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Thieves of Light Chapter 1.

A Saint Seiya fanfiction by Ariane Kovacevic, AKA Fuu-chan.



Foreword (such a snobbish word, ah well ^^;)

This is a Saint Seiya fanfiction only. No crossover, even if some stuff may seem to have been inspired by other series. The title comes from 1) a whim of mine, 2) I happen to think it's appropriate, even though I long considered "The Gates of Heaven" or "Jacob's Scale", 3) "Lord of Light", a novel by Roger Zelazny which I loved reading.
Why another Saint Seiya fic, you ask? Well, to be honest, the credit for this idea belongs to the people of the Saint Seiya newsgroup (French newsgroup), who wondered aloud why nobody had yet tried to do a good story mixing Saint Seiya and Christianity. The discussion stemmed from the discontentment (I love euphemisms) of some members after having watched the Saint Seiya movie titled "Saishûseisen no senshitachi". A movie which dealt with mixing Saint Seiya and Christianity, but botched the subject in the most horrible fashion. To tell the truth, I expected a lot from that movie as well, and I was horribly disappointed by it, years ago. For those who know what I'm talking about, this is my humble attempt at making it right. Do not expect me to respect in any way the "story" developed in that movie. This fic takes place a few months after the end of the Hades chapter.
Also, I have no intention of working with the Saint Seiya canon. The ridiculous age of the Saints is just impossible to me. In this story, Seiya and Shun, who are the youngest, have recently turned eighteen. If you wish, imagine that four years went by since the Poseidon (after all, it's not told how much time goes by between the Poseidon and the Hades).
My sources, other than memories from the times when I was a kid who went to church, are two books: "Les Mystères de la Kabbale" by Marc-Alain Ouaknin, and Gustav Davidson's "Dictionary of Angels". The central concept of this fic is based on what little understanding and comprehension I could glean from the first book, and also from old explanations that Masami Kurumada gave concerning the universe of Saint Seiya in one of the Jump Gold issues.
Here, as well as for all my other fics, I ask that the readers forgive the mistakes I'm likely to make, as well as the liberties with religious lore and tradition I'm likely to take.
Oh, yes, music used to write this chapter were Angel Sanctuary SoundtrUck and the Angel Sanctuary OVA soundtrack. Angel Sanctuary music was of course, particularily appropriate in this case.
Pfew, that's all for the foreword. Despite this being a purely Saint Seiya fic, I think it's possible to read it even if you're not familiar with that series.
I hope that you will enjoy it =)
C&Cs are most welcome, as always. ^_-

Fuu-chan.





Thunder roared, a distant, threatening sound which seemed to come from an alien universe. A sound which resounded in this place where there could be nothing but silence. A vibration accompanied the infinitely distant thunder, an imperceptible trembling in the very air, which brushed against those who dwelled in this forsaken world and touched them.

Roused them.

Among the myriad of bodies lying sprawled on the ethereal ground, half hidden by the ever-present mist, there was one which a foreign eye would have immediately set aside from the others. One, who seemed to have closed his eyes for just a small nap, but who had been imprisoned by eternal sleep instead. He was resting higher than the others, his left side set against what looked like rock, his knees gathered against his chest, arms locked around them, and his brow resting on the top of his knees. Again, distant thunder roared, and a sudden breeze disturbed the air, caressing each of the listless forms below. He was touched last, and the smallest of shivers ran through his body. Ever so slowly, an eyelid fluttered open, and awareness returned, in small waves of pain.

The pain of flesh, which felt alien.

The pain of existence.

The pain of memories, of...something he couldn't yet name, something which sent a thing buried deep within his chest beating madly, so fast that it hurt, like the echoes of thunder which could still be heard in this place of void.

A heart. He tasted the thought as it came to him, and remembered. He knew then, what flesh was, and what the body he wore represented. A prison. A punishment. Soundlessly, he laughed, his brow still resting against his knees. Abruptly, the breeze came back and enveloped him, cloaked him in its ethereal embrace. He froze, his mad laughter dying in an instant, and focused on the impossible wind which was caressing his skin.

This is... False, a lie, a fantasy, a mere dream among an infinity of nightmares; he was still trapped into the eternal slumber which had claimed them all. It simply couldn't be otherwise, it--

It struck him, then. It came at him like a great river in spate, a wild, savage wave of Light. It battered at the fragile shell of flesh that was his body, threatening to consume it and to make it burn in flames so high that they would reach out to infinity, beyond the boundaries of these nameless wastelands. For a while he didn't react, content to allow the raw fire to scorch his body, as if fascinated. It lasted for what could have been seconds or aeons, then eventually he willed it away from him. He set free what couldn't yet be his.

