"There once lived a man whose name was Vei. Vei knew neither his mother nor his father. All that he knew was that he had always lived in Taiarapu, in chef Patea's house. He was one of the chef's bodyguards, and chef Patea treated him with kindness. Now Vei loved chef Patea's daughter Vero and she loved him. But they could not be together, because of Vei's position so they pretended to ignore each other and did that so well that Vero's father and family was deceived. What they didn't know was that the two met each other every night. One day, Vei decided to elope with Vero and to take refuge in a mysterious cave nearby, famous for the monsters that inhabited it inside. It is said that no one who want to that cave ever came out alive. But Vei went in there and Vei defeated all the monsters, even the great big lizards. Though he was afraid, always the thought of his love one gave him courage. After this, he took Vero and she stayed in the cave, while he returned to the village to avoid suspicion. Nights passed like this and Vero's parents were very worried. After a few days had passed, Vei told them his story and promising them the return of their daughter if she became his wife. Chef Patea agreed, so Vei guided them despite their fear to the cave and asked them in. If the chef and his warriors were afraid at first at the sight of the monsters's bodies, they were quickly amazed at Vei's bravoury. So Vei married Vero and became chef after Patea's death. And this is the reason why that from this day onwards, Anapoiri, the place of the cave, is safe for people." The Legend of Vei, a Tahitian legend. ************************************************************************************************ DISCLAIMER: Saint Seiya and its characters is the property of Masami Kurumada, Toei Animation and whichever other company that has its rights. All characters withing this fic that are not the copyright of the above mentioned are the copyright of its author, Jacintha, November 1998. TO SETTLE A DEBT LONG FORGOTTEN A Saint Seiya fanfic by Jacintha Chapter One: Heroes of long before, now awaken: the sad story of Vei. ************************************************************************************************ "Arise Moegaroa, spirit of the night and darkness, awaken from Your kingdom of darkness to serve me." said Taaroa, standing in front of an ancient marae, the sacred place of worship and sacrifice, the forbidden place that was dedicated to the gods of the past, the testimony of a religion long gone. Two shadows appeared in front of Taaroa, that of an elderly man, and that of a young woman. "Greetings oh great Taaroa" they both said together "we live to serve." Taaroa smiled. "There is no need to stand on such ceremony Ruau, nor you, nor your daughter." Both figures got up. "I see that you are in spirit forms, still" remarked Taaroa. Moegaroa smiled, confidently. "This can be arranged". He then called upon his human form, with that of his daughter and their souls entered the body through the thumbnail of the foot and their bodies became alive again. "Moegaroa will always be Moegaroa" nodded Taaroa "Still after so many years, your power is immense." "You flatter me Taaroa, your powers have increase. Now old friend, your powers surpass mine by far!" Taaroa laughed heartily "Your words please me old friend. But tell me, what is the name of your daughter?" "My daughter has no name . I call her 'vahine', woman. She was born to me the year you were captured, and I put to death. My daughter was put to death with me. Her mother who died at childbirth was spared this fate. I have no regrets. I died courageously, but even in death, I rule my kingdom of darkness. And now, my warriors are at your service, as well as me and my daughter. She is very powerful, and as strong as me. She will be useful." "I trust you on that. And with your help, I will finally vainquish my oponents and settled this battle once and for all. As for your daughter, yes, I sense a great magic within her. You have brought her up well Moegaroa. She is very beautiful, as beautiful and as fragrant as the tiare flower." He looked at her. "Very well child." he said "Henceforth, you shall no longer go about as 'vahine', but as 'Tiare', the most beautiful and most fragrant of flowers. May you be worthy of your name." He looked at Moegaroa. "And as a sign of everlasting friendship between us my friend, I will adopt your daughter. She will enter my house and seal the link that is between us. I will become her faamu, her adopted family. From now on child, you will have not one, but two fathers." "Muururu paino" murmured Tiare. "It is settled" replied Taaroa. "My friend, let us now call upon one of the spirits from the land of the spirits, the Po to test the strenght of our enemies. Who do you have in mind?" "Vei" replied immediately Moegaroa "is a young and brave warrior, faithful to our cause. His spirit is in the Po, enjoying felicity with his wife Vero, but a word from us and he is sure to come and