Sagittarius And Gemini: 5Ea The Event

Finale: Shion

Characters: Shion and Saga

He felt himself regain consciousness, but still, he couldn't open his eyes, or rather he was choosing not to.

I WAS NINE!

Those were the last words he remembered before everything went dark. It was the oddest sensation. For a little bit, everything was black, but he could feel his body move around on its own as if it was a vessel and he had no control over it. His throat was sore from screaming, what was said, he wasn't sure, but knew it was filled with seething anger. But then he felt it. The sensation when one could easily reduce rock into dust as easily as wading a piece of paper. That feeling where if life was represented like a match, the flame would burn as long and steady as the tip of a torch.

He was burning his cosmos. He used his cosmos and knew he was attempting Galaxian Explosion since his hands would be raised up.

Something happened.

Something very big happened.

Oh Goddess, why couldn't this just be another one of the curse's fever nightmares?

He just wants to wake up screaming, his body drenched in sweat, either freaking out Aiolos or scaring the cats. But at least he would know for certain that the events that had just happened weren't real.

Such wishful thinking.

He didn't want to open his eyes.

For all around him, he could smell nothing but blood.

Saga moved his hand ever so slightly, his fingertips hesitantly stroked and smeared something wet and sticky before he pressed them harder to feel the sacred pattern of the tile of the Pope's Main Chambers.

He finally cracked his eyes ever so slightly, to see the thick splatters of shiny scarlet streaked all around the white marble as well as the dark blue trainer that was torn in several spots, the fine edges burnt from a great attack. He was certain that most of it were due to his cosmos that resided in the red droplets of his lifeforce. He turned toward the side and noticed his Cloth was erected in its statue form, heavily cracked as if a light repair was made in order for it to heal itself on its own.

What the hell happened?

The Gemini took his hands and squeezed his skull as hard as he could to tame the massive headache and the ringing in his ears. His skin tingled. He could see the various slashes all over his body where the skin seemed like it was healed enough to prevent blood loss, giving his flesh the appearance of an alabaster tiger. He hated the look, and all it would take would be another round of cosmos to return it to its flawless complexion, but as he stared at the trail of blood, he knew it was best to conserve it.

"...no…" he muttered. Shion made him angry, but did he actually...hurt him? There were no footsteps. Instead, the crimson on the ground seemed to slide back and forth like a snake, or that of an old man without the energy to stand. His eyes scanned and followed it until it took a sharp turn into the office. Saga tried to run but found his legs were dragging a bit. Whatever happened during his blackout, Shion must have struck back...and hard.

The light inside was dim, indicating that the candles and not his usual ball of cosmos were burning. Not good.

He slowed his pace and like some small child, poked his head before he leaned his forehead to keep the rest of his body from collapsing.

There, leaning against the wall, was the slumped body of the Lemurian, the dagger still plunged in his chest, while various spent packages of gauze, dotted with red fingerprints as if clumsily handled, dropped before losing consciousness.

"...no...no…" Saga muttered, his vision blurring for his greatest fear has indeed come true… that his curse would eventually cause him to finally cross the line and take his first life. He knew it would come, but like most, thought that day would come in battle or defense.

This was murder.

He was a murderer.

He had become what some told him he was...a monster.

Shion ruined his life, but that didn't mean he should have lost his.

His hand slid over his eyes as if he couldn't stand to see his shame before him.

How could this happen?

His sweaty hands gripped the sides of his own face, clawing his own cheeks in horror. "What…have I..." his head shook back and forth as if the act would erase the truth in front of him.

"I'm not dead…not yet…" Shion murmured, each word causing a little bit of blood to dribble down the corner of his mouth.

Saga's forlorn face exploded into shock. Shion was a hell of a lot tougher than he thought. "How? I stabbed you!" At least, he was ninety-nine percent certain he did such a thing.

The former Saint, the one who was the vanguard to Sanctuary or the House that was forced to face nearly every Specter who was crazy enough to invade it, who traversed the Underworld and lived to tell the tale, who had experienced every weapon upon the Libra's back a hundred times over, turned downward. "You should've used a bigger knife."

