A month has gone by since the start of Defteros and Yuzuriha's secret relationship. They've learned more about each other than any couple their age should know. With that said, the two of them are still very much in love with one another and continue to spend as much time together as possible. At the sanctuary they would pretend like they never knew each other, acting as if nothing is happening between them. As hard as it was not to just fall at her feet every day, he had to maintain his composure until the end of the week when they could finally be alone. The only time that they did get a chance to be together was when they had training sessions with each other. That alone time with her during the session became too much for him; he would get touchy-feely with her, trying to get as close to her as possible and it didn't help that Yuzuriha would purposely get in his space. Provoking him was something she enjoyed doing from the beginning. Even though this was all fun and games, there were times when Defteros would have to step back and calm himself down before continuing with his training.

So far so good, no one has noticed anything strange going on between them. Regarding the missions, Defteros sometimes did ask for a silver saint to accompany him, specifically the silver saint; Crane Yuzuriha to join nearly all his missions. Pope Sage never saw a problem with this since they were both working towards the same goal at the end of the day. As much as the Pope turns a blind eye to this, Asmita, his best friend did pick up a strange pattern from Defteros' choice of companion. Asmita being the nosey person that he is asked Defteros why he always picks Yuzuriha for his missions. Reluctant to answer, Defteros ignored his questions and instead decided to try and change the subject. After several attempts to steer away from the topic, he replied with an unconcerned shrug.

"I don't care who I am with, it doesn't matter to me,"

That simple response made Asmita even more curious. He says he doesn't care who he is with but then chooses Yuzuriha all the time. What does he mean by that? Does he have feelings for her or what? Either way, he seems to be hiding something from him. He suspects that maybe Defteros is having some kind of relationship with Yuzuriha, which would make sense. If he's been spending a lot of time with her without anyone else knowing about it, it makes sense that he might have fallen in love with her. At least that's what Asmita thought.

Unfortunately, he couldn't find any evidence that would prove his theory true. There was no way to determine whether or not something was going on between them. He didn't want to ruin his friendship with Defteros by asking him point blank if he liked Yuzuriha, and he certainly wouldn't do that. However, Asmita began to put two and two together when he noticed the way that Defteros looks at Yuzuriha. She was busy with Tenma and Yato and Defteros watched her from a distance. Asmita also noted that Yuzuriha seemed to be trying to avoid looking at Defteros whenever she could. This leads him to believe that there must be something going on between the two of them.

Knowing Defteros, He has never seen him look at someone the way he looks at Yuzuriha. His facial expressions rarely ever change, except during these moments when his face was always upturned towards Yuzuriha. The change in his body language when he looked at her was very subtle but noticeable. The most notable thing was that his hands would be placed behind his back, making him appear stiffer than usual. Other things were that he would often stand slightly behind her as if trying to hide in her shadow. On rare occasions, he would lift his hand and brush her hair off her shoulder, just enough for her to notice him.

Those brief moments when their eyes met were the most beautiful sight that Asmita has ever seen in Defteros. With those eyes, he could see how much he cared for her. It was clear that he loved her deeply. The silver saint had become somewhat of an obsession for him. Another theory that Asmita came up with and has been discreetly studying is their interactions and the way that they acted around each other. Defteros and Yuzuriha liked touching. That raised flags for Asmita because Defteros isn't the type to be affectionate to anyone. He's very reserved when it comes to showing his emotions. He found that odd. What is the silver saint's influence on him? Is she helping him overcome his shyness or is it something else? If that was the case, why didn't Defteros approach him first?

For goodness sake, spying on his friend like this behind a wall was just as out of character for him. Asmita had better things to do than waste time on trivial matters such as watching his friend. Just when he was about to leave, he looked around the area Defteros and Yuzuriha were, and they were all alone. No other presence of people around.

He quickly rushed over to the spot and hid behind a pillar close to where there were and watching Defteros give Yuzuriha a hug from behind. Defteros took a seat on a broken pillar and placed Yuzuriha on his lap. One hand was on her waist while the other one rested on her inner thigh, pressing against her skin. Yuzuriha watched his hand move slowly down her thighs, caressing her gently. When he reached her knee, he stopped and leaned forward to kiss her neck. She let out a soft moan and he kissed her again, this time moving farther down her collarbone. His hand continued to rub her thigh gently as he did.

"One night. That's all I'm asking for," Defteros muttered against her neck. This suddenly got more interesting for Asmita.

"You know I can't. I've been lying to Shion for almost a month about my whereabouts at night,"

"And?" he questioned. "What's stopping you from lying to him again? Shion is barely at his temple most of the time and you know that,"

Yuzuriha smiled and said. "I'll think about it,"

Defteros laughed a bit. "That's not a good enough answer. You need to start taking care of me now,"

His hand grabbed her breast squeezing it hard.

"It's the least that you could for provoking me so much,"

Asmita watched the whole thing from afar. He almost dropped his jaw when he saw them act like this. It brought him back to when he thought that Yuzuriha was the one influencing Defteros. In a sense, Defteros was the one who influenced her. She's fairly young, around twenty years old and he was going into his late twenties. Asmita is merely guessing here. All he could see is Defteros telling her what to do, and Yuzuriha agreeing to it. The missions as well, he makes the decision of letting her accompany him, and she goes along with it. So far that's all that he could tell. So many questions few little answers. Asmita sighed and left the scene.


A few days later, Asmita was walking towards the Aries temple. The reason being is that he wanted to see if Shion was aware of his girlfriend's little secret. Shion welcomed him inside and started talking to him.

"Asmita, what brings you here today?"

