Gem woke up. It's been a few days since Leo lost her memory. So far the others explained everything to her except for the alternates.

She slipped out of bed to take a shower. When she was finished, Sagittarius was lying awake on her bed.

"Do you have to use the hairdryer so early in the morning?" groaned Sagittarius.

Gem jumped in bed beside her. "At least I don't stain my towels with red hair dye."

Sagittarius glanced at her hair that was now dyed back to it's original colour. "Ever since I dyed my hair blonde, bad things happened to Aries and Leo, so I dyed my hair back in case it was causing bad luck."

"Hair can't give other people bad luck."

"Are you an expert in luck now?"

"Anyway, get dressed. We're going on a mission."

Sagittarius got out of bed, wearing her pink unicorn pyjamas. "Why can't I wear what I'm already wearing?"

"Ninjas don't wear pink unicorn pyjamas on missions."

Sagittarius opened her closet and pulled out her ninja costume. "Fine."

***

Leo sat in a tree with her eyes closed when suddenly she heard someone approach.

"What are you doing up there?"

Leo looked down to see Aquarius climbing the tree until he reached a branch close to hers. "Are you following me?"

"I looked out my window and was curious as to why you're up here."

Leo hugged the tree. "I'm just thinking."

"Away from the others?"

"Exactly."

"Anything I can help you with?"

Leo shivered as the cold wind blew against her face. "I want to learn how to use my powers."

"Why haven't you tried yet?"

"I haven't had the time."

"You're scared."

"Nothing scares me."

"I'll teach you." Aquarius jumped out of the tree, catching himself with air currents.

Leo jumped, waiting to see if the wind currents would catch her as well. She smiled as she was softly lowered to the ground.

Aquarius smirked. "I wouldn't let you fall."

"I figured." Leo stretched her hand out. "Now how do I control my powers?"

Aquarius made newly grown leaves fly from the trees and swirl in a mini tornado with the flick of his wrist. "It's almost like controlling another limb. You just think of what you want your powers to do, and they'll do it."

Leo stared at her hand as she tried to summon her fire.

"The powers don't exactly come from your hands. It's just easier to use your hands to control them."

"Does that mean I can breathe fire out of my mouth?"

"You wouldn't be the first to do so."

"HOW?"

"Aries and Sagittarius like sneaking out at night to run around and pretend they're dragons sometimes. At this point, we just pretend it's normal."

"Can you tell me more about them?"

"I can tell you anything about Sagittarius. She's my best friend as well as yours."

"Just tell me anything."

Aquarius smiled. "She's crazy. Sometimes her and Gem dress in ninja costumes, wear fake moustaches, and go around trying to prank people."

Leo shook her head. "That doesn't surprise me."

"Try to summon your powers."

Leo tried, but she couldn't do anything.

"Don't be afraid to use them. I have air powers that can blow out the fire if something goes wrong."

Leo couldn't feel even a spark as she tried to catch the grass on fire.

"I guess they got lost along with your memory." Aquarius shrugged and started to walk away. "Guess you're the only one without powers."

"How the hell is that fair?" snarled Leo.

When Aquarius turned around, Leo's body was surrounded in fire.

Leo gasped as she saw her hands. The fire formed a layer over her body, but it wasn't burning her. Suddenly the fire went away. Leo suddenly made fire reappear in her palm.

Aquarius nodded in approval. "That's how we got you to use your powers the first time. When we all met."

"Can you tell me about it?" Leo walked over to the tree and sat on one of the lower branches.

Aquarius followed. "We were all created a while before we started to rule. As soon as we descended one at a time from the sky, Ophiuchus was there waiting for us. She told us who we were, and led us to a building where we each were given our own apartment. After we adjusted to human life, she taught us the basics of ruling a kingdom, before sending us to live in our own countries for a while before we got the chance to rule them.
"We visited each other a lot, and got used to being friends who lived in different countries. Eventually, we all got crowned king or queen, but that didn't last very long until a war broke out. Everyone turned on each other, and soon enough we were all kicked out of our countries after Aries was put in a coma."

"What was the war about?"

"Changing our governments. We were all so stupid, fighting in a war over something like that. We didn't really know how to rule in times of war. The people unfairly suffered the most."

"So who owns the kingdoms now?"

Aquarius paused. He considered telling her, but decided against it. He didn't want to be the one to have to explain the alternates situation to her. "I don't know."

