Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Sacrifice ❯ Reunited? ( Chapter 59 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

By: MellyN

XxXxXxXx

Sacrifice

By: Melissa Norvell

Chapter 59: Reunited?

XxXxXxXx

Feeling the heavy guilt hit her full-force, Azmy stopped and glanced behind herself. 'Did I really...do the right thing?'

"How much longer until we get to the castle?" Keiji finally asked after a long await of silence amongst the members of his team. Every once in a while, he would hear someone talk and soon after it was engaged, the small conversation would break off and fade into silence once more.

"We'll be at the entrance soon," Constantine informed.

"Aren't you afraid that someone will see us?" Azmy asked. After all, they were out in the open and if anything they looked like sitting ducks to any Holy Soldiers who wanted to snipe them off or outright attack them.

"No one's able to get in here. The castle is protected by Vasca's magic," Zephynthos reminded them of the special barrier that had been placed around the large structure by the king as a method to protect all of the people who took refuge inside. There was really no need for them to hide from anything or anyone.

"So, this is it, huh?" Chichiri gazed at the black castle. It was almost surreal to him, as if he were walking straight into medieval times. Everything was so simple and war-like, even the large, wooden doors were reminiscent of the castles back in the Knights and Dragons Era.

"It's about time," Hiroshima responded. They had walked for days across Sumeria with no means of teleportation and barely any food or water to keep them going, much less a good shower. This was the moment of truth, now they would see King Vasca and the legend hoped that he was doing well.

Fife simply stared at the entrance for a little while in deep perplexion at his personal dilemma. The familiar sensation of worry and uneasiness crept through his body. The prince grew a little hot, as if he were already being persecuted in unspoken words. It felt as if any minute, the castle might bear down on him and crush him with its weight. 'So...It's finally come to this. Too bad Hiroshima-sama had gotten bitten; at least I would have had the opportunity to show my father something.' The blue-haired prince glanced down in silent regret. Being a vampire would be far better than going this.

Suddenly, he felt a warm, furry hand touch his shoulder and he lifted his head and glanced over to see the warm eyes of Lord Bass upon him. The dog-demon smiled kindly at his prince. He knew that things must be hard for the boy, but there were just some things that one had to face in life, no matter what kind of outcome it may be.

"Shall we, my liege?" Bass glanced towards the castle doors.

"I still don't get this, but I'm ready," Fife replied. 'As ready as I'll ever be...'

"Then let's go. We're wasting time," Constantine told them as everyone entered the castle doors.

XxXxXx

Dark purple eyes turned from their crystal ball as a woman clad in a long, black dress with raven hair and dark purple eyes looked to King Vasca and alerted him that everyone was headed towards him and that they were now inside of the castle. She held her crystal ball on an elaborate stick out to the side, the image of the group advancing down the halls was still present within the sphere.

"The time has come," the seemingly young man who was seated on a red and gold velvet throne smiled kindly at his assistant. However, no matter how kind his smile was, there had always been a soft sorrow reflected in his deep blue eyes that was similar to the look Fife possessed. "I'll finally see you again, Fife." His words were endearing and kind, not those of a man who wanted to maim his own son for past mistakes.

XxXxXxXx

"Ugh...I'm still tired and it's hard to talk with these fangs," Hiroshima held his pounding forehead in his hand. Even though the pain had subsided, he would feel the effects from the transformation for a while until he had gotten used to it.

"Your fangs are abnormally large. They don't even fit into your mouth. I barely see the slightest of points," Bass happily pointed to the angel's lips, where two tiny points had shown. They weren't an eyesore and his face looked fine. The only way one could even tell would be if they were nearly nose-to-nose with the man.

"Glad you think it's that noticeable. Incase you were wondering, it was my attempt to hide it," Hiroshima dead-panned. Being a vampire was not something that he wanted, not to mention worth showing off. He didn't hate vampires, some of his best friends vampires but it did not suit him at all and he hated the dependency something like that had. The legend was very insecure about his appearance and situation.

