O|================DEATH QUEEN ISLAND?================|O

Seven year old Shun struggled to try and blink and at least breathe. He looked up at his Master. His master's skin was so hard, that it seemed like every time he turned, he bled a bit from his joints and neck. His hairs were like little wires and his mask always seemed to leave him silent. He looked over the side where a small skeleton in a tattered trainer, laid faced down on the ground. Faded blue hair had carpeted the rock around the skull.

Shun could only guess that the dead trainee was perhaps one or two years younger than him with a brother just like him…. he thinks?

"Ma-Ma-Master... whose bones are those?"

Guilty stopped and turned his head. "They're the dog's now."

The seven year old looked down at the skeleton. "But, shouldn't we bury them?" he asked, but Guilty just resumed his walk. Shun, not wanting to be left behind, bowed his head and said a prayer before he rushed to catch up, not wanting to be alone on a place like this.

The seven year old still couldn't believe how nonchalant Guilty was to his former dead student. For a moment, he considered Guilty heartless, but shook his head away from those terrible thoughts. He shouldn't judge Guilty based on one response. He barely knew Guilty except from the stories that the man on the boat had told him. Shun knew perfectly well what it is like for people to be misunderstood.

Why he experienced it all the time with the other orphans who said his brother was mean. Shun knew that Ikki was kind and loving to him. Even the adults would say Ikki was a no good troublemaker, but Shun knew that there was some good in him since he would never hurt anyone beyond a concussion.

To Shun, everyone was capable of some good, even in the most hardened criminals.

Why, even Tatsumi was capable of good.

He once said he was going to beat Ikki in front of everyone twenty times with a stick, but he only did it nineteen. Seiya said it's because Tatsumi was an idiot who couldn't count, but Shun was sure that somehow, Tatsumi realized that beating children a third of his age wasn't very nice and held back just a little.

If Ikki and Tatsumi had good in them, then surely Guilty would have some good in him too. Shun looked around the landscape to try and see something to talk about, but this proved to be quite difficult. The ground was covered in sharp, black igneous rock with no vegetation to be seen.

But, he did promise Ikki to do his best. He should be polite. He ran to his teacher's side and bowed, "Master Guilty, thank you for saving me earlier."

Guilty stopped and turned to the child. "Of course I would save you. I would never let you drown, before reaching the island."

Normally such words would be filled with sincerity and kindness, yet when Guilty spoke, there was an almost disturbing sense of joy. Still, Shun must take whatever he can get and work with it. "That is very kind of you!"

Like the Amazons, Guilty tilted his head in happiness, causing his hardened skin at his neck to crack and bleed. "Yes it is..." he hissed, "I can't wait to show you how kind I can be."

Shun felt sickened as the blood rolled off Guilty's shoulders. He didn't like looking at his Master's hideous body. Still he maintained his composure and did his best to follow the last piece of advice that Ikki gave him, be brave. His eyes glanced over toward five large rocks sitting in a circle before it became a full blown stare. He wasn't sure why he was fascinated by it.

The four rocks seemed to be the perfect size and shape to sit on for a child while the big rock would work for an adult.

He turned to the middle. There was some trash and broken bottles but if one cleared those out, they could build a fire in the center.

Perhaps it would make a nice meeting spot?

Suddenly a dead bird and a bloody rock fell right in the center of the spot. Shun broke his stare and turned around to see Guilty waiting. "Master?" Shun muttered. He gasped as Guilty took another rock and nailed another bird, this time causing its bloody carcass to land straight on Shun's head followed by a snow of feathers. It was more than enough motivation for Shun to hurry. He ran as fast as he could, while pulling off long gray seagull feathers from his orange Kido hooded shirt.

A couple of minutes later, a wonderful smell began to overpower the sulfur air. Shun's mouth began to water as the two of them came closer to Guilty's cabin. "Crab?" he thought as he ran to the door after having only a piece of bread everyday for the past two weeks. As Guilty slowly trudged over, Shun brought his nose to the keyhole.

Guilty eyes watched the seven year old bounce in delight. He made his steps smaller and oh so carefully diverted his path over toward a pail of water. He knelt down and slowly dipped his hands in it. He had never taken the time to wash his hands, however, he could see that the boy's anticipation was not at its peak. Only when the child could reach maximum disappointment would the time he took learning how to cook Japanese cuisine would make this moment worth it. He took the water and slowly rubbed the sections between his fingers, before he began to use his nails to pull out the old bits of flesh and hair from his victims out from beneath. He turned his head as he watched the boy clutch his hands before pulling his hands out and began to admire them. He never knew he had white nails before.

Shun felt his stomach growling so hard that it was causing his shirt to slightly vibrate. He whimpered a bit as he watched Guilty now taking a piece of cloth and carefully drying his hands, one finger segment at a time. Shun was so hungry that the joy in his head of getting something warm for dinner was draining the blood in his fingers and causing them to feel numb.

