- Stirring Earth -
~ The Epilogue ~
Whoo, won't this be fun? ^_^ An angry Daedalus, a PMS-y Iris, a hyper Azul, and a hormone-driven Haures running around... Kekekekekeke.
[Felix] At least there's no more me.
Are you SURE ABOUT THAT? ::Evil grin::
[Felix] 0_o
My planned pairings, MAIN pairings are as follows: I've switched 'em around. The main pairing is CharonxFlora, but you have a crazy Haures following a hyper Azul everywhere, so there should be enough yaoi undertones for you fans... I intended for this epilogue to be mainly HauresxAzul, but it sorta... didn't end up that way. ^^;;
Oh, note, note, note! Atalanta, Thor, Nereid, Megaera, Flora, Ulysses, Coatlicue and Iris all appear as they do as summons in the game. Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Mercury appear to be children that look vaguely like the heroes from the original GS. Everyone else... I have altered. ^^;; I'm sorry I don't provide descriptions on all of them, but with some luck, I MIGHT write upon these characters ANOTHER TIME! (I'm getting very odd ideas... 0_o)
.~.
Epilogue: On Holidays
- What happens when gods have Valentine's Day -
Ohoohoohoo! ^o^
.~.
Nereid, Procne and Eclipse were walking along in the gardens outside the large building where most of their talking and Weyard-watching went on, when -- boom.
Eclipse was thrown to the paved ground. Procne landed in the bushes, and Nereid -- lucky her -- fell into a shallow pool.
"Oohh, who was it this time?" Nereid snarled, her violet hair plastered to her skull.
"Probably Daedalus," Eclipse replied with a roll of her dark eyes. "You know he's been having... problems... lately."
"Haures has, too."
"Is it just me, or has Ulysses been acting out of character as well?" Procne asked, getting pulled out of the prickly underbrush by Eclipse. Nereid hauled herself out of the pool, wringing out her kimono-like clothing with a scowl.
"Urgh, that stupid idiot... I'm going to ask Jude and Cat if I can kill him..."
"If they don't kill you first." Procne said with a smile. Nereid 'hmph'ed, and stalked off.
Eclipse stared after the form of the water goddess, a puzzled look on her face. Turning to Procne, she asked a question.
"Isn't today... Valentine's?"
(Ohohohohoho!)
.~.
"I can't do this!"
"Oh, come on! You prepared for this for days!"
"I still can't do this!"
"You're not going get another chance at this!"
"I can't DO THIS!"
"COME ON! She's going to go soon!"
"You do it!"
"I can't! I'm not the one who likes her, remember?!"
"Pleeease?"
Ulysses stared hard at Ramses, whose eyes were (Very frighteningly) watering.
"Ramses..."
"PLEASE!"
Ulysses sighed and looked back out at the fountain were Megaera sat, playing a lute.
"I don't like her. She'll suspect something if I give a red paper heart to her!"
"Please! Ulysses! It's all I ask! You... I'll let you... Um..." Ramses glanced around quickly, as though expecting his limited options to appear around him. "I'll help you with Azul...?"
Ulysses squeaked, blushing a bright red color. How did HE know about his infatuation with that hyper god?
"Come on! I have blackmail material on you now!" An evil grin spread over the blonde's tanned face.
"No! No! That's bad. Give it to me. I'll do it."
Ramses smiled and handed over the red heart. Ulysses glared at it disdainfully, before slipping it up one of his billowing sleeves.
"I'll give it to her later, okay?"
"No! Do it now!"
"Why?"
"Just do it now! Get it over with!" Ramses wheedled, clasping his hands in front of him earnestly. Ulysses sighed.
"You really owe me for this."
"Of course I do!" The Venus god said, nodding quickly.
With a final glare at Ramses, Ulysses stepped out of their hiding spot behind the rose bushes, making his way towards the war goddess, unaware of the many eyes watching his every move.
"Meg?" He called softly, slipping his hands up his sleeves. Megaera looked up, setting her lute down.
"Oh, what is it, Ulysses?" She asked, a small smile on her lips. Ulysses had always thought it odd of her being a war goddess when she was so... calm, and quiet, unlike Nereid.
"I, um... I wanted to... give this to you." Ulysses gulped, pulling the red heart with its cheesy poetry out. He handed it to her, keeping his gaze on the floor. "It's not from -- "
"Ulysses, oh my gosh! Thank you!" Megaera leaped up and hugged him tightly around the neck. The mage's eyes widened. "I wanted to give something to you, too." She said shyly, pulling a small card out of a pocket on her hip. She pressed it into his chest, a blush on her cheeks.
"I, well, I didn't...." Ulysses stammered, clutching the card in one hand. Megaera bit her lip. He cleared his throat. "Um, what I meant to say is... Thank you, and you're welcome."
Megaera smiled and kissed his cheek. She picked up her lute, bowed slightly, then ran off, reminding him of a child. With a sigh, he plopped himself down on the edge of the fountain, staring at the card in his hand. With a groan, he dropped his forehead into his hands.
.~.
"Oh. My. Gosh. That DID NOT just happen." Jupiter said to her friend, Mercury.
"Ugh, will you give it up?" The young goddess said, sighing. "Ulysses SO does not like you, anyhow!"
Jupiter looked at Mercury with a scandalized expression on her childish face.
"Who says so, Azul-lover?"
Mercury rolled her eyes.
"At least he's WORTH liking." The blue-haired goddess said, swinging her legs back and forth as her eyes trailed over a sentence in her book.
Whomp.
"OW!"
"Azul totally acts like a kid! He acts like Mars and Venus!" Jupiter said angrily, waving her hands around.
"Exactly! He's not so... stoic, and all that!"
"But Azul has completely whacked-out hair! Ulysses is so... so..." Jupiter sighed dreamily, a hand on her forehead. Mercury snorted. "He's so... Debonair..."
"You've been reading from Tiamat-san's library again, haven't you?"
"Oh, who told you that?"
