Second Chance XII
Title:Second Chance XII
Author:Plantress
Anime/Manga: Saint Seiya (AkA Knights of the Zodiac)
Summary: Part twelve of my 'What if Aiolos has survived?' fic.
It looked like a dream, a nightmare but the cosmo that filled the coliseum showed the reality. He stared as the crows lifted his goddess higher and higher into the air. The shock froze him for less than a second.
“Saori!” He ran forward but she was already of reach. Seiya and the others were less than half a second behind him, but he barely heard their cries of shock. His first instinct had been to attack the crows, to stop them from taking her away. He knew he could kill them with the bow from his cloth…but then they might drop her. And they were too far away to catch her if she fell. He turned and flew down the steps. He would get his Cloth and he would rescue her. It was his fault that she had been put in danger, and this was all he could to make it right.
Saga must have figured out who Saori was and sent someone to take her. It was the only reasonable explanation. And he had to stop whoever it was before they killed Athena.
He passed by the room that they had been gathered in, and summoned his cloth to him. Running through some of the narrower corridors would be hell with his wings but there was no time for anything else. Seiya burst into the room on his heels. Aiolos paused only to nod briefly at the Pegasus Saint, before tearing toward the exit. His wings hit the wall and let out a metallic shriek he barely noticed. Several times he was forced to half-crouch as he ran in order to get through some of the lower doorways. None of that mattered too him though. He could hear his heart bounding in his ears, and was astonished at how slow it sounded. Fear consumed him, forcing each second to take what felt like a year to pass, each beat remind him that Saori was being cared farther and farther away into danger At last he burst free from the confining metal hallways. It had taken him only a minuet or so to reach the outside, and Saori was still clearly visible in the sky.
“Thank the goddess.” He muttered under his breath. Suddenly a black figure appeared off to his right, and rushed towards him. Aiolos dodged on reflex and struck at his attacker, knocking the man to the ground. He caught a glimpse of black cloth before another one attacked him. Not more of them! We don’t have time for this now. There was a white blur at his side, and Pegasus dropped the new enemy, but then several more arrived. Aiolos ground his teeth in frustration, then threw himself toward the new Black Saints. If they insisted on blocking his way, then he would show them the true might of a Gold Saint! But they delay would still cost him…if he could keep Saori in sight….. Thankfully he was saved as Cygnus took out one of the enemies and shouted that he and Andromeda would take care of things here. Aiolos gave a quick nod, then ran off.
As he raced after Saori Aiolos began to regret not pushing himself further. Although his body would never recover he could have at least tired to get his body into the best physical condition it could be in! But things had seemed less….urgent than it had in Sanctuary. Besides, there had been no one near his level of skill anywhere in Japan. Although he had kept up his training, and was in better shape then an ordinary man, he hadn’t pushed himself at all. Not like he should have been doing anyone. Although he hated to admit it, the years of peace had left him soft and now his laziness had put his goddess in danger. I’m sorry Saori. He thought silently as he kept his gaze on the crow-born goddess. After I get you back, I’ll make sure I train harder.
They had left the roads behind a long time ago by this point, and were now forced to run, jump and dodge through ravines to keep the birds and their precious burden in sight. At last the crows began to decent, but they set down on a ledge high above the two Saints. It was too far above to reach by a single jump, but Aiolos tired, the wings of his cloth giving him a boost over the Pegasus Saint. When he started to fall again, the Sagittarius Saint reached out and grabbed a small ledge on the cliff face. Below him, he heard the clack of stone against metal that signaled that Seiya had started his accent as well. Aiolos started to climb up…but a sudden spasm of pain ripped through his left arm as the gave way. He nearly fell, forcing him to grab hold one more and stop, heart hammering. What had happened.
“Aiolos-san? Are you alright?” Seiya called. Aiolos was surprised to find the Pegasus Saint so close.
“I’m fine!” He called back to the younger man, then turned his attention back to his left arm. He had known that it had never full recovered from Shura’s attack, but he had mostly forgotten about it. There had been nothing that forced him to put a lot of stress on that arm, and he had never learned the how damaged it was. Now he was learning, and at a time when he could least afford to. Seiya had past him now, and Aiolos resumed his climb, this time being far more careful. The need for caution meant his pace was slowed and he couldn’t help but feel a sudden surge of jealousy toward Seiya. He wanted to go faster, but he couldn’t risk falling again. It was the height, he was wearing a Gold Cloth and would be seriously foot even if he did hit bottom, but if he fell then he would loose precious time. He had to reach Saori as soon as possible. At last they neared the top. Seiya was ahead of him and reached the top first. Aiolos forced himself to move faster, the pain in his arm telling him that this was not a good idea. Up ahead Seiya shouted at someone. There was a flare of cosmo from up on the ridge, and Aiolos redoubled his efforts and managed to reach the top just in time to see Seiya crash into the side of the cliff. The Saint who had thrown him there had been cackling over Seiya’s prone form. Aiolos flared his cosmo in warning, then felt it increase in rage when he saw the unconscious Saori.
“Who…who are you?” The Silver Saint stammered, backing up a few steps as he stared at Aiolos.
“Gold Saint Sagittarius Aiolos.” He growled and watched as the Silver Saint pale.
“A Gold Saint? But what are you doing here? The Pope said that this was my….” Suddenly the Silver Saint froze.
“Ai…Aiolos? The traitor?” He whispered. “But your dead! The Pope said so himself!” There was still a flare of pain each time someone mentioned traitor but it didn’t hurt as much now, not when he had his goddess and several other Saints that believed in him.
“The Pope was mistaken” He brushed past the stunned Silver Saint and kneeled next to Saori. She’s alight. He sighed in relief. Aside from the fact that she was unconscious and had apparently suffered several cuts and bruise she was fine. He turned back to the silver saint. “And as for you…”
“Aiolos-san, wait!” The Sagittarius Saint looked over and saw Seiya already on his feet. “This is my fight.” He looked gazes with the younger Saint. Everything in him saying not to let Seiya do this. The boy was a mere Bronze Saint, and his opponent was clearly a Silver Saint. But….Seiya had already defeated a Silver Saint. And there was something in the Pegasus Saint’s eyes that cause any doubts Aiolos had to vanish. He nodded and stepped back. Seiya grinned, then turned serious once he faced his opponent.
“What!? You think this little Bronze Saint can defeat me!?” The Silver Saint cried indignantly.
“He will.” Seiya looked over at him startled then nodded and turned back to his opponent.
“Let’s go!” Pegasus cried. The Silver Saint seemed to shake with rage.
