Chapter 3
Hyoga awoke the next day to the ringing of the phone on his bedside-table at six o'clock in the morning.
His body and mind still sleep-laden, he propped his upper body on his elbows, picked up the receiver and so he could hear the muffled voice on the other end
"Mr. Lee, it is the front desk. We're calling you, just as requested."
Hyoga needed a second before he remembered that he had checked in on the name of Marcus Lee the previous day.
"Yes, thank you," he answered, sitting up completely and rubbing his eyes with thump and forefinger, to chase away the last fragments of sleepiness. He had lain awake through most of the night, thinking, and only fell asleep at close to four in the morning.
"There is a package for you. It was delivered a few minutes ago by express delivery," the clerk added.
Hyoga nodded his head, even though he knew the other could not see it.
"Yes, thanks. I'll pick it up later." With those words he hung up.
He hadn't expected for the paperwork to be here so early in the morning. No matter in what business Kavolsky was involved in, they were fast, and without doubt thorough. He got out of bed and stepped into the bathroom to take a shower and get dressed as fast as possible. He had a lot of work ahead of him.
An hour later he sat on his bed, a paper-wrapped parcel in his lap. He opened the cords and took out a bunch of files and smaller envelopes. He checked the envelopes first. In one was a pile of Russian money, in the second a first-class flight ticket for Russia on the name of Mikhail Tovish. And in the third one, a matching Russian Passport. Even his Photo was on it, complete with his new hair, and eye color and glasses. Hyoga didn't even want to know, where Kavolsky had gotten that. And truthfully, he didn't care.
He looked through the bunch of files and saw blue prints of an old castle, pictures of Natasha and her major staff. He also saw a letter in Russian, which he started to read.
Dear Mr. Kido,
I'm happy that you have finally decided to make use of my offer to help you; I put in the packet all you need to penetrate the land without any risk of your true identity being discovered.
If you plan to penetrate the castle, you'll only succeed at being able to move with relative freedom as one of the servants. As I found out, they're searching for new personel and will receive eventual candidates just two days after your arrival there. I have created a false background for you. Study that file as exactly as possible. I got your picture out of the foundations Computer and changed it in the ways that you have told me that you would disguise your appearance. I also altered the data of their files, which could have betrayed you, should you have been caught, particularly things such as fingerprints and dental records.
Go apply for the kitchen help. I made sure to give you the background, so they will hire you.
You still have my Cell-phone number, if you have any more questions or should you need anything else.
I wish you good luck. You'll need it.
Sincerely Dimitri Kavolsky
Hyoga refolded the letter and started to study the files, trying to imprint as much as possible into his memory.
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"Where is Hyoga?" Ikki asked angry as he stepped into Saori's Salon, where everybody was already gathered and waiting for Saori, who was in a conference with the police chief.
Seiya shrugged his shoulders. "Haven't seen him since yesterday morning. Maybe you scared him off?"
"That's not funny Seiya. My brother is in danger," Ikki growled.
"You see me laughing?" Seiya answered defiantly.
"Don't you two start now, too," Shiryu interrupted in a serious tone. "We can't risk to fight against each other. Like Ikki said, Shun is in danger, but also the inhabitants of this city. And we have a duty towards them too. Even before Shun. And you both know it. Shun would never forgive himself if innocent people died over him.
"Seiya. Go get Hyoga. He wasn't here when Saori had told us to meet at eight."
Seiya swung his legs off the sofa, which he had been half-sitting, half-laying on, and strolled out the door without argument.
"Ikki," Shiryu said in a serious voice to the oldest of the Saints and waited until the Phoenix Saint looked at him. "Watch out what you say to Hyoga this time. You know that you have hurt him and it won't be doing Shun any favors if Hyoga acted foolishly out of false guilt."
Ikki looked at the Dragon-Saint furious at first, but then sighed loud. "You don't believe he took me serious? I know that he is more emotional than us, but he is smart enough to know that I didn't mean what I said. And he is not so emotional that he would do anything stupid. He knows perfectly well what's at stake."