"I'm glad that we don't have to fight anymore for a while," Chichiri rubbed his tired bicep muscles as they advanced down the red-carpeted halls. Finally, he would be able to get the rest that he deserved. He just hoped that the workaholic-like Keiji wouldn't press to move forward again. He never knew the green-haired drummer had so much drive.

Keiji, who was slightly behind him, hugged himself and shuddered a little. Now that he'd stopped fighting, he had noticed how cold it was. The boy remarked that it was cold in a barely audible voice. Just a few moments after he had uttered the phrase, he felt a warm jacket lay over his shoulders. Green eyes glanced over to see Fife to his right, smiling in his normal fashion. Only, this smile seemed to show a hint of being nervous. "What are you doing?"

"It's okay. I'm used to it," Fife grew up in Sumeria, so the cold didn't bother him as much as it did others in his group. He would do fine with his white, long-sleeved undershirt and vest on.

The drummer flushed slightly as he thought of how princely the blue-haired boy had just been with that action and thanked him, then glanced at the ground; bashful.

"Cheer up, Keiji-kun! You make me sad," Fife leaned in playfully and teased him.

"You're such a dork!" Keiji shot.

"That's gross, Keiji-kun!" The prince continued to tease.

Hiroshima cracked a smirk, then put a hand over his mouth as he tried not to laugh at the perverted insinuation that Fife had just made. "Shut the hell up, Fife," the angel said between chuckles as Tsurugi giggled behind him. The blonde wasn't afraid to let it be known that the subject amused him. Ko simply shook her head at the juvenile remark.

"Well, that lightened the mood," Bass commented matter-of-factly. It was about time something did. There was too much tension between everyone, residents and newcomers alike. It was nice to see them loosening up a bit.

Mikunai snickered and commented on hilarious Fife's comment was.

"You're easily amused, Master." Helix commented before he was quickly corrected that he should address Mikunai by him name alone. "Yes, Mikunai, this is awkward for me."

The long-haired vampire hugged his new lover. "You'll get used to it." He purred in the other man's ear.

Helix blushed a little and straightened his glasses nervously. "Do you have to be so forward about your sexuality in public?" It was a bit embarrassing to see his master act so undignified, though throughout their relationship he had been nothing but random and seemingly undignified so he didn't know what he was expecting.

"It's nice that you love each other that much," Fife glanced to Keiji. "I wish I could love someone like that."

Keiji blushed again. "Stop doing that."

"Doing what?" The prince asked innocently.

"Saying stuff like that."

"Why?" Fife snugly wrapped his arms around the other male's neck and nuzzled his cheek.

"You play around too much. I told you, I'm not gay," the blushing boy told him sternly. They were friends, nothing more and nothing less...or at least, he thought so.

Fife pulled away and let his hands fall from his shoulders. "Then why do you blush around me? Even now you're blushing," the blue-eyed prince pointed to his red cheeks and smiled innocently.

For once, Keiji didn't have much of an answer. It was almost as if his body stopped working for a moment in time and he felt himself desperately searching for an answer. "I've never been around someone as forward with their flirtatious nature as you are," he answered and it was the truth. He was used to fangirls not fanboys. Although Fife seemed more then a simple fanboy. There was something about him that Keiji was beginning to notice more and more and he couldn't quite place it.

Over time, he had noticed that, as he had spent time with Fife he seemed more and more like a prince in ways. His porcelain white skin that was brushed ever so slightly with the milky light from the ashy skies above. His seemingly tall, thin and frail body nearly seemed breakable, despite all that he had endured. Beneath his clothes was a thin, toned body, that of someone who had been through hard times and conquered all in his path. His large, lazy seemingly friendly eyes that held more emotion then he could ever ponder and his long, navy hair that framed his face in large tufts of hair and flowed like silk straight down his back, held together with a single purple ribbon. That very ribbon seemed to be an insignia of his and he never seemed without it. To Keiji, the vampire prince seemed more and more like someone from a fairytale book each and every day.

Even though Keiji knew that fairytales were false and the flawed boy only seemed surreal, he couldn't help but immerse himself in his presence or awe him for only a minute or two. For someone who was only adopted into a regal family, he sure seemed like the real thing...Then again, there was always the confusion with the other vampires and demons as to who he actually was.

