The Leader and the Rebel

The halls of Zodiac Headquarters pulsed with restless energy. The capture of Maverick Ozen had sent waves through their ranks, and with tensions running high, every conversation was laced with urgency.

Yet amidst it all, Scorpio was missing.

Cancer had been the first to notice.

"He's gone," she announced, arms crossed as she stood in the command room. The other Zodiacs were already gathered, reviewing their next course of action, but her words shifted the atmosphere immediately.

Leo, standing at the center of the group, turned to face her, his golden eyes narrowing. "What do you mean, gone?"

Cancer exhaled sharply. "I checked the security logs. He left the dorms an hour ago, but no one's seen him since. His communicator is off, and he's not answering any calls."

Aquarius, leaning against the wall with her arms folded, frowned. "That's not like him."

Pisces, who had been scanning through the latest mission reports, glanced up. "You think he went to see Maverick?"

The room fell into a heavy silence.

Leo's jaw clenched. He didn't want to believe it, but deep down, he already knew the answer.

"Damn it," he muttered under his breath.

Sagittarius, seated at the edge of the table, let out a low whistle. "So what now? If he's actually talking to the prince, we might have a problem."

Leo straightened, his expression unreadable. "I'll handle it."

Aquarius pushed off the wall. "Not alone, you won't."

Leo shot her a sharp look. "I don't need backup."

"Yeah, you do," she countered. "You're already pissed off at him, which means if you go charging in there, it's just going to turn into a fight."

Leo exhaled slowly, reigning in his frustration. "Fine. But stay out of my way Also inform Libra and Taurus of the situation."

Aquarius smirked. "Roger that, Leader."

Without wasting another second, the two of them moved out.

Meanwhile – Scorpio's Search

Scorpio moved through the underground levels with precise, silent steps. He knew the security patterns, the blind spots, the times when patrols rotated. Every second counted.

Finding Maverick was the priority.

Not because he trusted him—because something about their encounter didn't sit right.

He reached the lower sector, a restricted area where only the Zodiacs and the Moravuno government had access. The air here was cold, humming with the faint energy of suppression technology designed to keep even the most dangerous captives in check.

Scorpio paused outside the main holding area, pressing a hand to the panel. His access code overrode the system, and the door slid open with a quiet hiss.

Inside, the room was dimly lit, the air thick with an eerie stillness.

Maverick sat against the far wall, wrists bound, his posture relaxed despite his circumstances. The moment Scorpio entered, he glanced up, his usual smirk already in place.

"Didn't think you'd be back so soon," Maverick mused.

Scorpio ignored the remark. "You wanted to avoid war."

Maverick arched a brow. "Still thinking about that, huh?"

Scorpio stepped closer, lowering his voice. "If you were serious, prove it. Tell me something—anything—that shows you're not just playing games."

Maverick's expression shifted, his smirk fading slightly. "You're really considering this, aren't you?"

Scorpio said nothing.

Maverick studied him for a moment before exhaling. "Fine. You want proof? My father isn't just preparing for war—he's planning something bigger. Something your Monarch doesn't know about yet."

Scorpio's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

Maverick opened his mouth to answer—

BANG.

The door burst open.

Scorpio spun just in time to see Leo storm in, his golden eyes blazing.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Leo's voice was like thunder.

Scorpio didn't flinch, but he felt the weight of Aquarius's gaze as she followed in behind Leo, her usual calm tinged with something unreadable.

Maverick let out a low whistle. "Well, this just got interesting."

The air in the holding cell grew heavy in an instant. Leo's fury was palpable.

His golden eyes burned as he stormed toward Scorpio, fists clenched at his sides. "You really are out of your damn mind."

Scorpio stood his ground, his crimson eyes unwavering. "We need information from him, don't get it you asshole?."

Leo scoffed. "Information? You broke into this restricted area to continue your friendly chat with a Perol prince! Do you even hear yourself?"

Maverick smirked. "For the record, I find this whole situation pretty entertaining."

"Shut the f**k up," Leo and Scorpio snapped at the same time.

Aquarius sighed, shutting the door behind her. "Alright, testosterone overload...let's all take a deep breath before we wreck the place."

Leo wasn't listening. He shoved past her, getting right in Scorpio's face. "You don't get to make decisions like this on your own. You don't get to sneak around, risk security, and play vigilante while the rest of us are actually doing our jobs."

Scorpio's fingers twitched near his sword hilt. "You think I don't know that? I had a chance to find out something real. And now you've ruined it."

Leo let out a sharp laugh, shaking his head. "Ruined it? You're the one getting played! Do you honestly believe anything that comes out of his mouth?"

Maverick leaned back against the wall, watching the argument like a spectator at a high-stakes match. "I mean, I'd be offended if you didn't."

Scorpio ignored him, stepping even closer to Leo. "If there's even a chance that he's telling the truth, we can't ignore it."

Leo's jaw clenched, his entire body thrumming with frustration. "And what happens when that chance gets Moravuno at risk in an all-out war? What happens when your reckless decisions backfire on the rest of us?"

Scorpio's grip tightened. "I did what needed to be done. We're not children anymore,Leo"

"Bastard!."

And then Leo threw the first punch.

Scorpio ducked, narrowly avoiding the hit before driving his shoulder into Leo's chest, shoving him back. The impact sent Leo skidding, but he caught himself, immediately surging forward again.

The room exploded into chaos.

Leo swung again—Scorpio blocked, twisting to counter with a sharp elbow strike to Leo's ribs. Leo barely flinched. He grabbed Scorpio by the front of his jacket and slammed him into the nearest wall.

"Enough!" Aquarius's voice cut through the tension, but neither of them listened.

Scorpio drove his knee up, forcing Leo to loosen his grip, then spun, bringing his forearm up in a sharp arc toward Leo's jaw. Leo dodged just in time. He retaliated with a brutal hook—Scorpio barely managed to raise his arm in defense before the impact rattled through his bones.

Maverick whistled from the sidelines. "Damn. And here I thought I had family issues."

"Shut up," Aquarius snapped at him.

Scorpio and Leo broke apart, breathing hard. Neither willing to stand down.

Leo wiped a streak of blood from his lip, golden eyes still burning. "You don't get to make decisions alone, Scorpio. We're a unit. You don't trust me? Fine. But don't act like your judgment is the only one that matters."

Scorpio exhaled sharply, his chest rising and falling with the effort to stay calm. "Then start acting like a leader instead of a watchdog."

Leo tensed—then lunged again.

But this time, Aquarius stepped between them.

A sharp wave of water burst outward, forcing both of them apart. The cold shock of it made them freeze, water droplets still suspended midair as Aquarius glared between them.

"I said that's enough." Her tone of voice was deadly serious.

Leo clenched his fists, breathing hard. "He can't keep doing this."

Aquarius shot him a sharp look. "And you can't keep throwing punches whenever you don't like what he does."

Scorpio wiped a streak of blood from his cheek, still glaring at Leo. "We're wasting time."

Leo let out a slow breath, stepping back. "No. You wasted time. And if you pull this stunt again, I won't just stop at a fight."

The room remained thick with tension.

Maverick finally sighed. "Well, that was fun. But before you all kill each other, maybe I should finish what I was saying?"

Scorpio and Leo both turned toward him, neither dropping their guard.

Maverick smirked. "Like I was saying before the brawl—my father isn't just preparing for war. He's already started it."