"I still think you should apologize, Ikki."
Ikki pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed again. Shiryu saw the fatigue in his look. He was certain that the Phoenix-Saint hadn't slept at all last night, and barely at all the nights before.
"Okay. I'll apologize, once I have my brother back. I have no time to take care of Hyoga's sentimentality right now."
At this moment, Seiya stepped into the room with a bewildered look on his face.
They met his gaze and he just shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "Hyoga is not in his room."
"WHAT!" shouted Ikki. "Where the hell is he?"
"His bed isn't even touched. It almost looks as if he hasn't been here all night."
Saori and an older gentleman in a suit entered the room at that instant. She addressed her Saints.
"We have positioned the most probable locations of the bombs with our computers. The technicians are still working on a program for the computer on the satellite, but there is not much hope that it will be of any use.
"We going to split you up to go with the police at the different locations to look for the bombs."
Only now, did she seem to realize that one of her Saints was missing.
"Where is Hyoga?" she inquired.
"Not here, obviously," Ikki answered between clenched teeth.
"You want us to track him down by his Cosmo?" Shiryu asked.
"No," she answered. "He may be following his own sources of information. We have no time to search for him. He'll be back soon enough and I'm going to have a serious word with him, about leaving in a crisis situation without notifying me first."
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Hyoga had spent almost the whole day and most part of the night, reading the files and studying the layouts. He had only gone out late afternoon to retrieve the lenses he needed.
By the next morning he had all imprinted in his head and knew everything he needed to. At least he hoped he did.
He took the pile of files and put them into the trashcan, before he lighted a match and burned all of it, except the money, tickets and passport. He was acting near paranoid, he knew, but he just couldn't take any chances of his plan being discovered too soon. Too much was at stake. He could have destroyed the papers completely with the help of his Cosmo but he didn't want to risk the others detecting it if he flared it.
He absently looked at the flames as they consumed hungrily the sheets and destroyed all evidence of their existence. He could not dare to use his powers of a saint. Never again would he do it, he realized. He felt a stinging pain in his heart at this thought.
Soon he would go to the old woman and she would help him destroy his Cosmo forever. He had already left his cloth back at Saori's house. And now he would give up what he had lived for and what had been his life so far. He would lose all respect and dignity, and maybe even his life, but if Shun were to die he would loose his soul and heart, he was sure of that. He just couldn't take losing another dear friend
He was convinced of his decision, but that didn't mean that he wasn't afraid. How would it be like without his Cosmo? It had been a part of his life since early childhood. Even untrained, he had possessed it. All humans possessed it to a certain degree, some of then so little, that they never felt it in their whole life. But he knew it. And he felt it vibrate in him, like a source of energy, humming in his soul constantly.
The flames died, as there was no more paper left to nourish them and all that remained was a little heap of ashes at the bottom of the iron can.
He kept on looking at the smoking ashes for another minute, before he turned and walked out of the door.
This time he took a taxi to the shop. He didn't want to put it off any longer.
He entered the store for the third time in as many days. The old lady was nowhere to be seen. He suddenly realized that he didn't even know her name. He thought about asking her later, when he heard a voice coming from the adjoining room.
"Come on in my boy."
He entered the room and found a scene similar to the first time. He closed the door behind him slowly and took a step closer to the old woman, who sat cross-legged with closed eyes on the mat. Two thick candles flickered in front of her, as well as dozens more on a shelf behind her, giving her form an almost unnatural glow. The room was filled with a strong herbal scent, which made Hyoga's stomach cramp, but he suppressed the nauseating feeling.
"Come," she said, without opening her eyes, nodding towards the place in front of her. He came closer and sat down facing her, mimicking her pose once again.
Only then, she opened her eyes and looked at him intently, as if to gauge his determination to go through with his wish.
After a while she just nodded.
"What will I have to do now?" Hyoga asked in a low voice.
