[ Watashi ]

[ Tomodachi ]

[ Saint Seiya ]

[ Clamp ]

[ Fanfiction ]

I looked up at the cliff on our left, but no flying rock was looming threateningly over our heads as we climbed the Stairs leading to the house of Aries. I stopped and waited, and as nothing happened I wondered whether it was a good sign or not. Kristin watched the small temple warily and asked :

"And now what ? What should we expect ?"

Liz sat down on a piece of fallen column and patted the ancient marble amiably.

"Originally, the lord of this House was a friend..."

She looked at me.

"Although here, can we be sure of whom we'll find ?"

I sighed, shaking my head.

"No. Were I the only one here, I could be certain. As it is..."

I gestured helpessly, indicating ignorance, and Sionna continued :

"All of us here add a little bit of something to the place. We all contrbute to its shaping. Us, and of course our opponents. Ariane was the one who gave it its heart, and her closeness to it may be enough to ensure that the shaping followed her will and what is familiar to her, but things may have changed nevertheless."

I sat down beside Liz, focusing on the feeling of the marble under my hands and trying to chase doubts away. things had already changed, I couldn't be sure of anything we'd find, and the risks suddenly seemed daunting to me.

Coward.

My fingers squeezed the stone below them, as if they could somehow break it and I gritted my teeth, furious against myself. This was about to be the quickest defeat in history, a perfect fiasco.

Hell, but he was certainly laughing at us right now !

"No matter who awaits us in the First House, friend or foe, he's aware of us anyway."

I looked up at Roy, and found some measure of relief at the thought that there was still someone with a brain in working order. Mine sure was off line. Rika nodded vigorously.

"True enough. Stalling won't help, and discussing the situation until we all turn to dust isn't gonna tell us where Mark and Steve are. We've got to go !"

Adrian grinned at her.

"I second that, and I'll race you to the entry of the House !"

Lai and Liz both grimaced at the same time while Kristin was shaking her head, roling her eyes heavenward. Roy chuckled :

"Hopelessly Seiya-ish, the both of you !"

"And noisy..."

Liz and I stood up, tensing. The voice had come from above.

"I suppose I should make my presence known before any of you decides to storm my House. I wouldn't like that..."

A tall human shape slowly distinguished itself from the shadows of the small temple, and I held my breath reflexively, then let it out in relief when I saw the glinting Gold Cloth's shape. He stepped to the edge of the square and waited there, looking down on us with the faintest hint of a smile on his lips. I allowed myself a few seconds to admire his long light purple hair and his night blue eyes. Every time, it was the same. I'd never grow used to the sight of him. Everything about him was unearthly : beauty, strength, abilities and intelligence... And first of all the two spots on his brow which would have marked him as different even without the rest. Eventually, I realized that a stunned silence had fallen over us, and that we were all staring at him like bad-mannered children. I had an almost overwhelming urge to burst out laughing, but thanks to some kind god I managed to get a hold of myself and bow to him.

"We're honored, Gold Saint dono..."

I looked up at him, but saw nothing betraying his intentions in his stance or expression. Shrugging inwardly, I told him :

"I request passage through your House, for me and my friends."

There was nothing to be read in his dark blue eyes. He looked at each of us in turn, as if weighing us, and after long minutes of observation, he replied :

"We had agreed on the price for passage. Do you have it ?"

I grinned at him, indicating the small purse tied to the belt of my jeans, and he sighed good-humoredly, gesturing for us to join him.

"Come then, since I will not go back on my given word..."

As we were ascending the rest of the stairs, Adrian asked me eagerly :

"Does that contain what I think it does ?"

I nodded.

"Yep, dust from the heart of the brightest stars in the cosmos."

When we reached the Gold Saint, I handed him the purse and he took it cautiously, judging its weight. He nodded to me, saying softly :

"You have my thanks for this."

I smiled at him winsomely.

"It isn't much. When I cross, some of it always drifts my way. I wasn't sure to find you here this time, but still I took some, hoping to be able to help the one who is after all a bit like my Guardian Angel..."

He laughed at that, a beautiful, pure sound that filled the air around us.

"One day I will tire of your continuous presumption and disrespect..."

He turned away, facing his House.

"But come, follow me. Contrary to you, I have no time to waste."

We fell into step with him, and I distinctly heard Roy sigh with relief as we entered the temple and passed under its protective shadow.