Mercury shook her head, picking up her book and standing.
"Come on, Iris-san will yell at us if we're late for dinner again."
"She yells all the time! It doesn't matter!"
"If she hears you..."
"Shut up." Jupiter snapped.
.~.
Iris glowered at everyone as they ate their meal. Somebody placed a hand over hers, and with a start, she looked up to see the unnaturally kind eyes of Catastrophe. (Y'know, his name's such a #$(%# to write out..)
"Don't be so tense." He said. Iris flushed, going back to poking at her food. The hand left.
Someone at the other end of the table saw this and scribbled it down on a notepad.
"Will you let that up?" Mars whined, stabbing a piece of broccolli on his plate.
"It's good to have blackmail material sometimes!" Venus said defensively, sticking the pen back in his breastpocket only to yank it back out, seeing Megaera latched onto Ulysses' arm. Mars wondered why all of his siblings were weird.
"Don't you find their relationship disturbing?" Flora asked her friends, at another portion of the table, pointing at Haures and Azul with her fork. She could have sworn Haures had been feeding Azul...
"In what way?" Coatlicue asked in her normal soft demeanor.
"You saw Haures running after Azul earlier today! With a whip!" Flora added the last bit hastily, a piece of asparagus sticking out of her mouth.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," Eclipse scolded, taking a sip from her wine. "Their relationship is their own personal business."
"I'm worried about Azul, though! What if he's forced into this relationship? You know, like in -- "
"Please leave my books out of this." Tiamat interrupted. Flora frowned and stared at her mashed potatoes.
"Still.... Azul can be so... irresponsible sometimes. I worry about him." She said, making designs in the potatoes with the prongs of her fork. "He's never really crashed with sadness, or depression..."
Coatlicue smiled kindly. "I'm sure nothing will go wrong."
"And besides, if something *does* happen, we can always beat Haures into the ground!" Nereid said happily.
"Please, don't resort to violence...." Eclipse sighed.
.~.
The next day...
.~.
Flora growled, staring down at the piece of parchment in her hand. Another one of these stupid parties with people she knew and saw *every single damned day*....
The paper was an invitation to a post-Valentine's Day party. The requirement were some fancy clothes and a date. Rolling her eyes, she crumpled the paper, knowing the ratio to goddesses to gods was off. But of course, there were a few...
"Floraaaa!"
She squeaked. Oh please, not him, not him --
"Floraaa!"
Glomp.
"Flora, dear, I'm trusting you got that lovely invitation?"
Flora stared at Charon as though he were something Iris had tried creating in the kitchen. Prying his hands off of her, she stalked away, but Charon followed her.
"Yes..." She said uncertainly. "But I don't plan on going."
"Oh, but if you don't go, Iris will get soooo mad!"
"I... don't care." Her voice wavered. "I've gotten yelled by her a few times already..."
"*Only* a few times?"
Flora sighed through gritted teeth. Remember, killing another god is bad... Even when it comes to an idiot like Charon... A cross-dresser like Charon... (Yes, I'm that cruel. Blame it on Dullahan, and his damned Charon- summoning every other turn!)
"What do you want, Charon?"
"I don't have a date!"
The wind-rider was tempted to say, "Well, GOOD!" Instead, she continued walking in silence.
"Who cares? I'm not going anyhow..."
"I don't want Iris-san yelling at me!" Charon wailed, struggling to keep up with her long strides in his billowing robes. "Who can I go with?"
"If you went as a guy, you'd have more options! But nooo, you have to go around in a dress all the time, and -- " Flora stopped short. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Never mention Charon's real gender around him....
Charon was silent a few moments. Flora begged to Iris (As she couldn't beg to herself) that Charon wouldn't start crying.
"If I..." The boatsman started slowly. "If I went as a... a man... would you go with me?"
Flora stopped dead in the middle of the hallway, an intensely horrified look on her face. Fortunately, Charon didn't see.
"I, um..." Oh, what the hell. Maybe he looked BETTER as a guy. With an involuntary shudder, Flora answered him, "Okay."
Charon broke out into an ear-to-ear smile, taking her hand and kissing it many times. Flora squeaked again.
"Thank you, Flora-love! I'll make sure you won't regret it!" And he turned down another hallway, leaving Flora to stare at her kiss-ridden hand and wondering what the HELL was wrong with her.
...Wait a second. Flora-love?
......Was Charon in love with her?
.........Oh please, all things good and holy, no!
.~.
"Mm... Haures..." Azul murmured sleepily.[*]
"Azul. . ."
Azul blinked. That... wasn't the proper time. No way... They hadn't been cuddling for more than --
"Shit!"
Haures blinked.
"What is it, love?"
"We're going to be late to that party! Iris will have our heads up on a pike!"
"That's a pleasant thought..." Haures muttered, brushing some of his black locks behind an ear.
"She's capable of it!" Azul said as he ran from the bathroom to the closet and back to the bathroom again.
"That's what disturbs me, Azul..."
"Why aren't you getting ready?" The god slowed in his actions, pulling on a jacket. Haures shrugged.
"It's not that difficult to get changed in a few seconds, you know." He snapped his fingers, and immediately, he was dressed in party clothes. Azul sighed.
"You can be so lazy sometimes..." The brunet said as they walked along a hallway.
"Really."
"You don't even bother dressing yourself."
"But you certainly enjoy undress -- "
"Okay, you can stop there."
"Boys, I'm glad you came!" Cybele greeted them, allowing both of them to kiss her on the cheek. Her elegant blonde hair, which was creeping into silver, was swept away from her face in a thick braid that brushed the floor. She pinched their cheeks (As was her custom), then allowed them in to the large room the party was in.
.~.
Flora had to admit, even though Charon looked extremely frightening as a woman, he looked handsomer as a man. She tried to remember when he started being a woman, but even though her age was reaching the ten-thousands, she wasn't sure. Well, with his kind of job -- leading dead people to the afterlife -- it would be a wonder if he hadn't been messed up in the beginning.
