More than Gold: The Centaur Wars

by Jenny DeVic

Book of Sagittarius: What would happen if Mitsumasa Kido chose to carry Aiolos back to Japan instead of his Cloth? Book of Gemini: What would happen if Saga never committed suicide? Book of Centaur: The Golds are all alive. Can they finally unite while taking on the enemies of Athena?

42. Gemini 6F: Ex's and Ohs

One year and two months ago

POPE'S CHAMBERS

"Your Holiness, how does it look?" called the servant from afar.

Saga looked up, his mask set aside. He doesn't need to hide his identity among his staff since everyone aware of Shion being the Pope was dead at this point. His hand laid down a few letters he received from a few villagers concerned about the wolf population. Normally, he didn't like to leave any minor business of the Pope half-finished. With how busy his schedule was, it was easy to forget, even for someone like him.

But this was far too important.

He stood up and left the small office and headed toward the balcony. Right in the center was a medium-sized table with a silk white cloth. The dishes were pulled from storage and featured the intricately painted symbols of the zodiac on the rim. He was impressed with how carefully they were arranged, taking note that the guest of honor was left-handed. A large vase of white lilies mixed with deep red roses...fake of course since no one ever feels comfortable with the real ones past the twelfth house."Magnificent!" he exclaimed but his began to search. "Where are the croissants?" he asked, staring at the empty basket.

Antigone lowered her head a bit lower, causing her grey hair to slide down over her shoulders. "They won't take long to cook, Your Holiness. Once I hear her arrive, I will bake them and they will be warm and flaky," she spoke with confidence, but deep down, she wondered if she displeased him. Rumors were circulating heavily about the seemingly short tenures of those who served the Pope. In fact, when she received the letter that she was offered this position, she fainted in fright. She truly wanted to say no, but nobody says to the Pope. "But if you prefer the croissants to be cooked now-"

Saga shook his head. "-no. I like the idea. Stay with it," his words quick and focused, yet his eyes very clearly occupied, as if examining every inch of it. "But I would prefer it if the Nutella was whipped prior. With that flower pattern you used like last Tuesday." He quite liked Antigone. An excellent cook and very thorough when it came to cleaning his bath area, but most importantly, she was too old for him to harbor any attraction or see as a threat and she was trustworthy of secrets, three things that seemed to raise one's odds of survival in the Pope's Chambers when it came to the curse.

"I will do my best, Your Holiness." Even though his face seemed rather serious and confident, he was a prime example of a Gemini, and Geminis were known to reflect the opposite of what they project. "I want to ensure that everything goes well when you ask her the question. Do you have the jewel?"

Saga shook his head no."I've delegated that duty to someone with more refined tastes." The truth was, he didn't want to show off his face considering how old the woman coming in was. His hands trembled quite a bit. "I hope they will be done soon."

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

Inside the Main Throne Room of the Pope's Chambers, a golden blond woman stood, her hair done in the classical Greek style of crisp ringlet curls elevated by a tiara style headband. Her name was Hebe and she was over ninety years old, yet retained the features of an eighteen-year-old. That was because despite being a silver-leveled cosmos user in her youth, rather than use it to fight, she instead focused all of it toward her beauty and her business as a talented master jeweler. Sure she spent nearly fourteen hours a day meditating to maintain it, but she was in a field where her looks were key to her success. Her arms had enough bracelets to deflect a sword blade while there were more rings than knuckles upon her fingers. She had to be perfect for a chance to arrive in the Pope's Chambers was the dream of any craftswoman in Rodario. She waited patiently as the light blue-haired teen and the Goddess gazed at her wares.

"Your work is quite exquisite," Aphrodite gushed, half tempted to purchase nearly all of it. "What do you think, Athena?"

Seven-year-old Paz's eyes were glued to the glitter. "So pretty. But why is the Pope picking out jewelry?"

The Pisces twisted one of the rings to examine the backing of one of the jewels. "He's going to invite her to stay in the Chambers."

"But many have stayed there, but he didn't give them jewelry?" asked the little girl. She didn't want to say it, but she was thankful when they were able to leave the next morning.

Aphrodite sighed. It was true, especially when it felt like it was easier to count how many prostitutes haven't visited the Pope's Chambers. "Yes, but whoever he picks, they stay with him. They are expected to leave the life of carnal tastes. To have one partner..." Aphrodite paused, not wishing to be too explicit. "It's like...marriage. Are you excited?"

But Paz shrugged. The seven-year-old wasn't sure what to think of Geist since it seemed like all they do together was eat, sleep, and go and see plays. If that was what will make him happy, she felt she could've done the same and unlike Geist, she would bring her stuffed owl for the Gemini to cuddle with at night. Could the Ghost Saint compete with that? "Saga seems much happier. I guess it is good that we haven't had any parties for a year now. They were always so loud."

The Pisces nearly dropped the bracelet in his hands. "I agree, I too am glad that there hasn't been a party in a while." The poor child had no idea what exactly went on during them, being locked up in her room all night and having no clue that they functioned more like orgies than anything else. But the last party a year ago was the worst. It was the third anniversary of when Aiolos was declared a traitor and apparently there was a lewd brothel play about it. It caused Saga to lose it and kill everyone, including the owner, of a prominent brothel.* It was a miracle they were able to cover it up, but it begged the question of how to keep the Gemini from acting up. It was decided to perhaps find a stable relationship.

(* Read Remember Me)

The answer was simple!

Saga needed a girlfriend!

A caring woman.

