[ Watashi ]

[ Tomodachi ]

[ Saint Seiya ]

[ Clamp ]

[ Fanfiction ]

"So, that's why it was hidden from my dear Onee-san's Dream." Kanoe shook her head in wonder, a dreamy smile on her lips. "A Goddess," she chuckled, adding, as if tasting the name, "Athena, Guardian of the Earth and Humanity."

I nodded silently, my eyes set on her with a mixture of astonishment and incomprehension. It seemed she had completely forgotten what I had told her on our first meeting. It was as if she didn't care, or as if she had dismissed my words as unimportant; a mistake that could have cost her and billions of people a price they were more than certainly unwilling to pay. With an exasperated sigh, I made myself chase those thoughts away and focus on the five people assembled in a huge hall that looked like a throne room down the lowest levels of the Government Building.

Sakurazuka Seishirou was watching me attentively, a half-knowing, half-ironical smile on his lips, as seemed to be the assassin's habit. On the far side of the room, Yatouji Satsuki had looked bored from the beginning, a glint of interest coming to her eyes only at the mention of Athena's name. Monou Fuuma was looking straight before him, his eyes either those of an empty puppet or of a dangerous madman, and I had no idea whether he had heard my words or not. Yuuto was at Kanoe's side. An impersonal smile was all I had gotten from him when he'd stepped in the room, as if we were perfect strangers...which maybe we were after all; and besides this was the way it was supposed to be. The sun had risen, and the darkness of night had found its true place in my heart.

The echoes of Kanoe's laughter died, and the woman turned towards me, the painted eye on her brow set on me as if it had been a real one. With more than a bit of disbelief seeping into her voice, she said, "And you really think she wouldn't intervene in this matter?"

I shrugged, dismissing the doubts which had flashed in her eyes, and told her, "As long as the Goddess Athena watches over Humanity, nothing can harm it. The only Will powerful enough to be a threat to her is that of another God." I let a humorless smile to my lips as I added, "Humanity is free, it's not the Goddess' way to force it along a path she'd have chosen. The Saints exist only to intervene in the cases of direst need. It's clear that you weren't perceived as such when I left the Sanctuary."

Or had the powers at the head of the Sanctuary known? Why had Virgo Shaka intervened? Why had he touched my cosmo, telling me he forgave me, Telling me Athena forgave me? Why had Kanon been on the verge of killing me last night? I blinked, remembering the thought which had come to my mind at that moment and the storm of emotions it had sparked. Had they known and let me walk into the trap? Angrily I chased the thoughts away. They were a waste of time and energy; it was immaterial whether they had let me go knowingly or not.

Again I focused on Kanoe who was nodding to my words, apparently unaware of their meaning. She seemed to simply believe that I was destined to fight on the side of the Dragons of Earth, nothing more. To her the Saints and I were mere secondary parameters in a complex equation. Well, she hadn't asked for an opinion and I wasn't about to correct her assumption.

With a satisfied smile, she said, "All is well then. We can proceed with destroying the Seals and gathering the remaining Dragons of Earth." Turning towards the girl on the far side of the room, she asked, "Satsuki?"

The girl shook her head, a line of frustration barring her brow. "I don't know. Beast can't seem to find any information at all, as if it had specifically been hidden from machines."

Waving all this useless discussion away, I sighed. "The others will appear when the time's right. What matters now is finding the Shinken..." I stared at them steadily, adding in a quite voice, "the other one."

Sakurazuka Seishirou's head tilted backwards and his eyes closed as he silently laughed. Monou Fuuma tensed, awareness abruptly returning to his eyes, and Yuuto stared back at me, an unreadable expression shadowing his eyes.

Yatouji Satsuki asked me in a sharp hiss, "How do you know there's another?"

My eyes met her and I told her in the same quiet voice, "I know, that's enough. And we must have it, that's what matters." I gave them all an icy cold smile as I said, "I'm on your side, Dragons of Earth." With a joyless chuckle I looked at each of them in turn and added, "You have no idea how true that is." I shook my head. "You can stop worrying about my being here undercover, and you can stop fearing that I might betray you." Turning towards Kanoe, I concluded with another shrug, "Not that I care if you do anyway."