The Gemini immediately grabbed him and carried him over toward the middle of the floor to give himself more room. The dagger looked rather silly, but only an amateur would pull it out as if copying some Hollywood action hero. The blade was keeping blood vessels sealed and if not properly taken out, can slice and tear, virtually killing one instantly. His hands raised, half clenched, trying to figure out how to fix it.

The problem was that he wasn't human, thus the Golden Cosmos supposedly wouldn't work, plus the position it was in. "Did you contact a physician?" Saga stared as he watched Shion shook his head no. "It has been twenty minutes!"

Shion sighed, he knew all the possible routes and was fairly aware of the time it takes from the simple guards to the Zodiac Circle. "The nearest capable person would not make it in time, even with Another Dimension."He rested his blood-soaked glove on the Gemini's arm. "You wouldn't have made it if someone didn't heal you first."

Saga's face twisted in shock and then in anger. "You think I deserve life after this?" he gestured over toward the handle. Merely whispering any attempt on the Pope's life was a crime in itself.

Shion nodded. "I do."

Saga was speechless but deeply confused. "You want me to live, but the life I have is that my nights are without peace, the voices are persistent, and now my reputation is all but tarnished. It is no different than granting a person a house, before turning around and tossing a match inside of it."

"Saga, I know...but…" he then clenched his chest.

The Gemini gritted his teeth. He had to do something. He turns to a small cut on Shion's arm. It may not be the knife wound, but if he could heal that, perhaps there was a chance he could heal the rest of the Lemurian. Goddess, he had to do something. He raised his white cosmos and concentrated on the space that was less than a millimeter apart, and was so determined to heal the minuscule cut that he swore his hand had become a laser.

But nothing happened. In fact, he swore the cut may have even expanded, causing the third guardian to slam his fist into the marble.

Undeterred, he opened Another Dimension and picked up the Pope. However, barely at the edge of the dimensional tear, Shion twisted in extreme agony. The pressure exerted in Another Dimension upon the dagger would be too great. Judging by the Lemurian's face, crossing through would most likely kill Shion far faster. He turned toward the unused gauze, shoved it in his trainer pockets, and turned around before carrying the Lemurian through the halls and down the back passage.

The moment that Shion spotted a familiar painting featuring the first Libra Saint, polishing his shield next to a giant panda, he knew where the Gemini was taking him: Star Hill.

It was no secret that humans could not use the cosmos to heal Lemurians, much like one could not administer cough medicine to a sick dog in an attempt to make it feel better. One would think the Lemurians were fools for always taking the Vanguard of Sanctuary due to this glaring weakness, but when they swore total loyalty toward Athena after the sinking of the Mu Continent, they meant it too.

But he remembered telling Saga about tales from the past about how his predecessors would come to the large structure of Concentrated Star Dust in an effort to heal or speed up the recovery of their bodies, with the most famous being the first Aries who was buried under a fallen pillar in Atlantis, thought to be dead, but miraculously came back to life when placed inside for three moons.

But that was from the first Holy War and nearly all of the history has been lost and morphed into children's tales, where if a story had a tragic ending, a mother will attach something more pleasing. Instead of death, perhaps the end would have a transformation into an animal, an ascension into the Pantheon…

...a last-minute savior….

Shion turned his head as he felt a heavy cool breeze. He turned his head to see the great structure, feeling every careful step the Gemini made in order to reach the sacred entrance. His eyes turned to the night sky, the stars as brilliant as ever, knowing that it will be the last time he will ever see them like this again.

The moment Saga's torn sandal touched the edge, he could feel his cosmos begin to drain. Lemurians worked tirelessly with stardust and developed an immunity toward its side effects, while he and Aiolos had to make repeated trips in order to increase their resistance just so they didn't pass out after ten minutes.

Down below, he could hear the foot soldiers who circled in shifts. They aren't permitted to go where they are at since only the Pope and those he permitted were allowed there. Saga turned to the old man's face, relieved to see his breathing. He passed the main chamber area where the reading of the stars took place and proceeded toward the small private office where he knew the stardust was at its most concentrated. Inside, was the fabled platform, a smooth seven-foot-long block of stardust where the first Aries was brought back from the brink of death.

