Hello again
Thank you for waiting, here it is the next chapter!
If I take too long to upload a chapter, please don't fret. I won't drop this story. I don't quite write stories in order so I already got the ending figured out but the middle is quite difficult to sort out. Please bear with me a little. Thanks for reading! and remember I'm always glad to read your reviews, so don't forget to stop by!
Enjoy!
Kanon had been on the library the whole day in the unclassified section. It was called like that because, through the centuries, many people left there whatever text they thought could be useful. The few books that were there were foreigners, not many people could read them, and they waited for their translation. There were also some new edition of something, but resting on a stack of handwritten texts, hopefully, in a notebook, but mostly in disarray. There was no record of what exactly was in there, but Kanon had taken the initiative of finding out. So he took a shelf of "what the hell is this doing in here?", "interesting but useless", "got no idea what it is about – Greek" , "got no idea what it is about – others", "why is this not in a safe box?", "someone mistook the garbage can", and so on. He had been doing that for weeks and he was halfway through the mess. Whenever he found something important, he gave it to Camus to classify… to really classify, not just pile it up somewhere else.
And that was how he came across some very unusual notes that nearly got him killed under an avalanche of worn paper. They were about some saint clothes he had never seen anyone wear.
From the 88 saint clothes that were supposedly under Athena's blessing, a few were missing. To Kanon's knowledge there were currently only 70 or so saints, but those notes detailed many of such missing cloths and some others more or less the same way the Smith's journal portrayed them. So maybe they were a second part to the Smiths' repair manual, or missing pages. Kanon recalled a few Pandora boxes in the Aries workshop, not all of the missing ones but at least six. Surely they needed repairs, or they would be at their resting chamber on Athena's temple, or worst at the cloth cemetery in Jamir. If after such long time they haven't been fixed maybe the reason was the lack of the information Kanon held in his hands.
One of them called Kanon's attention and an idea occurred to him. He took that page and placed the others in a lonely shelf where he wouldn't mix them up with something else. Unluckily for him, Camus had been summoned by Saga and wouldn't be around at all. Kanon hoped nothing bad happened to them.
With the paper on hand, he left towards the coliseum. The trainings in there were just finishing. Saints and cadets were going to get dinner and a good night rest.
Shiryu, Kiki and Hyoga were trying to decide what to do. Their friends should be at the back fields but going over there and then return to the dining hall was too much walk after so much workout, considering they would need to climb too many stairs up their temples afterwards… well, Kiki could teleport them, but Mu had forbidden him to do that so he made as much exercise as the others. And in the middle of the discussion, a paper came flying and ended up on Kiki's face.
- What the…? What's going on? – The kid took the paper off
- Kiki, are you alright? – Asked Hyoga, but Kiki didn't respond
- Kiki? – Shiryu was about to take the paper but the kid moved it out of reach
- Don't!
- What is it?
- Is a page of the Smith's journal!
- The book you use to repairs cloths?
- Yes, but I've never seen this one before…
- What do you mean by that? You've read that book countless times, don't you?
- I have…
- Which cloth is it?
- Caelum… - said Kiki, reading the page – one of the repairs cloths
- repairs cloths?
- Caelum and Sculptor. Supposedly, those were the first cloths to be made, with their power making all others was easier. But Sculptor has been missing for centuries, while Caelum is shattered at the workshop. We have never been able to put it back together, but with this… what was a document so important being blown by the wind?! What else got blown by the wind?! I must put it in a safe place, I gotta go!
- But Kiki…!
- This is extremely important. Do not talk to anyone about it until Mu and Shion come back! Swear on your Saints' honor! – The urgency of Kiki's words made Shiryu and Hyoga comply
- We swear!
- Check if you find any other papers like this. If you do, bring them to the workshop! Bye!
- Where are you going?
- To talk to pope Saga!
And so Kiki left while Kanon snapped his fingers. He had remained unseen, checking what the boys would do with the paper he placed on the younger kid's face. Oh, well, he tried. He only hoped Saga wouldn't make a worldwide campaign to find the rest of the documents.
Kiki teleported to Athena's temple and rushed all the way to the Pope's studio. He knocked without waiting to check if anyone else was around. It was Camus who opened the door
- Oh, Kiki…
- Aquarius Camus! I need to talk to pope Saga…
Camus turned to Saga
- We are in a very important meeting, young Aries – said the Pope, indicating the presence of Hound Asterion and Crow Jamian. Kiki became nervous
- I… I know… but I found something… neither Aries Mu or pope Shion are around… and… it's… well, I'm not sure what to do with it, but I can't leave it rolling around.
- Come in then. – Kiki entered the room. - What is it?
- I… - The kid side glanced the older saints, but the only other one he was acquainted with was Camus, and he was not the best moral support… well, Kiki never expected to be so nervous in presence of Saga without his mentor.
- Kiki, are you alright? – asked Camus
- I… I'm sorry! This is a smiths' matter. I can't discuss it with them in here. – Kiki bowed in respect but both Camus and Saga noticed he was trembling slightly.
- Alright. - Saga stood up – Gentlemen, please wait outside a moment. - The other saints stood up, bowed and went out closing the door. So Kiki was left alone with Saga… the kid shivered for real. He didn't notice the moment Saga approached him. He startled the kid when he placed a hand on his shoulder – Calm down, young Aries. – Saga expression was so serene Kiki did calm down a notch - What have you found?
- This… - he presented the paper. Saga blinked surprised not fully understanding
- Is it a sheet of the Smith's journal?
- It looks like it. But I had never seen it before… and I've studied the journal several times. – Saga looked at the kid – besides that cloth is Caelum, one of the repair cloths, we have the parts in the workshop. – Saga looked back at the page closely
- Where did you found it?
- That's what concerns me the most. Hyoga, Shiryu and I were going out of training in the coliseum and this came floating in the wind.
- Were there any others?