Not now, but soon. The violent stream of pure Light left him and rose high above him in a blinding pillar which seemed to touch infinity. Then, as suddenly as it had come, it blinked out of existence. Gone back to whom it belongs. A smile came to the lips of the one who was the lord of this netherworld. At last, he understood the why of his awakening.

Death had died, and it was his passing that he had just felt. His passing, and the release of the Light which had been Death's essence. But the blind wave of energy had been incomplete, its core still sealed away somewhere.

Locked within a body of flesh.

The smile on the lord of this nameless void's lips widened. At last, their time was coming...if they could manage to seize it, that was. Turning his awareness towards his companions, still half-covered by the shroud of mist, he noted with satisfaction that slumber was losing its hold on them as well, even if a bit more slowly. Abruptly, he stopped his examination.

One of them was gone.

Rash, as I should have expected. A small sigh escaped him as he acknowledged the fact, and its consequences. He would have to move, somewhat more quickly than he had intended, but after all they had all slept enough.

More than enough.

In a slow, lazy movement he stood, amused to find that he had no need for support, no need for help to maintain his balance, even though he had been trapped in this husk of flesh, asleep for thousands of years. Ignoring the prostrated forms of those who had already stirred back to awareness, he focused his will on a place and time that didn't belong to this absurd universe.

Distantly, he thought that he had no need to designate himself with capital letters. Only those who lacked majesty or power needed capital letters to remind inferiors of who they pretended to be. He had no need for such stupidity. With a snort, he sent the stray reflection away, and nodded as he felt the spark who was one of his lieutenants. Exactly where I knew you would be, Assiel. But it's too early. Lifting his head, the lord of nothingness opened his eyes fully.

In his back a shadow unfolded, beautiful and dark.




"Oh, my...."

An amused chuckle escaped my lips when I saw Seiya yawning so widely I thought his jaw would snap. With a gentle pat on the shoulder, I told him, "You really should sleep now. You need the rest." The sun had just set, and the light of day was yielding its rule over the sky to darkness. Night always fell quickly in Greece once Winter had come. Reporting my attention on Seiya, I noticed that he was pouting like a kid.

"I'll sleep when I feel like it, not when you tell me I should. You're not my mother, Shun." Somehow, I managed to refrain from laughing when I heard the tone of my friend's voice.

Oh, but you do sound peeved! Eyes glinting with good humor, I retorted, "No, I'm not, obviously...and I sure wouldn't want to be!"

"Out with you!" I easily avoided a pillow he had half-heartedly thrown my way, and bent down to retrieve it from the floor. As I gave it back to him, he made a face at me, adding with a snort, "They say you're the kindest of the Saints, that your heart is pure but I know the truth, you're a wicked demon who won't even let me have some harmless fun!" Instead of replying, I gave him my most innocent smile, and then walked away.

As I reached the threshold of his room, I paused for a moment and told him, "You can have fun tomorrow. And don't even think about leaving your bed. Marin said she'd check that you behave."

"Spoilsport! I hate you!" With that, Seiya turned his back on me, and I watched his sulking form, a helpless smile stealing its way to my lips.

Eventually, I turned away and exited the room, whispering softly, "Oyasumi nasai, Seiya."

Lazily, I stretched when I reached the outside of the building. Standing in the shadow of the temple which held Athena's chambers as well as the Pope's, I looked up at the sky, and saw that the stars had started twinkling into existence. It had been months since Kido Saori, the current incarnation of the Goddess Athena, had brought us back to this world of light, since she had saved us from the chaos which had destroyed the realm of Hades. Looking back at the great temple, I thought to myself that it was a miracle that we had come back. And Seiya.... The Pegasus Saint was healing, the terrible wound in his chest was now closed. How anything had been able to save his life after the sword of Hades had pierced him through, I didn't know.

Cosmo is eternal, and infinite.

Nodding, I acknowledged the words Daidalos-sensei had taught me, years ago. Yes, cosmo had to be eternal, a force greater than what my mind could understand, for Seiya to still be alive after having been wounded so horribly.

Cold.

I froze, and my heart skipped a beat. Ima no wa...? I shivered, all of a sudden, and hugged myself as a slight breeze brushed past me. With a shake of my head, I laughed at my own stupidity: it was nothing but the wind. The wind of winter which raised gooseflesh on my arms since I had been absentminded enough to wear nothing more than a tee-shirt to go outside after night had fallen. Really, I should have paid more attention to the real world around me, that would have spared me the sensation of having felt a threat in the air just now.