Guilty finally stood up and headed over to his door. He inserted the key and turned it. His head looked down expecting the child to push him over to get to the meal, only for him to wait as patiently as ever in his spot. Curiously he stood there like a statue with one hand on the key and the other on the door knob. He stood there for ten minutes, seeing if the child would push him over and giving him a reason to break both of his arms. However, while Shun shifted around quite a bit, he continued to wait. "Aren't you hungry?"

Shun nodded, "uh huh, but you are my Master and you should enter first."

Guilty's masked face stared down as he stood there for another three minutes watching the child stand patiently for him to open the door without telling him to hurry up or anything. Once he noticed Shun's body begin to relax as if his brain was starting to stop sending signals that he was hungry, Guilty turned the key and entered the hut.

Shun gasped at the massive feast. Whole crabs, carefully cracked to allow for easy opening while glazed pork, broiled seasoned fish, piles of sauteed greens, a large pot of chicken and rice noodles, nikuman, and spring rolls were on top of a table. Shun felt his hunger returned as he eyed the steaming meat buns, before he felt Guilty's leather hand grab him by the collar and lift him up once more. "Master?"

"What are you doing?" Guilty growled. "Why were you staring at my food?"

Shun's eyes darted. "I...I thought we were going to eat..."

But Guilty shook his head. "No Shun... why would I eat such a delicious hot meal... I made it... to... look at it." He took Shun and raised him toward the large meal. "Does it look yummy?" As Shun dangled there by his shirt, like a cat being held by its neck skin, he nodded. Guilty tilted his head in happiness, causing drops of blood to roll once more over his chest, "Good. I shall continue to admire my meal that I have made, and you can go to your room." He carried Shun over and opened the basement door before dropping him on the first step of the cold wet stairs. "We begin tomorrow." He said before slamming the door shut.

The room was dark with only a tiny barred window providing any light. Shun turned to the door, smelling the strong scent of the banquet. His eyes grew red as the delicious scent of crab filled his nose. Immediately, Shun's weak body began to go down the wet stairs to the bottom where the smell was less prominent. His eyes looked around to see a broken pipe dripping water. He reached out and caught a drop and tasted it, relieved that it was clean. He looked down to see a metal dog dish covered in thick spiderwebs. He looked down and grabbed a rusty old pipe and used it to clean it out before placing it under where the water dropped.

Shun looked around and screamed to see the bones of another unfortunate trainee in the corner of the room. His eyes turned to see that they had what looked like a clean set of trainee clothes that looked to be the perfect fit. The boy looked down. After being tied for two weeks, his pants were caked with his mess. He needed new clothes, but as he looked at the skull, he couldn't bring himself to think of pillaging from the dead. All of sudden, a large fat rat crawled out from the corner of the room. Shun backed away to the stairs as the giant rodent carried its round body back to the skeleton as if scavenging for any remaining meat. It turned its head toward Shun and began to crawl toward him, "GO! GO AWAY!" Shun shrieked as he waved his hands trying to diverted it away from him.

Upstairs, Guilty stood in front of the door as he listened to his new trainee's reactions to his rat friends. He was quite surprised the boy was running around downstairs instead of just killing them for food. Guilty took his hand to his chin. The boy was different than the others. He stank of pacifism and kindness, two features that he rarely received from trainees. It will be... fun to see how long these traits would last. However, while his dinner that he made to admire was still warm, he should have more fun with it. He walked over toward the wall and removed a small square tile from the side. Inside was a small fan and next to it was a switch. He flipped it on and watched the fan spin as it made sure that the temptation of the meal filled every square inch of the cold basement. Guilty turned around and headed outside of his cabin.

Inside, Shun gasped as the strong mouth-watering aroma surrounded and choked him like a deadly python. Now his hunger was driving him even more over the edge. He darted his head to the barred window as he saw the boots of his Master. He gasped as Guilty's crazed demon mask peaked inside for a brief moment before taking a cinder block and setting it in front of his only source of light and leaving him in complete darkness.

It was at that moment, Shun felt his attempt to be brave crumble. Endless tears fell from his face as he fell to his feet, and cried the hardest he ever had in a long time. His arms grabbed his knees as he tucked his head into them. "Ikki...Ikki... I miss you...please come back…. Help...help me!" Shun took his hands and brought them to his ears, trying to recall any halfway decent memory he had at the orphanage, in an attempt to give him strength. He laid down on the cold wet floor, sobbing as hard as he could while listening to the water dripping into his dish.

He felt so miserable. His clothes, especially his pants, were soiled from being tied for two weeks on a ship while the endless cycle of hunger had taken hold. His hand reached over and felt the soft silk of the spiderwebs. Desperate, Shun took it and put it in his mouth in an attempt to soothe his stomach. "...Ikki..." Shun wailed as he chewed the webbing as if he had a cotton ball in his mouth. "...at least you're on Andromeda Island...I'm so glad I didn't let us change grounds...you wouldn't like it here..." he muttered as he sat up and tried to reach around the walls, grabbing more cobwebs to eat.

