Chapter 13:
Meet Again
(Maria's POV)
We came to a place where it snow and to my surprise Koga was the most excited of all.
- Look all the snow! Is amazing!- say Koga.
- Why is this making you happy? This isn't a joke.- ask Soma. With that I start to laugh without control at that.
- Let him be. Remember that he never have seen snow in his life.- I say.
- How pretty.- say Aria. Everyone look at her but I just smile.
- But it's strange. Usually their isn't a lot of snow in this station.- say Yuna. Which got me curious because how did she now about this place anyway.
- Yuna?- ask Koga.
- Definitely something isn't right. Remember the other places that we have visit before here, right?- ask Yuna.
- The flowers and the forests were dry.- say Aria.
- The forests, the towns and the lakes… all were drain.- say Yuna.
- You don't mean… that this is cause by the Tower of Babel of Mars?- ask Koga.
- I get it. It's because the cosmos of the Earth it's been drain by the Towel of Babel. That's the reason why the world seems different.- say Soma.
- But what can we do?- ask Koga.
- We were able to destroy the one of the ruins nuclear but…- say Yuna.
- There still four.- say Aria.
- All right! Just let it to me! We will also destroy the rest of the nuclear! We will not let that Mars wins!- say Koga.
- Yes.- say Soma.
- Lets go.- say Koga.
- But where are you going? Hey wait up!- ask Soma going with Koga.
- We better go, Maria, Yuna.- say Aria. We nod but then Yuna stop and look at something and I felt pain inside her but I didn't ask her we just keep going.
We went inside of a cave because the storm got us and it was breezing outside.
- It really is breezing!- say Soma. Then he light up the fire.
- I guess that we're going to be stuck here for a while.- say Koga sitting next to Soma.
- The blizzard are very common in this parts. But, they should finish very soon. Went that happens, lets go to the town.- say Yuna and that only make us to see her with much more attention. - What is it?
- It seems that you know a lot. Do you come from this parts?- ask Soma. That surprise her and then she make a unreadable face.
- I crew up around these parts.- say Yuna. That make Soma and Koga to be much more surprise than ever.
- Is this your native home? That means that we could stay in your house. - ask Koga.
- Yeah, that will be much better than been stuck here.- say Soma.
- I'm sorry but that will not be possible.- say Yuna. - There's no one in there. I lost my parents and family members in the war, a long time ago…
- I'm sorry.- say Koga looking down sadly.
- Is a shame.- say Soma also looking down.
- It's alright. Please don't be worry about that. I'm not alone now.- say Yuna.
- Yuna them… you have been living alone all this time?- ask Koga.
- I think. When I was a child, I could only count by myself.- say Yuna.
- You where always strong and dependent.- say Koga.
- Strong and dependent? No, not at all. Lets see… it might be that I was alone but… there was a person who help me to pass all that.- say Yuna.
Flashback…
- ROBBER!- scream a man while a girl was running away from the baker and she bump into a woman with mask and blond hair.
- I'm sorry.- say the girl.
- Have you ever heard of Athena Saints?- ask the woman.
- Saints?- ask the girl.
- Y-you. Thank you to catch this robber.- say the baker.- Come with me.
- No!- scream the girl trying to get away from him.
- Wait! How much does it coast this bread?- ask the woman.
- Do you want to pay for it?- ask the baker.
- Not precisely. I want you to let me take care of this girl.- say the woman.
- What do you mean?- ask the baker.
- As you could see, this girl has much courage and force. She's not a girl of the streets. She could work very hard everyday and be capable of paying this bread. Wouldn't it be a better solution?- ask the woman.
- Unthinkable. A robber will always be a robber.- say the baker.
- And if I teach her not to rob again?- say the woman looking at the baker and later to the girl. - Do you understand? Rob is bad. Work hard to get your food.
Next day…
- Here.- say the girl giving a bread to the woman. - For saving me.
- What a nice girl.- she say graving the bread. - What's your name?
- Yuna!- she say.
- Yuna? I'm Pavlin. A Silver Saint, I'm from the constellation of the Peacock, Pavlin.- she say.
End of the Flashback.
- Pavlin always told me to think in different solutions to obtain the best answer possible.- say Yuna.
- So then she's a good person.- say Koga.
- Retain of giving or buying you the bread, she thought you a way to win it honestly.- say Soma.
- I will like to be like her. I decide to be a Athena's Saint, to travel in the world and find other guys like my other self of the past, that they only know sadness, and show them of how happy I could be. I left my town with Pavlin.
Flashback…
- Yuna. What can you feel with the movement of the stars?- ask Pavlin.
- A great… disaster? A revolution… a light… hope? A little but, hope in the end! It's very weak but… I can feel that will grow in something big in the future!- say Yuna.
- Yuna… It seems that you have a great talent of reading the stars.- say Pavlin.