"Charon, you look wonderful." She whispered into his ear, squeezing his hand slightly.
"Do I? Thank you! I wasn't sure what to do with my hair..."
Flora glanced down at Charon's deep purple hair. He had tied the strands into meticulous little braids, and they rattled when he walked. Though it still looked rather feminine, it was much better than his crazy hairstyle from during the day.
"I'll go get something for us to drink. Anything specific you want?"
Flora blinked, a hot blush rising to her cheeks.
"Water's fine...." She mumbled. Charon left for the refreshment table. Looking around, she saw Eclipse and Coatlicue trying to calm a (Not to her surprise) mad Nereid.
"Hi." Flora greeted them as she drew near.
"Do you know who I had to come with?!" Nereid hissed, glaring at her. Flora blinked, taken aback at her outburst.
"Now, now, Nereid, she's done nothing to get you mad..." Coatlicue said soothingly, touching the water princess's shoulder.
"Well, who's her date?"
"Charon..." Flora said shyly, weaving her fingers together before her. Nereid went silent.
"Maybe I don't have it that bad after all..." She said, blinking.
"She came with Zagan, FYI." Eclipse whispered to Flora.
"Don't mention that fact!" Nereid shrieked, jumping up and down.
"Nereid, you'll ruin your outfit!" Coatlicue cried.
"Oh, Flora, there you are!"
She turned to see Charon come towards their small group, a glass of water in one hand. Flora glanced back at her friends. Coatlicue was fidgeting. Nereid was staring, mouth open wide. Eclipse was sipping her wine thoughtfully.
"No way that's Charon!" Nereid whispered fervently. Charon blinked innocently.
"Yep, it's Charon. Isn't he cute?" Flora giggled, latching onto the boatsman's arm. She never got a chance to rub anything in Nereid's face without getting an injury, but if Iris caught Nereid trying to kill her... The princess would have to wait until at least tomorrow to dole out some pain. She was unaware of the fact Charon was blushing a red that would rival Kirin's flames. Nereid growled threateningly.
"Flora..."
"I can't help it if I got a cute date and you didn't!" Flora said, sticking out her tongue.
"Um, Flora..." Charon started.
"Yeah, I got stuck with that beast, Zagan." Nereid huffed impatiently. "How'd you get him out of a dress?"
Coatlicue gasped as Eclipse nearly dropped her goblet of wine. (My gosh, Eclipse likes wine too much. 0_o) Charon had already dropped Flora's glass of water. Flora glared at Nereid, who was completely oblivious to the fact that she had said something out of line.
"Nereid..." Flora growled. "You shouldn't have -- "
Charon whirled, stomping away into the crowd. Flora let out an animalistic, frustrated sound.
"Nereid! That was SO rude of you!"
"What did I do?"
"Oh, you ruined everything! Charon! Charon, come back!" She ran away from them to find her date.
.~.
Ulysses shifted uncomfortably from one foot to his other, gulping as Ramses never bothered to blink in his staring. The mage could swear the blonde was trying to bore a hole into him with just his eyes. Well, could he HELP it if Megaera had secretly liked him all along?
With a sigh, he looked over to Azul and Haures. He didn't even WANT to be in this relationship! He wanted to be with Azul... Azul was so charming with that childish flair of his... His sparkling eyes, boyish laugh... Ohhh.... Curse that Haures.
(Such a problem Ulysses has gotten himself into, ne?)
.~.
Flora looked around wildly, her eyes lit with fear. She hoped Charon hadn't done anything drastic.... Whirling a few times, she saw some open doors leading to balconies. She hadn't tried those yet. Pulling up her skirts around her ankles, she ran past them, peeking in. First one -- nothing. Second one -- Catastrophe and Iris sharing a seemingly intimate moment. Third one -- a lone plant. Fourth one -- Charon. Bingo.
"Charon?"
"Do you wonder why I got out of a 'dress,' too?" Charon asked coldly. Flora looked down, ashamed for ever thinking him a freak for cross-dressing. "Everybody was asking. They weren't aware of my feelings."
"Oh, Charon..." She stood beside him, breathing in the cool, fresh night air. "Even gods make mistakes sometimes..."
"Some of them more often than others, it seems." Charon snorted, the violet braids of his hair floating in the breeze behind him. "Do you want to know why I even bothered to come out to this party?" He asked again, his voice softer.
"Not because of Iris?"
"I can deal with Iris. I came... to admit something to myself."
Flora touched his arm. "Admit what?"
"That I can't hide behind a mask forever. It was a mask too many people saw through, anyhow... Even during my time on Weyard to watch, I think the people knew... that I wasn't... real."
"You're real, Charon. Of course you are. What about you isn't real?"
Charon stared into her face, tears brimming at the edges of his beautiful eyes.
"You wouldn't understand..." He said finally. "You don't have a job like I do..."
So it WAS that scary job of his that messed him up! But Flora kept this information away from him.
"That doesn't make you any less important, Charon... You have an important job. If you weren't around, so many more dead souls would be wandering around -- "
"Is that all I'm good for, though? Is that it?" Charon questioned her, his tone scalding.
"Charon..." Flora stood on tiptoe to wrap her slender arms around his neck, cradling his head against her neck. His dark hair spilled around them. "You're annoying me. Stop it."
"Flora, you -- "
"Shut up." Flora whispered, pressing her lips to his in an effort to silence him.
--On a balcony nearby....
"Oooh! I could blackmail Flora with this!" Venus said, bouncing, as he scribbled the event down in his notepad. Mercury, his date, sat on the railing, looking at her nails boredly. Why didn't she go with Mars while she had the chance? Stupid, stupid, stupid!
"Don't forget Cat and Iris..." Mercury drawled.
"Oh yeah! Thanks, Merc!"
Rolling her eyes at the nickname, she slid off and slipped back inside. Venus wasn't even aware that she had moved from the railing.
--Back inside...
