Hi again my friends! I hope you are doing just fine. Once again, this story's been pretty easy to write, so I have many chapters in advance, already fully written. Hopefully you will like all of them, because I'm really enjoying myself! :)

Tell me what you think in the comments!

Until next time,

Yours truly, Circle of J.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from the Kid Icarus series. The deities mentioned are taken from Greek Mythology, remastered the way I imagine them. What I own, on the other hand, is the plot.

Kid Icarus: Heirs of the Light

Chapter 16: Regaining consciousness

Pit blinked, moaning in pain, dazzled by the sudden light in his eyes. He couldn't remember anything… Why did his head hurt so much? He was somewhat groggy… He also felt so thirsty, as though he had stayed hours without drinking a single drop of water… And he had to say that he was rather hungry too. However, even if he'd have wanted to get some food, he couldn't move his body. His arms were glued to the bed he rested in, and his legs were heavier than they'd ever been in the past.

What was going on with him? Where was Palutena? And what about Dark Pit? Dark Pit… Their last encounter hadn't been the best, had it? He recalled being yelled at… Did he manage to hold him back? No, probably not. He had wanted to tell him about the way he felt, he could remember that… But did he do it? Somehow, he hoped he hadn't; he wasn't sure yet. He didn't want to ruin their friendship that took so long for them to establish…

"Pit-too…" Pit's voice died instantly after he pronounced his twin's name, much to his dismay. He felt so weak… So worn out… Pit moaned again, this time succeeding at moving his fingers. Though he still couldn't really see his surroundings through the clouds in his vision… What had happened? He could almost hear the Centurions' cries for help again, and that sent shivers down his spine. Medusa had attacked Skyworld, now he remembered it clear as day. She had turned his army into stone, and claimed that she would do the same thing to Palutena… Did he step in? No, he'd be engulfed in stone if he had… So did he let his Goddess down? How could he ever do that?

The light angel tried to sit up in the bed, although a throbbing pain in his chest made him wince and lay back down. Now he recalled: he had been hit three times by Medusa's lightning. She had said that only one of her bolts of lightning would be enough to turn even the strongest God into a statue, but he had survived three? Somehow, he felt sort of proud; what longevity! He admitted that he was impressed. Was his will of saving Palutena strong enough for him to handle three bolts and still be alive?

"You should drink something, Pitty Pat! I'm starting to have, well, pity for you."

That voice… "La-dy…?" the angel of light croaked. That was the first time he heard his voice so… hoarse. It was so unlike him, he deeply loathed it… And what about Palutena? She wasn't herself: she would never speak that way, only one God would: Hades. Although he could have sworn that he heard his Goddess talk, he could recognize her voice amongst thousands… Something wasn't right. What exactly had happened while he was in that sort of… coma? Was it a coma, or did he just oversleep again? How long did it take him to wake up? Centuries? Because it sure felt like it… He pouted at the thought of all the food he might have missed out on if that were the case…

Steering him away from his thoughts, Pit felt a hand touching his shoulder, but he didn't have the strength to draw back; all he could do was moan in discomfort, with slit eyes, and feeling all the more dazed. Suddenly, more light was brought into his sore, dried-out blue orbs and he shrieked in pain, hurting his throat in the process. Pit coughed after that, his eyes filling with heavy tears he wasn't sure he could hold back any longer. "Cu-t it… C-ut it ou-t…" he begged under his breath, then he cleared his throat but nearly screamed in pain when he felt his throat literally tearing apart. He should've drank before doing that…

The hand on his shoulder moved back, which relieved the young angel, and eventually another voice spoke up: "I'm glad you're still with us, angel. I thought I'd have to go and get Pittoo alone."

"And everyone knows you couldn't have done it after the, must I say, highly satisfying beating you two received in my Underworldy!" Palutena sneered—she seemed to be farther in the room than the other, husky voice that intervened. Pit frowned, almost certain that it reminded him of someone he knew… He barely managed to open his blue eyes again, tearing up because of the lightness of the room, and Palutena gasped and immediately ran off somewhere to his right. Few seconds later, the brightness had substantially decreased, much to Pit's delight since his retina was way too sensitive at the moment. "Is that better, Pitty? You're such a measly little bird, now aren't you?"

