Hello again my people! How are you all doing? Last time I was in a rush, so I didn't leave any message :( But now I do, because I love talking to you guys :) So, what do you think of Tip? You'll get to know him better in the future of this fiction, for now it's just first impression, but don't hesitate to give me your feedback on him! Here comes another one of Pit's versions.
You have surely noticed, but I'll only be using "Pittoo" to designate Dark Pit, since his other nicknames in other translations will be reserved for new versions of Pit and his dark twin :) I really didn't want to be making up names when Dark Pit has such a variety to offer! ;)
Anyways, I will not bother you any longer! Hopefully you like this new chapter, and don't hesitate to tell me in the comments!
PS: I may be shifting to a 'every-Sunday-or-so" routine when it comes to new chapters. I can't promise you much, because I'm actually running out of chapters since I haven't written anything in a week x) I hope you don't mind the different schedule I will be adopting from now on. It'll probably be every Saturday though, since Sundays are always busy days in my schedule. Just felt like leaving this here.
Yours truly, Circle of J.
/!\ Warning: Extremely mild gore elements /!\
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, although I took some liberties with both Tip and our newcomer. 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 25: Refugee
Pit and Tip spent the next few days together, exchanging about the differences in their respective dimensions. They had paid Dark Pit no mind, since he himself had preferred to be on his own anyways, locked up in the library where he knew that the two angels wouldn't come to bother him. First, he had headed towards Pit's quarters and grabbed the necklace, to make sure that it would be under his supervision at all times. He had coiled it around his wrist, fastened the chain—the usual since he wasn't a girl and would never wear it around his neck. After that, he had reached the library and buried his nose in a book, but his blurry vision prevented him from understanding what was written on the pages. Although he had managed to figure out the plot, he still couldn't read the book without thinking about Pit.
It had been at least three days since they last talked; Dark Pit had even changed rooms and slept in the infirmary, for there was 'no other room available' according to Palutena. They hadn't seen each other at all: Dark Pit spent most of his time reading in the library and, once he was done with that at around two in the morning every night, he would head straight to the infirmary and lock its doors. The only person that he talked to was Palutena, whenever she was in the room when he passed by, or when she checked on him to make sure that he was feeling alright. She occasionally offered snacks along with a bottle of water, which he would never refuse. The Goddess of Light only came up to him around two times a day, and that was enough for him; Dark Pit needed to be alone.
Though, he had to admit that it was starting to weigh down on him; he missed his Pit and hated having to be so far away from him, while that other angel—Tip, he reminded himself—got to spend his time revolving around the Angel of the Sun. Dark Pit sighed and turned the page of the book he was reading, putting those thoughts aside but, once again, unsuccessful in doing so. Hadn't he been a little too harsh with Pit? A tad too honest for his own good? Could it be that his honesty really damaged their relationship past the point of no return? Weren't they supposed to always be true to the other?
Dark Pit sniffed, tears streaming down his cheeks. Should he have lied? Perhaps it would have been easier if he had. He wouldn't have hurt his precious Pit, and he wouldn't be doing everything to avoid him now… The dark angel turned the page of his book when a line caught his eyes: "Sometimes, interpretation can be deceiving, for what hurts the most are not the words themselves, but the erroneous meaning that one can unconsciously put behind the words that they hear." He frowned, trying to uncover its meaning in his context, and shut the book. No… Could it be that Pit had thought he didn't care about him? Could it be that he had thought he didn't care about killing him?
Dark Pit clenched his fists in determination: he needed to talk to Pit right away, he had stalled long enough. He had to apologize, he needed to reassure him—even if he didn't mean a word of it, it really didn't matter in the slightest. Dark Pit put the book in its shelf, pondering, and startled when he felt a hand brush against his shoulder. He glanced over it and saw that it was Palutena, whom he admitted comforted him. No matter how much they had despised each other in the past, they had grown noticeably closer, and actually rather fond of each other's company over time. Mainly because the Goddess of Light wanted to know him better, as she had said the day they found out about the necklace. "Oh, it's you."
"It's me indeed, don't you worry," Palutena smiled softly and rubbed his shoulder in a comforting way. She wasn't blind: she had noticed that he was avoiding Pit, and that Pit was also staying away from him. She had no idea what had happened between them, but she knew that they shouldn't let it take over their relationship. For the sake of their mission to begin with; they needed to stick together. An 'alliance between light and darkness', according to what she had read in one of her books, shouldn't and couldn't be compromised by a simple altercation. They both had been through worse, hadn't they? Was it really worth wasting all of the efforts that they have put into succeeding in saving the Light?
The Goddess stepped closer and hugged Dark Pit from behind, wrapping her arms around his chest and pulling him closer. The dark angel's wings perked up but he didn't react, when he would normally push her away and yell at her face for touching him. The Goddess of Light didn't mention it, thinking that he wouldn't want her to point it out anyways, and smiled again to comfort him. He only avoided her eyes, which she expected, and sighed heavily. Palutena took advantage of that to start off the conversation: "I noticed that something was wrong, and I've been willing to talk to you. Do you think you can tell me what happened with my little Pit, Dark Pit?"
