A Small Sacrifice
A Small Sacrifice
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Time and memory were meaningless as eternal oblivion
expanded around him, beckoning, yet he remained trapped in the
of
weakly, a wounded bird in his chest. Hyoga’s
consciousness ascended above his frigid, dormant body, unaware that three of
his brethren had entered the House of Libra, or that Shiryu had released him
from his icy entombment with the golden sword of the Libra Cloth.
onward, one Bronze Saint remained behind to attempt the impossible.
circumstances of his existence, a sudden familiar presence buffeted Hyoga’s
awareness. Though his senses no longer
responded to the commands of the physical realm, an unmistakable warmness passed
through him, as gently as the beat of a butterfly’s wing.
Shun…
The Andromeda Saint shivered with revulsion as he stared
down at Hyoga’s cold, lifeless form. A
translucent azure hue saturated the Cygnus Saint’s body, reinforcing his
corpselike appearance. As Shun nervously
dropped to his knees beside the Russian boy, calm determination immediately
took hold of him.
He closed his eyes and leaned forward, his body achingly
close to Hyoga’s. A half-hidden memory
of a childhood fairytale seeped into his thoughts, and he was overwhelmed by a
sudden urge to press his lips against the Cygnus Saint’s cold, unresponsive mouth.
a great deal more than a simple kiss to revive the beautiful boy from his
living death. Shun lingered above Hyoga
as his aura flowed around them, enveloping their bodies in an incandescent pink
cocoon. A thin sheen of condensation formed
over Hyoga’s skin as the thermal emanation radiated through him, signaling to
Shun that his icy flesh had begun to thaw, but it wasn’t enough.
Saint’s resurrection, the sacrifice would be a small price to pay.
“Nii-san…,” the young Saint silently pleaded.
to heal Hyoga.”
Shun stretched the length of his body against the Cygnus
Saint, gently placing his hands on Hyoga’s chest, allowing his life force to
flow out through his fingertips. Like
the distant sound of approaching thunder, Shun’s heartbeat slowly melded with
Hyoga’s, forcing the Russian boy’s dormant organ to pulse, stronger and
stronger, until their hearts beat as one.
upon Shun’s Cosmo, draining him until the young Andromeda Saint slipped into
unconsciousness.
Hyoga suddenly gasped, painfully dragging air into his lungs
like a newborn taking its first breath.
Though disoriented, he felt warm and secure, as if nothing in the
universe could harm him. His vision
slowly cleared, and through heavy eyelids was greeted by the distressing sight
of Shun’s small, still frame draped over him protectively, his pink aura
beginning to falter. Hyoga strained to
shake the boy loose, to break his hold, finally pushing him away.
gather the unconscious boy in his arms, brushing his trembling lips against
Shun’s pale forehead. The Gold Saint
Aquarius Camus had doomed Hyoga to a fate more cruel than death, but Shun’s
unwavering love and sacrifice had given the Cygnus Saint new life, forever
binding them together.