Okay. One more once, I think this is the last chapter. At most there will be, like, one more. Maybe.
Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.
The fight was going... badly, to say the least.
Out of the corner of his eye, Shiryu could see Ikki being thrown back one more time.
Upon being attacked by the combined Gold and Bronze Saints, Saga had donned the Gemini Cloth and promptly created an illusion of himself, forcing the eight Saints to divide themselves into two separate groups to counter both enemies, since they had no way to tell which one was real.
Saga might have been evil, but he was terrifyingly powerful, as both he and the illusion-whichever was which-blocked the attacks of both the Bronze Saints and their two allied Gold Saints while throwing out attacks of their own in retaliation.
The best that could be said was that Hyoga had managed to freeze one leg of the Saga he, Seiya, Shiryu, and Shura were fighting to the ground, while Shun had briefly succeeded in tangling up one arm of the one he, Ikki, Esmeralda, and Aiolia were fighting with his Nebula Chains.
Aiolos was keeping out of the main fights to protect Saori, ever wary of Saga trying to attack the young goddess directly, while occasionally take potshots at the two Sagas. He hadn't managed to do any serious damage, but it was keeping the Gemini Saint on his toes.
But even with that, even with Saga's seeming near-invincibility, it felt like something was off. Shiryu couldn't put his finger on it, but it reminded him of that moment in the House of Gemini, when Ikki and Esmeralda had been trying to counter Saga's technique and the Gemini Saint's Cosmo had faltered for a moment. It felt like Saga was fighting with himself.
If that was true, if Saga was somehow in conflict with himself, they might have a chance if they could take out the illusion.
Jumping back, Shiryu watched the two Sagas closely. There was no such thing as a perfect technique. Every technique had its faults, its flaws, and all you had to do to beat it was find that flaw.
It came to Shiryu several long, painful moments later. The Saga he, Seiya, Hyoga, and Shura were fighting had impossibly fast reaction times, but that was to be expected of a Gold Saint. The other one, the Saga who was facing off against Ikki, Esmeralda, Shun, and Aiolia, was slower. It didn't react nearly as fast as the first Saga did.
It was being controlled. That was the only explanation for the decreased reaction times.
"Ikki!" Shiryu yelled, almost without thinking. "You're fighting the illusion! It's reaction times are too slow to be the real thing!"
Ikki's head shot up and he grinned. "Good to know!" He yelled back.
Saga, the real one, that is, seemed infuriated by Shiryu's discovery.
He snarled in rage, but the expression lasted for just a moment before it faded, replaced by a smirk.
"You did well to figure out which of us was the fake." He said, eyes fixed on Shiryu. "But it's too late. Athena's power is finally mine."
The following blast of Cosmo was overpowering in its force, and Shiryu yelled, his voice mixing in with the others' as they were tossed about like ragdolls.
The impact as Shiryu hit the floor was painful, stars dancing behind his eyelids from where he'd hit his head against the stone.
He lay there for several long moments, trying to think past the ache in his head.
He didn't get long, however, as an alarmed yell forced him to open his eyes and sit up, looking around for the source of the yell.
"Miss Saori!" Seiya cried, struggling to push himself up.
The young goddess was half-sitting, half-lying on the ground perhaps fifteen feet away from the Dragon Saint, Saga kneeling over her, a golden dagger grasped in one hand.
"I have your power now, Athena. I have become a god." The madman sneered. "So there's no reason to keep you alive any longer."
He raised the dagger, and Shiryu's stomach lurched. Before he could try to get up, a movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention.
Shura was on his knees, a look of pure fury on his face, his hand stretched out to the side as though he was readying himself for an attack. He seemed to be hesitating for some reason, however.
An idea came to Shiryu. There was one way to defeat the Gemini Saint. If he could get behind Saga, could get a hold on him, there was a technique that could beat him.
The Final Rising Dragon. It would launch Shiryu and anyone he was holding onto high into the atmosphere, far enough up that they would be incinerated from the friction.
It was suicide, but it was also their only option.
All Shiryu needed was an opening.
Forcing himself silently onto his knees, Shiryu lifted a hand. Shura caught the motion and looked over, brow furrowing. Shiryu gave him a nod.
"Do it." He mouthed.
If the Capricorn Saint had any doubts about Shiryu's intentions, they weren't enough to stop him.
"Excalibur!" The man cried, swinging his hand in an arc. A blade of Cosmo sprang from his hand, aimed directly at Saga's back.
It was no use, however, as the Gemini Saint spun around, not even dropping the dagger as he caught Shura's attack with his gauntleted hands.
Within moments, the blade of light had faded, leaving not a scratch on its intended target.
"So that's it?" Saga asked. "You want to be the first to die?"
Shura remained silent as he stood up, readying his hand as though for another attack. With Saga's attention diverted, Shiryu pushed himself the rest of the way to his feet as well, bracing himself for the swift move he was about to have to make.
"I'm happy to kill you first, if that's what you wish for." Saga said, stalking towards Shura with menacing purpose. "But it's no use. Once I'm done with you, I'll kill your little Athena anyway."
"You can try." Shura bit out.
Shiryu didn't waste another moment. He sprang forward, covering the distance between himself and Saga in a mere second. His arms latched around the Gemini Saints waist and he burned his Cosmo.
"Let go of me!" Saga roared, struggling furiously in Shiryu's grip, but the Dragon Saint was determined. He wasn't about to let go.
"Never!" He spat, forcing his Cosmo to burn higher than ever. Higher than the day he'd first accessed it, higher than the day he'd reversed the flow of the Lushan waterfall, higher than he had the day he fought Perseus Algol.
"Lushan Final Rising Dragon!" He cried, and the technique lifted him off the ground and took Saga with him.
There was no going back now.
