The Saint Who Saw Hell
Shiryu and Shunrei had arrived in Rozan, him carrying both Cloth boxes stacked and strapped on the back. As it was morning, they didn't bother going to the shack, rather going straight to the peak whereon Old Master routinely sat. Without error, there he was.
"Shiryu, you return earlier than I presaged," said Old Master.
The Dragon Saint was abashed. It would be difficult to explain that he lost his first fight after receiving such an important task, but lying wasn't in him. "Things didn't go very well. I plan on coming back still," he said with a shameful laugh.
"Well, I have made it clear that you mustn't allow that Gold Cloth to fall in the wrong hands."
"I understand, Old Master, but I learned the Saints in the tournament found out about the Cloth only after they decided to participate." The elder was surprised to hear that, and turned away from the streaming water as a result. "In fact, the one I spoke to was convinced to participate with the promise that his long lost sister would be found, and another one that his lost brother would be found."
"So they have manipulated children into fighting. This competition is somehow more reprehensible than one could imagine."
"I agree. The problem is, your fears are valid regardless. We have noticed a hidden someone who might be intent on attacking when given the opportunity," Shiryu continued. "We're afraid this someone is planning on stealing the Gold Cloth."
"Then why have you come here? You have been tasked with defending it."
"Yes, master. I have warned a fellow Saint of this issue and he's telling others to prepare. I have come because my Cloth and his have been damaged in a battle. I bring them to you in hopes that you know of a way to repair them."
Old Master turned to the waterfall once more. If other Saints yet protected the Gold Cloth, then there was no need to worry as much, so he focused on the next problem. "There is a way to repair them, it is undoubtedly possible," he said. "Even so, I lack the knowledge to do so myself."
"Then how can it be done?"
"I knew a man who was capable of repairing the Cloth, but he is likely occupied. In the other hand, his apprentice I assume to be available, a man called Mu. He might have learned to repair Cloths the way his master did. The home wherein he resides should be an uncharted tower in Jamir, at the very top of the Himalayas." He tilted the head towards the pupil, and his tone became more severe: "Now, Shiryu, I have been to Jamir before, and it is no easy trip. The air is thin, the path narrow and steep... all worth going through to fix your Cloths, I suppose."
Shiryu nodded. "I do not mind it. I'll rest a few hours and leave for Jamir," he said.
"May I go with you?" Shunrei asked.
Knowing of the obstacles his apprentice would face, Old Master could not allow the girl to risk her life, so he prevented her by explaining: "Shunrei, this is no mere hike. It is dangerous for a Saint, let alone a normal person. It is best to let him travel alone this once."
She lamented with a sigh and stared up at Shiryu. "Promise to be careful then."
The young man reassured her with a kind smile: "I promise."
Back in the Colosseum, June and Shun rendezvoused at the locker room with Seiya, the first two wearing their Cloths in preparation for what was to come. Pegasus sat on a bench while they stood. They had organized a simple strategy in their hurry to anticipate the enemy's surprise attack, ensuring that they would not be completely trapped upon their arrival.
"So, are you both set?" June questioned the boys.
"Pretty much. Whoever the thieves are, they know we have less Saints than ever before. Our defenses are at their lowest, but if they think Seiya and I are not ready to battle, we have a chance to catch them off guard," Shun said.
"Aaah, this is kind of exciting, isn't it?" Chameleon giggled and played with the whip using her index. "My heart is pumping. I can barely believe we're about to get some real action."
Seiya stood and went for the exit, telling them: "Just remember to keep calm and pay attention if we give a signal. I'll be in the crowd."
"Understood!"
"Let's go then."
The three left and took their respective positions. Shun would wander the halls waiting for his chain to react so he could pinpoint the enemy's position, whereas Seiya would pose as an attendee to get a visual. June's job was to stall her fight with Hyoga as much as possible, and be alert in case he was with the enemy in the end.
"Today we will witness the first match of the semi-finals!" overexcited announcer spoke into the microphone. "As Pegasus' Cloth hasn't returned from repair after its devastating battle against Dragon, only the Chameleon and Cygnus Saints are available to fight! One of them will get an opportunity to be the champion, and gain the Gold Cloth as a reward." Despite the fact that only one fight would happen that day instead of the desired two, the venue was as packed as ever, and the audience was just as loud. The drama of Seiya and Shiryu's fight only fueled interest on the competition, besides giving credence to those who argued the action was not choreographed in the slightest. "You've waited long enough, so let the two combatants come in! Chameleon June! Cygnus Hyoga!"
They both entered the arena and the crowd was ecstatic at their sight. Seiya scanned the shadows suspiciously whenever people were distracted, searching for any evidence of the enemy, although the dim lights and intense movement made it difficult to seek the details
June held her whip the same threatening way she did before her fight with Nachi, although she casually said something to Hyoga in passing, unheard by anybody else: "We believe someone is going to try and steal the Gold Cloth during this fight."
