Futari no Harmony: Full Version (Agni and Soma) - Hiroki Yasumoto and Shinnosuke Tachibana wrote:From an extremely tainted past,
A past of countless sins through injuring others...
From a lonesome past,
A past of being left alone in a vast world...
The two of us, like two miraculous rays of light,
melt and fuse by means of our blazing gazes.
Let's start flying from this solitude
Towards the end boundary of all.
You're everything. The harmony of the two of us
Has such a graceful sound, just like a flowing river.
Our fate is to get close to each other,
Like how the lonely sun and the foolish moonlight converge.
At some point, I saw a dream and a shooting star,
Which reminded me of the beginning of a new life,
As the smile connecting the two of us glittered.
Until that day, I didn't believe in a single thing.
I had abandoned everything.
Until that day, everyone only cared about returning favors,
But as soon as they did they immediately disappeared.
Username; booklover789
Partner's Form; T h e M a r t i a n is my partner - here is the link to her form.One Good Thing About Your Partner; It was easy for me to think of many things to compliment this user on, but was hard to narrow it down to just one thing. After thinking ab it about it, I ultimately decided upon giving
T h e M a r t i a n credit for her creativeness. She contacted me in preparation for entering this competition, and figured out a good portion of ideas for our forms. While I contributed a bit once she'd set the groundwork, without her setting down the initial ideas, I never would have been able to formulate such awesome ideas myself! Her creativity inspires me to push the limits and expand what I feel I can tackle in my own personal writing, and I'm so grateful that she's my partner for this competition.
Name; Perseus
Nickname; Percy
Gender; Male
Theme Songs; *
Better Half of Me (Accoustic) - Dash Berlin and Jonathan Mendelsohn*
Futari no Harmony: Agni's Part - Hiroki Yasumoto (lyrics in English
here)
*
Futari no Harmony: Full Version (Agni and Soma) - Hiroki Yasumoto and Shinnosuke Tachibana
Hmm....That's Interesting. There is a glowing blue light in the distance. As you walk towards it, you realize it is a viscet floating in space. It smiles at you and nods its head in greeting, and then beings to speak. "Greetings. My name is Perseus. Do not call me Percy - only my friends get the honor of calling me that.
Since you wanted to learn a bit about me, I figured I'd answer some questions that most individuals ask me. This should help you understand where I'm coming from, and understand the situations that I face.
I'm often asked what I enjoy. I love to sing, particularly lullabies. I sing every night to my girlfriend, Andromeda. She's the love of my life - but I'll talk more about her later. I like to shower her with romantic gestures. I'll just get her a bouquet of roses sometimes, or as I walk past her I'll give her a kiss on the cheek. She's my life, and - ah, well, there I go again, getting off-topic. Thanks for being patient with me - Andromeda often occupies my thoughts.
Back to the questions.
A lot of individuals are confused about what exactly I am. I am a celestial being. I control half of the balance in one of the many universes that exist in the world. I am eternally bonded and tied to Andromeda, my girlfriend and previous mate. Have patience - I'll explain the whole 'previous mate' thing later, don't fret. We are the same, both gods of this universe. The two of us together make the universe bonded. Separated, the universe delves into chaos and the dark forces at work - if we're together, we can keep them at bay - attack and drag the inhabitants of this world into darkness that can last decades to millennia at a time. Andromeda and I are ageless, and while we are often born and reborn as the universe dictates, we never physically age past the appearance of young child viscets. We choose to take this form so as to better help the inhabitants of this universe, as most are of the viscet species, though there are a few humans every now and then that we do help or have to deal with.
The universe seems to be out to get me. Well,
us - Andromeda and me. Even though we are gods, we don't truly understand why the universe simultaneously wants us to be together, but still tries to keep us apart. Weird circumstances befall us once we find each other after each rebirth session. We then have to bond together to fight against the forces that try to pull us apart.
To help illustrate this idea, let me give you a true story about what happened to us. I'm not the best storyteller - that's more Andromeda's cup of tea - so I'll be brief.
