[ Watashi ]

[ Tomodachi ]

[ Saint Seiya ]

[ Clamp ]

[ Fanfiction ]

"I don't like this, I don't like this at all."

A quick sliding sound had accompanied the quiet mutter, and Merle stopped in his tracks, guessing what must have happened. Turning backwards, the young man saw a small cloud of dust dispersing at the feet of his companion as the redhead skidded to a halt. Lune was facing the mountains behind them, and Merle had no need to see his friend's face to know there was a frown barring his brow and a troubled light in the usually unfathomable green eyes.

The sun was setting on their left; the blood-reddish sphere was sinking into the sea in the distance, and the weak daylight was waning quickly, as was always the case in winter. We must hurry. Nodding to himself, Merle heaved out a faint sigh, and said gently, "I know, I know you don't, and I can't say I like it either, but it doesn't matter."

"We should be with her, damn it." Merle blinked, surprised, when he heard the anger in Lune's voice, and when he saw the redhead's tightly clenched fists at his sides. It wasn't like his friend to let emotions show or cloud his judgement. No, this was not like the merciless, brilliant tactician that Lune was.

With a helpless shrug, Merle replied, "No, we shouldn't. How could we be useful to them, Clothless as we are, vulnerable as we are? We'd be nothing but burdens, and you know this full well."

Abruptly, Lune whirled around and stared right at Merle with what might have been frustration or fear shining in his eyes. Shaking his head, he hissed, "Don't you understand what she's doing? Where it is she's chosen to go, what she--"

Merle never heard the rest of his friend's question. All of a sudden, a powerful vibration flashed through his body, coming from the heart of the stones, from the mountains before him and going up high in the sky. On instinct, the young man tensed, trying to feel for an enemy presence, but there was nothing wrong around them. Nothing but the ruins of ancient temples, and somewhat farther down the echoes of the chatter of the last tourists who had come to visit the site. Just as he was about to dismiss the whole thing as a figment of his imagination, Merle felt his cosmo violently flare to life in answer to something that couldn't be denied.

A flame so strong it was frightening.

An explosion of power which could have devastated this whole place if it hadn't been perfectly mastered.

Looking up at the mountains where the Sanctuary was hidden, looking up at the darkening sky, Merle saw the thin shaft of blinding light shoot out towards the heavens, and made a wish. Be safe. All of you, be safe. A smile came to the young man's lips as he witnessed the unearthly beautiful spectacle of the fragile chain of stars reaching out to infinity, a smile of both admiration and sorrow. Beholding the magnificent sight, he knew, just as Lune must, that Athena was gone, and what her means of reaching her goal had been. So, she will use him...but then, what choice does she have? Cruel though it was, Merle knew the truth. I don't have to like it, he thought while he discarded the regrets which had sparked to life in his heart.

"Hey!"

Ignoring the cry which had come from below, Merle told his friend in a soft voice, "It's too late now, anyway. We have no other option than to trust them. Athena's decision was the correct one, her strategy is sound. Our mission is no less important than theirs. And the enemy we may have to face--"

"Hey, you two! The site's closing, you have to get down now!"

"Yeah, yeah! We're coming, sorry!" Lune cheerfully waved at the guard who had come to check if all the tourists had dutifully exited the archeological site. With that, the redhead started jumping down the rocks like a cat, and Merle shook his head, wondering whether his friend would ever learn to refrain from showing off.

"You should have exited this place more than half an hour ago," the guard muttered, clearly unhappy at this unexpected extension of his work shift.

"Really sorry," Lune flashed an impish grin at the man as both friends passed him by, "we were lost in the contemplation of the sunset. It's so beautiful here...." The beautiful emerald eyes had taken a studied look of awe while Lune's voice trailed off into silence. Of course, the guard fell for it, and the man gave the two young men a gruff reprimand before showing them the way out.

Merle inwardly shook his head while he exited the mundane portion of the Sanctuary, and thought that Lune was too much of a charmer for his own good. One day, the redhead would be faced with someone who didn't feel like being fooled, and Merle didn't want to be there when it happened. For it would happen, sooner or later, there was no doubt about this. There's always someone smarter and stronger than you.

"I know that what you said is correct, Merle," Lune whispered as he reached his friend's level, "but it's a very dangerous game she's playing, and she'd have needed someone beside her, someone who *knows* and who could have supported her."

You, Merle thought with a wry smile. There was a certain logic to the redhead's words, the young man was aware of that. Lune was perhaps the only one who truly understood what choices Kido Saori had made, and who would stand by her side, no matter how harsh and apparently cruel her decisions were. Yes, Lune was the only one who'd support her even if she started betraying her own. Merle bowed his head, understanding the impossible loyalty of his friend, but unwilling to face the contradictions between actions and ideals.

"Ah well," Lune sighed, "he'll be okay, he's stronger than he looks, and, as you said yourself, her strategy is sound." The redhead's hand gave a gentle pat on Merle's left shoulder, and the young man's heart wrenched when he saw the kindness shining in the green eyes. All of a sudden, Lune made a show of shivering and grinned, exclaiming, "It's cold! They could have thought of giving us a complete civilian wardrobe instead of those jeans and tee-shirts! I thought there'd be a car waiting for us..." the redhead quickly scanned their surroundings, and then a smile came to his lips, "ah, there!" Come," he pulled at Merle's tee-shirt, "hurry, or you'll freeze!"

Smiling despite himself, Merle followed in his friend's steps. Silence had been hard for the young man when he had seen the Bronze Saints gather at the altar of Athena. When he had seen Andromeda Shun go up the stairs, Merle had almost called out to the young Saint, but his lips had remained sealed. Being Lune's friend and confidante was hard, for most of what the formidable mind of the other could discern was shared with Merle and analyzed with him. Merle would have told Shun the truth, he'd have trusted him and given everything to help, but...it wasn't what Athena had chosen to do.

It wasn't what Lune had chosen to do.

And Merle couldn't betray his friend's trust, it was sacred to him. Lune knew that, the young man thought, oh yes he understood how hard it was sometimes. Just as it's hard for him.

As he entered the great limousine which had come all the way from Athens to get them, Merle sent his regrets and guilt away thanks to an effort of will. No matter what he felt, it was immaterial now. It was too late. There was only one thing to do for him and Lune: focus on the task ahead. To find Julian Solo, the man who was the current head of the Solo family, the man who was the designated host of Poseidon, and bring him back to the Sanctuary. To shelter him in the temple of Athena and to keep him safe.

To protect him with their lives if need be.

The sensation of the air around me was a rapidly cooling one. The sun had set just a few moments ago, and already night was claiming the world. Bowing my head, I closed my eyes for a few seconds and focused inwards, readying myself as much as I could for what I'd have to do.

Don't think.

Don't feel.

Yet.