Stupid, will you ever learn? A weary sigh escaped my lips, and I waved my own thoughts away. The stars were shining in their full glory on this night of the new moon, and it was going to get very cold. Much wiser for me go back to my own house and get some sleep rather than to stand here like an idiot who saw ghosts into the slightest breeze.




It was a peaceful night, but then all nights were peaceful these days. Ophiuchus Shaina thought with wry amusement that as welcome as the announcement of victory over Hades had been, the peace which had ensued had turned her life into an often dull routine. Wish for the end of wars, and when it comes, regret the times when you struggled to save your world, exhausted, in pain, and on the brink of death.... Human beings, she included, were indeed strange creatures: always yearning for one thing, and as soon as they obtained it, growing weary of it and feeling a twisted nostalgia for what had been before. Was this then the curse that came with being human?

Ah, never mind. If only the gods had been kind enough to give us just a drop of wisdom...but no. With a half-disgusted, half-mocking snort, the female Saint reached out and brushed a bit of the dust which covered the funeral stone which was standing before her. It's over now, Kassios. We are at peace, and we can live our lives, at last. Can you see the Sanctuary from where you are? A foolish question, which would have no answer. Shaina was very much aware of this, and yet she couldn't help herself.

Coming here, to her pupil's grave, had turned into a habit for her. She had been dismayed at first when she had realized this, but she had quickly managed to convince herself that Kassios wouldn't mind her random visits, just as he wouldn't mind her musing on the whys and wherefores of Fate when she was here. No, he'd never mind her presence at her grave, no matter why her feet truly led her back to the small tomb, he'd never reproach her anything, this man who had sacrificed his life so that she wouldn't be the one to die.

This man who had loved her with all his heart and soul.

It had been difficult to understand that, harder even to accept it. Even now, the Silver Saint wasn't sure she had truly, completely integrated that truth. To understand and acknowledge such an emotion, to take it into her heart, it demanded much, perhaps too much, and it went against everything that she was.

Everything that she had been forced to become.

Reflexively, Shaina's left hand came up, and she rested the tip of her fingers against the cold metal of the mask which covered her face. The blind mask which imprisoned the soul of all the female Saints. The symbol of who and what they were, and of the sacrifice they had made.

But it's all over now. The gods are vanquished, dead or asleep, and we are at peace, at long last. Behind her mask, the female Saint smiled a strangely wistful smile. She gave a pat at the funeral stone, and then straightened, looking up at the sky.

The looming shape of Athena's temple was standing up against the night, shining with its own invisible light, vibrating with a power that went beyond what the human mind could comprehend. In one of the rooms, Shaina knew that Seiya was resting, healing from the grievous wound that Hades had inflicted him. The other Bronze Saints came and went as they pleased, attempting to go back to being normal people but always drawn back to this place, to where their friend still was.

To this place where the Goddess Athena lived, and watched over humanity.

Shun was here at the moment, the Andromeda Saint had come from Japan some five days ago, pretending he needed a break in his studies, that university life was too stressful for him to endure it for long. I'll be damned if I believe a word of that. With a contemptuous snort, Shaina thought that the Bronze Saint should have been more honest with himself. Kido Saori had accepted the excuse as naturally as if it had been the pure and simple truth, and had welcomed the peace-loving Andromeda Shun in the Sanctuary.

Well, at least his presence is speeding up Seiya's recovery. The Pegasus Saint seemed to be strengthened by the presence of one of his closest friends, as if Shun could help him find what he had lost. Cosmo. The cosmo, the essence of his being which had been severed by Hades' blade. All in all, Shun's presence was certainly a good thing, and Shaina had to admit that the Andromeda Saint, alone of the five Bronze Saints, had come back from the realm of Hades with scars that nothing would ever heal. Oh, not because he had had to fight or take lives, no, but because of Hades Himself. Hades who had invaded Shun's being, possessed his body and crushed his soul in the process.

Perhaps being here, basking in the divine light and presence of Athena helped somewhat...perhaps, in helping Seiya find what he had lost, Shun was also trying to heal from wounds that nobody could see or feel. Not that it's any of my business. There's nothing I can do about all this. Besides, the others will soon be here as well, Christmas is coming and--

Cold.

The whole body of the Ophiuchus Saint trembled, and all at once the futile thoughts which had occupied her mind vanished.

So cold.

Shaina looked down, and saw that she was hugging herself tightly, with desperate strength. Blinking, she sternly regained control over herself, and forced her mind to analyze what she had just felt. What I'm still feeling even now, stronger with each second that passes.

There was a cold breeze coming from the sea, which always rose at sunset. It wasn't the wind which had triggered the reaction: she was used to that, and no wind could have been so horribly cold, not even in the heart of winter. No, something else had come to the Sanctuary, something that didn't belong, and threatened the harmony of the Sacred Domain. Slowly, reluctantly, Ophiuchus Shaina looked away from the night sky and focused instead on the plateau at the foot of the great Stairs.