Before I tell you the story, though, you need to understand more about us as a unit and why we're important to this universe.Each rebirth, our memories are partially blocked - Andromeda can't remember me, nor can I remember Andromeda. The only way to have us remember is if we run into each other. When I am in this state of being, away from my love, each cell in my body burns. I feel a longing and a tugging at my heart, as if I am empty and need to be filled up again. I feel a strong pulling towards her, but I know not where to look nor whom I am searching for. At this point in time, I know I'm looking for somebody, and I know that this somebody will help me feel better, but I know not who I am searching for, nor where I last saw them. I cannot remember what we did together in our past, I only know that we have a past together. I just feel this intense loneliness, as if someone had taken a chisel to my heart and shattered it into two large pieces...I feel as if the other piece had been stolen from my chest, and I need to get it back at any cost.
Anyways, the universe sometimes helps us out. It helps us find one another again. Upon seeing each other, we both remember who we were looking for, and our memories of our previous lives come flooding back with crystal clarity. Once reunited, we are happy and contented. We no longer yearn for something we doubt we'll ever find. We no longer are left in darkness, and we find ourselves pleased in the light. We feel truly elated. No negativity seems to press upon us.
Well, that is, until the dark forces are awakened. These forces are ones that live throughout history. They constantly try to pull us apart again and again. They are as eternal as Andromeda and I are, so there's no getting rid of them. When we are united as a team, we are able to fight the dark forces off and keep balance flowing through the universe. But, when we are separated by circumstance or by the dark forces themselves, the world becomes unstable. Each era of history has its evils that would feel as compelled to pull us apart as we are compelled to care for one another. It is a never-ending cycle of birth and rebirth, fighting and resting.
Now, to the story. Once we were born into the ancient Egyptian era. We found each other as we passed each other by in the marketplace one day - I was holding a sack of grain in my jaws, the white cotton sash around my neck showing I was a servant of the people. She was under a fan, being slowly given a breeze by a viscet that stood next to her. She happened to glance over at me and suddenly our eyes locked. I dropped the sack of grain, my eyes widening in shock. The lonely feeling I'd felt all of my life was gone. I knew the moment I looked at her that we were meant to be together. I remembered the eras of time we'd spent together. My eyes filled with tears as I pelted in her direction. She pushed her servant away and ran into my outstretched arms, sobbing into my shoulder. I cried into her crest, and we clung to one another, finally realizing all that had happened before. We stayed like that until we could hear the murmurs of the marketplace die around us, and we realized we were getting rather weird stares from the viscets around us. Andromeda ordered that I be taken back to the palace, and her servants lead me back to her home.
She pulled some strings and let me stay in the palace, working directly for her. Because of Egypt's rules about royalty, she couldn't legally marry me, but she did promise she'd go unmarried so as to be able to be with me. If we couldn't be together because of the societal norms, she'd refuse to play by their rules. We spent years like this...what seemed like eons. We were happy. We were content. But then, darkness stirred in the depths of the Nile. One of the supposed gods of Egypt was actually working for the evil forces that had chased us down through every era of history we'd been through together. Andromeda and I joined forces to try to fight this evil off, but he killed us both in one fell swoop of his gigantic crocodile tail.
Now, a common question is, what happens if only one of us dies? Usually, the universe has been kind to us and allowed us to die at the same time through most of our death and rebirth cycles. However...there have been a few times where we do perish at different times from one another. If you are familiar with the Chinese concept of Yin and Yang, you'll understand how we are interconnected. We cannot live without one another. If one of us dies, the other cannot take over the missing role in the universe. The balancing scale of chaos and good tips to one side, and is no longer balanced properly. When one of us dies, the other one perishes shortly afterwards. The forces we battle become stronger when only one of us dies, and is able to take control of the universe until we are able to be reborn and formulate a plan against them once again.
What is the darkness? We know not. We know it is the perfect description of evil, taking over mortal followers of the darkness and inhabiting them. The followers have given up everything, and have agreed to let the darkness live within them. If a follower is successful in killing either of us - or both of us, for that matter - then the next time we are reborn, that follower gets the so-called 'honor' of being the head dark force of that era, and becomes the force we have to fight against.