- Reading the stars?- ask Yuna.
- You can feel the powers that control the cosmos and transmit it into words. That's a cosmos that you can use to help the others. I will help you to become a Saint.- say Pavlin.
End of the Flashback.
- And that's how I follow Pavlin, and met Maria. I most say that went I first saw her I like her that same day.- say Yuna looking at me.
- Come on!- I say hiding my face while I could feel that it turning red. That only make everyone laugh.
- And we enlist in Palestra.- say Yuna.
- So she's like your teacher. That story seems very similar to mine. Please tell us more.- say Soma.
- What happen to your teacher after that?- ask Koga. That make me to feel sad because I already knew that answer.
- We haven't seen her from then.- I say.
- You haven't seen her?- ask Koga.
- That's right… the Saints are sent to missions around the world. It's natural.- say Yuna. Then Aria hold our hands.
- Do you guys feel alone?- ask Aria.
- We think so. But we think that Pavlin is alright.- I say. Then Yuna and I stand up.
- Oh no! We don't want you to get the wrong idea!- say Yuna and hit the wall of snow that was protecting us from the storm.
- Now! It's time to go! The blizzard has stop! We can take a break appropriately when we get to the town! And we left.
Later…
We reach the town of Yuna and what we saw was a total of horror. The place was destroy the only things that stand were the buildings of the old houses mid destroy.
- Is this… the town of Yuna?- ask Aria in horror while she let go to fall in the ground.
- Aria.- say Koga kneeing down.
- How did this happen?- ask Aria.
- It was cause by the war. Seven years ago, after I left this place was transform into a battle field.- say Yuna heading toward us after talking to someone in a car. - The people have to move away from 20 kilometers at the east from this place. Lets head there.
- Yes.- say Koga. Then she notice that Aria was in the ground.
- Aria, are you alright?- ask Yuna.
- I'm fine, Yuna.- say Aria.
- It most have been the blizzard. We should hurry up, for the sake of Aria.- say Yuna.
- Yes.- say Koga.
- Your guys…- I say already feeling that a Silver Saint was coming toward us.
- I would like to but…- say Soma. Then everyone notice it and then a breeze of snow came, they were close.
- I can feel the cosmos of a person.- say Koga.
- Don't let your guard down.- say Soma.
- It wouldn't be a problem! We can handle an opponent!- say Koga.
- Wait!- say Yuna.
- Go ahead. I will handle this.- say Yuna.
- Yuna!- I say worry about her.
- What?- ask Soma.
- I know this place like my own hand. I have advantage thanks to this.- say Yuna.
- Even so, fighting alone…- say Koga.
- I will be fine. If I get in trouble, my knowledge of the field will help me escape. Besides, our opponent is a Silver Saint. Protect Aria is our priority.- say Yuna.
- Fine.- say Koga.
- Don't do anything reckless. We only need to get a little of time- say Soma.
- Right.- say Yuna.
- Yuna…- say Aria.
- Lets go, Aria.- say Koga putting himself down so Aria could climb his back.
- Get back safely.- I say leaving with the others. Then when we were far away form the town I felt something strange about Yuna like if she saw something that she didn't expect and then I felt pain which cause me to fall.
- Maria!- scream the guys.
- I'm… alright.- I say trying to standing up. Then my worse fear have come true Yuna was really in a great danger.
- Are you alright?- ask Soma.
- Do you think that you can keep going?- ask Koga.
- Yes, but… I need to go back.- I say.
- What?- ask Soma.
- Are you nuts! Yuna told us to get away!- say Koga. Then I look at him harshly so he could get the point.
- You guys keep going I will help Yuna and I think that she already underestimate her opponent.- I say and head back running with all my force.
- Maria!- scream Koga. But I was already gone and I call my armor before I got there and to my surprise the opponent of Yuna was no other than… Pavlin? And I just stop running and stuck there in shock.
- Pavlin?- I ask.
- Maria. Where's your mask? Did you took it off like Yuna?- she ask angry.
- No. I have to get rib of it because it was the charm mask.- I say.
- The charm mask?- ask Pavlin.
- Yes, my mask was the charm mask and I have to make rise my cosmos to a higher level to break the mask.- I say.
- I see, but… I will not forgive you guys from stealing Athena!- she say attacking me and I dodge very easily her move and attack her.
- Pavlin, why are you obeying the orders of Mars?- I ask her.
- It seems that you don't understand, Maria. The Saints are solders that fight for the good of Athena. We don't need another reason.- say Pavlin.
- Aria… Is not the real Athena! We fight for the welfare of the real Athena!- scream Yuna.
- With that weak cosmos?- ask Pavlin and attack us. Before she could attack hard to Yuna I stop her with a single hand from making any damage she could provoke. But then she went I let her the way to Yuna she went toward her and attack her and make fall to the ground again.