Yes, it was indeed there. Something that wasn't like anything she had ever encountered. A presence, cold and dark like a unnamed river glistening in the night.

To think that I was finding peace dull just a moment ago.... Bitter laughter rose in the night as the female Saint mocked herself. All right, girl, you've stalled long enough. You've got a duty to perform, so get to it. Denying the cold feeling in the pit of her stomach, Shaina purposefully strode beyond the funeral grave of Kassios to the edge of the cliff which stood above the Sanctuary's lower level, and without hesitation jumped into the void.




Pursing her lips, Kido Saori threw an appraising glance at the great fir tree which almost touched the roof of the temple's second main room. It wasn't perfect, but it would do. With a satisfied nod, she stepped back, and turned towards the one who had helped her bring the great tree into these chambers, asking him, "So, what do you think?"

The red-headed teenager gave a small shrug, and then replied, "It's kind of cute, but it's strange nonetheless."

Strange.... Chuckling softly, Kido Saori acknowledged that the thought of a Christmas tree decorating one of the main ceremonial halls of the temple of Athena was a bit weird. Strange, but needed. Now that their days of war and hardness were over, it was time to bring a more human touch to this place of gods and holy warriors.

After all, Athena herself didn't mind; no, the Goddess whose essence was bound to hers didn't mind in the slightest. If this strange, out-of-place decoration could help those she held dearer than her own life, then it was good. Frivolous, ludicrous though the celebration of Christmas might seem in a place which was the stronghold of one of the major deities of Greek mythology, still the celebration of the nativity belonged to the life of normal, ordinary people; it was part of a life that those she loved had led once, and which she had taken away from them. If she could help them, even through such a silly device, to find the path to that life again, then she'd be happy.

Turning back towards the young teenager who was almost still a boy, she nodded. "Okay, Kiki, I'll need some garlands now."

"Garlands?" The look of utter incomprehension which flashed across the Aries Apprentice almost made Saori double over in laughter. Kiki didn't have the slightest idea what Christmas might be, or might mean. It was both funny, and very sad. Well, now that peace had been insured, she'd make sure that all the children of the Sanctuary get their share of simple joys and happiness. It was the least she could do for them all.

Sound, rising in the night.

Inaudible echo which touched the core of her being.

Kido Saori recoiled, fighting down the feeling of cold which had made her body shiver. What...? As she straightened, her gaze came upon one of the great windows set on both sides of the hall. Windows which opened on the night and the stars, the constellations which where--

Cracks.

Instinctively, she reached out, aware that her fingers would find the glass intact. The mirror is shattering. As the meaningless words resounded inside her mind, Kido Saori fought the overwhelming urge to hide her face behind her hands.

"Saori-san?!"

The Goddess Athena shook her head, unable to voice the feelings which had taken hold of her in the blink of an eye. Always she had known who and what her enemies were, always she had understood the necessity of opposing them, always she had known what Fate dictated, that confrontations would come. But now...now this.... What had come to her Sanctuary was unknown to her, unnamed, and yet....

Yet it had given rise to a despair that wrenched her heart.




Cosmo blazing, Ophiuchus Shaina was standing on the first steps of the great Stairs which led to Athena's temple. Starlight was reflected on the Silver Cloth of Ophiuchus which had answered her call and covered her body. She was alone in the night, facing the shadows of the mountain and of half broken columns of marble. Silence was reigning over the Sanctuary, absolute. Even the slight breeze had died, as if hushed by some great hand.

"All right," the female Saint's voice rang steady and clear, "whoever was foolish enough to enter this Sacred ground without permission, show yourself, or I'll make you seriously regret you disturbed me by a cold winter night."

There was no reply at first, but Shaina slowly grew aware of a movement in front of her. No sound troubled the night, and yet she felt something moving her way.

The shadow. Instinctively, she backed away a single step, then got a firm grip over herself. Yes, the shadow of one of the columns had grown, it was now twice the size it should have been. For once, Shaina found herself glad for the mask imprisoning her face, for it hid the raw, primal fear which hit her like a blow as she realized that the enemy which had breached the border of the Sanctuary was nothing human.

"A woman?!" Laughter, harsh and mocking cut through the deep silence which had claimed the night. From the absurdly oversized shadow of a marble column, *something* rose, as if the shadow itself was gaining a third dimension to fully materialize into the world. "Are you the best your fake goddess could do, little one? If so, she's even more unworthy of what she holds than I could ever have thought." Something glinted in the night, as what might have been ankle-length hair was stirred by an impossibly powerful wave of power.

