You're the only one I'll be loving

Even if it costs me my life, I'll engrave this oath

Tada omae dake aishinuku

Chikai kizande inochi hatete mo

I stood in front of the Light Pool two days later, biting my lower lip in worry. It had almost been a week since I'd last seen Takeru, and there hadn't been a single response from the pearl when I'd try to call him yesterday. I'd waited for several hours for a response, but none ever came.

I had, during that time, at least been able to use what chalk I'd had left to draw another scene on the memory wall. The first kiss we'd shared was now etched there for me to see, as well as the pictures of the first sunset and the time with the jellyfish. It was a very happy collection, one I would have loved to expand.

That is, if a certain Sea God would come to see me again.

Caressing the pearl lightly, I closed my eyes and sent a silent prayer to the heavens as I whispered desperately to the pearl, hoping maybe this time, this time he would hear me.

"Takeru...Takeru...please, Takeru!"

I tried to stop my voice from wavering, but it broke as I pleaded him to come. My heart squeezed in pain as the pearl remained cool to the skin, and I clenched my teeth in despair.

Had I done something wrong? I wondered, going and flopping onto the blanket that was still in the cave and pulling my legs to my chest. I fought back a tear or two as I stared at the rippling pool, noticing it wasn't as happy sounding as it used to be. I thought back to the last few times we'd been together, not finding anything that would have made him offended. No, he'd been so sweet, nothing had been wrong.

But...I recalled those dark looks the day we'd first kissed. A small fear made itself known then, and I felt my entire body tense in horror.

Did he regret becoming so close to me? Regret returning my affections? If so, why had he led me on like that?

My mind swam and my stomach churned, making me feel sick. I buried my face into my legs and took a deep breath to steady my emotions, feeling that little instinct in the back of my mind yelling something at me, warning me that something was wrong, but I just couldn't figure out what it was.

I felt a sudden warmth at the hollow of my throat, and my hand flew up to touch the pearl. It was warm, I realized with joy. He'd finally heard me! A shudder of relief ran up my back at the knowledge that he'd come to me soon. I leaned back against the wall and watched the pool, eager to see my sea god once again.

This was going to kill him, Takeru swore to himself as he heard Yukino's desperate call in his mind. Takeru grimaced visibly, causing the goddess at his side to glance over at him as they sat at the table of her father's house.

He had spent quite a lot of time with Kushinada-hime the past week, at the order of the Emperor. He didn't see much point in it being an order, though he figured that it was an attempt to get him used to his future wife as well as gauge how he would be after their union. So far, it wasn't the most promising.

Oh, he was polite when he had to be, but the Storm God had made it perfectly clear that he was not happy. Between ignoring Kushinada when she tried to flirt or even converse with him to telling her flat out that he would not give her any affection, every one of the gods in their realm knew that Susano'o was on edge, ready to snap if provoked.

The only one who showed any sympathy was Tsukito, who came by most every day to talk with his brother for at least an hour or two, giving the younger god a chance to vent his frustration and rage. Takeru was beyond pissed, but since there was nothing he could do about it, he needed any chance he could get to express himself.

"Is there something wrong, Susano'o-san?" the female beside him asked, her father also looking at him.

Takeru shook his head, taking a sip of the green tea offered. That was another thing that bothered him. She insited on calling him by Susano'o, not that he would have been any happier by calling him the name that Kusanagi Yui had given him. No, that privilege was for his friends, brother, and the two human girls he had come to know.

"No, there's nothing wrong."

The dark-haired goddess nodded before continuing what she had been saying. "I think we should have the ceremony at the top of the mountain, when the sun is going down. It would be a wonderful atmosphere to have, the cool evening breeze coupled with the colors of the sunset. What do you think, Father?"

"It sounds like a wonderful idea, hime," was the response. Her father was one of the heavier-set gods around, proof of his high status. Takeru personally couldn't stand the man, especially when around his daughter. He was the kind to spoil his child with anything she wanted, and as a higher rank, he could afford it.

A slice of pain suddenly went through the sea god's chest. Not expecting such a thing, his hand flew up and clutched at it, gritting his teeth and hissing in pain. The two other deities immediately looked concerned, Kushinada placing a hand on his arm.

"What's wrong, Susano'o-san? Are you in pain?"

He barely held back a sharp retort, choosing to instead give her a pointed glare. He didn't feel bad as she flinched back, she shouldn't have asked such a stupid question.