The dark angel gritted his teeth, disappointed in himself, and looked up at her with his flooded red eyes. "Please, don't hesitate to call me Pittoo, it makes me feel better… Pit and I, we talked about Medusa's darkness and how it corrupts the souls of those it affects… Pit, being the idiotic optimist that he always is, thinks there's a way to save these possessed angels from the curse… I said no, because I know that there isn't, and then he asked what I would do if it were him. I let you figure out what I answered."
"You said that you would kill him for his own sake, I suppose?"
Dark Pit eyed at her for a second, nodded, and looked off. He was ashamed of his own words. Oh, of course he owned up to them, that wasn't the problem! He would definitely kill Pit the second he'd see him in that state. But, perhaps, it would have been wiser to keep it to himself. He had wanted to be transparent with Pit without realizing that it would hurt him to hear those words from his darker twin's mouth, and rightfully so since he trusted him so much. It must have felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart. Maybe, if Dark Pit had cared to explain why he was saying that, it would've been better, but since he hadn't bothered and had preferred to run away… It didn't make things easier for him now.
Dark Pit shut his eyes again, letting silent tears run along his cheeks, and gulped down his regrets. How was he supposed to talk to Pit after that heated conversation? His precious angel would never allow him to get close… In one sentence, he had broken everything that existed between them.
The dark angel pushed Palutena away from him, his heart aching badly. He needed to be alone for a while, and that was what he asked her. The Goddess of Light told him not to do anything stupid, to which he only snorted and shook his head. What did she think he would do, slit his wrist with the pages of a book? Not sharp enough, plus he didn't really want to see his blood on the ground. He liked it better when it kept his body standing.
Palutena walked out without insisting, and Dark Pit admitted that he felt slightly relieved. She reminded him too much of Pit, he didn't want anything to do with her. Even though he understood that she was concerned, he had to push her away. He watched her leave the library and sat back in his armchair, pulling another book from the bookshelf next to him and running his focused eyes along the lines. He did his best to concentrate on the plot and its characters, until it was too dark outside and he had to light up a candle. He chose a dark purple one, found a lighter to light it up, and put it by his side, on the armrest, before he finally went back to his reading.
Then, Palutena entered the library—certainly to make sure that he wasn't dead—and asked: "Would you like to join us for dinner? I prepared it myself and I'd love for you to try it!"
Dark Pit eyed at her, his rubies expressive enough to tell her to quickly run off and leave him alone. Despite that, he still felt the need to add: "Fuck right off!" before he dived back into the novel he had picked. Palutena didn't insist and walked off, shrugging her shoulder. Although it made her sad to be so powerless regarding the dark angel's sadness, she couldn't force him to eat if he didn't want to. Dark Pit sighed when she closed the door behind her, his eyes still running along the lines of his novel. The characters were not that interesting, he had to admit: none of them had a strong personality like his own, but the story was still sort of fun and compelling. So, despite disliking the characters, he kept on reading, wanting to know if they would get rid of that cursed ring before it was too late and the monster 'Gollum' could snatch it from them.
In the middle of his reading, he had to stop and look around, since he had picked up the sound of movement in the library. "Someone there?" he inquired, squinting his eyes. There seemed to be a presence, he could feel it… Although, he could've sworn that nobody else was there, and the door hadn't opened since Palutena had walked off. Shrugging it off, since it was probably his tired mind pulling tricks on him, he started reading again, only to hear the swift, agile footsteps again seconds later. This time, they had been even closer to his position, which he particularly hated.
"Seriously, what in the Underworld is the problem? Is that you, Pit? If so, it'd be good if we could talk for a minute…" Dark Pit raised his head when he heard the footsteps again, but no voiced answer. Nope, that definitely wasn't his Pit. He clicked his tongue, pissed off; couldn't he be left alone for a day without being interrupted? He shook his head and closed his book, leaving it on the armchair while he took a look around. He forgot his candle on the armrest, and checked every row of bookshelves to make sure that nobody was hiding in the shadows, but there wasn't anyone around.
Dark Pit gritted his teeth and placed his hands on his hips, looking from left to right once he had reached the bottom of a row. Who thought that this was funny? He tapped his foot on the ground, waiting eagerly for footsteps in order to catch the creep. This time however, the footsteps came from right behind him. "Pit, it's n—"
He was brutally interrupted by a strong hit in the head, perpetrated with an awfully heavy book.
.oOo.
Pit chuckled when he thought about his incredible day, even though the pain in his heart still lingered. Tip was such fun company compared to Dark Pit: he always joked around, told him countless fascinating stories about his dimension and its Gods and Goddesses, and proposed entertaining activities.
