Well, here it is. The final chapter of the Second Series. Go ahead, cry.

*bawls*

Cheer up! There's a happy ending! I promise!

Beta reading done by Konpeki Rei.

Kid Icarus is owned by Nintendo.

And for the last time... enjoy.

Chapter 2

It's The End of The World As We Know It

"VIRIDI! NO! VIRIIIIDIIIIII!"

Time slows down to an almost-paused pace. I'm at her side in an instant. The bone in the crook of her elbow is slightly exposed, and I feel like retching. Blonde hair matted with blood, sticking to her bruised skin. I'm dimly aware of Hades preparing himself for another attack, but he's not the priority. I need to focus, I need to make sure the faint rising and falling of her chest isn't my imagination. Thank the gods, it isn't. She's still alive.

"P-p-pit?" she stutters, a cough sending blood dribbling down her chin.

"Shh, shh, don't move," I tell her. "Stay still."

Her eyes snap shut as she winces in pain. "Ev-everyth-thing hur-hurts..."

I grab a branch of a nearby tree and fashion it into a makeshift splint, then secure it to her arm using a strip of my toga as a bandage. "I know. Listen, just hold on a little while longer, then I'll get you all fixed up, OK? Just don't move and don't think about the pain."

Her hazel pupils scan every which way, then enlarge at a disturbing sight. "Hades..." she murmurs.

"Yes, Hades did this to you. Good, good, I don't think you have any brain damage then..."

"No, Ha-hades! Behind you!" she screeches.

I turn my head and duck at the last second, narrowly avoiding a fireball to the head. I stand up and scowl at my adversary. "You," I growl, pointing my weapon at him.

"Me," Hades responds, giving a contended shrug. "Sorry about that, rosebud. Didn't mean to get you that banged up, but it certainly makes my job easier."

"You nearly killed her," I say in a steely voice. Cold hatred burns in my eyes.

He nods, apparently pleased at his despicable act. "Yes, I suppose I did. Of course, that fall did some damage as well."

"I could stand you hurting me. I could stand being brutally murdered if it meant that Viridi and the rest of the world would be safe. But the one thing I cannot stand is someone that stoops so low as to attack a person when they're trying to save an ally. I cannot stand someone that hurts my wife. I cannot stand YOU. So you know what I think?" I ask.

Hades ponders, then shakes his fiery head. "Not a clue."

I give a small smirk, and place my feet a bit apart. I raise my arms in a fighting stance. "Evil bastard standing before me!"

Viridi sighs behind me. "P-pit, again?"

"It's time for you to atone for your crimes!" I flick my hair over my shoulder as I turn away from the villain.

Hades rolls his eyes. "Seriously, Pitty Pat, this is becoming a bit cliche," he deadpans.

"I am Pit, husband to the Goddess of Nature!" I jump and spin in the air. "And you!" I pull my arms back. "Are!" I can see the target hovering over the God of the Underworld turn into a charged shot, directly over his chest. "HISTORY!" I charge towards him.

His eyes go wide in shock. "A forward- dash charged melee attack? But that's impossible!"

I focus on my aim, praying this works, praying I don't just slam into a wall of meat...

"BURN IN HELL, HADES!"

SPLOTH.

My Claws neatly slice him into four pieces, black blood spurting from his veins and arteries. Organs hit the ground with a satisfying "thunk." I pant before collapsing on my knees in exhaustion. Sparks fly from his intestines.

Wait, what? Sparks?

"Did-d we win?" Viridi mutters. No time to investigate the sparks now. I return to her side in four seconds flat.

"What's wrong? Did the shrapnel hit you? Please, don't pass out on me or... or worse," I trail off. "Don't die. Please, I can't bear the thought of you dead... I love you," I whisper.

"Pit-tty, I love you, too," she breaths in return, before falling asleep. Now, to check out those organs.

I scan the flesh closely. It's metallic, probably steel or iron. Wire poke out at the ends, electrical currents creating miniature firework displays. The black blood oozing from the holes is actually oil.

"How?" I cry. "What is this?"

Another male laugh fills my ears, but this one is less evil and more grandfatherly. "Ho-ho! Well done, whippersnapper! I was afraid you would never beat it!"

I gasp as my mind identifies the voice. "Dyntos? Is that you?"

"Yep, that's my name," says the elderly God of the Forge, who appears in front of me, leaning over Viridi. "Sorry about her. Didn't mean to injure her this much."

I'm still in shock over the Goddess of Nature's crash, Hades' "death," and Dyntos' appearance. "What are you doing here?"