"Oh, nothing. Just dropping by to visit my old friend," he answered.

"I can't say whether or not I am surprised to actually get a visit from you. You keep yourself locked up in your temple most of the time now," Shion said.

Asmita nodded and he stood by the entrance and looked out to the training grounds.

"Is that so, I never noticed," he said. Shion rubbed the back of his head really questioning the visit from the Virgo Saint. No way is Asmita visiting him for small talk.

"Yuzuriha is a lovely woman, isn't she?" Asmita asked.

Shion turned around and gave Asmita a confused look.

"Yuzuriha? Of course, she is," He replied.

"I've heard quite a few things about you two being the only ones who got approved to have a relationship, that is a big deal," Asmita continued.

"Yes, it took time, but we finally made it through," Shion said. "And I like her because she's strong and loyal and has a great personality. She's kind and compassionate. I knew that she would be the perfect match for me," Shion answered.

"And you are happy with her?"

"Very much so," Shion replied.

"I see, and let's say that Yuzuriha starts hanging out with someone other than you more than usual. What would you do?" Asmita inquired.

"Depends on who the person is, if it's a good friend of hers then I would not have a problem with it,"

"Would you mind if it was with another guy?" Asmita asked.

Shion thought for a second before replying. "No, not at all. I trust her and she trusts me,"

"You trust Yuzuriha that much?" Asmita asked.

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have gotten together with her in the first place. Yuzuriha doesn't give me any reason to doubt her. I feel confident that she will make an excellent wife and mother someday,"

It's painful to listen to Shion speak so highly of Yuzuriha when yesterday he saw her and Defteros being intimate with each other. It was not in his place to tell Shion about it, but he still felt like he needed to say something.

"Yuzuriha is popular amongst the men here, I'd advise you to keep her close by at all times," Asmita warned.

"Why would you say such a thing?"

"Because if you are not careful, someone else might try and take her away from you," Asmita replied.

"Thank you for the warning, I'll take it into consideration," Shion laughed it off as a joke not realizing that Asmita was speaking the truth. Shion assumed that when Asmita said that he was referring to either Kardia or Manigoldo, the duo seemed to like flirting with Yuzuriha a lot whenever they were together. He didn't realize that Asmita was also talking about another man.


On Kanon Island

Yuzuriha straddled Defteros' back and applied the massage oil onto the back of his neck. She massaged him while he lay on his stomach and closed his eyes. This was a sweet suggestion from her side wanting to give her lover a relaxing massage. As her hands stroked every inch of his back, she could feel him relax under her touch. The soft groans he released told her that he was enjoying it.

She worked her fingers deeper into his muscles and slowly pressed down on them. Then she rubbed the base of his spine and moved upwards. Her fingers moved higher and soon reached his neck. She gently massaged his shoulders and then focused her attention on his ears. She leaned down letting her bare breasts brush against his back as she lovingly nibbled on his earlobes.

His body trembled and she was sure that the ear nibbling had sent his blood rushing to his groin. To say that this massage was slowly turning into a sensual experience would have been an understatement. Anything innocent they do turns into a lustful act in their world. They no longer know how to express themselves in a way that is considered polite and respectful. Their actions become uncontrollable desires and impulses, both of which are highly arousing to them. Yuzuriha moved away from him and moved aside to let Defteros turn around. When he did, she smiled and straddled him again. This time she grabbed the bottle and poured oil all over her body as well. The oil glistened off her naked body as she sat on top of him, letting her hands roam freely over herself.

The sight of her body covered in oil was enough to excite Defteros. He'd swear that he felt his heart pounding faster just from seeing her in this way. Yuzuriha poured the leftover on his chest and stomach then pressed herself against his body and rubbed her breasts against his chest. They chuckled together when they realized how much fun it was to rub oiled bodies together. She moved slightly up to gently bite his lip and then kissed him. One kiss at a time, short and simple then moving on to longer and deeper ones. People tend to lose track of time while doing things like this.

"My turn," he said.

Yuzuriha got off him and laid on her stomach moving her hair aside to let him massage her back. He began at her shoulders and worked his way downwards. All the work, training and fighting made her muscles tense and knotted. Defteros pressed down hard on her tight muscles and worked out the knots with firm pressure. The gentle sounds of her moaning told him that the massage was working wonders on her. He moved his hands down to her back and worked all the way down until he reached her tailbone. There he worked his finger around in small circles releasing the tension in her muscles. He continued to move his hands up and down her spine and then back down again.

Yuzuriha closed her eyes and let his hands do all the work. Maybe drifting off to sleep was not far-fetched at all. Defteros said otherwise though. A wake-up call is needed to keep her from falling asleep. He leaned over her back guiding his cock towards her pussy. The oil on his dick helped make the penetration easier and he soon found himself inside her. Yuzuriha gasped at the sudden intrusion but quickly relaxed once she felt him pressing against her insides. Defteros started moving his hips slowly, pulling back before pushing forward again.

"Sleeping already?" he asked.

Yuzuriha opened her eyes and gave him a shy smile. "No,"

"But you look like you're about to," he teased.

She blushed and looked down at the pillow. "I might be..."

Defteros pushed her head down on the pillow so that she couldn't see what he was doing, and he started thrusting harder. He watched her face closely for any sign of pain or discomfort. Satisfied that there were none, he sped up his pace. Yuzuriha's breathing became heavier and her moans grew louder. With each thrust, her body tightened more and more. Removing the hand that held her head down, he grabbed her waist and pulled her closer to his body.

