Chapter 2

"God, you are useless!" Yaten snapped, glaring at Seiya as the athletic woman sat on the dilapidated couch in what was currently serving as the living room. Portions of the castle were completely uninhabitable. Fortunately, the Kinmokuans were able to dig out the far eastern wing. It had most of its walls and ceiling intact, as well as the most useable amount of furniture, clothing, and stores they'd found so far. So they had made their base camp there to start the long process of rebuilding.

Seiya slowly looked up at Yaten, her blue eyes completely devoid of any emotion. Whenever she was left alone to her own devices, Seiya seemed to wilt, listless and lost. Not so long ago, that kind of comment would have had the raven-haired woman out of her seat and in Yaten's face, screaming.

Not so long ago, that same woman had been forced to leave behind someone she cared very deeply about. Someone she'd come to love.

Someone, Yaten felt, Seiya had no business getting attached to in the first place.

As Seiya looked out one of the broken windows to the gardens in the distance, the smallest Light narrowed her green eyes in supreme anger. A hand fell on her shoulder, causing her to start.

"Don't," Taiki admonished her smaller friend. "Leave her be."

Snorting eloquently, Yaten shifted out from under the brunette's grasp, spinning about to glare up at her tall friend. By the Gods, she was angry, and someone was going to get it! Words flew like barbs as Taiki crossed her arms over her ample chest and calmly let Yaten play herself out. Finally, as the petite woman paused for breath, red-faced and panting, Taiki held up a hand to stay her.

"You know I agree with you," Taiki said quietly, eyes flicking over to where Seiya sat staring out into empty space. "But do you think yelling at her, berating her, and belittling her will accomplish anything? ---Anything GOOD, I mean," she interjected, as Yaten opened her mouth to fling a retort.

That mouth snapped shut as Yaten pondered Taiki's words. "No," she agreed slowly, "Probably not. But anything is better than sitting here and watch her mope like..."

"Somebody in love?" Taiki shot back, her own eyebrow rising in question. She was not referring to Seiya.

Yaten glared at her in response. The brunette chuckled quietly, guessing she'd hit the mark a lot closer than Yaten would have liked.

"...like some moon-eyed COW," Yaten yelled over her shoulder, loud enough that Seiya could not help but overhear.

For the first time since they had returned home, her yelling elicited a response other than a blank look. Seiya tore her gaze away from the window and sighed. "Shut up, Runt," she grumbled, attempting to extricate herself from the broken couch with some difficulty.

"Make me."

Seiya looked briefly up at Yaten, shrugged, and finally managed to remove herself from the couch. The end of the couch the athletic Light had sat in had apparently finally lost all its springs; it was like sitting in quicksand.

Yaten snorted. "Pathetic." Taiki paused as she noticed Seiya tense.

"Would you please stop baiting me?" Seiya asked quietly, her hands slowly going to fists at her side. "I know what you are trying to do. Please. Stop."

Yaten smirked. "No." At that, Taiki slowly moved away, vanishing into the background. She did this not to get out of harm’s way, but to better see what would happen next. For good or for ill, Yaten seemed to be the only person who could strike a chord, ANY chord, in Seiya. For Hime, Seiya would smile and act passingly normal, but the smile never reached her eyes and the act would end as soon as Kakyuu was out of sight. And while Taiki was sure Kakyuu wasn't even remotely fooled by this act, she knew the Princess would bide her time and let Fighter's healing run its natural course and not interfere. So it was up to Yaten to try and get through to Seiya.

Poor Seiya.

* * *

Seiya felt like she was about to snap. The fringes of her vision turned red as she stared daggers at Yaten. Rationally, she knew what her smaller friend was doing by trying to bait her, but Yaten just didn't understand. None of them did. They thought she was mourning the loss of her Odango. That was just part of it. All of it weighed down on her like a mountain: Galaxia's attack, Hime's fleeing the planet without a word, having to kill friends and loved ones transformed into phage because she was gone. Holding her Princess in her arms as she died. Discovering the bodies in the cellar. So much had happened. And nothing she did had mattered one whit. She was a failure.