During the afternoon, they had played Truth or Dare, which had proved itself to be one of the funniest games Pit had ever played, but Tip had also invited Palutena in order to play a game that he called 'Spin the Bow'. Basically, they had put Tip's bow in the middle and sat around it, and they had to make it spin until it pointed at someone. That person had to answer a question or perform an embarrassing action—much like Truth or Dare, although it was funnier. Palutena had asked Pit to say that he was an idiot twenty times, which made him die of awkwardness in front of Tip's amused eyes. Tip had then spun the bow and it had pointed towards himself, which had caused him to pout. Pit had dared him to kiss Palutena on the cheek, and Tip had done it without flinching. Pit had to admit that he had been rather jealous, that until the bow stopped on Palutena and Tip asked her to kiss Pit on the mouth. The Goddess of Light had first laughed out loud, asking if this was serious, and had owned up to it: she had leaned towards Pit and sealed their lips in a passionate, deep and hungry kiss—since Tip had said that a small kiss would've been cheating, he wanted a real kiss, with tongues and stuff, so that's what she resolved to do.
Although it had admittedly been the most embarrassing thing that had ever happened in his lifetime, Pit had to say that, once upon a time, he had wished to get kisses like that from Palutena. Before he had started to consider her as a mother figure, he had hoped that they would be something. Palutena had immediately set a barrier between them, treating him like a child, and in the end he had to admit that he liked it better that way.
The light angel's wings perked up when Tip called him out, in the gardens despite the darkness outside. Palutena had told them to refrain from being in the open during the night… That was when darkness dominated, and she said that it could quickly turn them into Medusa's puppets. But despite knowing all of this, Pit sprung to his feet and ran outside to meet Tip on the bench that Dark Pit and him used to like so much. Used to, because Pit didn't want to think about his darker version at the moment. After what he had said, he didn't know how he felt about him anymore. He was cruel and heartless, how could he love him? No, he couldn't, he incarnated everything that Pit hated; he was even ready to kill the ones he loved instead of trying to save them! That was sick and twisted, and Pit couldn't allow that. He gritted his teeth and teared up thinking about Dark Pit; he couldn't allow him to come back into his life without clear explanations on the matter. Anyways, Dark Pit had said that he would kill him if he had succumbed, wasn't that right? Then, it surely wouldn't make such a big difference to him whether they talked or not.
Pit sat down next to Tip, who was sitting down with an open book on his lap. He was checking different pages, each of them bearing strange markings that resembled those on Dark Pit's books. Letters, Pit presumed with a slight shrug. It was with those strange signs that his dark version could tell him stories, and he had been willing to know about them for a good while. However, he wasn't sure if he was in the mood for that… Although he didn't complain, he didn't think any less. Absent-minded, Pit eyed at the first page, depicting the letter he was met with: it looked like one of those bridges on the Overworld, those that crossed over large waterways to link two islands. It had two legs joining up at the top and a line in the middle. Pit frowned and stared at it. "What's that, Tip? Does it have a name?"
The blond angel looked up and felt himself blush when his eyes met those of Pit: they were sparkling with the thousands of stars above their heads, and he was so close to his face. Tip would've kissed him right away if he didn't shake his head and draw back a little. He glanced at the book in his hands and nodded. "Yes, all letters have a name. I'm sure you know most of them, you just don't know what they look like! That's 'A', the first letter of the English alphabet."
"So what you're saying is that there are multiple alphabets?" Pit asked, curious. Could it be that those weird symbols were not universal? How was he supposed to learn all the symbols that existed?! If he wanted to truly know how to read, he needed all of them, right?
Dark Pit knew all of them, didn't he? Well, that wouldn't be surprising: he was very smart, after all, which was probably why he didn't think killing people was wrong and sick and twisted. Smart leaders were always dangerous, that was what Palutena had told him. He had seen that for himself with Hades… Perhaps Hades and Dark Pit were not as different as he had believed them to be. After all, Dark Pit was 'fundamentally wicked', wasn't he? That was what Palutena had said about him after he had erupted from the Mirror of Truth. Although at the time they still thought that he had been created, it still applied to this day.
Tip brought his attention back to the book when he flipped the page. Pit's eyes were met with another one of those symbols, which looked like… two bubbles struck together. "That one is 'B', it's the second letter of the alphabet," Tip informed him, then he turned away from the book to grab a pencil and a notebook. He handed them both to Pit, smiling wide. The Angel of the Sun furrowed his brows but took them; what was the point of giving him a coloring book? They were trying to learn the letters… The blond angel looked back at the book and turned to the first page, where Pit saw the first letter he had learnt to identify. "Maybe you should try to draw it. That would help you to recognize it every time you see it, and that way you'd also be learning how to write!"
"That's an amazing idea!" Pit beamed, and he started immediately. He set the notebook on his lap and eyed at the book next to him, trying his best to draw the letter perfectly. He had never been that good of an artist, but he could still manage.
Tip decided that he needed to concentrate and, thus, walked back to the palace to meet Palutena. Perhaps she would find something for him to do, because he really wanted to help her out!
.oOo.