Where do we stay after we die? When we are not alive on the earth or other planets in this universe, we reside in the astral plane. Most viscets term this place 'limbo,' but we prefer its correct name. The astral plane is a sea of stars that we float about in. We are united here, and nothing can harm us while we store up enough energy to be able to be reborn once again. Death takes its toll even on gods, and does not just affect you mere mortals. We need time to replenish ourselves. Once we are full of the universe's energy once again, we are ripped apart from our conjoined existence and forced into fleshly forms once again. We exist only because the universe wills us to. At any point in time after our deaths, the universe can choose to cut off our supply of energy and keep us floating in the abode of the astral plane for an eternity. However, for some reason, the universe is never shy about giving us the energy we need to survive. It never holds back what we need. It does, sometimes, give us handicaps if we've not acted the best in our lives - it is through this learning process that we have become more merciful and more controlled in our actions. We are no longer the rowdy youngsters we once were. We now work as a unit, but apart from one another, the universe suffers...as do we.
Ah, and about the whole 'previous mates' thing...allow me to explain. Depending upon where we are reborn in the course of history and what societal norms are of the area we are born into, we may or may not be allowed to be together. In one lifetime, we were very close friends and neighbors. In another lifetime, we were lovers. In another, we were mates. In yet another, we were engaged to be wed, but never reached the marriage ceremony as we were both killed beforehand. In the most recent life, we were boyfriend and girlfriend, so I still refer to Andromeda as my girlfriend...though in reality, she is so much more to me than just some mere friend. Your mortal definitions of relationships often aggravate me, as they do not properly portray the love I hold in my heart for my dearest other half.
How do I feel about Andromeda? If you haven't caught on by now, well, I pity you. Or...do I admire you? You must be blissfully ignorant. Anyways, my joking insults aside, Andromeda means more than the world to me. Andromeda is my heart,
mi corazón, η καρδιά, 我的心, cor meum, หัวใจของฉัน, mein Herz, and
mo chridhe - in simpler terms for you mortals who only speak English, she is my everything. Without her, I wouldn't have a reason to exist. Without her, I am nothing. Without her, my heart pounds erratically in my chest, and I cannot find inner peace. My life is chaos, is darkness, is absolute and terrifying loneliness, unless she is there with me. With her by my side, I can do anything. I feel much healthier, much happier, and more pleased with life in general when she is beside me.
How do I put into words how amazing she is? So full of life and energy, so understanding, so creative, emotional, and smart as a whip! She's absolutely adorable, and sweet, and just...ugh. I can't put into words how much she means to me. She truly is my better half, and without her I'd quite literally die. I'd rather not exist at all than not be linked to her. When I am alone, unable to find her, I feel frantic and unable to think clearly. With her presence, I feel peace and euphoria. I miss her and long for her every minute she is not by my side. With her, I need not worry about judgement nor needing to meet expectations - she holds my heart, and I wouldn't have it any other way."
Brief Personality; Introverted - Calm - Highly Motivated - Determined - Tenacious - Fairly Clean - Would Rather be Adaptable Than Organized - Takes Action When Needed - Can Seem Cold to Those Who Don't Know Him Well - Finds it Hard to Trust Others - Curious - Easily Distracted - Daydreams Frequently - Get Lost in His Own Thoughts - Has a Good Self-Image - Protective of Those He Loves - Sometimes Thinks of Himself as Better Than Others - Loving - Honest and Supportive to Those He Trusts - BraveFull Personality; Perseus can sometimes be relaxed while under pressure, but can sometimes snap due to that same pressure. It all depends on how he’s feeling that day, and what else he’s had to deal with. Pressure usually comes from situations pushed upon him by others. It’s not particularly hard for him to open up to new viscets, but he doesn’t often start conversations other than saying “hi” or “hello.” Usually highly motivated, once Perseus puts his mind to something, he gets it done. If he’s dragging his tail or looking down-in-the-dumps, something has probably horribly affected him, and you should probably keep your distance. Perseus tends to deal with his problems alone, unless he has Andromeda with him, in which case he’ll vent to her and immediately feel better.
He isn’t a fan of chaos or dirty stuff, so he’ll do his best to keep things tidy and clean…though a little dirt here and there never hurt anybody. However, even Perseus has to admit that he’d rather be adaptable than organized. He tends to work with random energy spikes and not so much a methodical and organized approach, and even though his house tends to be clean and he prefers organization in some areas of his life, his work style doesn’t really reflect this. He'd rather leap into action than sit and plan his actions out, so even though he has been called a "planner," Perseus doesn't feel that the term defines him properly.