I turned my back on them and walked out of the room. I had had enough of this little game. They had no choice in accepting me, and they knew it as well as I. As long as the other Shinken wouldn't be in our possession, we'd be stuck.

Steps resounded in the empty corridor, and I stopped, allowing the one who had followed in my wake to catch up with me. When he reached me, I faced him and smiled. "What can I do for you, Shadow of Kamui?"

The deep dark eyes of Monou Fuuma were set on me, as if fascinated. There was a long silence, and eventually he whispered, "You're the One." I looked up at him without answering. "You're the One who'll destroy this world." His eyes were searching my face, as if something in my expression could give him the confirmation that his words were true. "You'll exterminate the human race."

I smiled at that, looking away from him and focusing on some distant point in the long corridor, and told him, very quietly, "I'll chase Life and Light away from the land. Darkness and Death will reign alone. I won't simply exterminate the human race, I'll destroy everything that lives on this world."

Searching my heart, I found no ripples of emotions, no flames, not even ashes. The words didn't touch me; the truth in them didn't raise fear, protest or sorrow in my soul, which was good. Facing Monou Fuuma once more, I wondered, "Why do you ask? Why don't you go tell Kanoe about all this?"

His right hand reached out to me, and stopped an inch away from my face. With something that might have been wonder, horror or a mixture of both seeping into his voice, he whispered, "You...you're the One whose Will I serve." There was a fevered light shining in his eyes, madness, or perhaps fear. "The One whose Will Kamui will fight."

With a short, mocking laugh, I replied, "Fight?" Gently I took his hand in mine and moved it away from me, adding in a confiding tone, "You should know better." I told him softly, "There will be no fight. Once the time comes, there will be only Death."

I released him then, and he looked at me during a long time. His expression had grown distant once again. As I was about to leave, something flickered in his eyes, and he whispered, "I'll be happy when it ends."

He walked away, and I stared at his retreating back, eyes widening ever so slightly.

There had been sorrow in his voice, as if Monou Fuuma had won over the shadow possessing his soul and had come back for a few seconds. My fingers clutched the star-shaped pendant on my chest and I focused on the feeling of the metal against my skin, dismissing the faint disturbance the event has sparked in my heart.

I looked at the children playing in the park and smiled to myself. The sun was shining through the sakura branches, its light enhancing the beauty and fragility of the blossoms. Any other onlooker would have thought the vision I was being offered a peaceful and happy sight, but I could see beyond appearances. I could see one of the children striking at another while he thought no one was watching. I could see the children playing at war. Happily pulling the trigger of toy weapons. Already they fitted into the mold. So young.

To rise above the others.

To crush them down if necessary.

To think of oneself before others.

To see only one's immediate interest.

To close one's heart to others' pains.

To close one's eyes on the suffering of the world.

To let dreams and hopes waste away.

To live a meaningless life, following rules established by others without ever questioning them.... In a slow, deliberate movement, I shook my head. It was time for that to end, it was time the spiral was broken, and it would be done.

A cloud masked the sun during a few seconds, and all of a sudden I felt a familiar presence very close to me. My eyes still set on the children, I said softly, "You can come out of hiding, Hyoga. I know you're here."

My ears only heard the faintest sound when he jumped down from the tree to land right beside me. Unmoving, I kept staring right before me. There was a short moment of silence, then he said, his voice hesitant, "Shun." A hand touched my right shoulder, and still I didn't move. "Shun, please, look at me."

With slow deliberation, I faced him and sighed, looking him directly in the eyes and asking wearily, "What do you want?"

Emotions were warring inside him. Pain, anger, sorrow...I smiled to myself, remembering that he had always had problems mastering his feelings. He shook his head, and I saw distress shining brightly in the blue eyes as he exclaimed, "Shun, why? Why did you do that? Why are you on our enemies' side?"

I shrugged. The question didn't hold the smallest interest, and I had no intention of answering it. The facts were there, and that was the only thing that mattered. His fingers squeezed my shoulder and he bowed his head, whispering in a carefully controlled voice, "Shun...you saved me in the House of Libra, you gave me of your own life, you shared with me your heart's cosmo, the gentle light shining in your soul, your warmth so that the ice imprisoning me would melt. You, whom everyone always thought too weak, broke Aquarius Camus' hold."

