Okay so I did manage it, and lordy help me this one is a monster L this is what you get trying to cram all this into one chapter, to bad it's maybe hitting about the half way point .... I think, well in my mind this is about the half way point yeah so that will likely make it's self true. Hopefully this one is better but really the humor only lessens from here on it, it's serious time and that always somes with explainations as to what has been up .... but no sneak peeks just yet, that'll be saved off for another chapter G
-Chapter 7-
He had come to eat with the rest of them, in fact the supper table was busy with conversation as usual, it was almost like they enjoyed this time of the day most as a social event then a meal. Chattering over what they wanted to do, or planning out events that seemed to be weeks away, they lived life like it would never end, like there was no challenge that they were going to fall to, it was refreshing to see that no matter what had been thrown at them so far had extinguished their lust for life, it hadn't disheartened them to doing or planning what they wanted. Had this been one at Sanctuary it would have been a whole other story as those that were there would morn the empty chairs and the losses they had already experienced .... even before the wars had started and yet into the hands of these babes that had killed there was nothing but plans for a future which was not garenteed.
"Perfectly blazing day should only be ended by a pool party, come on Princess .... you barely stepped foot outside all day, keep it up and someone's gonna start thinking your getting a sun alergy, or going all vampiress on us" laughed Hyoga, not that all the playing around and training hadn't taken him down a few notches but now it was cooler and the cooler it got the better he liked it.
"Well it can't be play all day but there has to be some time for leisure, gotta remember what's worth all that work sometimes right ?" Shun added with a laugh, sure the added responsibility of Sanctuary was a load but even she had to take a break once in a while.
"Okay .... we'll see how things look after supper, but the first one to splash me will have garbage duty for a week" she laughed, it was easy to see how well she was adjusted to these, the bronze knights over those of the gold, was it their age that made things seem so much easier or something more .... was it that even though she had been a child she had known them where as those of the gold had been kept from her until just recently, it was a puzzle she intended to resolve right shortly.
"So that just leaves one left .... and well I don't know about you but with Athena being outside maybe we should all be out to watch out for her" Seiya said, lightly nudging Shaka which disturbed his silent thoughts, he'd not really taken much note of what had been on the plate just eaten some of it but it was apparent that his mind had been else where.
"Then maybe it is wise that she doesn't go outside" Shaka answered back, having caught the tail end of it and reacting off just that little bit but managing to keep his eyes away from Ikki as he finished. "If you feel there may be a threat outside is that not the wisest decision?"
"Uh ..... I thought that was a joke actually" blinked Shiryu as he looked over to Seiya, trying to re-afirm whether it had been or not, if there was a threat outside he sure as hell wasn't going to go along with her going out into it.
"I believe Seiya was trying to say you were welcome to come join us by the pool instead of sitting alone in the yard" Ikki laughed, that was almost worth the look that had been passed around the table, the utter confusion passing from one face to another had been more then worth the wait, it seemed every time the older knight was close to the rest of the group there was always that element that amused him greatly.
"Sorry, my mind had been contemplating a few other things" Shaka smiled slightly back to Seiya .... like that hadn't been noticed then dropped his eyes to the table, it wasn't like he'd really had much planned and the way these knights played maybe it would be safest if he did join. "It sounds like an offer I may take up"
"Hey .... that's great, course your gonna need a set of trunks" Seiya started up, having seen only those types of robes the entire time Shaka had been there he started out trying to find someone with a spare set, after all how many times did it seem like Shaka was the type to go swimming, that in it's self meant he'd need a set.
It ended up with Shaka now owning a set of knee length swim shorts, okay so they were more like surfer shorts but the band was black while the actual trunks were a mixture of gold and red tones. Although they were colors the Virgo knight was well adjusted to seeing he looked a bit hesitant about actually wearing them out where they could be of any use, they did seem to be a bit less then he was use to when it came to coverings he'd worn, even that which he wore to sleep when he knew he slept alone had been less revealing.
