[30² StS Themes] Shura - To fight once more - Chapter Four [End]
This is both the last chapter of this story and my last submission to Shura's 30 Themes. Thanks to everyone who has read and much gratitude to those that have commented. :)
Title: To fight once more - Chapter Four
Author: undertheice
Character: Shura
List: A
Theme: #1 - Justice (Bonus theme, on exchange for #23 - Requiem)
Words: 1220
Chapter One - The place that sees him wake up
Chapter Two - Those who seek redemption
Chapter Three - To escape from his own shadow
Chapter Four - The one he fights for
It was like reaching the surface after being submerged under water for a long time. Even when there was air and he could breathe, he felt suffocated, his chest too exhausted to take what his organism needed. His fingers burned, the result of his desperate digging through the ground to escape from the natural prison. His knees barely supported the weight of his body and his vision, still blurred, prevented him from telling where they were.
“Do you need help?”
There had been no worry in Shion’s voice, just a sense of urgency that made Shura get to his feet at once. Memories rushed to his head and the sensation of pain, both physical and mental, reminded him that he had been given a new life. A temporal one.
“I’m fine,” he answered as he stretched his muscles. The peculiar breeze that passed by the Sanctuary at night moved the cape that covered his body, his face coming into contact with the fresh air for the first time.
Even this I’d forgotten how it felt…
After being away for an amount of time he didn’t know, everything felt like the first time he visited the Sanctuary. The scents, the disconcerting yet oddly comforting silence, the stunning scenery and the sensation of solitude that didn’t abandon his mind even when surrounded by people. Everything told him this was the place he belonged to, where everything seemed to fit, where they would--
“We have to move. Cancer, Pisces, come with me. You three,” Shion interrupted his thoughts, motioning with his hand to the group formed by the Saints of Gemini, Capricorn and Aquarius. “reach Athena’s temple as soon as possible.”
No other words were exchanged as they began to run up the hills, leaving the cemetery behind. Shura followed Shion with his eyes as he took a detour to the path that lead faster to the Aries Temple. Cancer and Aphrodite, unrecognizable under the dark capes and wearing the somber Surplices, followed him close behind.
He’d had many apprehensions about the plan at first, but the only one that remained was the awkward sensation of wearing something so suffocating. The Surplice felt heavy, disgusting on his skin, and it wouldn’t allow him to forget that he was wearing an armor that didn’t truly belong to him.
But it was not the time to loathe what he had and long for the things lost, not anymore. Twelve hours, that was all the time they had.
It was still difficult to believe how flawless the plan had worked up until then. Even more unbelievable was how simple it all had been. The first step had been to achieve the impossible and escape from the cell without the help of a Cloth or anyone else. Shion had managed to do not only that, but also liberated everyone else in the prison, except for Shura, whose cosmo had almost extinguished at the time and wouldn’t have stood much of a chance in the fight.
I must have been near my end, Shura thought, for I didn’t even hear the battle that broke inside the prison.
But the other five had done it. They had defeated each and every warrior that watched over that prison. Then, just before Saga and Camus opened the door to Shura’s cell, they parted ways. With Deathmask and Aphrodite at his side, Shion managed to have an audience with Hades and Pandora. Not much later the six of them had reunited in that somber throne room. And then…
“We pledge to serve Hades, Lord of the Underworld!”
The six of them rose to their feet as warriors that swore to destroy the Sanctuary and bring Athena’s head.
How easy it had been, to erase one oath with another. To sell one’s soul to the enemy.
But if to fight for justice he would have to be called a traitor by his comrades, then so would it be.
The path they were walking on was nothing new to Shura. He was sure that many of the footsteps that could be seen on the ground were his, left during his many travels to learn even the last corner of the Sanctuary. He didn’t even have to think his next step as they walked between rocks and ruins. It was all done automatically; only one destination, only one place to go.
Forward, to Athena.
All the questions that had haunted him before were no more. There were still many that had no answers and Shura knew he was not meant to have them all, but it didn’t matter anymore. Only those that he needed to accomplish his mission were enough.
