A/N: Hello, this is the first of three parts that will make up this fic. I hope that I managed to keep everyone in character, Shura is someone I don't write a lot of. I look on writing OC's with canon characters as a challenge, both to keep everyone invovled in character, and to prove it can be done well. Hopefull I at least partically succeeded.
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Sanctuary, Drea had discovered after the Order of Gaia had sent her here to train other healers, was very barren. It was quite obviously a place to train fighters and even with the village down at the edge of Sanctuary there were few amenities in Sanctuary proper. According to some of the residents that she had treated recently, she was lucky to have running water and the barest hints of electricity. Those were apparently things Lady Athena had brought during the repair worked and were convinces that hadn't spread to most of Sanctuary yet.
Despite this, she had to admit there was a rugged beauty in the place. She had taken to exploring some areas of Sanctuary before she got to teaching the trainees she had been given. Mostly it was an excuse to just wander around and clear her head. Teaching was entirely different from being just a plain healer or seer and she found it was easier her for her if she either went for a walk or meditated before they showed up.
As she turned a road that lead down toward some of the more active areas of Sanctuary, including the training grounds, a Saint came into view walking toward the mountain that housed Athena's temple. He paused when he say her, and nodded slightly.
"Healer," he said by way of greeting, then walked on. She nodded in reply. She recognized him at least, he was one of the Gold Saints. That group of Saint were the ones she had had the most contact with so far since she had to make reports to Athena herself and that involved trekking up and down the countless stairs that led through the temples. She nodded in reply, not saying anything else because she couldn't remember his name off the top of her head. He wasn't one of the more talkative Saints and they had only exchanged a few words so far. Yet as he passed her, a flash of white on his upper arm made her pause. She turned and frowned.
"Excuse me, could you wait a second?" She called after him, her words more of an order than a question. The Saint, Shura she suddenly remembered his name was, stopped and looked back at her curiously, which quickly changed to a frown when she walked up and gently touched the bandage she had wrapped around his upper arm. There was a dark red stain on it. "You're bleeding," she said flatly.
"It's just a cut," Shura said as he pulled away from her. She grabbed at his arm as he started to walk away. causing him to stiffen at her touch and frown at her again.
"Let me look at it," she said briskly and reached up to pull the bandage off. He pulled away again.
"It's not worth making a fuss over," he said. "I can deal with it myself when I get back to my temple."
"I'm not making a fuss, I'm being a healer! It will only take a moment!" She argued, pulling at his arm again. He yanked away and almost glared at her.
"I'm a Gold Saint, I don't need to seek out a healer for every little cut and scratch…" he began to say.
"You didn't seek out a healer, I was already here!" she snapped. "Do you really think I would set a good example for my trainees if I let you just walk away?"
"There isn't trainees around here," the Saint said, but he stopped moving and didn't move to stop her when she started tugging off the makeshift bandage.
"Given the way gossip spreads around Sanctuary, they'll still hear about it," she said in response as she examined the jagged cut on his arm. "How did you get this?"
"A rock hit me during training. Like I said, it's nothing."
"It's bleeding, it's not nothing," Drea touched the wound, summoning her own power. She watched the wound close carefully to make sure it was healing right. "All you Saints seemed to take pride in masochistic idiots."
"We do not!" Shura said plainly offended.
"Then why do so few of you actually come looking for healers?" as the last of the cut close she took her hand away and stepped back. "How are we suppose to do our duty when none of you appear to want us to?"
"No Saint will go to a healer for something minor that will heal on his own," Shura said as he examined his cut.
"Minor for you and minor for a healer appear to be two different things," Drea responded flatly. "I know Saints are suppose to be the toughest of warriors but you take it to ridiculous lengths sometimes."
"A Saint must learn to endure anything, it's how we learn to survive. That's how it's always been!"
"Apparently Lady Athena wishes that to change. Otherwise I doubt she would have accepted the Orders offer to train more healers," Drea said in response, "And it's done. Feels much better, doesn't it?" Shura flexed his arm experimentally. She expected him to just walk away but he just looked at her.
"Why did the Order make that offer?" He asked. The question caught her off guard and it took her a moment to think of an answer.
"Because we heard Sanctuary didn't have an healers and we wanted to help," she said finally.
"Why now? The Order hadn't had any contact with Sanctuary for centuries before this."
