Chapter 1: Fou & Teppei
She walked across the desolation of the wasteland. She still couldn't believe it. It had happened again…only much faster. The young woman crushed an icicle with her foot and looked up. A massive, black thing covered her with its shadow. Leering, it stretched out two tentacles, which grabbed the ice. Akaitsuki gasped as the black fluid-like mass spread, until it reached her and took her into that awful darkness—the last thing she saw was His face…
The Perseus Saint woke up with a muffled scream and violent thrashings, which increased when she realized someone was trying to hold her down. The weight and pressure increased, then lightened a little as the assailant shook her to her senses. "Are you alright? You were having a nightmare." Akaitsuki blinked and looked down to see green-covered arms pinning her arms to her sides.
The Perseus Saint froze; she knew who it was and she was uncomfortable with their intimate physical contact. "I'm fine… Whoever you are, please let go of me." He released her and sat on the bed. "I'm sorry if I frightened you, my name is Lafine Fou, Minami no Reishou, and priest of this church." Pause. "Care to introduce yourself?" Akaitsuki bit her lip, thinking. This man with his disturbing face, he would probably brand her insane when she told him. She hadn't felt any cosmos either. The Perseus Saint studied his face.
It was an exact copy of His face, with the exception of the hair, eye color shade, and that crimson drop-mark on his forehead assimilating a chakra. 'Then again…what do I have to lose?' Meanwhile, Fou studied her. Admittedly, she caught his interest, this girl, in the same way Teppei had. 'Teppei was glowing, glowing brightly. This girl, however…makes Teppei seem a moonglow in comparison. I've never seen such brightness.'
"I guess I will refer to you as 'Pere', then. My name is Perseus Silver Saint Akaitsuki." Fou hadn't been expecting that answer. He remained serious as he rose from the bed. "I must leave now. I was conducting hymns before I found you." He walked towards the door. "Come out when you feel like showing your face. The children have been making inquiries about your well-being." She heard him say as he left. Meanwhile in the church's heart, Teppei was under the throes of a nightmare.
"Neesan!" He called. "Neesan, can you hear me? Kotaro? Answer me!" He stopped as he glimpsed his older brother on the stairs, swathed in a white cloth. 'He's all right!' Teppei thought, but stopped short when he saw Metal Face move in front of Kotaro. "Hi." The Lieutenant saluted him cheerfully. "Hate to break it to you, but the Professor is ours now."
"What? That's bull! Shut it, Rusty!" He shoved Metal Face aside. "Kotaro, I'm here to save—" "Stay back." Teppei looked at his brother. "Wha?" He didn't like this, or the look on Kotaro's face. "I'm afraid I can't leave this place, Teppei." Frown. "What are you talking about, Kotaro? X and I—we fought the Koku Eliah for you. You can still escape, brother. Trust me!" Kotaro's humorless smile remained. "Little brother, you are too late." "For what?"
Teppei didn't like where this was going. "For me." As he said this, Kotaro removed the white cloth with a flourish, exposing an intricate network of wires, glass, steel plates and bars. "I've already sworn my body and soul to the Koku Eliah." A sound alarmingly like dark maniacal laughter and the shutting of a door echoed loudly…
"NO!" Teppei woke up with alarm in his voice, which dissipated as he took in his surroundings. He was lying on a pallet on the floor, where there were also several pews with children on them. There was also music, string music, playing. While it was wonderful music, that was not a concern right now. "W-where am I?" "Good morning at last."
A familiar, quite familiar voice in fact, spoke. When he looked towards the voice's direction, Teppei was stunned to see the owner was none other than the man who beat the crap out of him and X! Teppei growled a little under his breath. If Fou noticed, he didn't give any indication. "You've been asleep for two days; I was starting to wonder." Pause.
The corners of Fou's mouth crinkled slightly. "Tell me, did you confess?" Teppei got up quickly. "You dirty—hgk!" His face met the ground. A girl with short brown hair went over to him. "Oh! Please keep still." "O-ow." Was all Teppei could say to that. Helping him up, she continued. "Your injuries are serious, and you almost contracted Tetanus."
"W-what's going—" Teppei never finished as Fou's bow appeared in front of his face. "Say "thank you" to Private Karin." He tilted his head slightly to indicate the girl. "Wha? Why?" "She's been your caretaker for these past few days. Without her, you'd be very much dead." He attempted to hit the priest. "Back off, preachy! I never asked for your rotten help! How could I sleep for two days!? My brother's still in Area! I can't afford to sleep!"
He got up to punch the wall. However, Teppei didn't notice he was going to use his left arm, which had the Messiah Fist. But, the unthinkable happened: the wall did not shatter, nor did the strange girl's hand. Akaitsuki blinked, not letting go of the Fist. 'Huh? First Hades, now Seiya? This gets stranger and stranger…' She stopped at seeing Karin. 'Great. That's three people now.' "By the way, Akaitsuki, that was my 'assignment'." Fou announced.
