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Thieves of Light Chapter 2.A Saint Seiya fanfiction by Ariane Kovacevic, AKA Fuu-chan. "I wish we'd been able to go to the airport." A wide yawn followed my words almost immediately, and Seiya shrugged. "Yeah, well, it's not like they can't manage by themselves. It'd have been nice to go and greet them, of course, but our presence here is needed, so stop worrying, Shun, you're giving me a headache." With a sly grin, he added, "You should know that 'Ikki-niisan' is old enough to find his way here, shouldn't you?" Ikki-niisan.... Unmoving, I watched Seiya while the echo of his gently mocking words faded around us. As soon as silence regained dominion over our waiting place at the edge of the Sanctuary's territory, I glared at him, and asked in my best menacing voice, "You were saying, mister?" The Pegasus Saint rolled his eyes heavenward in mock despair, and winked at me. "You need to improve on your humor, Shun. Besides," he embraced the small rocky valley in a broad, sweeping gesture, "I don't have enough energy to argue with you now, not without spectators to root for me, and certainly not with this weather." With another yawn, wider than the first, he concluded, "No, the only thing I feel like doing right now is taking one good, long nap." "Buffoon!" I told him as I burst out laughing. Resting my back against one of the narrow valley's walls, I thought that he was right: this was the perfect weather for a nap. The sun was shining, high in the pure blue sky, and it had even managed to warm the stone I was resting against. Just as I was about to close my eyes, I caught the fleeting glimpse of a shadow climbing the path below us. "Seiya?" I called softly, tensing. "Yeah, I saw it," was my companion's quiet reply. On instinct, I straightened and barred the intruder's way, putting myself before the Pegasus Saint. Seiya wasn't fully recovered yet, and it was out of the question for me to allow him to risk his life now. "So there you are; arguing again, I bet!" Teasing laughter followed this pronouncement, and the newcomer reached our level, halting to stand in full view. "Shiryu!" Seiya rushed over to the Dragon Saint, and imprisoned his friend's right hand in a fierce grip. "I'm so happy to see you again, it's been an eternity!" With a slow nod, Shiryu acknowledged those words, and watched the Pegasus Saint in silence for a few seconds. Then, a smile slowly crept up his lips, and he said, "Indeed. You can't imagine how happy I am to see you. You seem almost whole now." "Ha!" Rubbing the back of his right forefinger against the side of his nose in a familiar gesture, Seiya grinned. "Yes, it looks like that even Hades couldn't truly harm me, I'm invincible." "Hai, hai," the Dragon Saint sighed, smiling despite himself. "Ano, excuse me, Shiryu, but didn't the others accompany you?" "The others?" Shiryu tilted his head to the side and pretended to think about my question. "Weeeell, you see, Shun--" "Is that the way you guard the border of the Sacred Domain, Saints of Athena? You should be ashamed of yourselves!" Completely taken aback by the clear voice which had seemed to come from above, I whirled around, and lifted my head to see a tall figure standing at the edge of the small valley's right wall. While I was raising a hand to my brow to protect my eyes from the direct light of the sun, I caught a fleeting glimpse of movement as the stranger jumped to land right beside me. "Ikki-niisan!" I hugged my brother tight, and felt something warm spreading in my heart. You're here, you've come. "There, there, Shun, you're not a kid anymore." I chuckled happily when I heard the feigned annoyance in my brother's gruff voice and when I felt the fingers of his right hand gently ruffling my hair. I took a deep breath and released it slowly, focusing on the rough fabric of his pull-over. It was as if a great weight had been lifted from my heart, as if clouds which would have covered the sky had been chased away by a powerful wind to unmask the sun. It's so good to feel you here. So good.... "And of course, no hug or warm welcome for me." There was a heavy, dramatic sigh as the voice's owner went on, "Oh well, after all it's nothing different from what I expected." Releasing my brother, I turned around in time to catch the sight of Hyoga waving at us in a fake gesture of resignation, and I distinctly saw the flames of good humor dancing in the pale blue eyes as he added, "It's all right, I know I've always been the less liked of the group, so it's okay." "Absolutely not!" I protested vehemently, entering his game, " And you know that full well!" The Cygnus Saint burst out laughing as he came to me, and patted my shoulder, nodding. "Of course I know, and I'm happy to see you again, Shun". As if of its own volition, my right hand came up and squeezed his while I nodded back at him, replying in a soft whisper, "Hai, kochira koso." There were a few moments of quiet silence during which I drank in the sensation of their presences, feeling that I was whole at last. Once we were together, nothing bad could happen anymore. It was as if the universe found its balance when they were here. It felt right, no more and no less. Simply *right*. Somewhere in the shadows of the mountain above the path which led from the normal, mundane world to the Sanctuary of the Goddess Athena, two