A woman who will love him. Love will defeat sadness and cure his depression!

Love will save them!

Aphrodite knew it! He was fifteen after all and had seen enough movies and read enough romance novels to know what he was doing.

Saga was surprisingly receptive to the process. The first two, one an older Bronze Saint and a singer from Delphi, both went well with a pleasant dinner but didn't quite stick. But it did provide a means of allowing the Gemini to become comfortable with the idea of seeking a partner. One day, Geist came in to give a report, and surprisingly, the two began to hit it off. So far, it has been a good year in regards to the curse with very few deaths and perhaps if she sticks around the whole time, Saga will be able to maintain control.

Love conquers all!

All hail the power of love!

Aphrodite turned to the clock and realized they needed to choose something soon. "Let's see, we don't want anything red...and definitely no turquoise." One was the color of the curse and the other was the Sagittarius birthstone. "They are all quite lovely. Do you have any recommendations?"

Hebe turned downwards. "Many of my clients who work here in Sanctuary preferred the small linked chain style. They say that it doesn't bounce around while climbing the stairs." She spotted an armlet and picked it up. "Although, my Amazon clients are highly drawn to armlets since there is no need to pull it off to fight. Not only that but if she does accept, I can have it where the matching emerald on this piece is carved into her mask. It is not cheap, but wherever she goes, everyone will know her place amongst Sanctuary."

Aphrodite and Paz immediately gasped in amazement. "That's perfect! Let's go with that! How much?"

Price doesn't matter when it comes to love!

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

The Papel Guard turned his head to see Saga pacing back and forth and from what he's heard, when the Pope isn't happy, one's tenure in this place was typically cut short and was highly advised to ensure his happiness. "Your Holiness, do not trouble yourself. I have seen nothing but bliss between you two."

Saga halted into place. "I thank you for your thoughts, Barak. But I am not preoccupied with the question, but her timing."

"She still has an hour, Your Holiness."

Saga tisked. "She is the sort who considers that if one must be present at five o'clock, she will make her presence at four. Then again, for the past week, such a tendency has not been demonstrated...quite the opposite with her coming half an hour later or more." The Gemini couldn't wait anymore. He was far too stressed about asking the big question and one less worry would be what he needs. "Barak, message the other guards, and see if you can figure out where she is at."

"Yes, Your Holiness." Barak closed his eyes and leaned his helmet against his spear.

Saga turned toward the view of the great stairs. It was hard to believe he was even doing this by asking for someone to live with him in this place, especially with the curse. But he had grown quite fond of her and it was wonderful to have someone to talk to. Not only that, but the two of them had the same type of abilities and with her being a Saint, he was confident that unlike his other victims, she would be able to defend herself.

After all, he had done to Aiolos, he had a feeling that any hope of forgiveness and rekindling was turned to ash...assuming that he was still alive.

It was time to move on.

He will pour his heart and all his love toward another.

"..."

Saga turned his head when he heard Barak gasp in shock. "What is it? Is she alright?" Suddenly, Barak came down on both knees, laying his spear on the ground and bowing his head as low as he could. "What is it!? Tell me!" he demanded, face breaking with heavy worry now.

Barak felt his stomach twist like a corkscrew to a wine bottle. Oh Goddess, why must he be the one who must tell him? "Your Holiness, my friend told me that Saint Geist was at the House of Scorpio...but-but...she hadn't left there yet...and that was last night." He felt his body squeeze the tile harder, wondering if all the rumors were true.

Of course, all of those rumors were true, but today, Barak will be spared, for Saga wanted to target every inch of his rage at one single person.

"MILO!" he roared as his hair flashed into the color of ash, his eyes so red that his irises ceased to exist.

In the other room, Aphrodite and Hebe flinched as the flash of cosmos struck them so hard they thought the sun had exploded above. Even Paz who lacked any training squeaked in fright, unsure of why her blood went cold.

The wine glasses near them exploded, causing the Pisces to rush over to where the Gemini was. Aphrodite gasped as the Gemini stomped upon each of the eighty-eight steps, shattering them as if each slab were mere sticks beneath his feet. The power of when Saga was under his curse mode was frightening. "Saga what happened?" But he didn't answer, continuing each stomp as if Zeus was making his presence known. "SAGA! STOP! YOU CAN'T BE SEEN WEARING THOSE ROBES AND NO MASK!"

*STRIP*

His hand flawlessly tears off the fabric exposing most of his majestically sculpted body in all its glory.

"Oh no! Saga! You forgot your pants again!" cried Paz as she hid her eyes from looking at Saga's butt.

At that moment, Aphrodite raised his hand to summon his roses next to the stairs to fill the area with pollen and to knock out the Gemin. But the false Pope anticipated the move and dashed at lightspeed; gone in a flash. "CAMUS! CALM SAGA!" He screamed through the cosmos trying to speak as quickly as he could. At lightspeed, one could circle the entire planet seven times a second, thus time was of the essence! He turned his head toward Barak as his trembling body was shaking as much as Sanctuary right now. "What happened!" he ordered.

But the guard was quite tongue-tied at the moment.

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

Sweat drenched sheets strewed the surface of the bed, twisting in every direction. It was normal, especially with the muggy weather during this time of year.

A slender, yet muscular, feminine hand slid across them, passing over the folds like slithering cobra until it met its goal. Her nails, each an inch long, strong and as sharp as blades snatched the photo frame. Geist brought it close to her and examined the profile of the french teen. "You two broke up, yet he still shared your bedside. I thought you said you were going to put this up?"

