8:00 A.M.
Chief Matsumoto kept his promise to call Shun first thing in the morning. Given his busy schedule, the older man hoped to get the young Saint of Athena the information he needed as soon as possible.
"So you believe the next arms deal will take place at the docks? Why is it that you think that?" The Andromeda Saint inquired, his ear pressed against his phone and his gaze fixed on the scrambled files of the case assigned to him.
"I am just going with my gut on this one, Shun." The police chief responded on the other end of the line. "But think about it this way: the docks are the most secluded places any scumbag could use to hide their secrets. And if this weapons dealer is smart enough to try selling his product again, he will undoubtedly set up shop there."
"That does make sense." The Andromeda Saint acknowledged, agreeing with the logic. "So my focus should be on the weapons dealer." Shun stated confidently, eliciting a satisfied hum from the police chief. "From what I have read, he has been giving these guns away at reasonable prices to all of the gangs in the city."
"He's our culprit, alright. And it is your responsibility to bring him in. You will be doing us a huge favor if you can pull this off, Shun."
"Don't worry, sir. I promise I won't fail you." He spoke with a kind smile on his face.
"You better not. "You were not cheap to hire." The Andromeda Saint chuckled softly.
"Noted. I'll see you later, Mr.Matsumoto." He hung up the phone and started gathering all of the papers that were on his kitchen counter. It would be unwise to expose such sensitive information. While no one else lived in his spacious apartment, which was paid for by Saori's wealth, he refused to treat the files into which so many men had poured their blood, sweat, and tears as common mail.
He walked out of the kitchen and into his bedroom after stacking the papers neatly and placing them in the file folder. He approached the desk drawer in the corner of the room, pulled it open, securely placed the folder inside, and closed it.
He hummed in satisfaction as he exited his room and entered his kitchen to prepare breakfast.
RIIIIIIIIIINNG*
His thoughts about breakfast were interrupted by the phone. Putting aside his desire for food, he approached the phone and picked it up.
"Hello?" He inquired as to who was calling.
"Hi, baby brother."
Shun's lips curled into the most brilliant smile that could outshine the morning sun. "Ikki! I wasn't expecting you to call so soon."
He overheard his older brother's amused scoff. "I can't believe you would think of me so lowly, Shun."
Shun rolled his eyes and gently shook his head, but his smile persisted. "Says the one who is barely in the mood to come visit his family. Tell me, when was the last time you visited me?"
"Alright, alright, alright, don't go around busting my chops, little brother." The Andromeda Saint could detect a shift in his brother's tone. "I promise to come visit you when Thanksgiving comes around. "I should be finished with my stuff over here by tomorrow."
Shun gave a nod. "That sounds good to me. So, how is Miami treating you? I hope the change of scenery does not bother you too much.
"Eh, the beaches are nice, but it is really loud over here." Shun chuckled softly, already aware of Ikki's dislike of constant loud noises.
Playing one of his favorite heavy metal albums a little too loudly taught him that.
"It is a good thing you are almost finished with your work. Spend another day there, and you will probably snap." The Andromeda Saint joked.
"Yeah, I think I've had my fill of this place. Anyways, I'll stop bothering you and go on about my day. Take care of yourself, baby brother." The Phoenix Saint said that last sentence in a softer, more tender tone reserved for his remaining family.
"You take care of yourself as well, big brother. I will be rooting for you from here." Shun hung up the phone after a few more words of departure, leaving his apartment in the silence to which he had grown accustomed.
He had always loved and will continue to love his older brother. The few who were close to him knew how much love and admiration he had for the Phoenix Saint when they met him for the very first time.
But he would be lying if he said he was not frustrated by his brother's insistence on not living with him. He has repeatedly told him that his apartment was also his home, and he would not mind if he moved in with him. They were a family, after all. It was a universal rule that a family should always try to stay together.
Ikki disagreed with his younger brother's views on what a family should be. While it was expected that two brothers would disagree on some issues, Shun was particularly troubled when he was left to reflect on his older brother's absence…
He leaned his elbows against the counter, bending his body as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Just as Thanksgiving drew nearer, his older brother had the grace to give him a call. He could not allow his thoughts to stray to the importance of family and brotherly arguments, which frequently left him feeling angry and frustrated. For the sake of himself, his brother, his friends, and Saori, he had to maintain his optimism.