I willed a pool of calm waters to close over me, and then looked up right in front of me. The small altar at the center of Star Hill was empty, its marble almost shining with an eerie light as it reflected the first stars which had started twinkling in the sky. Not so long ago, there had been a body resting here, the body of Shion, former representative of Athena, and former gold Saint of Aries before Aries Mu. We had buried him after we had found out the truth about the tragedy which had struck the Sanctuary.

Yes, we had buried Aries Shion, but still.... With a shake of my head, I chased those memories away, and said softly, "Be careful to stay within the first circle."

"Shun...will it be all right?" I felt a smile coming to my lips when I heard the worry in my brother's voice. I knew what was behind the words, I knew the fear that he hadn't told me about, I could feel it as well whenever I allowed my mind to dwell on it.

But not now. Nodding without turning back, I replied in a quiet whisper, "Yes, Ikki-niisan, it will be." It must be, I thought wryly. There was no other option. I took a deep breath, and tilted my head backwards, in a slow motion.

Night.

Darkness.

Silence.

Wetness.

Air.

Heartbeats.

Lives.

I could feel the world vibrating all around me, I could feel my friends and Saori-san as shining patterns of light, I could see glinting reflections of moonlight on their God Cloths, right behind me, exactly where I had told them to stay. Good. The left half of the Chain was spread on the stone around me, its spiral occupying the whole area of the altar on top of Star Hill. Star Hill, the place where anyone but the Pope or Athena herself was forbidden to come to, the holy place where one could discern the threads of Destiny in the stars, if one knew how to read and interpret them.

Star Hill, the bridge between Earth and Heaven.

The gate between Day and Night.

Now. It was easy, what Saori-san had told me to do. So easy it was frightening. I knew that the Chain could find my enemy wherever he might flee, wherever he chose to hide. I had used it in this fashion before, but this time...almost, I had refused, shying away on instinct, unexplainably reluctant to obey the Goddess I had sworn myself to. Even now, I could still feel a strange unbalance at the core of my being, as if a part of me was pulling at the other, trying in vain to win free. Will you stop stalling, damn you? Nodding at the inner voice, focused inwards, and called.

Black.

Soft.

So soft....

Frightening and beautiful, terrible and cruel.

Gentle.

Eyes whose purple gaze could see behind masks and shields, amethysts which froze the soul and held it wide open, vulnerable for him to read like a book.

For him to toy with like a doll.

Lucifer, I called again, and all of a sudden the memory of him filled my being. Emotions which had been waiting just for this, poised in the shadows of my spirit, rose, so strong that they stormed my heart and overwhelmed it with the violence and savagery of a tidal wave.

Sorrow, absurd tears which burnt my eyes.

Nostalgia, which crushed my spine and resonated inside me like a requiem.

Revulsion, which shook my body with nausea.

Longing, which made my legs tremble and sent shivers through my whole self.

From very far away, I felt pain radiating in my right hand, pain as the other half other Chain abruptly came to life and fought my control with a wildness it had never had before, fought to be released so that it could find the enemy I had designated to it, and in so doing tore through the skin of my fingers. Distantly, I could feel blood, warm in the night, running down the metal of the Chain and dripping down on the ground. Slowly, I opened my hand, and freed the formidable weapon.

Held in a strange, dreamlike trance, I watched as the arrow-like end of the Chain gleefully shot up towards the Heavens, tracing behind it a glittering path of light, my soul bound to it.

Farther.

Faster.

And so it went, higher and higher in the sky, beyond the night, beyond infinity itself, and still it didn't find its target. But I will, I smiled to myself, Yes, I will.

Cast out in a barren land that Light could never touch.

Exiled into absolute darkness.

Alone for all eternity.

Yes, there, I thought, unworried at the eerie certainty which had taken hold of me, unable to care, held in thrall as I was...focused on Lucifer as I was. There was nothing but him in my mind. He was everything, he was filling my being with emotions that had no name, with flames that were devouring my heart and were feeding my cosmo, enhancing it again and again. I watched, unmoving, as the Chain came back to me from the other end of the universe, and hurled itself right at us like a horse lost in a mad gallop. As violent as thunder, it shattered the altar before me, and plunged deep into the ground.

Around us, something rose in silence, a mist darker than the night, which engulfed us and extinguished the stars.

"Shun!"

I didn't hear the voice, I didn't even feel the hand which held my left arm in a desperate grip. Without hesitation, I followed the Chain, and dived into the abyss.

"Hell! Where...?"

I started when I heard Seiya's soft curse, and all of a sudden, I became aware of my surroundings once again. With an effort of will, I fought the need to close my eyes and sleep, and I felt my legs trembling while weariness assaulted my being. Whatever it was that had taken hold of me, trance or spell, was gone now, and it was as if that had taken a part of me away with it.

Nothing.

I blinked, and my heart skipped a beat as the thought hit my brain. Nothing at all. It was what my senses were telling me. Numb, I looked around me to discover Seiya on my side, and Saori-san before me. There was no ground beneath my feet, no sky above my head.

There was neither beneath, nor above.

Neither right, nor left.

Neither forward, nor backward.

There wasn't anything.

No color, no scents, no wind.

No sound.

No light.

Just greyness, everywhere. Greyness which was like a choking fog, a shroud which enveloped us and deprived us of a solid world. My mind reeled, shying away from this nightmare which couldn't be reality, from this absurd absence of a world, from the nothingness which had neither beginning nor end, and I felt a cry rising in my throat.

Terror.

"Don't panic, don't focus on what you feel or see, don't let your minds dwell on it!" Saori-san's voice was low and urgent, little more than a whisper, even though I knew that she had raised her voice loud enough to cry. It was as if the void could absorb everything, as if....

"Here," a contemptuous voice resounded in the air, and suddenly I saw a few scattered rock before me, and there was a ground beneath my feet. "Limits, they should save your pathetic human minds from madness."

I staggered backwards as relief washed over me, and felt strong hands catching me as my brother interposed himself between me and the ground. "Are you okay, Shun?" I gave him a faint nod, focusing on the frantic beatings of my heart and on my labored breathing. Yes, I'd be okay soon. Just as I started pushing away from Ikki-niisan to stand on my own, a shadow separated itself from the grey fog on my right.

A humanlike shape which seemed to hover halfway between the material plane and the spiritual, as if it had been trapped at the border of nightmares. It didn't make a move towards us, apparently waiting for something. Fear or reverence, perhaps. The ironic thought resounded in my mind, and roused the memory of a fateful night in its wake. "You're Assiel, aren't you?" I asked him quietly.

It had to be him, I remembered the supreme arrogance and the utter contempt with which he had treated both Shaina-san and me. I remembered the horribly strong, inhuman power that I could even now feel exuding from the dark wraith.

"Yes." The reply had been flat, its tone full of a barely restrained fury that I couldn't understand. Along my forearms, the Chain moved, warning me of an imminent danger, and on instinct I stepped backwards, readying myself for an attack that never came. Abruptly, Assiel snorted and spat, "I have no time to waste with the likes of you. You were expected, and Lord Lucifer ordered me to bring you to him."