Her opponent raised an eyebrow, initially wondering whether she really said what she had said. "Huh?"
"Don't talk. They can read your lips, but not mine." She got into her fighting position, whip hidden behind the body, and so Hyoga raised both fists. "We're scouring through the building for the thieves at this moment, so you and I should buy some time."
Cygnus didn't respond, and with the announcement of the fight, he broke the sound barrier with a charge and tried to strike her. June, as before, dodged and vanished. Despite following the sound of her steps and wasting much energy into a multitude of punches and kicks, Hyoga kept missing her.
June playfully whipped him in the foot, grabbing his attention. When she reappeared from hiding, her body was spinning sideways into a kick aiming for Hyoga's head, who crouched away and lunged forward. She laughed and sang praises: "As expected, Cygnus! Very good!" The man grunted and followed with another downpour of punches which continued to err.
While this all happened, Shun had his back against a wall, looking attentively at the square chain. "Nothing yet. I'd better move around," said the boy. He made his way down the curving corridors, chain lethargic still, though he was sure Shiryu's concerns were well-founded.
From his position, however, Seiya finally noticed a moving shadow in the back of the crowd. To such an extent it could've been anyone, from a crew member to someone going to the bathroom, but evaluating the circumstance, he debated whether to investigate closely or stay put. While everybody was so infatuated with the display of Hyoga and June, he felt it at least warranted extra attention.
Moving strategically and paying closer attention to June's sounds, Hyoga was able to visualize exactly where she would be. Enough Cosmos had concentrated in his body for him to slam in her direction, yet she was quick enough to be missed and flip away. He had planned for that, sending another attack her way: "DIAMOND DUST!"
June's Cloth was already iridescent from the Cosmos she had to accumulate to keep up with the man's escalation, and the time to spend it had come. The girl gyrated the whip at a speed so outrageous it emitted a ringing sound, deafening unprepared attendees. The Diamond Dust and its winds were caught up in a vortex and stopped at freezing Chameleon's whip and none else. That done, June whipped the floor a couple times to loudly break the layers of ice off. "Hey, let's not give them any ideas now!" she warned him.
Hyoga murmured: "So she's not lying…"
Back in the corridors, the Andromeda Chain finally reacted by flipping towards the ceiling and drifting off afterwards. "Oh! They're moving fast," Shun noted and jogged after the chain's direction, pressing the pace at each second.
On Seiya's end, he had observed so many strange shadows moving where there should be neither civilians nor crew members that he decided to explore. He walked up the stairs to the back of the Colosseum, near the arcades. Between the shadows formed by the foot lights, he saw it. "Found you!"
A loud bang filled the place, louder than every cheer and song. In the blink of an eye, all present were engulfed in pitch black. The crowd screamed and security mobilized to calm down and evacuate the crowd. Emergency light fixtures faintly allowed them to see a bit more than a second before, just enough to follow the crew's instructions and exit the building in droves.
Saori stood in the darkness of her own cabin, similarly affected by the blackout. "What happened? Tatsumi?" she called.
"No idea yet, Miss! I'm talking to them on the radio," Tatsumi answered from the door behind her.
June and Hyoga had stopped fighting at the onset of the power failure. They still looked at each other, unable to muster enough trust, but once one of the panels exploded in sparks, they were forced to look away. The thing fell off its spot from one side, dropping loudly and making the terrified crowd scream another instance.
"That was quick…" June said, turning to Hyoga. "Cygnus, if you're on our side, we can't let them steal the Gold Cloth!" To that the man offered naught but a reassuring nod.
A flash of light and multiple beams blew up in the back. "PEGASUS METEOR FIST!" It was Seiya's voice preceding it. In face of what was a total confirmation of their theories, June somersaulted forward and disappeared, aiming for the Gold Cloth's pedestal.
Hyoga was about to do the same when he heard another blast, this time one that imploded a chunk of the Colosseum's benches and barriers. Seiya was flicked off the cloud of debris like a rag doll, all the way down to the arena grounds. Cygnus went over to check on him: "Are you alright?"
Pegasus coughed as he was helped up. "Damn it. Eyes out, here they come!" He pointed at two armored people flying out of the dust, Cloth as black as ebony. Giving no quarter to someone who would try and steal the Gold Cloth, Hyoga jumped with a greater force at one of them, although Seiya stayed on the ground and held the punch of the other, groaning painfully.
"Grrr… who are you?" he growled and kicked the stranger in the stomach with such force as to slide him back a few meters. Getting a better look despite the darkness, he noticed the Cloth had a familiar form, disregarding its unusual shade. "The… the Unicorn Cloth?"
"DIAMOND DUST!" The sound of ice cracking and wind howling surprised them, and suddenly the other dark-clad warrior plummeted face first onto the arena, close to the outer barrier. The characteristic glimmer of frost hinted at him being partially frozen, and the lack of movement hinted at him being unconscious.
"Shiro!" The Dark Unicorn shouted and ran for his comrade.