"Teppei Takamiya, meet Akaitsuki. It just so happens I found her after knocking you out." They shared a brief handshake. "Sorry if I seem rude, but I want answers and would like to have them now, Pere." "They will come in time; I hope you understand I ask the same of you, child." "Whatever! Sorry, but I have to go!" Teppei brushed past Akaitsuki roughly, knocking shoulders with her. "X, where are you? We've got to move!" He shouted, opening the doors.
Fou followed him outside silently. Akaitsuki followed, but only because it piqued her curiosity. Outside, Teppei was trying to rouse the B't to consciousness. The Perseus Saint frowned. Apparently, "X" was the pink, horse-shaped, mechanical hulk on the ground. 'It almost takes after Pegasus Cloth…if not for my opinion that it wasn't modeled after Pegasus.' "C'mon, wake up!" Teppei hit the B't. "What happened?"
"X was once one of the greatest of B'ts of the Koku Eliah, you know." Fou stated as he walked over to the young man. "Your inadequacy has left X a wreck." Teppei opened his mouth for a sharp reply, when he noticed something. "Wait, the unit to the power circuit's gone. No wonder he can't move." A device akin to a game console was in the Minami no Reishou's hand. "Give it back, jerk." As Teppei rushed forward, he tripped him with one foot.
Teppei grabbed the bow. "G-give it! I have to…go to…Area!" Fou wrested it off and dealt him two sharp pokes in the back. "Je T'aime, map." "YES, FOU-SAMA." Je T'aime's forehead folded back on itself to reveal a map of Area. Both Teppei and Akaitsuki gaped. 'I finally know what Area is…' She thought staring at the map.
It consisted of various interconnected circles. At the center, there was a pentagram, most likely where Teppei was so eager to go, as well as a multitude of glowing dots and a huge red dot. Fou used his bow as a pointer. "The star at the center, indicates the Area. The red point here is this church. They're 2000 km apart, a distance a B't can fly in approximately ten minutes." Pause.
"But notice the countless points placed around Area like a constellation. Points are fortresses built for protection. A rat can't through all of them from the outside." Akaitsuki smirked. "Home sweet home…" She murmured half-to-herself, half-to-them. He threw the unit at Teppei's feet and turned back towards the church. "Do you understand now?" "Fou…"
Teppei murmured, reaching for the unit. However, there was a grating sound as metal claws touched the ground, then scraping as they went back to their origin. Akaitsuki groaned. On the church rooftop was a familiar face, but it was an aggravating one! 'Wonderful. Even Corvus Silver Saint Jamian has an alter-ego.' "Heh heh heh heh! Took the words right out of my mouth." 'He even has the annoying laugh. Ugh…'
The newcomer fixed his beady eyes on Fou and Teppei. He hadn't noticed her yet, apparently. "Lieutenant Fou, I'm curious; what's going on here?" Fou looked at him levelly. "Crow, from the Intelligence Bureau. What is it?" The Perseus Saint wondered how the man could be so calm. "Ah, you know our job is to fish around." Pause.
"Fishy places stink—and your little church reeks." Crow emphasized the word. 'Is he insinuating treason? Somehow, I wouldn't past him to do that, though I barely know anyone at all here.' She thought. 'I still need answers. Guess I'll watch…' "Indeed, what a surprise! Teppei and X are alive. But I thought you killed them, Fou-sama…" Crow sneered.
"Do I smell treason? Heh heh!" "Crow, wait—" "Report to Area immediately!" The three Crow B'ts started to fly away from the church, only to be stopped in their tracks by Je T'aime. Crow's surprise was such that he dropped the unit as Je T'aime attacked him. Akaitsuki shook her head. She didn't need this; she needed answers!
Without much thinking, the Perseus Saint flared her cosmos. Both Teppei and Fou jerked their heads towards her as she went for one of the crow B'ts. "Je T'aime, don't forget the other two." "YES, SIR." "C'mon, X! Up you go!" Teppei inserted the unit, and X stood up proudly. Up in the air, Je T'aime had destroyed one. Her amber-glass eyes narrowed to slits, as if frowning. "CURSE ME." She muttered, glancing around. "WHERE'S THE OTHER ONE?"
Meanwhile, the B't that had escaped Je T'aime's notice flew towards Area, sniggering. "HEH. EVEN JE T'AIME CAN'T CATCH THREE OF US. SAY YOUR PRAYERS, PRIEST!" Just then, a weight threw the B't off balance. The Donor looked back to see Akaitsuki looking grim as death. "What the—who the hell are you!?" "That information is irrelevant where you're going." A golden aura surrounded her body. "Starlight Extinction."
Rays upon rays of light engulfed both B't and Donor. Fou squinted. Were they dissolving into the light? "God in heaven." He murmured. Behind him, Teppei, X, and the downed Crow reacted in the same manner. "What—what is that light?" As Akaitsuki's feet touched the ground, Crow tried to escape. "Ggh…T-traitorous little—yeek!" He squeaked as Fou stuck his bow in his face. "F-Fou! Uh, look… I w-was just…" Crow was stammering from fear.
