Hello everyone! I am laaaaaaate, I realize. To be true with you, I've been extremely busy lately. I hope the wait will have been worth it!

Without further ado, I'll let you dive right into this!

Yours truly, Circle of J.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, although I took some liberties with both Tip and Blapi. 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 29: Malicious omen

"Pittoo, wake up," Pit's voice arose, and the dark angel blinked his eyes open. He had no idea where he was: it was dark all around, except for his beloved idiot standing in front of him. Dark Pit flapped his wings and clung to his own head, since he was victim of a rough, unprecedented headache. Had something happened? The last thing he could remember was reading that book in the library… in Skyworld, if he was correct. After that, Pit had entered the room and asked if he wanted to go to bed with him, but his darker half had admitted that he felt tired and wanted to focus on the book. His lighter half had nodded and told that he would be waiting, and then… what? Dark Pit shut his eyes and tried to concentrate, while he kept his head between his hands. He managed to sit up, under Pit's supervision, and collected his thoughts on the matter. Had he fallen asleep, was he dreaming? Why did this feel so real then?

Pit cleared his throat, which caused Dark Pit to glance at him, and the white angel fluttered his wings. "Pittoo, look at what we did together! Look behind you!"

Dark Pit furrowed his brows, wondering what he was talking about, and spun around. His mouth dropped: the Overworld was reduced to fires and bloodsheds. The skies flashed red, a bone-chilling tint of red that reminded him of Medusa's upsurge. Wait, her upsurge? Had it happened? Were they defeated? The dark angel gasped in sheer terror at the thought; what would happen now? They were supposed to stop her, how were they beaten?! Destiny didn't have it that way! They couldn't lose against her, it was impossible! Dark Pit felt panic taking over him and wrapped his dark teal wings around his body, in case something would attack him. No… He would never accept it. He was still standing, and he would never allow Medusa to reign over the Universe. What about Hades, where was he? Persephone had said that he wouldn't let Medusa take over the Universe, then where was he? Perhaps she had lied…

The angel gritted his teeth, and heard swift footsteps coming up to him. He knew it was Pit, but somehow even he frightened him. He wasn't himself, there was something off with the way he behaved… His Pit would never look out in awe at the spectacle before them. His Pit would be outraged! He would pick up his weapons and head to the Underworld without wasting any time! Why was he so different? It had to be a nightmare… Dark Pit closed his eyes and attempted to ignore the bloodcurdling screams of the humans below… but he couldn't, they were too heartbreaking. He had to do something to save them, there ought to be a way out of this.

Pit eyed at Dark Pit and inhaled the pain-filled air that surrounded them. "It sure is relaxing. Queen Medusa wasn't lying, she—"

"What in the Underworld is wrong with you, Pit? That's not what I'd call relaxing," Dark Pit reacted, not listening to what his other half was saying, for he didn't care. This… fake could be saying all that he wanted; he had to find the real Pit, wherever he was. He hoped that he hadn't been killed and replaced by this monster… If he had, then he would never get over it. Why had he been asleep so long though? And why this headache? Could it be that his connection with Pit had… broken after a while? Could it be that a God had saved him—when they really shouldn't have, whoever they were? Perhaps that explained it… This atrocious creature standing next to him wasn't his Pit, it was a reflection; much like what Palutena thought Dark Pit had been in the past. A dark, twisted version of his Pit, wearing the same exact clothes, but bearing strangely empty blue eyes that didn't fit him at all.

Pit smiled at the question, and also at the silence that had followed it, and eventually answered with: "Nothing is wrong with me, Pittoo. I am a changed angel, Queen Medusa has opened my eyes. Her Darkness, Pittoo, it isn't what we thought: it is a liberation! She freed my soul from eternal torment! I am truly, sincerely relieved! All my duties are gone, all my responsibilities—"

"Your eyes are blue, I don't buy it." Pit became silent as soon as he heard those words. His skin turned paler than it already was, and he began to sweat. Dark Pit, on the other hand, was rather enraged. "Tell me this: where is Palutena?"

"Dead, just like she is in your dimension." Dark Pit frowned; he had never told him that… How could he know? What was wrong with the Pit he was talking to? It wasn't… his Pit, was it? But those blue eyes… What exactly was happening? Before he had time to give it a thought, Pit continued: "It reestablished an order, a balance in this Universe. See? Queen Medusa didn't want to spread Evil, Pittoo! She wanted justice and order, just like we wanted! We just hadn't been fighting on the right side, but she was benevolent and agreed to help us see."

The dark angel gritted his teeth and clenched his fists before sighing through his nose. 'Us', he said? Dark Pit didn't feel Medusa's presence in his own body… Or perhaps it was meant that way? Perhaps she had ensured that they wouldn't feel 'violated'? What better way to possess someone than to make them believe that they are still in control? It was… sick and vicious, and that was definitely something that resembled Medusa. Dark Pit cringed and looked at his hands in fear; his veins were pulsating with a blood that was blacker than the sun above their heads.