Milo raised a violet brow. "In the past, it would find its way in a cardboard box with all his other possessions. Of course, after two rounds of making up and having to dig it back up, I figured why bother anymore." Milo stared at the ceiling. He, like many others, was at that young teen stage...sexually active...hormones raging to further their appetites for it...yet love was still more about exploration and the idea of commitment was something left for those who were older.

For the Scorpio, it was more complicated as well.

The House of Scorpio was the only one of the Zodiac where the user had so far been passed down from father to son since its conception. As much as he held feelings for Camus, the problem was that no child can come about between two men. Mrs. Schafurwatt keeps telling him to follow his heart, but how does one do so when it is divided between personal feelings and duty?

Geist turned her head, noticing the Scorpio was lost in thought. "Sometimes the best way to leave things in the past…" Her nail pressed against the glass and began to cleanly slice a perfect oval around the head before pulling the clear shape and exposing the photo to the elements. "...is to destroy it." Her finger was ready to poke through the Aquarius' head before a long red nail pushed the manicured white one aside.

"Don't," Milo spoke curtly. "Even if we're not together, it is a good picture."

Geist stared at it. "It looks like any other photo...a man turning over his shoulder and smiling."

"Exactly!" Feeling a little nervous that she would destroy it, Milo plucked it out of hers. "Getting that man to smile and stand still for a photo is about as rare as an eclipse caused by all the planets aligning… a feat that seemed like it can only occur through divine intervention."

Geist gave a faint frown. "You still like him."

"No," he spoke, as he waved a hand. Truth was he wasn't sure. "No...it's probably the last time…" his head turned before a white unicorn with rainbow locks suddenly appeared trotting around his bed, bits of white cosmos flying all over until the room's environment transformed into a lovely wintery landscape, minus the frigid cold associated with it. His eyes wandered, watching it stop behind her. He could tell that over the past week, she was quite into the magical creature aspect of myths with how much roleplaying they've done each night. "Again? This will mark the third time tonight...or rather today. I swear I'm so empty right now that the need for protection is pointless."

"But I thought of something new...and fun...I want to test how much…" She took her hands and swept them over her face, casting her cosmos upon her own body, "...you truly are over him." She spoke taking the form of a naked Fem-Camus who then wrapped her arms around the mythical beast. "Come here...and make me smile."

The Scorpio felt all pleasure return. Needless to say, having someone who could cast illusions had certainly livened up the bedroom. "Mmmm, where have you been all my life?" He growled as he slowly crawled over the sheets like a hungry tiger.

"SHE WAS WITH ME YOU BASTARD!" Saga screamed before he smashed into the Scorpio shattered the bed. Milo's eyes widened as the Gemini raised a hand and opened Another Dimension that led from an active volcano.

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

HOUSE OF CANCER

"Uh, I'm so tired!" muttered the Door Guard as he leaned on his spear.

The other nodded, fighting off his heavy eyelids. "Yeah, the night shift is a lot quieter now that we don't have as many random prostitutes and guests at all hours. At least Ajax VI and Crimea are both pretty good about coming on time to relieve us." Nothing was worse than having a coworker who keeps underestimating how long it took to cross the stairs.

The guard was placed more weight upon his weapon when off in the distance, seemingly dozens of people, a grand mixture of off sleepy duty guards, servants with aprons as if they were in the middle of cooking, and even a few Bronze and Silver Saints who were scheduled to see the Pope came rushing toward them. "Hey what's going on?"

"Open up!" demanded Cetus Moses.

The two guards immediately did so, daring not to defy the Silver. They watched helplessly as the large crowd thundered through the Fourth House.

The two then spotted Ajax VI and Crimea trailing behind. "What's going on? Are we at Holy War?"

Crimea shook his head no, but his eyes were still widened. "There's a fight! Between a pair of Golds!"

"Over what?"

"Over a girl!"

"But I thought all of them were-"

"I did too, but rumor has it, one of them was cheating with them."

The pair gasped in utter shock both at the fact that cheating as well as two were interested in the opposite sex. "Oh, my Goddess… HURRY UP AND RELIEVE ME! I WANT TO SEE THIS!"

Ajax VI frowned as he and Crimea went through the motions. "There, you are relieved, however," he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. "Caesar VII should be there. Tell him I want forty on the Gemini."

Crimea followed suit. "Put twenty on the Scorpio. I know it is low but I have to save up to get some repairs done at my home."

The two accepted the bets and ran off to join the herd of people.

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

Camus gritted his teeth as he struggled to move down the stairs. Goddess, what horrible timing. Of course, all of this had to happen while the last breakup he had with Milo was enough to cause the Scorpio to cut off the shortcut in his House. Not only that but with the stairs so crowded, he couldn't use his top lightspeed without running into several servants who could break a few bones from the impact.

He turned his head toward the rear of Sanctuary and he could tell from a distance that Aphrodite is having the same issue, perhaps even more so than him since he is fortunate to head out before the crowds swelled. Normally when two Saints are duking it hard, it can be felt several Houses away, but cheers and screams seem to be drowning it.

The Main Chambers of the House of Scorpio was a madhouse. Each House was wide enough to accommodate grand battles that were normally done in the middle of a field. The area was expected to be cleared away of furniture and personal items, but Milo had so many gatherings that he didn't bother. The Scorpio fairly stated that he was the eighth House and easily had enough time in case Holy War did start.

A large circle of people was pressed against the walls while Milo and Saga, both covered in blood and naked for some reason, were pounding each other, with everything and anything.

