[ Watashi ]

[ Tomodachi ]

[ Saint Seiya ]

[ Clamp ]

[ Fanfiction ]

"So this is the fabled garden your black unicorn keeps trampling on..."

Nathalie smiled delightedly.

"It's really beautiful."

I made a faint, more than half embarrassed gestures, feeling acutely that my usual disrespect for the garden of this house and its Guardian were very much out of place given the circumstances.

As soon as we had entered the house of Virgo, we had found ourselves in a wondrous garden. Since then, we had been wandering aimlessly, drinking in the peace, the serennity of the atmosphere envelopping us like a shield. Among myriads of delicate flowers, we had found a small brook whose waters had the purity of crystal, and we'd been able to quell our thirst at last. The only thing I hoped was that this wouldn't be frowned upon by the lord of this place. For there was no doubt in my mind.

Virgo Shaka was present in his House.

Waiting.

Aries Mu turned around as he felt the burst of cosmo hitting his House, only half surprised. Nodding shortly, he asked :

"What can I do for you ?"

The ethereal voice seemed to have a distinct abruptness to its tone as the reply came :

"I was curious as to why you had taken it upon yourself to commit yourself to their side, Gold Saint dono..."

Aries Mu smiled slightly as he heard the contempt in the voice when it uttered his title, but chose to ignore it. The other would have to be far more subtle to bait him, and he was quite sure it wasn't what he had in mind. He waited for a few seconds, allowing silence to reclaim dominion over his House, and eventually said :

"As you well know, I chose no sides. I merely helped to balance things out. What I gave, they had brought with them. I was a simple intermediary, nothing more."

Laughter resounded among the shadows of the hall, mocking.

"Of course, forgive me, I had forgotten about your place in the order of the universe... If you're so uncaring of what befalls them, why do you stay here, watching ?..."

Aries Mu's smile faded at these words, but he didn't reply.

There was nothing to say.

It wasn't the other's place to question his actions as long as he didn't interfere any further.

And both of them knew he wouldn't.

The voice resumed, with more than a hint of scorn in its tone :

"You feel a responsability towards them, and yet you abandoned them to their fate. Your heart and soul embrace their goal, you refuse my vision, and yet you won't act. You'll watch them die if such is their destiny, you'll watch everything you stand for crumble into dust, and not lift a finger..."

A hard light shone in Aries Mu's eyes, but he smiled, waving slightly in apparent unconcern.

"I do what I must. I am a servant of the Goddess, and when she commands, I obey. Her orders can be harsh, testing one's loyalty, but it matters not. I serve, and do my duty."

Laughter once more greeted Aries Mu's words, and the voice replied in what could have passed for anger :

"That, you do. You hide behind duty and your title. You justify yourself with the most used excuses and lies. Virtue and loyalty are your shields, but you don't even fool yourself with them. You, and all your peers, are nothing but hypocrits."

Aries Mu closed his eyes, willing calm to settle over him, and didn't reply as the other would have deserved.

Refusing to be baited.

He couldn't intervene, he couldn't do anything more than he already had without choosing a side, and the other knew it all too well. At last, he shook his head slowly, saying :

"It's not for you to judge me. I answer to myself, and my Goddess. Think what you will, you are insignificant in my eyes. I tolerate this because it must be, but I need not allow you to insult me and trap me in such a gross snare. Now that you have said what you intended to, begone."

There was no reply to this, but all at once the presence left Aries Mu's House, leaving behind a lingering feeling of frustrated anger.

And shame...

Aries Mu smiled sadly, looking back towards the upper levels of the Sanctuary.

Watching.

The other's words had found more than an echo in his heart, but he couldn't allow himself to dwell on that.

He had no right to.

He would keep watching, no matter what happened.

No matter how much it hurt.

"Are we supposed to walk in this garden until the end of time ?"

Liz grinned at adrian, replying in a chiding voice :

"No, but likely it'd be good for you and the Cloth you wear, you'd learn patience."

We all chuckled as we heard this, and Sionna added :

"It can't be much longer, the radiance of the light which is the heart of this place is almost blinding now."

Roy nodded.

