SailorStar9: After getting Chapter 15 out, this is Chapter 16 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?

Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot bunny.

Chapter 16: Seiya's True Feelings! The Return of a Lie!

"Men." Holy Mercury muttered as Seiya and Titan clashed.

"Giganto Impact!" Titan blasted Seiya off with an energy blast. "Athena, your love is wrong." He declared. "Your love has made Pallas-sama suffer, brought disaster to humans, and led many of your Saints to their deaths. You are a Goddess of War who brings destruction. Sagittarius Seiya, your loyal Saint, is another of your victims."

"I'm no one's victim." Seiya retorted, firing off an attack at Titan and forcing him to back off. "Don't make Athena… Saori-san cry."

"Cry?" Titan echoed. "A Goddess of War who will do whatever it takes to win?"

"I know that Saori-san has faced her destiny of having born as Athena." Seiya added. "And has sacrificed herself in the battle to protect humanity. She's stubborn and she hates to lose. But the people's suffering hurts her more than anyone else. And each time a Saint died, she grieved. Even if she never shed tears, she cried in her heart. That is who she is. I don't want her to be sad anymore."

"Hard to believe those words are regarding a Goddess." Titan admitted.

"To me, Kidō Saori is a woman." Seiya retorted.

"Aren't the Saints Athena's loyal soldiers?" Titan was amused. "You're following your orders, correct?"

"I'm not the kind of person who'd follow an order I don't agree to." Seiya shot back. "I always fight of my own free will."

"Your will?" Titan echoed.

"It doesn't matter of she's human or a Goddess." Seiya stated. "Athena is the one I wanted to protect. That's all."

"Are those Sagittarius Seiya's true feelings?" Titan inquired. "A Gold Saint should be an example to all, but you fight out of personal emotion? I thought you were just a dog that kept barking Athena's name." he laughed. "No, I wasn't laughing at you." He grinned. "If I've offended you, I apologized. It's only that now, I understand all too well what you're saying. I feel the same way that you do. I shall protect Pallas-sama even if it costs my life. Not because someone ordered me to. I shall protect her as a woman. This is, without a doubt, my own will."

"Like I said before," Holy Mercury sighed as the younger Saints rushed in, Titan and Seiya renewing their fight. "Men."

"What a fight." Souma gaped, Cosmo Saturn's 'Silence Wall' blocked off Titan's 'Satellite Crusher'.

"Seiya, we'll help you." Koga shouted.

"Stay back, you guys." Harbinger stopped them. "They're fighting each other as men. Don't interfere."

"Cosmic Star Arrow!" Seiya fired off his arrow to counter Titan's 'Gigantic Planet End'.

Cosmos Saturn let out an impressed whistle when the golden arrow shot through Titan's shoulder plate and nullifying the attack.

"The fight isn't over." Titan muttered.

"Idiots." Holy Jupiter shook her head, Pallas placing herself between Seiya and Titan.

"You can't go on." Pallas teared. "I shall fight. I do not wish to see you further hurt."

"Seiya, withdraw." Saori gave the order.

"Athena-onee-sama." Pallas voiced. "Let's end this."

"Pallas, there is no need." Saori remarked. "Are you not frightened? You're afraid of losing someone you love. Aren't you trying to fight for the one you love? Then you should understand how sad it is, losing someone you love in battle. And how foolish it would be. Let us stop this, and cease to injure the ones we love."

"How can you stop fighting?" Pallas demanded. "I know you hate me. I tried to destroy the humans, Earth, and you. I wanted your attention, even if it meant your hatred. What I've done is stolen those you loved. And still you can forgive me?"

"I could not answer the deep love you harbored for me as the Goddess of Love." Saori admitted, removing her Kamui Cloth. "I was unable to fill you with my love. But don't you have someone who will love you now? We're fighting each other, hurting each other, and trying to see the end of our fate. But now, we can be released from our fate. Any more fighting will only hurt and sadden those we love. I cannot hurt the one you love anymore. Pallas, I want you to be happy."

"Athena-onee-sama…" Pallas teared, dropping her weapon.

"Titan, please help Pallas to be happy." Saori requested.

"Your words are too good for me." Titan knelt. "I have always intended to serve her with my life."