help. Many are the spirits that have been forced in reincarnation by that cruel scum of Atea, many more have abandoned us. I have a lot of warriors under me, that is true, but they are not strong enough to go against Atea, or Atanua. However, some of our bravest warriors still remain. And Vei is one of them." "Call upon him then my friend, and give him back his body so that he will be able to fight againts our enemies." Moegaroa started chanting and invoking. Not long after, a young man appeared in front of him. Proud and strait. He might have been mistaken for a living person if not for the fact that his body had a sort of transparent and impalpable touch to it. Moegaroa made Vei's body appear. In the quality of his being a priest, he forced Vei's soul to enter its body. The soul then went through the body, touching every vital organ, and Vei's body woke up from a slumber. "Vei lives to serve the creator Taaroa and the great ruler and magician Moegaroa." he said simply. "Vei" said Taaroa "I order you to go and fight against Atea and Atanua. Test their strenght but do not get yourself killed. You will be needed." "Paino" interrupted Tiare "Atea and Atanua have split up. What's more Atanua is now with Tuli. Vei cannot confront the both of them at once, or he will get killed, and his soul will go back to the Po." "I have brought up my daughter badly" said Taaroa sighing "so badly that she turned against me. But you say that Atea and Atanua have split up. Whom do you suggest that Vei go against then?" "Atanua and Tuli" replied Tiare immediately. "Why? Atea and Atanua are of same strenght. And already Vei is not the match for any one of them. If what's more Tuli is with her, then Vei will have greater chances of getting hurt easily." "A true warrior is not afraid to die!" exclaimed Vei vehemently "Nor is he afraid to suffer for a just cause!" Taaroa smiled. "The true words of a fine warrior. Moegaroa has chosen well I see" "Atanua and Tuli combined may be stronger than Atea alone" explained Tiare "but it is Atanua that as the power to call upon her warriors. After the encounter with Vei, that is what she will do. This will permit us to see who she has chosen and who is left by her side. This will also permit us to judge, not Tuli's strenght, but her attitude in battle. Something that we've never seen. By seeing her stand in battle, it will be easier to attack her." "You speak wisely Tiare, you have spent your days in the Po observing our ennemies I see." "Paino Moegaroa taught me well." "Very well Vei" replied Taaroa "attack Atanua and Tuli. We will be observing you." Vei bowed, his hand clutched to a small object in bambou and disappeared. ************* "What a beautiful night to stroll the beach Sequana!" exclaimed Tuli. "Yes indeed" "But, what is this sad voice that I hear in the distance?" asked Tuli suddenly "Listen to it Sequana, it is the language of our people. It is a song about the singer's grief, and it is so moving that tears feel my eyes just by listening to it. Listen Sequana..." "A great storm came upon the great gardenia, And all its branches trembled; The wind has hurt the flowers and the blooms, But the most beautiful flower of all, The most frangrant and wonderful, Was torn away by the wind, who brings her towards the space, towards the sea, this fearful country. Ah! What sadness! Now, the great tree cries, Its roots murmuring their sadness, Its branches and leaves express their grief, Who will find my little flower? I go to her..." Sequana opened her eyes widely. "It is Vei!" she exclaimed "And this was the sad song he sang when he hid his wife Vero away from their parents who did not want them to be together, listen, listen careful to it!" The voice continued, sadder as it grew by... "Ferocious monsters in the cursed cave have served the ennemies of the powerful Patea, And his daughter Vero is their victim; Ah! If I were of noble birth! I would go against the anger of the gods, I would bring her back to her parents, And they would give her to me as wife. Ah! What sadness! Ah! But I am only her brother! Ah! Were I the noble Roo, I would go and bring her and take her as wife, Her parents would renounce her and want her no more! Ah! Sad is the fate of Vero! I go to her..." "If Vei is here" exclaimed Sequana, suddenly realising "it means that not only Taaroa is awake, but the great Moegaroa managed to go back to his body! and if Moegaroa of alive, then it means that all the shadow warriors in the Po will be able to have life in them again! And Vei is only the beginning!" "What can a few warriors of the past do to us?" asked Tuli arrogantly "Take this Vei for example, all he knows how to do is sing the sad song he sang to his wife's parents when he took her to the accursed cave. What can he do?" "Do not be over-confident Tuli!" exclaimed Sequana "Though he is no divinity himself, he was a great warrior, though not the most powerful. But he has the most bewitching voice I have ever heard! Few can resist to him! Do not listen any longer to