Pit furrowed his brows at the words the Goddess of Light directed towards him, however he only nodded and his eyes could finally focus, looking right into a pair of… dark, rough, yet deep and caring gray eyes… "M-agnus, is th-at you…?" he asked, incredulous, but he tried not to speak too loud—for his own sake more than anything. The figure leaning above him seemed to have nodded, even though Pit wasn't sure through his still slightly blurry vision, and he felt two hands clinging to his shoulder softly. The angel tried to shook his weariness off, so that he could understand what was going on, and shut his eyes for several minutes. The figure above him hadn't moved, nor said a word, waiting eagerly—if he could tell by how firmly they held onto his shoulders—for him to look up again. When he did, his headache had become more bearable and he squinted his eyes. His eyes widened when he saw long, silky black hair, the red tattoos going down the silhouette's left arm, and a glowing stone around his neck.

"Magnus, it's really you!" Pit cheered, sitting right up and pulling the human in a warm, heartfelt hug. Magnus jumped, surprised, but happily greeted his lost friend and returned the favor.

"Aw, look at this cute little couple~!" Palutena looked at them with that sharp, amused expression in her glistening eyes, before she walked up to the bed with a pot containing boiling hot golden water. She had brought it from the hot springs of the palace and intended to heal the remaining injuries of the angel, since he had been of great help. Sure, Hades was not on the 'right side' of things, but he still had a heart, and seeing Pit in such a wretched state stung. Palutena sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned over, in order to pour the golden water on the angel's chest.

Pit winced and nearly cried out in agony, but he only gritted his teeth and grasped the bedsheets beneath his fingers. He squeezed them with all his strength until the intense pain finally wore off, and eventually opened his sapphire eyes again in order to eye at Palutena. "Don't think about thanking me, Pitty. I'm only redeeming my promise to give you back your body in full health!"

"What are you… talking about?" Pit inquired, narrowing his eyes and slightly shaking his head, bewildered. Then he darted a look towards Magnus, who sat next to them and silently watched Pit, a smile plastered on his lips. It seemed like he had missed him… Exactly how long had it been? Why was everyone looking out for him? And what… promise was Palutena talking about? And why did she remind him so much of Hades, his archenemy? Something was off, he felt it… Her attitude was out of character. Though he could hardly concentrate on anything, he was still sort of knocked out… Why did his head feel so foggy, as though… he had been out of his own body for a bit? It was absolutely impossible… right? And why was this the first thing he thought about?

Refusing to lose focus on the current situation, Pit crawled towards the edge of the bed and his foot accidentally landed on the ground. He hissed at its coldness but tried not to show any of it. Instead, he got himself back on his feet and attempted to step forward, under the watchful eyes of Magnus. He nearly tripped but was caught by the human, who had somehow expected that to happen. How did he know he wouldn't be able to walk? Why wasn't he capable of doing that, by the way? None of this made sense… Where was Dark Pit? His Dark Pit… He missed him so much, he had to find him… He had to be reading, sitting on that bench they often met at… Pit had no time to waste; he needed to see him, for his own comfort. "Slow there, angel. You can't expect to be back on track before a good while," Magnus said, bringing Pit closer to his chest so that he didn't try to take another step.

"Magnus, I can do this. I'm a hero, and all heroes can walk on their own," Pit claimed, then he slightly pushed away the human, nearly losing his balance. He rapidly flew his arms to the side to stabilize, and noticed just how wobbly his legs were. What had happened to him? "What's happened to me, Magnus? Why do I feel so weak and… out of it? I've never felt so strange in years!"

Magnus frowned at the question and scratched the back of his arm. Of course he wouldn't remember… He looked anxious all of a sudden, and it frustrated Pit not to know why. "Well, it makes sense, doesn't it? You've been a statue for twenty hours or so, so don't expect your body to feel amazing after that. It took you a good week to wake up, but at least you did; anybody would've died if they'd been in your situation."

"Twenty hours? Statue?" Pit asked, perplexed, then he silently pieced everything together and his face turned pale. His big blue eyes widened in fear, and heavy tears flooded them. "So we didn't win…"

Palutena turned towards him and a smirk grew on her lips; except that it was unnatural, it looked terrible on her. Pit stepped back when it caught his attention, for he was worried by her attitude. The Goddess didn't get up from the bed, still holding the empty pot sitting on her lap. "Indeed! You were brutally defeated, boohoo! What did you expect, Pitty?"