"I'll explain it again, there are gonna be a few down there wearing a lot less then a full set of trunks, and no one has a full wet suit so don't worry, really if you wore anything more you'd sink in the pool" Hyoga tried, so his shorts were a touch shorter then the pair Shaka was wearing but he'd seen a lot less worn, by both males and females.
"That settles it then, maybe a good book or watching the fireplace would be a better idea" came Shaka's demurred voice as he looked down, his entire chest was bare and that was not showing modesty, in reality it wasn't hot so it was not something to avoid a situation .... even in India he'd have as easily chosen a lighter robe in the heat then go bare chested, and now they wanted him to walk out of a room like this.
"He dressed yet, I've got his towel" laughed Ikki from the other side of the door .... he'd heard some of it but it was almost to comical to interrupt.
"Yeah, well if he's coming then I guess it'll be out there waiting for him" Hyoga chuckled back, leave it to the Phoenix knight to have his usual bad timing, he pushed Shaka towards the door. "Better get the towel before he soaks it or something"
Shaka sighed and went to the door, opening it and sticking his head out the door only to pull his head in and shut it .... closing his eyes quick as he went a few shades of red. "I think he needs a set of shorts as well, he's going swimming in his unders" was his quiet explanation.
Hyoga looked at him for a minute and blinked. " I warned ya ..... there are smaller swim suits then your shorts" he laughed and came closer, putting a hand on Shaka's shoulder as he moved to open the door, he was no where near surprised to see Ikki wearing speedos and looking kind of lost at the door. He'd held back a laugh but only barely. "Ah the wonders of spandex ..... I'll meet you two downstairs" the amusement clearly heard in his voice as he managed to almost made it to the stairs before his shoulders shook with the repressed laughter.
"Um .... coming down, everyone is kinda waiting on us" Ikki tried, putting the towel over Shaka's shoulder and trying to figure out what was wrong with his swim suit .... leave it to Hyoga to be a pain like normal.
"You know I highly doubt there is anything else I could embarrass myself with right now so I may as well get this over with" Shaka sighed and straightened up some, wrapping the towel across the back of his neck and taking some comfort in what little covering the towel offered compared to what he was use to.
"Embarrassed .... what of, come on and fill me in cause I just know I missed something" he half grinned back as he took a step away from the door, now glad he hadn't offered least the blond haired knight passed out from the shock of the swim trunks he kept on hand.
It did end up that Shaka had indeed found the longest pair of trunks in the house, sure Sienna had come out with a swim wrap but having sat on the edge of the pool with her feet in the water didn't really require much but relaxing and watching as the others had some fun, they'd even managed to get the towel off the conservative one and feeling more comfortable with the idea that while you were in the pool there was little to see so it didn't matter what you'd wore when you were swimming in water that deep. In fact it had been a fun night till it started showing that it was getting late, Tatsume coming out with a full length bathrobe for Sienna as it was 'getting damp' in his opinion, which was about the end of every party they usually had. It had been while everyone retrieved their towels that Shaka realized his mistake, on his was a rose .... looking freshly picked and as though it had been gently put on his towel, almost causing him to look around at the others before he froze on the spot, none of them had left the poolside ..... in fact with him there they had made up some water volleyball game cause everyone could play and they had even sides.
"Hey, you see something out there?" asked Ikki as he got closer, after all Shaka hadn't even so much as picked up his towel while everyone else was drying off and on their way in before the mosquitoes got them to much.
"No ... I ... I think I need to leave .... like first light kind of leave" he said as he straightened up and walked towards the house, leaving the towel and flower right there where they were, untouched and stared at by a now un-nerved Ikki.
Ikki had picked the towel up and the flower that had dropped to the ground only to look over the grounds before following Shaka upstairs, having noticed he had wasted no time getting his robes on and taking comfort in the blanket that had been lain over the makeshift bed he'd used the night before. "So your gonna let this weirdo spook you out huh ?"
