Oh wow. I didn't expect to write so many chapters so fast. I guess I just have too much free time on my hands.

Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.


Aiolos had suggested that they bury Talus as soon as possible, and no one had the heart to say no after Shun agreed, looking broken and tired as he stood next to Ikki.

There was no formal service, only a brief procession out to the spot under a big oak tree where Seiya and Shiryu had dug out a grave for the Fox Saint. An engraving-courtesy of Hyoga-stated exactly who was buried there.

"Fox Talus, Protector of Athena, Beloved Master and Student" It read in several different languages.

Aiolos had refused any help in carrying his dead student's body out to the grave, ignoring his limp in favor of the task at hand. Before putting Talus to rest, he had removed the Fox Cloth from around his neck and given it to Shun.

"Talus would have a fit if this went to anyone but you." He had said.

Shun hadn't said anything back.

No one said anything after the grave was filled in, standing in silence until, one by one, they had headed inside. Eventually, only Shun and Ikki were left, and Ikki had tucked his little brother under his arm as the younger boy cried. For once, Ikki didn't tell him not to.

Over an hour later, silence reigned as the Saints, Saori, and Tatsumi sat or stood around the living room.

"Ikki said you had something to tell us?" Hyoga addressed Shun, finally broaching the subject that had been hanging over everyone's heads for the past few minutes.

Shun stared at the floor, but didn't say anything.

"This is it, isn't it?" Ikki said slowly. "This is why you said you wouldn't stay here. This is what you're running from."

Shun glanced up at his brother and nodded.

"Does this have to do with what you said about you not being Ikki's only brother?" Hyoga asked. At Shun's glare, he held up is hands. "My room is just down the hall and you weren't exactly keeping your voice down."

Shun huffed, but sat up straighter, glancing around at the assembled Saints, goddess, and butler.

"Hyoga's right. That's exactly what this is about." He admitted to them.

"So how are you not Ikki's only brother?" Seiya asked.

Shun sighed. "This is something I learned from the Pope-from Gemini Saga-just after I earned my Cloth."

Ikki hissed. "The day you went to see him on your own."

Shun nodded. "According to Sanctuary's sources in Japan, the one hundred orphans the Graude Foundation took in weren't just a bunch of boys with the potential to use Cosmo. Sources report that all one hundred of us were Mitsumasa Kido's own children."

Everyone stared at Shun with wide eyes.

"You're saying... that all of us are brothers?" Seiya whispered.

Shun just nodded again.

"Wait a second. Time out." Hyoga interrupted. "We've already established that Gemini Saga has been lying about Aiolos being a traitor and about Athena being in Sanctuary for sixteen years. How do we know this isn't another of his lies?"

"Hyoga is right. This could just be a trick on Gemini Saga's part, something intended to hurt you." Shiryu added.

Shun scowled. "He wasn't lying. I could tell." He snapped at the Dragon and Cygnus Saints.

"Shun," Aiolos said gently. "Saga has always been a brilliant liar. You have no way to prove that what he said was the truth.

The Canis Minor Saint opened his mouth, looking like he was about to say something, but Aiolos continued before he could. "But there is one person who could tell us the truth. Tatsumi, you were Kido's right hand man. Is what Shun is saying is true?"

Everyone turned to stare at the butler. Tatsumi seemed to hesitate before scoffing harshly. "As if." He said. "That's a load of bull and-"

"Tatsumi." Saori interrupted in an almost eerily calm tone. "The truth, please."

Tatsumi fell silent, staring at the floor for a moment. Then, he spoke. "It's true." He admitted. "I don't know the science behind it, nor the reason, but Master Kido found a way to sire one hundred children, all boys. Then he gathered them all and sent them to be Saints."

Saori closed her eyes, leaning her head against the back of the couch they all absorbed Tatsumi's words.

"I knew the old man was a rat bastard." Ikki commented. "I didn't realize it was that bad though."

"Ikki!" Aiolos scolded sharply, only to be met by a glare. The brunet sighed. "What about the rest of the Kido orphans?" He asked Shun.

The green-haired boy bit his lip, then spoke slowly. "Of the original one hundred orphans, only about sixty are still alive. Most of them are foot soldiers. A total of eleven of us became actual Saints, all Bronze level."

"Who?" Seiya asked curiously.

"Ichi, Geki, Ban, Nachi, and Jabu all became Bronzes. They're the Hydra, Bear, Lionet, Wolf, and Unicorn Saints, if I recall correctly."

"Including the five of us that's only ten though." Hyoga pointed out. "Who's number eleven?"

"Andromeda Akio." Shun responded dully.

Silence fell.

"I... don't remember anyone named Akio." Seiya commented.

"That's to be expected." Aiolos commented. "You all had your own little cliques within the larger group. Akio was one of the older boys. He didn't associate with the rest of you if he could help it."

"Well he's clearly not on our side." Hyoga grumbled. "What do you know about him, Shun?"

Shun frowned unhappily. "They say he's the true Andromeda Saint, the current incarnation of Andromeda Sinon."

"Who's 'they'?" Shiryu asked.

"The Pope, and everyone loyal to him."

"That's most of Sanctuary, isn't it?" Esmeralda asked.

"Sure is." Aiolos sighed. "For all that they're wrong. Again."

"How so?" Seiya

"If Akio really was the Andromeda Saint, he wouldn't have tried to kill Saori. No member of the Vanguard would ever try to kill the true Athena. It's simply not possible."

"Okay, time out." Ikki interrupted Seiya's attempt to ask another question. "This 'Vanguard' keeps coming up. That Cerberus character said the Phoenix Saint was supposed to be the strongest member, but I don't even know what the Vanguard is. Someone here want to clue me in?" He glanced around at the other Bronzes, only for all of them to shrug.

"That name came up in a few of the books I read on Death Queen Island, but there weren't any details on it." Esmeralda admitted.

Aiolos sighed. "If the Gold Saints are the ones tasked with the direct protection of Athena herself, then the Vanguard are the ones tasked with leading Athena's forces into battle. It's a collection of five Bronze Saints who reincarnate alongside Athena during each cycle. They are, arguably, the most powerful Bronze Saints, although there's some debate about who is the strongest among them."

"These five, are they...?" Esmeralda started, then trailed off.

"Pegasus, Andromeda, Dragon, Cygnus, and Phoenix." Aiolos nodded.

"Woah." Seiya said. "You mean we've all reincarnated a bunch of times? That's crazy."

"Not if you think about it." Shun piped up. "It makes sense for Athena to choose the most loyal of her Saints to reincarnate alongside her. Theoretically speaking, even before regaining memories of their past lives the members of the Vanguard would be naturally inclined to protect Athena, like when we were little and you fought off that dog attacking Saori. That's why Akio can't be Andromeda. If he was, he would never have attacked her."

"Oooooh." Seiya breathed.

Ikki snorted. "But if that bastard isn't Andromeda, who is?"

There was a moment of contemplative silence.

"And here I thought you would figure it out first, Ikki." Aiolos commented. At the boy's confused look, he lifted one hand... and pointed straight at Shun.


Oh. My. God. One more chapter and I'll be done with this arc.

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See you next time.