Chapter 7: The Broken Part One
(due to length, this chapter has been split in two)
Aiolos wheeled himself into the quiet inner lobby area, drinking some canned tea that he bought from the vending machine there. Normally at this time, he'd be in his room, showering and planning for the dropping off of Shiryu and meeting with Master Dohko in person. But there was a small matter that needed to be taken care of. He's already been chewed out by two Silver Saints for never answering their letters. He told them the truth and that he hadn't received anything. Apparently, Tatsumi had been keeping them. He supposed the two held back a bit due to how much higher his rank was and was lucky that he decided not to show his face to Camus.
He was going to visit Master Dohko tomorrow and didn't want to humiliate himself. Master Dohko was practically synonymous with the Libra Cloth and probably will be for centuries to come. He hasn't met him in person, but knew the True Pope would speak of their adventures and their accomplishments both during the 18th century war and afterwards.
Aiolos drummed his fingers. He knew from personal experience that if he asked Tatsumi to bring it to his room, he wasn't going to see it for another week. However, this area was not only the crossroads of the building but it also prevented Tatsumi from going home without seeing him. He turned to the news on the small TV that was mounted in the corner.
The newscaster reported on a small bus accident that occurred in Tokyo Square. The news channel was one of the few he would watch frequently before bed. The Japanese they used was a lot slower and more pronounced which made it easier to pick up words. Oddly enough, through it, he learned more about his rescuer, Mitsumasa Kido through it than the five years he had been there.
...today marks the anniversary of when Japan was able to bring about the peace treaty between it and the United States in World War II. Declassified documents showed that the brilliant Yuto Kido, father to the world's wealthiest person, Mitsumasa Kido, was able to intercept two large bombs destined for Hiroshima and Nagasaki and threatened to retaliate with three larger, more powerful weapons in Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco.
He turned to the corner of the screen and saw the same characters of the Kido Foundation proudly placed in the upper corner. From what he's heard, Kido was also a fan of the news. One day, an unflattering story about him being absent at a famous charity event was circulating. From what Athena told him, Kido saw it and immediately bought them out, demonstrating the power and the enormous ego of the man who saved him long ago. As old as Kido was, the fact that he carried him, Athena and his bow back then over the rocky terrain without a lick of cosmos showed how physically fit he was. Perhaps that's why he felt it was odd for him to suddenly stop appearing in public.
The elevator gave loud ding. The moment the doors opened, his eyes widened. He was expecting just a handful of envelops. "Oh Achilles," he looked down at his drink. "We are both foolish men. You should have worn better boots to Troy and I should've grabbed something with more caffeine than this," he muttered as Tatsumi heaved a huge box that towered past his head.
"Ah, there you are! Sorry I took so long, The electric company sent us some mail as well and I had to take care of that."
Aiolos nodded. If this was just his mail, he wondered what Tatsumi did with the whole foundation's. "Surprised the power is still on."
Tatsumi glared at him like he was an idiot. "What are you talking about? You think we have bills to pay? We own them. They send us the checks that need to be processed."
Aiolos nodded silently. They own the medicine, the weapons, the food, construction, the tele-cams, basically anything that had any physical form. Aiolia once told him of a drinking game that he and the other Bronze Saints played on their mission during their downtime where they had to take a swig every time they found something that was not owned by Kido. His brother later found out it was actually a trick by their superiors to ensure they stayed sober for tomorrow morning.
Tatsumi took a deep breath and gave his sore arms a stretch. "Alright, I'm going to the bar next door. I'd ask you to join, but I know you're busy there. Good luck with that crap!"
Aiolos waited for the butler to leave and then slowly turned his head toward the mountain before him, "Om shanti~ shanti~ shanti," he muttered. It was one of those words that he picked out from one of Shaka's prayers that meant peace and was used to summon strength. And when his outstretched hand could barely reach the very top, he will need plenty of it. "Not good," he spoke as his fingers pressed into a few millimeters worth of dust that reminded him of soft velvet.
He took the one at the top and checked the date and gave a sad chuckle, realizing that he was still suffering the effects of that awful buzzcut he got from his nurse, Minami.
He slid it over and decided to sort it not by which one was written by what Saint but the year. He flicked them across the table into three piles as if he was dealing cards. At least his ability to read Japanese numbers was pretty good and quick. It also helped that most of the letters were from the oldest to the newest.
He was still trying to figure out how Tatsumi got to be the butler of all things. Athena mentioned that Tatsumi's late father, one of Kido's few true friends, was one of the world's greatest kendo masters and that Tatsumi was extraordinarily gifted in it too. He could understand that. Before he escaped with Athena, he and Saga held a very close bond. They loved beating each other up for hours. As much as he loved his brother and Saga loved his, as they got older, they just wanted to hang out alone together. He's not sure why either. It was just...nice.
Didn't mean their brothers weren't there. On the contrary, they sometimes made training quite interesting. Saga especially liked to toy with Aiolia and he still had no idea why. At least Saga had the courtesy of protecting him after declaring him a traitor of the highest calibre. He should've known better, since a duel nature was a requirement for Geminis.
Aiolos turned to the clock and saw that all that remincising took ten minutes of valuable time. That was the paradox of staying up to finish tasks. On one hand, he was artificially extending the amount of time he had in the day, on the other, his body was tired and he was slowing down to where it was hard to focus on the simplest of tasks to the point that he would have been better off just going to bed on time and waking up early. He took his drink and sucked it down, feeling a bit of a rush.
His eyes suddenly caught sight of one envelope that was sandwiched toward the bottom with traces of gold-level cosmos. For those who were silver level or below, they would feel a powerful presence. However, those like himself who have been familiar with it for many years can distinguish the purpose that it was used for. A good comparison was that when the cosmos was used for attacking, it was like touching the warm rays of sunlight, but if it was used to simply protect the user and objects for travel, it was like touching the beam of a flashlight, harmless, just as bright but indifferent. He slipped it out and the first thing he noticed was that it lacked a stamp or any postage.
He slid his finger and performed a controlled rip on the top crease, before pulling it out and unfolding it. His eyes first gazing at the name signed. "Hyoga…" Of course, he didn't really need to see the signature. Hyoga had impressive handwriting. It probably helped that Russian was his first language and he was used to the western style of writing horizontally in Greek, instead of vertically like the characters in Japan. His eyes returned to the top. "Dear Mamoru Chiba," he paused, pleased that Hyoga remembered to use his fake name from Sailormoon, but wished he was a little less formal since it sounded pretty fake. "I'm scared," he muttered reading the first words on both the letter and the first time the Russian child actually emoted something besides passiveness.
After I was dropped off, he told me to get to the house before the polar bear made him a meal first. I thought he was joking, but then I saw it. I dropped my bag outside and he told me that if I wanted my things, I had to go back out and grab it. I waited until night, but it snowed pretty hard. I couldn't find it and worse, there were two polar bears walking around.