"Ikki .... it's not like that ..." he'd just manage to get a bit out before once again he'd been confronted by that gruff voice, the no nonsense one he'd heard more then enough times from his current room mate.
"Really, you hid in the temple, avoided telling anyone though something obviously upset you about this person, had fights which you kept quiet about and now cause you find a flower at your towel your gonna take off again and make it easier for who ever it is .... sounds a hell of a lot like that to me" he huffed and threw the rose to the trash.
"You might wanna get the ones at the window as well" Shaka said a bit quietly as his eyes hadn't left them since he'd found them there a few minutes ago, before Ikki had even started in on the whole subject.
"What the hell?" Ikki said a bit surprised before turning to see not one but 12 more there on the ledge of an open window which he knew he hadn't opened earlier. "This is going a bit far for an admirer .... I think we need to let the others in on it ...."
"No ..... this is not something they need to be 'let in on', this is something that needs to be addressed which it seems he has no problem doing .... alone or not, at least at the temple he shows up to fight instead of skulking around like this" Shaka said, not extremely expressively, in fact all expression seemed lost with those words as Shaka resigned this to being a less then peaceful in the outcome.
"Great, so he ties you up again and it's a repeat of last time except no one is there to make sure it ends before you get whooped, this is your great plan of action?" Ikki was trying to pull some sense out of the other one, he was just reacting instead of thinking which was never a smart way to fix a problem.
"Like it or not your gonna have to deal with it, it's not like this thing holds much of a chance getting past the rest of the gold knights, okay so it leaves a few bruises on me .... then decides to what, leave maybe .... not like it can go far without making it down past the Leo temple, Taurus temple and Aries temple, and that's not saying it will make it that far up the temples again, you ran that route .... did it seem so easy to you ?" it had just started, not much of a plan of attack but still it was a small one.
"Fine, if your gonna work up a defense then why not put everyone in on the plan, what the hell do you have against us helping" he yelled, slamming the window shut after knocking the flowers to the ground.
"Nothing, your not coming cause I've led this thing to Athena and now you've got to stay to ensure she is safe, can you understand this?" Shaka said, the stunned look on his face showing he had not made it a personal jab that the bronze stayed here, she was more comfortable with them and they had more then proved they could band together and protect her, even against gold knights set to kill them.
Ikki sighed , irritated to no extent he'd ever been with Hyoga ..... Shaka hadn't led this thing to Athena .... it had been his suggestion not Shakas, but that didn't mean that the others needed him, in fact they hadn't even needed him till they'd reached Virgo temple, and then again against Aphrodite. "Okay ..... then take someone till you get past Mu's temple, just humor me that much will you ?"
"And I'd suppose you already had someone in mind with your request even though I could as easily have someone meet me as soon as I arrive .... correct?" for once he wanted .... no needed the silence to gather his thoughts and he was actually being disturbed, not from his peace but from his turmoil.
"You know if it didn't mean giving up my cloth I might make a good Cancer ..... but then I guess maybe having an extra set of eyes would be to much to ask for so at least I can make sure you get there in one piece, not like I haven't made my way home many times over" Ikki grinned, he just wanted a piece of the nut job playing the mind games but if he could get there that didn't mean he was actually gonna come home till it was all done and over with.
Shaka rose up from the cot, picked up the cloth box for Virgo and then proceeded to Ikki, a calm look on his face as he looked Ikki straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry, but that is not acceptable" was the only explanation he'd gotten as the Virgo knight lashed out and knocked him square through the wall to the now unoccupied room that now had two holes through the wall before he dimensionally shifted from the house to the grounds below .... leaving Ikki in the dust and the house once again jumping with activity as he proceeded to the old coliseum that had been build for the games before those that now occupied the mansion had come to run the temples, it was the silence he'd needed to figure it out, to find a way to put this plan of his into action and to keep those that were needed as the front line of defense for the real fight safe.