All of a sudden, our surroundings shifted, and for a moment my mind blanked out, assaulted by something it couldn't possibly deal with, emptiness, a void which didn't, couldn't exist. My stomach lurched, as if I had just gone on the steepest, most violent of rollercoaster drives, and I reflexively pressed a hand against my mouth while nausea filled my being. This...this isn't.... The incoherent thought drowned into the chaos which was rapidly overwhelming my mind.

Basalt.

A floor and high walls, on the left and on the right.

Candelabra, whose light was flickering with an unreal wind that I couldn't feel and was casting hauntingly beautiful shadows over the stones. As savagely as it had come, the adrenaline rush left my body, and I closed my eyes for a fraction of a second. The beatings of my heart were harsh drums filling my mind, deafening. I took a shaking breath then released it slowly, focusing on calm. It's all right. I'm alive, I haven't gone mad. It's all right.

"What happened?" Hyoga's blanched tone told me that my friends hadn't fared much better than I had during...whatever it was that had happened.

"This is Hell," a perfectly pitched voice that I knew very well explained softly, "my very own, private Hell." From very far away I felt shivers running down my spine as my eyes suddenly registered the Fallen Angel's presence, less than five steps away from me. He was leaning back against the edge of the great table of stone which was set at the center of the hall we were now standing into, his head bowed as if he was staring fixedly at something on my right. Slowly, he turned towards us, and smiled. "There is neither Time, nor Space. Dimensions have no meaning." With a short laugh, Lucifer added, "Nothing has meaning here."

Almost, I hugged myself when I heard his laughter, when I heard the terrible undertones in his voice which spoke of things inhuman, of things which relentlessly tore at the soul until at last it gave in, patient, willing to wait for aeons if need be to claim their preys. He, and all of them. Inexplicable sorrow rose inside me, empathy for those unearthly beings who were both hunters and victims, demons and outcasts.

Damned.

Trapped.

Pushing himself upright, Lucifer faced us and gave Saori-san a slight bow, saying with a charming smile, "It would seem you found your way to me, my lady of the Earth. Be welcome."

"Yes, we found the way," Saori-san replied in a very quiet voice from which she didn't manage to completely hide echoes of a shadowed emotion. Anger, and something I couldn't name. "I've come," she said, stepping before us to confront Lucifer, "to hear answers and make a decision."

"Then, please sit down, all of you." The Fallen Angel nodded, and added, his eerie purple gaze set on us, "I'm sure that the simple fact of being here must be taxing for human minds, so please take advantage of what small comfort I can offer you."

At first none of us moved, but Saori-san calmly pulled a chair towards her and sat, indicating that we should do the same, and we reluctantly followed her example. Once silence had again settled over the unreal hall, Saori-san's voice rose, clear and steady. "Shall we start, then? Unlike yours, the world that is my domain is subject to Time, and we cannot afford to spend an eternity in your realm, Lucifer."

"Oh, I know this, never fear," The Fallen Angel grinned at her, "I know that you're worried about your two hatchlings," he stepped over to the table's other side and sat on its edge, musing, "with good reason, perhaps. After all, it's an primeval task you gave them."

"What...?" Seiya started, to be interrupted by Shiryu, who laid a restraining hand on the Pegasus Saint's and shook his head.

"We've come full circle since our first encounter, haven't we, my lady?" Lucifer continued as if he hadn't been interrupted. Softly, he asked, "Have you changed your mind?"

All of a sudden, Saori-san chuckled. "Masaka!" Her eyes glinting with what might have been genuine amusement, the young woman shook her head and replied, "One thing at a time, my lord of Hell. First," sobering in an instant, she said, in deadly earnest, "I will have answers." She seemed to grow as the infinitely powerful aura of Athena radiated from her, and her voice changed when she solemnly asked, "You claim that no help will come from Zeus. Why?"

For a long moment, Lucifer didn't reply, then eventually he pursed his lips and replied in a quiet whisper, "I remember the young girl who was gripping her father's arm, terrified at the sight of me, certain of failure and certain to die, all those years ago...." Smiling, he shook his head. "You have changed since then." He held her gaze with his for a while, as if waiting for her to show a sign of weakness, then he sighed. "Your answer is a pretty obvious one, my lady, I'm surprised you ask me something so trivial." Flatly, he told us, "There will be no help from Olympus simply because there is no more Olympus. Your father is long dead, Athena."

The echoes of those fateful words resounded in the great hall, a challenge which went on unanswered, and eventually they faded into silence. We didn't move, stunned, we didn't react except to turn towards Saori-san. She was staring fixedly at Lucifer, rigid. No emotion was showing on her face, except for her eyes which were impossibly wide. "You lie." The harsh whisper escaped the young woman's lips, filled with burning anger, and dark, swirling undertones of fear.

Lucifer calmly held Saori-san's intent gaze, and then chuckled. "Do I?" His smile left his lips in the blink of an eye, and he shrugged. "I'd like nothing more than to play games with you, but the moment isn't well chosen for that. I'm telling you the truth, Lady of the Earth, and if you refuse to believe me, you're a fool."

The statement hung in the air for a few seconds, as if Lucifer had waited for them to be challenged by Saori-san, but when he realized she'd stay silent, he went on in a quiet voice, "Did you naively think that what you did all those years ago would be eternal? Did you believe that Heaven would let itself be trapped without reacting with all its strength to win free? To an immortal, a few thousand years last less than a dream. They threw all their power in the battle, and when the balance Zeus had established started crumbling, the Heavenly Host moved. Olympus was merely the first realm to fall."

The smile on Lucifer's lips as he said this was both mocking and cruel. With a faint nod, Saori-san told him in a voice carefully devoid of emotions, "I know what it is our wars caused, Lucifer."

"Good," the Fallen Angel grinned, "then you know that I'm telling you the truth. Alone, Zeus couldn't hope to win against the assembled forces of Heaven, but he couldn't call out to you or your uncles, for the same reason why you never dared call out to him or open the Gate of Star Hill: that would have been going against the sacred balance he had set. Your father chose to preserve what he could of the balance, he chose a bloody, hidden war that lasted for centuries while he prepared for the day of his defeat. I suppose you can guess what happened: when the time came, he abandoned his own people, and sealed the door of Olympus with his life. I have to admit," he mused, "that it was a smart move on his part. That kept Heaven occupied for quite a while, but..." he gave us a pleasant smile as he added, "it no longer does."

"Still," Saori-san countered, "the Veil is holding."

All of a sudden, a glass filled with what looked like red wine appeared in Lucifer's right hand, and he brought it to his lips, his inhuman purple gaze set on Saori-san, alight with somber mirth. Slowly, lazily, he drank a sip from the glass, and then nodded. With a knowing smile, he replied, "For now, yes. But not for much longer. The meshes of your net are widening dangerously, my Lady. Already, they allow great fishes to win through."

