Seiya

Seiya only had a moment to wonder at the white all around him before Shun was at his side lifting him out of the snow and dusting him off. Had he fallen?

The Pegasus Saint couldn't quite seem to remember, but Shun looked scared… He tried to tell the Andromeda Saint that he was fine and everything was going to be okay, but it turned into a bout of coughing midway and Seiya found the only thing he had the strength to do was gasp.

He was sick, Seiya knew. He'd been sick before and Shun hadn't been scared though, so it must be something else. The wolves hadn't come back at all since… Well, he couldn't actually remember how long ago that had been…but Shun had started packing snow against his head every time they stopped. But that was what you were supposed to do when you were sick right? But even as it seemed like some part of him had become nothing more than a strange, too warm fuzz that added haze to his vision and a stumble to his steps, Seiya's determination never faltered.

The world danced in circles around him but Seiya just kept putting one foot in front of the other. He just wished Shun didn't look so scared. Sometimes the Andromeda Saint talked to him, but it didn't really seem to make sense anymore, so the Pegasus Saint did what he could, he just kept trying to assure the sweet green haired Saint that he was fine and they would make it.

"I'll get up," he told Shun even though he was already on his feet. "I'll get up," he promised getting ready to walk on, but Shun had thrown his arms around him and Seiya felt his forehead pressed tightly to the other man's as those slim fingers moved up to either side of his face. Was Shun crying? He couldn't really focus enough to tell, but he could feel that tight, tight grip around him even if he didn't have the strength to return it. He was sick and Shun was crying.

Hyoga

The crackling of the small radio hanging off of the back of Shiryu's pack broke into the stillness of the early morning, where Hyoga and the Dragon Saint marched ever onward.

"This is the fox calling from the Den," Daichi's voice crackled out reminding Hyoga far too much of that original mayday that still haunted his every night. "Come in Dragon and Cygnus. I repeat this is the Fox. Come in. Over." Hyoga hurried up to pull the little black box from Shiryu's back lifting it before his mouth as the Dragon Saint half turned to watch him. Shiryu had left all of the radio communication to Hyoga up until this point, but right now was not one of the scheduled check-ins.

"Cygnus here, we read you loud and clear Fox. What is it? Over." Hyoga would not let his hopes get up over this. Daichi could just be bored for all he knew or it could have absolutely nothing to do with Shun and Seiya…but then again… Shiryu still hadn't spoken a word, but the every present hint of desperation that had taken up residence in the other man's face was out in full force and trained completely on the black piece in the Cygnus Saints hands.

"We have determined the approximate location of the Sarengay to be about 4-5 days due North from your present location on the GPS. Over."

"You found them?" Hyoga found himself begging the little black piece hoping against hope in his heart and forgetting to even add 'over' to the end of his message. North—the blue eyed warrior found himself unconsciously adjusting his course already and his long black haired companion was already scanning the horizon.

"Negative," the choppy radio replied plummeting the hope that had dared flutter up in his heart but not crushing it entirely. They knew where they were going now, and that was something.

"It's in the center of a complete radio blackout so we can't send a plane, but we are setting up a rescue helicopter at the closest facility with Captain Davenport himself, that will be willing to take any risks at all to bring them out once they've been found. So, I repeat, Dragon, Cygnus, 4-5 days due North from your position. Over."

"Roger that," Hyoga responded, and Shiryu spoke for the first time in a long while.

"Four, Five days…" The long haired Saint's eyes never left the horizon. "We'll make it in three." Hyoga nodded feeling that little bit of hope growing inside him once again. Hold on Shun, Seiya, he prayed. We're coming!

Shun

Shun had to be practical. He was terrified, but even completely scared as he was he had to think or he would just give up and despair and then they would both die… Seiya was not good, and Shun was in no condition to do this alone—when Seiya couldn't walk anymore… He could hardly carry the other man with his right arm useless and packed tightly against his ribs in a sort of makeshift sling beneath his coats. Besides, he felt weak and lightheaded himself and they were both simply growing weaker. Shun had to be practical.