"Maybe this is what happens when I do not eat. I should know better." He chastised himself, a smile tugging on his lips.
Looking down, he focused his attention on the necklace around his neck, tenderly tracing along the iron thin rim that framed the star, and smiled as he read the letters 'Yours Ever'. "At least I have you with me, mom." He spoke to the necklace as if his late mother could hear him.
He got off his counter and started going through the ingredients and foods in his refrigerator. He knew exactly what he wanted to eat for today.
"Now, where did I leave those chocolate chip pancakes?"
...
4:00 P.M.
8 hours later...
The Andromeda Saint stepped out of the bathtub after turning the shower's transparent glass knob to one side. He wrapped a fluffy green bathrobe around his glistening figure and tied the soft green belt into a neat bow.
Sighing in relief, he exited his bathroom and threw himself onto his bed, his body melting into the unbelievably soft mattress, almost as if it was attempting to trap him in a cocoon of comfort from which he would not dare to escape.
"Just another day of modeling, Shun. This should not be too difficult for you." He spoke to himself in an effort to lift his spirits after another exhausting day at his modeling job. He foolishly assumed that modeling would be a simple job in which he only had to pose for the cameras.
On his first day of work, he was immediately proven wrong.
Modeling may not have required the most physical exertion, but trying to maintain the pose and facial expression that effectively captured the desired emotion that would sell the product for extended periods of time put a lot of pressure on his muscles. Not to mention how mentally exhausted he was from trying his hardest not to break character in front of everyone and ruin the momentum of the shoot.
Shun knew he did not have to model, especially since Saori paid him and the rest of the Saints a salary that would make most blue-collar workers envious. Even if his temporary modeling job paid just as well, he did not enter the modeling industry to make a large salary.
As appealing as that may have sounded to many young teenagers, making a lot of money from his appearance was not something he was obsessed with.
No, his motivation for entering the modeling industry was far more personal: he needed to do something when his duties as a Saint of Athena did not require his presence, or when he wanted to take a break from his duties and indulge in the pleasures of modern life.
The Andromeda Saint may have wielded power beyond that of a few Gods, but he was still a human at the end of the day. And, like all humans, he had limitations. He did not want to spend his entire life fighting the evil and sinister forces that lurked in the universe's deepest corners. Even though he would fight for truth and justice to the death if it meant saving the life of one innocent soul, his heart yearned to experience what he could not as a child.
He and his older brother have been orphans since he was a baby. Both of them had to spend a large portion of their childhood on the streets, scraping by with whatever they could get. He knew that during that difficult time in their lives, he could not have everything he desired. But now? As he lay in his bed's plush blankets, wrapped in the coziest bathrobe imaginable, he was at last relieved that he could purchase anything he desired.
And he had Saori to thank for.
"Maybe this is one of my rewards for becoming the Saint of Andromeda." In his head, he came to the conclusion that his life was much better now than it had been in the past, grinning and feeling thankful. While he wished it were more stable and free of the chaos of war, he could appreciate what he had now.
Taking another savor of the cloud-like softness of his mattress, he rose from the bed and went to his desk drawer, pulling out the folder Chief Matsumoto had handed him. He returned to his bed and settled in against the headboard, using the silk green pillows as a makeshift seat.
He did not need to reread what he already knew about these gangs and their intentions. He was much more concerned with the main suspect, the one who is fueling the fire between all of Tokyo's gangs: the weapons dealer, also known as 'The Man With The Evil Grin' by the police.
But before Shun could focus on The Man With The Evil Grin, he had to go back a week, to when two small groups of different Bosozoku gangs were fighting on the Tokyo Expressway. Seven Bosozoku members were killed in this shocking and gruesome battle, six by gunfire and one in a bike crash. The only surviving member was taken to the hospital to be treated for his injuries.
When the police arrived and asked where he and his companions got such dangerous weapons, he claimed they bought them from a man wearing a mask with the largest, most absurd grin he had ever seen. At first, they did not quite believe the answer they had gotten: an arms dealer wearing a Halloween mask sounded like something straight out of a sci-fi movie, so they chose to dismiss his response as a result of his injuries scrambling his memories, tricking him into believing something that was not there. So the police left him alone to be cared for by the doctors, and they would return once his head was in better condition.