silent figures watched the oh so touching reunion of the Bronze Saints. Once the five young men disappeared from view, on their way towards the temple that was the heart of the Sacred Domain, the taller of the two watchers stretched like a lazy cat and then stepped out of his hiding place to stand into the sun. "Hmmmmm...but Seiya was right: this is the perfect weather for a nap." The red-headed young man chuckled as he said this, half-tempted to yield to the gentle lull of the sun's warmth, and turned towards his companion, who had followed after him. "What do you think, Merle?" Of course, always serious Merle scowled at him and heaved out a disgusted sigh. "I think that the time for your whims and pranks is long past, Lune." The incredibly pale blue eyes were full of reproaches as Lune's childhood friend delivered this judgement. Merle really looked like an angel with his tall, slim build, the pure blue eyes and the long, slightly curly hair which cascaded down to reach the middle his back...except for its color. Merle's hair was the palest of chestnut browns, while an angel's hair was supposed to be blonde. Or gold. Or fair. Or whichever shade it was supposed to be. After all, Lune didn't give a damn. The only thing he cared about was the feeling that had awoken both him and Merle three nights ago. Angels.... Well, angels sure didn't look like what they should have according to holy books if Lune was to go by what he had observed at the foot of the great Stairs. At the border of the higher level of the Sanctuary, where he and Merle were forbidden to enter, like all the Clothless apprentices of the Sacred Domain. Unceremoniously, Lune spat, "Stupid fools that they are, all of them." Perhaps he shouldn't have been so angry, perhaps he should have tried to understand the rules that kept order in this place, but hell if he'd do that. Hell if he'd try to accept laws which had made of him and his friend pariahs in the Sanctuary. Glitches in the perfectly tuned machine of the Sacred Domain. Mistakes which should never have existed, and had had to hide their true nature for years for fear of being discovered and dealt with. Done away with. Killed. After all, what need would Athena have had for two nameless adolescents who seemed unable to win even a simple Bronze Cloth but whose true color might have been shining, but oh so dangerous Gold? Now, however, things were different. A cold, humorless smile came to Lune's lips. The Twelve Guardians of the Goddess were dead, forever lost in the realm of Hades, and a new threat had come knocking at the Sanctuary's door. "They will need us." Inwardly, Lune jumped as his friend's voice cut through his dark reflections and as he felt the other's hand squeezing his shoulder in a gesture of understanding, of closeness so great that Lune felt frightened. In a slow, deliberate movement, he turned towards Merle and looked him right in the eyes. The pale blue pools returned his gaze, clear and true, as always. Friendship is a much too dangerous thing. The thought came to the fore of Lune's mind, a familiar companion. Often he wondered if he shouldn't do something about this weakness in him. Killing Merle had been envisioned by a small, cold part of his soul. It was who he was, a brilliant mind who knew in the blink of an eye how to analyze a situation, one who would never let himself be blinded by any consideration. And Merle knew this; the other was no fool. Why Merle had always kept being at his side, trusting him entirely despite what he was aware of, Lune hadn't been able to fathom. It defied logic, this dedication, this sincerity. This loyalty. Impulses of the heart were something Lune shied away from. Oh he had a heart, for sure. It bothered him enough as it was. Keeping a stern control on it all the time was taxing, but at least he could manage that much. Irrationality was something he disliked with a passion. Focusing again on the face of his companion who was patiently waiting for him to reach a decision, Lune heaved out an almost imperceptible sigh. I can't get rid of you, Merle, I can't break free, and for some reason I can't name, I'm glad for it. The look in the beautiful emerald eyes was distant. Merle knew that his friend wasn't even aware of him in this moment, trapped that he was into the labyrinth of his mind. The slim, smaller redhead was a mystery for everyone in the Sanctuary, Merle included. Lune was powerful, immensely so, but only Merle knew that, and perhaps Aquila Marin, who had been given the task of training two worthless apprentices who hadn't been able to win a Bronze Cloth after years spent in the Sanctuary. Two apprentices that nobody wanted to care for or even teach, adolescents who hadn't any respect for those who were their betters. Betters.... The thought made Merle want to laugh. If only they had known, they'd have trodden a much more careful path around the two friends. Reporting his attention on Lune, he felt the slightest of shivers going through his friend's body as he laid a hand on the redhead's shoulder. Merle had a good idea of what was going on behind the startlingly clear green eyes of Lune. The balance between his friend's heart and his brilliant but cold mind was a fragile one, and Merle knew that he himself had been in danger in the past. But not anymore. They had been together for as long as Merle cold remember, and Lune was