“Fine!” The Silver Saint snarled. “I’ll show the true power of the Corvus Saint! Black Wing Shaft!” The attack him in front of Seiya forcing him backwards but Aiolos barely noticed because he had finally noticed the crows surrounding them. He had been aware of them since he had reached the top but it they hadn’t registered as anything important until the enemy had declared himself the Crow Saint. It explained a lot about what had happened. Several of the birds came too near Saori for comfort and Aiolos batted them away in irritation. The Corvus Saint’s directed attack had missed Seiya yet again, and the crows he had sent after the Bronze Saint had been easily repelled. For a brief moment there was a surge of irritation that so weak a man had been granted Silver Saint status…but then Aiolos that there had been a subtle change in the enemies cosmo, and that Corvus didn’t appeared worried that his attacks had missed. A surprised shout from Seiya. Black feathers from the crows that he had blasted were landing on him…no Aiolos realized, not landing…sticking to him. It happened so fast that by the time Aiolos even realized what the real purpose of the attack was, Seiya was already suffocating in the feathers.
“Seiya!” Aiolos took a step or two forward, then froze and glanced back and forth between the now fallen Seiya and his goddess.
“Hah, he’ll be dead in a few minuets. What are you doing to do now?” The Corvus Saint sneered. Aiolos turned a glare on him.
“I’ll defeat you.” The Sagittarius Saint said calmly. The Corvus Saint paled.
“Y…you..you dare speak to Corvus Jamian like that traitor?” The Silver Saint stammer out. Aiolos did not answer. He just flared his cosmo out, reminding the Silver Saint just who he was dealing with. Jamian took a few steps back.
“I’ve already seen you attack. It won’t work on me now.” Aiolos didn’t even intend to give the Corvus Saint a chance to let off an attack though. At any other time he might have given the other Saint a chance but not now, not when the lives of two people, one of whom was his Goddess’s were at stake. “ATOMIC THU….”
“Beauty’s Haze!” There was a sudden surge of Cosmo from behind him. Aiolos braced for an attack, but one never came. Instead the world in front of him….warped. He blinked rapidly and stumbled backwards nearly loosing his footing as everything in front of him seemed to shift and roll. He fell to one knee, and closed his eyes to get rid of the images….then realized that the ground was perfectly still and that he wasn’t moving. When he opened his eyes again he could have sworn the ground was moving, but he could tell his feet were still planted on sold ground. Illusion! But it hadn’t been the Corvus Saint, Aiolos would have noticed if he had been doing anything so who?
“You really can’t do anything by yourself can you?” A high voice said.
“What are you doing here?” Jamian snarled. Aiolos blinked and tried to focus on a figure that had jumped down to land next to the blur Aiolos thought might be the Corvus Saint. All that he could see of his new enemy was a brown and tan blur.
“I was sent her to make sure that the girl was sent back to Sanctuary. Since you seem to be having trouble, I decided to step in.”
“I wasn’t having any trouble.” Jamian shouted. “I had him exactly where I wanted him….”
“You did not!” The new Saint snorted. “This man may be a traitor but he is still a Gold Saint. You have no chance of defeating him. I on the other hand….” Aiolos didn’t need to be able to see the other man to know that he had a smirk on his face. “have tricks that make even the power of seem insignificant. Now get on with your task. I’ll take care of him.”
“You just want all the glory!” Jamain snapped, but he felt the Corvus Saint move toward where he left Saori.
“Don’t you dare touch her!” Aiolos growled as he shook his head to clear it, but whatever attack the newcomer had hit him with refused to dissipate.
“Oh, don’t worry about the girl. She’ll be well taken care of, trust me.” Aiolos tensed and took a step back. He felt the edge of the cliff, even though he could see straight. “Paradise…..” Aiolos tensed himself for the blow. “WAVE!” The attack knocked him backwards, and he managed to grab onto the edge of the cliff, only to have it crumble away as he fell. As he rushed toward the ground all he could see was an army of crows descending upon Saori…..
*********
Aiolos wasn’t really hurt when he hit bottom, although all the air was knocked out of his lungs and he saw stars. The shock of the landing had somehow disrupted the technique that had been used but it was cold comfort when he realized that he was now too far from Saori to do anything, and Seiya was still trapped. He moved as quickly as he could over to the cliff. He had to get back to the top as soon as possible.
“Stop right there!” The voice of the Saint that had attacked him echoed off the cliffs, and Aiolos whirled around to find the new Saint just landing behind him. “I’m not going to let you go up that cliff face.”
“You won‘t be able to stop me.” The Sagittarius Saint said firmly. The other Saint frowned.
“I am Apus Jobi, and I will not allow traitor, even one who was once a Gold Saint, to defeat me.” As Jobi spoke, Aiolos was busy examining his opponent, trying to find a way to defeat him as quickly as possible. The Apus Saint had dark green hair that he wore very long- it reached the back of his knees! His Cloth was brown, and there was something odd about it. It took the Sagittarius a second to realize that it wasn’t the Cloth itself that was bothering him, it was what was underneath it. Every Cloth he had seen had a skin tight suit that when the cloth was donned, but the suit that went with the Apus cloth was loose, and hung in graceful folds around the limbs of the Saint.
“I don’t have time to play with you.” Aiolos said flaring his cosmo.
“You don’t scare me!” Jobi growled and Aiolos noticed that he was wearing makeup. Why in the world…... “Once I defeat you, I will prove to everyone that I am a much better warrior than that fool Misty. He could even take down a mere Bronze Saint!” From a top the ridge there was an explosion of Cosmo and Aiolos could help smiling in relief. Seiya was alright, and maybe he would be able to hold off the Corvus Saint long enough for the Sagittarius Saint to get there. Jobi must have noticed the it as well because he growled.
“I guess that either the Bronze Saints are stronger than they appear or the quality of Saints at Sanctuary has dropped since I lasted visited.” Jobi snarled then ran forward. Aiolos dodge the first punch and managed to block the second, but the kick that followed slammed him into the wall of the canyon.
“I will defeat you..” Jobi hissed. “And then Aphrodite-sama, the Pope, and everyone else in the Sanctuary well realize how much better than Misty I am!”
“There’s more here at stake then your own selfish desires.” Aiolos said as he wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth. “This is about much more than a single person, can’t you understand that!?” He climbed to his feet. “A Saint’s duty is to Athena, not to himself!”
“Hah, a traitor dares talk to me about my duty!” Jobi raised his hands. “Beauty’s Haze!” The familiar ripple effect appeared in front of Aiolos eyes. He tired to through the it but all he did was cause his eyes to water and further obscure his surroundings. Aiolos barely managed to catch the blur that must have been Apus heading toward him. He crossed him arms and managed to block most of the punches, but then Apus jumped back and there was a sudden flare of Cosmo from the Saint.
“PARADISE WAVE!”
Aiolos hit he wall again and bounced off, thankful that he was wearing a Gold Cloth. He had an inkling that even a Silver Cloth would have started to take damage.
“It’s a pity really.” Apus drawled. “The Gold Cloths are so magnificent…and that one had to be tainted by the blood of some like you is saddening.” Aiolos stood and glared at Apus….or at least he tried to. He felt as if where cross-eyed. Suddenly something impacted him from the side, and he barely managed to dodge the next attack as an idea suddenly occurred to him. He waited until the blurry figure of Apus was close, waited until he felt the slight impact of the other Saints fist against his side….then grabbed his wrist.
