Gold Saint Birthday Collection Chapter 12: Golden Heart, a saint seiya fanfic

A/N: In every collection of stories, there's that one that has to be taken with a grain of salt and left alone-this is that story. This one's my favorite in the whole collection, but we'll see how others take it. There's also a lot of novelization of the 1st manga of Episode G with Aiolia's thoughts and feelings thrown in. I do not own Episode G, sadly. Also, I know Aiolia did not go to America during his birthday, he went before, but I changed that detail to fit the story. Please do not hurt me or send me to the Sounion Cape. I think that covers everything. Enjoy!

Aiolia of Leo had learned many lessons in his short life span. The first lesson was that people were usually not what they seemed. Like the pretty waves that hid jagged rocks, people could hide their cruelty behind a mask of kindness. His own brother had done it. The second lesson he had learned was that if you had a person you really cared about, you'd better trust yourself to keep him or her safe, because you couldn't count on anyone else to do it. The most important lesson he'd learned, however, he'd learned on his fourteenth birthday by an American man. Aiolia had learned on that day what it truly meant to have a Saint's heart-a golden heart.

The weather is almost always hot in August, no matter where in the United States you happened to reside, but that year, on August 16th, in Three Mile
Island, Pennsylvania, the heat was almost unbearable. Aiolia, clothed in jeans, a T-shirt, and a jeans jacket, shifted uncomfortably in his chair as
he listened to a chief-or whatever a person of his rank was called-prattle on about a nuclear reactor. His shirt was damp and stuck to his back and his
sweat had his short, red-dyed hair plastered to his forehead. Aiolia was no genius-actually, most would say he was not bright at all-but he suspected
the instability of the nuclear reactor was what was causing the excess heat. He was seriously contemplating taking off his jacket, but he was not very
familiar with American customs and was not sure how that would be viewed. He didn't have the best manors in the world, but the last thing he wanted to do
was piss off the inhabitants of an entire country.

"...I hope I can count on you, John Black."

Aiolia's attention was fully caught by the man entering the room. He was fairly young-Aiolia guessed he was in his mid-to-late thirties, with close-cropped blond hair and brown eyes that flashed with intelligence. His manor of dress also made Aiolia uncomfortable. This John Black guy not only wore long dress pants and a black shirt, which was probably also long sleeved, he wore a trench coat-a trench coat! The man may have been intelligent, but he wasn't sane, Aiolia was quick to decide that. John Black strolled up to the chief's desk and took the file that was being presented to him.

"This is my job. I'm not afraid of radiation", he said slowly. "But if a negotiator like myself is needed for this, than this is not an accident..."

"Correct", the chief interrupted John Black. "It is an act of terrorism."

John Black continued to scan the file.

"I thought my job was to convince the terrorists to give up. This is new to me. So is bringing an unknown person with me to this group of terrorists."

"It's not a group", the chief told him. "It's an individual."

John Black stared at the chief, disbelief flashing in his eyes.

"An individual? You mean to tell me an individual got into the nuclear power plant? That can't be. It's impossible!"

John Black put extra emphasis on the word "impossible", as though trying to convince the chief of how crazy the idea was.

"It IS possible", Aiolia told him, getting up and strolling over so he was standing beside John Black. "No body in this place has the power that person
has. The man is still a human, but his powers are far above anything you can imagine."

He winced inwardly, aware of his heavy Greek accent.

John Black's eyes grew wide and horrified.

"You're crazy! You want me to take this...this boy...with me into a radioactive hell where a terrorist is!?"

"This isn't open for discussion, there is no time for details. Your job is to bring the boy to reactor two.", the chief said calmly.

Aiolia watched the man, this John Black, to see what his reaction would be to that statement. He didn't understand this strange American man, and his
emotions. Why should he care about taking him to a "radioactive hell"? He didn't even know him!

"I'm sorry, but I won't do it, even if this is an order from the president!", John Black's voice took on a higher tone, not really yelling, but louder than a regular speaking voice.

"It's not from the president", the chief said. "This order is from someone higher up."