his song!" "Pah!" spated Tuli "Then I *will* listen further and see what *his* song can do to me!" And the sad voice grew louder by the minute as Vei continued his song. "Immense is the anger of Patea, though I only want his welfare, Vero is alone in the cave, The monsters have been exterminated. I have no credit in searching her, Since there is no danger. Who will then fetch you, little star? Ah! If only Patea would approve our union, I would fetch her this instant; But I cannot, I promised to reveal myself to Patea, And he will retain me; Oh! The sadness of my little Vero!" With that final phrase, Vei revealed himself to Sequana and Tuli. "Greetings goddesses Atanua and Tuli" he said respectfully "Taaora brings you news of his well-being." "Vei." said Sequana sternly "why are you not with your wife in the Po enjoying felicity like the others? Do you not love your wife anymore to the point of abandoning her?" Vei clutched his hands at these words and said, barely controling his anger. "I love my wife as I did on the first day I met her in the house of Patea her father. I was then inferior of rank to her, though the most remarkable warrior of the tribe. But she did not despise me even then and never ceased to love me even when her parents wanted to seperate us. I still have the charm she got for me before I went to war and hold it near to my chest." "Then you shouldn't be here fighting us" replied Sequana "but with her" "My fidelity is to Taaroa" he said firmly "and as his warrior, it is my duty, and honor to serve him. But it is useless to discuss so things with a godess that even renounced to her heritage!" Sequana winced at the vehemence of these last words. "You have no right to judge me. You are but a warrior of inferior ranking." "This warrior of inferior ranking has at least never denied his heritage" Vei spated "while this *goddess* not only *denied* her heritage by taking another *name* of another divinity which is not hers, but even took a *body* with not even a single Maori blood in it! But I guess that is the characteristic of you and your followers. Cowards!" "Stop these insults these instant!" exclaimed Sequana, her face pale with rage "Who are you to judge my actions?! Did you come here to fight me or to have a chat?" "I came here to fight" Vei replied with a small smile, "and I see that your friend has already been knocked out cold." Tuli was lying on the sand, unconscious, in a deep slumber. "She may be more powerful than me, but her arrogance plays nasty tricks on her sometimes! But enough talk, let's fight!" Vei took a spear out from nowhere, and started concentrating his powers in it. A light red aura appeared around him, growing stronger by the minute. Sequana's muscles seemed to tense up, but she waited calmly, anticipating the attack. Vei's Cosmos was growing by the minute, intensifying and growing at a terrifying speed, he closed his eyes to get the maximum concentration he could, he seemed to be reaching out for all the power he could grasp and concentrate it in this one, single attack. And then, he opened his eyes. His whole body ran towards Sequana as every fibre of his muscles were filled with pure energy. His Cosmos was so bright that he disappeared under its brilliance. He executed every movement of his to the perfection and his aim was flawless. He threw his spear with an amazing strenght in the direction of Sequana and his spear become not one, but a thousand, a thousand concentrated spears, with in the middle another concentrated mass of spears so close to each other that they seemed tightly knotted to each other, forming a quasi-comet. "Spears of Justice!" he cried loudly. BAM! One by one, the spears fell on the rough sand as they hit against the tiny spark of Cosmos Sequana had initiated. One by one his spears full of energy so great it could have rivalled that of any warriors, fall against a ball of Cosmos no bigger than a finger. Yet, this ball of Cosmos, though it was as small as a finger when Sequana threw it grew and grew in the air when it left her right hand and had not only created a barrier of defense for her, but had also constituted an attack on her adversary as well during the last second. That was the reason why her attack was dangerous. Because it could deceive the ennemies until the very last minute, and because it was at the same time attack and defense. Vei's armour shattered into a thousand pieces as he crumbled to the sand. Then, on his body could be seen traces of this small attack. HIs body had been completely lacerated from head to toe, and blood was gushing from everywhere. His body was completely battered, and his bones totally shattered. He looked as if he had been attacked, not once, but a million times. Sequana looked at him with compassion and went over him. She transfered some of her Cosmos on him. Not a lot, but just the right amount to make him spot bleading and give him the strenght to stand up again. "You were lucky I only threw an infinitely small part of my power" she said