There was no food out here to be had, and supposedly a human could survive up to a full month without food, but realistically the Andromeda Saint would have to reason that after about another week hunger would probably leave him too weak to move. The scariest thing was though, that they didn't have a week. Seiya was sick—very sick. Shun felt tears welling in his eyes. If they hadn't found something within a couple of days…Seiya wasn't going to make it. For all that the Pegasus Saint still threw himself into the battle against this cursed wilderness, for all that he was still Seiya and still giving 110 percent—he was dying and Shun just didn't know what to do anymore.

About an hour ago they had come to a river; a big, wide, deep, roaring river, so cold that ice touched its every edge into the rocks and there was no way across. Even if either of them had the strength to make that kind of a swim any longer a dip in that kind of freezing cold would spell certain death for them now, but Seiya was dying anyways and it just wasn't fair! They had tried so hard and come so far…

But that was the road to despair and it wasn't going to save either of them. There might be a place to cross further up or down the river but Seiya wasn't going to make it that far, and the Andromeda Saint would never leave the other man behind.

"Shun." Seiya's voice sounded oddly serious and coherent above the roaring river of the snow covered bank on which the Andromeda Saint sat. The Pegasus himself had stood up and was swaying on his feet. Shun felt his heartbeat coming faster for some reason as he watched his fellow Saint. Seiya looked so determined…

"What is it Seiya?" he asked gently, not knowing entirely what to expect from his fevered companion, but the black haired man seemed coherent enough right now.

"You can't stop Shun," Seiya was telling him as he continued to sway and the light green haired Saint was suddenly aware of how close the other man was to the river's edge.

"What are you talking about Seiya?" Shun asked worriedly, trying to force his aching tired limbs to bring him to his feet.

"I'll get up Shun, I promise, but you have to keep going." Seiya was smiling now—smiling goodbye and Shun couldn't even make his own legs hold him up.

"Seiya don't!" Shun begged, even as fatigue made him slip down onto his hands and knees. "Don't leave me alone!" Shun was crying, he could feel the wetness warm against his cold cheeks, but Seiya was still smiling that terrible heartbreaking goodbye.

"Don't stop Shun," the Pegasus said one more time before throwing himself into the river to fight against the deadly currents and cold.

"Seiya!" The scream ripped from Shun's throat echoing in the silence of the nothingness that surrounded them and the roaring rush of Seiya's final opponent.

Ikki

What was he missing! Ikki wanted to scream and curse and break something, but he was currently on his way back to the Kiddo Foundation in the secondary jet he had borrowed. There just wasn't room to throw a tantrum and he still needed every single paper he had laid out across the seats in front of him—even the god damn overhead on which he had crossed out five of the names with a deep dark marker.

Gerald Freshkin had left his four gunmen just outside of a little city called Maghwin, where they had seemingly just disappeared. Maghwin was a speck out in the middle of nowhere but it did have one train station with an old train that ran to only three locations—accessible to four of the original nine companies and all on the ocean. That felt important too, but Ikki just couldn't seem to make the pieces come together.

EC Enterprises, Do Co Mo, Shaparel Networking, and Nodiesop, were the only four names he hadn't crossed out on that ridiculous overhead. Maybe he was going about this the wrong way—maybe the most important clue was that this unknown enemy was able to connect Saori Kiddo and Athena and then Seiya and Shun as Saints of Athena.

EC Enterprises, Do Co Mo, Shaparel Networking, and Nodiesop… Maghwin's train ran to three locations all near the ocean… Somebody who knew Athena and wanted to extort something from her…

The plane tipped slightly, dipping delicately to one side for some reason or another and Ikki muttered curses at the pilot under his breath as his papers on the companies tried to slide off the seats and the overhead fell to the floor despite his efforts. Muttering, Ikki bent over to pick up the damn thing and then froze with his hand halfway there staring at the page as everything suddenly clicked into place.

The overhead was upside down and all of the names backwards across the floor, and now the culprit stood out clear amongst them—Nodiesop…or as seen backwards: Poseidon or rather, Julian Solo. Who owned a whole string of companies right along the ocean. Who knew both Athena and Saori Kiddo. And, most importantly, who had always wanted an acceptance to his proposal to a one lavender haired head of the Kiddo Foundation which he had never received.

Nodiesop—Ikki's thoughts grew calculating and cold as he began to make his plans for

Solo. It would have to be done very, very carefully.