Disclaimer: Gods do I wish!!!!
Author's note: Personally, I think Seiya has Pegasus in m\him…actually, I think he IS Pegasus, so this is just an idea that popped in my head… Explains how Seiya and Shaina met too…
***
Talk To Me, Stay With Me
By Lilas
A pain gripped at the boy's chest as tears flowed down his cheeks. The night's breeze brushed against his bare skin but the young boy refused to shiver, to give in to its coldness… He was not going to give up and surrender to the wind… He had to learn to be strong and not bend down to the weather's wishes. He had to learn to burn his cosmo to warm himself… He had to learn to use his cosmo to protect himself from his enemies… to protect himself from Cassius.
He slowly got to his feet and started to run further into the forest, trying his best to buy himself sometime from his training in the morning. He didn't want to train at the break of dawn, he didn't want to keep breaking his hand while trying to crush rocks and most of all he didn't wan to dangle from a cliff, only held by a stick while doing abdomens… All he wanted was sleep… and he'd settle for one hour of sleep without the nightmares coming to haunt him. He didn't even know what they meant and knew no one would... Well, Aiolia might, but the boy knew the Leo saint would never do such a thing. He was too important to talk to someone of the likes of him. After all, he was part of the highest ranking Saint.
The boy suddenly stopped at a clearance, his breathing short and punctuated, his wild hair more so than ever and sweat covering his body, running down his face and into his shirt. He fell to the ground, legs shaking from exhaustion and body too tired to hold up by itself. If only he could close his eyes without the nightmares… If only…
'I'm sorry to trouble you, young Saint,' a deep, gorgeous voice spoke from within the boy's mind.
"No… 'S ok Aiolos… I'm just a bit tired…" the boy replied casually, hinting that the voice speaking to him was familiar.
'You are not a nothing, Seiya... One day you will be
greater than the Gold Saints,' the voice answered back.
In front of him, a small light started to shine and slowly it took on different colors and a defined shape… a human shape with torn clothes at parts and wild hazel hair held by a black band. Parts of armors could be distinguished. The man sat next to the young boy, his back resting against the tree the boy was leaned against.
"You mean… greater than what you once were?" the boy questioned, looking up at the man next to him.
'You are already greater than I… You're alive and I am dead,' the man spoke, sadness hinted at the back of his throat.
"Don't say that! It's not true! Don't remind me you aren't here… stop reminding me you aren't real, that you're nothing but a spirit…" the boy begged, tears making their way down his cheeks again.
'But that's exactly what I am… A spirit. I can't be with you forever, Seiya. One day, when you don't need me anymore, I'll be gone and finally find my deserved peace,' the man whispered, looking down to the form of the crying child next to him.
"No… I don't want you to go, I don't want you to leave me by myself… I'm scared," he whispered, ashamed of his words.
'Scared? Of what?' Aiolos asked gently.
"Of being alone… I'm scared to find myself in a tough situation and no one's there to cheer me on…" the boy whispered, close to mumbled really.
'But I thought you said that girl would always be there for you, that she'd always be your friend…' the man stated. He watched the boy nod slowly, but never answer his question. 'What happened?'
"I'm not sure… But we never said good bye, and we parted angry at each other…" The boy looked up to the man next to him, his eyes red with tears. "I never apologized… I never said good-bye…"
'It's all right Seiya... I'm sure she forgives you.'
"But Aiolia doesn't forgive you… Why would she forgive me? After all, we're nothing more than friends…" he spoke in a hushed tone, afraid the wind would pick his words and carry them to Miho.
'It's different Seiya. Aiolia doesn't hate me because I didn't say goodbye before I died. He hates me because everyone drilled into him that I betrayed the sanctuary,' the older man explained, his voice saddened
"Don't worry… one day, when I'm older, I'll make him see the truth… even if I die trying. You both deserve it," the youth spoke, a small smile on his face.
The man next to him smiled also and his smile broke into an enormous grin as the little figure next to him yawned loudly, closing his eyes in the process. He placed a translucent hand on top of the boy's hair and the latter fell asleep with the impression someone was holding him in a lap, even though he was now alone in the forest, the man gone from sight.
******
The boy opened his eyes to be greeted by the warm light of the sun on his skin and playing around the forest. As he looked around his surroundings, the talk he had had with Aiolos the night before came rushing in his mind, as did the shame of having confessed to his 'guardian' that he was frightened to be alone… That was a Saint's destiny, wasn't it?
He slowly got up, wondering if Marin would allow him to write a letter to Miho apologizing to her and telling her he was all right… Maybe she had forgiven him for yelling at her that day. That and he had to tell her he knew she hadn't meant when she said he could die for all she cared… she was worried for him, and he was very grateful for that.
He gave a big yawn and stopped when he heard a rumbling noise. He stood still and listened to the noise again and again before a huge surge of color went to his cheeks as he realize the noise was nothing else than the growling of his stomach… How dense can you get? As he looked out for something he could eat, he spotted white flash from the corner of his eyes… A rabbit!
