Okay so this one is longer and took longer too, who knew this moving and unpacking could be so time consuming .... but it's half unpacked and my brain is still packed with this story. Sorry about the funny begining but I could just so see it happening, a shock and a new place ....

-Chapter 3-

What the next day brought was almost comical as the Gold Knight shot almost straight up out of bed, having finally gotten enough rest to realize something was really wrong. It was not his bed he lay on, and those were not the sounds he had even though of being around his temple, no demon had ever sounded that bad that he had ever faced off against.

Ikki just groaned and slammed his fist against the wall ... he had half a mind to go over and rip that stereo out from the wall and see how quick Hyoga could run to avoid a new type of music called pain. "Oh man .... does he ever shut that thing off or just leave the room with it on"

Ikki's voice had not really even registered as Shaka opened his eyes towards where the noise was coming from and let off a focused blast, demon or not anything that bad had to be put out of it's misery.

The blast it's self caused Ikki to hit the floor though, it was way to early in the morning to be defensive, especially when one hadn't even really woke up.

"Cripes .... what, were under attack here or something" came another voice from the now dust ridden hole as small pieces of plastic littered the floor with clatters. The head slowly came in to view to look through the hole and see just who blew his alarm to bits.

Shaka blinked back as he recognized the Cygnus Knight's face looking back at him from the other side causing him to look around his surroundings so as to get his bearings and try to figure out exactly where he was.

"Imagine that .... not a morning person" Ikki grumbled as he dislodged himself from the blanket that had come off the bed with him before getting up and sticking his face up to the hole with a grin. "Told you one day that alarm would be the end of you .... to bad you don't sleep with your head closer to it"

The commotion had drawn up the other bronze knights, which brought both doors to open and reveal both of the now dust covered rooms while Hyoga and Ikki had a fight through the wall.

Shaka avoided the whole thing by getting up from the place where he'd slept and leaving the room, he felt bad enough about having done it but after the last week all he had heard was a disturbance and came up with full intentions of ridding himself of the thing that usually plagued his sleep ... he hadn't thought about such things as an alarm clock.

It took a while for the commotion upstairs to settle down. As usual it was Shun that had brought peace tween Hyoga and Ikki, it seemed no matter how much talking he did to the other about it there were always some kind of issues that flared this up, what exactly it was he wasn't so sure but it was a definite mix of over protectiveness from both of them, aimed at the other one.

Shaka had remained in the sitting room with a tea that he had made while waiting for the conflict to end. He wanted to apologize but with all the noise those two were making he knew it would never be heard so he had found a place near the bottom of the stairs so he could catch them on the way down. Once he heard the footsteps coming down the stairs he had risen and waited at the bottom of them. "Hyoga ... I need to apologize for the destruction of your device, I am not accustomed to such things back home so when it made so much noise I automatically assumed an attack"

Hyoga almost broke out laughing, that was the fastest he had ever gotten out of bed and usually only had it up loud to bother Ikki, in fact he was so annoyed with it he had taken to sleeping with ear plugs so it didn't bother him. "Hey don't worry about it, it might have been a little bit loud anyway, it just saves fixing the volume control on it"

Shaka would watch as the others carried on for breakfast, which had likely gone cold as they'd been trying to keeo Ikki and Hyoga apart. More then a few were still snickering as if that was a common placed event. "So then it does not bother you that you no longer have something to scare you awake ?"

"Nah .... but you know I don't think I have ever seen Shun run out of my room so fast in all my life" he laughed, with the blast having come from Ikki's room the first thing that had crossed both their minds had not been that it was an accident. Moreso that Ikki was gonna come right through the wall which would have been a little awkward at that moment.

"I am truely sorry, I did not mean to be so disruptive" said Shaka as that thought finally sank in, that was what the Phoenix Knight had meant by he could do with a rest from what was going on at the house. The thoughts of what he could have interupted caused him to blush and turn away swiftly. "Please carry my apology to Shun as well .... "

"Hey don't go getting all worried about it, no one got hurt out of it in the end and well ... now I have a great reason to bunk up with Shun till they fix my wall" he'd grin as he watched the other one walk back to his cup. They had both decided to let everyone else know a long time ago and since then the problems with Ikki had really started but he wasn't going to regret telling them so why would he worry about telling Shaka as well.

He'd pick up his tea and walk out of the house, after that he really needed a place to be alone. He had not intended to be let in on something as personal as that, not after what could have been a hit to either one of them instead of some device which must have been close by as Ikki had said it should have been Hyoga that was hit. He'd find a nice rock to sit on and just sat there watching the breeze blow the grass about, it may not be as relaxing as his temple but it was something to take his mind off his own problems after all.