"Since when is there someone higher than the president?", John Black asked.

His gaze shifted back to Aiolia, and Aiolia could drown in the pity swimming in his round brown eyes.

"Someone who has America in his hands wants us to bring this boy to the "nuclear hell". This conversation is over. You have one hour."

John Black opened his mouth to say something, then shut it, and swallowed hard. His hands curled into fists and shook. Wordlessly he led Aiolia away.

Aiolia was not very good with different types of ranks or anything, but he knew a military base when he saw one, and that was exactly where John Black took him. The two stood in a small tent no larger than the bathroom in Leo temple. It was hot, and Aiolia soon grew impatient.

"Can we go now, John Black?", he asked.

"Your English has an accent. Where are you from?", John Black asked.

Aiolia hesitated, than figured there would be no harm in answering his question. No point trying to pretend he was American when he himself heard his accent.

"Greece", he said simply.

John Black started to pull on a strange-looking suit with a pack strapped to the back.

"Greece, huh? That's pretty far away...", he said.

Aiolia stared at him, but didn't reply.

The man gave him a smile.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to pry. Will you tell me your name at least? Since we are partners now?"

This information Aiolia was not willing to give to him. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't want this man to know his name.

"Leo", Aiolia told him, opting instead to give him his zodiac sign.

John Black chuckled.

"Leo? The Lion? A rather unoriginal code name, if I must say so, but that's OK. It's normal for you not to trust me, since we don't really know each other. But believe me, I will take good care of you."

Aiolia was not impressed. No one had taken care of him in seven years, since his elder brother, Aiolos, had betrayed sanctuary and they decided Aiolia
would do the same. For this man to declare something so bold to a total stranger...well, Aiolia was now certain the man was insane.

"Are you a soldier?", Aiolia asked him.

"No", John Black replied, speaking quite candidly with Aiolia, as though hoping to put his young companion at ease. "I am a negotiator and I work freelance."

Aiolia had no idea what freelance was, but he was pretty sure it had nothing to do with the military.

"Then why are you doing this? It's dangerous and you're not in the military..." Aiolia did not understand one bit.

"As a negotiator, I bargain with terrorists and try to reach an agreement for the government", John Black explained. "And of course, I work for money, too, but that isn't everything. I really don't care this way or that about the state, but I can, with my head and my words, help protect lives. You see, I really don't care if the country looses their face, but I have the chance to protect the lives of other people, and that is very important to me."

His words ran through Aiolia's mind, and Aiolia took a few minutes to process them.

"So you're doing this for your face?", he finally asked.

John Black laughed, but it was a gentle laugh.

"Wow. You really can tell English is not your first language. I'm not talking about my "face". I'm talking about honor."

Aiolia stared at the strange man. The way he glowed when he spoke of protecting people and his honor. He still did not understand all that he was
talking about, but he knew that he could trust him. He was surprised when he realized he wanted John Black to trust him, too.

"Enough chit-chat", John Black said. "Put on your protective clothing, and then we can go."

Aiolia looked at the suit.

"What a waste", he commented dryly.

"Don't you understand it is dangerous to go without a bio-hazard suit on?",John Black asked.

Aiolia looked at the man levelly.

"I haven't known you very long, but I do trust you, John Black. But do you trust me, too? I mean, you want to protect me, when I don't need it...Then I want to protect you, too."

Aiolia was surprised to see a single tear trail down the man's face.

"You want to protect me?", he asked.

"Yes...I am probably the only one who can do this..."

A dull ache filled Aiolia's chest as they left the base.

Somehow, he already knew this was not going to turn out how he wanted.

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Aiolia felt kind of weird being in charge of the whole situation as John Black let him take the lead into what the American man had dubbed the "radioactive hell." The American was quiet as they walked towards the second reactor, keeping their eyes opened for this "terrorist."

"Are you alright, John Black?", he asked after a few moments of the man's silence. He hadn't known him long, but he knew the silence was not part of
his regular character.