"How are you still alive, Lady Palutena? Did I save you?"

The Goddess of Light purred at the way the sweet, little innocent angel had called her, then she rose to her feet and walked closer to Pit. He could get used to this special affection in no time~… Did Pit not notice that he was not speaking with his pretty Palutena? Did he not pick up the very… specific way Hades talked? Was he seriously that oblivious? Somehow, Hades felt sorry for Palutena, since she had Pit as the captain of her army and yet he was so gullible… He must be a pain to deal with. The possessed Palutena leaned in and took Pit in a hug, waiting to see if Pit would return it or if he'd realize something wasn't right. To her delight, the angel of light hugged her tight and started sniffling. "Aw, you poor little Pitty Pat! You've just woken up in a world mildly different from the one you think you know!"

"What even…?"

"Enough, Hades, stop messing with him."

Pit's eyes squinted at Palutena, completely taken aback by Magnus' words, and asked in a rather accusative way: "H-Hades?!"

Magnus quickly stood up and pulled Palutena back, grabbing Pit's wrist and storming out of the room before Hades could keep toying around with Pit's head. The angel was about to fight back, wiggling his arm so that he could break free, but the human managed to bring him outside of the palace. Magnus turned around to place his hands on his shoulders, in an attempt to both reassure the angel and force him to stay still. He held on tight, thus making sure that Pit would not run back inside, and his eyes locked with the blue, watery lakes in front of him. Pit was scared, puzzled, and exhausted despite the fact that he only opened his eyes a few minutes earlier. He didn't need Hades to confuse him even more.

Before Magnus had time to speak up and sum up the situation for him, Pit recoiled and took a step back. Tears flowed down his angry, horrified face, leaving wet trails along his reddening cheeks. The angel wasn't stupid, far from it: he had read between the lines. All had clicked in his brain when Magnus called Palutena by the name of the Lord of the Underworld. He clenched his fists, trembling like a leaf, and turned away to run back into the palace before the human pulled him towards him. Pit squirmed, trying to push his arm off of him, and started to sob with how much rage he felt boiling inside of him. "Let me go, Magnus!"

"Let me tell you: I can't do that, so quit fighting back," Magnus replied, then he grasped Pit's wrist with his free hand. "You have made a deal with Hades, there's nothing we can do now."

"A deal with Hades?" Pit asked, even more bewildered, and his eyes widened in shock. He shook his head negatively, panting loudly. "N-No, I would never!"

Magnus sighed and insisted: "Pit, we have to go, there's nothing that can be done for her."

"I can't lose Lady Palutena!" Pit retorted, growling like a stray animal on the hunt, while he kept fighting back anyways. "I can't lose her, Magnus, she's my everything! I can't just… I can't just leave her alone in this situation, I am her captain! I am her champion!" Although it hurt him to ignore those words, Magnus refused to let go of Pit, instead pushing him towards the Lightning Chariot, which was only a few feet away from their position. The human lifted Pit in his arms while the angel attempted to kick him off, and sat him in the chariot. Pit shook his head, trying to get out of the chariot, and that was when he saw the bench. It was abandoned, Dark Pit was nowhere in sight. Pit's eyes widened with fear, and he became even more desperate to push off Magnus. But despite his efforts, the human also hopped in the Lightning Chariot, grabbed the unicorns' leathery halter, and was about to whip them. Pit's heart started screaming, and he couldn't help but plead, tears streaming down his face: "Please, please Magnus! I have to save Lady Palutena!"

"Pit—"

"Where's Pittoo? Where is he, Magnus?!" Pit interrupted him, panic taking over him. He didn't give him the time to answer before shaking him by the shoulders. The Chariot rocked along with the movement, from left to right, and the angel clung to Magnus' shirt, his blue eyes filled with desperation. The feeling of loss overwhelmed him, he needed to know the whereabouts of his beloved twin. If he didn't, he would lose it. Due to Magnus' long, heartbreaking lack of response, Pit started sobbing and his hands squeezed the human's shirt even tighter. No… He couldn't believe that Dark Pit was dead… His Pittoo, he couldn't die, it was impossible. He would never allow it. "WHERE IS PITTOO?!" Pit insisted, his voice cracking up in the process.