"...damn..." The training was never easy, but even he and Aiolia were given a couple of days to get settled. But Camus took the art of ice very seriously even when he was young.
He's so mean! He doesn't talk! He just looks angry all the time! He said: if I want to leave, don't expect to leave alive. Please help me!
Hyoga
He reached over and pulled out a pen. He was going to go through all the letters, but this was something he had to do before he left. When he had him, Hyoga always had this wall around him like he was always on guard. Many would have mistaken it for him being stuck up or angry, but he could see that it was because he was sensitive and fragile. In other words, he was a mirror image of Camus.
Dear Hyoga,
I'm sorry that your first day didn't go well and wished I could be there to see you off.
He meant it too. Of all the kids that needed support, it was him. While everyone else had someone to lean on, he almost felt like he was his only friend. But it was too dangerous. Even with the lining of stardust in the helicopter, it only would take a glance or even the sound of his voice could give him away. He leaned his hand on his writing utensil. He knew what to say, but how does he convey it without giving himself away?
I think your teacher is just trying to help you. I know he must care about you because of how quickly this letter arrived. I think he may have delivered this himself. I heard Gold Saints could travel to different places in hours.
In actuality, he knew a Gold Saint could travel in seconds from one spot to another, but he had to feign some ignorance.
They said you would be training with another student and sometimes that can make all the difference. Partners are one of the most important things in the life of a Saint. They can help you get through the worse and bring out the best.
He grabbed the note and crumpled it up before turning the paper to ash. He was including too much of his relationship with Saga and his brother. He can't write this in a way that makes it appear like he lived the life of Saints since Camus was too clever and would see right through it. He rewrote it all and this time, left out the last three lines.
I heard another kid was coming from Finland. Maybe you two can be friends?
But, I hope things get better. I know I can't come over there, but feel free to write to me if you ever need someone to talk to.
MB
He wished he could be a little more forward with his words. He wished he could write that he knew Camus as a lonely French orphan who cried for someone to adopt him. No one could look past his awkwardness. Only Sanctuary was the only one that heed his call. He bottled his emotions when his Master ended his life as well as to bring out the power of his ice cosmos. Most don't realize that despite that pain, he was someone who had a bigger heart than people give credit for. Unfortunately, it was the best he could do. At least he didn't get this letter two years later.
He then heard the hum of an elevator going down. It was odd, considering what time it was and the fact that he knew the cleaner had already left. Judging from the direction, he knew it came from the private elevator that he took to reach the underground testing facility and the office where his bow was at.
He was going to return back to his work of digging through the past when he heard some crying. "Athena?" he whispered before he pulled his brakes and rolled to the door and peeked through. It was so quick. He watched Mr. V, one of the upper guards who covered Tatsumi's night shift seemingly chase after the Goddess as she sobbed. He watched her head straight for another set of elevators that led to the residential penthouse and closed him off. It didn't seem like her typical behavior since she always had the grace to say goodbye.
He wanted to follow her, but he didn't have access and knew that Mr. V didn't either. As incompetent as Tatsumi was, he did at least understand how close he was to Athena and did use his card to allow him to visit her at times. He knew Tatsumi was going out to drink, but it would take a lot of time to roll outside, search all the nearby drinking locations especially with his low Japanese skills. Even then there was no guarantee that he would give him the card.
Not the type to give up easily, he made his way down the hall over to his favorite balcony. He spent a lot of time out there. He could feel the wind, even if was stale, watch the sun, even if pollution formed a haze over its rays, and he got to wave hi to Futaba, even after three years, he still hasn't said how he felt. Sometimes he wondered why he kept hesitating. Perhaps it was his own insecurity about being in a chair or maybe it was something else.
But he wasn't there to just relax and take in the scenery. He spun around and faced the building. The design always caught his eye. The layout featured a large beam in between windows and textured stones, like it was trying to mimic the wooden temples of Japan but with a twist of modernism. There seemed to be enough spacing and while he has thought of it, he never tried it since he was worried what outside spectators would think of a twenty-year-old crippled man climbing up to reach a six-year-old's house. He already gets enough stares as is. It was dark enough and with a lot of sparse foot traffic at this time. He could probably grab the climbing supplies that the kids used from the training area at the school, and make things easier. But Athena was crying and he was a Sagittarius, and he wouldn't be worthy of his Cloth if he didn't at least do one thing stupidly loyal for her.
He reached over, grabbed the beam and pulled himself up off his feet. He eyed the stone and the thick ledge and swung, grasping it, before he took a deep breath and swung to the other side to grab the next metal bar. He looked down. He was about a meter from the balcony floor, as he weighed on whether to proceed. The task hurt his fingers and put a ton of pressure on his shoulders and arms which was made more difficult by the fact that he didn't want to use his yellow cosmos outside the building and risk drawing attention. It's been years since he climbed using regular brute strength.
Onwards and upwards, repeating the same motion for about twenty minutes until his hand finally grasped the iron of the balcony of Athena, flinching when the metal groaned and bent from his weight. His heart hammered in his chest, as his other hand quickly grabbed it. That was when he heard the outside door swing open.
"Aiolos? What are you doing?" she gasped as she attempted to run over and try to help pull him.
But the Sagittarius didn't want to risk him falling back and pulling her with him. He shook his head quickly to politely decline. Unable to throw his leg over the top, he simply flipped over with a thud. While it wasn't graceful, at least he didn't land face first and he could use the railing to prop him up. His sweaty face leaned against the bars, his arms now laid at his side as dead as his legs. "Hey…" he trailed, trying to regain his breath. He watched her run back inside before coming back out and handing him a box of Sailor V orange juice. Not wanting to deal with the tiny straw, he simply tore the top and drank it in one gulp.
Athena reached over and grabbed the container, still surprised he came. "Aiolos, why are you here? It's so late. You should be resting."
Now that he had enough time to catch his breath, he shook his head. "My Goddess, with all due respect, that's good advice that you yourself should follow." He drew his hand to his face. "You haven't been yourself. You haven't been out as much. You're always sad." He can't even remember the last time she stuck a Hello Kitty sticker on the backside of his chair. "I saw what happened earlier when you transitioned from the private elevator to the residential, and I just can't leave for China, even if it's just for a day, without at least attempting to help you."
He watched her head sink while she held her hands. It was so odd to see her tongue-tied. He had a very good idea of what it was but didn't want to be upfront so soon. "Are you worried I'll be caught in China?"
She turned her head and shook her head. "Of course not. My grandfather has some of the best custom aircraft in the world. Not only that, but anytime you make any trip outside of this area, we have satellites to monitor the locations of Saints and foot soldiers of Sanctuary and they have shown that they all just left within a thousand-mile radius." She gave a small smile. "I would never think to send you into danger."
