Nobody POV

The zodiacs were all surprised when at the breakfast table Sun announced that they would not have training today. 

"I was actually looking forwards to it," Sun admitted, "But there's been a change of plans." 

Cancer nervously poked her food. "Does that mean good things or bad?" 

"It actually depends," Sun said thoughtfully, thinking, That guy can be one hell of a pain in the butt, but on the other hand he's also pretty awesome. "But don't worry, the person who's coming won't get dangerous unless provoked." 

"So are you gonna tell us what's down, or what?" Aries asked impatiently, stabbing a waffle. 

"We're going to have a visitor," Sun explained simply. 

The zodiacs' utensils dropped to the ground. 

"Hey, hey," Taurus asked eagerly with a big grin on her face, "Can I ask if this guy is afraid of heights or anything?" 

Only Castle and her guinea pigs knew what the glint in her eye meant. 

"For the record," Sun told her, "I know all about it and yes, feel free to go toss-happy on him all you'd like." 

"How exactly do you know?" Taurus demanded. 

"I have nightly check-in's with Castle to make sure you guys are doing okay without me actually stalking you or anything." 

"So does that mean that Castle is the one who's the stalker?" Libra assessed, frowning. "Not sure I like that-OUCH!" A giant diamond had just rained down from the ceiling and smacked his head. Castle's voice spoke. "I'm offended, young Libra." 

"Castle's not a stalker, exactly," Sun said. "He just keeps tabs on us and leaves us alone when we need privacy." 

"Oh! Good!" Virgo sighed. "Because then I would feel super embarrassed and would probably never shower again or change." This time a smaller sapphire came down on her head. 

"Honestly, don't chastise poor Castle like that," Sun chided them. "After all, he's the one housing you, so-" 

A loud clap of thunder outside caught Sun's attention, and everybody else's. 

"Um, what was that?" Aquarius asked. 

"It's not supposed to rain today, is it?" Pisces said nervously, peeking out the window. 

"Eh, I'll just use my powers to deflect it away from me," was Scorpio's offhanded reply. 

Sun sighed deeply. The zodiacs were starting to get used to the sound. He stood and rose from the table. "That, my dear zodiacs, is the visitor that I told you about. Seems he's here a bit earlier than I had anticipated." 

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The front door was empty. Nobody was standing there. 

"Not to be rude, Sun," Leo piped up, "But there's nobody here." 

Sun sighed again and looked upwards at the glorious star-filled sky. "He'll be here in a minute, trust me." 

As if on cue a loud burst of laughter erupted from the clouds. "That you are right, my dear old friend!" 

The clouds parted, and a swirling vortex of wind and thunder and lightning appeared. And from the vortex out danced... a boy? A girl? A man? A woman? It was hard to tell, but one thing was for sure, he/she had the weirdest and coolest taste of clothes ever. They looked only about twelve or fourteen years old.

The strange person landed gracefully before them, a large smile bordering on the edges of a smirk splitting across their face. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you, zodiacs. I'm Megumi, and I do thank you for your hospitality."

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This is what Megumi looks like: 

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Sun was the first to react. "Megumi," he sighed, rubbing his forehead. "you'll dazzle them too much." 

"I'm sorry, but I just really like this coat," Megumi said. "I'm he and him right now, by the way. Genderfluid." He scanned the still-speechless zodiacs. "Now, which one of you is Melanie's daughter?" 

"Melanie's my mom," Taurus piped up. 

Megumi danced over to her and beamed. "Yes, yes, I could tell! You have her face and her habits." 

"And how exactly do you know?!" 

"Megumi," Sun said carefully, "You may not want to read into things right now." 

"Oh, I know, I know!" Megumi replied cheerfully. "But I can't help it! For instance, I can tell you right now that he-" he pointed to Scorpio- "-is going to be stubborn and annoying until much later, so-" 

"Just what the hell are you talking about?" Scorpio hissed, his face turning red. 

"I'll leave that up to you to muse over," Megumi replied mysteriously. "Now, can we please go into the main hall?" 

Once the zodiacs were all properly assembled (Moon dropped in for a quick little hello), Sun began the introduction. 

"My zodiacs, this is Megumi. He's going to be staying with us for a little while, and at the same time help with your training. He's the second-most-powerful person in the world, and is Universe's second-in-command." 