Eclipse was still standing with a fuming (But thoroughly confused) Nereid, a quiet Coatlicue, and Procne, who had retired from dancing to talk. Eclipse, though a bit tipsy, sensed something and threw up a hand, creating a barrier over her and her friends. A moment afterwards, what appeared to be cake was thrown onto it.
"What the -- ugh! What is all this?" Nereid backpedalled, seeing more of the cake-like stuff next to the hem of her dress.
"I guess Haures got to the wine..." Procne sighed. "And Azul...."
"The cake." Coatlicue said sadly.
"Not good..." Nereid muttered.
(Why do I get a feeling this is just SCREAMING *SEQUEL!!!*? 0_o)
They shrieked as cake began raining their way again. Cybele was yelling for peace (But obviously not getting any) and, surprisingly, Iris was no where in sight.
.~.
Flora sighed contentedly into Charon's chest. One simple kiss had led to so many more until Flora was sure she would be dry-mouthed for the next few days. Throughout the entire time, Charon had remained silent.
"Charon. . ."
He was stroking her soft hair slowly, making her feel drowsy.
"...Thank you, Flora."
Flora looked up at him through sleepy eyes. He was -- she blinked -- smiling.
"You're welcome, Char... Ohh, I feel so tired..." She yawned.
"You haven't done anything rigorous." Charon said, helping her up from the bench they were sitting on.
"If you don't remember, we *were* making out as though Catastrophe was going to blow up Haven tomorrow morning."
Charon chuckled, one of his hands dropping to grasp her around the hip. As they neared the balcony door, Flora paused.
"What is it?"
"I... don't think it looks safe enough to go in there." She said, grimacing at the cake smears on the glass. Charon raised an eyebrow.
"I always knew Azul would pull off something... We're not going to see either him or Haures tomorrow, that's for sure. I'll teleport you to your room."
"That isn't necessary..." Flora started. But they had already appeared out of her room. She sighed. "Charon..."
"It's the least I could do." He murmured, kissing her gently on the lips. "With all you've done tonight..."
Flora blushed. "Would you like to come in?"
"I'd be honored."
.~.
One day, back on Weyard...
.~.
Picard and Felix were having one of their daily spars out on the grass, Isaac and Garet standing nearby, watching the duel.
"Diamond Berg!" Picard yelled. A large glacier fell out of the sky, plummeting towards Felix. Felix leaped out of the way.
"You're not going to survive this!" Felix said confidently, raising his sword to the sky. "I summon Azul!"
A blue beam came down, bathing the battlefield an icy aqua, then it mellowed out into a soft gold. As the lights disappeared, two figures could be seen...
Felix blinked. Picard stared. Garet and Isaac stared with their mouths hanging open.
There, in the middle of the grass, lay a sleeping Azul next to a head of black hair, a blanket draping their forms.
"Nngmm?"
"Wha...." Azul groaned, sitting up. He blinked drowsily, looking around at his surroundings. When he saw Isaac and Garet, he visibly jumped. "Haures..." He hissed.
"...Nmmph?"
"Haures," Azul whispered, "Tell me something..."
"What, love?" Haures grumbled into the ground.
"Should I kill them?" Azul asked, jabbing a finger at the adepts (Who were still staring).
"No... I have a better idea."
"And that would be?" The dragon said hotly, tugging the blanket up higher around his bare hips.
"Let's go back to Haven and amuse ourselves further, hm?"
Azul blushed as Haures draped an arm over his lap. With a sparkle of blue and black, the two disappeared.
Picard was the first to recover.
"...You were saying, Felix?"
"Never mind..." The Venus adept sighed. He looked at Isaac and Garet. "Are you two still going to spar?"
"Ummm.... No." Isaac said quickly. "I... I... I gotta check up on Mia..."
"And, um... Jenna will kill me if I don't get back for lunch! Bye!" The two sped off. Felix blinked.
"...Hey, it's going on four, isn't it?" He asked Picard. The Lemurian shrugged.
"That was a good hint they dropped us, hmm?" Picard whispered suggestively, wrapping his arms around Felix's torso. Felix hit him over the head with the flat of his sword.
"I swear... Gods these days..." Felix muttered to himself, leaving an unconscious Picard in the middle of the field. "These protectors of Weyard aren't at all good influences on children..."
Oh, how so little he really knew.
- - - E N D E - - -
[*] = No, they hadn't just finished... you know. This has a PG-13 rating! No R-ish stuff! But at the end... hey, it's anyone's guess. ^_^
Whaagh, I have way too many endings... -__-;; Should I do something further on the gods? I'm considering it... I'm finding Charon and Flora's relationship amusing to write upon. ^o^ And who the hell knows what really goes on in Haures and Azul's lives?
[Taylor] You're going to traumatize people MORE than you already have?!
^^ I enjoy traumatizing people. So do my friends. As you can tell... With somebody like Steph around... 0_o
[Stephanie] Felix, come back! I'm sure pink would bring out your eyes!
[Felix] YEAAAAAAAAGH!
[Taylor] ......o_O Hand over the computer. Right now.
Nyoooo! ::Clutches computer:: I have to WRITE with this thing!
[Taylor] ...-_- Duhr....
Um, yeah. The revising of TLE is going slowly. -o- FF.Net doesn't ACCEPT .wpd files, which is what was installed on my computer to being with... ::Sigh:: And if I transfer a .wpd document to this computer -- my Japanese one -- it completely messes up, or appears as a PICTURE. -__-;;; Yup. I hate my new computer! It isn't even that much faster than my 95! (Yes, I actually WAS using a 95. Ancient, ne?) Ugh!
Okie, enough of my rants. Thanks for the fun times! Look out for some more god-ish one-shot fics... Coming in the near future. ^_^ I'm planning that ChouxSuzuki (Or Suzuka, take your pick) fic for Yu Yu Hakusho... That's yaoi. Geh! I have too much to do. ~_~ I'll finish that one-shot for Vilya, so she'll get off my case...
-nothing is impossible to a willing heart.- -- john heywood
Ja ne!
