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Chapter Three: Agonize
It was almost three months later when it happened.
The Lord Phoenix vanished. No one knew where he had gone. Not even his Champion Among Mortals, Shima of Mars.
All that was left was an insolent rogue who claimed that the Lord Phoenix had passed on and left him in his place as his one true heir.
The first act made by the ‘heir’ was to isolate the ‘Phoenix Kingdom’ into Mount Phoenix. The second was to declare war on the peaceful tribes of women in the area surrounding Mount Phoenix. His third act was to declare that the Phoenix and his Musk servants had no need of a ‘champion’, an action which earned him the ever burning hatred of the Champion.
His name was Saffron.
**********
"So, why can’t you find him, Shima-san?" asked the beautiful blonde from Venus who was leaning against him as they sat against the east tower’s roof wall of the Lunar Palace watching as Earth rose before them.
"I don’t know, Minanoai-chan. I just don’t know." Shima sighed, as he wrapped one muscular arm around the small girl’s shoulders and gave her a brief hug. "But I thank you for sitting here with me. I know you don’t like the cold." He stood and offered her a hand up.
"It’s alright, Shima-san. It was the least I could do after everything you did for us." Minanoai replied, accepting the hand and rising to stand beside him.
"I haven’t done much, Minanoai-chan. I haven’t done much at all for any of you."
"Yes. You. Have." Minanoai riposted, even as she reached up and jabbed him in the nose to punctuate each word. "You’ve done ever so much for all of us, Shima-san. Before you came, no one wanted to even talk to us. We were dangerous, Shima-san. People were scared of us, and with someone like Akai it’s not really that surprising why."
"So, she’s a bit of a firebrand! People should be brave enough to talk to a group of girls as beautiful as you."
"Thanks, Shima-san. But, you really were the first one to actually come up to any of us just to say hi and not to send us out somewhere to fight someone or something. You’re like the big brother none of us really got to have. There are times when I envy Reiki-chan."
"Don’t envy, Reiki, Minanoai-chan. You’re just as much my little sister as she is. All of you girls are."
"Not all..." Minanoai giggled as her eyes twinkled mischievously up at the slightly blushing Shima.
"Don’t go there, Minanoai."
"Aw, you’re no fun." She pouted, then shivered, only to cheer up a bit as Shima raised the edge his scarlet cloak and wrapped it around her slender shoulders. She snuggled in closer to his side as they walked along. "You know, if Akai catches us then she’s going to be really mad."
"I can handle Akai, Minanoai-chan. Besides, she should know better by now."
"Should and do are two entirely different things, Shima-san."
"Don’t I know it." Shima chuckled under his breath, but it lacked the humor it usually would have carried before the Lord Phoenix disappeared. Minanoai could tell that he was truly worried about his patron and wished that she knew how to cheer him up. "Well, here we are."
They had reached the doorway back into the castle main. Shima pushed the heavy wooden door open and escorted Minanoai through the portal and back to her quarters. At her golden door, he knelt down till he was eye-level with her and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight.
"Thank you, Minanoai. I really appreciate what you’ve done for me these past few days. I won’t forget." Shima whispered into her ear, then released her. "Good night, Minanoai-chan. I shall see you in the morning."
"Good night, Shima-san. Thank you for walking with me tonight, I really appreciated it."
Then the two bowed and parted ways, Minanoai for her chambers and Shima for his quarters. Neither noticed the silent figure of Akai standing nearby, a single tear trickling down her face.
**********
"What’s wrong, Sempai?" Kina asked, even as she flipped Shima up over her shoulder and down hard onto the mat.
Shima stood and dusted himself off. "Nothing, Kina-chan. Though I really wish you wouldn’t call me that."
"What? Sempai? Why? Make you nervous?" Kina asked, her eyes mischievous.
"Yeah, something like that." He replied wryly, rubbing at a still slightly painful lump on the back of his head where the cause of his nervousness had thwacked him. Hard.
"Ok. I won’t call you sempai if you tell me what’s wrong."
"I already told you, Kina. Nothing’s wrong."
"Right, Sempai. And I can throw the legendary Shima of Mars across the hall with ease everyday. You know, if you were anyone else, I’d say it was girl trouble."
