Hi everybody! I'm glad all of you arrived to read my latest crossover fan-fic. I'm writing this for two reasons. One: I've wanted to do this fan-fic since I first saw the movie-length episode of the anime this fan-fic is inspired by. However, how the manga ended...did leave me a little disappointed, but not enough for me to hate it. Hence, part of the reason why I'm starting this. Two: the world outside my life...is not looking so good. I'll leave it at that. I will be alternating between this fan-fic and the finale of the Kuzuri trilogy. Hence why there will be long breaks between chapters. This chapter is a prologue before the main story. Hope you enjoy.

Two lost souls, worlds apart, connected by a shared longing. One wishes for affection and home. The other, a safe place and to be seen. Their fates will soon meet. A family will be born, love will blossom...and one will know redemption. But the shadows of the world will not release one of its own easily.

The Star and The Lion

Prologue: A New Career in a New Town

(Sparta, Laconia. 1992, nighttime)

A pair of individuals approach an orphanage in Greece. One was an adult man in his late 20s, the other was a young woman in her late teens. She possessed long auburn hair while wearing a black suit and the tie to match. As they enter inside, one of the orphanage employees approach the both of them.

"Hello, Welcome to the Small Sanctuary home. How can I help you?"

"Yes...I'm here for...a certain follow-up."

The adult presented to the employee a gold coin. One side of the coin presented a person with a shield with a shield emblazoned with a cross and a leaf laurel on both sides of the coin with a phrase that says,

Ex Unitae Vires

which translates to "Out of Unity comes Strength." On the other side of the coin was a lion with the same kind of shield, only difference was that the sun shone behind it. Above the lion was another phrase, but this one says,

Ens Causa Sui

Translated it means, "Something Generated within Itself." The adult gave the employee five of these gold coins. To which the employee retrieves them and tells him,

"Follow me..."

Both followed the employee to where he wanted to show him. The teen sees that they were all passing by rooms that possessed sleeping children. The teen asked

"Master?"

"Yes, Allison?"

"What are we retrieving here exactly?"

"An additional asset to our team. And from what I heard, he's one hell of a berserker."

"Berserker?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

Finally, everyone reached to the room of the hallway. When the employee opened the door, it was revealed to be a dimly-lit room that held one child. A young boy around three to four years old possessing flat silver hair. However, what caught both the attention of the Master and Allison were his hands. Blood stains were still present on them as the employee explained,

"This kid went up against a 12 year old earlier today. That's why the staff had him isolated form the rest of the kids."

"Is that a fact?"

Asked The Master. The employee continued

"Yes. The week before, three 10 year olds ganged up on him only to have their asses handed to him. He's quite vicious when provoked. Otherwise, he's in his own little world."

"Fascinating."

Allison then says,

"Watch yourself, Master."

"I'll be quite alright."

As the master slowly approached the boy, he noticed that he seemed out of it.

"His own little world..."

When the Master placed his left hand on one of the boy's shoulders, he suddenly attacked the Master. Much to everyone's surprise. However, the Master proved himself to be not just more experienced in fighting, but the Master's height and weight outclassed the boy. The Master forces the boy laying down on the floor. The boy struggles in vain, much to the Master's delight.

"I can see you don't like being touched."

The boy continued to struggle to no avail.

"I can also see that you hate it here as well."

The boy then stopped struggling as the Master spoke to his desires of leaving the orphanage.

"You come with me, I can get you out of here. Teach you the proper way to survive. I can make you into a warrior. The ultimate assassin. How about it?"

The boy nodded yes to the Master's offer. He then asks the boy,

"What's your name?"

The boy did not say anything.

"What's the matter? Can't talk?"

"Actually, no he can't."

"What?"

"He's never said a single word since he got here. His parents used to live in Athens, working with a group of drug runners. From what the police reported, he was often alone in his home before they brought him here."

"I see..."

