Spoiler Warning: fic based on Lost Canvas, read under your own risk. Some details may differ from the actual work though since I really didn't like the end and it was a while since I read it.

This is a translation from a fanfic I wrote in Spanish called "Mi querido amigo", if you find some awkward sentences or grammar/orthographic mistakes please let me know, since English is not my first language and I don't have a beta.

Disclaimer: If I owned Saint Seiya then the Gold Saints wouldn't have died and the Bronze Saints would NOT be the heroes under ANY CIRCUMSTANCE.

Chapter 1: Pain

Sisyphus of Sagittarius smiled sweetly to the little girl whose hand he held. Her eyes were swollen and red from so much crying, and yet she was looking around her with slight recognition.

"Do you know this place, your highness?" asked the towering gold saint as they little by little walked deeper into the sanctuary. The girl looked at him with large green eyes, small specks of grey shining in them.

"I don't, but I feel as if I had been here before and if I look at a fallen column I can remember clearly its original location" she answered hoarsely. Sisyphus nodded, rather astonished by her memories.

Step by step they went up the stairs that connected the Twelve Temples, some of which were empty, while some of them had men of shining golden cloths similar to Sisyphus'. These men kneeled on the ground and bowed their head as they saw her pass. Little Sasha looked at this demonstration of respect with some curiosity. Little Athena, on the other hand, acknowledged this as the way she was supposed to be treated. Sasha was very confused, she had conflicting feelings regarding this place, sadness for having left her first home and happiness for having returned to what she knew was her real home.

Conflicting feelings had also engulfed her the first time she saw Sisyphus.

It all started a couple weeks before…

Little Sasha went running into the orphanage looking for a toy of hers, stopping on her tracks as she saw the woman in charge quietly conversing with a young man of brown hair and deep eyes. The man turned and smiled as he saw her, at that moment Sasha knew he was coming for her and Athena knew who he was.

"You're Sagittarius" said Athena-Sasha out loud, interrupting the adults. Sisyphus smiled and kneeled in front of her, bowing his head.

"Yes, your highness. I've come to take you home" he answered with a slight smile.

" Home? Ah… I remember now, the sanctuary" she muttered as she walked towards him.

Just as it had taken no effort associating Sisyphus with a blurry mental image of Sagittarius, it took no effort to associate what she saw now with impressions she remembered vaguely, memories of war, suffering and happiness, and of course, every second she wished that Tenma and Aaron were with her, maybe then… maybe then she wouldn't have felt so alone…

Remembering Tenma and Aaron had made her cry again and Sisyphus had tried to console her without success. However, as they approached the main temple she forced herself to stop crying, after all, she had to show strength in front of the leader of the saints… HER saints. Sisyphus had explained several things while they were traveling and by joining them with her own memories that were awakening more and more each day, she convinced herself that it was her duty to be strong for everyone, she had to hide her pain, for a weak person could not protect the Earth of what was to come.

She entered the Great Hall and noticed that inside was a saint she had not met yet. He was kneeling in front of a great throne, upon which a man wearing a helmet and a mask sat down. This man seemed to emanate authority and this made little Sasha quite uncomfortable, but then she remembered that she was a goddess and that no human was above her, therefore, she raised her chin and walked to the throne, Sisyphus had stayed outside, as he had an audience with the Pope later.

"Princess" saluted the man, rising and walking towards her.

"Calm down Sasha, inhale, exhale and raise your head, so that he may see your eyes" she thought to herself and jumped a bit, surprised as the man kneeled in front of her.

"Your highness, welcome to your Sanctuary. My name is Sage and I am the Pope of this Sanctuary, please receive my salute and my oath of eternal fidelity" said the old man with an extremely formal voice, she smiled and tears formed on her eyes as she remembered that her destiny was taking her far away from the people she loved, she closed her eyes and let some tears fall on her face.

"Thank you… it is good to be back home" she answered and then tried to dry her tears, which kept coming out of her eyes. She was happy, but at the same time felt a lot of pain, the full weight of her new situation had finally fallen on her young shoulders…

"Irene… escort the princess to her rooms and make sure she receives anything she needs" ordered the pope, as a tall woman walked to the little girl and placed a blanket over the fragile figure of the goddess. Gently she conducted the girl behind the throne, as they passed beside the Golden figure Athena observed him between her tears, his hair was long and as golden as his cloth and his features were fine… almost aristocratic. The man noticed her scrutiny and bowed even more, hiding behind a curtain of gold. Afterwards, Athena and Irene abandoned the hall behind the curtains, through a hallway that would take them to her rooms.

"But… is this little one truly Athena?" spoke the golden saint at last.

"Yes, and she cries because she has been separated from the people dear to her. So young and she already had to take such a painful decision" answered the Pope, noticing the bewilderment of the saint. Said saint remained in silence, unsure of what to make of the situation.

"Usually, the gods are above humans… but Athena chooses to reincarnate as a human so that she may comprehend their pain better. That is what makes her deserving of reign over the Earth" said the Pope as he watched the small princess vanish on the hallway.

"I disagree, your Excellency, I don't understand how a goddess such as this can guide the Earth towards the truth" thought the saint, but he remained silent for a moment longer.

"Excellency, I, Asmita of Virgo, ask for your permission to retire…" he added after a while. The Pope nodded.

