Heat

Okay! Another chapter! Wow...it\'s been a while since I\'ve gotten this
far on a story! Go me! ^_^

I\'m sorry, guys. I honestly have NOT had the time to write lately. But
I\'ve gotten some inspiration back, now that I\'m past most of the
beginning stuff. Long chapter for you. Hopefully it\'ll compensate
for my slowness ^^000

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~*Heat*~

~Chapter Six: Reflections

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Yaten went over and picked up the note. It wasn\'t anything special,
really. Just instructions on how to contact the Golden Senshi if the
need arose.

Seiya sat down on the edge of the Princess\'s bed, causing her to stir
and wake. She blinked, trying to get her eyes to adjust to the bright
light.

\"Seiya?\" She whispered sleepily. He smiled, gently cupping her cheek.
\"Hey, Princess. Glad to see you\'re okay.\"

\"Seiya was worried sick about you, Princess.\" Yaten teased, ducking a
swat and a glare from the black-haired teen. The Princess giggled,
amused at their antics. \"Oh, Seiya, she\'s just teasing you, don\'t mind
her.\"

\"Yeah, Seiya. We only tease you \'cause we love you.\" Yaten winked,
hugging his shoulders. He smiled half-heartedly.

*Not the way I want to be loved.* His thoughts were as clear to
read as his actions, even if she weren\'t hearing them herself. It made
her uncomfortable, though, so to mask her discomfort, she let go of his
shoulders after giving them a squeeze.

\"Listen, I\'m gonna go. Taiki\'s still a little weak...he didn\'t react
well to Galaxia\'s \'gift\'.\" She rolled her eyes, then spun around and
left them alone.

As Yaten left, Seiya felt the tension in the room rise and thicken until
he could hardly breathe. To relieve it, he left as well, muttering
something to the Princess that he couldn\'t hear or understand. It
probably made no sense to the redhead, but he left without any more
explanation anyway. He closed the door behind him, then went across to
his own room, closed the door, sat on his bed and picked up his guitar
again.

He put the sleek instrument on his lap as he leaned over and plugged it
in, adjusting the volume so he wouldn\'t blast anything. His hands
brushed the strings, but the sound that burst forth sounded more like
the squack of some off-key parrot than music. He blinked. That wasn\'t
right. He tried again, but it seemed like his hands didn\'t want to work
with the strings.

Seiya grew more and more frustrated, but the angrier he was, the worse
his playing sounded. It was as if his guitar could sense his anger and
refused to play because of it. Finally, he quit, resisting the urge to
throw his guitar, amp and music across the room. It wouldn\'t help to
break the thing. He put them off to the side, settling back against his
bed.

*Did she not know how I felt about her? How could she not? I...I thought
I was so obvious...* He sighed. Wow, was he confused. He cursed at the
air in a few different languages that he had picked up in his travels
around the galaxy, then closed his eyes. Maybe a nap would quell his
feelings of...heartsickness? Yeah...maybe that was it...he wasn\'t quite
sure.

He drifted off slowly, but the last thing to cross his mind was a pair
of scarlet eyes and a lock of hair a few shades darker.

~*A few months later*~

Yaten sat in the living room, her legs stretched out over the couch. She
stared at a blank page, willing inspiration to come to her. It had been
so long since she had done anything artistic.

Suddenly, she gasped. Something had suddenly pulsed inside her,
like she\'d been hit very, very gently. Only...from the inside.

\"Taiki?\" She called absently, staring off into space as she put down her
pencil and placed a hand on her belly. She felt it again, a sharp, short
spasm. She called a little louder. \"Taiki-chan?\"

He came almost immediately, causing her to smile. He was always so
worried about her. Every time she called out, or gasped, or even
whispered something out of the ordinary, he was at her side instantly.
She guessed it was something about fatherhood that made men
overprotective of their women.

He kneeled beside the couch, cupping her face gently with one hand. \"What
is it, Yaten-chan?\"

She grabbed his hand. \"Here.\" she replied, placing his hand on her
abdomen. He blinked in confusion, but let his hand rest there.