Tip held onto several piles of books, which Palutena had told him to put back in their respective shelves in the library. He smiled to himself; he really liked this version of the Goddess of Light, she was nice and sweet. And she hadn't yet succumbed to darkness, so… that was that. The angel pushed his red scarf which stuck to his mouth and was about to open the door to the library, when he heard something mumbling inside. He had almost forgotten that Dark Pit was there… Was it wise to walk in? Or would he lash out at him and kill him on the spot?
Frightened, Tip stopped in his tracks, looking at the closed door, and hesitated to walk in. But he really needed to get those books back in their original place… Dark Pit would understand, right? He had to, he wasn't a savage. Pulling himself together and harvesting as much courage as he could, Tip approached the door, grabbed the handle, and winced at the crushing sound of a bookshelf falling over, followed by a muffled cry of pain. Although it had been rather loud, he hadn't heard it, since the bang had been enough to temporarily deafen the blond angel, who closed his eyes and tried to soothe his headache. Just what was Dark Pit doing in there, wrecking everything? For some reason, that wouldn't surprise Zeus' messenger…
After he had shaken off his headache, Tip pulled the handle and stepped inside, where he saw nothing special at all. There was an armchair with a book on it, abandoned, dimly lit by the fire of a purple candle which was half-melted. He didn't focus on it and walked through the wide room, when he found the origin of the sound: a bookshelf had fallen over, as though it had been brutally pushed against another one behind it before losing its balance. Tip walked up to the scene, perplexed, and heard swift footsteps behind him. He quickly spun around, regretting the fact that he had no weapon already, and gasped when he saw Dark Pit lying on the ground, with a glowing purple stone around his right wrist. He was unconscious, laying on his side, and his hair completely covered his face—it appeared to be pretty sticky for some reason. What had happened to him, what was he doing on the ground? The blond angel could have sworn that he wasn't there before…
Nonetheless, Tip ran in his direction and knelt down by his side, grasping his hand and tearing up because of how cold it was getting. He was dead, wasn't he? What had killed him? Had he been crushed by that bookshelf? Oh no… Tip glanced at him with growing worry in his gray eyes: his silky black bangs hid his strangely pale face, and there was a pool of blood under his lifeless form. Though, Tip had no idea where it came from: in the somberness, he couldn't tell where he had been wounded. Tip brought his hand to Dark Pit's face and pushed the hair off of his eyes, only to realize that they were firmly closed. "Oh no… Please, no, wake up!" he begged, horrified, then he placed his hands over his own mouth to muffle his sobs.
Taken aback by the death of the dark angel, he didn't pay attention to the footsteps sneaking behind his back. Soon, he felt something looming over him and spun around, quick enough to evade an attack perpetrated by a shadow angel. The figure tried to tug his arm but Tip fought it back with all he had, shifting between kicks and punches while he was considering his options. He managed to stand up and ran out of the library, slamming the door open and bumping into Palutena. The blond angel bounced off and fell to the ground, disoriented.
The Goddess of Light frowned when the shadow approached: it was, indeed, one of those dark angels, just like she had felt. This one had a bottle green chiton, a scarf slightly lighter, and deep wings of the same tint as his clothes. He had dark hair, unnatural red glowing eyes, and an evil smirk across the lips. His soul transpired with mischievous energy, which was enough to tell that he was under the influence of Medusa's darkness. But she had to say that it was… slightly weaker than she would've thought.
On the lookout, the Goddess of Light held out her staff, turning on the lights of the library, and the dark angel startled. However, instead of hiding like a dark creature would've, he placed his hands on his hips and snickered at the sight of Tip at the feet of Palutena. "Aw, need a hand there~?"
Tip shivered when the evil angel's voice rang in his eardrums: it sounded like a crow's croak. So aggressive, so mocking, so disdainful… He loathed it as soon as he heard it. The blond angel stood back on his feet and eyed at the Goddess of Light, who nodded and held out a hand. Tip's bow appeared in it, which brought a smile to Zeus' angel. He thanked her and was about to take it when the green angel snatched it from Palutena's grasp. He laughed at the sight of it; quite a ridiculous weapon compared to his own. That other angel had had the same one, or one very similar at least. He had had no trouble defeating him until he dropped dead to the ground, and he would not hesitate to take that other angel down as well. He was lustful for blood anyways~…
The green angel eyed at his enemies and threw the useless bow behind, instead taking out a laser gun which looked like an emerald dragon head with a cannon in its mouth.
Tip furrowed his brows and slid on the ground, past the green angel, in order to grab his bow. Palutena's staff started shining threateningly, but that did nothing to scare off their opponent. He stood his ground and aimed the gun at Palutena, but she swung her staff at him, which forced him to move back. "Playing hard to get, Goddess of Light~?"
Palutena narrowed her eyes and deflected an attack that was coming straight for her with her Reflect move. "What are you doing in my kingdom, cursed angel?"