his friend. As such, Merle had chosen to give his trust, entirely, completely, without restriction or barrier. He knew that this choice troubled the redhead, who didn't seem to understand it, or perhaps didn't want to understand it...but Lune had had no other alternative but to accept this. Their friendship was an odd one at best, and it had placed Merle in the strange position of being Lune's anchor to humanity. It was a frightening responsibility, but Merle tried his best never to dwell on that. He let his heart guide him, and above all, he kept being true to the friend he had chosen. It was the only thing he could do. "I suppose so, yes." Blinking in surprise, Merle realized that Lune's gaze had lost its distant quality while the redhead continued, grinning, "But how do you propose we approach them? Should we just go up the great Stairs, storm the gates of Athena's temple and say hello?" "Geh...." Merle rolled his eyes heavenward. "No! Of course not!" With a noncommittal shrug, he added, "Perhaps we should confide in Aquila Marin. She's close to the Bronze Saints and Athena. If she--" "Oh sure, bright idea, Merle! And I'm convinced Marin will be very happy and understanding when she finds out that her two pupils have been hiding a very dangerous truth from her. I'm sure she'll welcome us with open arms once she learns that Gold Saint material had been roaming the Sanctuary in secret!" Lune's voice was harsh and mocking, and what he said was likely to be true, but still Merle shook his head. "I think you underestimate her. She's too smart not to suspect something, and the fact that she never said anything is in our favor." That cut short to the redhead's protestations, and silence once again fell over the place. It was true that revealing themselves now was dangerous. Merle understood that all too well, just as he understood the laws of the Sanctuary: both of them might be potential Gold Saints, but they hadn't had proper training. Nobody had been there to teach them what it mean to be a Gold Saint. Nobody had been there to teach them to control the flood of power which rushed through their bodies when they opened themselves to the feeling of the stars above. The fear, the danger in having potential Gold Saints turning rogue, out of control was something that couldn't be allowed to exist. There was a harsh wisdom in that. Both of them knew it, deep inside their hearts. Looking up, Lune watched while the strong wind coming from the sea pushed scattered clouds across the immensity of the sky, pondering the path that lied before him and Merle. Try as he might, he couldn't see another way out than what his friend had proposed. The threat that was on the Sanctuary was a true one, and the danger that all they had known could be destroyed was as real as the stones around them. With its forces so diminished after the war against Hades, the Sanctuary held little chances of prevailing against a mighty, unknown enemy. And the gods knew that the magnificent angel with his beautiful black wings was powerful. Never before had Lune felt fear seeping into his bones like that, drowning everything, clouding his mind and paralyzing him. The redhead snorted like a horse, unwilling to dwell on those memories any longer than he had to, and eventually nodded at his friend. "All right, let's try it then." Turning around so that he wouldn't have to see the luminous smile on Merle's face, Lune strode forward, away from their watching post and back towards the lower levels of the Sanctuary. Focusing on the afternoon sun's warmth, the redhead once again wondered if it wouldn't be wiser to stop for a nap before they sought out Aquila Marin. "Ah, so that's where you were hiding, *boys*." Lune froze in his tracks, and hardly felt Merle bumping into him from behind. There, standing less than twenty steps away from them, Aquila Marin was waiting for them, arms crossed over her chest. The mask hid her expression, but still Lune had heard the tone of her voice, and the mocking emphasis on the word "boy". The redhead's sharp eyes didn't miss anything of the Silver Saint's stance. Body language often revealed far more than words did, and this time was no different from the others. Recovering his composure in the blink of an eye, Lune gave Aquila Marin a slight bow, replying, "Hiding from a charming woman like you, lady Marin? Never!" The blind eyes of the mask set on him, as if she was trying to weigh him one last time before committing herself, then the female Saint waved Lune's word away as if they had been mere pestering flies. "Keep the banter for more gullible girls, Lune. I think it's past time we had a long and serious conversation." Tense. She's so tense that she looks like she might break. Unable to help himself, Lune asked her in a very quiet voice, "Are you so afraid of two nameless apprentices, lady Marin?" "Lune!" Just as the startled whisper reached his ears, the redhead lifted a hand to prevent his friend from stepping forward and disturbing him. The moment of truth had come, and he had to know whether the female Saint would be a threat to him or not. "No..." Aquila Marin lifted her head to look up at the sky, and said softly, "no I'm not afraid of two nameless apprentices, as you say, Lune. But I'm afraid of the two young men whom I have trained, the two young men whom I know very well are much more than they appear..." her