"It's complicated…" Drea began, then paused when she noticed a pair of the girls she was teaching walking up the path. "Look, if you want to hear all about the history of the Order and it's internal politics you'll have to catch me when I'm not suppose to be teaching." Shura looked up and noticed the girls.
"You're trainees?" He asked her.
"Yes. It's time for me to go back to the duty I was brought here for."
Shura nodded at her. "Very well. Healer…" He paused seeming to search for something and she realized she had never really introduced himself to him.
"Drea," she said. He looked at her in surprise. "That's my name," she explained.
"…Drea. Thank you," Shura said then turned to walk away.
"Your welcome," she said, smiling a little as she heard her trainees start to call greetings at her. She turn toward them, feeling a bit better now that she was reminded why she had come to Sanctuary.
A week later she had nearly forgotten about the meeting between her and Shura. Between teaching her trainees and getting used to Sanctuary she hadn't had time to think about things like that. Her hair had been causing her problems too. It was starting frizz again, and she would have to take care of it soon before it got out control. How was she suppose to represent Gaia and gain respect as a teacher when she looked like a mop?
As she shooed the last of her trainees out of the door, she looked up to find Shura leaning against the side of the building.
"Did you injure yourself again?" She asked, wondering why he was there and hadn't bothered to just walk in.
"No," the Capricorn Saint said as he straightened up and walked over to her, "I was waiting for you to get through with your trainees."
"Oh?" She wondered what he could want.
"I wanted to talk to you. You said to ask you about the Order of Gaia when you weren't busy," he said, crossing his arms and studying her. "Do you have time now?"
"I do…but only if you're willing to come inside. I was looking forward to have a cup of tea and relaxing" Shura nodded and followed her in. She lead him through the large room that served as a makeshift class room and infirmary. There were only a few cots in here, and a desk with a chair at the far end. She lead him through the door covered by the curtain at the end. That lead into the simple room that severed as a combination kitchen and living room for her. "Why the sudden interest in the Order?" she asked him.
"Something that Lady Athena mentioned. Considering how long the Order of Gaia has been around, you've had very little contact with Sanctuary. If anything your Order has been avoiding us. Yet suddenly, here you are. Why the change of heart?"
"You don't trust us?" she asked, rummaging through the small cabinet that she kept her tea things in. After a moments pause she got enough for two. She wondered why he was so interested in this.
"I would like to, but I am curious why your Order waited until after Athena had dealt with Hades to show up. If you're people are so concerned about the welfare of Athena's Saints, why didn't you show up before?"
"Why are you so concerned about why we weren't here?" Drea set one of the cups down in front of Shura, although he didn't make any move to take it as she took a seat opposite him. "Lady Athena trusts us."
"Lady Athena is willing to give anyone a chance. But I'm not Lady Athena and I prefer knowing why another goddess suddenly decided to send her Priestess to help."
"Lady Gaia didn't send me here," Drea said and sipped her tea. Shura gave her a blank look. "I was sent by the Order of Gaia, not by my goddess," she decided to clarify.
"You're Order is allowed to make decisions like this without her consent?"
Drea nodded, curling her hands around her cup. "We don't have much of a choice. As far as we know Lady Gaia is asleep, and has been for as long as anyone can remember," even as she said it, she wondered if was a good idea to reveal that much. But there really wasn't any need to keep it secret. Lady Athena could probably find out that much information easily anyway.
"Then how do you know what she wants for your Order?" Shura slowly coiled his hand around his teacup, frowning slightly.
"We can only guess," Drea took a sip trying to remember the how her Grandmother had described in when she had first joined the Order. "We might not have any direct contact with Lady Gaia, but since it's creation the Priestesses of the Order have always been healers and more than a few possess the Sight that grants us the ability to see into the future. What we do is based on the assumption that Lady Gaia gave us those abilities because she wants us to help people."
"I see," Shura still hadn't raised the cup to his lips and Drea was slightly annoyed that he hadn't even bothered to try his tea. "Helping others didn't include those who served other gods?"
"If you had approached us, we would have been perfectly willing to help!" Drea snapped, setting her cup down a bit harder than she had intended. "The Order of Gaia long ago declared itself neutral and that it wouldn't directly interfere with wars between the gods! Healers can't take sides!"
Shura didn't say anything during her outburst, just listened. "Then why come here now? Isn't this taking sides?"
