Disclaimer: Saint Seiya is the property of Masami Kurumada, Toei Productions (anime) and Shueisha.

The Course of True Love (Epilogue)

The man hides his nervousness well as he makes his way up the stairs, but it is only the heavy bottle he is carrying that keeps his hand from shaking. He pauses before he knocks, not knowing that the woman inside the apartment has already heard his steps and is standing hesitantly near the door. She opens it immediately when knuckles rap on wood, and the look that washes over her face when she sees him is more than mere surprise.

But she frowns, and asks a question. He shakes his head, and she speaks again, louder and higher. There is no response from him beyond the steady shake of his head until her voice lowers and softens and she asks something else, in one word. The answer is as much his prolonged stare as it is the short sentence he says. Now it is her shaking her head, slowly, then quickly, and there are tears. The bottle she hasn't noticed is set on the floor.

The man sets a hand on the woman's shoulder and turns her away from him. Blonde hair is swept off her back gently. The clasp of her necklace is small in his hands, but he undoes it swiftly, holds the open ends with two fingers while his other hand follows the chain to find the ring that she wears as a pendant and carefully unthread it. He redoes the clasp and nudges her to face him again. Things that are done can be undone, this is something he knows well.

Now the ring is in his hand, and he holds it between his thumb and index finger. When he speaks again, her answer comes through tears that roll down her cheeks when she closes her eyes tightly. The crying continues, but he doesn't hold her. He waits, and then speaks again. There is enough in the look that she gives him to make him reach into his pocket and retrieve another ring, identical to the first except in size. A small hand reaches out hesitantly, one finger tracing the curve of the metal before she picks it up. She nods — slowly, then quickly, and there are more tears, but these seem different somehow.

He takes her left hand and holds her ring finger as if it might break. Her tears give no sign of abating as he speaks softly, pleadingly. Something makes her laugh. Something else makes her nod. There is a question, there is an answer, and the ring is pushed slowly onto her finger. He offers his left hand, and she finally speaks again. What she says is shorter, and it makes him neither laugh nor nod, but it does make him cry.

Finally, he steps inside. Her waist is small in his hands, and he is tall enough that she stands on the balls of her feet to reach his lips. But she does, and everything that follows is easy and effortless — the grip of his arms around her, her fingers through his hair, her leg hiking up his thigh where he hooks it to pick her up. Over his shoulder she notices the bottle on the floor. Whatever he says makes her laugh again and nod enthusiastically. He nudges the bottle inside with a foot and closes the door.

They find the bed, but not sleep. Some things are remembered at night, others are discovered. Covers rustle, voices rise and lower, a lamp is knocked over and set straight again. At one point the man steps over his clothes on the floor to pad to the door and pick up the bottle. When they toast, she cries again, and this time he takes her in his arms.

At dawn, they are asleep. They don't notice that the golden glow of sunrise seems to come as much from the mountains to the west as the ocean to the east, but it blankets them nonetheless, gentle and mighty and infinitely generous.

Well, folks, this is our final stop! The end of Star-crossed. :) It's not the end that I originally planned, as I've mentioned before, and I realize it's almost a bait-and-switch. :D If you liked it, yay! If you didn't like it... yay as well, because that means I did a good job with the unusual Ikki/Saori ship! Either way, I'd love to know. And if you want to know about the original plan, feel free to PM or leave a review asking. Hugo L.: Thanks for the consistent support! It really helped. :)

Ah, can't believe I'm done! Happy New Year!