Leo shivered as the wind started to pick up again.

Aquarius removed his jacket and placed it over Leo's shoulders. "Let's go back inside."

***

Scorpio was planning on doing some training when she entered the training room. She wore her workout shirt and shorts, with her favourite running shoes.

Her plans, however, changed when she saw that Gemini was practicing alone in the training room.

Scorpio screamed and ran away.

Wondering what the hell just happened, Gemini paused his training to chase Scorpio. His sweat stained shirt clung to his chest as he managed to jump in the elevator before it closed.

Scorpio immediately pressed a button to get off at the next stop.

"What's going on?" asked Gemini.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Scorpio looked at him with eyes wide from fear. The elevator doors opened into the living room. Scorpio sprinted away.

Gemini followed her. "Are you afraid because I'm so hot? I can tone it down a bit if you'd like."

Scorpio rolled her eyes and shut the door to the pool room behind her, locking the door. She panted as she sat down, trying to catch her breath.

She was still catching her breath when Gemini opened the doors that led to the backyard. "Hi."

Scorpio opened the door to the living room, only to run into a wind wall. "Stay away from me!"

"Why? Did you catch something contagious?" Gemini walked up to Scorpio until he stood beside her.

Scorpio quickly scanned the room for danger.

"Are you okay?" Gemini's brow furrowed out of concern.

"You'll be safe if you don't come near me!" Scorpio ran past Gemini, her feet not slowing as she ran across the pool to the other side.

Gemini stared in awe. "That's not fair." Due to his inability to run across water as Scorpio had done, he ran around the pool. He walked closer to Scorpio until he slipped on a puddle of water and fell.

"NO!" Scorpio picked Gemini off the ground. "What's your name? How old are you?"

Gemini rubbed his head and looked at Scorpio as if he couldn't possibly be any more confused. "My name is Gemini. I'm about eighteen in human years."

"What's wrong then? Did you hurt your spine?" Scorpio pinched his leg.

"OW!" Gemini kicked Scorpio out of reflex. "Scorpio, what in the name of Ophiuchus is wrong with you?"

"Maybe you have internal bleeding. We have to rush you to the hospital."

"What are you talking about?"

"The curse!" Scorpio looked at Gemini with a panicked expression. "Whenever I'm with anyone, they get hit by the curse. That's why I'm going to avoid everyone else until the Trials begin."

"I just slipped on a puddle of water."

"Just like Leo only slipped on a patch of ice."

"Are you seriously telling me that you'll avoid everyone else for two whole months just because you think the curse has something to do with you?"

"If it keeps everyone else safe... then yeah."

"You're crazy."

"Crazy about keeping my friends alive."

Gemini stood up and started laughing. "I can't wait to tell-" suddenly he dropped to the ground.

"GEMINI!" Scorpio ran over to him and shook his limp body. "Answer me!"

Gemini opened his eyes and smirked. "Sucker."

"You fucking asshole!" Scorpio pushed him in the pool. "Don't do that to me."

Gemini pulled himself out of the pool and chuckled. "Sorry, I had to."

"I was even starting to think you were becoming more mature."

"Nah. Don't avoid everyone though. If the curse is supposed to happen, it will happen. Nothing can stop the curse, remember? Even if you run away, the curse will likely bring you back."

"You're right." Scorpio sighed. "I can't watch another friend get hurt in my presence. Do you have any idea what that's done to me?"

"I can see that you're clearly mentally unstable right now. Go rest, Scorpio."

Scorpio stood up. "Alright. It's hard to fall asleep at night knowing I'm somehow going to be involved in everyone's curses. I'm... scared."

Gemini wrapped his arms around Scorpio. "Don't be scared. Worrying won't change anything, and we'll deal with everything when it happens. I'll even lend you a few of my sleeping pills if it'll help."

"You're not supposed to give other people your personal prescribed medicine."

"Just don't tell Libra. I won't give you enough to become dependant on them. Just a few for when you really can't get to sleep."

"Thank you."

***

Aries wandered around her new hospital room. She didn't know why, but she was in a new room now. One that was closer to the doctors.

She supposed it was so that they could monitor her more easily, and so that she was closer in case something happened again.

Aries looked out the window. She was on the third floor of the hospital. She was glad for the new view, but it unnerved her.

Glancing at her body, she sighed. The real Aries was very, very pale. She didn't quite hear what happened to her, but somehow her condition became worst.