“Wha?” Unfoundedly Aiolos had only been able to grab the Jobi with his left hand and the Saint easily tore out of his grip, but it was enough. Enough for him to know almost where the other Saint as, enough time for him to be able to gather his cosmo.
“ATOMIC THUNDER BOLT!” Aiolos heard Apus Jobi screamed, but he remained on guard until he realized that the effect of Beauty’s Haze was clearing. Rubbing his eyes ineffectually, Aiolos started toward the cliff. Climbing while he was suffering the slightest effects from Jobi’s technique was dangerous but it would be even more dangerous to leave Saori alone up there. He had to get to her now!
*********
It took what felt like years to reach the top of the cliff, even though the Sagittarius Saint knew it had taken only a few minuets, even though he was battered from his fight. But the area he had left was now empty. The only signs of the battle that had taken place there were a few black feathers and cracked rocks.
“Athena?” He yelled. “Saori? Seiya!?” There was no answer . Alarmed Aiolos began to search the area, but found nothing. It did nothing to comfort him when he found nothing, not even their bodies. Saga would have wanted to make sure Athena was dead this time and ordered them to bring her body back to Sanctuary. No don’t think like that! You would’ve have sensed if she died… Besides, even if they had orders about Athena , they probably wouldn’t have had any about the Seiya. And Aiolos remember the flare of his cosmo during his fight with Apus. So at the very least, Seiya is still alive, and most likely Saori is as well… They would have had to go past him if they had been returning to Tokyo and he hadn’t seen them. So where the hell are you?
Aiolos did know how long he searched for them. It felt like days, and every time he looked into a new area only to find nothing his panic grew. As the sun rose and he still hadn’t found them, a horrifying possibility occurred to him. Maybe they were captured them and dragged them back to Sanctuary! If they had then it would be a death sentence for Athena, one that Saga had declared on her years ago. I have to rescue her. It would be a suicide mission, but he had been prepared to die for her once before and would do so if it meant her safety.
Suddenly a massive cosmo flare up out of nowhere. Aiolos froze, then recognized the careful gentle strength of it. Thank the goddess. Relief swept through him and he dropped to his knees, thankful that his goddess was alright. Then he was off, headed toward her, moving as fast as he could. He was close when he heard a scream reach his ears, and for as second his heart leapt to his throat before he realized that the voice had been male. He reached a small flower filled area. Saori was standing there, complete unharmed. But…fear clenched his chest when he saw two more Saints standing in front of hear one of them the Corvus Saint.
Aiolos jumped and hit the slop hard, barely managing to control his tumble. He finally reached the bottom of the area, and was on his feet when he saw the Corvus Saint already on his and trying attack Saori. He moved, thinking only of getting to her, only of saving her. He must have reached light speed. It lasted less than a second and pain shot through his body, nearly crippling him, but it was enough and he was in front before the other Saint could reach her. Corvus never got close to his goddess. There was a clank and the Silver Saint was pulled up short by a familiar chain.
“Ni-chan! Hyoga! Shun!” Saori sounded so relived. Aiolos turned to look at her.
“Are you alright?” He asked.
“I’m fine, but Seiya….” Saori had dropped to her knees behind him. Aiolos glanced over his shoulder and glanced at the Pegasus Saint he now realized was laying amidst the flowers. “He got hurt protecting me….” Aiolos dropped down as Saori worried about the Pegasus Saint. Behind him a sharp whistle rang out…and he heard the Corvus Saint whistle but he paid no attention to him. His healing abilities were limited at best, but at the very lest he could see if there was anything he could do for Seiya…
There was a shout from behind him and he turned on his knees as the other Saint that he been in the area with them ran toward him, only to be stopped short by Shun’s chains. A female Saint….? He wasn’t sure why it surprised him so much to see her here, but it did. And for some reason she had been calling for Seiya’s death and not Saori’s….. She lunged forward again, causing Saori to stand and block her path to Seiya. Aiolos swore slightly and jumped up standing in front of her.
“Stay behind me!” He snapped.
Shun and Hyoga jumped down to join them, the Andromeda Saint yanking both his opponents to the ground as he did so. Shun threw his chain at he female Saint but she dodge it and the chain caught the Corvus Saint, who had just gotten to the feet, a glancing blow. Aiolos had though the hit was that serious, but Corvus must have been hit harder than he had thought because the Silver Saint simple…wandered off the edge of the cliff. Before Aiolos could even full register that Corvus was dead, the female Saint attacked again, this time knocking Shun to the ground, then rushing forward to attack Hyoga viciously. Aiolos froze wanting to aid Cygnus but not daring to leave Saori least the female Saint try to go after Seiya again, but Shun managed to distract her with his Nebula Chains for a moment and giving Hyoga enough of an opening to launch a Diamond Dust. The blast blew the female Saint off right off the edge of the cliff. Aiolos winced as her screams faded away. Three Saints dead in the span of a few hours, all of them killed for following what the thought were the orders of someone they could trust. You will pay for this Saga. Aiolos though as he turned to help with Seiya.
“I’m not very good at healing.” He explained as Shun lifted Seiya onto this shoulders “But I’ve done what I can. Now he should be alright until we can get him to a hospital.”
“Thank you Ni-chan.” Saori said relived.
“Lets get going.” Hyoga added. They turned to leave, but there as a sudden explosion of Cosmo from behind them. They all turned just as two more Saints dropped down behind them. More!? How many did you send this time Saga? They two smirked, an expression that faltered when they saw him. They stared then appeared to give themselves a mental shake. It was also as if they hadn’t expected to see a Gold Saint here. Why wouldn’t Saga have warned them about? Aiolos wondered as the two introduced themselves as Cerberus Dante and Auriga Capella. But their announcement had shocked him. They had been sent to bring Kido Saori back to Sanctuary. Of course, Saga has them thinking on he’s acting on Athena’s orders. He couldn’t just tell them to go after Athena.. He felt incredibly foolish for not realizing it before. But then they attacked. Shun took several steps backward so that he could lay Seiya down. Saori, realizing what he was up, ran to join him. Aiolos cursed and made his way over to her, keeping an eye on the Silver Saints as he did so.
“Aiolos-san.” Shun said. “Let us take care of this. You make sure they don’t try to get Ojou-san.” Aiolos nodded as the Andromeda Saint took off. At first Aiolos wasn’t that worried. The Cerberus Saint used a chain weapon that Shun could match with the Nebula Chain and he had been able to repel the disk weapons the Auriga was using. But, Cerberus’s weapon managed to find it’s way past the Nebula Chain and he yanked Shun off his feet. Hyoga tired to go to his friends rescue, but the Auriga Saint launched his attack. Cygnus froze most of the disks that were thrown at him, but was to distracted to notice the one that came at him from behind. Aiolos clenched his fist.