Suddenly, the smell of meat buns filled the air. Shun paused and looked around. For a moment, he didn't feel hungry, but rather confused. He paused and thought back at the five rocks that he saw on the way there. He touched his head, as if he felt like he was having a slight headache. He was still crying, but he didn't have the emotion of sadness now. It was almost like he was forcing himself to cry. "But... I'm a crybaby?" Shun asked himself. "I cry all the time." The boy closed his eyes and attempted to go to sleep. "Ikki... don't worry... I'll get the Phoenix Cloth... and then we will be together," he reassured himself.

He was scared what Guilty will do to him when he begins training, but for some reason, something just just didn't feel...right.

O============================O

Love You, Kill Me

Part Five: More Than Mortal

Chapter 37: Sword and Friendship of Guilty Part One

O============================O

"Hey Shun!" called Spica. He, Leda, June and Master Daidalos had stopped by the black dais to see how Shun was doing during his fasting. To Spica's surprise, despite it being only a day, looked really dazed as if he was on drugs or some junk. "Shun! You okay!" He shouted waving his hand.

June's eyes widened beneath her mask as she held Cerberus the puppy. She's only seen one other trainee reach this far, but he never looked liked like this when he took it. "What's wrong with him? He looks possessed!" she turned to the Master expecting an answer.

"Well, his cosmos is still burning, so he's at least alive." Leda spoke as he folded his arms and looked at the color. "But I don't think he had that light yellow tint in it. I thought it varied from light pink to maroon."

The Master reached for the cross end of his chain and held it in his hand. With a thought, the cross reverted to its unstable form like a lump of wet clay. He extend his arm and caused it to pinpoint the cosmos before watching the lump oddly split in two. "Part of it is not his cosmos. That's probably the Oracle's either establishing a link with him, or performing a technique on Shun's mind... most likely the latter. That's the problem with the Tests involving Oracles, each one is unique."As much as he tried, he knew just as much about the test as his fellow Silver compatriots, including those that don't deal with training others for Cloths. He dropped his hand, causing the liquid metal to return back into its default form of the Cross of St. George. "People think that it has to do with the integrity of the trainee, but it's a theory that hasn't been confirmed."

Hearing those words, gave Spica the urge to tell some stories that Maiden Merope shared with him. "I heard there was this really mean trainee, who always managed to get away with stuff at an orphanage. A Master picked him up and one of the first things he had to do was a test with an Oracle. He lasted five minutes before his brain melted into jelly!"

June's face soured beneath her mask. "I've actually heard of that one. The worst I've heard was one who actually took souvenirs of the orphans he killed at his orphanage. When he took his test, a day later, he suddenly began to float in the air, before his body twisted like trying to wring water from a rag and broke his bones." She looked at Shun's zoned out face. "I wish we could just tap his shoulder and ask."

Leda rolled his eyes, "why are you so worried? It's Shun, you know... the one that asked us in the middle of the Indian Ocean to turn back because he forgot to give the Customs Officer his pen back?"

"Shun was just being considerate... even if it was going a bit overboard." June shrugged as she stroked Cerberus' head. "Besides, that was a few years ago. Shun's a lot less naive now and he actually throws a punch now and then. What do you think Master?"

The Cepheus Saint quietly turned away toward the path that led to the area that they did their training at."His cosmos is burning at a healthy rate, but we won't be able to tell until at least a week afterwards to get a good idea of where he's at." Seeing Shun's empty lifeless stare was getting the best of him as well. "Let's go now. We need to get started on our sparring. The volcano erupted yesterday, so the temperature will be much hotter. Besides, we can visit on the way back," he spoke as he tucked the clipboard under his arm and moved toward the trail with the two Japanese boys following.

June turned back to Shun's face, as Cerberus began to kick and struggle in her arms. After her mother's test, she actually felt relieved that the Oracle would be a breeze and she could stop panicking. Now she wasn't so sure if he'd be spared of his mind being reduced to mush. "Shun…" O|=================================================================|O

Shun dunked his pants into the ocean water before taking a stone to scrub the stains off of them. Guilty said he had to go grab a few things, and gave him time to finally wash up. Even though Guilty did threaten to pluck off the rest of his nine toes like petals on a flower if he was late, at least it was a bit of free time outside of the basement.

Even though the ocean water was a little on the dark side, it seemed clean enough to bathe and wash his soiled pants in. Once they were free of the horrible smell, he wrung them of most of the water and put them back on feeling a bit of relief. It was amazing how wonderful he felt with clean clothes once more.

Unfortunately it didn't take very long for his mood to return to how it was before. The beach was littered with human bones, animal remains and mountains of debris from several sunken ships. In fact, in some spots it seemed impossible to tell what was what. Shun's hands trembled. "So... hungry..." he moaned before going to one knee. He looked to the sand and grabbed a handful before pouring it down his throat. His gag reflex kicked in as he threw his hands over his mouth trying to swallow it down. At least it was something different than cobwebs.

