AAAAHHHH I'M LATE!

Sorry guys! But for the entirety of last week, I literally had no time to write any new chapters or even touch my story.

Also, just to make it harder on myself, I had intended this chapter to be a singular one, rather than having to make it two parts. But, it got too long I decided it'd be better if I split it into two.

I've basically already written 3/4 already of the original chapter. But, by splitting it into two, I can make up for last week by posting one half today, and make up for this week by posting its other half this Sunday. That way, I can be back on schedule!

Anyway's, I just wanted to let you know. Enjoy!

Bathing in the extreme heat of the magma that surrounding his large body, a pterosaur-like Titan had tried desperately to rest his fear-riddled mind and fall back asleep. Usually, the warmth of the lava, no matter what kind of volcano he rested in, would give him comfort and ease him. He loved the fire, always relished and embraced the scorching heat to the point where he had become one with it, the very lava flowing through his veins and becoming more a part of his body the further he evolved over the years. But now, after what happened, after he came back, no fire can give him the easing warmth it once had, anymore.

He had played with fire, and ended up getting burnt.

He caressed the wound on his shoulder, now healed but leaving a visible scar- a constant reminder of his weakness and his choice. For the others, half a year had quickly gone by, time having melded together and becoming a blur as they lived millions of years on the earth. But not for him. Even though a minuscule six months had past since his clash against them, those following six months had become an eternity to him- torturing him every second and giving him a reminder of his past choice. A choice that heightened his fear and hopeless feeling, rather than quelling it- something, he hoped, this choice would have accomplished.

He remembered that final look the King had gave him after the defeat of The Golden One. It was a look of contempt and authority, severing any personal connection they may have had in the past. And the look she had given him just when he was about to deliver the finishing blow, only for a sharp pain- a pain that burned hotter than any type of fire- to sting his shoulder. The blue eye's that had often been littered with kindness and warmth, were sharp and bore a sense of disappointment and finality.

The eyes of the King; the eyes of the Goddess. Truly, in his mind, those eyes had no intention of forgiveness or any ally-ship. At one time they may have had, but that was a long, long time ago. Even millions of years ago, when The Golden One had first appeared, they had worn those eyes in response to his actions. The King, with frustration and anger. And the Goddess, with dismay and heartbreak. And he had no one to blame other than himself. It was all him. His cowardice. His weakness. His fear. These are what had caused him to betray and fail them twice now.

One was enough. But twice? There was no more redemption left for him now.

He was a fear-riddled coward. And he didn't need their eyes to deliver that message.

And, before he could finally fall asleep, the world mocked his sadness with one more act just before he could rest. As he closed his eyes, he heard a calm, elegant, and powerful cry resonate throughout the open air and echo loudly within his volcano. It was her, and it caused his heart to skip a beat as well as his body to flinch. He thought he had more time before he could look her in the eyes and face her again; she had come back too soon, and he wasn't ready for it. No way he could face both of them when they would inevitably come to his home together- they were always together.

Shaking his horned head, and clenching his beak so tight to the point it could have shattered under all that pressure, Rodan curled his body further and wrapped his hardened wings tighter around himself. Further, he isolating himself from the outside world. Still afraid. Still a coward.

The King huffed a disgruntled and frustrated breathe, making the water that surrounding his mouth bubble and ripple. His eyes bore into the volcano he saw on the island straight in front of him, his only comfort being the gentle caresses of the Goddess's slender limb at the side of his face.

"I don't like it, Mosu," Godzilla spoke in an angered tone. Heaven knows he tried to limit his wrath whenever he was around her if it would start resonating deep within him. But, try as he might, the longer he stared at the island, the more his anger boiled, "He doesn't deserve to see you right now. How the hell can you see him already?"

Mothra, softly shushing him, perked her head higher so as to get a better view of the island. She noted how it seemed so isolated from other Titan's whereabouts, and how the environment seemed to indicate a minimum amount of interaction with a Titan, despite one living right there. It seemed he barely went out, as much.

"I know you are frustrated," Mothra comforted, returning her gaze from the island to the King, "But this is something that must be done. Even more so considering this is Rodan we are talking about."

At the mere mention of the Fire Demon's name, a vicious growl indistinctively escaped the King's throat, with a snarl soon following after. Yes this was Rodan they were talking about. The same one who fought side-by-side with the False King, submitting to his every bidding. The same one who cowered in the face of his new master's defeat and quickly submitted to Godzilla after. The same one who had a deeper, more integrated history with the King and the Goddess than most others.