He laid Shion down and waited. A bit frustrated, he snatched a Lemurian chisel and hammer and used them to break off a piece of stardust from the wall. He gazed at the piece. It was a longshot, but what did he have to lose.

"Saga...it won't do any good." Shion gently urged as he watched the Gemini crush it into dust over the cut on his arm.

"Quiet, I need to concentrate," Saga spoke as he focused on his cosmos upon the pile.

To the Lemurian's amazement, there was a reaction. There, the old man gazed at the glowing pile, before Saga took his hand and brushed it off, his skin was scarred, but the wound was indeed closed.

Saga did it. A human actually healed a Lemurian using the Golden Cosmos.

The Gemini fell to his knee as he sweated profusely. He couldn't believe how much cosmos that needed just for something that was as thick as the width of a strand of hair. He looked up and turned to the Pope understanding an explanation was needed. "If Cloths are alive but synthetic, perhaps the same can be done with Lemurians too."

Saga was always full of crazy ideas, and worse, he tended to act upon them. Many tend to fail, but that never stopped him, and when they did, it was a marvel to behold. At that moment, a small smile came over Shion's face, and for a brief second Saga reciprocated the feeling but quickly shifted it back into a stern frown, his anger over learning about the Pope's previous knowledge still consuming him.

Saga turned toward the knife. "I'll need more. Lots more."

But why did he ruin your life?

The voices rang, demanding answers...or rather, his heart was yearning for there was more going on. Would Shion be so cruel as to subject a child to such a horrific curse? Part of him knew he needed to focus on healing the Pope, but at the same time, if things don't go well, he will never know.

He drummed his fingers before he focused his cosmos and his shadow turned into a being of living stars, mirroring everything from his tattered clothing to his disheveled hair... A substitute of the younger brother who he once held so much trust in despite his malicious nature. "Eternity, keep chiseling away," he spoke to his living illusion. The dark figure bowed his head a bit before continuing the work.

The Gemini turned downwards toward where the bloody gauze was surrounding the blade. He lifted an old piece, his eyes shifting over as the Pope grimaced a bit before returning toward the wound. There were burn marks, his guess was that however, he stabbed him, the weapon was extremely hot, and perhaps cauterized the wound a bit, preventing Shion from bleeding more. Then again, he knew from stories from the foot soldiers, that stab wounds were nothing like the movies in that a person could be alive for hours determining on several factors. Still, he carefully began to remove the old and tuck new clean pieces of cloth that seemingly shifted from white to red with each gentle press. "Why, us? Why did you choose me and my brother? Can't the dagger have gone to some criminal who was about to be executed?"

Shion's eyes, wincing as the Gemini pressed along the edges, was a little surprised. "It won't work on anyone less than a Gold Saint or Gold Saint ranked. Others have tried." When he had learned more about the curse, he spent a long time as to why Yuzuriha was afflicted. His only conclusion was that because the Gold that was under her Zodiac sign had perished and she was far stronger than many realize. But a thought came to him. "You...didn't try to pass on the curse to anyone?"

Saga shook his head no. "I wouldn't wish this upon my enemies. I was more afraid I would spread it like some sort of disease." His greatest fear was that the others of the Zodiac would become cursed just like him.

That one day, Aiolos would turn in his direction with the red-eye glare that haunted him.

Luckily, as he normally did, Kanon didn't give a shit and did everything he could to prove that it was not as infectious as it seemed, like stealing bites of his yogurt in the morning, or procuring his darker blue trainers and causing confusion with the others. After a couple of weeks, Saga finally deduced that the curse couldn't be spread by contact. Although it was brash and it infuriated him at the time, it was Kanon's way of showing he still loved his older brother.

"But why us? This thing is evil! Pure evil!!"

Shion nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes it is!"

"Why would you expose it to us?" Saga's voice crackled with anger, yet his eyes were nearly brought to tears. "To me and my brother? Why not just take the box and bury it deep in the cluttered mess in the game room with all the thousands of useless knick-knacks that you have accumulated over the past two centuries?"