to him "Or you would have been dead long ago." "But...but..." said Vei incredulously "how did you do that?" "Never underestimate your ennemies and be over-confident" said Tuli as she rose up from the sand, grinning broadly "you said it so yourself" "YOu're AWAKE?! HOW?!" Tuli brushed the sand of her dress "Your singing never affected me. Did you honestly think I was not prepared for it? Deapite of what you may think, I *never* make the mistake of underestimating my ennemies, even that of the lowliest soldier. If I pretended to faint, it was because I wanted to know how Sequana would deal with you herself. Pretty good I must say." "Among your fellow warriors you are the weakest Vei" said Sequana "And the number of ears you have taken from your victories are certainly very consistent, but inferior in number to the others. Taaroa clearly underestimates me. Tell him that is he wants to test my powers, that he should do better next time. His powers may have increased, but I am far from being powerless. Tell him as well that he should renounce to his claims, or he will have to be dealt with even more serioulsly than the last time." "I will not go" said Vei suddenly. Tuli raised her eyebrow "Why?" "I have been defeated, now, you can kill me. But Taaroa still reigns supreme!" "You will not die Vei" said Sequana "and since you do not want to go back to Taaroa, I shall have to teleport you myself." "That will not be necessary"said a voice suddenly from behind. Sequana and Tuli turned in surprised. "Who are you?" they asked. "Tiare" she said simply "daughter of the great Moegaroa, ruler of the kingdom of darkness. Because of you Atanua, I have been deprived of existence for 10 000 years. For that, you shall pay. " "Are you here for a fight?" asked Tuli "No. Now would be a foolish time to initiate one. But I will be back, mark my words." And with that, she went over to Vei, took him under his arm and before Sequana or Tuli could say anything, they disappeared. "Well," remarked Tuli "There goes our peaceful night!" ************** New-Zealand the next day. After having arrived in Auckland, New-Zealand, the five bronze saints, including Ikki, together with Celes and Lia decided to visit its museum on the New-Zealand Maoris history and culture. What they didn't know was that Sequana and Tuli also decided to visit this same museum though not for the same reasons.... "Sequana, are you sure this is the right place?" asked Tuli "Yes it is," said Sequana, replying to Tuli "I know it is." "But Sequana..." said Tuli again, uncertain "how *can* you know we'll find the clues here?" "Because," answered Sequana back "remember the meeting we had about 20 years ago with Atea?" "Yes, and?" asked Tuli again, getting a bit impatient. "Well he said he had place clues that would lead us to him that's all and that the first clue was in this museum." "No idea of *what* kind?" Sequana sighed and looked at Tuli. "Tuli" she said seriously "You may be only 1000 years younger than I but you sure do have a lot to learn still, especially to curb this impatience. We'll know when we see the clue, that's all." "Give it a rest already" said Tuli, pouting a bit "just because you are older than me doesn't mean that you have the right to boss me around. And you know very well that in terms of strenght, your powers can't match mine. You *need* me." "With age comes wisdom" said Sequana simply "And experience curbs impatience. It seems that in your case, it is not true. You are always too quick to juge, and over-impatient. Having strenght does not mean that you have the right to misuse it. And a battle can be lost even if it is won." "Oh quite kidding already Seq" answered back Tuli laughing "The one who stays *alive* at the end of the combat wins, the loser is always the loser. There can be no honor when one loses, only shame. Strenght conquers strenght...and I bet I could beat you any day I want." Sequana shook her head sadly. "You were brought up in a wrong way Tuli, your father saw to that. But you have a least one good point, you are honest." Tuli snorted. "Must you mention the old man?" she asked and then breathed in deeply and said "Let's stop fighting Seq, it's not worth it. Believe what you will, it's none of my business, just know that when it concerns me, all I want is a victory. *My* victory against my bastard of a father. I want to prove my strenght and I *will*, I promise you that." Sequana refrained from saying anything, knowing it would be of little use. Tuli and Sequana walked in the museaum. Still no sign of the clue. "Honestly!" exclaimed Tuli, impatient "Why Atea insists on being found in such a mysterious way is beyong my comprehension!" "The god of light..." began Sequana "...just loved puzzles" finished Tuli "and is inconsistent, and is mysterious, and has a reputation to protect, and is a pain in the ass!" Sequana laughed. "Maybe. But that still doesn't help us" "Excuse me?" asked a young lady in Maori clothings, probably one of the employees of the museam. "Yes?" "Go