voice reduced to a whisper when she added, "the two young men who are far beyond me." Shaking her head, she seemed to chase disturbing thoughts away, and faced both friends once more. "Leo Aioria entrusted the both of you to me, and I've always known that you were special, just as he knew. He wanted you to receive the best training possible, even though neither he nor any of the other Gold Saints could or would take you under their wing. Perhaps he foresaw that one day they would all die, and that we would need you." "That you would need fresh blood, cannon fodder to win your wars, is that it?" Lune's voice was harsh and merciless. "This time, you're going too far, I--" Lune's left hand shot out and closed around his friend's right arm in a n iron grip, squeezing so hard that a grimace of pain twisted the other's face. "Hush," he commanded, careful not to break Merle's arm but intent on finishing this conversation before he moved another step. Eyes narrowed in consideration, he let an unpleasant smile come to his lips. "Well, my lady Marin, what do you have to say to this?" She laughed all of a sudden, a sad, sorrowful sound that troubled even Lune's heart. "I think that Aioria was right about you, and that I wouldn't want to be your enemy." With a heavy sigh, she went on, "Yes, we need all the power we can gather, yes, we need young people to fight this war, if a war there must be. That's what being a Saint means, Lune. To fight war after war, to fight for the ideals the Goddess Athena stands for, endlessly." The redheaded young man watched the Silver Saint in silence for a long time, feeling the painful truth of her words echoing inside him, and eventually he nodded. "If that's your answer, my lady, then I do believe that we need to talk, indeed." "Now I understand the urgency there had been in her message," my brother mused, his eyes lost in the contemplation of something only he could see. "An angel, hey..." a feral smile came to his lips and he added, "well, I'll be happy to offer him a guided tour of Hell if he tries to threaten us." "Yeah, we'll teach him not to mess with us!" Seiya laughed, his nut brow eyes shining as they reflected the sunlight. I looked at him and at my brother, at the two who always pretended they couldn't bear with each other's presence but who got along like family. Yes, when we were together I had the feeling that we were invincible, that no dream was unreachable, and yet.... There was a delicate cough as Shiryu shook his head and said, "You two shouldn't take this matter so lightly. Shun," I started, surprised, and found the Dragon Saint's night-blue eyes set on me while he went on, "you never told us what you felt when you saw the angel. You talked about the power he exuded and about his appearance, but you never told us what kind of emotion or feeling the sight had triggered in your heart." Ikki snorted. "What kind of a question is that?" Hyoga gave my brother a slightly condescending smile, and replied, "It's a very good question, but since you've never exactly been a keen follower of a religion of any kind, you wouldn't know that." Sobering quickly, the Cygnus Saint added, "If that was really an angel, then his sight must have triggered something in the heart of those who saw him. Angels are the messengers of God, and they carry His divine Light with them. According to the Scriptures, the sight can't have let anyone remain indifferent, since the angel chose to reveal himself." My brother bowed low before Hyoga and retorted, mocking, "Oooh, I see, well, of course I couldn't know that, I'm far from being a good church boy like you." Anger flashed in the clear blue eyes of the Cygnus Saint, and I held out a hand, saying wearily, "Stop it, both of you, please." The arguments were never really serious, but I knew that sometimes Ikki-niisan's words went beyond his thoughts, and that he could hurt without having intended to. So better to make them stop behaving like two five years-old before one of them said something he'd come to regret. I sat back against my chair and looked out the window, focusing on words as I explained in a detached voice, "It was really weird. What I felt...well, I felt like a young child. I felt completely, utterly defenseless before him. I've never known my parents, so I don't know how one feels before his father, but I don't think that would be it. No, I felt some kind of...attraction, I guess, some kind of reverent fear.... I'm sorry," I shook my head, "I don't know how to describe it correctly." Shiryu nodded. "I see." Standing up, the Dragon Saint paced in the room for a while, the sound of his steps the only thing which disturbed the silence. Eventually, he sighed. "What I don't understand is what the Christian God has to do with the Sanctuary. How do we know He's not a myth, for that matter?" "Well, there's the angel," I told him, "you can't deny that." "Hmm, that's true, but still I don't--" Shiryu interrupted himself and turned towards Hyoga, tense. "What's going on?" The Cygnus Saint's face was troubled. "I don't know. Suddenly, I feel--" All at once I felt Hyoga's cosmo unfolding around him, shining brighter than the light of day, and my friend hissed, "What on earth...?" The Goddess Athena was beautiful, there was no denying that. Lune had stolen a few glances when she or Aquila Marin weren't looking, and he had to acknowledge that