"My, my! Such nice words! Please don't try and list my abilities, for it'll take a very long time," Megumi drawled, lounging on his cushiony chair. "As I said before, I'm genderfluid, but I'll tell you if I'm a she or a he." 

"Why exactly are you staying here?" Capricorn demanded. 

"Yeah, and how come you look so young?" added Aries. 

"You're even shorter than Taurus is," Saggitarius noted. 

"SAGGITAAAAARIUUSSSS.....!!!" 

"Whoops, sorry, Taurus," she immediately apologized before Taurus could attack. 

"I always stay and visit the zodiacs," Megumi explained. "It's always nice to see what the new people do, year after year. I choose to look young, what's the good in looking as old as Sun is when you could be young and spritely?" 

From his seat, Aquarius frowned slightly. He had heard the slight hesitation before his words. Does that mean he's lying? If so, then what is he doing here? 

"So!" Megumi hopped off his seat and stretched. "Now that that boring intro's done, you guys are free to go! Go and do whatever you want! I'll go and talk to you randomly, just popping in and talking with Castle again." 

"Who're you to order us around?" Leo asked. Then again, Megumi only looked like he was twelve years old, sooo...

Megumi raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Does it feel odd? Maybe I could grow up a little?" 

"Leo," Sun interrupted gently. "Megumi may not look it, but he's actually my superior." 

"That you are correct," Megumi chuckled. "So, go out and have fun!" 

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With Taurus and guinea pigs in the library, otherwise known as 'Buried Secrets Finally Come to Light

"Hi hi!" 

"Whaaa!" Taurus lost her concentration and both she and Aquarius (who she was testing on at that moment) dropped like stones. 

"Ah!" Megumi thrust out a hand and they stopped falling, just hovering there. He lowered them to the ground. "I'm sorry, did I interrupt something?" 

"Yep," Taurus said bluntly, untying the green ribbon she had been using to keep her hair in a ponytail and letting it fall down her back. 

"I thought you told me you'd never drop me again!" Aquarius argued. 

"Can't you just use an air ball?" Scorpio inquired curiously. He was spectating. 

"Yeah, but not when I'm that surprised!" 

"Forget about those two dummies," Taurus said breezily, guiding Megumi into a seat. "Sit and tell me something, pal." 

"I know," Megumi answered simply, smiling. His earlier crazy attire was gone-well, mainly he'd just put down the large hood and put away his weapon. "Though I would actually prefer it if those two didn't hear. It's rather personal." 

He snapped his fingers and a large glowing bubble seemed to grow around them, blocking them off from the other two. "There, now I'll talk. This bubble is soundproof and breakproof. I'll even let you be the one to ask the questions." 

"Well, first of all, you obviously knew my mom," Taurus started. "But one question is that I'd like to ask why she has a picture of you and some other people on the family room mantlepiece. And don't even try to deny it; you don't look exactly the same, but your hair is a dead giveaway." 

"I wasn't about to," Megumi replied, amused. "One minute." He reached towards her and touched her temples gently. When he drew them away, the memory of the picture, in perfect detail, projected before them. 

Megumi was indeed in the picture, except that in this shot he was dressed in normal Earth clothes, but somehow he seemed more diminished. And he seemed older too, taller than everyone in the picture. His arms were around the two people standing by his side, one of which Taurus recognized as her mom. Melanie was the same, except that she seemed younger. Her green hair was the same, and as was her smile. 

But she didn't recognize the other two girls on her other side. The other girl Megumi was holding had golden-blonde hair tied in a small low ponytail and serious yet playful deep blue eyes. She was dressed in something resembling a guard's uniform and there was a weapon sheathed by her side. 

The final girl was crouched between all of them. She had short and choppy white-purple hair and was leaning against a weapon that looked a lot like Megumi's. She was dressed in casual white-and-purple clothing. Her grin suggested that she was a troublemaker. 

"Who are they?" Taurus asked. 

"Saber, my assassin-turned-guard," Megumi said, pointing to the first girl, the one by his side. "And Shailey. She would drop in time to time." 

(A/N: If you'd like I can publish a story on their adventures as a prequel to this, would you like that?)