away." said Tuli curtly "We're not interested in the show." The young lady looked hesitant for awhile, evidently not expecting this rebuke. "I'm sorry, but I couldn't help noticing you had the sign." "The sign?" asked Tuli. "Yes, the pendant you are wearing around your neck?" "This thing? Oh, you mean the emblem that Atea gave us so long ago?" The young woman nodded. Sequana just looked at the young woman coldly. "You are the clue?" "My respects to you goddess Atanua." Sequana thought "huh?" asked Tuli surprised "you're the clue?" "We, secret society of the 'Arioi' have been waiting for your coming. I am Hina, an 'Avaeparai', Arioi of the seventh degre, one of the highest ranking Arioi in the society." murmured Tuli "I'm surprised they actually permited a woman to reach the rank of an 'Avaeparai'" remarked Sequana, betraying no emotions "And a woman this young. A remarkable feat for one of your age." "The great Atea is my master. He trained me." she simply justified. "You mean he actually *is* the head of your society?" exclaimed Tuli in disbelief. Sequana put her hand on her shoulder. "Now Tuli" she said calmly "let me do the talking. What is this secret society. What do you want of us? And where is Atea?" "The Ariois are implanted everywhere throughout the Pacific. We serve only one Master, Atea. As goddesses, you are second in command to him. And under you are a multitude of members of different ranking. There are only 4 'Avaeparais' in the society. An 'Avaeparai' knows all, can do anything and has the courage to do everything. In other words, in the abscence of any orders from Atea or both of you, I am the one in charge with three of my brothers of the affairs of the society." thought Tuli shacking her head "Atea will be waitting for you in the ancient marae of Hiva-Oa, in his ancient place of sacrifice in exactly two months. Until then, you have orders from him to call back the ancient Aitos of the past, the ancient warrior-heroes so that they can take their rightful place in the final battle again. " "But we live to serve the great Atea" said Sequana somewhat respectfully igoring the surprised looks of Tuli "Tell him that his orders will be respected." Hina looked pleased. "The master will be satisfied with your answer. Your reply will be transmitted. Till the next time goddesses Atanua and Tuli. Goodbye." And with that, she disappeared again. "Sequana!" exclaimed Tuli exasperated "Why did you do that for! We are under the orders of no one, especially not Atea. You know what his ambitions are? To bring back the old religion! We can't do that!" Sequana stopped her. "I know" she said "but we still need Atea for the battle. Taaroa is immensily more strong and with Moegaroa's help, his Aitos probably outnumber ours. We need all the allies we can get if we want to survive this battle...and I think I kow who we can approach." Sequana pointed her finger at a group of young men nearby. "The Saints of Athena?" exclaimed Tuli, surprised. Sequana nodded. "Athena will not refuse to help us. And her saints are strong enough to be an obstacle in Taaroa's path." "Brilliant." said Tuli, realising what this meant "and after Taaroa is dead, we can easily deal with Atea!" *************** In an ice-skating rink: "Ikki, come on and skate!" exclaimed Seiya "Stop sulking in a corner and come and join uuuussss...aaaahhhh!!!" Seiya exclaimed, before falling onto the ice. "And make a fool of myself like you Seiya?" Ikki asked "No thanks." "Seiya," said Hyoga helping him up again "How many times must I tell you? You *skate* on the ice, you don't *run*. Do you see the difference between skating and running? Do you?!" Not far away, Shun was teaching Shiryu how to skate. "Now you see Shiryu, all you have to do is follow me. One foot to the right, then another to the left, glide your feet Shiryu, glide your feet!" "Shun, I'm trying to find my equilibrum in this thing. When I find my balance and only when, will I start to advance on the ice. *Not* before that." "Yo Shun!" called Seiya, I never knew you were such a good skater?" "Thank you Seiya" Shun blushed, "actually, I started skating only a month ago" "Concentrate Seiya, you must concentrate!" reminded Hyoga "Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! Hhhhhhhyyyyyyyyyoooooooooggggggggaaaaaaaaaaaa! Hhooooooooolllllldd meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Seiya fell on the ice for the hundreth time. "SEIYA!!!" Hyoga exclaimed exasperated this time "SKATE! Don't RUN! And most of all CONCENTRATE! You hear that?! C-O-N-C-E-N-T-R-A-T-E!!!" "Sorry! Sorry! Teach again?" "Hyoga-san" laughed Shun "teach Seiya, look at how pitiful he is!" Hyoga looked at Seiya for a moment before bursting into laugher. "Aye! Come on Seiya, off we go again! And Shun, ask Shiryu if he's found his middle yet!" "Shiryu?" enquired Shun. "I'm meditating Shun." "On ICE?!!" exclaimed Shun in disbelief. "One must not find a specific place to meditate. One must know how to meditate even in the most awkward moments." "Yes I