"Your ridiculously underpowered barriers aren't too difficult to pierce through," he replied, snickering. The green angel gritted his teeth and focused his attention on defeating her, not minding the worthless blond angel who was shooting him from behind. That was, until a fully charged arrow passed through his right wing and left a bleeding hole in it. The angel in green cried out at the pain and changed his focus: that angel was going to pay for what he had done. He charged towards Tip and shot him in the chest with an extremely powerful emerald laser beam.
Palutena screamed for him to watch out, but it was too late: Tip was hit and flew through several bookshelves. But despite how impressive the action had been, he wasn't wounded—of course he wasn't. Tip stood back on his feet and grasped his bow tightly; he'd never give up against a spirit of darkness, no matter how long the fight would take and how many bookshelves he'd have to break. His body was immune to physical damage, so he didn't care taking hits.
The Goddess of Light took her revenge and aimed her Auto Reticle at the green angel, who still managed to avoid each and every energy orb coming for him. He had also drawn significantly closer to her and took advantage of his position, sending her flying across the room with an equally powerful laser beam. While Palutena was recovering—her body wasn't gifted with invincibility—Tip ran towards their offender, evading shots aimed at him, and separated his bow into his usual blades. He had always been better with swords anyways. Tip slashed his way through the beams and eventually reached the dark green angel, who took the decision to fly backwards so that he wasn't torn to shreds. His wings flapped, allowing him to take flight, and he moved away from Tip. He stationed in the air, shooting at the flightless blond angel beneath him, thus ensuring that he couldn't be sliced in die. Tip was quick on his feet, jumping from side to side in order to constantly avoid being hit, and that started to get on the green angel's nerves. He charged a shot, trying to foresee where his opponent would end up, and shot him right when Tip's feet touched the ground.
The blond angel was thrown back because of the strength of the laser beam in his chest, and the dark angel smirked, before he screamed in terror when a halo of light surrounded his wings, depriving him from his Power of Flight. The halo of light expanded to his entire body, which caused him to cry out and grasp his own head between his hands. His soul kept fighting the influence of the darkness in his veins and, for once, managed to pull it out of his body. The light consumed it whole within seconds, and the dark angel fell to the floor, head first in the armchair beneath.
He moaned in deep, overwhelming pain while rubbing his forehead: he felt as though his brain was about to explode. He fluttered his green eyes open, not fully grasping the situation, and looked around, confused, before scratching his head. "Mistress Viridi?" he called her out, yearning for his Goddess that he had lost after he was captured by Medusa. Where even was he? It appeared to be a library, however it was incredibly messy, as though someone had just been fighting in it. Dozens of books littered the ground, and the purple candle next to him had stopped burning, with its hot, liquid wax dripping on the tiles. He didn't recognize the place at all. Since when did Viridi have a library in her Sanctum? He had to be in one of those human cities that she loved so much… But why though? And how did he get there? "Mistress Viridi, are you there? I… miss you…"
Before he had time to give it a thought, he heard heavy, high-heeled footsteps coming his way. When he turned around, he was surprised to find a woman with long, green hair and a scepter in her hands. Speaking of that scepter, she stood before him and slammed it against the floor. "No one can hide from the Light, not even Medusa I see," she said, squinting her glistening green eyes at him. The angel held his breath and closed his eyes; was she a witch? He had heard about their race, their powers were beyond that of Gods sometimes, according to Viridi. If she was about to kill him, he had no way of defending himself… not even with his laser gun. Against all odds, the woman offered him a hand to help him up. However, he was too intimidated to grasp it and drew back instinctively. That made her laugh, sending cold chills down the lost angel's spine. "You're the shy type, aren't you? That's alright. My name is Palutena, I am the Goddess of Light. I suppose you just came back to your senses, so welcome to Skyworld!" she introduced herself, stepping away so that he could stand up.
The angel, wearing a green attire—but much more lime green than bottle green—slowly rose to his feet, keeping his arms close to his chest. He had to be prepared in case this… 'Goddess' would attack him—he was convinced that she was a witch. After all, he had never heard of a Palutena in his life before, so she couldn't be a Goddess… What even was Skyworld, was it her lair? So she was intending to kill him… But why would she be so nice with him then? Where exactly did he end up and who was she?! The green angel scanned his surroundings and saw another angel, looking a lot like him, stand up in the distance. It seemed like he just came out of a battle, although there wasn't even a scratch on his body. He had to be quite powerful if his enemies never placed a hit on him… The woman behind him walked closer, scaring him a little, and put a hand on his shoulder, whereas the other angel with a red scarf was wiping off some dust from his pure white chiton. "What is this?" the green angel dared to ask, confused, frightened, and most definitely lost. "Where is Mistress Viridi?"