Maybe that was it; maybe she had controlled him, once and for all. He couldn't help but feel disheartened; he had been fighting it for decades, always succeeding at keeping it at bay, yet he had succumbed to it during his slumber. She had taken advantage of his powerlessness to force his soul to surrender—and rightfully so, since she had managed to do it. Perhaps it was better this way. With this poison running through his body, he wouldn't be alive for long, and he would be able to find Pit in the Heavens. Because no matter what this usurper said, the dark angel knew that Pit was dead, and that this… freak in nature was a wicked version of him, crafted by Medusa herself.

Dark Pit stared at the town under his eyes and noticed a ray of hope amongst the crowd: Magnus was there, with a woman clinging to his arm. He had no idea who she was, but she seemed to be close to the human. Somehow, the darker version of Pit himself felt close to her, even though he was certain that he had never seen her before. She wore a wedding dress, torn apart and looking like nothing but a white rag, and her long, wavy red hair stopped half way down her back. He admitted that she was charming, but she appeared to be quite overwhelmed by the situation. While Magnus was taking out Underworld monsters, she was hiding her face and whimpering. Didn't she know how to fight? Or maybe she was too scared to try… The dark angel's wings stretched out, since he wanted to go and help them, but he felt Pit's hand on his shoulder. "Don't bother, Pittoo. They are humans: they ought to die, like the others."

"Magnus and Charis are our friends," Dark Pit countered—how did he say? Charis? Was that the name of that woman? For a second, he wondered how he had guessed it. So he knew her, since he considered her his friend… When did they meet? Who was she? Wasn't Charis the Goddess of Fertility? But this girl was a human! She couldn't be a Goddess, so what was happening to him, where did he get that name? Strangely… specific name, additionally. He didn't think it was a coincidence…

Pit shook his head, a tendered smile on his lips, and replied: "Charis and Magnus can't be kept alive. Queen Medusa's reign doesn't include humans. I know that you were close to them, love, but—"

Dark Pit snarled, interrupting him. "Don't ever call me 'love', you abomination."

"Why would you call me that?" Pit reacted, his blue eyes filling with a sort of sadness that didn't resemble that of Pit. He was… abnormally amused, despite trying to come off as heartbroken by those words. Dark Pit wasn't stupid enough not to notice the sly smirk on his lips. "That's not very nice, you know. I thought you loved me?"

The dark angel refused to answer and, instead, focused on the two humans who craved for his help. No, he didn't love that Pit, he didn't love that monstrous thing. He loved and yearned for the real Pit, the one who had disappeared… The one he wished he could see again. The one he had shared countless nights with, the one he wanted to marry despite the fact that he knew they would be separated forever… That thing, standing next to him, was nothing like this angel. Nothing like the Angel of the Sun. Dark Pit gritted his teeth and ran towards the edge of the dark room that they both stood in, jumping off of it and taking flight under Pit's screams to hold him back. The dark angel didn't know how, but his wings allowed him to fly on his own it seemed… And it appeared that he knew that, since he had run off of the platform without a tinge of fear in his heart.

The dark angel flew towards the city and landed amongst the crowd of Reapers, who didn't even look at him. Of course, since his aura was eaten by the power of Medusa's darkness, they wouldn't consider him a threat. Too bad for them, because they would certainly be taken by surprise. He would work to their disadvantage, which wasn't such a bad thing.

Dark Pit pulled out his Silver Bow and aimed it at the Reapers, shooting them and killing them instantly with how powerful his arrows had become. Palutena's improvements had been much needed; now he could kill off any enemy in one shot, and it was less tiring to steer the actual arrows than it had been in the past. The horde of Reapers turned to him, flabbergasted, and didn't have time to react before the angel lashed out at their bodies with two extremely hot purple blades. They were easily dealt with, and Dark Pit turned to meet Magnus' cautious eyes. He tightened his grip around the hilt of his gigantic sword, and Charis clung to his right arm even more than before. Were they… scared of him? Well, it shouldn't have been a surprise, since his soul was corrupted… but it didn't hurt less.

Magnus squinted his eyes at his former friend and ally, and threatened him with his sword. "Dark angel, if you take a step, you're dead."

"Wow, such a nice way to greet an old friend! I see that you've gotten better at it!" Dark Pit sneered, though he really wasn't amused in any way. He brought his blades together, clicked them to form his Silver Bow, and attached it to his shoulder strap. The weapon hidden behind his back, out of reach, he held out his hands and raised them in the air, to show that he was not their enemy. The two humans blinked, confused, and Charis let go of Magnus' arm. She hesitantly took a step forward, stretching her arm, but pulled back when Dark Pit's eyes turned to her. The woman stayed there, motionless, as though she had been turned to stone. The dark angel placed his hands on his hips and smirked. "You guys sure look like you missed me—which I do appreciate."