He smiled back. He had no worries about China, either. It was the only reason why he is allowing Seiya to come along to. Plus, he spoke with the Old Master, and as promised ensured they would not be disturbed. The only one he had any nervousness was Siberia, and he just performed the lost ancient thirty-seventh stratagem of Sun Tzu where he simply stayed at home and watched an episode of Dragonball Z with Seiya and Shiryu to see if the main characters ever got off Namek yet. The only purpose of the question was just to get her to loosen up. One more should do the trick. "How about your friends?" He raised a hand. "It's gotten so quiet now that we went from a hundred to ten, to five, to two and soon to be just one."
"I miss them already, even Seiya and Shiryu and they haven't even left," she gave an emotional chuckle. "I'm worried about their safety. I mean, the training grounds that they are all going to are some of the most dangerous in the world. I even have dreams at night thinking about them."
He was hoping this question would have gone a little smoother and was a little caught off guard about her despair. "It's not always about where they go to, but who trains them. I've met all the Masters at some point in my life at Sanctuary and when I helped drop them off. They are all very good and from working with them, I can't see nothing but success with them."
"Well, they had a good teacher here too," she smiled. "You worked them very hard, but they were always happy to see you."
"Yeah." He was happy to see them as well. Outside of the Foundation, he always felt like he was stared upon but ignored at the same time. But there, the kids didn't care, except for Seiya who still wanted to ride him like a car, no matter how many times he told him no. He really needed to divert from this topic and luckily, he could segway it toward the true question. "I think what also helped them, were you and your grandfather being there. Take it from me, having an audience can sometimes bring out the best." Back when they first started, Aiolia would be groaning about wanting to go home after thirty rounds of sparring between the two. He would go and bribe a few off duty door guards with some quality wine to come and watch him and his little brother. The moment they began, Aiolia went from whimpering like a newborn cub to trying to tear him apart. Aiolia would still lose, but only through those situations would he know that his little brother gave it his all. "The kids noticed his missing presence and I tell them that he is fatigued since he is a very successful businessman. It's an excuse, but it only works for so long, and they were wondering when he would go and practice with them. He's very strong. The fact that he was able to carry you, me and my bow, a weapon that's easily 20 kg. without cosmos, demonstrates how great an athlete he is, even at this age. We don't have to tell the others, but I would like to know how he's really doing."
She walked over and sat next to him against the railing. "They don't know. His business is vast and at first, the doctor felt it was exhaustion. He's been like that for over five years, we just thought it was just age-related. Then last month, the doctors discovered a large tumor growth. It was stage four in his stomach and had spread all over through his liver."
"Oh…" he trailed. Now he was the one who was tongue-tied. He knew it was bad, but this was absolutely horrible. "I'm so sor-"
"He's-cured," she cut him off, not wanting to worry him for the wrong reasons.
"What?"
Athena nodded. "My Sagittarius, remember, he owns most of the pharmaceuticals in the world. There are so many cures in the depths of storage that the world could benefit from. When he heard the diagnosis, he pulled out his tele-cam, made a call in London, and they shipped it the next day and all signs of the tumor had ceased," She stared at his shock. It was the same way she looked when she heard of it too.
He was stunned silent. His grandmother succumbed to leukemia, and the process of treating it looked long and brutal. But, it was also very expensive. He remembers the days of his mother fretting to send her as much money as she could, only for their grandmother to give it back to him and his brother as little gifts when they visited her. He wished he couldn't understand why Mitsumasa Kido wouldn't just release it and help out others, but after being around him for so long he knew why. "He-won't give that cure out because it's not profitable, will he?" It didn't surprise him one bit when she shook her head no. "You don't have to explain." If there was one thing that Kido loved more than his granddaughter, and that was his family's business. Nurtured from generations of Kido heirs, it wouldn't shock him if he would purposely leave the pharmaceutical business to his brother since Athena would simply give it all for free for the poor and needy. "So, he's cancer-free, is he still in recovering?"
She shrugged. "We-don't know. I don't know." She climbed beside him and placed her head next to him. "Part of why he's not been attending events or meetings was that he had his doctors had been running every single test on him and they still haven't found the cause. He's just physically weak and growing weaker by the day." Tears began to gather around her eyes. "I think-it was my fault." She turned her head. "As I told your brother, the knowledge of my past reincarnations are within me. But it's not something that is dumped in my head but slowly awakened through dreams. Every night I would see things, but never clearly like a painting by Monet. Your predecessors were always easy to spot due to their wings and bow. They always seem strong. The Pope has probably spoken about them."
He nodded. "He said the first one, was actually born on the moon by one of Artemis' high Satellites. Just like women were originally forbidden to serve you-er...first reincarnation, men were the same in hers. When he joined to fight against Poseidon, he was always questioned about his loyalty to Athena especially when he was used as a go-between her and Artemis flying between Earth and the moon. It didn't help that the bow was not made by Lemurians, but rather Artemis herself. Artemis was angry at her sister for reincarnating as a human. The bow and arrows were made to pierce Gold Cloths with ease. She sent him and the bow as a peace offering when she and Athena made up. Nonetheless, the other Golds, knowing he carried this weapon, feared him." Aiolos sighed. Even he found it difficult to use the bow during sparring no matter how much he assured the other Golds that he was holding back to avoid damaging their Cloths. Only Scorpio had the same ability to crack through Gold Cloths with ease, but it also had to perform the moves in a certain way in order to draw energy from his constellation, while he was free to utilize his bow however he pleased.
He continued. "During the war, the God Cloth of Athena was tossed in the depths of the ocean. As it sunk, he knew that if they didn't do anything, it would be forever lost. Like those of the moon, he could handle the pressure of the sea far greater. So he jumped into the water with his Cloth on, utilizing the weight to help him sink faster. He fought every Mariner that got in his way, grabbed the statue, tied it to an arrow and shot it out before drowning. A search was conducted by Gemini to find out where it landed. He headed to a lake where they not only found the God Cloth of Athena but the Cloth of Sagittarius in its Pandora's box as well. No one ever questioned his loyalty after that." It was a nice story, but like Greek Myths probably heavily exaggerated in some parts. There was one version of Sagittarius Gestalt that half of his body was part unicorn, but he thinks it was due to the Stupid Saggittarius tradition of Gestalt believing he was half horse and being made fun of by storytellers.
"Nor should they question yours as well," she smiled. "I cried when I had to experience that, and not just yours but the deaths of many past Saints and their allies as well. I even knew I was dreaming and the world was not real. But when the memories appeared, I would scream, sometimes wishing it would end, but unable to wake up until it's over." She took her arm and wiped her face. "But there were other memories too. Sometimes it was something simple and peaceful like afternoon tea. But even those can be troubling at times. I can only know what I experience and see. In one memory, I was walking in a garden. It started as a simple dream and I took it in. That was when, I overheard some Saints, while their images were so distorted that I couldn't make out who they were, their voices were clear. They talked about the Curse of Athena. When I came to them, they stopped and greeted me with warmth. But they weren't the first and it felt like it was spoken of regardless of rank."