"And what makes you think that it’s not?"
"Simple. Because you are you. And everyone is just about head over heels for you except Serenity-hime, and that’s just because she has Endymion to ogle."
"And you, Kina dear? What about you?"
"What? You want me to be head over heels with you?"
Shima replied very maturely by sticking his tongue out at her.
"Yep. Now I see where Reiki gets that. You’ve been hanging around Serenity-hime haven’t you?"
"That doesn’t matter, Kina-chan."
"No, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter because that’s not the problem. I know you don’t have girl trouble simply because Akai has you staked and claimed, boy."
"And I see you’ve been hanging around the Earth court."
"Hey. What can I say? Those are some hot looking guys! Not as hot as you, Sempai, but then there’s damn well nobody in your league on this dustball."
"Flattery will get me in trouble, Kina-chan."
"That’s ‘flattery will get you no where’, and I see you’ve been rubbing off on Minanoai."
"So I can’t always get the silly little sayings right. So what? It was right!"
"And you’re changing the subject! Be a man, Sempai!"
"Don’t challenge my manhood, Kina."
"I won’t if you’ll get the guts to tell me what’s bothering you!"
"Fine. I’m worried about Lord Phoenix, ok?!"
"It’s a start. Sempai, you know we’re worried about you too, don’t you?"
"Yeah, maybe."
"Hey. It’s true!"
Then there was a knock on the door and a handsomely dressed Earthian stepped inside.
"Kina-hime? Are you ready to go?"
"Oh no! Fredrick! I’m so sorry! I’ll be ready in a moment!" Then she returned her attention to Shima. "I’m sorry, Shima-san, but I did promise Fredrick that I’d..."
"Don’t worry about it, Kina-chan. Go on. Have fun! Don’t worry about me for once! I’ll be fine. Just like always." Shima smirked at her and waved her towards the dressing room before leaving.
Again, Akai stepped into the room just one minute too late.
**********
Serenity-hime found Shima wandering alone though the Lunar Rose Gardens.
"Shima-san? Are you alright?" she asked, coming up to him and laying a gentle hand on his arm.
Shima looked at the hand and followed her arm up to meet her gaze.
"Hello, Serenity-hime. I’m sorry I’d didn’t greet you more properly."
"Nonsense, Shima-san. We’re friends. I don’t particularly care if you don’t ‘greet me properly’. I won’t die if you don’t, you know."
"Okay, Serenity-hime."
"Alright. Who are you and what have you done with Shima-san?!"
"Huh?!" Shima startled out of his reverie at last.
"You are nothing like Shima-san! Tell me where he is right now!" Serenity-hime continued to demand.
"H-h-hey! Waitasec! I’m Shima! I’m Shima!" Shima argued indignantly.
"Now that’s the Shima I know. It’s not like you to be so meek, Shima. Please, I’m asking you, cheer up. You’re bringing us all down with you. If you keep this up, I’m going to start crying every time I see you!"
"No! Not that! Don’t cry! Please don’t cry!"
"Then cheer up, Shima-san! Can’t you see that we’re worried about you?!"
Shima just shrugged and turned away. Serenity-hime placed her hand onto his shoulder.
"Shima-san." He turned his head to look at her. "He’ll turn up, Shima. He has to with someone like you worrying about him."
"Thank you, Serenity-hime. I appreciate that."
"It’s okay, Shima. That’s what friends are for." And she hugged him briefly around the waist before heading back into the bushes.
Shima wandered off shortly afterwards, mere seconds before Akai burst into the clearing out of breath. She stared around the clearing with a sort of forlorn expression and her shoulders slumped as she realized that there was no one there.
**********
Reiki caught him on a balcony.
"Oniisan?"
"What’s up, Reiki?" Shima asked, his voice weary as he stared out over the Lunar landscape.
"Well, I’m kinda, worried about you Shima. You’re not like you used to be. Not..." she waved her hands trying to find the right word. "Not... I don’t know. Happy, I guess. What’s wrong? Did you and Akai have a fight?"
"No." Shima’s features twisted themselves into a wry grimace. "That’s about the one thing that hasn’t gone wrong yet. I give it till the end of the day. Akai’s a firebrand with a bit too much nitro in her system. She’ll probably find some reason to be mad at me before too long. The only reason she hasn’t yet started something is probably because I haven’t seen her yet."