“Stay out of the way Saori.” He said firmly.
“Ni-chan?” Aiolos ignored her unasked question as he started toward the battle.
“PARADISE WAVE!” The Sagittarius Saint barely managed to jump backwards out of the attack, and landed away from the Bronze Saints. He gapped as the Apus Saint rasped. “I’m your opponent remember?”
“Your still alive?” Aiolos was stunned. Although the Jobi’s Cloth had been smashed to bits and he was bleeding heavily he was still on his feet and looked as if he was not going to back down.
“It…will…take more….than that…to beat me.” Apus gasped out and Aiolos realized that he was breathing heavily. Screams came from behind him and Aiolos glanced back just in time to see the Bronze Saints flying over the cliff, one of Cerberus’s chains around their ankles.
“SHUN! HYOGA!” He shouted as the disappeared from view. A kick slammed into them while he was distracted, and barely managed to block a punch from the Apus Saint.
“You…should look away….from you opponent.” Jobi was still breathing heavily but his attacks didn’t seem to be any weaker.
“I don’t have time for this!” He tired to run toward his unproductive Goddess.
“PARADISE WAVE!” Aiolos dodged the attack, only to realize he was now farther away from Saori. Dammit.
“Let me by!” He shouted at the Apus Saint. “If she’s taken back to Sanctuary, the whole world is doomed!”
“Do you think I care about the world!?” Jobi shrieked. A massive aggressive Cosmo filled the area for a moment. Aiolos relaxed he recognized it. He had no idea what had drawn Ikki out but he was glad Phoenix was there. At the very least it meant that Saori was no longer unprotected. Then Apus attacked again and he was forced to defend himself. Jobi was attack him with an almost single minded intensity and although his physical attacks were not as fast as they had been before, they were still almost as powerful.
“Why are you doing this!?” Aiolos asked the Apus Saint.
“My…face!” Jobi growled in response. “PARADISE WAVE!” Aiolos jumped away from his the attack confused. There was a very deep cut running along the side of his face now, but to be so vain as that…. “After what you did to it..….HE WILL NEVER PAY ATTENTION TO ME!” This time the man launched into several rapid fire punches. Aiolos managed to block them all, they still drove him against he wall. Apus launched a kick at him, but he managed to roll away and sprang to his feet. He pulled out the bow that went with his cloth. It had been ages since had used it, but Aiolos wanted to finish this.
“I am sorry, but it’s time for this to end.” He said as he put arrow to string and raised the bow. Jobi laughed.
“I would be more worried if you where aiming for me!” Apus jeered as Aiolos tried to stop his bow from shaking. It was why Aiolos hadn’t bothered to use to the bow much, the damage that his arm had received had affect it, and he even under normal conditions. Now in the midst of battle after having been forced to climb up several cliffs, Aiolos could barely even keep it aimed at the Apus Saint. Still…I have to do this. Athena needs me.
There was something his master had said over and over when he had been in training… ‘The bow of Sagittarius is one of the most powerful weapons, and can rival if not surpass the weapons of the Libra Cloth. You must remember that it is that powerful because you are a Saint. When you loose your arrow do not just fire it, put all your heart, all your cosmo into it. That way, you will always be able to make it hit what you desire.’
He hadn’t really trusted in his Master’s words, preferring to practice endlessly with a regular bow and arrow until he could hit anything he aimed at. Now it looked as if he would have to depend on his cosmo. Sorry Master…. He closed his eyes and focused on the arrow . Please hit, this has hit…. There was a shout from Jobi and Apus charged at him. Hit! Aiolos though one last time, and loosed the arrow.
It left the bow with a flash of golden light and slammed into the chest of the charging Saint.
“Aphrodite-sama…” Jobi choked as the arrow blasted him into the cliff face. Aiolos waited tensely for a few seconds but Apus Jobi did not emerge again, and this time the Sagittarius Saint felt his enemies cosmo fading away. I am sorry that it had to end this way….
“You done?” Ikki’s voice cut across Aiolos thoughts and he turned to find the Phoenix Saint standing there with the arm of the unconscious Seiya slung over his shoulder. The body of the Auriga Saint lay nearby, his cloth smashed to bits. Aiolos nodded, then walked by Ikki.
“Are you alright?” He asked Saori once again. She nodded.
“What about you Ni-chan? Your bleeding…”
“I’m fine.” He said firmly, although he hadn’t noticed the blood until Saori had pointed it out. “Shun and Hyoga…” Aiolos began.
“They’ll be fine.” Ikki said brushing it off. “If they are true Saints then they’ll be able to climb back up.” Although wanted to protest, Ikki caught his eyes. Aiolos decided not to argue with the Phoenix Saint.
Besides…its’ true. A part of his mind whispered. You’ve survived worse and so has Ikki. It’s the Saints fault it they aren’t strong enough to survive. Aiolos closed off that voice. They were walking away when there was a cry from behind them and they al whirled around to, Aiolos half expecting to see Apus Jobi back once again, to see the Cerberus Saint bearing down on them. He reacted immediately, shoving Saori behind him and out of danger. Ikki caught the chain the Saint had thrown around this wrist. Cerberus snarled something, then let fly with another chain. It was stopped by a different, but very familiar looking, chain.
“Shun!” Ikki said in surprise as his brother climbed over the top of the cliff. Shun greeted his brother then, Phoenix shattered the chain on his wrist and put Seiya down. After telling Shun to take care of Cerberus and asking Hyoga to watch out for Seiya, he Ikki left once again. Saori and Shun called after him but Aiolos didn’t bother to say anything. He doubted that that was anything he could say to Ikki that would make him reconsidered. Hyoga must have realized the same thing, since Cygnus didn’t say a word either.
After realizing that Ikki was not going to stop Shun returned the battle. Aiolos started to step forward to help, but Hyoga grabbed his arm. He looked at the Cygnus Saint questioningly.
“He can do it.” Hyoga said. “This time, he can. Just trust him.” The younger Saint draped Seiya’s arm over his shoulder.
Cygnus’s words proved true. They two attacked each other, but neither was able to land a hit. Then Shun managed to trap Cerberus’s chain and completely destroy it. A finally hit from the Nebula Chain when it was filled with Shun’s cosmo finished what Ikki had started, blasting the Silver Saint over the edge of the cliff to his death.
Everyone stayed where the were for a few minuets after the last screams had faded. It was a if none of them could believe that the fight was actually over. At least Aiolos sighed.
“Saori…” He said and gentle touched her shoulder. She jumped and looked at him clearly startled. “Lets get out of here and get Seiya some help alright?” He smiled reassuringly.
“Yes!” She said quickly. Aiolos turned and began to lead the way back home, exhausted and aching. My body is going to make me pay for this tomorrow. He though wincing. But it was worth it. Athena was safe.
