A/N: I haven't been able to update due to a huge assignment that I've finally finished. Hope you guys are ready, this is an emotional chapter because I enjoy torturing my characters just a little ;)

Readers: but you said you don't hurt your-

Anyway, let's move on with the story!

I have a serious authors note at the end which takes up about half this chapter. You don't have to read it if you don't want to. It's mostly for me.

***

The next morning everyone packed and headed for Pertinax, Sagittarius and Saggi's country. Half the country was mountains surrounded a massive dormant volcano, while the other half was small towns, tropical forests, and beaches. The entire island was surrounded by Filipino communities along the outskirts. There weren't any cities, except for the capital city Rubrum. The methods of transport in this country varied from carts to motorcycles to motorized vehicles designed to drive through the tropical forest. The motorcycles were extremely popular, especially since nobody in this country drove cars.

"I should have shaved my head before coming here," groaned Aries as she attempted to run a hand through her poofy hair.

"I'm glad I thought ahead." Pie skipped off the jet with her luggage, her golden curls braided into two long side-braids.

Taur was the next person to step onto the roof of the hotel. "Why do you guys think we didn't have a trial last time? Do you think Ophiuchus planned on cancelling the trial?"

"Either she's fucking with us, or somebody else is helping us." Leo sighed as she looked around the country. The yellow sun outlined the horizon, the night sky still above them. "I love Pertinax."

The zodiacs then brought their luggage to their room on the classless floor. They then waited in the lobby for Cetus to appear, announcing that she didn't care which group everyone chose for the tour of the country. The zodiacs then divided themselves in two groups with Saggi leading a group to the outskirts, and Sagittarius bringing a group to the castle.

***

Once they arrived, Sagittarius led everyone around the castle. It was built from some kind of black stone that would protect the castle in case of a volcano eruption. The guards rolled their eyes as she waltzed on it, without even asking for permission. She lead a group consisting of herself, Pisces, Gem, Aquarius, Taurus, Cancer, Aries, Leo, Leon, Pie, Capri, and Lee.

The castle walls were made from various rocks, the floors lighter shades of polished stone.

"Welcome to the coolest castle on earth!" Sagittarius walked around the halls, using one hand to wave to the guards. Her fingers on her other hand were intertwined with Pisces'.

"Hold my hand too!" Gem linked fingers with Sagittarius' other hand.

"No. She's mine. Get your own girlfriend." Pisces tried to pull Sagittarius away.

"No, she's my best friend before she's your girlfriend." Gem grinned and tugged Sagittarius the other way.

Sagittarius rolled her eyes as she realized they were pretending to fight over her. Trying to torment her, they played tug-of-war with her arms. "I hate you both."

"What? Of course not!" Pisces laughed and tugged her back towards him.

"We're actually fighting over you." Tug.

"Yeah, not everything is about you!" Tug.

"Ignore the fact that that statement made absolutely no sense." Tug.

"Gem is bullying me!" Tug.

Sagittarius let go of both of their hands, before forcefully linking Pisces' fingers with Gem's. "I'll just hold hands with Aqua!"

Pisces and Gem both scowled and let go of each other's hand.

Aquarius shoved his hands in his pockets. "No you won't."

"Aqua please help me out once!"

"Why would I do that? Your hands are probably sweaty from holding hands with Pisces and Gem."

"You're officially evicted from my castle." Sagittarius pouted and pointed to the door.

Aquarius rolled his eyes. "It's technically not your castle anymore."

Sagittarius linked elbows with Aquarius. "You will keep our elbows linked and you will like it."

"Okay."

"Now I have nobody to hold my hands I guess." Gem glanced at Aquarius. "They're getting cold."

Pisces furrowed his brow. "We're in tropical climate and you claim your hands are cold?"

"If she says they're cold, then they're cold." Aquarius extended his hand to Gem.

Pisces and Sagittarius exchanged a look of deep concentration as Gem took Aquarius' hand.

Leo slowed her pace. "I have no idea what's going on between those four."

Aries shrugged. "I'm pretty sure Sagittarius and Pisces are meddling with things that aren't their business again."

"What makes you say that?"

"It's Sagittarius and Pisces."

"Yeah that's true."