"I need to go somewhere," he growled out, standing up quickly and turning to go.

"To your human?" Kushinada's father guessed, sipping on his own tea leisurely now that he knew the young god was fine. his daughter frowned before looking up at Takeru pleadingly.

"Why must you go to her? She's just a ephemeral being, doomed to die. I heard she doesn't even pray properly," she commented. Takeru clenched his teeth, finding it harder and harder to control himself.

"I've ignored her long enough. I still have a week allotted by the Emperor, and I will use that week." His hard golden eyes glared down at the goddess even as he focused some of his power to send a response at last, feeling the joy that suddenly bloomed in Yukino's heart when she felt his reply. "Until then, Kushinada-hime, I bid you farewell."

A hand shot out and grabbed his arm before he could leave, and he turned and practically snarled at the delicate being who had so foolishly touched him. This time, however, she didn't flinch away, only stared at him in stony resolution.

"You should stop bringing her so much pain that you youself can feel it, Susano'o-san," Kushinada said shortly. "If I were in her shoes, I wouldn't want to be left wondering if it had been something I'd done, or if something was wrong. Just be kind and break your bond cleanly."

Takeru snatched his arm away before turning and storming out of the house, fuming as he marched to his own across the valley. He didn't want to listen to the advice of another, especially the one who had decided to set this whole affair in motion.

But a part of him knew that his future bride had a point. He paused at the portal, staring into its deep depths with a great pain in his heart. He didn't want to cause Yukino any more pain than his absence had already delt, and after another week he would never be able to see her again.

The god was caught between a rock and a hard place, and if he were to be honest with himself, he would have rather chosen a blade to the gut over what he would have to do next.

The water within the pool finally stilled, and I sat up as the waters surged upwards and revealed Takeru in all his godly glory. I jumped up at once as he stepped forward onto the rock, lunging at him as fast as I could. "Takeru-kun!" I cried happily as he caught me in his arms, holding me close and spinning me around to balance us out before we could topple into the pool behind him.

I held onto him as tightly as I could, breathing in his scent as deeply as I could. The smell of sea bringe and a coming storm, that's what he smelled of, and I loved it whenever I caught a whiff. Laughing, I looked up at him and smiled.

"I was wondering if you'd come back at all," I admitted, too happy to care.

Takeru chuckled and placed a hand on my cheek, causing me to blush.

"Like I could forget about you," he murmured softly before leaning in and kissing me firmly upon my lips. I sighed happily and leaned into the it as he wrapped his arms around me tightly, making me feel relaxed at last. We parted after a few seconds, both of us sporting light blush on our faces.

"Where have you been the past week?" I asked, reluctant to move out of his embrace just yet.

Those wonderful golden eyes of his flickered, and the little voice in my head urged me to be cautious. Takeru dropped his arms from around me and took a step back, sighing.

"I've been busy. They saw fit to give me a rather heavy punishment for something so simple."

"Isn't that always how it is?" I scoffed, shaking my head and moving back to the blanket. The god followed me and we sat with our backs against the wall comfortably, staring at the dancing light that filled the pretty cave around us.

"How's Tsukito?"

"He's fine. Been busy like I have, but we're both doing okay." He looked over at me. I fidgeted a little, wondering why the atmosphere was almost tense around us. I didn't like it like this.

"Nayomi started to stalk me a few days ago," I told him, crossing my arms and huffing.

"Stalking?" he echoed, a thread of anger in his tone. I smirked before turning to look at him.

"Yeah. She says she was wondering if we could try to be friends again, but I told her flat out that it wasn't going to happen anytime soon. She did like the chai latte I gave her the first meeting, though."

"Meeting?" His eyes narrowed slightly at my nod.

"Yeah. She's managed to get me to meet up with her twice, once two days ago and the other yesterday. It's why I'm able to be here now without her knowing, I managed to convince her to leave me alone for a day or so."

"Why in the world are you even giving her the time of day?" the god demanded, clearly not happy with my decision to humor Nayomi.

"...There's something off about her recently," I admitted, frowning and looking forward. "Like, whenever I truly get mad and into her face, she seems scared. Usually she gives me her own attitude, but not lately. And whenever I mention Fujiwara Kouta-" I pointedly ignored his silent snarl at the name. "-she freaks out and runs away, like she's being hunted."

"Whatever is going on with her and that guy doesn't concern you. Keep her out of your life, jellyfish, or you'll regret it."