The Goddess of Light smiled gently and took his hand to reassure him. There was something highly comforting in the way that she looked at him, and he didn't know why but he felt that he could trust her. Maybe she was the mistress of that other angel? That would mean that she really was a Goddess, since witches didn't have angels to work for them… That could explain why he wasn't so scared of her anymore: the other angel seemed to be in perfect health, even though he probably had just been fighting. Palutena eyed at Tip and back at the reserved green version of her Pit. "I will surely be the one breaking the news to you, but you are not in your own world anymore. Medusa has taken control of your body and wanted you to kill this angel, but somehow I managed to repel her with my staff—I really don't understand why, but I won't spit on it! Can I get to know your name?"
The green angel eyed at her and slightly nodded, still ill-at-ease. "My name is Blapi…"
"Now if that isn't the most adorable thing I've ever heard~!" Palutena chuckled, then she led Blapi out of the room. Tip, on the other hand, quickly followed them and grabbed her by the arm.
Inquisitive, she looked at him with frowned brows, when she suddenly noticed a figure in the distance, lying motionlessly on the ground. Her heart immediately sank and she ran to assist him, not knowing that he was nearly dead already. She fell to her knees and grasped Dark Pit's hand, trying to shake him up. Seeing that it was pointless, she brought him up to her chest in order to lift him up, when she felt something wet on her dress. But she wasn't stupid, she already knew it was blood, thus she hurried to the hot spring in her private quarters and laid the unconscious angel in the bath. Blapi didn't dare to follow, staying next to the doorway, while Tip was kneeling down at Dark Pit's side. He had grown increasingly worried, and needed to hold on to the dark angel's hand, for his own sake more than anything.
Blapi looked at them from the doorway, intimidated by the dark teal feathers in the angel's back. "Is he a bad guy?" he asked Palutena, thinking that, since she was a Goddess, she would know everything.
He was not disappointed when she looked at him and answered: "No, he's on our side. He won't harm you, even less when he's on the brink of death… At least he has been smart enough to put on the necklace: it's the only thing keeping him alive. He'd be dead if he didn't wear it, so don't touch it, Tip."
Tip looked up at her with tearful eyes and let go of the necklace, which had somehow caught his attention. He kept squeezing Dark Pit's hand, trying to breathe life into him through the simple touch of their skin. He couldn't accept to lose him, he was far too precious to Pit's mission, to their common mission. They had to work through it together, all of them. Dark Pit was too important, too essential—'the alliance between light and darkness'! He was the 'darkness' part, he couldn't let go before they had overthrown Medusa's evil, because then who would? Pit and his darker version had been chosen by their Gods—whoever Dark Pit's God was, since he had never mentioned them—to carry this mission and accomplish it. They were the two Heirs of the Light, they couldn't let go of each other; it was their destiny. Tip would make sure that they would succeed, he'd be there to hold their hands and help them through the darkness. But for that, Dark Pit needed not to die, not right now, it was too early.
"D. P., you know I can't let you die… Wake up." Tip shook Dark Pit's hand vigorously when he felt it becoming slightly warmer. At least he was holding on… But how long, that was the real question. The blond angel glanced over to Palutena, who had decided that she would protect Blapi and himself in a room that she'd have under constant supervision. After all, she had to ensure that Medusa would not get her hands on them, otherwise they would be at her mercy and that was the last thing that they all needed.
Palutena took Blapi by the hand and led him to the said room, which was right next to that of Pit. She explained that she had chosen that room because, then, her two heroes would be able to take out the intruders quicker, even if they attacked during the night. She appeared to have a lot of faith in her two 'heroes', whoever they were. Blapi had understood that the angel with dark greenish-blue wings was one of them, but he hadn't met the other yet… Or maybe it was that angel, Tip? Probably not… He couldn't help but wonder where that mysterious angel had been when Tip had to fight whatever had been after him—if he was a hero, he should've been there to help him, right? What kind of hero lets his friends down when facing a threat, however strong it may be?
Blapi walked into the hidden room, which was furnished with everything he could need: two beds, since there was also one for Tip, a window to look outside—even though it wasn't possible to open it—and a hot spring in the bathroom. He didn't know what good they were, but he'd like to take a bath in one someday, just for the sake of trying everything that this 'world' had to offer. That way, he could tell Viridi where he had been and all that he had discovered on the way; she'd be proud of him and, maybe, she'd accept to go out with him. He had been waiting long enough… "Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything, Blapi," Palutena told him, and he startled when he heard the sound of her voice.
Blapi quickly nodded and went to sit on the bed that was the closest to the window. He gazed out at the scenery, but deplored the landscape: so few natural elements… Apart from the gardens that he could perceive on the far right, there was no real natural isle at all. Buildings stood tall everywhere, whether it be training camps, with targets laid out in the grass for shooting sessions, or simply temples of all sorts. But after all, he wasn't at Viridi's Sanctum anymore. Viridi had several gardens since she was the Great Goddess of Nature, but he was staying over at the Goddess of Light's palace, so… Perhaps he shouldn't be expecting as much.
.oOo.
The Goddess of Light walked around the Main Hall, comforted by the fact that Blapi was under protection. At least he wouldn't be attacked, nothing bad would happen to this sweet little thing. He really was the sweetes—
"Hello, Lady Palutena!"