Magnus, who stood behind Charis and watched over her in a protective manner, frowned. "Why would we be happy to see you? Has Medusa sent you here to kill us? Because she's the only one you obey now, isn't she?"

Dark Pit laughed humorlessly. "First and foremost: I am servant to no other but myself. Second of all: I am not here to kill you, quite the opposite. Finally: where is Pit?"

The human turned pale when he heard his final question, for he himself didn't know what happened to the angel of light. He scratched his elbow, deciding to lower his guard and put away his weapon—it was still pretty heavy, so he'd rather not hold it out at someone who wouldn't hurt them—before he glanced at Charis. The woman moved back, standing next to him, and Magnus started explaining the situation: "Well, you remember that Palutena was killed, right?"

"I don't actually remember but so I was told."

Magnus nodded, although he was perplexed by Dark Pit's sudden amnesia. But he decided not to question it; Medusa's armies were still on their way and they would have very little time to talk things out. "Okay. Pit disappeared after the Goddess of Light was down, and then you fell into a sort of coma… or something. Charis and I kept you on the Overworld with us, to make sure that you'd not die, and it took you several months to wake up."

Dark Pit raised his hand, which signified that he wanted to intervene, and asked one of the main questions that boggled his mind: "How did I wake up? Did a God save me?"

"Yeah, Hermes. Not this Hermes, another one, probably from your dimension because he said he knew you—It's really fucking complicated… That portal that your precious Palutena has opened has disrupted everything!" Magnus cried out in anger, and Dark Pit raised an eyebrow before showing him the necklace, brightly glowing, that he still had around his wrist. Without it, Palutena couldn't open up a portal, which meant that it wasn't her doing…

Dark Pit could only think about one Goddess who could've done such a thing: Medusa herself, with the help of Hermes that she had under her control. But then, against all odds, his Hermes had come out of it… and apparently saved him. The dark angel gritted his teeth, pissed off. "If he thinks that's gonna be enough to get me back, he's fucking wrong."

"I really think he just wanted to hel—"

"I know him, Magnus," Dark Pit interrupted him, his eyes blazing with a secret rage that he tried to suppress. He was aware that Hermes was trying to get him back, but his sweet intentions wouldn't fool him. After what he had done, what he had put him through, the darker version of Pit would never allow him to get a hold on him ever again—he'd rather die than work for him. "I won't fall for it, he can go right off in another dimension—hopefully one that is lost afterwards, so that I won't have to deal with his infuriating existence ever again."

Dark Pit turned away from Magnus, absolutely outraged, and noticed that Pit was looking at him, a few feet away. Perhaps he had listened to their conversation, but why would he care? This imposter didn't deserve the slightest of attention. Magnus, on the other hand, appeared shocked and urged Charis to stay behind him. The usurper walked up to Dark Pit, trailing his hand on his cheek, and smiled softly, almost lovingly. His blue eyes gleamed with admiration, with desire, with great care that his darker half refused to see. Why did he think that he was different? Why did he try to convince himself that they were different? They were as they had always been, even though he didn't have the same body anymore.

Medusa had used the original Pit's soul, and it was shining within him—he was the real Pit! The Goddess of Darkness hadn't damaged his personality, his personal convictions, nor tarnished his heart in the slightest. If anything, she had made them all stronger, she had infused some of her own determination within himself; he was nothing but a better version of the real Pit. A genuinely improved twin.

Dark Pit slapped his hand off of his cheek, but Pit had to insist; why did he want to break them? They could be happy together, Medusa had said that she allowed them to stay together in this dimension. For that, she had created another angel, which she had brought into Dark Pit's origin world. Now, Pit and Dark Pit fully belonged to each other—until the very end of Time. "Pittoo, why do you constantly repel me?"

"Don't you touch me, you monster!" Dark Pit snarled, and he lost his temper when Pit touched his cheek again. He narrowed his eyes and punched the other angel right across the face. The lighter version fell to the ground, taken aback, and shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe it… Was it really how it had to end? Dark Pit glowered at him, a raging fire consuming his red rubies. "You are a fake, you are Medusa's creation, and I won't allow you to get close to me! WHERE IS THE REAL PIT?!"

"But, love, that's me—"

"I told you not to call me that, you freak!" Dark Pit let out a dark, guttural laugh and vigorously shook his head. "And no, oh no you're not the real Pit. That's one thing I'm deeply convinced of."