"I agree. It's likely we could be stuck here for millenia if the lord of this House so chose, but the fact we can actually make visible proggress towards the center of the house indicates he'll at least let us reach him..."

Looking around him appraisingly, he added with a knowing smile :

"Virgo Shaka really casts very good illusions. Almost perfect even..."

Kristin, Sionna and Nathalie shot a surprised glance Roy's way, and in the same time, the garden disappeared. All of a sudden, we found ourselves in the shadowed hall of the House of Virgo. Some twenty meters in front of us was a beautifully sculpted lotus flower.

And the Gold Saint.

Waiting for us.

My heart skipped a beat, and for a fraction of a second I felt like an unruly child about to pester an adult who wouldn't give me his attention for more than one minute before judging me insignificant. Then, Lai moved forward, and we fell into step with her. Smiling inwardly, I thought that you didn't get to meet such a legend every day.

So better make the most of it.

"No !... no it can't be !"

We all stopped as we heard Rika's startled whisper, and realized she was standing frozen two steps behind us.

Her face drained of colour.

Following the direction of her gaze, we faced the Gold Saint, and took a good look at him.

"Tell me this is another illusion..."

I barely heard Kristin's words, my mind too busy trying to cope with what my eyes were showing it.

"No illusion Kris..."

The Gold Saint smiled slightly.

"No illusion, but the truth."

He stepped beyond the lotus flower and came towards us. Rika's right hand squeezed Steve's arm urgently, as if to steady herself, and I watched him come, unmoving.

Shocked.

I had known since entering this House that no other than Virgo Shaka was present in it. Everything was a proof of that : the garden, the atmosphere of heavenly serenity... No other but him could have created this. To wear the Virgo Gold Cloth wouldn't have lent anyone the power to achieve it.

Not that the Virgo Gold Cloth could have been worn by just about anyone in the first place. I shook my head again, trying to accept the reality of this and failing.

Mark was standing before us.

Clad in the Virgo Gold Cloth.

Kristin broke the silence that had engulfed the hall, asking in a toneless voice :

"You're not under any kind of control or influence, are you ? What are you doing here, wearing that Cloth ?"

Mark's eyes swept over all of us, as if weighing something, then he nodded, replying :

"I'm here of my own free will, and because this is where I should be, my place in the order of things if you prefer..."

He smiled warmly all of a sudden.

"I'm glad to see you made it here."

Stepping away from Steve, Rika asked him in a carefully controlled voice :

"I don't understand... You, appearing with a Gold Cloth... Do you intend to prevent us from going through ?"

Mark looked at her for a long time without saying anything, an unreadable light shining in his eyes. When I was certain he wouldn't answer her, he said gently :

"No, I'm here to make sure only the right persons can go through..."

He shook his head regretfully.

"I'm sorry, but you don't qualify."

Steve exclaimed :

"What ?!"

Sionna laid a restraining hand on Steve's right forearm, stepping forward and staring at Mark steadily.

"When all this started, you agreed with us that we had to act against what our opponent intends, you agreed his goal wouldn't be allowed to become reality, you knew how important it was that we all opposed it..."

She sighed wearily.

"Why the reverse turn ? Why did you change your mind ?"

He smiled faintly.

"You didn't listen to me. I haven't changed my mind. Only the right persons can be allowed to go further, and you're not them..."

His smile vanished and his eyes locked on us.

Hard.

Unyielding.

"Only people with the deepest commitment can achieve the task you've set for yourselves, or the result can only be utter disaster. I've watched you, I know you... And I find you all wanting..."

He turned his back on us and walked away.

"There's nothing more to be said. Go back, you've done all you could. Now it's over."

On impulse, I stepped forward, half reaching out to him, and froze. Why had he said all this ? Why had he been so harsh ? His words couldn't help but have hurt people he considered friends and loved dearly : Kristin, Lai, Rika, Roy, Sionna and Steve... My mind stumbled on a word, always the same, no matter which direction it tried to search in :

What ?

What did he know that warranted his actions ?

Kristin whispered in a dangerously calm voice :

"And what if we decided not to heed your words and go through anyway ?"

Mark stopped, and turned to face us.