Palutena looked up upon hearing her name and gasped when she saw Pit standing in front of her. "O-Oh! H-Hello Pit!" she reacted, her heart pounding in her chest. Her captain grinned widely and had a joyful expression in his eyes, then he held out a notebook, where she could see that he had written twenty times the letter 'A'—it literally scattered the first page. She tried her best to smile, despite knowing that he wasn't aware of Dark Pit's critical state. "Oh, that's great… I'm proud of you, Pit."
Pit smiled and looked at the page with glistening eyes. "I always told you I would make you proud! I'm learning how to read thanks to Tip, he proposed to help me! One day, I'll be the greatest reader of all time, Lady Palutena!"
The Goddess of Light laughed at that. "Oh, I don't doubt it, Pit!"
The angel of light turned around, about to walk off with his notebook and keep things going with the 'B' letter. He was so enthusiastic! He never knew that reading and writing could be so time-consuming to learn, but in the end, he was starting to love it. He saluted his Goddess and stepped away from her, grinning, but his smile suddenly fell when he met Tip's flooded eyes. "Tip? What's wrong?" he asked, concerned, and he walked up to his friend.
Tip sniffed and wiped his face with his hands. "I had to flee, I can't handle it…"
"Handle what?" Pit and his Goddess, who had joined them as soon as she had seen Tip's drowned face, inquired at the same time. Both of them furrowed their brows to express their confusion, and Pit took his blond counterpart in a warm, comforting hug, while patting him on the back to give him the support that he needed. He didn't know why Tip was so worried, but the fact that he had never seen his friend like this was concerning on its own. "Tip, tell me, handle what?"
"Pit, it's…" Tip closed his eyes, remembering those of pure rubies that had looked into his gray orbs, and sobbed harder. He had been so weak… Tip had hated the sight of such powerlessness in Dark Pit's eyes, he was so strong-willed, had such a bad temper… He was a strong character, and yet his eyes had transmitted nothing more than regret and shame… Instead of telling him where he was and why he was there, Tip had felt so overwhelmed that he had run away crying. He particularly loathed the fact that the dark angel's voice had been so hoarse when he had called him out… He couldn't bare to see his friends in such pitiful states, it wrecked him from within. He himself had never been harmed, which was why he couldn't take it to see his friends going through pain. He sniffed and pushed Pit away for a second, in order to rub his eyes.
However, the Angel of the Sun still held on to his shoulders, so that he wouldn't look away from him. Tip's eyes fluttered open, his vision blurred out by the tears flowing down his face, and looked back into Pit's. "It breaks my heart to see Dark Pit like that… He was so, so weak, Pit… What hurts is that, I'll never understand what he's going through… It's killing me, Pit…"
"What happened to Pittoo?!" Pit's eyes sparkled with worry and, seeing that he would get no clear answer, he quickly let go of Tip and ran off towards Palutena's quarters, where he suspected that his darker version would be if he was heavily wounded. He was proved right when he walked in and met the broken red eyes of Dark Pit, who was attempting to get up but was prevented from doing so by the gaping, blood-gushing wound in his stomach. "Pittoo?!" the angel of light gasped in horror, and he ran up to his side, sitting on the ground next to the hot spring bath. He didn't waste any time and grasped his darker version's hand, using the other to brush Dark Pit's bangs away from his face. He couldn't repress the will to come back at him for what he had said, although the situation was dramatic. After all, Dark Pit didn't deserve better; he hadn't cared about how much it had hurt him when he pronounced those cruel words in the hot spring earlier on. "What is it, Pittoo? Have you been corrupted by Medusa's evil? Oh, I'm afraid there's no cure, let me end your life now."
"Pit, don't start this, you better not…" the dark angel warned him, despite the weakness of his voice. His red eyes lit with danger as he stared into those of blue of his twin. He would have to explain the reasons behind his words, but not right now; he was way too sleepy for that, he felt as though he was about to fall back into an eternal slumber. He tried to remember how he had gotten his wound when he noticed Palutena coming in.
The Goddess of Light stepped closer, fidgeting with her hands. "How do you feel, Dark Pit?"
"Terrible, I must say," he answered honestly, images running through his eyes. He could see the face of his enemy, a green angel with deep red eyes, just like his own. That thing hadn't fully been corrupted, but it had been enough to drive it insane. He felt the beam pierce through his flesh again and cringed at the memory of the tremendous pain roaring in his body. Dark Pit gulped—and silently cursed himself for doing so, since his throat was so dry—and whispered: "I can't believe I've lost."
"Which is what worries me," Palutena said, looking at her two perplexed angels in all seriousness. "If Pittoo, of all angels, loses a fight, then it's a very bad sign. He's by far the best fighter amongst all of you, Pit. If he is so easily defeated by a single one of these possessed angels—"
"That one wasn't possessed, I felt it," Dark Pit countered. "Sure, you could say that he was badly affected by Medusa's powers, but he was not yet possessed. To be true with you, I don't think he was much more affected than I am…"
Pit gasped. "You're affected by Medusa's darkness, Pittoo?!"