The month she spent with him had made her body very familiar with his. Adapting to the size of him and the different ways that he likes to fuck her is simply second nature now. At this point, her body knows exactly how to react and respond to his movements. It may have taken a while, but she still finds herself surprised by his prowess in bed. It's even a miracle that her body can take it. Her legs quivered from the strain. The muscles in her abs tensed as she tried to hold herself up. Her toes curled under, and her nails dug into the sheets. She gripped the pillow tightly between her teeth and bit down on it. Her body is enduring it but what about her mental state?

Her mind is reeling in pleasure. Every time they had sex, everything else seems to fade away. Everything falls into the background except for the two of them at the moment. This is the only thing that matters to her. Nothing else exists right now; not her job, not her obligations, nothing. All that matters is the man who is inside of her. His touch, his voice, his smell. All these things are imprinted in her mind so deeply that it has become an extension of her own body. That is why she is able to endure such things; because deep down inside, she wants to. The more she submits to him, the stronger her addiction becomes. Like a drug addict, she craves more and more of the same substance. An enabler. That is who Defteros is to her. He is repeatedly giving her the high that she needs.

Looking back, she liked the sight of him in control. It made her feel special in his eyes. When he was dominating her sexually and taking her roughly, she felt his confidence and dominance flow through her. The power he exuded made her feel weak and vulnerable but also safe and secure. She loved how he treated her; how rough he could be with her and how much he enjoyed hurting her, but she knew that behind that is a person who cares for her deeply. The fact that he would never hurt her without her consent meant more to her than anything else. Her favourite part is when he cums inside of her. The closeness she feels, the warmth of him inside her. Those are the best feelings imaginable. He always makes sure to kiss her after he finishes inside and reminds her that he adores her.

He pulled out and gave her a chance to catch her breath before putting her onto her back. Yuzuriha spread her legs wide open, inviting him to enter her again. Defteros smiled and stroked his cock, his finger pressing against her bellybutton and made a comment that caught her attention.

"I want to see how far I can push your limits today," he said.

Yuzuriha pursed her lips and tilted her head to the side. "Why?"

"It's something I've been wanting to try," he replied. "And if it hurts too much, we'll stop,"

His tone made it clear that he wasn't joking around, which made her nervous. She didn't know what he had planned, and it freaked her out a little. After a few moments of silence, Defteros brought out her dildo and was planning on stuffing it in her ass. He lubed it and rubbed it in circles over her ass, making her squirm. Yuzuriha looked at him nervously. This was her first time trying anal so she wasn't sure how her body will react, but she trusted Defteros. If he wanted to do it, then he must have a good reason for it. So, she let him put it in.

Once it went in, Yuzuriha's eyes widened. The feeling was strange yet enjoyable. It was not that painful. The only thing that bothered her was the pressure from it being stuffed inside. She felt like she couldn't breathe sometimes and normally her body handles all kinds of pain easily. She thought it might be because it's her first time doing it and her body is just getting used to it. Maybe next time she'd be able to handle it better. Defteros remained silent the whole time and seemed to enjoy watching her reaction.

He only put half of the dildo in her ass and seeing this, Yuzuriha began to relax. She could tell that he was going easy on her and just as he promised, he stopped once it was halfway in. She breathed a sigh of relief and waited until he took it out. Then he proceeded to fill it up again. This process repeated several times until he finally got it all the way in. Her body tensed slightly, but it still didn't hurt. Yuzuriha could feel the fullness of the toy, stretching her tight ass.

Defteros left it inside and lined his tip against her opening. From this point Yuzuriha got it all wrong, Defteros didn't want to only try anal sex. What he wanted to experiment was a double penetration. He moved inside and it did feel slightly uncomfortable having both his cock and the dildo inside at the same time. It was more painful than she expected, but the pleasure at the same time was amazing. The full feeling inside her almost made her cum instantly but Defteros held himself back and continued moving his hips slowly. Every movement was carefully calculated, and every inch felt amazing. With each thrust, her pussy got wetter and wetter. Yuzuriha groaned softly, her hands gripping the sheets tightly.

Then he reached for the nipple clamps that were next to her and began to put them on. She flinched as she felt the weight and pressure of the clamp around her nipple. Defteros began to move faster, his hips slamming into hers. Yuzuriha gasped, biting her lip as she felt the added pressure and her entire body quivered unlike anything she ever experienced. Her cunt throbbed, her nipples tingled, and her clit pulsated. She was overwhelmed by the sensations, but she was determined to make it last. Despite not enjoying his experiments she knew Defteros would be happy with her performance. Doing all sorts of fetishes, well mostly his in particular; never much what she wanted sometimes, but always went along with it. She will do anything to please him...anything.

But that kind of thinking is wrong.

Even though that experience was incredible she realised that she needed to be more vocal and say no if she doesn't like something. A problem she had with him was that she often kept quiet out of fear of disappointing him. It took a lot of time for her to learn that speaking up will make her life easier in the long run, but it's so hard to say no to him.

When he was happy with what he wanted he let Yuzuriha take the lead. She pushed him onto his back and got on top of him. She straddled his hips and lowered herself down on him. She held on to his neck and shoulders while she rode him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. His hands roamed all over her body, touching every inch as if he couldn't get enough. His hands massaged the small of her back than ran down to her ass and squeezed it lightly.

For now, she wanted to focus on getting him off. She started bouncing up and down on his dick, really fucking him hard. She bounced harder and faster, grinding her pussy against his crotch, enjoying the feeling. Her entire body shook, and her breaths came in short gasps. Each time she bottomed out, she let out a moan. She loved making Defteros feel good. She loved riding him and watching him get turned on by her movements. Defteros thrust up into her and she could feel it inside of her. She moaned louder, wanting to make him cum sooner.

