Author:
PlantressTitle: Warriors Heart
Anime/Manga: Saint Seiya/Fushigi Yugi
Summary: After the deaths of Hades and Tenko, the world is not at peace. As the Saints struggle to find answers to the mysterious phenomenon that occurred in Tokyo, Yui and her friends find that there are gods and warriors in this world as well. After a new enemy arises, the former Seiryu priestess finds herself drawn into the middle of this new war.
“So let me get this straight….something just showed up and attacked a school?” Seiya scratched his head. “That doesn’t make any sense.” The Seiya and Shiryu had joined Saori in the study to listen to the report of the other two Saints.
“Are you sure about this?” Saori sighed.
“We’re sure. What ever it was….” Shun shook his head. “I’m not sure it was even human.” Hyoga nodded.
“It was a beast.” The Russian Saint said firmly. “But he’s not the one I’m worried about. The man that showed up after I attacked him….” Hyoga leaned forward. “I think he was more dangerous. The beast-mans cosmo was savage….but it that powerful. My next attack would have defeated that thing. The man that saved him though….his cosmo was very powerful.”
“And neither of us noticed the other man until he attacked us.” Shun added.
“That is worrying.” Saori stood from her desk and walked over to the window. “But at least this proves that our enemy is somewhere in Japan. They have started to move again and this time we will be here.” The Saints all nodded.
“But I still don’t get it…why attack a school?” Seiya scratched his head. “It doesn’t make any sense….”
“Maybe because it’s not suppose to.” Shiryu said suddenly. “What if it’s suppose to random?”
“What?” Seiya blinked. “Why would they….?”
“To confuse us.” Saori said nodding. “So that we will know that there in Tokyo, but have no idea what there doing.”
“So what are we suppose to do?”
“…We still don’t know who this enemy is. Until we find that out we can’t do anything.”
“So were just suppose to sit here and wait for them to show up again!?” Seiya jumped up. “We can’t do that!”
“They what do you propose we do Seiya?” Saori turned to look at him. The Pegasus Saint paused then dropped back down on the chair he had been sitting on.
“I know we can’t really do anything yet….but I don’t like sitting around here.”
“No of us do Seiya.” Shun said gently.
“The Steel Saints are still looking into the reports of strange activity that started to occur around the same time the strange island was reported.” Saori said. “They’re out checking those locations that were hardest hit now, but we haven’t been able to find out anything yet.”
“Who are enemy is now, they aren’t acting like any of our previous enemies.” Shiryu said thoughtfully. “They aren’t going after us directly.”
“We’ll have to wait and see what they want.” Saori said. “Until then I want you to keep an eye out. This time no one was hurt. We might not be so lucky next time.”
There was a mutter of agreement from everyone in the room.
************
“Are you sure it was Ashitare?” Keisuke asked again. “You sure it wasn’t a wolf or something like that….?”
“I’m sure Ni-san!” Miaka said around a mouthful of food. She swallowed. “You asked us three times!”
“I know, it’s just that it seems unbelievable.”
“But it’s true!” Miaka cried as Yui sighed. They had gotten clear of the school to find almost everyone packed out front. They hadn’t been the only ones running for safety thankfully, not everyone had seen Ashitare appear, but heard the massive explosion that had followed her and Miaka’s escape. They had managed to blend in with the rest of the people milling around in front of the school gates before the police had arrived. After that she had dragged Miaka way and then she had called Tetsuya. After she told him what had happened, he agreed to find Taka and Keisuke, then meet her and Miaka back at his apartment.
“Are you it was that Ashitare?” Testuya asked. “Not some weird our world version of Ashitare.” Yui looked at her boyfriend, and shook her head.
“No, he said ‘priestess’. He knew what Miaka and I used to be.” Miaka, finished with her comfort foot, was now clinging to Taka.
“Has Suzaku contacted you at all?” Taka asked. “Any more weird dreams or anything?” Miaka shook her head.