Pit frowned, hurt by those words that he hoped he would never have to hear, and sprung back to his feet once he had recovered from the attack. He wiped his chiton, overwhelmed by the situation that was getting out of control. Why was Dark Pit so rebellious all of a sudden? When he had picked him up, he appeared to be happy that he could stay with him forever… and now, he wanted to leave. He wanted to find the 'real' Pit—even though he was right there standing before him… Had Dark Pit lost his mind? Pit bit his lower lip, feeling bad for his darker half; maybe there was a way he could help him? Maybe his undying love and affection for him could save him? Aphrodite had said that Love was stronger than anything… So maybe it could also overpower Dark Pit's amnesia?

The dark angel eyed at Magnus, who was beyond puzzled, and looked down in desperation. Where was his Pit? Could it be that this monster really was him? No… "What has Medusa done to you, if you're the real Pit? Why are your eyes still blue when you claim to be enlightened by her darkness?!" he asked, though it was more rhetorical than anything. He didn't want an answer, he didn't want to know what had happened to him… It would be way too painful, as if he was directly attending Pit's execution without doing anything to save him. The dark angel shuddered at the thought and imagined the scene as though it was happening before his eyes. Horrified, he stepped back, nearly falling to the ground, but Pit had caught him before he could. Dark Pit rapidly stood up and violently pushed the usurper away from him, groaning in anger. "Your Forces took him, didn't they? Medusa killed him! Is that it? She slaughtered him, she cut off his wings, she made him bleed out on the cold ground as you watched? You devious creature, you are nothing but his shadow, aren't you?!"

Pit looked deadpanned until a smile flashed on his lips. "So what if I was? I would still be Pit to some extent, right?" Dark Pit's eyes widened in fear, but the lighter angel proceeded with his detailed explanation of the real Pit's execution—which Medusa had told him about, since he wasn't yet alive when it happened. Medusa had been benevolent enough to give him another chance in another body… He was infinitely grateful for that. Pit cleared his throat, tears filling his eyes as he started to explain: "One of the angel commanders had kidnapped him and brought him to Queen Medusa's castle, in the Underworld. She wanted to subdue him but he refused, so she had to put him through… torture…"

Pit shivered, as though he could feel the stabs in his own body again, but didn't let that dishearten him. Under Dark Pit's petrified expression, he kept on with his retelling: "He was fiercer than she had thought, so she had to… make things worse; she wanted to force his submission, so she… tried to get him to succumb to Darkness. She infused his soul with a great load of it, but… instead of giving in to it, he committed suicide. But it's okay! He's in me now, he lives through me! Queen Medusa gave him another chance to be good, by giving him a new body—my own! I'm the real Pit, Pittoo, it's me!"

"H-How dare y-you call yourself him…? You… demon…" Dark Pit whispered, out of breath…

.oOo.

… before his eyes opened abruptly.

Dark Pit gasped for air, his hair all over his face, and sat up in the bed, in the middle of the night. It had been a nightmare… He should've known, but it had felt so realistic that he had lost himself in it. The dark angel's wings fluttered and he wiped his face, sighing. He wouldn't be able to sleep again, with all that had happened, with what he had heard. Dark Pit slightly tilted his head to the right, where Pit was lying down, sound asleep. He couldn't hold back a smile at his sight: he was drooling, laying down on his side and his deep, relaxed breathing was the only sound that filled the room.

From what Dark Pit could tell, it was around two in the morning, since the moon was so high up in the sky. He pulled down the blankets, sliding out of bed, and walked to the bathroom silently to rinse his face. He tried his best not to concentrate on his nightmare, but it had felt all too genuine, too honest. Did he have a vision? No… He could only see the past, and even that hadn't happened in weeks. Perhaps it was just his worry expressing itself in dreams…

The angel glanced at himself in the mirror, struck by the heavy bags under his eyes. "It's okay, Dark Pit… It was all just a dream…" he tried to convince himself, looking down at the sink, and he slightly winced when he met his own eyes again. Since his skin was naturally paler than that of Pit, his bags was even more striking and he loathed it. His eyes also seemed to pop out a lot more… He sighed and rinsed his face again, rubbed his eyes with the cold water, before reaching out for the towel. He wiped his face with it, disheveled his hair as well and ran his fingers through it once he was done. It was messier than it normally was, and that was what he needed: change. A haircut could really make a difference, and he didn't want to look at himself again and relive the nightmare from the mere sight of his hair. Dark Pit then took a deep breath, closed his eyes and eliminated the images of his nightmare from his mind. He never wanted to see them again, whatever they meant.

The dark angel headed back to the bedroom, where Pit was still sleeping, and decided that he wouldn't try to sleep again, because it was straight up pointless. So he walked over to Pit, laid out a gentle kiss on his forehead, and briefly ran his fingers through his hazel hair. "Rest… I'll be back soon," he whispered under his breath, earning a slight moan from his lover. Since he didn't want to wake him up just yet, Dark Pit went for the doors, gently pushed them so that they didn't make a sound, and headed out. If he spent a little time in the gardens, perhaps he would be able to think about something else—like their mission, for instance. He followed the usual path, sneaking through the corridors leading to the main hall, and came across two Centurions who were guarding the doors to the gardens. They weren't supposed to be outside during the night, since the darkness was so present, but Dark Pit desperately needed some time out in the open.