"You should have breakfast you know, well before everyone else eats it ... they still eat like they have hollow legs you know" Ikki had noticed his lack of attendance when Hyoga came in and put a plate together for him. Sorry or not that was no real reason for not eating and even if it wasn't stuff that Shaka was most likely use to it was something that would keep him going till lunch.

"Thank you .... I was going to just have the tea though" Shaka replied, tilting his head so as to see Ikki comming up from behind him but not turning to look, he was embarrased enough and facing Ikki knowing something like that just seemed a touch wrong.

"Well you can't just stay going on tea, and until we can get this stuff figured out you may as well keep your strenght up. Just .... well try not to make my room as drafty as yours, as fun as it was seeing Hyoga get a taste of his own medicine back I'd rather not have a peep show of what's going on in that room" he'd grin, grabbing a seat beside Shaka and offering him the plate of waffles.

"There is no amount of food you have here that will achieve the boast your claiming these will do, it's taken something from me which is making drawing much strenght almost impossible and yet it draws it from me when I do .... your question answered before you even bother to ask it again. It's taken my peace, my center, an old child's tale come true as it snuck in during the night and stole it away .... waking me to taunt me with it's loss and show it's power that is now held over me ... that is the answer your seeking isn't it, well now you have yours and mine still perplexes me for I can't remember but a snatchet of it" Shaka sighed, maybe now that Ikki knew he would just leave him along to figure out what could be done about it, or moreso how to catch him and get back what was missing.

"Yeah well .... just eat and stop worrying Sienna okay, she was kind of looking for you at the table" Ikki'd say as he slid down from where he'd sat. He hadn't intended it to come off as fishing for a lead ... after all Shaka likely had his reasons for not sharing after all and now that he had it he didn't really understand it.

"Athena ..... " Shaka'd sigh, holding the plate losely as he stopped to wonder if maybe she would know. No that was the wrong word to use .... if she could piece the puzzle together as he was still missing a few pieces of it, that distant look grew in his already lost eyes as he weighed it in his mind. On one side of it he may find the answer but at what cost would it come. He'd almost dumped over the waffles as Ikki grabbed the other side of it and corrected it in his grasp which drew his thoughts back to the hear and now. "Was she upset by my lack of attendance ... I did not think it would go so noticed"

"She looked kind of disappointed, but I doubt she was mad or anything, course then off she was again back to doing what ever it is that the penguin keeps dragging her off for" Ikki laughed, the brunt of all their jokes seemed to be that poor guy, it wasn't that he was bad or anything but the way he went on just made him such an easy and welcome target to go after every time.

"I will have to correct that over sight at the next possible chance I supose" Shaka'd say taking just the waffles from the plate before sliding down off the rock as well. "You will come find me to warn me of the next 'mass consumption' I supose, till then these will do but please don't leave the plate ... with my current state it may end up in a lesse condition then it is currently."

"Yeah ...er ... sure, I'll come find you for lunch" said Ikki with a grin and take both the plate and the now drained cup back, at least he'd gotten Shakka to take the waffles which was better then he'd managed at the Virgo temple.

Shaka would watch as Ikki left and then start walking further over the grounds, crumbling the moist bread product and leaving it for the squirrels and birds. His appitite had not returned to anything that would be viewed as normal but why waste it when many other things could at least find a meal out of it.

"How sweet .... you'd even feed animals that couldn't feed you, are you really that good or just trying to make me ill?" came the voice, seemingly out of no where as the eyes watched Shaka of Virgo acting like he was something special by feeding the critters. Even the old women were able to do that so why did it make him so special.

The waffles dropped to the grass as immediately Shaka came up in a defensive stance. The voice sounded so like the one that haunted him at night but .... this was day, in fact first thing in the morning which made it just so wrong. "And what does it matter what I tend to do with something that I myself do not want to eat?"

"Waste not, want not .... I see how this could make sence .... not" came Shaka's voice back at him as the one mimicing him watched with a grin on her face at his confusion, why she'd never joined in on all the fun was beyond her, this was even better then watching him gloat over Shaka with Shaka's own powers turned against him.

"I would suggest you leave, you've made a rather clumsy mistake by coming here, especially in the daylight" Shaka smirked, it was time to put a face to this shadow that had bothered him so many times.

"No, the mistake was letting me know where you'd run to Virgo ... cause now it's no longer a secret. I told them where to find you and sooner or later they will come, not that it's your fault you poor thing ... but we both know he'll come get you again" this time the voice was distinctly feminine, and not one he'd recognised as belonging here either.