"So what, you're gonna kill me now, Pit-stain~?" Dark Pit replied in a challenging way despite his condition. He rolled eyes and cursed himself for talking about it in the first place; he knew that he shouldn't let Pit know of his intoxication—if he could even call it that. Pit would worry about him, and they didn't have time to mind his old wounds. He was not succumbing, at least, that was what mattered the most; he'd never give up to Medusa's powers, even though they were flowing freely in his veins at that very moment and fighting for control with his soul. Whatever it'd take, he would make sure to beat her ass before he could become her personal sexual puppet—because he knew very well that it was what she wanted.
Dark Pit sighed and facepalmed when he saw Pit's concerned eyes locked on him. He was tired of that conversation already, even though he hadn't even begun to explain. That'd be a fun ride… For the time being though, they had to focus on the subject at hand. "Putting that aside… Palutena, I know for certain that this thing wasn't possessed: it was still talking. Corrupted spirits are deprived from speech."
"Well… That makes it even worse, now doesn't it?"
"Can't deny that… If this thing can kick my ass, then I'd rather not imagine what a fully corrupted asshole could do to me."
Palutena nodded, thinking, and paced back and forth in the room. Pit eyed at her before focusing his attention on Dark Pit; he was a little upset that he hadn't told him about that. He deserved to know that his darker twin was being eaten by Medusa's powers! What if they got a hold on him? What would he do? Well, that question had a short answer: he would kill him, since that was what Dark Pit had said he would do to him if such a thing happened.
The Goddess of Light brought the attention to herself when she started to speak again, sounding a lot more concerned than she previously was: "Indeed, Pittoo, and you're just worried over one fully possessed angel… I really don't want to imagine the consequences when you'll both have to fight all of them at once…"
"Because that's supposed to happen?"
Pit laughed humorlessly and eyed at Dark Pit, trying to play it off as though it didn't even scare him. "No no no! I'm sure we won't have to!" Then he turned towards Palutena, who kept a serious expression. "Right, Lady Palutena?" he asked, more fearful this time. The Goddess of Light stared at him with something akin to apologies, and the light angel instantly understood what this all meant. He gulped and shut his eyes; he couldn't believe it, did she not realize how dangerous that was? They would never survive, they would die! Was she willing to kill them off?! Pit glanced back at his Goddess and seemed truly frightened when he said, groaning: "That silence means that we're doing that, I get it."
"Before we do that, I have to send you to the Underworld somehow…" Palutena said, bringing her hand to her chin to think. Dark Pit was about to protest, to say that he would never head towards that place again without a clear, well-defined purpose, but she interrupted him by pursuing her reasoning: "But the problem is that I can't keep you both flying at the same time. And we all know that Dark Pit won't let you go alone."
"First things first: I won't go at all, so that shouldn't be too big of a problem. I'm not going there ever again."
Palutena looked at Dark Pit with a glare that made him shut his mouth almost instantly. Pit, on the other hand, scratched the back of his head and slightly laughed to express her nervosity. "Hehe, for a second there, I hoped you'd say that you wouldn't let me go there alone, Lady Palutena… Hehe, silly meeee~…"
The Goddess of Light didn't pay attention to her captain's complaints, instead she was busy seeking a solution to the Power of Flight problem. On her own, there was no way that she could lend them both the Power of Flight at the same time, she was absolutely convinced of that. It was too consuming, she wouldn't be able to keep them both in the air for five minutes… That being said, perhaps she could ask a God for help? Maybe Zeus would accept to help her out, since the entire Universe was threatened by those dark angels? It was worth trying, at least. If he refused, they could always get Aphrodite to help them, since she had been leading the two angels until she had been brought back to life.
The Goddess of Light knew that she wouldn't refuse, but what she didn't know was how trustworthy her own Power of Flight was. Actually, she wasn't even sure that she had one… She would have several questions to ask her. That gave her an idea: maybe she shouldn't be the one asking her these questions. There was someone that, perhaps, she'd be more willing to help: her 'son'. Palutena looked at Dark Pit with a smirk in the corner of her lips. "Will you feel better tomorrow morning, Pittoo?" she inquired, narrowing his eyes at him.
The dark angel shrugged his shoulders. "If I sleep in here, yeah, maybe. Why?"
"You'll have to pay a courtesy call to a 'family member', if you see who I'm talking about."
Dark Pit smiled, since he had deciphered the message behind her words pretty easily. He nodded and laid back in the hot spring water, feeling the soreness in his body fade away, as if it had never existed to begin with. Pit remained by his side, silent once his precious Palutena was out of the room, and eventually eyed at him to talk.
Dark Pit put a hand over his mouth to shut him up, and cleared his throat. "There's something I've been willing to tell you," he started, his voice stern and collected.
Explanation time.
To be continued…