realize that" said Shun "but we're at an ice-skating session today, not a yoga meditation class." "Someone called me?" asked Hyoga who was passing nearby with a struggling, yet energetic Seiya. "Nothing" said Shun. "I was helping Shiryu to find his center." Suddenly, an idea crossed Shun's mind. "Shiryu?" he said sweetly "seeing that you won't do much skating this way anyway, why don't I hold your arm and make you skate? I promise you won't fall," "If you say so..." replied Shiryu quite skeptically "but should I trust you on this Shun?" Shun put on his best I'm-very-trustable kind of look. Shiryu appeared to relax just a bit. BIG MISTAKE. As soon as he let go of the skating rink rail and held on Shun's arm, they went whizzing at full speed all around the rink! Though Shiryu tried to stay and look dignified at the beginning, he soon realized that it didn't quite match with the fact that he held on very thightly on Shun's hand. So, he gave up and started doing what Seiya had done and was doing. He screamed. "Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!! Ssssssshhhhhhhhhuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!!!" was what could be heard out of Shiryu's mouth "don't go so ffaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssttttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Seiya started to laugh at Shiryu's sight. "Look at Shiryu!" he was saying "This is hilarious!" "You find that hilarious?" asked Hyoga suddenly. "Yes!" Seiya exclaimed, then, looking suspicious "Why?" "Oh nothing" replied Hyoga putting on his best expression "But you won't find it so funny NOW!" And with that, he grabbed Seiya's arm by force and ran at full speed around the rink, making it in such a way that now, not only Shiryu's cries could be heard, but Seiya's ones as well. "Ssssssssshhhhhhhhhuuuuuuuuuunnnnnnnnn!!!!!!!!!!!" "HHHHhhhhhyyyyyyyyyyyoooooogaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!" "Pfff." Ikki remarked "Babies." Somehow, this remark was heard by everyone despite Shiryu and Seiya's voice. Shun and Hyoga stopped. "Ikki." asked Hyoga "You think you could have done better than that?" "Niisan" said Shun "it's not nice to say such remarks when you could have been like this yourself." "Impossible" replied Ikki. "Why?" "I can skate." "You CAN?!" everyone exclaimed in disbelief. "This I MUST see" said Seiya, before turning green "Oh no. I think I'm going to be sick. Guys?" "Go to the toilets by yourself Seiya" replied Shiryu "I want to see an Ikki demonstration." "Yes niisan, please, I would so much want to see you skate!" "No" said Ikki firmly "I don't display my skills to just *anyone*." "Pretty please niisan?" said Shun with a you-know-I-trust-you-with-my-life look reflecting in his eyes. Ikki looked at Shun. He looked at Hyoga who had that same expression. He even looked at Shiryu who *also* had the same expression. He didn't look at Seiya because he was green. He looked back. He looked left. He looked right. He resisted. Then he didn't manage to. "All right" he relented "but just one small demonstration." And then, under the watchful eyes on his companions in arm, Ikki proceeded to a series of figures that would have dazzled even the hardest judge. He twisted and turned and jumped. He skated back, he skated forwards, he skated at the side. He jumped up, he turned on himself, he used his hands. He skated fast, he skated slow. He was a shining star. At the end of his little performance, all the eyes of his friends were staring and him, wide-eyed, with their mouth opened wide. "Well that's all. Just a little demonstration. Satisfied now?" His friends were speechless and could only nod their heads. Ikki smiled, satisfied by their reactions. "It was only a warm-up" he said in an off-handed kind of way "Nothing to be proud off." And with that, he left the rink. ******************* Back to the hotel. "Saori-san!" exclaimed Seiya "we're back from skating!" "You mean you're back from falling Seiya" said Shiryu smiling "Now look who's talking!" replied Seiya, looking utterly shocked "Who was screaming just now in the rink?" "You were." "Oh yeah? Then why did I hear cries of "Aaaahhh Sshhuuuuunnnn stoooppppp!!!!!" " Shiryu blushed. The room laughed. Saori, who was sitting in a corner suddenly coughed. " I think we have more serious problems to look after then debate about who screamed in the ice-skating rink" she said. They looked at her, their smiling faces suddenly becoming serious. "What is wrong?" asked Ikki. Saori just waved her hand at them. "Come in the next room with me" she said as she got up. The five Saints followed her. In the next room were two young women, apparently waiting for them. As Saori and her Bronze saints entered, they got up, and slightly bowed at them. "Goddess Athena" they simply said. Saori presented them. "This is Sequana" she said gesturing at a blue-haired, blue-eyed, gentle looking young lady "reincarnation of the Polynesian goddess of light Atanua." The young lady blushed slightly upon feeling the