The moment she mentioned the curse, was when his blood ran cold. He watched her hands clutch his arm.
"After hearing about it multiple times, I had many researchers examine the ancient records that the Kido Foundation carried, but we found nothing! Absolutely nothing! If so many know about it, then why haven't I've seen anything nor find any written account?" She sighed. "Please, I need to know about it! For the sake of my Grandfather, I must know!"
It was at that moment, did he realize what had just occurred. She knew he would be here by himself from that whole Tatsumi letter fiasco especially since he told her. She staged the elevator scene and knew he would approach her. Except for the whole climbing part, which, he can't imagine her ever incorporating, she had predicted and cornered him into a conversation that most Saints would rather die than discuss face to face with her since it was the equivalent to cursing one's mother for giving birth to them.
"Take your time… I know this isn't easy, but it is important."
He sighed. If she forced him to hurry, he would probably find some excuse to get out of there. By exploiting the underutilized tactic of simple patience, she had him set him up to tell her what hundreds of other Saints would not. From the moment she opened her mouth, he never had a chance.
Now that he was here, what does he say? After all, it was hard enough the first time he heard about it long after he earned his Cloth.
O|=====Seven Years Ago=====|O
Rodario Cemetery
"There, much better," Aiolos whispered to himself as sat back to admire his work. Usually, he and his brother would be dressed in their finest when they visited here and not in an old trainer with holes in it. Today was different. The thirteen-year-old, leaned down to inspect the crevices of the name before he grabbed a small toothbrush to polish a bit of old moss near the name. "You look good, mom." He turned to the grave next to it. "You too, Uncle." He turned toward the stone that was a few rows up behind and gave a small nod. Dad would hit him outside the head if he said he looked lovely as well.
Last year, he and his brother had a little trouble finding them. The area was known for endless streaks of rain and the small bits of mud caused a gradual build up. It was rare that he and Saga would get some time off, plus his nine-year-old brother needed time alone to focus on the test to earn his Cloth. He figured that next week, on the anniversary, it would be a pleasant surprise for Aiolia if he came and the three stones of their family were cleaned up.
"That's a pretty good idea." mused a familiar voice.
The Sagittarius turned as he saw Saga, his hair was always well combed, but today he could tell that extra care was made. He was dressed in a light blue suit, a set of polished shoes and a bouquet of a mixture of fresh cut flowers in his hands. He watched Saga lean down, impressed by the bright white color of the stones.
"They look very nice."
"Thanks!" It's been two days since he last saw him and his face cracked a look of total surprise at the last place he would expect him to be. "Are you here for someone too?" He followed the direction of the flowers and turned toward the stone that was next to his Uncle Ellias' stone.
"My Mother, Vasiliki Galani." He reached into his bouquet and pulled out three daffodils to hand to his friend. "I think this will be a nice finishing touch, don't you agree-" he shifted his eyes toward the stone, "-Lucas Nikolopulos," he spoke with a cheeky tone as he finally learned the Sagittarius' real last name.
Aiolos hadn't heard it in years. True he gave it up when he became a Saint, but it was still nice to hear every once in a while. "Thank you, Kristopher Galani," he replied as he accepted them and placed one for his mother, Daphne, and his uncle. He stood up and took a few steps forward and laid one on his father's grave, who died a couple of years prior. Because the bodies were simply buried in order, his body must rest not too far away. That's okay, he knew they were all together in that special place. Aiolos turned to Saga as he laid the bouquet down at his mother's tomb and knelt down in prayer. Even though he wasn't dressed as nicely, he did the same.
For ten minutes, it was so peaceful. There was a good breeze and the branches wavering around was pleasant, as if their spirits were letting them know that their prayers were being answered. Aiolos opened his eyes and turned to Saga as he had a gentle smile while simply leaning on his knee as if he's been like that for a while.
"You must have had a lot to talk about with your family," he chuckled as he moved a stray strand back into place.
"Well, I thought since we were all together here, I went ahead and prayed for your family too." Aiolos watched as Saga tried to hide the smile, clearly touched by the gesture. He turned to the bucket. He had plenty of time and he was already filthy. "If you want, I can clean your families' stones as well."
He shook his head. "Thank you, but no." Saga reached down and touched his mother's grave. "I know you would do a wonderful job, but to me, cleaning a tombstone is like washing their body again. It's sacred and I feel it is a duty that family should handle, don't you agree?"
"Of course." Aiolos poured the bucket, grabbed his supplies and turned to another stone that was heavily covered in mud but had Saga's last name. "Is that your father-"
"-Dimitros?" Saga finished hastily. He turned to the stone and frowned. "I suppose, he is my father, at least biologically. Mother absolutely loved him, and I don't know why." Saga bit the bottom of his lip. "He worked for an accounting firm, but he was good at keeping track of everyone else's money except for his own. We had to go to company parties all the time and had to have perfect behavior, even if we kept catching him being with other women. Wanted us to have perfect grades at school, even though outside of math, he was terrible at the rest. If we weren't studying our fucking brains out we had to do soccer every night, even though Dimitros had the grace of a three-legged hippo." Saga drew a hand to his head. "I'm sorry, he was... "
Aiolos reached over and hugged his friend. "No. I'm sorry. Unlike you, he sounded like a terrible person." Family was such a taboo subject among Saints due to the fact that everyone was an orphan. But with them opening up about their past, he kind of wanted to know more about his friend and got more than he wished. He felt a hand reached up and reciprocated the hug.
Saga pulled away. "Don't apologize. That's all in the past and he's made up for it. "He turned toward the darkened tombstone and away from it. "Dying was the best thing he could do for us. Even if he could've made a better Gemini than I would ever be."
It sounded like a joke, but he knew it was self-criticism. He had been doing a lot more of that lately. "Don't say that," Aiolos spoke as he stood up, taking care not to get his dirty hands on Saga's fine clothes. "You heard the Pope, he's always talking about how you are one of the best he's seen in a long time. That's quite a compliment for someone who's over two hundred years old." He reached down for his bucket and the two began to walk out of the cemetery.
Saga kept his eyes focused on the ground. "I hope so."
"You are!" Aiolos always could detect a sense of self-doubt in his friend. He was such a perfectionist, but after his little tirade earlier, he wondered if it was due to his life before the Cloth. Saga could have a good day in sparring, winning every round between the two, and he would still feel he wasn't good enough. Even if he was just as competitive, there is a point where one could become overly critical. It was best to just leave the topic behind since family was always a touchy subject in an army full of orphans. "I'm glad that we get a day off today. But it'll be nice when he brings that new student from Luxembourg." Even though he already knew, Saga always got a kick out of demonstrating his knowledge and made it easier to get him out of his moods. "I can't remember what sign he was going after. Apus perhaps?"
