[ Watashi ]

[ Tomodachi ]

[ Saint Seiya ]

[ Clamp ]

[ Fanfiction ]

"Well, you certainly took your time coming back, ne Shun?"

I nodded, smiling at Seiya with good humor. Now that I was back in Japan, in the familiar environment of the orphanage where I had lived my early childhood, I felt safe, and my fears seemed stupid, a distant, senseless nightmare. I emptied my soda and replied with a friendly grin, "Unlike a certain person that I know, I don't rush blindly into things. I like to think before I act."

A fake scowl of anger on his face, he growled, "And what exactly do you mean by that?"

I leaned my chin on the palm of my right hand and faced him with the most innocent look on my face. "Why, nothing at all, Seiya. You know I'd never dare say a wrong word about you!"

Suddenly he stepped towards me and hugged me tight, whispering in a gruff voice, "You! You--I'm happy you left the Sanctuary at last, Shun, really." He released me and shook his head. "I--no, *we* thought that all those battles had wounded you too much for you to ever be able to lead a normal life again."

I bowed my head at that and quietly shut out the echoes of pain Seiya's words had reawakened in my heart. Then I looked at him and smiled. "Thank you for understanding, my friend. But don't worry, I'll be okay now. I won't let my fears rule my life again."

A young woman came into the room, followed by a dozen of children, who immediately rushed towards us, calling out to us. With a patient smile, I waited for the assault and chuckled inwardly when I noticed the sweatdrop on Seiya's right temple. I lifted a little girl into my lap and began chatting with her. Immediately she made it clear she knew exactly who I was, and that she was one of my biggest fans. She wanted to marry me later and, since she was the first to have ever said that to me, I was now her fiancee, and I had better be happy about it. I laughed happily. Goddess, I'd never have thought that the events of the Galaxian Wars would have been remembered until now. And looking at the seriousness on my "future bride"'s face, I wondered for the thousandth time whether it wouldn't have been better never to have broadcast that stupid tournament...to remember almost at once why it had been necessary. Oh well, with a bit of luck this young lady would have forgotten all about me in a few months.

I looked around to see Seiya similarly crowded, harassed by three small boys who wanted him to go play soccer with them *right now*, and smiled. In front of us, the young woman clapped in her hands to have the children's attention, which she got immediately. "Please, everyone, don't annoy Seiya-chan and Shun-chan, otherwise they might decide they don't want to take you to Tokyo Tower anymore."

This triggered an immediate response, and the children gave us some free room at once. I marveled at the ability the young woman had to communicate and deal with those children. Orphans were often unruly, hard to understand and reason with, and she managed really outstandingly well. But then, she had been an orphan as well. She stared at us steadily and said, in a very earnest voice, "So, promise me you'll be serious, and very careful. I'm mainly saying this for you, Seiya-chan." She beamed at me. "I know Shun-chan will take good care of the children."

Seiya managed to throw her a very sincere wounded look. "You're being unfair, Miho-chan! You know I'll look after them, after all they're my family too!"

A twinkle of mischief sparkled in her eyes and she stuck out her tongue at him. "Yes, I know that." Her lips silently formed the word "baka", and I burst out laughing.

Trying to keep a dignified attitude, Seiya went out of the room, calling out to the children, "Come with me, kids, let's go conquer Tokyo Tower and leave those two here to laugh themselves silly like foolish birds."

Still laughing, I caught up with Seiya and waved good bye at Miho before getting out of the orphanage. Once we were out of hearing range, I looked at my friend and asked, "Didn't you overdo it a little?"

He smiled contentedly. "No, I don't think so."

I sighed. "Really, I don't understand you, when will you be clear as to--" I fell silent, and shook my head. "Ah...forget about it. It's not my problem after all."

He shot me a suspicious look, but I ignored him, showing a sign to the children and announcing brightly, "Look! Here's the entrance to the subway station, we'll go there now." They rushed towards it at once, impatient, and Seiya and I had to keep up with them and try to keep some order among them. I had an inward sigh, relieved to have found something to distract Seiya's attention. Sometimes, I really said things about matters that were not my business. And Seiya's love life was definitely not my concern, even though I had my opinion on his attitude.

Something tugged at my left sleeve and I looked down to see that the little girl who had decided I'd be her fiancee was trying to get my attention. I smiled gently and asked, "What is it, Nami-chan?"