The seven year old finally began to run up the trail to head toward the spot that his Master would train him at. "The foot of the volcano... foot of the volcano... head straight to the foot of the volcano… but isn't there two volcanos? No, there weren't two, just one. Andromeda Island has two volcanos."Shun reminded himself as he passed the rock queries filled with prisoners from Sanctuary who were busy cracking away at the areas where molten lava had cooled and hardened. Shun's eyes glanced toward the men for a brief moment before he continued onward.

As he ran, he began to hear footsteps coming up from behind him. He turned around to see a large gang of fourteen dirty men coming from behind, carrying their pick axes in their hands. At first Shun thought they were just going in his direction when suddenly one of them reached out their hand to grab his shoulder. Shun shrieked as he immediately dodged to the left to avoid his hand, a little surprised he even had the reflex to do so. The seven year old's eyes widened when one swung the pick ax at him, missing his face by less than an inch.

Shun felt a burst of adrenaline, that he didn't know he had, fill his body as he ran up the increasingly unstable path, occasionally stepping on a loose stone causing it to roll behind him. "Why are they doing this?" Shun thought as he felt his body growing more exhausted while the group behind picked up speed. His eyes darted between the long path and what looked like an unstable ledge over a large gap. If he ran up the long path, they would surely catch up. If he jumped for the ledge and missed, the fall would kill him, but at least he had a chance.

Shun ran as fast as he could toward the edge and leaped toward it. Everything felt so slow as he angled his body out in order to reach the ledge and grasp it, before his body slammed right along the side, cutting his forehead. Shun ignored the blood coming out, as he pulled himself up to the other side. His eyes turned toward what looked like a lone wooden cross. His eyes blurred and there in front was just a wooden post. For a moment he felt lost and a bit dazed and strangely a bit of déjà vu. The sound of the men running along the path caused him to snap out.

Now that he had the lead, he took full advantage of it. Shun rushed as fast as he could, ignoring the pockets of exposed hot lava and the geysers of steam around. His speed picked up as he spotted his teacher standing there like a statue in front of two boxes, with a white sheet on top of them. "Master Guilty!" Shun cried as he ran to his side.

Shun watched as the men began to slow down before a few began to turn and run. Shun looked back at his teacher's fists as he clenched his fingers, causing his leather skin to break at the seams with blood pumping out of his veins with the beating of his cold heart. "Master Guilty?" the seven year old asked before Guilty's hands came together with a thunderous clap. Shun gasped in horror as a wide horizontal sonic blast came out and sliced most of the men in half. "Master... why did you kill all of them?"

Guilty pulled his hands away. "I didn't."

Shun looked as a child with bright pink hair had apparently ducked. He shook his head and realized it was a man with pink hair instead. Guilty walked forward and with a good swift kick, knocked him off the side of the cliff followed by a loud scream. Shun flinched when a dull thud echoed from below. Shun's face saddened. Even though the man and the others did try to hurt him, they didn't deserve to die. Shun clasped his hands into a prayer as Guilty walked away from the edge. Suddenly, a low groan echoed from down below causing Shun's eyes to brightened. "He lives!" cheered Shun.

Guilty turned his head before he walked over to the side where lava was flowing slowly. He pulled a rock causing the lava to flow over the side. He stuck his hand into the ground and began to break through the rock, forming a path that led toward the edge. The lava flowed freely through it like a tiny stream before it dripped off the side where Guilty pushed the man.

"AAAGGGHHH!"

Shun gasped as the molten rock flowed down the side like a waterfall, most likely landing on the survivor at the bottom. "Master why did you do that?"

Guilty folded his arms, "because I didn't feel like climbing down."

Shun clasped his hands. "But... he stopped chasing me... as well as the others."

"He failed!" Guilty looked down with his masked face. "I told that group that if any of them managed to kill you before reaching me, I would grant them their freedom." Guilty returned back to his spot in front of the two boxes with sheets over them. "Because he failed, you must spend even longer on this island; you have now passed your pretest."

Shun turned back. "My pretest?" Shun had no idea he was being tested, but in a way was pleased. "Ikki, I did it," Shun whispered as he began to grin. Maybe he'll survive at least one day after all?

Guilty walked to the sheets and pulled them off. "Here, choose one."

Shun gave a gentle aww as he knelt down in front of the cages. Inside one was a baby kitten with bright orange fur, mewing and purring happily. His paw reached out the side trying to grasp his hand. Shun obliged feeling its soft fluffy fur. He turned to the other side as a baby puppy with wide eyes yipped and sat up on its hind legs waving its tail back and forth. "I get my own pet?" His eyes shifted back and forth as the world's cutest puppy bounced up and down excitedly while the world's cutest kitten purred so loudly while staring at him with its ever increasingly large eyes. While the kitten was cute, he reached over for the puppy dog's cage and pulled it out.

