Old Friends

After confronting so many ghosts from the past, Seiya surely had to go for a relaxing stroll. Treading the sidewalk outside the Kido Mansion's gate, his thoughts went to Seika over and over again without question, and whether Saori's claims could be trusted. It wouldn't be a stretch for him to go see the situation at the orphanage himself, despite the distance he'd have to go to reach it. As a Clothless Saint, he had nothing to do for the rest of the day, so he decided to make it to a bus stop and see if he remembered the directions to the children's home.

The streets were still empty so early in the morning, apart from a few, mostly elderly passersby. It was the familiar image of a pale-skinned, chestnut-haired girl walking the opposite way to him that made the street somewhat more active. In such a high-class neighborhood, it wasn't atypical to see someone as well dressed, but the tomboyish nature of her attire caught his attention further, white slacks pulled up by suspenders over a green shirt, a meticulous star pendant dangling around the neck.

Further surprise came when he noticed her large blue eyes were staring directly at him, intently so. He knew she couldn't be one of the orphaned girls raised at the Kidos', as they all wore masks whenever he had seen them, like Marin or Shaina, so Seiya incorrectly assumed she was flirting and grinned like the fool he was.

"Excuse me, are you Seiya?" the girl said, and her voice was as boyish as the way she dressed. Come to think of it, as soft and feminine as her features were, there was still something androgynous about the shape of her face, as subtle as it was.

"D… do you know me?" Seiya stopped in his tracks, face blushing warmer now. It started dawning on him with a closer look. "Wait…"

She gave him a big and gentle smile. "It's me, Shun!"

Seiya frowned for a few seconds. That was Shun, an old friend, and definitely not a girl. No, Shun was an orphan boy raised in the mansion like him, albeit younger by one or two years. Hadn't he gotten any manlier since their childhood? "What the… it's you? It's you! Shun!"

"Oh, are you alright? Looks like you saw a ghost."

"Honestly, I… don't even know anymore," he said, defeated. "I'm so glad to see you though. You're the first friendly face I've seen in a while."

"I'm really happy to see you too!" Shun waved at the direction of the Kido Mansion. "It gets so boring there in the mansion, the other guys talk about nothing but fighting."

Seiya laughed; he wasn't much different in a way, but had his own issues with Jabu and the others. "I get it. I just had my own annoying experience over there, so seeing you boosted my mood. I guess I needed some good news, you know?"

"I know that feeling. Where are you going now, if I may ask?"

"Oh, I was thinking about going to visit the orphanage where I grew up. I want to see how they're doing."

"Can I go too?"

"Are you sure?" Seiya asked, to which Shun nodded without giving it a thought. He definitely didn't want to spend a single extra second in the mansion if he didn't have to. "The orphanage is sort of far away, we'll have to take a bus for a couple hours."

"Please, get me out of here." He spat a giggle. "All I do at the mansion is play chess and read, since Saori is always so busy…"

"Sure, come on then." Therewith the two went down the same direction, both excited to finally have found someone they thought of as a real friend, yet Seiya still felt embarrassed at his blunder, mumbling: "This guy… how's he cuter than Saori…?"

"So you were sent to get the Pegasus Cloth, is that right?" the other boy asked.

"That's right. You're looking at the Pegasus Saint right now," he answered, pointing at himself with pride. "What about you?"

"I was sent to Andromeda Island, so I got the…"

"Andromeda Cloth, hmm, I remember that now." They nodded and walked some more as memories returned. "Your brother was the one supposed to be sent to Andromeda Island, isn't it?"

"Exactly. Well, it would not have suited him at all," said Shun. "He traded places with me because I got tasked with going to Death Queen's Island."

"I heard that's a pretty rough place. Do you have any news of him?"

Shun sighed at that. "No news of him nor the Cloth he was supposed to get." His eyes found refuge in the bluish morning skies, attempting to cling to some hope that his older brother somehow lived. "Ikki…"

It was over half a decade before this time that the orphans were sent off to their respective training places, all with the intent of fulfilling Mitsumasa Kido's plan of acquiring a list of Bronze Cloths. The day of the announcement was tense, since most children would've been once again torn from the friends they had made. Although those orphans were not strangers to the feeling, the anticipation only heightened their suspense.

A young Seiya stood in a circle around Tatsumi and Mitsumasa himself, one composed of some of his other colleagues. Tatsumi held a clipboard in hands, as a committee of the Graad Foundation members carefully selected and wrote down the destination for each of them.

"Today will be the day you find out your training place, and also which Cloth you will be aiming to get," Mitsumasa explained. "We have chosen each candidate based on many factors. Some of you will be sent to the same place or to similar regions as other kids, but the Cloths we suggest you aim for might be different. Trips will start next weekend, so stay alert." He turned to Tatsumi, hinting him to start.

