A/N: Ok guys, remember; this is a *re-write* of the Hades chapter. I might use some elements of the original, but what I didn't like or doesn't fit my story, I *will* ignore, ok?

And about Shun's appearance, I'm simply taking the striking difference between the anime and the Hades Ovas as Shun growing up a bit.

See first part for disclaimer.

Enjoy!

THE 'G' IN GOD

CHAPTER ONE

VISIONS OF LIGHT, VISIONS OF DARKNESS

Dawn bathed the sky with soft oranges and pinks. The air had cooled off during the night and now the fresh sea breeze licked Julian's cheeks gently. The waves broke on the shore at his feet and Julian pulled the sleeping boy in his arms a little closer, in fear he would catch a cold.

He and Sorrento had stayed up all night again, just talking. At moments the younger boy would play for him, easing his mind with his beautiful tunes. He was blessed to have such an angel's love.

Julian mentally snorted at that thought. He knew about angels, alright. He knew enough to know it wasn't exactly a compliment.

Running his fingers through Sorrento's soft hair, he sighed. Julian was confused; angry and frustrated with himself, Saori and. why not, the world, and uncertain about his role in it. A part of himself was still sullen about of his defeat; now he was forced to bow his head and do as Athena said. And no; no part of him saw her point. She had to be stopped. It had been her to start the Sacred wars anyway. He'd gotten carried away by his hatred and eventually sealed his own fate. Now there was nothing he could do; he'd let her get the upper hand.

There had been a time when they'd all been on the same side. Maybe they'd never been the closest of relatives; he and Athena had always had their differences; but he used to know where he stood with her.

He couldn't exactly *blame* her. Athena had played dirty, yes. She'd used her father's knowledge to stab them all in the back and seated her big fat ass on the throne of ruler and owner of earth. But none of them had been precisely 'reliable' to begin with.

They never should have trusted Zeus in the first place. Of all of them, he'd been the worst. Of course, that's exactly why they'd chosen him as a leader. After all, it had been him the one to save them from their father's claws...or stomach, as the case may be.

He wondered what had been of his youngest brother and three sisters. They hadn't appeared 243 years ago and they weren't showing signs of appearing any time soon, either. Julian had his suspicions but, for all he knew, they were attending high school somewhere.

Julian didn't miss the good ol' days, not really. He'd been a lot more powerful then; he'd bared a body so much stronger than a human's. But now he felt freer. And at the same time, bound.

All his power came from his spirit. Athena might have locked it, restrained it until she found it useful, but he knew it only took a minor effort on his part and he could free himself again. Either she was getting careless or he was growing stronger; he didn't know for sure.

But he would not make use of that knowledge. One thing he'd learned during that disastrous battle: he'd seen humans in a different light. Both his Shoguns and Athena's saints had fought with such courage of conviction, such nobility. Ok, not *all* of them, but the few that had, had managed to change his opinion of the entire race.

After all, his love was human, wasn't he? For the first time in the near eternity of his life, he could even see himself as human.

If he were to let Athena know he was not as restrained as she thought, it would probably result in another battle. A battle where a lot of those courageous humans would die; maybe even Sorrento. And for some bizarre reason, he didn't want to shed more blood.

His thoughts turned to his remaining brother. Thinking about him brought a lump to his throat. Just as Zeus had gotten the better end of the deal, Hades had been treated like garbage. Julian couldn't remember ever feeling guilty about what had happened to his brother. And yet he did, now.

All these new feelings were very confusing and they couldn't have had a worse timing. He knew first hand that they'd drank enough water from the Lethe(*) to keep them oblivious until puberty. He also knew the seal over Hades' powers was about to break.

His minions were probably scheming to take over the Sanctuary at that very moment. Hypnos and Thanatos were never prone to slacking.

It was no wonder either; Athena could have made a stronger seal; one that wouldn't so conveniently break so close after her battle with him. But of all of them, Athena seemed to enjoy humiliating Hades the most.

Julian knew that she would use him once the battle started. She'd done so before. And he wouldn't refuse her either. No matter how sorry he felt for his sins against his own brother now, they'd driven him to madness. He wouldn't let Hades take his vengeance upon earth.

But maybe he could still do right by his brother.

He shook Sorrento gently. The boy stirred and fought against awareness for a few moments before opening his beautiful eyes. Julian gazed down at his love's face with a smile.

"Good morning." He kissed the top of Sorrento's nose, causing the boy to chuckle.

"Morning. Did we fall asleep outside again?"

"Just you. I've been here; making sure no one comes and steals you away."

Sorrento straightened up and turned around, sitting on Julian's lap, facing him. He softly kissed the older boy's lips and frowned.

