Chapter Four:

Her breath was caught in her throat as she starred at him, seeing the cosmos swirling about the prayer beads that were made from the fruit of the Underworld which rested in his outstretched hand. As the beads in his grasp were beginning to fill with power, his own began to fade more and more.

"Tenma, Lady Ileana, is that you?" He asked, now turning towards them with open sky blue eyes and a smile upon his lips.

"I can see that the world is truly a beautiful place. I can see lights faraway… I am sure that there is a village nearby…" Asmita spoke in a gentle tone, causing her eyes to widen as she noticed that the he was already dying as he spoke to them.

"People live with their problems and their suffering and yet they still have a moment to smile…"

"St-stop… Stop it right now…!" Ileana pleaded, tears now slowly forcing themselves over the rims of her eyes. Yet he only kindly smiled at her.

"Your faces are even more youthful than I had imagined. Lady Ileana, it seems that you see things as Lady Athena does, smiling through all the pain that goes around you and yet, unlike Athena, there is so much despair in your eyes…" He then looked away from the two young teens, still smiling as he was before.

"At that moment when we met in the Underworld, and even now… You… Reflect the young eyes of Athena. Tenma…" He spoke out as his body began to disappear into a shimmering light.

"Reflect Athena's wish…" The Gold Saint told him, only leaving the golden Cloth he wore as well as the chain of beads that he gave his life into blessing.

With tears in his eyes, Tenma had collapsed onto his hands and knees.

"Really… I can't seem to understand… YOU IDIOT!" He cried out. Cautiously, Ileana slowly knelt beside him, hesitantly taking his hands in hers.

"I… I'm sorry, Tenma… Even with the knowledge of me being a goddess, I… I couldn't…" He now gazed up at her, surprised that she was crying over the death of a Saint who wished to help stop Hades.

"Why are you… Really at Alone's side if you're such a kind person, Ileana…?" Gulping as she stared back into his eyes, her grip upon his hands slightly tightened.

"He… Lord Hades saved me from… From the man who forced me to call him Master. Lady Pandora had told me earlier that day that all I needed to do was to call for him and… And Lord Hades would save me." Ileana explained in a soft tone of voice, now releasing his hands and placing them in her lap.

"That man tormented me for years because he bought me from the man who called himself my father. I had to live with the pain and suffering that he had caused me for years and right when he was about to… T-to…" The words were suddenly caught in her throat, tears streaming down her face at the memory. She then shut tightly as she tried to stop so she could finish speaking.

"Ileana…" Her eyes snapped open as she felt a hand upon her cheek, wiping away the tears that were falling.

"It's alright… I see why you would want nothing more than to be with him if Alone saved you from such terror."

"I… Th-thank you… Then you now understand why I wish to return to Lord Hades? I don't want to worry him any longer." Without saying a word, Tenma stood once again and wrapped one of his arms around Ileana's waist as he now grabbed the beads from the Virgo cloth.

In a blinding light, they vanished from Jamir.

With a surprised scream caught within her throat and her eyes shut tight, the young maiden felt as if her body was once again being pulled through dimensions as she had earlier that day. Unsure of where they would end up, she instinctively clung to the young Saint, only now beginning to open her eyes once the terrifying feeling had stopped.

"I was beginning to wonder when you would come, Tenma." A silky voice spoke through the still air, causing her eyes to snap open from surprise.

'Lord Hades…?!'

"My bad, Alone. As promised… You will return even if I have to do it by force!" Tenma yelled out, his grip upon her waist never loosening as she now began to squirm to break free from him.

"Now the three of us are finally together again."

"Oh! What do you think, Alone? I'm up and alive again!" He stated, making sure that he didn't lose his hold upon the struggling young woman.

"That rosary…"

"Oh yes! This Rosary will seal your immortal Specters! Sasha…" Tenma then turned his head towards the other young woman who stood behind him, now smiling softly at her.

"You alone have kept the psychic barrier around Sanctuary for all this time. You must be tired. It's okay as it is."

"Well… As expected of you, Tenma… After our encounter in the Underworld… You finally reached the Mokurenji to create this rosary."

"Asmita… The Virgo Saint gave his life and entrusted it to me… This rosary… And Sasha, too." That was when his grip loosened slightly which allowed her to move a little, yet only managing to shift somewhat to where she could see him and now trying to reach out to him with her hand.

"Lord Hades!" She cried out while she could see his eyes widen as he saw her in Tenma's grasp.

"Ileana…?!" His gaze then shifted towards the person holding her.

"You had no right to take her away from the Underworld, Tenma. How could you drag her upon the battle field and put her in danger like this…?! Return her to me."

"Do you honestly think that I don't know who Ileana really is or why you want her so badly, Alone? She already told us who you believe she is and it has also been confirmed. So why do you want her so badly if she belongs to someone else, Alone?" Tenma chuckled for a second but then his expression hardened, trying his best not to lose the young goddess that was in his grip.

"Ileana also told me that you 'saved' her from what her life was like before because of someone who used her like a servant. Did you kill that guy like you did to all those innocent people?!" He questioned, anger now slowly rising in his voice.