The human only shook his head and looked off into the distance, in order to avoid Pit's grief-stricken eyes; he would lose his mind if he dived into them. After a moment of pure silence, only filled by Pit's occasional sniffs and sobs, Magnus whipped the unicorns. Phos and Lux were at first quite reluctant, since their master was screaming at Magnus to stop, but they decided to comply nonetheless and stormed off of Skyworld. Pit looked daggers at Magnus, about to explode and yell at his face, demanding answers right away, but he refrained and only breathed heavily. His fury cooled down in no time, replaced by sorrow, and the angel of light turned away from the human next to him. He folded his arms, hugging himself tightly, and let his tears roll down his cheeks without holding them back.

Magnus eyed at him, heavy-hearted, but he knew he couldn't tell him what had happened to Dark Pit; they didn't know if he was still alive, and he didn't want Pit to know that he was in the hands of Medusa… Who knew what kind of torture she could've put the darker twin through before he died? Pit didn't need to know… He didn't need to imagine it, to dread it: Magnus wished he could keep his innocence for the time being. They'd have time to discover what had happened to Dark Pit, since they were heading back for the portal. But first, they needed to drop by at Viridi's Tree, to grab a weapon for Pit—he seemed to have forgotten his Palutena Bow, but Magnus didn't blame him; the poor soul was so wretched that he had not thought of it.

Once the Tree came into view, Magnus ordered the unicorns to slow down. Pit raised his head at that, and watched in horror the spectacle before his eyes. It appeared that he hadn't seen the state of the Sanctum—or whatever it was, maybe Sanctuary?—after the Goddess of Nature was killed off. Dark Pit had briefly told Magnus about it, scarcely but that had been enough for him to understand. When he was still part of the Overworld, he had mentioned that attack, the fact that he had been brought down by the Goddess. Magnus could understand the pain of losing a close friend, so he slowed the Chariot even more when he saw the look in Pit's eyes. He needed some time to register what he was seeing.

"So this is what became of it?" the angel of light asked, more to himself than to Magnus, then he looked over his shoulder to plunge his deep, destroyed blue eyes in the human's. "Viridi really… didn't make it, did she?"

Magnus' eyes lit with sorrow, and he shook his head negatively. "Dark Pit had said that she used her last powers to fly him off of the Sanctuary."

"I saw it, I was there when it happened," Pit said, much to the human's surprise. His blue eyes turned back towards the Sanctum and examined it. The large branches falling down, dead, the carpet of dry leaves, the… lack of light, the smell of a burnt forest… He felt very unsettled by the vision he had before him. The rare times he had been visiting Viridi's Sanctum, it had always been full of life, colors, smells, animals wandering around the different trees freely… And what he remembered the most was the light: a golden-green shade, sometimes crossed with pink and purple undertones during the evening. He had always been fond of it, and seeing it gone in a snap was… wrecking his entire soul. Pit took a deep breath, shutting his eyes and trying to obliterate the image from his memory. He wanted to remember Viridi's Sanctum as a place of wonders, not as a broken mess… "I just… I wish it had remained as wonderful as it had been in the past."

"Well, since the Goddess of Nature is dead, withering is to be expected."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it…" Pit whispered under his breath, tears filling his eyes again when he thought back about the events. "Why did everything have to change, Magnus? It was… perfect before: Lady Palutena was on our side and Pittoo always helped me out… Viridi, she was constantly protecting him from the Underworld…"

Magnus frowned at those words. "Why did she have to protect him?"

Pit gulped down his sorrow as he started explaining: "The Underworld wanted to recruit him, but they were not the only ones; Poseidon, Hermes and Zeus also craved for his servitude. Viridi had promised to Lady Palutena and I that she would keep him safe, away from those threats… Although she didn't like him at first, she felt like she had to protect him, for our sake… And in the end, I think she had started to enjoy his company." Pit laughed at the memories of the little Goddess of Nature always asking to be cautious with Dark Pit, and blush wildly whenever Palutena mentioned her possible crush on the dark angel. Why did everything have to change? Why must peace and friendship always be replaced by darkness and danger? He sighed at the thought. "I miss them all dearly… You think we'll save them, Magnus? You think we can save Lady Palutena, Pittoo and Viridi?"

"I'm afraid it's too late for Viridi, but we still have a chance for the others."

