Saint Seiya Fan Fiction ❯ Sacrifice ❯ Wrath ( Chapter 2 )

Life for Shun has turned upside down since Athena's retirement, and it is not getting easier…

 

Disclaimer: I own nothing of Saint Seiya, only maybe a certain obsession, and I make no money off this. Nor do I own Shun… but in my wildest dreams… and even then I cannot keep myself from making him suffer. It's just about my mind's babbling, anyway.

 

Ah… but if an original character appears in the following, mine it is.

 

 

2. Wrath

 

 

The heart of a young man leaped as he walked among ageless trees, and now more than ever, for the spring was beginning its yearly passage. These trees were beautiful, great, solid. They'd seen so many lifetimes along their existence, and were always strong, no matter what happened in their surroundings. Somehow he envied them.

 

He barely represented his age. Though he maybe was twenty-four, his face was a bit childish and his delicate features made him almost woman-like. His hair was rather long and messy, bronze-colored with an awkward shade that made it virtually green. A small young person was carried in his strong, however slim, pale arms. She was wrapped closely in his cloak, almost asleep and oblivious to the cutting chill of the wind. He walked smoothly, staring at his treasured burden with his dazzling deep-green eyes.

 

After a while he caught sight of a small wooden house in the middle of the untouched Siberian forest, the one he was looking for. He walked on, steadily. His heart longed to be there.

 

He came finally to the portico of the cabin, where a tall and slender blond man was standing. Clothed in tight slacks and a sleeveless top, the blond didn't seem to mind the cold as his back leaned against the door's frame. His arms were crossed over his chest; his attitude was of one who has been waiting for a while. “About time,” the tall man remarked with a mocking smirk, “I sensed your cosmo since this morning. What in the cold depths of hell took you so long?”

 

“Oh… Good to see you, too,” the younger man said with a sad yet sweet smile in his face, as he lowered the child with extreme gentleness. “Now Helena, say hello to Uncle Hyoga”. The little girl rubbed her sleepy eyes, green as the father's, and brushed away her slightly overgrown yellow-blond bangs. She aimed her gaze at the tall man, gave a tiny shriek, and ran to hide behind her father's leg.

 

“Hey! Are you afraid of me?” he said, while thinking `Shun's spawn, after all.' He bent and kneeled so he was at her same height. “I'm not that ugly, am I?” The little girl giggled a little, sneaking close to the big violet-blue orbs that were staring at her. “Hello,” she said, then she squealed again and ran back to hide.

 

“Oh… I see…” Hyoga smirked, “so this is your game…” He crawled around Shun chasing the little girl. He grabbed her quickly and lifted her, then spun the giggling and shrieking youngster. When he stopped he found before his face the one of a blushing angel, glancing at him. “I love you, Uncle Hyoga!” the little one yelled, while she squeezed his neck with her tiny limbs.

 

“Such a coy little brat you are!” He said playfully to the girl. “I thought you didn't remember me,” then he shifted his gaze to the father.

 

The younger man smiled sadly. “She remembers everything… always. I wish she didn't, though,” he whispered.

 

* * * * *

 

Shun sat in a wooden arm chair, cradling his daughter. He hummed softly, some silly tune, until sure that sleep had taken her completely. Hyoga watched his sibling in amused silence, the sweetest and most selfless person he ever knew, the closest friend he ever had. He watched him stare at his only offspring with so much intensity and adoration, his eyes lost to the sight of his small blond beauty. He almost felt jealous of both of them, of their mutual capability to experience an entirely naïve love.

 

The younger man rose to put the little girl down, to her complaint, in his brother's bed. Then he sat at her side and stroked her hair until she was peaceful again, and covered her snugly. He gazed silently at Hyoga, the sad smile never seeming to leave his face.

 

“Have a drink with me,” Hyoga produced a bottle of vodka and a couple of mugs.

 

“Sure,” the green-haired boy answered, “I guess I could use a nip right now.”

 

They sat at a small round table. Hyoga handed a maybe too-full serving to Shun, who drank it down without breathing, like he would drink plain water. Hyoga raised an eyebrow and waited for his brother to say something, which didn't happen. “It's nice to have you here. It gets pretty boring sometimes, if you ask me,” the blond man started in a serious attempt to break the silence.

 

“Oh… do you feel lonely?” The other asked with genuine concern, but kept staring at the bottom of his mug.

 

“I like loneliness… most of the time. Besides, I'm not always alone; you know what I mean…” The blond smirked huskily.

