Soooo... Newest chapter, second one in a few days. I hope you enjoy it.
TO KAGE KITSUNE NO YAMI, I sent you a PM about the review you left for me asking for clarification on something you said in it. A response would be wonderful, if you're willing.
Concept: Camus's arrival in Sanctuary, and her first meeting with some of her soon-to-be brothers-in-arms.
Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.
Camus is only five years old when the Saints come. She watches as the strange man talk the caretakers of the orphanage. She's allowed to pack a small bag with some clothes before they leave, but that's it before she's on her way.
The Sanctuary is huge and, frankly, a little overwhelming. From the extensive training grounds to the colosseum to the series of large stone buildings separated by long flights of stairs, everything somehow seems larger than life, and Camus looks around in poorly suppressed wonder as she takes in everything around her.
It soon becomes clear that they are heading for the series of buildings separated by stairs. The man who had picked her up, who has long pale green hair and purple eyes, with tow purple dots on his forehead in place of eyebrows, has been explaining everything to Camus as they walk.
"These are the Houses of the Zodiac, named after the twelve zodiac constellations in the night sky." He explains as they reach the bottom of the stairs. "First is the House of Aries, then they go up in order to the House of Pisces at the top. Beyond that is the Great Hall, the Pope's chambers, and Athena's chambers in the back. You can't see it from here, but there's also Star Hill, a sacred place where only the Pope and Athena may go."
"Just who are you?" Camus blurts out, then promptly winces. She usually doesn't speak without thinking, but all she knows is that she's been brought to this place to become a "Saint" and that this man is named Shion.
"Oh." Shion says. "I am Pope Shion, the leader of Sanctuary. I promise I'll explain everything once we reach the top, alright?"
Camus turns her attention to the stairs that lead up to the first House. It's kind of daunting, the idea that she has to climb all those stairs, but she nods slowly.
"Okay." She says.
"Just tell me if you need to take a break." Shion says gently.
Camus nods, but doesn't say anything else as they head for the first flight of stairs.
She's already out of breath by the time they reach the top of the first flight of stairs, so they stop and Shion begins to tell her a bit about the House as they sit and wait for her to catch her breath.
"The House of Aries has, historically, been inhabited by a Lemurian like me. They're like humans, but not exactly, and they're in charge of repairing the Cloths-that's what we call the armor the Saints wear-as well as being the very first line of defense against invaders who are aiming to get through the Twelve Houses. I was the last Aries Saint, but I have a student who will take over for me."
Camus listens intently to Shion's explanation. She's not sure what she thinks about all this, but she can't make a proper decision when she doesn't know anything.
They continue on, once again stopping when they reach the House of Taurus.
They make their way up through the Houses. They pass Gemini, where they see a boy some years older than Camus, who Shion introduces as Gemini Saga, the guardian of the third House. Then there is the House of Cancer, which is empty. It's when they get to the House of Leo that they see more people around Camus's age.
A young voice calls out to them from the top of the stairs. Camus startles slightly, not expecting the sudden outburst. She looks in the direction the yell came from and sees a boy about the same age as her, with curly light brown hair headed towards them. He is followed by two more boys, one with black hair and one blond.
Shion smiles as he steps forward to meet the three boys, greeting each with a smile and a quick pat on the head. It doesn't take long for the children to notice Camus, and they all stare at her curiously before turning to Shion.
The little brown-haired boy's tone is curious as he asks a question that Camus doesn't understand. She assumes he's speaking Greek, but doesn't understand the language herself, and therefore has no idea what he is saying.
Shion finally turns to her, smiling a little bit. "These are Aiolia, Talus, and Nico. They are all training to become the Leo Saint." He says, indication the brunette, the black-haired boy, and the blond in order.
Camus eyes the trio nervously, but gives them a small wave nonetheless. Aiolia wave back saying something that Camus doesn't understand, but assumes is a greeting. Talus and Nico also wave, but remain silent.
After they leave the House of Leo, they make their way up through Virgo, Libra, and Scorpio before stopping at Sagittarius. Here, Camus meets the Sagittarius Saint Aiolos, who introduces himself in decent French. Camus suspects-but does not have the courage to ask-that Aiolia and Aiolos are siblings.
When they reach the House of Capricorn they meet another person.
"This is Shura." Shion introduces the green-haired boy. Camus looks him over, he's older than her, but a bit younger than Aiolos and Saga, and has a very serious expression on his face. He seems to hesitate a bit before speaking.
"It's..." He starts in hesitant French. "Nice to meet you."
Camus feels herself brighten slightly and replies. "It's nice to meet you too."
Shura smiles and steps aside to let them pass through.
They reach the House of Aquarius, and Camus promptly goes still. This house is cold, and not just chilly, but flat out freezing, and there's something especially comforting about it. She hears a soft laugh and turns to see Shion looking down at her with amusement in his eyes.
"It's nice, isn't it?" He asks gently. "I remember having a similar reaction the first time I entered the House of Aries. They say everyone has a special connection with the house associated with their zodiac sign."
Camus nods. It makes sense to her, for all that she doesn't understand anything about the Saints yet. Being in the House of Aquarius feels intrinsically right in a way Camus has never felt before.
Shion lets her spend a little time looking around the House of Aquarius before ushering her up to the House of Pisces.
The House of Pisces is also empty, and Camus doesn't get much of a sense of anything out of it. It's just another building, unlike the House of Aquarius.
After that, they finally reach the top. At this point Camus is exhausted from the trek up the stairs, and kind of wants to lie down and sleep, but there's apparently more to do, so she follows Shion further into what she assumes is the Pope's chambers. They walk through a long hallway with a raised platform with a throne on it at the end, and past that into a small room with a table and some cushioned chairs and couches. There are cups and a steaming pot of what Camus assumes is tea sitting on the table.
"Now," Shion says, gesturing for Camus to sit. "I expect you have questions, let me see what I can do to answer them."
Thoughts? Comments? Concerns?
I actually got the idea to genderbend Camus from two things: One: a picture of blond Milo and redhead Camus, with Camus in a white wedding dress, and two: Milo was genderbent in LoS, so why not genderbend Camus this time?
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it.