The inside of the House of Aries was dark, the only visible features being the pillars supporting its roof. There were two sources of light : the entry and the exit of the House, period. Suddenly, he stopped and we imitated him. For a few seconds, his eyes lost their focus, as if he was listening to something in the air that only he could hear, and abruptly he turned towards me.

"This has been waiting for you..."

He pointed towards a silver box that was suddenly there where there had been only shadows moments before. I stared at the finely carved faces if the Sacred Case and felt warmth spreading through me.

"For some reason I am unable to fathom, the Cloth doesn't mind, and its true owner agrees as well. Each time, I hope he at least will come to his senses, but... I have kept it for you."

I walked solwly towards the object, and bent a knee down on the ground before it, letting my fingertips reverently brush the engraved shape of the young woman on its front face, whispering softly :

"Thank you, Aries Mu. Please tell him... tell him I'm grateful."

I shook my head slowly, unable to voice the emotion rising within me, closing my fingers over the ring which was both key and lock of the Case.

"This time, take care of it."

I smiled when I heard this and nodded, facing him.He was looking at me dubioously, something close to resignation written all over his face. Somehow, I refrained from grinning impishly at him, and chided myself once more for lacking respect towards him. Eventually, he turned away from me, and walked to Rika, a quizzical smile on his lips.

"It seems our guests brought strange gifts with them..."

He held out some kind of bracelet to her.

"This is yours."

Suddenly, I noticed a beautiful emerald jewel on top of it. Rika's face lit in an expression of pure delight when she took it from him, bowing in thanks, and as she put it on she was clad in full Magic Knight armour. Aries Mu observed the process with puzzled interest, then went to Kristin and held out a long, wide ribbon to her. Her eyes widened, and then she smiled.

"My thanks, Gold Saint dono."

She wrapped it around her like a scarf, while he was stepping towards Roy. To him, he said earnestly :

"For you, I have nothing. Your fate, you brought with you. Watch your shadow."

If this surprised Roy, he didn't show it, merely asking :

"You won't tell me more, will you ?"

Aries Mu shook his head silently, and went towards Adrian.

"There was some debate as to which of two Cloths should go to you. Finally, the argument was settled this way..."

I chuckled when I saw the Silver Case the Gold Saint was showing Adrian, and the carved winged horse on its front face. Pegasus, of course, and I was sure I knew which kind of debate there had been : Seiya pushing for enthusiastic Adrian to be granted his wish, and an adamant Ikki threatening to bash the Pegasus Saint if ever anyone a little bit Seiya-like were to wear his Cloth. If this disappointed Adrian, he did a perfect actor's job of hiding it. For a fraction of a second, I thought he'd imitate Seiya when he had first won his Cloth, and start hugging the Sacred Case as if it were the love of his life, and I averted my eyes, refusing to witness that.

"This is a dream come true ! Thank you, from the heart."

I heard the happy laughter in Adrian's voice, and decided to wait another thirty seconds before daring to watch what was going on. Better not to take risks in this.

Definitely.

"A dream, yes..."

I looked up, surprised at hearing the grim seriousness in Aries Mu's voice, but he didn't add anything, walking towards Lai. He stopped before her and suddenly chuckled.

"I need give you nothing. I am told you already have appropriated everything you might need."

I burst out laughing at those words, and Lai blushed, glaring furiously my way. I gestured helplessly, trying to look innocent and failing. Suddenly, I realized the Gold Saint was watching the exchange, his expression unreadable, and felt heat rising to my cheeks. Fortunately, he turned away from us almost immediately, and stepped to Nathalie, handing out to her a signle, magnificient white feather, saying :

"It may not seem much, but..."

She smiled at him, bowing slightly.

"On the contrary, it's everything I could hope for. My thanks, Gold Saint dono."

I had the surprise to see him gratifying her with an answering smile before walking towards Liz, to whom he showed yet another Sacred Case.

"The owner of this Cloth thought it wiser to grant you its use rather than having you clad in the Phoenix Cloth, which might have stirred dissention in your group."

Liz chuckled, nodding.

"Please, thank the Dragon Saint for his wisdom and generosity."

At last, Aries Mu turned towards Sionna and held out to her a beautiful sword with an intricate design, whose incredibly long blade seemed to shine even in the shadows of the House of Aries. She took it cautiously and bowed, smiling.