Author:Plantress
Anime/Manga: Saint Seiya (AkA Knights of the Zodiac)
Summary: Part twelve of my 'What if Aiolos has survived?' fic.
It looked like a dream, a nightmare but the cosmo that filled the coliseum showed the reality. He stared as the crows lifted his goddess higher and higher into the air. The shock froze him for less than a second.
“Saori!” He ran forward but she was already of reach. Seiya and the others were less than half a second behind him, but he barely heard their cries of shock. His first instinct had been to attack the crows, to stop them from taking her away. He knew he could kill them with the bow from his cloth…but then they might drop her. And they were too far away to catch her if she fell. He turned and flew down the steps. He would get his Cloth and he would rescue her. It was his fault that she had been put in danger, and this was all he could to make it right.
Saga must have figured out who Saori was and sent someone to take her. It was the only reasonable explanation. And he had to stop whoever it was before they killed Athena.
He passed by the room that they had been gathered in, and summoned his cloth to him. Running through some of the narrower corridors would be hell with his wings but there was no time for anything else. Seiya burst into the room on his heels. Aiolos paused only to nod briefly at the Pegasus Saint, before tearing toward the exit. His wings hit the wall and let out a metallic shriek he barely noticed. Several times he was forced to half-crouch as he ran in order to get through some of the lower doorways. None of that mattered too him though. He could hear his heart bounding in his ears, and was astonished at how slow it sounded. Fear consumed him, forcing each second to take what felt like a year to pass, each beat remind him that Saori was being cared farther and farther away into danger At last he burst free from the confining metal hallways. It had taken him only a minuet or so to reach the outside, and Saori was still clearly visible in the sky.
“Thank the goddess.” He muttered under his breath. Suddenly a black figure appeared off to his right, and rushed towards him. Aiolos dodged on reflex and struck at his attacker, knocking the man to the ground. He caught a glimpse of black cloth before another one attacked him. Not more of them! We don’t have time for this now. There was a white blur at his side, and Pegasus dropped the new enemy, but then several more arrived. Aiolos ground his teeth in frustration, then threw himself toward the new Black Saints. If they insisted on blocking his way, then he would show them the true might of a Gold Saint! But they delay would still cost him…if he could keep Saori in sight….. Thankfully he was saved as Cygnus took out one of the enemies and shouted that he and Andromeda would take care of things here. Aiolos gave a quick nod, then ran off.
As he raced after Saori Aiolos began to regret not pushing himself further. Although his body would never recover he could have at least tired to get his body into the best physical condition it could be in! But things had seemed less….urgent than it had in Sanctuary. Besides, there had been no one near his level of skill anywhere in Japan. Although he had kept up his training, and was in better shape then an ordinary man, he hadn’t pushed himself at all. Not like he should have been doing anyone. Although he hated to admit it, the years of peace had left him soft and now his laziness had put his goddess in danger. I’m sorry Saori. He thought silently as he kept his gaze on the crow-born goddess. After I get you back, I’ll make sure I train harder.
They had left the roads behind a long time ago by this point, and were now forced to run, jump and dodge through ravines to keep the birds and their precious burden in sight. At last the crows began to decent, but they set down on a ledge high above the two Saints. It was too far above to reach by a single jump, but Aiolos tired, the wings of his cloth giving him a boost over the Pegasus Saint. When he started to fall again, the Sagittarius Saint reached out and grabbed a small ledge on the cliff face. Below him, he heard the clack of stone against metal that signaled that Seiya had started his accent as well. Aiolos started to climb up…but a sudden spasm of pain ripped through his left arm as the gave way. He nearly fell, forcing him to grab hold one more and stop, heart hammering. What had happened.
“Aiolos-san? Are you alright?” Seiya called. Aiolos was surprised to find the Pegasus Saint so close.
“I’m fine!” He called back to the younger man, then turned his attention back to his left arm. He had known that it had never full recovered from Shura’s attack, but he had mostly forgotten about it. There had been nothing that forced him to put a lot of stress on that arm, and he had never learned the how damaged it was. Now he was learning, and at a time when he could least afford to. Seiya had past him now, and Aiolos resumed his climb, this time being far more careful. The need for caution meant his pace was slowed and he couldn’t help but feel a sudden surge of jealousy toward Seiya. He wanted to go faster, but he couldn’t risk falling again. It was the height, he was wearing a Gold Cloth and would be seriously foot even if he did hit bottom, but if he fell then he would loose precious time. He had to reach Saori as soon as possible. At last they neared the top. Seiya was ahead of him and reached the top first. Aiolos forced himself to move faster, the pain in his arm telling him that this was not a good idea. Up ahead Seiya shouted at someone. There was a flare of cosmo from up on the ridge, and Aiolos redoubled his efforts and managed to reach the top just in time to see Seiya crash into the side of the cliff. The Saint who had thrown him there had been cackling over Seiya’s prone form. Aiolos flared his cosmo in warning, then felt it increase in rage when he saw the unconscious Saori.
“Who…who are you?” The Silver Saint stammered, backing up a few steps as he stared at Aiolos.
“Gold Saint Sagittarius Aiolos.” He growled and watched as the Silver Saint pale.
“A Gold Saint? But what are you doing here? The Pope said that this was my….” Suddenly the Silver Saint froze.
“Ai…Aiolos? The traitor?” He whispered. “But your dead! The Pope said so himself!” There was still a flare of pain each time someone mentioned traitor but it didn’t hurt as much now, not when he had his goddess and several other Saints that believed in him.
“The Pope was mistaken” He brushed past the stunned Silver Saint and kneeled next to Saori. She’s alight. He sighed in relief. Aside from the fact that she was unconscious and had apparently suffered several cuts and bruise she was fine. He turned back to the silver saint. “And as for you…”
“Aiolos-san, wait!” The Sagittarius Saint looked over and saw Seiya already on his feet. “This is my fight.” He looked gazes with the younger Saint. Everything in him saying not to let Seiya do this. The boy was a mere Bronze Saint, and his opponent was clearly a Silver Saint. But….Seiya had already defeated a Silver Saint. And there was something in the Pegasus Saint’s eyes that cause any doubts Aiolos had to vanish. He nodded and stepped back. Seiya grinned, then turned serious once he faced his opponent.
“What!? You think this little Bronze Saint can defeat me!?” The Silver Saint cried indignantly.
“He will.” Seiya looked over at him startled then nodded and turned back to his opponent.
“Let’s go!” Pegasus cried. The Silver Saint seemed to shake with rage.