- I don't know, I came here right away. Hyoga and Shiryu stayed behind, looking for more of them. I told them to bring them to the Smith's workshop.
- Is it authentic?
Kiki hadn't thought about it
- Looks that way. The writing, the ink and paper, the format and even the content, it does make sense.
Saga turned the page
- But this note here doesn't seem to belong – He showed a corner of the page to Kiki
- I didn't see that – The kid blushed up embarrassed as he took the page. It read "Kiki's trial"
- Did you wrote that?
- No. And that's neither Aries Mu's handwriting… would it be pope Shion's?
- Looks alike…
- Do you think they left it for me and got blown off? – That wasn't quite a question for Saga but to himself
- No without telling you
– I'd like to try! – said Kiki after a brief silence
- To repair it?
- Yes!
- Young Aries, you are well aware we are running low on both gammanium and orichalcum. We haven't find any other source yet.
- All the more reason to try! Caelum cloth not only easies repairs but also helps finding materials.
- All the more reason to wait for Mu and Shion to come back, don't you think?
- So they can take over if I screw up? – said Kiki really disappointed
- I didn't mean that… - Maybe Saga did, but he wasn't expecting such a reaction - But even if either Shion or Mu did reserved it for you, the fact neither of them mentioned it so far might mean that you are not ready yet, don't you think?
Kiki got discouraged. He understood Saga wouldn't want to risk losing the last of the repairs materials they had since there was a great chance he couldn't make it on his own. Caelum was as shattered as Lyra had been. But he was not a smith so terrible as to completely fail, was he? With his level, it'd be a difficult task, but not an impossible one…
Saga pondered the situation. He was not firsthand aware of Kiki's capabilities, he had only heard Mu's reports and Shion's concerns, which were a bit contradictory. All logic told him to wait for them to come back, Kiki was sure to succeed under their guidance as happened with Lyra and then they'll solve their supplies crisis…
– What if the materials you have are not enough to repair such a trashed cloth?
Kiki looked down.
- If they are not enough to repair this one, they might not be enough to repair any other. What are we going to use them for then? As things stand, whatever we do will deplete our supplies, but not using them at all would be a waste. We could save them to repair the next currently active cloth that gets damaged during a battle, but we are not at war right now, and all cloths have already been repaired in full. We can get attacked at any time, true, but after our recent victory over Hades and the fact all saints were restored to our ranks would discourage any invasion. Nobody but Athena, the smiths, Libra Dokko and your holiness know about this shortage, not even the saints waiting outside to discuss with you their findings on the research for new sources, so it's unlikely any enemy would take advantage. So, the odds we need an emergency fix are lower than the chances I have of repairing Caelum to a functional state that allows us find a source faster. No other cloth offers such advantage. Let Pope Shion and Aries Mu finish their current duties, let that be the backup in case I fail to repair the cloth. But I don't think it's fair you don't allow me to try. I will never "be ready" if you grownups keep denying me the chance to practice and improve by myself!
Ever since Shion began interfering in his training, Kiki got the feeling they didn't trust his skills. He knew he was not as good as Aries Mu, but…
- Kiki – Saga calling him by his name sounded weird. The kid shut up and bowed in respect. Certainly this was no way for a cadet to address Athena's Sanctuary Pope, much less former Gold Saint Gemini Saga, and the most powerful saint of their generation. Suddenly the boy felt his imprudent rant would end up terribly counterproductive – if you mess up, if you don't make it, is there any chance Mu can fix it with only the materials you have right now?
- The only way it occurs to me it can't be repaired anymore is if I completely destroy it. I might not be the best smith yet, but I'm well beyond that point. Besides now we have the details.
- You still don't know if this is authentic.
- I would now once I start working on it. I'd stop before any waste or damage is done, and report back to your Holiness immediately.
Saga looked at the kid, then he looked out of the window
- Kiki, you might think we care only for our supplies and our tools, but you must know that much more important than that are our saints, our people, you included. If being a smith were easy, your mentor would have more than one apprentice by now. But people as skilled as you is not easy to come by. You might feel we don't trust your talent, but actually because of such unparalleled talent is that we can't risk losing you. – Kiki blinked surprised and looked up - I know being a smith is a very taxing role. Aries Mu himself was out of commission for one whole day after Lyra's repairs, and he was only assisting you. It would be nothing short from reckless to ask such a daunting feat out of an apprentice who has a whole life ahead of himself and still too much to learn and to do. – Saga looked back at the kid - If we were at war and no other smith were available, I'll risk it. But you yourself said it, we are not at war and there's little chance we'll be soon, so there's no need to ask so much of you right now. However, if you think you can help, I must support you. – Kiki's eyes brimmed with determination - The shortage on supplies is an emergency and I can't turn a blind eye to any chance of solving it. – Saga gave him back the paper – Take Caelum, study this document and make a full assessment on the extent of the repairs. Especially verify if Caelum must be whole to help us search for the supplies, hopefully it won't. That would reduce the amount of work required to locate a source. Report back to me before starting the works.
- Yes, count on that.
- And Kiki, don't take any unnecessary risks, you don't need to rush either.
- Got it. Thank you!
- Thank you. Now please call the others back in.
- Right away! - The other saints were startled when the door suddenly opened. Kiki was about to rush out but he remembered his manners – Thank you for waiting, you can now come in. Sorry for interrupting – he gave a few steps walking but he couldn't help sprinting forward, he was too excited. By the end of the hall, he teleported away.
Down at the workshop, his friends were already waiting for him.
- Hey, Kiki!
- Hello, guys. Did you find any other page?
- No, we didn't. We even looked in the bushes, in the trees and inside the building
- This is really suspicious…
- So? What did pope Saga said? – asked Shiryu
- He allowed me to find out if this page is authentic or not. So that's what I'll do
- But shouldn't we eat first? – urged Hyoga
- Alright. Let's go to the dining hall
- We just came from there!
Kiki though about it
- This one time… - he teleported away the paper and also took his friends to the dining hall.