fact. She was regal too, in a certain way, but not as most people would have put it. She didn't command respect, rather she seemed to inspire it in people, and it worked if Lune was to judge by Merle. He had thought the fool hopelessly in love with the red-headed Silver Saint, but ever since they had set foot in the temple at the top of the Sanctuary, Merle had been in awe of Kido Saori. Ah well, what can I do about it? Merle is Merle, after all. With that highly philosophical thought, Lune went back to listening to the conversation between the two women. "I see," Kido Saori nodded, sadness shining in her eyes, "you were right to bring them here, of course." Her purple gaze turned towards us, and suddenly Lune realized that he could no longer look away from her. She had him, just as she had Merle. There was no threatening aura coming from her, no overwhelming sense of power, and yet Lune felt compelled to stare back at her, unmoving. Defenseless. Like a kitten, if she wanted to, she could-- "No...." Lune started as the kind, gentle voice touched the fear he hadn't even fully acknowledged to himself. "No, I'd never hurt you, Lune." There was a sad, knowing smile on her lips. "I'm sorry for what you and Merle have had to live through. Life must be horrible when you risk being punished simply for being what you are. I'm sorry the laws of the Sanctuary caused you pain." All of a sudden, she bowed low before them, and Lune found himself having to fight the impulse to go to her and help her up, to tell her that there was no need for her to abase herself so. What's happening to me? Lune blinked, trying to fight down a nameless panic that was trying to get hold of him. Is this what Merle has been feeling since the moment we met her? "Are you certain that you want to commit yourselves to this cause?" She had straightened to face them, and her purple gaze was once again set on them, baring their souls and leaving them as naked as the day they were born. On Lune's right, Merle nodded in a very slow movement. I can still step back, but now's my last chance. After this, there will be no turning back. Time froze for Lune while he stared back at the young woman who was the incarnation of the Goddess Athena, the young woman who was holding his Fate into her hands. Focusing inward, Lune searched his mind, and found no clear advice there. Reluctantly, he turned towards his heart, and drew in a sharp breath. She.... Kido Saori was shining with an inner light that was brighter than the sun's. Her hands were held out towards him, and in their midst, she was holding his heart, gently, preciously, shielding it from harm along with countless of others. Shaken to the roots of his being, Lune blinked and chased that illusion away. Illusion, or truth? It didn't matter much. Whether she had let him see something that was reality or whether the vision had come from intuition, the redhead was unable to discard what had just happened. His mind had been made before this, anyway, his last-minute hesitation more a mental game of self-challenge than a real reconsideration of his options. With slow deliberation, Lune nodded at Kido Saori, his eyes set on hers. A luminous smile of pure happiness came to her lips then, and Lune found himself blushing like a besotted fool. "Thank you, both of you." With a little sigh, she said, "It's clear that both of you are beyond the rank of Silver, but alas there is nobody left who knows how a Gold Saint comes into his power. More than that," sadness again flashed in her eyes when she added, "we have lost the Gold Cloths. All of them were left behind, lost in the realm of Hades. I don't know if they can be retrieved." "It's not that bad," Lune regained control over his stupid heart and gave Kido Saori his most charming smile, "the power is ours, and we can use it to defend the Sanctuary, even without Cloths." "Lune, stop bantering, right now." Aquila Marin's voice was very quiet, and the young man coughed to cover his embarrassment. On the other side of the table, Kido Saori laughed good-humoredly, and Lune surprised himself into thinking that his and Merle's decisions might be for the best after all. Arrow of fire. Flames, rising from deep inside his heart. Forgetting all that was around him, Lune stood up, sending his chair flying. Before him, the room's surroundings had vanished to be replaced by the darkness of the night, a darkness which shone with the faint lights of the constellations all around him. "Lune?!" Barely aware of his friend's urgent question, Lune yielded to what his senses were screaming at him and allowed his cosmo to unfold around him. For the very first time, he revealed himself fully, and said in a soft whisper: "Something is coming." A deep silence was reigning in the small temple. It was empty, devoid of life, even though one could have told that it hadn't always been so, had one stepped inside. But nobody ever came here anymore. Not since a fateful night, not so long ago. Before that, it had been inhabited by someone. One man, who had seemed colder than ice to everyone. Cobwebs had started appearing in the shadows, and the abandoned bedroom would have given the visitor the strange feeling of intruding into something left unfinished. It was as if the one who had lived here had had to leave in a hurry, and had never envisioned that he wouldn't return. If the walls of the small