The light angel nodded and looked down, mourning the loss of his friend. Viridi hadn't always been the best Goddess around, but when you really dug within her soul, she was pure and affectionate. He would remember her always, and would keep fighting and repelling the darkness until the last one of his breaths. For her sake: that was what she would've wanted.

The human glanced over to the Sanctum and stopped the Lightning Chariot once they had reached its main hall. He jumped down and made sure that the wood beneath him was steady, since he wasn't exactly feeling safe in this setting. He didn't have wings on his back; if the floor fell, he would too. He pulled two carrots from a sack that he had brought with him, filled with other vegetables to feed the unicorns. Phos and Lux widened their eyes at the sight of the food and couldn't wait to engulf it. Pit, on the other hand, had just managed to come down, glancing around with true, sincere concern glued to his face. Magnus wanted to ask him if he'd be alright, but thought that it was probably a stupid question. Instead, he petted the two unicorns and said: "We're here to get weapons, so head right for the armory."

"Weapons?" Pit asked, raising an eyebrow, and he slowly turned towards Magnus. "Why do we need weapons, Magnus? Is there really something to fight for?"

The human looked back at him, a little smile in the corner of his lips. "Well, didn't you want to save Pittoo and Palutena?"

The angel of light's face lit up with a huge grin, before he ran towards the armory of the Sanctum. Magnus wondered how he knew where it was located, but just thought that he might have talked about it with Dark Pit—since they both liked weapon talks. It appeared to him that the two angels were quite the fighters; besides their obvious love for fighting in general, they always seemed to look forward to battles of any kind. He could hardly believe that he had gotten Pit excited by mentioning the fact that they were going to fight to find Dark Pit, but he'd take it. As long as the angel wasn't crying over the loss of his precious Goddess of Light anymore, it suited him fine. Magnus hated to see those tears in those sapphire orbs.

Magnus looked at the two unicorns, who were staring, concerned, at the door that closed on their master. The human smiled softly and caressed their hair with great care. Phos neighed at him to manifest his approval, however Lux couldn't take his eyes off of that door. "Hey, it's okay. You know Pit, he can take care of himself. He's very strong, now isn't he?" Magnus whispered, only to earn the pleased, reassured glances of the magical horses. "Good, then don't you worry. He's a big boy, and you two need to relax. We're going to save your dark master, for that you need to be ready; the journey will probably be long and exhausting."

Interrupting Magnus' small talk with the horses, Pit came back with a palm on his arm, which looked very natural, and a blade that the human was sure he had seen somewhere. Then it clicked; it was that one blade Dark Pit had used against the giant wolf in the forest. A smile spread on his lips, since now he understood why Pit had chosen to use this one and not any of the others that Dark Pit owned and stored there: he wanted to be reminded of his twin's presence. "Cute," he said, louder than he'd have wished, and Pit instantly raised his head to glance at him with curiosity.

"Did you say something?" he inquired, squinting his eyes, before he smiled too and looked down at the blade he held in his left hand—was he ambidextrous? Had he always been and Magnus had just never paid attention? Pit observed him with a raised eyebrow after he had put his weapons aside, in the Lightning Chariot, in order to be more comfortable. "What's wrong? You're staring at me."

Magnus cleared his throat and furrowed his brows. "I just realized how crafty you are: you are ambidextrous!"

Pit blinked, stared, blinked, and stared; Magnus admitted that he was incapable of interpreting his expression at the moment. The angel laughed nervously, rubbed the back of his head, ruffing his hair in the process. Then he bit his lower lip, looking at the floor, before he inhaled and opened his mouth, about to say something. Needless to say, no words came out of his mouth before he closed it again, embarrassed.

Magnus frowned, wondering if he had said something wrong, then he understood that Pit didn't know what ambidextrous meant! After all, Dark Pit had always sneered about how his 'stupid' twin couldn't read and wasn't very good with big words; the human should've known what the problem would be. "It means you're equally good with your two hands."

"Oh, how would you know?" Pit replied, his cheeks suddenly turning red when he realized what he had said. Magnus' heart skipped a beat and he laughed out loud; did he just—? The angel of light laughed along, though quite humorlessly, then smiled sheepishly. "Forget I said anything!"

"You're not getting away with that one, angel," Magnus laughed, slightly blushing himself.