He started after the little animal, making sure to never scare it but never getting too far behind as to not lose it. Before he knew, the woods cleared out and screams could be heard from not too far away. Stopping in his tracks, Seiya listened to the voices, not able to decipher them from where he stood. Being just a toddler, curiosity played a big part in his life and, being unaware of the saying that goes with that default, he ventured further into the clearing, hoping against hope that he'd find someone…
As he neared the screams and murmurs, a small, almost nonexistent whimper, reached his ears. He turned his head around, trying to pinpoint the sound and headed towards the bushes on his left, making extra attention to not be detected. He spread the bushes apart and lay low on the ground, watching what seemed to be a young girl, maybe a year or two older than him, cradling her hand close to her chest, small whimpering noises coming from her throat. Just like him, however, she did not cry despite the pain.
"Are you hurt?" he asked suddenly, his voice concerned but still hinting his curiosity at the girl in front of him.
The girl's head snapped towards the bush as she heard the voice, her face uncovered from her mask. Her emerald eyes grew wide with fear and terror and her small mouth opened to let in a gasp. Her grip on her hand tightened even more and all she could do in her state of fear and panic was stare at the boy in front of her.
"I won't hurt you… Actually, I want to help you. Let me see your hand," he spoke, getting out from under the bush and walking up to the girl, extending his hand to her so she'd let him examine her wound.
The girl stared at him, doubt haunting her pretty face, but she finally consented and gave her hand to the boy who knelt in front of her. He took her hand in his and softly touched her burnt skin, withdrawing a sharp intake of air from the girl. He looked up apologetically, a rather sheepish grin covering his face. He moved about the clearing and ripped some herbs and rubbed them against the girl's wound, and then proceeded to tear a piece of his shirt to wrap her wound.
"There! All done," he exclaimed proudly at his work.
"Thank you," the young girl replied, letting her voice be heard for the first time.
"You're welcome… Hey, what's your-"
The young boy was suddenly cut off by the girl's scream. He looked around himself quickly, trying to spot what had made the young lady in front of him scream the way she had, but he saw nothing, felt nothing. When he turned back to look at the girl, she was gone… He slowly got up and turned around himself, trying his best to scrutinize the forest with his newly obtained cosmo as well as his five senses, but he still found nothing.
He shrugged slightly and turned to walk away, still trying to locate the young girl he had just helped… He wanted to know her name. He slowly walked back the way he had come from, the rabbit forgotten and placed at the very back of his mind while Aiolos' soothing voice spoke to him from the deepest recess of his soul…
'You will regret this encounter Seiya,' he spoke softly.
"Why? She seemed nice enough…" the boy replied as he moved the branches away from his pathway.
"Then stop saying things you don't know," he answered, his voice edging towards anger.
'Very well… I must go now,' the voice sighed sadly, hesitantly.
Seiya stopped, the branch in his hand and he stared towards nothingness. Suddenly he let go of the branch and gripped his chest tightly, tears forming in his eyes as he moved to hug himself.
"No! You can't do this! No! Stay with me! Talk to me! Aiolos!" he screamed, never letting go of his chest as he sunk to the floor, the tears running down his cheeks freely.
'I cannot young Saint… You must learn the lessons by yourself, and you must face loneliness alone as well… But I will never be far away, Seiya… Meteor.'
The voice disappeared and Seiya screamed in frustration as a deep loneliness filled his soul and teased him of what he had just lost for what may be forever. Tears of anger dropped onto the grass of the forest and he crumbled to bury his face in the dirty of the soil, wetting it with his salty tears.
"Come back… I'm sorry Aiolos… Come back! I can't stand this! I… I don't want to be a Saint if it means to be alone forever!" he shouted into the empty forest.
A rustling sound not too far echoed through, but he paid no heed to it. Out from the bushes emerged a small, white rabbit. He looked at Seiya for long time before venturing towards the boy and stopping in front of him, his eyes filled with curiosity. The young boy lifted his eyes and looked at the rabbit, his face dirty and his eyes red, sniffing like the child he truly was.
"This is all your fault… But I guess now I should let you live. Besides, if I don't get back soon, Marin is going to yell at me again…"
He sighed and slowly got up and dusting himself off and wiping the tears from his eyes. Then he opened them wide as he felt something fill in the hole Aiolos' departure had made… And he felt more whole than he had ever felt in his life. He closed his eyes and searched deep within his conscience, trying to find and identify the source of the voice.
'Hello Seiya,' a voice very different from Aiolos' spoke to him softly.
He started and moved to where he had heard the voice, wetting his lips. "Who are you?"
'They call me Pegasus, young Saint. They call me the heroes of all and you are me,' the voice spoke softly, glory resounding in every syllable it uttered.
"I am… you? What do you mean?" Seiya questioned, not understanding the words spoken.
'I mean what I said… You are me, and I am you… We are one.'
Seiya nodded, in an instant understanding what the voice
meant. He opened his eyes, a smile on his face and walked forward, knowing that
somehow, Aiolos was still around and that Pegasus would help him through…