
"Did you have fun flying with your father today, Sei-chan?"
Sei nodded earnestly, "We had lots of fun in Atlantis today! Otou-sama even let me fight a serpent!"
"Seiya!" Usagi halfheartedly scolded her husband for allowing their son to do something this dangerous. Sei had barely turned five and yet he allowed him to get involved in a battle with serpents? How could he?
But, Seiya simply smiled and patted Sei on the head. "He actually did pretty well."
Usagi frowned at him, but her frown soon disappeared when she saw them each taking out a rose and handing them over to her.
She gaped surprisingly at the white roses before switching her view to her husband and son who were now smiling sweetly back at her.
"Forgive me, Light?" Seiya asked softly.
"Okaa-sama, please don't be mad." Sei added thoughtfully.
A small smile instantly flashed across her face at their gifts. Placing her hands around the roses, she brought her nose close to them, taking in the sweet fragrance.
"They are so beautiful." Usagi exclaimed in admiration.
"Not as beautiful as you…" Seiya and Sei said together.
Usagi's face immediately flushed a dark red at their remarks. If she wasn't carrying Sei right now, Usagi swore she would have dug a hole and hid herself from all the giggling that was going on around her. It was embarrassing. How could the both of them just blurt out such sweet things without even blinking?
"Aw, Sei-chan, you take after your father too much." Usagi muttered as she tried to use his little body as a cover to hide her very red face.
"Does that mean I get to marry Okaa-sama when I grow up?" Sei asked hopefully.
The crowd around them immediately dropped their jaws at his proposal, while Seiya simply took his son over from the shock Usagi and declared firmly.
"No, Sei. Your mother is married to me. And, this fact won't change, not even when you grow older."
Sei scowled his best scowl and flailed his arms childishly, "But, I want to marry Okaa-sama! Okaa-sama is going to be my bride!"
"Oh no, this is getting so out of hand." Michiru commented, her face contorted with worries.
"Ya, good thing you gave birth to a daughter." Haruka added, not knowing how he should be dealing with a son who wanted to marry his mother.
They watched as Usagi caringly took Sei over from Seiya, cradling him lovingly to calm him down, while Seiya turned away and groaned, cursing fate for giving them a son who wish to ruin his relationship with Usagi. She just wouldn't give up, would she? It seemed to him that fate would always come up with new ways to try breaking them apart. First, it was Heaven, then the war, and now, this little nemesis that appeared to be the biggest threat among all since the both of them shared the same blood and genes.
Usagi, however, was unaware of Seiya's worries. She didn't think that Sei was serious about wanting to marry her because he was only so young. But as the time passed and as he got older, he began to see Usagi as his ideal lady instead of a motherly figure.
Being an immortal, Usagi won't age, but in exchange, she just seemed to grow prettier as the years passed. She was still as caring, and as sweet, and she remained hopelessly in love with the Dark Lord throughout the passing years. And, no matter how hard Sei tried, he couldn't win Usagi's love over from his father. Regardless of how identical they looked or behaved, Usagi would only see him as a son.
And, though the Dark Lord remained undefeated, with his power growing stronger over the years, Sei was still determined to win Usagi over from him. Because of this determination, the Prince of Hell had gotten so powerful that he was later known as the Nemesis, the God of Retribution, in the later part of the story.
..
- As the Years Passed –
..
Seiya held onto Usagi's hand securely, leading her down the crowded path. Many of the townspeople just stood there, their eyes following the attractive pair as they dart past them, seemingly to be in a hurry.
"Seiya, what's wrong?" Usagi asked curiously, not getting why her husband seemed so tense all of a sudden.
"I've got a feeling that we're being watched." Seiya replied as he glanced around the crowd carefully.
"But, we already are…" Usagi pulled onto his sleeve self-consciously, gesturing at the crowd of people looking and whispering about them.
Unlike him, she couldn't ignore the attention that was drawn towards them each time they were on a date. All she ever wanted was to have a peaceful and normal date with Seiya, but no one seemed to be considerate enough to see them as a common couple. They just had to make a big fuss whenever they walked by, and girls would either scream or fawn over her husband in the effort to get his attention.
Usagi grimaced at their behaviors and pressed herself closer against Seiya possessively.
"Shall I carry you?" He asked thoughtfully, thinking that she had got tired of walking.