"I-" Shion choked for a moment, but not due to his wound, because his words were all true, and therefore it was only right that he answers with the truth. "You talked about how there is nothing about the dagger, but that is not entirely true. The first Athena told the first Pope about the dagger and how to end it:

The Gemini must be first. The Gemini must be last.

If the subject wasn't so personal, the Pope would laugh and tell him that it was the first bit of Geminism ever created. "So, when the dagger makes its appearance, the Gemini is always chosen."

Saga's fist slammed on the stardust block next to his head. He was damned for being born on May 30th! "WHY! WHY WHY WHY! You curse me because the Goddess told you to!" He shook his head as he felt the anger burn in his chest. He shook his head. "NO….you and every Pope cursed every….Gemini… is it because our sign is the only one that has a spare?" He hissed and spat before banging his head upon the fists in order to leverage control. "Tell me! WHY!?"

The Lemurian's face saddened, a stray tear follows. "Saga...I told you. That was the only thing we, the Popes, knew. I wish I knew. I truly do! But believe me, before I allowed it to happen, I consulted with the stars! I consulted with Shaka!"

"Then why me? Surely you knew what Kanon proposed? Did you know that he was plotting to have you killed so that I would cinch the position of Pope and he would have a Cloth?" He leaned a bit closer.

Shion nodded yes.

Saga was ready to throw up. After all the good he has done, he was the lamb. "Why...tell me… if you have any sense of dignity...tell me, why did you choose me over that traitorous bastard!"

Shion gazed at the Gemini. If only he could say why.

O|=============|O

Five years ago

Once upon a time, deep in the humble home of the House of Gemini, there was a nine-year-old Gemini that was carefully filling his bag with the things he needed for training, only to realize he was missing the spare laces for his sandals. He sighed reluctantly. He knew he would be late, but still if he didn't grab them, it was going to cost more time.

He walked down the dark passageway, the torches lighting along the way until he reached his bedroom. His blue eyes searched back and forth before he saw his other half sitting on the mattress. "Brother, have you seen my laces?" He tilted his head as he noticed a strange gaze on his face. "Brother, what's wrong?' He gasped as his brother's pupils were a bright shade of red. "By the Goddess, what happened to you?" he muttered.

The Gemini turned to the side and pulled out a box with thirteen red orbs on the front and lifted the lid to reveal a golden dagger. "Look, I found it! Isn't it beautiful?" he said as he pulled it out to show the other Gemini.

The blue-eyed Gemini turned toward the object in the red-eyed Gemini's hand. "It is."

The red-eyed Gemini smiled lovingly. "I wonder what it says on the engraving?"

The blue-eyed Gemini leaned forward. "I don't see any-"

The red-eyed Gemini plunged the blade right into his brother's eye, laughing as the other screamed in pain. He grabbed his brother's trainer and jerked him to the floor. Before repeatedly stabbing him in the chest, every blow causing his arms to spasm with every blow.

Blue-eyed Saga, laid there half-blind, not that it mattered since his vision was nearly gone. "Brother...why...what happened? We are family. My brother...my other half."

But red-eyed Kanon shook his head. "Wrong...we are competing. You keep telling me that I need to train if I hope to win the Cloth. But this..." He waved the dagger in the air. "Was really all I needed! I am five times more powerful and not a day of training was needed. This dagger is fucking awesome! Goodbye, big brother. I told you I was going to win the Gemini Cloth."

Saga shook his head from side to side, before Kanon slammed it in the middle of the face, pinning it down for a moment before pulling it back out.

Saga, trainee of the House of Gemini

Age 9

Was dead.

The red-eyed youth climbed off the corpse.

For a moment his eyes went blue with sadness but then went red at the thought that there was a good chance the other would be killed anyway.

Why would a useless Clothless trainee be necessary in Sanctuary? He had read about his predecessors and despite requiring identical twins, only one is ever mentioned while the other is always missing.

He snapped his fingers and Another Dimensioned Saga and the bloody carpet into the sun.

A clean room was a happy room!

Cursed Kanon whistled as he stuck the dagger into his belt. Considering all the times that Saga ran off all depressed, they'll probably think he finally did the deed. Now that he was guaranteed a Cloth, he really didn't have to worry too much about training.

What power! He felt like a God!