He was beginning to wonder if Fife even truly knew his own identity.

When he thought about it, it was kind of sad really. He knew that deep inside, Fife smiled even when it hurt and he wanted nothing more than to see him smile a real and truly joyful smile.

"You're so shy!" The navy-haired prince waved in dismissal. "Too bad I'm not a sexy woman, huh?"

"Well, you did like dressing like your mother when you were small," Bass pointed out in a humorous way, which only left the young boy confused. How could Bass know something like that when he had no memories of anything of the sort? "And your hair was so dreadfully long that you looked identical to her. It was quite a sight indeed."

"How...do you kno-" Fife began to ask but before the words could completely escape his mouth, the sound of a door shutting and high-heels clacking against stone floor could be heard. He turned his sights away from the British, dog lord and saw a tall, slender, large-busted woman who wore purple eye shadow and lipstick standing with what appeared to be a crystal ball on some sort of elaborate staff staring at the group.

"Excuse me," the black-haired woman interrupted their happy moment with a relaxed and reserved voice.

"Who are you?" Ko asked.

"I'm Migoya Shizume. I'm here to take you to King Vasca," the woman bowed and the group returned the favor. She then thanked them and glanced over to Keiji, who was still wearing the prince's jacket over his shoulders, pulling it tightly to his body for warmth. "Are you all cold?"

"They have been mentioning it on and off," Treble told her. He was dressed in a long-sleeved, white shirt and poofy white pants with knee-length blue boots and elbow-length gloves that tapered up and wrapped around the base of one finger. He was also clad in Romanesque armor like his brother, Bass that consisted of a black chest plate and shoulder plates with a white line around the edges while Bass was a royal blue with a black stripe, a helmet with a mohawk-esque green plume while his brother's possessed a large, white poofy one. He also wore the black skirt-type armor and not to mention semi-long fur similar to that of a wolf so he was more than warm in even the coldest weather. Humans, however, weren't so cold resistant especially with the flimsy suits and short skirts that these people were wearing.

Shizume turned her back to the group and told them to follow her and that she would get them into some clothes that were more appropriate for them to wear in such cold weather. Not to mention that they would blend in a lot better as well.

"You're a goddess! Thank you!" Ko held both of her hands in her own and stared into the woman's purple eyes with stars in her own.

The darkly-clad woman smiled a small smile. "Of course."

XxXxXxXx

Everyone stood in the middle of a red room with, blood-red carpet and a bed with scarlet and velvet covers. Ko sat on the bed, wearing a form-fitting, Victorian-style shirt with a frilly white neck tie and two lines of buttons going down either side of the front and white frills coming out of the cuffs. The white-haired girl also sported a white hoop dress with frills rimming the bottom and black leather boots that laced up to her knees and possessed spiked heels. Around her neck was a simple black cloth band. Her hair was pulled back into a single ponytail instead of her characteristic side-ponytails. It was held up by a single black, bold clip.

Chichiri walked out in a sleeveless, black vinyl shirt with straps across the front that went through D-rings on the right side of his tight shirt. It was more of a trench coat then with long, flowing tails in the front and back and squared off at the ends. On his stomach he wore two belts crossed in an x shape. He also wore black, leather pants and black boots. Chichiri reached up with one hand and tugged at the high collar of his shirt while he glanced at the black, fingerless gloves he wore.

"This is weird."

"Yeah," Ko agreed as she took either side of her thick, white skirt and held it out to either side. "I'm not used to all of these Vintage Victorian clothes."

"I like it! I look good!" Azmy looked at herself in the long mirror at her black and white lolita-style dress and mid-thigh stockings with black Mary Janes with a satisfied smile.

"I feel a little strange," Zangetsu remarked as he entered the room in a suit with a Victorian-style black coat and undershirt with a cape that flowed over his transformed arm, concealing it from anyone who might question. He wore simple black pants with dress shoes. He played with the golden embroidered edges of his mid-length black coat with a slightly timid expression. Being so formal was something that he wasn't used to.