Smiling.

"Then, you'd have to defeat me."

As he was finishing his sentence, Kristin nodded, and in an incredibly swift and graceful motion, Nataku's ribbon stretched, rushing right at Mark.

Hell, no !

In the blink of an eye, it reached him.

And froze.

Damnit, there had been no time to warn Kristin. Mark smiled disdainfully, and I felt the cold hand of fear closing around my soul.

No, he couldn't...

A single arcane word of power rang clearly through the air, and the ribbon recoiled.

Going right back for Kristin.

Without thinking, I dashed towards her, focusing my mind and releasing the Chain. It tore through the air, and coiled up to the ribbon just as it was about to imprison Kristin. For a fraction of a second, I was pulled savagely forward as the ribbon fought the Chain's hold, as if it had had a will and a life of its own, and then it fell down on the floor.

Like a puppet whose strings would have been cut.

I staggered, lost my balance and fell on my knees, my heart pounding painfully hard in my chest. Gods rot it, I wasn't used to that kind of exercise !

"Thank Ariane."

I looked up at Kristin and took her proffered right hand, getting back on my feet and smiling weakely.

"No charge."

I turned to face Mark, who hadn't moved an inch from his previous position and seemed content to merely watch us.

Absolute confidence radiating from him.

Suddenly, I knew. We couldn't hope to win past him. Contrary to us, he wasn't just wearing a borrowed Cloth or using a borrowed weapon.

He *was* Virgo.

As if in an echo to my thoughts, Liz snorted.

"All right, your point is well taken. We're no match for you. Yet, we have to try and go through, we have no choice..."

Mark chuckled.

"Wrong. You have a choice : turn back. That's the only reasonable option."

Steve took a tentative step towards Mark, saying sadly :

"You know we can't. I don't understand you Mark, I don't recognize you in this unhuman character I see before me..."

Lai joined Steve, adding :

"And reasonable isn't a word we ever could assimilate, you should know that."

Rika also stepped forward, the expression of stricken grief on her face warring with anger, and suddenly, without realizing what we were doing, we all walked forward.

Mark looked at us, and sighed resignedly.

"Since you insist..."

His hands came together, as if in aprayer, and a light came to life between them, shining brighter with each second. Although most of us had an idea of what might follow, we kept on walking.

What choice did we have ?

None of us would have had a chance of winning in a fight.

None of us *wanted* to fight.

Slowly, he opened his hands, and the pure white light envelopped us.

Blinding.

Adrian looked around him helplessly, watching the world crumble.

It's the same for all of you...

He could do nothing. He couldn't get past the tumbling skyscrapers. If only he had had some protection, he could have reached the other side and stood a chance of putting an end to this...

Liz nodded at him, showing him the Dragon Shield, but he held her back.

If she used it to protect him, she would die.

Nothing was worth that.

There is a flaw in your heart.

Unheeding of the voice, he pulled Liz away, shielding her.

And damn the consequences.

Kristin snatched the beautiful white feather from Nathalie's hands, and stepped back. It was the only way of stopping things before it was too late. It was their only way to win through the House of Virgo, she knew that.

But she also knew that using it would drain Nathalie's life.

Kill her...

This wasn't acceptable. The price was too high, no matter what they'd gain.

Your heart isn't set on your goal...

Kristin didn't even hear the voice. Nathalie shook her head, reaching out to take back the feather, and Kristin stepped back.

No.

You have no true commitment.

She couldn't let this happen.

So she turned her back on the battlefield.

And ran.

Rika looked at Mark, and claws of ice tore at her heart.

No.

No she couldn't go through with this, no matter what might happen because of her failure to do this.

She didn't care.

Tears burnt her eyes.

Your heart and mind keep warring...

She heard Mark's gentle voice, but his words didn't register. Nothing mattered anymore. This wasn't some kind of test, it wasn't an illusion. If she struck, she'd hurt him.

Kill him.

And she couldn't...

They're not one, and so you'll never achieve your aim, no matter how noble and true.

Numbly, she looked at Mark.

Tears slowly running down her cheeks.