gazes of the saints on her. "Please to meet you" she said in a gentle, soft, yet clear voice "please call me Sequana." Saori then proceeded to present the other young woman standy besides her. Short black and golden hair that covered part of her face, she looked quite the opposite of her friend. Indeed she didn't look a little bit shy at all, rather giving the impression that she was very self-assured and very confident in herself. Yet, she looked very cheerful and was very likeable. "This" Saori continued "is Tuli, the Polynesian goddess of the sea." "Hi all!" Tuli said, smiling widely "Call me Tuli, *not* Tul, I hate that." Saori then presented the five saints. "Here are five of my saints, my dearest protectors" she said with a warm smile "Together, we have gone through a lot, and always, thanks to their courage and hope, we have vainquished our ennemies." The five saints blushed, embarrassed. "This is Seiya" she said, "Pegasus saint, he is my saint of Hope. This is Shiryu, Dragon Saint, wise and courageous. This is Hyoga, Cygnus Saint, warm at heart. This is Shun, Andromeda saint, the gentlest saint of all, and this is his brother Ikki, the fiery Phoenix saint. Their powers much surpass that of Bronze Saints I can assure you of that. We will be glad to assist you in whatever you may need."2 "Thank you" said Sequana softly "your help will be very much needed at appreciated." "What is wrong Saori-san?" asked Seiya suddenly "I'll let Sequana explain to you what she told to me. She knows better what to say." Sequana nodded and started telling her story. "Ten thousand years ago" she said "In very ancient times, when the old religion was still present and the gods of old still walked among man, the Polynesian gods lived in harmony. Various god cults were worshipped everywhere, and there was no "head" god, but everyone was content. We were a joyful lot, always ready to make merry with men. But unfortunately, it was not to be so for long. Some legends say that Taaroa was the god creator, others say that the world was created by Atea the day. Not that this should have been important. But then..." And Sequana's voice grew grimmer at these words "...but then one day, everything changed. Somehow, one day two villages began a quarrel over a trivial thing. Who was the most powerful god? There were two divided opinions. Some insisted that Taaroa was the primary god, and thus, the most powerful one. Others were of the opinion that Atea was the one who was the god creator, and the most powerful. It was a little quarrel at first, but it's always funny to see how little things can lead on to bigger ones. The gods took sides too and Taaroa was so angry that he decided to prove his superiority once and for all. Together with his allies, both god and men, he attacked Atea and his allies. We fought back, and we won, but at what cost? Almost nothing was left, and destruction could be seen everywhere." Sequana's voice grew mournful as she recalled scenes after scenes of bloodshed, and she could still hear cries of women and children "we defeated Taaroa, but we couldn't bear to kill him. You see, before all this started, he was one of my best friends, and one of the nicest god I knew. So we imprisoned him, hoping that he would never wake from his slumber...but he did. I should have known a day like this would come. He is too powerful, and now, this same war is on the verge of happening again!" Sequana banged her fists angrily on the table, "I won't allow this to happen! I've seen too many people suffer, and too much blood running on the stones and on the sand. I don't want this to happen again!" Sequana clasped her hands together as her face began to look pleadingly at Saori "So I beg of you, please, please help me!" Athena looked at her calmly. "We will help you." she said simply "And we will not permit such a silly quarrel to put human beings in danger." The saints nodded gravely. "Such destruction will never happen again" said Shiryu firmly "we will help you." "Thank you" said Sequana smiling serenely "thank you very much." **************** The next night. "So tell me again" asked Celes "*what* are we doing here again?" "Sequana is going to call to life the spirit of one of her ancient warriors. As this requires quite an amount of concentration, each time she revives one of her ancient Aitos, she needs a week to recuperate as this takes a lot of her strenght. And she has allowed us to see how this is done, so here we are." replied Shun. "Oh!" exclaimed Celes "Right. So we better keep quiet then." "This should prove to be quite interesting" mumbled Shiryu to himself "very interesting indeed." Sequana said nothing, heard nothing, being deeply in concentration. They were in a sort of forest, where traces of an ancient place of worship could be seen. An enormous plate-forme of stones, limited by four storeys. At the four corners, a stone idol was guarding the place, eyes staring fixedly to the center of the plate-form, where was a small stone table with a little