They met Shun and Seiya there, and once they dinner, they went back to the temples together. After seen his friends to the stairs going up, Kiki teleported to the hidden room inside the workshop to verify the paper was still there. He took it to the workshop and began reading it.
By the time he finished it was already late so he decided to put away the page and get some sleep. Early next morning, just after breakfast, he tended to Aries altar and went straight for the paper. He studied it all morning. First read it, then made annotations in his notebook
He was so concentrated on the task that he almost died of fright when he felt someone looking over his shoulder.
- Gemini Kanon! - He said sitting on the floor where he fell from the chair.
- You could be dead, you know, imp? I thought you already were. I been calling you for a while. I got to come in since you didn't answer.
- w-what are y-you doing h-here? – He was angrier at himself than to Kanon for not noticing his presence - Please leave!
- I'm looking for your mentor – Of course he wasn't, but what other excuse was there to use?
- He is out on a mission with pope Shion. – He said standing up - He won't be back for at least a week.
- So are you all alone in here?
- Yes! And I'm busy so if you don't mind…
- Have you eaten anything?
- Eh? – Kiki's stomach answered for him. He blushed up
- do you have anything to eat at all? The dining hall is no longer serving
Kiki looked at the clock and worried, it was past three already
- I wonder if this carelessness is common to all Aries. Here… - Kanon had a packed lunch. Surely he was saving it for later. – So what are you doing that we could have been invaded and you wouldn't have noticed? – Kanon looked at the desk – is that Caelum cloth? - Kiki looked at the lunch seriously considering eating it, but Kanon's words surprised him - One of Athena's repair cloths which allowed fixes on the go and tracking supplies, interesting…
- Do you know about it?
- Of course. Caelum, Sculptor and Fornax were one hell of a headache for Poseidon's marinas until their demise in the XVI century. No matter how hard Athena's forces were hit, they always came back almost instantly. When Poseidon found out the reason, he concluded they had to go first. The marinas carried out a plan to lure them out of sanctuary, separate them and crush them. We thought the cloths were irrecoverable.
- Well, Sculptor is still missing, we had always had Caelum remains, as for Fornax… - Kiki went into the hidden room and came back – this is all we have. – And showed Kanon the red gauntlets
- A real shame.
- But why is Fornax not counted as a repair cloth?
- Because it was created way afterwards. I understand it was one of the last to be created. But why are you interested on Caelum? Are you planning to restore it? That would be a really great feat
Kiki left the gauntlets on the desk
- A great feat indeed – Kiki used his psychokinesis to pull Caelum box to the center of the workshop and open it.
- Is this Caelum?! – Kanon was stunned. If Lyra had been shattered, Caelum… what the hell happened to it? It didn't even looked like it was once a cloth.
- I used to like puzzles until I saw this for the first time.
- Forgive me for asking, but… can this be repaired?
- I suppose. We hadn't been able to put it back together mainly because we didn't even have idea of how it was supposed to look like. If that page over there is authentic and the information reliable, we should be able to restore it, although maybe not all of it.
- What do you mean?
- Aside from the obvious fact we are missing pieces… - Kiki remembered he should not discuss repair supplies issues with anyone, and Kanon already knew too much.
- You don't have enough material?
Kiki cursed mentally and right away used his cosmos to check if there was anyone else around. He couldn't find anyone within hearing radius.
- Don't say that kind of things out loud. – Scolded Kiki - Do you want us to get attacked?
Kanon rose an eyebrow.
- In that case you should start by the belt and head piece
- Why is that?
- If I remember correctly, the belt had something to do with reducing the effort of the repairs, while the head piece was somehow related to finding supplies.
- Alright I'll start by the head, then move to the belt. I got to find as much pieces of each as possible. – Kiki teleported some pots from Aries private chambers, and arranged them in two rows around the cloth pieces as to classify the mess according to the body parts they were more likely to protect
- Good luck on that one. How long do you think it would take? – Kanon turned to leave
The kid kneeled down in the middle of the mess and began checking the pieces one by one to drop them in the pot they'd more likely belong to.
- Many, many hours… - he said
- Be sure to eat, and don't stay up until late.
The kid just mechanically nodded as Kanon went out. The Gemini smiled since his plan had sort of worked, yet he hadn't expect it to be so challenging.
When Kanon came back next day, he found a knocked out Kiki lying on a futon in the floor. He was heavily asleep and it was almost lunch time. The Gemini decided not to wake him up since he surely stayed up all night sorting out the pieces. He had 7 pots of shards of similar appearance and a large bunch back inside the Pandora box. Kanon went out to get his lunch but instead of eating it at the dining hall, he brought it back to the Aries workshop, where nothing had changed. He left food near Kiki and left to eat somewhere else.
Nightfall caught him lying on a bench at Rodorio square. He had been reading some other documents he found in the unclassified pile when, aside from the looks of the folk who had been willing to talk to the new Gemini Gold Saint but were too respectful to interrupt him, he felt the presence of someone too close to him.
– Did you lost something, imp? – said Kanon without turning around.
– No… – Kiki still didn't know exactly how to behave towards him. At least Kanon didn't made him as nervous as Saga – were you the one who brought me lunch today?
– What makes you think that?
– I don't think anyone else knew I was at the workshop. My friends would have awaken me… – Kiki felt a 'thank you' was in order, but…
– You shouldn't have interrupted me, now my stomach remembered I'm hungry, darn. – Kanon stood up and walked towards a small outdoor diner – you coming or what?
Kiki followed him as he took seat in the table closest to the fence enclosing the tables.
A young woman came hurriedly with the menus but stopped suddenly when Kanon looked at her.
– Oh, Gemini Kanon! G-good evening… – The girl smiled but became nervous – would you dine in here tonight?
– Good evening, Agatha. Yes, please. My usual gyro and whatever the imp wants.
– What? Me?! But…
– Hum, hi!
– Quit wasting her time, she is busy.
– Eh… a small order of dolmades?