"No, technically we're only offering aid. Healing and offering to teach others isn't the safe as declaring that we stand with Athena. Even my Order can't do something like that without Lady Gaia's permission," she said, the words that teacher had drilled into her coming easily. I sounded like an excuse.
"So if there is another war, what will happen?" Shura asked as he gave her a rather searching look. "Will the Order of Gaia just abandon Athena again?"
"No," Drea said without hesitation, somewhat surprised by herself. This wasn't something anyone at the Order had briefed her on. If anything, this was a top she had been encouraged to avoid. But now that it was asked, she didn't have any choice in the matter. "We won't fight directly, but we won't just leave as long as there is even a chance there might be need of my abilities."
"Do you mean your Order won't pull out or that you personally won't leave?" Shura sounded slightly amused when he asked that and Drea felt heat rise in her cheeks. She was suppose to be the official representative here and should have know better than to let her own goals override that. But still, she was sure that was the correct views.
"Right now I am the official depreciative of Gaia here, and I'm trusted to make those sorts of decisions. No one who calls themselves a healer would leave when they know someone could get hurt," she responded out loud. "I doubt the Order would say anything against it. Even the most traditional of the Priestess wouldn't want to have what would happen if Athena falls become reality."
"Becomes reality?" Shura set down his cup again. "That's an odd way of putting it."
"Not when you know people who have seen what would happen if Hades had won. There are several priestess who have the Sight, the ability tot see into the future. The bigger the event happening, the more likely it is someone will get a vision of it. With something as major your war with Hades, almost everyone was affected. And because of the way our powers work, some of us go glimpses of futures that might happen as well."
"You saw what would happen if Hades had won?" Shura's face seem to close off, his body tensing at the mention of that. She supposed if you had fought in the war the thought of loosing was worse.
"Not me personally. My Sight is very weak, I can only catch even the most confusing bits of the future if I put forth a lot of effort. After hearing what all the other Priestess were experiencing, I'm actually glad of that," Drea said.
Shura nodded in understanding. "I can't blame you for that. Even the knowledge of what would happen if we fell was enough, to be able to see it must have been a heavy burden."
"Keeping heavy burdens is the duty of Priestess. Whether it's the life of someone in our hands or the knowledge our goddess grants us, it's the same thing," Drea said softly, staring at last bit of tea remaining in the bottom of her cup, before looking up smiling slightly. "I suppose the world owes you Saints for making sure our visions were just warnings, not actually visions of what the future was."
"Thank Lady Athena instead," Shura replied, a very small grin lighting on his face. Even that brought a subtle change to him, making him appear not as intimidating. But it was gone quickly as he returned to what she thought was his normal, rather serious face. "But are those visions the reason the Order of Gaia came to Athena?"
Drea thought about that. Despite all the arguments and reasoning and meetings that it had taken to get here, the answer really was very simple. "Yes," she said. "Can you really blame us?"
"No," Shura responded after a moments thought. Drea almost wished he would give that small smile again. He looked much better that way.
"Well, did that answer your question?" She asked him, almost hoping to see that tiny smile again.
"You did, and I thank you for that," Shura said, standing up. Drea found herself rising as well, half wanting him to stay. This was the first time she had had an actual conversation with one of the Saints and she didn't' want it to end just yet.
"So you trust me…us now?" She said, wanting to prolong things a little more.
"..I trust your intentions at least," Shura answered and Drea couldn't help smiling a little herself when she realized he was using that tiny grin again. He looked much more striking that way.
As she showed him out Drea enter over her conversation with Shura. It had been rather enlightening, but Drea still wasn't sure what to make of it, or of him. She had enjoyed it though and as she watched him leave she decided she would have to find a reason to speak with the Capricorn Saint again. It would be nice to have someone to talk to while she was here, and there was nothing that said she couldn't make friends while she was here.
"Healer!" A shout came from the main part of the building behind her and she turned around, hurrying into the infirmary. Drea hurried back to her duties, putting the Capricorn Saint out of her mind as she helped a bleeding guard to one of the cots.
A few day s later, Drea set out on her walk feeling a little tired. Last night she had been woken up at around midnight to deal with a trainee that had been pushing himself to hard, and managed to severely injure his hand along with nearly exhausting himself to death. She had managed to heal him, but the fact that he was so young, younger than her little brother Jason, had left an impression on her. To know Saints started when they were children and that the training had a very high mortality, but having to deal with the consequences of it was another thing entirely. At least she would make sure this trainee wasn't one of those that died. She had closed his physical wounds, but the only thing she could do about his exhaustion was order him to rest in the infirmary. Thankfully he was so exhausted that she didn't think he would even be able to move for at least another day, although she would have her hands full then, since he would
still need several more days of rest and if the trainees were anything like the full Saints she had treated so far, he wouldn't want to listen to that part.