So this one was different, he may have known it if he had been able to get over the shock enough to have even bothered to check but with the voice it had been the last thing he'd been worried about. "Do you honestly think I ran .... the one that didn't think was you, coming to Athena's home like this" it wasn't much of a threat but in reality it was all Shaka had on his side since he had no clue as to where this one was.

"We'll see ..." was the only reply he'd gotten before the first move was made, an energy claw attack aimed for his side as Shaka turned and readied for it to hit, only to see it disappate a few feet from him.

"I am sorry if this was a personal fight but it just doesn't seem all that fair" came the new voice as the figure with long purplish hair walked into sight, originally he had come just to seek out his friend and instead it seemed he'd walked into a grudge match without even knowing it. "Not to mention I have a few problems with sneak attacks"

There'd be some muttering from the trees just before a few fell as the form disappeared back into the thick of the area .... she had no intentions to stick around and take two out so close to more interuptions, but now she knew another handy attack that could be used later.

"Some days Mu you are more a joy to see then you could realise" came Shaka's relieved voice, knowing exactly what had stopped the attack now as the Crystal Wall fluxuated in front of him, but the sight was still a welcomed one when under an attack.

"I come to see why you've left and here you are outside playing with the wrong crowd, and I thought you could find no more trouble here with Athena" Mu chided jokingly, in fact had Shaka not raised his own cosmos Mu would certainly not have held such an easy time in finding him. "You also left your cloth behind .... and I see now it is good I brought it as well"

"Mu .... somethings belong at the temple, and now I see as I did before leaving that even here does not seem any safer" he sighed and found himself a place to sit ... his intentions of feeding the animals lost as the food was already on the ground .... they'd most likely help themselves now.

"No the idea has good points, it just means no more isolating yourself away, how does comming where it is well occupied help when you hide away, they can't find you let alone deteur any extra company" he'd point out, Mu had never really been one for a lot of company either but there were flaws and merits to every plan one tried.

Shaka just sighed, being chided was bad enough but how was one to stay around someone else constantly after being use to having their own free space for so long. The ability to move as one wanted to and not have to worry about other silly things such as an attack.

It was about this time Ikki had managed to work himself into a panick having lost Shaka somewhere in the back area. Last he'd seen it was out by a rock but now there was no sign of him having even been there, course once he'd seen Sienna walking out from the manor in what seemed a certain direction he'd gone to see what exactly she was after, only for her to stop at the small walking path and point something out to him with a smile.

It seemed the Virgo knight had curled up on the rock he'd sat on and gone to sleep while the other one looked on, watching over him while he'd slept until he noticed that they'd had company and walked the path back to where Sienna and Ikki now stood before making a sound. "I think it wise he has his cloth here rather then at the temple .... he is not safe at either place so it seems"

"Same one ?" asked Ikki, he hadn't really had time to explain it all to Sienna but with Mu having said that he was sure gonna be pressed for it now but it was the lesser of the two worries, that he knew Mu had little to no idea about what had been going on as well but now he seemed well informed of atleast some of the situation.

"What is going on, I have one Gold Knight that seems exhausted, another one bringing his cloth and talking about how things are not safe and a Bronze Knight avoiding my questions ...." she stated, feeling more left out of it then anyone else and being who she was and all feeling like she should have been the first one to have been informed about it.

"No , I believe there are at least two now but two what I am not exactly sure of ... but this had claws and I regret to say likes chopping trees with them" Mu tried to explain as much as he knew. Shaka had never really told him much about it really but it was very likely they had found something to bring the man that was closest to god down to his knees ... they just had to find out what.

"Look ... I'm sorry Sienna but the only one that really knows what is going on won't open his mouth and tell anyone. In the temple who ever it was roughed him up pretty good and I was in the next room, he hadn't even so much as tried to get help" Ikki added in, he didn't bother to add in all the nick names the guy had used on Shaka but still it just creeped him out to have someone act like he had something and no one could oppose it and to actually see the guy that kicked his butt actually seem so beaten down by it all.

Sienna shook her head, she had felt something deeply disturbing him but she had no idea what, ,it wasn't the same either .... he felt almost different, ,like it was him but not. She had hoped it was just him being tired but it hadn't really even changed, still there was something missing. "Maybe a few days away will help him regain what ever it is that he had lost, or give us some time to find out more" she sighed finally, turning to go back and ending up with an escort as Mu had moved to walk with her.

"Yeah .... maybe" was all Ikki had added into the thought as he moved to sit guard over Shaka, it was a nice warm day and leaning up against a rock wouldn't hurt, just settle back and enjoy the sun while it seemed Shaka took a nap ... something he'd never really seen done at the temple.

-End-

Okay so I should warn that there is likely to be loads of pairings in this cause it's angst and you don't get angst out of nothing so .... yeah okay L