"Mosura…" By now Godzilla's voice of rage was replaced with quiet seriousness as he stopped moving through the water, floating just near to the shore of the island. Slowly, as if wanting to delay his next sentence, the King spoke in a low and grave tone, "He tried to kill you. Without any hesitation." And, much like the night's where the King would converse himself with Mothra's egg, his voice broke ever so slightly.

Mothra could sense right away what the King was feeling- there was now doubt about it. Even under all that wrath and contempt, she could sense the underlying sorrow that quietly resonated within his voice. For her? A part of it most definitely so. But there was more to that; that sadness wasn't just for her. And the more she thought about it, the more she found herself staring at the volcano in front of her.

"Yes. I could tell that much when we had fought." Mothra whispered back after a while, her low tone mirroring the King's. "But," she began, determination swelling inside her, "As a guardian, it's my duty to always give another chance to those who I believe still have good within them."

By now, Mothra had flown off Godzilla's head and onto the sandy beaches of the island, Godzilla soon following her lead and exiting the water, sinking all his weight onto the beach as he stood up as tall as he could be.

"The past can never be changed." Mothra spoke, looking up at Godzilla's eyes with a serene beauty, "And that goes for Rodan's past with us, as well. Even before that False King came to be known."

The King, taking in each one of her words, signed heavily and looked down towards his feet. She had made up her mind, and as much as he didn't want to, he knew that deep down, what she had said was what he was thinking all long. Deep, deep down, at the very least. And so, after a quick nuzzle from Mothra against his neck, and with his face strewn with Kingly authority, Godzilla let out a loud and mighty roar that echoed across the island, demanding to be heard.

For the other Titan's, they would come almost instantly whenever they would hear this roar near to their homes. It's very unwise to ignore the calls of the King, after all. But the island remained quiet and still for a moments longer as the roar died down- an act that had already begun to annoy the King. He was about to call again, this time without holding back, but restrained himself when he and Mothra turned their sights on the volcano that had started to spew bits of lava and fire from its top. There, they saw the familiar, magma-covered wings begin to extend from the top, causing multitudes of ash to surround the creature escaping it, making its silhouette the only thing noticeable to the other Kaiju on the ground. Soon, the smell of ash and fire filled the island the more the creature came out of its home.

But, with a loud clap that caused a shock wave to disperse across the air, the creature took flight and quickly flew down towards them. And as he glided across the air, the trees across the island blew back from the sheer force of his wings, and small embers trailed behind him, slowly falling to the ground. As quick as he exited the volcano, Rodan stood before the King and his partner, his body as close to the ground as possible, and his head bowing down allowing for no type of eye contact between him and them.

Mothra took this time to study just what had happened to the pterosaur Titan after she had perished. He did change, but it certainly wasn't for the better. In fact, every little detail about his appearance was noticeable.

He truly looked terrible.

The fiery, reddish tint that would cover the rest of his body was replaced with a dark brown, and though he was bowing his head, Mothra remarked on how his sharp eye's had become dulled and tired. But what really set it all apart was the fire that had once emitted and came from him. Before, it was bright and fierce. Truly like a fire, it was raging and hot, the glow of his flames a key signature of his personality and spark. But, as he bowed to them, it was nothing more than faint flickers that ran across his body. The fire and the spark nearly dying out.

"...My King." Rodan spoke in a weak and somewhat pitiful voice, snapping Mothra away from her thoughts and back to the present time.

"I trust you are doing well to keep away from the affair's of the humans as well as with the others." The moment the word 'trust' had come out of his mouth, the King had wanted to take it back immediately. But, again, he restrained himself from his outburst, keeping his usual, emotionless expression worn on his face.

"Yes, my King." Rodan replied quickly, as emotionless as Godzilla, "For most of the time, I stay resting in my home within the volcano of this island. Whenever I would leave it, I would stay close to the island."

Maybe it was because the King had come to him despite rarely doing so in the recent months, or maybe it was because she was right there standing beside him, but Rodan had somehow found the courage to rise and look at them after he had spoken. And, as consequence, came face to face with Mothra's intent stare.

"M-Mosura." Rodan said, finally acknowledging her presence and giving a respectful bow to her. He knew this day would come eventually. But why did it have to be so soon?