~ The Epilogue ~
Whoo, won't this be fun? ^_^ An angry Daedalus, a PMS-y Iris, a hyper Azul, and a hormone-driven Haures running around... Kekekekekeke.
[Felix] At least there's no more me.
Are you SURE ABOUT THAT? ::Evil grin::
[Felix] 0_o
My planned pairings, MAIN pairings are as follows: I've switched 'em around. The main pairing is CharonxFlora, but you have a crazy Haures following a hyper Azul everywhere, so there should be enough yaoi undertones for you fans... I intended for this epilogue to be mainly HauresxAzul, but it sorta... didn't end up that way. ^^;;
Oh, note, note, note! Atalanta, Thor, Nereid, Megaera, Flora, Ulysses, Coatlicue and Iris all appear as they do as summons in the game. Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Mercury appear to be children that look vaguely like the heroes from the original GS. Everyone else... I have altered. ^^;; I'm sorry I don't provide descriptions on all of them, but with some luck, I MIGHT write upon these characters ANOTHER TIME! (I'm getting very odd ideas... 0_o)
.~.
Epilogue: On Holidays
- What happens when gods have Valentine's Day -
Ohoohoohoo! ^o^
.~.
Nereid, Procne and Eclipse were walking along in the gardens outside the large building where most of their talking and Weyard-watching went on, when -- boom.
Eclipse was thrown to the paved ground. Procne landed in the bushes, and Nereid -- lucky her -- fell into a shallow pool.
"Oohh, who was it this time?" Nereid snarled, her violet hair plastered to her skull.
"Probably Daedalus," Eclipse replied with a roll of her dark eyes. "You know he's been having... problems... lately."
"Haures has, too."
"Is it just me, or has Ulysses been acting out of character as well?" Procne asked, getting pulled out of the prickly underbrush by Eclipse. Nereid hauled herself out of the pool, wringing out her kimono-like clothing with a scowl.
"Urgh, that stupid idiot... I'm going to ask Jude and Cat if I can kill him..."
"If they don't kill you first." Procne said with a smile. Nereid 'hmph'ed, and stalked off.
Eclipse stared after the form of the water goddess, a puzzled look on her face. Turning to Procne, she asked a question.
"Isn't today... Valentine's?"
(Ohohohohoho!)
.~.
"I can't do this!"
"Oh, come on! You prepared for this for days!"
"I still can't do this!"
"You're not going get another chance at this!"
"I can't DO THIS!"
"COME ON! She's going to go soon!"
"You do it!"
"I can't! I'm not the one who likes her, remember?!"
"Pleeease?"
Ulysses stared hard at Ramses, whose eyes were (Very frighteningly) watering.
"Ramses..."
"PLEASE!"
Ulysses sighed and looked back out at the fountain were Megaera sat, playing a lute.
"I don't like her. She'll suspect something if I give a red paper heart to her!"
"Please! Ulysses! It's all I ask! You... I'll let you... Um..." Ramses glanced around quickly, as though expecting his limited options to appear around him. "I'll help you with Azul...?"
Ulysses squeaked, blushing a bright red color. How did HE know about his infatuation with that hyper god?
"Come on! I have blackmail material on you now!" An evil grin spread over the blonde's tanned face.
"No! No! That's bad. Give it to me. I'll do it."
Ramses smiled and handed over the red heart. Ulysses glared at it disdainfully, before slipping it up one of his billowing sleeves.
"I'll give it to her later, okay?"
"No! Do it now!"
"Why?"
"Just do it now! Get it over with!" Ramses wheedled, clasping his hands in front of him earnestly. Ulysses sighed.
"You really owe me for this."
"Of course I do!" The Venus god said, nodding quickly.
With a final glare at Ramses, Ulysses stepped out of their hiding spot behind the rose bushes, making his way towards the war goddess, unaware of the many eyes watching his every move.
"Meg?" He called softly, slipping his hands up his sleeves. Megaera looked up, setting her lute down.
"Oh, what is it, Ulysses?" She asked, a small smile on her lips. Ulysses had always thought it odd of her being a war goddess when she was so... calm, and quiet, unlike Nereid.
"I, um... I wanted to... give this to you." Ulysses gulped, pulling the red heart with its cheesy poetry out. He handed it to her, keeping his gaze on the floor. "It's not from -- "
"Ulysses, oh my gosh! Thank you!" Megaera leaped up and hugged him tightly around the neck. The mage's eyes widened. "I wanted to give something to you, too." She said shyly, pulling a small card out of a pocket on her hip. She pressed it into his chest, a blush on her cheeks.
"I, well, I didn't...." Ulysses stammered, clutching the card in one hand. Megaera bit her lip. He cleared his throat. "Um, what I meant to say is... Thank you, and you're welcome."
Megaera smiled and kissed his cheek. She picked up her lute, bowed slightly, then ran off, reminding him of a child. With a sigh, he plopped himself down on the edge of the fountain, staring at the card in his hand. With a groan, he dropped his forehead into his hands.
.~.
"Oh. My. Gosh. That DID NOT just happen." Jupiter said to her friend, Mercury.
"Ugh, will you give it up?" The young goddess said, sighing. "Ulysses SO does not like you, anyhow!"
Jupiter looked at Mercury with a scandalized expression on her childish face.
"Who says so, Azul-lover?"
Mercury rolled her eyes.
"At least he's WORTH liking." The blue-haired goddess said, swinging her legs back and forth as her eyes trailed over a sentence in her book.
Whomp.
"OW!"
"Azul totally acts like a kid! He acts like Mars and Venus!" Jupiter said angrily, waving her hands around.
"Exactly! He's not so... stoic, and all that!"
"But Azul has completely whacked-out hair! Ulysses is so... so..." Jupiter sighed dreamily, a hand on her forehead. Mercury snorted. "He's so... Debonair..."
"You've been reading from Tiamat-san's library again, haven't you?"
"Oh, who told you that?"
Mercury shook her head, picking up her book and standing.