“Fine!” The Silver Saint snarled. “I’ll show the true power of the Corvus Saint! Black Wing Shaft!” The attack him in front of Seiya forcing him backwards but Aiolos barely noticed because he had finally noticed the crows surrounding them. He had been aware of them since he had reached the top but it they hadn’t registered as anything important until the enemy had declared himself the Crow Saint. It explained a lot about what had happened. Several of the birds came too near Saori for comfort and Aiolos batted them away in irritation. The Corvus Saint’s directed attack had missed Seiya yet again, and the crows he had sent after the Bronze Saint had been easily repelled. For a brief moment there was a surge of irritation that so weak a man had been granted Silver Saint status…but then Aiolos that there had been a subtle change in the enemies cosmo, and that Corvus didn’t appeared worried that his attacks had missed. A surprised shout from Seiya. Black feathers from the crows that he had blasted were landing on him…no Aiolos realized, not landing…sticking to him. It happened so fast that by the time Aiolos even realized what the real purpose of the attack was, Seiya was already suffocating in the feathers.
“Seiya!” Aiolos took a step or two forward, then froze and glanced back and forth between the now fallen Seiya and his goddess.
“Hah, he’ll be dead in a few minuets. What are you doing to do now?” The Corvus Saint sneered. Aiolos turned a glare on him.
“I’ll defeat you.” The Sagittarius Saint said calmly. The Corvus Saint paled.
“Y…you..you dare speak to Corvus Jamian like that traitor?” The Silver Saint stammer out. Aiolos did not answer. He just flared his cosmo out, reminding the Silver Saint just who he was dealing with. Jamian took a few steps back.
“I’ve already seen you attack. It won’t work on me now.” Aiolos didn’t even intend to give the Corvus Saint a chance to let off an attack though. At any other time he might have given the other Saint a chance but not now, not when the lives of two people, one of whom was his Goddess’s were at stake. “ATOMIC THU….”
“Beauty’s Haze!” There was a sudden surge of Cosmo from behind him. Aiolos braced for an attack, but one never came. Instead the world in front of him….warped. He blinked rapidly and stumbled backwards nearly loosing his footing as everything in front of him seemed to shift and roll. He fell to one knee, and closed his eyes to get rid of the images….then realized that the ground was perfectly still and that he wasn’t moving. When he opened his eyes again he could have sworn the ground was moving, but he could tell his feet were still planted on sold ground. Illusion! But it hadn’t been the Corvus Saint, Aiolos would have noticed if he had been doing anything so who?
“You really can’t do anything by yourself can you?” A high voice said.
“What are you doing here?” Jamian snarled. Aiolos blinked and tried to focus on a figure that had jumped down to land next to the blur Aiolos thought might be the Corvus Saint. All that he could see of his new enemy was a brown and tan blur.
“I was sent her to make sure that the girl was sent back to Sanctuary. Since you seem to be having trouble, I decided to step in.”
“I wasn’t having any trouble.” Jamian shouted. “I had him exactly where I wanted him….”
“You did not!” The new Saint snorted. “This man may be a traitor but he is still a Gold Saint. You have no chance of defeating him. I on the other hand….” Aiolos didn’t need to be able to see the other man to know that he had a smirk on his face. “have tricks that make even the power of seem insignificant. Now get on with your task. I’ll take care of him.”
“You just want all the glory!” Jamain snapped, but he felt the Corvus Saint move toward where he left Saori.
“Don’t you dare touch her!” Aiolos growled as he shook his head to clear it, but whatever attack the newcomer had hit him with refused to dissipate.
“Oh, don’t worry about the girl. She’ll be well taken care of, trust me.” Aiolos tensed and took a step back. He felt the edge of the cliff, even though he could see straight. “Paradise…..” Aiolos tensed himself for the blow. “WAVE!” The attack knocked him backwards, and he managed to grab onto the edge of the cliff, only to have it crumble away as he fell. As he rushed toward the ground all he could see was an army of crows descending upon Saori…..
*********
Aiolos wasn’t really hurt when he hit bottom, although all the air was knocked out of his lungs and he saw stars. The shock of the landing had somehow disrupted the technique that had been used but it was cold comfort when he realized that he was now too far from Saori to do anything, and Seiya was still trapped. He moved as quickly as he could over to the cliff. He had to get back to the top as soon as possible.
“Stop right there!” The voice of the Saint that had attacked him echoed off the cliffs, and Aiolos whirled around to find the new Saint just landing behind him. “I’m not going to let you go up that cliff face.”
“You won‘t be able to stop me.” The Sagittarius Saint said firmly. The other Saint frowned.
“I am Apus Jobi, and I will not allow traitor, even one who was once a Gold Saint, to defeat me.” As Jobi spoke, Aiolos was busy examining his opponent, trying to find a way to defeat him as quickly as possible. The Apus Saint had dark green hair that he wore very long- it reached the back of his knees! His Cloth was brown, and there was something odd about it. It took the Sagittarius a second to realize that it wasn’t the Cloth itself that was bothering him, it was what was underneath it. Every Cloth he had seen had a skin tight suit that when the cloth was donned, but the suit that went with the Apus cloth was loose, and hung in graceful folds around the limbs of the Saint.
“I don’t have time to play with you.” Aiolos said flaring his cosmo.
“You don’t scare me!” Jobi growled and Aiolos noticed that he was wearing makeup. Why in the world…... “Once I defeat you, I will prove to everyone that I am a much better warrior than that fool Misty. He could even take down a mere Bronze Saint!” From a top the ridge there was an explosion of Cosmo and Aiolos could help smiling in relief. Seiya was alright, and maybe he would be able to hold off the Corvus Saint long enough for the Sagittarius Saint to get there. Jobi must have noticed the it as well because he growled.
“I guess that either the Bronze Saints are stronger than they appear or the quality of Saints at Sanctuary has dropped since I lasted visited.” Jobi snarled then ran forward. Aiolos dodge the first punch and managed to block the second, but the kick that followed slammed him into the wall of the canyon.
“I will defeat you..” Jobi hissed. “And then Aphrodite-sama, the Pope, and everyone else in the Sanctuary well realize how much better than Misty I am!”
“There’s more here at stake then your own selfish desires.” Aiolos said as he wiped a trickle of blood from his mouth. “This is about much more than a single person, can’t you understand that!?” He climbed to his feet. “A Saint’s duty is to Athena, not to himself!”
“Hah, a traitor dares talk to me about my duty!” Jobi raised his hands. “Beauty’s Haze!” The familiar ripple effect appeared in front of Aiolos eyes. He tired to through the it but all he did was cause his eyes to water and further obscure his surroundings. Aiolos barely managed to catch the blur that must have been Apus heading toward him. He crossed him arms and managed to block most of the punches, but then Apus jumped back and there was a sudden flare of Cosmo from the Saint.
“PARADISE WAVE!”
Aiolos hit he wall again and bounced off, thankful that he was wearing a Gold Cloth. He had an inkling that even a Silver Cloth would have started to take damage.
“It’s a pity really.” Apus drawled. “The Gold Cloths are so magnificent…and that one had to be tainted by the blood of some like you is saddening.” Aiolos stood and glared at Apus….or at least he tried to. He felt as if where cross-eyed. Suddenly something impacted him from the side, and he barely managed to dodge the next attack as an idea suddenly occurred to him. He waited until the blurry figure of Apus was close, waited until he felt the slight impact of the other Saints fist against his side….then grabbed his wrist.