The Master took a long look at the boy before saying to himself,

"Well, I may have to use a favor on this kid..."

Curious, Allison asked,

"Master?"

"We're taking him."

"You sure?"

"He'll prove himself more than useful. But first, he needs an education."

xxxxxx

(New York City)

After a plane ride, both the Master and Allison took the boy to an empty office building. Allison then asked,

"Who are we waiting for?"

"A Supe that owes me a favor. Specifically, one from Vought."

"Seriously? You know how Supes from Vought are."

"Yes...but like I said, he owes me a favor."

After waiting for 20 minutes, the supe the Master talked about earlier finally arrived. He stood about 4 and a half feet tall, while wearing glasses, a purple outfit with gloves to match and a yellow cape, black pants, grey boots, and a small hard mesh bag. What stood out about the Supe was the fact that his head was twice its size. He also levitated his way inside.

"Allison, meet Superbrain. He possesses a variety of psychic powers. One of which will give the kid the education we talked about yesterday."

Superbrain sees both Allison and the Master with a slightly disdainful look on his face.

"Richard Karlson. Didn't think you'd cash your favor on a miserable specimen like that kid."

Richard hid his annoyance at the fact that Superbrain read his mind without his permission. Albeit with no success.

"Oh come on. You know what I'm about."

"Let's get on with it."

"Very well."

Richard signaled the boy to sit on the chair he placed in front of him. Superbrain then asked,

"Well, what do you want him to know?"

"Basic high school education for starters."

"All right."

Superbrain placed his hands on each side of the boy's name. Superbrain opened his bag with his powers to bring out the tablet inside. Superbrain then used his powers to rapidly look through the web for everything connected to a comprehensive high school education and transferred what he learned into the boy's mind. After five minutes, Superbrain said,

"Done."

The boy began to feel tired after the rush of information. Much to Allison's worry.

"Master, he's looks a little tired."

"He can take it."

"...fine."

"Any more you want in the kid's head?"

"Multiple languages. As followed: English. Spanish. French. German. Russian. Korean. Chinese, both Mandarin and Cantonese. Thai. Then, Japanese."

"...Done. Anything else?"

"A doctorate's degree in anatomy."

"Well, that might be pushing it...but all right."

Superbrain rushed through the web looking everything up on the subject of anatomy, including testing material and many college papers on the subject. This took up twice the time as there was a lot of information involved. This made not just the boy feeling overwhelmed, but Superbrain as well. So mush so, both started to nosebleed. Superbrain finally finished, but now he was just as exhausted as the boy. Allison caught him just before he fell to the floor. Superbrain took a while to gather himself, just in time for Richard to give Superbrain a bottle of water.

"Is it done?"

Superbrain grabbed the bottle with a large grunt and drank the whole bottle before telling Richard,

"Yes! I hope I never hear from you again!"

"Fair enough."

As Superbrain left the room, Richard gave another water bottle to Allison.

"Help him."

Allison aided the boy in drinking the water before asking Richard,

"Now what?"

"We'll head for the Continental here. Rest for tonight. Carry him for now."

"Fine."

Allison looked at the boy as he slept in her arms.

"Hmm...he's kind of adorable like this..."

xxxxxx

(The Next Day)

The boy ate breakfast alongside with Allison, who thought he would turn out to be a slob. Rather, the boy acted with a measure of civility. She only guided him in how to use the utensils correctly. At that moment, Richard approached the both of them.

"How is he?"

"A little new to the concept of spoons, but he's really behaving himself."

"That's good. I didn't give this him all he needed just for him to act like an animal."

"Let me guess: a new apprentice?"

Said someone Richard knew all too well. He turned around to see the owner of the New York Continental Hotel, Winston Scott.

"Winston, good to see you again."

"Richard. It's been a long time since you came back here."

"Well, it's as you said, I've gained a new apprentice."

Winston sees the boy eating his breakfast. He sits down opposite of the boy and asks him,

"And what is your name, lad?"