The recuperating Bosozoku member would later be discovered dead in the hospital bathroom, with a bullet through his head as the cause of death. A minute before discovering his body, the nurses heard a gunshot in the bathroom. They stated that no one entered the restroom except him. The police knew it was not a suicide, but an assassination.
The PSIA became involved as soon as word spread about the murder and the circumstances surrounding it; things had gotten serious, and it was time to stop messing around with any and all details.
Not even a day after the murder, another gunfight erupted in the mountains of Tokyo, but the aftermath was far more bloody than the previous one, with twelve Bosozoku members killed and only two found alive.
After being rushed to the hospital, they were interviewed by the PSIA, and their responses were similar: they obtained their weapons from an arms dealer wearing a mask.
The PSIA and the police knew exactly who they needed to go after. And it was clear that they should proceed with extreme caution. They were going to be dealing with firearms, so they had to play their cards carefully if they wanted to bring down the arms dealer.
Unfortunately, their first attempt to apprehend him was a complete failure, resulting in an absolute massacre…
After locating the next arms exchange via the local newspaper, where the surviving Bosozoku stated that they would find the next location by deciphering the code from various advertisements found within said newspaper, they dispatched the specially trained anti-firearms unit to bring down the arms dealer and finally put an end to these gang wars.
Several police officers were killed when one of the Bosozoku brandished a slew of assault rifles and opened fire on the officers. Minutes would pass before the gunfire stopped, leaving only dozens of dead bodies scattered across the ground, forming crimson puddles on the concrete stone.
Following the cleanup of the crime scene and the confiscation of all Bosozoku weapons, it was revealed that all of them were carrying never before seen ammunition that was specifically designed to pierce the most durable body armor.
The arms dealer would die a few hours after that devastating defeat after colliding head-on with a truck, leaving no one with any clues as to how these weapons ended up in his possession.
Even though the majority of law enforcement was dissatisfied with the outcome, the city could rest assured that there would be no more gunfights on the streets.
They were unaware that they had just jinxed themselves.
Two days after the police and PSIA suffered their great loss, another gunfight erupted in the slums of Tokyo, killing both the Bosozoku and a few innocent civilians caught in the path of the raging gunfire.
The peaceful, uneventful days that the people of Tokyo had grown accustomed to were shattered in the span of a few minutes. The city was rapidly transforming into a war zone.
And everyone fears the thought of the harm they would cause if the gang wars continued and grew in scope.
More investigation was conducted by the PSIA and police, and it was eventually discovered that another arms dealer was selling Bosozoku high-quality firearms. Like the previous dealer, he wore a bright pink mask and smiled broadly.
At this point, things started to get weird: the arms dealer who took the place of the previous one was wearing the exact same mask as the previous one, and the pin on his suit jacket indicated that he was a member of the local yakuza family.
This struck Shun as very strange. Why was this alleged Yakuza family member engaged in such a dangerous business endeavor? What was the meaning behind his mask? Was there an organization he was involved with that operated abroad?
RIIIIIIIIIINNG*
The phone rang from the kitchen, interrupting Shun's thoughts.
Setting the folder aside, he muttered to himself inquisitively, "Wonder who that could be."
He got out of bed, straightened his robe, went into his kitchen, and took the phone from the answering machine. "Hello, who is this?"
"It's Chief Matsumoto, Shun." The police chief's calm and collected voice welcomed him.
"Chief Matsumoto!" Shun exclaimed, showing a little more enthusiasm. "How is your evening treating you?"
"Nothing more than dealing with the usual paperwork." He and Shun shared a small chuckle. "What have you been up to, kid?"
Taking a seat at his table, he responded. "I have been going over the case file you gave me. I am just making sure I know what we are dealing with here."
"That is good, because we will need you tomorrow night."
"What is going to happen tomorrow?" the Andromeda Saint inquired, his laid-back demeanor shifting completely.
"My hunch was correct, Shun. My men have figured out where the next arms deal will take place. This is your chance to prove yourself, kid."
...
One day later...
10:00 P.M.
Shun, now wearing the Cloth of Andromeda, crouched on top of a stack of shipping containers near the pier and looked around the open yet secluded spot where the arms deal would take place. It was nighttime, and the only source of illumination he had was the distant golden glow of the city's bright lights.
