The Planets Are Aligned (Original)

Chapter Eighteen: Resolution

     Asis circled Jupiter menacingly and she stared down at him intimidatingly. "What would you want to talk about in a time like this?" Jupiter breathed in and exhaled as he looked up at Asis.
     "I just want to make an agreement with you," Jupiter breathed as looked up at Asis with a terrified look. "I understand why you're upset. I think you've taken things too far, though. I don't think revenge is the best way to settle things--"
     "No!" Asis shouted. "I'm not letting someone else tell me what to think! That was exactly why we revolted in the first place, Jupiter!" She crossed her arms and sighed. Jupiter slowly rose to his feet.
     "Alright." Jupiter nodded understandingly. "Well, I'm not here to tell you what to think. Let's agree on something, Asis." He looked at her sympathetically. "We can work this out together. I thought that if you stayed within your country's borders where you were banished to, no trouble would need to be--"
     "Hey, stupid!" Asis spat. "That's what we had to do originally. We were still unhappy. We're not risking anything more!" She tackled Jupiter and stabbed at his gut using her sharp heels. Jupiter tried pushing Asis away, but her leg power was too strong. She held her hand out at Jupiter and shot fire from her hand again. Jupiter crawled out from under her as quickly as he could, but his legs got burnt. At this point, Jupiter could barely run. However, he started pushing himself forward and he countered her attack by striking lightning bolts at her. Asis dodged each of them flawlessly as she created a sword out of fire and slashed at Jupiter with it. Jupiter gathered up lightning and created another lightning-blade and collided it with Asis' fire-sword. He sliced quickly at Asis using the lightning and cut up some of her dress doing so. She then lowered her fire-sword and held it horizontally and charged at Jupiter. He could not react quickly enough in time, and his side was almost impaled by the fire-sword, and it burnt immensely. Jupiter cried in pain as he still tried to stay on his feet. He was shaking, but not out of anger, but of weakness. Asis sliced at his arm using the fire-sword and Jupiter fell to the ground. He wrapped his arms around himself and cowered in pain.
     "No, please," Jupiter pleaded quietly. "Why won't you talk with me?" Asis' heel was close to Jupiter's neck.
     "I'm not going to talk with a Planetoid," Asis said as she held her hand out again, preparing to scorch Jupiter. "I don't care what you have to say." Jupiter tried to crawl away, but Asis surprisingly put her foot before Jupiter's hand in a gentle way.
     "There's something you're not telling me," Jupiter breathed as he tried to gather his strength back. "What is it? Tell me, Asis." Asis put down her hand and sighed. "You can tell me anything, Asis." She knelt down to Jupiter again and looked into his eyes.
     "I-I'm so sorry, Jupiter," she said softly. "I'm acting like this because I was the one who rose up to be the Helioids' leader, and I wanted to make an impression on them. I wanted to show them that I had everything it took to be a rightful leader and give them everything they wanted, but I know that one day, it won't happen, and I'll be frowned upon, or even killed, because we're so hostile." She put both of her hands on the ground. "I just want to be a good leader to them."
     "Well," Jupiter spoke as he lifted her chin up. "You can be a better leader elsewhere. I think you should find a fresh, new place far away from there and start things all over. If you're far away from Sol, you won't have to think about him anymore, because you'll be far from him. And please, don't take things so destructively." Asis looked down at the floor solemnly. "Please, Asis. I know you'll be able to do it. You can run from what hurt you before, but you can't hide. I ran from what I thought I would never witness, but it found me. All my sadness, all my fear, it all found me. It's strange to say it, but it fuels me somehow. It compels me to be better." Jupiter smiled warmly as he shakily stood up and helped Asis up. She smiled back at him and imitated his smile.
     "Thank you, Jupiter," she said quietly as she approached a door. "I'll try to talk to the Helioids. I need to gather them up, first." Jupiter watched her as she walked away. He was not sure if Asis was being truthful or not, but he decided that only time would tell. Jupiter turned back around to see the tank with Mars still in it.
     "Oh! Mars!" He ran to the tank as he readied a lightning bolt in his hand. He stuck the lightning bolt into the tank and drove it down the tank slowly. Finally, the tank cracked open, and the green substance poured out of the tank with Mars. Jupiter caught him and cautiously set him down on the floor. Mars did not wake up instantly like the other Planetoids. Jupiter started to worry. "Mars? Mars! Mars, please!" He shook him gently and was about to breathe into him when suddenly, Mars started coughing. Jupiter lifted himself from Mars and looked down. Mars was awake. After he coughed, Mars looked directly up at Jupiter and squinted.
     "J-Jupiter?" Mars' voice was quiet. Jupiter nodded and smiled down at him and wrapped his arms around Mars, hugging him. "I can't believe you did it. You even found your real power, it seems."
     "I know," Jupiter said through his grin. "Isn't it shocking?" Jupiter started laughing, and he was soon followed by Mars, who was laughing loudly.
     "Oh, Jupiter!" Mars said as he tried covering his mouth. "That was terrible yet somehow funny! You made me laugh. Only you can make me laugh that hard." Jupiter replied with a warm and gentle smile. Mars smiled back and put his undamaged hand on the side of Jupiter's face. Jupiter was suddenly jolted with a new energy. "Thank you for saving us. Thank you for saving me. I suppose my mother was correct after all. You haven't failed me in a time of need, Jupiter."
     "It was nothing, really," Jupiter's face grew pink. "I'm glad I was able to save everyone--including you. The world just wouldn't be the same without you, Mars. I'm glad you took me on this journey with you." Jupiter felt himself being pulled closer to Mars.
     "And I'm glad I chose to take you with me, Jupiter." Mars pulled Jupiter to him so that Jupiter was on top of him. He looked away from Jupiter nervously. "I must tell you something, but I don't think I can gather all of my words to tell you."
     "It's alright, Mars," Jupiter said warmly. "You can tell me some other way." Mars gently placed his thumb under Jupiter's chin and drew him closer. A whole other emotion was flooding Jupiter now. It was not a negative emotion, but it was not the courageous emotion he felt before, either. It was a warm emotion, much like one he had whenever he was content with his mother's love, only this time, it was not motherly love, but a king's embrace. The feeling confused yet excited Jupiter at the same time, and before he knew it, Jupiter was drawn dangerously close to Mars' face. Mars had just pulled Jupiter a little closer, and their lips suddenly collided. It felt strange to Jupiter at first, but as he felt Mars' lips, it all did not seem to bother him anymore. Jupiter responded by pushing his lips back on Mars', and Mars carefully wrapped his arms around Jupiter. Mars broke the kiss as he looked back up at Jupiter, who looked amazed and shocked at the same time.
     "Jupiter?" Mars called his name out softly. "Are you okay?" Mars grinned as he looked at Jupiter's expression. Jupiter nodded wordlessly as he continued to look at Mars. Jupiter had never realized how bright Mars' red eyes were, or maybe they were bright at this time, this moment they shared. He unwrapped his arms from Jupiter and got up slowly. Jupiter got up after him. "I think our work is done here, thanks to you, Jupiter."