– Right away.
– Thank you. – Then Kanon turned to Kiki – so? Any progress on your puzzle?
Kanon looking at him made Kiki uneasy.
– I think I got the pieces we need. The paper looks authentic.
– But?
– I don't think I can fix any of it by myself.
– And why is that?
– You saw what was required to fix Lyra – Kiki meant the blood sacrifice
– Is there anything else you need to do this time?
– No but I can't do the sacrifice and fix… the puzzle at the same time. I got no choice but to wait until my mentor Mu and pope Shion come back. – Kiki looked away. Kanon got the feeling there was something else he was not saying.
– Have you spoken to Saga yet?
– Yes, I reported all of my findings to him already
– Even what I told you?
– Yes, but... ! – Kiki opened his eyes wide. He had been so nervous that he forgot to mention where half the information came from.
– If you didn't mention me to him, it's ok.
– Eh?
– Have you done that, he would right away assign you bodyguards or something…
– What…?
But then Agatha returned with the food. It called Kiki's attention the fact she brought the food in a paper plate over a regular plate. She was followed by an old man. Kanon stood up to greet him
– Gemini Kanon, what a pleasure to have you here again! – It was the same old man who came to chat with him, Mu and Aldebaran, the first time they got to lunch together, so many months ago.
"Only you can say such nonsense, old man" was the first clear thought Kiki got from Kanon, as his mood lifted a bit.
– Good evening… – he greeted in an even gentler tone than the one he used with Kiki. – Have you met Aries Mu apprentice?
Kiki was surprised
– Eh? Aries apprentice? – The old man turned to the kid
– Good evening, sir, my name is Kiki
– Such a young fellow! And a foreigner as your mentor, right?
– Yes…
– Yes, I remember the previous pope was a foreigner too. It's great to have people from all over the place, brings different perspectives and makes one realize how big our world actually is… Will you stay with us for dinner?
– My apologies, but tonight I need to go over some papers – Kanon folded the paper plate and wrapped his food. Kiki did the same.
– must be something important!
– I'm not convinced. I guess I'll know once I'm done.
– Alright, alright. Then we won't keep you! Have a good evening and thanks for coming!
– Thanks for having us over this brief moment
– Come whenever you like. If it weren't for you, my establishment wouldn't be this big already!
– You already had all you needed, I just gave you some pointers.
– There aren't that many things more valuable than the gift of knowledge – said the old man with a great smile. Although Kanon's expression didn't change one bit, Kiki felt his thoughts swift towards a way darker mood.
– I do what I can. Give my regards to your wife.
– Sure thing! Farewell young lads, farewell
– Bye! – said Kiki following him
Kanon walked away still acting carefree, but once they turned the corner, he let his anger show in his face. The young smith was completely thrown off.
"It's worthless!" was the neon sign Kiki got blinking in the older man's mind.
– Whatever you did for that old man, he is honestly grateful – the kid mumbled. Kanon side glanced him, he had completely forgot he was there. – No good did is ever so small that is insignificant. You changed a life back there… – Kiki looked back. He finally recognized the place and he was certain it wasn't that big two months ago.
– Good or bad is pretty relative. It all comes down to how convenient or inconvenient things really are for the people involved. Or why else do you think the saying "crisis are opportunities" exist?
– Intentions count! – said Kiki
– Many of the greatest calamities in history happened because of people with good intentions…
– Do you seriously took the time to help only to get free meals at Rodorio? – The kid pointed at the food. Kanon looked at it, certainly the thought hadn't occurred to him.
– No, that's a pretty convenient consequence. I was just bored at the time. – And he bit his gyro.
– So you did it for entertainment? I don't buy it. Helping others can be dangerous, tiring and boring at the very least. One doesn't put himself through the trouble for petty gratifications.
– Why would you do it?
– People's wellbeing.
Kanon didn't reply. They both ate their dinner in the way back to the temples.
Kiki wondered all the way what was really Kanon motivation for the things he did and also wondered what else would he be doing that nobody knew about.
– How much sleep you need? – said Kanon to Kiki
– I slept all day…
– So can you work now?
– Huh? Yes, that's my plan. – Said Kiki not very enthusiastic. There wasn't much he could do anyways. Kanon pointed at the workshop – How do you melt the metals? – He said once they entered the place – at least you know that?
Kiki had put away the cloth so he brought the box and the pots back to the center
– You need to make them resonate with your cosmos. – He opened the secret wall – The same way the gold cloths resonate with each other. Eventually they melt and become workable. I haven't been able to melt the orichalcum on my own yet.
Kanon took the gammanium ore in his hand. It felt like a chunk of iron, cold, hard and heavy…
– Try using Fornax gauntlets
Kiki turned to the gauntlets
– Why Fornax?
– It is supposed to ease working the metal.
– But we only have the gauntlets…
– Do they look like a dead cloth to you?
– … now that you say it, no
– The rest of Fornax must still be whole somewhere.
Kanon put down the gammanium and Kiki put on the Fornax gauntlets, but only stared at them
– What's the matter?
– They are too big for me
– What do you mean?
– They don't fit me – Kiki shook his hand in front of Kanon. The metal rattled.
– What else did you expected? It is not your cloth.
Kiki got discouraged
– Then I can't use it.
– Kid, you are getting on my nerves. How is it possible you can repair cloths but you don't get how they work? – Kiki looked at Kanon confused. – Cloths do not define who is a saint and who isn't. A person's capability to harness the power of the stars, the cosmos, and make it yours, your cosmos, is what makes you a saint. It's been recorded how saints can jump classes, silver dropping down to bronze, bronze jumping up to silver, and both bronze and silver being as strong as gold. But that happens depending on the person's skills, not because of the cloths. And when the change is too great, they cause their cloths to adapt. And so a previously bronze cloth suddenly becomes silver like it happened to Orion, or from silver to bronze like Puppis. I even read about an Ophiuchus gold saint from long ago, but right now it is a silver cloth. – Kiki looked at Fornax gauntlets – Cloths are only a tool of sorts to enhance the power you already have.