"You know... you’re probably the only guy she doesn’t beat the hell out of as soon as she sees you. That’s probably a good sign." Reiki tried hopefully.
"Good as in what? That she doesn’t want to kill me? Great. Now I’m really happy." Shima just sighed and leaned his elbows on the balcony rail. "I don’t know why I even bother, Reiki. I don’t know why I even bother."
"Because you’re one of the good guys, Shima. You have to win. No matter what. It’s in you’re contract, see?" Reiki pranced about, pretending to read through a rather large ‘contract’, "See? Chapter 124, Subsection 462.1778, Clause A, ‘Being a ‘good guy’ as such entitles one Shima of Mars to always win, always get the girl and always save the world’. See! You have to win!"
Shima looked back over his shoulder at her and just smirked while shaking his head. "You’re crazy, Reiki. Did I ever tell you that?"
"You just did. So it’s all cool. But really! You know why you bother, Shima! By Mars, just about EVERYone knows why you bother!"
"Oh? And why’s that?" he asked, turning around to better see her. "Why do I bother, since you know so well, oh wise one?"
"Because. You. Love. Her. You IDIOT!" She finally yelped, tweaking his nose and hopping away.
"Oh yeah." Shima straightened, nodding his head grimly. "That’s it. I am so going to make you pay!" He roared, charging at her.
The two dodged and chased and tagged each other, just acting like little kids like they used to do. Finally, Shima caught Reiki, swung her up in his arms then leapt off the balcony.
Akai rushed in seconds later, only to see him flying away.
"shima..."
**********
Shima found himself, for once, back in the Lunar Rose Gardens with a thin, slightly singed book in one hand. He was searching for a quite little corner to read in. What he found was Amilia.
"Oh. I’m sorry, Amilia-chan. I didn’t mean to startle you."
"That is alright, Shima-san. I was not too bothered by your intrusion." Amilia smiled up at him from her seat on the small bench.
"You know, we have to stop meeting like this." He deadpanned.
"Like what, Shima-san?"
"Well, me looking for a place to read and here I am, running into the perfect partner again. Oh, I promise not to burst into..."
"Do not."
"Do not what?"
"Do not promise not to burst into flames again."
"Uh, okay.. any particular reason why not?"
"I do believe that you can figure that out on your own, Shima-san."
"You know what?"
"What?"
"I like you."
"Very well, Shima-san. I do believe that I like you as well."
"It’s just stuff like that."
"Like what, Shima-san?"
"Like the fact that I can actually talk to you when every time I try to talk to Akai she tries to hurt me in some fashion."
"Do not worry overmuch about Akai, Shima-san. She likes you. In her own fashion."
"You know what worries me about that, Amilia-chan?"
"No, Shima-san. I do not."
"Her fashion sense."
The pair looked at each other and groaned slightly at the horrible joke before Amilia started to chuckle.
"Well I’ll be."
"What?"
"You can laugh!"
"Of course I am capable of laughter, Shima-san! I am rather appalled that you would imply that I was not." She turned away, pouting.
"Oh. Oh. Amilia-chan, look at me. Come on. Please? I’m sorry. Really I am. It was in bad taste, but I’m just so worried about the Lord Phoenix and I haven’t seen Akai all day and... and..." He tried to explain.
"You have not seen Akai? That is most unusual. Both for a thing to be worried about and as an item of nonoccurrence."
"Run that by me again in Martian if you will."
"Oh. I am sorry. I merely stated that it seemed odd that you would be worried that you had not seen her yet and still odder that you have not seen her."
"Ok, I sometimes go a couple of days without seeing her. Why is that so strange?"
"Simply because she told me this morning that she wanted to talk with you and was going to go and find you."
"She did? She does? What about?"
"Do you honestly expect me to know absolutely everything about Akai?"
"Well, you are the best source for information, being her twin and all..."
"Well, in this case, I do not know."
"Oh. Well, sorry to bother you, Amilia-chan. I guess I’ll see you around."
"It was no bother, but yes I suppose I will see you around as well. Good day, Shima-san."
"Good day, Amilia-chan."
