Another chapter for the adoring public, after the next chapter things should start rolling.
Time went on. Saori and Daisuke grew up with the best of everything. Mitsumasa noticed a definite difference between the personalities of the two children. While Saori seemed to enjoy having the finest clothes and best education money could buy, Daisuke almost appeared put off by it. The boy was completely indifferent to the expensive clothes hanging in his closet. More often than not, he could be found wearing simple jeans and t-shirts.
Saori was warm and affectionate towards Mitsumasa, while Daisuke was cool and aloof. Mitsumasa didn't think the boy hated him, but the child never sought out his company. Daisuke had no interest in the Grande foundation and all the wealth that went along with it. When Mitsumasa tried to groom his grandson to prepare him for eventually taking over, the boy had replied "Give it to Saori."
When Saori was six and Daisuke was seven, Mitsumasa took in young boys from all over to prep them for Saint training.
That was the first time the elderly man saw Daisuke express interest in anything and he had to admit something about that bothered him. He did not want his grandson to become a Saint. Yet try as he might, he could not get Daisuke interested in the business.
"I want a horsie! Let me ride you, Seiya."
Mitsumasa frowned as he heard his granddaughter demand a piggyback ride out of one of the children. As much as he loved Saori, he had to admit she was rather bratty.
"No way!" Seiya yelled back.
Before Saori could throw a tantrum, Jabu, one of the other trainees, rushed over and offered to take Seiya's place.
Inwardly, Mitsumasa knew he should have put a stop to his granddaughter's behavior, but he also knew the boys faced far worse when they actually went off for training.
Saori climbed onto Jabu's back and kicked her feet into the boy's side. Mitsumasa sighed and stood, deciding it was time to intervene.
Before he could even get outside, however, Daisuke took it upon himself to intervene. He pushed his sister off the boy's back. The girl hit the ground with a soft thud and glared at her brother from behind her short, tangled purple locks.
"Why'd you do that, Daisuke!?" She demanded angrily.
"You can't do that to people, Saori" the boy responded calmly.
"I-it's alright", Jabu murmured. "I didn't mind"
Jabu's knees were bleeding heavily and when he pushed his hand through his white-blonde hair, the pale locks were streaked with blood. Daisuke stared at him in disbelief.
"See?" Saori said.
Daisuke rolled his eyes in disgust.
"Go clean yourself up."
He turned and fixed his sister with a hard glare.
"That's enough"
Saori and Daisuke both looked into the stern face of their grandfather.
"He started it!" Saori cried, pointing at her brother.
"She was riding Jabu around like a horse."
Daisuke's tone implied he was not bothered by Saori putting the blame on him, or even the fact that she had been riding Jabu around.
Mitsumasa held up a hand.
"I don't care what happened here. She is your sister. Apologize for knocking her down."
"No." Daisuke's tone was final. "She was wrong."
He turned and stalked away, ignoring his grandfather calling him back.
"T-that was a brave thing you did"
Daisuke looked up from his stupor to see Seiya, Shun, and Shiryu, three of the Saint trainees. It was Shun who had spoken.
"It's nothing" he said.
"You gave Tatsumi a black eye!" Seiya cried, his brown eyes sparkling with mischief. "Everyone's talking about it!"
Daisuke smiled a little. There was something about Seiya's energy and enthusiasm that was contagious. He liked being around the brown-haired boy.
"Did it hurt when he hit you?" Shiryu asked.
"Not too bad. He wouldn't think of hitting me the way he hits you guys."
"Didn't you tell your grandfather?"
Shun's green eyes were wide and luminous as he asked his question.
"No. I don't need my grandfather to fight my battles for me."
Daisuke stretched his arms over his head.
"Well, I still think it's cool!" Seiya insisted. "He'll think twice before hitting you again!"
All four of them laughed.
Daisuke was sad when the day finally came for the trainees to go off for their various training locations. He found Shun sweet, if not a little shy, and enjoyed Shiryu's level-headed way of thinking. He had also befriended the Russian, Hyoga, whom he found laid back and easy to talk to.
Yet as much as he would miss Shun, Shiryu, and Hyoga, he knew it was Seiya that he would miss the most. Bright, sassy, optimistic Seiya. For reasons he couldn't explain, he felt like he had met the boy somewhere before. Like a moth to flame, he was drawn to him. He could barely stand to see him go.
The children stood in a line and waited to be called so they could draw lots to see where they would train. Daisuke watched, feeling empty inside.
He watched listlessly as Hyoga drew Siberia and Shiryu pulled the Rozan Peaks in China. Just as Shun was getting ready to draw his training ground, a man came strolling up. He caught everyone's attention with his size because he was taller than Tatsumi, muscular and powerfully built.
Tatsumi rushed forward to try to stop him, but the man simply pushed him aside. To Daisuke's surprise, the man stopped in front of his grandfather and handed him a piece of paper.
Mitsumasa took it and glanced over it.
"Is this a joke?" The old man asked.
The large man shook his head.
"No, Sir. My name is Caelum Xander. These are express orders from the Sanctuary."
He smiled almost sympathetically at Mitsumasa and dropped a gray-eyed gaze on Daisuke.
"Daisuke?" He asked.
Daisuke stared back at him.
"Yes?"
Xander opened his mouth to say more, but Mitsumasa cut him off.
"Ummm...Daisuke. It seems you are going to have to go to Scotland to train after all. This young man just brought me express orders from the Sanctuary."
Daisuke studied his grandfather's face, trying to find a trace of deception in his eyes. There was none.
His gaze shifted to the man in front of him. Xander was easily the tallest person he had ever seen, with gray eyes and a close crop of silver hair. He smiled a lot, which put Daisuke at ease around the man.
"Well, Daisuke. I will wait for you to get some things together and we will set off immediately."
That very afternoon, Daisuke set off to begin his training as a Saint.