Uncomprehending, I stared at him. Why was he telling me that? I was aware of the past. He looked up at me, pleading, "Shun, you loved Ikki more than your own life...what happened to your love for this world, to your love of life, to your gentleness and your kindness? What happened to the tender-hearted young man who couldn't even bear the thought to hurt anyone?"

Ah. Something deep within me smiled when it heard the words, a weary smile, weary and bitter. So that's what you want to know. He wouldn't leave without an answer, I knew him enough to be certain of that, and giving him that answer posed no threat. Coming to a decision, I gently freed myself from his hold and told him quietly, "It's still here, Hyoga, all of it. I'm..." I leaned back against the sakura's trunk and looked up at the sunlight piercing through the canopy of leaves and blossoms as I said, "I'm the one whom I've always been."

Something was stinging my eyes. The light was so bright that it was hurting me. Reflexively I reached up and my fingertips caught a teardrop on my left cheek. Sending the unimportant sensation away, I kept looking up at the sun, unblinking. "I simply follow the Path that was set for me."

At my side, Hyoga let out a heavy sigh. "Path? What path, Shun?"

In answer, a bitter, painful smile came to my lips, and I replied, "Fate. My Fate, Hyoga." All of a sudden I realized that tears were slowly running down my cheeks. I wiped them away, muttering, "Damn sunlight."

Than I faced the one who had been my friend and said, in deadly earnest, "No matter what there might be in my heart, I must bow and accept my Destiny. Don't think it was easy, but there's no other way."

In a wild movement, he shook his head. "No! What you're telling me doesn't make any sense!"

Anger flashed in his eyes, and in the same time a shiver went up my spine. Cold. Acknowledging the sensation, I abruptly caught Hyoga's wrists in an iron grip, placing myself between him and the sakura tree.

The anger in the blue eyes became fury, and he went on, unaware of what had just transpired, "How can you do this!?" His voice became a snarl. "How can you *be* the uncaring person I see before me, how can you evoke the murder of your brother without even flinching, without even the slightest remorse, pain or guilt showing on your face? Without the slightest feeling in your voice? The Shun I knew would have gone mad and killed himself for doing that which you did!"

I bowed my head, in a slow motion. Damn you, Hyoga.. I took in a deep breath. Damn you for the echo your words find in my heart. I bit my lower lip hard and tasted blood, savagely crushing the emotion inside of me. It couldn't be, it *musn't* be, or--

I looked up at the Cygnus Saint and let my cosmo shine around me, saying in a toneless voice, "That's enough. You'll go away now, Hyoga. You'll go and never bother me again. I'm not in a mood for killing, I have no wish to waste my energy on you." What my eyes were seeing wasn't the image of a friend, but the image of an obstacle barring my way, an inconvenience to be dispatched and rid of. "But if you or any one of the others dare disturb me again, you'll die the way the Phoenix did. Now go away."

I released him and he stepped back slowly, shock and disbelief written all over his face. Clearly he had thought that his words would move me and trigger some kind of reaction. I laughed silently. He was a fool, and the others were even worse fools than he was for having let him come to me. I had an inward smile. One way or the other, it didn't matter to me.

Suddenly I noticed that tears were shining in Hyoga's eyes. In a barely audible whisper, he said, "I'll go. I'll go, since nothing can touch you." He shook his head, and added with tremors in his voice, "From this moment on, you're dead, Shun. My dearest friend is dead, and believe me that one day I'll make the monster I see before me pay for that."

That said, he turned his back on me and walked away while the words which had been full of a raw, terrible pain echoed in my mind. My eyes followed him until he vanished from my view, then I let out a weary sigh. He shouldn't have come, but then the mistake hadn't been mine.

I faced the beautiful sakura tree and looked at the blossoms up on the branches, smiling a bit sadly. Death had brushed past the Cygnus Saint a moment ago, and I was a fool to have stayed its hand. The only thing I could hope for was that it wouldn't weigh on what would be. I bent down and picked a small sakura petal from the ground. There was no help for it now anyway. Straightening, I whispered softly, "Thank you for his life."

