MORE!
(Sorry, I've kind of been on a roll with the plot bunnies, and it's got me super excited.)
Concept: Milo has never been particularly close to his oldest brother, but that's no reason to let Saga take the easy way out. He's not letting his best friend die either.
Am I the only person who saw that Milo and Saga have the same eye and hair color in the anime and thought they were brothers? Yeah, that's where this came from.
Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya or any of the included characters. They all belong to Masami Kurumada.
It all happens so fast, there's really no time to process.
Saga is charging Lady Athena, his hair pale grey and his eyes a menacing, glowing red, with all the intent to finish the job he started thirteen years ago.
"No!" One of the Bronze Saints yells, but the six of them are too far away, too injured to stop what's about to happen.
Milo, however, isn't. And he isn't a Gold Saint for nothing.
More on instinct that anything, Milo charges the fallen Gemini Saint. He slams into the older man, sending them both flying further back into the Pope's chambers. They slam into a pillar, Saga's head smacking solidly against the stone.
"Let me go!" The man roars as he struggles against Milo's grip, but Milo is driven by a level of rage he hasn't felt since he was a child, since people started calling him crazy for insisting he had another brother.
Instead of loosening his grip, Milo presses one arm across Saga's throat and applies just enough pressure to cut off hiss airways.
"No!" He snarls. "After everything you've done, after all the people you've hurt, you don't get to take the easy way out you sorry bastard! You're not going anywhere until you tell me WHERE THE HELL KANON IS!"
Saga goes deathly still at this, and something in his demeanor changes. In a matter of seconds, his hair is blue again, his eyes the same teal color Milo sees every time he looks in the mirror.
In Milo's grip, Saga goes limp. The Scorpio Saint takes this as his oldest brother's surrender and loosens his grip on the older Saint, but only enough to twist Saga around and knock him out with a swift blow to the back of his neck. Silently, he lets Saga fall to the ground in a heap.
Lady Athena and the other Golds-those that remain-are watching Milo with something like shock.
Suddenly unable to deal with their gazes on him, Milo lightspeeds out of the Pope's chambers, down the stairs and towards the House of Aquarius.
He'd seen Camus, on the way up to the Pope's chambers to confront Saga. There hadn't been time to stop then. At least, not more time than it took for Lady Athena to revive Camus's student, Hyoga, but Milo suddenly feels like he has all the time in the world as he kneels next to his best friend's body
"You're an idiot." He murmurs as he rolls Camus's body over, taking in the Aquarius Saint's frost white hair and icy pale skin. "You knew what was going on this whole time. You knew it was my brother who was behind all this, and you never told me dammit."
It hurts, because Milo knows he's right, even as he picks up he long time friend's body and cradles it in his arms.
It's this action that causes Milo to sense it.
"Camus?" Milo breathes. He lifts one hand and presses it cautiously the one pale cheek.
It's faint, but definitely there. Camus's Cosmo is still burning.
Milo lets out a breathy laugh. "Of course," He gasps, feeling a lump catch in his throat, "Of course you stupid dumbass. How could I ever think you were dead when you used to regularly put yourself in cold-induced comas when we were kids."
Shaking his head, Milo shifts on the icy floor of the House of Aquarius so that he can settle Camus more comfortably in his lap, gripping one of his friend's hand in his own and wrapping his free arm around his the teal-haired man's shoulders.
Slowly, carefully, the same way Aiolos taught him when he was barely six years old, Milo begins to burn his Cosmo. It won't take much. Camus is highly resistant to cold, so it's only when his own temperature gets within a few degrees of absolute zero that he gets like this.
It seems to take forever for Milo's fiery Cosmo to take effect, but he feels it when Camus's body starts to warm up, however slightly. Gritting his teeth, Milo resists the urge to burn his Cosmo at a higher level. He can't if he wants to do this right.
Eventually, Camus's skin starts to regain what little color it normally has, the frost covering his hair thawing.
Then, Camus shifts slightly.
"Camus?" Milo calls softly. "Hey, wake up."
Camus groans quietly and opens his mouth.
"You know damn well I'm awake you dolt." He grumbles.
Milo lets out another, wet laugh and ducks his head to press his face into his best friend's damp hair.
"Yeah." He sighs. "I do."
And for a moment-just a moment-all seems right with the world.
It's several weeks before Milo gets the chance to get answers for his most important question.
