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Chapter 23: Love Conquers All?

Yahara smiled a little at her shock and nodded. He responded with the question she was thinking but for some reason, she found it impossible to state, "Yes Mina... It's really me..."

Finally, Minako regained the ability to move and leapt to her feet, practically throwing herself into his expectant arms. Her body was once again racked with sobs, but now it was tears of joy instead of the hopeless tears she had been crying before. She clung to him almost in desperation, and he held onto her almost as tightly as she was and whispered what she had not said just before she left him before, "I love you, Yahara... Just please don't leave me like that again..."

"I'm debating over ever letting you go," Yahara whispered, kissing her lightly on top of her head, "If I have my way, I'll never let you out of my sight again..." he put a little space between them and cupped her face in his hands, "Now what was all that talk about before? Why did you think I was dead?"

Minako's face fell as she explained the "vision" she had had earlier... Yahara wrapped his arms around her as she started crying again, but he was more concerned about Hebi... It sounded like his handiwork, and he couldn't help but think that he was out and about somewhere near by... He remembered hebi's fantasy from earlier and held his beloved a little tighter, promising not to let anything happen to her.

Minako pulled away slightly after she had calmed down and said, "So you won? You... You're not sick anymore?" he nodded, "What about your brother? And your father?"

Yahara tensed up a little at the mention of his father, "As far as I know they're fine..." Yahara said in a monotonous tone. Then he softened a little, but remained a tad apprehensive, "But I really don't want to talk about that right now..."

Minako gave him a questioning look, but put his reaction down to not wanting to talk about the war. She nodded and said, "There is another issue that needs to be addressed," Mina said softly.

Yahara cocked an eyebrow at her, "Really?"

Minako nodded, "Yes... I trust you remember our last meeting?"

Yahara turned a light shade of crimson and cleared his throat, "Well... yeah... but ummm... err... What... What does... THAT have to do with anything?"

"Just checking to make sure you haven't forgotten... So then I suppose this won't surprise you..." Minako's smiling face somehow morphed into one of anger in about a microsecond. Then she smacked him across the face.

Yahara was quite confused as to why he had been hit... Again. Minako, who was really only joking around, but Yahara didn't realize this, informed him that she was very upset about being shipped off like a sack of potatoes and that he had taken the talisman from her in a compromising position. Then she told him that she was not speaking to him and turned her back on him. Yahara mumbled something under his breath about how long this could last, and Minako informed him it should take about five minutes.

Yahara stared at her for a moment, and then finally got what she was doing. He mentally smacked himself upside the head and chuckled a little. Then he grabbed Minako's arm and whirled her around, pulling her to him, "Mina, I don't know how long it has been since you've seen me, but I haven't seen you for more than 12 hours in about ten months... Thus, five minutes is far too long for me,"

Minako smirked and said, "Ah but I'm not speaking to you,"

Yahara returned her smirk and lowered his face to hers, "Who said talking was involved?" Minako opened her mouth to protest, but before she could, Yahara covered her lips with his in a passionate kiss and somehow managed to puller her even closer than she already was. Minako looked like she was about to pull away for a minute, but then decided against it... After all she was keeping her word...

She didn't speak to him for a full five minutes.

When the finally parted, much of the same happened again after Yahara referred to Minako as "just his girlfriend". He was once again going to take advantage of her silence, when Yahara suddenly shivered, pulling away suddenly. He looked back to where he had thought he'd seen a pair yellow snake-like eyes boring into him... But he could not see them anymore.

Meanwhile, hidden in the folliage, a sinister smile spread across a hidden face. The man the couple would soon become all too familiar with pushed up his sunglasses so that they covered his eyes once more. Dissapearing into a vortex behind him, he created a silent breeze that wafted across the gardens, a slight reminder that he had been there... And that he would be returning.

"Yahara, what is it? Are you all right?" Minako asked, her concern for him clear in her tone.

But Yahara didn't answer her for a long time. Instead he stood there shivering as if he was cold. He looked up into Minako's eyes as a breeze picked up. He saw how worried he was, and quickly decided that this was not the time to burden her with the truth. So he feigned a weak smile and said, "Let's go inside, okay? It's awfully cold out here."

They started off towards the palace in the brisk cold air, both feeling just a little bit paranoid of what was hidden in the shadow... Yahara kept subconsciously pulling Minako closer to him throughout the entire walk back to the palace. He was now more worried about her than ever before... And he now knew that Hebi was out there.

'Those burning eyes... I... I know that it was Hebi... Why though? How did I know? I never saw his eyes all the time I fought him... and yet I know. Does this mean I've met him before in some forgotten past? What does he want? Is he here to bring his dream into manifestation?'

Yahara once again pulled Minako closer to him, although he was not aware that he did it. As they neared the palace, he began to hear the quiet din of voices.

'I suppose it is better this way, for there is saftey in numbers, but... Why must I always be called away from my time alone with Minako? Those fleeting moments of happiness are all I have to live for any more... They say love is selfless, but it really is selfish... Always wanting more, we can never be satifised until we reach eternity...'

'Damn it, that is just like something Hebi would say... First I run away from father when he's dying, and now... It's like I'm turning into him.

'Goddess, I'm a murderer! All those men I killed and yet I felt no pain... Not a minute of feeling or remorse... Nothing! And I still feel none although I long for the pain...'

"Goddess, maybe I am Hebi... I can't take all this... Don't leave me alone with my pain... I couldn't stand the pain... alone."

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