Percy would often rather read or spend time alone – or just with Andromeda – than spend time with large groups of other viscets. He doesn’t really love to socialize, but he’ll do the best in certain situations where it can’t be avoided. Because of the weird circumstances surrounding Perseus, he often feels as if he needs to justify himself to others. His adoration and protection of Andromeda, for instance, is often a weird thing for others to understand. At this point, unless someone out-rightly offends him, Perseus has grown tired of having to explain why he does what he does, so he often doesn’t bother opening his mouth and making a big fuss of things. Sometimes he can seem cold to others, but he really is a loving individual...but only to those he trusts. He doesn't trust easily, and only truly fully trusts his companion, Andromeda. To those he trusts, Percy is fully honest and supportive.
He's never one to put someone down whom he cares about, and will often do his best to help uplift them in difficult situations. In addition, Perseus doesn’t find it difficult to connect with others or understand how others are feeling – he just doesn’t like dealing with others. He’d rather not feel drained by socializing with others when he could be around Andromeda and actually enjoy spending time with her. Most other viscets make him feel tired and groggy, whereas Andromeda gives him life and helps keep him energetic and happy.
He often loses his place while trying to read due to his vivid daydreams. He sometimes ignores or forgets his surroundings because of his interesting thoughts. Perseus is also very curious, and often just wanders off to look at cool stuff. He does a lot of stuff out of pure curiosity, and is usually lucky enough to not get into too much trouble out of his adventures.
Perseus feels that in discussion, truth should be more important than people’s sensitivities. To an extent, he’ll try to monitor discussion so as not to hurt others needlessly, but if someone attacks him or his love Andromeda, he doesn’t care if he throws down and hurts others' feelings. He’ll protect what is his at any cost, and doesn’t care if doing so hurts someone else’s feelings so long as Andromeda is safe. This said, Percy does not think that others have any large influence on how he thinks and acts. He may, in conversation or social situations, mold his words and body language to better suit each individual situation, but given his own choice, he knows very well what he believes and why he believes it. He does whatever he personally feels is right. He doesn’t care what others order him to do – he’ll die for whatever he believes is correct and true. Perseus sometimes does feel superior to others, but he never feels this way towards his best friend, Andromeda. To him, they have always been and will always be equals, no matter what comes their way or what they have to deal with in life. Additionally, Perseus has an excellent self-image, and doesn't care if others put him down or insult him...but don't mess with his girlfriend, as he'll get really nasty really quickly if you do.
A natural
INFP-A, his dreams focus on the real world and its events. Sometimes he'll get snippets of memories from earlier lives he's lived, but when he wakes he promptly forgets whatever was in the dream. With every passing weird dream, Perseus feels more compelled to find his love, Andromeda. Perseus would trust his heart over his mind any day. He believes highly in the power of love, and believes that it can conquer any evil force. Perseus would die for those he loves, and would give his life in service for those he loves who have been double-crossed or hurt in life.
Brave to a fault, Perseus doesn't fear much in life. He is loud when he wants to be, and loving when he needs to be. He throws caution to the wind nine times out of ten, and will push everything aside to support, love, and protect those he cares deeply for.
Perseus is normally rather calm. If he's pushed too far, however, he'll snap and become angry at whoever hurt him...but it takes an awful lot to make him snap at you. The only exception to this rule is if you hurt his best friend and girlfriend, Andromeda. If you hurt her, he'll become a raging ball of fury and claws in the blink of an eye. Normally chill and relaxed, he'll become hostile if he feels that she is in danger. He loves her deeply, and would give up everything to be with her.
Short Story:I opened my eyes as starlight reflected off of my retinas. My left cornea ached - the last rebirth had not been kind to me. For my mistakes in a previous life, I had been born blind in one eye, and it continuously ached and itched. Now it was being healed by the universe that surrounded me with energy, keeping me afloat and alive in the vacuum of stars. I breathed in a wisp that floated by my nose and exhaled a breath glittering with tiny, sparkling stardust fragments.
My heart ached worse than my eye did.
"My love?" I called out, floating in air, suspended by whatever force the universe has as it lifted and spun me around. I called out in vain, trying not to feel the despair creeping into my chest. "Andromeda!"