The boy hesitated at first to give an answer.

"Give him your name."

Said Richard to the boy. He eventually said,

"Leonidas...Argyros."

"Leonidas? I had no idea I sat in the presence of Spartan royalty."

Leonidas laughed a little when Winston made that joke. As did he, much to Allison's glee. Richard, however, was not amused.

"Winston, I'd never thought you'd act like a second-rate clown."

"It doesn't hurt to have a small sense of humor."

"Well, he's not here to make friends. Leon, have you finished?"

"Just about."

"Good. We're heading to another location within the city. Your training begins today. From here on in, you will call me Master. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master."

"...Very good."

Winston snapped his fingers for the staff to gather the dishes both Allison and Leon used. Winston then spoke to Allison.

"It is good to see you again, Allison."

"Likewise Winston."

She gave him a small hug before asking him,

"How you've been?"

"Fine. But thank you. But something I want to ask...where did you get the boy?"

"Sparta, actually. An orphanage, to be precise. He didn't get along with everyone around him. Made him a prime candidate to Richard, actually."

"Oh dear..."

"Yeah. Richard is gonna make him go through the most unforgiving training."

"Hmm...first-hand experience."

"Damn right. Good to see you again."

Before he joined with Richard and Allison, Winston spoke with Leon one last time.

"Leonidas..."

"Yes, Mr. Winston?"

"First, just Winston."

Leon nodded in response.

"Second...whatever happens...you will come out of it stronger than you never believed possible."

"Really?"

"Oh yes. Just remember..."

Winston pointed to Leon's heart.

"This is where your power comes from. This will give you the will to survive, to endure. You understand?"

Leon gave a small smile before rejoining with Richard and Allison. Winston whispered to himself,

"Good luck..."

xxxxxx

(Tokyo, Japan. 2008)

As an older Leonidas Argyros arrived in Japan for the second time, he received a call when he stepped outside out of the airport.

"Winston."

'Leon. How was the flight?'

"Long, but comfortable."

'Wonderful. I've already called ahead. They'll have you by the end of the week.'

"Very well. I will use the time to get settled."

'Wonderful to hear.'

"By the way...thank you. For setting this up for me."

'Always, lad. Take care of yourself.'

Leon then traveled to the apartment building he would make his home. When it was almost the end of the week, he went to an office building called "Hachikawa Security Services," a bodyguard company. As he entered inside, he first approached the secretary.

"Excuse me?"

"Hello. Welcome to Hachikawa Security Services. How can I help you?"

"Yes. My name is Leon Argyros. I know I was supposed to start here tomorrow, but I wanted to see what the building would be like."

"...Ok. I'll contact Mr. Hachikawa. Let him know you're here."

"I appreciate it."

After waiting seven minutes, Leon met with his future boss. He possessed a medium build underneath a black polo shirt with the company logo on and the pants to match.

"Nice to finally meet you, Leon."

"Likewise."

"You don't start here until tomorrow."

"I just wanted to see what I'm in for."

"Huh. Talk about spoiling the surprise. All right then. Let me show you around."

Leon spent the entire day touring the office, familiarizing himself with the building. From the gym/training rooms to the weapons locker, with was only filled mostly with handguns, a few shotguns, and at least three sniper rifles.

"We had to through a lot of paperwork for those rifles. But so far, we haven't had the need for using them."

"So...they're basically condoms?"

Hachikawa laughed when Leon made that remark.

"You come with a sense of humor."

"Yes...but don't expect it to be around all the time."

Hachikawa laughed a little more before continuing.

"Well, I look forward to working with you."

"As do I."

xxxxxx

(a few months later)

Leon had about 13 assignments since starting. Some of them were short, at least two months of guarding a client before his contract was up. Leon received decent reviews within all his assignments, which made Hachikawa give him one in a new development for the company he developed.

"Hachikawa, you wanted to see me?"

