15 — THE NEVERENDING NIGHT
A cold night and a serene snow is pouring outside Saori Kido's Mansion.
A room filled with antique paintings on the walls, figurines in many corners, rich tapestries on the floor and crystal chandeliers on the ceiling. A grand piano with a beautiful arrangement of flowers on top is leaning against one of the windows.
Seiya and Saori are taking care of Shun's injured hands; the boy sits very quiet and sad, his gaze lost on the coffee table in front of him. Shiryu is on the floor leaning against the sofa, her head thrown back, exhausted. The Cygnus Saint is the only one standing watching the snow falling outside through the window.
The television is on and the News Broadcast is running an article about the wrath of many fans from the Galaxian Wars, absolutely enraged with the event's unexpected ending. Saori finished a bandage on Shun's hand and immediately turned off the TV when she saw him sad with the images of his sister on the screen. There was some tension in the room.
"It was time for this Tournament to end." finally spoke the calm voice of Cygnus.
Seiya looked at him with the urge to grind that expressionless face into the wall, as if the comment was much more to tighten Shun's wound than about the actual Tournament.
"Who are you anyway?" he asked angrily.
"An ally." Saori replied, as he didn't even look back at Seiya.
"You were the one who saved me that day, weren't you?" Shun's calm voice spoke, remembering his attack in the woods.
Again, Cygnus was silent.
The atmosphere in the room was heavy and, in fact, since they returned from the valley, silence was the most heard sound between them. In such a way that everyone could clearly hear that outside that room, strong footsteps were running across the carpet, approaching their room; the door opened sharply and Xiaoling came running from it, jumping on Saori's neck making them both fall off the couch.
"Miss Saori!" she cried. "My god, why are you all hurt? Who did this to you? Seiya! You were supposed to protect her! How did she got hurt like this?" She said looking disgusted at the boy.
"It's okay, Xiaoling." smiled Saori, getting up.
"No it's not!" she protested.
"Xiaoling!" Alice shouted behind her.
She, the oldest of them all, soon realized that something horrible had happened by the blue atmosphere on the room and tried to hold the energy of the youngest one; Mii looked at Saori and without needing to exchange a word realized that again she was very sad. She walked towards her, composed by Xiaoling's attack of affection, to see if the bandages were enough. Of course they were, but Mii wanted an excuse to be closer to Saori.
"Where were you gals, huh?" Seiya asked and Saori felt in Mii an enormous discomfort that only she could perceive.
"We came back so we could train with our master." Xiaoling replied. "Jab and the others are also training to get stronger. But from now on we will not leave your side!" she said to Saori.
"The Gold Armor..." Alice said lightly, noticing that only the Helm was on the table.
"Where's the rest of the Armor?" Xiaoling asked, amazed.
"Doesn't matter." interrupted Saori at once.
Shun looked at her and realized that the girl was really sorry for her sister's fate. And he was really devastated inside, because all he wanted most was to see Ikki. But Shun had also learned a lot from his sister and especially during all the years of his strenuous training. Though his throat was tight with sadness, he had a serenity in his face that impressed even Alice, older than him.
Saori got up.
"We all must rest, there's a room prepared for you to spend the night." she announced. "The Foundation will be available for whatever you need from now on."
"I don't think you'll be able to get rid of us that easily this time." Seiya said.
She looked at him and found a tired smile on Seiya's face; and even Shun, in pain, tried to let out a sweet smile across for his friend's lack of respect.
Weary and wounded, they all left that office to their quarters; Saori insisted on accompanying the group to the room where they would stay before leaving with her escort of girls.
"You fought well today."
"Thank you, Seiya."
The door closed.
The sound of the water running while Shun took a shower to clear the blood from his body; Seiya and Shiryu sitting on the floor against the bed. Both of them took a deep breath in what seemed like an endless day and night.
The shower turned off and Shun appeared in the room with a towel wrapped around his legs.
"Are you okay, Shun?"
"Better now."
"What bothers you, Seiya?" Shiryu asked looking at his friend near his own Bronze urn.
"The Oath." he replied.
There was a silence in the room.
"My Master Marin nearly cut my hand when I wanted to open the Urn out of curiosity right after I won. She said that the Cloth should only be worn with dignity."
"My Master also made me repeat the Oath." Shiryu said and Shun nodded.
"When I finally won and earned the Pegasus Cloth, it was the Master Camerlengo himself who honored it for me."