"They're probably trying to set Aqua and Gem up. Or they're trying to figure out if they like each other."

"They're holding hands. I'm pretty sure they like each other."

"Sagittarius told me she thinks they're pretending to like each other just to mess with everyone."

Leo laughed. "If they stayed out of everyone's business, they wouldn't have to worry about it."

Aries extended her hand. "They're making me want to hold hands with someone."

Leo pulled Aries close, keeping an arm around her shoulders. "My hands are sweaty from the heat."

Aries slung an arm around Leo's back. "This works too."

"Oh my god everyone is in relationships." Pie sighed. "I can't imagine wanting to hold hands with anyone anyway!"

"Even if I offer to hold yours?" teased Capri.

"Especially then."

Capri lightly pinched Pie's arm. "You're so annoying."

"Do you mean entertaining?"

"I mean annoying."

"She is annoying, isn't she?" muttered Lee.

Capri suddenly hugged Pie. "I can't believe you're not annoying at all! That's why you're my closest friend."

Pie smirked and stuck her tongue at Lee.

Lee rolled his eyes. "Bitch."

"You don't have to use big words to overcompensate for your small dick." And with that Pie lead Capri who was laughing hysterically to the front of the group.

Taurus, Cancer, and Leon hung back behind everyone else, but still close enough to follow behind them.

"How did Lee end up in our group again?" asked Leon.

Cancer shrugged, pushing Taurus' chair for her. "I'm afraid to ask."

"As long as Pie keeps Capri next to her, I'm not worried about it." Taurus opened her phone and scrolled through her photos. "I miss our puppies already."

Cancer smiled fondly. "It's okay, we left them with lots of food and water. They're probably running around my room with Sparky right now."

Leon checked Ophiuchus' app on his phone. "I wonder what the others are doing. Saggi's popularity tanked. He's now at 0.1%."

"He went to try to explain the situation to the Filipino communities, didn't he?" asked Taurus. "I don't think there's a way to explain that the woman who everyone trusts is actually evil and framing him."

"Wait. Where did the others go?" Cancer looked around as the hallways branched into four directions. They weren't paying attention and didn't see where the others went. There were no signs of them down either of the hallways.

"What if we just head to the cafeteria and meet up with them later?" suggested Leon. "Or do you guys want to see the castle?"

"I'm actually getting a little hungry." Taurus smiled at Leon. "Lead the way."

***

Saggi stepped out of a cart, inhaling deeply before walking with the others towards Pamilya, the largest Filipino community. Gemini, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Capricorn, Ares, Taur, Cancy, Vinn, and Scor trailed behind him.

Aquari patted Saggi on the back. "They're going to be mad at you."

"I know."

A young Filipino boy began shouting in Filipino as the group approached. Citizens began to gather, wondering what their king was doing here. By the time the group arrived, half the village was gathered.

"Why did you introduce the new tax law?" asked an elderly woman. "We cannot afford to pay it."

Saggi sighed. He could try to explain what happened, and try to convince them that he wasn't the one who created the law.

Instead, he said "I'll make things right." He then translated his words for those who did not speak English.

"That's all you have to say?" asked a teenage boy.

"I'm not here to make excuses. If I get put back in power, I will destroy the law."

Aquari cringed. Wrong move.

"But you're the one who made it." A middle-aged man glared at Saggi while his daughter translated his words. "You lost power, so you're trying to gain our votes back now that you're no longer favoured. You betrayed us, why should we trust you?"

"I don't expect you to trust me. I don't expect you to vote for me. I'm here to check up on you guys since we'll be here for a few days. If you tell me to leave, I will go."

Everyone anxiously spoke to the people around them.

Until a young girl stepped forward. "We can let him stay. We don't have to trust him though."

The villagers nodded in agreement.

"Fine." The elderly lady crossed her arms. "If you do anything strange, I will throw you out myself. But if you have good intentions, come by the town hall later. I will prepare a meal for you and your friends." And with that the villagers scattered, keeping their curious gazes on the group.

"This community is the closest thing you'll find to a second family." Saggi kicked a rock on the ground. "I spent a lot of time here when I was in power. The name of this village translates to family. Everyone here is very kind and welcoming to strangers. This village is a gold mine for those who love good company."