Yeah, a woman, damned moronic macho, and you're going to be sorry you dared cross my path. Shaina's body was shaking with a mixture of fury and fear that threatened to rob her of reason. Her whole being was revolted by the simple feeling of the all but shapeless presence in front of her, and the utter contempt there had been in the beautiful voice would have been enough to send her into a rage, but.... She should run, she should flee while she still could; she was aware of the inhuman strength and power of the thing which was confronting her, but she couldn't.

She was a Saint of Athena, and she had a duty. The Goddess was safe, in the temple at the top of the mountain. Her power enveloped the Sanctuary, and insured that no enemy could reach her directly; the only way to go to her was to go up the great Stairs, through the Twelve Houses of the Zodiac. There had been a time when it had meant to defeat all twelve Gold Saints who guarded the Goddess, but now...now the Twelve Houses were empty, and Shaina was the only obstacle between whatever had come to the Sacred Domain and Athena. She had no choice but to stand her ground.

Numb, the Ophiuchus Saint watched, horrified, as raw power seemed to rise up to the stars in a pillar of blackness which extinguished the night itself. In response, she set fire to the cosmo inside her heart, calling up all the strength she had, aware that it would be futile. She was nothing but a pitiful twig about to drown into an ocean of darkness.

I'm going to die.

Strangely enough, the thought wiped Shaina's fear away. It was the truth, and there was nothing she could do about it. She could only choose the manner of it. Calm enveloped her, an acceptance which came from a part of her she had never known. She had always known what her fate would be, and if her death could serve to halt the threat, to delay it if only for a fraction of a second, it might give the others the chance, the time they needed to ensure the protection of the Goddess.

The silver Saint felt more than she saw the tremendous wave of power falling from the heavens as the pillar of blackness broke, cascading down and showering the shadow which stood before her. During a fraction of a second, she got a glimpse of its shape, then the flood of power rushed towards her. Behind the silver mask, her lips shaped a joyless smile. Ikimasu.

"Hold!"

Answering the command there had been in the voice, a furious wind rose out of nowhere, enveloping Shaina in a protective cloak and paralyzing her in the same time. Before her, the inhuman wave of power was scattered in all the directions, broken by the wind shield as if it had been a mere child's blow. Dumbfounded, the Ophiuchus Saint stood without reaction as the impossibly violent storm abated around her, and as another entered the scene.

"Shun?" The startled whisper escaped Shaina's lips, and in the same time the Andromeda Saint briefly turned towards her. Something, deep within the female Saint's heart wrenched in sympathy and compassion when she saw what there was beyond the young man's reassuring smile, and she imperceptibly bowed her head at the sight of the dead light in Andromeda Shun's dark green eyes.




From deep within, from some part of me which still held a bit of courage, I found the strength to give Shaina a smile as I passed her by to confront the enemy who had come to the Sanctuary. Around us, the wind of Nebula Stream was slowly abating, scattering towards the small valleys on both sides of the great Stairs. The smile on my lips turned into an expression of bitterness and self-contempt as I faced the night in front of me.

I should have known that my perception earlier hadn't been a figment of my imagination. I should have known better than to doubt my intuition, but...I had so much wanted to believe that this time.... That we would know peace, that we would be able to rest, at long last.

I had wanted so much to believe this...fool that I was. Because of my stupidity, this nameless threat had been allowed to reach the foot of the Stairs, and it had almost killed Shaina.

Not this time. My hands closed into tight fists at my sides as I called forth Andromeda's power. There will be no more killing. Nobody will die, I won't allow it. Never again. My eyes widened as the violent light of my cosmo chased away the night in front of us, but didn't manage to even touch the shadow which was our enemy. Nodding at it, I told it softly, "Go away, whoever or whatever you may be. You're standing on sacred ground, on the domain of the Goddess Athena herself, and you don't belong. Go back whence you came before you start a battle that can only bring harm and pain to all of us, please."

Laughter interrupted me. "To think that's all she can use as guardians, your Athena is even more pathetic than you are. I have no time to waste with such as you."

Again, a feeling of absolute power suddenly choked the air, but I waited, unwilling to release the lethal force of Nebula Storm. Unmoving, I watched as the wave of inhuman energy reached a peak and was channeled towards both me and Shaina. Sweet Goddess, I didn't want to have to do this, I didn't want to have to kill again, I couldn't--

Hush over the night.

Coming from nowhere, clouds abruptly masked the faint starlight.

"You're too impatient, Assiel."