It was a shame he could not spend the rest of the night admiring the city's beauty, lit up by an array of dazzling lights. Regretfully, he could not afford to disappoint his city and its police force because there were criminals who needed to be brought to justice.
He peered up at the faint rumble of an engine, the source of which was concealed by the containers.
After a few minutes, he noticed a large van. Every inch of the vehicle's shell was painted in the darkest shade of black, which could have easily blended into the shadows if not for the headlights that illuminated the path ahead.
The large, softly curved vehicle came to a halt, its headlights and engine turned off. Shun heard the driver's seat door open, and a few seconds later, his emerald gaze was fixed on the arms walking up and opening the rear doors of his van, pulling out multiple black crates and stacking them on top of one another.
The Andromeda Saint took a moment to examine the mask he wore over his face.
From the long ears to the chin, the mask was professionally painted in a bright, reddish pink hue. There were no hollowed eye holes for the man's eyes to see through, raising the question of how he was able to drive so well without causing any accidents. However, Shun's attention was drawn to something other than the mask's lack of eye sockets.
The mask's mouth was a comically large grin that stretched from one end to the other, displaying rows of thick teeth and detailed gums.
Shun was not the type to be afraid of a Halloween mask, but he would admit that the lack of eye sockets and the absurdly wide grin could make some people feel uneasy, possibly nervous and threatened, especially if the person wearing the mask chose not to speak.
Apart from the large grin, Shun noticed something unusual about his mask. A contrasting white logo was painted in the center of the forehead. The logo consisted of a cross circle and a heart. The phrase 'Love You' was written in blood red streaks across the heart in the center of the cross circle.
When a logo appears on a mask, it is designed primarily to create an aesthetic appeal. Shun's intuition, however, told him that the arms dealer's distinctive heart logo served a purpose other than aesthetics.
"So, I suppose this is the arms dealer I am supposed to deal with. But is he really handling this entire operation on his own? "Why does he not have bodyguards around him?"
This man was playing a very dangerous game, and one wrong move, whether by him or his customers, could mean the difference between life and death. And he has already made one fatal mistake: conducting business without bodyguards to protect him in case something goes wrong.
Either this illegal arms dealer was so confident that things would go his way that he did not need bodyguards, or he was unaware of the dangers that lay ahead.
Shun knew that once he made his presence known, everything would go wrong. That is when he would have to do everything in his power to ensure the safety of the arms dealer. He promised Chief Matsumoto that he would bring in the arms dealer alive, and Saints never break their promises.
He turned his attention to the distant roars of a group of motorcycle engines approaching. He could see the light from their bikes growing larger and larger as they approached the containers.
Eventually, the Bosozoku drove around the corner, approaching the arms dealer on their heavily customized motorcycles that gave them their distinct, rebellious identity.
The young man at the head of the pack appeared to be much taller than the others. He must have been the head of the Bosozoku gang, or at least one of its top leaders, because he was the only one wearing a long coat over his jumpsuit.
The pack's alpha stopped his bike, and all of his followers followed suit. The leader of the Bosozoku pack stepped off the bike, followed by the others, and walked up to the arms dealer with a confident swagger.
"Oi, do you have what we need here?" The Bosozoku leader 'asked' while crossing his arms.
"That and so much more." The masked arms dealer responded in a sinister yet jovial tone. "I hope it isn't rude of me to ask, but do you have the money on you?" He added, clasping both of his hands together and slightly bending his body down, his mask directed at the leader.
"Yes, we do. Takashi!" The leader called out to one of his goons, who quickly and obediently brought over a small leather bag. Shun did not have to guess what was inside when the zipper was pulled open.
The goon handed the opened bag to the arms dealer. The man angled his eyeless mask to look inside, assuming he could see anything at all.
"Yes, this will work just fine." Seemingly satisfied with what he 'saw', he snatched the bag from the Bosozoku's grasp and dropped it next to him.
"Now, boys, what do you want for tonight? I have everything you need right here." He turned to the small stack of crates and opened the box at the very top, dramatically revealing a compacted sized, rectangular shaped gun.
"What in the world?" The first thing that came to mind was Shun's curiosity and interest in the peculiarly shaped gun's design.
"The hell is this? A toy?" The leader of the Bosozoku group exclaimed in disbelief as he grabbed the gun's base and turned it from side to side, attempting to make sense of what he was seeing.
