Darkness and Hunger.
Shun paused, his breathing becoming heavy. He had always felt this looming prescience. And now it was catching up to him. He had tried to hide it from his friends and his brother, but it was impossible now. He couldn't find the will to keep running.
He also realized with a dull ache, that if the stories were true about what was happening now, then he would never get to see his friends or his brother again. He suddenly forgot all about the things they had said only moments ago that had wounded him. He could only remember that he had been angry and said things he had never meant. He had parted terribly with his friends and his brother, and that was more of a wound than he could ever hope to patch in his heart.
Darkness and Hunger.
He could feel it in those age old eyes. They were full of the darkness of death, but looking for something to fill his aching heart. Those eyes made him pause. Why did they call to him so? He shuddered, and paused, trying to decide if he should run or not.
He knew that this was all in his head. He was imagining everything that was happening, and yet to him and his pursuer it was the only reality. He could hear Athena calling him, asking him to hold on. He had collapsed while he was talking to her. He burned as if with a fever, and he kept screaming, crying aloud with the terror he felt as he ran from the phantom in his mind, but that terror sounded like agony. She didn't know what was going on, but she was calling for help. It wouldn't be long before someone heard her. But Shun would find no help. He was lost in the wilderness of his mind. Shun heard several saints as they approached, calling and asking what was wrong. There was nothing but chaos as they tried to figure out the problem.
"Come here child." The voice in his mind whispered. Shun shuddered, fighting against the alluring sound of his voice. He could see the man, tall with broad shoulders and hair and eyes as black as the night.
He heard himself scream again, and he felt himself begin to tremble. Outside of his mind he heard clearly as several people began to speak.
"What's going on?" Dohko called. The crowd parted for him. Dohko was one of the most revered saints, and one of the oldest, having lived through a holy war and into another against the god Hades.
"Dohko!" Athena gasped, trying not to sob. "I don't know what's going on! We were talking together and then he just suddenly collapsed!"
Shun shuddered and started again to run from the figure, trying to escape again.
Dohko pulled the green haired saint into Athena's lap and began to probe his chest as if searching for injuries. But suddenly he paused.
"Dear goddess…" he whispered. Athena froze. "Did he say anything unusual?" All of the saints fell silent. They could hear his tone of voice clearly. He was deadly serious.
"No, not that I know of…" Athena said. "But he's usually such an easy going and gentle saint…He's been on edge for the last few days."
"What's going on?" Shun heard Seiya cry. Shun's heart gave a jump. Why of all people did he have to show up now that he was losing himself?
It was the bronze saints. They had come to see what the fuss was about. They all fell silent as they saw Shun, cradled in Athena's lap and whimpering quietly before letting out another scream. Several that had been speaking with him earlier began to tremble. They had never heard him sound like that. Some were still angry with him, but others had already begun to repent of their words.
"Has he been acting strangely?" Dohko asked them severely.
"Y-yes." Seiya replied. "He's suddenly seemed so unnerved."
"And why didn't you tell anyone?" The saint suddenly growled, making all of the saints jump.
"What do you mean?" Hyoga, a friend of Shun's and a bronze saint asked. "Is something wrong?"
"Wrong?" Dohko growled. "This is beyond wrong! If you had spoken up we may have been able to stop this!"
"Dohko, what's wrong?" Athena asked. "What's going on?"
Dohko reached down into Shun's shirt collar and pulled up. A single pendant fell across his chest, a pinnacle of a star surrounded by a circle with the words "Yours Ever" etched into it.
"This is Hades Pinnacle!" Dohko growled. "He's been marked as someone Hades wants to have in his army, or to kill. The last time it was seen, it was used to mark Hades' last host."
"What?" Athena asked, her voice trembling. "Is there anything you can do?"
"No." Dohko said. "At this point, I doubt he can even hear us. Hades has found him. Now only his strength can save him, if it is enough to escape Hades."
Suddenly, every saint was trembling. Would he have the strength? He had always been such a gentle saint. His friends were suddenly trying not to cry. What had they done? They were certain that the reason he had finally been found was because they had aggravated him so. They finally realized why he had been so angry. He was scared. He was trying to escape from an enemy he couldn't place the name of. Only his brother, Ikki was not present as Shun was now fighting for his life. He was losing this most important battle, and the only person who could have probably saved him was no where to be seen. Shun felt the sudden unfairness of it, and let out another scream.