A shadow appeared beside mine, and a small chuckle resounded in the air. "It's a small thing, Shun-san."

I turned on the right and bowed to Seishirou Sakurazuka, replying, "Nevertheless, you have my thanks." Discarding the subject of Hyoga, I stared steadily at the assassin and asked him quietly, "Now that you've seen this, why don't you go report what you've heard to the others?"

Something which might have been surprise came to his face, and he smiled at me, saying with a small shake of his head, "You don't understand, Shun-san. I follow no one's orders. I have my own agenda, my own goals...I do what suits me, no more and no less. I watch." I stared at him blankly, uncomprehending, and he explained, a strange glint flashing in his one good eye, "I can feel what you are. I've known since the first time I saw you, and I've watched you ever since."

I shook my head, fighting the instinctive reaction of fleeing the predator who was standing in front of me, and made myself sustain the eerie gaze, asking, "Why?"

He looked past me at the children who were still playing at war in the park. "You're fascinating, you're amusing...for one such as me, it justifies much. It's not every day that I chance upon something that attracts my interest."

Amusing. So he found me amusing. A mad chuckle escaped my lips. Perhaps he couldn't really feel what I was after all. He smiled as one of the children put himself before one weaker in order to protect him from a bully. That smile...I could almost have sworn there was fondness in it. All of a sudden, I wondered who Sakurazuka Seishirou was.

"And there's something else." He stared at me steadily, the mismatched eyes piercing through the veils I had shielded myself with and laying my soul bare. His voice reduced to a whisper and he said, "I have a wish."

Deep inside of me, something shivered.

He knew.

He knew the truth.

I raised my right hand slowly, and rested it against his chest, just as I had done for my brother. I could feel his heartbeats, strong and steady. Unafraid. I asked him, my eyes locked on his, "Why did you let me see this? You're a danger to me, Sakurazuka-san. I should kill you now that--"

Slowly his left hand covered mine on his chest, and he smiled, cutting me off "But being who you are, you won't." His hand took mine and brought it to his lips. Too stunned to react, I didn't move as he laid a gentle kiss on the back of my hand.

Power.

Flowing so softly.

Reaching out.

Touching my soul.

As gentle as a sakura petal carried away by the breeze.

He released me and I took a step back, bewildered. What had he done? The thing I had felt brushing against me...magic? A spell? In a soft whisper, he said, "And if ever you're given the opportunity, you'll grant that wish." I gave a bitter chuckle when I heard that. He was right, I would, but-- His fingers brushed my left cheek in a light caress as he added, "Besides, killing me would be a mistake. We're allies in this, and you need all the Dragons of Earth to destroy the Seals, don't you?" He pushed one of my rebel lock of hairs away from my face. "Trust me. I give you my word. I swear that I won't betray you."

He stepped back, and I nodded. Obscurely I knew I could believe him, and besides, although I had held his life in my hands, I knew I couldn't take it. He turned away, and left, avoiding one of the children who was running without paying attention to his surroundings. I shook my head and sighed, feeling a weight--oh so heavy--on my shoulders.

I leaned the palms of my hands against the maple tree's trunk and bowed my head between my arms, gasping for air. Again, it had happened.

This feeling-- Focusing on the frantic beatings of my heart, I closed my eyes. In truth, it didn't hurt that bad, it simply felt as if something was being torn inside of me.

Another Seal had been broken.

I should have been glad, I should have felt relieved. Each time one of them was destroyed, the end became a bit closer. And the Goddess knew, yes I was sure she knew how much I aspired for this to end. Eventually I managed to steady my breathing somewhat. Straightening, I opened my eyes again and stared at my surroundings.

The sun had just set, and the first stars were starting to shine in the sky, tiny lamps randomly lighted by an invisible hand. Tiny lamps, so distant but so warm and alive. A soft smile stole to my face as I watched them twinkling in the purple and nigh-blue sky. I had always liked dusk, the short moment when light and darkness touched, before one devoured the other. Now there was peace, now there was silence. I allowed myself a few seconds to relish the feeling of them, then reluctantly I pushed myself away from the hard surface of the tree trunk and walked away. It was time for me to leave the garden and go back inside the huge mansion to take a bit of rest.