– The power I already have?
– They are not donned to people right away because certain requirements must be met. – Kanon gave Kiki a slight knock on the head to call his attention – First, since the cloths have certain abilities of their own, you need to be able to control your own cosmos so you can attain them, thus disclosing both your full potential. Otherwise they'll overload you. Without proper training, you won't be able to control it and it will crush you or simply won't work at all. Second, the candidate should be compatible with the cloth, that is they should be born under the constellation the cloth portray and draw their power from it. For example, only someone born under the Gemini sign can wear the Gemini cloth. The third requirement is the affinity of the candidate's purpose.
– purpose?
– The cloths were created to serve Athena and protect the world. So whenever a saint strays away from this path, the cloths ditch them. You have a few examples you can talk to, to verify this.
– Cancer Deathmask…
– His name is Angelo, by the way. He is capable of reaching the seventh and even the eight sense, his cosmos is great. He was born under the Cancer constellation so that would be the cloth that suits him best, according to his own abilities. When he worked under Saga, blatantly out of the path of justice and against Athena, the Cancer cloth left him, only to embrace him once more when he corrected his ways. So, as you see, it is not that you become a saint once you are donned a cloth. You are donned a cloth because you are a saint. If you don't have one right now, it doesn't necessarily means you are not fit to wear one, it all means there's currently none that completely suits you or it already was donned to someone else first.
"So I am already a saint?" – How are you so sure!?
Kanon made a facepalm
– Are you honestly asking me? What I saw back when you repaired Lyra requires a cosmos above bronze level and a very precise control of it. I don't think any of your friends can do what you did, not even the candidates for gold cloth, not even three fourths of current saints. So that fulfills requirement one. Now, do you believe anything of that cheesy lecture you tried to give me?
Kiki blushed up. He was only a cadet, he shouldn't be talking back at anyone with a cloth, much less a gold saint.
– I'm sorry, but I do.
– Well, seems requirement number three is fulfilled as well.
– But I still lack requirement two.
– But you have two cheat cards you can play. If I remember correctly, Fornax shares ascension with Aries. What's your birthday?
– April first.
– Odd date, but I'd think it'll work. That's one. The other one would be your second purpose affinity with this particular cloth
– What do you mean?
– You are a smith, right?
– Yes…
– Athena's smith
– Yes
– What does the Fornax constellation represent?
– A furnace?
– There you have it. Fornax was made to help the smiths make speed repairs on the go. So even if not all of it is here, you should be able to harness its power. – Kiki was so excited. Kanon just yawned – Have fun. – And he turned to leave.
– Kanon…
– What now?
– Thanks!
Kanon snorted
– Don't celebrate until you achieve your goal, imp.
As Kanon got to his chambers to spend the night, he could still feel Kiki's cosmos burning, trying to figure out how to work the hypermetals until very late at night.
Early next morning, Kanon went down to Aries to check on the kid and again he found him sleeping in the futon with the gauntlets on. He made a scowl since he didn't see any kind of food supplies around. "And so I became food delivery service". He wondered if the little Aries would starve if he didn't bring him anything… He decided he wouldn't risk it, and he decided to proceed like the day before and bring him lunch. But by dinner time, he found the kid's friends all over the temple
– He isn't in his room either
– But I feel his cosmos very close
– Where would he be?
– Lost something, brats?
– Gemini Kanon! – said both Shiryu and Hyoga
– Actually we can't find Kiki anywhere! – said Shun really worried
– We haven't seen him in three days!
– Did you look at the workshop? – The saints exchanged looks. Kanon made an effort not to roll his eyes.
– But what would he be doing there?
– He is never in when Mu is not around
They all went around the temple to the workshop. They felt his cosmos stronger as they approached but then it faded. They reached the door and knocked but it opened on its own
– Kiki are you in here?
Any evidence of Kiki's work had vanished.
– Hi, guys!
– Hi, guys? That's all you got to say? – Dramatized Seiya – We have been looking for you like crazy!
– I-I'm sorry! – Then Kiki noticed Kanon pointing at the food he held.
– What are you doing in here?
– Training and studying! – He said while teleporting the food out of sight. With that Kanon left, not very pleased since he wanted to know if Kiki made any progress. Soon the young saints all passed through Gemini temple toward their own and the young Aries cosmos could be felt burning in the workshop.
Next day Kanon woke up very late. It was almost lunch time. He took a shower dressed up and went down to find out what the kid had done.
Aldebaran, Shaka and Aioria were going up the temples way when they saw Kanon standing in the entrance of Aries. He looked unsure of going down or around the temple.
– Hey, Kanon! – Called Aioria, but the Gemini didn't pay them attention until they were almost at the entrance themselves
– Hi…
– Is something the matter?
– Aldebaran – He turned to the tall man – Did you happen to see the imp going out with his friends today?
– You mean Kiki? It's been a while since I last saw him. He's been training or something at the workshop lately. His cosmos could be felt burning until late at night.
Kanon frowned and turned to the workshop
– Can you feel it now?
All four saints sprang forward and it was Aldebaran who opened the door.
Kiki was lying face down on the floor wearing some red gauntlets the other saints had never seen, and he was holding a heavy chunk of metal in his hand.
– Hey, Kiki! – It was Aioria who approached him and turned him over. – Kiki, wake up!
The kid frowned and moved but didn't wake up
– Kiki! – called Shaka leaning over to listen, since he thought he heard him speak – Five more what?
– Minutes… – said Kanon splashing the kid's face with water from the sink.
Kiki barely opened his eyes
– Tired… – Was all he said before turning away and keep sleeping
– The kid's exhausted. – Said Aldebaran – He's been working a lot by himself
As Shaka removed the gauntlets, Kanon went out without the others noticing.