With that thought, Defteros groaned loudly and grabbed her butt, picking up speed, thrusting deeper and harder. The bed creaked under the strain of their bodies. She looked down and saw her breasts jiggling from the intense pounding. She felt each and every one of his thrusts and could tell that he was getting closer to cumming. She could feel his hot seed filling her and it thrilled her. It's been almost an hour that they were fucking like animals now. They were incredibly horny that it wasn't even funny. Their hormones were running all over the place. They had lost count of how many times they fucked and came. They were truly enjoying themselves and experimented with different positions with no intention of stopping.

"This was supposed to be a normal massage," Yuzuriha panted.

"It's hardly a normal massage when we're naked and on top of each other," Defteros replied.

Seriously at this point, anything normal turned into a fuck fest. Holding hands turned to them mutually rubbing each other's genitals, kissing turned into licking. Sometimes even a simple hug became a humping session. It was crazy. The month she spent with him was one hell of a ride. An endless fun-filled adventure.

When they have had enough, they both lay there exhausted. Defteros was still inside Yuzuriha and he was propped up on one elbow, looking at her. Her eyes were closed, and she was panting heavily. She was completely out of breath from the sex. Yuzuriha gave Defteros a tired smile and kissed him softly. He pulled out of her and rolled onto his back. She hugged herself tightly in an attempt to cool down as he reached out and caressed her forehead. He said nothing and just stared at her. She knew what he was thinking about.

After a moment of silence, he spoke up. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah,"

He sighed. "I'm sorry for overworking you more than usual,"

"It's okay. I'm glad you did that, it made me realize how important it is to speak up. I got caught up in the moment and I need to stop worrying about disappointing you and just enjoy this. If I don't like something, I shouldn't be afraid to say so,"

"Did you not like it?"

Yuzuriha shook her head.

"Yes and no. It was good, but my body can't handle that much stimulation. I think I'll be sore tomorrow,"

"Okay but you also mentioned something about you being worried about not disappointing me?" he said. She lay on her side facing him.

"Yes," she answered.

"Why?"

"Because..." she paused, pondering her words carefully before continuing, "I don't know, maybe it's because I'm scared that you'd find me boring or less attractive. Sometimes when I see you look at me in a certain way, I can't help but think that you would be better off with someone else,"

He smiled and ran a hand through her hair.

"If that's the case then why am I still here with you," he said. "Do you not want me anymore?"

"No...it's not that. I just worry sometimes that I'll never measure up to your expectations. That you will find another person more interesting than me,"

"What if I told you that I find you more interesting than anyone else? What would that do to you?"

"That's just it," she whispered. "Would it make you happy?"

She's insecure, he thought.

"I want us to talk about these things," he said. "You're showing off a lot of signs of being anxious and insecure. I've seen it in the past month since we started dating,"

She looked away and said nothing.

"Maybe we talk after we clean up and get dressed," he suggested.

"Okay,"


After the sheets were changed Yuzuriha and Defteros spent time talking to each other. Getting her to open up to him was the hardest part. He understands how it feels to be nervous around people especially when you are first getting to know someone. New relationships always take some time to build trust between partners. A trust that he wants to establish with Yuzuriha.

"How did you feel when you saw me for the first time?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"When we first met. How did you feel about me?"

She hesitated.

"I thought you were intimidating by the way Tenma always complained about your training methods. You were the type of guy that I wouldn't even approach,"

"Okay. So, what happened when you finally talked to me?"

"Well, I was surprised by how kind you are. I was expecting you to be arrogant or rude based on the image you had created in my mind, but you weren't. You were rather polite. I felt that you were genuine and that you really cared about me as a person," she said.

"Is there any bad quality you find in me?" he asked.

"Not that I know of," she answered. "But it would be nice if you gave me heads up about stuff like this. I don't need surprises to ruin my mood during sex,"

He laughed and said, "Noted,"

"And what about you?" she asked.

"What about me?"

"What did you think about when you first saw me?"

"I'll be honest and say that I never saw you as anything special other than being a nice person to have sex with,"

"Oh,"

"But I've changed. I don't see you as that kind of person anymore," he said.

"Why is that?" she asked.

"Because I know you're stronger than you seem, smarter than you appear and way more beautiful than you believe yourself to be. You're not weak. I used to think that you were but now I understand that you're not,"

He paused to let her absorb his words.

"You're not a pushover. I can tell that you mean business. I see the fire burning inside of you. The passion and desire that drives you. I see the strength of will within you. You have a lot more courage than you give yourself credit for, but you don't see it because you're so focused on the flaws in your own self-image,"

Yuzuriha looked down in shame.

"It's okay. You're allowed to be wrong about yourself. We all are, but we shouldn't carry those misconceptions with us. They weigh us down and It's hard to break free from them but we should try our best to shed away the negative thoughts about ourselves,"

"Looks like I learned something new about you. Your wisdom is beyond your years," she said.

"I'm speaking from experience. I've been in your shoes before. The people of the sanctuary treated me poorly because they didn't believe that my existence was of no importance,"

"That really happened?"

"Yes. I was even forbidden to watch my brother's training and was forced to wear this mask," he said getting off the bed to go retrieve his mask to show her after taking a seat on the bed again.

"I never knew that the sanctuary treated you like that," she said.

"I can barely even go there, now that Aspros is no longer alive. Isolating myself was a way for me to get stronger and to become the man that I am today," he said as he put his mask away.

"Yuzuriha, do you and Shion ever get a chance to talk to each other?"

"We talk sometimes," she answered.