He sighs. "Still as dumb as a post, I see. Well, Pit, didn't you notice how I lacked to give you and young Viridi a wedding gift?" I nod. "Well, that's cuz it still had a few flaws. But while you two were on your honeymoon, I finished it, and let me tell you, son, I was just pleased as punch with the results. So, I decided to surprise you two by revealing it on your way home!" he explains.

I struggle to fit everything together in a sensical pattern. "So then... Hades was one of your creations?"

He nods, satisfied with my answer. "Thought you two might like a change from fighting one another. Palutena was behind me wholeheartedly, I'll let you know."

I pale. "YOU MEAN YOU TRIED TO KILL US FOR OUR WEDDING GIFT?!" I scream.

He raises his hands in peace, as if I would attack him with an unconscious Viridi lying between us. "Never to kill, maybe maim..."

I grit my teeth, pull back my right fist, and hit him square in the face. "Now we're even."

Dyntos rubs his nose gingerly. "I deserved that," he admits. "But in all honesty, I never meant for anybody to get that hurt."

Sighing, I stroke Viridi's hair. "Well, then how do you explain this?" I ask, indicating the various damage she's taken.

He rummages through his toga pockets before pulling out a small red bottle. "Here, have her drink this." I take the medicine- at least, that's what I assume it is- and bring it to her lips. Since she's still sleeping, the only method to get it in her mouth is to sip some myself, be careful not to swallow, then pour it in via a kiss. The taste is familiar.

"A Drink of the Gods?" I sputter after doing the job. Viridi's breathing becomes less labored.

"Highly concentrated Drink of the Gods. Guaranteed to heal even the most brutal of ailments," he tells me. "Just look, young'n."

I do, and I see cuts scabbing over, bone lining back up underneath new pink skin, eyes fluttering open...

"PIT!" she yells, diving into my chest.

"Shh, I'm here, don't worry, you're safe," I croon into her ear, rubbing her back.

"H-Hades?" She peeks out from my toga. I pat her head.

"One of Lord Dyntos' tricks. Er, gifts," I correct myself. "He didn't mean to hurt you, so don't attack him. Please. He's actually the reason you're still alive."

She looks from me to him and back to me again. Then she grins. "Thanks, Lord Dyntos. That was quite the workout."

He laughs. "No problem my dear! I'll be running along now. Don't be a stranger!" And with that, he disappears in a puff of smog. I cough, then face my wife. "How are you feeling?"

She rolls her (now un)broken arm experimentally. "OK, I guess. A little sore. Pit?" She stares at my face hungrily.

"Yeah?" I ask.

She gives me a small grin. "Thank you for saving me. I'm sorry... I'm sorry I wasn't more useful." A tear rolls down her cheek.

I place a kiss on her cheek. "Hey, who saved me from falling off the cliff? Huh? I owe you, too. I'd say we're even," I laugh. She giggles as well. "C'mon, let's get home," I tell her. I pick her up carefully in a bridal carry, ready to take to the skies. I dash off the edge of the land and soar, expanding my wings to their full diameter.

We've flown for about two minutes when I feel a tug on my tunic. I look down to see Viridi's beautiful face grinning mischievously. I inquire as to what she's thinking. "Oh, nothing," she says, "just the fact that I think I'm ready. How about you?"

Our pupils lock, piercing blue intertwining with smiling caramel. I give a smile so large it stretches my face muscles until they ache. "Yeah, I'm ready too."

I flap my wings twice, and speed off towards the promise of a new adventure, and a new life- all with the woman I love by my side. And you know what?

I'm not sorry I had to keep waiting.

The Complete and Utter End

And there it is. The end. I hope you enjoyed it. But please, don't think I'm abandoning Piridi completely. No, I want to peruse some other projects right now, but I do have some other little stories in mind for our angel and goddess... Which reminds me- I'm running a poll on my profile, where you can vote for which project I start next. Also on my profile is a list of other future stories, and shippings I support.

To all of the reviewers that thought Viridi was going to die: I never said that. I can not kill anybody in my stories (that's a good guy- villains, on the other hand, are just canon fodder). All I said was that someone wasn't going to make it out safely. Let's face it, just recovered from a near-death experience is not safely (and frankly, neither is it "safely" if you just got punched in the nose. Sorry, Dyntos).

Before anybody asks: what Viridi says she's ready for? Well, I'll let you figure out for yourselves.

Thank you, everybody, for reading. This may have been one of the best experiences of my life, and I owe it all to my readers. Your reviews, your faves... they pushed me on. This is my gift to you.

Goodbye, good luck, and long live Kid Icarus and Piridi! ~ N00dl3Gal