Vinn sympathetically put a hand in his shoulder. "It must hurt to see them look at you with so much resentment and mistrust."

"It does. But I will make it right for them. I think I'll go find Tala. Aquari. Are you coming?"

"Of course!" Aquarius walked with Saggi as they searched for a particular house.

"Tala is a woman in this village who always treated Saggi as her son." Vinn smiled sadly. "Her husband died in a plane crash and her son had depression. He... well... he's gone now. One night as Saggi explored the village, he met Tala who started crying because apparently he strongly resembled her son. Ever since she became very close with him and even refers to him as her adoptive son."

Libra blinked quickly. "I hope she will at least have faith in him. Ophiuchus is beyond evil for doing this to these villagers."

"I'll go explore the community, who's coming?" Vinn turned to face the others.

"I will." Virgo pulled Libra along with him.

Vinn glanced at Scor who wandered in a different direction with Taur and Cancy. Not that it mattered.

"Saggi is right. The hospitality in this village is insane." Vinn waved to a group of kids playing jump-rope. "If somebody is struggling, the whole village will donate food or money or whatever they need. Everyone knows everyone here. This entire village is truly is one big family."

"The more you talk about this village, the more it makes me resent Ophiuchus." Virgo looked around. "Everyone seem so happy."

"It really is a tragedy when mental illness stops you from being happy in one of the happiest places on earth. Tala's son was named Dimitri, he was mixed like Saggi. Half-Filipino, half-Russian."

Libra leaned against Virgo as she walked, a layer of tears coating her bottom eyelid. "We'll make it okay again. If Saggi doesn't, then Sagittarius will."

Vinn nodded. "There's a park I like to visit. I'll show you guys where it is."

The group was stopped by a group of five young children.

"Foreigners! Where are you guys from?" asked a young girl with perfect English.

"Sub-Terra, she's from Sanus." Virgo pointed to Libra.

"Why you guys are here?" asked a little boy in a rough accent.

"You can say we're exploring the elemental countries." Vinn translated her statement for the children who didn't speak English well.

"Do you guys have food? We can give you food if you need any," offered another child.

Vinn smiled. "We have plenty of food." She opened her wallet and handed the children enough money to buy a few snacks each.

A few kids cheered "Thank you!" while the others excitedly exclaimed "Salamat!" They all ran off to the nearest convenience store.

***

Gemini, Capricorn, Scorpio, and Ares ended up hanging out at a café with free internet.

"I wonder what meal they'll cook for us." Gemini pondered the thought. "It'll probably taste really good."

"The food in these communities always taste good!" announced Ares. "Except for the mint chocolate chip ice cream."

Scorpio sighed, taking a spoon full of her mint chocolate chip ice cream. "You only hate it because it's a popular debate. Your unpopular opinion isn't quirky."

"Isn't is cheaper to buy toothpaste?"

Scorpio stepped on Ares' foot, making him gasp. She then quickly shoved a spoonful of mint chocolate chip in his mouth.

Gemini and Capricorn laughed at Ares' disgusted face.

"Are you guys as tasteless as her?" asked Ares.

Scorpio smirked at Ares. "Be careful who you're calling tasteless. I'm dating you after all."

Ares rolled his eyes. "Let's just say you sometimes have decent taste."

"When it comes to food. Bad taste when it comes to men."

Ares rolled his eyes. "Why am I dating you again?"

"Because you can't live without me. Now open up and I'll forgive you."

Ares sighed and let Scorpio feed him another spoonful of the most disgusting ice cream he has ever tasted.

Capricorn smiled at Scorpio. "I actually enjoy mint chocolate chip. I think Scorpy is right."

Gemini put an arm around Capricorn. "It's okay. Nobody is perfect."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll forgive this one flaw of yours."

Capricorn sighed. "Isn't he dramatic?"

"You can't tell me mint chocolate is better than this." Gemini fed Capricorn a spoonful of Neapolitan.

Capricorn glanced at his own cup of Neapolitan. "Of course not. Nothing is better than Neapolitan."

***

Saggi's hand shook as he knocked on the door of a small bungalow. He was terrified of what Tala would say to him, but he couldn't leave without seeing her.

A woman with grey hair pulled into a tight bun opened the door. Her face looked worn out from years of pain and sadness. "Saggi?"

