Thank you all for all the kind comments and title suggestions! Always appreciate the help. :)

Thank you FlourChildWrites and CrazyElf2018 for the beta!

I don't usually have a favorite song for a chapter, but this time I was listening to EuculaLabs "Living in a world without magic". Gorgeous independent animation. Check it out!

Chapter 28: We Can (not) Reunite

Momo stumbled to her feet. Her chest was so tight she could barely breathe.

'It couldn't be.'

A young woman had appeared at the edge of the tree line. She looked exactly as Momo remembered: short with asymmetrical bangs and cropped chin-length black hair. A dark purple chiton clung to her slim frame, and from her ears hung long, golden earrings that reached her shoulders.

Momo stood transfixed. She was afraid to blink; otherwise, the woman would surely disappear again. This must be a dream. Or a hallucination. The hot springs must have made her sleepy,because it couldn't be –

It couldn't –

Her lips parted, and in a soft whisper, a name that Momo hadn't uttered in over three years passed through her lips.

"Kyouka?"

The woman's lips twitched. Then her eyes crinkled. She gave a low sob and jolted forward, dragging Momo into her arms and hugging her ferociously.

"Kyouka, is it really you?" Momo whispered again in a voice of disbelief. Her hands ran over Kyouka, touching her hair and shoulders, afraid she'd disappear.

"Yeah. It's me," Kyouka mumbled, face pressed against Momo's chest. "I'm here."

Momo's heart twisted at the familiar voice. Pressure built in her cheeks. She pressed her lips together as she struggled not to cry, but failed as tears began to stream down her cheeks.

The last time she'd seen Kyouka Jirou was in Troy, the day the east wall had been breached. That had been over three years ago. Kyouka had disappeared that day without a word. All Momo had learned was that Kyouka had been taken by a god.

She had never expected to see her again.

Momo's vision grew misty. She clung to Kyouka tighter. "How?" Momo asked in a shaky voice. "How-how are you even here?"

"I know. It's crazy." Kyouka pulled back. Her calloused fingers slid down Momo's arms to clasp her hands before she gave them a tight squeeze. "I have so much to tell you, but — ugh!"

Kyouka's expression flickered. "Shit, girl!" She dropped Momo's hands and turned her face away, blinking fiercely. "I'm going to cry if you cry," she moaned, wiping at the underside of her eyes with the palms of her hands.

The response was very Kyouka, and Momo couldn't help but laugh. The sound caught in the back of her throat, mixing with her tears to come out as a choked sob. She stumbled back, covering her mouth.

"Yaoyorozu?" Todoroki caught her by the shoulders. His hand against her back was warm.

The heat of it seeped through her chiton as if to steady her. It made her heart beat faster. Momo's jaw trembled. She reached up to wipe her eyes. "I'm alright —"

"Baaabe!"

Momo jumped in surprise. Her eyes darted up. But before she could react, the hand along her shoulders was gone, and she was pulled behind Todoroki.

The temperature in the air had dropped a few degrees. Momo shivered as she stared at the tense muscles in Todoroki's arms.

"Hey, Todoroki!" a male's voice said cheerfully.

Momo watched as Todoroki's taut muscles relaxed. He sighed. "It's you," he said in a flat voice that sounded vaguely annoyed.

"Nice to see you as well." The man laughed.

Todoroki didn't respond. Knowing that the newcomer wasn't a threat, Momo shifted and poked her head out from behind his back.

A man with bright blond hair, streaked on the left side with a black lightning bolt, had appeared beside Kyouka. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, drawing Kyouka into his chest in what seemed to be a familiar gesture.

The man caught sight of Momo and winked. Then he looked back down at Kyouka and pressed his cheek against the crown of Kyouka's head in a loving gesture. "Hey now, babe. Don't cry."

Kyouka's wet cheeks turned bright red. Her lips twitched, and she shoved her elbow back, catching the man in the stomach. He dropped his arm and stumbled backwards, wincing dramatically.

"Hey! What was that for?" he whined, scowling like he was actually hurt. "I was just trying to be a supportive husbando."

Kyouka crossed her arms. She turned her head away and sniffed. "Zeus would be more supportive than you," she said, but her lips kept twitching as if she were fighting back a smile.

Momo stared wide-eyed in shock at the two as they began to playfully bicker. Kyouka was married? And who was this man who was claiming to be Kyouka's husband? Momo bit her lip in apprehension as she looked him over.

The stranger was of average height and slim build. He wore a short white chiton, and a sling of red feathered arrows hung down his back. His attitude was casual, if not playful, even carefree.

He didn't seem dangerous. And he knew Todoroki.

"Are you hurt?"

Todoroki's voice snapped Momo out of her thoughts. She blinked and glanced up. Todoroki was staring at her. The temperature around him had returned to normal.