Seeing Yaten standing there, smirking, drove Seiya insane. That smug little... Before she realized what she was doing, she leapt, fist leading.

Still smirking, Yaten dodged, arms crossed over her chest. As Seiya's fist sailed past her head, she ducked low, then rose up hard slamming her shoulder into Seiya's gut. The breath wooshed out of taller girl and she instinctively rolled off Yaten's shoulder, clutching her stomach and moving into a battle crouch.

"Is that the best you've got?" the silver-haired woman sneered, her arms still crossed over her chest. Seiya was the best fighter out of all of them, naturally, but when she lost her temper, she made mistakes. Usually. Now it was time to see if she'd learned from her battle with Uranus. Their Mighty Leader had taken quite a beating that day. Seeing murder written plainly on Seiya's face, Yaten highly doubted it.

* * *

The crunch of stones from outside the door alerted Taiki to Kakyuu's imminent return. Hastily she rushed outside and bowed low before her Princess. "Hime! Your timing is perfect," the brunette said, stepping forward and blocking the door. "I was just going to go for a walk in the Eastern Gardens. Would you care to join me?" She gave the Princess her best smile.

Kakyuu craned her neck and looked up at her extremely tall Senshi. "Why thank you, Maker, I believe I--" She was cut short by a resounding crash coming from within the room, followed by a thud. Seeing Taiki visibly cringe, her garnet eyes narrowed. "Just what was that?" Hearing another thud followed by a grunt of pain, Kakyuu tried to dodge around Taiki to get into the room.

The tall woman stepped to the side to block her path as the sound of shattering glass filled the air. There goes the lamp... "You really don't want to go in there..." Taiki's voice trailed off and she suppressed the urge to sigh. There was a dull, meaty smack that came from within the room and the brunette shuddered again.

Kakyuu's level gaze seemed to go right through Taiki as she looked to the room beyond, considering. "I've never heard one of their fights be so... violent before," she said to herself quietly as yet another crash rolled out of the room, followed by a curse so vile that it caused the Princess to blush. "I believe we should take that walk," Kakyuu decided finally, nodding.

Giving the room behind her one last concerned look as she heard someone within, Healer perhaps, snarl, Kakyuu shivered herself. "Yes. A walk would be just lovely." Taiki did her best to ignore how pale Kakyuu's face had suddenly gotten.

***

Yaten wiped the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand. 'OK,' she thought, 'so maybe this wasn't such a hot idea.' She dropped into a split, torso facing forward, as Seiya's roundhouse kick sailed over her head. It passed so close it ruffled her silvery hair as she sank out of the way just in time. 'Apparently, she learned her lesson just fine,' she sighed as her hand slapped down to the floor, fingers splayed to help her keep her balance. 'It's always nice to know you have a competent leader,' she chided herself, pushing off from the floor with her hand in the wake of Seiya's kick, 'Especially when she's trying to kick your ass.’ As Seiya tucked her leg back in to a defensive posture, Yaten popped up, leapt high and snap kicked her in the chin. 'I wonder if she'll remember I was doing this for her own good before or after she pounds me into a bloody splick?'

The force of the blow snapped the taller woman's head back, throwing her into an impromptu backwards flip. Using the momentum, Seiya threw herself over backwards, slapping palms to the floor and bending her elbows to absorb the impact. She then pushed off, upwards and back, spinning to land in a defensive crouch some few paces distance. At the same time, Yaten rushed forward, launching a snap kick at Seiya's head. The Leader of the Starlights blocked easily, then surprised the smaller woman with her speed by ducking under the leg even as Yaten retracted it, catching it on her forearm, then twisting. Yaten found herself balancing on the toes of one foot, facing away with Seiya, as the athletic Light snapped an elbow into the back of Yaten's knee. She screamed in pain and threw her remaining leg out straight behind her, sacrificing balance to try and get her injured leg away from that maniac. She could have broken her knee!

