Phoenix: Rise from the Ashes

Chapter 3

By: Mia Yagyu

Disclaimer: I do not own Aquarion or any of its characters. They belong to Kawamori Shoji and all of Project Aquarion.

Note: I have not seen the OVA yet. But, I have the subs of the episodes in my grubby lil paws! So, never fear, I'll be using the terms from now on. Thanks again to all of you who have reviewed, favorited, and set the alert up for this story. I appreciate it and I hope that you continue reading and reviewing!

"Johannes-sama," A brown haired boy turned around, his eyes flashing to an eerie silver color before they focused in on their intended target, "How do we go about approaching this situation? It's not like he can hold this form for much longer, especially since now he has already harvested."

The intended target, a tall male with silver hair and metallic eyes, turned around to face the boy in front of him, "It's quite simple, Lensi," Those molten silver eyes turned to look at the corner of the room, "We keep him there for as long as we need to, harvest the right amount of souls, bring back Otoha, Shilha, Moroha, and the others, bring back our own bodies, and then we put those annoying wingless ones out of their misery."

"Yes, I have to agree that this body of this wingless boy is not one that I am keen with," The brown haired boy admitted, "These clothes that these orphan children wore are just despicable! I cannot wait to have my own fingers and feathers back. But, I can see why you chose these forms for us. Should something happen to him, we can easily infiltrate their headquarters in the forms of people they once knew and loved without meeting much resistance," His own eyes looked to the corner to see the same long red haired boy, hanging from the ceiling, wrists bound by thorn covered ropes. A mythical fire-like aura surrounded the boy, pouring into a feather that was linked to a small pool in the ground.

A grin spread across the taller male's face, "We shall observe from here for now. When the time comes, we'll be able to rise back into the exalted glory we once reveled in."

"Lihua's in a comatose state," Kurt came into the room where the others sat, a long white trench coat covering his frame, "As of now, we're not sure what the cause of it is."

Tsugumi's eyes widened, tears beginning to form on the edges of her eyelids, "Sempai…" She breathed before sniffling back the tears. Jun, who had seated himself next to Tsugumi, wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her to him. Tsugumi didn't protest and began whimpering on Jun's shoulder, "I'm glad you didn't get this way, Jun," Tsugumi added, unknowingly causing a faint blush to cross Jun's face.

Silvia watched the group, noting all the somber looks that took over their expressions. Her eyes drifted to the boy that sat next to her, wondering what had happened in that room. Jun had said a bright light had surrounded them, and then Lihua's scream pierced the deafening silence that filled the room before the light disappeared. Lihuha had lain almost lifeless at the boy's feet, like her soul had been drained out of her body.

They all wondered if this boy had something to do with it. No doubt the Commander knew what was going on; he always did, but he would never say anything until they learned for themselves. Silva's blue eyes remained on the boy. She wanted to believe he was Apollo, she really did. Her eyes drifted down his body. He was not wearing the patched up canvas cloak he had on before, but had on a pair of tattered green shorts and matching sleeveless shirt. Had Apollo really been that buff the last time Silvia saw him? She could not remember for the life of her.

Those mismatched eyes drifted to look at Silvia, eyeing her with suspicion and a bit of amusement, "Do you really believe that I am who you say I am?" He quietly asked her, his tone so low that it took a moment for Silvia to fully comprehend his question.

"I-" Her blue eyes wavered for a moment, caught in the ruby and gold web that filled his gaze. She swallowed, what was she supposed to say? Yes, she hoped that he was her lover, her soul mate, her other half. Loneliness had filled her heart several nights, and here was a glimmer of hope that the horrid loneliness was going to leave her, "I hope so," She responded back, her voice at the same level as his.

"Is she going to get better?" Pierre finally asked, looking over at Kurt, "Is there anything to make Lihua wake up?"

Kurt shook his head, "It's not known at the present moment," He looked back at his sister's lover, sadness filling his own eyes, "The other doctors are trying everything they can think of, but nothing seems to be working. It is almost like her soul's been pulled right out of her body," Kurt could not stop his eyes from sending an angry glare towards the strange boy, but his chin tilted upwards and away when the boy looked away from Silvia to him. Silvia watched those mismatched eyes narrow as they returned the glare they were given. She wanted to stop this from happening, but doubt even lied within her own conscience.

Unable to take much more of the mood surrounding her, Silvia pushed herself up and out of the room, heading towards her own room to seek comfort within herself. However, she forgot that she now shared a room with Chibiko. Silvia remembered this when she opened the door to her room to see Chibiko cleaning and putting away clothes. Since Chibiko could not work the military vectors to rebuild the cities that had been battle torn, she had devoted her time to cleaning and helping out the DEAVA staff as much as her little body could. Silvia was eternally grateful to the smaller girl because Chibiko had helped her cope with the many sleepless and tear filled nights. The two had definitely become closer over the past couple years and Silvia was thankful for it.

This time, Chibiko could immediately see the pain and suffering that filled Silvia. The smaller girl rose to her feet and quickly pulled Silvia into an embrace. Silvia dropped to her knees and began crying into Chibiko's shoulder, "Why are you crying, Silvia?" Chibiko asked Silvia, running her small hand through Silvia's hair, "Apollo's back, isn't he? I thought you would be happy!"

"I am," Silvia responded, pulling away from Chibiko and wiping the tears from her eyes, "But something just doesn't seem right. Not only does he not remember anything, but he also somehow caused Lihua to go into a coma. It just doesn't seem right, Chibiko," She explained, sitting back on her knees before letting out a breath she did not realize she was holding.

"Silvia," Chibiko slowly approached Silvia, putting a hand on her shoulder, "What would you do if you found out that this boy, even though he looks and acts like Apollo, is not Apollo? What if he is someone else? Or something much worse?"

Silvia blinked, slightly taken back by Chibiko's words, "What do you mean, 'something much worse?'" She asked, tilting her head to the side with curiosity.

"What if," Chibiko began, pausing long enough to sit down next to Silvia, "Everyone that fought that last battle said that they did not know what happened to the other Shadow Angels. What if this boy is just an incarnation of one of them?"

Silvia had not thought of it that way. What if he was a Shadow Angel? Did he knowingly take a form that would dupe everybody, making them believe that he was Apollo, the reincarnation of Apollonius? Here she was, the one responsible for allowing him inside DEAVA's headquarters, "So, is it my fault?" Silvia finally asked Chibiko, uncontrolled tears welling up inside of her eyes, "Is it my fault that Lihua's in that comatose state?"

Chibiko's eyes widened before she hung her head. Her hands folded in her dress, frustration welling up inside of her. The frustration was more at making Silvia more upset instead of making her happier. Finally, Chibiko shook her head, "No, it isn't your fault, Silvia. It could not even be his doing that Lihua's in the state she's in now."

"Johannes-sama," The brown haired boy shifted his eyes away from the scene in front of him towards the other male, "I think the two girls are onto our plan."

The silver haired male gracefully moved over to the brown haired boy, one hand reaching down to pull the boy's chin up, "Do not worry, Lensi," A smirk pulled at the corner of his lips before they pressed down on the boy's. He pulled away, leaving the boy breathless and awestruck, "There is still doubt in their minds. We do not have to worry until one of them actually figures out what his true form really is."

In the corner of the dark room, the boy that was surrounded by the mythical fire-like aura began to stir, "Silvia…" He called out, but it was so quiet that it barely reached his own ears, "Seliane…"

Ending Notes: OMG guys, I feel so incredibly bad for taking so long on this! Things happened, everything went down, and I neglected my darling fic and its readers. Please forgive me! Anyone figured out what's going on yet? ;)