"BOTH OF YOU STOP!" Camus screamed with every ounce of his being, but his voice was merely a whisper compared to everyone cheering their champion on while shoving money at one of the main Captain's, clearly placing bets.

"MILO! USE SCARLET NEEDLE!" Camus screamed through the cosmos.

Milo darted his head toward the Aquarius before grasping both fists of the enraged Gemini. "I CAN'T!"

"DO IT! YOU ABSOLUTELY CANNOT HOLD BACK!" screamed Camus both through the cosmos and out loud.

Milo rolled his eyes. "I'M NOT HOLDING BACK! I ALREADY USED SCARLET NEEDLE AND HE'S ONE AWAY FROM ANTAR-!" he screamed back through the cosmos before the distraction caused him to miss a strike and take a solid fist to the face that caused half the crowd to cheer while the other to boo.

Sure enough, Camus could see the clear cut marks holes in the Gemini, blood oozing with every movement. The Aquarius felt his heart racing. Whatever Saga had when his eyes turned red, made him quite frightening if it allowed him to ignore the pain from Milo's attack.

Camus lightspeed over to Geist as she wore a mask, her body wrapped in a silk blanket while laying on a wooden bench as if she was some Empress watching a pair of gladiators. "DO SOMETHING! THEY'RE GOING TO KILL EACH OTHER!" Camus screamed to be heard over the crowd.

Saga needed a soothing voice!

A voice to qualm the red-eyed beast that ravaged his soul.

Love must conquer all!

Love MUST conquer all.

Unfortunately, for Camus, the type of love Geist had couldn't give a shit.

The Amazon leaned her head into her hand and rolled her eyes. "SAGA STOP BEING A BABY!" she shouted, more annoyed than the voice of reason that the Aquarius was hoping for.

"OOOOOOOOHHHHHHHH!" oozed everyone.

"LET'S SEE HOW FLAME RETARDANT THAT COUCH REALLY IS!" Just when everyone thought Saga couldn't be any more pissed, he takes his hand, opens Another Dimension into a volcano, causing even more hot molten lava to pool freely around the area by the Scorpio.

Milo jumped on to the IKEA couch to get some height and leaped over and grabbed the Gemini by the neck and twisted him down, causing the crowd to whoop and cheer at the sight.

Camus had to figure something fast, not wishing for a repeat of what happened in the Pope's Chambers when Saga teleported a whole party into outer space. "DIAMOND DUST!" Camus sent ice cosmos at the two of them, attempting to freeze the Saga into place or at least make him a lot less mobile.

It was the opening that Milo desperately needed and sought since the Gemini came barreling into the bedroom. "SAGA LISTEN TO ME! I DIDN'T KNOW SHE WAS WITH YOU!" Milo screamed at him over the crowd.

"WE'VE BEEN DATING FOR NEARLY A YEAR! HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW!?" Saga rasped, spitting blood with each word from his wounds from Scarlet Needle earlier.

"HE DIDN'T KNOW!" screamed Mrs. Schafurwatt as she tried to approach the two.

A Papel guard grabbed her shoulder, "Stay back! Do you know how dangerous this is? You could get hurt!"

The old woman tilted her nose. "No, you stand back. I've watched over three generations of Scorpios. I know what I am doing!" she spoke as she pushed him back. "HE NEVER KNEW AND I CAN TELL BY THE GOSSIP THAT SPREADS THAT YOU'VE CERTAINLY KEPT THIS RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOU TWO!"

"YOU ARE ALWAYS PLAYING TRICKS, MILO!"

The Scorpio groaned. "YES I DO! BUT ONLY FOR MY OWN AMUSEMENT! THERE IS NOTHING FUNNY ABOUT CHEATING ON ONE OF MY BROTHERS AND I WOULD NEVER DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT! SHE NEVER TOLD ME ABOUT YOU! I'M SORRY! WE'RE BOTH TAKEN FOR IDIOTS!" he screamed and pleaded.

Maybe it was because he was running out of blood or maybe he had a good look into Milo's face to see his face was genuine along with his words. At that moment, Saga's wild ash-colored hair flattened back to blue along with his eyes, and that was when the pain of Scarlet Needle invaded his body.

But before it could last long, Milo reached down and struck proper star points to stop the bleeding and helped apply cosmos to heal.

A pair of guards looked on. "Damn, so this is why everyone talked about when it came to the teenage stage of the Gold Saints."

"Goddess, why can't they just stay children," muttered one of the House servants.

"No way, this is hilarious!" shouted another as they stepped over a broken table leg before returning back to the drudgery of Sanctuary life.

Camus feeling his mind and body exhausted from the last few minutes walked over toward a pitcher of water and poured himself a glass. Goddess, he's probably screamed more in the last five minutes than he had in the past ten years. He turned his head and could see Milo wrapping his bloody arm around the Gemini as Saga threw his hands on his face, trying to hide his emotions.

Camus turned his head toward the Amazon. "Do you have anything to say?" He asked in bitterness.

Geist wrapped her naked body and began to make her way toward the broken doorway of the Scorpio. "Excuse me, I forgot my purse," she sighed as she walked down to go fetch it.

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

Gemini: Defying Gravity

6F: Canon

BOLD: Cursed Mode

BOLD and Italicized: Ares

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

PRESENT- POPE'S CHAMBERS

Aiolos sat in his chair and stared at the viewing screen of the Tele-cam gazing at the two smiling faces before him.

He never thought he would ever have a photo of both of his ex's in the same picture.

