My sincere thanks to Sumi-Sprite for beta-reading. Thank you so much for all your advice, your patience and your support. I could never have done this without you.

Epilogue

The silence was unnerving. For what felt like an eternity, no one dared to make a move. The people of the town had gathered around them. They could only stare in disbelief at the wounded angel and the girl holding each other; his wings wrapped around her in a protective embrace.

Whispers began to spread among the crowd. Pit slightly raised his head and looked around. Some humans were surprised, some were confused, some were distrustful, but there was no sign of anger among them.

A man moved away from the others; it was the town leader. Pit slowly rose to his feet. The human was now looming over them, and Pit remembered what Agatha had told him. How her own dad, this man standing in front of them, had dragged her from the town square, her only crime being that she had defended him. Pit moved between the girl and her father, spreading out his arms and blocking the human's path. The town leader tensed visibly; his eyes widened and darted back and forth between the angel and his daughter.

Murmurs began to spread through the crowd. The humans clenched their hands around their weapons; clubs, pitchforks, shovels, sticks; the scene was all too familiar to Pit. Back in the town it had filled him with dread, but now it only strengthened his resolve.

The town leader stared at the injured angel in front of him. In a show of defiance, Pit looked him directly in the eyes. The human clenched his hands into fists, his eyes narrowed as a glint of resentment flickered within them. Pit's wings twitched, shaking loose a few blood crusted feathers. He knew what was coming.

Pit focused himself. He decided to let the human get in the first blow. He would not be the one to start a fight but he would be the one to finish it. Reminding himself this man was still Agatha's father, he knew he had to restrain himself. Even in his current condition, an angel—especially one cornered—would still be able to badly injure a human.

However, Pit hadn't expected what happened next.

Instead of lunging at him the man fell to his knees. He lowered his head to the ground... and begged. "Please... Please let me go to my daughter." There was a lonely sob. "I love her."

Pit gasped. His eyes and mouth froze in an expression of stunned surprise. He looked at Agatha behind him. She had placed a hand before her mouth and was staring at her father with tearful eyes.

"Dad…"

Realizing the town leader had no ill intent and after receiving a nod from the girl, Pit stepped aside. The man glanced nervously at him before averting his eyes. Pit gave the human an earnest look. "I never meant to harm your daughter. I only wanted to protect her." An awkward silence hung between them, but then a sense of understanding spread across the man's distraught expression.

"I know," he said softly.

He raised himself to his feet and gently enveloped his daughter into a warm embrace. "I'm sorry, Agatha. I'm so sorry for what I did to you."

She rested her head against her father's chest. "It's okay, dad. I understand."

"You're everything to me." His voice cracked with emotion. "You're my hope, my light. You're all that I have left."

Pit couldn't hide a tired but relieved smile; the town leader was a good man after all. He then looked at the humans around him. They weren't bad people. They were driven into despair because of what his body had done.

The girl had taught him that he needed to stop blaming himself for what happened; that it hadn't been him who had done all those horrible acts. She had made him understand that he needed to move on, and that blaming himself wouldn't help anyone. Pit smiled ruefully. It was the same thing what Magnus had told him, but he didn't listen to his friend.

He wanted to go to the humans.

Which was exactly what Magnus had been afraid of.

"They'll be looking for someone to blame. One thing you gotta learn about humans; we aren't exactly forgiving."

The town leader let go of his daughter and turned towards Pit.

"Angel..." There was a gleam of sadness in his eyes. "I… I want to believe that you are not to blame. But the lives of my people will never be the same again."

There's a hint of regret. His eyes are tired. His voice is slightly quivering. "I ask of you… to leave this place and never return." He glances at Agatha. A small but warm smile forms on his lips. "My daughter trusts you, and I respect her for that." His smile falters. "I wish I could say the same. I won't apologize for what we've done here today. I can't in good conscience apologize to you. Maybe someday I can, if the memories have faded in the years to come. But for the sake of my people... please leave this place... and never set foot in this town again."