The other man brought the clipboard up to read the table of names. "Ban, you will be going to Tanzania, to Mount Kilimanjaro for the Lionet Cloth. The climate is tough, but you should deal well with it. Geki, you will be going to Canada, to the Rocky Mountains for the Bear Cloth. Hyoga…"

A blonde, blue-eyed boy had his attention perked, standing near Seiya.

"… you are going to the Soviet Union, to Siberia for the Cygnus Cloth. We thought you would feel at home going back there." That boy frowned subtly and crossed the arms upon learning that. "Ichi! You are going to Lerna, in Greece. You are after the Hydra Cloth. Now, Ikki!"

A fierce, tan-skinned boy close to a young Shun gave his attention to Tatsumi.

"You are going to Andromeda Island, off the coast of Somalia, where you will seek the Andromeda Cloth itself. Jabu…"

Jabu was a side opposite of Seiya, near the first boys who had their names called.

"… you are going to Sikkim, in India, near the Himalayas. You are after the Unicorn Cloth. Nachi, you will be going to the Bomi Hills, in Liberia, to take the Wolf Cloth. Seiya!"

Tatsumi spoke his name so loudly that Seiya flinched, mouth agape. "Huh?"

"You're one of the lucky few going to Sanctuary, in Greece. We're expecting you to get the Pegasus Cloth. Shiryu!" A slightly older boy near him, with straight black hair and dark brown eyes, paid close attention. "You are going back home to China, to the Five Ancient Peaks of Rozan. You will train for the Dragon Cloth. Oh, Shun!"

Shun's gentle blue eyes stared fearfully. He was never ready for anything that had been thrown at him at that point, and the idea of having to fight to become a Saint in a foreign place scared him worse than it did any other orphan in the mansion. Regardless, he had been taken alongside his brother for a good reason, and so he was given his fate by the foundation.

A mocking grin came to Tatsumi's face when he read the destination. "You got unlucky. You will go after the Phoenix Cloth in Death Queen's Island!"

"Where is that?" Shun asked.

"It is lost amid the Southern Pacific, a place only reachable by boat through a couple islands — a total mess. Volcanically active, no government, plagued by slavery, crime-ridden… we thought of giving you some place else, but we did not have many options left by the time we debated you." There was sarcasm in his voice, as if he had pushed for that decision to send a kid as pure as Shun into inevitable corruption.

Tears came to the kid's eyes, but it was Ikki, his older brother, who stepped forward. "Bastards, you are sending my brother there on purpose!" he protested.

"What did you just call me, you brat?" Although Tatsumi so quickly lost patience, Mitsumasa seemed to maintain his calm. "I've already explained the matter!"

"I will not allow this. I will get whatever Cloth you want from Death Queen's Island in his place. Trade my destination with Shun's!"

"You don't make the calls here, you insolent pest!" Tatsumi ran his mouth as usual, toning it down once Mitsumasa came closer to Ikki. "Mr. Kido, do you see what I say about this boy's attitude? It is so..."

"I admire your bravery," Mitsumasa said. "Are you sure you want to trade places with him? Death Queen's Island is not a kind place to anyone. It may be the closest to hell anyone could find on Earth."

Ikki tightened a fist in certainty, reassuring them: "I will go in his place."

"Ikki," his little brother called shyly, grabbing him by the forearm with smaller hands. "You don't need to do this for me."

"This is my choice. I have decided I will trade destinations with Shun. I am the one going to Death Queen's Island, and I will bring you the Phoenix Cloth!"

"Then so be it. Tatsumi, make the change," ordered Mitsumasa, and Tatsumi grabbed a pen to manually cross out the changes on the paper. "Do not regret this."

It was that courage and protectiveness that kept Shun from hell itself until the future, and what kept him worried for so long. Had it not been for Ikki, perhaps he wouldn't be able to speak and laugh to Seiya as he did that day.

Pegasus sighed, being reminded of a past so distant it felt alien. "I wonder what Ikki has gone through in that place," he spoke.

"So do I, every night since." Shun looked down at the sidewalk. "I hope the worst hasn't happened."

"What? No way!" Seiya pumped both fists and frowned at his friend. "Ikki was the strongest of us, physically and emotionally! If there is anyone capable of surviving that island, it sure is him. He's taking longer because it's harder than what we went through, that's all."

Finally, Shun smiled with a hint of optimism. "That's probably the case." His expression became serious again as he looked forward. "I still plan on having Saori find him."

"Oh, so you're taking part in her little tournament as well?"

"I am."