Guilty watched the boy cradle the dog, allowing it to lick his face. He bides his time, examining Shun's facial reactions, waiting for the delicious moment that Shun feels confident that the puppy was his to keep. He could see in his eyes being filled with doubt, but he knew the perfect way to speed the process of owner/puppy bonding, "what will you name it?" Guilty asked as he reached down and picked up the kitten, stroking its head to make sure the furry creature was positive that he will be its friend.

Shun held the puppy in front of him, gazing at its shiny nose and blinking round eyes. "Peter Parker," Shun spoke, as he thought of his favorite superhero.

Guilty's mask stared at Shun as he pulled the puppy to his face to allow it to lick it before Guilty's hand snatched it from the child's hands. Guilty walked over toward a large wooden skewer with vegetables, mushrooms and fancifully festive shrimp.

Shun's jaw dropped as Guilty took the puppy and inserted it on the skewer before holding it over some flowing lava beside him. "STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Shun screamed.

Guilty pulled his skewer from the lava. "Because you passed the Pretest, you have earned the right to be fed. Every day, before we spar, we will dine on either a puppy or a kitten kabob to fill ourselves with much needed nourishment and to take a moment to savor the two cutest things in the world." He passed the puppy kabob over. "Bon appetit." He said as he took his kitten on its skewer and placed it over the fire, filling the training area with a loud cat shriek.

Shun cried as he looked at his well seasoned pet. He stared at its charred but evenly cooked flesh. He wasn't sure if Guilty was being tough or was truly cold hearted, but he did know that he was a pretty good cook.

He looked down. It was such a hard decision. The dog was already dead and he couldn't survive on sand and cobwebs alone. But still, Shun turned to the vegetables, mushrooms, and the shrimp. At least he could have those.

Guilty watched Shun pull the puppy off and carefully laid it to the side. "Why aren't you eating your dog?"

Shun chewed his slice of green pepper and swallowed. "I want to bury Peter Parker, Master. He's my friend."

"Why?" Guilty growled.

Shun's head began to slink down into his orange hooded shirt. "Because friends shouldn't eat friends... even if their bonds were brief." After that, his hand reached out to pull the carrots and mushrooms before devouring them instantly. His eyes shifted at Guilty as he pulled the pieces vegetables and shrimp and delicately dropped each piece on the ground before smashing it with his foot.

It was then he realized how twisted his Master was. He killed without mercy but somehow, he could take even the little things like littering and wasting food and bring it to a whole new level of sinister. However, he was still alive and from his small talk with the man on the boat, it seemed like its a miracle to last even a day here. All he had to do was keep it up and win the Phoenix Cloth and everything will be okay.

Guilty took his cooked kitten and pulled it off the skewer. He took a moment to watch Shun take the cooked puppy over to a clearing and lay some stones over its body. Despite being on the verge of starving, the child still showed respect for the dead. Later on, he was going to bring Shun to a red sparring ring and force him to kill a slave, however, it was rare of him to have such a pure child. It would be a waste if he went straight for that! He should experiment and collect insight. He will start off slow, and gradually work his way to see how much the child could take before he cracks. Guilty took his cooked kitten and pulled each limb off before finally giving it one good stomp.

Shun clasped his hands to offer Peter Parker a prayer when he heard the equivalent of nails on a chalkboard, or in this case, Guilty's hand clawing against the molten rock on the ground. Shun watched the sparks fly and bits of blood as his teacher created a large sparring ring. He turned to Guilty's hands as his fingers dripped blood from the tips. "Master, are you okay?"

But Guilty ignored him. Instead, he strutted over to the sparring ring and gestured for him to come inside. For a moment, he watched Shun turn toward the bodies of several prisoners laying around, sliced in half. "What's wrong... are you afraid to die?"

Shun turned back to him. "No...I'm worried I won't be good enough to fulfill my promise to my brother." He looked at his fingers and tugged on them, "but I'll try." He swallowed hard before he took a step inside the ring and began with a bow.

Immediately, Guilty took his foot and kicked the child in the head, causing him to fall to the ground in tears. For a moment, Guilty was swayed by the sweet symphony of sadness before he turned downwards. "Never bow for an enemy."

Shun wiped his face while touching his swollen cheek. "But... Ikki says you have to... it's very respectful..."

"Respect is for the weak! If you want to survive, you must not only be willing to kill your enemies but to hate them as well!"

"Kill... hate?" Shun muttered as simply saying those two words made his stomach turn. "But-"before he could finish, Guilty slammed his fist on the other side of his face.

"Fool!" He stared at Shun's sobbing face before slamming his foot once again at it. "Fight me!"

Shun shook his head. "I...can't..." he muttered.

"Then you have failed your brother!" he snarled as he struck Shun's body over and over.

Shun's hands covered his face while his knees tucked inside his stomach. Every kick and punch Guilty threw at him made his skin hurt more and more until they began to grow numb. "Ikki... Ikki... Ikki..." Shun chanted as tears flowed down his eyes. Normally when any other orphan was doing this, his brother would come out of nowhere and stop them. Even though he knew that Ikki was off on Andromeda Island, he still prayed that he would come and stop this mean man from beating him.