As a former member of a ninja squad, usually his clothes were designed to be functional not formal.

"Speaking of people who look good. That outfit really suits you, Zangetsu," Ko complimented. He seemed like he really fit into his outfit. It was almost as if he had popped out of the Victorian Era itself.

"Thank you," Zangetsu blushed in flattery.

Chichiri cast a jealous look from across the room. Why didn't Ko give him a compliment? That's how it usually was. The white-haired singer would usually ignore all of the other men to praise him and now he had this black-haired intruder receiving his compliments while he was simply ignored as if he were looking from the background. 'Who does he think he is?'

Tsurugi glanced at the many frills of his outfit. It seemed simple enough, a navy blue shirt with slightly flared blue pants and black dress shoes, only the shirt's flared arms possessed many layers of frills that spilled from the bottom in a dainty fashion and the ones he wore as a necktie spilled from the front of his shirt. He hadn't worn anything frilly, not even as a white-winged angel. It would definitely take some getting used to.

"It is weird to feel so dressed up," the blonde commented, though he couldn't complain. The idea also entertained him as well.

"It's the best I could do on such short notice," Shizume apologized.

"Does everyone in Sumeria dress this elaborately?" Undine walked out in a long-sleeved lolita-style, dark blue-verging-on black dress with small frills around the neck, bottoms of the sleeves and four lines of small lace around the long, rounded skirt. Underneath, the stoic girl sported black panty hose and white Mary Janes. She straightened her matching bonnet and gave the woman a questioning look.

"Well, King Vasca has invited you to be in the royal court. You should all look your best," Shizume noted the importance of their appearance in front of royalty as Hiroshima walked out in an elaborately embroidered suit.

Tsurugi's attention went to his boyfriend, who seemed very regal in his suit. He stared for a while, taking in the details of his outfit. His clothes were of a more simple and refined style. It was a simple long coat, in the style that he normally wore with long tails that nearly touched the ground and were squared off as well as pieces of material in the front that stopped short of his knees and flared sleeves with the slightest of frills adorning the inside, cufflinks with golden buttons and a red necktie with a blue gem set in the middle. He also had two rows of buttons on the front of his coat, as all of the men minus Chichiri had. The coat was a blood red with golden embroidery that predominantly covered the shoulders, lower sleeves and bottom of the tails in the back. His pants were simple, starched and white with black dress shoes.

Hiroshima wore a strange look on his face and commented a little uncomfortably that he felt like a king.

"You look like one too, very handsome, my Hiro-kun," Tsurugi complimented with a smile. The legend truly looked regal in his attire, the prime example of the man that he had fallen in love with so long ago. Aside from rugged charm, Hiroshima had a strange way of pulling off a distinguished look. Perhaps it was the way that he carried himself that made it possible to pull something like that off.

Suddenly, his hand was grabbed and the blonde felt himself being swung around. His small form soon landed on something hard like a wall. He looked up to see Hiroshima's smirking face as he found himself pressed into the other angel.

"Well, thank you," he replied dashingly with a crooked smile adorning his face.

Tsurugi flushed slightly and smiled. "Well, you're feeling better."

The princely qualities of his expression quickly faded. "Not really, just trying to deal with it," Hiroshima dead panned.

Azmy watched the two angels for a moment and smiled sadly. 'They're so happy...but why? Why do I feel empty? I don't want to love you, Hiroshima.'

"Are you alright?" Zangetsu scared her a little, which caused her to jolt before telling him that she was fine. "It's just that, you looked a little sad." He told her. The ninja had noticed the look on the girl's face as she was watching the angels and couldn't help but feel concerned.

"I just feel sorry for Hiroshima. He's been through a lot," Azmy lied and soon regretted it. 'Sorry Zangetsu...I don't mean to lie.'

Undine simply glanced at them from her position across the room, seated in one of the elaborate chairs against the wall.

"Well, are ready?" Shizume asked the group.

Keiji walked out in a simple Victorian suit with no fills, dress shoes a tie similar to Hiroshima's and straight-legged pants. "Where's Fife?" He glanced around. It was kind of strange that the prince wasn't present.