All of a sudden I noticed someone standing on the edge of the terrace, facing this way.

Unmoving.

Waiting.

Short blonde hair flying with the gentle breeze.

Clear blue eyes in which there could be death, laughter, passion and a tenderness so great-- The rhythm of my walk didn't vary when I reached the terrace. My eyes set on an imaginary in front of me, I brushed past him in silence.

He. Was. Nothing.

I felt more than saw his right hand reaching out to me and let my cosmo shine around in a warning, saying in a hiss, "Don't do this." The hand stopped an inch from my left shoulder and I faced him. In a strained voice, I told him, "Sorry if you find yourself alone tonight, but I've got better things to do, and besides I'm no longer a new toy, ne?" The blue eyes clouded and he tensed in an almost imperceptible fashion, as if I had just struck at him. With a bitter smile on my lips, I gave him a steady stare and added, "So you're going to leave me alone. You were nothing but a convenient way to help control my feelings; you're a tool which will help me reach my goal. Nothing more."

Abruptly I turned my back on him, and blinked, silently cursing against myself. Why did it hurt? How could it still hurt? My hands clenched into fists and I walked away.

The sound of rapid steps echoed in the air right behind me. Then, before I could react, arms embraced me and held me close. From very far away, I felt my body shaking.

Unable to help myself, I focused on the feeling of his body against mine and on the feeling of his warm breath caressing my neck. My eyes widened as a pain which couldn't have a name flared up inside of me, tearing my heart apart, and I gathered my strength to strike.

To strike at him.

He-- I felt a cry rising in my throat. I couldn't. I had been able to kill my brother, but...I couldn't use my power against Yuuto. I couldn't kill my lover, I couldn't kill the one I.... I managed to choke down the cry of pain, and whispered, pleading, "Yamete." I felt tears burning my eyes. "Yamete...onegai. Yamete...yamete!"

His embrace tightened a little, and he said softly, "I know, Shun." I felt his cheek brushing against mine. "I know this is hurting you. The words you used...I know you only wanted to protect me." Reaching up, I closed my hands around the arms holding me in a desperate grip, eyes closed in a futile attempt to hold back the tears, unable to shut out his words or the feeling of his presence. "But I had to tell you this: I *know*, and I'll be there for you. No matter what happens..." His voice reduced to a whisper as he added, "no matter what you ask."

I bowed my head, resting against his chest, and listened to the strong beatings of his heart.

This couldn't be, the feelings engulfing me were a deadly threat, but...one last time. With slow deliberation I opened my eyes and let my cosmo envelop us both, reaching out, offering my soul and touching his. A bittersweet pain filled my heart as I felt our souls embracing. Sharing. He held me tight, and his lips brushed against my hair in a tender kiss. Time froze for a while, but eventually it began to flow again, and he released me. I didn't look back at him as I walked to the door, and told him in a harsh voice, "Never touch me again, Yuuto. Never."

The feeling of his presence behind me was an arrow piercing through my heart.

I couldn't face him.

I couldn't.

My fingers turned the doorknob and I stepped inside, closing the door behind me.

I stepped into the huge living-room without raising a sound, and scanned it quickly. It was deserted, which suited me perfectly. I didn't turn on the lights, the stars and moon gave off enough light for me to see. All around me, the night's silence was deep and heavy, a thing almost alive, a cloth enveloping my being. A joyless smile came to my lips as I chased away the futile thoughts. I couldn't sleep, I didn't dare close my eyes. Somehow, the pain inside resisted all my efforts to chase it away and grew stronger with each second that passed.

I couldn't allow that to happen.

I opened a closet and the bitterness of my smile became grim satisfaction. Yes, that'd do. I took out one of the bottles and read the words written on its label. It had never been used. I chuckled silently. I quickly opened it and filled the first glass I could find.

Staring at the moonlight reflecting on the glass, I wondered why the liquid had no color. I raised the glass to my lips and drank a long swallow. I felt my eyes watering as the drink ran down my throat and hit the pit of my stomach, fighting the urge to grimace.

It burnt.

It hurt.

It had no other taste than fire.

Perfect.

I emptied the glass, and filled it again.

And again.