“Wha?” Unfoundedly Aiolos had only been able to grab the Jobi with his left hand and the Saint easily tore out of his grip, but it was enough. Enough for him to know almost where the other Saint as, enough time for him to be able to gather his cosmo.
“ATOMIC THUNDER BOLT!” Aiolos heard Apus Jobi screamed, but he remained on guard until he realized that the effect of Beauty’s Haze was clearing. Rubbing his eyes ineffectually, Aiolos started toward the cliff. Climbing while he was suffering the slightest effects from Jobi’s technique was dangerous but it would be even more dangerous to leave Saori alone up there. He had to get to her now!
*********
It took what felt like years to reach the top of the cliff, even though the Sagittarius Saint knew it had taken only a few minuets, even though he was battered from his fight. But the area he had left was now empty. The only signs of the battle that had taken place there were a few black feathers and cracked rocks.
“Athena?” He yelled. “Saori? Seiya!?” There was no answer . Alarmed Aiolos began to search the area, but found nothing. It did nothing to comfort him when he found nothing, not even their bodies. Saga would have wanted to make sure Athena was dead this time and ordered them to bring her body back to Sanctuary. No don’t think like that! You would’ve have sensed if she died… Besides, even if they had orders about Athena , they probably wouldn’t have had any about the Seiya. And Aiolos remember the flare of his cosmo during his fight with Apus. So at the very least, Seiya is still alive, and most likely Saori is as well… They would have had to go past him if they had been returning to Tokyo and he hadn’t seen them. So where the hell are you?
Aiolos did know how long he searched for them. It felt like days, and every time he looked into a new area only to find nothing his panic grew. As the sun rose and he still hadn’t found them, a horrifying possibility occurred to him. Maybe they were captured them and dragged them back to Sanctuary! If they had then it would be a death sentence for Athena, one that Saga had declared on her years ago. I have to rescue her. It would be a suicide mission, but he had been prepared to die for her once before and would do so if it meant her safety.
Suddenly a massive cosmo flare up out of nowhere. Aiolos froze, then recognized the careful gentle strength of it. Thank the goddess. Relief swept through him and he dropped to his knees, thankful that his goddess was alright. Then he was off, headed toward her, moving as fast as he could. He was close when he heard a scream reach his ears, and for as second his heart leapt to his throat before he realized that the voice had been male. He reached a small flower filled area. Saori was standing there, complete unharmed. But…fear clenched his chest when he saw two more Saints standing in front of hear one of them the Corvus Saint.
Aiolos jumped and hit the slop hard, barely managing to control his tumble. He finally reached the bottom of the area, and was on his feet when he saw the Corvus Saint already on his and trying attack Saori. He moved, thinking only of getting to her, only of saving her. He must have reached light speed. It lasted less than a second and pain shot through his body, nearly crippling him, but it was enough and he was in front before the other Saint could reach her. Corvus never got close to his goddess. There was a clank and the Silver Saint was pulled up short by a familiar chain.
“Ni-chan! Hyoga! Shun!” Saori sounded so relived. Aiolos turned to look at her.
“Are you alright?” He asked.
“I’m fine, but Seiya….” Saori had dropped to her knees behind him. Aiolos glanced over his shoulder and glanced at the Pegasus Saint he now realized was laying amidst the flowers. “He got hurt protecting me….” Aiolos dropped down as Saori worried about the Pegasus Saint. Behind him a sharp whistle rang out…and he heard the Corvus Saint whistle but he paid no attention to him. His healing abilities were limited at best, but at the very lest he could see if there was anything he could do for Seiya…
There was a shout from behind him and he turned on his knees as the other Saint that he been in the area with them ran toward him, only to be stopped short by Shun’s chains. A female Saint….? He wasn’t sure why it surprised him so much to see her here, but it did. And for some reason she had been calling for Seiya’s death and not Saori’s….. She lunged forward again, causing Saori to stand and block her path to Seiya. Aiolos swore slightly and jumped up standing in front of her.
“Stay behind me!” He snapped.
Shun and Hyoga jumped down to join them, the Andromeda Saint yanking both his opponents to the ground as he did so. Shun threw his chain at he female Saint but she dodge it and the chain caught the Corvus Saint, who had just gotten to the feet, a glancing blow. Aiolos had though the hit was that serious, but Corvus must have been hit harder than he had thought because the Silver Saint simple…wandered off the edge of the cliff. Before Aiolos could even full register that Corvus was dead, the female Saint attacked again, this time knocking Shun to the ground, then rushing forward to attack Hyoga viciously. Aiolos froze wanting to aid Cygnus but not daring to leave Saori least the female Saint try to go after Seiya again, but Shun managed to distract her with his Nebula Chains for a moment and giving Hyoga enough of an opening to launch a Diamond Dust. The blast blew the female Saint off right off the edge of the cliff. Aiolos winced as her screams faded away. Three Saints dead in the span of a few hours, all of them killed for following what the thought were the orders of someone they could trust. You will pay for this Saga. Aiolos though as he turned to help with Seiya.
“I’m not very good at healing.” He explained as Shun lifted Seiya onto this shoulders “But I’ve done what I can. Now he should be alright until we can get him to a hospital.”
“Thank you Ni-chan.” Saori said relived.
“Lets get going.” Hyoga added. They turned to leave, but there as a sudden explosion of Cosmo from behind them. They all turned just as two more Saints dropped down behind them. More!? How many did you send this time Saga? They two smirked, an expression that faltered when they saw him. They stared then appeared to give themselves a mental shake. It was also as if they hadn’t expected to see a Gold Saint here. Why wouldn’t Saga have warned them about? Aiolos wondered as the two introduced themselves as Cerberus Dante and Auriga Capella. But their announcement had shocked him. They had been sent to bring Kido Saori back to Sanctuary. Of course, Saga has them thinking on he’s acting on Athena’s orders. He couldn’t just tell them to go after Athena.. He felt incredibly foolish for not realizing it before. But then they attacked. Shun took several steps backward so that he could lay Seiya down. Saori, realizing what he was up, ran to join him. Aiolos cursed and made his way over to her, keeping an eye on the Silver Saints as he did so.
“Aiolos-san.” Shun said. “Let us take care of this. You make sure they don’t try to get Ojou-san.” Aiolos nodded as the Andromeda Saint took off. At first Aiolos wasn’t that worried. The Cerberus Saint used a chain weapon that Shun could match with the Nebula Chain and he had been able to repel the disk weapons the Auriga was using. But, Cerberus’s weapon managed to find it’s way past the Nebula Chain and he yanked Shun off his feet. Hyoga tired to go to his friends rescue, but the Auriga Saint launched his attack. Cygnus froze most of the disks that were thrown at him, but was to distracted to notice the one that came at him from behind. Aiolos clenched his fist.