 

“Yeah, I bet… you're a lady's man, nothing to argue about. Even my four-year-old has a crush on you.” Shun raised his stare towards the other, but kept his head down.

 

“She does, uh? Well, then she's certainly the prettiest of my admirers… Too bad she's so young,” Hyoga laughed at his own wittiness.

 

“Hey! Don't forget she's also your own blood, brother.” Shun narrowed his eyes in a `it's my child we're talking about' fashion, but a hint of a smile slipped in the edge of his mouth despite the harshness of the other's sense of humor. He knew Hyoga well, always trying to appear ruthless and cold, the opposite of himself. Maybe that is why one felt comfortable with the other. For sure, he knew there was none other he could trust now. He breathed deep, as anticipating something deadly serious. “And about that… I need to ask you for something.”

 

“Of course… You know I would do anything for you, ” Hyoga said, trying to hide the concern that haunted him since he knew about Shun's visit. “Tell me.”

 

“It is.... well…” Shun started, “It's that… if something happened… to me…”

 

Hyoga raised his eyebrow again. “Yes?” he urged Shun to continue.

 

“I need to know that Helena is going to be taken care of. If I'm certain that you will be there… for her… then I'll be at peace.”

 

Hyoga, short of words, remained silent for a moment. “So, that's it,” another uncomfortable moment of silence followed. “Listen, you know I do care for the child, but I don't think I'm the best…”

 

“You are,” Shun said, “and there's no one else… trust me.” He lifted his face, now wearing his sheepish smile, “Besides, it's just in case…”

 

The blond man looked intensely into the deep, dark eyes. He considered Shun's choices: Ikki was nowhere to be seen, Seiya had worries of his own and hardly kept sane himself, and Shiryu had his family to take care of. There was Shaina, of course, but Shun steered away from the whole responsibility of involving someone not blood-related, if he could. He was too polite. “Of course, Shun. I'm in.” He finally said, and expelled his breath heavily. “Gods! You got me scared for a second!”

 

“Sorry about that,” Shun smiled timidly, “but I must confess I'm kind of scared myself,” saying this, a dark shadow crept over his features.

 

“Kind of scared?” Hyoga asked in obvious disbelief. The confirmation of his fear fell harshly over him. He was right: there was not `just in case', but `what may come'. And then, what would happen to little Helena? Lovely, innocent Helena had him wrapped around her tiny finger since the day she was born, even when he would never acknowledge this publicly. He loved them both, father and child, he would give his life to save them from suffering. Now he saw torment coming at them like a giant snowball, and he couldn't think of anything to avert it.

 

“Hm,” Shun chuckled sarcastically, “I can't fool you, can I…? You're right, brother; I'm more scared than I'd ever been in my entire life.”

 

“Oh, Shun…” Hyoga sighed. His own approach to life was usually careless, but the well-being of his brothers never ceased to be his concern. And when it was about Shun… “If it's about you, I suppose I should be scared as well.”

 

Shun lowered his stare into the mug again, moving it in circles and making the drops at the bottom swirl around. He didn't know how to begin; he wished he didn't have to.

 

“I… it all started when… that thing… happened,” he turned his head towards the child, just to check if her sleep was still deep and peaceful, and kept his voice as low as he could, yet allowing Hyoga to hear. He was having a hard time finding the words, so they came out at a painfully slow pace. “I was so… angry. I couldn't think straight… my sight was clouded, and my blood was boiling. But I felt cold, cold as death. It was like… being him… again.”

 

Hyoga lifted his sight towards a big crucifix in the opposite wall `Good man, I think I could use your help this time.' He rose from the table, aiming at the door. “Let's go outside.”

 

* * * * *

 

Shun beheld the landscape before him. This was Hyoga's domain, ice-cold blue that resembled his gaze. It was like looking directly at his soul: still and unfriendly at first sight, but under the warm rays of the sun it glowed with a diamond's purity. Alas, being away from the people's world was not so comforting at this time. The green-haired man's mind was filled with many different kinds of hesitation. “Maybe we should go back. What if she wakes and I'm not there?”

 

“She'll be ok,” the blond man tried his best to play the self-confident guy. “She was so tired, the poor thing. I bet she'll be sleeping `till morning. Besides, Natasha is looking after her, and she's really good with children.”

 

“She seems to be a really nice girl,” Shun smiled at his brother, “and a lovely one, too.”