"Altar actually," Saga immediately corrected. "You're thinking of the potential trainee from Morocco. Don't forget, the Altar Cloth is important in regards to the business of the Pope and it's essential that he travels there himself." With each word, the touch of anger began to shift into one in thought before a sense of pleasantness filled his face. "Apus, on the other hand, should be picked up by a Silver or even one of us since the Pope values his time."
Aiolos nodded. "Morocco sounds nice, I wouldn't mind going there to visit and pick someone up."
Saga turned his head. "It does sound nice, but you should probably remain here and focus on training since you swore you'd catch up to my number of wins over you."
Aiolos rolled his eyes."I have plenty of time after training. I can afford to travel every once in a while." Saga awakened his cosmos first and he put it straight to work. The first couple of years, he basically was kicking his ass with Another Dimension. He still remembered the first time he had to go through it since he threw up from the vertigo of being in a pocket dimension. Didn't help that they were really in the Pope's house at the time and it landed on the rug. But that was back when he was just trying to fire off rapid punches of cosmos and not on grand techniques. As he got better at summoning his cosmos and more efficient, he realized the skills he learned in the woods began to meld with his abilities in battle. The false versions Saga would pepper the field to confuse him lost their effect since the fakes never had a variety of cosmos fluctuations just like a person's pulse would never be steady. Like tracking, he began to see the fluctuations of the cosmos of Another Dimension and was getting extremely good at finding Saga among the false stars.
Things greatly changed when he finally got the approval to incorporate his bow. Saga couldn't counter when he used it. Trying to stop his arrows at his level was astoundingly pointless that Saga once compared it to trying to block a drill by putting one's hand in front of the tip. The only way to deal with it was to dodge and hoped he didn't arch it.
But he was a crack shot. Once he got a lot better handling a bow without a string, his aim was nearly perfect among moving targets. Saga may have a much higher win percentage now, but those wins were becoming farther in between and he knew that this worried the Gemini. "I'm finally figuring out all those illusions you cast and at the rate I've been winning, I should be able to catch up to you by my sixteenth birthday."
Saga stopped. He looked around his surroundings and nodded. "Oh… is that so…" Saga started pulling off his jacket, one sleeve at a time before tossing it in the empty bucket. "Well the only illusion I have been casting on you is the idea that you could actually surpass me," he spoke as he carefully began to sidestep with a guarded stance.
Aiolos followed through, his eyes narrowed, certain of a challenge coming through. This was the life of a Gold Saint after all. They could be enjoying the most casual event one moment and trying to kill each other the next and neither one would have it any other way.
He started off with a couple of fake-out lunges, just to test the certainty of Saga's willingness. Judging by the way his friend leapt back while maintaining his stance, it was clear that the two were itching for a quick spar. "It's quite a lovely spot. Nice soft grass to land on and beautiful weather. A little rain would be nice, but that's okay."
The Saggiterius jumped once, cratering the ground and forming a perfect nine-meter diameter sparring circle. He flashed his yellow cosmos while tightening his fists and christened the fight with a forward punch that Saga quickly dodged before the Gemini taunted a bit with a flick of white cosmos. Aiolos followed with a two-strike combo that the Gemini caught in each hand and pulled the fists downwards. Anticipating Saga's quick reflexes he took his head and smashed it on Saga's face, catching the Gemini by surprise.
Saga ignored his bloody nose as it dripped all over his white shirt and tie. He faked a punch toward the face before ducking and smashing Aiolos' side, easily breaking a set of ribs.
Aiolos ignored the pain before he took his arm to lock Saga's arm on his side before he twisted him into a grapple and smashed him on the ground, breaking a large stone beneath. "Warm up is over! You ready to get serious?" Aiolos gritted until a large kick followed knocking him on his back.
Saga watched as Aiolos fist were shining bright, knowing he was going to perform Atomic Thunderbolt and blow him back to win, just like the last time. "Oh no you don't!" he quickly took his dress shoe and smashed it into the Sagittarius' stomach, breaking the leather sole but pausing the attack long enough for him to jump right on top. Saga raised his arms ready to unleash his attack and knock his friend out for a good week. "Galaxian Exp-" a bucket of water splashed on his face, drenching his hair like a wet dog. "What the?" he muttered as he spat it out while whipping his mane back from his eyes.
"Hey!"
Aiolos paused as they both turned to an elderly woman with a broom in her hand.
"You know Sanctuary's rule! No fighting with cosmos in the Rodario residential area!" She stomped her foot. "You both are well trained! Who are your Masters?"
Saga and Aiolos had the biggest oh shit look on their faces as they pulled away from each other, snatched the jacket and bucket, and sped off without using any light speed to pass off as a couple of random trainees.
She smashed the bristles against the ground. "Come back here! If you don't return! I'll write to every Gold Saint and see you two dragged from here to the House of Aries in shame!"
The two teens were cringing and laughing as they heard the woman screaming for the guards to get them.
O|=====House of Gemini=====|O
Aiolos laughed as he stripped off his old trainer and tossed his undergarment off in the pile before jumping into the warm bath water. "Wow, that was a close one!" He turned his head as an old female servant walked over and picked his stuff up to be cleaned. "I'm so glad the Pope will be in Luxembourg for the next two weeks."
"Tell me about it." He took a moment to sniff his hair, and frowned, not wanting to know what exactly was in the water that the woman threw. " I doubt he will force us to string ourselves up, but he would definitely make us run up and down the twelve houses a couple of hundred times. I think I'll be utilizing my servant for any in town business for a few days." Saga removed the cufflinks off his jacket and placed them back in their box before he began to work on pulling the knot loose from his tie. He turned to his friend as he sat there. "You don't look troubled, but you appear unsure."
Aiolos nodded as his blue eyes turned to him. "I'm sure we've sparred in that spot more than once there. Because of the-"
"-blue post?" Saga finished as he began to unbutton his shirt. "We have, exactly eight times. I've won four times and you've won three. I suppose we can consider the last one a draw."
"That's what I thought. I wonder why it was a problem now?"
"I know more residents are starting to move out of the town area and the border must have been extended." Saga rolled his eyes. "Of course if our Pope would become more organized and take five minutes to dictate an order to attach a sign to let us know tha-," Saga paused. "Hera!" he turned to the orange cat as it rolled and exposed its white belly while spreading its clashing fur on the blue coat. He reached down and gave into its desire by rubbing its tummy before moving his hand gently down its back and returning a finger under the peach fuzz of its chin. "Sorry, Miss Korhonen," he spoke as he picked up the spoiled house cat in one hand and tried to brush the fur off.
"It's fine, Sir," she hastily replied before she simply grabbed the garments. "This warm weather has riled her shedding," she spoke as her hand slyly slipped a small pill into his hands.