- Yuna!- I say.
- Without power or determination, your defeat is inevitable.- say Pavlin. And put myself between Yuna and Pavlin, I didn't want to face her but I didn't have no other choice than to do it. - Peacock Blizzard!- she attack us I put my hands in form to block her attack but Yuna got hit by it and send back to the ground in the village.
- Yuna!- I say looking back and then Pavlin took the change to hit me and send me with Yuna in the ground.
- Stand up, Maria. Yuna.- say Pavlin we turn around to see her. - If you cannot defeat me, you will not be able to protect anything from this day on. Light up your cosmos, Maria. Yuna.- we that I remember our training with her.
Flashback…
In the night…
We were trying to attack Pavlin, but she always put us in the ground in pain. Yuna and I we were about to cry of pain and from frustration of not been able to take a simple attack to her.
- Don't cry.- she say kindly and we look at her. - Don't cry. You will not be able to become a Saint if your heart is weak. Do you think that you can protect the happiness of someone like that?- with that we stand up. - That's it Maria, Yuna. Become the most powerful Saints like no other. Become the punch of Athena and defend the people of this world. Rise your cosmos, Maria, Yuna.
End of the Flashback.
- Pavlin.- we say.
- We didn't take our mask of signal of Athena's opposition.- say Yuna.
- We decide to take our own paths.- I say.
- A path that I believe that will take me to Athena.- say Yuna.
- Instead of following the rules that were impose to us, we decide to follow the voice of our heart.- I say.
- With managing our dreams and be stronger, that's what we understand.- say Yuna.
- Pavlin.- I say.
- We're become much more stronger! And…we're going to show you that we could help someone that needs to be protected!- scream Yuna.
- That's our decision!- I scream and start to rise my cosmos to the higher level that I have reach back then.
- Aquila Spinning Predation!- say Yuna.
- Peacock Blizzard!- say Pavlin.
- Destruction Queen!- I say. Destruction Queen is a breeze of lighting that destroys everything in it's path.
Our powers clash with each other but we our forces united with collide our powers and defeat Pavlin. We took the hand of Pavlin and help her stand up.
- Maria, Yuna. You have become into a magnificent Saints. You make me proud.- say Pavlin.
- Pavlin?- I ask.
- Pavlin…- say Yuna.
- I'm glad that I could see you two again, before the others came.- say Pavlin and we were attack by someone but we dodge it in time.
- We knew it, you have betray us, Peacock.- say a man.
- We're going to finish you with those rebels that took Athena We are…- say another man.
- Sagitta Shan.- he say.
- Reticulum Balazo.- say another man.
- Auriga Almaaz.- say the last one.
- Admire the force of them that are loyal to Mars!- say Shan.
- Maria, Yuna. Tell your friends that Athena, Saori Kido, is alive. Mars presented Aria as the new Athena, while he has Saori Kido imprison. His preparing for something.- say Pavlin.
- Saori is…- say Yuna.
- Alive.- I finish. Then the others attack us.
- Don't give up.- say Pavlin. While we attack them. - She will be useful to Mars until he manage his goal. You still have time. While you don't give up, there will be a way to save Saori Kido. Maria, Yuna. Leave them to me, go and protect Aria.
- What are you saying?- ask Yuna. And I was worry that this might be a bad idea but…
- If they capture you, it will be over.- say Pavlin.
- But if we leave you, Pavlin…- I say.
- Have you forgot your resolution? Follow the voice in your hearts and follow it where he wants!- say Pavlin.
- Pavlin…- we say turning around and we freeze of what we saw.
- Fast. This is an order from your teacher.- say Pavlin with her mask off. She look so beautiful and I was happy that we have the chance to see her real face.
- Pavlin.- we say smiling at her.
- I'm going to fight with a strong resolution like yours. Go now. Obey the orders of your teacher- say Pavlin.
- Thank you, Pavlin.- we say running away from that place. Yuna might not saw it but, I feel sad of what was going to happen and I cry for Pavlin. By the time we reach the town we found Koga waiting for us.
- Maria! Yuna! Are you guys alright? Are you unharmed?- say Koga.
- We're alright.- I say.
- I see, that's great.- say Koga smiling at us.
- Listen Koga…- say Yuna. - Athena… Saori is alive.
- Mars keeps her as prisoner.- I say.
- Who told you guys that?- ask Koga. We close our eyes and I look up in the sky.
- The magnificent person, that we're glad to call teacher, told us that.- say Yuna and I remember her face which make me smile.- we enter to the house where the others were. I saw how everyone was glad to see us.
- I'm glad that you guys come back.- say Soma.
- We're back.- say Yuna. I head toward Aria who was laying on the bed and then I look at the window and smile and I let a single tear drop form my chin.
- Thank you… Pavlin.- I thought.