SailorStar9: Figured I've abandoned this fic long enough, so here's Chapter 11. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review other than just simply putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?
Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot and pairing.
Chapter 11: Seiya Appears! The Decision Of Athena
"Listen," Hati grinned, his ear twitching as he heard the occurrences within Palestra. "Genbu's death brought uncertainty to the Saints of Palestra. The heavens are kind to me." Laughing, he teleported away.
On the training grounds of Palestra shortly after Genbu's burial, we find the three Goddess Guardians sparring with each other with their weapons.
"Kikyo," Lauren winced as she blocked off the Flame Guardian's kris with her scythe. "Genbu's death isn't your fault."
"The hell it isn't!" Kikyo snapped, renewing her attack.
"Vesta, cool it!" Lyndz ordered, her gladius rested against the Fire Guardian's neck. "Libra Genbu knew the risks of taking one of the Shitennou's Holy Swords head-on. He was prepared to die just to deprive our enemy of one of their main weapons. We must not let his sacrifice be in vain! Do you understand?"
"Yes, taichou." Kikyo muttered.
"Damn, Steel Saints only get the boring stuff." Subaru whined as his group guarded the entrance. "And the stupid stuff."
"That's absurd!" Ban scolded, hammering a fist on Subaru's head.
"That hurt, Ban-sensei!" Subaru complained.
"We've taught you the duty of the Steel Saints is to assist the Saints." Nachi reminded.
"You only talk about assistance, but we are also Saints!" Subaru argued. His rant was cut short when the group felt a dark Cosmo in the area that was rising rapidly.
"Right, let's start the hunt for the Saints." Hati grinned.
"Hati!" Subaru recognized the Pallasite. "I will avenge Elna!"
"This sucks." Hati drew his throwing knife. "Now, I don't have the time to deal with Steel Saints. Get ready for my bloody daggers! 'Bloody Dagger'!" he tossed his fan of knives at a wall. "Don't get carried away." he tsked, emerging from the smoke. "You're only lucky once."
"Third Class Pallasite: Hati Dagger." Koga declared. "We will not let you pass. Come, Pegasus!" he donned on his Cloth, the others following suit.
"You're beautiful together." Hati chuckled.
"Hati, we will never let you get into Palestra." Koga swore.
"You seem to be very excited." Hati taunted. "Aren't you happy about the passing of your superior?"
"Stop kidding!" Souma snapped.
"We're different from you." Yuna glared.
"I do not understand." Hati shrugged. "This is a perfect chance to show the value of the Bronze Saints."
"A Pallasite will never understand." Haruto stated.
"The feelings that Genbu passed us is what makes us move on." Ryuho added.
"What feelings could a man who died foolishly pass to you?" Hati mocked.
"Hati, now it's worth showing you!" Koga retorted as Subaru stood up and moved beside Ryuho.
"Okay, then prepare yourselves." Hati summoned his army. "For the Pallasite soldiers will face you."
"What the hell is that?" Subaru gaped.
"Just shows how serious our opponent is." Koga remarked.
"For those following the Class-3 Pallasite, Hati, Palestra is the home of the Saints who threaten our Goddess Pallas." Hati declared. "Now that Genbu is no longer here, the time has come to eliminate the Saints. Prove your loyalty of the Goddess Pallas now. Advance!" he ordered the first wave of foot soldiers forward.
As the soldiers closed in, a bright streak of light shot down from the sky that forced the soldiers to stop in their tracks
"What is happening?" Hati was stunned.
"This Cosmo is..." Yuna gasped.
"Amazing." Subaru shielded his eyes.
"Do not tell me that's..." Koga was shocked. "Seiya!" he recognized the Gold Saint as the light died down.
"You are..." Hati stammered. "Gold Saint, Sagittarius Seiya."
"If you want to pass here, you will have to face me." Seiya declared.
"What are you doing?" Hati barked, seeing his hesitant troops. "I'll kill you if you try to run away with your tail between your legs."
"Then come." Seiya stated. "Your fate is the same." Drawing his fist back, he released his attack.
"What was that?" Hati wondered after the light died off. "What?" he was shocked to see his troops were beaten down with a single attack. "Do not tell me... his fists exceed the speed of light!"
"The former Gold Saint of Sagittarius, Aiolos, was more loyal to Athena and justice for all." Seiya declared. "Aiolos, his will and technique, I inherited them."
"Damn." Hati cursed and called forth his second wave of foot soldiers. "Attack!"
"Atomic Thunderbolt!" Seiya fired his attack, the single stream of light sweeping through the passage that led to Parestra and annihilating the second group of soldiers.
"This is the power of a Legendary Saint?" Hati was shocked, having been forced to duck to avoid the attack. "But I cannot go back empty-handed."
"It can not be!" Hati was shocked when he saw a powerful light shine from the sky.
"Saori!" Koga blinked when the Goddess manifested.
"Athene herself came to Palestra?" Hati muttered.
"Pallasite, leave this place." Athena ordered.
"You're a fool for coming to the battlefield on your own." Hati readied his throwing knives. "Die!"
"Don't move, or you'll find yourself a head shorter." the curved blade of Ceres' scythe rested against Hati's neck, the shape edge drawing a trail of blood.
"And I'll remove what makes you a man." Vesta's kris was poised at Hati's crotch.
"Light Pulse!" Juno's massive light sphere took out the rest of Hati's troops.
"I can't move." Hati was rooted the ground by Ceres' lightning crackle and Vesta's flames. "This is my biggest chance. Athena is right before my eyes. But what can I do before the two gigantic Cosmo? This is the Goddess Guardians? I understand." He backed down. "I, Hati, am not foolish enough to get in a war I cannot win. I will retreat, for now."
"Koga became an exemplary Saint." Seiya remarked, after Koga walked off from the dueling arena later that night. "Athena, we Saints... we decided to fight alongside you until the end."
"I understand." Saori acknowledged. "Also, I need to decide."
"Before, I hesitated to fight Pallas, who once lived with me as a siser." Saori addressed the Bronze Saints before her statue. "But Genbu's death ended my hesitations. I swear to fight with all my life against Pallas."
"But, Athena, we do not know the whereabouts of Pallas." Haruto pointed out. "As things are now, we cannot go on the offensive."
"Exactly." Saori agreed. "Not with the things are now." She raised her right arm.
"Athena, don't tell me..." Seiya breathed, realizing what Saori had intended to do.
"Seiya, I told you, that I am going to risk my life in this battle." Saori reminded. "Goddess Guardians," she looked at the untransformed Guardians. "I'm afraid I must request your aid."
"We understand." Lydanz replied and the three girls, with their restrictions removed, stood around the older Goddess. "It had been our intention along; we awoke too late to stop Pallas from turning. Goddess Juno, I call upon you..."
"Goddess Ceres, I call upon you..."
"Goddess Vesta, I call upon you..."
"Use our bodies as your vessels and descend on this Earth once more!" the Guardians chorused.
"Ceres, Vesta, let's begin." Lydanz instructed in a more mature voice and the three minor Goddesses channeled their Cosmo into the coiled bracelet around Saori's arm.
"Athena!" Seiya exclaimed when the four females fell on their knees.
"We discovered the whereabouts of Pallas." Saori stated.
"The place where it is said that its visitors' determination is tested." Lydanz added. "The seven hills that guard the city."
"The city fortress, Pallasbelda." Lauren finished. "Geez, out of all places, it just had to be there, didn't it?"
"You'd think she'd learnt something by now after what happened last time." Kikyo muttered.
"That's the location of Pallas?" Koga echoed.
SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.