“Stay out of the way Saori.” He said firmly.
“Ni-chan?” Aiolos ignored her unasked question as he started toward the battle.
“PARADISE WAVE!” The Sagittarius Saint barely managed to jump backwards out of the attack, and landed away from the Bronze Saints. He gapped as the Apus Saint rasped. “I’m your opponent remember?”
“Your still alive?” Aiolos was stunned. Although the Jobi’s Cloth had been smashed to bits and he was bleeding heavily he was still on his feet and looked as if he was not going to back down.
“It…will…take more….than that…to beat me.” Apus gasped out and Aiolos realized that he was breathing heavily. Screams came from behind him and Aiolos glanced back just in time to see the Bronze Saints flying over the cliff, one of Cerberus’s chains around their ankles.
“SHUN! HYOGA!” He shouted as the disappeared from view. A kick slammed into them while he was distracted, and barely managed to block a punch from the Apus Saint.
“You…should look away….from you opponent.” Jobi was still breathing heavily but his attacks didn’t seem to be any weaker.
“I don’t have time for this!” He tired to run toward his unproductive Goddess.
“PARADISE WAVE!” Aiolos dodged the attack, only to realize he was now farther away from Saori. Dammit.
“Let me by!” He shouted at the Apus Saint. “If she’s taken back to Sanctuary, the whole world is doomed!”
“Do you think I care about the world!?” Jobi shrieked. A massive aggressive Cosmo filled the area for a moment. Aiolos relaxed he recognized it. He had no idea what had drawn Ikki out but he was glad Phoenix was there. At the very least it meant that Saori was no longer unprotected. Then Apus attacked again and he was forced to defend himself. Jobi was attack him with an almost single minded intensity and although his physical attacks were not as fast as they had been before, they were still almost as powerful.
“Why are you doing this!?” Aiolos asked the Apus Saint.
“My…face!” Jobi growled in response. “PARADISE WAVE!” Aiolos jumped away from his the attack confused. There was a very deep cut running along the side of his face now, but to be so vain as that…. “After what you did to it..….HE WILL NEVER PAY ATTENTION TO ME!” This time the man launched into several rapid fire punches. Aiolos managed to block them all, they still drove him against he wall. Apus launched a kick at him, but he managed to roll away and sprang to his feet. He pulled out the bow that went with his cloth. It had been ages since had used it, but Aiolos wanted to finish this.
“I am sorry, but it’s time for this to end.” He said as he put arrow to string and raised the bow. Jobi laughed.
“I would be more worried if you where aiming for me!” Apus jeered as Aiolos tried to stop his bow from shaking. It was why Aiolos hadn’t bothered to use to the bow much, the damage that his arm had received had affect it, and he even under normal conditions. Now in the midst of battle after having been forced to climb up several cliffs, Aiolos could barely even keep it aimed at the Apus Saint. Still…I have to do this. Athena needs me.
There was something his master had said over and over when he had been in training… ‘The bow of Sagittarius is one of the most powerful weapons, and can rival if not surpass the weapons of the Libra Cloth. You must remember that it is that powerful because you are a Saint. When you loose your arrow do not just fire it, put all your heart, all your cosmo into it. That way, you will always be able to make it hit what you desire.’
He hadn’t really trusted in his Master’s words, preferring to practice endlessly with a regular bow and arrow until he could hit anything he aimed at. Now it looked as if he would have to depend on his cosmo. Sorry Master…. He closed his eyes and focused on the arrow . Please hit, this has hit…. There was a shout from Jobi and Apus charged at him. Hit! Aiolos though one last time, and loosed the arrow.
It left the bow with a flash of golden light and slammed into the chest of the charging Saint.
“Aphrodite-sama…” Jobi choked as the arrow blasted him into the cliff face. Aiolos waited tensely for a few seconds but Apus Jobi did not emerge again, and this time the Sagittarius Saint felt his enemies cosmo fading away. I am sorry that it had to end this way….
“You done?” Ikki’s voice cut across Aiolos thoughts and he turned to find the Phoenix Saint standing there with the arm of the unconscious Seiya slung over his shoulder. The body of the Auriga Saint lay nearby, his cloth smashed to bits. Aiolos nodded, then walked by Ikki.
“Are you alright?” He asked Saori once again. She nodded.
“What about you Ni-chan? Your bleeding…”
“I’m fine.” He said firmly, although he hadn’t noticed the blood until Saori had pointed it out. “Shun and Hyoga…” Aiolos began.
“They’ll be fine.” Ikki said brushing it off. “If they are true Saints then they’ll be able to climb back up.” Although wanted to protest, Ikki caught his eyes. Aiolos decided not to argue with the Phoenix Saint.
Besides…its’ true. A part of his mind whispered. You’ve survived worse and so has Ikki. It’s the Saints fault it they aren’t strong enough to survive. Aiolos closed off that voice. They were walking away when there was a cry from behind them and they al whirled around to, Aiolos half expecting to see Apus Jobi back once again, to see the Cerberus Saint bearing down on them. He reacted immediately, shoving Saori behind him and out of danger. Ikki caught the chain the Saint had thrown around this wrist. Cerberus snarled something, then let fly with another chain. It was stopped by a different, but very familiar looking, chain.
“Shun!” Ikki said in surprise as his brother climbed over the top of the cliff. Shun greeted his brother then, Phoenix shattered the chain on his wrist and put Seiya down. After telling Shun to take care of Cerberus and asking Hyoga to watch out for Seiya, he Ikki left once again. Saori and Shun called after him but Aiolos didn’t bother to say anything. He doubted that that was anything he could say to Ikki that would make him reconsidered. Hyoga must have realized the same thing, since Cygnus didn’t say a word either.
After realizing that Ikki was not going to stop Shun returned the battle. Aiolos started to step forward to help, but Hyoga grabbed his arm. He looked at the Cygnus Saint questioningly.
“He can do it.” Hyoga said. “This time, he can. Just trust him.” The younger Saint draped Seiya’s arm over his shoulder.
Cygnus’s words proved true. They two attacked each other, but neither was able to land a hit. Then Shun managed to trap Cerberus’s chain and completely destroy it. A finally hit from the Nebula Chain when it was filled with Shun’s cosmo finished what Ikki had started, blasting the Silver Saint over the edge of the cliff to his death.
Everyone stayed where the were for a few minuets after the last screams had faded. It was a if none of them could believe that the fight was actually over. At least Aiolos sighed.
“Saori…” He said and gentle touched her shoulder. She jumped and looked at him clearly startled. “Lets get out of here and get Seiya some help alright?” He smiled reassuringly.
“Yes!” She said quickly. Aiolos turned and began to lead the way back home, exhausted and aching. My body is going to make me pay for this tomorrow. He though wincing. But it was worth it. Athena was safe.