-End-
almost feels bad for poor Ikki but no one ever said all things were a basket of roses No this does not mean Shaka hates Ikki, just to make that one clear but we all do things for our own reasons .... look at Camus and what he did with Hyoga in the name of love ..... nasty but an effective example.
-Chapter 7-
He had come to eat with the rest of them, in fact the supper table was busy with conversation as usual, it was almost like they enjoyed this time of the day most as a social event then a meal. Chattering over what they wanted to do, or planning out events that seemed to be weeks away, they lived life like it would never end, like there was no challenge that they were going to fall to, it was refreshing to see that no matter what had been thrown at them so far had extinguished their lust for life, it hadn't disheartened them to doing or planning what they wanted. Had this been one at Sanctuary it would have been a whole other story as those that were there would morn the empty chairs and the losses they had already experienced .... even before the wars had started and yet into the hands of these babes that had killed there was nothing but plans for a future which was not garenteed.
"Perfectly blazing day should only be ended by a pool party, come on Princess .... you barely stepped foot outside all day, keep it up and someone's gonna start thinking your getting a sun alergy, or going all vampiress on us" laughed Hyoga, not that all the playing around and training hadn't taken him down a few notches but now it was cooler and the cooler it got the better he liked it.
"Well it can't be play all day but there has to be some time for leisure, gotta remember what's worth all that work sometimes right ?" Shun added with a laugh, sure the added responsibility of Sanctuary was a load but even she had to take a break once in a while.
"Okay .... we'll see how things look after supper, but the first one to splash me will have garbage duty for a week" she laughed, it was easy to see how well she was adjusted to these, the bronze knights over those of the gold, was it their age that made things seem so much easier or something more .... was it that even though she had been a child she had known them where as those of the gold had been kept from her until just recently, it was a puzzle she intended to resolve right shortly.
"So that just leaves one left .... and well I don't know about you but with Athena being outside maybe we should all be out to watch out for her" Seiya said, lightly nudging Shaka which disturbed his silent thoughts, he'd not really taken much note of what had been on the plate just eaten some of it but it was apparent that his mind had been else where.
"Then maybe it is wise that she doesn't go outside" Shaka answered back, having caught the tail end of it and reacting off just that little bit but managing to keep his eyes away from Ikki as he finished. "If you feel there may be a threat outside is that not the wisest decision?"
"Uh ..... I thought that was a joke actually" blinked Shiryu as he looked over to Seiya, trying to re-afirm whether it had been or not, if there was a threat outside he sure as hell wasn't going to go along with her going out into it.
"I believe Seiya was trying to say you were welcome to come join us by the pool instead of sitting alone in the yard" Ikki laughed, that was almost worth the look that had been passed around the table, the utter confusion passing from one face to another had been more then worth the wait, it seemed every time the older knight was close to the rest of the group there was always that element that amused him greatly.
"Sorry, my mind had been contemplating a few other things" Shaka smiled slightly back to Seiya .... like that hadn't been noticed then dropped his eyes to the table, it wasn't like he'd really had much planned and the way these knights played maybe it would be safest if he did join. "It sounds like an offer I may take up"
"Hey .... that's great, course your gonna need a set of trunks" Seiya started up, having seen only those types of robes the entire time Shaka had been there he started out trying to find someone with a spare set, after all how many times did it seem like Shaka was the type to go swimming, that in it's self meant he'd need a set.
It ended up with Shaka now owning a set of knee length swim shorts, okay so they were more like surfer shorts but the band was black while the actual trunks were a mixture of gold and red tones. Although they were colors the Virgo knight was well adjusted to seeing he looked a bit hesitant about actually wearing them out where they could be of any use, they did seem to be a bit less then he was use to when it came to coverings he'd worn, even that which he wore to sleep when he knew he slept alone had been less revealing.
"I'll explain it again, there are gonna be a few down there wearing a lot less then a full set of trunks, and no one has a full wet suit so don't worry, really if you wore anything more you'd sink in the pool" Hyoga tried, so his shorts were a touch shorter then the pair Shaka was wearing but he'd seen a lot less worn, by both males and females.