She held up her hands to me, and I sighed good-humoredly, taking her up into my arms. She was cute with her twin little braids and those sparkling brown eyes which were locked on mine, as if trying to decipher some secret hidden on my face. She stared at me very seriously for a few seconds and then said, "When I grow up, I'll be even more beautiful than all those girls from college who were visiting Tokyo Tower with us." She made a face. "And I at least will always remember to have enough money to put into the binoculars!"

I chuckled, remembering the girl with the braided pony tail. It had been a funny interlude. And it was true that there had been a lot of collegians on field trip at the Tower today.

"Abunai!"

I whirled on the left as I heard the cry. In a slow motion, I saw a young teenager girl kneeling down in the middle of the wide avenue to gather a puppy into her arms while a truck was rushing towards her. There was no time to think. I put Nami-chan down as gently as I could.

The truck driver sounded his horn and tried to brake. Too late.

I saw horror shine in beautiful hazel eyes.

The girl clutched the puppy against her, as if to protect it with her body. I stepped down on the street. "Shun!" Unheeding of Seiya's cry, I ran.

Not enough time....

I felt a rush of adrenaline flowing through my body, and flung myself forward. I reached the girl's side just a fraction of a second before the truck. Gathering her and her puppy with my left arm, I turned towards the heavy vehicle, in a slow motion, and felt my eyes widening as the stench of abused tires and brakes combined to the desperate screech of rubber against asphalt assaulted my senses.

I have no choice. I nodded inwardly, acknowledging that truth, and acknowledging the possible consequences of what I was about to do. Forbidden. I silenced the inner voice, caring little about a law which would have forced me to sit back and watch, letting an innocent life be taken when I could act and save it. Focusing inward, I called forth the power locked inside me, waiting, and set fire to the stars within. In front of me, the truck abruptly seemed to freeze, its movement slowed so much it was as if it had been held back by an invisible hand, caught in a mire where the normal flow of Time was suspended. Reaching out with my right hand, I invoked in a whisper, Nebula Stream.

A powerful gust of wind rose all around me, emanating from my body, and pushed at the truck, forcing it back and giving me the fraction of a second that I needed. I jumped to safety with my two burdens, and put the girl down, helping her to stand. Her eyes were very wide, the light in them wild, and she was shaking, obviously undergoing shock. The truck driver had stopped his vehicle a bit farther and was running towards us. Absentmindedly I noticed Nami-chan bouncing around me, in obvious admiration. "Wait a go! Wait a go, you're the best!"

I ignored her and looked worriedly at the young girl. "Daijoubu desu ka?"

Her frightened eyes searched my face, and eventually she nodded, replying in a faint whisper, "Hai." She was really beautiful, with those long blonde hair lightly flowing down her back and her deep hazel eyes. She seemed so fragile, and precious somehow. "Daijoubu desu."

I smiled gently, trying to reassure her. "Well, all's good then." I reached out to stroke the puppy which was still held in her arms. "And I see the little fellow over here is all right too."

Seiya walked over to the truck driver and told him everything was all right, for which I was thankful. The last thing this girl needed was to be scolded, she had been frightened enough. Suddenly I heard the sound of someone running towards us, forcing his way through the small crowd of people which had gathered around us, and saw a young man stopping beside the girl, asking anxiously, "Kotori...Kotori, daijoubu ka?"

As she saw him, tears sparkled in her eyes and she hugged him tight, whispering, "Onii-chan, I was so afraid."

He ran a hand through her hair in a tender gesture, saying gently, "It's okay now, you're safe." He released her, and then faced me and said with a deep, solemn bow, "I saw what happened. Thank you for saving my sister. Thank you very much."

I shook my head, embarrassed by his formal display, and waved in denial. "No thanks are necessary. Anyone would have done the same. I simply happened to be the one in the best position to help." I smiled at young man who seemed to be such a serious and somber figure. "My name is Shun."

A slight smile came to his lips when he heard that. "I'm Monou Fuuma. Nice to meet you."

Distantly, I wondered if he could sometimes be free of the seriousness radiating from him. Those deep dark eyes seemed to be incapable of conveying anything other than sorrow or gravity. In the same time the young girl regained enough composure to look at me and smile, bowing as well. "My name is Monou Kotori, and I thank you very much for your help, Shun-san."

I shrugged, still smiling reassuringly, and gave the both of them a short bow. "It's really nothing, Monou-san, I'm happy both you and your puppy are unharmed."

Her brother nodded. "We have to go, but I would be honored if you could come to the Togakushi Shrine, so that we might thank you more adequately."

I shrugged, a bit surprised by the turn of events, and nodded back. "I'll be glad to pay you a visit then."

