Title: A Special Day for Pope Shion - Epilogue
Author: Lune Kuruta
Fandom: Saint Seiya
Rating: G
Word Count: 937 (this chapter)
Characters: Aries Mu, Pope Shion, Gemini Saga, Sagittarius Aiolos, and others.
Genres: Gen, fluff, light humor
Summary: Mu finds out that his teacher's birthday is coming soon. The future Gold Saints want to give the Pope good gifts, but they don't have any money. What are they going to do?
Warnings: Author chooses not to warn.
Disclaimer: Saint Seiya belongs to Masami Kurumada and Toei Animation. All rights reserved.
Notes: Story written for the Secret Coconut, a fic exchange promoted by the community Saint Seiya Super Fics Journal (chapter originally published on September 25, 2014).
* This fic is set before the beginning of the series, and the Gold Saints are still apprentices (therefore, they're not Saints yet). Aiolos and Saga are 13 years old; Deathmask, Shura and Aphrodite are 9; and Mu, Aldebaran, Aiolia, Shaka, Milo and Camus are 6. The younger ones might act a little more "mature" than typical 6 years-olds, but well… they're prodigies, anyway x.x
* Because of the time the story is set in, I've decided to give different names to some characters. Deathmask will be called "Angelo" (because I think that he would only change his name after getting his cloth, since it would be an inappropriate nickname for a child). Aldebaran will be called "Antonio" (because he would only become "Aldebaran" after getting the Taurus Cloth, thus honoring the previous Taurus Saints-I've borrowed this tradition from "The Lost Canvas". I hope you don't mind).
* By the way, any mentions to the past (Holy War, previous Saints and the such) come from LC!canon (therefore disregarding "Next Dimension").
* Revised by Vane. Thank you very much! =3
CHAPTER 4 - EPILOGUE: A SWEET DAY
Shion definitely wasn't expecting a day like that.
After spending a short but good time with his pupil, he went to his office to take care of his duties. By noon, as promised, he handed Arles all the documents he had to sign. There hadn't been too much pending work to do anyway, since Arles was a responsible assistant, so he was not in a hurry. After lunch, Shion could check by himself how the Sanctuary was doing, visiting the Silver and Bronze Saints' lodges, Rodorio, and walking around.
The future Gold Saints were using the afternoon to study, whereas Mu was probably resting in the lodge. Shion stopped by, watching as the children listened to Saga and Aiolos talk about Ancient Greece. They were good teachers, indeed; natural leaders, even.
Each one of those kids had their own personalities traits and skills, and Shion was amazed at how they were able to explore them. One could think that those gifts in Shion's room were only children's activities, but that would be wrong: in each one of those presents, Shion could see a person in formation. Through those gifts - as simple as they might seem - Shion was capable of knowing them even better.
And maybe he should hire a psychologist for Angelo, but that was another matter.
The afternoon had reached that point when the sun would get pleasant, and the colors of the sky even brighter. Even though Greece was such a hot and dry place, Spring had its appeal anyway. Shion spent some time by an old, small fountain, and that place reminded him of good times. He felt quite nostalgic that day.
After resting for a while in such a beautiful place, Shion stood up. The night would be falling in two or three hours, and he had one more place to visit before returning to his temple.
000
"I knew that you'd come."
"Of course I would. How are you?"
"The same."
"May I have a seat?"
Kanon shrugged. He didn't bother to get up from his bed, where he had been studying until the Pope arrived.
"Any news?"
"The. Same."
"But Saga came here to visit you today, didn't he?"
"We had lunch together," Kanon replied. "Not bad."
Shion sighed, looking down at his own mask in his hands. He didn't like to wear it in the presence of Kanon, as he felt that hiding his face from him wouldn't help in gaining his trust. "I know that you're upset, Kanon, but you need to understand."
"I do."
"But you're annoyed, anyway. Please, be patient. Each of us has his own mission on Earth."