But that was for later. Right now, she was more worried about what she would do with her students. Normally she would run through the meditation and focusing exercises in the infirmary itself, but considering how exhausted the trainee was, she didn't want to take a chance that anything would wake. Her students, mostly young girls with a couple of boys thrown in, always managed to make noise. She could try holding the classes in her living quarters, but that was so small she wasn't sure if there would be enough room for everyone.
"I could try holding a class outside..." she mused allowed. But then that would require find a 'where'. She would need a quiet place well away from everyone...and she didn't know Sanctuary well enough to be able to be sure they would be left alone. Drea frowned slightly, running over to the places she knew in Sanctuary in her head. None of them seemed to work!
It wasn't until she nearly ran into someone that she realized how lost in thought she was. "I'm sorry.." she said, taking a step back looking to see who she had run into. "...good morning Shura."
"Good morning Drea," the Capricorn Saint responded looking slightly amused. "In a hurry this morning?"
"Yes, and no.." She answered, getting an idea. "You've been at Sanctuary a long time, haven't you Shura?"
"Nearly all my life, why?" Shura gave her a curious look.
"Then do you know a quiet place I could hold classes in? I need a place to take my students to and I don't know Sanctuary well enough to judge where a good place could be," she asked glad she had run into him. This might solve her immediate problem and it would give her an opportunity to speak with Shura gain.
"I think there are a few places around that might work for you. But why do you need it now? I though you had a place to hold lessons," Shura said after a few minuets thought.
"Could you show me a few of them? I'll explain as we walk," Drea replied, wanting to find somewhere before her students started arriving. "Do you have time to do that?"
"I do…come with me," Shura started down a path and Drea followed. She explained about the trainee as the went, finding herself become rather heated as they walked.
"…guards fond him collapses and brought him to me. He was completely exhausted, his hand were almost in shreds and I'm still not sure what he was doing or what pushed him to go that far!" The boy hadn't even woken up when she healed him. She had never seen someone that exhausted before or with injuries that severe.
"If he's training to be Saint it's understandable that he wants to push himself. It's not unheard of for trainees to collapse," Shura said. "To many become a Saint is the only thing they have, and their break their limits to get there."
"But that's crazy!" Drea protested, shocked by the thought. "Is that why so many trainees end up dead? What makes them risk their health and even their lives like that?"
"Because becoming a Saint is worth any price to them," Shura said without hesitation as he lead her into a wide open area. "We're here."
Drea glanced around quickly. This was a quiet spot, a clearing by a cliff with a single tree growing near the edge. "Worth their lives?" she said, wondering about the way Saints thought.
"Yes," Shura said firmly. "To a Saint Athena is everything. Our very lives and existence belongs to her."
"Hmmm…" Drea frowned. There were Priestess who held Gaia as the most important things in their lives, but even that devotion seemed to pale in comparison to what the Saints had. Was it because Athena was a living goddess and actually could directly affect those who served her?
"Will this area do?" Shura was saying and Drea realized her mind had wandered.
"I think so," Drea admitted, but she really didn't walk away yet. Besides, she did have some time left before her students would actually. "Didn't you say you could think of more than one place that could work?"
"Yes…"
"Then do you have time to show me somewhere else that could work as well?" She said thoughtfully. " It would be nice to have more than one place to fall back on and this might help me get to know Sanctuary better."
"Shouldn't I be the one asking you if you have time for his? You're the one who has students to teach," Shura answered, raising an eyebrow at her.
"As long as it's close I still have time to get back," Drea replied. "Is it nearby?" Shura had to pause to think about that.
"Fairly," he answered at last. "if we leave now."
"Then lets get going," Drea said firmly and motioned for him to lead the way. He nodded and they set out again. They passed near the training grounds, and for the first time Drea actually paid attention to how brutal some of the fighters were towards each other. "Are you like that?" She asked aloud.
"Hmm?" Shura frowned back at her.
"Is being a Saint worth your life?"