"That's so unlike you, I wouldn't expect you of all people to fight in it."

"I don't want to, but it's a good opportunity. Saori told me she'd help me find my brother if I won."

Seiya sneered at how predictable that woman was to him, a perfect reflection of her grandfather. "Guess what? Same crap she told me about my sister," he revealed.

"Hm… she really wants us all to participate for some reason. I wonder why she would do that."

"If I were to guess, it's a money thing. It's what those types care about," Seiya said, and now they weren't too far from a nearby bus station. They were, however, surprised by the sight of a masked woman with a Cloth box on her back and a blue rolling luggage in hand. Her hair was as straight and long as Saori's, but a platinum blonde in comparison, curly bangs covering part of the mask.

When she turned from the bus she disembarked from, her mask was visible to them, ivory like Marin's, but with red paint shaped like one spike under each lifeless eye. She dressed no less boyishly than Shun, with light high-waisted jeans, black boots, and a white cami top underneath a cropped denim jacket. Of course, there was no doubt to Seiya that this was a woman, since the bulge of her medium breasts were clear, and she hid her face to top it off.

"Look, Shun. That's a female Saint, right?" Seiya asked.

Shun squinted. "You're right. I think she's one of the female orphans, but…" Suddenly his eyes grew wide open. "Is that June?"

Shun's gentle voice echoed down the street, and he stopped in his tracks. Seiya walked a few more steps before noticing the other had stopped. When he looked back, Shun had his lips parts into an excited smile. "Eh? Now you're the one who looks like you've seen a ghost…" Then, turning to the woman, he noticed she was stiff like stone. "What's the ma…"

"Shun!" she shouted, and the two ran at each other and hugged amid juvenile laughter, leaving Seiya absolutely confused.

They spoke so fast with one another it was almost like its own language, and he could barely keep up with the information being shared. "Wow, your hair is so long!" "Yours too! So silky..." "I love your mask!" "Do you like it? Painted it myself." "I wish we had to use masks too!" "Yeah, they look so cool! You're so well dressed, where are you going?" "Aw, stop it! I dress like this everyday!" "No way, you're going on a date!" "Haha, not at all! But I wouldn't be surprised if you were!" "You're such a flatterer!" They kept on giggling and gasping…

Seiya stood beside them in a slump and mumbled: "Hey, uh… I'm here too, guys."

Hearing him, June was finally able to untie herself from her childhood friend and give the other one attention. "Oh, yeaaah! I'm so lucky I stumbled upon two old friends on my first day. This is awesome!" She almost rudely straightened Seiya's ripped t-shirt with her index and thumb. "You got so strong!"

He gave a big smile. It wasn't had to get on his good side, and she succeeded on the first try. "Thanks, thanks! It's about time someone noticed it. Long time no see, June!" he responded.

"This is bringing back so many memories that… aw, I can't wait to talk about all those years with everyone else! Where are you guys headed anyway?"

"We were going to the orphanage where Seiya was raised," Shun said. "He said it takes a couple hours to get there by bus, but I've got nothing else to do, so…"

"Cool! I'm coming with you guys. Let's go!"

The boys were surprised by her assertiveness. "You're not even going to drop off that Cloth at the mansion?"

"Whatever! They've waited years to get this, a couple more hours shouldn't hurt."

Seiya and Shun looked at each other and shrugged. "Alright then."

The three of them boarded a bus to a smaller satellite town where Seiya's orphanage stood, and at such an early time, it was so empty that they could take pretty much whichever seat they desired. Shun and June sat together, as expected, since they had enough in them to talk for months if they were allowed, and Seiya sat right behind them, looking out the window. "These two really missed each other, didn't they?" he murmured to himself.

In a moment of silence, June knelt over her seat and looked back at him, asking: "You trained in Athens, didn't you?"

"Huh? Yeah, but actually, I trained in Sanctuary," Seiya replied.

"That's so awesome! I was sort of nearby, but my master wouldn't allow me to visit."

"You didn't really lose much. In the first days it's cool, but the starry sky grows old after a while."

"Somehow I doubt that."

Seiya looked to his side, as they had left her Cloth box strapped to the seat next to him, and he had a good view of the sign on the face, the profile of a common chameleon. "The Chameleon Cloth..."

"Yep! I got it at Paximadia. It's right to the south of Crete."

"Hm! June, we forgot to tell you something," Seiya said, tapping the edge of the box, "when you go deliver it later, Saori will invite you to a tournament of Saints. You should refuse."

"Tournament of Saints?"

"Yeah, it's a total waste of time, you've got nothing to gain from it."

Shun looked back curiously. "Seiya, why would you tell her to refuse?" he questioned.