“I can see the temples,” Camus informed and leapt from the rock back to the ground. Saga lifted his hand, the signal to stop. They had arrived sooner than expected to that point, they had to give the other three time to do their part.
Shura leaned against the rock behind him, pulling the hood of his cape back. He took a deep breath and filled his lungs with the fresh air of the Sanctuary, before hiding his face under the shadows again. It was not the time to enjoy something like that, nor the time to reflect on anything. It was not the time to be anything but a warrior.
But there would be no other day for them to do any of that.
“Shura,” Saga said. It had been so sudden that the Capricorn Saint could only stare back in silence, unable to come with a proper response. “Is everything alright?”
“Yes,” he replied and shifted his gaze away. He was glad for the cloaks, at least with them he could avoid to confront Saga’s eyes.
“Shura,” Saga said, this time his tone firm. “We have to fight together. Are you sure you can do that?”
“Of course I can!” Shura answered, fists clenched. His judgment had been clouded by resentment and anger once. It would not be the same this time. “Don’t underestimate me, Saga.”
“I don’t. But what I did…”
“It’s of no importance,” the Capricorn Saint interrupted him. He stood straight in front of the Gemini Saint, his face half visible. “What happened before this night doesn’t matter anymore.”
He couldn’t see Saga’s eyes under the cloak but something changed in the way the older man stood. It was as if he had recovered something that renewed his strength. In the same way, Shura felt his own convictions strengthening.
“It’s time to go,” Saga announced, taking the lead in the group. Beyond the hill the temples could be seen, the statue of Athena towering over all other buildings. They had twelve hours to break the defenses of the Sanctuary and reach that place. Twelve hours to reach the goddess. Twelve hours of life and then they would die again.
Even if he was put in that prison again, even if he had to bow his head before Hades and his Specters, even if had to lose even the last ounce of hope left in his body, he would go back to the Underworld without regrets.
He had been born to fight for Athena and he would die for her, as many times as she needed him to.
As many times it took, for victory to be theirs.
End
Title: To fight once more - Chapter Four
Author: undertheice
Character: Shura
List: A
Theme: #1 - Justice (Bonus theme, on exchange for #23 - Requiem)
Words: 1220
Chapter One - The place that sees him wake up
Chapter Two - Those who seek redemption
Chapter Three - To escape from his own shadow
Chapter Four - The one he fights for
It was like reaching the surface after being submerged under water for a long time. Even when there was air and he could breathe, he felt suffocated, his chest too exhausted to take what his organism needed. His fingers burned, the result of his desperate digging through the ground to escape from the natural prison. His knees barely supported the weight of his body and his vision, still blurred, prevented him from telling where they were.
“Do you need help?”
There had been no worry in Shion’s voice, just a sense of urgency that made Shura get to his feet at once. Memories rushed to his head and the sensation of pain, both physical and mental, reminded him that he had been given a new life. A temporal one.
“I’m fine,” he answered as he stretched his muscles. The peculiar breeze that passed by the Sanctuary at night moved the cape that covered his body, his face coming into contact with the fresh air for the first time.
Even this I’d forgotten how it felt…
After being away for an amount of time he didn’t know, everything felt like the first time he visited the Sanctuary. The scents, the disconcerting yet oddly comforting silence, the stunning scenery and the sensation of solitude that didn’t abandon his mind even when surrounded by people. Everything told him this was the place he belonged to, where everything seemed to fit, where they would--
“We have to move. Cancer, Pisces, come with me. You three,” Shion interrupted his thoughts, motioning with his hand to the group formed by the Saints of Gemini, Capricorn and Aquarius. “reach Athena’s temple as soon as possible.”
No other words were exchanged as they began to run up the hills, leaving the cemetery behind. Shura followed Shion with his eyes as he took a detour to the path that lead faster to the Aries Temple. Cancer and Aphrodite, unrecognizable under the dark capes and wearing the somber Surplices, followed him close behind.