I heard Shaina's sharp intake of breath behind me, and realized that I was shaking. The voice had come from nowhere and everywhere at once, unearthly beautiful, and the sound of it.... It evoked distant, half-remembered memories of childhood and of legends that gave children nightmares. It was a voice which I should have remembered, the voice of a thing which didn't, couldn't possibly exist, but try though I might, I couldn't summon its identity to the fore of my mind.

"Much too impatient, that could be the end of you, one day."

The amusement there had been in the perfectly-pitched voice brought me back to the reality of the here and now, and my mind managed to snap out of the quagmire of fear and memories it had almost sunk into. In front of me, a shiver went through the air as it rippled, opening a hole in the fabric of the universe to let something come through.

Darker than the night.

Tall and slim, human...almost. Beside it, the shadow that both Shaina and I had confronted suddenly seemed to shrink and retreat, as if it was bowing low before what had now come.

"Even though he stands unarmed, the one who is guarding this place would have destroyed you, had I let you proceed with this foolish endeavor." There was steel, sharp and merciless behind the seemingly gentle rebuke. "We need time to replenish ourselves, we have slept for too long, you should have considered this. Begone, now." Before the echo of those words had time to fade, the shadow vanished without a trace, the feeling of its presence gone in the blink of an eye, so fast and so far away that I hadn't been able to perceive the path it had taken.

In a slow, languid movement, the one who had just come turned towards us, and in this very moment the clouds moved away to let the starlight reveal the intruder. Dark he was, clad wholly in black and his shoulder length raven hair cascading neatly down his neck. Deep purple eyes met mine, and all of a sudden I realized that I was staring at him, numb except for a strange feeling which was like a distant pain in my chest.

Sadness.

Nostalgia.

Revulsion.

Longing.

"Please, excuse my lieutenant's rudeness. I had indeed intended to come to this place and meet with you all, but not yet, and certainly not without your Goddess' permission." He flashed a charming smile my way, and I angrily fought down the blush I could feel coming to my cheeks. "It's my hope you'll find it in your hearts to forgive this brutal intrusion. I pray you won't view us in a unfavorable light when next we meet."

Somehow, I managed to hold his gaze, and not to bow my head before him. With difficulty, I got a grip over myself, and asked him in as quiet a voice as I could muster, "Who are you, and why do you want to meet the Goddess Athena?"

Crystalline laughter rose into the night, and he shook his head, replying, "It's still too early for answers, but I'll be sure to bring them with me next time." The beautiful purple set on mine, forbidding me to look away as he said in a whisper, "There's no need to torment yourself for now, my first aim is merely to have a little discussion with your Goddess." All trace of laughter had vanished from him in an instant, and the unfathomable light in those eyes....

He knew.

He knew the truth of my heart.

"Until we meet again." He gave us an almost imperceptible bow, and turned away. I made to step towards him, intent on stopping him and having answers to shed some light on the events of this night, when a violent gust of wind rose around the stranger. All of a sudden, the night seemed to rush towards him, and a great shadow unfolded in his back.

"Oh sweet Goddess!" I raised my right hand to my lips, as if I could still stifle the startled whisper which had escaped me.

Wings, magnificent and jet black, glistening with their own inner light, so beautiful that the sight of them brought tears to my eyes.

The furious wind howled around us, and the stranger disappeared in its midst, one with the darkness of the night. I stepped forward, unable to help myself, but there was nothing left. He had vanished without a trace, like his lieutenant before him. All of this was just too....

Touch.

Shiver.

Slowly, I raised a hand to my left shoulder, and caught the fragile object which had landed against my neck, released by the wind as if it had been a snow flake.

"Shun, are you all right?"

It was a single black feather, the one tangible proof that it hadn't all been a nightmarish illusion. Just as that thought formed in my mind, the delicate object faded into nothingness, as if absorbed by the night. "Shun?!" Abruptly, the low urgency in Shaina's voice registered in my brain and I hurriedly turned towards her, saying in a half-apologetical, half-reassuring voice:

"Yes, I'm okay, sorry, Shaina-san. I was trying to understand what just happened." Discarding the faint tingling sensation at the junction of my left shoulder and my neck, I stepped back to Shaina's side.

"As soon as dawn comes, we must bring this matter before Athena. I don't think they're likely to come back before that, so we should be safe." I gave the silver Saint a small nod, aware that her stance belied the steadiness and assurance there had been in her voice. Both of us had been badly shaken by what had happened, and we needed a few hours of rest before trying to understand what kind of dirty trick Fate had deemed amusing to play on us again.

An angel.