Hours passed and Ikki never came.

Guilty finally stopped at the eight hour mark as he turned to the child, who laid there, bloody and bruised on the rock. "To be merciful will only lead to an inevitable death! To love is to hesitate and to hesitate is to die!" He reached over and grabbed the child by the back of his orange hooded shirt and dragged him down the volcano side, purposely taking the path with the most jagged rocks along the way.

He reached his cabin and looked down at Shun's battered face. He could toss him down into the basement, but that would most likely kill his current form of entertainment. Guilty was quite intrigued by this stubborn pacifist. It was something different than the usual trainees he would go out collecting. Guilty laid Shun on his floor before walking over to grab the boy's feet to ensure that his head would bang against every step on the way down to the basement.

After dropping Shun off, he headed back out and closed the door before opening it back up after he forgot to slam it the first time.

Shun waited a few seconds before he even attempted to move. His face was so bruised that his normally wide eyes were nearly squinted shut. Shun looked down to see his blackened skin, fearful of removing his hooded shirt to see how bad the rest of his body looked. He looked up at his bars, relieved that the cinder block was removed and granted him a little light. He sobbed quietly for several minutes, wondering if he would even make it by the end of the week. He reached into his hooded shirt. Even his hands were so swollen that he struggled to bend his fingers to grasp his Silver Star Pendant. Shun slowly pulled himself back up, wailing as he realized that at least one of his ribs was broken. However, nothing can stop Shun from praying to Mommy. Ikki would never let him forget, and it was Shun's responsibility now. He reached behind his neck, grunted from the pain and unhooked the chain. He wrapped it around his hands and lowered his head, "Dear God, watch over Mommy in heaven and wherever Daddy is right now. Please watch over my brother on Andromeda Island and the other orphans as well..." Shun flinched as the pain was becoming overwhelming. "...at least they are somewhere better than this place..." Shun's eyes filled with tears, "Yours ever... Amen..." he sobbed before he clenched his pendant, practically hugging it, before placing it back around his neck and laying back down crying again. "Only...five years... three hundred, sixty four more days..." Shun muttered before bursting into tears.

O|==================AXUM, ETHIOPIA|==================|O

Shaka sat on the stone pedestal, holding his meditative position. His cosmos flared ever so lightly as he held the fist sized viewing orb in his hands. It had been nearly one week since Shun had started and he was still locked deep in the depths of fog that prevented him from judgement. He had never seen anyone stay so long in the Layer of Guilt, the space that is neither Sin nor Virtue. Shaka himself could purify Sin and seek Virtue, but Guilt is something that a person must overcome themselves.

O||==================DEATH QUEEN ISLAND?|==================|O

Day Eight

Shun reached down and drank the water from the metal dish that he placed under the pipe. No matter how difficult his day was, at least he always could look forward to the delicious cool clean water. However, it took all day to gather his only source of fluid and if he poured it too quickly, it would fall out between the empty spaces where his teeth were.

His orange hooded shirt was ripped so badly that he could only use it as a pillow in the basement. His pants weren't faring any better. Both knees had holes in them and the bottoms were fraying so badly that in a day or two, he'll have to turn them into shorts. His skin was so dirty, but when he tried to bathe, Master Guilty told him that he was being dishonored every time Shun attempted to clean one of hundreds of Guilty's footprints that covered his body. Half of his green hair had been burnt away leaving tiny little green bristles on the top of his head.

Suddenly, some fur rubbed against his arm before he turned down to see the giant rat come up to him. Shun reached over and petted its brown fur. "Sorry, I don't have any food for you today." Shun spoke as he stroked its fur watching it crawl up and stand on his dirty knee. "I know you are hungry, but if I had any food I'd give it to you. You need to be nice and strong for your babies!" cried Shun as he stroked its belly. "Unless you really aren't pregnant." He wasn't even sure if it was a girl. The problem was that there was so much hanging fat that he couldn't even tell if the rat had four feet, let alone boy bumps.

He pulled the rat off his leg and patted it away. He wished he could give his friend a name but every time he did that, Master Guilty always turned it into some sort of dish. In fact, on the way to their training area, he once admired a bush that began growing in between the cracks of some molten rocks. On the way back, Guilty pulled it out, roots and all, and boiled it, turning it into a tea. Worst of all, he told his teacher that he was so thirsty that his throat felt like it was on fire. After Guilty poured a cup, added golden honey and drops of fresh lemon he handed him a cup and told him he couldn't drink the tea because the leaves were poisonous!

Shun sighed. At least Guilty gave him a cup and offered a drink. Surely there was some good in him if he looked hard enough. He yawned and stretched his aching arms, flinching as he felt his broken ribs. He turned to the corner where his ripped up orange hooded shirt was at. He laid his head down and closed his eyes. He heard a loud growl before looking down at his stomach and touched it. All he had was his bits of vegetables and cocktail shrimp from his kabob. He refused to eat Peter Parker VIII, even if he was running out of spots to bury his puppy at the training area.