He’d had many apprehensions about the plan at first, but the only one that remained was the awkward sensation of wearing something so suffocating. The Surplice felt heavy, disgusting on his skin, and it wouldn’t allow him to forget that he was wearing an armor that didn’t truly belong to him.
But it was not the time to loathe what he had and long for the things lost, not anymore. Twelve hours, that was all the time they had.
It was still difficult to believe how flawless the plan had worked up until then. Even more unbelievable was how simple it all had been. The first step had been to achieve the impossible and escape from the cell without the help of a Cloth or anyone else. Shion had managed to do not only that, but also liberated everyone else in the prison, except for Shura, whose cosmo had almost extinguished at the time and wouldn’t have stood much of a chance in the fight.
I must have been near my end, Shura thought, for I didn’t even hear the battle that broke inside the prison.
But the other five had done it. They had defeated each and every warrior that watched over that prison. Then, just before Saga and Camus opened the door to Shura’s cell, they parted ways. With Deathmask and Aphrodite at his side, Shion managed to have an audience with Hades and Pandora. Not much later the six of them had reunited in that somber throne room. And then…
“We pledge to serve Hades, Lord of the Underworld!”
The six of them rose to their feet as warriors that swore to destroy the Sanctuary and bring Athena’s head.
How easy it had been, to erase one oath with another. To sell one’s soul to the enemy.
But if to fight for justice he would have to be called a traitor by his comrades, then so would it be.
The path they were walking on was nothing new to Shura. He was sure that many of the footsteps that could be seen on the ground were his, left during his many travels to learn even the last corner of the Sanctuary. He didn’t even have to think his next step as they walked between rocks and ruins. It was all done automatically; only one destination, only one place to go.
Forward, to Athena.
All the questions that had haunted him before were no more. There were still many that had no answers and Shura knew he was not meant to have them all, but it didn’t matter anymore. Only those that he needed to accomplish his mission were enough.
“I can see the temples,” Camus informed and leapt from the rock back to the ground. Saga lifted his hand, the signal to stop. They had arrived sooner than expected to that point, they had to give the other three time to do their part.
Shura leaned against the rock behind him, pulling the hood of his cape back. He took a deep breath and filled his lungs with the fresh air of the Sanctuary, before hiding his face under the shadows again. It was not the time to enjoy something like that, nor the time to reflect on anything. It was not the time to be anything but a warrior.
But there would be no other day for them to do any of that.
“Shura,” Saga said. It had been so sudden that the Capricorn Saint could only stare back in silence, unable to come with a proper response. “Is everything alright?”
“Yes,” he replied and shifted his gaze away. He was glad for the cloaks, at least with them he could avoid to confront Saga’s eyes.
“Shura,” Saga said, this time his tone firm. “We have to fight together. Are you sure you can do that?”
“Of course I can!” Shura answered, fists clenched. His judgment had been clouded by resentment and anger once. It would not be the same this time. “Don’t underestimate me, Saga.”
“I don’t. But what I did…”
“It’s of no importance,” the Capricorn Saint interrupted him. He stood straight in front of the Gemini Saint, his face half visible. “What happened before this night doesn’t matter anymore.”
He couldn’t see Saga’s eyes under the cloak but something changed in the way the older man stood. It was as if he had recovered something that renewed his strength. In the same way, Shura felt his own convictions strengthening.
“It’s time to go,” Saga announced, taking the lead in the group. Beyond the hill the temples could be seen, the statue of Athena towering over all other buildings. They had twelve hours to break the defenses of the Sanctuary and reach that place. Twelve hours to reach the goddess. Twelve hours of life and then they would die again.
Even if he was put in that prison again, even if he had to bow his head before Hades and his Specters, even if had to lose even the last ounce of hope left in his body, he would go back to the Underworld without regrets.
He had been born to fight for Athena and he would die for her, as many times as she needed him to.
As many times it took, for victory to be theirs.
End