"Sorry, I spaced out," Fife walked out with a hand behind his head as Keiji and Shizume's sights turned towards him and the drummer couldn't help but stare.

His hair was pulled back in a black ribbon and his suit was a nice mix of Hiroshima and Tsurugi's with the many white frills cascading from the sleeves and a lining of them along the bottom of his mid-length coat and a neck-tie similar to Hiroshima's except black in coloration adorned his neck. His coat was a bright navy with golden embroidery along the cuffs, the bottom and the chest area. His pants also had golden embroidery along the bottoms of the legs and his black shoes were shined to perfection.

Now, more than ever he resembled a prince.

Keiji's face then turned from awed to annoyed at an unknown factor. "Leave it to you to pull a stunt like that."

"Hey, I'm fashionably late," the prince held up a finger with a playful smile.

"Well, this isn't a model search. Let's go," Hiroshima told the group calmly and turned his back to head down the hall.

"Of course," Fife smiled nervously, struggling to keep his mask of illusion present as everyone walked ahead of him. Hiroshima stopped when the group exited the room and turned to the vampire prince.

"As if the angels keeping quiet would really help you," his eyes narrowed, for he had known of that comment and didn't appreciate it at all. Fife was trying to use the angel's secrecy as a ploy to hide his true motives and now that he had been found out, the legend could express his underhanded means to his face. He had covered for him once against Flora by mimicking the spell he had preformed but now it was simply manipulation. "Don't think that you can cheat the system. After all...all things come to pass."

Fife said nothing for his guilty actions. He simply frowned as his long, navy-blue hair shaded his eyes in a mix of emotions.

Hiroshima smirked, satisfied that the prince had learned his lesson about tampering in matters that could deal with his destiny. Divine intervention was something that came with a cost, and Hiroshima had suffered with that sacrifice to help him the first time but wishes and secrets were not held so easily and after a while, it seemed as if he was being taken advantage of and his sacrifices simply couldn't be handed out as if they meant nothing when pieces of himself were meaninglessly given up without reason. It was abuse of his powers and it could cause more trouble than anyone could ever imagine.

"That's what you get for messing with me, kid," Hiroshima stated coldly.

"I didn't mess with you, Hiroshima. I was just trying to keep a secret. Wouldn't you know about that?" Fife shot him a happy look that seemed to scrutinize the angel.

"Hey!" Undine piped up from her position in the doorway as both males looked to her. The stoic girl then told them that everyone was leaving. Fife responded that the two of them would be there in a minute and that everyone else should go on ahead of them. The slate-haired girl nodded in response as she turned and placed her hand on the door frame and glanced over her should a final time before completely departing from the two blue-eyed men.

"I have a question for you, now that we're alone," Fife spoke up after a few moments of silence. He wanted to make sure that Undine was far enough away that she would not hear their conversation.

"Why did you wait until we were alone? What's the purpose of that?" Hiroshima was a little confused about the situation. What could Fife not tell him in front of Undine that he could tell him now?

The look on the prince's face turned serious. "That temple in Hikari Country, what was with that picture on the wall?" The similarity to Hiroshima was striking and if he had to jump to conclusions, he would easily say that people there worshipped him or someone who appeared similar to him.

"I'm not sure."

"Liar." If angels knew everything they had claimed to know, events of the future and past, then Hiroshima was obviously trying to keep what he knew a secret. After all, it was he and Tsurugi who had even noticed the drawings on the walls. It was only convenient that everyone else was distracted while they did so.

"Like you should be calling me a liar, hypocrite," the angel's voice was calm but Fife could tell by his body posture that he was beginning to get on the defensive.

"I'm not trying to argue," he wanted to keep the conversation as much on a friendly level as he could, not to mention he knew how hostile Hiroshima already was and there was no use in making it worse. "I just want to know if you're really him."

Fife had figured out who exactly it was that Hikari's people had worshipped and now he was merely out to find answers to his own questions. If he had approached the legend about it in public then he would simply get twice the speculation and propaganda from his team mates, not to mention a drilling by Keiji. This was a way that both of them could talk without pressure and the prince hoped that it would be far less threatening to communicate with him on this level.