"You may go and do not forget the mission I entrusted to you…" answered the Pope. Asmita smiled lightly.

"Of course your Excellency, until later" after saying his goodbyes he walked calmly out of the room, outside he met Sisyphus and both nodded to each other, just to acknowledge each other's presence.

Thus, after returning to the temple of Virgo, Asmita sank into deep meditation as the Pope commanded him, searching for clues so that they may prepare for the coming Holy War and plunging in the depths of the Cosmos, Asmita focused in his work, momentarily forgetting the world around him…

Late at night, Sasha dressed in her old orphanage clothes, much more comfortable than the dresses her ladies-in-waiting had given her, and then slipped silently among the shadows, she remembered clearly that she had been told not to go beyond the main temple… but Sasha had ignored that recommendation/order, firstly because she was used to go wherever she wanted, whenever she wanted, absolute freedom had been an advantage of being poor and orphan, as long as she returned before curfew she could do as she pleased… secondly, she was Athena and nobody ordered he around, she laughed softly at that stray thought, it was funny how she had gone from Sasha the orphan to Athena the goddess from one day to the next. Immediately she quieted down, she wanted to know her sanctuary but she had to be careful if she didn't want to be discovered.

An hour later Sasha sighed in relieve as she got out the temple of Libra, the saint guarding said temple was wide awake and it had taken a lot of effort getting in and out without being seen… though it probably had to do with the staff she carried… she had been told that this was Nike and that it gave victory to its wielder, and that she, Athena, was its rightful owner. So, as she needed all the luck she could get if she wanted to escape the 12 temples, she opted to take Nike with her and so far it had yielded good results…

She approached Virgo cautiously, noticing the presence of the saint inside; however, the presence was so lethargic that Athena assumed the saint was fast asleep, so she entered the temple with the certainty that she would be able to reach Leo. That's when she noticed he was sitting with his legs crossed…

"What an odd position to sleep" she thought as she hid behind a column and observed him… then, remembering that her friend Tenma could sleep even on the branches of trees, Athena recovered her confidence and walked firmly to the exit…

"What brings you to the temple of Virgo Athena?" Sasha jumped when she heard the voice, her heart pounding on her chest from the fright, and turned sharply to watch him, then she noticed two things, first: it was the same saint she had seem in the morning in the pope's great hall and second: he had his eyes closed.

"Is it secure for you to be so far away? The Pope will get worried" he added. Athena stared at him for several seconds and finally her curiosity won.

"How could you see me if you close your eyes?" she asked curiously.

"I have not closed them your highness, they are always like this" he answered calmly and added "thanks to that I can look more deeply than others, watching all the suffering in this world"

Athena smiled sadly and walked towards him; she left Nike on the floor and squatted in front of him.

"Then that means… that you suffer terribly"

"Wha…?" thought Asmita, confused for the second time in this day.

"And you are a goddess! Yet you have chosen to be able to feel pain!" he exclaimed. Athena smiled once more, understanding the saint of Virgo's quandary. He was demanding her… because he suffered too and couldn't understand how someone, moreover a god, would take the suffering voluntarily. Athena sat down, imitating his pose and reached towards him, intertwining their fingers together.

"It doesn't bother me to feel the pain" she answered honestly. "Because it means that I have no forgotten my promise" she smiled and, accidentally, ignited her warm cosmos, enveloping the saint with it. "What is more, if I could, I would like to feel all the pain possible"

"I do not understand" Asmita was terribly confused. Sasha giggled a bit in response

"It doesn't matter, I don't understand it either, besides I believe we don't need to understand this feeling, but we must do what the heart tells us to do" she explained or at least she tried, but the saint seemed to be even more confused.

She looked at their intertwined hands, his bigger than hers, and yet so similar both, roughed up by hard work and small scars, so similar to the scars in their souls…

"By the way, saint of Virgo, what is your name?" she asked with a warm smile, she really liked this saint and hoped they could be friends.

"ah, well, I am Asmita of Virgo, Princess Athena" he answered while trying to decipher the strange behavior of the girl in front of him, he could feel her cosmos surrounding him and it was incredibly comforting, he could also feel her small, fragile hands holding his own and it was weird, Asmita could not remember the last time someone had taken his hands like this. He set aside this thoughts at once and got up, letting go of Athena's hands and breaking the bubble that had isolated them from the exterior during their short exchange.

"Princess, I do believe you should return to the main temple" he said firmly while helping her get up and giving her the victory staff. She took it and made a pout.

"But…"

"No buts your highness, return and do not get distracted on the way up, I promise I will tell no one of your… escapade, but only if you return to your chambers" she sighed and Asmita smiled, the childish side of her was easier to understand, not to mention rather amusing.

"Fine, I'll return" she accepted "tell me then, May I come to visit you some other day?" she asked excited. Asmita tilted his head, thinking about it.

"If the pope gives his permission, I have no problem with it"

"Really? Thank you so much!" she hugged him tightly and Asmita stiffened, dumbfounded with the sudden effusivity of the goddess. "See you soon!" she exclaimed happily and got out of the temple with a spring on her step.

Asmita sighed once more and returned to the lotus position. Took a deep breath and abstracted from the world to continue his meditation.