Sighing, Aries turned back to the window. She hated this stupid hospital.

Aries was in the middle of thinking about just how much she hated hospitals, when the door to her room opened.

Taurus smiled as she wheeled into the room. "Shhh! I'm not supposed to be here."

"Taurus?" Aries ran over to her and sat on the bed.

Taurus sighed. "I was just getting a check up, when I decided to find you."

"You know we're not supposed to be in here." Cancer followed Taurus into the room.

"If I cared, I wouldn't be here." Taurus picked up Aries' hand. "We're all so worried about you."

Realizing he wasn't going to change Taurus' mind, Cancer sat in a chair beside Aries' hospital bed. "She looks so... dead."

Taurus glared at Cancer, not wanting to admit he was right. "She doesn't look dead."

"I don't know what to say. She looks worst than you do after your arm and core workouts."

Taurus elbowed Cancer and let her hair fall in her face to hide her smile.

"How's your spine doing?" asked Aries.

As if she heard her, Taurus replied, "My spine is still pretty damaged. The doctors said that my muscles are staying healthy thanks to the exercises I've been doing. My legs will still be weak if I ever walk on them again, but at least they're not completely deteriorating."

"As of now, it's still not likely she'll be able to walk again." Cancer put his arm around Taurus. "She wasn't happy to hear that."

Taurus reached up and held Cancer's hand which rested on her shoulder, with one of hers. "I can't picture my future without working legs."

"It's okay, we'll find a way to make it work. We really should get out of here before we get caught though."

Taurus nodded. "You're absolutely right."

Cancer sighed, knowing what was coming.

"I don't listen to rules anymore though."

Cancer rolled his eyes. "See what I have to put up with."

"Shut up, you love me."

"Do I though?" smirked Cancer.

"I'd stomp on your foot if I could."

Cancer kissed Taurus on the cheek. "This has been a fun surprise visit, but we really should go now." He grabbed Taurus' wheelchair. Before they left, Cancer looked at Aries. "You better get better soon okay? We all want you to come back home." Then he left.

***

"She loves me... she loves me not... she loves me... she loves me not... she loves me..."

"AHHHHHHHHH!" screamed Libra as she snuck up on Pisces.

Pisces screamed and fell off the kitchen counter.

"What are you doing?" asked Libra with her hands on her hips.

Pisces sat on the kitchen floor, a half peeled orange in his hands. "Getting on orange."

"Debating if it likes you back?"

"..."

"..."

"I wasn't talking to the orange!"

"To whom then?"

"Fancy word choice."

"..."

"Like I'd tell you who that was about!"

"You're doing that she loves me, she loves me not thing with an orange peel?"

Pisces shrugged. "So?"

"Well, I suppose it's not me or Taurus."

"It's not either of you! I have a girlfriend who's a hot model."

"Since when was she a hot model?"

"I see your attempt to get me to say who it is. It's not going to work."

"Tell me."

"Only if you confess your love to Virgo."

"I don't love Virgo."

"You're hopeless!"

"Do you mean helpless?"

"That too."

"My feelings for Virgo are platoni-"

"I hear the word platonic so often that it's starting to make me sick. Like actually physically sick."

"Well I'm physically sick of your attitude."

"I'm sick of your existence."

"I'm sick of every molecule that your body is composed of."

"What?"

Libra smirked. "I win."

"So?"

"I'll find out who your crush is!"

"Mind your business."

"I know Pisces Frigus did not just tell someone to mind their own business."

"I'm not telling you! I won't!"

"You're bad at hiding things. I'll probably find out who it is sooner or later anyway."

"Good night." Pisces left the kitchen with his orange.

Libra looked out the window to see that it was still bright and sunny outside.

If he's going to always be obsessed with my business, I'll start doing the same to him, smirked Libra as she left the kitchen.

***

Virgo opened the door to his room to find Capricorn sitting at their desk, writing.

"What's that?" Virgo looked over Capricorn's shoulder.

"It's my letter to tell people what goes to who when I die. In case the curse kills me."

"That's called your- actually, never mind. Let me see." Virgo picked up the paper. "My money is to be split up amongst my friends, my pranking supplies all goes to Gem, my fluffy blanket goes to Sagittarius, my pet video games -really?- go to Aquarius, my collection of cool rocks go to my roommate Virgo, and everything else that I own along with all the love in my heart goes to my soulmate Gemini."