Seiya was forced to let Yaten's leg go or be kicked, hard, as Yaten spun to place her hands on the floor in front of her. The taller woman dodged away, black hair trailing like a banner, as Yaten landed on her stomach with a thud. She immediately began to roll, which was wise, because Seiya tried to stomp on her as she landed. She continued rolling, her silvery hair blinding her in an effort to get away. Seiya was being downright vicious! She was amazed at the extent of her friend's anger. Yaten could not remember one of their fights being quite this nasty. OK, so maybe she'd pushed Seiya a little too far, but damn it, she had it coming! Her back thumped up against the wall; she'd run out of room. Improvising, she grabbed at the nearest object, a thick tome Taiki had taken to reading, and hurled it at Seiya. She caught it out of reflex, buying Yaten the time she needed to roll over in a back somersault and on to her feet. She didn't stay there very long, unfortunately, since Seiya decided to return the book with interest, clocking Yaten full upside the head with it. When her head stopped ringing, she found herself flat on her back, Seiya kneeling on her arms and glaring down at her.

"Now, will you *PLEASE* stop taunting me?"

Yaten blinked. Well, at least she wasn't beating the soft stuffings out of her. That, in and of itself, was progress. "Sure, Seiya," she conceded magnanimously. Then her green eyes narrowed, "So long as you stop being such a ---"

"Shut up, Runt," Seiya snapped, rolling off the smaller girl.

Yaten sat up and smirked. "Make me."

Rather than knocking the smaller girl senseless, Seiya simply looked at her friend and raised an ebony eyebrow. "What? Again? And you say *I'm* a masochist?" She then ducked the left hook she knew Yaten couldn't resist throwing.

* * *

A soft breeze blew through the gardens, smelling of jasmine and other things. Amazingly, this part of the grounds remained undisturbed while the rest had been demolished. Kakyuu breathed in the heady scent of the various flowers and smiled. A little island of life all its own. There was a metaphor there, a symbol, and the petite Princess pondered on its meaning.

Taiki's thoughts, however, were far from placid. The stars shown down, lighting the way but little. Thankfully, her own lavender moon, Maker, was almost full tonight. It shed its purple radiance across the grounds, causing the garden to look almost surreal. Once, glowbugs would have flitted through here, adding their own blue glow, making the world seem a fantasy.

But those glowbugs were gone, Taiki thought sadly. If she could find but one wing, one corpse, they could try and make more. Until then? The poor species was extinct. Like so many others...

‘Ah cruel fate,’ she sighed inwardly, ‘you were ever the harsh mistress. But this?’

Taiki started as she felt warm fingers close around her forearm, squeezing gently. Looking down, she saw Kakyuu looking up at her, concerned. The tall woman realized she had stopped abruptly. Giving her Princess a wan smile, she patted her hand and continued on.

They walked in companionable silence for a time, and then Kakyuu spoke. "I look around me, and I no longer see the destruction. I see hope. In this little sanctuary, each time the selki blossom opens its face to the sun, I feel it. Each new bird that we set free, each new insect we bring back to life, I feel it. I miss the glowbugs, but the peepers are starting to thrive. Their song brings me hope." She gave Taiki's arm a squeeze.

"You are our hope," Taiki whispered, throat tight with emotion. She covered the dainty hand on her arm with her own, larger one. She wanted to ask the question that had been nagging in the back of her mind for so long, but when she looked into those beautiful garnet eyes, her tongue stilled.

Kakyuu smiled and laid her head on Taiki's arm, content being with one of her dear ones. Each of the young women at her command meant so very much to her. Fighter was her strength, Healer her dedication, and Maker her resolve. She was no longer the frightened Princess of long ago. These troublesome young women had surely won her heart. She sighed contentedly as she felt Taiki stir beside her.

"Shall we go see if those two have managed to kill each other yet?"