– Let's take him to Taurus. I got the afternoon free so I can take care of him
– Thanks, Alde. – said Aioria passing him the child
– I'll stay and put this place straight – said Shaka checking the place – we can't leave this rolling around
– Do you need help? – asked Aioria
– No. You go ahead with Aldebaran. I'll close the workshop and meet you at Taurus – said the blond
Aldebaran and Aioria nodded and went out. Upon getting closer to the temple's entrance they saw a shirtless Kanon kneeling down. He was using his shirt to clean some spilled food from the stairs and the cover of a book.
"Is that his lunch?"
Actually it was Kiki's, but Kanon didn't bother to correct them.
"Did he spill it when we all ran to the workshop?"
"Was he that worried about him?"
– Hey, Kanon… – called Aldebaran
– hn?
– We are going for lunch to Taurus. Would you like to join us?
– Golden Triangle… – again he used that technique to get rid of the unwanted stuff, the shirt and the food mess.
– Thanks but I was going to Rodorio for supplies. I'll eat there.
And he left. He cursed because, given what happened, surely either Aioria or Aldebaran would stay with Kiki until Mu arrived and he would not know how did the whole repair Caelum ordeal ended until later in the month.
But to his surprise, early next morning Kiki was casually waiting for him out of the Taurus temple, Aldebaran had just left for training with Shura and Dokko.
– So? What happened to you? – said Kanon kind of annoyed by the kid's carefree and almost merry attitude.
– I did it! – He said with a wide smile. The older man was surprised but hid it perfectly
– Faint? No doubt it. – He said indifferent
– What?
– Out cold for a whole day. You scared the hell out of your mentor's friends.
– No! That's not what I mean! I finally got the... to melt!
– Are you feeling well? You didn't ate anything in more than 24 hours…
– I did it!
– Well, let's see it. But I'm warning you, if you faint again I'm going to scribble on you face with marker – Kanon had some in his hand
"What would he need those for?" wondered Kiki
– I'll show you.
So the kid walked fast down the stairs, out of Aries into the workshop, closely followed by Kanon who could not comprehend why they had to walk when the imp could just teleport them. The kid let the saint in and closed the door after making sure nobody was around. He took the gauntlets and the metal out of the secret chamber, put the chunk in the center of the room and put on the gauntlets. Then he concentrated his cosmos. Kanon waited idle, sitting in the chair by the desk, for a very long time, but nothing happened. Kiki stopped
– You had a starvation induced hallucination. – concluded Kanon
– No! I really did…
– Maybe you should rethink your role in here – he teased him, but he wasn't expecting to see tears gathering in the kid's eyes. – Hey, imp. – But Kiki ignored him – Look at people when you are addressed. – He turned to him reluctantly – You fainted for a whole day, you made your cosmos burn steadily for several hours. Have you eaten yet?
– I did get breakfast…
– Well, that's a start. You sure you want to do this now? – Kiki looked at the gammanium and nodded – Ok, then, go on… take it easy! – said Kanon when the kid rose his cosmos level fast. Kiki stopped and the older man scratched his head – Have you ever set a bonfire before?
– No.
– Well, you don't do that with a flamethrower. You could but you are going to waste lots of fuel in the process and the fire will go out sooner than you'd think. So you make the charcoal and wood arrangement, however you like it, and make sure it won't crumble and end up all over the place. Then, separately you turn on a starter. It could be some dry leaves, cardboard, small branches, paper, whatever you have at hand. There's some people who use alcohol, oil or other stuff too, but in my not so humble opinion that ruins food. But the point is the starter itself, you put it on the bonfire and care for it for a bit, slowly fanning it until it spreads on its own. It can take a while, it might not work in the first attempt, but the resulting bonfire will last longer and the food will taste better. So, first go for a good starter, a cosmos starter. – Kiki looked down, considering Kanon's words – Do you remember when you learned about it? The first time you gathered your cosmos? – Kiki nodded – Do the same.
Kiki breathed and concentrated. He put his hands in front of him and they began to shine slowly. After a moment his concentrated cosmos began to shine between his palms. He looked up at Kanon, but he only indicated the chunk of metal in the floor. The kid walked over still with the shine between his hands and slowly got the metal into the light.
– Gradually increase it. You know this is going to take time, so don't you expect it to melt right away… – After a while Kanon could felt something indeed was changing in the material, but it was very subtle. – Focus in Fornax, imp. This is what she was made for. Channel her purpose, the intentions of her makers. Call for her assistance. Forget about being a saint, forget about wearing cloths. Who knows what the future's got in store for us. Concentrate in the present. Right here, right now, at this place and moment, you are one of Athena's smiths, you achieved that status with your own effort. Mu and Shion might have guided you, but you stand here on your own. It's no by chance, imp. You can do this. – Slowly the gammanium began shining, but before Kiki could get excited, – No, don't get distracted. You'll have all the time in the world to celebrate once you finish. You are just starting, this is nothing, keep going. Melt the gammanium.
Kiki kept going. Kanon checked on the time by the sunlight coming in through the open door. When something around an hour passed, he interrupted the kid.
– Don't overdo it.
– But I just…
– I know, I saw. You'll get the handle of it soon, but not if you pass out again, Saga finds out and forbids you to continue until Mu returns, whenever that is. Besides, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Go get you friends and have some fun before coming here to try again.
– All of them are busy today. I got nothing else to do…
Kanon blinked skeptic.
– Tend to your temple then. You have been so obsessed with this stuff you didn't even lit the altar at night! And prepare some food for the following days. I'm no food delivery service! I intend to go out myself and I don't want to come back and find this place a chaos and you in coma!
Kiki did as Kanon said, and tended the temple and the private chambers. He went down to the village and got enough supplies for a few more days. When he came back to Aries and put away all the stuff he brought, he returned to the workshop and trained for another two hours before going out to the temple entrance to greet everyone going up.