Futaba, still as cheerful as ever, pleasant to all, and was one of the few who never treated him differently, never cared if he couldn't walk. He could tell, even at the Kido Foundation. Simple slight gestures like just trying to avoid staring at the metal structure that used to help him get around or even the opposite like doing every single possible thing for him like opening a jar, as if the inability to walk meant he lost all means of using his hands. He could honestly say that asking the Japanese waitress out on a date was far more nerve-wracking than earning his Cloth.

Still as beautiful as ever. Almond eyes and hair that moved like silk wherever she turned.

He turned back to the image.

Saga.

He stared a bit closer. He looked much different. There was something about his handsome face as if there was life in it again… a smile without heavy hints of sadness underneath.

His blue eyes shifted slowly back and forth between the two before he turned it away.

Maybe his brother was right and he should just start off fresh with someone else?

Goddess… at least in a battle, the goals are a bit clear. Love is a lot more simple yet also far more complicated.

Suddenly, he felt a slight vibration on the Tele-cam before he turned it to see that the screen had turned red with a green phone icon in the middle before he quietly pressed it. "Hello?"

Saga: Hello, old friend. It has been a long time since we talked.

Aiolos learned forward, hearing the smooth husky voice from the past. "Yes, it has, Khris. How did you find her? I didn't tell you her name or described her."

Saga: I have my ways, Lucas, but all that matters is that here she is, serving me tea. This place is wonderful, especially her delightful...dumplings.

That was true. He supposed that the only good thing about being in a wheelchair is that everyone has to bend down to talk. "Alright, you made a point. However, if you want to talk, do it with me and somewhere away from there. There are plenty of other places," the archer tried to reason.

Saga: Mmmm, yes there are. But you know me… and you've seen what happens…

When

I

Get

Jealous.

ANOTHER DIMENSION!

A chorus of pitched screams followed.

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

"Your Holiness? Are you alright?" spoke the Papel Guard as he stood in front of sitting Pope and shook his shoulder.

The archer darted toward his hands as they were still holding the Tele-cam, still upon the image that Aphrodite showed to him. He can't even remember how he reacted to it. The only guess he had was that Aiolia was there next to him and now he was gone. He turned to the guard who was actually a couple of years older than him. "I'm fine, I just had a terrible dream," he muttered.

"About what, your Holiness?"

"I had a dream." Aiolos took a deep breath, the sheer terror of so many people echoing in his head. "I dreamt I was sitting here, and I received a call from Saga. He was at this old Ramen Cafe that I used to go to a lot. There, he used Another Dimension and most likely slaughtered everyone."

The guard went down to one knee and pulled off his helmet. "Your Holiness? Don't you remember?

That's exactly what just happened."

The Sagittarius looked over the guard's shoulder and there was a small pile of frozen cracked corpses including the torso of a Japanese waitress outfit and the head of his little brother.

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

REAL POPE'S CHAMBERS

"Your Holiness! Oh Goddess, what's wrong?" spoke Gigars as he set his diamond hilted cane and gestured for the other guests to step outside. He waited until the room was cleared before he removed the helmet to reveal a red-eyed archer.

"WHERE IS SAGA!" came a raspy and exhausted voice.

Gigars was quite used to when Saga was like this. How odd, he always thought it was a Gemini thing. It was a bit nerve-wracking, but he also found these times to be of great opportunity. "Your Holiness, you sent your brother and requested that I summon Geist as well."

"How long ago was this?" Aiolos gasped trying to reset himself.

"Forty minutes ago, Your Holiness."

But for Aiolos, it almost felt like it had been a couple of minutes. "Aiolia?" he called out through the cosmos.

"Hold on, we just arrived. Don't worry, I won't let me guard down. I'll get that bastard and all of this will all be over."

The Sagittarius felt his eyes turn blue as a small bit of relief settled. Aiolia sounded fine. He was still very nervous, but he knew Saga. The cafe would be a very difficult place to use his abilities without harming others. If this was the true Saga without the curse, the one who couldn't bring himself to even hurt an animal back when he was showing him archery, he would not choose to do anything to hurt others.

"I sent Geist with my brother?" Aiolos muttered. He had heard of her a few times through Marin, and what she said, he didn't think highly on. When Saga said his poem while they sat together, he was very shocked.

Ah, my fellow magician,

I bid you adieu.

You cheated on me with Milo,

So he will be the one who kills you.*

*From "A Game of Thrones Part Two"

When he spoke with Milo, the Scorpio was more than happy to divulge why Geist was reassigned to one of the worst posts to have despite her rank. Aiolos turned toward the photo. "Well, at least my cursed side got it right this time around." If Saga was going to go to his ex then Saga should have no trouble dealing with his own. Besides, she dealt with illusions and she could be helpful.

He pressed his hands hard against his head. Goddess, a nightmare within a nightmare. The worst part was he couldn't tell either from reality. How Saga managed to deal nearly ten years of this was beyond him. Even now, he looked around, trying to check to make sure that this wasn't another nightmare. His eyes shifted toward a wine bottle. It was a trick that Saga spoke of to figure out if he blacked out by setting it aside unopen.

Sure enough, he tried it as well, and it was not only empty, but there were a couple of empty beers next to it as well.

Aiolos turned toward the guard, seeking someone to talk to. However, he felt a dark fear of what he would do afterward to him. Isn't that what happened to guards and servants in the past? Was this the same fear Saga had that prevented the Gemini from telling him about the curse sooner? He had to be patient and hope something good comes out of Japan. He was certain he didn't have much time left.