"Yes, just walking through the door requires a pass of the lint brush before leaving." Saga turned to the feline, "that's okay." He leaned his cheek against its head. "You're still the perfect hunter, and still the perfect companion." He gave a small kiss on its head before he carefully placed the feline down, watching as it gave a small loving bunt on his leg. He covertly popped the medicine in, removed the layers of his sweaty bloody suit, passed them to his faithful servant before sliding in the steamy, inviting water.
"Excuse me?"
Aiolos turned around to the woman's voice and looked up as Miss Korhonen gestured to her head. The Sagittarius struggled for a second until he realized she was wanting to wash his headband. He nodded as he pulled it off and handed it to her. He's worn it for so long that he sometimes forget he had it on. He leaned his elbows against the side once more. He didn't want to bring up the Pope. Speaking ill of him was disrespectful, even if Saga was right. For the past year, he noticed a greater number of locals, foot soldiers and other Saints coming over for either more clarification or discussing some issues.
His family lived on the outskirts of the main area, so they didn't qualify for compensation. He remembered his father and uncle coming home from the mines, looking dusty, tired and sick. He still remembered the moment he asked why they continued to do it instead of taking him and his brother hunting more, but instead of answering, they said it doesn't matter since he and his brother probably will wind up there. "I'm surprised so many would want to move out. Sanctuary pays them generously just to live their lives. Why would they give that up?"
Saga sighed as he stared at his reflection. "Because they were living a lie. Believe me, you can only smile and play the part in an illusion for so long before you want to crawl back to reality," he held his breath and dipped his head into the water.
Aiolos watched as thin ribbons of red swirled as Saga's head came back up before he noticed it trailing from his nose. "Did I break it?"
The Gemini touched it and flinched. "No, I can still smell, but it's a bit messed up."
He felt bad even if the sign of a bad sparring session for Gold Saints was that both fighters walked away without needing an x-ray. "Hey, let me fix that."
Saga turned his eyes nervously. If possible, Gold Saints would heal each other as a means to strengthen their bonds after battles and a means to avoid apologizing every time they broke another person's bone. However, there was nothing wrong with politely declining. "Noses are tricky. If you mess setting it up in the right position, my face is going to look crooked. Kanon did that once and I had to rebreak my nose again just so the Pope could correct it and avoid me walking around like a painting from Picasso ." He swallowed a bit as the Sagittarius stood up and began to walk over and tread the water in the barely waist-high water. "But you're welcome to try."
Aiolos, sat next to his friend. "Don't worry, I wouldn't leave you messed up. Besides, this is one of my specialties." The other side of the coin on cosmos was its ability to heal. Some Saints were quite good others couldn't heal a paper cut. He was one of three Saints who were allowed to work on the brain. It was a delicate area that would require several weeks or years just to slowly repair. But the most difficult and taboo area was the spine, due to how complicated it was and the horror stories of Saints who've tried, only being forced to kill their comrades because they were in extreme agony, fluids being accidentally rerouted in places they shouldn't or left completely paralyzed. Fixing a nose, was a piece of cake.
Saga nodded silently as he felt his friend's strong arm warp behind his head to cradle and hold it still while his other hand hovered over his face. He felt his gentle cosmos, first nullifying the pain before his fingers began to set everything right. "Thank you," he spoke. His eyes trailed to Aiolos midsection for a bit. "Here, that looks painful," he spoke as he took his hand, stroked from the top of the pelvis to the midsection where Aiolos' ribs were and began to heal where he struck earlier.
Aiolos nodded as he turned to his bruised side. "Yeah, that's the tricky part of broken ribs. You don't feel them until the next day."
"Mmm-hmm, you shouldn't wait on that stuff," said Saga as his eyes continued to focus on his task.
He looked down, "I know. I was just freaked out from earlier that it slipped my mind."
"Very true," Saga turned to the other side and tilted his head. "Perhaps I should do your left, just in case."
Aiolos, a bit ignorant, nodded. "Yeah, that's a good idea!" He looked down at his friend moved to the other side and began to run some cosmos over there. Even if nothing was broken, it still felt good, like an after-battle massage. "This is really nice…" he muttered. "I love my brother, and I know you love yours too, but sometimes its just...nice when it's just the two of us."
"Mmm-hmm," spoke Saga as he went back to the other side of his ribs. "Why's that?"
Aiolos shrugged. "I guess because it's a lot more quiet and peaceful. Aiolia gets so loud and he's way worse when he's around Ka-." Aiolos burst out in laughter as he pulled Saga's hand away. "-hey, that kind of tickles."
Saga shrugged. "I just wanted to make sure I got that side well… just in case," he replied with a cool gaze.
Aiolos sat back down, "It's okay, but I appreciate it."
Saga leaned back, "we're best friends, aren't we."
"Of course!" He took his hands and cupped some water to wet his hair down. "I just can't believe what a coincidence it was that we would both be there and our families were next to each other, Athena must be looking out on us." A feeling overcame him. He wasn't sure what it was, as if the cosmos around them shifted.
Saga's face darkened a bit. "But it's not a coincidence. It never was." His hands slowly massaged the sides of his head. "Athena was looking over us, because she needs us, and that's the problem."
Aiolos quickly brushed the excessive water off his eyes. This was the first time he's ever heard Saga, one of the most devout followers of the Goddess, ever put her name in a negative context. "I-don't-I don't understand?"
Saga's started to chuckle. "Think about it. In order to become a Saint, one must be aligned with the stars of the constellation, capable of awakening cosmos, and be an orphan, a task made more difficult for Gold Saints by the fact that if one did not have a high level of cosmos, their cloth could blow them up if they try to wear it. We were there with the Pope on Star Hill and saw how difficult it is to find those worthy of the Zodiac. It's like being asked to catch a coin tossed by Artemis from the moon, but you weren't given a heads up when she does it," he started to laugh harder.
Aiolos raised his brow, "yeah… it looked really hard. But it can be done and has been done for centuries."
Saga stood up before the confused brunette and placed his hands on his hips. "Yes, it can be done. But aren't we forgetting that one of the qualifications for being an orphan...well...that's quite an obstacle," he raised his voice as he waved his finger in a lecture that mocked the way the Pope would give lessons upon.
Referring to the process as a mere obstacle suggested something that he didn't want to say out loud but needed to. "Saga! You can't be serious! Are you saying that Athena murdered our parents just to get us here?"
Saga shrugged. "Murdered? That's quite strong language there, but who knows? I don't think she means to do it on purpose since she loves us so much." He folded his arms, "but think about it? We've read the past histories of our predecessors. We've studied their feats, their techniques, but if you observe the dates of when they start training, don't you realize they start at about the same time? With as difficult as it is to find those qualified, everyone should be scattered about more. But not just them, Silvers would all gather in a bunch and the same with Bronzes. Of course, some were already orphans, but doesn't it seem like those that weren't, their families seem to just… go away?"