"That settles it then, maybe a good book or watching the fireplace would be a better idea" came Shaka's demurred voice as he looked down, his entire chest was bare and that was not showing modesty, in reality it wasn't hot so it was not something to avoid a situation .... even in India he'd have as easily chosen a lighter robe in the heat then go bare chested, and now they wanted him to walk out of a room like this.
"He dressed yet, I've got his towel" laughed Ikki from the other side of the door .... he'd heard some of it but it was almost to comical to interrupt.
"Yeah, well if he's coming then I guess it'll be out there waiting for him" Hyoga chuckled back, leave it to the Phoenix knight to have his usual bad timing, he pushed Shaka towards the door. "Better get the towel before he soaks it or something"
Shaka sighed and went to the door, opening it and sticking his head out the door only to pull his head in and shut it .... closing his eyes quick as he went a few shades of red. "I think he needs a set of shorts as well, he's going swimming in his unders" was his quiet explanation.
Hyoga looked at him for a minute and blinked. " I warned ya ..... there are smaller swim suits then your shorts" he laughed and came closer, putting a hand on Shaka's shoulder as he moved to open the door, he was no where near surprised to see Ikki wearing speedos and looking kind of lost at the door. He'd held back a laugh but only barely. "Ah the wonders of spandex ..... I'll meet you two downstairs" the amusement clearly heard in his voice as he managed to almost made it to the stairs before his shoulders shook with the repressed laughter.
"Um .... coming down, everyone is kinda waiting on us" Ikki tried, putting the towel over Shaka's shoulder and trying to figure out what was wrong with his swim suit .... leave it to Hyoga to be a pain like normal.
"You know I highly doubt there is anything else I could embarrass myself with right now so I may as well get this over with" Shaka sighed and straightened up some, wrapping the towel across the back of his neck and taking some comfort in what little covering the towel offered compared to what he was use to.
"Embarrassed .... what of, come on and fill me in cause I just know I missed something" he half grinned back as he took a step away from the door, now glad he hadn't offered least the blond haired knight passed out from the shock of the swim trunks he kept on hand.
It did end up that Shaka had indeed found the longest pair of trunks in the house, sure Sienna had come out with a swim wrap but having sat on the edge of the pool with her feet in the water didn't really require much but relaxing and watching as the others had some fun, they'd even managed to get the towel off the conservative one and feeling more comfortable with the idea that while you were in the pool there was little to see so it didn't matter what you'd wore when you were swimming in water that deep. In fact it had been a fun night till it started showing that it was getting late, Tatsume coming out with a full length bathrobe for Sienna as it was 'getting damp' in his opinion, which was about the end of every party they usually had. It had been while everyone retrieved their towels that Shaka realized his mistake, on his was a rose .... looking freshly picked and as though it had been gently put on his towel, almost causing him to look around at the others before he froze on the spot, none of them had left the poolside ..... in fact with him there they had made up some water volleyball game cause everyone could play and they had even sides.
"Hey, you see something out there?" asked Ikki as he got closer, after all Shaka hadn't even so much as picked up his towel while everyone else was drying off and on their way in before the mosquitoes got them to much.
"No ... I ... I think I need to leave .... like first light kind of leave" he said as he straightened up and walked towards the house, leaving the towel and flower right there where they were, untouched and stared at by a now un-nerved Ikki.
Ikki had picked the towel up and the flower that had dropped to the ground only to look over the grounds before following Shaka upstairs, having noticed he had wasted no time getting his robes on and taking comfort in the blanket that had been lain over the makeshift bed he'd used the night before. "So your gonna let this weirdo spook you out huh ?"
"Ikki .... it's not like that ..." he'd just manage to get a bit out before once again he'd been confronted by that gruff voice, the no nonsense one he'd heard more then enough times from his current room mate.