Pit didn't say anything. He had long realized there were no more words left to be said. He gave the town leader a respectful nod.

A column of light enveloped him. "It's time to bring you home, Pit." The angel smiled as he felt the comforting presence of his goddess reach out to him. "Just give me a moment, Lady Palutena. There's one last thing I have to do."

Pit turns towards Agatha and gives her a grateful smile. "Thank you... for saving me." He shows her the Chrysanthemum she had given to him. "I'll never forget you. I hope we can see each other again one day. I would like that."

Agatha smiled back. "I would like that too. Thank you, Pit."

The young angel beams at her just before he disappears in a flash of light.

()()()()

"He doesn't know we're here, right?"

"I don't think so, but should we really be spying on him like this?"

"In the condition he's in someone has to keep an eye on him. Honestly, sometimes I don't understand you, Palutena."

"And why is that, Viridi?"

Palutena and Viridi were standing behind a pillar near the entrance of a small temple in Skyworld. Some distance away Pit was slowly walking down a path, holding a pink Chrysanthemum in his hands.

The Goddess of Nature gave Palutena a scowl. "You know very well why!" The bitterness directed at the other goddess was undeniable. She pointed her staff in the angel's direction.

"Why is Pit still limping? Why is he still covered in bruises? Why are his injuries still not healed?"

Palutena remained silent for a moment as she observed Pit herself. What Viridi said was true. A few days had passed since the events in the town of Solis. And although Pit's worst injuries had been treated, the young angel had refused any kind of healing. He had difficulty walking, he flinched whenever he tried to stand up or lie down – she was sure at least one of his ribs was cracked – his left eye was still swollen and half-closed, there were bald spots on his wings and his entire body was covered with bruises, cuts and scrapes that had only just begun to heal.

The Goddess of Light looked back at Viridi. "I think you know the answer to that."

Viridi groaned. "Why is Pit doing this to himself? And for what? For those humans? They don't deserve anything."

Palutena couldn't help but smile. It was so obvious Viridi cared for Pit. She lowered her staff and conjured up an image of Magnus and Agatha. "What about the girl who helped Pit? What about Magnus? Aren't they deserving?"

The Goddess of Nature looked at the image as if she was contemplating something - Palutena was sure she spotted a moment of hesitation - before turning away. "They're an exception. But humanity in general? They're hopeless." Her expression softened. "But I do have to admit that she did help Pit." Viridi snorted. "She's too good to be a human."

Viridi continued to look at Pit's limping form. She winced momentarily when Pit halted and flinched as another jolt of pain pierced through him. The young angel grimaced. Viridi decided it was not a good look on him. Which was ironic as she used to enjoy every chance she got to see Pit suffer. Of course they were still at war back then. The memories of their first encounter and their bitter conflict made Viridi frown. She had wanted nothing more than to blast that angel out of the sky. He had been at the top of her "to-kill" list after he destroyed her Reset Bomb depot. But now… When exactly did she became so soft?

When Viridi spoke again there was a feeling of frustration building up around her. "If he's too stubborn to let himself be healed, why don't we put him into one of those hot springs? Look at him, Palutena! He's torturing himself."

"Again, you should already know the answer to that."

Viridi stayed silent, but Palutena had noticed it. Her body language was stiff and her eyes were vulnerable. Shadows of emotions flickered on her face, just long enough to convince Palutena she was struggling underneath the surface.

The Goddess of Light stared at Pit in the distance. The angel had stopped and was now gazing at the Chrysanthemum in his hands.

Palutena turned towards Viridi. Her voice was earnest. "It's not that I don't want to heal Pit. There's nothing more I want than to make him feel better." She remained silent for a moment. "It's because he doesn't want me to."

"But… You're a goddess, you can heal Pit whenever—"

"No, Viridi. I won't do that." Palutena's eyes were filled with conviction.