He reached over to grab the long tail of his red headband, only to realize he had sent it to be cleaned. As cool as Saga was, there were these times, these moods, where he just would get worked up and could almost be seen as a loose cannon to those who weren't familiar with it. Saga even had several servants resign due to these moods. As close as they were, he couldn't stand to hear his Goddess be accused in such a way. "Saga, just let it go. The Pope probably does it in groups and that's why we're all gathered at the same time."
"Alright. Sounds fair." Saga sat down next to him and began to stroke the handsome Greek's soft curls. He knew how much he liked it while he enjoyed the feel of each little ringlet curling around his fingers. "But think of this? You've heard the Pope, he said we were called perfect alignments of our constellations. It's extremely rare and happened about two or three times in the entire history of our Houses. Same with your brother. Yet, your father died from a fall, Goddess rest his soul. A logical accident, especially with how high those cliffs can get, or so it would seem. Without his death, we technically wouldn't have the future Leo Saint assuming he passes his test, which he should judging by what I've seen."
Aiolos stared at him for a tense moment before turning his head away without a word.
Saga could see the gears clicking into place. He has seen Aiolos' moments when things seem to flow in his mind and others where he would have to deliberate on the endless barrage of hypothetical no-win situations that the Pope would throw at them. He knows how he thinks, and clearly it will take a little more time to get him to see things his way. "You told me that your uncle was killed outside the house when some wolves took him by surprise while setting up a deer you hunted for bleeding. Greece does have a problem with wolves where you live. But you said that your mother heard some noises, left you and your brother alone in the kitchen. She walked outside and immediately was attacked as well, you two being spared by the simple coincidence that the Pope did a reading and thought: damn, that would be one fine Saggiterius and a not so shabby Leo. I fucking hope their parents will be okay with this. Lets send Triangle Noesis to see what we can do?"
Aiolos continued to stare at the water. It was one of the scariest days of his life. He never heard his Uncle scream like that nor his mother. He had to barricade the kitchen door and Aiolia just wouldn't stop screaming. He was grateful for Saint Noesis' help and still kept close contact to this day.
Saga wasn't done. "Of course one incident doesn't make for a curse does it? One week prior, my father, riddled with debts, decided he had enough of this cruel world. He couldn't decide between shooting himself or hanging, so he hung himself with a loaded gun in his pocket. Mother, loving soul she was, found him dead, but when she tried to cut him down, the gun goes off and strikes her. I know, because I was standing next to her when it happened. What are the chances of that? It has nothing to do with when the Pope searches for Saints. It happened to us like it was destiny."
Saga's hands gently stroked and cupped Aiolos chiseled cheeks as a means of comfort for the harsh memories, but to gaze upon his reaction. "The week after that, we were introduced to each other, outside of our brothers, we were the perfect set of training partners. Remember later on during that exciting time when we were getting all sorts of news? Oh look, Capricorn is coming. In two weeks later, an Aquarius. What? Aquarius is struggling, well here comes Scorpio to fill his lonely void. We'll have an Indian and then a Brazilian joining us. It kept happening over and over. Those houses were so empty and lonely and now they are filled up. So many convenient orphans, but it won't stop there. Silvers are needed and they came in droves and when the time comes, the Bronzes will probably rush in one gigantic herd."
"Saga...she wouldn't do that, she loves us!" Aiolos whispered pathetically.
Saga shrugged. "Yes, she does love us. Hades loves his Specters too and it's been recorded that they all commit suicide at once just to join his love. Poseidon loves his Mariners too and they all tend to find their way or throw themselves into the sea. What's to say she doesn't do something like that with us?"
Aiolos stared at Saga's irises. He's always had such beautiful eyes, but lately, he stared at them a lot harder for different reasons. He noticed that there was a slight red ring at the edge of each one in times of stress, and it was odd that it just suddenly started happening. He had a few times like this, but today he was just going too far. Aiolos felt his muscles tightened and his blood rise. It was his instinct as a fighter going off, practically beating him in the head that something wasn't right even if it was clearly obvious at the beginning of the argument. They told him to continue the fight from earlier and show no mercy. It wouldn't be hard. Saga was standing right in front of the ledge of the bath and the way he stood, could make it easy to shove him straight into it for an instant knock out. But Saga was his friend and he knew that this was not how he was truly like. Arguing was not working and only served to make things worse. "Saga," he whispered. Fighting his instincts, he reached over and rested his hands on the Gemini's shoulders. Any warrior knew that it would leave themselves totally vulnerable, and that was the idea. "Hey…"
Saga's eyes blinked and the red vanished from them. Aiolos looked down as Saga took his hand and rubbed his eyes as if he was waking up from a dream. Saga looked up, seemingly sad and turned away. "Your brother is working on studying for his test. He could-use some support," he muttered before he placed his hands over Aiolos' and then moved them away.
Aiolos, catching the hint, nodded, relieved he stopped. "Yes, he's nervous. I should go check on him," he spoke as he climbed out, the water dripped from his body before he got out and reached over for a towel and wrapped it around. He watched as Saga hung his head, watching the Gemini's chiseled body sink into the water, his hair resting pathetically over his bangs. He looked sad and lonely, but he knew he needed his time.
He traveled down the hallway before he reached the older servant as she greeted him with a blue set of trainers. "His moods," she muttered.
"His moods?" Aiolos repeated, knowing she was talking about Saga but not quite sure about the subtext.
The old servant sighed. "You heard me, his moods. One moment, I feel like I serve one of the best Saints in Sanctuary, the next he's… something else." She shrugged. "I don't know what to do. I've tried, but he just gets…" she trailed before she drew her wrinkled hand to her mouth, slipping it between that and the nape of her neck, like a mother frightened of her child getting into more trouble. "Give him a couple of hours in there, he'll be fine. Your clothes are still being washed so I thought these will suffice. Saga's spares would be too tight on your shoulders. Here, I don't think he would mind. Just send them back with your servant, when you find the time."
He always wore the lighter blue and kept his hair slightly longer. His hair was a few hues lighter too. He was always a bit more bolder than Saga, similar to any younger brother who wanted to prove their worth. Even when they would face away from each other, anything they overhear, their subtle smiles or frowns would mirror each other as if eternally linked.
It was a Tuesday when it happened. Saga was frantic that he hadn't returned in over a week so they conducted a grand search party. Since Saga grew up by the coast, he would go there, his brother scoured the Rodario town and coliseum where he liked to train. Other Saints of different ranks even dropped their training to venture into the roads and nearby towns. The Pope himself even summoned guards to check the swamps. He would search the forest. Thirty-two bodies were recovered, a mix of suicides, murder and tragic accidents. He actually had to cut a couple of people down. One too decomposed, the other an Amazon.