"It was a joke. A joke!" He attempted a smile. "Just testing you out! Let's forget all this okay?" There was a creak as the heavy double-door opened, revealing three children, a boy and two girls. "What's that noise?" "Fou-sama, are you all right?" Asked the boy. "Yes." He replied tersely. "Quickly, back inside." But it was too late as Crow snatched up the younger of the two girls. "No! Leggo!" Shouted the little girl as she struggled to get free.
"Back off or the brat gets it, Fou!" Crow shouted, his claw underneath the girl's throat. Glancing at Akaitsuki, he made another demand. "You—no funny tricks like last time, whatever that was. Unless you want to jeopardize the brat." Crow turned to Fou. "Drop the weird rod and move back." No reaction. "Now, you idiot!" Nothing.
"Fine. You can have the kid back without a head." He readied to slice her throat when a satisfactory clack reached his ears. "Good. Now we're talking." His claw extended from his arm. "Just stand still!" It pierced the Reishou on his right shoulder. At the entrance, Karin was trying to restrain the children from rushing out. "God save us!" "Fou-sama!"
They shouted. Akaitsuki gazed at the group. 'These children…they're all orphans. This Fou…does he really keep them all here? It must be terrible for them to see this.' "You stupid boot-leg priest. I won't bother reporting to Area." Announced Crow. "Your execution is right here!" The slashing began anew. Meanwhile, the little girl was shouting Fou's name.
"Erg, shut it squirt! You want this arm or not?" She struggled harder, and something popped. Crow was holding a mechanized arm. Just as they tried to flee, he seized the older boy's leg. "C'mere, you litte—" But his leg came off as well. "W-who are these freaks!?" Suddenly, a cold voice answered him. "Orphans who lost parents and body parts to the war aren't "freaks." While Crow had been busy with the child, Fou had retrieved his bow.
Akaitsuki blinked. Was that an aura around Fou's body right now? It rolled off his person in waves. He was angry now, she could see that. But his way of expressing it was quite different. "This is a sacred place where they learn to love life again. It may be an empire base, but I won't allow its desecration." His blood-streaked face, combined with the look that made his eyes seem pupiless, reminded Akaitsuki too much of Hades. "Repent, Crow."
Crow paled, but recovered his bravado. "Save your lectures for the weak!" He shouted, sending out his claw. "You're done, Fou!" Suddenly, the claw broke. Akaitsuki looked up to see Teppei in the air. She helped Karin usher the children inside and bolt down the door. "No! No, please! Don't leave me out!" Crow's heart pounded as Fou drew near.
As a last, desperate, resort, he turned to Fou. "W-wait a second, Fou! I'll do it, I'll do it! I repent all my evil!" Pause. "Now please, spare me!" "Keep your humility close…for when you stand before God." He raised his bow in the air. It sizzled and crackled as if by will of Providence. Those would be the last words Crow would hear. "Funeral Bow!"
Using sixth sense, Akaitsuki could see lightning and cherubs as Crow was cooked with lightning. 'What…what is that bow made of? For that matter, what is that Fist made of?' She made a mental note to look into that. Meanwhile, Fou and Teppei were talking. "Why did you come back, Teppei?" "Leaving wouldn't have been very fair." To X, he said. "Let's go, X."
"Wait." Teppei glanced at the Reishou, who still managed to look dignified after almost being scratched and pierced to death. "I wasn't kidding. You don't stand a chance against the Eliah. And our great Eliah… He is God, you see." Teppei looked incredulous. "God?" "You saw it." Fou continued. "He gives arms and legs to children who lost them. They're not artificial—they work like real flesh. The Koku Eliah gives us blood and skin…and hope and joy for life. He makes the impossible in this world possible." He paused for a moment.
"God. The Eliah is God." "Do you teach these kids so they can be evil soldiers in the future? Like you, maybe?" "Teppei…" The boy cut him off. "I don't have time for this. I'll rip off the Emperor's mask to show what he really is." As they flew upwards, Teppei shouted. "Watch for it, Fou!" Fou remained silent, as though thoughtful. Finally, he spoke.
"Karin, are the children all right?" "Yes." "And the girl?" "She's fine, save for a cut on her arm from one of the tail wings on the B't she destroyed." Pause. "Fou-sama, why did you save Teppei? We're…we're in danger now." "Indeed. Forgive me." Pause. "But I didn't mean to save him." The Reishou declared. Blink. "What do you mean by that?"
"He was just…gleaming. Gleaming and bright." 'Like my guest.' Fou held back a smirk as he turned his head towards the direction Teppei and X took. "Whether or not Teppei is real… I assume we'll soon find out." Meanwhile in Area, Major. Aramis Shiousha was preparing to have lunch with the professor when he heard a crackling sound from the intercom.
"Major, we've caught a straggler wandering around the complex." Frown. 'A straggler? In the middle of the Gobi desert?' He thought. "I see. I will deal with him. You may bring him in." The metal door slid open, and Aramis gasped. Standing between two soldiers with manacles on his wrists, was a green-haired youth with Kotaro's face!