The Centurions glanced at him, surprised to see him up, and told him that they couldn't grant him access. The dark angel begged them to let him through, that it was only for five minutes, and he was so insistent that they ended up agreeing—because they knew that, if they didn't, they'd get beaten up. Dark Pit thanked them and walked out, his bare feet touching the pavement. He felt instantly better, as if a thousand pounds had been lifted off of his shoulders. The cold breeze brushed through his hair, kissed his skin and Dark Pit sighed in delight. He walked towards their favorite bench, where he sat down and gazed out at the star-sprinkled sky.

The navy blue color of the Heavens brought a sense of security, of belonging to the angel's heart, so much so that he couldn't help but stare at it. There, amongst the stars, under the eye of the moon, he felt home. He closed his eyes for a second, inhaling the sweet scent of the trees under the night sky, and relaxed, forgetting about everything. His nightmare was long gone, and he had to say that he wouldn't miss it. His mind wandered off, until he managed to focus on a particular subject: his mission with Pit. They needed to find a human who could mate with Magnus—'mating' not necessarily meaning 'loving', in their case. It was all for the preservation of their species, perhaps they would be obliging. The angel couldn't help but think about that human woman in his nightmare, Charis. He didn't know if she existed, and he sincerely hoped that she didn't. But how could he have imagined her? She was so detailed… Perhaps he was more creative than he thought himself to be.

That was the only viable explanation, right? Right, right.

Dark Pit eyed at the moon and soon realized that the Centurions were there, asking him to go back inside. The dark angel grunted but complied, flapping his wings to manifest his frustration. He had only been out for two minutes… barely. He knew the dangers that came with being exposed to darkness for too long, but he didn't think that he had overdone it. Nonetheless, he headed back inside the palace along with the two Centurions.

When they walked in, Palutena was there—those two brain-depraved soldiers had probably woken her up since he wasn't coming back. The Goddess of Light appeared to be reassured when she saw the dark angel enter, and invited him to the hot spring. He would've refused, but knew that it was necessary, and also that it was an invitation to a whole another thing: it was time for some 'light cure', or however he could call it from now on.

Because he had been stuck in the dark for three days in the Underworld, Medusa's influence had grown noticeably stronger, which definitely wore him out. Palutena had suggested to try and diminish its strength with her light powers, and Dark Pit had to say that it was a decent idea. So, he had accepted to commit to it: two times a day, he was to take a hot spring bath, and then he would have to ask for Palutena's assistance once a day for complementary healing. Since it was easy enough, he had had nothing to add. The Goddess of Light led him through the palace, because it was hard to see where he was going, and opened the doors to her quarters. She then walked to the bathroom and pushed the door to reveal the glowing, golden water of the hot spring. "Here, make yourself at home; I'll be back in a minute."

"Got it."

Dark Pit took off his chiton and scarf, but kept on his undergarments, since he didn't really want to be naked in front of Palutena. Although he completely trusted her, he still kept a 'professional distance' with her. Also, he was pretty uncomfortable with his body, all because of that other human… So, he refrained from being naked in the presence of someone as a general rule. Only Pit was an exception, for obvious reasons. The dark angel wrapped his wings around his body, still a little embarrassed, and stepped in the hot spring. As soon as the hot water touched his skin, he let out a sigh and sat in it. He rested against the wall, leaning his head back and using it for support, and closed his eyes to take in the sweet, intoxicating feeling of the warm water around him.

Too soon, Palutena was back with a black towel. She had made sure to pick a darker-colored one, because she knew her little goth angel quite well. To her delight, Dark Pit opened an eye and nodded at her wise choice of towel. The Goddess of Light knelt down next to the hot spring, making sure that her dress wasn't soaked, and watched the dark angel relax. His body transpired with dark energy, yet he was still hanging on. She knew that he was strong-willed, but it still managed to surprise her. Just how much could he take before breaking? She wished that she would never see it, but she was still wondering, because she had no idea how she would feel if that happened. She would be quite disarmed…

Dark Pit caught her attention when he shook his head, though he had his eyes shut tightly. He blinked them open and dived right into those of green of the Goddess of Light. "What's wrong, Pittoo?"

Dark Pit's wings dropped when he answered: "I had a nightmare and I can't seem to get over it."

"Would you like to tell me what it was about?" Palutena asked, although she wouldn't force him if he didn't feel like it. Nightmares could be quite frightening, and talking about them could bring back terrible memories to the dreamer. All that she wanted was to protect him, from everything that could be a threat to him. He was her protégé, to so many extents… She had disliked him for a great part of his life, but when she had learnt who he really was, she had felt sympathy.