"It is not a toy." Do not let its strange shape fool you, boy; this right here." The arms dealer snatched the gun from Bosozoku's grasp, raising it high into the air for all to see. "This is the P90. Quite possibly the most devastating SMG you will ever lay hands on."
"How so?" One of the Bosozoku grunts in the back asked.
Shun could easily imagine the grin beneath the man's mask widening. "You see, this gun uses one-of-a-kind ammunition that is specifically designed to pierce through any body armor on the market. Wherever it goes, it will be like a baseball going through wet tissue."
"Really? So, if the cops come out with their body armor, that SMG," the Bosozoku pack leader said, pointing to the gun held by the arms dealer, "will annihilate them no problem?"
"That is exactly what I'm saying." The arms dealer proudly said, returning the SMG to the Bosozoku. The teenage delinquent looked at the firearm with renewed admiration, having been duped by the arms dealer's words.
"I am going to have a great time playing with this little beauty. How many more do you have for the rest of my boys?
"I have enough for everyone here!" The masked man joyfully exclaimed as he walked back with his arms outstretched. "So, please wait here for a little while for your gifts."
While the man in the mask went to his van to get some more guns for the Bosozoku, Shun reflected on what he had just seen.
If the Bosozoku take to the streets with those SMGs, the destruction they will cause will be unprecedented in the history of the city, if not the country. The young Saint of Athena could already envision how many innocent lives would be lost in the battles they would start with their rivals.
He was not going to let that happen-
"Huh?" The chain hanging from his right gauntlet defied gravity as its speared end shifted and floated in the air. Shun has grown accustomed to the 'behaviors' his chains would exhibit before a fight, and right now, his chains were warning him of a distant enemy.
Looking away from the Bosozoku group, he focused on where his chain was pointing. A gleam from a scope flashed across his vision for a split second.
A shot was fired, producing a loud snap that sounded like a single thunderbolt booming during a storm.
Shun shifted his head to the side, effectively avoiding the bullet aimed at his cranium. He countered instinctively by firing his left chain, his weapon extending to incredible lengths as it approached the sniper.
The would-be assassin was thrown off the containers when the ball attachment of Shun's chain collided with his head, neutralizing him in one blow.
Unfortunately, the single shot he fired from his rifle was the spark that set the peaceful night on fire.
"SHIT! The cops are here!!" That single shout prompted the rest of the gang to rush to the crates, grab an SMG, and brace themselves for an impending gunfight.
"If that is how it is going to go tonight, let us give these pigs a taste of their own medicine!" The leader arrogantly raised his gun high in the air, displaying far more excitement than alarm.
His arrogance was quickly proven to be a major mistake, as a chain wrapped around the wrist holding his SMG, tightening into a vice-like grip.
Before the Bosozoku leader could feel the painful pressure of metal digging into his skin, the chain coiled around his wrist was pulled up, disarming him and lifting his feet off the ground, before being lowered, generating enough force to bring him down to the hard and rough surface ground. The front of his face made harsh contact with the stone, knocking the Bosozoku leader out of commission but causing no fatal injuries.
One of his men noticed the commotion behind him and was shocked to see their leader unconscious on the ground.
This, of course, exacerbated the Bosozoku grunts' already high paranoia level.
"What the hell?!?" Who just knocked out our Aniki!?"
The arms dealer, standing quietly in the background, finally decided to flee, something he should have done since he heard the first shot. Because of his late action, he attracted the attention of the alarmed and paranoid Bosozoku grunts, the majority of whom had armed themselves with the firearms he had provided them.
And, because their minds were filled with paranoia, they would make absurd, illogical assumptions about the situation in which they were trapped.
"Damn it, the gun dealer sold us out to the cops!! GET HIM!" That was the accusation that was thrown out.
Agreeing with the accusation, one of the Bosozoku in front attempted to aim the muzzle of their SMG at the fleeing arms dealer, but was sent flying into his comrades standing behind him by a metal ball slammed into the side of his head, courtesy of the Andromeda Saint, who had chosen to leap from his hiding spot and into the sights of the Bosozoku group.
"W-WHO IN THE HELL ARE YOU!?" A Bosozoku with a bandana around his head screamed at the Andromeda Saint, his eyes filled with a mix of youthful rage and confusion.