I closed my eyes, unwilling to remember the feeling of him, unwilling to remember the emotions which had gripped my heart when I had laid eyes on him, or the tears which had burnt my eyes at the sight of his wings. The only thing I wanted now was to sleep, to sleep a dreamless sleep and wake up in a world where this night had never taken place. I wished for this with all my heart, aware that reality wouldn't change to suit my whims, and felt weariness enveloping me and dragging me down like a cloak of lead.




"So then, what I felt wasn't an illusion...." Saori-san's voice trailed off into silence, and I distinctly saw the fingers of her right hand closing into a tight grip over the curtains on the right side of one of the great bay windows of the second main room in the heart of Athena's temple. I felt my heart wrenching at the sight of the young woman as she bowed her head and was unable to completely master the trembling of her hand.

"No, it sure wasn't. Even I felt it." Stunned silence greeted those words, and we all turned towards Seiya, who looked unusually serious.

"You?!" Shaina's voice was a mixture of disbelief and desperate hope. "You felt what happened down the great Stairs?"

"Well," the Pegasus Saint shrugged, adding with a bemused smile, "I was as astonished as you are now when I woke up, dragged out of sleep by a feeling I had thought I had lost forever."

"Oh, Seiya, it's wonderful!" I felt a lump in my throat as I saw the purple eyes of Saori-san brimming with tears of joy. She brought her hands to her face, resting the tips of her fingers against her cheeks, and I saw the luminous smile on her lips. Unable to voice the happiness and relief Seiya's words had given rise to within me, I bowed my head, and blinked back tears of my own.

"Yeah, I suppose so, but," the Pegasus Saint's voice reduced to a quiet whisper as he said, "I'd rather it had been something else which had awakened my cosmo. Damn, but it was dark, this thing that I felt, and so powerful..." staring at me steadily, he asked, "what was it, Shun? I felt you there, shining brighter than the stars and moon. You confronted it, you saw it, didn't you?"

"I..." Heaving out a weary sigh, I replied with a self-deprecating smile, "Yes, I suppose you could say I confronted whatever it was, but I couldn't--"

"Pfeh, of course you confronted it, Shun, and you saved my life too!" The Ophiuchus Saint snorted. "Stop belittling yourself all the time, why don't you?" Staring off into space, Shaina added softly, "It was like a gigantic pillar of darkness, something so black it eclipsed the night. It reached out to touch the sky and drowned even the stars. I thought it would cover the whole Sanctuary, but it was stopped by another thing..." she hugged herself, as if she felt cold, all of a sudden, "a thing that looked human." Forcefully, she placed her hands on the table before her, the blind eyes of the mask set on them, as if she was busy focusing to prevent them from shaking. Suddenly, she let out a startled yelp as Seiya's right hand covered hers, and growled, "Seiya, you--"

"Now, that's more like it!" The Pegasus Saint flashed an impish grin her way, then squeezed her hand, gently, as he said, "It's not like you to be afraid of anything."

The female Saint snatched her hand away and shrugged, retorting in a voice from which she didn't manage to fully hide a mixture of indignation and amusement, "Maybe not, but contrary to you, I have a brain that I know how to use, and I'm smart enough to know when I'm vastly overmatched."

Just as Seiya was about to start a vehement protestation, Saori-san's voice rose in the vast hall. "Is it all you can tell us about the night's encounters? Isn't there anything more that we could use to identify them? Anything at all?"

I looked away when the purple eyes tried to meet mine, an uneasy feeling invading my heart. Perhaps, if I didn't tell anyone, it wouldn't be true. Perhaps, if I kept it locked inside me, it would have all been a delusion of my mind, perhaps....

"No, unfortunately there's not. The only elements we were left with were this name: Assiel, and the kind of human shape the second intruder had. He said he'd be back, and that he wanted to talk to you, but that's all, ne, Shun?"

I didn't hear Shaina's voice, I didn't feel the silence which followed her words, trapped that I was inside my memories. The Ophiuchus Saint hadn't seen him, she hadn't seen the beautiful, dark shadow unfolding in his back, she hadn't seen...his wings. Reflexively, my right hand felt for the left side of my neck, where the small, fragile feather had brushed against my skin in a soft, ethereal caress. If I closed my eyes, I knew I would feel again the faint tingling sensation which had accompanied it.

"Shun?" Inwardly, I shivered as the sound of my name drew me out of the strange, gloomy reverie the invocation of last night's events had given rise to. Looking up, I saw Seiya's nut brown eyes set on me, alight with worry. "There's something more, isn't it? Something you saw or felt?"

With a heavy sigh, I bowed my head and nodded. "Hai." For a fraction of a second, I closed my eyes, wishing that reality could be altered now, before it was too late, but of course nothing happened. Fool, of course nothing will happen. Biting my lower lip, I pushed myself upwards and stood. Ignoring all the people present in the hall, ignoring my friends, I stepped over to the great bay window and reached out to the sunlight, as if it could somehow shield me, shield all of us.