"I know that much, sea monkey!" I hissed, poking my tongue out at him. "She's the one who messed me up in the first place. It's just..." I trailed off, trying to find the words to use. "It's like whatever is wrong with her is my problem, like if something is going on that it'll effect me as well."

Takeru shook his head at my foolishness, and even though I knew he was right, that little voice in my head refused to believe that nothing would happen. However, I decided to let it go and turned to him.

"What do you want to do today, Takeru? It's a nice day for shell hunting if you'd like to go."

A smile appeared on that handsome face of his finally, and I felt proud of myself for finally drawing one out of him. We both stood up and made our way through the cave, barely noticing the places that used to be so tight you had to wiggle through them to get by. As we stepped out into the warm sunlight I felt a sudden chill of premonition run down my back, setting my nerves on edge at once.

I turned and saw that Takeru had turned into his human form with the school-like uniform, hands stuffed into his pockets. I must have looked confused, because he raised an eyebrow at me questioningly, those amber eyes watching me. "Something wrong, jellyfish?"

"No, just thought I felt something," I said, shrugging it off. Trying to ignore the sense of dread I looked around, not seeing anybody near enough to make me worry about being seen with him. I walked with him down to where the waves met the sand, determined to enjoy this precious time I'd been granted with him.

As time went on, I forgot about the bad feeling I'd gotten in my gut and just had some fun with Takeru, and he seemed to do the same. We left our troubles on the sand as we walked side by side together, our hands clasping the others tightly as we chatted away while going to the pile of rocks we watched the sunset on.

We settled down on the hard rocks as comfortably as we could, with my back pressed against his chest and his arms wrapped around me tightly, keeping me close as he set his chin on my shoulder. I sighed in contentment as the sun bathed us in its colored light while it started to sink beneath the waves.

"I'm glad you were able to come back today," I said, laying my head back against him.

"Yeah, me too." His arms tightened around me, and I thought I heard a note of regret in his tone. I turned my head slightly to face him then.

"Is there something going on that's making you uncomfortable?" I asked, trying to force the silly fear down so that I could ask him properly. "Something that I did?"

His amber eyes turned to me in surprise, blinking some. "No, you've done nothing wrong. Why would you think that, pearl?"

I relaxed marginally at the reassurance and the nickname, and shrugged a little. "You've seemed very off lately, and I thought maybe I'd done something to upset you."

"No, you didn't do anything," he chuckled, pecking me on my cheek. "I've just had to deal with a lot back in my world."

"Ah, all the god stuff catching up to you?"

"You could say that." There was that funny note in his voice again, sounding a lot like regret. Perhaps he felt bad about skipping those couple of days and being punished for it? I hoped that was the case.

"Don't worry. Whatever it is, I'll be here for you whenever you need me," I promised, turning my head and kissing his neck lightly in a flash of boldness. I felt him shiver ever so slightly and did a mental victory dance at being able to get him to do so.

We both turned back to the sunset before us, watching as the deep purples, the bright reds and oranges bled out into the blue, turning the day slowly into night. I lifted my head to feel the breeze from the sea, and felt Takeru shift some behind me so that his lips were closer to my ear. I froze as he spoke in a hushed tone, his voice deeper than I'd ever heard it before.

"My heart belongs to the ocean, to the deep blue sea,

for all the lost souls who were once alive and free.

They have bestowed upon me this privilege to be among thee,

And to rest with them down...all the way down until I can no longer breathe.

My heart belongs to the ocean, to the cold harsh blue.

May they always remember that day...the day that I chose you."

Tears fell from my eyes when I heard those words, touched to the deepest part of my heart by the beauty of what he had said. I turned my head to look into those pretty amber eyes of his, knowing my gaze was full of all the love I held for this wonderful man who held me in his arms.

"I didn't know you were a poet," I murmured softly as he leaned in and lightly kissed me on my lips.

"I'm Susano'o, the god who invented poetry," he admitted, sounding rather embarrassed about it. I giggled and pulled him down for another kiss, too happy to form words.

"Yukino-chan?!"

A sharp and shrill voice made us break apart, and I turned my head to see Nayomi standing a little farther down the beach, eyes wide and staring at us. Flustered at being caught, we both moved apart a few inches. My face lit up on fire as I shot a murderous glare in the girl's direction.

"You swore you wouldn't follow me today, Nayomi!" I shouted, absolutely livid that she broke her promise. Should I have been as surprised as I was? Probably not.