"Oh yeah I am!" Pit stated, looking away, ashamed. He fidgeted with his fingers, before he trailed his left hand up and scratched his elbow.

Magnus could see just how uncomfortable he was and decided to let it slide. If he was being honest with himself, he had to say that… For a while, he had considered it; them. He had been willing to tell Pit about it, but in the end decided that it was better if they weren't involved in a relationship. It'd have been too complicated: a human and an angel, who, moreover, was always on duty and at the service of his Goddess. Magnus admired that in him, but he knew that he would not handle it in a relationship; he needed someone who stayed with him. Yes, it was comforting to know that his other half would be able to defend himself, but at the same time… They'd see each other way too rarely in his taste.

Shaking off the thought, Magnus glanced at the light angel as he made his way past him, heading towards that door that Dark Pit had stared at the only time he had been there before. Curious, the human took a few steps forward, listening in case Pit would say anything. Pit trailed his hand along the wooden door, his back tensed up and his wings brought closer to his body, as though shielding him. He shook from head to toe, and eventually sighed. "You didn't know how much I love you…" he whispered under his heavy breath, before he spun around and met Magnus' eyes. Although he wasn't showing any sign that he was about to cry, the human could decipher his intense, overwhelming sadness in his sapphire orbs. However, Pit waved his hand and looked off to the Lightning Chariot. "Maybe we should move, Pittoo has to be waiting, wherever he is."

"He probably isn't expecting you to save him," Magnus said, looking dead serious, then he folded his arms. Once the angel had walked over to him, about to hop in the chariot, he turned to him. "He probably thinks it's over for him—if it isn't already."

Pit lowered his head, feeling guilty, and gulped down his regrets. He couldn't focus on those; Dark Pit needed him, he felt it deep within himself. Their connection was still as strong as ever, he could detect Dark Pit's distress. He was sure that he would even be able to do it if his twin had been stuck in the Underworld, because of how powerful their link had grown to be. The angel of light blinked, coming back to reality, and eyed at Magnus who stood next to Lux. "You haven't told me where he is, but I assume you know. Can you please tell me? Please… I beg you, don't tell me Medusa caught him."

Magnus nodded and jumped in the Lightning Chariot. Then he wouldn't, but since he had no will to lie to Pit, he had to just keep quiet. He leaned in to see if the halter was tightened and gently whipped the unicorns, telling them to go where they had picked him up; they both understood and didn't need to be told a specific name for the location. Pit frowned at the secrecy but dared think that it was only because the human couldn't remember the name of the place. It was better to think that, for his own sake. Since he refused to think that Dark Pit could be imprisoned somewhere, he thought instead that he could be roaming around the Overworld, minding his own business and being a douche to humans, like he often was—mainly to Magnus, for whatever reason. Sometimes, Pit wondered if he wasn't a little jealous of the close friendship that he and the human shared, but he shrugged it off. Probably not, Dark Pit didn't have such feelings towards him, and he had made it quite clear when they last encountered each other before the attack of Viridi's Sanctum.

The Lightning Chariot took a turn, hovering over the waterfall that he could recognize amongst thousands of others. That was the place where Dark Pit had suddenly disappeared! Pit remembered it clearly: they went to the waterfall until Dark Pit found a gap. Sneaky as he always was, he decided to hide in it, to trick Pit into thinking he had left. But the light angel had seen him, and suddenly had jumped in the cave. Dark Pit had startled, recoiling, and… that was when he had vanished. Immediately, Pit had started looking for him, concerned, and his twin had soon reappeared out of the blue! Pit smiled when he remembered how worried he had been; his feelings were now so obvious to him. At the time, it hadn't seemed like much, but with time, they had grown stronger. Gazing upon this waterfall, surrounded by its gorgeous natural habitat, warmed his heart in an instant. He really loved this place, even more when he was there with Dark Pit. They'd sit next to the waterfall, at the very top of the cliffs, and read a story together in the sunset.