Kakyuu looked up at Taiki, her face awash in concern. "Is it really so bad?"

Taiki shrugged and led the way back to the room. "I fear our darling Yaten can no longer stomach Seiya’s self-pity, if you pardon my bluntness, Princess. Though we all feel the need to mourn, for lack of a better term, Seiya is being overly emotional – even for Seiya."

Kakyuu paused, tugging gently on the brunette’s arm. "I don’t think so," she said slowly, looking deep into Taiki’s amethyst eyes. "I think she is grieving, yes, but I think that this is her way of healing. She is facing her emotions, which is something none of the rest of us have done yet – myself included." She looked down for a moment. "Actually, I envy her that. But it is a luxury I simply cannot allow myself to have." Again, she looked at Taiki before continuing towards the rooms. "Give her time, Maker. She’ll come around."

"If Yaten doesn’t kill her first."

At that, they both chuckled.

* * *

"Well, I'll be damned!"

Kakyuu couldn't stifle a giggle at Maker's use of an expletive. Damned, indeed. She and Taiki stood in the doorway to the Starlights' apartment. Lo and behold, Yaten and Seiya were *cleaning*. Upon further examination, both girls looked like hell. Yaten had a split lip and several beautiful bruises, including a partial black eye. Seiya had a bloody nose and a few less bruises. Oh yes, this fight had been particularly vicious. Yet, they were actually cleaning up after themselves. Seiya went about the place, righting furniture and gathering broken things for Yaten to mend. The silver-haired girl sat on the floor amongst the little piles, slowly mending them, then setting the finished product aside for her companion to put back where it belonged.

"I hate to disturb them," Kakyuu murmured at Taiki's elbow. "They seem almost peaceful, for once." She almost laughed aloud at Taiki's surprised intake of breath, then near-silent snicker. Patting the tall woman's arm, she stepped into the room and cleared her throat. Just as she suspected, the pair of troublemakers immediately froze, then blanched. Seiya gave her a sheepish grin as Yaten rolled hastily to her feet. The girls bowed in unison, trying to hide their "hand in the cookie jar" expressions.

"Ladies," she began, crossing her arms over her chest and trying to look severe, "I am very disappointed in you." She paused a moment, letting the implication of this sink in. Seeing the pair squirm, she continued. "I won't ask what this was all about. Frankly, I do not wish to know. What I do want to stress is that I will not have you two fighting like cats over the last drop of cream. Do I make myself clear?" Both women nodded; Yaten's hair hung to cover her face in shame, and even Seiya looked abashed. "As punishment, Healer, you will heal neither your wounds nor Fighter's. Let their sting remind you of your stupidity. We need to stand together, now, not apart. We are all each other has, for the moment. I will not tolerate this insubordination." As Yaten's head snapped up, her garnet eyes narrowed. "Yes, Healer. It is insubordination to hit your superior. And like it or not, Fighter *is* your superior. And Fighter, as that superior, I leave it to you to be able to handle things with a level head. I have overlooked your temper in the past, but perhaps I should not have. I will not do so in the future. Is this understood?"

"Yes, Hime."

Kakyuu sighed and stepped forward, placing a hand on either woman's shoulder. "I despise being harsh with you, but you drive me to it again and again. You two fight like an old, married couple." The Princess almost laughed aloud at the look both girls had given her. The horror on Seiya's face was mirrored by the disgust on Yaten's. "Seeing how much you two enjoy that idea, bear in mind that next time, I will find a suitable punishment that keeps the two of you together, side by side, for hours at a time. Perhaps even days." She gazed at them thoughtfully for a moment, savoring the squeamishness in her Senshi. They had earned it, no doubt. After another long pause, she nodded to herself. "I think I shall retire for the evening. Good night." She collected their formal bows and allowed Taiki to escort her to where they kept the bedding in a neat pile. "If you so much as laugh, I'll have you scrubbing pots for a week," she hissed.