"Don't run boy." The voice laughed. "It will make your capture more painful."
Shun kept running, but he was growing tired. This man seemed to make him grow even more painful and slow. He seemed to make him want to curl up into a ball and sleep forever. But Shun feared falling asleep. This was the god of death. Would he ever wake back up? The pendant on his neck was growing heavier, and with each step the man grew closer. Finally, his heart full of grief and sadness, Shun could take it no longer. He fell to his knees and stopped fighting.
He gave out a surprised yelp, and then his body went limp. His eyes closed and his breathing suddenly slowed. He looked so still that if they couldn't have seen the steady rise and fall -however slight it was- of his chest they would have thought him dead. They all shuddered, knowing that he had very little fight left in him. Suddenly, they feared that he wouldn't make it.
"Shun!" Athena suddenly cried. "Don't give up! Please keep fighting! Don't leave me!"
Shun could hear her sobbing, but he just didn't have the strength left in his limbs to get up and keep running. It saddened him to think that this may well be the end, that he would never get the chance to make a mark on the world, but he also knew that he was a weak saint. He was never good at fighting. There were plenty of other bronze saints that could go on and be better than he ever could be. His brother was one of them. Ikki had told him only hours ago that he was too soft. He had told him that he was never meant to be a saint, that he was weak. He had even said that he hated him. Shun believed that. Ikki was after all, the saint of hatred, or so they said. And didn't they say that Shun himself was the saint of sorrow and sacrifice? He didn't know and he didn't care. He just wished suddenly for all of this to be over. But Hades was taking his time, laughing and gloating over his catch. Shun felt a bitter anger towards the god.
There was nearly dead silence. No one dared to move or breathe. Athena was clutching at Shun and sobbing, knowing that she could make no difference. Nearly all of the saints were tensed for the battle, expecting Hades to suddenly awaken and attack. Only the bronze saints remained frozen in horror. How could this be happening? Why Shun? He was too sweet to become Hades, or one of his many slaves. But it was happening. Shiryu suddenly returned, having gone to find Ikki and barley managing to convince the saint to come. In his haste Shiryu had been unable to tell Ikki exactly what was going on, but Ikki could tell that everyone was convinced that something horrible was happening to Shun. He hadn't wanted to believe it, but now he couldn't deny that Shun was nearly dead. He stood there with nothing in his mind but horror and a deep hopelessness.
"What happened?" Ikki asked, his voice trembling.
"Hades..." Athena sobbed, but she was unable to finish what she was going to say and no one tried to finish for her. Any hope Ikki had left sank suddenly.
The god had arrived. He walked slowly in front of Shun, and bent down. He lifted the boy's face to look at him, his fingers under his chin so that their eyes had to lock. He then began to stroke Shun's hair with his other hand gently, like someone who was observing a tiny baby chick, being careful not to squash it. Shun trembled under the god's gaze. The god was very attractive really, something Shun found strange. He had never thought of a man as attractive. But then again, he'd never been in this situation before.
"Easy," the god purred to him, "easy. I'm going to make this quick. I have compassion you know, despite what you saints think."
Shun couldn't reply. He couldn't move. He trembled silently as the god continued to stroke his hair.
"What do you want?" Shun managed to growl out.
"Me?" the god asked as if surprised. "Nothing much. I just want to see Athena suffer the way she has made me suffer. I'm going to steal something precious from her, just as she did. I'm going to steal you."
"Me?" Shun asked. "But I'm nothing."
"No." Hades laughed. "You're much more than that. You are one of her saints. She hates to see her saints die."
"So you're here to kill me?" Shun asked.
"In a way, yes." Hades replied. "I am going to see that she suffers completely." Then the god leaned in close to shun and brushed the hair away from his ear gently, whispering into it. "I'm going to steal your loyalty."
Shun gasped and froze completely. There was no way was there? He would never give in! Or would he? Shun had never been a strong saint. No. He refused to give into Hades' demands. He would fight until he died if he had to. He would never give into Hades. He was a saint of Athena.