"Do you two talk about anything important?"

"I try to, but he doesn't seem very interested in what I have to say,"

"Hm,"

"What I don't like about Shion is that he always picks Dohko over me. I understand that friendship is important to him. I also respect that, but I don't like how he always leaves me out of his plans all the time,"

"And if it's not Shion doing that, then it's my teammates. Being the only girl among the group can be difficult,"

"This is why you are scared of disappointing anyone. You want to please everyone and do what's right,"

"That's one way to look at it," she said.

"Have you ever considered that maybe you're trying too hard? Maybe you don't need to worry so much about pleasing other people and just do what you want,"

"I haven't thought about it that way,"

"Maybe you should. Otherwise, you might end up going through life feeling miserable and disappointed,"

"That sounds like a terrible way to live," she said.

"Everyone has their own path. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices for others. At least that's how it works in my case, but you shouldn't feel guilty about putting yourself first once in a while,"

Having a deep conversation with him opened up new perspectives for Yuzuriha. She realized that she was spending too much time thinking about things she had no control over instead of focusing on herself. He was right. She was letting other people determine her happiness. That wasn't healthy and it wasn't fair to herself. All the thoughts of guilt and regret she was having were preventing her from living freely. This kind of talk was what she and Shion needed to have. Emotional support. Instead, he confides his feelings to Dohko rather than her. Defteros crossed his arms behind his head and closed his eyes.

"When you leave, I suggest you take Shion out on a date. See whether your relationship with him hasn't grown stale,"

"I'll try," she said.

Yuzuriha gave Defteros one last hug and grabbed her armour box and teleported out of his room. After a minute she left he turned on his side frowning as he stared at the wall.


The following day...

Asmita finally got a chance to talk to Defteros after seeing him being alone for once. He walked over to him and stood in front of him. He looked him straight in the eye and said,

"Your aura has changed. What happened?"

Defteros gave him a confused look, "You can tell that just by looking at me?"

He nodded, "Yes, your aura is brighter than usual. You look even happier and more content,"

"You always say strange things when you see me, talk to me like a regular person would," Defteros said leaning against the pillar of his temple. Asmita smiled and then said.

"You've been busy with Yuzuriha haven't you?"

Defteros nearly lost his balance because of the sudden change of conversation. He put his arm on the wall to hold himself steady. He cleared his throat and said, "What are you talking about?"

"You know what I am referring to. You and Yuzuriha. You two have spent a lot of time together lately,"

"We're friends, nothing more," Defteros said ignoring the fact that Asmita saw right through him.

"Friends who kiss and which I presume also have-"

"Making assumptions like that will only get you into trouble," Defteros interrupted.

"It's not an assumption if it's true. I would know, I've seen you two. I know you better than anyone else does,"

"Yuzuriha and I are just friends. We share a common interest and that's all," he said crossing his arms. "Also weren't you the one breathing down my neck about me making new friends?"

Asmita chuckled and said, "Yes, I was,"

"So, then what is the point of our conversation?" Defteros asked.

"That you are in love with her, and she loves you back. So why don't you admit it already?"

Defteros was not going to entertain Asmita's theory of him loving Yuzuriha. Asmita is smart, out of everyone here he figured out that Defteros and Yuzuriha were something more than friends.

"I'm glad to see you happy and in love," Asmita said.

"For the last time, I am not in love with her!" Defteros shouted.

"In love with who now?" Sisyphus asked. Sisyphus and Rasgado appeared in their armour just like Asmita and Defteros were.

"Defteros seems to have found someone special," Asmita said. Rasgado laughed and raffled the top of Defteros' head.

"Really, now that is good news. You seem to have finally opened up to some female company," Rasgado said. Defteros removed his hand off him and frowned at his comrades.

"I do not have time to be distracted by unimportant matters," he said.

"My dear friend, there is nothing wrong with catering to yourself every now and then," Sisyphus said. "We are not getting any younger you know,"

How embarrassing is this for him. Asmita and his big mouth now got his comrades thinking he was in love with someone. Rasgado teased him a lot about it too and that made it even worse. Asmita left and he was left alone with Sisyphus and Rasgado. The way that they wanted to know so badly about who this mysterious woman is. At some point, it ended up being a guessing game between them. They didn't care if it was true or not, they just wanted to know who it was.

"Aspros was always the one who grabbed a lot of attention from the females around us," Sisyphus said. "I wouldn't be surprised if you also had the same charm as he did,"

True, Aspros was loved by the females everywhere. He didn't do relationships because he was under the impression that he would never find anyone of his calibre. Aspros' high expectations led him to believe that no one could ever match up to him. He was arrogant, slept around and got involved with a lot of women. But despite all that, he never mixed business with pleasure. He was still gunning for the throne, and that is to be the pope of the sanctuary.

"Aspros and I are not the same. I would prefer to only have one woman than many," Defteros said.

"Interesting. I guess it's a good thing you are not like him," Sisyphus said.

Defteros smiled a little and the three spoke together like the good old days. Even though the topic was slightly awkward, they were able to joke about it. It reminded him of the days when they were kids. On the topic of romance, Sisyphus came out and told Defteros and Rasgado about his sudden interest in Sasha. That was funny to Defteros because he always thought Sisyphus was too straight-laced to be interested in a woman. He is focused, determined and very protective of Sasha. Who would have guessed that all the loyalty acts he put on actually meant something?

Defteros realized that he'd been neglecting his friendship with both Sisyphus and Rasgado. Other than treating him like the baby of the group, they cared for him. Before they left Sisyphus gave Defteros a message about a sanctuary ball this coming Friday. All saints of Athena are to attend.