Suddenly, he jumped. His mouth opened wide as he stared at her in shock.
The slightly rounded belly under his hand had suddenly jumped, causing
him to gasp in surprise. \"What in the world?\"

Yaten laughed softly. \"Everything\'s fine. She\'s very active, it seems.
Either that, or she really wants to get out.\" She giggled at the
confused look on his face. \"Taiki, she\'s kicking.\"

\"Oh goddess!\" He was nearly breathless with surprise. The look on his
face was absolutely comical. \"Taiki-chan, didn\'t you know this would
happen?\" She giggled again.

\"Of course I did.\" He was now indignant. \"I just...I didn\'t think it
would be so...soon.\"

She reached out for him. \"Well, it is. And there are many more surprises
to come. We\'ll experience them together.\"

He shifted closer so she could wrap her arms around his neck.
Immediately, he sensed how low her energy level was. She may not have
realized it, but it was easier for her to tire herself out now. And
she couldn\'t hide it from him now: after months of being with her, he
had become attuned to her energy signature.

Picking her up, Taiki brought her upstairs to her bed. He put her
down, amused to see that she was already almost asleep. As he
tucked her in, she whispered sleepily. \"Thank you, Taiki-chan.\"

He gently kissed her forehead. \"No, Yaten-chan. Thank you.\"

She didn\'t answer. She was fast asleep. Gently kissing her
forehead, he brushed hair out of her face before standing and turning
around. He paused at the door and watched her sleep for a few moments
before quietly shutting her door. He grinned wryly. She needed a good
night\'s rest. \"And let\'s face it. She\'s not going to get it with me in
there.\"

He slipped into his room and sat down on his bed. Gods, he was tired.
And overwhelmed. Even now, with her visibly pregnant, he still
couldn\'t believe it. He drew his long legs up to his chest, thinking.

\"Taiki?\"

He knew who it was before he even turned around. \"Yes, Princess?\"

She came in and sat beside him. \"I was wondering...There\'s a meeting
next week, here, with all of the monarchs in the galaxy. Each one of
us is asked to bring one of our Senshi. I thought maybe you might
want to come.\"

He blinked, turning to face her. \"Why with all the monarchs in
the galaxy? And doesn\'t Seiya normally accompany you to these meetings?\"

\"After Chaos\'s attack on the galaxy, everyone\'s defenses have been in
in shambles. We need to consider alliances and partnerships so we can
speed up the repairs. And I\'m sorry, normally I wouldn\'t dream of asking
you to leave Yaten right now. But Seiya\'s been rather...moody, lately,
and I wouldn\'t want to put him into any...awkward situations.\"

\"Awkward situations?\"

She sighed. \"We\'ve also extended an invitation to Serenity and Endymion.
I think those two, after leading normal lives for such a long time,
need a little experience in dealing with others in the galaxy. With
Usagi there, I know Seiya wouldn\'t be thinking about the meeting.\"

Taiki winced. \"I think you\'re right on that one, Princess.\" Suddenly,
something struck him. \"I\'m going to need to go back...to my normal form,
aren\'t I?\"

\"Well, it would be hard to explain why my Senshi is male.\" She gave him
a wry grin, her eyes dancing with laughter. \"I think it would be better
if you did.\"

\"Oh, I will. I was just wondering. If Yaten and I ever get out...you
know how bad it is for homosexual couples in the galaxy. I\'m going to
have to really get used to this form.\"

She laughed at that. \"You seem to have adjusted well enough. I mean, if
she wasn\'t pregnant already, you two would still be active, wouldn\'t
you?\"

\"Princess!\" He cried, blushing a deep crimson. She grinned. She was
afraid she would never be able to tease her three guardians again
after the Sailor Wars. They had grown up too quickly. \"Oh, honestly,
Taiki. You\'ve had sex, why can\'t you joke about it without turning the
colour of my hair?\"

\"We\'ll see you tomorrow, Princess?\" He mumbled, clearly not wanting to
answer. She smiled. \"Yes, yes.\" Hugging him, she very nearly bounced to
her feet, obviously in a good mood. \"Oh, Taiki?\" She paused at the door
and turned.

\"Yes?\"

\"I can count on you to be there, right?\"

He nodded slowly. \"Of course, Princess.\"

\"Good.\"

She left him alone with his thoughts. He flopped down on his bed,
thinking again. Hopefully nothing would happen at the meeting next week.
He didn\'t need to be worried about keeping peace in the galaxy AND
making sure Yaten took it easy for the next few months.

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Please R+R ^_^. (Short and sweet, go me! ^_^)