Then Shima tucked his book into his shirt and stepped away from her into the center of the grotto and summoned his firewings to him.
Just as he was about to take off, Akai burst into the clearing. Falling to her knees before him because she stumbled, she looked up at him, pleading with her eyes.
"Please, Shima..." she practically begged, "Take me with you."
Shima looked down at her with an odd expression and then knelt before her and opened his arms. She all but leapt into his embrace and he stood with her in his arms. Nodding to a smiling Amilia, he leapt into the air, his firewings carrying the pair into the night sky.
**********
"I-I know that you’ve been upset lately, Shima..." Akai almost whispered, but as they were currently in the Shima’s quarters, there was not much to deaden the sound, so he heard her clearly.
He nodded for her to continue, his brilliant sapphire eyes gleaming with an emotion that Akai wasn’t sure that she wanted to recognize.
"And I, well, I didn’t want to be part of that. What’s upsetting you I mean." Akai paused to take a breath, licking her lips slightly out of nervousness.
"Go on. I’m listening."
"I-I... well, I know I haven’t been the nicest or the most understanding of people in the Realms, but... well, I kinda... sorta did it because I wanted to make sure..." She trailed off.
"Make sure of what, Akai-chan?" He asked.
"make sure you wouldn’t leave." That was a whisper, but he caught it.
"And what made you think that I would leave, Akai-chan?" He asked.
"Everyone leaves me. Momma left when I and Amilia were little. Daddy... daddy hasn’t left but there’s not much of him with us anymore since Momma died. And Amilia leaves me with her books and science and I just can’t keep up. Biki and Sumika are both so good at everything else that I just don’t fit. So everyone leaves me behind. I-I wanted to make sure that you wouldn’t."
"So you hit me. So you tried to drive me away. Because you honestly thought that I could leave you?"
"y-yes..."
"Well, it was certainly an odd way of going about it. You couldn’t have just asked me?"
She nodded her head quietly.
"Well. Wow... wow. I don’t what to say to that."
She looked up at him with fear evident in her dark eyes. He looked down and met her gaze.
"Don’t look at me like that. I didn’t plan on leaving then, and I don’t plan on leaving now. Ok? I won’t leave you. Not now. Not ever. Not if there is any possible way I can help it." Shima finally answered her unspoken question as he stood from his marble chair and crossed the room to wrap his arms around her and hold her tight. "Everything will be alright, Akai. You’ll see. Somehow. Someday. Everything will be alright again. It just has to be."
Akai just wrapped her arms around his waist and tried to burrow into his chest. Her loud, wracking sobs of relief would have woken people anywhere else but the room they were in right now.
After a while she calmed down.
"Akai? Akai-chan? Are you okay now? I’ll walk you back to your quarters if you like."
She shook her head. "You said you’d never leave me..."
"Akai-chan... I don’t want to leave you. Really I don’t... it’s just that it wouldn’t look right if we don’t get you back to your rooms."
"I don’t care how it looks! I don’t want to be alone anymore! Why can’t you stay with me?!" she finally pulled away far enough to stare into his eyes.
"People would talk, Akai-chan. Your... virtue and honor would be tarnished at best. I don’t want to ruin your life, Akai."
"Shima. You listen to me. I. Don’t. Care. Did you understand that? I don’t care! I just want to be with you. Always and forever!"
"Why?"
"Because it hurts to be without you, Shima. And its hurt for so long and there’s a chance that maybe it’ll stop hurting now. I... I ... think I maybe... love you."
"Wow. This is just a night for deep things from you, isn’t it, Akai?" Shima was officially confused. On one hand, he did care very deeply for her, on the other, he didn’t want to bring her dishonor. He just didn’t know what to do. When a little voice popped up in her head and cried out.
Marry her you idiot!
Akai was starting to look scared again when he set her down and took a deep breath.
"Akai, Princess of Mercury?"
She nodded nervously.
"I’ve never done anything like this before but I know it should be romantic and stuff, its just that I’m not the most romantic guy in the Realm. Anyways, Akai, would you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?"
Akai stared at him in confusion before realization of what was going on hit her.
She didn’t vocalize. She just nodded her head and wrapped her arms around him and tears poured down her face.