"A guy who is trying to do the right thing here." Shun calmly replied, his emerald green eyes fixed on all of the bikers with a calm and neutral expression.
Agitated by the intervention of the Andromeda Saint, all of the Bosozoku pointed their guns at him. "Dammit! Get that son of a bitch!"
"Nebula Chain!!" Shun leaped into the air and whipped both of his chains forward, unleashing a storm of chains from thin air and sending them to defeat the Bosozoku.
But Shun did more than just unleash a swarm of ruthless metal snakes to defeat his opponents. Because his weapons had a certain level of sentience, they would mostly do what he wanted while fighting. There were times when his chains went against his commands, but this only happened when he was still a rookie.
So, with much more experience under his belt, his chains obeyed their master's order to disarm and immobilize the enemy. He saw the spear end of his chains attack the Bosozoku's wrists, knocking their guns out of their grasp, while the ball end of the other chains would strike directly at their solar plexus, knocking the wind out of their lungs and dropping them to the floor like flies.
Landing on the ground and mentally commanding his weapons to return, all of the chains that had been sent forward disintegrated into barely visible particles, and the two chains that were connected to his arms returned to him, shrinking back to their normal length.
With no other hostiles in sight, Shun turned to where the arms dealer had fled and jumped high onto the stacks of containers. He would be able to locate the masked criminal's destination with the aid of Andromeda's chains. Stretching his right gauntlet into the cool night air, the sharp end of his weapon floated, its speared edge pointing to his left.
"Thank you, Nebula." The Andromeda Saint whispered to his chain. After releasing his chain, his body radiated a faint pink glow. When he moved, his entire body accelerated beyond the speed of sound, transforming into a blur of pink. And, thanks to the mystical properties of his Cosmos, he did not have to worry about unleashing a shockwave, which would have caused massive damage to the entire area.
In less than a second, he had caught up to the masked arms dealer, appearing right in front of him and bringing him to a halt.
His face was not visible, but Shun could easily imagine the shocked expression underneath.
"Where in the world did you come from!?"
"Where I came from doesn't matter, sir." The Andromeda Saint responded dismissively, standing tall in front of the masked criminal. "Surrender right here, and no one else will get hurt tonight."
"I am afraid that will not happen, Saint of Andromeda." The masked man replied.
The mention of his earned title took him by surprise. "You… know who I am? How?" He inquired, his emerald green eyes reflecting genuine confusion and concern. Was he playing a mind game, or did he know about his life as a Saint of Athena?
"Oh, I know quite a bit about you, pretty boy." He spoke in a sinister and dark tone, with a hint of sadistic amusement. "But I am afraid I have just run out of time for you." For now… be prepared for what lies ahead."
"Wait! What is that supposed to… to… mean…" Shun nodded off, his eyes becoming heavy.
"What… is… happening… to me?" He tried to speak, but his words were weak and breathless, and his mind was on the verge of shutting down. His body failed him just as much as his mind. He could feel his knees trembling and his legs losing strength, almost wobbling from side to side.
With his consciousness pressed against the wall, he gave his chains one last, desperate command.
"Nebula… protect… me."
When the Andromeda Saint's mind finally failed him, his vision darkened as his body hit the ground, making it impossible for him to see whether his weapons obeyed his commands. The man's smiling mask, staring down at him, would be the last thing he would see.
"Sleep little Andromeda. You'll need it." The masked man said those final words before everything went dark, leaving his fate uncertain.
…
A/N: Happy (late) Christmas, and a beautiful New Years to all my lovely readers!
Even though this story has a very small following, I'm still grateful that a small number of people are interested enough to read this. I'm not an egomaniac, but seeing some support makes me feel like I'm doing something right.
Speaking of New Years, I will share one resolution with all of you. The resolution I have made is that I want to begin writing an all original fantasy story. (I know, a typical start you would probably expect.)
I've just been craving to write something magic and fantasy related for a literal year, and it is about time that I begin with the first few steps. Even if my full part-time job eats up most of my time, I'll find a way to make it work
Anyways, I'll stop rambling and let you all enjoy the holidays!
Again, thank you for the support you all have shown. It means a lot to me.
Goodbye, and take care!
...
Edited in March 2025: Made a ton of grammar corrections and added a few important details that I had forgotten about.