Taiki's lip twitched as she fought to keep from losing composure. "Why, Hime, I never knew you were so sadistic."

Flashing the tall woman a grin as she went behind the curtain to change into her nightclothes, she replied saucily, "You'd be surprised."

* * *

Lightly callused hands, torn from digging, sifted through the rubble. A broken edge of a picture frame here, shattered marble there, a myriad of lives - crushed, broken. With a sigh, Seiya looked up and wiped her sweat-soaked brow, leaving dirt smeared in its wake. Her bruises were faded; a week had passed since that knockdown, drag out fight. Not far away, Taiki and Yaten were doing the same, salvaging what they could. In the distance knelt Hime, something small in her hands. A rosy-hued glow enveloped those small, delicate digits, then, with a smile, she raised them. A peep. A twitter. Then a small songbird took flight. Its yellow gold feathers blazed life in the sunlight.

They were healing the land, one poor soul at a time.

As Seiya watched it land on a nearby tree, Yaten smiled softly. It was hard going, but they were doing it. Yaten held the remnants of a shattered porcelain doll in her hands. Her silvery brow furrowed and a green glow encompassed her own hands. The pieces seemed to adhere, melding back together. The Healer. Usually her own power she saved for the living, but so far, they'd found no one who fit that category. Galaxia had been nothing if not thorough. It galled her and saddened her to know that on half a hundred planets in half a hundred galaxies, many Senshi were doing exactly what they were doing. Salvaging. Rebuilding.

Yaten saw Taiki stand, move to their Hime's side and kneel. In her hands she saw another feather, this one blue. Kakyuu nodded, and Taiki concentrated. The feather grew, expanded and gave birth to a bird - a very lovely, but very dead jay. Gently, Kakyuu took it and her own glow filled it with life, with love, with breath. It, too, took wing.

A sigh caused Yaten's head to turn. She saw Seiya looking almost longingly at the birds. With a pang of sympathy, the silver-haired girl understood. The gifts Taiki, Yaten and Kakyuu had were of creation, healing, nurturing. Seiya only had one gift.

Destruction.

The Celestial Triumvirate: The Creator, The Healer, The Destroyer, with the Goddess of the Sun over All.

Apparently the goddess of Destruction was having a bad day because presently Seiya had her fist imbedded in the remnants of a wall. Yaten had heard the crunch of bones from where she knelt, sifting. That *had* to hurt!

"Fighter!" Kakyuu gasped softly, her gemstone eyes going wide in surprise.

Shoulders shaking in frustration, Seiya removed her broken hand from the wall, turned and stalked off. Feeling the weight of Taiki's gaze on her yet again, Yaten turned, her face bland.

"Well?" was all that the brunette said. Yaten's silvery eyebrow twitched.

"Well, what?" she snapped back.

"Aren’t you going to go after her?"

"Why should I?" she asked peevishly, lifting up part of a broken lamp and regarding it critically.

Taiki sighed in what seemed to be frustration, walked over and gently took the lamp out of Yaten’s grasp. "Because," she replied, ignoring the scowl on the smaller woman’s face, "she’s hurt. I mean physically hurt. I heard something snap when she hit the wall. The longer it sets, the harder it will be for you to fix it later on. And as much as I know you would enjoy re-breaking it to reset it, I don’t think that’s very productive."

Yaten looked over at Kakyuu, who regarded her Senshi intently. Seeing her Princess nod in agreement, she grumbled and climbed to her feet. "Fine. But I’m doing this my way ok Hime? I won’t hit her. I promise. But I’ve had it with this sniveling."

Kakyuu nodded again with a sigh. "She’s hurting, Healer. We all are. Try not to take out your own frustrations on her." When Yaten started in surprise at this bluntness, Kakyuu smiled wanly. "You tend to do that now and again, dear one."

Silver eyebrow twitching in irritation, Yaten bowed to cover the blush creeping up her cheeks. "I’ll bring her back shortly." Then she left.