"If I fought like this until now, it was because of the promise that we three would one day meet again! But I didn't wish for such a scene! Alone, I wouldn't believe it was really you who destroyed our native town! The village and even the orphanage! And now you want to kill Sasha in cold blood, too?!" He snapped. In the silence, the sound of barking suddenly caught everyone's attention while a small dog now began to walk towards Hades in a casual manner.

"A dog? Is that the dog Alone saved two years ago?" The Saint questioned himself softly, watching as the small creature went towards his friend and enemy.

"What are you doing here?" Hades asked softly, now kneeling as he began to pet the small dog.

"Tenma, for me, this promise has always been very special, too… But by now, we have changed a lot, too. Can I kill Sasha in cold blood?" He chuckled softly.

"That should be obvious." With those words, the small dog growled ferociously as it began to change, its body growing at a fast pace while two more heads sprouted out of the dogs shoulders.

"What else is this Holy War for?" Hades asked as he now stood, Cerberus snarling behind him at the people of Sanctuary. In hearing this, Ileana gasped and covered her mouth with her hands, her bi-colored eyes widening as she finally stopped struggling. Tenma then glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

"Do you now see what he's doing, Ileana…? Many innocent people died because of your 'savior'. Is this really a person you wish to follow?" For a moment, she remained silent. Unwilling to move as if she was frozen in time. Her gaze was locked onto the man who had saved her and treated her with such kindness.

"… Yes…" She finally replied, now finally forcing herself out of Tenma's grasp and quickly dashing over to Hades. With tears rimming her eyes, her arms wrapped themselves around his neck as she now gazed into his eyes again as a smile formed on her lips once his arms were circled about her torso.

"It seems that no matter how much you wish for it or what you say to her, she will always stay by my side. Tenma, I at least have to thank you for keeping my dear Ileana safe from harm as well as returning her to me, but I will not allow you to take her away from me again." With a soft sigh and a soft blush painted upon her skin, Ileana gently caressed his face with her finger tips as she pulled him into a gentle kiss before pulling away.

"Why should I doubt you, my Lord…? There must have been a reason as to why you would do such a thing. After all, you did save me so you probably are trying to save everyone as well…" He then smiled at her before turning his attention back towards his 'siblings'.

"Of course… Death brings peace to all without distinction. To the Saints and the Specters as well as Sasha and Tenma. I will give the peace of death to the whole world because this is my fate."

"Shut up, Alone! I don't want to hear such words from your mouth!" Tenma suddenly yelled out.

"PEGASUS RYUU SEI KEN!" The young Saint called out, almost instantly striking Cerberus down before continuing towards the two of them.

"Alone! In the Underworld, I made the promise to hit you right in the face and send you flying!"

"Ah, indeed, Tenma. But as I see you today, I think…" He then placed Ileana behind him, guarding her as he now pointed towards the attacking Bronze Saint, now restricting him to where he couldn't move.

"As you are before me, I don't think you will shine brightly much longer…" Hades pointed out, now drawing his swords as he now began to move in for the kill.

"BROTHER, STOP IT!" The lavender haired woman, who they called Sasha, cried out. At the sound of her voice, tons of paper that littered the temple floor began to glow.

"What!?" He called out while Tenma could now begin to move again, while Hades looked puzzled at the sudden decrease of his own cosmos. Ileana suddenly fell to her knees from the sudden pulse of energy, growing tired by the second from the strong cosmos that began to surround the two of them.

"You will not create any more chaos in the Great Temple of Athena, Hades!" Called out a new voice, instantly drawing her attention to an old man that was decoratively garbed.

"Take this! A trap by the great talismans of Athena… Talisman Cage!" He called out, the talismans now beginning to drain Ileana more violently as they also were supposed to do to Hades.

"POPE!" One of the bound Gold Saints called out, yet she couldn't make out which one since it was hard to keep focus when trying to keep from falling unconscious.

"It's been more than 200 years, right, Hades? And I didn't suspect that you would come with a woman… Is she your new Pandora?"

"So, you were a survivor of the previous Holy War. Too bad you are old now. And no… I would rather keep Ileana out and away from this war, but Pegasus had stolen her away from me."

"Then who is she to you if she's not your servant?" With a smile upon his lips, Hades made sure that he was close enough to her, yet still able to keep her out of harms way.

"Why would you think that my Queen would be a mere servant…?" Soon after he had spoken those words she had fallen limp to the ground beneath her, unable to keep herself conscious any longer from the strain that was placed upon her.

Although she once again couldn't tell just how long she had been unconscious, Ileana could feel herself being picked up before she began to slowly awaken.

"Return to the Sanctuary immediately and relay this message to everyone… Emperor Hades shall paint a picture and bestow it upon the Earth as a gift…" His voice slipped into her mind before she slowly opened her eyes, now gazing up at him as Hades seemed to paint in the air. That was when she noticed that within the clouds hung beautiful angels.

Her eyes widened at the enchanting sight, for she had never seen anything so wonderfully crafted in her life. She could tell that there were other people around the two of them, yet no words but his were able to form.