"Come on, Iris-san will yell at us if we're late for dinner again."
"She yells all the time! It doesn't matter!"
"If she hears you..."
"Shut up." Jupiter snapped.
.~.
Iris glowered at everyone as they ate their meal. Somebody placed a hand over hers, and with a start, she looked up to see the unnaturally kind eyes of Catastrophe. (Y'know, his name's such a #$(%# to write out..)
"Don't be so tense." He said. Iris flushed, going back to poking at her food. The hand left.
Someone at the other end of the table saw this and scribbled it down on a notepad.
"Will you let that up?" Mars whined, stabbing a piece of broccolli on his plate.
"It's good to have blackmail material sometimes!" Venus said defensively, sticking the pen back in his breastpocket only to yank it back out, seeing Megaera latched onto Ulysses' arm. Mars wondered why all of his siblings were weird.
"Don't you find their relationship disturbing?" Flora asked her friends, at another portion of the table, pointing at Haures and Azul with her fork. She could have sworn Haures had been feeding Azul...
"In what way?" Coatlicue asked in her normal soft demeanor.
"You saw Haures running after Azul earlier today! With a whip!" Flora added the last bit hastily, a piece of asparagus sticking out of her mouth.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," Eclipse scolded, taking a sip from her wine. "Their relationship is their own personal business."
"I'm worried about Azul, though! What if he's forced into this relationship? You know, like in -- "
"Please leave my books out of this." Tiamat interrupted. Flora frowned and stared at her mashed potatoes.
"Still.... Azul can be so... irresponsible sometimes. I worry about him." She said, making designs in the potatoes with the prongs of her fork. "He's never really crashed with sadness, or depression..."
Coatlicue smiled kindly. "I'm sure nothing will go wrong."
"And besides, if something *does* happen, we can always beat Haures into the ground!" Nereid said happily.
"Please, don't resort to violence...." Eclipse sighed.
.~.
The next day...
.~.
Flora growled, staring down at the piece of parchment in her hand. Another one of these stupid parties with people she knew and saw *every single damned day*....
The paper was an invitation to a post-Valentine's Day party. The requirement were some fancy clothes and a date. Rolling her eyes, she crumpled the paper, knowing the ratio to goddesses to gods was off. But of course, there were a few...
"Floraaaa!"
She squeaked. Oh please, not him, not him --
"Floraaa!"
Glomp.
"Flora, dear, I'm trusting you got that lovely invitation?"
Flora stared at Charon as though he were something Iris had tried creating in the kitchen. Prying his hands off of her, she stalked away, but Charon followed her.
"Yes..." She said uncertainly. "But I don't plan on going."
"Oh, but if you don't go, Iris will get soooo mad!"
"I... don't care." Her voice wavered. "I've gotten yelled by her a few times already..."
"*Only* a few times?"
Flora sighed through gritted teeth. Remember, killing another god is bad... Even when it comes to an idiot like Charon... A cross-dresser like Charon... (Yes, I'm that cruel. Blame it on Dullahan, and his damned Charon- summoning every other turn!)
"What do you want, Charon?"
"I don't have a date!"
The wind-rider was tempted to say, "Well, GOOD!" Instead, she continued walking in silence.
"Who cares? I'm not going anyhow..."
"I don't want Iris-san yelling at me!" Charon wailed, struggling to keep up with her long strides in his billowing robes. "Who can I go with?"
"If you went as a guy, you'd have more options! But nooo, you have to go around in a dress all the time, and -- " Flora stopped short. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Never mention Charon's real gender around him....
Charon was silent a few moments. Flora begged to Iris (As she couldn't beg to herself) that Charon wouldn't start crying.
"If I..." The boatsman started slowly. "If I went as a... a man... would you go with me?"
Flora stopped dead in the middle of the hallway, an intensely horrified look on her face. Fortunately, Charon didn't see.
"I, um..." Oh, what the hell. Maybe he looked BETTER as a guy. With an involuntary shudder, Flora answered him, "Okay."
Charon broke out into an ear-to-ear smile, taking her hand and kissing it many times. Flora squeaked again.
"Thank you, Flora-love! I'll make sure you won't regret it!" And he turned down another hallway, leaving Flora to stare at her kiss-ridden hand and wondering what the HELL was wrong with her.
...Wait a second. Flora-love?
......Was Charon in love with her?
.........Oh please, all things good and holy, no!
.~.
"Mm... Haures..." Azul murmured sleepily.[*]
"Azul. . ."
Azul blinked. That... wasn't the proper time. No way... They hadn't been cuddling for more than --
"Shit!"
Haures blinked.
"What is it, love?"
"We're going to be late to that party! Iris will have our heads up on a pike!"
"That's a pleasant thought..." Haures muttered, brushing some of his black locks behind an ear.
"She's capable of it!" Azul said as he ran from the bathroom to the closet and back to the bathroom again.
"That's what disturbs me, Azul..."
"Why aren't you getting ready?" The god slowed in his actions, pulling on a jacket. Haures shrugged.
"It's not that difficult to get changed in a few seconds, you know." He snapped his fingers, and immediately, he was dressed in party clothes. Azul sighed.
"You can be so lazy sometimes..." The brunet said as they walked along a hallway.
"Really."
"You don't even bother dressing yourself."
"But you certainly enjoy undress -- "
"Okay, you can stop there."
"Boys, I'm glad you came!" Cybele greeted them, allowing both of them to kiss her on the cheek. Her elegant blonde hair, which was creeping into silver, was swept away from her face in a thick braid that brushed the floor. She pinched their cheeks (As was her custom), then allowed them in to the large room the party was in.
.~.
Flora had to admit, even though Charon looked extremely frightening as a woman, he looked handsomer as a man. She tried to remember when he started being a woman, but even though her age was reaching the ten-thousands, she wasn't sure. Well, with his kind of job -- leading dead people to the afterlife -- it would be a wonder if he hadn't been messed up in the beginning.
