Chapter 3

It had been several weeks since he had his last burst of inspiration. He had never in his life had so many problems trying to express himself with music. He never had this problem before Kyoko left. He shook that thought from his mind and shivered. He did not need her around, unless she was cooking for him or, doing his laundry. He growled and threw his pencil across the room.

"Sho!" Aki Shoko dodged the projectile as she entered the room. "Please try to be careful."

He sighed and crossed his arms across his chest while slouching down into his seat. "Fine..." He pouted. He still had no idea why the music and lyrics just wouldn't come to him.

"Don't forget, you have an interview this afternoon. I want you ready by 1:30. Don't forget." She scolded.

"Yeah, yeah. I hear ya." He groused.

This was so utterly unproductive. The only thing she was achieving was the sudden burst of inspiration in the Music Section she had inadvertently caused when she cleaned the gum from the hall floors near the offices. That and the super slick surface that caused injury to several people. "Why did I ever agree to this?" She groaned as she emptied the garbage from conference room 14a. She shivered at that thought. She had forgotten what good muse inspired music caused. "Well, at least they're using protection." She mumbled as she wrapped her hand in a small garbage bag and fished the condom from the bottom of the trash can and rolled her eyes.

"Stay here, Sho. I'll be right back. I'll go get the car to pick you up." Aki Shoko told him as she walked away.

"Okay, make it fast Darling." He winked and told her suavely as she turned and walked away.

As he sat waiting, he reveled in the female whispers of awe that caressed his ego. Ah, this is nice and all but sometimes it can be so trying to be loved by so many beautiful women. He sighed. What a trial.

The whispers and murmurs suddenly changed direction and he had noticed a strange feeling that he couldn't describe fall over him. Tsuruga?! Heh, heh... Time to let him know he won't be holding on to that number one title for much longer. He's really that tall? He shook the self-conscious thought from his mind and kicked over the ashtray next to him.

Ren looked down at the ashtray before him and then at the young man sitting next to it. Hm, is this? He smirked inwardly at the young man's insolence.

"Sorry, my legs are too long." He told him with a challenging glare. "If I had noticed you were there I would have been more careful." Take that! I didn't even notice you! Hah!

Ren glanced at him and an overwhelming sense of dread fell over Sho when he smiled. There was something not so gentle behind that particular smile. "Understandable, long legs can be such a hassle sometimes. Just don't forget to clean up your mess." He told him with a look that sent a shiver down his spine as Ren flipped the ashtray into the upright position with his foot. "The trash and the lid." He reminded as he glanced back at him with eyes that weren't so forgiving. So, that's Sho Fuwa.

{"Deimos, I need you to circle around and bring General Mack to Napoleon. He has made the proper sacrifice and has asked for a quiet resolution to this." Ares commanded.

Deimos nodded in agreement. "I will not fail you Father." He saluted respectfully.

"Thank you my son. You always make me very proud." Ares had changed considerably over the years and so had his children. They had all become very weary of the many mortal wars, that were steadily growing in size and in number. There seemed to be no end and he had never been so busy or, as in demand as he had in this age.

As the beautiful, tall, young, blond, green-eyed male approached the general, the man felt a complete sense of terror and dread wash over him.

On October 20, 1805, after a five day battle at Ulm in Bavaria, Austrian General Mack surrendered to Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte with minimal casualties on both sides.

"Now I may return to your sweet mother and you may return to Aoidḗ." Ares teased with a wink.}

Ren shook his head. Where did that come from?

"So are you ready to deal with Ruriko-chan tomorrow?" Yashiro smirked.

Ren groaned inwardly. She was not a person he wanted to deal with. She was spoiled, arrogant and clearly a selfish little diva and Takarada-san wanted her fixed. How the hell are we supposed to fix her? "I suppose... I'll pick you up at five?"

Yashiro nodded as they entered Ren's car and buckled in. "That should be enough time to make it there."

Ah... She sighed. This one has the aura of a musician. Kyoko pondered. But the aura has become corrupted. Maybe she still has some redeemable qualities. She has probably suffered so much due to her sun allergies, poor thing. So frail. I suppose I should help her as much as I can. Those were the last hopeful thoughts Kyoko had before she was, once again, proven wrong about yet another modern musician as she felt the throbbing pain of her ankle shoot up her leg and into her spine and little points of light dotted her blurring vision.

"It's useless..." She sighed. "I miss Olympus. I miss you Deimos. Why did I ever agree to this?" A little tear streaked down her cheek. "Why did we ever agree to this? Now he'll never find me and I'm stuck here alone not knowing where my sisters are and the one that I inspired was an ungrateful cockroach." She groused quietly.

She thought back to when her human life had begun and remembered a perfect little boy, almost fairy-like with that old familiar feeling. I suppose it could have been him. She thought nostalgically. Corn... This life sucks, everyone keeps leaving me.

"The missing LoveMe Section member." Ren commented. "Taking a break or, can't move?" He asked.

{"The battlefield is no place for music. You need to leave. You'll be in the way." He told her as she stared at him in anger.

She shot him a glare. "For your information more musicians are born on the battlefield than in the confines of a lush palace." She growled condescendingly.

"Woman, you need to leave. You'll be in the way." He reciprocated the glare.

Her golden eyes flashed in anger and she flipped her silken raven locks in his face as she turned. "I can take care of myself, thank you very much... Oh... And you don't scare me with that look Deimos. So don't even try." She walked away to find her new charge, leaving him stunned and slightly aroused.}

What the hell was that? Ren shook the new thoughts from his mind. Why am I thinking of things like this?

"You have something to say?" She asked the distracted young man.

"No..." He noticed the redness and swelling of her left ankle, knelt down, grabbed her injured leg and removed her shoe. "Let me take a look."

She grimaced in pain and bit back a scream.

"Wow, she looks like she's in a lot of pain." The cameraman commented on Kyoko's state.

"Mmhmm, of course it hurts, I think she broke it." He told the two men that had accompanied him on his little fishing trip.

No! What am I going to do if it's broken? She thought in despair.

"Let's take her up first, we can't do anything for her here." He announced as he hoisted her in his arms surprising her. She stiffened in embarrassment and blushed at the feel of his hands on her as he carried her.