As if it could protect us from what the future held.

In a toneless voice, I told them, "The second intruder was not human. I saw him clearly when he turned towards Shaina-san and I. There was something...unearthly in him, something I couldn't have named, but when he left..." unblinking, I stared into the blazing light of day, and went on in a barely audible whisper, "then the night seemed to gather around him, and wings unfolded in his back. Beautiful black wings.... The word that came to my mind then was 'angel'."

"Angel?" Seiya's snort cut through the heavy silence that had followed my words. "That's impossible. There are no such things as angels, and even if there were, they wouldn't have black wings! Haven't they taught you anything at church when you were a kid, Shun?"

I didn't reply, there was nothing that I could say which would help us understand. In front of us, Saori-san gave me a slow, thoughtful nod, and said, "Be that as it may, Seiya, but the name Assiel has the sound of an angel's name. I'm far from a scholar in Christian lore, but I can tell you that much." She smiled, then, and added in a gentle voice, "Thank you, Shun. I know how difficult it must be for you."

I smiled at that, a smile which didn't touch my eyes. No, you don't know, Saori-san, but I don't expect you or anyone to understand. The fault lies with me, I'm aware of that.

"All right," the young woman who was the incarnation of the Goddess Athena stood, and looked at us, determination shining in her clear purple gaze as she said, "I'll contact the Graad Foundation. We should have the beginning of an answer within a few days. In the meantime, I will send for Shiryu, Hyoga and Ikki." With a sad little sigh, she added, "They intended to be here to celebrate Christmas with us, so hopefully coming a few days early won't disrupt their plans too much."

Breaking through the gloom which had come over the place, Seiya, exclaimed, "Yoshi!" Grinning, he went on, "Once everybody is here, we can have some fun! I've been stuck in bed for far too long!"

"You," Saori-san said in a solemn voice, "are still healing. You may have recovered enough to touch your cosmo again, but you will behave and rest as the doctors have ordered you to, is that clear?"

"In your dreams!" Seiya stuck out his tongue at the young woman, and I couldn't help laughing as I watched the both of them arguing as if they were still carefree kids.

"How can it be that I didn't see the intruder's wings when you did, Shun?"

Laughter died in my throat and I froze. Slowly, I turned to face the Ophiuchus Saint, and shook my head, replying, "I have no idea, Shaina-san. I wish I knew, but I don't understand any of this." The blind eyes of her mask stared at me for a few seconds, then eventually she nodded and walked past me to exit the hall.

When I turned to follow her suit, my eyes caught the sight of a great fir tree which had been placed at the center of the place. There was a cardboard box on its right, and I could see some garlands sticking out of it. On impulse, I stepped over to its side, and reached out to it. The needles were both soft and sharp at the same time under my fingers as I gently caressed one of the great branches. A Christmas tree. Saori-san must have planned to surprise us with this beautiful gift, but.... I looked down, and saw that small piles of green and brown needles had started growing at the foot of the great fir.

It had started dying, alone and forgotten in a hall at the heart of the Goddess' temple. Out of place, an absurd reminder of a life that was denied us.

Discarded, like my foolish hopes of peace.

"Shun? Jeez, do you intend to stand there all day?" Startled, I turned around to find Seiya looking at me with apparent incomprehension and impatience warring in his eyes. "We'll decorate it once this matter is settled, and we'll have a party, so stop moping in front of it and come out of here! I'm so out of shape, I need a sparring partner, and you're it, come on!"

Smiling despite myself, I shook my head and let out a helpless sigh. "Okay, I'm coming." Shrugging off my dark mood with an effort of will, I started at a trot towards the precious friend who cared enough about an idiot like me to know I'd have stayed here and to pull me free from the familiar gloom which had tried to engulf me.

As I reached his side, he sketched a punch that I avoided easily, and grinned at me, "See? I can't even touch you. I knew I needed the exercise, as much as you need a distraction."

When he exited the hall, I followed him. Behind us the lone, forgotten Christmas tree was left to decorate the hall, and its needles kept falling to the marble floor in silence.

One by one.

End of Chapter 1.


Notes

Oyasumi nasai: Good night.
Ima no wa: what (happened) just now?
Ikimasu: I'm going.
Hai: Yes.
Yoshi: All right!
Assiel: one of the spellings for Azazel. I freely admit to have chosen this particular spelling because I liked the sound of it. Azazel is one of the main Fallen Angels, who was cast out of heaven for having refused to bow down before Adam, according to Jewish legends.


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