"Shiryu no!" Aiolos cried, but the Dragon Saint had never been one to stop when he'd made up his mind.
Around Aiolos, the other Bronze Saints cried out in surprise and protest, but it was far too late.
It took everything the Sagittarius Saint had not to close his eyes. The least he could do was watch, even if he desperately wanted to do something to stop this.
"Is this how it has to end?"
Saori's voice caught Aiolos's attention, and he turned to look at the young goddess, who was watching Shiryu and Saga's ascent into the sky with a look of grief on her face.
Slowly, she turned to Aiolos. "Is death really the only way we can end this?" She asked softly.
Aiolos hesitated. "I don't know." He confessed, and he really didn't. When returning to Sanctuary he had, however faintly, hoped that they would be able to avoid any deaths, but it seemed that wasn't possible now.
"It doesn't have to be." Shura's voice interrupted Aiolos's despairing thoughts.
The Sagittarius Saint blinked as he turned to the younger Saint. "You have an idea?" He asked. He was willing to take just about any suggestion right now.
Shura nodded. "I'm going to send my Cloth to Shiryu."
Aiolos shook his head. "It won't work. Shiryu is a Libra, he can't wear the Capricorn Cloth."
"He doesn't have to wear it." Shura answered grimly. "It just has to protect him long enough to get him back to Earth."
Aiolos hesitated. There was no guarantee it would work, but they also didn't have any other options.
"Do it." He said.
Shura didn't waste any more time as his Cloth began to glow, the pieces separating from his body and disappearing after the tail of the Final Rising Dragon.
"You're sure that will work?" Hyoga asked from nearby.
"It's going to work." Shura responded, lips pursed as he watched his Cloth. In a softer voice, so soft Aiolos could only just hear it, he added. "It has to."
"But that's still only going to save Shiryu." Saori whispered. "What about Saga?"
Aiolos watched his goddess as she stared after the Capricorn Cloth.
"What about him?" Aiolia asked, voice uncharacteristically frosty. "He's the one that started all this! He's only just going to be executed for treason if he survives, so why bother?"
Saori turned to the Leo Saint, something like anger making its way onto her face. "Because I don't want that!" She snapped in a rare show of temper. "I don't want anyone to die because of me!"
Aiolia looked taken aback, while Aiolos felt a smile curl his lips at seeing Saori make what would be, perhaps, one of the most important decisions of her life as a goddess.
"No one is going to die today!" She declared, a bright, golden light emitting from her body and spreading around the now roofless audience hall. As though summoned by the awakening of the goddess of war, the Staff of Nike appeared in Saori's hand and she lifted it high in the air.
At the other end of the hall, the Gemini Cloth glowed and shot into the sky.
Saga didn't resist as the Dragon Saint's attack shot them both into the air. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he had control over his own body, and if that meant he could give a true Saint of Athena the chance to kill him-if only to avoid killing Athena-then so be it.
Dying like this was infinitely better than living on as the man who had betrayed and murdered his own goddess.
It was a great pity that the young Bronze Saint would have to go with him, but the Final Rising Dragon was a suicide attack. There was no way around it.
Saga closed his eyes, oddly at peace with his coming end.
He only barely felt the Dragon Saint's grip on him disappear, and something like panic shot through him. Had the Bronze Saint's Cosmo run out before his technique was complete?
If that was the case, they wouldn't make it far enough to burn up in the atmosphere and would instead crash down on Earth again.
It was the worst possible scenario: one that left Saga with even the faintest chance to survive and make another attempt on Athena's life.
As the Gemini Saint was contemplating the cruelty of the Fates, a familiar Cosmo wrapped around him. His eyes snapped open, and he looked down to find himself clad in the Gemini Cloth again.
"What..." He started. "What are you doing?" He demanded of the Cloth, but it didn't answer-it never did-and instead he felt himself being drawn back down to Earth by a warm, gentle Cosmo.
He hit the ground with enough force to drive the breath from him and lay there, staring up at the sky and wonder what, exactly, had prompted Lady Athena to save him.
Around him he could hear voices, the other Bronze Saints ensuring that Dragon was uninjured, but only when he heard the soft scuff of a boot closer to him did he sit up.
Aiolos stared down at him sadly, the Bow of Sagittarius still gripped in one hand, not quite threatening, but not entirely at ease. Beside him stood Lady Athena-Saori Kido was her human name, he remembered-clutching the Staff of Nike in her hands.
"Why did you save me?" The words come out sharper than he intended them to, half anger, half resignation.
Silently, Aiolos took a step back, leaving the explanation to the young, newly-awakened goddess at his side.
"I didn't want anyone else to die." Athena said simply.
Saga look at her in disbelief. "I tried to kill you. I almost succeeded! Why wouldn't you want me dead?"
"Because I don't believe you did it of your own will." The goddess answered him. Slowly she walked forward, coming to kneel at his side.
"I don't think you wanted to do any of it, and I don't think you deserve to die for it. If you really feel that you have to atone for you sins, I want you to do it by living, and serving me the way you swore when you first became a Saint."
It took Saga longer than he would have liked to give his goddess an answer, but finally, he did.
Moving slowly, stiff from battle and the exertion of fighting off the evil that had been controlling him, Saga moved to kneel in front of Athena, head bowed in deference.
"If that is your wish, Lady Athena."
And... wow. That's the end!
I'm sorry if this cut off at a weird place or if the ending wasn't satisfactory. The truth is that I've really been struggling with this story since I came back to it, but I was determined to finish because I knew if I took another break I'd never come back to it and it didn't sit well with me that I might leave it unfinished.
I'd like to leave a special thank you to Jenny DeVic and Ru-Doragon for helping me with this story, I wouldn't have been able to do it without you guys!
And that's it y'all. Thanks for sticking with me to the end!