"Yes...", the man responded slowly. "But how is it that my body can handle this? Is it the golden light around my body?"

"Don't leave the light. It's sort of like a barrier", Aiolia cautioned him.

"A barrier between life and death...what kind of a technique is this?"

Aiolia ignored his question.

"John Black. I think we're here. Is this the reactor?"

"Yes...but what are we doing here? Where is the terrorist?"

A loud explosion caught their attention. They shielded their faces.

"An explosion...The reactor must be going off!", John Black shouted to Aiolia.

"No!", Aiolia shouted back. "It's a person!"

After that, everything kind of ran together as a blur for Aiolia. The strange man who had entered the room challenged John Black to a battle, thinking he was a saint. Then he went into a spiel about how he should have been a saint and what not. Aiolia had wished he would get to the point.

"...I will destroy that reactor and melt the earth...", the weird guy who still had not given them a name declared.

At least he was getting to the point now.

"...If the saints are real warriors, they will come to stop me, and then I will kill each and every one of them that I am most deserving of the title of "saint". You're just getting in my way..."

Aiolia braced himself, getting ready to fight this guy. Most deserving of sainthood. Saints were not supposed to go around killing mindlessly...

"DIE, PATHETIC HUMANS!", the man screamed, and attacked.

Aiolia went to move, but was pushed back by John Black, who used his body as a shield. Aiolia watched, horrified, as the man's body was wounded, his blood pouring down his face, his hands, blood soaked through the light-colored fabric of his trench coat, leaving ugly stains.

"Why?", Aiolia asked him, his voice wavering. "Why did you protect me, John Black? I would have been alright-that attack was not one strong enough to hurt me!"

The man coughed, and blood spurted from his lips.

"You...you're asking me why? Then you don't understand-it is normal to protect people. You may call it a vanity, but it is natural..."

Natural, Aiolia thought.

He glanced at the man, his eyes had closed for the last time.

For the first time in seven years, Aiolia felt tears sliding down his cheeks. This was a death that would weigh heavily on his soul for the rest of his life.

"Isn't it silly the way some people reason?", their assailant asked, taking a step towards Aiolia. "What good came out of him giving up his life for yours? How can a person who fights only with his words be a hero when there is nothing to negotiate?"

Aiolia lifted his head and glared up at the man, a burning hatred coursing through him. He hadn't felt this angry since he'd learned what his brother had done, and how his brother's own best friend had been the one to kill him.

"He did not fail, because he did not come here to negotiate with you...He was trying to help me. To open my eyes to the fact that not everything has reason behind it. He's shown me the weakness of my own heart..."

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"Master Aiolia?"

Aiolia was slowly tugged awake by the sound of a girl's voice.

A masculine voice chided "Shh, Lithos. He's sleeping. Let him rest."

"Well, we should take him to bed at least. I doubt he'd be happy with us if he knew we saw him and left him laying sprawled across the cold floors of his temple", the feminine voice said.

Aiolia struggled to open his eyes, to move, to do something. What was going on...

The tea! He remembered. Shaka had come into his temple earlier. The blond boy had not stayed long, as he hated leaving his own temple, but he had given him a cup of tea to "quiet his troubled mind." He had not said anything about the tea putting him into a drug-induced coma. Whatever was in that tea was strong for it to have knocked him out the way it had. He would never doubt Shaka's herbal remedies again-he was certain that tea was stronger than an elephant tranquilizer.

"Right. I'll carry him", the masculine voice responded.

Aiolia felt strong arms lift his body off the ground, and he was carried off.

Way to go, Shaka, Aiolia thought. If there was an attack right now, I would be utterly useless. I can't even tell my own attendant to put me down.

Lithos and Galan...there were two more people Aiolia was grateful to have in his life. Lithos, his "little sister", was spunky and sweet and made the days in Leo temple bearable if not enjoyable. Galan was smart and loyal, and could be depended on for anything and everything.

"Pull back his sheets so I can set him down, Lithos", Galan said.

"Yes, sir", Lithos's voice chimed.

