The Star Children's Destiny

Chapter Thirteen

Airos sat in his study overlooking the gardens. He was in a large swivel chair that was next to one of the large, opened windows. Sitting on the sill were two pictures. One was of a woman with long, flowing, sandy-blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing a long, flowing silver gown, and she had a pair of silver-white wings. The other was one of Aletta and Blade.

The dark man reached out and touched the picture of the two kids. They were riding together on the back of Shinsei. A ten-year-old Blade had his arms wrapped around a three-year-old Aletta's waist. Aletta had her hands up in the air and a big smile on her face. Airos let out a sigh.

A flash of silver drew his attention outside for a moment. He knew that he should go out there and investigate, but he was too busy thinking about the past. Instead, he sat there and continued to reminisce. He stared at the two pictures, wishing that he could change things and knowing that he could if he could collect all of the Universe Jems. It was only when the door to his study opened that he was knocked out of his musings.

"Hello, Reim."

Airos jumped up in an attempt to hide the pictures and to face the intruder. "What are you doing here, Blade?"

The latter raised an eyebrow at the quick movements, but said nothing about it. "I came here to talk to you about Carlos."

"So you were the one who--"

"Saved him? Yes. If I hadn't come along when I did, he would have died from blood loss. That would have earned you not only her wrath, but mine as well. But unfortunately, you took something from him in your 'lesson.'"

Airos's eyes narrowed. "I can give back whatever I took from the little runt."

An angry look passed over the younger man's face. "Good. Then give him back his sight."

"What?" Airos asked, not sure if he understood the platinum blond right.

"You heard me. He's blind in his right eye where you hit him in the face with your whip."

Airos bowed his head and slowly sat down in the black leather chair. After a few seconds, he turned to face the window once again. The same movement allowed Blade to see the two pictures. He went around the redwood desk and over to the two pictures. The dark man only watched as the Neiku picked up the pictures. After a few long moments of studying them, he turned back to Aletta's father.

"I thought you got rid of all these pictures."

Airos regarded him for a moment. "So did I. I guess they belong to you."

Blade's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why would you think that?"

"Dora-- Carlos-- found them in his second week here. They were in a box under the bed in your old room. I only assumed that they were yours."

"They're not." Blade looked at Airos and smirked. "You don't really hate her, do you?"

The platinum-haired man's question was so unexpected that the dark man was left speechless. Airos stared at the indigo-eyed man with wide eyes, jaw hanging open. Blade fought back the urge to make a smart remark about the older man. Finally, Airos was able to compose himself to speak again, but the answer was not what Blade expected to hear.

"I can't really say," Airos said before quickly continuing. "I'm torn between my love for her as my only daughter and my hate for her as the possible tool of my destruction."

"Your destruction?" Blade raised an eyebrow. "What about your salvation?"

Airos looked up, surprised. "How did you know about that?"

"You know as well as I do what day she was born on. And just so you know, young Prince of Luther was born on the spring version."

Airos looked out the window at the blue sky. "So the first part of the prophecy has finally been fulfilled." He looked back to the Prince of Tsurgi. "Now what?"

"We can hope that prophecy continues down the Path of Hikura."

"And what if it takes the Path of Yami?"

"Well, I guess all we can do is wait and see." Blade and Airos looked out the window. "And we must also pray that the Star Children can keep themselves in check.

Airos raised an eyebrow. "You know something that I don't?"

"Yes. I saw something come unhinged. A flame extinguished. A broken soul. A voice given flesh. A chain break. Two new stars."

Airos frowned. Blade had the ability to see into the future and his visions were always 100% accurate. The only bad thing was that sometimes his visions would only show him bits and pieces of what was to come. When they came like that, it was very hard to tell what was going to happen. The platinum blond would be left confused and end up speaking in riddles that he couldn't even answer.

"Is that all?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I wish that I could tell you more, but I can't."

"Then we will wait and see. I just pray that this one time, you are wrong."