"Yes. Sit down."

As Leon sat, Hachikawa started with,

"First of all, Minster Haruno has expressed his pleasure in stopping that protester who wanted to get a little too handsy with him."

"Well, I'm not against exercising civil liberties, but he took it a little too far."

"Agreed. Which brings me to my main point. I'm creating a new kind of bodyguarding service."

"Which kind are you talking about?"

"We're offering our services...to idol groups."

"Idols?"

"Yes. How much do you know about the idol industry?"

"None at all."

Hachikawa laughed before he sees Leon in his usual stoic face.

"Oh , you're serious?"

"Mostly always."

Hachikawa laughed a little before continuing.

"Well, here's the basics. Idols are people who sing and dance for a living."

"Like musical actors?"

"A little more than that, but yes. Idols are basically entertainers hired for their looks and talents. Mostly their looks. Talent is honestly second with some agencies."

"Sounds counterintuitive."

"Not really. For a lot of these agencies, the prettier the idol is, the more the customer ignores what she lacks."

"What about male idols?"

"Oh those exist. But they're mostly like...I wanna say, boy bands? You're familiar with them, right?"

"I honestly wouldn't know."

"Not much for music?"

"I do. It's not for me."

"Fair enough. Anyhow, I want to assign you to rising idol who can get anyone's attention in a blink of an eye."

"What's her name?"

"Ai Hoshino."

Hachikawa gives Leon a file that contained the information of the client he will be protecting. When Leon saw her photo, her appearance struck a chord with him. Although she was young, Leon thought of her as stunning to look at. She possessed a slim figure, purple hair, but what stood out for Leon were her eyes. Her eyes possessed stars within them.

"Starting to get the appeal?"

Asked Hachikawa in a wry tone.

"I will not deny it."

"Well, her manager was the first one to apply for our services. Since he was the first customer, I offered him a deal that made it possible for him to hire us in the first place."

"All right. Did she request us?"

"No. Her manager. Named Ichigo Saitou, he sought out our services due to his client."

Leon see another picture behind Ai's and sees what Ichigo Saitou looked like.

"Why?"

"Well, from what he told me, Miss Hoshino here has to go on an extensive break for health reasons. He even chose a hospital out in Miyazaki to make sure that her recovery wouldn't be interrupted. But, to be safe, he has reached our company to make sure no one would find her. That's where you come in."

"I'm heading to Miyazaki?"

"You'll be going ahead of them. The manager's number is on the file."

"Thank you. I'll get on it."

"Good luck."

Leon left the building while texting the manager. After a lengthy back to back text conversation, Leon finalized the details of the route he will take with his client. When he finished, it was already nighttime. Leon went to sleep before midnight before waking up at five in the morning due to a nightmare. Leon then took the opportunity to get ready. As he finished cleaning up in the bathroom, he looked at himself in the mirror and says to himself,

"I've definitely seen better days..."

He sighed before finishing with,

"Hopefully this job will take my mind off...bad yesterdays."

xxxxxx

(Tokyo Station, the next day)

Leon arrived at the station an hour and a half early. He took the time to have breakfast in a small restaurant in the Yaseu Shopping Mall. When he finished, we went to the platform to wait for his clients. As he listened to his music on a bench

I'm here. Where are you?

I will join you soon. Please wait at the platform. I will join you soon.

Leon stood up from the bench to locate Saitou. As the train arrived, Leon sees Saitou's hair and texted to him,

Look for someone waving his phone in the air

Leon waved his phone, to which Ichigo sees and told the person next to him. Ichigo then approached Leon, with Leon introducing himself.

"Mr. Saitou?"

"Yes. Are you Leon Arge-Arg...?"

"Leon will be enough."

"Thank you. Nice to meet you, Leon."

As the two shook hands, Leon notices someone standing next to Ichigo. Leon saw the person dressed in yellow while wearing a blue cap and coat to match. Ichigo notices this and says,

"This is my client. I can't tell you more out here."