Veil? What could this mean? What had Athena and the other gods done that had sealed the Heavenly Host away from their realms? On my right, Saori-san bowed her head slightly, and I distinctly saw her bit her lower lip in worry.

"My, but I'm a negligent host!" Six more glasses of red wine appeared in front of each of us. "Please," Lucifer waved at us, "drink as much as you want."

"We're not thirsty, thank you." Saori-san lightly tapped the edge of her glass, raising a single, pure note of music from the crystal.

An expression of mock despair appeared on the Fallen Angel's face. "Mistrust between future allies is a very bad portent, I fear. Won't you reconsider?"

Ignoring Lucifer's absurd game, Saori-san said softly, "And what will happen if I accept your offer? What will happen on the eve of victory? Will you turn your forces towards the Sanctuary and take up the destruction of the world where Heaven will have left it?"

"I can't tell you that, my dear Lady." With a faint sigh, Lucifer raised his glass once again, and focused on it, adding in a distant voice, "I won't make promises I have no intention to keep. However, I'll give you this much," setting his glass on the table, he faced the incarnation of Athena and told her quietly, "for as long as the war will last, we'll be fighting at your side, me and mine, we'll be loyal to you and follow you. Once it's all over, well...." The Fallen Angel smiled, a frightening smile which didn't touch his eyes. "If we win, you have my word that we won't destroy your world."

Inwardly, I shivered while the words echoed inside me. There were no doubts in Lucifer's eyes, no possibility for failure or refusal on our part. Abruptly, I wished that Saori-san would stand and deny him. I wished that we'd leave this nightmarish place and fight this hopeless war on our own. He's....

"And you expect me to seal an alliance with you on that...reassurance alone?" There was incredulity in Saori-san's voice, and confusion. Fear, doubts that she didn't manage to hide completely.

A contemptuous snort came from the other side of the table, and Lucifer retorted, "I expect you to understand that you cannot hope to win this war on your own, and I expect you to risk anything to save your precious humanity rather than to condemn it to a horrible, certain death." The Fallen Angel let his words hang in the air for a few seconds, and then stated calmly, "The time for hesitations is past, my Lady. Will it be yea or nay?"

It had been a mistake to come to this forsaken place, I could see this clearly now. The light inflaming Lucifer's eyes was a terrible one, inhuman, full of things I couldn't understand. I blinked, fighting to control the rising wave of panic which wanted to engulf me.

"And the price?" The almost inaudible whisper raised gooseflesh on my arms. Saori-san's head was bowed, and her eyes were closed while she asked, "The price for your help?"

"Oh, that?" Lucifer chuckled, leaning back against his chair. "A small thing, a trifle, really. Something you can afford to give me, something which will even do you a service and insure our victory."

"Victory?" Saori-san repeated, looking up at the Fallen Angel, lost.

With a nod, Lucifer stood up, and explained, "The issue of this war will be decided by our ability to bring essential elements at the heart of Atsilouth. However, as things stand, even if we manage this it's likely we'll fail. The reason for this is very simple: there's a fatal flaw in one of these elements. A flaw I can correct," he added with a frightening smile.

"You're not making any sense." Saori-san's voice was shaking as she replied. Something cold hit the pit of my stomach when I saw her eyes. Her usually clear gaze was clouded, as if she was trapped, the prisoner of a horrible nightmare.

"But I think I am, my Lady, and I think you understand me very well." Lucifer's voice was hard and merciless. Very quietly, he added, "The price for this alliance is the one who's sitting on your right. Give me Andromeda Shun, and Hell will follow you in your war against Heaven."

Me? I blinked. Is it my name he said? My...name? From very far away, I felt my hands gripping the table's edge, and I bit my lower lip until I tasted blood, barely able to restrain a horrified cry of denial. I could feel my heart hammering in my chest, and pain radiating through my body as air burnt my lungs with each breath, as if I had been running for hours.

No.

Don't....

"Damn you and your sick games, keep your cursed alliance!"

The raw fury in my brother's voice cut through the shroud of chaos which had overwhelmed me, and I saw that he had stood up and was confronting Lucifer, cosmo blazing. Distantly, my mind registered movements as Seiya, Shiryu and Hyoga imitated him. Everything was feeling slow and sluggish; the only thing that was real was the still figure of Saori-san, right beside me. She was sitting with her head bowed, silent, her expression hidden by the heavy curtain of long hair which had invaded her face.

"Yeah, tell him we'll never agree to such absurd terms, Saori-san!" Seiya's voice reached me as if it had come from underwater, strangely distorted. "Saori-san?!" There was something like incomprehension mixed with fear in the Pegasus Saint's cry.

"I'll give him back to you, of course. I won't deprive you of one of your Guardians for the coming war," The Fallen Angel continued with a gentle smile, as if he had been unaware of Ikki-niisan's and Seiya's interruptions. "I'll return him in the time it'll take for you to organize matters in your Sanctuary. Oh, and you will of course need to allow me to set foot on your sacred ground so that I can give you back what's yours."

Silence was the only thing that met Lucifer's words. Saori-san hadn't moved, she hadn't reacted. What can she say? There's no possible answer to such a demand, not for her. And I.... A self-contemptuous smile came to my lips. I was terrified, paralyzed by the possibility she'd accept the Fallen Angel's terms.

Coward that you are.

Even when I had stepped into Hades' palace, when I had seen the figure of the god who was standing behind the curtain, I hadn't felt anything as violent as this. I had never felt anything like the raw emotions which were now clogging my mind and battering at my heart, threatening to shatter it.

All of a sudden, an incredibly violent explosion of cosmo pierced through the fog imprisoning me, and I recognized the familiar aura of Seiya. No, I thought when I felt him gathering his power, Oh no, don't do this, please. Don't! I knew what my friend intended. I knew what folly the generosity and kindness of his heart was pushing him to do, and I couldn't let....

"Stop your filthy game, Lucifer. Stop it right now, or--"

"You're fast becoming a real nuisance," the Fallen Angel interrupted Seiya in a pleasant voice, and he added, without deigning to turn towards the Pegasus Saint, "I thought you'd have learnt to stay in your proper place, but if such isn't the case--"

"It's all right." I didn't recognize my own voice as my faint, blanched whisper interrupted the Fallen Angel. Sweet Goddess, help me. I closed my eyes tightly shut, willing the fear and the desperate cry of refusal *away*.

Help me.

Slowly, I turned to face Lucifer, and repeated, "It's all right." There was no choice, no other alternative than this. Refusing to look away from him, I nodded, "I'll pay his price, Saori-san. It's the only thing we can do."

Emptiness claimed my being, an eerie calm which simply meant that the storm of emotions would be that more violent once the shock had passed. It's the logical thing to do, the right thing to do. A painful smile crept up my lips. After all, I knew what my Fate must be. I had known it since the day when I had stepped onto Andromeda Island and when I had learnt that I had been born under the Andromeda Constellation.

