A Glimpse of Gold
Author's Note: This story is about Saint Seiya, of course. The only characters belonging to me are Jonah, Mathias, their father, the captain and the Bulgarian soldier. The three other characters belong to Masami Kurumada.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Narrator: - It's been ten years since a terrible war between Greece and Bulgaria ended. It came to an end when the leaders of both countries established peace under the supervision of the army commanders. It was found out that the war had started from a small battle on the border of the two countries.
Hundreds of soldiers and a small amount of civilians were killed in the war. One of the dead was the big brother of young Mathias. The boy didn't believe what he heard when an older soldier told him the story of Jonah's death. But even more incredible things were going to happen...
- Jonah! the captain's roar swept across the battlefield. A young man on the other end of the trench replied with a weird look. - Get your aft up here, the Bulgarians are gonna fall on us any minute now!
The young man crouched and ran to the commanding officer, taking the gunners under his command. - Ready guys? Now!
A barrage of bullets flew over his head. The Greek got the dying yells of many men as their reward. Jonah shivered. This wasn't what he had expected from war. He thought that they would have just shot and gone back home, but no. They had fought for ten months in a wretched situation. Most wounded were still lying in the no man's land and the stench of rotting wounds was starting to become overwhelming. He glanced at the captain and wondered how he could put up with all of this. A loud roar detached him from his thoughts, and he didn't manage to get out of the way when a bulky Bulgarian attacked him. He recovered fast and took a knife, thrusting it full force into the man's throat. As the man fell, Jonah drew back, watching how he writhed in death throes. Out of pity Jonah took the knife again and thrust it again, this time on the man's back, at his heart.
- Boy, what is it? an older soldier asked suddenly.
- I'm sure he would have done the same for me, Jonah replied and turned away, realizing just then that he was crying. He hadn't killed anyone yet, none. This was the first man he killed himself and now he was thinking what kind of family the man had. Probably a wife and kids at home... waiting for him to return, fearing that he had died. Then he looked at the sky and waited for some kind of signal. This was his last look, as the Bulgarians counterattacked just then. The bullets hit him, throwing him to the ground. He was still and didn't move.
The older soldier stood up, shocked, as he had noticed the counterattack in time and covered himself. He went to Jonah, trying to wake him up. Nothing worked. Then he sighed and closed the young man's eyes. He stood up again, looked at the captain, shook his head and froze. He didn't see anyone. No soldiers, anywhere. He saw a green field and the sun above it. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked behind him, Jonah was there.
- What is this place? What... happened? the soldier asked, baffled.
- We are on the other side, but it isn't your time yet. I called you here just so you could tell Mathias what happened. Tell him everything. Don't worry, the war is over, we have established peace with Bulgaria. And don't worry about me, grandfather, Jonah said quietly and smiled. Then the field disappeared and the old man found himself in the trench. The captain was shaking him.
- Everything OK there, Shura? the captain asked.
- Pretty much. Is the war over? Shura replied.
- Yeah. But how did you... know... the captain's sentence was cut short. Shura turned around and looked at Jonah's body in astonishment. The boy was there, transparent. With his father.
- Tell him everything... the words echoed for a while and the ghosts disappeared.
- We're living strange times, old friend, the captain huffed.
- Indeed, Shura agreed.
After this Shura and the captain left and traveled long, finally reaching Athens. Shura left towards his home, and the captain towards the army barracks.
- Tell Mathias hello from me, too, the captain grinned wistfully. After this they parted ways and Mathias got to hear the full story. Then the boy was surprised.
- But how did you know what he thought before his death? he asked. Shura wondered for a while and shrugged.
At that moment, unknown to Mathias and Shura, something in the room moved. And then there were words, not said. They were just... there. Words without a voice.
Saint. Capricorn Shura. These words rang across the room. Shura lifted his eyes and saw Jonah standing in front of him, with a woman.
- Now Saint. Capricorn Mathias, the woman said. She stretched out her arm and Mathias was engulfed in golden light. After the light faded, the boy had a golden armor on him, the symbol of the Capricorn Saint. Shura remembered. He stood up, walked to Mathias and put his hand up over the kneeling boy.
- Arise, Gold Saint Mathias, the owner of the Capricorn armor. And never do the same mistake I did tens of years ago.
- I won't, grandfather Shura, the boy replied and rose to his feet. But Shura said nothing. Mathias heard his grandfather mutter one word, a name:
- Aiolos...
After having said this, Shura collapsed and didn't get up anymore. A glimpse of gold. The Gold Saint Sagittarius Aiolos had taken his friend home. Mathias saluted them both.
- Two friends together once again... there is no ill will and Shura's old mistake has been forgiven. Rest in peace, Shura and Aiolos.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PS. Please R&R... and btw, Shura is part of the normal army now because he was reborn after the Hades Saga (in my story). He had lost all memories of his times as a Saint, but he remembered when he saw Athena and heard her words. That enough of an explanation for you if you wondered about that?