There was only one chance of reaching Mark. Steve knew that, just as he knew that he was the only one who stood a chance in close combat. Roy was indeed the logical choice for the role of decoy as he had said and repeated.

But it wasn't an option.

No way in hell Steve'd let Roy risk his life and use him as shield.

You wish to take everything on your shoulders..

Steve didn't bother to reply, it was a waste of time and energy. Mark could say anything he wanted, he didn't give a damn. He'd never accept to let a friend sacrifice his life while he was staying out of danger.

Never.

And yet, you do not do this for others, you do this solely for yourself.

Refusing to hear the words, Steve held Roy back, and closed his eyes.

Damn the rest, but he wouldn't let this happen.

Lai shook her head at Sionna, refusing to hear her arguments. Yes, Sionna was the one with Seiji's saber, and she the one stuck with an unruly, whimsical and moody angel who wasn't likely to show up and save the day. There was no denying that.

But still, it was no reason for her to stay behind and wait.

You're not of one mind...

Lai ignored the voice, refusing to be baited.

How could you be committed to a goal ?...

No matter what, one couldn't accept to let a friend go alone to her death. Doing that would have meant denying oneself.

You don't even know what you truly want.

Lai smiled bitterly as she heard the words. They might very well be true, but it didn't matter. She was a human being, and as such there were things she simply couldn't do.

Things that were beyond her.

I looked at Mark and laughed, mocking myself. I had known when we had left the House of Leo that there would come a time when our luck would run out, and that we'd find ourselves with no way out.

No escape from confrontation.

As Mark had said, we weren't the right persons. We weren't up to this task. Somewhere, deep inside my soul, the certainty of failure had always existed.

How can you hope to achieve anything ?...

I shrugged.

Pessimism is your name...

I bowed ironically, fully aware that he was right. What was more, I had set out to do something I knew I'd fail at, and as a result I had endangered friends I deeply cared for. I was a fool.

You hide yourself behind self-contempt...

I started at that, looking up at him. Feeling something like anger rising within.

"I know who I am, thank you."

He smiled at me.

Do you ? If such were the case, you might stand a chance of winning through, but...

I almost discarded his words and turned my back on him. Almost. But instead, I wondered, and looked inside.

Doubts, tons of them.

Fear, terrible fear of failing, of being inadequate.

Fear of reaching a point of no return.

Delusions...

I stepped back, shying away from truths that hurt too much, but like banes freed from Pandora's box they didn't leave me any chance of escape. Merciless, they engulfed me and struck.

Sighing wearily, Mark looked around him at the ten people frozen in their steps, trapped in the vision of what their choice in his illusion had brought about.

Forced to watch the true meaning of defeat.

He took no pride or pleasure in what he had done, it had been necessary. It was only because he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, how terrible the consequence of letting them continue as they were would have been, that he had been able to do this.

To hurt them.

And hurt himself.

Their attempt had been doomed from the start. The game had never been a fair one, but this was reality, not a wish-fulfillment story.

Fairness was irrelevant.

Just as forgiveness was.

Eventually, he turned away from them and walked away.

"I'll never fight you, but still..."

Mark froze as he heard Rika's voice.

"I'll never allow Liz to sacrifice herself for me, but together..."

Slowly, he moved to face them.

"I'm not letting Roy die alone..."

Steve was smiling serenely. Beside him, Lai nodded.

"We'll all go."

Kristin's hand closed upon Nathalie's, who smiled as well.

I looked at them, knowing what they intended.

and the result.

Acknowledging feelings hidden behind layers upon layers of doubts and self-deception, I stepped forward in the same time they all did, adding :

"No matter what, we're not turning back. Inadequate, or not."

Sionna nodded.

"If you still refuse to grant us passage, you'll have to stop us."

Mark considered us for a while, silent, and then smiled.

The point of no return was there.

Right behind us.

"As you wish."

This time, we didn't even see the light glowing between Mark's hands. It didn't engulf us.

It simply struck.

"Enough !"

I started, surprised I could still hear the voice. I had always thought that dying people weren't supposed to be able to hear, feel or see... Then it dawned on me.

I was very much alive.