Aiolia heard the rustle of fabric, and then felt his body being placed on his soft bed. Silky sheets were slipped over his body, and he heard his attendants walking away.

"Wait", he managed to call out. His voice was weak, but he was sure they would hear him. "Don't go."

"You're awake?", Lithos asked. Aiolia heard her come running back over to his bed.

"Barely", Aiolia replied, struggling to sit up. He managed to force his eyes open..

"Master, you really should get some rest", Galan said, concern in his voice. "Your face is pale, you have shadows under your eyes, you look exhausted. You should sleep now...you have no idea when the next battle will be."

Aiolia leaned against the headboard of his bed. Sleep sounded all too good at the moment, but he could not allow himself to rest. If there was another battle, he needed to be ready.

"A saint does not allow himself to be caught off guard", Aiolia told him, drawing a deep breath. "It only takes a single second for something important to be robbed."

"Well, how about I make you a nice dinner then? Something to replenish your strength?"

Aiolia smiled.

"I would like that, Galan, thank you."

"It's no trouble at all, master", Galan replied, a warm smile on his face.

He left the room then, leaving Aiolia and Lithos alone.

"Master, after you eat, do you want me to help you dye your hair again?", Lithos asked.

Aiolia pulled a lock of his golden-brown hair in front of his face and looked at it. He shook his head.

"No, Lithos. I'm not going to dye my hair any more. I refuse to hide who I really am just to comfort the other gold saints. I am me. Nothing more, nothing less."

Lithos practically beamed at him.

I am Aiolia, gold saint of Leo, younger brother of Aiolos, gold saint of Sagittarius. I am a Saint and a protector. I am a fighter who uses his powers to shield the rest of humanity from the unpleasantness of the battles with these titans. I am someone who will never give up as long as lives are at stake and will strive to be as kind as possible. I am no longer afraid of emotions...

"If you're not going to use your dye, maybe I'll use it myself", Lithos said, pulling him from the mantra he'd been repeating to himself since the battles began. He was starting to believe it.

"You already have red hair, why would you dye it red?"

"It'd be a pity to see it go to waste", Lithos replied, shrugging her tiny shoulders.

Aiolia laughed.

"Have fun with that, then". He eased his bruised, aching body down on the bed, resting his head against his pillow. "I think I'm going to take Galan's advice after all."

"Yeah, you look like you could use ten or twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep. Just try to change out of those clothes if you can manage. You're filthy."

Aiolia nodded and Lithos left the room.

He slowly dragged himself out of bed, into his person bath chamber. He splashed his face and arms with water to wash away the dirt. He glanced at his face in the small mirror by his basin.

His features were starting to give up their childish roundness, taking on a more masculine shape. It wouldn't be long before he grew tall, with the broad shoulders and strong arms of his brother. His hands had long ago changed from the small, pudgy hands of a child to the long-fingered hands of a man. Slowly he was leaving childhood and entering adulthood. He knew the type of man he wanted to grow into.

John Black would never know just how much he had done for him. His elder-brotherly attitude had sort of reminded Aiolia of Aiolos, but he had done more than just stepping in and assuming the role of the older sibling he'd lost. The American man had showed him how a true saint was supposed to act. He had taught Aiolia how to trust others and how to care about others over himself.

It seemed weird that he owed so much to a man he had only known a few hours, but that man had felt Aiolia's life important enough to sacrifice his own
for.

Aiolia pulled a clean t-shirt over his head and slipped back into bed, a small smile playing on his face. It felt good to recall a person to mind with such fondness.

He settled himself down and shut his eyes. It had taken a life-too high of a price-for him to be shaken from the bitterness in his heart. While he still carried wounds and resentment, he knew he would not go back to being the untamed beast he'd been before. He'd been changed, for the better. He owed that to an American man who knew how to care. A man who'd had a heart of gold.

A/N: That's all. An interesting choice of subject, I know, but I honestly feel John Black had a bigger influence on Aiolia's character than most people acknowledge. Anyhow, next story (Shaka's), completes this collection. I am so excited! Review!