"The Camerlengo?" Shun asked, surprised.
"Yes. He came to the Cloth Ceremony and made me swear the Oath. And now I'm wondering if all of this isn't happening because we've broken that oath. Saints should not fight for their own good. Sacred Cloths should not be used like this."
They were silent.
"I don't think I'm worthy to be a Saint anymore." Seiya repeated sadly. "Marin must be very disappointed in me."
"No, Seiya, don't say that. I also returned to find my sister again. It was all we had in our life."
"I know, Shun, but that Cygnus Saint gives me the creeps. He looks like he has no heart. Marin was always very tough too. I keep wondering if we shouldn't be like them."
"I'm sure not." Shiryu said. "My Master is…well, he's far from being serious at times. And in the end, the Pegasus Cloth is the only answer you need to."
"The Pegasus Cloth?" Seiya asked. Shiryu continued:
"Jamir Mu told me that a Cloth also has a life of its own."
"The Gold Cloth chose to protect Saori." Shun remembered.
"Exactly. And just as it chooses to protect, it also chooses to let go."
"What do you mean, Shiryu?" Seiya asked.
"Mu told me that if a Saint is not worthy to wear the Cloth, it might even abandon its body."
They were surprised, but Seiya felt his heart warm along with his cosmos; Seiya had missed her friend's wisdom and calm.
"There's something else that bothers me." Shun began to speak. "Ikki wanted to destroy the Gold Cloth and the Foundation for all she suffered. But that Saint knew Ikki."
"Docrates?"
"Yes. I keep reliving those moments in my head and nothing takes me away from the idea that he was the one behind my sister's despair. Whoever is after this Gold Cloth probably knows what happened to Ikki."
"And this Gold Cloth…" Seiya began. "I thought it was a fake one. Made just for the show, but…"
"It protected Miss Saori when Ikki attacked us." Shun said, with a sad tone.
"Why there's a Gold Cloth in this place?" Seiya asked himself.
Shiryu's voice spoke calmly.
"My Master told me there was something very important for me to find here." she began. "I'm wondering if it's the Gold Cloth."
"I hate that our Masters don't say it all at once." Seiya commented. "Couldn't he just said it that this was it?" he asked himself.
Shun and Shiryu experienced smiling in the night.
"Shun, if you think you should be around to find out what happened to Ikki, then I'll be there for you." said Seiya. "And this fool almost died to bring my Cloth back. So I'll be on your side as well."
"So it looks like we're going to be staying in this Mansion again." Shun commented.
"It feels like fate." Shiryu said.
The three young ones sitting on the floor leaning against the bed were silent for a while just breathing and existing; eyes fixed on the window, through which they could see the snow gracefully falling, illuminated by the lights of the garden outside. Together, they snuggled close to each other with Shun between them; Seiya hugged him from the side pulling his head slightly to let him know he wasn't alone. He felt Shiryu's arm in his as she also welcomed him holding his hands and encircling his neck.
Three young ones now bound to be together from now on. Shun let his sorrowful tears of longing for his sister flow by his face.
And so the minutes were left uncounted, when only silence was heard and snow fell.
Seiya then finally got up and lay down on his bed.
"Well, fate is telling me to go to sleep now." he said.
"Aren't you going to take a shower, Seiya?" Shun asked standing up.
"Ah, I'll take one tomorrow."
"Oh no. You stink. Come on, Shiryu."
"Wait, Shun, I'll take it tomorrow, I'm tired. It's late."
"You'll take it today. Look at this, you're covered in earth, still full of clay from your fallings."
"Now go, Seiya, no complaining." Shiryu lifted.
The two pushed a protesting Seiya into the shower for a hot bath as the night ended in the Mansion. The Cygnus Saint was in the next room listening to this fuss on the room next door, as he looked out the window thinking about the pains of his own life. Saori along with Alice and Xiaoling were a few blocks away in the Foundation's huge Intelligence Center.
At dawn, Saori knew where the rest of the Gold Cloth was. Alice and Xiaoling left on a secret mission and, at sunrise, the two were back at the Foundation panting, tired, but with the Gold Urn on their backs.
ABOUT THE CHAPTER: Another chapter for the protagonists' reflection on the battles and their duties.
NEXT CHAPTER: TO FIGHT ONCE MORE
The sins committed by the Bronze Saints don't seem to go unpunished and a new threat arises to punish them.