After a few seconds of silence met my ears, I understood my fate.
I was alone.
Tears gathered at the corners of my eyes. "Andromeda," I whispered. "Why aren't you here?"
Lost in my sorrow, I found myself remembering how I'd gotten us into this mess in the first place."It's all my fault," I said crossly. "It was my stupid idea."
My adoptive mother smacked me across the scalp. "You stop that self-deprecation right now, Josiah. You're better than that. You made a mistake - you are not stupid. Try the sentence again."
I sighed, resigning myself to my tortuous reading and writing lessons. I reread the sentence properly, and was praised. I found myself tiring of the ridiculous little game that my mother and I always seemed to play, day-in and day-out, never ceasing until I'd finished the books she forced down my throat. "Fine, Mother. May I go now?"
She nodded and waved a paw towards the wooden door of our crumbling abode. "You are dismissed."
I smiled and darted out the door without a glance back. As I walked the cobblestone streets, I heard the horses' hooves
clip-clop against the hard rocks on the ground. The smell of sickness hung heavy in the air - the plague was upon most of the village, and one had to be careful to not eat any foods unknown, nor touch those infected, lest they fall prey to the burden, too.
I wasn't watching where I was going, and ran straight into another viscet. "Ow! Sorry - I hadn't meant to run into you, miss -"
Her green eyes bore into my dark blue orbs, and I froze on the spot. Something about her was...familiar. "Do I...do I know you?"
She frowned, furrowing her brow deeper as she glanced me up and down. The herbs tied 'round her neck placed her as a healer in these parts, and the plague doctor's mask slung over her shoulder verified as much. She paused, looking confused for only a moment before her eyes lit up. "You look like someone I used to know."
"Who was he?"
"His name was...Perseus," she said quietly, smiling at me. "And that's you, isn't it, dear?"
I felt my pupils widen and my claws dig into the dirt involuntarily. Memories suddenly flashed through my mind, faster than the speed of sound. By the time I'd exhaled my held breath, I remembered everything. "You're...you're Andromeda. You're the viscet I have loved through the millennia." My face alit with a large grin. "How could I ever have forgotten you?"
She smiled and nodded, nuzzling her head against mine. "My life in this realm hasn't been kind. I tend to the sick and wounded."
I nodded. "I have lived my life wanting to help others, but instead am forced to sit by my so-called 'mother' and repeat her slobbish lessons day in and day out. I want a life of helping others, like you." I paused, glancing at her stature. "You are smaller in this life. Are you eating enough?"
She shook her head in disbelief. "Oh, Percy. Always worrying about me." She paused, and then changed subjects, not answering my inquiry. "Here I am called Annabelle. Who are you in this realm, Percy?"
"My mother named me Josiah. But you still haven't answered my question."
She chuckled. "A strong name for a strong viscet. How quaint."
"Don't think you're getting out of this one," I teased, shoving her lightly on the shoulder. "What do you eat everyday?"
"A little here and there. I am an apprentice, so my master feeds me. Do you eat regularly?"
"Less-so," I admitted with a shrug. "My adoptive mother feeds me milk and a bit of bread twice a day. If we're lucky, we get a meat patty once a week."
She nodded. Suddenly, a sly smile alit upon her features. "You let me get away with insulting you,
Josiah." She drew out my name and said it in the most girly way possible.
I rolled my eyes and laughed along with her. "Make your jokes all you want to, Andromeda. We both know that
I've been bestowed the better name."
"Perseus."
I heard my name whispered, just at the edge of my hearing. I couldn't discern who said it, but I felt a tug at my heart as my name was whispered again.
"Perseus - save me."
I frowned, circling around to spot what was going on. Only a field of stars and glowing lights alit my vision. I saw no one, and heard nothing more.
Suddenly, I felt a tearing sensation at my chest. I gasped in pain and doubled over. I felt a searing sensation spreading across my body, staring at my toes and moving quickly up to my chest, where it stayed for what seemed an eternity.
"Please, save me!"
I knew where Andromeda was.
And it was my fault she was there."Annabelle? Please, give some of your herbs to the woman in the house on blue street, will you?" The older viscet motioned out the door as he mixed something that looked like it was glowing in vials on a high table - too high for youngsters like us to see.
