The Hardest Path

A/N: Alright, I'm back with another chapter. Sorry it took so long to get it out, but I've actually been busy moving across the country! Yay! Anyway, here we go!




Back in the training yard, Asteros and Eurus were just finishing their second sparring match. Both men were sweating and breathing hard, twin looks of pleased accomplishment shining in their eyes. As guards, each man loved to test himself in battle, hone old skills and develop new ones. No matter how many times Aster fought Eurus, it never got boring. It seemed the taller man was always trotting out new tricks, or maybe it just seemed like that because of their vastly different fighting styles. Either way, it was both fun and helpful.

As usual, Eurus was the first to speak, the words broken by large inhalations as he tried to regulate his breathing. "Hey...let's go to my room...chill until dinner."

It was only then that Aster realized they'd sparred their way through lunch. Unfortunately, that was a common occurrence for the two of them. Once they really got into it, nothing short of exhaustion could make them stop.

The swordsman nodded his consent and the two men dragged themselves into the house and up the stairs. Eurus immediately collapsed on his bed, and only extreme self-discipline prevented Aster from doing the same. Instead, he took a seat in a comfortable forest green armchair, situated in the corner of the room. The only other furniture, besides the bed, was a large wooden bookcase and matching desk, an uncomfortable looking wooden chair stationed in front of it.

"I still can't believe you read this much, Eurus," Aster muttered as he examined the bookcase. There wasn't a single empty space on any of the shelves, each of the books appearing to be well-read.

Eurus wiggled around on the bed until he could comfortably see Aster, mussing the green and gray comforter as he moved. "Books are pretty much the only things that don't fall apart when I touch them. I guess I got used to reading. Now I love it."

Aster hummed quietly, a noise that might have been agreement or any number of other things, not taking his eyes from the bookcase. Eurus knew that if he met the man's eyes, he'd see old guilt glowing dully, stamped on the golden rings that were Aster's irises.

It was an old issue between them, that guilt, something they'd both been dealing with for years, ever since Eurus had joined the Guard. He'd been even stupider then, reckless in a way he could no longer afford to be.


- As the newest member of the Guard, Eurus had received the smallest room, but that suited him just fine. As his parent's thirteenth child, and the only boy, he'd been forced to bed down in the living room his entire life. The novelty of having a bedroom, especially one that was all his own, more than made up for the size of it. He'd been told by his new boss, a quiet cowboy type with absolutely dreamy blue eyes, that he'd be able to decorate once his allowance came around. In the meantime, Eurus had unpacked his few belongings and was currently sitting cross legged on the bed, staring out his open bedroom door.

Eurus didn't know if he was allowed to come out. Of course, hypothetically, he figured that he could move freely about the house, but for safety, he decided to stay put until he saw one of the others.

Just as Eurus was having that thought, a golden haired man dressed in an elegant suit passed by his door. Eurus unfolded his long, lanky body and rose from the bed, leaving the room to follow the man down the hallway.

When the man realized he was being followed, he turned around to face Eurus, eyes like molten gold flashing with hot fury. "What?" The man demanded coldly. Though he was several inches shorter than Eurus's own six feet, six inches, the man managed to somehow avoid looking up at him, actually making it seem like he was staring down his nose at Eurus.

Under the intense scrutiny, Eurus's mind went blank, and he stammered as he tried to force his mouth to form actual words. Obviously, the other man was not one who was used to waiting for anything, because he turned on his heel and walked away from Eurus, opening a door at the end of the hall and disappearing inside.

Cursing himself for his bashfulness, Eurus cautiously approached the door at the end of the hall, knocking gently. It was wrenched open with a force that startled Eurus, and he yelped as he jumped back. The cold, proud man stood framed in the doorway, naked sword in his hand. "What?"

Eurus struggled once again under the coldness of that golden gaze, only able to come up with two words. "I'm new," he responded miserably.

The man studied Eurus for a moment before rolling his eyes and stepping back from the door. Eurus took this for the invitation he hoped it was, and scampered into the room like an overeager puppy.

"I'm Asteros," said the other guard as he shut the door behind the taller man. "But please do only call me Aster."

"Eurus! Call me whatever you want, I don't care." He was so happy to finally have someone to talk to, Eurus didn't care what name he was called.

He'd apparently been admitted to Aster's bedroom, which was almost as bare as his was. "Did you just get here, too?"