The boy shifted his eyes at the door. "I wonder if he's going to wake me up just when I'm about to go to sleep again?" Shun muttered. He didn't like that at all, but Guilty seemed to be in a better mood today. Perhaps tonight will be different? He shut his eyes and felt his body grow heavy.

Upstairs, Guilty stood outside the door, listening attentively at his student's breathing pattern. "Yes... sleep Shun... enter the world of REM... feel at peace... it won't last long..." Guilty chanted as he stood there anticipating for the moment. Guilty walked over toward the fireplace and dumped plenty of starter fluid over the wood. He took a ball of cosmos to light it up to ensure that when he opened the door, it would be as bright as possible. He then took a pan and hung it conveniently where the door will strike. A loud clang will ensure the child will be as restless and agitated as a person walking on nails.

A bit of drool dripped from Shun's near toothless mouth when a bright light illuminated his face followed by the loudest metal sound. Shun screamed as he turned around and stood straight up. Shun's frantic red eyes darted left and right. "Good... morning...evening...afternoon Master!" Shun muttered trying to figure out how long he's slept and what time it was. He struggled to look directly at his teacher, but the fire behind Guilty was burning so brightly that he wondered if he died in his sleep and wasn't in heaven.

Guilty turned his head down. "Shun... I have decided to store some things in the basement. You are welcomed to have whatever is in them... "

Shun smiled while clasping his hands. "Oh thank you Master! That is very kind of you!"

But Guilty waved a finger, "I'm not done talking. You will get to keep them if you can catch them."

Shun's smile faded a bit. "I'll try... I'm pretty good at catching things!" Shun spoke as he held out his hands.

"We'll see... however... if you fail, I will take two more of your toes."

Shun looked down. He missed his other pinkie toe but if the things are good in the box, it will be worth it. "Okay, I'm ready." Guilty reached over and took the box and tossed it down to him. Shun's tiny arms caught it with ease. "Master I got it!" Shun shouted as his short arms barely circled around it.

"We're not done!" growled Guilty as he leaned down to the side.

The seven year old gasped as Guilty pulled out another box. "Master, wait! I think I need to put down this box!"

Guilty tilted his head in happiness causing more blood to drip. "I said if you catch...them... as in... more than one box!" He took the box over his head and flung it hard in Shun's direction.

Shun spotted it and used the other box in his hands to stop it. The flying box fell down. Shun took the box in his hands and placed it below before it can hit the stairs. "Master, look! I caught both boxes! Are you proud of me?" Shun sang as he held the two boxes hoping beyond hope for a fleeting bit of praise.

Guilty stood there silently.

Shun poked his head from behind the pile in his hands. "Master?"

Guilty looked down and slammed his foot on the wooden stairs causing them to collapse.

Shun screamed as he fell to the ground, butt first, on top of the wooden pile. Shun's head felt a little warm and dizzy. Once Shun turned his head, he realized the miracle that had occurred. He poked his head from the side. "Master, I still have both boxes even after your test of breaking the stairs!" Shun cried before the door slammed.

Shun's face saddened. He thought his Master would've been proud.

The boy stood up and climbed over the wooden rubble. He carried the two boxes over to a clear spot. He rubbed his head a bit as a headache began to sit in. Shun turned toward the barred window and noticed a strange gentle red glow. Shun stepped onto one of the boxes to get a better look through the iron bars. He looked around and could see the top of a large pillar where the Phoenix Cloth resided. "Why is it doing that?" Shun thought before a bright red flash struck him.

The child fell to the ground and screamed as he hit his heavily bruised shoulder. Shun moaned as he held it. He looked over to the boxes and opened them up, hoping to find something that could help him. In the first one, to Shun's disappointment, all there was a pile of dusty human bones. Shun shook his head. He should have known better.

Shun looked at the other box. He wondered if he should bother for a moment but looked at the human skull. He should at least give the bones some respect and find a place to bury them. Shun walked over and pulled the flaps and gasped. "What the?" Laying inside, next to the skeleton of a little girl was another girl that was about his size in a pink dress with red flowers. Shun reached down and pulled her out of it. "Hey, are you okay?"

The blonde girl opened her blue eyes. "Oh hello... are you Shun?" The blonde girl asked as she sat against the box.

Shun nodded, "who are you? What are you doing here?"

The girl continued to sit there. "My name is…"

Shun felt a huge headache. "Please, what is your name again?" he gritted his jaw, fighting it. He was so desperate for company that he fought the pain that was clenching his head before it faded, almost as if the pain was never there to begin with.

She smiled, "it's Junè." She smiled a bit. "Guilty is my Father," she said as she pointed up.

Shun gasped, "your Father? But why would he put you in a box of skeletons?"

Junè shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I've just always been surrounded by death. Rows and rows of crosses line the horizon of those who failed…." she stared hard before her head turned. "Don't you remember?"