"So you actually did know my mom," Taurus marveled. "And you didn't even tell me about it. For that matter, neither did mom. Wow, I am so out of the loop, aren't I?" 

"It's not your fault," Megumi said, steepling his fingers then folding them together. "I specifically told her not to tell you about me. I had no idea that you were going to be a zodiac until Universe contacted me and told me about his 'Mr. Pinkletoes' act. I'm amazed she actually dared to keep the picture." 

"And now I know why she looked so horrified when she saw Mr. Pinkletoes," Taurus grumbled. "And why when she was really stressed she'd stare for hours listlessly at the picture. She knew about your weird starry craziness, didn't she? Are the other two ladies zodiacs too?" 

"I know what your underlying question is and to answer is, the answer is no, your mom was not a zodiac. Neither are Saber or Shailey. Saber's a normal human, but I granted her powers and such, and Shailey is a slightly supernatural being," Megumi said. 

They were interrupted when the bubble around them started crackling like static or something. A loud, continuous pounding was clearly heard. "What's going on?" 

Megumi sighed. "That would probably be Scorpio, asking us to come on out. Really, you're both so blind to it all! I'm glad that at least Aquarius is smart enough to realize some basic facts. Oh, and Capricorn as well, what a relief. One Capricorn I knew was an awful prankster." 

"Wait, what do you mean?" Taurus demanded as Megumi stood up. "What are we blind to?" 

Megumi sent her a sly smile over his shoulder as he poised his fingers to snap to make the bubble disappear. "You'll see. I'm sure you will." 

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With Aquarius and Gemini, otherwise known as a 'Deep-Heart-to-Heart'

Gemini had appeared in the middle of Megumi and Taurus's talk. He furtively peeked in from the library doors. "Psst! Aquarius! Can you come with me?" 

"W-what for?" Aquarius stammered, leaping to his feet. Scorpio was off looking for another book. 

"Just... to talk," Gemini replied. For some reason, he seemed super nervous. 

"O-okay," Aquarius said. A part of his mind wondered, Why did he choose me if he wants to talk about a problem? I'm good at logic and math, sure, but why not choose someone more social, like Saggitarius or one of the fire signs? Or one of the stable Earth Signs; they're good for talking to problems, or even the empathetic and sympathetic Water Signs? Really, anybody but me. 

Soon they were seated in the Air Dorms, sitting across each other. 

"S-so, what do you want to talk to me about?" Aquarius inquired, not wanting to be kept in suspense any longer. 

He panicked every moment that Gemini kept staring at his shoes and twisting the bedsheets. Now he knew that something was very wrong, because he knew his roommate was never this quiet. 

"I-is Libra here?" Aquarius finally asked to fill in the agonizing silence. 

Gemini shook his head. "He's out with Saggitarius, planning more traps and stuff." 

So, this must be a very personal question if he chose a time when his brother wasn't here to ask, Aquarius reflected. What in the world could it be? 

Finally, after a few more minutes of silence, Aquarius broke from the pressure and exclaimed, "By all the gods, Gemini, if you have something to say just say it!" 

To his surprise, Gemini turned bright red. "Just give me a second," He said, nervously gripping his bedsheets. Then he mumbled something that Aquarius didn't quite catch. 

"Wait-repeat that, please?" 

Gemini's face turned even redder. "I.." 

(WARNING MIND-BLOWING INFO COMING!!!)

"I... think I like Taurus." 

Aquarius blinked. Several times. Then his jaw dropped. "Woah. Um... okay. That is very serious." His mind was going crazy. Gemini, his chatty, outgoing, social roommate, liked Taurus? That was news. Like, honestly. And judging by Taurus's actions, she had absolutely no idea. 

For that matter, Aquarius also suspected that Scorpio liked her, but was always his sharp-tongued self around her, so it was hard to tell. 

Wow. So... if that was true, then that meant he'd be caught right in the middle of cross-fire. Which, honestly, wasn't the best place he wanted to be, but he knew a lot about that kind of thing. 

As Gemini watched his expressions change rapidly from all the information he was piecing together at that moment-specifically moments that showed proof of his affection-his face fell a little. "Oh, no, please don't tell me you like her too." 