Aioria, Aldebaran and Shaka were still worried about him, but thinking it would be awkward to ask him to stay with any of them or that he let any of them stay at Aries until Mu arrived, they agreed to offer him and his friends to host a sleepover one night each. Of course they talked with Dokko and Camus first, who saw no problem on it.
So when Shaka told them they could spend the night at Virgo, the kids were really thrilled and each rushed to their dorms to pick their usual sleepover gear. That is, all but Shiryu who didn't had because he was usually the host, but since Shun lend him his sleeping bag, the problem was pretty much solved.
Shaka actually didn't knew what to expect. He spend the entire day mentally preparing himself for whatever chaos that many boys would make at this home. But Shun, being the thoughtful boy he was, warned the others his mentor was not the most prone-to-party fellow of the bunch and asked them to tone down the noise and mind their manners a bit. So when they entered Virgo private chambers, the saint in charge was surprised each kid came in, left his stuff at the now empty living room and orderly took a sit at the table to dinner without much hassle. The night went by smoothly with nothing more than Seiya and Hyoga bulling each other and sort of wrestling before going to sleep.
Next day it was Aioria's turn. Nobody expected to find Ikki actually living at the Leo temple, the last thing everyone knew about him was that he had refused to train under Aioria and his overall whereabouts were unknown. Yet that was part of the deal with Kanon, he had to move in and help tend to the temple and the private chambers, and pretty much comply with his mentor's requests so he could get to train with the Gemini by the end of the week. Everybody was stunned to learn this. Of course it was one thing to get Ikki to do what Aioria asked for, and quite another was that they get along. It was like having two lions in a small cage. But the boys' presence was a nice break for their domestic tension. As soon as dinner started everybody relaxed and enjoyed a nice evening. Ikki even forgot his bad boy attitude for a while.
Then it was Aldebaran's turn. Just after dinner, the place became a mess. Seiya had been teasing the Taurus saint into a friendly match. So, when he finally agreed, it turned a bit of a tag team match. Kiki sided with Aldebaran, so Shiryu too. Hyoga and Shun sided with Seiya. In his way up, late at night, Kanon and Deathmask were quite surprised to find three kids trying to tackle down the giant while the other two were trying to defend him. At some point they all ended up like a knot of legs and arms in the floor. The game ended when Cucciolo, Deathmask's huge dog, barked loud as if asking if he could join the fun too. The players were surprised to find the Cancer and Gemini saints together, not a lot of people dared to hang out with either. But they had actually met in way from Rodorio. Kanon asked Deathmask for the ball he was carrying and threw it to Kiki. That set the huge monster dog after him so the kid ran away through all of Taurus hall until it occurred to him to pass the ball to Seiya. As he grabbed it, Cucciolo was going to jump on him to get it, but Deathmask called for him and he stopped just before running over the boy. The dog barked for the ball and moved his tail until Seiya threw the ball to Hyoga, and so the boys kept on playing with the dog a little bit before getting ready to sleep.
Early the following morning, when Kanon made sure everyone in the upper temples had left for their daily duties, Kanon went down to the workshop, where Kiki was sweeping the floor and getting ready to practice again.
– Ok, looks like someone is no longer in danger of coma… – he said once Kiki saw him approaching
– Of course not.
– So?
– I can melt it now.
– show me
Despite spending the previous nights with his friends, Kiki kept training as Kanon recommended, with excellent results.
The kid brought out Caelum's remains along with the repair materials and placed them at the center of the workshop, even the case with the transfusions kit. He did that more out of habit than intending to use them. He then put on Fornax gauntlets and began his task as Kanon sat down at the desk again. Kiki's cosmos rose slowly, but this time, Kanon saw both the gammanium and the orichalcum shine, and after a while they melted. They finally melted as it was the day the Gemini saw the smiths fixing Lyra.
– So now you think you can begin working on Caelum? – He said to the kid in an unimpressed tone of voice. Kiki smiled and nodded. – Alright. Let's see how you fare on this one. – Kanon took the little chest and applied the needle to himself as he approached Caelum.
– What are you doing?
– The Cloth needs a blood sacrifice for it to be repaired, right? – Kanon sat down in the floor and turned the tube to the Cloth
– Y-yes, but…! – Kiki was alarmed. How did Kanon know how to apply the needle? And why would he do that? His blood rained over the cloth shards
– How much?
– N-not enough… Y-you are mad, you should have warned me, Gemini… like that is fine.
– This is a lot. You better not waste it.
Kiki used his psychokinesis to bring forward the stardust, the smith tools, his notebook and the cloths description.
– This is so dangerous… – said the kid side glancing the older saint – Dangerous and risky…
– Then concentrate or you'll screw it up
As Kanon stopped the bleeding feeling quite light headed, Kiki began mixing the hypermetals. When the alloy was ready, the kid kneeled down to the shards and took a deep breath as he rose the tools ready to start.
Mu had teleported to Aries hall. His mission had been completed and all that was left to do was report the results to Athena and the Pope. But he wanted to rest in Aries a bit before joining Shion on the main hall. Actually he had been worried that his temple had indeed suffered in his absence and wanted to fix whatever needed fixing before Shion noticed, to avoid any further scold from him. He was surprised that nothing was out of place, so he decided to go into the private chambers when he turned to the workshop. The gammanium, the stardust, the orichalcum, the tools! Someone was in there. Kiki! Doing what? All cloths were repaired a while ago.
He rushed over and as he barged in on the workshop, he was stunned. Kanon was lying on the floor covering his eyes with an arm as Kiki was working by himself on a cloth the Aries saint had never seen before. The kid was so concentrated, with his back to the door, that he didn't notice his mentor standing in the doorway. The older smith turned to the rack of shattered cloths and right away knew which one it was. Mu's chest got swollen with satisfaction. It was a shame they didn't have enough materials to completely restore the cloth. Although deep down he knew an apology was in order, he shouldn't have doubted neither the kid nor himself.