"I know you've heard of the new tax law and-"

"And I know you're not the one behind it." Tala motioned for Saggi and Aquari to enter.

Saggi and Aquari removed their shoes and sat on a couch in the living room. Tala sat in a plush seat facing them.

Saggi broke down into tears. "I'm so sorry... there's nothing I can do. If the law gets passed... it'll screw over the entire village."

"Saggi... I know you for many years. You are not person who does stuff like this. Who made that law?"

"Ophiuchus. She wants everyone to turn against me."

Tala sighed before sitting beside Saggi, wrapping him in her arms. "I know you better than that. The problem is, nobody will believe me if I tell them Ophiuchus set you up."

"I'll just have to become king and change the law."

Tala wiped Saggi's tears with her sleeve. "It will be okay. I believe in you." She turned to face Aquari. "Have you been taking care of my Saggi?"

Aquari chuckled. "Of course. I've been keeping him out of all kinds of trouble."

Tala shook her head. "Or does he keep you out of trouble?"

Saggi laughed. "That sounds more like it."

"Don't cry. You should trust me to not turn on you. Have you eaten yet? I'll prepare you two my favourite recipe!"

"We were invited for a meal at the town hall later." Sagittarius smiled appreciatively. "But we will come back before we leave."

"How are your trials going?"

Aquari stiffened. "They're not too bad. Challenging, but we'll get through them."

"Now, tell me what I've missed since I last saw you."

Saggi smiled. "I have lots of stories for you."

***

Later that evening, everyone was in the training room. Capri and Pie were doing stretches, when Lee approached them. He held a rose in his hands.

"Capri baby... please hear me out."

Capri glanced at Pie who shrugged. "It's your decision."

Capri sighed. "Fine. What do you want?"

Tears welled up as Lee dropped down on both knees, holding the rose out towards her. "I've been a bad boyfriend lately. I'm really sorry. I can't handle being away from you anymore. I miss you so much and I... I truly love you. You know that we're meant to be together, don't let a rough patch in our relationship mess things up for us. Please, will you let me make up for everything wrong I've done?"

Capri frowned, unsure of what to feel. Lee seemed sincere and truly sorry but...

He always did this.

He always treated her like garbage and then profusely apologized and promised to change and make things better. He would then treat her like gold for a few weeks before taking his anger out on her again.

He wasn't sorry. He never was.

If he was sorry, he would not resort he hurting her. He wouldn't blame everything on her, he wouldn't hit her, he wouldn't accuse her of cheating on him and being a terrible girlfriend every time she spoke to another guy.

He wouldn't make her feel so guilty about everything.

Capri glanced at Pie, who looked like she was three seconds from snapping Lee's neck. Pie got angry easily too, but she never took it out on Capri, or blamed her for things that she didn't do.

It was through Pie she learned just how poorly Lee had been treating her.

"Lee, you've manipulated me for the last time. This sorry tearful apology worked on me the last ten times you pulled it. You can't just treat people terribly and act guilty about it to make up for what you've done. If you were sorry, you would change. But you don't. I don't think you're even sorry, I think this is an act to make to pity you. Well, I do pity you. I pity you for having to live life as such a terrible person. People like you will never know happiness, you're consumed by your anger and negativity. I won't be part of it anymore."

"Capri baby... we've been through so much together. Can't you see that Pie is manipulating you? She's turning you against me because she wants you for herself. We had a good relationship until she started messing with your head. Don't let her get away with this."

At this point all the other zodiacs' attention was on them.

Pie cracked her knuckles. "I'll snap his neck if you tell me to."

Capri rolled her eyes. "Don't snap his neck." She turned to face Lee. "I've figured out on my own how terrible you are. But you think everyone else is evil and manipulative because that's the way you are. Get off your knees, and keep that rose. I won't accept it."

Lee slowly stood up, tears streaming down his face. He then pointed the stem of the rose at her, in which he concealed a small needle. Small enough to stab someone. He aimed for her heart.

Pie lept forward, curling her hand around the thorny stem before it reached Capri. "Capri, I think you made the right decision."

Capri stared at Lee from shock. "Did you hide a needle in the stem of the rose to... stab me if I rejected you?"