temple had been able to talk, they could have revealed the truth, they could have told the tale of the man who had always hidden his heart, but of course walls were mute. Walls were lifeless things which simply stood where they had been built until either the hand of man or a natural disaster destroyed them, or...was it truly so? Along the path of the great Stairs which ran alongside it, there were other small temples like this one, and it was known among the novices of the Sanctuary, that sometimes one could hear quiet sobs coming from the empty buildings, as if they had been alive, or haunted. It was a legend told among the apprentices, with which they liked to frighten each other during moonless nights, that a Gold Saint's spirit could never truly die and forever haunted the place where he had belonged as a sacred guardian of the Goddess Athena. A silly legend, certainly. A small breeze rose from the valleys below and came to envelop the small temple, like it did every day at the same time in the afternoon. The wind changed direction then, and started coming from the sea. It climbed from the great stretch of water to reach beyond the world of human beings to touch the domain of the gods, and climbed and climbed again along the great Stairs as if it had been a petitioner trying to be granted an audience with the Goddess. Strange echoes always rose in its wake, eerie songs which might have been the source of the tales told by the novices. And today, like all the other days, the wind entered the small temple, its only, faithful visitor. All of a sudden, the familiar breeze died, as a hush came over the place. A silence so deep it felt as if there was nothing left alive in the world. As if Time had been suspended. A vibration shook the ground under the building. A single note of music. In the heart of the small temple which was also one of the Twelve Houses of the Zodiac, a blinding white light appeared out of nowhere, dispersing the shadows. "Damn it!" Hyoga's right hand closed into a fist. "It's coming from the House of Aquarius." Shock registered in the pale blue eyes, and the Cygnus Saint shook his head, whispering in a blanched voice, "But it's not...." "Save the speculations for later, now's not the time for metaphysical discussions!" My brother's voice broke the spell, and we all stood up in a precipitated movement. "Let's go." Seiya nodded, and we ran towards the conference room's door. No time to think. I blinked, feeling my heartbeats speeding up. It's too early, we haven't been give time. We're not ready. On instinct, I sparked the flames of cosmo within me, and followed my companions while emptiness invaded my heart. It was too late for doubts and for fear. It had always been too late. When we came out of the House of Pisces, right atop the House of Aquarius, we skidded to a halt, blinded by an explosion of light. "Hell!" I barely heard my brother's furious curse. I felt as if I was lost in the center of a great storm, tossed this way and that like a doll. My cosmo was a fragile candle light assaulted by a savage wind, one breath away from being extinguished. Then, as suddenly as it had come, the light faded away into nothingness. I let out a shaking breath, and reached out to a nearby stone to steady my balance, closing my eyes for the briefest of moments. Spark. Presence. "There's someone in there," I hissed, grasping the stone beneath my fingers with desperate strength. Someone in the House of Aquarius, someone who hadn't come up the great Stairs. Someone who had appeared directly in the eleventh House, despite the divine protection of the Goddess. Someone who had cut through the curtain of light with which Athena had shielded the higher level of the Sanctuary. Impossible. Eyes set on the small temple below, I bit my lower lip, feeling cold all over. Even Hades' Specters had been forced to climb up the great Stairs, even Shion himself. This isn't true. "Let's go." Seiya's voice was low and tense, an unfamiliar sound which resounded in the air as the Pegasus Saint whispered those words. From very far away, I saw myself nodding in agreement, while I focused inwards and called: Andromeda. At once, a familiar sensation of warmth swept through me as bright pieces of stars assembled around my body, as the Andromeda Cloth answered my request and came to protect the flesh of the fragile human being that I was. Then, I stepped forward and went down the great Stairs. The exit of the House of Aquarius was dark, the inside of the small temple lost in the shadows. I stopped right in front of it, and focused on my surroundings. Nothing, nothing at all. Oh, the presence was still there, of this I had no doubt, but try though I might, I couldn't feel any threat towards us. "Shun, anything?" I turned towards Hyoga and shook my head in silence, showing him the Chain on my forearms. It was at rest, as if there wasn't any danger anywhere in the vicinity. The Cygnus Saint's eyes stared fixedly at the Chain for a few seconds, and then he slowly stepped inside the eleventh House of the Zodiac. It wasn't as dark as I had thought it would be: as soon as we reached the inner hall, a faint, ghostly light revealed our path and the great columns of marble which supported the temple's roof. I stopped, watching the strange dance of shadows the light was painting on the walls, while Hyoga stepped over to the closest