FALLEN

Shun pulled up hard on his defensive Nebula chain until it swirled around him, to protect him from the attack. But then it hit and he went sliding back across the floor, chains fallen.

"Come, come now." Saga walked forward into the light.

Shun groaned and pushed himself up quickly and stood shakily but ready to defend another attack.

"Bring him back!"

"I told you no. Maybe if you defeat me I will but until a miracle comes I'd say you're probably about to join him."

Shun shot out the attacking chain furiously but Saga just blocked or dodged each attack each time his smile growing wider.

"Oh well. You tried." Saga put out his hand and Shun recognized the attack coming as the one that had took Hyoga. He yanked on the chains again and looked through the swirl of the defense chain as Saga had to try harder to take him.

"Nice try. Very nice but..."

Shun gasped as his feet left the ground.

"NO!"

Shiryu and Seiya walked through the doors of the Cancer temple with thoughts of the friend they'd left behind.

"Do you think he'll be ok?" Seiya asked looked back across the path they had run to where he could vaguely see the back door of the last temple.

"He's determined. He'll survive." Shiryu kept his eyes forward and they narrowed as he looked into the darkness ahead.

A disquieting laugh was heard from up ahead.

"I wish your friend all the luck in the world. To survive Saga alone." Someone stepped forward from the gloom. "I am Death Mask of Cancer. Prepare...to die."

Shun struggled weakly. It felt like something was gripping him around his waist trying to pull him up to wherever Hyoga had gone.

"It tightens the more you struggle. But then again if you don't struggle you go." Saga smirked.

Shun cried out as it gripped painfully tighter and tried desperately one last time to attack Saga. And it worked.

Shun watched in shock, as a shudder seemed to run over Saga's still smiling face from where the Nebula chain had hit before yelling as he crashed to the floor.

He almost blacked out. Pain coursed through him but he struggled back onto his elbows looking up to where Saga had been. His figure had retreated back into the shadows and his voice sounded harsher as he spoke from the darkness.

"Very smart. I won't underestimate you again."

Shun scrambled backwards on elbows and legs cringing with every move before biting down on his lip to stand noiselessly.

What had happened when he hit Saga's face? Shun wondered wincing as he tried to straighten his legs. Maybe that was a weakness. If it was he intended to use it.

He ran forward and attacked.

Shiryu used his Rising Dragon attack one more time with Seiya's meteor punch and they gasped as Death Mask sank to the floor.

"...Time...flows faster...than you can defeat us all." Death Mask coughed up a mouthful of blood dying. "You won't...make it..." and his voice trailed off.

Shiryu looked down at the body. "He's dead."

"I know. Let's go." Seiya's voice was firm as he limped towards the door out to the next temple.

"Shun..." Shiryu looked back in the direction of the Gemini temple.

"We can't go back Shiryu! Death Mask was right. If we aren't careful we out of time." Seiya wiped blood from his mouth and ran faltering out the next door with Shiryu behind him.