"You mean the painting?" Hiroshima was already pondering his next move.

"Yes."

"Perhaps...you'll find out eventually."

"Then why are you here?" Fife asked. If he was indeed the one in the painting, then things must be bad. There was a plot of a whole different kind underway that seemed to be specifically between Vespa, Tsurugi and Hiroshima that seemed to involve them as well but what for? Why were they involved in his problems, or more specifically their problems? Keiji and the others were clueless but Fife had been reading between the lines and he listened to their conversations. He had picked up a few pieces of information of his own on the way.

"There's no such thing as coincidence, only fate," Hiroshima responded. It was merely by fate's chance that he was there in the first place. He could not tell the prince his purpose and he didn't want anything getting out about what he was or who he was. It was already too dangerous that Fife has possessed the information that he did. Luckily for him, the prince was very secretive as well. He had a decent amount of trust in him so he wasn't all that worried about his secret being spilled but he wanted to make things clear between the two of them.

"What's your plan?" Fife didn't expect the question to be answered; it was more along the lines of out-loud pondering.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

He knew it.

Hiroshima was as stubborn as ever but the legend was no idiot. Fife knew just as well that this man was a criminal mastermind, unpredictable force and more then genius as far as knowledge went. The angels, after all, were said to be God's most perfect creation and with that, could also be God's most destructive force.

God created Sataniel.

"I would like to know but that doesn't mean that you'll tell me," Fife smiled. It was definitely a lost cause.

"If you know who I am, then you'd better not utter a word, just as I have done for you, prince." It was the least Fife could do after Hiroshima had saved him from so much judgment. He knew what it was like to be judged and he sympathized with Fife's pain and uncertainty on the subject. Like the vampire prince, Hiroshima, deep down, was very afraid and affected by the thoughts and words of others.

"You're a prince too," Fife remarked, especially if the evidence he possessed was true.

"They don't have to know that, and they'd better not get the hint either," the dark prince cast him a warning glare as a back-up to his words.

"They won't," the vampire prince agreed happily.

"Now, let's go, Prince Fife."

"Yes, Prince Hiroshima," the navy-haired boy replied as the two of them began to walk out of the room and down the hall, still engaged in a conversation that stirred slight tension between the two princes.

"So..."

"What now?" Hiroshima asked.

"The people of Hikari Country practically worshipped you."

"I guess."

"You're more important then you act," Fife told him. For someone as important as Hiroshima, he was certainly down to earth and once you got to know him, easy to talk to. All that was truly needed to talk to him without his cold charade was to break through the outer shell. It was because of that thick, angry outer shell that he would not allow anyone in.

Now that he had no other option, he was forced to let Fife in and learn to trust on a deeper level.

"I like to keep a low profile. I'm not arrogant," Hiroshima tried not to boast his powers if need there be. He simply stated facts, no matter how obscure they were.

"I wonder what Vasca will do to me?" Fife wondered aloud and now that he was far away from the group, his true feelings had shown and Hiroshima could tell how nervous and frightened he actually was.

"What do you mean?" The angel's voice was a bit softer and not its usual calm tone.

"For killing Angeline..."

"Well, I can't say that I understand you on this...I've not had a family since I was six," the angel noted.

"How did you survive?" Six was a remarkable age for someone to be having no parents. Hiroshima was definitely noteworthy for surviving the frailty of childhood. Fife was in awe at his ability to face him today and wondered what exactly his childhood was like.

"I almost didn't," the angel wanted to assure him that what he was about to face was nothing like his own past and that he still had people that cared about him, no matter what he had done in the past.

"Do you really hate humans?" Fife asked. If there was something he couldn't figure out, it was that Hiroshima seemed to be endeared to certain people, while others he wouldn't trust fully or would only trust very little. True, he stated that he hated humans but he saved Keiji many times, helped Zangetsu free himself from Serenande's evil ways and even rose against the corrupt princess when he had first acquired the Crimson Blade. There were also accounts where he seemed friendly towards the mention of those he had travelled with, just as they had mentioned Miyaka. Hiroshima was friendly in regard to the Legendary Ninja. It was more than a comrades in arms thing; he could tell that they were genuinely friends.