“No….but I don’t get it! Why is this happening now!? We already defeated Tenko! Don’t we deserve our peace and happiness? Why can’t we be left alone!” Miaka buried her head in Taka’s chest as the others looked on.
“Miaka…” Yui whispered. It did seem unfair but…they had to deal with it even though they had no idea what was going.
“Are we sure this has something to do with the Four Gods?” Tetsuya asked thoughtfully. Keisuke gave him a weird look.
“It as to! It’s not like there’s any other gods running around randomly bringing people to life!” Keisuke shook his head. “Besides Ashitare was a Seiryu warrior remember? This has to have something to do with the Four Gods!”
“But Suzaku hasn’t contacted anyone.” Testuya pointed out. “Before, no matter what weird things was happening, he at least tried to warn either Miaka or Taka. Now he hasn’t shown himself at all, right?” He directed the last question toward the couple across from him. They both nodded.
“That’s true.” Taka said thoughtfully. “And like Keisuke-san said, Ashitare was a Seiryu warrior.”
“But Seiryu’s gone! I sealed him away.” Miaka cried.
“He was with the other gods when the sealed away Tenko, wasn’t he?” Yui said quietly. Miaka paused then suddenly her eyes went wide.
“But why would he come after us? And why would he bring back Ashitare of all people! And how is he able to affect our world!”
“I don’t know how Seiryu is affecting this world but I think we might need to face the possibility that Ashitare isn’t the only Seiryu warrior that was brought back to life.” Everyone went silent as the thought of the other warriors. It scared Yui. She had spent the last year trying to make up for her mistakes and put the past behind her. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to face any of the warriors if they had been resurrected. Tetsuya must have noticed her expression because he added rather hastily “But we don’t know that for sure yet! Let’s just keep our eyes open until we figure out what’s really going on, right Yui?” He had such an anxious expression that the former Seiryu priestess had to smile.
“That’s true. Miaka, will tell us if Suzaka contacts her or Taka.”
“For now just be careful everyone.” Keisuke sighed. “And if anyone sees Ashitare or something else strange, tell everyone. I’m going to go see if I can get a look at the Universe of the Four Gods book. If this really is part of it’s story, maybe it’s already started recording it.” Everyone nodded, then they all rose slowly to their feet and left the apartment.
As Tetsuya drove her home, Yui stared out the window. Although she hadn’t said anything out loud, she sympathized with Miaka. She did not want to be involved in any more battles against demons or gods. All she wanted to was live in peace but it seemed as if some was intent on punishing her for her sins. She kept getting being pulled toward the Four Gods, and now her past had come back to haunt her in a very real sense. They stopped at a red light.
“Yui?” She turned to find Tetsuya giving her a concerned look. He had taken off his sun glasses for once, a sure sign that he was serious. She knew what he was going to ask too.
“I’m fine.” She said, cutting him off before he could fully form his question.
“Your not.” He said firmly. “I know you like to keep things bottled up in side, but it’s not good for you.”
“I know.” Yui admitted quietly. “But I’m not ready yet Tetsuya. Give me a bit alright?” She gave him what was a reassuring smile. From the look on his face it wasn’t but since the light changed then Tetsuya didn’t try to continue the conversation. He just reached over and took her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.
********
A pained howl echoed around Aphrodite’s thorn room as the goddess stormed in. She quickly located the source of the noise. Eros had the wolf-man, the first warrior that she had manage to create a physical form for, leashed to a pillar and was firing small golden darts at him. Although the attacks didn’t caused much physical damage, the creature would writhe and howl with pain after each hit.
Aphrodite’s lip curled. Normally she would care what Eros did with the ugly creature. He had only been an experiment, and one that hadn’t yielded the results she wanted. The other souls she had found were much more powerful than his and she hoped would they would be far more intelligent and pleasing to the eye than this brute.
But Eros was torturing the wolf in her private sanctuary. She would not allow such and unsightly special to continue.
“Eros!” She screeched as she strode forward. Her warrior turned just in time to receive a back hand that knocked him to the floor.