Dark Pit looked off to the side, sighing heavily, and the Goddess of Light was just about to suggest that he dropped the subject when he started expressing his worries. "Perhaps telling you could help me convince myself that it was just a nightmare, so I'll give it a shot. It was Pit, he had supposedly succumbed to Medusa's powers and died after you had been killed. It's… confusing, even to me… I met his… twin—some creation that Medusa based off of him. He said that he was Pit, that his soul was living inside him, that he had been given another chance… I don't understand, it's frightened me…"

"Pit was not himself anymore?"

"No, he was in a new body… I don't know how and why it was created, but… I'll figure it out. Perhaps if I get to see this monstrosity again, I can ask him where he comes from."

Palutena frowned and thought about it. In the meantime, she decided to ask another question: "Was there something else in the dream that would be worth mentioning?"

Dark Pit looked at her and tried his best to remember. His eyes lit with realization when he recalled seeing Magnus with that girl, Charis, on the surface. The dark angel's wings perked up and he turned his attention to the Goddess of Light. "Yes, there was also Magnus with a woman, on the Overworld, fighting Underworld monsters… They said I was possessed too, but I didn't feel like it. I felt like my usual self."

Palutena nodded, attentive, and listened to his every words to decipher the meaning behind these horrific images. "Oftentimes, dreams are the manifestation of the dreamer's insecurities," she explained, which caused Dark Pit to look up at her with a deadpanned expression. The Goddess shrugged it off, since she hadn't expected less, and continued: "I think I hit the nail right on the head, but I'd rather ask anyways: you are scared of losing Pit, aren't you, Pittoo?"

The dark angel's wings jerked up when she asked that question, and he jolted on the spot. "Yeah, of course I am, he's all I have. Do you think this… creature could be a twisted representation of that fear?"

"Yes," the Goddess of Light nodded. "Perhaps seeing him in another body, which is under Medusa's orders, represents your fright of losing him to her powers. Since you have been traumatized by what happened to Aphrodite in your own dimension, it could come directly from that: you're probably scared of witnessing your loved ones' fall again. And because we're growing all the more closer to the final battle with Medusa… it shows in your dreams."

"You really think that's just that? No… vision, or premonition, or anything?"

"Don't you worry, Pittoo."

Dark Pit allowed himself to breathe. Perhaps she was right, in which case he needed to relax. Well, maybe he should've known that it couldn't be a vision, since he had never had any of these in the past. The one thing that could really comfort him would be to find a woman for Magnus who wasn't called Charis. That way, it would definitely be a nightmare that wouldn't come true. He sincerely hoped that this human woman was the fruit of his imagination… But somehow, he couldn't believe it, his heart told him that he would be lying to himself. He just knew that there was more to this nightmare that met the eye…

Dark Pit shut his eyes and gulped; no, he shouldn't think that, he shouldn't. He shook his head, knocking down his thoughts, and looked at Palutena. "Thanks."

"I'm happy to reassure you."

Dark Pit decided not to tell her that she hadn't fully succeeded, and instead told her that he was ready for the light treatment. The Goddess tied her hair up so that it wouldn't meet the water when she leaned forward, pressing her hands on Dark Pit's temples. She demanded that he relaxed, which he found rather easy to do, and her hands started glowing with a bright golden light enveloping her fingers. She diffused it throughout his body, sending shivers down his spine. It felt absolutely delicious, he had to say that he couldn't get enough of it; it was warm, inviting, charming, all at the same time. If he had been into girls, perhaps he would've been captivated.

The dark angel let out shy moans of ease, which made the Goddess chuckle under her breath. She could only imagine how good he must have felt, considering that this darkness that he kept fighting was being replaced with a warm ray of sunshine. It sure was less painful, since he didn't have to fight against that one. For one of the first times in an eternity, Dark Pit's soul could finally be still and watch as someone was fighting off the monster within.

Footsteps arose behind Palutena, and she looked over her shoulder to see that Blapi was there, shyly walking up to them. He wasn't a very heavy sleeper, quite the opposite: he was always the first angel awake. He would often visit the Goddess of Light early in the morning, to make sure that she was safe and sound. He cared so much about everyone around the palace, even the Centurions! He would often walk up to them and make small talk. Although he was shy when it came to Dark Pit, he was rather outgoing with Tip. Palutena couldn't exactly tell for Pit though, since the two had never really talked to each other at all, but it would probably be just as easy as it was with Tip.

Blapi sat down on the edge of the hot springs, dipping his feet in the warm water, and watched carefully the dark angel who kept on moaning. The green-attired angel glanced at Palutena. "Is he okay?"