"Really, you hid in the temple, avoided telling anyone though something obviously upset you about this person, had fights which you kept quiet about and now cause you find a flower at your towel your gonna take off again and make it easier for who ever it is .... sounds a hell of a lot like that to me" he huffed and threw the rose to the trash.
"You might wanna get the ones at the window as well" Shaka said a bit quietly as his eyes hadn't left them since he'd found them there a few minutes ago, before Ikki had even started in on the whole subject.
"What the hell?" Ikki said a bit surprised before turning to see not one but 12 more there on the ledge of an open window which he knew he hadn't opened earlier. "This is going a bit far for an admirer .... I think we need to let the others in on it ...."
"No ..... this is not something they need to be 'let in on', this is something that needs to be addressed which it seems he has no problem doing .... alone or not, at least at the temple he shows up to fight instead of skulking around like this" Shaka said, not extremely expressively, in fact all expression seemed lost with those words as Shaka resigned this to being a less then peaceful in the outcome.
"Great, so he ties you up again and it's a repeat of last time except no one is there to make sure it ends before you get whooped, this is your great plan of action?" Ikki was trying to pull some sense out of the other one, he was just reacting instead of thinking which was never a smart way to fix a problem.
"Like it or not your gonna have to deal with it, it's not like this thing holds much of a chance getting past the rest of the gold knights, okay so it leaves a few bruises on me .... then decides to what, leave maybe .... not like it can go far without making it down past the Leo temple, Taurus temple and Aries temple, and that's not saying it will make it that far up the temples again, you ran that route .... did it seem so easy to you ?" it had just started, not much of a plan of attack but still it was a small one.
"Fine, if your gonna work up a defense then why not put everyone in on the plan, what the hell do you have against us helping" he yelled, slamming the window shut after knocking the flowers to the ground.
"Nothing, your not coming cause I've led this thing to Athena and now you've got to stay to ensure she is safe, can you understand this?" Shaka said, the stunned look on his face showing he had not made it a personal jab that the bronze stayed here, she was more comfortable with them and they had more then proved they could band together and protect her, even against gold knights set to kill them.
Ikki sighed , irritated to no extent he'd ever been with Hyoga ..... Shaka hadn't led this thing to Athena .... it had been his suggestion not Shakas, but that didn't mean that the others needed him, in fact they hadn't even needed him till they'd reached Virgo temple, and then again against Aphrodite. "Okay ..... then take someone till you get past Mu's temple, just humor me that much will you ?"
"And I'd suppose you already had someone in mind with your request even though I could as easily have someone meet me as soon as I arrive .... correct?" for once he wanted .... no needed the silence to gather his thoughts and he was actually being disturbed, not from his peace but from his turmoil.
"You know if it didn't mean giving up my cloth I might make a good Cancer ..... but then I guess maybe having an extra set of eyes would be to much to ask for so at least I can make sure you get there in one piece, not like I haven't made my way home many times over" Ikki grinned, he just wanted a piece of the nut job playing the mind games but if he could get there that didn't mean he was actually gonna come home till it was all done and over with.
Shaka rose up from the cot, picked up the cloth box for Virgo and then proceeded to Ikki, a calm look on his face as he looked Ikki straight in the eyes. "I'm sorry, but that is not acceptable" was the only explanation he'd gotten as the Virgo knight lashed out and knocked him square through the wall to the now unoccupied room that now had two holes through the wall before he dimensionally shifted from the house to the grounds below .... leaving Ikki in the dust and the house once again jumping with activity as he proceeded to the old coliseum that had been build for the games before those that now occupied the mansion had come to run the temples, it was the silence he'd needed to figure it out, to find a way to put this plan of his into action and to keep those that were needed as the front line of defense for the real fight safe.
-End-
almost feels bad for poor Ikki but no one ever said all things were a basket of roses No this does not mean Shaka hates Ikki, just to make that one clear but we all do things for our own reasons .... look at Camus and what he did with Hyoga in the name of love ..... nasty but an effective example.