* * *

"She's far more volatile than she has ever been," Kakyuu remarked quietly, watching Healer go after Fighter. Idly, she toyed with a blade of blue-green grass. "I wonder why." She paused to look off in the distance, considering what she knew. "Did something happen on Earth that I am unaware of?"

Taiki almost swallowed her tongue in surprise. She was sure that their canny ruler had sensed something in the little exchange of words on the rooftop of Juuban High School. And yet, Taiki was unsure of how much Kakyuu knew and how much she should tell her. Her long fingers drummed on her knee as she tried to think of what to say.

"You weigh your words carefully," Kakyuu said, garnet eyes regarding her Senshi steadily. "And Healer acts most jealously. Was there more between Serenity and Fighter than I was told?"

Taiki's tongue tripped her and she stumbled over a reply. "Seiya... has ever been a foolish person, often times thinking with her heart and not her head." Her cheeks reddened despite herself, and she ducked her head a bit, hoping to hide her face a bit from the afternoon sun.

"I see," Kakyuu replied slowly, her gaze drifting down to her hands. So, Fighter cared for Serenity; perhaps even loved her. For some reason, the thought hurt her more than she cared to admit.

"Seiya kept comparing her to you, much to my annoyance and Yaten's anger."

This caused Kakyuu's head to snap up in surprise, her long, red hair flaring with the abrupt movement.

Catching Kakyuu's eye, Taiki said quite deliberately, "We often look for qualities in others similar to those who are important to us. A familiarity, perhaps. I can't claim to know Seiya's tempestuous heart, but I do think much of what Seiya felt was due to all that had happened. We were all lost and confused." She couldn't help the bitter note that crept into her voice at that last statement, and she felt mild satisfaction at seeing her Princess flinch. "In any event, I don't think that her depression is merely a reflection of her feelings for Miss Tsukino. I can't say exactly what is wrong with her, but I can say that perhaps finding the... bodies... in the cellar pushed her over the edge."

Kakyuu nodded, considering all that Maker had said. Again, it all came back to individuals and how they handled their emotions. Fighter, like the volcanic moon she was named after, lived and died by these emotions. On one hand, this gave her the charisma and stamina she needed to be the great leader she was. On the other, it also limited her and blinded her. Since this particular incarnation of Fighter was still young, it was understandable why she acted this way. However, as much as she wanted to allow the young woman the time she needed to heal, she realized that if things kept up the way they were, she'd become a liability.

How do you ask someone that you care about to put aside all they feel, especially in the wake of such incredible destruction? Especially if she was "at the breaking point", as Maker so aptly put it. Kakyuu's heart ached over the dilemma. However, she was a ruler first, and a friend second. If things continued like this much longer, she would have to address the problem with Fighter directly. Hopefully Healer would be able to talk some sense into her.

That thought make the petite Princess shiver. For some reason, she had the feeling the silver-haired woman's ministrations would not be gentle.

* * *

Yaten shielded her peridot eyes with a hand, looking around. For someone who was injured, Seiya sure could move fast. Mind you, it was only her hand, but still...

Climbing up one of the higher piles of rocks, Yaten continued her search. Soft clouds dotted the teal sky, puffy and full. The sun, as it moved across the horizon, touched the clouds causing shadows to dance. Off in the distance, Yaten thought she saw a flash of movement. Squinting, she saw the telltale banner of Seiya's long, ebony hair flowing in the wind. Apparently, the injured woman climbed up the remnants of one of Dankei's tallest spires. How she managed to do that, short of transforming, baffled Yaten. Of course, the smaller woman bitched to herself, Seiya had to choose one of the highest and most dangerous features left around to do her sulking. Grumbling something about stupid people acting like small children, the silver-haired woman carefully picked her way across the ruins. It would be easy to twist an ankle here, and if she did, Seiya would have Hell to pay.