"I've arranged a couple of green rooms. Yours is next to mine."

"Wonderful."

As they entered the train, Leon took another look at the person that walked behind

xxxxxx

The train eventually exited Tokyo and went on its way to Shizuoka within Leon's green room. Leon then tells the two,

"This train will stop at Kokura station in Kitakyushu. Then we switch to another train that will take us to Oita station. Then another that will take us to Nobeoka Station. And then..."

"Let me guess. Another train ride?"

As Ichigo's client, to which the manager scolded,

"Don't tease him like that."

"It's fine. We'll be taking a car ride to the hospital you chose. The trip will about 22 hours to complete. So I suggest get as much rest as you can."

Then Leon noticed that the person next to Ichigo seemed to possess a rather large belly.

"My apologies if I sound like I'm implying anything...but is she pregnant?"

Ichigo got a little startled when Leon mentioned the pregnancy.

"It wasn't just the size of her belly, but I also noticed that she rubs her back somewhat frequently. She's a little of breath right now. She's rubbing her hands in way that suggests her hands are getting a little numb, and she's also getting through a...I want to say, minor headache?"

"Wait, how can you-?"

Ichigo then looked beside her to discover that her client was indeed doing all those things. Before he could finish his sentence, Leon explained why he knew such things.

"I...have a...doctorates in Anatomy."

"Really? You look so young."

"I was...given a...particularly rich education when I was younger."

"Wow. You must've been seriously smart."

Said Ichigo's client. She eventually revealed herself to be Ai Hoshino. Leon felt a little captivated when her long hair flowed down as she stared at him with her star-filled eyes. Although he hid it well, Leon was a little flustered when Ai took off her cap.

"That was so cool how you pointed out how I was pregnant. It's like you're some sort genius detective!"

"Keep your voice down! We don't want anyone to know that you're here."

"I have to agree with your boss, Miss Hoshino. He hired my company for its indiscretion."

"Uh...what was that last part?"

"...The way my company can keep a secret is the reason why I'm your bodyguard, ma'am."

"Oooooh...that's cool. Guess this is what I get for not going to middle school."

Leon was astounded at how confident she acted in admitting her lack of education. She even laughed it off. Leon, however, did not feel annoyed by this. He actually found it endearing.

"Anyhow, I can ask the staff to see if they have anything for headaches."

"Thank you. I was hiding it, but I can totally take a break from this headache I got right now."

Ichigo brushed the whole thing off as Ai just being a kid. As Leon got up, Ai asked,

"Leon, right?"

"Yes."

"What's your real name? The one that Ichigo couldn't say when we first met?"

"...Leonidas Argyros."

"Wow. What kind of name is that?"

"It's Greek. It means...one born of a silver lion."

Ai's reaction took a while to fully manifest, to match what she was feeling right now.

"I LOVE THAT NAME!"

Ichigo shushed her as she made too much noise.

"I said keep it down."

"Sorry boss. But it's a really good name. I love people named after animals. Especially cute ones."

Leon smiled a little when she complimented his name.

"You're very kind, ma'am. Now if you'll excuse me..."

As Leon went outside the green room to find any of the train staff for ibuprofen, he notices someone reading a magazine with Ai on the cover. The individual sees Leon and asked,

"She's cute, right?"

"I can honestly say..."

Leon smiled a little when he confessed,

"Pretty damn cute."

And this is where we end it for now. If you like this fan-fic, don't forget to subscribe and leave a review. Like I said before, I will be alternating between this fan-fic and the other one I'm finishing. But if you like what you're reading, stay tuned. Now if you're curious of the title of the chapter, well let me be the one to tell you...this fan-fic is also a love letter to David Bowie. Not too many references to him, but I made the singer play a significant part in his life. Thank you for reading. Stay safe out there and watch each other's backs. Until next time...