"Oh, no, you're not running away from me!" Seiya risked himself by tackling the man violently against the wall, and was met with a similar kick to the stomach that sent him much farther. The pain of being so harshly struck without protection ripped the deepest groans from him, and stunned him over and over.
Hyoga dropped by his side and gave him a hand again. "Come on, get up," he curtly spoke.
"The hits are too painful without my Cloth," Seiya said.
June had been found a while after she went for the Sagittarius Cloth, and was then jumping gracefully in between the boxes. Two other warriors — a large and thickset one with a Cloth like Bear's, and a muscular one with a Cloth like Lionet's — hunted her down, being too slow to catch up. The Dark Bear was particularly brutish in the offense, running over walls and ruining the Colosseum's structure as he deemed fit.
The Dark Lionet, who was somewhat faster, swung a sound-speed punch at her, but she connected her boot to his nose earlier than he could finish, making him tumble back. The larger one almost caught her with the next charge, but she side-stepped onto the tip of a half wall, barely maintaining balance. "Who the hell are these guys?" she yelled.
It was the next move that nearly got her, coming from an unexpected direction. A burst of flames erupted and grew in Chameleon's direction. She was belated to note it, and therefore nearly unable to avoid it, falling against some of the bleachers and rolling to her feet clumsily. From behind the two warriors who tried to steal the Cloth, a red glow became visible, and a raging Cosmos worried her. It was about to strike again.
At that very moment, a long chain cut through the air from the other side of the Colosseum, going up and hitting the Dark Bear's shoulder, then crossing in straight angles around the source of the Cosmos, extending as far as the figure's head. The chain suddenly stopped a few palms ere penetrating skin, as if its owner had been taken aback. It was Shun, from one of the entrances to the arena, and he grabbed the Andromeda Chain out of his own accord, hesitating to hurt whomever it was about to strike.
Sarcastic laughter echoed from the shadow. "There you are, Shun! As always, sparing an opponent's life. I expected no less," the stranger said.
Tatsumi's eyes widened as soon as he made out the figure in the shadows, watching all the way from Saori's cabin. "No… it's that boy! That boy survived hell on Earth!" he commented in disbelief.
Despite intuition screaming the obvious at him, Shun refused to admit it. "Do I know you?" he shouted back.
"Oh, do you?" the person said, therewith advancing a couple steps so that the emergency fixtures could shine on his countenance; revealed were a rough masculine face with a square jaw and broad nose, a taupe skin around dark blue eyes, and black chin-length hair hidden under a sturdy circlet with a tall horn-like crest. The Cloth was not dark like that of his allies, instead flaunting an orange hue, with shapely blocks for a breastplate and layered shoulder pads like the feathers on a bird's wing. Behind him dangled strips built out of teardrop-shaped plates, small and thin enough to bend with a breeze, each one stained with a sunburst pattern. "I'd wager you know me better than most, dear brother."
"Ikki…?" Shun's voice came out with a whimper, water flooding the eyes. "No… so you are the one who wants to steal the Gold Cloth!"
"Not me, but us, the Dark Saints. I made the trip to Japan to pay Mitsumasa Kido a visit, give him a gift for everything he made us go through." His expression transitioned from sarcasm to annoyance. "Then I heard the old man kicked the bucket a long time ago — quite a shame. I wish I had been the one who took his life." The magnitude of the operation became clearer and clearer as each second passed. Behind Ikki, another outline emerged, and Dark Lionet had also gotten up from June's attack.
"Why are you doing this? Why steal the Gold Cloth?"
"Other people are already planning to steal it. We just made sure we were the first ones," he spoke. The one hidden behind Ikki whispered something to him, and it was obvious that pieces of the Sagittarius Cloth were being tossed around, two of which ended up in his hands. "Good," he responded to his comrade. "It was nostalgic seeing you again, Shun. Since you will not bother fighting me, I will take my leave. I am sure we will see each other soon."
As he turned around, a Dark Saint blew up a hole in the Colosseum's arcades, throwing down some parts of the Cloth before he grabbed two for himself and jumped off. "Hey, wait!" Ikki turned his face back for a moment, then jumped off into the afternoon streets.
Dark Unicorn carried the downed ally and jumped after the others. Seiya was about to get in his way, but was interrupted by Hyoga. "Ignore him for now. He's slow, it will be easier to catch up if he gets a piece," he told.
He nodded in response despite the frustration. "You're right… damn it!" Both began making it for the hole through which the Dark Saints escaped. "Come on Shun, June, let's chase after them!" The other two followed suit, despite how awfully outnumbered they were. If they could take at least some pieces of the Sagittarius Cloth, it would serve as a defeat to the thieves.
Shun was quite pensive with the nature of fate; he had found his beloved older brother, and now had to treat him as an enemy rather than a friend. Even still, there was little to no time to process the news before he followed his duty as a Saint — little time to process the estrangement of someone who always protected and loved him. "Ikki," he muttered, "what happened to you in Death Queen's Island? What have you become?"