Finding the dagger was the best thing to ever happen to him!

He walked over toward his fishing equipment and a bag of bait before he touched the side of his head. "Oh hey Aiolos. Listen, Saga isn't going to train today...I think he's in one of his moods… and he wanted to be left alone. Anyways, can I take Aiolia fishing with me? Maybe we can stop by the bakery and buy him a cookie?" The younger Gemini paused and frowned. "Oh come on, Aiolia doesn't need to catch up with his lessons. I don't want to go by myself." His red eyes began to burn brightly.

He walked over toward the dresser and switched out the light blue trainer that he usually wore for the dark one of his older brother. He adjusted his bangs so that they were a bit more combed back like Saga's. The archer was always so protective that Aiolia will 'never have any fun'. "Aiolos...can you come over here to the House of Gemini? Saga says he's feeling really sad. Could you come over and 'talk' to him in the bedroom?"

THE END!

"And that is the path that the winds show if you choose Kanon as the one who inherits the cursed dagger," spoke five-year-old Shaka before he took his vegan chocolate chip cookie and bit it.

Shion sat there stunned his jaw agape. "That's...horrible!"

But Shaka was not surprised. "Jealousy and a thirst for power run in their family. Being nine years old, combined with the dark influence of the curse, he lacks the maturity to realize the true consequences of his actions," he took his sleeve and wiped his face, leaving a chocolate streak across his face. "I blame the parents."

The Lemurian flinched when he realized that he unintentionally tipped his cup and spilled the lukewarm contents all over his white robes. "But Saga… he…" Shion drew his hand to his head. It felt so unfair. Saga was always a model student despite his heavy swings of depression.

Shaka sighed. He knew how much he grew attached to the older Gemini. "There are three paths you can take, Your Holiness. If you choose neither….everyone dies." Aiolos would have never made his run, the Bronze Saints would never exist. Greatest Eclipse is completed and the world falls to death and darkness.

"If you choose Kanon...Saga will die and well….it's best not to delve into the other consequences of that," the last part of his words fell into a murmur.

Shion took a deep breath. "Yes...I agree. I rather not think about what could happen if I have no intention of allowing that to occur. But what of Saga? What will happen if he receives the dagger?"

Shaka rested his chocolate stained hands on his knees. "If you choose Saga… the star of death will connect you with him, and you will die by his hand...but it will branch off toward the path...where everyone survives the Wailing Wall...but only….if everyone in the Zodiac survives to that point." The tricky part is whether Aiolos will survive since his fate is the most difficult one to shift.

"He will be the one who kills me?" The Lemurian's hands grew cold. How unfair. Saga, like his brother, had a thirst for power, but he also had a sense of helping others and doing the right thing when it came down to it. Aiolos saw it too, and that is perhaps why the two got along so well together.

"Is there any way to prevent it?"

But Shaka shook his head no. "If you choose Saga, there is no escape. You will die and someday you will understand why."

O|==========|O

"Why did you choose me? If you have any dignity! If you care, then tell me!" Saga called out.

At that moment, as Shion laid thereupon the stardust block, he finally understood what Shaka meant. When the Virgo told him that he was to die by Saga's hand, that sense of dread had caused him to do things he shouldn't have done which culminated into what happened and things cascaded in a way that was entirely preventable.

He had told Saga about Athena's final words to the first Pope about the curse and told him more may lead to him saying or hinting at the other deaths that came with this branch of the future.

Now he understood why Virgos are always so careful in telling the others his prophecies.

A pity that it took two centuries for him to finally understand that.

Shion took a labored breath. "Saga, I know you want to know why, but I cannot say. I want to tell you why, but I can't risk it. But it is for something very important. I'm sorry." He watched the Gemini turn away. "Saga, I'm sorry." He apologized. He watched Saga sitting there silently. "Saga?"

How hard was it to receive a simple explanation as to why he must endure this curse? Perhaps he was right? Kill off one Gemini, and use the other to take their place. "Will this curse go away?" Saga sits there, but the silence that followed afterward was itself an answer. "Do you honestly believe your apologies will undo the years of torment and paranoia I endure under this curse? I care not for such things! All I ask from you is answers and you can't even grant me that! I am not the brother of Kanon. I am not the Gold Saint of Shion… I was always something to be used. I was your whore!"