He didn't dare distract the child, so he moved quietly towards Kanon to check on him. He was only asleep, a little weak after giving away so much blood. So the older Aries teleported him to his dorm, and stayed behind to cheer on Kiki.
They boy didn't notice his presence until the helmet was whole again. He was actually concerned about Kanon and intended to check on him, so he jumped startled to find his mentor in the room instead. Fearing he would get scolded for using the smith's equipment without authorization and dragging a gold saint into the mess, he stood there shivering trying to think of a way out, yet his brain refused to cooperate. Mu didn't like that reaction one bit so he approached the child and hugged him reassuringly.
– Kiki, congratulations! – The boy was so surprised he didn't knew how to react – You can now melt and mix the hypermetals on your own! – Mu lifted the kid from the ground and held him up as if he was a small child – I'm very proud of you! Eh? Kiki what's the matter? – The kid began to cry so Mu held him close. – Are you ok?
"Aren't you mad…" Kiki couldn't make out words so he spoke using telepathy, "that I used your tools without telling you?"
– Why would I be mad? Those are Sculptor's tools. They are for every smith to use. I'm glad you trained hard while I was gone.
– Mu, are you ready? – Shion appeared at the door – eh? What's happening? – He thought something bad was going on. He got really concerned when he saw the kid's tears. Kiki hid his face right away on Mu's neck and cleaned the tears away. Embarrassed, he wanted to jump to the floor but Mu placed a hand on his back, and so he hugged his mentor instead.
– Pope Shion, please go ahead. I'll join you in a moment. – Mu's tone of voice indicated it was a very important and private matter between them.
Shion was not very pleased to be left out, but he agreed. He just hoped it wasn't a mere matter of the kid getting homesick in his mentor absence, he was too old for that and Mu should not spoil him putting something so trivial before his gold saint duties. So he nodded and left.
– I do need to go upstairs to report, Kiki. – He said putting the kid down – so quickly tell me what all this is about. – He said pointing at Caelum cloth.
Kiki nodded and made a superfast summary of how he found the missing journal page, his talk with pope Saga, his conclusions upon studying the document, his work on the cloth and his training on the metals.
– And how did you get Kanon of all people to help you out with the blood sacrifice? – it was clear Mu suspected Kanon had much more to do with the whole ordeal than what Kiki was letting out.
– A-Actually… well, he coached me a lot in this
– How come?
– Once he learned I was working on the cloth, he came to visit often bringing me lunch and giving me some advice. – Kiki was nervous Mu wouldn't like that. The older Aries considered Kiki's words carefully.
– Hn… don't you think it's too much coincidence? – he thought out loud while they finished cleaning the workshop – Would it be possible that it was actually Kanon who found the documents and used his illusions so it looked like you found them instead?
– What? – Kiki blinked confused – why would he do that? He could have just given them to…
– Pope Saga?
Kiki looked up when realization struck him
– Or you…
– But I was away. So the next best option was you.
– If so, maybe he's got more documents. It's hard to believe only one was found
– I'll ask him later. – Mu walked towards the door – I just hope he doesn't gets in troubles for not handing them over right away. Anyways, don't talk to anyone about him. Let me check first
– Alright!
And so Mu left. He wanted to talk to Kanon as soon as he came back but he had left by then.
The sun quietly going down surprised Kanon entering Sagittarius temple in his way to Capricorn several days afterwards. The Gemini always felt watched in that place. Supposedly only Seiya lived there, but the kid spend most of his time in any of his friends' temples than there by himself, so Kanon always found empty the place each time he crossed.
But that day, his sixth sense alerted the gold saint about someone else's presence in there, and that someone was by the altar. Without even recognizing him, Kanon felt a strong aversion towards that person, it made him kept on walking through the temple as far away from him as possible. And for a moment the Gemini even considered turning around.
– Going up this late? – said Saga in a neutral tone
– It's barely nightfall… – Whispered Kanon coming to a complete halt
As Kanon felt ill, Saga also felt tired, but both of them felt it wouldn't be alright to just ignore each other and continue with what they were doing. They stood there for a long while without knowing what to say that wouldn't trigger another fight.
– This is so wrong… – said Saga closing his eyes – do we really have nothing to say to each other?
– "Hello" would be a nicer start. – Saga had to admit Kanon was right. The younger Gemini sighed – I got a great deal of things to say to you, – Kanon looked down – But you wouldn't like to hear any of them…
– Most of what you have to say I already know, you made it clear long ago…
– You know nothing, Saga. You think you do, but you only see what you want, you only hear what you want, and from that you only recall what you want, so it really doesn't amount to much. Talking to you is like talking to the wall… – he turned to the stone structure beside him – Maybe not even that considering how actually productive my chats with the walls are. – Saga sighed, exhausted. Kanon just looked down again – Is it any good… to try to talk when clearly we don't use the same language and end up repeating the few rotten words we both do understand?
– Talking at each other can't be healthy
– Talking to each other has never been a strong point for us – Kanon tried to walk pass Saga – Unless you got something new to say to me, I'm not interested… – Kanon really didn't felt like neither taking nor giving another round of verbal abuse.
– You never are. – Saga frowned – You were not interested then, you are not interested now. You are never interested in anything I do
– Well I'm sorry that nothing I care about have any relevance whatsoever to you! – Kanon got mad – But you are not the center of the universe. I got a life of my own, my own mind to worry about it, my heart to care for it and my will to fight for it. If you don't it's not my problem.
– Where is my brother? Who are you?
– Dead at Cape Sounion! Why don't you go fish him out of where you put him? I'm nothing but the favorite scapegoat of your ego
– Scapegoat? You are not even good for that. – Saga turned to leave but he could not move. – Kanon… – The younger Gemini remained behind his brother, his hostile growing cosmos holding him on place – Release me! – but Kanon didn't answered. Saga grew mad – Would you dare attack the Pope?
– My dear brother, we are not so different… – Whispered Kanon
– I'm nothing like you!
– Keep telling yourself that if it helps you sleep at night. It's alright.