Shun closed his eyes, but any memory seemed too foggy. "What are you talking about?"

Junè sighed. "Never mind. Anyways, my father has been acting so different lately. He used to be so kind, but not anymore." The girl blinked. "Is something wrong?"

Shun stared at her long blond hair. "You... remind me of someone... in fact... I think she had the same name..." He watched her as she smiled a little. Suddenly, he shook his head, bit his lip when he realized he was saying nonsense. After all, the only girl he's ever met was Miss Saori. Shun shook his head, "...sorry..." he apologized, worried that the only human friend he has here may think he's creepy despite it just being so desperate for someone who displayed any sign of kindness.

Junè tilted her head in happiness. "It's okay." Junè looked over toward the stairs. "You should fix the stairs before my Father starts training in a few hours. Otherwise... he may consider you late and he'll surely lose interest and kill you."

Shun gasped at the thought. If he dies, he won't be able to fulfill his promise to his brother. He turned toward the broken wooden beams, "but I can't fix the stairs that quickly!"

Junè sat there against the box of wooden bones. "Why don't you use your ripped up hooded shirt over there. Tear it into scraps and use them to tie the beams of wood to make a ladder!"

Shun clasped his hands. What a perfect idea! "Okay!" Shun ran to the corner and picked up his shirt and began to create the pieces he needed.

"SHUN! HELP ME!" screamed Junè.

Shun gasped as his big rat friend was dragging Junè by the foot toward his hole. "STOP THAT!" Shun rushed over and swatted the rat away. "Junè are you okay?"

Junè nodded. "Yes, but could you help me up back against the box?"

Shun nodded as he obliged. He couldn't believe how strong the rat was. How could a rat, even if he was large, be capable of pulling a girl his age? As soon as Shun placed Junè against the box, he looked into her eyes. For a brief moment, he swore he saw a brief flame in her eyes, but that would be crazy. Shun returned back to his shirt to rip it apart. "Junè, what will happen to you if your Daddy sees you? Will you have to stay all day here?"

Junè sat there. "Well... maybe he'll let me watch you train." She looked up at his sad face. "Shun, are you thinking of your brother?"

Shun looked down and nodded and smiled. "He's my big brother, I'm always thinking of him." He sat down and stopped his work, "at least he has someone like Master Daidalos. He wouldn't put you in a box full of bones."

Junè kept her hands on lap. "Master Daidalos? How did you know the name of your brother's teacher when you've never met him before?"

The boy's eyes widened as a large headache filled his head. "It doesn't matter..." He muttered. "But, I do know that Master Guilty is my teacher!" he almost shouted as the headache dissipated once more. "If I can survive for five years, three hundred, forty-seven days I will earn the Phoenix Cloth!" Shun replied with a sense of determination. "I can do this!"

O|==================AXUM, ETHIOPIA==================|O

Shaka sighed as he stared at the orb viewing Shun say those words. He knew that if Shun's mind died in the illusion then he will never wake up. Never before had anyone so innocent been at risk of failing at the step involved in confronting his own guilt. "I sense your mind trying to tell you that the world you live in is a lie, but your heart is so full of guilt from the happiness of Andromeda Island that Ikki was denied that it desires for you to stay there as if you were righting what went wrong." Shaka turned his head downward. "So far, you've accepted a small bit of guilt, but I am afraid you maybe too far gone in this illusion for it to matter."

O|=================================================================|O

"Hello readers. I have stolen the preview and author's notes section but that is not all. The author of this story has been quite... late on her updates as well as breaking her promise for this to be the last chapter of this arc. Therefore, I have kidnapped her new overweight gray cat named Tink. If the author cannot finish the second half of this chapter by December 19 and complete this part then I shall keep Tink on Death Queen Island as my... newest pet.

Shun is starting to get boring, especially when he gets a sickening boost of self esteem. I may have to try some new tricks on him soon. Perhaps I shall bring him to a red sparring ring and see how he squirms. If not, Shaka can do what he wishes with him. I'll just go back to the normal Death Queen Island and see how my student will react to his precious Esmeralda dying. Doesn't that sound….fun?"

"Next Dimension 36 is out right now. Somewhere out there, there are people who have scanned Next Dimension 36 and placed them on the Internet. Now... give in to temptation... deny Jump Magazine their money... make them regret stopping the Saint Seiya English dub at episode 60...and read the scans... you know you want to... "

"Mmmm yes... you're a good cat... but you will be a better cat with paprika, rosemary and basil. Remember Jenny, you may not be able to feel the true power of the cosmos, but if you wait too long, your new cat will feel the end of my skewer!"

"Oh... what is this? She's revised the grammar in this chapter on February 20, 2019? How...wonderful... it is no wonder that the hatred in this has increased by twenty percent. Wait? The cat is still alive and is healthy and no longer overweight? Oh we'll see about that! If Shun fails, a paradox occurs and Tink will be back in my clutches!"