"Well, if you've been up all night taking care of me, it's up to me to make breakfast, right?"

"Ok. You do that, and then we'll have a little talk. I think we're going to take a trip soon."

Sorrento blinked in confusion.

"A trip? Where?"

"Japan." Julian said simply.

He stood up, pulling Sorrento up with him. He ignored the boy's frown of confusion and made his way inside the house, Sorrento close on his toes. He made a mental note to ask him about the Andromeda saint later.

Yes. He didn't have to use his powers to beat Athena this time.

Ikki was back.

Carrying his duffel bag over his shoulder carelessly, one hand resting on his jeans' pocket, Ikki walked without much determination. His mind drifted, taking him back to the things that worried him.

As soon as his fists weren't needed anymore, he'd taken off, as usual. But this time, his absence had been cut short.

He still didn't know for sure why he found it impossible to stay in Tokyo, next to his little brother that needed him. Ikki glanced around the streets, the buildings, the night sky opaque by the exaggerated city lights, trying to come up with an answer.

He knew that city didn't hold much appeal to him. Tokyo was a city you either loved or hated, and he found himself leaning towards the latter more often than not. He didn't miss the big crowds; he'd always been a loner. He didn't miss the comforts of civilization or technology. He certainly didn't miss the Kido mansion.

But he still missed Shun, and that made all the difference.

What could be in Tokyo that repelled him so much, he didn't know. After all, most of his time away he spent at Death's Queen's Island. Certainly the place wasn't a tourist attraction; it didn't hold good memories for him either.

But maybe that was it. He was not ready to let go of the past and, as much as it hurt to acknowledge it, Shun was not as much part of his past as that island. Yes, he'd given everything up for his little brother, but he'd been, what, ten years old? Ok, so he wasn't exactly a *grown up* now, but he knew maturity had little to do with age after all he'd been through.

It was always the same. When he was in Tokyo, all he could think about was Esmeralda and his past; but when he was on that barren land of an island, all he could think about was Shun. In the end, Shun would always be there if he decided to go back; he could wait. His past always won in the end.

This time felt different, though. His thoughts about Shun hadn't been merely nostalgic. He was worried. He and his brother seem to share a special link; a union that let the other know when something wasn't quite alright. He couldn't decide if it was his imagination or not, but everything in him had told him to abandon the island and go back; that Shun needed him more than ever, even though he couldn't sense any real danger.

Now they had peace. If Athena's words held any truth, they wouldn't have to fight again. Somehow, he couldn't believe that. Peace was an illusion and it was just a matter of time before another self deluded megalomaniac decided to try and do what so many others had failed at.

'All but Athena.' he thought bitterly.

He still didn't trust that woman who claimed to have his best interest at heart. Saori Kido had owned a bigger part of the world even before she took on the persona of the goddess. Now she was beyond powerful. Now she owned even all of them; their fates and souls. It wasn't Athena the one who held his loyalty, though; it never had been.

No, he wasn't loyal to Saori. He was loyal to Shun. The only reason he kept fighting was to keep his brother safe. Maybe that way he could compensate for abandoning him in every other aspect of his life. He'd die for Shun.

Ironically, the only reason his little brother had pledged himself to Athena was because of him; to see him again. If Ikki had never ended up at the Foundation, if Kido hadn't been such a son of a bitch, Shun would have never even killed a fly.

Now, because of him, Shun was probably one of the most lethal saints out there. Sure, he seemed weak, but Ikki knew better.

Ever since the battle with Poseidon and his Shoguns, Ikki had felt something stir in Shun's cosmo. Something that didn't feel at all new, but it hadn't been until that moment that he'd taken notice of it.

It was monumentally annoying the way everything in his life always came down to that. He was tired of 'cosmos' and battles; but he could not ignore it. And so, he was back. Seeing the mansion again sent shivers down his spine, but he had to know for certain.

The thought of Shun's face filled with happiness once he saw him there did make Ikki smile. For whatever reason, his little brother was still always glad to see him. He didn't understand why, but he knew he shared the sentiment. Shun was the only light of Ikki's life.

He pushed the big door open, not bothering to knock or to make his arrival known. He was almost wishing Tatsumi would appear and throw a tantrum for his arriving unannounced. He owed that bastard a few broken bones and all Ikki needed was an excuse to repay him.

But the house was empty; or so it seemed. It was more than empty; it felt dead. The mansion was as beautiful and luxurious as ever, and he even noticed that there were a few lights on upstairs. But there was something in the air that reminded Ikki of a graveyard.