A sanctuary ball event sounds like something Defteros would avoid attending, but he knew he had to go. The sanctuary rarely held events, but sometimes change is needed. This was a great opportunity to build connections with others. If Sasha is the one who planned this, then it must mean that she is willing to change the old ways of doing things around here. Defteros smiled thinking about what Yuzuriha would wear on that night. Scratch that, anything that Yuzuriha wears always turns out perfect. He only hoped that on that night, he would be able to control his urges. Asmita was onto him already and if he let his guard down, things could end up going south.


Yuzuriha was in Athena's chamber with Sasha while the two ladies spoke about their lives. Yuzuriha nearly panicked when she got called into her chambers. She thought that Athena knew about her little affair with Defteros. Instead, she's brushing the goddess' hair.

"It feels nice to finally have another female company every once in a while," Sasha said. Yuzuriha smiled at her goddess. Sasha told Yuzuriha about her plans for hosting a ball at the sanctuary.

"That sounds like an interesting idea. We seriously deserve some form of entertainment every now and then," Yuzuriha said.

"I agree, I see my saints working hard every day and I thought it would be nice to change things up," Sasha replied. "And also there is another reason why I am doing this," she said turning around to face Yuzuriha.

"What is that?"

Sasha leaned closer to Yuzuriha and whispered in her ear.

"I wanted some alone time with Sisyphus,"

Yuzuriha gasped in shock that Sasha would reveal such a secret to her. Knowing that Sasha liked Sisyphus made her situation with Defteros seem like it was okay for her to like him.

"Sage barely lets me do things that I want since I became a goddess. I need to act like one and not do things that people my age are doing," Sasha said.

Yuzuriha looked at her Goddess with a smile. She knows how Sasha feels about not being able to do things you want to do. Her situation is almost similar to hers. She is a goddess whereas Sisyphus is her knight. There are boundaries to the relationship that neither of them should not cross.

"Does Sisyphus know about your feelings towards him?" Yuzuriha asked her.

Sasha shrugged her shoulders and even pouted a little.

"no, I don't think so,"

"why don't you tell him?" Yuzuriha asked.

Sasha smiled as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Because he might not like me. I don't know if it's me but he treats me more like I am his daughter than a lover," she said.

Yuzuriha smiled fiddling with her fingers on her lap.

"I feel like Sisyphus might like you more than that. The rules of the sanctuary make it very hard for anyone of us to express our true feeling towards someone else," Yuzuriha said.

"I know, that is why I am trying to change that old tradition by hosting this event," Sasha said smiling. Yuzuriha nodded.

"New times call for new traditions. I hope this will change things for the better," Yuzuriha said.

Sasha smiled and they started talking about what they were going to wear, their hair, boys. You know girls' stuff.


The night of the ball...

The massive hall of the pope's chamber was filled with decorations from top to bottom. The ceiling was decorated with sparkling lights while the walls were adorned with flowers and vines. On the sides where a line of chairs that were set up with smaller round tables. Plenty of enough seats for her saints as well as enough space for people to mingle. The floor was covered with glittering white tiles that glittered even under the bright lights of the chandeliers.

A red carpet had been laid out leading to the entrance. The staircase leading to the throne that Athena would sit upon, and the throne was also decorated with beautiful roses and lilies. The guests were arriving all dressed in their finest. Extravagant gowns and suits of all colours and designs. Sasha had allowed the female saints to attend without their masks on which really shocked the men. Their faces were visible for everyone to see. Some of them couldn't help but stare openly at the gorgeous women, unable to control themselves. Especially our favourite saint of all, Manigoldo. He was smitten by them and even checked out every aspect of their bodies.

Albafica face palmed himself, he could never understand why he was so obsessed with women. Albafica watched him drool over them and he eventually went and flirted. Typical and yet expected, so it didn't surprise Albafica at all. The rest of the gold saints walked in with their plus ones; most were happy to be attending the event. The gold saints were treated like royalty here. They were given special treatment and were seated in the very front with a long table that accommodated the gold saints and their plus one. Tenma and Yato were also part of the special treatment.

Greetings began and the party started. Tons of food was served, and drinks flowed like water. Everyone had a great time and mingled. Many of the guests asked to take pictures with them and the gold saints happily obliged, posing for the cameras and smiling brightly. By the table where the gold saints sat, there were two empty seats. Sasha and Yuzuriha's seats. The two have yet to arrive. The gold saints began to worry. Why haven't they arrived? Did something happen to them?

Tenma sighed. "I'm sure they're fine. They may be late, but they'll eventually show up,"

Whoever did the seating arrangements did not do Defteros any favours. Yuzuriha was seated between Shion and Defteros. There's nothing more awkward than being seated between her boyfriend and her lover. Defteros felt someone kick his leg underneath the table and he looked across him to see Asmita smirking at him. Immediately Defteros suspected that it was Asmita who did the seating arrangement. It had to be. He was the only one in the group that could do such a thing or it was a big coincidence.

The room suddenly got quiet, and he turned his attention to the red curtains behind the throne and Defteros nearly dropped the glass he was holding when he saw Yuzuriha walk out with Sasha. Her hair was down, and her dress was a rhinestone black. She looked ravishing. The two girls took note of the many stares they were getting from the guests. Sage welcomed the two and even wanted Sasha to sit by her throne to give her speech, but she wanted to sit by with her friends. Sage allowed it and didn't want to make a fuss about it in front of everyone else. Defteros couldn't get his eyes off Yuzuriha. Everyone else suddenly disappeared from the room leaving him alone with her. His heart raced as the two made eye contact. He smiled at her. Yuzuriha smiled back before turning her gaze to Sasha.