Andromeda nodded, gathering up her herbs. She shot a glance over to me. "You coming, apprentice Josiah?"
I smiled. "Sure thing."
"Grab your mask, then. You don't want to get infected, do you?"
Both of us donned our garb and trotted out of the physician's cottage. Blue street was only a few minutes' walk from where we were - so named because most of the thatched roofs had been painted blue in an accident with a bushel of flowers that had mysteriously blown away from their caretaker and landed on the roofs. We found the house easily enough - all of the members of the family wore black mourning garbs, as they feared that death would soon take the elder coughing in bed. Andromeda was better at care taking than I, so I let her handle the situation. She did as well as as she always did, and I gathered the price for our services. We left about half an hour after arriving.
As we walked beside one another, I sent a glance her way. "What are we in this realm, then?"
"Helpers to the poor and diseased. Unfortunately, the forces of darkness run rampant, here, Perseus."
I furrowed my brow. "I can clearly see that, Andromeda. But...but..." I sighed, feeling slightly overwhelmed. "There are too many sick for us to heal. We should be more picky with our resources. We only have so many herbs to heal this village, and if the sickness spreads past the boundary line, well..."
Andromeda shrugged. "The universe will provide us a way out. It always does, doesn't it?"
I nodded. Suddenly, movement caught my eye. I froze in place, glancing over to my left. "You go on ahead. I'll catch up later," I murmured. My eye started itching, and I swiped at it.
Andromeda frowned, but ultimately let me stay behind. "Promise you'll be quick?"
"As fast as lightning, dear."
"Fine. If you aren't back in ten minutes, I'm coming to fetch you myself."
"Don't fret - I'll be fine."
She bounded off.
I knew I'd done the right thing when the serpent slithered from the shadows. "You would have hurt her," I scolded it. "Nobody hurts my girl." My eyes narrowed as I pounced on it, killing it with one swift bite to the head. "And now, you're our dinner," I said with a smile, turning to dart back to Andromeda and our mentor, Dr. Draken.
Dr. Draken was pleased with my catch and made us snake stew. We ate well that night.
The next morning, Andromeda and I awoke in the same bed, as we always did. We set out for our day as we always had, as we had done for several years, now. We were unhappy with the world around us, but happy together. Andromeda believed we could do something to help stop the darkness, and because she believed, I believed also. Where she went, I followed. I'd sworn it to her several times in the past, and I wasn't about to break my promises.
We trotted out the door, but I soon felt wary. Too many eyes were upon us. I frowned and glanced at Andromeda, who seemed a bit concerned, but not as much as I was. "Why are all of these viscets looking at us so strangely?"
She shrugged. "Plague doctors aren't exactly well-liked, you know."
I frowned. "Yes, I know that. We're thought to carry the plague instead of heal it, as we do. Even so, it's very strange. It's almost as if they hate us for some reason. Just...just look at the way they're glaring at us. What did we do wrong?"
Suddenly, a viscet leapt upon us and captured us in his huge paws. He was massive, nearly fifteen feet in height. His claws were huge, and clamped down around us, trapping us in his paws. "Ah," he breathed, his breath stinking like old onions. He held both of us up too high for us to leap out. "I see I've won the reward money."
"What reward?" Andromeda snapped.
I immediately bristled. My beloved was in danger, and I wasn't going to stand for this. "You put us down right now, you heathen!"
"Me? A heathen?" he said, laughing between his words. "Oh please, you poor deluded soul. It is YOU both who are heathens."
"For what reason?" I retorted.
"Performing white magic to cure the townspeople of their ills."
"We don't use magic!" Andromeda protested.
"Well, how did you cure Mrs. Muccully, then?" he snarled back.
"The one on blue street?" I asked, curious about what had happened to the old woman since we'd visited her last.
"There is no other Mrs Muccully dwelling in our town," he said, nodding to my statement. "She survived. But my sister didn't. She died of the same illness three weeks ago. I called upon your master for his services, and he denied me my rights. He denied my sister her chance at life." After a pause, he seemed to compose himself and continued, a steely tone to his voice. "Guess your precious magic isn't as good as you thought, because now you've been found out." Turning to the crowd that we could just see between the cracks of light streaming in through his clasped paws, he called out, "Witches! Both of them, witches! And what do we do to witches, fellow townsmen?"
