Disclaimer: don't own them even though I really wish I did!!!!
Author's note: If you've never seen the series, you're missing out… One of the best out there! Here's a little insight... Seiya (main character) is a Saint, or in this case a guardian. He isn't the only one either, I'll get to that later. Then there's Saori, she's the reincarnation of the Greek goddess Athena, whom Seiya protects… In this fic, Shaina shows up. She's an Amazon, which means she's a female warrior who wears a mask to cover her face as the Sanctuary law state and she has a HUGE crush on Seiya. The Sanctuary is where Athena's statute and the 12 houses of the gold Saints is located, but you can find that out by yourself… Now, about the Saints... There are as many as constellations. So Athena has 88 Saints and their category varies… They go from the Bronze Saints, to the Silver Saints, to the Gold Saints to the God Saints, but that in the Hades chapter… Seiya is the Pegasus Bronze Saint, but he's a special kind… He can gain more power along with his four half-brothers… Jamian is the Corvus Saint and he's a Silver Saint… Oh, and from my point of view, Seiya has a crush on Saori, even though she was really mean to him as a kid… I think that's all… If you're still confused, either go to a site or email me! Now enough of my ramblings and read the fic!!!
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For her, now and always
By Lilas
Life sure is weird, isn't it? If I were in the same situation a couple of weeks, or even days before, I would gladly give Saori to Jamian and fight Shaina… But not anymore. Now I'm risking my life to save her from those who want to kill her. Why? I'm still trying to figure that one out myself. I guess that the fact she's Athena might be part of it, but for some reason, it goes deeper.
There's something about the way she acts now that's different from all her other personalities… Which is your real one Saori? Is it the little bitch that used to get us beaten for a yes or a no? Or is it the brat who organized the Galaxian Wars in honor of her deceased grandfather? Or better yet, is it the mature woman I'm holding with my good arm, who only two days before was revealed to be Athena, protector of this beautiful planet?
I don't know… I can hear Shaina's voice next to me, but for some reason, I can't understand her words. Shaina… She's strange. For some bizarre reason, she seems familiar, like I'm suppose to remember her from a dream, from a memory of long ago… But if that's so, why is it she hates me so much? I don't understand what triggered all that hatred… I remember Marin telling me that if a man sees an amazon's face, then she must either kill him or love him… but even that couldn't make a person hate another so much, could it?
A shooting pain travels up and down my arm as a I shift and back away, trying to find an escape route other than the one presenting itself in front of me… I hate cliffs and I've hated them since I went to Greece to train. First day I got there, I fell off one because the rocks were unstable and I had to run along it for my first training session. I picked up the training right afterwards and Marin forced me to ignore the pain in my arm, which I figured was partially broken.
Again pain shoots through my arm and it's all I can do not to shout out from it. More voices bombard my hearing but one of them stands out… A tired, sweet voice speaks from my arm and I look down to see Saori's gray eyes looking up at the sparkling stars, her mouth moving, but my hearing unable to pick up her words… Or was she speaking at all?
"Seiya? Is it really you?" her mouth words. For some reason, I don't seem to be able to hear her words, but I understand them.
I nod but a slight frown comes over her features as she picks up my distress. She stares hard at me and I start to feel uncomfortable under her scrutinizing gaze, shifting her weight continuously as my left arm tries its best not to release her as the muscles tire out. My other arm hangs uselessly next to my body and against the rocks, slowly creating a small pool of my blood under it as the wounds remain open.
"I must be heavy…" she whispers, trying her best to relieve some of the tension she feels within me.
"Nonsense…" I whisper back. "I'm a Saint… Or have you forgotten?" I continue, a small smile appearing on my tired features.
She simply nods to my response, a smile forming on her face, although the worried frown remains. I can sense her cosmo probing in me, trying to take the pain away from me and replace it with love and a feeling of fullness, but I shove her out, not wanting her to find the feelings hidden deep within me, not wanting her to find that I'm no longer protecting her out of sheer duty…
"Saori, maybe you should have stayed asleep… We're in a tight situation and I'm not sure which course to take…" I start, not wanting to reveal to her the seriousness of the situation…
"I trust your judgment on how to get us out Seiya…" she replies immediately without a trace of doubt.
Again I find myself startled at my own decision… If it was any other person or any other situation, I would hand Saori to Jamian and fight Shaina and then go after her again, but this time, I decide against that. I am a Saint… I am Athena's protector and I have to look out for her even at the risk of my own life. Even if it means having to do the thing I hate the most in my life.
Out of the corner of my eye I see Shaina moving in for the kill but I turn to her and shout, "Wait! Give us a chance!"
She obeys to my voice and stops, watching me behind the mask I once broke. I turn to Saori, my heart beating faster as the seconds go by, my mind continuously repeating to my body what it decided a few seconds before and getting it ready. My grip around her waist tightens and I hear a small gasp from her at my sudden reaction.
"Trust me," I whisper softly to her.
She nods and shifts her body in my tight grip, encircling her arms around my neck and burying her head on my chest. For some odd reason, I find that her frame fits perfectly against my own, but the thoughts are pushed aside as I start my walk towards the precipice's mouth. I keep my eyes glued to what's in front of me, but I feel Shaina's distress over my decision and I distinguish her form taking two steps towards me.
As I reach the opening, my hold on Saori increases and I take a deep breath, enjoying the smell of the cold wind and fresh air in my nostrils. Ignoring my trembling limbs, I crouch down and jump off the cliff, letting out a shout as I feel myself falling towards nothingness. I keep hold of Saori's body, shifting in mid-air so my body ends up under her in hopes of softening her fall when we hit rock bottom.
Next thing I know, my body collides with stone and I feel my broken arm scream in protest, black dots decorating my already darken environment. I feel my body sliding down on the ground, my arm trailing limply beside me while Saori's seemingly unconscious body pressures my own into the dirt. I feel a chilly wind tease my skin and suddenly there is nothing but air under me and I feel myself falling again.
The second time I hit the dirt, my left arm jerks and I lose hold of Saori's body. I gasp out loud as my head hits the ground beneath me and I feel part of helmet cracking from the impact. I lie on my stomach for a moment, forcing the pain away and slowly get up. I find myself in a seated position looking for Saori's limp form, praying she's all right and that I was successful in keeping her from harm.
I find her lying in a bed of flowers, resting her tired body from the discovery of the power within her as well as the shock that the entire discoveries led to. I slowly lie on my back and stare at the stars, trying my best to stay awake. I have to… What if someone comes for her and I'm unconscious? And what if Shun and Hyoga don't find us?
Despite my best efforts, I feel my eyelids closing while my head pounds in my skull mercilessly. Maybe a few minutes won't hurt… As I close my eyes and think back on what just happened, deep within my soul, I find myself making a promise, a vow I swore I'd keep… A vow that for her, now and forever, I'd die and risk my life to keep safe…