"Charon, you look wonderful." She whispered into his ear, squeezing his hand slightly.
"Do I? Thank you! I wasn't sure what to do with my hair..."
Flora glanced down at Charon's deep purple hair. He had tied the strands into meticulous little braids, and they rattled when he walked. Though it still looked rather feminine, it was much better than his crazy hairstyle from during the day.
"I'll go get something for us to drink. Anything specific you want?"
Flora blinked, a hot blush rising to her cheeks.
"Water's fine...." She mumbled. Charon left for the refreshment table. Looking around, she saw Eclipse and Coatlicue trying to calm a (Not to her surprise) mad Nereid.
"Hi." Flora greeted them as she drew near.
"Do you know who I had to come with?!" Nereid hissed, glaring at her. Flora blinked, taken aback at her outburst.
"Now, now, Nereid, she's done nothing to get you mad..." Coatlicue said soothingly, touching the water princess's shoulder.
"Well, who's her date?"
"Charon..." Flora said shyly, weaving her fingers together before her. Nereid went silent.
"Maybe I don't have it that bad after all..." She said, blinking.
"She came with Zagan, FYI." Eclipse whispered to Flora.
"Don't mention that fact!" Nereid shrieked, jumping up and down.
"Nereid, you'll ruin your outfit!" Coatlicue cried.
"Oh, Flora, there you are!"
She turned to see Charon come towards their small group, a glass of water in one hand. Flora glanced back at her friends. Coatlicue was fidgeting. Nereid was staring, mouth open wide. Eclipse was sipping her wine thoughtfully.
"No way that's Charon!" Nereid whispered fervently. Charon blinked innocently.
"Yep, it's Charon. Isn't he cute?" Flora giggled, latching onto the boatsman's arm. She never got a chance to rub anything in Nereid's face without getting an injury, but if Iris caught Nereid trying to kill her... The princess would have to wait until at least tomorrow to dole out some pain. She was unaware of the fact Charon was blushing a red that would rival Kirin's flames. Nereid growled threateningly.
"Flora..."
"I can't help it if I got a cute date and you didn't!" Flora said, sticking out her tongue.
"Um, Flora..." Charon started.
"Yeah, I got stuck with that beast, Zagan." Nereid huffed impatiently. "How'd you get him out of a dress?"
Coatlicue gasped as Eclipse nearly dropped her goblet of wine. (My gosh, Eclipse likes wine too much. 0_o) Charon had already dropped Flora's glass of water. Flora glared at Nereid, who was completely oblivious to the fact that she had said something out of line.
"Nereid..." Flora growled. "You shouldn't have -- "
Charon whirled, stomping away into the crowd. Flora let out an animalistic, frustrated sound.
"Nereid! That was SO rude of you!"
"What did I do?"
"Oh, you ruined everything! Charon! Charon, come back!" She ran away from them to find her date.
.~.
Ulysses shifted uncomfortably from one foot to his other, gulping as Ramses never bothered to blink in his staring. The mage could swear the blonde was trying to bore a hole into him with just his eyes. Well, could he HELP it if Megaera had secretly liked him all along?
With a sigh, he looked over to Azul and Haures. He didn't even WANT to be in this relationship! He wanted to be with Azul... Azul was so charming with that childish flair of his... His sparkling eyes, boyish laugh... Ohhh.... Curse that Haures.
(Such a problem Ulysses has gotten himself into, ne?)
.~.
Flora looked around wildly, her eyes lit with fear. She hoped Charon hadn't done anything drastic.... Whirling a few times, she saw some open doors leading to balconies. She hadn't tried those yet. Pulling up her skirts around her ankles, she ran past them, peeking in. First one -- nothing. Second one -- Catastrophe and Iris sharing a seemingly intimate moment. Third one -- a lone plant. Fourth one -- Charon. Bingo.
"Charon?"
"Do you wonder why I got out of a 'dress,' too?" Charon asked coldly. Flora looked down, ashamed for ever thinking him a freak for cross-dressing. "Everybody was asking. They weren't aware of my feelings."
"Oh, Charon..." She stood beside him, breathing in the cool, fresh night air. "Even gods make mistakes sometimes..."
"Some of them more often than others, it seems." Charon snorted, the violet braids of his hair floating in the breeze behind him. "Do you want to know why I even bothered to come out to this party?" He asked again, his voice softer.
"Not because of Iris?"
"I can deal with Iris. I came... to admit something to myself."
Flora touched his arm. "Admit what?"
"That I can't hide behind a mask forever. It was a mask too many people saw through, anyhow... Even during my time on Weyard to watch, I think the people knew... that I wasn't... real."
"You're real, Charon. Of course you are. What about you isn't real?"
Charon stared into her face, tears brimming at the edges of his beautiful eyes.
"You wouldn't understand..." He said finally. "You don't have a job like I do..."
So it WAS that scary job of his that messed him up! But Flora kept this information away from him.
"That doesn't make you any less important, Charon... You have an important job. If you weren't around, so many more dead souls would be wandering around -- "
"Is that all I'm good for, though? Is that it?" Charon questioned her, his tone scalding.
"Charon..." Flora stood on tiptoe to wrap her slender arms around his neck, cradling his head against her neck. His dark hair spilled around them. "You're annoying me. Stop it."
"Flora, you -- "
"Shut up." Flora whispered, pressing her lips to his in an effort to silence him.
--On a balcony nearby....
"Oooh! I could blackmail Flora with this!" Venus said, bouncing, as he scribbled the event down in his notepad. Mercury, his date, sat on the railing, looking at her nails boredly. Why didn't she go with Mars while she had the chance? Stupid, stupid, stupid!
"Don't forget Cat and Iris..." Mercury drawled.
"Oh yeah! Thanks, Merc!"
Rolling her eyes at the nickname, she slid off and slipped back inside. Venus wasn't even aware that she had moved from the railing.
--Back inside...