She just gave him a short smile and got on her feet. Hyoga wanted to get up too and help her, but she dismissed him with a wave of her hand.
"I've gotten off the floor alone for many years. I don't plan to change my habits now, young warrior."
Hyoga lowered his head slightly, feeling more and more insecure and lost right now. All his instincts of self-preservation screamed a warning at him, at this unfamiliar scene with the unfamiliar scents. And he felt strangely insecure about how to react to anything. The old lady seemed to feel his uneasiness. She chuckled slightly and patted him good-naturedly on one shoulder, while she passed him.
"Just stay seated and relax. I will do the rest."
Hyoga nodded. He was very uncomfortable and felt a knot starting to build in his throat, when he heard shuffling and clattering noises behind him, as she searched for something, murmuring a litany of words. He fought the urge to follow her with his eyes. He was nervous, having no idea what would happen now, knowing only the consequences of it.
She came back and sank on her knees besides him with a grace that belied her age and laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Relax," she said soothingly. "Close your eyes and take a deep breath.
Are you absolutely sure to go through with it?"
Hyoga closed his eyes for a moment, seeing Shuns smiling face in front of his mental eye. He reopened his eyes, a determined sparkle in them.
"Yes."
She nodded and handed him a bowl with a moldy liquid, which smelled absolutely awful. Hyoga could not stifle completely the disgusted wrinkle of his nose. The old woman chuckled again.
"I know it smells bad. But it does taste better, I assure you. "
She moved until she knelt directly behind him and reached around his body, holding the bowl again, her hands covering his.
He stiffened at the unexpected closeness of her body directly behind his.
"Shhh, relax, she crooned into his ear. I need to have close contact, else it won't work."
With her body propped up on her knees, her head was at the same height as Hyoga's, who sat still cross-legged on the mat.
"I can sense the tension in your body and soul. This won't do at all," she gently said.
Hyoga forced to keep his eyes straight ahead. "I want this to happen. I'm not afraid!" he stressed defensively, his nervousness rending a sharp tone into his voice.
"I know," she said in the same gentle voice and Hyoga meant to practically feel the smile on her lips. "You don't have doubts about me taking your Cosmo. If you did, I would not be able to do what you desire. But you are nervous about the unknown consequences that could happen. I need you to get rid of the tension first."
She lowered her hands, and with them Hyoga's, who still held the bowl, until they rested in his lap. Then she let go and started to gently massage his temple, talking softly to him.
"Close your eyes now and take a deep breath. "
He complied.
"Good, Now I want you to breathe slowly, in and out.
And in and out."
Hyoga felt his body relax under her soothing tone, the smell in the room staring to make him feel dizzy in a relaxing way. He felt his thoughts starting to drift as his mind was slowly letting go of all worries.
Her massaging fingers left his temples and went back to his hands, holding the bowl, moving them upward to his mouth, and making him drink slowly, while she kept on her litany of words but now in a language he did not understand and which sounded ancient to him.
The liquid was warm and sweet and she made him drink the whole content of the bowl, very slowly. Hyoga felt his body drift and he started to lose all feeling. His mind seemed to spiral down into his soul and he felt strangely detached.
Like in a dream he sensed his body relax against hers and his hands loosen the grip on the bowl. The old lady took the bowl away from him and let his hands fall uselessly at his sides. He heard the clatter of the bowl as she put on the floor beside them, without stopping to mumble her magic.
He relaxed even further and slumped against her with his whole weight. She shifted her body, supporting his shoulders before she helped his prone form rest on the mat, straightening his legs, so he lay flat on his back. His eyes were open, but he couldn't focus on anything at all. He more felt than saw her kneel at his side.
She laid a cool hand onto his forehead and the other on his chest and closed her eyes, as she continued her spell.
After a few minutes, his body started to spasm as an invisible force seemed to rip him apart from the inside out. He screamed out in pain and she strengthened her grip on him as she held him down with forceful strength she should not have been able to possess.