"With us two, Saori has something to take advantage of, because of our siblings. With her, Saori has nothing. June doesn't deserve to go through this dumb tournament for no reason."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but if you guys are in it, I want to be in it too!" said the girl.

Seiya insisted otherwise: "Trust me, it's a waste of time. Saori is definitely doing it for money."

An impish chuckle escaped from under June's mask, annoying him a bit. "What's the matter, Seiya? Are you afraid of having me as an opponent?"

He looked surprised that she would think that so suddenly; his intent was to not have her go through a worthless endeavor after all. "That's not my point!"

"Oh, yeah! And you're the guy who used to say girls shouldn't fight."

"I remember that too," Shun reinforced her affirmation.

"Y-yeah, I used to say that, and I kind of learned I was wrong… the hard way." Flashbacks of Shaina's painful claws still haunted him, and the wounds under his t-shirt had not yet fully healed. "That's not my issue with the tournament. We're orphans and Saints, we shouldn't have to go through this."

"I see where you're coming from," June spoke, "but since you guys have something to gain from it, if I get in it, we can improve your chances! If I win, I can ask for whatever you guys want as a reward."

"That's nice of you. I don't know, I still don't want you to be a gladiatrix for some spoiled businessgirl."

Shun tilted the head and offered more of his thoughts: "There is nothing we can do to stop her if she wants into it, although I agree the tournament sounds like a terrible idea."

"Yeah, it definitely is."

The trip to the orphanage took quite a while, but once done, it was all worth it. Seiya got to revive his earliest memories, revisit a place where he felt at home the most; the grass, the playground, the windows, the big tree at the front now bigger than before… June and Shun, in the other hand, got to spend a fun time in the playground with the other orphans.

June was not simply a Saint; even before she became an amazon, she had been enthusiastic about gymnastics. The truth with a gymnast like her is that the mere view of monkey bars or any climbing equipment rouses a need to do acrobatics, so that's exactly what she did, offering quite a show to the kids and Andromeda. They opened up a lot of space for her to show off, and for every flip or twist she did, the more impressed the children seemed, Shun clapping and laughing.

Seiya was watching aside, close to an even older friend of his, a young woman with short black pigtails, a plain purple dress, and large dark brown eyes. He chuckled at the sight. "June just gets along with anyone."

"The kids really seem to enjoy her! I'm almost jealous," she said to Seiya with a smile. The two began to stroll to the big tree where they used to chat under as younglings. "You really surprised me. I never expected you to come back here after this long, because they told us you were adopted by a very rich family."

"That's half true, the rich part," he said, "but what about you, Miho? Why haven't you left this place yet at this point? We're both quite old already."

"Oh, Seiya… I've never been too different from you if you think about it. I have no one and nowhere to go, so when I came of age, I asked the priest to let me stay and help. I enjoy taking care of the children, so it felt right."

"That makes sense. I'm just glad you and the kids are living happily here, I've had enough bad news for a lifetime. Seeing you guys brightened my day even more."

"You should visit more often, Seiya!"

"I'll try to."

Seiya had become serious, eyes wandering as he rested with the back and foot on the tree's trunk. Miho studied him briefly before saying: "Tell me, what's wrong? What bad news did you get?"

"Ah, I don't mean to drag you into my problems, it's just… my sister — are you sure you have no idea where she went?" He turned to Miho again, his stare glistening with sadness.

She couldn't help but look away in nervousness, how to break it to him that she vanished without leaving many traces. "I don't," she curtly replied.

"Not even a clue?" he persisted, now more intense in his tone. "How is it possible that no one has anything?"

"Seiya, I don't know! I'm sorry." She had fallen emotional too at that level, tears beginning to pool under her irises. "I'm so sorry, I really am."

He sighed and let his head hang in disgrace. "No, don't apologize. I shouldn't pressure you like this, I'm the one who's sorry."

"This Saint tournament you told me about, it will be an international event," said Miho, her tone hopeful once more. "Then it should be all over the news everywhere. If you take part in it, Seika might see you and come after you."

"Yeah, I hope so."

"If she's still out there, she is so likely to see you... and that' why you can't lose, Seiya! You have to keep winning!" Seiya looked back at her when she said that. It was empowering to have such encouraging words coming from an old friend; Miho was doing a much better job of convincing him to participate than Saori, he thought. "The more you appear on television and the newspapers, the higher the chances of finding your sister!"

He smiled with determination and, unable to hold back the feeling, punched the air. "That's what I needed!" he sung. "I will win this tournament, no matter what it takes." Raising the same fist to the sky, he finished: "I will win, and I will meet you again, Seika. I am sure we will be together once more, no matter how long it takes."