That was so surprising that Aquarius burst into laughter. "Oh, no, I'm more of her guinea pig. She likes to test things on me. I was just wondering... since when? I mean, we've only been here for a few days." Oh. My stammering is gone. Maybe I could make friends, if I tried more. 

"I think since the day she defeated me in sparring," Gemini said wistfully. "I don't know, honestly. But I guess that was when she showed me the blank truth, if that makes any sense." 

"Of course it does!" Megumi's familiar voice rang out as he materialized into the room, plopping onto a beanbag he also conjured up with a snap between the two beds. "Hiya, Aquarius, Gemini. I've been listening in for a few minutes and I must say, good job! At least you're not dense like some people who won't listen." 

Aquarius had a strong feeling he knew who Megumi was implying, but luckily Gemini was so caught up in the 'I've been listening in for a few minutes' part that he overlooked the rest. "Wait, so you heard all of that?!" Gemini exclaimed, turning red again. "Please don't tell her!" 

"I would never!" Megumi reassured him. "It's like how Melanie and Shailey-friends of mine-didn't tell me that Saber liked me until I had realized it myself. Don't linger on who those people are, please if you could." 

Aquarius made a mental note to look into it later. 

Gemini exhaled in relief. "That's a relief. I don't know how she'd react, considering that...um, you know, we kind of got off on the wrong foot." 

Megumi flashed a large grin. "One of my powers is the ability to look into someone's heart and read their past experiences, etc. etc," he said. "Don't tell Sun, but I took a little peek into everybody's heart." His smile broadened. "And I must say, I discovered some pretty interesting things inside there." 

"U-um, forgive me for saying so, but that's a little... nosy, isn't it?" Aquarius stammered. 

Megumi blinked at him for a second then burst into laughter. "Man, you remind me of Saber! Except that she said it with a sword under my chin and was way more threatening about it." 

Aquarius decided not to ask. 

"So listen, buddy," Megumi finally said. He put a hand on Gemini's shoulder, who flinched a little. "I'll help you out." 

Gemini's entire face lit up. "You will?" 

"Of course! Not only because I love a good scandal, but I've gotta find something to do around here, don't I?" Megumi answered brightly. "Though I should warn you: somebody else also likes Taurus. They just don't know it yet. But the good thing is that you're very honest with yourself, unlike the other person, whose name and gender I will keep secret for now, so you may have the upper hand right now." 

"That's great!" Gemini looked excited. He turned to Aquarius. "And will you?" 

"Erm, um... okay, sure!" 

Though Aquarius got the strong feeling that he would regret it later. 

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With Leo and Aries, otherwise known as 'Skipped'. 

When Megumi popped in they were in the middle of a fierce basketball-shooting tournament, with Saggitarius as the ref, so he decided not to interfere. (wise decision, Megumi!)

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With Capricorn, otherwise known as 'I know all of your secrets'. 

From up above, tucked away in a small room above the library, Capricorn had been silently observing the three. It was secret to everyone but her. 

She had rushed off to the library as soon as she could, grabbed a few books, tucked herself in the corner of the library, and started studying. When she finished doing that, she started exploring, carefully staying out of the sight of Aquarius, who'd she'd already classified in the 'nervous jumpy kind but still ridiculously smart so I'll talk to him later' category. 

"This is odd," she muttered. "It seems like there's a secret door..." 

And that was how she discovered the little librarian's room (no, not the toilet). It was perfect, tucked away, completely hidden, watching, watching, watching. 

She had watched with particular interest when Taurus came in and started doing her 'tests'. She had to say, it was pretty entertaining, especially when the throwing began. Capricorn made a mental note to make friends with her fiesty Earth sign later. 

Then Scorpio came into the picture, which was perfect because Capricorn could see everything that nobody else noticed. Which was how she was 90% sure that he liked Taurus, even if he himself didn't realize it and the object being totally oblivious. 

Then again... 

Virgo's face flashed into her head and Capricorn sighed. She'd fallen in love with her on sight, but she knew through studies that Virgo would be just as unaware as Taurus was about that kind of thing. She loved everything about her: her silky pale pink hair, her delicate features... 

Capricorn slapped herself. Ah... all too often these days my thoughts wander... she thought ruefully. If only I could tell you... 

Unfortunately, she also knew that Virgo might not react well to her affection. Which was another problem. 

"Thinking about your love life?" 