After a while, the spasms stopped and his eyes started to focus. He breathed heavily and his gaze found hers, before his eyes slid closed as he passed out.
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She looked at him, keeping her hand on his brow, stroking it in a calming affectionate manner. She knew that waking up would not be pleasant for him, and that he would hurt. Physically and mentally, but she admired him. Such devoted a friend, who would give up everything for another, was rare.
OooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooThe Saints and Athena had gathered in front of the mansion, to continue their fruitless search for the bombs from the day before, when they felt the internal explosion.
Ikki's head came up with a start, as did the others'. Seiya gasped loudly.
"Did you feel that?"
"Hyoga!" Shiryu stated.
"His Cosmo exploded and now it's gone," whispered Ikki.
"What happened to him," Saori breathed.
Shiryu had his fist clenched as only sign of his emotions. "His Cosmo is gone, that can only mean one thing…"
"No!" Seiya shouted, before the dragon Saint could finish his sentence. "He is not dead. There must be another explanation. I refuse to believe he died."
A terrible thought started to form itself in Shiryu's head.
"What if he tried to free Shun, and got caught?"
This made everybody look at him in shock.
"No, that fool can't be so stupid. That would mean that she will release the gas," Ikki growled.
"The explosion wasn't in Russia. It was closer by," Saori replied.
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The first sensation he felt was pain. Pain in his whole body and a sense of emptiness he could not explain. He felt cold and shivered. From somewhere he heard a low moan, before he realized, that sound had come from his own mouth.
Hyoga forced his eyes open, but they seemed too heavy and it took an enormous effort to get them open. He blinked a few times, trying to find out where he was.
He looked straight into the face of an old lady, who was looking at him seriously, and all memory came back. He tried to sit up, and even succeeded with the help of the elderly woman.
He first looked at her, and then down his own body. Something was wrong. He felt empty. As if part of himself was missing. He narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath. He felt so cold and alone, and a great sense of loss and despair gripped his soul. He was not whole anymore. Part of his soul had simply disappeared. He felt a sense of panic take a strong hold of him and closed his eyes tightly, hugging himself for warmth -- which wouldn't come though, since the cold was in his soul.
"What is wrong?" he whispered.
"You have lost your Cosmo."
"But I feel so…. As if part of my soul and all warmth had disappeared."
She sadly looked at him. "Your Cosmo is part of your soul, my boy."
He lowered his head. "Will I always feel as lost and cold as I do now?"
She gave him a supporting smile. "No, The memory will fade with the weeks and years. The separation is just new. You feel much like a singer, who has just lost his hearing and voice, or like a bird that can't fly anymore, right now, but you will learn to adapt, eventually."
"A bird that can't fly? That is more true than you think," he whispered in a subdued voice.
"You regret your decision now?" she asked.
He looked at her sincerely.
"No. Never. Friendship and love is worth every sacrifice. "
He tried to get on his feet, but only succeeded with her help. He wavered a bit and moaned lightly from the pain in his body. Only after another minute he had collected himself enough to walk with wavering steps towards the entrance. He turned again and looked once more at the woman.
"Thank you. I don't know, how I can pay you back for your help."
She just smiled. "Go. Save your friend. He must be an exceptional boy, that you're risking so much for him."
Hyoga managed a little smile as well. "Yes, he is worth everything."
She warmly smiled at him. "I called for a Taxi, while you were unconscious. It should be here in a few minutes. You are in no shape to walk back to your motel in the state you're in."
He frowned. "My plane leaves tomorrow afternoon. Will I be feeling better then?" he asked worriedly.
"You will feel stronger by then. At least physically, don't worry. The potion I gave you is mostly responsible for your present weakness. Try to get as much rest as possible until tomorrow. But your mind will have a more difficult task to deal with it. Be aware of that."
Hyoga nodded and walked with careful steps towards the exit and the Taxi, which stopped at that moment in front of the glass door.