After leaving Kanon, Aioros carried his vase full of fish to the house of Gemini. He walked for a while towards the inner chambers, taking a turn left, then a turn right, then through a long, dimly lit hallway, until he got fed up with it all.
"Are you really not going to invite me in, Saga? That's too rude," he called out to the darkness.
Footsteps echoed in front of him and Saga emerged from the shadows. He was dressed the same way he used to when they were children, unlike the others who had adapted to the clothes of this age. Aioros noticed he seemed much paler than Kanon.
"Sorry," said Saga, waving a hand to the space between them. A table full of coffee and pastries appeared. "Please take a seat."
Aioros sat down across from Saga. He kept his vase in his lap as he inspected the food offered, then he looked up. The dark space around them seemed so much greater than before.
"Sorry," said Aioros. "I can't eat any of this. But I brought fish. I could cook it for you if you let me use your kitchen. Aldebaran gave me a really good recipe."
Saga stared at him from over the rim of his coffee cup, and Aioros could see that he was thinking up a way to refuse. He rolled his eyes and huffed.
"Fine, then no."
"I'm sorry. I don't have a residence. And Gemini hasn't been in the best state lately... Since Kanon left."
"I know."
"You've seen him?"
"He was at the pier."
Saga gave a vague noise of assent. Aioros saw a heavy sadness growing in Saga's eyes. The same sadness tinged with nostalgia that seemed to permeate every part of the house of Gemini. An oppressive feeling of being observed and trapped mixed with a yearning for freedom.
"You came back the same. Your body was barely cold when you were brought back, and your brother was brought back along with you. What are you all sad about?" he said, resentment growing in his heart. Saga had gotten everything in the end, while Aioros struggled to adapt to life and had to see sadness in his brother's eyes whenever he looked at what Aioros was now. So what right did he have to be sad?
Saga did not react to his outburst. He merely served himself more coffee, and only spoke after a long moment.
"You look the same as I did back then, with the darkness possessing me," he said. "I see you and I see the same eyes that looked back at me in the mirror. Eyes that were not mine."
"And whose fault is that?!" yelled Aioros, standing up. "The others don't know, but I know. I saw it all in death. It was your jealousy that let it take control of you!"
"Yes, I felt jealous!" yelled Saga, standing up too. "Yes, I'm not perfect. I'm not a god! It was bound to happen then or at any other time because I'm just human! Stop acting like you don't know how it is to be human!"
"But I don't! I don't remember! I can't sleep, I can't eat, I can't feel!" yelled Aioros and slammed the vase on the floor.
"Aioros…"
The echo of the vase breaking snapped Aioros out of his rage. He felt nauseous, dizzy. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, you're right," he said, kneeling down to pick the broken pieces. "I'm just…taking out my pain in you. I haven't been feeling well. I think I'm getting sick or something."
Saga grabbed his wrist. "You should go see Athena"