At the same time, I saw Seiya coming towards us, elbowing his way through the crowd, waving people away and muttering impatiently, "Oh come on, let me through, there's nothing to be seen."

Before he could reach our side, both Monou Kotori and her brother bowed one last time and left, while the crowd started to disperse. I sighed inwardly, thinking this had been too close for comfort. I had been surprised by the truck's speed, and I had almost been unable to save the girl. Death had really brushed past Monou Kotori this afternoon.

"Well, that was quite a rescue!"

I turned on my left, and saw a young man watching me with a quizzical smile on his face. He was tall, slim and with short blonde hair and light blue eyes. He wore a trench coat above what looked like a very expensive and classy three-piece suit. He was the kind of person who captured people's attention and attracted the eye. Strikingly beautiful he was, like a bright beacon-fire in the heart of a moonless night.

Sophisticated womanizer, shallow fop lacking depth as well as heart. I blinked as the sarcastic inner voice's words resounded in my mind, wondering why on earth someone like him was wasting his time commenting on such an event. My aimless reflections abruptly came to an end as I heard Nami-chan saying with much enthusiasm, "Oh yes! Shun-san is a hero, a real one!"

Before she could continue, Seiya helpfully glared at her, growling, "Nami-chan, behave, or Shun will never want to marry you later!"

The blonde man laughed while the little girl managed to look contrite. I shrugged, turning to face him. "As I said, I simply happened to be in the right place at the right time." I smiled. "Nothing more."

The man nodded. "Yes, but still you ran the risk of intervening. It's rare to see young people ready to help others nowadays. It's good to have examples like this one to give to the young population."

I blinked, lost. Now, what was the man talking about? Was he mad? Was he a journalist who had a story to bring back before the evening to his chief-editor? If such was the case, it was my luck to have run into him. Publicity was not exactly something I desired, and I had no wish to remind anyone of the Galaxian Wars.

Noticing the uncomprehending expression on my face, he added, "Oh, but I didn't introduce myself, forgive me. My name is Kigai Yuuto and I'm a civil servant in one of the city's boroughs. In fact I work in the press service, and I was wondering if I might use the events of today to--"

Exactly what I had feared. Before he could go on, I shook my head in what I hoped could pass for regrets. "I'm sorry, but that won't be possible. I have no time to spare, and I'll be leaving town very soon. In fact, my friend and I must bring back those children where they belong now, we're already late as it is."

He pursed his lips. "Well, it's a pity." With a little sigh he waved the whole matter away, and smiled softly, adding with a playful glint in his eyes, "I'd really have liked to get to know you better." He shrugged. "But I guess it can't be helped. I hope we'll see each other again." With that, he bowed shortly and left, quickly disappearing in the crowd of people entering a nearby subway station.

I stared at his retreating back for a while, puzzled. What a strange man.... Yes, despite his flashy looks and apparent shallowness, Yuuto Kigai was both fascinating and strange. Seductive, with a dark side. I turned away, chasing him from my mind, and took little Nami in my arms again, nodding to Seiya, then we walked away.

I yawned, stretching like a cat in the night. I had stayed late at the orphanage, much later than I had initially intended. I smiled despite myself: it had been a good day, really good. Ordinary. Goddess, but it felt so wonderful to be back home and to lead a normal life, like any other human being. I chuckled, remembering one of this evening's conversations: Seiya and I had wondered about the opportunity to attend high school. I shook my head in disbelief. This all seemed unreal, almost absurd. No matter how hard I tried to adapt to the little, inconsequential events which defined an ordinary life, everything felt as if it belonged to another universe, as if watched through a distorting glass.

I'm afraid. Even though I smile and laugh with the children, I'm afraid. I let out an inaudible sigh, forced to acknowledge that truth and the fact that, for some reason, I still couldn't make myself truly believe in peace.

I stopped in front of the subway station, but in the end I decided to go back to my room at the Graude Foundation on foot. Besides, it was late, and the last subway might have already left. Walking in the night would do me good.

I put my hands in my pockets, realizing I should have thought of taking a scarf and gloves to protect myself from the cold wind. After all, it was the end of Winter, and the weather wasn't very kind. The streets I walked were completely deserted. I looked at the high skyscrapers, all dark, lifeless, and sighed again. I had liked the city better before they had destroyed all the old houses to replace them by all those office buildings. When I looked around me, I couldn't help feeling that Tokyo was slowly losing its soul. The atmosphere once the sun had set was glum and vaguely threatening. Suddenly the wind rose in the avenue and brushed past my cheeks, laying something down in the palm of my right hand.