So this is what it's like to be a prisoner in one's own mind and body.

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

? ? ?

The figure sat meditating upon a silk rug, ignoring the heavy fog that had practically reached his shoulders. It was a part of his daily routine and would go without interruption. However, his eyes were drawn to his master who seemed to cling a bit more to the viewing globe in front. Are you still thinking of what had just happened with The Saint of Aquarius? He was a mere step away from unraveling everything."

Ares nodded. "Saints of Aquarius never change. They are stoic by nature, yet extremely perceptive. Camus should have been taken care of earlier. But much like how he acted around Saga, he was careful not to trigger Aiolos."

The figure turned to see Ares was occupied in thought. "What is it, Master?"

"It has been a long time since I've been impressed. Despite being crippled, Aiolos thought ahead by utilizing Aphrodite. Not only that but rather constantly firing crimson arrows to keep those under his control, he is having them use the arrows on themselves. Warriors can be powered up and strengthened, but I cannot grant them intelligence and foresight."

The figure agreed. So far, despite being paralyzed, Aiolos has done more than any other of the users. "It is a pity that his full potential is hindered by his mortal limit. Shall I make him an offer and remedy that?"

Ares shook his head no. "Not yet. This indeed is the farthest I've ever reached in regards to the curse, but only because Athena willed this man to take it."

"I agree with your hesitation. Her actions always seem careless, but they are always rooted in some greater purpose. I have seen it with the other Gods and no matter how close they were to winning, her gamble would pay off. It seems she has her eyes on you this time around."

"...yes…" the God of War grumbled, a bit concerned at the way Athena seemed very focused upon it. It was a sign that there was an opening and she was exploiting it, perhaps by the fact that Saga is the only one who was still alive after being freed from the curse. "How many of those mental barriers does Aiolos have left?"

"Two, Master."

His dark red eyes narrowed. "How annoying. Let's find an opportunity to speed it up."

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

RAMEN CAFE- TOKYO JAPAN

PRESENT DAY

"Another day, another of Circle of Hell to dive into," thought Saga as the raven-haired harpy, strutting inside as if she owned the place.

Physically, she remained as stunning as ever. Long straight hair that moved like silk with a body built to handle the wildest of desires yet somehow retaining all the desirable delicate feminine traits. She still had those nails...damn… he missed how she used them to let him know he hit the right spot. But deep down, he understood her true nature, and any attraction he had was reduced to ash. In the endless blur of blackouts caused by the curse, he couldn't forget what happened when he found out that she had been sleeping with Milo for a week.

Everyone wondered if Amazons could wander around without drawing attention in a public establishment. The truth was they could one of two ways. One was that they simply wore their masks and claimed they were from a made-up culture known as the A-Neht or Athena backward. Sanctuary went as far as to declare it a protected ethnic tribe and most won't question it. Wearing a large robe also seemed to make the ruse quite convincing as well.

The other was the 80% Rule.

As long as the eyes and mouth were hidden and it was for a mission, they may forgo their mask and it seemed like that was the way Geist was pursuing it. A pair of dark sunglasses and a light blue silk scarf wrapped around the bottom half of her face.

How fashionable.

All that was left was to place a brown paper sack over that harpy head of hers.

He changed his focus toward the cub. Aiolia was the main target after all.

Saga closed his eyes and attempted to send a message to Aiolia.

"LONG TIME NO SEE, SAGA! LET'S TALK!" the Leo shouted back with a tense glee.

The Gemini frowned. Of course, the cub would block off any messages he sent. Then again, he wondered if Aiolia's messages were being monitored from afar by Aiolos. He wouldn't put it past Mother Hen to do so, especially with how far the curse has progressed.

Geist's shaded blue eyes turned toward the table. Unlike the other patrons she could see and feel her ex-boyfriend's cosmos burning erratically, a sign that normally meant to show that she wasn't welcomed like the puffed-up tail of a cat.

"Oh, Saga. It has been a long time," she spoke with a crisp smile before she took a spot right in front of him while Aiolia sat beside her. Considering how private the booth was, she took her scarf and pulled it down enough for him to gaze upon the face that he once called the most beautiful he's ever seen. "What's wrong? You look at me as I was Hades himself?"

"I wish you were Hades, at least he's attractive to look at. Now leave. You have absolutely no business being here." It was true. He had to talk to Aiolia alone.

"Oh come on, don't you want to patch things up?" her tone tinged with glee. "Japan is known for its' love hotels? Wanna make up?"

"Oh please, I would rather grab the cub and start making out with him on this table than patch anything up with you."

"The fuck man!?" snapped Aiolia.

"OPA!" greeted Futaba while she carried a tray toward the table, oblivious to the Greek conversation that took hold. "AH! Theo! I am so happy to see you!" she spoke switching to English. The waitress turned her head. "Oh, who is this? Is this Marin?"

Aiolia plastered on the same fake grin he carried the last time he came to Japan. "Oh no, this is…Saga's 'fiance.'"

Futaba gasped. "Oh, she is so beautiful," she exclaimed as she set Saga's ramen down. "I love your nails!"

Geist waved a flattering hand. "Thank you! Yours looks quite marvelous too!"

Futaba smiled as she took a moment to look at her short pink palette on her hand before she turned back to Saga. "You must feel very lucky to meet her!"

"Very. As if I scored the winning ticket." Well, if it was for a trip to travel aboard the Titanic. Saga looked up. Even though no one would be able to understand their Greek, they should at least look like a normal group of tourists. "Would either of you like anything?"