 

“Well, yeah…” Hyoga was not pleased with whatever he should face in next to no time, and Shun wasn't making it easier. “I think we're done with the small talk, bro, now… what we are here for. Show me.”

 

Shun sighed heavily. He really didn't want to do as Hyoga asked. “Listen… I don't think this is a good idea. If you just believed me…”

 

“I do. But how can I know what we are about to deal with, if I have not seen…” Hyoga said, and then smirked his tough-chap way. “I'm not scared of you, you know.” Then he narrowed his gaze as he spoke coldly. “It's time.”

 

Shun chuckled, his sweet smile warmed upon his brother. “I wish I were that confident.” After a lifetime of being afraid of his own might, this was the first time he was failing to control it. For the first time he felt he was giving away his will. He decided his brother was right, he decided it was time to face the demon. Shun spoke with his sight fixed on the ground; his voice could barely be heard. “I'm losing to it, Hyoga, it's taking over…”

 

`So, he's finally giving in.' “What is it, Shun, what's taking over?” Hyoga whispered.

 

“Wrath.”

 

Wrath. He never thought that could happen… not to his peaceful, dear sweet Shun. The little one, the kindest child… Why him, of all the people on Earth? Was he the only one capable of handling this business? The spotlessness of his heart became the cause of his horrible punishment. His constellation was signed by sacrifice, and it seemed that it would haunt him forever. `Some justice, that of the Gods.'

 

Hyoga dared to ask the question to which he already knew the answer, but had to be said. He had to find the way to trigger the infamous anger.

 

“Why?”

 

Shun couldn't raise his stare from the floor, not with the words he was about to say. “It is that… I cannot even say her name anymore. I cannot think of her, or of what they did to her.” Finally his teary eyes found their way to Hyoga's. “It's way too difficult, and I can't stand it”. Shun's cosmo started to flare, his eyes flashed in darker shades. “If I… lose my concentration, if I… let myself… just for a mere second… it takes over.”

 

`C'mon, Shun, I need you to trust me.' “I want you to show me,” Hyoga spoke high, directly to his eyes.

 

“Stop pushing me!” Shun's voice started to change into a deep tone. “DO NOT DARE TO HARASS ME!” he thundered. His hair rose with an explosion of energy, his cosmo glaring in a dark fire.

 

Hyoga stared stoically at the vision before him. It was true. Suddenly, it was not Shun anymore. It was… someone, or something else. His hair and eyes had a dirt-red coloring, and his gaze was lost to the horizon. It was just like Seiya told them. It was shocking.

 

“Do you want me to show you?” Shun turned his stare to Hyoga, his words were slowly spoken, in a cruel manner. “Do you want to see what I'm able to do, what I'm willing to do?”

 

Hyoga remained silent, his cosmo started to flare as the presence of the dark energy reached his space. Shun turned his head towards a series of enormous glaciers, each one massive as a mountain. “I just have to think about something…” he said in a steady voice. He stared at one glacier as it vanished in a blast of purple light that glowed from within the ice. In less than a second it was gone. “… and it's over.”

 

Hyoga's eyes widened as he saw the glaciers disappearing, one by one, at the same time as the transformed Shun talked.

 

“And so...”

 

The second glacier glowed and vanished.

 

“…will be…”

 

More purple light and a glacier less.

 

“…the ones that…”

 

Another…

 

“…took my woman…”

 

And… another…

 

“…from me,” Shun said, as the last glacier disappeared.

 

A pause in his words and his body remained still. He turned back his gaze to Hyoga and continued. “As will be the one that steps in the way of my revenge.” A threatening grin twisted his lips.

 

“Shun…” It was terrible indeed, but it was there and couldn't be denied. It was the incarnation of wrath. Maybe Hades would laugh the last, after all… Maybe he managed to leave part of his dark essence hiding in Shun's soul, waiting for a reason to rise and manipulate his will and power. But it was not the first time they faced a formidable enemy, and there was no force that would make him leave his young brother to suffer this fate alone. Hyoga had to pray so he would do the right thing. He wondered if he could make his brother exorcise the evil from within. He had to make him listen. “I know, and it's fair… now you may… let it go.”

 

“HOW YOU DARE TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO!” The transformed youth stormed. “Can't you see my power understands no limits? Can't you see that not even the gods can stop me now? You can do nothing to hold me back.”