"Why…?" Her expression was now almost helpless.

"Because this is what Pit wants. I have no right to interfere."

There was a slight quaver in her voice. "Even if it hurts him?"

"Yes, even if it hurts him. I realized this when Pit's wings were burned up after he saved Pittoo. He sacrificed himself without even a hint of hesitation. He didn't care what would happen to himself; the only thing that mattered to him was that Pittoo would live. When I was holding Pit's unconscious body in my arms, when I could only think about how Pit had sacrificed everything to save me and Pittoo from the Chaos Kin; it was then that I realized he's stronger than any of us. Even us gods."

Viridi looked like she was about to say something, but seemed to decide against it.

"It made me realize that Pit needs to find his own way. It made me realize I have no right to make his choices for him. In my arrogance, I believed that Pit was the one who needed me." She smiled ruefully. "But I'm the one who needs him."

"And that's why I respect his wishes. I let Pit go to the humans, even though I knew it would hurt him." Palutena's voice wavered, and Viridi looked up in surprise. "And I think Pit knew it as well."

For the first time the Goddess of Nature noticed the sadness in Palutena's eyes. It made her realize how deep the bond between the Goddess of Light and Pit truly was.

Palutena continued. "When we got back to Skyworld he could barely move. I stayed with him that night. He apologized for putting me through this, and I told him there was nothing to apologize for." She no longer could hide the emotion in her words. "He thought he had let me down, Viridi. And not only me, but that he had let you and Pittoo and Magnus down as well. Even in his injured condition, he could only think about us instead of himself."

"That's so like him," Viridi said softly. Regret spread over her features. "I never wanted to understand that side of him. I always thought he was being hopelessly naive. That his innocence was just a weakness. But now..." She paused, and gave herself a moment to accept the realization that had dawned on her. "It's... It's not a weakness at all, is it?"

The silence lingered painfully.

Viridi noticed Pit was moving again and about to cross a bridge leading towards one of the other islands. He waved at a Centurion passing by.

Palutena went on, but not before glancing at Pit as well. The strain on her features was still there, but she had mostly composed herself. "Pit told me that if he let his injuries be healed by a drink of the Gods, or by bathing in a hot spring, he would feel like betraying all those who had suffered at his hands. He wants his injuries to heal on their own."

"But this is wrong!" Viridi protested. "He owes the humans nothing. This isn't fair!"

Palutena gave Viridi a somber look. "The Chaos Kin... That creature didn't only use Pit's body to spread chaos. It destroyed Pit's role as protector and turned him into a murderer in front of the entire world. That's why Pit was left so broken, Viridi. The Chaos Kin robbed him of everything that made him an angel."

The Goddess of Nature stood shocked in a moment of silence. "Palutena, I didn't know." Her voice wavered. "Why didn't I know he was so hurt?"

Palutena gave her a comforting smile. "You have nothing to blame yourself for. You always cared for Pit. You helped him when I could not. This is something Pit didn't want us to know because he was worried how it would affect us." She glanced in the direction of the island Pit went to. "How about it, Viridi? Let's meet up and surprise him. He will be happy to see you."

The two goddesses flew to the next island, making sure to stay out of sight of the young angel. They landed in a street with houses on both sides; a place where some of the Centurions chose to live when off-duty. However, to Palutena's surprise Viridi immediately darted into an alley.

"Viridi? Don't you want to go see Pit?"

Viridi looked back with unease. "Not yet. I need more time. I... I need to think."

Palutena gave Viridi an understanding smile. "Of course. Let's just stay here then." She turned around and spotted Pit coming around the corner in the distance. He had just crossed the bridge and was now walking down the street. Even from a distance she could pick up his struggle to try and keep walking. He was slowly coming closer, his body slightly swaying from side to side.

Palutena wanted to support him with every step he made, but she knew Pit would put on a brave face. She knew it would only hurt him more whenever he saw her worried expression. The goddess felt guilt well up inside of her. She could justify it all she wanted; it still felt wrong.