Now, that wasn't a comforting thought to have about the place your brother lived in. Specially with all his recent concerns. Dumping the duffel bag at the entrance, he made a dash upstairs, to his little brother's room, taking three steps at a time.

His hurry wasn't entirely caused by worry; he couldn't wait to see Shun again, but he wouldn't be telling that to the green eyed boy anytime soon. He still stopped at the door: his hand not quite touching the doorknob, hesitating.

Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and pushed the door open.

The first thing he noticed was how different the room looked from what he remembered. It had always been so...spartan, so empty of any luxury; simple, just as Shun was. Now it seemed that his little brother had made use and abuse of Saori's financial support. Not that Ikki would berate him for that. Now the room was heavily furnished; warm, dark tones overriding everything else. There was a four poster bed- mahogany, if Ikki new anything about wood- with heavy crimson curtains draped around it. One huge bookcase decorated the wall opposite to the window. Ikki noted that, though it was packed with books arranged very neatly, there were several volumes sprawled across the floor.

He'd expected it to be dark; Shun had a thing for brooding in the dark that Ikki found a tad melodramatic. But that wasn't the case. Though the lights were out, there was an enormous amount of candles decorating the walls, the twin bedside tables, even the floor; all set in gorgeous, gothic candlesticks, bathing the room with their warm light and giving it a finishing touch.

If the house had felt like a graveyard, then Ikki would have to say Shun's room looked like a crypt.

The room had a... sad aura, and that was something Shun could never be associated with; emotional, yes, melodramatic for sure, but sad? The first thing that came to his mind was that his little brother might have been going through a phase. He was, after all, just a teenager. It wouldn't be the first time a teenager adopted a morbid pose.

For a moment he even thought that his concerns might have only been a result of Shun's hormones *finally* kicking in.

Searching with his eyes, the Phoenix saint was able to distinguish a wisp of green hair from an opening on the curtains around the bed. Now that was strange. Shun would never be so careless as to go to sleep leaving all those candles begging to set the house on fire.

He approached the bed careful not to make any sound; if Shun was awake- which was not very likely- he wasn't aware of his presence, so he still had a chance to surprise him. Ikki slowly draw the curtains so he could peak inside.

Shun was, indeed, sleeping. His little brother was resting on his back, his hands over his chest holding something to his heart. Ikki gasped slightly. Shun had grown up so much in just a few months. And though he still looked delicate and rather girlish, Ikki thought his little brother looked beautiful.

Shun, sleeping as he was, with such a peaceful expression, looked like a porcelain doll. The candle light made his skin look even paler than usual and his hair- that was at least two inches longer- seemed darker and silkier. It was not right that a boy his age had such a perfect skin. Shun wouldn't have any problem getting any girl he wanted- Or boy, Ikki corrected. He'd noticed- not to his pleasure, by the way- the way his little brother ogled that stupid rusky.

He noticed something lying next to the sleeping boy. Ikki sat down next to his brother and picked it up. It was that old photograph Shun carried around *everywhere*.

It was weird to see that picture again. Who was the sicko who took it, anyway? He didn't remember, but it wasn't normal to photograph a street boy and his brother like that. It certainly wasn't a candid scene; it seemed almost a mockery of what he'd gone through.

The frame was broken, the glass shattered and Ikki thought he could see a few droplets of blood on the picture. It was luck he hadn't cut with the glass himself. What was Shun thinking, sleeping next to it?

He carefully trailed his fingers over the image of his baby brother. Yes, Shun had grown up to be something of a heart breaker; but he was still a baby to him. His baby.

He realized, amused, that he was running his fingers through the baby's hair, when he had Shun right next to him. That was just like him, ignoring the present for the past. He put the frame on the bedside table nearest to him and rested his back to the headboard, absentmindedly running his fingers through Shun's *real* hair.

The boy stirred and let go of what he was holding- their mother's pendant, Ikki noticed- leaning into the caress and turning to rest on his side.

"Nii-san..." Shun mumbled in his sleep.

Ikki leaned down and kissed the boy's forehead, smiling.

"I'm here, Shun-chan. I'm back."

TBC

(*) Greeks believed in reincarnation. They believed that the souls of those about to be reborn drank for the river Lethe, set in the Underworld, to forget about their previous lives and be able to start anew. But how much you forgot had to do with how much you'd drank.

No, it's not going to be Ikki/Shun (I know in the manga they're all brothers, but I'm no *that* open minded, heh heh, so I'm ignoring that) But I won't ignore the freakish relationship those two have. Freakish meaning, if my own brother treated me like that, I'd be out the door asking for help in an instant. I do love those two and their relationship, though.