"Yes, though we shouldn't talk. He's relaxing, he needs silence," The Goddess of Light answered, to which Blapi only nodded and looked back at Dark Pit. The dark angel's teal wings were wrapped around his own self and Palutena, and his facial features seemed utterly calm, which was out of his character. He looked so peaceful… Blapi felt his cheeks burn at the sight of him.

The green-attired angel had noticed that this one was always frustrated, always pissed off, always annoyed, so seeing him smiling and truly enjoying himself was different, but refreshing. He remembered the smile that he had seen on his face when he had looked at him in the gardens and blushed; he liked him. Dark Pit was surely the angel that he admired the most in the little crowd, for he didn't have time to talk to Pit—who was the second hero of this story, according to reliable sources—the author. Tip was a funny angel, but he was not interesting; he didn't have conversation. Dark Pit on the other hand, even though he didn't know much about him, was a literate angel, who loved to read and learn new things. Despite his cold attitude, Blapi was sure that he was very interesting to listen to: he probably knew a thousand different stories inside out. And that was something that fascinated Viridi's messenger above all others; he had the ability to talk and make it worth something.

Blapi slightly jumped when Dark Pit opened his ruby orbs and looked at him askance. Well, there was still a bit of hostility between them… "What's he doing here?" the dark angel groaned at the Goddess of Light.

Palutena shrugged. "Oh, he wanted to make sure that you were okay."

Dark Pit glared at Blapi and sighed in defeat. Palutena drew back, since she was done with the healing process—she couldn't do too much at a time, or else she would take the risk of damaging the dark angel's soul, since it had been accommodated to the darkness within—and that allowed Dark Pit to stare coldly at his green counterpart. "I'm fine," he informed him, then he stood up and pulled the towel close to his body. That way, he ensured that the other would not look too intensely at his crotch area. He wrapped himself in it, dried his skin, and brought it to his hair to ruffle it again. Blapi gazed at him, enthralled by the sight, and snapped out of his trance to eye at Palutena. The Goddess had went back to her bed, sitting on its edge, and waited for Dark Pit to walk out.

The dark angel kept the towel with him, since it was soaked, and put on his chiton over his drenched undergarments… He sighed but didn't mention it. He put on his various jewels: his cuffs on his forearms and his precious thigh ring, which he never took off unless he had to bathe. He quickly snatched his belt and fastened it around his well-defined waist, but he grunted when he caught Blapi's ogling eyes on him. "And what do you think you're looking at?!" he snapped at Viridi's angel, who took a step back.

Dark Pit sighed and stormed out of Palutena's quarters without a word for her. He had to make a detour at the laundry room, where he put the towel and his undergarments. He rummaged through his belongings to find new ones that were dry, those ones being yellow, and wore them with pure disgust. Yellow… Of all colors, it had to be yellow that he picked. It definitely reminded him of Hermes—which was the last thing he wanted. Dark Pit sighed and cursed his bad luck for wearing such an ugly pair of undergarments, before he almost ran off to the room that he shared with Pit.

When he came in—not in a very silent fashion, he had to admit—Pit was already out of bed. The bed sheets looked like they had been thrown off of the bed rapidly and without a care, which resembled Pit in so many ways. The dark angel tapped his foot on the ground, waiting for his lighter half to get out of the bathroom, where he assumed he was. Rightfully so, since Palutena's captain opened the door and walked out of the bathroom with nothing but a white towel around his waist to cover his genitals. Dark Pit leered at him, licking his lips, and cleared his throat when he realized that his other hadn't seen him. Pit jumped and his cheeks turned red. "P-Pittoo, I thought you were out!"

"I'm glad I wasn't~…" Dark Pit responded.

The lighter angel blushed even more and walked up to him, hesitating before hugging him close. Dark Pit smiled and buried his face in Pit's hair, which smelled like vanilla since he had just washed it. He sighed at the delicious scent of those wild, hazel strands and ran his fingers in them. He grabbed one of them and curled it around his finger, taking in its wondrous smell with lustful desires. Pit looked up after a moment and sealed their lips in a kiss, before he asked worriedly: "Where have you been? I have been up for twenty minutes and you were gone."

Dark Pit shrugged his shoulder, playing it off as though nothing important had occurred. "Well, doesn't matter. I feel lighter today, sweetheart~."

"Good, we'll need that for our mission on the Overworld," Pit said, grinning sheepishly because he really didn't want to get down to business this late in the night. The bedsheets could wait, they had to go back to sleep, because he was still tired. The Angel of the Sun tugged at Dark Pit's hand and attempted to lead him back to bed, but the dark angel showed reluctance. He took a step back, recoiled his hand and shook his head. Pit frowned, surprised by that behavior. "Pittoo, are you sure that you're okay? You're not acting right…"

Dark Pit gulped and looked off, turning his back to Pit. "I'm fine, I need to go to the library. I just remembered about a book that I wanted to read," he lied; well-thought, perhaps Pit wouldn't look further into this. At least, he hoped so. Just like he expected, Pit just nodded and said that it was okay, that he understood. Thinking that he would leave it at that, the dark angel walked out of the room and, upon closing the door, Pit called him out and told him to wait.