There were few people that Hiroshima was endeared to and those that he liked were held in high regards. Out of the people in his group that were human, he took a liking to Keiji, Undine, Zangetsu and himself. He seemed close to Azmy as well but on a different level. It seemed to be more of a nurturing level and trying to subtly teach the girl that she needed to change her destiny before something happened to her, instead of truly feeling a deep friendship.

"That's an opinion that I wish to keep to myself. Besides, I feel differently about each individual person."

"What about Azmy?" Fife cast a concerned glance towards him. The girl was very troubled and he knew that Hiroshima was trying to help her with the issue the best that he could but she only seemed to get worse over time.

"You want to know what I think of her?"

"Yes."

"I don't love her. She's being foolish and very selfish," Hiroshima replied. The girl claimed in her thoughts to care about his boyfriend's feelings and yet, when it came to having an opportunity, then she would hit on him without question. The angel felt very guilty that she loved him and didn't know why or how she'd fallen in love with him in the first place. He tried to help her and he wanted to badly to change her ways to avoid what the future held but it was solely up to her to rid herself of the guilt and move on. The fact that she held in her guilt was all the more dangerous and he feared for her safety but he could do nothing as a result.

"She feels badly for it," the prince told him. Even though Hiroshima was genuinely concerned, his lack of being able to express his thoughts made him seem cold towards the subject.

"I don't care. She needs to learn," the angel's voice was low and rueful but stern at the same time.

"You're cruel to her."

"And she'd cruel to my mate but of course you'd defend her, even though you used to be so jealous of her for taking Keiji's attention from you," Hiroshima glared at him. Fife had no right to call him cruel on something he was trying his damnedest on to fix.

Fife seemed a little taken aback by his comment and said nothing in response. What could he say? It was all true.

"Or perhaps you know how she feels because you love someone who doesn't love you back."

"That has nothing to do with anything," the prince was struggling to keep his facade.

"Not even a little?" Hiroshima's voice was sincere as he looked at the prince with softened eyes.

"I just don't want her to get hurt. Even when I was jealous of her, I still tried to save her from Ohanna's possession," the prince told him. No matter what he felt at the time, it wasn't worth anyone committing suicide or dying in general. It would be selfish to want anyone to die simply because of his own endeavors.

"You didn't like it."

"It's not worth the death of a team mate. She deserves to live like everyone else," the prince replied softly. Just because they loved the same person at the time didn't mean that she just deserved to drop dead for being his competitor, no matter how much it made him angry.

"She pisses me off," Hiroshima retorted and for good reason. He knew what the future held and he was trying to divert something horrible from happening that involved Azmy but no matter how hard he tried, she constantly seemed to evade his advances. He could not help her if she constantly defied him, nor could he allow his help to be noticed.

In order to avoid a horrid fate, she had to learn to let go of him.

"Then tell her that, Hiro-sama," Fife replied, though he didn't think that it would be worth much help or advice.

"She'd better stop feeling sorry for herself or something bad will happen to her and it won't be my fault," the legend narrowed his eyes as he looked away and turned his back to the prince with a deep-set frown plastered to his features. He could not show Fife that he was upset by the situation. Hiroshima knew that he had to be strong for the sake of the others.

How could he be a good protector and advisor to the children if all they ever did was see him worry and get beaten time after time? From childhood, he had learned that a strong heart and mind are heavily required to be a good leader and scrap your way through life. Hiroshima had spent his childhood, from the age of six until he was fifteen weeping over other's judgments of him and a part of that hurt child still remained in his heart but one thing was for certain- he would cry no more, even when the pain was unbearable, he would not cry.

He would do for the children what he could not do for himself- protect them and show them what life was about in hopes that they would not turn out like him.

"Can you like her, at least a little?" Even someone as genius as the prince had misconstrued what he was trying to say. It happened often to him. People took what he said at face value and the only one who seemed to identify with him was something that resented him in the beginning of their journeys.