"Rodan." Mothra greeted back, her voice clear and strong- a direct contrast to his. And her breathe exhaling gently as she returned a bow.

He tried his very best to interpret her uncharacteristic expression as she bowed back to him. Was she angry? Or did she not care at all about what he did to her? Any question he had about her were left unanswered, her gaze slightly frighting and worrying him as he turned his attention back towards the King.

"And you have nothing else to say?" Godzilla questioned, ignoring his greeting to Mothra as he continued to bore his eye's into the Fire Demon.

Rodan thought deeply at the King's question. And though he knew the King wouldn't like it, he knew now was his chance. Most likely, his one and only chance to say something more. Godzilla would probably never come back here with Mothra. He knew it was a long shot and would come out as more of an excuse than a genuine amendment. But, he had to say something. Otherwise, he could never look at himself the same way ever again.

"...I'm…"

"...I'm so-"

His words were interrupted by the King's tail harshly crashing against the beach, causing an infinite number of grains of sand to disperse all around the rest of the beach. And, afterwards, the sounds of snarls echoed through the air. He should of known this would have happened, and yet he was still surprised at the King's sudden outburst. Flinching at the loud action, Rodan backed away further from them, noticing how Mothra barely reacted to this outburst, but looked down towards the sand of the beach. His heart was now racing and his breathe had become erratic- this choice would be another one he would come to regret.

"Do you really think, after what you did, you are fit to apologise and ask for forgiveness so soon?!" By now, Godzilla was already roaring, no longer being able to control himself. He knew he was probably hurting Mothra in doing so; but now, it was too late to stop.

"You're a traitor as well as a coward, Rodan!" Godzilla snarled, Rodan's name being growled with such contempt and anger. At this point, the King couldn't hold himself back. On the rare occasion he would come to his island, Godzilla would always refrain from raging at the Fire Demon. But today, Rodan really had the audacity to say something like that to her. And that pushed the King over his limit. "But most of all Rodan…" Godzilla began again.

"You are weak. Weak to the point where you cowered and abandoned us all those years ago! And weak enough to the point where you had the gall to try and kill Mosura and join His side."

At this point, both Godzilla and Rodan were in a worsened state than they had previously been in. Godzilla's chest rose and fell quickly and heavily, audible growls accompanying his panting as he fell silent. And Rodan was left with his knees touching the sand, shaking and silent as well.

Quickly turning his massive frame around, the King huffed an annoyed breathe as he faced back towards the ocean, already submerging his feet into its warmth. Soon after, Mothra flew upwards and towards him, following.

He had failed. He deserved it.

But the unexpected words that followed after caused Rodan to perk his head up and his eye's to widen in surprise- the first bits of genuine emotion now filling and brightening them.

"I wish to stay here for a little while longer."

Godzilla turned back to Mothra and was met with those collected and powerful eye's of hers once again. But they were also filled with a pleading look, one he couldn't ignore nor deny. Yes he was surprised, and slightly irritated about her request, but he expected it of her. They had come to this island for different reasons after all. And it would do them both good for him to be alone to calm his temper. His only regret being the loneliness that would soon follow thereafter.

"Do what you must." The King replied, but gave no other word as he turned back around and submerged himself into the water, where he would go back to the cave, alone.

"I forgive you."

It had been a while since the King had left the island and returned home, leaving Mothra and Rodan in an awkward and tense silence. Unable to look at her or say anything, Rodan kept his beak shut as he sat on the sand in silence. But his head instantly rose from its low position and finally looked at the Goddess, his eyes confused and anxious. What had she said? If she said what he thought she said…

"I-I don't understand." Rodan finally spoke, looking back at Mothra's deadpan stare, unable to comprehend her words.

She took a deep breathe, and rested her stern eyes. Her body soon relaxed itself as she slowly walked closer to the Fire Demon, and gave a sympathetic look of understanding. It would be hard for him to understand, and she knew deep in her heart that it would be hard for her, as well. But it had to be done, for the benefit of both of them.

"We have known each other for a very long time now, Rodan," Mothra softly spoke, his name being said in an empathetic way in contrast to the King, "Surely you would have known that I would forgive your past actions-"

"I only wanted to apologise!" Rodan quickly growled, roaring for the first time in what seemed like forever. He just couldn't understand it. And he was angry that he couldn't understand. No-one could understand. "I don't want to be forgiven! I know I don't deserve forgiveness!"