She tilted her head to the side. "I'm fine. Wh —"

"You're crying," Todoroki said. He reached out, and his hand cupped the side of her face.

Momo started as his thumb ran across her cheek to wipe away a lingering tear. She flushed with embarrassment and looked away. "No-No. I'm fine," she stuttered. "This-this isn't anything."

"Is that so?" Todoroki's silver and turquoise eyes narrowed. He brushed his finger across her cheek again before withdrawing his hand. "You'd cry over nothing?"

He thought he had hurt her, Momo realized. Before she could think, she grabbed his withdrawing hand. "I'm not crying because of you." She looked up and smiled at him. "You'll never make me cry. This is because I'm happy. So happy I could burst."

Todoroki stared at her for a moment, then his gaze softened. "I see."

"Yaoyorozu, Todoroki, what's going on? Who are they?"

Momo tore her gaze away from Todoroki at the sound of Kendo's voice. The others had stopped what they were doing and drawn closer, their expressions curious.

Momo blinked owlishly. She followed Kendo's gaze past Todoroki. Then it hit her. How could she have become so distracted by the mysterious man and Todoroki's presence that she forgot what was most important?

Kyouka was here!

She almost wanted to laugh at herself as the elation Momo felt at the first sight of her best friend returned. She released Todoroki's hand. Her face felt warm, but she ignored it as she beamed and stepped out from behind Todoroki.

"Yes!" The man and Kyouka stopped playfully bickering and looked up as Momo held out her hand in introduction. "This is Kyouka Jirou, my best friend and…"

"Kaminari."

Momo's eyes widened. Her gaze darted towards Todoroki then back towards the blond man. He couldn't mean…

"Denki Kaminari?" Tetsu-Tetsu gasped. His tone filled with awe.

"The one and only!" the blond haired man said, straightening. He gave them a wide-toothed grin and bowed formally. "Denki Kaminari. Erotes of Unrequited Love at your service."

Hagakure squeaked and dropped to the floor, prostrating herself on the ground. "Please don't curse me! I'm too young to have unrequited love! I haven't even had regular love yet."

Kaminari's eyes widened, and he held up his hands in a placating gesture. "Hey! None of that. I'm not here on business!"

"Then, what is a god doing here?" Kendo asked, helping Hagakure back to her feet. Her gaze darted between Todoroki and the god as if looking for an explanation.

"Well," Kaminari cleared his throat. "That's because —"

Before he could finish, a flash of pink shot past Momo's side. Kaminari stumbled backwards as Ashido stopped an inch from his face.

"Kaminari, you meanie! Where've you been?" Ashido demanded. Her cheeks puffed up as she leaned forward into the god's personal space. "I've been so bored!"

Kaminari chuckled sheepishly and reached up to rub his neck. "Sorry, Ashido! I'll get you home. I promise. I just wanted to gift my wifey time with her bestie first."

Ashido stepped back with an exasperated sigh and pressed two fingers against her temple like she was in pain. "Ugh! You don't know what I've been through!"

She looked up, and her black eyes narrowed. "I've been traveling all day in that uncomfortable cart," she said, pointing towards the wagon accusingly.

"You speak as if that was the worst thing that has happened to you," Kendo said in a flat voice from behind Momo.

"I hear you, Ashido," Kaminari said quickly as Adhido's expression darkened. "But to make it up to you, I've brought some of this."

He held up his hands. There was a crackling sound, light flickered between his fingertips, and a bottle appeared.

The group gave a collective gasp.

"Is that —" Tetsu-Tetsu's eyes widened.

"Ambrosia!" Ashido squealed, delight immediately spreading across her expression.

"Nottttttt quite," Kaminari said slowly. His face flushed in embarrassment. He gave them an abashed smile. "It's actually a very, VERY diluted extract of ambrosia mixed with wine."

"So… we won't be getting eternal life?" Hagakure asked, her voice dropping with disappointment.

"No, but it will taste good," Kaminari said quickly.

"That's boring." Ashido sighed.

"Hey!" Kaminari straightened and stuck out his chest as if offended. "I tried. It tastes great. Right, Kyouka?"

Kyouka gave them a small amused smile. Her finger caught the end of her earring and wrapped it around her finger. "I have to admit it's not bad."

"See!" Kaminari looked back at them. His eyes glowed in vindication. "Only the finest for a rescue celebration."

"Celebration?" Momo asked.

"Of course!" Kyouka met Momo's eyes. The corners of her eyes crinkled in delight, and a dimple appeared at the edge of her mouth. "I haven't seen you in three years; you think I'd let Kaminari pick Ashido up and leave? We have to catch up. I want to hear about everything that's happened. And I have to properly thank Todoroki for taking care of you."

"What?" Momo squeaked.