After all that he had done, he couldn't figure out why the kid had such an attachment to him. Hiroshima couldn't deny that he didn't like the feeling, however. Finally, someone had offered to be a true friend to him. He was beginning to feel the love and acceptance from humankind that he had always wanted.

"I like her just fine. I just think she's being a fool," the angel replied in his usual calm voice as he cast his gaze to the floor.

"There are the others," Fife told him as they had finally caught up to the rest of the group.

Upon hearing their footsteps, the group turned around and saw the two elaborately dressed princes coming towards them.

"There you are," Undine stated.

"Is something wrong?" Zangetsu asked as he noticed the looks on the two men's faces. Both Hiroshima and Fife seemed serious or even a little down about something and the two of them had gone off to discuss matters by themselves. He wondered what they had been talking about.

"We're fine," Fife pulled on his false smile.

"You took a while coming back."

"We were just talking about something important, right Hiro-sama?" The prince smiled at the angel, who nodded solemnly in response.

"Come, King Vasca is just ahead," Shizume smiled over her shoulder as they continued a little further down the hall and stopped at two large, wooden doors that were adorned with golden decor. She informed them that the king was in that room and asked them if they were ready to see him.

Fife looked at the door as he thought to himself. 'This is it. There's no running now...' The blue-eyed prince closed his eyes and exhaled slowly to gather himself. "Let's go."

The doors slowly opened to reveal a stone room with red carpeting, a mirror pool and large throne, as well as other rich decor. The room was spacious and could easily fit 200 people wihtin in. They then glanced to the throne to see the very king that they had risked everything to come face to face to, standing before them.

Vasca was a very seemingly young man, whose features seemed to belong to that of a twenty-five year old rather than someone who was nearly fifty in age. He was nearly as tall as Hiroshima was. He wore several Celtic-style robes, sashes and scarves that were white with blue borders, embroidery and rims. His hair was parted int he middle, long and straight and of equal length. Vasca's porcelain white skin was a beautiful contrast from his blue, mature and sullen eyes with medium-length eyelashes. He also possessed a crown of blue and black stones and wore many rings on each finger.

Indeed the king was a beautiful man.

Zuri, Bass, Treble, Constantine, Helix, Zephynthos and Mikunai were all present before him and bowed to the newcomers in unison. They had been waiting for them to finally make it to their king. Everyone else bowed in turn and Shizume spoke first.

"King Vasca, your son and his followers have finally arrived," the black-haired woman glanced to the group.

Fife looked down and frowned. There was no way he could speak now. All of the courage he had gathered had quickly left his body.

"My son," the King's matured, collected and happy voice sounded as he looked at Fife with eyes that seemed to brim on happiness. He hadn't seen his son in over ten years and to finally have him standing before him was a miracle in itself. Vasca thanked God that he had returned his son to him. He then glanced to the angels, a little surprised that they were also present. "It's you two."

"Nice to see you again, Kinf Vasca," Tsurugi greeted with a smile.

"You too, Tsurugi."

"They really did know each other," Chichiri was amazed that they weren't lying about knowing the king of Sumeria. It was a relief for him. He at least knew that they would be safe for a while.

"Why have you come to me?" Vasca knew the angels all too well. Usually if they came to see him, it was for a favor or they were on a mission. Matters were never as easy as a simple visit for tea.

"We're passing through to get to a woman named Soel," Hiroshima informed with the slightest of crooked smiles. He was content to see that Vasca was alright.

"We wish to aid you once more in the war against Baklava," Tsurugi added.

"I appreciate it. As my allies, I accept your help and I thank you for your time," the king replied in a warm-hearted tone.

"What will happen now?" Fife had wondered if he would find the answers to all of his questions here. A part of him was still nervous about what would happen now that he was face-to-face with his father but he knew that he could not turn back now.

Whatever happened would happen and there was no stopping it.

"We do have a few issues to bring up. Perhaps you can help us clear up any confusion at hand," Bass told him. Before things could progress any further, they needed answers to their questions, especially the prince.

To Be Continued...