Capricorn shrugged. "You forgot the last part "

Virgo turned the paper over. "Funeral instructions?" He furrowed his brow.

"Keep reading."

"Step one... bury the dead goat in a coffin full of water since I'm the water goat. Step two... bury the coffin underground, and have a normal funeral service. Then Virgo will get up and say "Let's put the fun in funeral!" Music will start to play, all of the dead goat's favourite music will blast while Virgo starts jamming out onstage. Wait, where does the music and stage come from? Then... everyone... has a disco party in Capricorn's memory. Then we will... run away from Capricorn as he claws his way up from the ground as a zombie and eats everyone's brains out? Capricorn what the fuck?" 

"Now that's a funeral!" laughed Capricorn.

Virgo looked at Capricorn with a concerned expression before realizing that the others would plan a much worst funeral for themselves. Much worst. "I think this entire friend group needs to speak to a therapist. Cepheus, could you send down a constellation therapist for us please?"

"We do not need therapy!"

"We all needed therapy from day one."

"And we've survived just fine until now."

"..."

"We're too far gone for therapy to save us now."

"Nobody stood a chance in the first place."

Capricorn shrugged. "We were born crazy."

Ending the conversation, Virgo picked a book off the desk and sat on his bed to read it.

"What book is that?"

"It's called Human Trials," replied Virgo.

"What's it about?"

"There's these humans named- wait, why are you suddenly interested in my book?"

"I'm just bored."

"Go study for the upcoming biology test."

"I don't ever study much."

"Go study so you can get a good grade. Wouldn't that impress Gemini?"

Capricorn tried to frown at Virgo as he dug through his back pack and began reviewing his biology notes. "Virgo-"

With a sigh, Virgo, who actually took notes, pulled them out of the drawer of their desk for Capricorn to borrow.

***

Leo walked up to her room later on that evening. She opened the door, and furrowed her brow when she saw Gem and Sagittarius sitting on her bed.

"Hi guys." Leo sat down beside them.

"We have a gift for you," smiled Sagittarius.

"Is it a pony?"

Gem pulled a photo album out from behind her back. "Here you go."

Leo placed the photo album in her lap and carefully flipped through the pages. "It's a bunch of photos."

Sagittarius nodded. "Since you lost your memory, we found as many pictures as we could and spent the whole day putting them in the photo album. Taurus helped."

Leo turned back to the first page. It was a picture of the zodiacs, but they looked younger.

Gem pointed to the first picture. "This was around when everyone was first created. That's why I'm not there."

"She's actually not in too many pictures at the beginning," frowned Sagittarius. "But she's in a lot towards the end."

Leo flipped to the end of the photo album. The first picture she saw was of Gem and Sagittarius wearing ninja costumes, hiding behind a kitchen counter while Virgo glared at them. The next one was of Scorpio chasing Pisces around the house, then one of Gem and Gemini arguing, then one of Aquarius and Taurus making funny faces at the camera. Another showed Cancer walking Handsome, and a Polaroid of Capricorn and Libra doing homework in the living room. Capricorn didn't seem to actually be doing homework.

"It's just random pictures."

"You forgot a lot of these moments." Sagittarius flipped back to the beginning. "Look through all the pictures. Even if you can't get your memory back, at least this way you'll still get to see some pictures of what we're like on a daily basis."

Leo stopped at one page and pulled a picture out. It was one of Leo looking at the camera from the living room couch. Aries was beside her, hugging her tightly. "This is Aries?"

Gem nodded. "She'll be crushed when she realizes you don't remember her."

"We'll deal with that after she wakes up." Sagittarius closed the book. "Just look over the pictures sometimes. Let me know if there's any that require a bit of context before you understand."

"Wouldn't that be most of them?" asked Gem.

"Actually, you don't really need context."

Leo chuckled. "Thanks guys. This is the best present that I can remember receiving."

"But that's the only present you received since-"

Sagittarius elbowed Gem. "We'll always be here if you need us. Good night." She hopped off the bed and walked towards her own room.

Gem smirked. "Don't let the bed bugs bite. Because you have some in your bed."

"WHAT?" Leo jumped off the bed.

"She means you," chuckled Sagittarius before they left.

Leo got back in bed and put her picture book on her nightstand, with the picture of her and Aries laying on top. She considered herself very lucky to have such great friends.