"Yes," Shura said without any hesitation at all. Drea frowned again, considering this information Although she had known in the abstract how brutal and loyal the Saints could be but she had never considered how it would affect her work here before. Well, she had known that there would be injuries but she hadn't had a clear view of the scale of them. She was beginning to see why Lady Athena had accepted their help so fast.
"Drea? We're here."
"Oh, thank you.." the priestess glanced around. This was just an open area behind a grouping bolders. It wasn't as big as the first area but it did offer some privacy.
"Well?"
"I'll consider it," Drea said, then glanced at the sun. "I should be getting back. Thank you for doing this."
"It was nothing," Shura replied. "I hope you have good luck with your students."
Drea nodded, then thought of something. "Shura, would you have some spare time later, when I'm done teaching?"
"Maybe…" Shura gave her a curious look. "Why?"
"I want a more detailed tour of Sanctuary, just so I know where everything is. I was wonder if you would be willing to do that, Drea explained, feeling heat rise in her cheeks. She wondered why such a simple request was getting a blush from her. "I could always ask someone else if you're going to be busy ." That caused a tiny twang of disappointment go off. She would like to see him again, although she would ask someone else if he couldn't. She did need to learn her own way around and stop relying on the Saints to help her.
"I think I can do that," Shura answered as she as pondering that. She couldn't help smiling a little.
"Great," Drea said. "I need to check on my patient after class, so if you could meet me down by the infirmary that would be ideal."
"Then I'll meet you there later today," Shura replied.
"See you then, and thank you. Now if you'll excuse me…" Drea turned and walked away, hoping her she hadn't left to abruptly. But she had to. Once she was sure was out of the Capricorn Saint's sight, she broke into a run. That had taken more time than she thought it wouldn't' and she wouldn't' get back in time if she didn't hurry. She couldn't let herself be late. Not only would it set a bad example for her students but it would give the wrong impression to the rest of Sanctuary. She, and the Order of Gaia were here for a reason. She wouldn't let her behavior distract anyone from that.
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Hours later Drea made her way back to the infirmary, feeling slightly exhausted. While some of her older students had managed to somewhat adjust to the change, almost all the younger ones were to upset and various over the sudden change to achieve any sort of focus. She was used to dealing with her young cousins and some of the younger members of the Order but they were all much better behaved than her students were when they were outside like that!
Logically she knew that the priestesses in training would have had years of training instead of the month or so of basics she had hammered into her students. It didn't stop it from being any less trying. She pondered telling Shura she was to tired to go on a tour of Sanctuary. It would mean missing out on walking with him, but a cup of tea and a little peace and quiet sounded appealing right now.
Walking inside the infirmary to check on her patient made her freeze in surprise. She would have sworn that there was no way the trainee would have been able to wake up before nightfall at least but not only was he awake but he was trying to get out of bed.
"What are you doing?" she snapped as she rushed over to push him back down. He slapped her hands away and tried to continue what he was doing. Drea frowned and darted forward to push down on his shoulders. "You need to stay down!"
"I need to get back to training!" the boy snapped back, pushing red hair out of his face. "It's already late, my Master will know I've been slacking off! I can't just lay around here anymore!"
"You're exhausted and you can barely stand, you are in no shape to be training! You are going to stay right here!" She tried to give him another shove, but he pushed her away.
"Why do I have to listen to you?" He growled, looking annoyed. Drea managed to right herself after the shove and draw herself up annoyed.
"I am a Priestess of Gaia and a healer appointed by Lady Athena herself. If I say your not fit for physical activity, then you had better listen to me," she said with as much dignity as she could muster.
"Says who?" the trainee sneered. "You aren't even from here, and you aren't a warrior at all, anyone can tell that. My Master is the only one I'm worried about. He won't like it if I don't show up just because I listened to some healer ," he almost spat the last word at her. She bristled, glaring at him.
"I can deal with your Master…" she began but the trainee burst out laughing before she was finished.
"You deal with him?" the trainee snickered. "How could someone like you do that?"
"I'll find a way," she said firmly. "Now you are to stay here while I…" The door she had half shut when she walked it opened with a bang. She jumped and whirled around. There was a tall figure, a man standing in the door. "May I help you?" she said, slightly annoyed at the interruption.
A sharp intake of breath came from behind her, "Master!" the trainee whispered. Drea frowned, but walked forward to meet the man who had just walked in. As she got closer she realized he was the Cancer Saint. He fixed her a piercing stare.
"You can tell me where my student is," he growled.