"Thank you..."

Looking at the weapon, she added :

"'Seiji's whole armour would have proven inconvenient to wear."

So, now we could all go on our way. Gently, I pulled on the ring of the Sacred Case, and its faces slowly opened, unfolding like the petals of a flower, and revealing a blinding light that eclipsed everything else before envelopping me.

Darkness.

Drifitng.

Lights, so tiny.

So far away...

Rays of light...

On the other side of the universe.

Rushing.

Towards me.

Two souls, arrows.

Diving.

Striking.

Pieces of stars.

Assembling.

On my body.

Fire burning...

Devouring.

Within.

I breathed deeply, closing my eyes and trying to adjust to the feeling of the Andromeda Cloth upon me. It took me a long minute to regain a proper sense of self, as well as awareness of my surroundings. Wondrous though the feeling was, it wasn't meant for such as me. It wasn't human.

It was much, much more than that.

At last, I felt confident enough to open my eyes again and tentatively step forward.

Perfect.

Adrian and Liz had also put on the Cloths that had been given to them, and their expressions were betraying the same feeling of awe that was still engulfing me. Kristin nodded to us, smiling, and we prepared to leave.

"Excuse me..."

Nathalie's voice had risen in the deep silence of the House.

"Before we go, I'd like to ask our host if he can tell us anything of what awaits us beyond his domain."

The Gold Saint's eyes grew distant as he looked towards the exit of his House, and said :

"Unfortunately, I cannot help you much, for I spend my days in the peace of the mountains of Tibet, returning here only when circumstances or a visitor's arrival force me to. But know this..."

His gaze envelopped us, dark and deep, laying our sould bare and leaving us open for him to read like books.

"Although some of you may believe they know and understand this universe perfectly, be aware that the enemy you face is different from anything you may have encountered in the past. He is one of yours. For the first time, you have really brought your own conflicts to this realm, and a hostile force has contributed to the shaping of this side. He shares the dream with all of you. You would be wise to remember that the shadow of a dream is named nightmare... Expect things to be different, expect fears to be true and doubts to be justified..."

He gestured towards the outside of his House, concluding :

"But go now, I have kept you too long already."

Unwilling to give myself time to dwell on his words, I bowed deeply to him and walked away in the same time everyone did. As I fell into step with Nathalie, she asked me :

"Out of curiosity, what can one do with stardust ?"

I grinned at her.

"Repair the Cloths. The Aries Gold Saint is the only one who has the power to give life to the Cloths and heal them. Stardust is one of the elements he needs."

She nodded understanding.

"A nice concept, interesting..."

The blinding light of the Summer sun greeted us as we left the House of Aries, and we started climbing the Stairs again.

I leaned heavily against one of the pillars of the small temple, relieved to find some protection from the heat and the sun. One loved Greece, but with a beach and the sea not too far...

"Ariane..."

I looked at Liz questioningly and she pointed urgently towards my arms.

"The Chain..."

I tensed, looking down and seeing the Bronze rings moving slowly around my arms, almost silently, and swore.

"Shit !..."

This was impossible... Illogical... I faced my friends and the House of Taurus behind them, saying :

"There is danger here, possibly an enemy, but it makes no sense..."

Damnit to all the hells.

No it didn't make any sense.

It didn't !

Trying to rein in the fear I could feel rising within me, I continued.

"There should be no Gold Saint guarding this place..."

Kristin shrugged.

"Aries Mu warned us things would be different, didn't he ? It changes nothing we have to go forwards."

There was no argument to oppose this, so we all nodded, and cautiously entered the House of Taurus.

From the rear of his House, Aries Mu watched silently as his one time guests stopped right before the House of Taurus, hesitated, and finally went in. For a long time, he stood there.

Still watching.

Something that might have been regrets or sorrow shining in his night blue eyes.

This had to be, it had to, he knew that as certainly as he knew himself. Just as he knew the importance of this, and its consequences.

Yet the one chance was so small...

And most likely...

At last, he sighed wearily, chasing away a wave of exhaustion and sadness that had no place in his heart, and turned his back on the higher levels of the Sanctuary, reentering his House. Once he had disappeared in the shadows, a faint whisper was borne upwards by a whimsical breeze :

"I am sorry..."

End of the Part 2.

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