Two days of deep apprehension in a hospital farther from downtown, as Shiryu needed much more specific care than the underground care of the Coliseum could provide. Her case was serious. And she was still a girl like any other.
Xiaoling and Seiya did not leave the waiting room in the operating center of that hospital for a single minute. A very high-tech hospital from the Graad Foundation itself. Saori and Alice were also at the hospital wing, as well as a woman and a man who sometimes spoke alone with Saori. Above a double door, a light was lit, indicating that the girl was still undergoing surgery.
Seiya looked from the light to the floor between his feet. Xiaoling had swollen eyes from crying and hid her sad face between her knees beside him. Saori walked back and forth, while Alice was also sitting and very apprehensive.
In a garden outside the building, sitting on a bench were Shun and Hyoga. Shun offered the Siberian boy part of a chocolate he was eating. He accepted and so in silence they watched the trees in a nearby grove sway, waiting for any news.
The light went out and Seiya got up immediately. A doctor came out with her mask over her face and took it off as soon as she got in the waiting room. The very tall, bald man went to her, but Saori interrupted them both.
"You can speak to me directly." she said, and the woman, who had previously been talking to the man in the suit, turned to the girl.
Beside her joined Seiya and Alice, Xiaoling still hidden behind.
"She's getting better. She will be fine. But as for her eyes..." the doctor began to speak. "We were able to reconstruct her retina, thanks to the technology we have here. But I'm afraid her wounds are much deeper."
"What does that mean?" Seiya asked, desperate.
"I'm sorry, but Shiryu won't be able to see again." she predicted.
The ground seemed to collapse under Saori, who brought her hand to her mouth, her eyes twisted with sadness; Alice beside her, mouth open, looking for any way to held her friend's sadness. Seiya didn't accept it.
"What do you mean, doctor?" he asked. "If you managed to rebuild her eyes, why can't she see? Isn't it just a matter of time? There's no chance she'll see it again?"
"I'm sorry, kid. There is no precedent for the damage done to her eyes." The doctor then turned to the man in the suit. "There is nothing within our knowledge or the current science that could reverse that wound. We will pass the case on to experts around the world, but I feel the best thing now is to make sure she has a good life going forward. She is fine. But I'm afraid she won't be able to see ever again."
Seiya couldn't accept it. He invaded the surgical ward calling out Shiryu's name; some assistants went after him and restrained him.
"She's still asleep." said one of the nurses.
He flailed in the arms of men and women around him, calling out to his friend.
He then reached the closed door where he saw, on his tiptoe, through a circular window, the unconscious body of his friend with a few threads connected to her skin.
"She needs to rest." said a woman behind him. "You'll be able to visit her soon."
Seiya cried calling her name.
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Saint Seiya: The Legend of Seiya
FanfictionThe novelization of Saint Seiya. The story of Seiya reimagined, written and told with some important alterations on the story. Cover Artwork: Tiago Fernandes (@tfernandes)