Damn. I blinked, trying to focus on my surroundings and failing. My vision had grown dim, I couldn't hear properly anymore, but the cursed alcohol hadn't even touched what I wanted it to.

The pain.

It wasn't dulled, on the contrary.

More accurate.

The memories, the feelings...sharper.

I abandoned the glass where I had left it on a nearby table and took the bottle, raising it to my lips and directly drinking from it.

Shit. Something that might have been frustration sparked inside me while I stared at the empty bottle. Awkwardly I reached out into the closet where I'd found it, and my fingers eventually closed on another. Rum. All right, why did I feel like laughing and crying at the same time? I opened it and started drinking again, no longer bothering with a glass. It was easier that way.

I looked at the half filled bottle, and wondered just how much I'd have to drink to forget. My vision was reduced to a dark tunnel, I had to lean on the wall to keep my balance and a thick fog had invaded my brain; but the pain was still there, its claws firmly gripping my heart, ripping it to shreds. I put the bottle on the table beside me, absentmindedly wiping at something warm and salty on my cheeks. My other hand slipped on the wall, and distantly I felt myself falling. It was almost funny. It was as if I was falling from a high cliff. I simply never felt the shock of my body hitting the floor, as if my fall was endless.

A body.

Resting on the ground.

Young grass all around us.

A young girl was kneeling beside the body, sorrow sparkling in her beautiful hazel eyes.

Her long blonde hair was flowing down, reaching the ground, spread on the grass like waves.

Innocence.

Purity.

Gentleness.

I walked closer to her, curious.

The body...I...she looked up at me, and saw me.

She was...Monou Kotori. Tears welled in her eyes, and cold invaded my being at the sight of her. She whispered, "Forgive me." Sobs shook her frail figure. "It was for me." She bowed her head. "Because of me."

Very gently she brushed away the stray hair which had invaded the corpse's face, then looked up at me, tears streaking her face. "You saved my life. You gave--"

No. I pressed my hands against my temples and shook my head desperately while a horrified scream escaped through my lips, "NOOOO!"

The body beside which she was kneeling was mine.

Darkness closed around me

Grey eyes were set on me, full of love, pain and fear.

No.

Fingertips brushed my cheek.

I shook my head, repeating.

Cosmo shone around me, its bright light more radiant than the sun.

My hand was resting against his chest, and I felt power flowing from me.

Striking at him.

Our cosmo touched then.

Intertwined.

His pain...mine.

His death...mine also.

His eyes...lifeless.

I cried out, "Nii-saaan!"

Darkness.

Like a shroud.

It was all I wanted. It was--

He reached out to me, and I stared at the Phoenix Cloth glinting with the starlight, my eyes empty. I had warned him, he didn't leave me any other choice. None.

I couldn't allow him to reach me. I couldn't.

I let his fingers touch me.

I gathered my power.

And I killed him.

Killed my brother.

Killed.

Killed....

The deep grey eyes searched my face, he--

No.

Unable to bear the vision as it repeated itself once again in my mind, I screamed, "Stop torturing me like this!" I hugged myself, shaking feverishly. "Stop!"

His fingertips touched my cheek and I--

"Help me!"

Gathered my cosmo and--

"HELP ME!"

"It's the second time that you pull me out of my dreams."

I opened my eyes to see a man kneeling beside me. The Dreamer, Kakyou. I was lying on a beach, I could hear the sound of the waves, very close... I a faint whisper, I asked him, "What happened?"

The strange, almost cat-like eyes locked on me, and he let out a small helpless sigh. "You trapped yourself in a Dream."

Then I remembered. Ikki-niisan. Tears were slowly running down my cheeks. He stared at me in silence for a while, then looked up at the sky, and said, his voice calm and peaceful, "Punishing yourself won't change the past. Nothing can change it. Only one Power can freeze Time." He turned towards me and smile, with a strange, eerie light shining in his eyes. "Death." I stared at him, surprised. There was neither bitterness, nor fear nor sorrow in his smile. No...it was something like...relief mixed with happiness. He shook his head, adding in a voice filled with regrets, "And even He cannot reverse Time's flow."

I sat up, wiping at my tears, and bowed. "Thank you."