Eclipse was still standing with a fuming (But thoroughly confused) Nereid, a quiet Coatlicue, and Procne, who had retired from dancing to talk. Eclipse, though a bit tipsy, sensed something and threw up a hand, creating a barrier over her and her friends. A moment afterwards, what appeared to be cake was thrown onto it.
"What the -- ugh! What is all this?" Nereid backpedalled, seeing more of the cake-like stuff next to the hem of her dress.
"I guess Haures got to the wine..." Procne sighed. "And Azul...."
"The cake." Coatlicue said sadly.
"Not good..." Nereid muttered.
(Why do I get a feeling this is just SCREAMING *SEQUEL!!!*? 0_o)
They shrieked as cake began raining their way again. Cybele was yelling for peace (But obviously not getting any) and, surprisingly, Iris was no where in sight.
.~.
Flora sighed contentedly into Charon's chest. One simple kiss had led to so many more until Flora was sure she would be dry-mouthed for the next few days. Throughout the entire time, Charon had remained silent.
"Charon. . ."
He was stroking her soft hair slowly, making her feel drowsy.
"...Thank you, Flora."
Flora looked up at him through sleepy eyes. He was -- she blinked -- smiling.
"You're welcome, Char... Ohh, I feel so tired..." She yawned.
"You haven't done anything rigorous." Charon said, helping her up from the bench they were sitting on.
"If you don't remember, we *were* making out as though Catastrophe was going to blow up Haven tomorrow morning."
Charon chuckled, one of his hands dropping to grasp her around the hip. As they neared the balcony door, Flora paused.
"What is it?"
"I... don't think it looks safe enough to go in there." She said, grimacing at the cake smears on the glass. Charon raised an eyebrow.
"I always knew Azul would pull off something... We're not going to see either him or Haures tomorrow, that's for sure. I'll teleport you to your room."
"That isn't necessary..." Flora started. But they had already appeared out of her room. She sighed. "Charon..."
"It's the least I could do." He murmured, kissing her gently on the lips. "With all you've done tonight..."
Flora blushed. "Would you like to come in?"
"I'd be honored."
.~.
One day, back on Weyard...
.~.
Picard and Felix were having one of their daily spars out on the grass, Isaac and Garet standing nearby, watching the duel.
"Diamond Berg!" Picard yelled. A large glacier fell out of the sky, plummeting towards Felix. Felix leaped out of the way.
"You're not going to survive this!" Felix said confidently, raising his sword to the sky. "I summon Azul!"
A blue beam came down, bathing the battlefield an icy aqua, then it mellowed out into a soft gold. As the lights disappeared, two figures could be seen...
Felix blinked. Picard stared. Garet and Isaac stared with their mouths hanging open.
There, in the middle of the grass, lay a sleeping Azul next to a head of black hair, a blanket draping their forms.
"Nngmm?"
"Wha...." Azul groaned, sitting up. He blinked drowsily, looking around at his surroundings. When he saw Isaac and Garet, he visibly jumped. "Haures..." He hissed.
"...Nmmph?"
"Haures," Azul whispered, "Tell me something..."
"What, love?" Haures grumbled into the ground.
"Should I kill them?" Azul asked, jabbing a finger at the adepts (Who were still staring).
"No... I have a better idea."
"And that would be?" The dragon said hotly, tugging the blanket up higher around his bare hips.
"Let's go back to Haven and amuse ourselves further, hm?"
Azul blushed as Haures draped an arm over his lap. With a sparkle of blue and black, the two disappeared.
Picard was the first to recover.
"...You were saying, Felix?"
"Never mind..." The Venus adept sighed. He looked at Isaac and Garet. "Are you two still going to spar?"
"Ummm.... No." Isaac said quickly. "I... I... I gotta check up on Mia..."
"And, um... Jenna will kill me if I don't get back for lunch! Bye!" The two sped off. Felix blinked.
"...Hey, it's going on four, isn't it?" He asked Picard. The Lemurian shrugged.
"That was a good hint they dropped us, hmm?" Picard whispered suggestively, wrapping his arms around Felix's torso. Felix hit him over the head with the flat of his sword.
"I swear... Gods these days..." Felix muttered to himself, leaving an unconscious Picard in the middle of the field. "These protectors of Weyard aren't at all good influences on children..."
Oh, how so little he really knew.
- - - E N D E - - -
[*] = No, they hadn't just finished... you know. This has a PG-13 rating! No R-ish stuff! But at the end... hey, it's anyone's guess. ^_^
Whaagh, I have way too many endings... -__-;; Should I do something further on the gods? I'm considering it... I'm finding Charon and Flora's relationship amusing to write upon. ^o^ And who the hell knows what really goes on in Haures and Azul's lives?
[Taylor] You're going to traumatize people MORE than you already have?!
^^ I enjoy traumatizing people. So do my friends. As you can tell... With somebody like Steph around... 0_o
[Stephanie] Felix, come back! I'm sure pink would bring out your eyes!
[Felix] YEAAAAAAAAGH!
[Taylor] ......o_O Hand over the computer. Right now.
Nyoooo! ::Clutches computer:: I have to WRITE with this thing!
[Taylor] ...-_- Duhr....
Um, yeah. The revising of TLE is going slowly. -o- FF.Net doesn't ACCEPT .wpd files, which is what was installed on my computer to being with... ::Sigh:: And if I transfer a .wpd document to this computer -- my Japanese one -- it completely messes up, or appears as a PICTURE. -__-;;; Yup. I hate my new computer! It isn't even that much faster than my 95! (Yes, I actually WAS using a 95. Ancient, ne?) Ugh!
Okie, enough of my rants. Thanks for the fun times! Look out for some more god-ish one-shot fics... Coming in the near future. ^_^ I'm planning that ChouxSuzuki (Or Suzuka, take your pick) fic for Yu Yu Hakusho... That's yaoi. Geh! I have too much to do. ~_~ I'll finish that one-shot for Vilya, so she'll get off my case...
-nothing is impossible to a willing heart.- -- john heywood
Ja ne!