On my right, Lucifer had frozen. Surprise flickered briefly in the amethyst gaze, and his eyes narrowed while he focused on me, discarding the other people present as if they had suddenly ceased to exist. With a desperate effort of will, I stared back at him without flinching, and managed to control the sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Seiya is safe, I repeated myself in a litany. Safe. Safe. Safe. My friend had been a heartbeat away from death, I had seen it rise in harmony with the Fallen Angel's icy anger. And if ever Lucifer had....

"Shun, no!" Hyoga cried out, shaking his head wildly. From the corner of an eye, I saw that the Cygnus Saint's clear blue eyes were wide with shock.

I'm sorry, Hyoga. I'm sorry, but it's the only way out.

"There's no way we'll ever let you do this," the Cygnus Saint continued in a tightly controlled voice, "there's no way we'll allow such an atrocity to happen." I heard the trembling in my friend's voice, and I felt more than I saw the tension inhabiting him, but I didn't turn towards him.

I couldn't turn towards him. If I did, I'd lose my nerve, I'd break and I'd flee, and that couldn't be allowed to happen. Just as Shiryu nodded in answer to Hyoga's words, a muffled whisper rose in the great hall.

"Do you know what it is you're offering, Shun?" Saori-san's asked in a voice devoid of emotion. She was still sitting with her head bowed, her face masked by her hair.

The fingers of her right hand were shaking on the table's edge.

The question hung in the air for a long, terrible instant, and then faded into silence. There was stupor, incomprehension and fear on my friends' face. I smiled softly when I saw the fire in my brother's dark grey eyes. Fear, and fury. I knew what Saori-san's words had sparked in their hearts.

Her question had been like so many shards of ice tearing at my soul.

I understand, Saori-san. Taking a deep breath, I answered, "No, I don't, but it doesn't matter, does it?" There was mad laughter rising up my throat, raw panic which wanted to rob me of reason. With difficulty, I managed to keep my emotions at bay, and went on in a strained voice, "There's no choice, and we all know it. We wouldn't have come here otherwise. You wouldn't be torturing yourself as you're doing, wavering between yes and no, if we stood the slightest chance of winning this war on our own, would you?"

I interrupted myself for a few seconds, waiting to see if Saori-san would gainsay me, but she didn't. Of course she doesn't, how can she deny the truth? The mocking inner voice resounded in my brain, raising eerie shadows in its wake. Shadows of feelings which were sorrow and resentment, fear and denial, pain and something which had no name. Bowing my head, I pushed back my chair and stood up. In a soft whisper, I said, "What I'm doing is selfish, Saori-san. I told you: I couldn't bear to see anyone else die. I'd break if it happened, and if by paying his price I can insure that nobody else will be killed, if it can save lives, then I want to do it. So," I smiled at her, "Don't torture yourself for me, don't hesitate. I'm not doing this because I'm a Saint, I'm doing it for myself."

A heavy silence fell over the hall, disturbed only by the faintest of sounds: Saori-san's shaking breath. Eventually, she looked up at me, her face a mask of stone. The light in her eyes was a dead one. She stood up, in a slow motion, and faced Lucifer. Then, in an eerily quiet voice, she declared, "You will have the price you demand, Lord of Hell, but I want what belongs to me to be returned intact."

The Fallen Angel gave Saori-san a slow nod, and a lazy smile came to his lips. "You have my word," he said softly, "that I won't harm a single hair on his head."

Merle carefully rested the palms of his hands against the wooden frame and leaned forward, breathing in the pure air of morning and the scents that a gentle breeze was carrying from the sea. Smiling to himself, the young man thought that the house's owners had been inspired to allow windows to remain open even though the season was winter. Nothing compares to this feeling of freedom, of peace.... Merle closed his eyes, allowing his mind to let go of wars and death for brief moment, and relished the serenity which was emanating from the great house.

Lefkada was a small island, less than hundred meters distant from the mainland. It was somewhat North of Kefalonia, just above the gulf of Korinthos. In summer, it was said to be crowded with tourists from all over the world, people who came to enjoy its beauty and its peaceful atmosphere. Right now it was almost deserted, and silence reigned. Heaven must be like this, Merle thought to himself. Crystalline waters, beaches of pure white sand, small villages of white and blue, patches of green forests...yes, this place met all of Merle's requirements for heaven.

It was the first time that Merle was allowed to leave the barren mountains of the Sanctuary. It was the first time he was free to step into the world and feel it. To hear its song, see its beauty.... Everything was magical to him, he was feeling like a young child just out of the nursery. The touch of a plane tree's leaf was a miracle as fantastic as the explosion of cosmo. So many things, I had no idea, I could never have imagined how much has been stolen from us during all these years.

"Incredible," The quiet whisper shattered the bubble of timelessness which had closed around Merle, and he turned away from the window to face Lune, who went on with a speculative light in his eyes, "this mansion is nothing short of huge, and yet it's supposed to be nothing compared to what it used to be."

Before Poseidon had awakened.

Before the war that had raged under the Mediterranean Sea.

It was said that Julian had no memories of what had happened, no memories of having almost destroyed humanity, but still, for some unfathomable reason right after the end of the confrontation he had gotten rid of most of his extravagant riches, sharing his immense fortune among organizations which aimed to protect nature and to help children in third world countries. No memories, perhaps, but I wouldn't bet on that.

"I wonder, just how much power does the Solo family wield?" Lune pursed his lips as he said this, and Merle merely shrugged, unable to answer the question. The redhead's insatiable curiosity and constant need to analyze, weigh and evaluate was something that Merle was forced to accept, but couldn't understand.

"The empire that was built by my ancestors was as wide as the oceans. In all times, my family has ruled over the seven seas. Does this answer your question?"

Both young men tensed, almost imperceptibly, as the clear voice disturbed the silence which had followed Lune's musings. Merle gave a polite nod, studying the two persons who had entered the waiting room with care. The one who had spoken had come in last. He was taller than Merle himself, but that wasn't what attracted the eye. No, what captured the attention was the young man's long grey hair which cascaded down his back to reach below his shoulderblades. That, and the eerie blue eyes whose color was so pale that Merle couldn't help feeling there was something alien, something more than human in the clear gaze.

He has the eyes of a hawk.

The other man was standing on Julian Solo's left, silent. Surprise flashed in Merle's eyes when he saw that the young man's right hand was carefully holding what looked like a flute.

A flute made of a pure gold.

That alone would have been enough to spark curiosity in Merle, who hadn't ever seen a musical instrument, much less ever heard one being played, but there was more. Oh yes, far more than just a flute to make one wonder about the person who was standing still, almost like a statue waiting in the shadow of its lord. The young man's impossibly pale blonde hair, for instance, which almost looked like it had been bleached white. That, or the beautiful ethereal crimson red eyes. A gaze of pale blood.

Stepping before Merle, Lune bowed at the newcomers, and replied, "Indeed, it does. Thank you for enlightening me, Mr. Solo."