Kyouka turned towards Todoroki. She gave him a conspiratorial smile. "I know she's a lot. Momo has always had a knack for sticking her nose into trouble."

"That's not —" Momo started.

Todoroki lifted and dropped a shoulder in a half-shrug. "It's fine. I'm used to dealing with instigators."

"I'm not an instigator," Momo said, drawing her chin in defensively. "We just established this."

"Right, right." Kyouka laughed and reached out to take Momo's hand, leading her towards the fire. "Now, let's sit down. I want to hear everything that happened. From the beginning."

"And then Yaomomo whooshed down and held me in her arms." Ashido hugged herself tightly. "Like a hero from legend."

Tetsu-Tetsu whistled approvingly.

"It wasn't exactly like that." Momo snorted. She shook her head, unable to hold back a smile at Ashido's widely exaggerated storytelling. Her cheeks were starting to get sore from the amount of grinning she'd done that night.

The group had settled around the fire. The ambrosia wine had been passed around. Momo was surprised to find that it tasted sweet, like red grape juice. And after two drinks, Momo's face was warm, and her thoughts blurry in a pleasant sort of way.

"Feeling so moved by Yaomomo's sacrifice," Ashido continued, ignoring the interruption, "I — the humble, giving nymph that I am — knew I had to repay her. So I mustered the last of my energy and came up with a plan. Remember, I had been captured for days at this point, and the strange magic that had held me had dulled my senses. Plus, everyone knows forest nymphs are weak against fire. But that wasn't the worst..."

Ashido's voice dropped an octave. The group leaned in as she continued. "One of the slavers was still alive. Not only that, he had used some sort of spell to enhance his body."

There was a gasp among the group. Ashido continued, "It was like fighting the minotaur. I knew we couldn't take him down without a plan. So, I instructed Yaomomo to climb up onto the roof. Fire was everywhere. Like a giant beast it rose up, wanting to consume us, but I couldn't let my savior down. As the muscled man chased us, I used magic to make him slip. Then Yaomomo struck him to make him slip off the roof." Ashido sat back. "The rest is known."

Tetsu-Tetsu gave a whoop of victory as Kaminari, Kendo, and Hagakure clapped in admiration. Even Todoroki, sitting beside Momo, seemed pleased by the slight smile he gave her over his cup.

Kyouka reached out and took her hand. She squeezed Momo's fingers. "You're awesome, girl." Kyouka smiled at Momo. "I knew you had it in you. You've always been good at planning and stuff, but to hear everything you've done, I'm so proud."

Momo bit her bottom lip. Her throat felt tight at the look in Kyouka's eyes. She squeezed Kyouka's hand back. "I just did what I had to."

Kyouka shook her head. "So humble. You always undermine your own accomplishments."

"You've known each other so long," Hagakure said, leaning forward. "So tell us what Yaomomo was like. Back when you were in Troy, I mean."

Kyouka tilted her head and hummed. "It's kind of hard to say because I haven't seen Momo in so long, but," Kyouka glanced at Momo, and her lips pulled up into a sly smile. "She's definitely a lot more confident now than back at the temple. She was pretty clingy and nervous back then. Always so afraid Tokoyami or I'd leave her, she even used to demand that I hold her hand all night so I couldn't sneak off."

"That's-that was only when I first arrived at the temple," Momo stuttered. She withdrew her hand from Kyouka's, which only made the other woman snicker.

Kyouka's eyes crinkled in mirth. "Definitely longer than the first year."

"Only by a few months," Momo said in a very small voice. "I wasn't that clingy," she said defensively, looking away. Her eyes caught Todoroki's gaze. He lifted an eyebrow, and Momo felt the heat running across her face instantly intensify tenfold. Her gaze dropped to her lap as the others burst into laughter.

"Look at her blush!" Ashido cried. "She's as red as Todoroki's hair."

Momo thought she'd die of embarrassment. She had been so excited to see Kyouka again but now couldn't wait for her to leave if all she was going to do was share Momo's most embarrassing stories.

"What else?" Hagakure asked as the laughter died down. Her eyes glittered with unhidden excitement. "Tell us more stories! How did you meet Kaminari?"

"Yes," Momo said, looking up, happy that the conversation was turning away from her. "What about yourself, Kyouka? You have yet to tell me what happened that day."

Kyouka's smile faded. She sighed. Her shoulders slumped. "Yeah, I know. I barely know where to begin."

"I can tell it!" Kaminari said eagerly. The flames reflected against his golden eyes, making them glow with an ethereal light.

Kyouka snorted and rolled her eyes. "You'd embellish the whole ordeal."

"Night was descending," Kaminari began, his voice lowering dramatically. "The air held the strong smell of decaying bodies and blood. The war had been going on for seven years and both sides were exhausted when —"

"When the east wall began to fall." Kyouka cut Kaminari off.