* * *

The footing near the spire was, in a word, treacherous. Yaten didn't know whether to be amazed at Seiya's abilities, or to throttle her for her sheer stupidity. Even uninjured, the smaller woman wouldn't have wanted to see her friend try and climb this mess. The fact that the slender spire was still standing was a bloody miracle, considering it looked like so much Swiss cheese. She felt the stone groan alarmingly and she repressed a shutter. Of all the idiot, hair-brained...

"If you are here to tell me how immature I am, Pipsqueak, save it. I'm not in the mood."

Yaten's green eyes flashed up from the stairs, seeing Seiya's back up ahead. The athletic Light sat against what was left of the spire's inner wall, staring out at the setting sun. Her long, black hair fluttered in the wind, trailing off to one side, dancing in the breeze. As she came out of the shelter, Yaten's own silvery tresses did the same dance, her longer bangs threatening to blind her. She tucked the errant hair behind her ear and stepped forward.

"Actually, I'm here to heal your hand, Jackass," she replied mildly, stepping around a large stone to stand next to Seiya. The appendage in question lay in Seiya's lap. Occasionally, Seiya's other hand would touch it gently, causing her to suck her teeth and wince. "Damn masochist," Yaten snorted, kneeling.

"Shut up, Runt," Seiya snapped, then her eyes got wide as saucers as Yaten picked up her hand. She paled as the smaller woman gently examined it, turning it ever so slightly to see the extent of the damage.

"What was that?" Yaten asked sweetly, looking at Seiya and batting her eyelashes.

Gasping as if she'd just ran a marathon, Seiya snarled, "You're enjoying this, aren't you? You damn sadiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!!" The athletic woman nearly fainted as Yaten pressed, ever so lightly, onto a crushed knuckle. "Damn you," she hissed, her blue eyes dilated in pain.

Yaten looked at her patient mildly. "You did a fantastic job not only breaking fingers, but smashing up your knuckles and fracturing your wrist. Way to go." She shook her head and sighed. "What did that wall ever do to you?"

"I was imagining it was your aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!" Seiya threw back her head and howled in pain.

Yaten sighed and removed her thumb from Seiya's wrist. "You just don't learn, do you? Hello, Dumbass, I'm holding your *hand* here. Your *injured* hand. Do you *really* want to keep insulting me?" Peridot eyes glittered meaningfully.

Seiya looked up with something akin to hatred in her eyes and told the silver-haired woman exactly what she could do with herself.

"No," Yaten replied after Seiya's wail of pain subsided. "I don't think that I will. But thanks for the offer. I never knew you cared."

"I'm going to kill you," Seiya said when she could breathe again.

Yaten shook her head and tucked her silver hair behind her ear again. "No, you're not. But you *are* going to stop acting like a big baby. Look, I know this is hard for you. I get it. We all get it. But stop with the big, black ball of self-pity. It's gotten real old, real fast." She held up her free hand to forestall Seiya's tirade. "No. Shut up and listen for once, Mighty Leader. We. Get. It. The planet being wrecked. Going to Earth. Your *Odango*." The last was said with a sneer. She couldn't help it. That last part pissed her off to no end. "Now we're home, and there's not much you can do. I hate to say this, but you have to deal. You aren't useless, Seiya. If you were, would Hime rely on you so damn much? No. I don't think so." Seeing the anger start to fade from Seiya's face, Yaten continued. "We all rely on you, probably too much. But right now, we need you to be strong. That's what we need. Do you think any of us like seeing you like this? That Hime likes seeing you like this?"

Seiya looked down and shook her head. As she did so, she felt the pain in her wrist lessen. She looked and saw a soft, green glow flowing from Yaten into her, healing her. She closed her eyes and sagged against the wall as relief gave way to exhaustion. She was taken completely by surprise when, a moment later, she felt a small arm go around her shoulders and pull her close.

"You're not alone, Jackass. Stop acting like you are."

Seiya leaned against her friend, resting her head on Yaten's shoulder. Her other arm snaked out around the smaller woman's waist. "Shut up, Pipsqueak."

And they both chuckled.