"Even a shadow does, right?"
"I wish I could change this, but I can't. But at least you can meet your brother. Did you know that most apprentices here don't have a family? And you do."
"Whatever."
"And you know that you can ask anything you need. You're not on your own as you think."
"Well, I appreciate that. Now then, did you come here to evaluate my skills?"
"Maybe tomorrow, but not today. I just wanted to pay you a visit."
"You always do that when you come back from Star Hill. You've been there, right? Saga told me."
"Yes, I have."
A brief moment of silence fell in the room.
"Do you expect me to get you some coffee? You'll have to wait."
"Oh, no." Shion seemed amused. "I'm fine. I only wanted to see how you were doing in my absence."
"I'm fine."
"I see." Shion stood up. "Well, I think it's time to go. I'm glad to see that you are doing well, Kanon. If you need something, send me a message through your teacher."
"Wait!"
Shion stopped halfway to the door, surprised.
Kanon had got up as well, and looked somewhat embarrassed. "That's… uhn…" He headed to his small cabinet, picking a large, round seashell from it and handing the object to Shion.
He avoided the Pope's gaze. "I told Saga I wouldn't make you anything, so that's it!" Kanon muttered. "But I was training at the beach yesterday and saw this, and I brought it with me. But if you don't want it, you don't have to take it."
Shion didn't say a word. He just held the shell close to his ear.
Kanon raised an eyebrow, confused. "What are you doing?"
"People say that you can listen to the sea through a seashell, did you know?"
"What-"
Shion smiled at him. "As a man from the mountains, I've always admired the sea as something almost unreachable. Now I'll be able to hear its sounds from my temple. This is a special gift, Kanon. Thank you!"
Kanon blushed a little, apparently at a loss how to respond to that. After a while, he cleared his throat. "If you're fine with this, then have fun."
"I will, Kanon. Thank you very much. You're really a good person, trust me."
"Me?"
The Pope only smiled, putting the mask back on and leaving the lodge.
000
Those kids were really special.
After finally receiving Jamir's sand drawing from a smiling Mu and having dinner, Shion couldn't help but keep a light smile on his face until going to bed. He had done a lot of things, but he wasn't nearly as tired as he would normally be in other days. Actually, even though he had turned one year older, he felt almost younger than before. Receiving so much affection was refreshing.
Shion was too old to remember most of his birthdays. But that one had surely been his best in many, many years.
THE END
Additional notes:
There, there, it's over now! XD
After including Kanon in the fic, I really needed to write this final scene with him. Did I make it too mushy? I'm really sorry x.x Actually, I was wondering if Kanon's situation was actually worse than Defteros' in Lost Canvas. I mean, nobody knew that Kanon even existed, and being isolated that way surely wasn't a good thing for a child. But, on the other hand, although being known, Defteros was bullied and mistreated as evil (that part was really heartbreaking for me n.n''). So I was thinking if Shion, knowing the sad story of the Gemini Saints from the previous Holy War, wasn't actually doing him good (or trying to) by preserving Kanon from the prejudice he might face. It might not be the best alternative, but that was what he could do at that time. That said, I think that Shion would try to get along well with him and offer him some support.
(Okay, this is only a "fluffy headcanon" for this fic, nevermind XD)
And yes, after resting a while, Mu finally remade his picture! \o/ He wouldn't give up on that, I guess.
Once again, I would like to thank Vane and Anita for their support, patience and encouragement. Thank you, thank you, thank you! *-* And also to you, dear readers! ;-)
I wholeheartedly hope that you liked this fic, Boolafaz! It's simple, but I tried my best. Thank you for your prompt and inspiration!
That's all, folks! (For now…)
Kissus,
Lune Kuruta
NOTE: With this epilogue, I've finally finished with reposting my fanfics from the 9th round of the Secret Coconut. I really hope you liked it. Thanks for reading! (July 18, 2015)