Pit hummed, remembering the soothing sound of Dark Pit's voice as though it was filling his ears at that very moment. Sweet memories that he'd never get enough of…

Magnus cleared his throat and Pit snapped out of his trance-like state. He blinked and looked down as they approached the gap underneath the waterfall, eager to be there again and touch the warm, yellow stone with his feet. He instinctively grabbed onto Magnus' hand, grinning wide when they steered the Lightning Chariot all the way up to the cave. Magnus lightly blushed and held Pit's hand, delighted by the sudden affection. He wished to hold it forever, but he knew that it would eventually slip out of his grasp to entwine with Dark Pit's. However, he was not jealous: as long as Pit's smile continued to illuminate the world around them, he would be fulfilled. He'd need to be blind not to see Pit's glistening eyes every time he looked into those of his darker twin, and all that he ever wanted to see in them was there, in that moment.

The Lightning Chariot pulled to a full stop, a few inches away from the cave, and Pit looked at Magnus with gleaming eyes. Since it was a bright day outside, they decided to settle down a little in the cave. They had a little time for themselves, and Magnus intended to enjoy it. He had missed chatting with Pit. The light angel sat close to the entrance of the cave, his feet in the air and swinging them, sometimes getting them wet since the waterfall was so close. Every time he did, he laughed and shook his foot, hoping that it would dry his sandals. Magnus would laugh as well and tell him that he should be more careful, only for it to happen again less than five minutes after.

Pit's eyes shone with the reflection of the sun and the glowing water. "And then Pittoo just pushed me off the top of the waterfall because I hugged him. Oh! But don't you worry, I wasn't harmed! Pittoo would never hurt me, I know it. I splashed into the spring below, and quite frankly, the fall was thrilling! Have you seen the wildlife here? I should show you someday, after we've saved Lady Palutena. Honestly, the diversity here would make Viridi's Sanctum jealous—even more so now, when I think about it," Pit told him, adding hand gestures to his story to make it feel more alive.

Magnus smiled brightly and listened to him thoroughly, trying at the same time to understand his own feelings. He had never been attracted to the same gender, so how could it be? Was it love, or just a strong friendship? He couldn't tell at this point; all that he knew was that he wanted Pit's smile to stick to his face for the longest time. Whether or not he was to be the source of this smile, he couldn't care less. He thought back about Gaol, and the way he behaved with her when she was still alive; he had felt the same way about her. In the end, he'd been the happiest man alive when she had accepted to be with him. Though he didn't want to share anything more than what they already had with Pit, so… Maybe friendship, after all.

"Magnus, I feel like I've been talking to myself this whole time," Pit called him out, slightly frowning, his hands on his thighs. He had his back to Magnus, but looked over his shoulder with a slight smile still glued to his lips. With the brightness coming from the other side of the waterfall, it made him really pop out, and his wings seemed to Magnus even more majestic than they usually were. He was faced with a real angel, in his magnificence. "Magnus?"

"I was thinking that, maybe, we should move on," the human answered once he shook off the thoughts creeping up in his mind. He pulled himself up, turning towards the wall at the bottom of the cave, and turned to look at Pit. The angel was wringing his sandals, looking focused, before he sighed and put them back on his feet. He slightly bounced, readying himself for wherever they'd have to go next, and shot a confused glance at his human friend. "It's this way, Pit."

"Oh, so we're heading in whatever Pittoo found that one time!" the light angel beamed, bouncing in excitement. He placed his laurel crown on his head, made sure that it was perfectly straight—he was very serious with that, from what Magnus had seen—and eyed at his friend with bright, joyful blue eyes. "I'm making sure I look outstanding! We're gonna find Pittoo!"

"You're always outstanding, Pit."

Pit's cheeks turned slightly red and he looked off to the side, embarrassed. He fidgeted with his hands, then eventually stepped forward. "Yes, maybe, I know. But I need to be at my best!"

"Whatever you say, angel."

The said angel grinned and walked past Magnus, heading towards the wall that closed the cave. The human shook his head, amused, and followed him right away to make sure that he would not lose track of him. Being left alone in the Underworld would be the worst that could happen to both of them. Even though Pit didn't know what was behind that wall, he had the feeling that he shouldn't head in there without being cautious nonetheless. His gut never lied to him, so he chose to listen and stay close to Magnus, no matter what may happen to them. That decision was confirmed by Magnus, who walked up to him and said: "Make sure not to go too far, we'll need to stick together."

Pit nodded, determined, and held onto the Rose Blade that he held in his left hand. "I'm so ready for this!"

To be continued…

Updated: 02/11/2019