"I wasn't, I swear!" she insisted, backing up and holding her hands in the air in front of herself. I frowned, taking in the fact that she was acting very skittish, which was a highly odd thing to see. Takeru growled behind me though, and the thought left me as I noticed a familiar male come up behind Nayomi and put an arm around her.

"What are you two doing up there?" Kouta asked, his brown eyes looking up at us upon the rocks.

"Oi, get the hell out of here!" Takeru snarled fiercely, his eyes flashing dangerously to gold for a heart-stopping moment.

This would happen now of all times, I thought to myself, standing up and looking back at the furious sea god.

"C'mon. They're not worth the time," I said, holding my hand out to him. He shot me an angry glare at my willingness to leave, but I just looked at him steadily, hoping he'd just come with me.

After a few tense seconds he sighed and accepted the hand I offered. We hopped down from the rocks on the side away from the intruders and I sighed in aggravation. "I really hate them right now."

"I've never liked them," he snorted, shoving his hands in his pockets as the other two came around the rocks, Nayomi looking like a deer caught in the headlights when Takeru and I glared in tandem. Kouta seemed unfazed, however, and actually came closer to us, much to our disapproval.

"Did you guys come to watch the sunset?" the teenage male asked, smiling at us.

I turned my head to the side, still holding onto Takeru's hand tightly. "It doesn't matter to you. Leave us alone, Fujiwara-san."

"Aw, don't be like that," he laughed slightly, completely missing the fact that Takeru was getting more and more rigid in fury. "After all, I just got back into town, and wanted to see how you were doing."

"What we're doing is none of your concern, bastard!" The blunette beside me finally snapped, the air around us dropping several degrees as the tension spiked. "I warned you before to stay the hell away from us!"

"Yukino-chan is one of my friends, I just can't ignore her like she's not even there," Kouta said casually, and my eyes widened in shock right before they flashed to a very guilty-looking Nayomi as she cowered from the mad god. She told him that Takeru was ignoring me?!

With a shout of anger, Takeru rushed forward, grabbing the taller teen by the collar and lifting him up in a very impressive display of strength. As impressed as I was at the feat, however, it did nothing to sway the sudden shill of fear that ran down my spine at seeing the god of the sea so furious. I stared in horror as Takeru watched in cold satisfaction as Kouta struggled in his grip, trying to get free.

"You're weak," he spat out, adjusting his grip to keep the boy in place. "It's no wonder Nayomi is scared. It's because you're much to weak to protect her. A weak man deserves no woman at all."

"B-better than a man who leaves his woman behind with no reason," Kouta stammered out, and I scowled in fury.

"Just because you don't know the reason doesn't mean there isn't one, Fujiwara!" I hissed at him, not feeling as bad as I'd had two seconds ago about him choking in Takeru's grip.

His words still had an effect on the god, however, and he loosened his grip ever so slightly. Feeling his chance, Kouta lashed a foot out and hit Takeru in the arm, making him shout out in pain and drop the boy.

"Takeru!" Astonished, I raced over to him as he rubbed his arm, glaring down at the panting teen on the sane.

"K-kouta-kun!" Nayomi rushed over as well, leaning over him and putting her hands on him delicately, trying to help him up. With her help he sat up and glared at us, clearly not happy.

I looked at the conflicted expression on my god's face, like what Kouta had said really reached him. My heart clenched tightly and I turned my gaze to the boy sitting in the sand, feeling a cold fury well up inside of me. I stepped in front of Takeru, hearing him make a surprised noise as I looked at Kouta murderously.

"I'm not your friend, Fujiwara Kouta. Yes, I used to have a crush on you, before that one," I stabbed a finger at Nayomi, who flinched back, "decided that it was a good idea to take you for herself. But you know what?" I smirked, feeling a strange sense of pride and superiority to the two humans in front of me. "I'm glad she did."

"Wh-what?" The dark haired girl blinked up at me, shifting so she could cower behind her stunned boyfriend.

"Yeah. I'm glad you took him. Because if you hadn't, I'd have never met Takeru. I'd never have met this strong, stubborn, amazing man I'm with now." I turned my head and gave him a little smile, mentally giggling at the astonished look on his face before turning back to the other two. "But I can't thank you for that. What I can tell you is this."