“My lady.” The leader of her warriors looked up startled. “I did not think you would return early.” The beast, freed from it’s torment for a moment, had curled into a whimpering ball on the floor.
“That is obvious.” Aphrodite snarled. “Otherwise I seriously doubt you would be doing something like this in my private chambers.” She glared at Eros.
“I do not care what you do to this creature as long as it’s alive to serve me. But from now on be sure to keep for amusements to your own rooms.”
“That is not what I was going my Lady.” Eros had managed to get his feet underneath him, but he didn’t stand instead remained kneeling at her feet.
“Then what where you doing?” The goddess demanded. Eros shifted uncomfortably.
“I was punishing him for escaping earlier today.” The man admitted.
“Escaped?” Aphrodite questioned sweetly. Eros nodded rather nervously. Aphrodite gave him an equal sweet smile. “Well then…” Her sharp toes shoe impacted Eros’s stomach and launched the man back against a wall. He stood shakily to find his goddess quivery with rage.
“You want me to think that…that…thing managed to escape under your watch!? I though that I was careful not to choose incompetent fool to serve me. Apparently I was wrong.”
“But Lady Aphrodite you left Adonis in charge of the creature!”
“Then he will be punished the next time I see him! But you…you are the leader of all my warriors! I gave you that title because I assumed as the most powerful of my warriors you were also the most capable. Perhaps I should have made Adonis the leader instead, since it appears you can’t keep control of your underlings. Eros didn’t say anything. He knew better than to protest against his goddess when she was angry. Speaking against her would only make her angrier. Aphrodite sighed.
“At least tell me nothing happened.” She snapped and glared at him.
“He attacked a school.” Eros was forced to admit.
“WHAT!?” Aphrodite turned toward him livid. “If he killed anyone…”
“He did my Lady.” Eros said softly. “He was stopped by two men. Both had cosmos that were strong enough to have killed him. I don’t know who they were but since they were no ordinary humans, I suspect they were two of Athena‘s Saints.” There was a dangerous silence following his announcement.
“You mean to tell me” Aphrodite said in a dangerously sweet voice. “That you allowed two men who might be Saints to see you!?” Her voice rose as she spoke until she was screaming.
“No!” Eros said quickly. “They didn’t get a clear look at me. All they saw was the beast before I teleported us away.”
“Are you sure?” Aphrodite glared at him. Eros nodded.
“I am very sure, my lady.” The warriors assured her.
“You had better hope you’re correct. No one will every thinking of connecting such an ugly beast with me, but you had better keep a better eye on him.” Eros muttered an agreement as she stalked over to where Ashitare lay.
“And you had better remember who you serve now beast! I saved your life, and you will learn to obey those who are better than you!” The former Seiryu warrior growled, then lunged toward her. The goddess jerked back, just as a arrow that glowed with a black light went flew by her ear and slammed into the wolf-man, causing him to howl.
As Ashitare slid to the ground, bleeding from a hole that had appeared his shoulder Aphrodite turned to glare at Eros.
“I told you that I didn’t want my temple to be messy!” She snapped. “Clean this up now!” Not waiting to even see if her subordinate agreed, the goddess turned and stepped away from the growing pool of blood. She would not allow herself to be soiled by that beasts blood. “And don’t let him die!” She called back to Eros.
Much as she disliked the wolf-man, Aphrodite had put much energy into creating the physical from he now war. He had been experiment, born from the weakest of the souls she had managed to capture. He had proved that she was able to bring the souls of Seiryu’s former warriors to life, something that she had been unsure she would be able to do. A satisfied smiled graced the goddess beautiful face. She had already started the process of reviving the other warriors. As soon as that happened she would send them after Athena. That way she would not be wasting the lives of the few warriors she had, and she would, with a little luck, be able to misdirect Athena. It was a satisfying thought, one made all the more so knowing that the strongest soul she had capture was almost fully revived. That was the soul was the one that had seemed to hold a power strong enough to rival Eros. Perhaps it’s owner would prove to even more competent than he was.