Goddess, he can't imagine the torment of being dragged out of one's House repeatedly to identify a corpse with the sickening feeling that it could be your own flesh and blood on the counter. Despite this, he couldn't be found and they gave up after two months. Since then, Saga hadn't been the same.
Aiolos gazed at the familiar clothes and sighed. "Kanon. Where are you?"
O|=====|O
Aiolos flashed back to the present. His eyes turned to the Luna clock, noticing the hand only moved a few minutes forward. Funny how the perception of time was different between the brain and real life. He turned to his Goddess as she waited patiently for him to answer. Even if Saga was in one of his moments of madness in the bath. It was so absurd but sometimes absurdity can be true. Four adults, all conveniently died in such a short time, five if one considered his father due to the circumstances of Aiolia's birth. When he spoke to others, they too had similar experiences. Even the trainees themselves in Japan all faced similar tales. There were exceptions, most notably was when Saints had children, if they were disowned or ran away from their families as children, or their parents were already dead and they really were at an orphanage at the time.
It was almost surreal, and like other Saints who notice, didn't want to be upfront nor didn't want to put it into words. It was so taboo.
Another great mystery among the thousands of Sanctuary culture.
The curse was unwritten yet its tale has somehow passed from trainees and Saints. Now he's going to have to be the first one to tell his Goddess about it, but how does he explain it without breaking her heart? "It's not a curse, but just superstition." he bit his lip. Superstition might as well be religion there. "Saints have so many that I could write a book on it like how the one who knocks off the headpiece of a Saint was destined to die or every time one places their Cloth on, their hair grows a bit longer."
She sighed. "But what is the curse?"
"I don't know," he lied.
She shook his head. Despite being in Japan for five years, he was still firm in western culture and turning away meant he was not telling the truth. But of course, she really didn't need that. "Doesn't sound like you don't you know. You were thinking for a while. Your cosmos raised ever so slightly for a couple of minutes, meaning you were either thinking of what you heard or what you have to say."
If he tried to slide past this any more, he may make the pain worse. "My Goddess, the so-called curse revolves around your first incarnation's requirement of being an orphan… by any means necessary," the last words being so audible that he might as well be talking to himself. He then shared the analysis that Saga gave him a long time ago.
"No...no...oh no...I…"
Aiolos raised his hand. "But we don't blame you…" He paused, knowing that lying wouldn't work. "At least most of us don't blame you." He wasn't sure how Saga felt since his moods, as his late servant described them, seem to cause these moments where he just didn't act like himself. He probably both loved the idea that his worthless father was killed while hating the memory of his beloved mother being stolen as well. He was a Gemini after all. He watched as Athena threw her hands over her face, as her body trembled. He reached over and squeezed her tightly. "Please, don't blame yourself!"
But the six-year-old began to wail. "I can't- help it!... I stole your family from you!"
"You weren't even born yet!" Aiolos raised his voice, a rare occurrence for the tranquil Saint. It wasn't out of anger but the start of hammering the point he wanted to make. He dipped into every drop of his knowledge of all the lectures the Pope gave him throughout the years. "Besides, how do you know it is even you? How do you know it's not us, that the first generation of Saints was willing to lay not just their lives but every reincarnation that followed? How do you know it's not the curse of Poseidon for our forces beating him the first time? There are thousands of gods and goddesses, minor deities from Greek mythology, all the gods and goddesses from other religions and mythology that somehow mixed with our history. There are at least four different versions of how you first came to reincarnate as a human. That's not even counting the Lemurian myths, gods, and goddesses, three-fourths of its history sunk in the sea after Poseidon sank Mu. My Goddess, it's in the past. Leave it be."
"Okay, I will," she said.
Now it was his turn to study her face as she stared hard with a smile. "It...not in the past is it?" In western culture, especially Greek, firm eye contact was her demonstrating that she was being sincere and everything was alright. But he's been in Japan long enough that in eastern culture, she was trying to be deceptive, and hide her sadness. It must have something to do with the future. Of course, he was in the presence of Athena, and she may be just stringing him along to cause him to confess the things that no one would say in front of her. "Hyoga told me. I...know about your grandfather's relation to the kids and that's why you're worried."
The six-year-old looked down, embarrassed by her beloved grandfather's past even if it is plastered in the headlines just about every week. "He's had quite a number of them." Some were close, others were just a one-night thing. "But he too was surprised when their lives were cut short. He was afraid that it was the power of some Saint or beyond that. I was disturbed by it too, until my vision."
"You shouldn't believe it, my Goddess, because I don't think that the curse has anything to do with your Grandfather's illness," he watched her turned her head in confusion. "When I learned about it, I… paid more attention to what happened to the families of Saints. It was hard and some stories are difficult to comprehend. But one thing that remained true, was that if it did happen, it wouldn't be as spaced out as the death of the mothers of the Bronze trainees and your grandfather." He held her hand. "I'm sorry he's not well, but it has to be something else." He didn't want to say it, but it could even be his time. He was almost ninety years old, and death was never fair for anyone. Then again, "what about the stardust in his office? That place was thick with it?"
Athena looked at him. "Yes… you did mention it when you first came here, and it wasn't something that my past visions would ever show me."
"Yes, exactly!" Concentrated Stardust was rare and expensive on the black market. How Kido got ahold of so much just demonstrated how much wealth he had accrued. Despite the records that Lumarians kept that detailed its usage and the proper ways of utilizing it to its potential, except for when they were first building Cloths, there was nothing on what happens when people would remain surrounded by it for long periods of time. They had no way of knowing since one would have to be the king of kings just to afford such a feat.
"But Tatsumi and myself are just fine and we spend quite a bit of time there too."
"That's true…" he trailed. "But-your cosmos is unlimited and perhaps Tatsumi being a lot younger has to do with it." He raised his hand and then promptly dropped it. "Just ask your Grandfather to move somewhere else. Find a different bunker."
She sighed. "I will try, but he is a very stubborn man. I have a feeling, he won't leave until he knows that your mission is successful." She got up and opened up the door.
Aiolos watched her keep it open while she was moving past her living room, through the small hallway until she reached her entrance. She turned around and held her hands. Before he could even asked, the door knocked twice. Like a wooden doll on a cuckoo clock, she spun mechanically to open up. There, Tatsumi came walking in, pushing his wheelchair.
The Sagittarius' jaw dropped. "How?" he muttered.
Tatsumi gave a shrug. "Miss Kido told me that at 11:37, I needed to go to that balcony that you liked to hang out at, bring your chair at 12:13." He checked his watch. "I'm actually a little early."
She smiled, "yes… yes you are."
To Be Continued…
Author's note: In the last chapter, I talked about having this done by the end of the month. I underestimated the writing and editing process, so it will take longer. The second half is actually fully written, and being edited as we speak. Could take a few days to upload.