"It shall be called The Lost Canvas. And when the painting is completed, all life on Earth will disappear." His attention was then brought to yet another person, smiling faintly at them.

"You must understand its beauty as you have experienced it once before." That was when she understood what he meant and who was her savior speaking to. Turning slightly, she could see the Pegasus Saint standing a distance away, apparently shocked from reality suddenly coming to mind.

Hades spoke of the beauty of when Pegasus Tenma had died.

"What… Are you saying?" Tenma's voice faintly trembled as he spoke, now snapping back to the present and glaring at them.

"ARE YOU SAYING THAT YOU USED ME TO TEST YOUR TECHNIQUE?!" In shock, Ileana gripped lightly upon Hades' tunic, almost instantly gaining his attention.

"I see you're awake, my dove…"

"Fool… Violate! Come!" Pandora's voice rang out, stopping Ileana from answering as she now witnessed the Specter suddenly appearing from within his shadow.

"Behemoth Violate of the Celestial Solitude Star." Right when she was about to see the attack, Ileana was then turned away from the fight when a gentle hand gently caressed her cheek.

"I was so worried when you disappeared, Ileana. Tell me how did you end up in the Pegasus Saint's arms as you did…" She could sense a hint of jealously hidden within his honey sweet voice and loving gaze, yet all of this seemed to make her smile since it meant that he really did care for her.

"It was partially my fault that I worried you, my Lord… I went to find the three Saints that we encountered before they left the Underworld to try and reason with Pegasus. The look on your face when he turned down your offer to join you was heartbreaking that I… I just…" She paused for a second before wrapping her arms gently over his shoulders.

"I just wanted to be more useful to you for all the kindness that you've shown me. But when I tried to speak with him, the woman that was with them pulled me along with them and left to somewhere that I don't know of. I then met the Saint of Virgo and witnessed him sacrifice himself to make that rosary that Pegasus now holds and soon after… Pegasus somehow brought me to you." She then rested her head against his chest, closing her eyes as she listened to his gentle heart beat.

"Forgive me…" The maiden asked him as they entered the carriage that Pandora had brought along, only opening her eyes when she could feel him move her just enough to place a kiss on her lips.

"So all of this that you've done was to make me happy…?"

"Y-yes." He then smiled at her as he watched the young maiden in his arms blush softly.

"All you need to do is be safe and be yourself, Ileana… That's all that I wish of you." Ileana smiled gently in reply before cuddling up to him, yet deep in her heart she wished that there was more for her to do so that she could make him happy.

'Lord Hades never asks anything of me and yet I feel as if I can do nothing to make him happy… I wish to be useful to him somehow…' She thought, only to almost jump when she heard a noise on the back of the carriage.

"What? Fool! Are you crazy?!" Cheshire called out.

"Shut up! I'm not interested in you! I'm only interested in the one in the carriage!" Tenma's voice called out, shocking her to where she was about to look through the barred windows if Hades didn't wrap his arms around her body, holding her in place against him as if Tenma was going to steal her away once again.

"Alone! You said that neither my voice nor my fist can bring you back to your senses…" He stated, soon coming into view as he grabbed hold of the bars.

"But… I will never give up, Alone! Take this!" Tenma pointed out as he now readied his Ryu Sei Ken to attack them.

"Insolent fool!" Pandora answered him, now electrocuting the bars to where Tenma began to fall after loosing his grip on them. Soon after, Ileana could see Violate, the Specter that appeared from Hades' shadow, return to the carriage and joining Cheshire on the front of it.

"Lord Hades. Why did you go to the Sanctuary? I don't think you went there to fight them." The dark woman asked, catching Ileana's attention since she too wished to know why he was there.

"I fought a Saint." He answered.

"It was simply hatred. It's fine… And I was able to retrieve my Queen in the process, so my visit there should be fine." For a moment, Hades paused and yet he looked at no one. Not even Ileana at that moment.

"Tell me, Pandora. Was it you who allowed Behemoth to hide in my shadow?"

"Yes, I was just worried. He was to watch over you. I… I mean…" The silence in the air grew for a moment, almost as if it was suffocating them.

"He was like a bird in a cage." Hades spoke softly, finally breaking the silence then looking down at the young maiden in his arms.

"But I believe that allowing Behemoth to hide within Ileana's shadow would've been a better choice. She cannot fight against the Saints and shouldn't be pulled into battle in the first place."

"If you say so, my Lord… But I didn't expect her to be taken from your care as she was to where she needed Behemoth."

"She is highly important to me so having her protected is necessary, Pandora." That time, she didn't reply to him and just accepted defeat. Ileana gulped slightly before gently touching the side of his face, watching him close his eyes for a second before looking at her again.

"Is there something on your mind, Ileana…?"

"I… I just want to help you in some way other then staying out of the way. Please, let me have something to do to help you…" She requested, gaining a sweet smile from him.

"We will discuss what you can do for me later. You must be tired from all that's happened to you and we will soon be back in the Underworld. Rest now, my Queen…" As if he had absolute control over her, she could feel her eyes growing heavy as she soon fell victim to sleep.