"Oh," Hades laughed. "I love the fire in your eyes. Where did that suddenly come from?"
Shun suddenly stirred, preparing himself to attack. With sheer force of will he punched to god in the face. But Hades recovered in an instant and slapped Shun across the face, making him gasp as spots swam in front of his eyes. Then the god grabbed Shun by the throat, lifting him off of the ground. Shun felt his heart beat quicken as he struggled to breathe.
"Let this be the first warning." Hades growled. "I can kill you and I can raise you back from the dead. From this point on you will do what I say or feel my wrath." Then he laughed. "But there is one last thing I have to do before you can enter the realm of the dead."
Shun screamed as blindingly hot pain erupted from his chest.
Athena suddenly froze. She had had her head on Shun's chest, and it was impossible to miss. Her hair had shielded his face from the saints, and they couldn't see the small line of blood trickling down from his mouth. She looked at his face slowly. He seemed so peaceful now, and it made her heart ache all the more. She had heard his heart stop, his breathing die, and she had felt the wound open suddenly in his chest. She couldn't ignore that.
"No…" She gasped suddenly. She began to shake, both with tears and with rage. Hades had stolen him from her. There was no greater price he could claim of her.
There was silence as slowly, Athena raised her head. All of the saints looked away, all accept for the bronze saints. Their greatest fear had suddenly been realized. Shun was dead.
Ikki could only stare blankly at his younger brother. Inside his heart was bursting. He had promised to protect Shun, and he had failed miserably. And the last thing he had ever said to his brother had been in anger. Ikki's anguish could increase no further. He had told Shun that he hated him. He had said so many horrible things that would have normally made Shun cry, but had not because he was angry. But what hurt Ikki the most, was that for a moment he had convinced himself that it was true. His brother was gone, and he could not have loved him more. Ikki felt tears begin to spill down his face. Shun was gone, and he had never known that Ikki loved him with all his heart and could not ignore that he was dead. Ikki felt hatred burn inside of him. Hades would pay.
All of the bronze saints were mourning Shun, but none more than Ikki and Shun's best friends in life. Hyoga, Shiryu and Seiya had all been in that group that had been angry with Shun. They had all said things they now suddenly regretted. They wanted to take it back, but now they would never get the chance. They too stood there saying nothing, crying and swearing to all the gods and goddesses that they could name that Hades would pay for what he had just done.
But Seiya was mourning for Shun harder than the rest. It was no secret among the bronze saints that Seiya had promised himself to Shun, and that they would be together for life when they were allowed. But now that was impossible. Or so everyone thought. Seiya on the other hand was convinced that there was another way. He had one time heard of a way of saving someone from the grasp of Hades. No one had yet succeeded, but Seiya was too stubborn to give up. He would not die, and he would bring Shun back. Seiya was rightly convinced that Hades had other fates besides death in mind for Shun.
Shun, Seiya thought, I will bring you back. Hades can't take you from me. Not yet. Just stay strong.
Shun awoke with a start, finding himself in suffocating blackness. He was still free to move about, but found that there was something on his wrists that felt suspiciously like manacles, only they did not bind his hands. He was suddenly very frightened, for the dark had always made Shun nervous, and he realized suddenly that he was dead. He managed to keep calm and not bolt. He was dead now. He didn't have his cloth or his cosmos to protect him here, and so he needed to be smart about his whole situation. If he was going to have a chance, he needed to stay cool. But he also realized that this wasn't Hades full plan. He wanted him close so that he could "steal his loyalty" and then he would probably send him back to the world to show Athena all his good work. But Shun wasn't just going to roll over and give up. He was going to fight for all his worth. He was going to remind Hades that he was a saint of Athena.
Shun felt the caress of a familiar cosmos touch his face as it searched for him. Shun grasped it with his mind for a moment, and it seemed to acknowledge him before the tides of the underworld swept it away. Shun felt a tear fall down his face. He felt utterly alone. But he wouldn't give up. He knew Seiya would come for him, even if everyone else had given up.
I will find you Shun. Seiya's cosmos promised as it was swept away from him.
"And I'll be waiting for you, Seiya." Shun promised back.