Capricorn screamed and jumped about a foot into the air as Megumi popped in out of nowhere. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I scare you?" 

"How did you find this place?" she managed to say. 

"Easy, once you've lived here-well, more like come in and out briefly-you kind of know all the knicks and knacks of this house. Plus, Castle always tells me everything, which includes reports on you sitting up here doing nothing but watch our friends down there. Even though I have to admit that they're perfectly delightful," Megumi said, plopping down in another chair and spinning around in it lazily. "And yes, I know all about your crush on Virgo." 

While Capricorn was blushing she could've sworn that he muttered something under his breath like, "I feel like a love therapist..." Which made her very curious, but she decided to focus on that later. 

"W-w-what do you mean?" she stammered. "I-I don't like... Okay, fine! I like her!" 

Megumi had fixed her with a knowing smirk that clearly read, Oh yeah, try hiding it from an all-knowing god. "Thought so. That was one of the first things I glimpsed when I looked into your heart." 

"You did what?" Capricorn asked. 

"I can look into people's hearts," Megumi explained calmly, crossing his legs idly then uncrossing them again. "But don't worry, I only looked briefly. Usually, I glimpse if the person is good or bad, and then usually some things that they like the most or think about the most." He chuckled. "Virgo was one of them for you, but I discovered some pretty interesting information about everyone else that would make for great blackmailing material, but I'm not that mean." 

"Well," Capricorn mumbled, fussing with the hem of her knee-length scholar-style school dress, "I mean, I can't really help it." 

"No, you can't," Megumi agreed. "Would you mind if I helped you?" 

Her head snapped up and her reflexive answer was yes. She would do anything to let the one she loved know. But she narrowed her eyes and snapped her mouth shut at the last minute. "Why?" 

"Might as well make myself useful, right?" Megumi replied. "Besides, I'm already helping with another complicated triangle that has the potential to become a square, and yours is much more simple." 

"I don't know," Capricorn said uncertainly. "I mean, Virgo's so nice and pretty, you know, and there are plenty of other boys that would love to take her..." 

"Trust me," Megumi reassured her, giving her a warm smile. "As I said before, yours is pretty simple. And I think there's another person who has the same problem as you. Speaking of which, you're one of the most observative zodiacs I've met so far. Care to tell me who makes up the triangle-maybe-square?" 

Capricorn smiled. That was an easy one. "Easy. Both Gemini and Scorpio like Taurus, and Aquarius may too. It was kind of a breeze to see, since I can see everything that happens to them in the library from up here. And I could tell from the way that Gemini's eyes kept subtly shifting over to her. Aquarius was her first friend, sort of, so, there's another factor, but I don't really know." 

Megumi smiled at her. "It seems that you're quite the smart one. Just remember that you must not get too full of your intelligence. As I told Sun and Moon centuries ago, you must be prepared for anything. Especially since you're a zodiac." 

Before she could muster up a reply, Megumi snapped his fingers and his body turned into smoke and disappeared. 

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Megumi POV

"Wow, that was deep!" I stretched. "These zodiacs really are young and lovestruck, aren't they?" I looked at the clock. "I told them that I'd go and visit them, but eh. I'm tired from all that lovey-dovey stuff." 

Immediately I heard Saber's voice in my head, shouting, What do you mean?! You have about fifty million admirers at school! Don't you dare say that, idiot! 

I smiled. She was right in that aspect. 

Only Universe knew the real reason why I was here. It wasn't just to drop in. Universe was hoping that somehow the zodiacs would be able to protect me. 

From Ophiuchus. 

I sighed out loud and dropped my arms. "For heaven's sake. Ophiuchus really is a pain." 

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Soooooooo, we've got some ground-shattering info in this chapter! Let's go over them. 

1. Megumi is introduced and he knew Taurus's mother.

2. Gemini apparently also likes Taurus

3. Aquarius has officially agreed to help him on his 'quest'. 

4. The one who likes Virgo is Capricorn. 

We have yet to discover who Leo likes! Do you guys have any ship suggestions for the rest of the zodiacs? 

And do you want me to do a prequel that focuses on Megumi, Taurus's mom (who is named Melanie) Saber, and Shailey? 

Thanks for reading! 

Love y'all! 

~awakened-angel-chan out!