candelabra. Slowly, the Cygnus Saint reached out to the small flame and whispered, "Who did this?" The echo of the question hovered around us for a few seconds, and then faded, absorbed by the eerie feeling of peace which had engulfed the House of Aquarius. "It's better this way, don't you think?" The soft, beautiful voice had come from the center of the House. Slowly, I turned on the right, and saw another light, brighter than the candles', right in front of us. No, not a light, I thought as it moved, revealing itself as it came towards us. It was a humanlike shape from which the light was exuding, as if the body that the stranger wore couldn't completely contain its, or rather his as I got a better look at him, power. It was a man, young and in the same time ageless, younger than the dawn and yet older than the Sanctuary's mountains. He had shoulder-length curly golden hair, and gray eyes in which shone both mercy and death. Fair he was, a being of legend who had come down to our material plane and had chosen to incarnate himself into a shape that our limited human minds would recognize and understand. Cold and warm at the same time, I can't read anything from him. Once again, I felt like a young child lost in a world which had ceased to be his own. "Shun, is he...?" I held out a hand to interrupt Seiya, and silently shook my head. No, he's different. I made myself focus on the stranger, and froze all of a sudden. So.... Something translucent was shining in his back, something that was hidden from normal eyes, but which could be guessed, felt if one could find the strength to look at the stranger, to look at him truly, beyond the layers of deceit he had placed around himself. Shields as much for himself as for us. As if the sight of him could burn us.... A joyless smile came to my lips when I saw the shape of the great wings in his back. "Who are you, and how did you come to this place where you do not belong?" Hyoga's voice was steady and quiet, but I could feel the anger and the distress warring inside him. This House had been Aquarius Camus', Hyoga's sensei, and the pain caused by his loss was still sharp in the Cygnus Saint's heart. "Where I do not belong?" The stranger's voice had a musical quality which sent shivers down my spine. His tone had been gentle, kind even, and yet the smallest traces of laughter in it had been unmistakable. Sketching an imperceptible bow, he added, "Gabriel is my name, and I assure you that I belong in this place. Powerful I may be, but even I can't break through your Goddess' curtain of light in this place that is her stronghold." Gabriel, one of the seven archangels, one of the most powerful among the Heavenly Host. Beside me, I felt more than I saw my brother's hands clench into tight fists. For a few seconds everything hung suspended, held at a fragile balance, a hair's width away from confrontation. Then Hyoga bowed his head, whispering in a toneless voice: "Gabriel, lord and governor of the Zodiacal sign of Aquarius. Yes, I remember now...." I turned sharply towards the Cygnus Saint, dumbfounded. Lord of Aquarius? Did angels rule over our constellations? Cold hit the pit of my stomach as I realized what this might mean. The Sanctuary is vulnerable despite Athena's protection, and who knows, perhaps even our Cloths.... "Sasuga wa, senpai-tachi!" The cheerful voice broke through the deep silence which had followed Hyoga's words, and I turned around to see four people entering the small temple. The first of them was a young man I had never seen, his emerald green eyes shining with what could have been eagerness, and his short fiery red hair like a mane of flames. "I should have guessed that you would feel our visitor's coming, and be here before us." He was grinning as he said this, and distantly I realized that I knew the power I could feel emanating from him, radiating like a wild bonfire. Yes, I had felt this kind of power before. Gold, but how...? I blinked, lost. What could be the meaning of all this? I had thought all the Gold Saints dead, their Cloths forever lost in the realm of Hades. As far as I knew, Kiki was the only apprentice of a Gold Saint who still lived. Apart from Aries Mu, the others had never trained a replacement. Behind him came another young man I had never seen, tall and far more serious looking than the first. The same impossible feeling of pure cosmo was radiating from him, perhaps restrained just a bit more. Then came Aquila Marin, and last.... Saori-san? "Damn it, no...." I closed my eyes when I heard Seiya's blanched voice, sharing his distress. Why, oh why had she come here? If ever-- "Please, my friends, don't worry about me." The Goddess' purple gaze enveloped us and she gave us a warm, gentle smile. A part of the fear which had gripped my heart faded when I felt the absolute confidence emanating from her. Stepping in our midst, she faced the one who had come to the Sanctuary, and asked him softly, "Which aspect have you assumed to come here, lord of Aquarius? Are you Annunciation, Mercy, Vengeance, Revelation or Death?" Something unreadable flashed in the archangel's eerie gray eyes, and suddenly he bowed low before her, saying, "Athena, Lady of the Earth, I salute you." Straightening, he looked at each of us in turn and then smiled. "I come to you as a messenger, please forgive my entering your domain without permission." "If you