First, they must announce that the true Athena has returned and taken up her post as the ruler of Sanctuary. After that there is a multitude of tasks that are necessary for cleaning up Sanctuary.
After that, the bodies of the dead must be gathered and buried. Fortunately, thanks to the power of Lady Athena there are actually only three casualties of the entire conflict: Cancer Deathmask, Capricorn Shura, and Pisces Aphrodite.
Lady Athena insists that they all be given proper burials, despite their various crimes. It's a testament to just how forgiving the Goddess of Wisdom can be.
Finally, they have to treat the wounded and begin rebuilding the Houses of the Zodiac that suffered so much damage during the various battles.
Fortunately, Milo doesn't have to participate as much in that last step, as he's busy taking care of Camus.
The Aquarius Saint had managed to expend nearly all of his Cosmo fighting Dimitri's old student, and it makes it harder for him to regulate his own body temperature to the several-degrees-below-average temperature common to the ice-using Saints of Siberia.
Naturally, the rather task of keeping the ridiculously stubborn man from pushing himself to hard and inadvertently over-heating his body falls to Milo, as Hyoga, the only other person who could possibly complete such a monumental task, is recovering from his own wounds.
The amount of time Milo spends physically dragging-or carrying, depending on the situation-Camus back to his bed is comparable to the amount of time he spent training to master his Scarlet Needle technique.
Finally, nearly a full month after the battle of the Twelve House, just over a week after Camus is released from the hospital wing adjacent to the Pope's chambers, and with Hyoga and Camus having some much needed private time to reconcile with each other, Milo has a free evening during which he can finally go visit Saga.
It was decided-at the recommendation of Virgo Shaka-that Saga be placed in the prison located at the very back of the Pope's chambers, the one meant for Saints who had committed crimes against Athena, but hadn't yet been given a proper sentencing. Saga has spent the past month there, watched over alternately by Aldebaran, and Shaka. It was decided that, given some of the things Saga was responsible for, it was best if Mu, Aiolia, and Milo were kept well away from the Gemini Saint.
Milo arrives at the prison the find Aldebaran on guard, just as he had expected. This is good. The massive Taurus Saint is far more likely to listen to Milo than Shaka is.
"Milo." Aldebaran greets in a slightly wary voice. Milo doesn't blame him. He hadn't exactly reacted well during his last meeting with his oldest brother.
For once, Milo is actually rather grateful that he chose to come without his Cloth, it will make what he's about to say a little more convincing. "I'm just here to talk to Saga, Aldebaran." He says.
"You're not supposed to be here at all." Aldebaran counters.
"I know." Milo sighs. "I just... I need to ask Saga a question. It's not private, you watch and listen in if you want. Just, please."
The Taurus Saint regards Milo skeptically for a long moment before sighing. "If this goes south, you're taking the blame." He finally grunts.
Milo smiles a little bit. "Sure thing, big guy. Thanks."
With that, he slips past his fellow Gold Saint and into the small cell that holds his older brother.
Saga looks a right mess. Dressed in a plain tunic and trousers as opposed to the Gemini Cloth, his posture slumped, he somehow manages to look incredibly pathetic, nothing like the powerful Saint of Milo's early memories.
The former Gemini Saint looks up as Milo enters the cell.
"What do you want, Milo?" He asks dully, not meeting the Scorpio Saint's eyes.
"Well the first thing I want is for you to look me in the eyes." Milo half-growls.
When Saga doesn't respond, Milo huffs and crouches down so he's on the same level as the older man. Silently he grips Saga's chin and lifts it up. Still, the bluenette refuses to make eye contact.
"Wow," Milo muses, feeling distinctly spiteful, "One monumental screw up and you totally give up on your pride as a Saint."
Saga scowls, and lifts his gaze to meet Milo's, only jerk in surprise when Milo smirks triumphantly. Underneath the scowl, Saga's eyes are dull and hopeless. It's so pitiful that Milo almost feels bad for him.
Almost.
"Much better." He says, letting go of Saga's chin and sitting back on his heels.
"What else do you want, little brother?" Saga asks, somehow managing to fit both nothing and an entire world of emotion into those last two words.
Milo grins wickedly.
"Simple. Where the hell is Kanon?"
Oh my. I like this one. I'd kind of like to write more of it some time. (But then, that's how I feel about a lot of what I post here.)
What do you all think?
See you next time.