"It's okay for me to be happy?" Pallas wondered. "Athena-onee-sama… wants me to be happy?"

"Pallas…" Saori knelt before her and offered her hand. "There isn't anyone who's not allowed to be happy."

"But I've hurt you…" Pallas whispered. "And I hurt the people on Earth."

"Let us atone for it." Saori advised. "We can start again. I shall carry the burden of your sin, as well. I shall walk with you." She pulled Pallas to her feet. "Like the humans, who take one another's hands. Who share their pain and suffering. We can start anew."

"I'm a failure as a Goddess of Love." Pallas confessed. "Your love is so vast."

"No, Pallas." Saori corrected. "I learnt the wonders of love from you. In the cruel world of the Gods, when I lived my life in battle, you gave me peace and warmth. And you made me realize the wonders of love."

"Athena-onee-sama…" Pallas smiled. "I remember… I wanted you to smile at me this way. The way you did in the Age of Myth."

"So, no one, friend or foe, will suffer anymore?" Harbinger snorted. "Our Goddess is such a softy."

"Seiya," Saori voiced. "I'm sorry. As Athena, I forced you to fight, and then rendered it all meaningless."

"It's fine." Seiya assured. "I wasn't fighting because you ordered me to."

"Aren't that the truth." Holy Mercury quipped.

"Athena-onee-sama." Pallas voiced. "I'll return your life." Removing her Chronotector, she linked hands with Saori. "Mercury, please." She turned to the ice Senshi.

"Right." Holy Mercury nodded and let her crystal ankh hover above the Goddesses' linked hands.

"Pallas, let use build the future together." Saori offered. "Let us fill the world with love."

"Something's wrong." Holy Mercury frowned, the sapphire ankh was suddenly flung to the ground by a sharp surge of black lightning.

"This is…" Saori gaped, both armbands turning into serpents.

"He didn't…" Holy Mercury breathed in shock as the serpents coiled themselves around the Goddesses.

"I can't have you two getting back together." Europa tsked. "Use a God to defeat a God, then kill the other. That was the plan, but I guess I'll have to kill them both."

"Then, this is your doing?" Titan snapped.

"I'll defeat you!" Seiya swore.

"It's so confining, looking like a Class-2 Pallasite." Europa sighed, blasting Seiya and Titan off him and revealing his real Chronotector. "This is my true form."

"Just as I thought," Holy Mercury gasped in shock once the two serpents released their captives. "The Twin Serpents of Ouroboros."

"Titan," Europa chided. "You have disobeyed my God's order and you saved Pallas. That is treason. For this serious crime, you will pay with your life."

"What Cosmo…" Ryuho winced when Europa took hold of the Eternal Dance and released its power.

"Originally, the Eternal Dance belonged to my God." Europa declared. "Not to Pallas."

"This is a God's power?" Subaru muttered.

"Yes." Europa grinned. "You've seen it before. Within yourself."

"Subaru?" Koga blinked when Subaru walked towards Europa. What's wrong?"

"Come back, Subaru!" Eden barked.

"Haven't you always thought you'd like to be a God?" Europa taunted. "Why?"

"I wanted to be strong." Subaru replied. "Humans are strong. But that is a temporary strength. A God's power is eternal. The power of a God is even stronger!"

"So this is your conclusion." Europa chuckled. "Then why don't you become a God? That's right… because you were a God right from the start. Now, the Ouroboros, the ring of Two Snakes that absorbed Pallas' and Athena's Cosmos, will make you eternal beyond life and death."

"Subaru, a God…" Eden echoed.

"Not good!" Holy Mercury exclaimed. "At this rate…"

"Saturn will…" Holy Jupiter's eyes went wide.

"The time has come." Europa declared. "Now, awaken,, my God, Saturn-sama!"

"The Equuleus Cloth!" Yuna exclaimed, Subaru shattering the Cloth.

"Not only the Equuleus Cloth," Cosmo Pluto winced, the four Senshi were on their knees.

"Even our transformations…" Cosmo Saturn muttered as their fukus vanished.

"Our powers are gone." Ami whispered in shock.

"We can't even transform anymore." Makoto hissed, looking at the petrified Jupiter transformation stick in her hand.

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.