Pie removed the needle from the stem before glancing at her hand. She flinched as she picked thorns out of her hand, a small trickle of blood forming streaks in tiny red streams. She wiped the blood on the pants of her black track suit.

Capri's expression suddenly turned livid. "You're the most disgusting person I've ever met. If you come within ten feet of me ever again, I'll give Pie permission to kill you. Except she won't snap your neck, she'll pick you to death with needles."

Pie smiled at Lee, waving the needle back and forth tauntingly. "I'll gladly do it too." She dropped the now needle-less rose and faced Capri. "Are you alright?"

"I would like to believe that my powers would have saved me had you not stepped in." Capri inspected Pie's hand, before making a makeshift glove of leaves appear out of nowhere, covering the scrapes. "It's not as good as gauze, but that should patch up the blood."

"He just-"

"He just tried to kill me." Capri turned to face Lee again. "But he's a pathetic man and I'm no longer afraid of him. He can't hurt me while you're around."

Lee gritted his teeth as he crossed his arms. "You know what, you're both dumb bitches. Actually, being the whore you are, why don't you date Pie then? She likes girls, she'd be down for it. She's probably already got a major crush on you, that's why she's so obsessed with you. Why don't you run away with your lesbian girlfriend then?"

"Okay." Capri turned and passionately pressed her lips against Pie's.

Lee gawked, his mouth hanging open. He muttered curses under his breath as he stormed out.

Pie's knees threatened to buckle from disbelief after Capri pulled away. "Did you do that just to mess with him?"

Capri pulled Pie in for another kiss. "If I just wanted to mess with him, would I still kiss you after he left? You've made me happier over the last few days than I've ever been in the rest of my life. At first I thought I appreciated you as a friend, but now I'm certain that I've fallen for you. I wasn't going to tell you just yet, but in the heat of the moment I could help it-"

Pie laughed. "It's alright. I like you too." She brushed a dark coil behind Capri's ear. "But you have to sleep in my room for now on. Just to make sure he can't hurt you."

"Trust me, I won't leave your side."

Pie smiled at Capri like she was the stars in the sky. "I'm proud of you for standing up to him. That was a hard thing to do, and you were so brave."

"I knew I had your support." Capri laughed. "Besides, why would I choose him over you?"

"I've done plenty of terrible things in the past."

"But you're not a bad person. Yes, you put Aries in a coma and almost killed Libra. Instigated a war that killed many people.... but you don't do bad things with bad intentions. Although your past actions aren't excusable, you act based on what you think is right. I'm willing to give you a chance, but you've got to stop acting on impulse."

Pie laughed, taking Capri's hands in hers. "I'll work on it. I promise. Unlike Lee I keep my promises."

Capri leaned against Pie. "I know you do."

***

A/N: this chapter is finished, but there's something I'd like to address here. I know I've spoken about the abuse in this story before, but there's something I have to mention. If you're sensitive to topics such as abuse you can skip this authors note. Actually, you don't have to read it if you don't want to. I just need to address something here.

Please don't feel bad for Lee.

I've seen a few comments saying stuff like "I feel bad for Lee". It's only been a few comments over the last few chapters, but I need to explain why it's not okay. If you commented something like that in the past because you didn't understand the depth of the situation, it's okay. I'm not mad or upset at anyone over this, but I do have to ask you not to comment stuff like that.

I feel bad having to write this because I've never tried to regulate what you guys comment, and I don't even delete rude or hateful comments on any of my stories. But this particular topic is super sensitive for me. Capri and Lee's relationship is based off of my real-life experience. Except I changed a few things to make it fitting for a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship instead of a parent-child relationship. And I've only included a few of the more minor things. Lee trying to stab Capri was dramatized, this didn't happen in real life. And I didn't have anyone like Pie. So, I'm letting you guys know I will delete comments that show sympathy for Lee.

Where this is based off my real experience, it's a bit triggering for me when people show sympathy for him. But if you didn't understand the extent of the abuse implied in this story, I won't hold it against you. As I've said, I'm not trying to call anyone out or anything. I'm not mad or upset, just please learn why it's wrong.

The vast majority of you have always been so supportive towards me. I'm very grateful for you guys. I just hope I didn't make the story too personal with my own experience.