come in peace, then you're welcome in the Sanctuary, lord Gabriel," Saori-san nodded and went on, her eyes set on the being of light who was standing before us, "what is the message you have for me?" The smile left the archangel's face to be replaced by an expression of absolute neutrality. Cold, was the thought which came to my mind. In an instant, the fire that he is became so terribly, absolutely cold.... "I come to thee at the Lord of All Worlds' request, fair Lady." The formality in his words and his voice resounded in the House of Aquarius, echoes which seemed to come from times long past, time of myth which dated back to the dawn of mankind. "It's His Will that thou cometh back with me to Heaven and be brought to the holy world of Atsilouth." Stunned silence followed Gabriel's announcement. Saori-san...back to Heaven? But it's absurd, it's.... I turned towards the young woman, in time to see Seiya do the same thing. Eyes wide with incomprehension and something that might have been sorrow or fear, the Pegasus Saint shook his head slowly, like a drunken man. "Saori-san?" In answer, her left hand came up and rested briefly over his shoulder, but she never turned towards him. Instead, she stayed focused on the archangel, the expression on her face unreadable. Eventually, she asked him in a quiet voice, "Did your Lord tell you the reason for this unusual request?" Gabriel smiled again, but this time the smile never touched his eyes. "Lady, I would never dare to presume knowing my Lord's intent, and He didn't deem it necessary to tell me the reason. That this is His Will should be enough for thee." "It is not." Saori-san's eyes were hard, all of a sudden. "I am the Guardian of the Earth, the Defender of Humanity. If I must leave my domain and abandon those I am sworn to protect, then I must hear the reason for all this." The archangel's clear, unfathomable gaze clouded for the briefest of moments, and then he shook his head. "Alas, I have none to offer thee, Lady. Nevertheless, wilst thou come back with me to Atsilouth?" Gabriel held out his hand, and suddenly the translucent wings in his back unfolded, appearing in all their glory. "Seraphim, those who burn. The name of your rank was well chosen, lord of Aquarius." Saori-san's voice was distant, as if she was busy trying to remember something important. "No," a serene smile lit her face, "no, I won't follow you to Heaven. My place is here, as it has been since mythological times." Surprise shone in the beautiful gray eyes, and then Gabriel nodded. "So be it. I was told to deliver this message and bring you back, but I wasn't given orders to force you to accompany me. I hope," his voice suddenly lost its cold formality, and something like empathy or understanding seeped into it instead, "that you weighed your choices correctly and made the right decision, Lady." A sad smile came to the archangel's lips, and what might have been regrets glowed in the clear gray eyes as he added, "I have a feeling, that we will meet again." That said, Gabriel bowed low one last time, and the six beautiful wings in his back closed around him, enveloping him like a precious mantle of light. I brought a hand to my brow, turning my head and closing my eyes in an instinctive reflex of protection, and once I could open them again, the archangel was gone. There was no trace left of his presence, no feeling of cosmo lingering in the air. Nothing. "Well, he's gone." On my left, Saori-san bowed her head and let out a small sigh of relief. "What was this nonsense all about? Since when do angels exist and mingle in the games of the gods?" My brother asked in a voice resounding both with irritation and impatience. Turning back to face Aquila Marin and the two young men I had never seen before, the Phoenix Saint waved towards them, adding, "And someone had better explain those two imitations of Gold Saints, quickly." "Imitations? Ow, now that's not nice. I assure you, we're the original brand, not some cheap illegal copies!" The red-headed young man grinned at my brother, not intimidated in the least. "Lune, enough!" Aquila Marin literally growled, and the object of her irritation made a show of being sorry that made me chuckle despite myself. "I know you, Lune, and I know you as well, Merle." Seiya had a look of complete incredulity written all over his face. "But how can you be--?" "Let's leave this House and go back to the main temple," Saori-san intervened, "we have much to discuss, and I for one would rather do it with something to drink and a bit of food down my stomach." "Err, sure...." It was this moment that Seiya's stomach chose to manifest itself with a loud groan that echoed unceremoniously in the House of Aquarius, and we all burst out laughing like kids, letting go of some of the tension which had taken hold of us. As we exited the small temple, I noticed that the sun was setting, and thought that Saori-san had been right. A good meal and a drink would be a very good thing before we started trying to understand what was happening to us. Nodding to myself, I followed my companions up the last part of the great Stairs, unaware that, above me, the first star of the evening has appeared in the darkening sky. The beautiful, bright evening star of wishes.
End of Chapter 2.
Notes
Ikki-niisan: do I really need to explain? ^^;
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