Chapter Eight-Double Trouble
"Come in...." Shun replied, staring at his future form.
"I'm sorry fo r the intrusion..." His double apologized, walking into the mansion. "It's just...Princess Sienna sent me to get her. Something about the flow of time being disrupted."
"I see..." Shun sighed. "Well, uh....she's in bed for the night...."
"Is......my...our brother here?" The other A ndromeda knight asked now.
"Ikki? No.......he's with his black knights, doing god knows what." Shun replied, giving his future self a look of surprise. "Why do you ask?"
"Well......I wasn 't sure how far in the past this is...he does eventually return to our side."
"Really?" Shun was shocked. "I had a feeling it was something like that..." He led the other Andromeda knight into the parlor, where Hyoga, Shiryu and Seiya were sitting. "Guys..."
"Whoa......wicked freaky!" Hyoga exclaimed, seeing the doubles. "Lemme guess. You're from the future, right?"
The older Shun nodded. "That's correct." His eyes were misty now. "Hyoga...." He tried to pull himself together. "I'm so sorry, man..."
"Don't worry about it. What happens, happens. But if we know the future now maybe we can stop it..."
"What do you mean? You have no idea what's happened...."
"Of course we do, Shun...er.....other Shun." Seiya told him. "We need to find something to call you, or w e're all going to be pretty confused..."
"How about just calling me Andromeda?" Shun of the future replied. "I don't plan on bein g here too long to begin with. I'm on a mission."
"Right....." Shun turned to the other knights. "He's here for Cyla."
"Oh....." Shiryu looked at the floor. "She's in bed.."
"So I was told...Can I see her?" Andromeda asked.
"Yeah. Come on." Hyoga replied, as he led the way to the room he and Shiryu were n ow sharing with Cyla. "Here she is.." He said in a hushed voice. "So...you're her godfather?"
"Yeah...Well, we all are." Andromeda stepped over to Cyla's bed,and brushed her blonde curly locks out of her face. "I'm so glad she is safe...Shiryu and I were very worried."
"Is Ikki still trying to get at her in your time?" Hyoga asked now, a note of disgust in his voice.
"Yeah. That's why we panicked when we couldn't find her." Andromeda looked up at him. "I don't want to hurt you, Hyoga, or her...but....."
"I understand, dude. You have to take her home to her time. We were going to do that eventually anyway.." The swan looked down at the floor. "I don't wa nt to say goodbye to her..."
"Then let me take her back with me now..." Andromeda sai d sensitively. "If Ikki hasn't figured out what happened already, he may still. It would be wiser to get her back before he does.."
"Ikki in your time? Because Ikki here is still on the outs with us."
"Yeah. And he has the power to open time warps as much as Sienna does." Andromeda sighed now. "I wish I knew why he went bad again...I miss him..." "You haven't changed in the least, you know. Shun here still believes there is good in Ikki." Hyoga's eyes were narrowed. "I still refuse to believe what I've heard about what he does to my family. "
Andromeda nodded. "It is hard to believe. I was outraged when I got Monera's letter in Siberia. I only wish I had been there before Ikki killed her."
"I don't hold you responsible for Ikki's actions. I never have, and I never will." Hyoga replied firmly. "The good thing is you got Cyla away from him before he totally corrupted her."
"Yeah..." Just then, the little girl stirred, and Andromeda smiled. "She still doesn't sleep well. She misses her mother."
"It's gotta be hard on her....I felt horrible when I found out what he'd done." Hyoga pulled the covers closer around Cyla with a slight smile. "She loves Shun, you know. She went right to him this morning."
"She probably thinks he's me." Andromeda replied with a laugh.
"I think so too.." Hyoga sighed. "Does she really have to go?"
"Yes, I'm afraid she does." Andromeda said, returning to business. "And it's better that it be now instead of tomorrow." He picked the little one up gently, petting her hair when she whimpered. "Come on, Cyla. It's time to go home."
"Sun...." She stirred a little now, waking up. "Where we going?" She turned to look at Hyoga. "Daddy coming toos ?"
"No,Sweetie. Daddy.....Daddy has to stay here. We'll see each other again...." I hope. Hyoga bit his bottom lip,feeling particularly sad. "Take care of her Shun....er....Andromeda."
"I always have." Andromeda replied,caressing the fussing child gently. "Shhh......it'll be okay, Cyla." He watched as the girl's father left the room. This should've never been allowed to happen! It's so unfair. Well, it will never happen again. Hopefully in time, Cyla will forget that she'd been here. He carried Cyla out of the room, and out the front door of the mansion. His heart broke, when he heard her crying for Hyoga and Seiya. "You can see Seiya in a little bit...." He tried to console the four-year-old. "He's probably out on the deck, waiting for you to return,little swan..." He held her closer, trying to put her back to sleep. He'd nearly succeeded when he heard a most unfamiliar voice.
"So, here I find her." Ikki moved into view. "And again, you're trying to take her away without my knowledge."
"Ikki, move aside." Andromeda glared daggers at his elder brother. "I will not fight you with a child present." He held Cyla tightly.
"Coward." Ikki spat. "Just give her to me."
"Now why would my little brother give the likes of you anything?" Another, kinder voice replied. It was clear that this was also Ikki, but it was the old Ikki.
"Ikki...." Andromeda turned to look at the man. "But......" Suddenly, he realized what had happened. The future Ikki had opened his own time warp to follow him! Before he could react, Ikki's black knights attacked without warning, forcing him to drop Cyla. "Run, Cyla! Go back to Daddy's!"
"I'll take her back. You're going to need back up." His brother replied, scooping the terrified girl up. "Come, Cyla."
"Hurry, Big Brother!" He flung his Nebula Chain at Black Knight Andromeda. "I will not fail Hyoga a second time!"
"We shall see, Andromeda. We shall see." Black Andromeda sneered, as his own chains pinned his enemy to the ground.
Meanwhile, the others, including the future Ikki chased his brother all the way to the mansion before Ikki could get Cyla inside to safety. "Damn it to hell!" He used his Phantom Demon punch to send the knights flying. He set Cyla down behind him. "Cyla, go inside. Find the others. Go!"
" tay ,Icky!" Somehow, Cyla understood that this Ikki wasn't evil. He wanted to help.
She's adorable! What the hell do I want with her in the future?! I hope I don't hurt her..... Ikki continued the fight with the knights and his future self, hoping the others get there before he runs out of strength.