Saga's fist tightened before he turned toward Eternity and began to gather the pieces of stardust upon the floor before he carried it over and began to break it apart.

The Old ram stared in utter shock. Despite all that was said, Saga was still attempting to save him. But...the star of death was well fixated between the two of them. He couldn't even say the crazy plan won't work, Judging by what he saw earlier.

But that's what worried Shion. It was true that Saga did heal a tiny cut upon his skin, but he could easily see the toll it took upon the Gemini's body. He could barely stand after a tiny cut. A lot of cosmos was needed to the point that Saga looked like he was going to pass out. As a blacksmith, he was an expert at calculating what was required. The cosmos required would easily surpass what a human could deliver if focused as such, even for a Gold Saint. "Saga… if you try this, it will kill you...even if it doesn't...it will most likely leave you in a vegetative state."

The Gemini didn't even bother to look at him, consumed in his work. He was well aware and wondered if it was possible if the dagger believed in survival. But if he did this to Shion maybe death or being brain dead may be the best thing."If you were worried about my death, you would have never allowed me to be cursed in the first place!" he murmured. "Better to die in order to do the right thing, than to live with the sin one commits," he spoke as he knelt down to reach for more rocks.

Shion's eyes welled with tears, not out of sadness, but of how proud he was. "Yes...you are quite right, and that is why...you must live," he gripped the handle and yanked the dagger out, causing a flood of blood to pool right out like a grand fountain.

Saga rushed over and snatched the gauze. He stuck the whole roll in the spot, only for it to become a mere wad of cotton. He then grasped the front of his trainer and tore it off, sticking it on the spot only for it to soak within seconds. "NO! You senile old man! What have you done!" he screamed as he turned to Shion's mouth as the red fluid began to come out of his nose and mouth.

Shion could feel his body grow numb, his vision white and blurry. His mouth filled with his own blood that he promptly spat out before he turned to the Gemini. There was so little time now. "Saga...listen to me… you must live… it will be difficult… I know the path from here will be difficult and full of pain… but take it from my experience...a good friend...can help you get through any situation no matter how dire. Believe in each other...and you can overcome anythin-" He gagged, his strength fading unable to say all the things he wished he could.

The Gemini shook his head in disbelief. "First you betray me…. Then you deny me the one time I can redeem myself from my crime...and your last words….is nothing more than a speech on friendship!?"

O|=============|O

Eight Years Ago

Seven-year-old Aiolos and Saga reached the front and knocked on the door. The two waited patiently for a few minutes until it cracked open to reveal the Crimson, one of the older Papel Guards of the Pope's Chambers.

He turned downwards. Apparently the messengers didn't reach the two children in time. "I'm sorry, His Holiness is not in the mood right now. He says the day is beautiful and wishes for the two of you to go and spend some time performing some voluntary work like cutting wood for the elders or picking up the trash from yesterday's festivities.

The two boys turned to each other before Aiolos spoke up. "He's not sick again, is he?"

Crimson let out a deep sigh. If it was any other pair, he would simply turn them away. He knelt down and produced a low whisper tone. "Yesterday was the day victory was declared for the 18th-century war, but today would mark when...he had to tend to his fallen friends." He watched the two gasp before he rested his hands on their shoulders. "May the Goddess watch over you two," he spoke before he returned back inside.

Aiolos shook his head. "I hope he feels better," he murmured as he grabbed his things. He then noticed an odd look on Saga's face. "What is it?"

Saga held his hands. The Pope was always lending an ear, and it was time he did the same. "I'm going to check on him."

The archer turned his head. "The door is closed, you can't use Another Dimension to get inside."

But Saga gave a proud smile. "If the door is even slightly cracked, it still works." He gestured his hand. "Behold the rock that I kicked while he was closing it."

The archer laughed, not just at what the Gemini did, but the unintentional amount of ham in his words. Technically, they weren't allowed, but the guards there knew them and the worst that could happen was running up and down the twelve houses. "Can I come too?"

But Saga shook his head no. "No, this is something I must do on my own. But I will pass on your thoughts."