"My usual," spoke Aiolia.

"Whatever my love has. It looks absolutely divine!" grinned Geist as she stretched her paw over Saga's, her nails pressing against the top of his flesh.

"Alright! I will get that in for all of you!" Futaba waved and headed back to the kitchen before returning quickly with more cups and another pot of green tea.

Saga stared, waiting to make sure she was far away, and when he shifted his eyes, he could see that Aiolia was doing the same thing. Clearly, neither of them wanted to look bad in front of Aiolos' girl. He pulled away from the devil's paw, feeling her press her nails harder and causing a large gash upon the top of his hand. He casually took a napkin to wrap it up, before using his cosmos to heal it. He stared at her. Perhaps it was best they took care of the most glaring thing. Geist may not have been the strongest Saint to accompany the cub, but she had certainly become a huge distraction. Not only that, he didn't know what her purpose here was. She could be part of Aiolos' intricate plan to capture him or she was there to simply piss him off. Either way, he may as well handle what needs to be said here and now. "So why did you do it? We dated steadily for an entire year..." which honestly was a miracle short of resurrection when it came to the love lives of Golds."...I treated you like a queen!"

Geist casually took her long nail and hooked the handle of the teapot and lifted it up, using another to carefully balance it, demonstrating the massive strength of them as she served herself. "Why are you even asking this? Isn't it obvious? Yes, the beginning was very nice. You have the looks and all the perks. On the surface, you were quite the catch, handsome...intelligent, and quite cultured. However, anytime we were alone, you were either:

Moody

Crying

Depressed

Aiolia nodded. "She does have a point," he spoke as he drank his tea.

She took her cup and drank it like a shot of whiskey. "By the Goddess, I just couldn't stand it anymore. That's not love! I felt more like some cheerleader always trying to bring you out of whatever hole you were in that day. Oh please, Saga, things are okay. Saga, you shouldn't think like that! Saga, if you do that people will miss you. I just couldn't take it!"

She pulled off her sunglasses, not giving a crap about the whole mask rule in a place that doesn't even know it exists. "You know why I cheated with Milo? Because he doesn't cry in the middle of nowhere, muttering "kill me" while he was awake or while he was asleep. He doesn't look like he's been whipped wherever he walks. Oh...and he doesn't kill people because they pissed him off. His servants and guards don't look like they are walking around as if a Specter was going to jump out and take their head off. Oh Goddess, the list is fucking endless...you know what, we only have so much time so I will simplify for you:

You

Are

The

WORST

Boyfriend

Ever."

She slammed her cup on the table with a loud thud and glared at his face. She knew he wasn't going to pull anything in a place like this. However, they were words she had always wanted to say but like everyone else, was afraid to. She expected him to turn red with anger or even start crying like a bitch.

Saga took his chopsticks and ate a fishball. The food was amazing and he's not surprised the archer came here for years. A pity that the harpy was here to spoil this lovely meal. "Fine, you know, you are right. In that regard, I was a terrible boyfriend. I was very depressed, and back then, I was under the mindset that my depression was only hurting me. But that is the thing, depression isn't all about sadness, it makes one numb. I was numb to those around me and if I realized it was hurting those around me that much, I think I would've done more in the past to alleviate those around me of the burden that should've been handed through more professional means." Geist may have said those things to hurt him, but the truth was, Saga believed her only because cursed Aiolos spoke about how much stress and torment he went through due to his depression right when he woke up.

Thanks to his time in the room of the Golden Orb, he says the words that he didn't think possible. "I will not deny my depression no more and I accept that I need help."

Aiolia stayed silent, but he narrowed his eyes. He knows Saga and was certain this was all some plot or scheme.

Geist passed a sharp breath. "Finally, took you two years to admit the truth," she spoke with a bit of pride.

Saga frowned. "Oh please, just because I said that doesn't mean that you are absolved with what you did. Here is the deal, due to circumstances..." he turned his head to Aiolia to hint that he was talking about the curse before returning his head back at her. "...there was quite a bit that I had no control of. You, on the other hand, cheated with Milo on your volition. He told me all about it and his servants and guards were there to back it all up. Like many who crossed his House, he would chat with the passerbyers, and you deliberately hid our relationship even stating multiple times you were single. Goddess, the only regret I had that day was that I beat the living shit out of the wrong person."

Geist shrugged. "Perhaps you didn't, because you still cared about me. Or maybe you were that desperate for someone to love you. Let's face it Saga. You aren't the Pope you said you were and I'm certain if they can, they will replace you as a Gold as well. You only have your looks, and that will only get you as far as a one night stand before they realize you are a whiny bitch like I discovered you to be. No one is going to love you as I once did unless you pay them upfront." She gave a smirk, only for it to falter when she realized he was halfway done with his food.

Saga ignored most of her speech. He was officially in love with ramen. Amazing how much food tastes better after living as a Gemi-bum for a month. The only thing that would make it tastier is if Futaba would serve it with a side of earplugs. "Oh please, you make it sound like the moment I saw your face, I would fall madly in love with you and sire children as we had once talked about. When you stepped in, I was so flaccid that it was a miracle that it didn't fall off."

Geist groaned. "Uggh, children with you? You're insane. The world doesn't need to see a real-life example of Rosemary's Baby."

Saga let out a deep laugh. "You call me mad? You cheated with one of the most powerful men in Sanctuary with the one Gold whose House has high connections that go back centuries."

"My mistake was that I ever got involved in someone as petty as you. I am one of the most powerful Saints outside of the Gold rank and you turned me into a Ghost Saint!"