A sakura blossom petal.

Delicate.

Beautiful.

I blinked. There's no sakura around. I stared numbly at the petal. Besides, it's too early in the season for-- On instinct I whirled around, and in the same time I felt my whole body tensing.

A presence.

Someone.

I closed my eyes, trying to focus on the sensation, but it was far too vague and diffuse, as if whatever it was I was feeling was all around me, like the wind, or like mist.... But I was sure of one thing: what I could feel wasn't friendly.

It was evil.

Abruptly the feeling of presence vanished, as suddenly as it had come. I looked around, uncomprehending, and noticed a shadow on the roof of a skyscraper. I ran towards it, and the shadow stepped back, disappearing form my view. I shouted, "Wait!"

The shadow froze in its steps.

"You should be more careful." My heart skipped a beat. That voice, that silhouette.... I knew the one who was up there, but it wasn't possible.... He went on, "You should be wary of revealing yourself, Andromeda Shun. There's more going on in this city than meets the eye."

The shadow disappeared and I rushed towards the building, yelling, "Wait! Wait! I know you!" Damn it, it couldn't be. That man...both of them...they were dead! I shook my head, unable to reconcile what had just happened with reality. This had to be a hallucination! Gemini Saga and his twin brother, Kanon...both of them were dead! I felt my mind reeling, overwhelmed by the enormity of what this could mean, of the consequences.... Shaking my head, I got a firm grip on myself, and flung myself forward. There would be time for pondering and thinking later, first I had to understand what was going on. I accelerated, in the futile hope of gaining up on the shadow before it could escape.

I leaned a hand on the high wall of concrete, trying to catch my breath. It had been no use. When I had at last reached it, I had found no trace of whoever had been on that roof. I listened to the echoes of my heartbeats, and felt a shiver coming up my spine. The deep silence of the city was weighing on me, a shroud of darkness heavy with threat. Had it been a vision of some kind? I opened my right fist and saw the sakura petal was still there. What had transpired had been reality, and the presence I had felt had been reality as well. But what was going on here? What was happening?

I closed my eyes, biting my lower lip worriedly. Was this a real threat? And if so, whose? Was peace only an illusion after all? I shivered, feeling cold.

So cold....

Arms.

Embracing me.

A body.

Warmth.

I was...falling.

Drowning.

A voice....

The shock of my back violently hitting the concrete wall brought me back to reality. I gasped, desperately fighting to get air inside my lungs, and distantly heard my respiration coming in short, ragged breaths. The frantic beatings of my heart were drowning everything, everything but the *feelings* which were choking my spirit.

The dream.

Yes, the dream. Again. But this time, I had dreamed it awake. I had--

All of a sudden I realized there was someone right beside me. I had been harshly pushed aside, and it was that movement which had pulled me out of the trance. The stranger was a young man clad in a dark, black trench coat. I watched him running past me, his movements slow and dreamlike, and then made up my mind. Reaching out, I grabbed his left arm and held him back, whispering, "Wait."

He turned to face me, anger shining in strikingly clear emerald eyes. There was a distinct aura of power floating around him, mixed with fury. In a hiss, he said, "Release me, I have a hunt to finish."

I felt a deceptively soft smile coming to my lips. I was true that I hated violence, but I had to know what was going on. A single fight could perhaps avoid countless others, and I didn't want to lose the opportunity to understand. Shaking my head, I told him, "I'm sorry to disturb your fun, but I want to know what's going on in this place. And I think you can help me."

He tried to pull away, but I mastered him easily. Furious, he snarled, "I have neither the wish nor the time to chat. Ima, hanase!"

He pushed me back against the wall with surprising strength, and as my right hand hit the concrete, it opened reflexively and let go of the lonely sakura petal. It hovered in the air between us for a few seconds, then the cold wind blew it away. The young man stepped back, slowly. His face had drained of color in the space of a second, and his eyes were wide with shock. Eventually he asked me in a whisper, "Where did you get that ?"

I sighed, stepping towards to him. "That's what I'd like to know." I shook my head and told him in a carefully controlled voice, "Listen, I'm not your enemy. My name is Shun, and I promise you I intend no harm. Please, help me to understand all this."

The emerald eyes searched mine during a long time, as if looking for traces of deception, but eventually the young man nodded. "All right. I can see you're not my enemy. Let's go discuss this in a safer place." He smiled bitterly. "I won't catch my game tonight anyway. He's long gone now." He gave me a short bow. "My name is Sumeragi Subaru."

End of part 2.

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