"Alright, just let me know how he's doing. I'll be cutting wood over in the usual spot."

The Gemini watched him climb down the stairs before he slipped right in. Once inside the chamber, he could already see the telltale signs that mirrored his own. The table, despite all his favorites upon the plate, remained untouched. The rugs were all straight, indicating that the Pope had not seen a single soul all day, and the balcony doors typically spread open, were quite shut, the curtains are drawn to hide any trace of light.

Stealthy, he ducked behind a table as another Papel Guard passed by. The Gemini carefully rushed past the small office and headed down a corridor that led to the small workshop. And there, the Lemurian sat, resting his arms upon the clear workspace, staring into space. "Your Holin-" before Saga could finish, Shion jerked his body in shock.

Shion's wrinkled face turned. He was certain he requested no visitors, but he shouldn't expect anything less from a child who could warp anywhere. "Is everything alright, Saga?"

The child nodded. "I'm fine. Actually, pretty good. I can't stop thinking of the food at the Bouzouki Festival." When the war was finally over, the legend had it that they attempted to ring the bells in celebration, but they were broken. Instead, the Old Master, the Saint of Libra, determined to bring cheer, ran around with a bouzouki, singing off-key and playing off-tune. He was so awful with it that the people came out to sing as loud as they could to celebrate their victory and to drown out the terrible Libra musician. Now it is celebrated by young men, going around the town, playing the instrument like mariachis to whoever will have them. It also happened to be a time when many searched for their love. Saga thought it would be dumb and wasted valuable time studying and training, but the music was quite nice, a few melodies he still whistled while on the stairs, and the food was amazing. "I'm glad you convinced me to go to the festival. How come you didn't come? Don't you like music? Do Lemurians even like music?"

The truth was, Dohko played the bouzouki, only because all the other musical Saints were dead. "Oh, we do like music. We like it quite a bit. In fact, Lemurians were quite ahead when it came to songs. We would calculate the perfect rhythm and beats to a science, the right words that would invoke emotions, and crafted devices to ensure that no matter how off-tune we were, it would auto-correct to make us sound better."

Saga wrinkled his nose. "Wait, are you talking about pop music? Like Paulina Rubio?"

The two-hundred-year-old smiled widely. "Ah yes, sometimes when I visit the village, some of the internationals would play her music. Her voice and talent would be greatly revered if the Mu continent was still around." He could see a frown upon the Gemini's face. "Do you disagree?"

He did quite a bit. While he didn't mind hearing pop music, he felt that the Pope was missing out on so much, and much like one should be greatly exposed to books, one should hear a variety of music. "Can you keep a secret?"

The Lemurian thought for a moment. He couldn't see whatever he had to say being too troublesome. "Alright, what is it?"

Saga reached into his pocket and pulled out his music player. Compared to two years ago, the front was extremely scratched up and the corner held by tape. He pressed play but nothing came out. "Hold on, half of the buttons don't work." He got the screen on, but only the vertical lines would show up, forcing him to guess what song he was on before he played it. It was so terribly frustrating.

Shion leaned down. He may not have one, but the Moderno guards often carried them. "Is that a Tele-Pod?" he asked as he held out his hand.

Saga nodded but frustrated he couldn't get it to work. "I know it is a luxury and Saints or trainees are not allowed to have it, but please ignore it. I need it...especially when I feel….sad!" He watched as the Pope gestured his outreached hand. Saga felt so stupid. Of all the people, he shows this to the Pope. He'll take it away. Even if it wasn't in the best of shape, he'll take what he can get. "Music helps me feel better. Maybe it will help you."

"Saga, please pass it over."

The Gemini gazed at his light violet eyes. He didn't see anger, and he knew anger based on Demetris. He passed it over and gasped as Shion tapped it once shattering it into pieces. He almost screamed, but then he realized that it wasn't broken, but instead separated into each individual component.