Dumbfounded, I looked around me to see Lai on my right blinking in confusion, Sionna shaking her head with incredulity, and I laughed. As the sound cut through the silence, we all looked at each other, making a mental count of everyone present.

We were all here.

Slowly, we turned to face Mark. He bowed his head, saying softly :

"It seems you managed to convince me that my first opinion was mistaken. The Lord knows how glad I am to be proven wrong..."

A gentle golden light envelopped him, and the Cloth left him. From the shadows of the House of Virgo, someone stepped towards us, and the Cloth reassembled itself on his body. Mark faced the true lord of this place, and said :

"My thanks for your help, Gold Saint dono."

Virgo Shaka smiled, apparently amused.

"Your thanks are unnecessary, but they are appreciated."

Without further ado, he went back among the shadows and disappeared. Sighing, Mark nodded to us.

"All right, now that the easy part is done..."

He looked straight at us.

"So that you know the reason for this, let me tell you what happened when we crossed the border of this realm..."

When none of us spoke up, he continued.

"As you know, Steve and I were pulled away. However, through some bizarre stroke of luck, I ended up here, in the House of Virgo. Its Guardian was apparently expecting a visit, although he denied having brought me here. To make it short, Virgo Shaka showed me the consequences of what'd happen if unprepared or inadequate people were allowed to reach the highest level of the Sanctuary..."

He smiled crookedly.

"I remember this, although I have no memories of what was in the vision itself, but I was left with the absolute certitude that we all had to face true defeat, death, and accept them. That way, we'd have a chance of not causing disaster even if we were to fail. Virgo Shaka offered to let me be the one who'd put us all through trial. I almost refused, but eventually I accepted, knowing I'd have to hurt dear friends, and in this passed my own test..."

He took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry for what you had to endure, more than I can ever say..."

I looked at him, and wondered what kind of strength and courage it took to face us like this.

"If you wish me to leave our group..."

He couldn't go any further. Rika threw herself in his arms and held him tight, laughing and crying in the same time.

"Nii-san no baka !"

Suddenly, she punched his left side hard, and he flinched.

"Ouch... Okay, I suppose I deserve it..."

He hugged her back fiercely, and I felt my heart wrenching in sympathy when I saw his shoulders trembliong ever so slightly. All this had hurt him badly, although he'd never admit it. Steve said in a gruff voice that was supposed to hide his emotions :

"Yeah, you deserve it man ! And you're lucky as hell I'm not the one hugging you !"

We all laughed at that, letting tension flow away at last. this would leave scars, but maybe it would prove useful, maybe it would indeed be the key to victory. For now, all that was beyond my abused mind's capacity of thought. All I could think about was : yes, laugh.

Laughing was better than crying.

Virgo Shaka sighed inwardly as he focused the smallest part of his power to recreate the garden. They were gone, and silence had come back to his domain.

Peace.

He hadn't expected them to win passage, but then he wouldn't have let them off so easily, had he been the one setting up the trial. As it was, maybe, just maybe this would prove enough to make them prevail. With a slight smile, he admitted that he was showing far too much concern for the outcome of this particular conflict.

As if he had somehow cared...

Which was of course ridiculous.

The rules of this confrontation had been set since the dawn of time, and the outcome would be what Fate would decide. No matter what the future held, they would follow them.

Judging he had already wasted too much of his time with this matter, he reached out and let his cosmo brush that of Aries Mu.

Once the short message was given, he walked back to the sculpted lotus flower, and set his mind back to the smooth and familiar pattern of meditation.

His awareness expanded, as it always did, and he opened himself to the feeling of the universe, one with each and every living being breathing in it.

On the higher levels of the Sanctuary, eleven human beings were running towards what would most likely be defeat. It remained to be seen whether the consequences of that would be as dire as had been foretold. Logic and reason gave a fair chance that the worst could be avoided. He saw them entering the empty House of Libra, felt their hearts beating too fast, felt their weariness and their fears, the doubts they still harbored within their souls.

And smiled, unconcerned.

Vaguely relieved that to him they were now as significant as any of the myriads of insects living in the mountains arouns the Sanctuary.

No more, and no less.

End of Part 6.

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