Chapter 13: Two Hearts Shattered, Two Hearts Joined
Two weeks after the incident, Koaru was still in the Moon Hospital with serious injuries to his heart, head, and esophagus. But he was still training; he had Amy bring him new Elemental Energy Spell manuals, and was learning new techniques every day. Amy was more happy then she had ever been, and rarely left Koaru's bedside. Serena's injuries were minor, just a few bruises on her butt and arms, so she was telling everyone who would listen about the new romance. Mina and Lita's injuries were the worst, more severe then Koaru's even. Mina and four cracked ribs and internal bleeding which had finally stopped three days ago. She was now awake, and had accepted Koaru's apology. Lita had three cracked and two broken ribs, a punctured lung, dislocated collarbone and the severe cut from the strike. She was now in a coma, and Koaru took full blame for the incident. His eyes (which were now their normal brown) had a lost look to them, and he didn't ever want company, but Amy wouldn't listen, and neither would the others who came.
Koaru was reading a book called "Tai Jutsu and Your Energies" when Amy came in to give him some food. He looked up and, for the first time in two weeks, smiled. "Hey girl." he said as she brought the food over to him and sat down on the foot of his bed. He put down the book and started to shovel the food down. "Hungry?" Amy asked as she watched, giggling slightly. Koaru noted the sarcasm, and looked at her with a serious look. "No," he replied, "I'm getting ready to hibernate and need to eat 500 pounds of food to fat, fat...FAT!" he puffed his chest out, and Amy laughed, raising her hand in front of her face as she did so. "How the hell came you eat this shit?" Koaru and Amy both looked to the door and saw Lita wheeling herself in on a wheelchair. "Lita!" they both shouted and jumped up (Koaru flinched slightly as he did so, and one of his bandages stained red) and they brought her over to the bed, which Koaru hopped back into. Lita looked at Koaru, and asked "What the fuk were you thinking?" Koaru gave her an apology and started to explain what had happened in the castle.
Serena was walking around outside when she turned a corner and bumped into Darien. Both fell backwards and let out a shout of shock. Serena got back to her feet and glared at him. "You idiot! What are you doing?" Darien got to his feet, feeling like a fool. "I was going to see Koaru, if that is alright with you." As he said these words, Serena saw a bit of Nicholas in him. He started to walk past her when she asked, "Do you...want to go for a walk first?" Darien looked at her, this 13 year old princess betrothed to his brother, who never saw her. For the first time, she looked like a teenager instead of a bossy little princess. He thought a moment, then nodded his head. "Sure."
two months later...
Koaru had just finished packing his bags and was heading out on a month long training expedition in the mountain range on Mercury. Amy had tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't listen. "Amy, it is only a month. I'll be back soon." She turned her head away from him, and he put his hand under he chin and turned her face back to him, and he kissed her. As they parted, he looked into her eyes, "I promise." She sniffed, then nodded her head, and he left.
A week after that Amy was just coming in from her training when she noticed that several soldiers weren't at their posts. Puzzled, she went to talk with her father. "Dad," she said as she entered the throne room, "Why are there so many guards missing?" King Mercury looked at her with a stern look. "Never you mind, child. That is my business, and if it involves you, I will tell you. Now leave." Amy bowed her head slightly, then left the room, satisfied with the answer.
Meanwhile, Koaru was climbing to the top of the last mountain for the day, ready to make camp at the top. As he climbed over the edge, he saw that another tent was already erected there, and a fire was cooking food. He walked over, and shouted a greeting. To his surprise, three Jupiter soldiers came out of the tent, each looking tired as he felt. "You just get here?" he asked them, and they nodded. "You hungry?" the one asked as he motioned towards the fire. Koaru's stomach grumbled in response, and they started to cook some rations.
As they ate, Koaru couldn't help but notice that these guards acted more like Mercury knights then Jupiter ones. He figured that the mountains probably had an affect on them and continued to eat, but stopped as he heard footsteps behind him. He jumped up and turned to face the newcomers, and saw that an entire battalion of Mercury knights had surrounded him. Then he felt a sharp pain in his back, and turned to see that one of the campers had shot him in the back with a crossbow. He then heard the discharging of many bows, and felt them strike his back. His vision started to blur, and he tried to remain standing, but collapsed to his hands and knees. "Damn it." he said as he blacked out in the snow, with the knights closing in around him.