 

Hold him back… no. `I want you to lose it, brother, I don't want you to hold it.' “Shun! Listen to me! They are all gone!” Hyoga's cosmo grew as he talked. “You left no one. You have to remember, for God's sake! There's no one you can take revenge on…”

 

“AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!” Shun screamed at the top of his lungs. His cosmo blew up in a wave that sucked up the surrounding light, and the sky darkened. The ice under his feet sank from his energy, breaking open a gap in the cracking ice that grew wide from the wrathful young man. “SILENCE! I CAN'T BE STOPPED! YOU BETTER STEP ASIDE, OR I WILL HAVE TO CLEAR YOU AWAY!”

 

Hyoga stared at Shun's frail-looking body as it steamed furiously, and he could tell it wouldn't last for long. It was consuming him, literally. Despair began to fill Hyoga as he acknowledged his own impotence. Making Shun purge the anger was now out of the question and it would take something bigger than all of them to fight this. If only Athena could be there, she would bring him back. She could heal him. For the moment, Hyoga had to find a way to make the insanity stop.

 

`Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all… At this rate, he'll be dead soon,' Hyoga considered, `Oh Saori, for the sake of… you! Why can't you do something! I don't believe you don't know what's happening here…'

 

“Stop wishing for her, Cygnus…” Shun thundered in his deep voice “…she's not coming back, Athena has abandoned us.”

 

“How can you say that?” Hyoga hissed. `Not like you, Shun…you'd die before speaking blasphemy,' the tough man felt his heart dropping. `What did you do to my brother?'

 

Shun chuckled viciously, “if she cared for me, she would have me hit with a lightning, long ago…” His voice lowered a little, it was almost like hearing Shun's own voice. “That would help…” He remained silent for a moment, and then he chuckled again. Almost silent at first, but rising until he was laughing dark and cruel. “Now it seems that I have to do it myself!” He mocked, “but first… I'm going to have it my way…”

 

`So, this is it. He wants to kill himself.' Hyoga wondered if, deep inside, the real Shun was fighting his demon identity… `Yes… that could be. He is going to stop it, the only way the Andromeda Saint knows. This is what it's all about, from the beginning. You had it all planned, didn't you, Shun? You always find the way to amaze us... A little box of surprises, you are. But why…why do you want me as a witness? Or do you expect me to…yeah, that may be…I have no choice but give it a chance, anyway.'

 

“Selfish bastard… and a coward… you are not Shun,” Hyoga hissed defiantly.

 

Dark-Shun turned directly towards Hyoga. “How dare you…”

 

`What is it you want me to do, Shun… I need to know. Somehow, you have to give me a hint.' At least Hyoga had captured Shun's attention. “He'd never even think of leaving his little girl behind, if he could help it.” He provoked. “Have you really forgotten?”

 

“You promised…” Shun whispered as his cosmo lowered for a moment.

 

“I'm not leaving you, Shun. You have to stop this nonsense or you'll kill us both,” Hyoga spoke steadily. Now he understood why Shun needed him, among all the others: he was the Ice Warrior, the one capable of keeping his head cool even if his blood boiled. Now he had to prove his brother right, he had to make himself grow to the height where Shun believed he was.

 

“You…” The anger rose along with Shun's cosmo, “YOU PROMISED!!!!” Now he was burning with more intensity than before. “Can't you see? You leave me no choice…” He seemed to hold himself for a second, and then he yelled, “NEBULA STREAM!!!”

 

Hyoga felt his body stiffening as purple streams of energy bent him. He was lashed tight and couldn't move, it was painful and it was draining him. `So, there's no time to waste,' the icy cosmo rose as he concentrated in keeping his energy. “Stop it, Shun! I'm not giving up!” A burst of white light dissolved the streams. Hyoga was panting.

 

“Stop it yourself! You know you can't beat me!” Shun collected his cosmo and prepared his most terrible attack. “NEBULA STO…”

 

“AHHHHH!” The white cosmo blazed suddenly, creating a huge aura of glittery light in which Hyoga was now immersed. “That's it!” His cosmo rose even more until the darkness started to dissipate. He breathed deep; his hands were grasped up above his head. `I'm sorry, Shun!' His cavernous shouting made the ice-mountains tremble.

 

“AURORA… EX-E-CU-TION!!!”

 

The attack poured over Shun like a mighty wave, spinning him into the merciless blizzard of non-energy that brings `absolute zero'.

 

 

 

* * * * *

 

A/N: Well, it certainly doesn't stop here. Please let me know what you think.