Dark Pit opened the door again, his hand still clinging to the handle, and he looked over his shoulder. Pit had sat on the bed, with the necklace in his hands, and glanced at his lover from there. He asked if he could maybe join him, because he wasn't sure that he would be able to sleep without a presence next to him. Dark Pit sneered and replied: 'What, are you scared of the dark?', to which Pit only pouted. Nonetheless, the darker version gladly accepted, and they both went straight for the library.

Pit attached the necklace around his neck, keeping the stone hidden under his loosely-worn white scarf, and followed Dark Pit to their destination. He admitted that he wasn't feeling so safe, considering that the halls were plunged in somberness, and thus his twin—sick of his constant whining—agreed to light up a candle of his choice. Pit was excited at the idea, but soon found out that it wasn't really his choice at all: every time he would suggest a candle, Dark Pit would say that he didn't like it, and would give alternate options. In the end, they both chose to stick with a candle which had a rose fragrance. Pit said that he liked it better, and the dark angel ended up giving in.

After Dark Pit had lit it and placed it on the armrest of the seat that was there, he sat down and grabbed a book with some of those letters on it—very similar to that which Tip and Pit had worked with on the alphabet. Together, at the dim light of a candle and the additional pinkish glow of the necklace, they started to look at each and every letter in order and randomly, to test Pit's knowledge of them. He could identify most of them, since he had been a good student and had kept reading about them sometimes, and Dark Pit pulled up a page with a letter—that Pit knew to be the 'C'—which looked an awful lot like a ring without its end. He plunged back in his memories of when he himself was a ring, and his mind started to wander off.

Those were memories of a time where none of this existed to him, where his dimension was the only one to be, where Dark Pit was to be his archnemesis forever, where… he was an angel serving the Goddess of Light for no other purpose than to protect her from outside threats that were bigger than her—both in size and power. It was a time when he was oblivious to the atrocious pain of the world, to the unbalancing of the Universe that was happening unbeknownst to anyone, and to the fact that Dark Pit was no clone. Pit smiled when he thought back about them; those were times of prosperity, of hopes of a better future.

Dark Pit asked another question about the letter 'C' and realized that he was talking to himself. Irritated, he eyed at Pit, who was starting to doze off, and sneered: "Aw, has Sleeping Beauty's finger been pricked again?"

Pit looked up, humming questionably, and rubbed his eyes with his hands. "I'm falling asleep."

"I've noticed," Dark Pit snickered, then he wrapped his wings around his lighter half's body. They were just big enough to hold him, and thus give him a sort of feathery blanket to keep him warm. He closed the book that he still had in his hands and put it back in the bookshelf it belonged to. "Well, I suppose reading session's over for tonight. Just don't fall into a hundred-years-long slumber, because Medusa would have certainly attacked by then."

"I'm too tired to try and understand what you're saying."

"Aw, come on! We even read that story together! You really don't pay much attention to what we do together, how disappointing…" his darker half pouted.

The lighter angel sighed and thought about it, trying to remember when that had happened. They read a story about a princess falling into a deep sleep? Suddenly, Pit remembered their reading at the lake when they left Magnus behind: the princess in that story had had her finger pricked and that caused her to fall asleep… Maybe that was what Dark Pit was referencing? But Pit couldn't recall if she had fallen asleep that long or not… all he could remember was that she was raped by the prince at the end—but it surely wasn't the true ending of that story. Because it was… yucky. That story was supposed to be a nice story!

Pit moaned deeply, drifting to sleep quicker than he'd have thought, and yawned. His eyelids were very heavy and threatened to close any minute—he wasn't sure he could hold them back any longer. "Well, let me remind you that you never told me the real ending to that tale…"

Dark Pit snorted. "But that was the real ending."

"Whatever you say, I'm too tired to argue with you…" With that said, Pit smiled and snuggled into the dark teal feathers, closing his eyes and accepting the fact that he needed to rest for a bit. Despite the fun he had talking about their shared stories with his twin, he yearned for a good night's sleep. He rested his head on Dark Pit's shoulder, listening to his soft, regular breathing, and soon fell asleep.

Dark Pit couldn't hold back a smile and trailed his fingers so that they entwined in Pit's scruffy hair. He laid out a kiss on his forehead and blew out the candle, leaning back in the armchair and shutting his eyes. "Goodnight, Pit-stain," he smirked, his eyes sparkling with affection. "Don't worry though. Even if you did fall into a deep slumber, I would definitely wake you up with a kiss~."

After he had said that, feeling his heart pounding in his chest, he felt himself relax and was quick to follow his lighter half in the realm of dreams.

To be continued…