Because here's the thing with abusive people. They're not always obviously abusive.

He held doors for old ladies, he joked around with us kids and took us to the park and bought us slurpies. He took his girlfriend out on all kinds of dates, he bought her a dog because she wanted one so badly. He taught us kids how to ride bikes and would joke around with us. We'd play games with him where we'd hide from him and he'd come looking for us. Actually, once me and one of my siblings hid in the bathroom and locked the door, thinking we were so clever because he couldn't get in. He got his tool box and unscrewed the entire doorknob, laughing at us as he popped the door open while his girlfriend gave him shit for "messing with the door handles". He then tickled us teased us for thinking we were so smart. He took us swimming, let us choose whatever we wanted for supper on our birthdays. He took us to movies, he teased us about our crushes (or whichever male classmate I decided to pretend to have a crush on to keep him from asking questions). He bought us a trampoline. He drove around so we could drink Tim Hortons hot chocolate and look at Christmas lights on all the houses.

Then he'd hit us.

Or he'd play a game where he'd whip a baseball at us, covering us in bruises, and you were subject to extensive screaming and mocking if you decided you didn't want to play. Or he'd throw a frisbee making you run after it, and he'd talk about how weak and pathetic and full of shit you were after you got tired.

I remember sitting in the back yard on the verge of passing out from running so much while he screamed at me and swore, calling me and my siblings all kinds of names. Because we were tired and wanted to take a break after like 10 mins of running.

The good things don't balance out the bad things.

I'm almost 21 and I flinch when people raise their voice at me. I start crying if the person is mad at me. It looks pathetic as fuck but that's the fun part about having trauma. Actually, it's not really fun. At all. My father would completely chew your head off if you sat down on the couch a little too quickly, if the wind from an open window slammed a door closed, if you grew your hair too long, if you didn't respond to a question the way he wanted you to. You were walking on eggshells the whole time.

He once forced me to cut my hair because he decided it was too long. It wasn't long, he just liked to abuse his authority. You may be wondering how you can be forced to get your hair cut. Because you're too afraid to defy him.

Then there's the time he suggested I dress up as "sexy superman" or a "sexy fire fighter" for Halloween when I was 14.

You read that right.

Then he screamed at me when I told him I wasn't fond of the idea.

"But if it's that bad why didn't you go to the police?"

Well, the same reason you can't find Miley Cyrus when Hannah Montana is performing onstage. Oink oink.

I once confessed my fathers abuse to a friend of mine who got mad at me for saying that.

"How dare you say that about your father! He's not abusive... you tell us fun stories of him playing around with you and your siblings all the time. I'm sorry but I just can't believe that he'd do anything bad to you."

"... he used to hit us..."

"now you're making stuff up. It's not funny. Your father loves you very much, obviously he does if he wants you to visit him! Some people just show their love in different ways, and some people are a bit more reserved, but that's okay! He's not abusive just because he sometimes gets mad and raises his voice. Your father is a good man, you shouldn't say bad things about him."

Fuck you, Becky.

This is why I like writing so much, because It gives me a sense of control over something. I can control my characters and storylines.

I originally included more stories in this a/n but it started to make me anxious so I'll just leave it as it is now. I hope I showed how abusive it is without making people think "but I don't think that's abuse". If you did think that, keep in mind there's much more severe things that I'm not comfortable talking about. Yeah, parents do yell and raise their voices when you do something wrong. But it's not normal to yell at someone until they're sobbing while he threatens you and picks apart every insecurity you have, calling you the worst names.

It's not normal to fear for your safety.

But I'm no longer afraid of C. Smith.

So all I ask is that you please don't feel bad for Lee. Abuse is never as obvious as it seems. I'm typing this out because I want you guys to realize this. Way too many people settle for abusive relationships because they don't realize that they're abusive. Or the abuser gaslights them and makes them think they're the one at fault, or that they don't deserve anyone better. But it's not your fault, because abusers never start off being assholes.

So now I guess I'll post this and wait to see your reactions. I'm sorry for making this chapter so serious, but I do think it's important.

"If you throw a frog into a pot of hot water, it'll jump out. If you put it in room-temperature water and slowly heat the pot until the water boils, the frog will adjust to the temperature until it dies"
-unknown