"So you're the two young men the Graad Foundation insisted I should see," Julian Solo nodded, and he went on, puzzlement clear in his voice, "They kept harassing my staff on the phone, and they wouldn't give up until they were given the assurance that I'd receive you." He gave a helpless shrug, then added, "Now that I have, will you explain the why of all this? Who are you, and why did Miss Kido suddenly decide she wanted to renew contact with me?"

The tone of Julian Solo's voice had been warm and pleasant, but the light in his eyes was strangely calm and cold. For a fleeting moment, Merle wondered what might have passed between Kido Saori and this man before the awakening of the gods, then Lune's voice cut short to his reflections as the redhead replied, "My name is Lune, and my friend here is called Merle. We were indeed sent to you by Miss Kido, but I'm afraid the reason for our visit is a bit complicated, and will require--"

"You're envoys from the Sanctuary," the other man hissed, placing himself before Julian Solo and holding up his right arm in a horizontal position, as if to protect his master from a sudden threat.

Cosmo, was the surprised thought which echoed in Merle's mind while cold hit the pit of his stomach. Cosmo that I haven't been able to feel until now. There was only one possible thing which could explain this: the man who had moved to interpose himself between both the two friends and Julian Solo was the last surviving Marine Shogun.

"Sorento?!" Julian Solo reached out to the other man, bewildered.

Without turning back to face his master, the man named Sorento said between clenched teeth, "Please, stay back, Julian-sama. Those men are dangerous, they--"

"Oh, bother!" Lune exclaimed, raising his arms heavenward in a gesture of feigned disgust. "Please, give me a break, we didn't come here to harm anyone, on the opposite," the redhead snorted.

"Explain yourselves, then," Julian Solo said, stepping forward and lightly resting a restraining hand on Sorento's shoulder. Merle looked into the pale blue eyes, and shivered. On instinct, he had moved to obey the quiet command there had been in the voice, and he had caught himself just in time. Even now, he could feel words on his tongue, wanting to be uttered.

Heaving out a loud sigh, Lune nodded, and stared steadily at Julian Solo. "We intend to, but it's not an easy matter." With an ironic smile, the redhead went on, "It's likely most of what I'm going to tell you will sound insane to your ears, but bear with me." Abruptly, Lune interrupted himself, and spat out a furious curse. Whirling around, he cried out, "Merle!"

Ice seeped into Merle's veins while he gave his friend a quick nod. Sending fear back to the shadows of his soul, he replied, "Yes, I know." The young man could feel Lune's cosmo flare up violently, troubled by the now all too familiar feeling of someone crossing the void between Heaven and Earth. It's too soon. We need time!

"We don't have it, Merle, we won't have it. We must act now, before it's too late." Lune's barely audible whisper was for Merle alone. Warmth spread into the young man's heart when he felt the redhead's hand pat his shoulder. Lune knew, his powers allowed him to read the mind, and even though at times Merle had wanted to throttle his friends for abusing this ability of his, this time he was glad for it.

Closing his eyes for the time of a heartbeat, Merle acknowledged the truth of the situation they were in, and of what the consequences would be. Strange, I'm not afraid. I thought I would be, but....

Cutting short to his reflections, Merle smiled, replying in a quiet voice, "You're right." Staring right into his friend's eerie green eyes, he said, "Go, take them away with you to the Sanctuary. I'll cover you." Anger flashed into the emerald gaze, but before Lune could protest, Merle added softly, "You know that it has to be you."

Lune's expression was clouded, as if he was still of a mind to deny what was nothing more than a correct and logical choice, and Merle shook his head in silence. If you were the one to stay behind, I'd turn back to help you, I couldn't let you die, and we'd lose everything. You're not as foolish as I am, you'll protect them, and you won't look back. So go.

With that, Merle freed himself and gave his friend a gentle push. For a fraction of a second, emerald eyes met blue, and for the first time Merle touched the bared heart of his friend. For the first time, he clearly felt the deep bond that they shared acknowledged by the redhead.

Damn you, stupid pain in the ass! Lune's thought rippled within Merle's mind, full of a feigned fury which couldn't completely hide anguish, and brought a smile on the young man's lips. I forbid you to die, is that clear? I'll personally come to hell to get you back if you disobey, I promise you.

Turning his back on Merle, Lune ran forward, right towards Julian Solo and Sorento, and forcefully dragged the host of Poseidon after him, unheeding of the man's futile attempts at freeing himself.

Just as the back door of the room was banged shut, Merle turned to face the coming threat, in time to be blinded by a violent explosion of light as the enemy materialized into the world.

Devouring flames, Merle thought, fighting to keep his wits about him, fighting against the overwhelming feeling the stranger's presence was giving rise to within him. He's fire, and yet somber. Unable to repress a shiver along his spine, Merle instinctively stepped back. He's on par with the one who appeared in the House of Aquarius.

The angel was wearing a human shape, as all the others had before him. Perhaps it was a constraint imposed by their presence in the material world. Merle neither knew nor cared. The only thing that mattered was that the enemy was real, solid. A target that could be hit and destroyed. As the young man focused inwards, calling forth a power that had been kept hidden for years, the unearthly being slowly lifted his head to lock his gaze with Merle's.

"Where is Poseidon?" The question was short, the angel's voice sharp and cold.

Merle looked into the abyss of the inhuman russet gold eyes, and gritted his teeth, discarding with difficulty the horrible sensation that he was falling, drowning in a sea of fire. Forcing himself to face the enemy without flinching, the young man took in the unreal, dark beauty of the angel, the long jet black hair cascading down the angel's back to reach his waist and the night-colored clothes he was wearing. No armor, Merle thought distantly, no protection that I can see.

Tired of waiting for an answer, the angel stepped forward, and Merle closed his eyes. Too late, now. Inevitable. Denying the cold feeling in his heart, Merle lifted his left arm horizontally in a halting gesture, and said in a quiet voice, "I'm sorry, but I may not let you pass."

That triggered a reaction in the angel. Incredulity flashed in the russet gold eyes, and the ghost of a smile touched the angel's lips as he said, "Child, move aside. I didn't come here for you, and I don't relish taking lives unnecessarily." The sudden, alien gentleness in the voice struck Merle far more than the assurance and power exuding from the angel. Still, he didn't move, and his opponent added in a quiet whisper, "Bravery is a quality, but it won't serve you here. You cannot hope to stop one of the archangels. I am Uriel, child, and if you don't stand aside, I will kill you."

Uriel.... Merle tasted the name, turning it in his mind but it didn't teach him anything. He had no knowledge of religious lore, and he didn't need that anyway. He could feel the strength of the being in front of him, and he knew that Uriel had likely told him the truth. If only he had had the protection and help of a Gold Cloth, things might have been different, but as it was....

It doesn't matter anyway.