Momo pressed her lips into a thin line and gave a faint nod. "I remember that night."

"Those were the Cornith troops," Todoroki added. His eyebrows furrowed together. "They failed, though. They weren't able to breach the wall, and they came back claiming their weapons had started to shock them."

"That's right," Kyouka gave a short nod. "When the east wall was being breached, it didn't look good for us." She glanced back at Momo. "It was the middle of the night, and you were at the main temple handling the wounded. But some of us were sent by the head priestess down to the wall to help the wounded and citizens evacuate."

Momo swallowed. Kyouka bit her lip and turned towards the fire. Her gaze grew distant as she continued. "A few of the Greeks had somehow scaled the wall unnoticed, and they took out the guards before the alarm was sounded. By the time we had enough men mustered, it seemed like it would be too late for us. The Greeks were climbing our walls faster than we could count, and the citizens were all panicking. It was chaos. Absolute insanity. I wanted to get back to you and Tokoyami, but I couldn't. So I began to sing to help calm people down. It was the only thing I could do."

Kyouka pressed her lips together. The group around the fire sat quietly waiting. Ashido was even silent as they waited for Kyouka to continue. After a moment, she drew in a deep breath. "That's when this guy appeared."

"As your savior."

"As the god I thought was Apollo."

"It's not my fault you mistook my sexy ass as Apollo."

"Wait a moment! You thought Kaminari was Apollo?" Ashido asked. She leaned forward, an incredulous smile spread across her lips. "Kaminari never told me that. You must have been pretty desperate."

"Not so, my dear Ashido. My Kyouka was just overwhelmed by my awesomeness," Kaminari said, placing his hand over his heart.

"Yeah," Kyouka rolled her eyes and smiled. "He definitely is 'wayyy' awesome."

Ashido sniggered.

Momo tilted her head, confused about the seemingly inside joke. She looked back at Kyouka. "So Kaminari appeared and…"

Kyouka's smile became strained. She looked back down at her hands. "Yeah, it looked like we'd lose. So when this guy appeared, I asked to make a deal to keep the walls of Troy safe and protect you and Tokoyami."

Momo's breath caught. "And in exchange, you had to trade yourself?"

Kyouka nodded. "Yeah." She looked back up. She sniffed and wiped at her nose with the back of her arm. "It's not like I had anything else to trade, anyways. But it's alright." She met Momo's gaze and smiled. "I'm just glad you're safe. If I went back in time, I would have made the same choice."

Momo pressed her lips together. Her chest felt tight. She wasn't sure how to feel. At the time, Momo had been devastated and confused, but after hearing Kyouka's story, Momo couldn't say she would have made a different decision if she had been in Kyouka's place.

"So what exactly did you do to the Cornith troops?" Tetsu-Tetsu asked after a moment. "I thought your magic was unrequited love?"

"Yeah, couldn't you have made them all fall madly in love with each other?" Hagakure said.

"Tut-tut." Kaminari wagged his finger, straightened, and smiled smugly. "True, I am the god of unrequited love, but I'm multi-talented. Even though unrequited love is my forte, I'm still capable of other types of magic."

"But the Cornith troops didn't leave the war, did they?" Kendo asked, looking at Todoroki for confirmation. "Why didn't you make their weapons shock them forever and send them home?"

"Because Kaminari can't do that kind of magic longer than two weeks; otherwise, he overexerts himself and becomes an idiot," Ashido giggled.

Kaminari's face flushed. "Hey! Two weeks is a long time for magic that isn't my specialty. It's hard enough to keep unrequited love in effect for that long!"

"Wait? What do you mean?" Hagakure asked, tilting her head. "Unrequited love isn't permanent?"

"Well… no." Kaminari shifted. "Nothing in life is permanent."

There was a sharp breath from beside her. Momo turned to look at Todoroki and stilled.

Todoroki's face had paled as he stared at Kaminari with undisguised shock. "What did you say?" Todoroki asked, each word punctuated. The muscles in his jaw grew taut; it looked like they would snap at the barest touch.

A sense of dread crept over Momo.

"Fuck…" Kaminari swallowed nervously.

How'd you like the reunion?! Thoughts? Feelings? Was it emotional enough? Or too emotional? Would love to hear your thoughts!

Notes:
1. Earpiercings have been around since before the ancient Greeks.
2. Cornith - was a city-state on the Isthmus of Corinth, the narrow stretch of land that joins the Peloponnese to the mainland of Greece, roughly halfway between Athens and Sparta and was one of the largest and most important cities of Greece.
3. Jirou and Ashido's inside joke this chapter was a reference to the anime where Jirou gives Kaminari the hero name "Jamming-way" because when he uses too much of his powers he gets into his durpy "yay" personality.