By now, the fire had returned to Rodan, at least for the moment. And, in place of his afraid and despaired mood, a growing rage swelled inside of him, causing sparks of flame and fire to emanate from his great wings. And yet, the Goddess didn't move a single inch, and her face remained expressionless despite the sudden actions of the Pterosaur Titan. She had always been stronger than him- in more ways than one.

"So please…" Rodan whispered, his voice breaking and his head returning to its lowered position, defeated, "Just let me apologise for my past sins and leave it at that."

"…I can't be forgiven."

Mothra, coming close to his trembling body, slowly raised her frontal forelimb under the chin of his beak and tilted it upwards so that his eyes could stare right back at hers. And although she wasn't smiling, it was clear the motherly, understanding look she gave him was enough to comfort him. She did have a stern look on her face after his outburst, but it was one filled with determination and a planned out response to everything she had to say to him.

"You don't really believe that, do you?" Mothra retorted in a low voice, backing up slightly after trusting he wouldn't look away from her again, "Your heart is filled with pain and doubt."

"And I know you want to be forgiven."

At this point, Rodan stayed silent and took in every word she said. He had told himself he can never be forgiven- that it was impossible for him. And yet, why did he still yearn for forgiveness? Especially from someone who he tried to kill. This good and peaceful someone, who at this very moment, was speaking directly to him and showed no signs of fear.

"We both know- I'm sure- that it was never the case of if I would forgive you, but when." Mothra continued, knowing she made the right assumption. That definite truth behind her words making them more impactful to him.

Rodan, unable to say anything else, was left quiet and stunned. She never told any lies- was she really already forgiving him on what he had done to her? He supposed, as she said, he had always known that she would forgive him. But, could he forgive himself? How could he forgive himself? With her, right in front of him, demonstrating so much kindness, it just made him feel a little bit worse.

"Y-You're not really making this any easier for me." Rodan said quietly. But, as he said this, he allowed a tiny smile to creep across his beak, and granted himself the tiniest bit of relief.

"I apologise if I'm making you feel uncomfortable," Mothra replied, her sight on him having been unmoved ever since the start, "But I truly do not hold any contempt against you, and I do forgive you."

And as Mothra looked at him, she once again took notice of the subtle details of his appearance. Even after his outburst, the colour and heat of flames was still embedded and glowed within his wings. Calmed and gentle, sure, but it was clear he was starting to get over his depressed and self-loading mood.

"Yes. And because of that, I promise I'm forever indebted to you." The pterosaur Titan said, his confidence and his fire sparking brightly as he slowly rose higher. She really had forgiven him, and had always intended to forgive him. And, though he knew it wasn't right to let himself off that easy already, he couldn't help the smile on his beak to grow slightly wider.

"However," the Goddess spoke, her voice becoming stern once again, "You still need to repent for your past actions. It's your duty to do so."

Nodding at her statement, Rodan thoroughly accepted his inevitable punishment as he sighed a weighty breathe and closed his eyes. "Of course," he spoke gently, "What is it you would have me do as penance?"

Mothra, with her wings glowing her strong blue, lifted her head high with authority as she looked down to the bowing Rodan. Whatever she was to say next, she wouldn't take no for an answer.

"Talk with Gojira."

At the mere mention of the King's name, and as quickly as it had come about, the Fire Demon's confidence plummeted and his wings shook with fear. Talk to him? She can't be serious. He would kill him if he came to him on his own accord.

"I'm s-sorry, Mosura." Rodan said shakily, swallowing his fear as to be able to say anything, "But I can't."

In response to his sudden dramatic change of character, Mothra moved so that she was sitting right beside him. There, she lifted one of her wings and used it to drape over Rodan's back in a comforting, friendly manner. His body flinching as she did so, but the fire not burning her wings like it had those six months ago.

"Of course you can." Mothra reassured, her voice the softest it had ever been since the start of their conversation, "After all…"

Turning to face the Goddess, Rodan was overjoyed to finally see the familiar warm and gentle smile Mothra gave him. Her crystal eyes glowing a gentle blue, stopping his body from shaking and making his erratic heart rest.

"You are his best friend."

Oh Mothra! You're too pure for this world.

Anyway, like I said, two chapters (hopefully) this week.

And Goji, Rodan's really is trying his best! Just try and talk it out with him!

Thanks for reading!