I bent down then, looking Kouta right into his dull brown eyes that were partially hidden by his bangs. After staring so long into the gold or amber of my god's eyes, all others dimmed in comparison, I'd found out. I sneered into Kouta's face, letting him feel just how much I was rejecting him.

"I'm not your friend, I never will be your friend, so just leave me and my boyfriend alone!" I shouted into his face, making him flinch back at the force I used behind the words. I pulled back and gave a disgusted sneer down at him before turning and walking back to Takeru's side.

"Let's go, Takeru, I'm tired of this shit," I said, reaching out and grabbing his hand in mine gently.

Wordlessly he nodded, and allowed me to pull him away from the couple in the sand, heading for the cave down the beach as quickly as I could march with how stiff my legs were. I felt a weird sense of pride in myself though, and I let a satisfied smile form on my lips at the thought of them not bothering me ever again.

"Slow down, jellyfish," Takeru complained behind me, letting go of my hand. I turned back and grinned at him, pleased to see that we hadn't been followed.

"Sorry, I just wanted to get away from their bullshit," I admitted, giggling as he smirked.

"Just wondering, who possessed you back there? I've never seen you like that before."

"Call it being tired of things not going our way." The breeze kicked up around us, making my hair fly into my face. I sputtered and tried to get it out of my mouth, making a face.

Takeru's hand came up and helped move it out of the way before he ran his fingers over my cheek. I blushed at the amused look he was giving me, glancing away.

"So I'm your boyfriend?" he asked casually, but I could hear the amusement in his tone.

"Well yeah!" I blurted without thinking, only to cover my mouth in embarrassment. He merely shook his head, his expression suddenly tinged with sadness as his smile faded.

"As much as I wish I could accept that..." he muttered before sighing heavily. His hand dropped away from my face and he took a step back.

My heart stopped beating, and I froze with my wide ocean blue eyes staring at him in shock. That instinct was back again, urging me to run, just to run and get away before...

"There's something I need to tell you, Yukino," Takeru said, looking at the sand below our feet just as the sun finally dipped below the sea. "It's the reason I haven't been able to come the past week, and why I've honestly tried to avoid seeing you to have to tell you this."

Oh no...oh gods no... My mind pleaded, rejecting what he was getting at. I felt my face pale in horror, my expression mirroring my emotions perfectly.

Takeru looked pained as well, like he was having a hard time forming the words he was about to say. "You see...the Emperor, he...he..."

"Susano'o-san?"

A delicate voice, as gentle as a night breeze and twice as cool, came from behind me. I stiffened and whirled around, eyes impossibly wide at the figure behind me.

A tall, elegant woman stood there dressed in an expensive silk kimono, her pale skin glowing against her painted red lips and her dark hair, pulled back by a pair of golden chopsticks. She was achingly beautiful, and gave off a calm aura as well. She took a step towards me, that one movement full of more grace than I could have in a lifetime.

"Wh-who are you?!" I choked out, only to hear a fierce curse come from the god behind me.

A slight smile appeared on the woman's face, edging on cruel delight as she looked me up and down, taking in my slightly tangled hair, shorts and classic tank under loose shirt style I normally wore. I felt significantly inferior to this lady, but I held my head high as I stared into her light gold eyes.

"I'm Kushinada-hime, human." Her hand appeared from the sleeve of her kimono, and she opened the fan that had appeared with it, using it to hide her mouth from my sight. "You may address me as mi'lady, though."

I bristled at her superior-than-though tone, glaring furiously at her. "I don't think I will," I hissed, taking a step forward.

A strong hand encircled my wrist, pulling me to a stop. I looked back in shock at a very guilty looking Takeru, his face full of shame. "Yukino, hold on."

"Who is she?" I asked, my voice starting to give. The instinct was still screaming, telling me to save myself, save me the pain that was to come...

Takeru opened his mouth hesitantly, reluctant and highly uncomfortable. But before he could speak, the noble lady behind us made herself heard.

"Oh, you didn't tell her yet? I thought you would have, Susano'o-san."

I whirled around and glared at the offending woman, at this point not even caring if she was a goddess or a human. "Told me what?!"

"That he was to be wed to me," she said simply, a vicious glint of delight in her pretty golden eyes.

Don't kill me! * hides behind beta reader *

So the rest of Hades' route has been translated, so now I can finish playing it. I wonder whose route will be translated next. Yes, I'm playing the game, but as my Japanese is nearly non-existant, a nice person on Tumblr is working on the translations currently. Much love for her!