hole. from which the blood of victims sould have passed through. A bit further was a strange enormous stone full of carved holes of all sizes. "See this stone?" said suddenly Tuli in a quiet voice "if a victim could guess the number of holes in it, then he would be released, because it was a sign that the gods didn't want him." Shun shivered. "There were sacrifices in this place weren't there?" "Yes" Tuli nodded "Every month, there was a ceremony during the full moon where prisonners were sacrificed. And if there were no prisonners, young people from nearby were taken as an offering." "Many people?" "Many people." said Tuli gravely "this marae goes back to the time were people were cannibales and ate their ennemies after having offered their blood to the gods." "You...accepted those sacrifices?" "Times have changed" Tuli said simply "People are no longer the same, and the gods too. But we are not here today to offer sacrifices, but to call back to life one of ours." A fire had been lit nearby, and Sequana was gazing at it deeply. The flames were dancing quickly, spreading strange and mysterious shades of light on their surroundings, making light . Shadows danced near them, on this cold and mysterious night. The sky was without a single trace of clouds, making it so that the shining moon and her sisters stars could appear in all their beauty on this dark blue surface of the roof of heaven. Not a singlw sound could be heard, except the breathing of the people present, and the occsional cry of crickets. Saori shivered at the touch of a cold wind that wrapped around her and trembled at the awakening of mysterious forces that had laid dormant for thousands of years. The polynesian gods were a strange lot, a paradoxical mixture of childlikeness and innocence, happiness and cheerfulness in times of peace, mingled with cruelty, a glorification of war and battle, courage, and sometimes, treachery. The gods were the mirror of the people. The icon of a long lost religion that had faded away quickly not so long ago. And that was over forever. And the spirits of this religion and what is represented was crystallized in the presence of Sequana, reincarnation of the goddess Atanua, last remnant of a long gone faith. Sequana gazed deeply in the burning flames of the fire. She was no longer Sequana, a mere mortal, but Atanua, a mighty goddess. With this realisation came an entire transformation of her being. She seemed no longer sweet and gentle, but firm and dangerous. She stood tall, and straight, her eyes seeming for a moment overcomed by a craze. She lifted up her hands and felt the last bits of the ancient forces of before. She fuelled and chanelled her energy, grasping these last bits of power and increasing it through her own being. She turned west, in the direction of the Po and slowly opened her hands. A golden colored ball appeared between her fingers and grew as her hands went further appeared. A portal of golden energy appeared before the eyes of the astonished Saints and goddesses Tuli, Athena, Artemis and Demeter who had never felt such power. As the portal grew, Atanua started chanting, or humming a sweet tune as she called upon the spirit of her choice "Hina...Hina come..." were the only words that the saints could understand as she started talking in a strange tongue. And suddenly, out of the portal, a figure started to form itself. And, under the eyes of Athena and her saints, the figure began to take a human form as a young woman, of about sixteen began to smile sweetly at the onlookers. She went to Atanua and bowed at her, while at the same time leaving the portal which was closing. She bowed down respectfully, her right knee touching the ground as she said at the same time: "Hina of Opoa, of the island of Raiatea thanks the goddess Atanua. Hina lives to serve her goddess and the goddess Tuli and will do her best against Taaroa and is followers." Sequana smiled and touched Hina's head slightly. "It is good Hina. Welcome back." *********************** Meanwhile, back to Taaroa and Moegaroa: A sturdy girl appeared out of a golden portal and bowed at them. "Kaea of Tevaitoa, of the island of Raiatea serves the god Taaroa. She thanks the great spirit of darkness Moegaroa for bringing her back to life to serve the cause. Her loyalty is forever." "Good." replied Taaroa "Welcome back to our ranks Kaea. I also sense that Hina has been brought back to life. Do not make the mistake that you made previously this time do you understand?" Kaea inclined her head. "This time" she promised "I will kill Hina. This time, I will not fail you again." "This is what you said yourself" said Taaroa "Remember it." *********************** End of chapter 1. *********************** Translation of some Polynesian words: Aito : Warrior hero Arioi: Secret tahitian society Avaeparai :Arioi of the seventh degree ruau: old man muururu: thank you paino: father ape: a kind of chestnut tree, with very green foliage faamu: adopted parents fare: house marae: ancient place of sacrifice