Summoning all the power he had at his command, Merle looked death straight in the eyes, and then focused inwards, shaping the beautiful, magical thing that was called cosmo. Using all the strength of the Seventh Sense, the young man released the blaze which had been waiting inside him, poised, and invoked,

Obeying Merle's will, the myriad of incandescent threads of light rushed towards the angel, who didn't move. Nothing registered in Uriel's calm gaze, neither surprise nor fear. Utterly still, the angel waited for the deadly attack to strike, as if he had been unaware of the threat. As if...no! Ice closed around Merle's heart when all of a sudden the threads of blinding light faded into nothingness.

Absorbed.

Drowned, he didn't even counter them, he didn't defend himself, he just.... Merle shook his head in denial, bewildered. This was impossible, this just couldn't be happening. He knew how powerful, how terribly lethal the seemingly harmless, beautiful strands of pure light were; he knew the sheer power of destruction of his attack. Not even Lune could have faced it without being forced to either evade it or try to counter it. But Uriel....

Danger! Acting purely on instinct, Merle lunged on the side and rolled down on the floor. Belatedly, pain shot in his left thigh, blinding, and the young man grimaced, unable to help himself. Slowly, he stood up, finding that his balance was compromised. Pain was radiating through his body, clouding his mind. Blood, Merle thought as he felt thick, warm liquid running down his leg. While he listened to the echoes of his blood dripping on the floor, the young man forced his mind to focus on what had happened.

Even though Uriel hadn't moved, the angel had somehow managed to return Merle's attack, focusing the myriad of threads into a single beam...a beam that Merle hadn't been able to avoid completely. Too fast, the young man shivered, too fast for me to see it, even though I can move at the speed of light.

"Now, do you understand?"

Merle closed his eyes for the time of a heartbeat, denying the beautiful voice. Yes, of course I understand. I have understood from the moment I felt your presence in this room. I know what awaits. Sending the pain away, the young man opened himself to the feeling of the stars, tiny islands of light lost in the eternal night of space, and reached out to the constellation he had been born under.

Presence.

Shaken to the roots of his being, Merle blinked as he felt something touch his soul, alien and yet familiar. A memory... The pain in the young man's leg faded back, washed away by a gentle golden light, and tears, unbidden, came to Merle's eyes. The memory of the one who was the guardian of this constellation before me. The feeling which overwhelmed Merle in an instant was one of warmth and acceptance, and for what was likely the first and the last time, the young man felt that he knew who he was. This is where I belong. I'm in the right place, in the right time, and I know what I must do. Serenity came with these thoughts, and Merle smiled.

Beyond duty, he knew in his heart that he couldn't step back. Not now that he had seen the smallest fraction of what the world was, of how beautiful and precious it was. Gathering his will, Merle called forth the flame of his life, and used it. Slowly, the young man held out his left arm towards the archangel, and in the same time a beautiful longbow of pure light took shape in his left hand. Reaching out with the right, Merle closed his fingers upon the unreal edge of an arrow, and strung the ethereal bow. Before him, Uriel bowed his head, as if reluctantly acknowledging something.

The necessity to kill, Merle felt a savage grin coming to his face, and released the arrow. Every second that I win by keeping you here matters. Victory doesn't always mean being the one who survives. Flinging himself forward, the young man followed in the arrow's wake.

Once again, Uriel didn't make a move to defend himself against the attack, but it didn't matter to Merle. He knew that his arrow couldn't kill the archangel. The only chance that he had was to use surprise, but to have to use such a weapon as a decoy...Lune would have laughed and told the young man that it was folly. And folly, it is. Merle summoned a sphere of blazing light into his right hand, and prepared to strike.

Shadow.

All of a sudden, Time seemed to freeze. From the corner of an eye, Merle saw a great shadow taking shape in the right hand of Uriel. Cold wind came with it, so cold.... It's too late, I can't stop now, I can't. Raw fear overwhelmed Merle in an instant, spurred by the very feeling which accompanied the appearance of the shadow. A feeling so primal it had no name, which had hit Merle's gut with such force that it had frozen his heart. It was something that his body knew, even if he couldn't recognize it. Something that every living being knew, something that waited at the core of everything.

A Scythe, blacker than the night itself.

Death. As the thought filled Merle's mind, Uriel's hand moved in a blur. On reflex, Merle hurled his desperate attack at the enemy.

Then the great Scythe struck.

Pain exploded in Merle's ribs, horrible, and abruptly the floor under him gave way. From very far away, he heard himself screaming.

Lune gritted his teeth, sending anguish away. He kept feeling the explosion of Merle's cosmo, and he knew that his friend must be fighting a desperate battle. He knew that Merle had already used all the considerable power at his command to no avail, and it didn't surprise him. He had felt the coming of the angel, he had felt the blazing power used for the crossing between realms, and he knew with mercilessly clear certainty that neither he nor Merle could prevail against something so powerful, so utterly inhuman as the being which had now come to Earth. Not without the Gold Cloths which should have been theirs, the Gold Cloths lost in the realm of Hades.

"Your friend is dying."

Lune's heart skipped a beat when the words registered in his brain, and fury followed, setting his soul ablaze. I know, with a wild shake of his head, Lune fought the powerful emotions which threatened to impair his mind, Damn you, I know!

"Do you intend to allow this to happen?"

Without turning back, Lune squeezed the arm of Julian Solo hard enough to bruise, barely able to restrain the burning anger that the words had triggered. "I have no choice, I must protect you," he hissed. "Now, come!" Harshly, he pulled at the other man's forearm, uncaring if he'd dislocate Julian Solo's shoulder in the process.

The only thing that mattered, the only thing that could matter was that the man follow him to safety and that Sorento had apparently decided to allow his master to be dragged out of his house by a Saint of Athena. Perhaps the Marine Shogun could feel the threat of the angel, perhaps he understood the meaning of the repeated explosions of Merle's cosmo...after all Lune didn't care. Discarding the crimson-eyed man running on his right, Lune focused on a single thing.

Flight.

"His light is fading, and your heart weeps."

Lune didn't hear the voice, he didn't hear the change in its tone; his mind was filled with the feeling of Merle's terrible pain, and it was all he could do to keep himself separate from his friend. I allowed the bond to run too deep, he thought distantly. Maybe I'll go mad when he dies. For some reason, that made Lune want to laugh. All of a sudden, there was a violent pull on the young man's left shoulder.

What? Belatedly, Lune realized that Julian Solo had stopped in his tracks. Damn you, Lune gathered his strength, I'll drag you by force if I must. Just as he was about to do so, something sparked in the air.

Thunder.

Storm.

Cosmo so strong and violent that it overwhelmed Lune in an instant.

The shock of his body hitting the floor reached Merle through a haze of pain. Shadows were dancing in his eyes, threatening to obscure his vision. Unconsciousness.... Death. Weak coughs raked the young man's body, sending savage jolts of pain which tore at him and forced a pathetic moan through his lips. Blood followed, filling Merle's mouth with a disgusting taste of iron.

Blood, coming from the deep, lacerating wound which had been caused by the scythe. The weapon had struck Merle's ribs, tearing through the bone and piercing his left lung. It had missed the heart by a hair's width, but it didn't matter. It'll simply take me a little more time to die. Irony filled the young man at the thought. Perhaps after all he should have been grateful for that, it'd delay Uriel that much more.