Some gold saints were a little excited to see the two females. They walked down the stairs and headed to the table. Sasha next to Sisyphus and Yuzuriha nearly froze when she saw her sitting arrangement. Defteros saw that Yuzuriha had the same reaction as he did but she took a seat, nonetheless. Shion smiled greeting her and started to talk while Defteros eyed her from the corner of his eye. She so happened to wear those dresses that had a slit on both sides that exposed her thighs. The slit was high enough that you could almost see her ass if she were to bend over. Defteros was definitely interested. He couldn't stop staring at her legs.

Sasha stood up, toasting her glass and giving a short speech about how this is a wonderful occasion and that she hopes everyone enjoys themselves.

"Thank you all for coming to my event. Although it was last minute and mandatory, I hope everyone has fun. Now let us have our dance and then we shall all feast on the food. You are all free to mingle. Please enjoy yourselves,"

Everyone applauded and the music started again everyone getting out of their seats. The gold saints and their plus ones immediately went to the dance floor. Defteros stayed behind by the table having no interest in dancing. He didn't bring a plus one along with him. It was rather sad for some people to see him sitting there all alone. Asmita of all people even had a date, when everyone least expected it. Yuzuriha from the dance floor watched Defteros sitting all alone. She knew she shouldn't, but she felt the need to go over to him. Her attention wasn't even focused on her partner but rather on Defteros.

"What are you looking at?" Shion asked.

"Nothing,"

Yuzuriha hugged Shion while she watched Defteros. Defteros was the one she wanted to dance with. He looked so handsome dressed in a
black suit and shirt. She watched him stand up and leave the dance floor. She waited until he was far away before she made up an excuse to Shion.

"Shion, I have to go to the bathroom,"

She excused herself and ran off to find Defteros. He was standing outside and looking up at the sky with hands in his pockets.

"You shouldn't be here,"

He turned around and gave her a strict glare.

"So do you. You should be inside with your friends,"

Yuzuriha bit her lip and wanted to say something back but she took a step forward. When she closed the gap between them, Defteros grabbed her hand and pulled her close. No space was left between them and Yuzuriha didn't resist but looked into his eyes.

"If not for your friends then do it for me," she whispered. That sweet innocent look on her face broke Defteros' heart.

"But how am I supposed to be okay with seeing you dancing with someone else?" He said. " I should be the one dancing with you. I'm just as upset as you are,"

"I understand,"

Yuzuriha smiled and kissed his cheek. Defteros leaned in to kiss her but stopped right before their lips touched.

"It's fine. I guess," he said. "I'll do it for you. But don't expect anything in return,"

"Don't worry. I won't ask you for anything in return. Just for tonight," she said.

Separating was the best option, but the lust still lingered in both of their hearts. They held each other and didn't want to part ways. Self-control is part of a human's nature that they can't help ignoring it. No one was outside except for Defteros and Yuzuriha. Their intrusive thoughts got the best of them, and they ended up kissing. He pushed her against the wall and held her body tightly. His hands were in a hurry to just feel her skin and her short dress was more than enough to get him excited. His hands landed on her butt and squeezed it. Nothing more was going to happen beyond this point. There were hiding in a corner where no one would see them, and any noise wouldn't be heard.

After a few minutes, Yuzuriha felt her heart pounding and her breathing quickening. This was more intense than she thought it'd be. She was nervous yet excited. It must be the excitement of trying to hide it from others. Defteros was getting impatient and started unbuttoning his pants which Yuzuriha stopped him.

"We shouldn't do this here,"

Yuzuriha was afraid that someone might see them. She was aware of the risk she was taking. But the passion in her heart was stronger.

"I'll make it quick," he said trying to pull her panties down. Yuzuriha stopped him again and put some distance between them.

"Let's go back inside, Shion is probably wondering why I'm gone for so long,"

Defteros listened to her and took a deep breath before heading towards the pope's chamber.


Everyone was dancing and eventually switching partners. She danced with Shion, Kardia, Manigoldo, Dégel and El Cid. She finally got a chance to dance with Defteros. Yuzuriha smiled and so did him.

"See, I knew we'd get a chance to dance," Yuzuriha said smiling.

Shion held two glasses of wine and he caught sight of Yuzuriha and Defteros dancing together. He saw it as nothing to worry about and yet, she danced a little bit closer to him. Compared to the others her dance with him looked a little bit intimate. Defteros and Yuzuriha almost looked like they wanted to kiss each other.

"I never got a chance to tell you how beautiful you are," Defteros said.

"I know," she replied.

"Do you ever think about how lucky I am to have you?" he asked.

"Every day," she whispered.

Defteros smiled and pulled her close to him. They should know better than to do that. People might be staring but neither cared. She lost track of her surroundings her attention was focused on his lips instead. She smiled wanting to kiss him.

"I want to do it in the bathroom," he said leaning in towards her ear.

"In the bathroom? Here?" she asked.

"Yes," he whispered.

She looked around and saw Shion watching her. She distanced herself a little bit from Defteros and she nodded. She moved away from him and walked to Shion. Defteros didn't make a big deal out of it and continued on with his own things.


During the dinner table...

The dinner table was full of food, wine and good conversation. Everyone was enjoying themselves, Calvera and Kardia were at each other's throats which was hilarious cause those two liked arguing. It really entertained everyone. Defteros' hand kept rubbing against Yuzuriha's thigh. Even the gods could not stop her lover from doing something like that.