She quickly joined Viridi in the alley before Pit would spot her.

There was a respectful silence between the two goddesses. Viridi let out a sigh in resignation. When she spoke her voice was soft and carried a hint of admiration. "He really is something special, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is."

A few minutes went by before Pit had finally passed the alley. Viridi leaned against the wall of a house and frowned. "Why is he still carrying that flower? I can sense it's beginning to wilt."

The strain on Viridi's expression was still there, but the tension had become less.

"He's been keeping that flower with him ever since we got back to Skyworld. It reminds him there are humans who believe in angels, who believe in him. It reminds him that he's carrying the hopes and dreams of humanity within his heart. And it's their hopes and dreams which give him strength."

Viridi's surprise grew. "But why Pit? Why does he have to sacrifice himself for those humans?"

"For Pit, this is what it means to be an angel. He doesn't fight for himself. He fights to give everyone hope."

Palutena could see the realization in Viridi's eyes.

"This is who he wants to be, Viridi."

"So that's why..." Viridi's voice was lined with understanding, as well as a hint of acceptance. "So that's why he wants to keep that flower with him for as long as he can."

"Yes. I was going to make a replacement to surprise him with."

Viridi and Palutena leaned around the corner of the alley. Pit had almost reached the end of the street and was about to cross another bridge.

"Hope, huh?"

The edge of Viridi's mouth curved into a faint smile. The Goddess of Nature raised her staff and a sparkling yellow light began to emit from its tip.

"Then let's make sure hope never dies."

Suddenly the flower sprung back to life; bigger and even more beautiful than before. Palutena could see the vibrant pink color radiating from the Chrysanthemum even from a distance.

Pit could only stare in awe at the flower in his hands.

The Goddess of Light gave Viridi a grateful look. It was a look of a newfound respect for someone. She also couldn't help giving Viridi a teasing smirk.

Viridi bristled at seeing Palutena's almost smug expression. "Don't you dare!" There was a hint of embarrassment in her voice. "Don't you dare say I have a soft spot for Pit! I'm only doing this because...because..." She huffed in indignation, crossed her arms and turned away. Anything else Viridi wanted to say was quickly forgotten as Pit had finally noticed them.

"Lady Palutena! Viridi!"

The young angel was now moving towards them as fast as he could. If he was feeling pain by exerting his body than he didn't show it. In fact, he appeared more cheerful than he had been in a long time. They quickly moved out of the alley to meet up with him.

Although Pit had tried to hide it, Viridi didn't miss his sharp intake of breath when he came to a halt. Beads of sweat rolled down his face and dripped onto the ground, yet despite it all he still offered them a cheery smile. She felt regret for spying on him.

Viridi decided it would be best to offer a distraction. She let a hint of amusement slip through; the corner of her mouth curved upward into a sly smile. "So you knew we were here all this time? You're good."

Pit placed one hand behind his head as he gave the goddess a slightly nervous, almost apologetic smile. "It's hard not to hear your voice, Viridi. You kinda never stop talking."

Viridi felt her face turn red as she heard Palutena snicker. "What?!" Her surprised voice climbed into something close to a shout. "How dare you! Are you saying I talk too much? I barely said a word since I got here. I let you know—"

She stopped.

Pit was gazing at the Chrysanthemum in his hands.

The Goddess of Nature had often wondered why she ever agreed to a truce with Skyworld and the humans in the first place. Wasn't she supposed to defend nature above all? Wasn't it her mission to return Earth to its pristine state?

With the Lightning Chariot and her commanders ready for battle, her chances were better than they had ever been. Then why—?

She was abruptly pulled out of her thoughts.

Pit was beaming at her. He smiled an innocent smile and fluttered his wings.

And she was reminded why.

"Thanks, Viridi."

Maybe she had a soft spot for Pit after all...

She smiled back.

And she was perfectly happy with it.