"Burn them! Burn them!" they began to chant.
Andromeda and I cast worried glances at each other. I slipped my paw into hers. "Don't worry," I whispered. "I'll protect you. Whatever you feel, I feel, and wherever you go, I go. Remember? We're joined, and nothing can separate us."
She looked down at the ground with a somber expression on her face. "Yes, nothing can separate us...at least, not for very long."
I bucked my legs in protest as the fiery pain seared through my stomach and chest and up to my neck.
"Percy!" yelled the voice, clearer this time. "I can see you!"
"Almost there," I whispered, tears running down my cheeks. "Almost...there. You...you can do it. Just...hold on a little...bit...longer..."I snarled as they tied up Andromeda to the post first, putting freshly-fallen leaves around the pyre. I slashed my claws at the few humans who got close enough to me for my dislike, and I spewed made-up curses at the viscets who dared to hurt my love like this. I was quickly bound even more, and forced to watch as the viscet in charge - the one who'd caught us in his massive claws - took a torch from its post. From my glistening eyes fell tears. I knew I couldn't save her. I'd failed.
I glanced over at a particularly rowdy man in the crowd and gave him a piece of my mind. "Shut up! You don't even understand what she means to me! You don't get it, and your kind never will, you evil no-good-doers!"
The man just laughed harder, and instead of throwing the hefty rock in his hand at Andromeda, he instead hurled it at me.
When it connected with my head, I fell limp against the post I was tied to.
I opened my eyes to the darkness of a starless night. Eventually the stars lit up, one by one, like tiny lightening bugs tickling the universe awake. I smiled, and turned to find my love.
She wasn't there.
The fire was agonizing. I screamed from the pain, and then, just as suddenly as it had come upon me, it left. I felt every part of me suddenly go numb.
"Percy?"
I looked over, breathing heavily from exertion. "Andromeda?" I weakly called out.
She floated over, shining and new as if nothing had ever happened to her. She held me close and rocked me gently. "My Percy. You saved me."
I looked down. "No, I didn't. I failed you. I failed the only one I care about in this entire stinking universe. I'm...I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was too weak to be there for you."
"The universe did not will it to be so. It willed for you to die first, and then me. So be the cycle."
I tried not to cry. "But I failed you."
"Oh, my Perseus. You have not failed me." She hugged me tighter. "And what does it matter if you made a mistake or two? You learn from them and make better choices the next time around. Right?"
I smiled, drying my tears. "This is why I love you. You're so intelligent."
She chuckled quietly.
"I'm joking, and you know that, darling," I whispered as I hugged her back. "I wouldn't be here without you. I'd still be at that shop, being forced to read tired, old, boring books that no one cares about. I wouldn't have done anything with my life. I needed you."
"And I needed you. I would have been alone, studying medicine all of my life and wondering why I just felt empty."
"I felt so alone. I felt so sad all the time, so fed up with how boring life was." I paused and then kissed her gently on the nose. "But then I found you, and suddenly...suddenly I was..."
We exchanged a glance and then spoke in unison. "Suddenly I was made whole again."
I nodded. "And I'll never fail you again. I promise. I'll protect you forever."
She smiled. "You haven't failed me, nor can you ever fail me. I love you, Perseus."
"And I love you, Andromeda."
"And nary shall we be apart."
"Never again," I agreed.Futari no Harmony: Full Version (Agni and Soma) - Hiroki Yasumoto and Shinnosuke Tachibana wrote:Ah, on a flight for just the two of us,
While we are being caressed by the gentle wind,
Our anguishes melt and mix together,
And then even all our mistakes start to flow away.
When one and another mingle, they create a spice
That can extract bitterness, deliciousness, and thickness.
It is an eternity where even the spoiled wind
And the timid cloud can embrace each other.
With a lullaby of a mysterious hidden flavor,
And a drop of tear that glitters with a flash of light,
Our hearts unite into a rainbow of seven colors.
You're in my heart. The rhapsody of the two of us
Is like a setting sun floating in a tender evening,
In an instant moment where the anxious stars
And the agonizing earth attract each other.
You're everything. The harmony of the two of us
Has a warm future, just like a daytime moon.
Let's believe in each other, offer our prayers, and stay together.