Ignoring it would be the best option, but can you really ignore it? She instead encouraged him by letting him rub her leg. Defteros sipped his wine and then he slowly licked the rim of the glass. He purposely made eye contact with her while licking the glass. Every single time he glanced at her; she would bite her lip to suppress her smile. Luckily no one noticed the two silently flirting with each other. It was bold of them to do this in front of everyone especially with Shion sitting right next to her, but there isn't much that can be done. Besides, she's not worried about Shion. Shion's attention was on Kardia and Calvera. All he did was watch them fight.

Defteros made hints to Yuzuriha that he wanted to take her somewhere private. The bathroom that is. Defteros left first and Yuzuriha waited 15 minutes and followed after him. The table went on as usual except for Asmita watching them the whole time. It was like he was watching a live movie. Asmita smiled when he watched her leave. How fascinating it was for him. 'The lovebirds have finally made their move'. He thought to himself.

She locked the door behind her and pouted at Defteros.

"I am so disappointed in you. Don't you have any manners," Yuzuriha smirked sitting on top of the counter her back pressed against the mirror. Defteros chuckled and stood in front of her. His hands rubbed both of her thighs and he slid his fingers along her legs.

"Manners?" Defteros said his voice low and slow. "How can I have manners when you're wearing this," he added sliding his finger up her dress.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I wore this just for you?" she said licking her lips. She tugged on his belt and undid it.

"I doubt it," he said pushing her dress off her shoulders. "Your outfit attracted a lot of attention so it's hard to say if you really wore it for me,"

Defteros grabbed hold of her breast and squeezed it gently. Yuzuriha moaned and arched her back and her hands touched his hair and ran through it.

"So, what am I supposed to believe?" he asked taking a nipple in his mouth and sucking on it.

Yuzuriha gasped and pushed his head further into her chest. She took a handful of his hair in her hand and forced him to suck on it harder. She felt his tongue swirling around her nipple, and she let out another moan. She watched him with lust in her eyes. His teeth grazed her nipple again and she sighed. He pulled on her nipple as he sucked on it causing her to gasp. His hand had fondled her other breast and she didn't complain. He gave them love and attention and he left her right breast with a gentle kiss, then focused on the other one.

Her free hand went down to her crotch, and she rubbed herself through her panties. Her breathing became heavier, and she knew that she was close to climax. Defteros continued to tease her breasts and she whimpered. He pulled away from her and Yuzuriha felt empty without him.

"Let's make it quick before they catch us," Yuzuriha said. Defteros nodded.

Back at the table...

Asmita has been keeping track of the time that there were in the bathroom. 15 minutes have gone by, and they were still not back yet. Shion started to take notice of their absence and thought back to the dance floor when he remembered the loving looks Defteros and Yuzuriha gave each other. They were jokes going around mainly from the guys that Defteros was probably fucking Yuzuriha right now. Those kinds of jokes bothered Shion because he knew very much how his friends also wanted to do that to her too. Unlike some people, he trusted her.

But that doesn't mean he also trusts Defteros. Shion's mind couldn't stop thinking about the possibility of them having sex in the bathroom. The guys suspected it, but Shion doubted it. Yuzuriha is not that kind of person, is she?

The looks he got made him feel embarrassed, he covered his face with his hand and continued staring at his food.

"Defteros is back at his temple. You might as well drop whatever you were thinking about," Asmita said.

"So, you want us to ignore the obvious?" Manigoldo asked. They all laughed at his remark.

"I'm just saying that none of you should be jumping to conclusions," Asmita said.

"Defending Defteros again? I know you're his friend, but they make it obvious that they are together," Manigoldo said.

"Going to the bathroom for more than fifteen minutes is suspicious," Kardia said.

"That's what I'm saying," Manigoldo replied.

"Could you have a little faith in Defteros? He already has someone that he likes," Sisyphus chimed in.

"Oh really, I was hoping to shoot my shot with him," Calvera whined and Kardia rolled his eyes.

"Calvera, stop lying to yourself, I know you like me, everyone knows that you like me, all you have to do is say it," Kardia smirked at her. She scoffed at his comment and turned away from him.

"Calvera, I can see you blushing," Kardia laughed. "You like me, admit it,"

"I would if you were my type," Calvera said turning back towards him. Kardia held back a laugh and shook his head.

"Give it up Kardia, how many times has she rejected you," Dohko said, and they laughed.

"She can reject me as many times as she wants, I know she wants me. She's playing hard to get," he grinned at her. Calvera flipped him off and he returned it with a smile.

"Alright enough both of you, let's not forget the subject of our two missing members. Let's make a bet," Manigoldo said.

"Is that really necessary?" Albafica asked.

"I think so, how about this?" Manigoldo said. "100 euros, each from you one of you that they are going to come back together,"

"Are you serious?" Gioca asked.

"I wouldn't joke about something like that," Manigoldo laughed.

"And if they don't?" Mine questioned.

"Then Kardia, Dohko and I will streak around the sanctuary," Manigoldo said. An uproar of laughter came from the group, and everyone started putting their money on the table.

"Don't involve me in this," Dohko said.

"Too late, you're already involved," Kardia laughed.

Shion frowned and kept quiet throughout the conversation, and he was so disappointed in his friends to be joking about something like that.

"Should I go check on them?" Regulus asked.

"Let's all go. We need to see the truth ourselves," Rasgado said and stood up. The group followed him, taking their money along and left the table. Even Shion needed to see this. He prayed that what he sees next will not ruin his friendship with Defteros.


Everyone reached the bathroom and Manigoldo kicked the door open breaking the lock and everyone gasped at the sight that greeted them.

"What the hell is going on in here!?" Manigoldo asked.