Aster barely spared him a glance, seating himself in the room's only chair and picking up a cloth, beginning to polish the sword he held. The sword was the same golden color as the man's hair and eyes, a stripe of blood red traveling down the blade. "I've been here for almost a year," he replied quietly.

Doing his best to hide his shock, Eurus looked around the room again. There were two more naked swords on the bed, and he stepped closer to have a better look.

"Don't touch my swords," Aster warned.

Eurus nodded to show that he'd heard, but leaned over anyway to examine the blades better. This was the first time he'd seen real swords up close. The sword on the right was a beautiful, shining silver in color, with what looked like ancient writing etched into the blade itself. Eurus couldn't read the words, but just looking at them, he almost felt as if he could hear music. On the hilt itself were embedded four gems of deep blue color, shaped like teardrops. Toward the blade, they were small, but grew larger in size as they moved up the hilt.

The sword on the left was black, as if it had been made of iron. Though he knew next to nothing about swords, Eurus knew that was rare, to say the least. It looked as if vines were creeping up the hilt, ready to grow over the wielder's hand if he handled the sword for too long. Each vine sprouted several leaves, and each separate leaf was topped with a small chip of green stone, emerald by Eurus's guess.

The warning he'd received suddenly fled from Eurus's mind. All he could see, all he could think of was that sword. Before he knew it, he'd reached out and snatched it up, ignoring the alarmed shout of the man behind him. Eurus swung the sword in an arc, as if fighting an invisible foe. The next second, agony rushed up his arm and swept through the rest of his body, bringing him to his knees. The sword was dropped and forgotten as Eurus curled into a tight ball, in so much pain that he couldn't remember to breathe.

He must have passed out, because the next thing he knew, Eurus was blinking open his eyes and wondering if the entire thing had been a dream. He rolled over and sat up, spotting Aster still sitting in the same chair, polishing the same sword. "You're awake," he said, laying the sword aside and standing.

Eurus nodded, but made no move to rise from the floor. The look on Aster's face was grim, and for whatever he was about to say, Eurus figured he'd be better off sitting down.

Aster reached over Eurus's head and picked up the silver colored sword, swinging it through the air. A sound almost like tinkling bells filled the air, harmonious and beautiful. "This is Euterpe," Aster explained. "She's a sword filled with old, old magic. All of my swords are." He paused to see how Eurus reacted. When Eurus simply nodded, Aster continued. "Now, Euterpe makes music when wielded properly. In fact, that's how I learned to use swords so well. Making music with Euterpe." He laid the sword down on the bed, then pointed to the golden sword he'd been polishing.

"That's Scheherazade. Like her namesake, she tells me stories. I can see the past of a man I'm about to kill, using her." Aster turned back to Eurus, the grim look on his face deepening as he reached over and took up the final sword. The black sword didn't gleam in the light like the other two, instead seeming to suck light into itself.

"This one...This is Misery. She's a murderess. She thrives on the agony and depression of others. And she bears a heavy curse." Aster closed his eyes and spoke as if reciting from memory. "'A meticulous mistress indeed, Misery will choose her wielder. Until that man dies, no other may use her, else they be cursed with her namesake.'"

Eurus shook his head, eyes wide in panic. "So you're telling me I'm cursed? With...misery?"

The golden haired man nodded and sighed, picking up the cloth that he'd been using to polish Scheherazade. "Misery...meaning bad luck. The worst luck you can imagine now belongs to you. Nothing good will happen to you, not anymore. Everything you touch will break, and everything that comes into contact with you will hurt you. Your life is over." He balled up the cloth and tossed it at Eurus.

Automatically, Eurus tried to catch it. It brushed his fingertips, and he ended up smacking it even higher in the air. As he jerked his hands up to catch it, he struck himself hard in the face, sharp ache in his nose the only warning before his nose began to drip blood. Having proven his point, Aster returned to his seat.-

A/N: Next update, we'll go to part two of this little interlude, to see....basically why Eurus isn't dead yet. =D On to the reviews!


Anon: Yeah, Nic's okay for now, he's got pals and all that good junk. But don't get too comfy here, because everything really will take a turn for the worse!


violetstorm: I'm so glad you like Rhett, because he's seriously awesome. We'll be getting more into his story as this thing progresses. He's really very interesting. As for the perverted Andrei...well....you really haven't seen anything yet. >.>;

Wynja: Nice to know you're still here, buddy. I offer cookies and many thank-yous, since you're the original reviewer of this story. I appreciate you!