The Lemurian slipped his glasses on that he used for crafting, and then telekinetically brought over a couple of boxes, one with small bits of trace minerals and the other with small tools. He examined each part carefully and began his work. "This is made with copper...but this type is full of impurities...let's replace it with silver… it has greater conductivity and will prevent the other sections from working harder..." he spoke as he switched the old metal out while using a small pen-shaped tool to shape the silver in its place. He turned to the computer chipboard and searched through his little box. "Plastic...no...pure coral would be better." He switched each of the wires with the appropriate but purer version. He picked up the small screen. "More cheap plastic...I have a type of glass that is equally flexible, durable, and will not allow scratches or smudges."

He grasped the triple AAA battery. "Full of toxins… this was the reason that Poseidon hates us in the first place," He pulled out a fine blade and surgically sliced it open. He poured the contents into a jar. He then grabbed some taaffeite and several glowing crystals before using a tool to smash it up into a fine sparkly gel, that he poured right into the metal battery. "There, it will power the Tele-Pod for a thousand years and if one were to insert it into the ground, it will grow a pear tree." Finally, he reached over and picked up a large fragment from the Cloth of Sagitta, that was too small to return to the original but large enough for small things like this. He examined the old plastic case before he used his tools to perfectly hammer out a perfect replica. He placed it back in the air with all the other floating pieces before he used his hands to guide it all back into one piece once more."Luxuries are not allowed in Sanctuary. That is true then as it is now. But the mind is valuable and must be tended to. Music can have just as much healing benefits as medicine and therefore, I deem this Tele-Pod a necessity for you. You don't need to hide it from me anymore."

The Gemini pressed the button and the screen lit up perfectly once more. "It's so cool," he muttered.

"Oh, indeed, it is cool." The Lemurian chuckled.

The seven-year-old produced an awkward glance. "Don't say that you sound weird, Your Holiness." Old people don't say cool.

Shion nodded. "Very well." He reached over and picked up a traditional human hammer. "Here, strike it with this," he spoke as he handed it over. He watched the Greek gingerly tap it as if he was nervous about breaking it permanently. Shion snatched the tool and slammed it on the device. "There, now that is the sign of good craftsmanship. As my ancestors say, if it can't lay upon the sun, it's not worth creating."

Saga pressed the button, and sure enough, the music blasted perfectly, the cover still shiny and pristine. He still wouldn't risk carrying it in his pocket during training, but when it came to Sanctuary, it was nice to know that it had the durability to last. "What about Kanon's Tele-Pod? He got his taken away?"

The Lemurian nodded. "I'll dig it out of the confiscation pile. After that, I'll fix his up, and have it returned. It is only fair." Kanon didn't really need it, but the twins didn't need any more reason to be divided. "But don't worry about your brother. What was it you were going to show me with your device?"

He scrolled his list down. "Real music…" He then felt the Lemurian's hand rest on his shoulder and Saga smiled.

O|============|O

Shion weakly turned his head at the Gemini, his vision so blurry that he couldn't make out the teen's expression. But as he felt the warm tears fall on his face, he knew how sad he was. He was so weak. Goddess, he couldn't move his hands. He couldn't turn his head. All he had was his thoughts.

"Saga, I hope we meet again. I pray Aiolos will prevent your suicide because I want to tell you the truth...not to excuse my actions, but to prove to you that I did what I did… because I loved you," he weakly smiled and then went limp.

Holy Grand Pope Shion, the former vanguard of the House of Aries. Survivor of the 18th century War.

Age 230

Was dead.

O|==============|O

Coming June 27

The Event Finale: Aiolos

Author's Notes: My intention was to have both Shion and Aiolos conclude, but while writing this, I was like: there's no way I can have the middle be the death of Shion. It's a case where it was too good not to stop. So I fleshed it out and the next time, we will have Aiolos' ending especially since he doesn't die in this story.

When I started this story years ago, at the time, there were just so many versions of what happened with the actual event that I decided that I was just going to make my own. Many of the various canon depictions show Saga as completely evil who stabs Shion to death. So in mine, I wanted it a bit more balanced out since he is supposed to be a Gemini where he is capable of great evil and great good.

The cursed Kanon spot was an old plot bunny. There aren't any fics out there that explore what if Kanon was the cursed one(at least in English). If there is, let me know.

I hope you enjoy, read and review. Share your thoughts while I go back to Google Docs and proceed to finally write what happened to Aiolos.