She shook her head embarrassingly, taking a full step away from him to discourage him from the idea, but he simply yanked her back and protectively draped his arm around her shoulders. He didn't dare to take his eyes off her, knowing how easy it was to lose her if he wasn't careful.
"Please don't wander around the town alone. You'll get kidnapped." Seiya murmured.
"I won't! No one would ever want to kidnap me." She replied, smiling innocently.
Seiya simply sighed at her obliviousness, "Believe me. I would know. Like just the other day, you gratefully allow yourself to get abducted by Sei while I was out. How great. To think I almost lost my wife to my own son."
Even Usagi could tell jealousy coating every word that had just drifted out of his mouth. But instead of feeling upset over his discomfort, Usagi giggled and pressed herself closer against Seiya. It was an absurd thing, but she liked how easily he would get jealous over her possession. Maybe she thought that it was only fair that he would, since she wouldn't be the only one feeling this way most of the time.
"You know that I'll always love you." She reminded him.
"More or less than you love Sei?" He asked in an almost bitter tone.
She immediately stopped her step and giggled at his worries much to his surprise. Seiya threw her a baffled look, clearly not getting her joyous reaction. Here he was worrying about how he should be handling a son who was always trying to steal her away, and there she was laughing at his uneasiness. He couldn't see how she could be so happy over the situation unless she wanted to go with Sei instead.
"You are jealous! You are actually jealous over your own son! That's so cute of you!" Usagi laughed and threw herself at him, clinging onto him with a wide, blissful smile spread across her face.
"There's nothing cute!" Seiya opposed with a light blush before sighing. "Why am I always the only one getting jealous?"
Usagi giggled and hopped up to the tips of her toes, surprising him with a light kiss on the lips. She pulled away from him a second later and smiled sweetly up at him.
"Don't worry neh! I'll always love you more than anyone or anything in the whole wide world! And no one can ever change that…"
He grinned at her confession, "Well, I love you more than you do for me…"
"No, that's not true! I love you mor-…"
Her opposition was cut off when she felt his lips crashing into hers. She didn't even have the time to close her eyes at the surprise kiss and her gasp was still audible to those around them. For a moment, her arms hovered awkwardly in the air before she found their resting place around his shoulders as Seiya continued to caress her face with gentle kisses. She wasn't even aware that she wasn't breathing until he pulled away, and she was left choking for air.
Her face felt hot from the kisses as she covered her cheeks in humiliation.
Seiya chuckled and stared at his wife in amusement, "You still blush as though it was our first time kissing."
Usagi pouted, "You are still teasing me as if we had just begun dating."
"That's because you are so adorable… especially in bed…" He replied softly with a mischievous grin.
Usagi's blush grew a hundred times thicker, and besides hiding her face behind her hands, she didn't know what else she could do to defend herself. He sure knew the best way to embarrassed her by saying things like that, and she couldn't understand why he'd never get sick or tired of teasing her. Shouldn't he get bored of seeing her dark red face already?
But Seiya simply smiled, apparently finding her reaction adorable. Just when he was about to bent forward for another kiss, Usagi jerked away at the sound of people whistling at them.
She gasped nervously at the crowd staring intensely at them and immediately hid herself behind Seiya. Seiya laughed, not understanding why a kiss seemed unacceptable in front of others to her. To him, it was perfectly normal for a couple to get engaged in a kiss, but he wasn't complaining since he adored her timidity as well.
"Can we go now? Can we go now?" Usagi urged, still partially hiding behind him.
She was feeling so embarrassed that she hadn't notice her five friends giggling at her among the crowd or an old granny smiling down at them from a balcony two blocks away.
"An happily ever after huh…?" The elder murmured.
"Like I'll ever let that happen…"
The elder turned toward the source of the voice and smiled at the charming young man with his long, black hair tied back into a low ponytail. His features were identical to the Dark Lord's except for his sky blue eyes and the colors of his wings, black on the left and golden-white on the right.
"It hasn't ended, has it?" Sei asked, smiling confidently down at the elder.
"No, child. This is just the beginning..."
"Hmm… That mean there's still a chance for me... Well, I'll see you around, Great Fate." He departed as he leaped off the building to join the crowd.
She smiled and continued to watch over her children from above. Yes, their destiny had changed. But, just like the beautiful Millennium Star, their love would forever shine upon their lives, indicating a wonderful beginning and a legend that would never die.