Saint Seiya: The Legend of Seiya

104 - Shadow Tiger

At the distance, the waves of the Mediterranean Sea crashed on the rocks, far from that window on the second floor of a shack so simple. All that could be seen of the immensity of the ocean was the bluish horizon of a small strip of water that appeared after an abrupt fall from the mountain, a few good leagues away from where that one was looking from. The boy's bored and lost eyes glimpsed the paths of the sea in the distance. It was a fine day in the sky, but it was in the ocean that his little heart melted.

His attention was broken by the voice of thunder that spoke from behind him:

"Well, is it really that boring to take care of a giant?"

The boy glanced back, leapt from the couch he was perched on to look out the window, and hurried toward the convalescent, sprawled between at least three beds to make up for his enormous frame.

"Uncle Aldebaran! Are you feeling better?"

The sly bull smiled with the bands all around his head and confirmed yes. The boy took a ceramic pitcher with water in it and the huge man drank it like a mug, quenching his enormous thirst.

"Thank you so much, Kiki." he handed back the pitcher the boy had placed on the table beside him. The huge man wiped his mouth and pointed at the window with a hard chin. "What makes you so sad, little Kiki?"

The boy then jumped on the bed to lie down in Aldebaran's enormous arm, and thus, nestling like a little bird and with his face a little twisted with sadness, he lied to the giant that nothing was afflicting him.

"Nothing much." he trailed off, then continued as if he'd found something to share. "I'm concerned about the Seven Seas mission. About Seiya and the others."

"Well, if there's anyone you don't need to worry about, it's that pest of a boy, Seiya. But I see it in your face, little one, he's not the one you're worried about, right?"

Kiki twisted his mouth, a little annoyed, and looked at Aldebaran's calm smile. Then he finally confessed.

"It's Lunara." began the boy. "It's been a long time since they left for the Seven Seas, and we've hardly heard from them."

"Are you worried about her?"

"You can't tell her about this, Uncle Aldebaran!" the boy scolded him, finding a smile in return. "But I am. Why, she's just a little girl. What's a little girl has to do on a ship across the seven seas? She barely knows how to put her clothes on properly."

"I heard she's a great engineer."

"She thinks she knows everything. And I also don't understand how they could have called her. She's just a child, Uncle Aldebaran."

"Well, but it is in the history of the Saints of Athena that it was precisely the young ones who saved her in the first Holy War."

"But she has no training at all." he complained.

"Trust Captain Meko." said Aldebaran. "After all, he's a giant just like me. I'm sure he'll take good care of Lunara and the others."

The huge Aldebaran then crushed the boy Kiki under his arm much to the mischievous boy's protests. The door that closed that second floor opened and Master Mu caught the attention of her apprentice:

"Kiki, let the poor Aldebaran rest."

"Oh come on, Mu. You keep saying these things to annoy me, I'm sure of it."

Kiki, however, jumped out of bed and grabbed the ceramic pitcher to top up the water.

"He's a good boy." said Aldebaran, looking at his friend. "He's super worried about the little one who's gone across the seas."