The golden eyes met mine. The same unfathomable expression was still on his face when he replied, "No thanks are needed."

In a hesitant voice, I told him, "I think I'm now aware of what you couldn't tell me before."

He nodded, his eyes suddenly distant. "You know much." He looked at the sea, and wistfulness came to his smile. "But you don't know the outcome...and I may not tell you."

I stood up with difficulty, feeling a strange dizziness taking hold of my being. Discarding the debilitating sensation, I summoned a smile to my lips, replying, "I won't ask you to tell me that. But...would you be willing to help me in other things?"

He shrugged. "It depends."

Yes, if I could obtain his help, then things might be settled much more quickly. I buried the thought in my mind, and asked him, "Would you be willing to tell me where the other Shinken is, and where the remaining Seals are?"

His eyes locked on me, and something which might have been laughter danced in his eyes, as if to say, The little flame faded from his eyes as quickly as it had come, and he nodded. "I'll tell you of one Seal and I'll tell you of the Shinken, but you'll have to find my real self in order for me to be able to help."

Something that resembled hope flickered briefly in my heart. "Then it means...you'll follow me? You'll be--"

He smiled gently, cutting me off. "I'll be a Dragon of Earth, for your sake. Yes, that's what it means."

I shook my head, feeling my mind reeling at the enormity of what had just been said, at the enormity of what I had just asked him to do, and that he had agreed to give. I stammered, uncertain, "For me? I...."

He looked away from me, and his eyes followed a gull which disappeared beyond the horizon. "As I told you, no thanks are needed. I'll help you, I'll let you use me, because you'll grant my sole wish." His eyes locked on me again, and he smiled. "To die."

All of a sudden the beach around us disappeared.

A huge skyscraper.

A light at one of the windows.

So weak.

A room, someone lying in bed.

Machines all around him.

Making him live.

Features so delicate it seemed they would break like crystal. So beautiful their sight took the breath away.

The Dreamer.

Darkness claimed me.

"Ooooh...." The hoarse, pitiful moan was coming from me. My head...it hurt like hell. I slowly opened my eyes, and found myself tucked in bed. Extra-blankets were covering me, giving me warmth I was in dire need of. I shivered, feeling cold seeping into my bones, and some distant part of my brain which could still function wondered. How had I managed to come back here?

"You should be a little more careful when you decide to get drunk, Shun-san."

I started as I heard the quiet whisper, and suddenly realized that Sakurazuka Seishirou was sitting on the side of my bed, watching me. For some reason, the assassin's presence didn't trigger fear inside me. As I was about to ask him what he was doing here, an awful feeling of nausea overwhelmed me, and I groaned, "I feel horribly sick."

He chuckled at that, as if I had just made some witty joke, and replied jovially, "Given the rate of alcohol there's likely to be in your bloodstream right now, it's absolutely normal." He grinned at me, adding, "But don't worry, I don't think there's anything left inside you for your stomach to throw up."

I blushed when I heard that, and decided I didn't want to know what had happened after I had lost my grip on reality. Biting my lower lip in a futile attempt to send the sick feeling away, I asked him, "Did you bring me back here?"

With a glint of mischief in his good eye, he nodded. "Yes. You were a sorry sight, you know." Abruptly all trace of humor left his face and he said, in deadly earnest, "Heed my warning. Next time, you might not be so lucky. And what would your death bring you?"

A bitter smile came to my lips, and I let out a weary sigh. "Nothing." He was right, I had to live. I looked up at him, I looked up at the assassin who didn't know the burden of a heart, and told him without knowing why, "But I don't know how long I'm going to be able to bear it. I'm too weak for this, I-- "

His index finger gently pressed against my lips, silencing me. "Nonsense." The dark eye locked on me. "You're much stronger than you know."

I chuckled sadly. "So you say. I wish I could be like you, uncaring."

He shook his head. "Don't say that. My Fate isn't an easy burden, and I'm well suited for it, but I doubt I could embrace yours." His fingers brushed through my hair in a soothing caress. "Now sleep, rest for a while. I'll guard your dreams." My eyes closed of their own volition, and the last thing I heard before being engulfed in darkness was a slight whisper, almost inaudible.

"Trust me."

End of part 8.

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