But only if I can convince him he must finish the job.

Reaching out to infinity, Merle shuddered when the wave of cosmo assaulted his body, barely restraining a scream of pain. It hurts...oh goddess, it hurts so much! Refusing to close his eyes, the young man made himself lift his head and look up. There was still power for him to use, impossibly strong power. Eternal, that's what Lune said once. Looks like he was right. Cosmo was an infinite source of power, it couldn't be emptied, not if one could keep the strength to reach out to it and reap its bounty. Denying the torture that each breath was for him, Merle focused on his surroundings, and called forth the light.

One last time.

"Now wasn't supposed to be your time, child. I regret to have to do this, but I promise you I'll be there to guide your soul at the gates of the underworld." There was something which might have been sorrow in Uriel's russet gold eyes. The archangel's right hand moved, and the dark Scythe went up.

Then it came down.

Abruptly, something interposed itself between Merle and the dark, frightening shadow of the Scythe. Such a bright light, and that shape.... Merle blinked, uncomprehending.

Lune?

Yes, it was Lune who was standing between Merle and Death, shielding his friend with his own body. Then, the voice.... Inwardly, Merle shook his head, unable to reconcile what his senses were telling him with what reality should have been. What are you doing here? He asked, feeling despair seep into his heart. It's useless, we'll both die, and Poseidon will be lost. You--

"Stop that, moron!" Lune's voice was strained. All of a sudden, awareness returned, and Merle realized that his friend was using all his power to hold back the archangel's Scythe.

It's such a beautiful sword of light that you created, Lune, Merle thought distantly, feeling the last strands of his life escaping from his grasp.

"Damn you, don't close your eyes, don't fall asleep or I'll beat you into a pulp, hear me?!" Merle smiled softly when he heard his friend's furious threat, and wished that he could obey. Above him, he saw Lune's hand shaking, the light of the incandescent blade flickering, fading into nothingness as the Scythe's darkness engulfed its power.

Drank its life.

Lune's life.

No. Using the last of his strength, Merle released the cosmo he had been able to gather, and the sphere of light struck, harmlessly brushing along Lune's right side as it flew towards its target. The young man closed his eyes, then, but pain again raked through his body as hands harshly pulled at him, gathering him from the floor and taking him to safety.

"Wake up, fool! Wake up!" There was terror mixed with hysteria in Lune's voice. Merle tried to obey, more out of concern for his friend than because Lune was slapping him with incredible strength.

Leave me alone, please. Merle gave a weak cough, and blood spilled from his mouth, choking the cry of pain that had accompanied the movement. It hurts too much, just leave me. With a desperate effort of will, Merle managed to force his eyes to come into focus, and ice clawed at his heart when he saw Uriel stepping towards them. Lune had just been able to bear Merle a few steps away, but that wasn't enough. No.... Go away, please, run.... Merle weakly tried to push his friend aside, and failed.

Behind Lune, the archangel once again raised his Scythe.

"Hold!"

Uriel froze, the archangel's russet gold eyes going wide with shock. Abruptly, the Scythe vanished from his hands, and he slowly turned on the right to face the one who had spoken. Julian Solo appeared in Merle's field of vision, and even though darkness was clawing at his being, the young man clearly saw the other man stepping forward to calmly confront the archangel. A light, a shining light in the storm.

"This place belongs to me, Prince of Lights, and the lives of those under this roof are mine to take or give as I see fit." Julian Solo's voice had taken on an alien quality, and the feeling of presence radiating from him was overwhelming. At once like and unlike that of Kido Saori when she had revealed herself to Lune and Merle.

Poseidon. Merle's mind reeled. But I thought that Poseidon's soul was trapped in the urn of Athena and....

"I see that the rumor was true," Uriel gave Julian Solo a slight bow. "I cannot go against your will in this place, Lord of the Oceans, the Sea is too close. I suppose," the archangel added with a knowing smile, "that it's useless for me to ask you to accompany me to Atsilouth."

Without waiting for an answer, Uriel bowed again, and disappeared into a torrent of flames. A strange echo lingered in the air for a few moments, like the whinnying of horses and the thunder of hooves, and then it faded into silence. It took Merle a few seconds to realize that the threat was gone for good, then the young man gratefully closed his eyes.

Cold.

Just as he was about to be claimed by the abyss, something struck Merle. A savage wave of raw power which flooded his being, as violent as a tsunami. The young man cried out as it shattered his being, then all of a sudden the pain went away.

"Merle?" Hands were supporting him, and he could feel his head resting against a shoulder. "Open your eyes, curse you." Merle did so, bracing himself against the pain he knew must come as he breathed air into his lungs, and found himself staring into the hawk-like eyes of Julian Solo.

It's bearable, Merle absurdly thought. There was still pain radiating through his body, but it had faded back to a more human level. Dismissing the sensation, the young man tried to understand what had just happened. I was dying. The thought echoed in Merle's mind, and he shook his head, lost.

"He saved you," Lune whispered into Merle's ear, and gave the young man a gentle, careful hug. "You were too far gone, I couldn't reach you, but he did."

With difficulty, Merle raised his head from against Lune's shoulder, and asked the being who was bending over him, "Why?"

A wry smile came to the lips of Julian Solo, and the hard light in his eyes softened somewhat. "Such courage and loyalty are rare qualities. It would be a waste to let them disappear. Besides," he straightened, adding, "I need guides to enter the Sanctuary."

"You will accompany us, then?" Lune's voice was incredulous.

"Do I have a choice?" The man who was the incarnation of Poseidon laughed bitterly. "Athena and I may have our differences," he went on in a deadly quiet voice, "but in this we are allies. I'll never let Heaven destroy the world." A strange smile came to his lips as he said, "I'd never forgive myself. Sorento," he turned towards the Marine Shogun, and nodded at him. "Help them, we have to leave here quickly."

"Hai, Poseidon-sama."

As the young man moved towards the two friends, the incarnation of Poseidon shook his head, and said in a gentle voice, "It's not necessary to call me that way. A part of me doesn't want such deference from one he considers as a dear friend, and I won't deny him in this."

Something unreadable flickered in the pale crimson eyes of Sorento, and he bowed his head, replying in an almost inaudible whisper, "Thank you, Julian-sama."

End of Chapter 5.

Notes

Uriel: Fire of God. One of the leading angels in noncanonical lore, he has more or less all the titles that you can think of, depending on whom you read. Those I used for inspiration here are flame of God, Presider over Tartarus, (the realm of the dead, Hades), prince of lights and archangel of salvation (hence his regrets at having to kill Merle). He's also described as descending from Heaven in a chariot drawn by white horses, and if you know me, you know I couldn't let that pass unechoed ^_-
Masaka: literally: impossible. Here, used more like a shortcut, meaning something along the lines of "but of course not, it's impossible".

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