But Saga laughed again. "Weren't you listening? Milo is the closest to a living Prince in Sanctuary. What he wants, he gets thanks to his connections I mentioned earlier. I didn't turn you into a Ghost Saint because I was busy canceling all the special arrangements I was going to bestow upon you including a 30 thousand Euro armlet and an emerald to be imbued for your mask… Milo turned you into a Ghost Saint, not me. He was so angry he pulled every string he could to ensure that every mission you receive will be scrapped from the bottom of the barrel!"

Geist's showed her teeth. Many people wondered what exactly a Ghost Saint was and contrary to belief, it wasn't merely a class. Her Cloth came from what was known simply as "Other Cloths," those that blacksmiths explored and crafted beyond the constellations and Zodiac. A Ghost Saint was simply a Saint that nobody wanted to work with. They weren't evil like Black Saints, but they were in a way blacklisted from important missions or any that would grant them respect. It was a tremendous insult to make one feel like their years of training have gone to waste. "So what happened between you two? You destroyed half of his furniture and filled his bedroom and part of his main floor with lava. Not only that but now the brothels got ahold of the rumors of two naked gay golds fighting over a woman and crafted a lewd play."

"I offered compensation but he denied it. He only asked that I use Another Dimension to dispose of the broken stuff and as a final peace offering, the two of us and Camus all went to see the lewd play on opening night. Wasn't bad, although they had it end in a three-some between us and what the brothel labeled Camus as the neurotic man with a French accent and kinky furry boots. In a way, Milo benefited because he and Camus decided to go steady after that. I supposed I did as well. I used to cry about how unfair it was...but as Dr. Krios once told me...I dodged a very big bullet if you and I were stuck in the Pope's Chambers."

"Doctor? How did he see a doctor if he was in hiding? He must be lying, but he really does seem quite a bit different," thought Aiolia as he sat there quietly drinking his tea.

"You should've seen a doctor earlier, not just for depression. What sane person buys tickets for CATS every three months for his day off?"

"Do not speak down upon the brilliance of CATS! It is the perfect amalgamation of surrealism, dance, and poetry that somehow combines aspects of life in an anthological format! Anyone with a sense of culture watches CATS!" he retorted after she dares insult such a masterpiece!"

"It is an overhyped piece of garbage! Perhaps the less sane between the two of us is me since I watched it three times with you!"

"OH PLEASE! You loved it and had a great time each time you went!

You laughed at Jennyanydots!

You smiled at Mr. Mistoffellees!

You were frisky during MaCavity!

You cried during Memory with Grizabella!"

"I WAS HIGH, YOU IDIOT!"

Suddenly, several of the patrons turned their heads, causing the group to sit there silently. Even though no one understood Greek, perhaps they were being a bit too loud.

Geist took a deep breath. There was no more reason to argue with him about the past. "I can't wait until Sanctuary captures you. Unlike you, my downfall is complete. You on the other hand still have plenty to lose, and I can't wait to watch, Khris with a K."

Saga tightened his grip on his chopstick. There was far more important shit to deal with than his fate."Whatever happens, happens….Anne with an E!"

Geist's nails clawed the table, leaving a four fingermark.

"OPA!"

The daggers in everyone's eyes vanished as the trio greeted the former beu of Aiolos with a Stepford Wife Smile.

"Here you go!" Futaba spoke in English. She turned her head to Aiolia. "Are you sure you can still handle it, Theo?" she spoke as she pointed toward the bright red meats and dozens of pepper flakes.

Aiolia looked up and plucked the bright red ball and put it in his mouth. "Mmmm, karai…" he spoke with his limited knowledge of Japanese.

Futaba tilted her head in happiness. "Aww, I will make sure to let the cooks make extra so you can take some home."

Geist, fidgeting with her nails and chopsticks, reached over and plucked a fork to try the food. "Mmmmm, this is fabulous. By the way, how does one in Japan show affection?" Geist asked in English.

Futaba was more than gracious to demonstrate. "You take a piece of food and offer it to the other and they have to eat it."

Geist pulled off a fish cake and set it upon Saga's bowl. "Here, my love."

Saga kept his smile, but there was so much tension in it, that he felt like he was going to crack a molar. He stared at the fish cake as if it was made of the same flesh as his mother, but still, he took it, only to make Futaba cheerful.

Aiolia looked down at his bowl. Eh, why the hell not? "Here, I too will show love...for my brother's 'best' friend…" he spoke as he sat the large red fish ball right on top of Saga's dish.

Saga could feel his eyes water from the mere steam that permeated from it. His eyes then turned toward a large picture that featured the same ramen as the cub's except it was on top of a volcano with several red dragons twisting around it with fire coming out of their mouths.

Futaba looked down. She had seen many customers pass out from having the Dragon Ramen Special. "Oh, it is okay," she spoke. "You don't have to, Saga."

Aiolia liked Futaba, but he wasn't going to let her get in the way and knew how to push the Gemini's buttons. He took his chopsticks and grabbed two red balls of meat and devoured them both with ease and without a single tear from his eyes. He smiled incredulously while quietly flashing his cosmos to the Gemini, to taunt him to try it.

"Challenge accepted!" thought Saga as he looked down. Goddess how he hated the color red. He lifted it up and could feel his lips grow numb as the curve of the fishball brushed up against them. Oh Goddess, why does he think this is a bad mistake?

He stuck it in.

The world spun as if a comet had slammed upon his tongue. Every breath from his nostrils was like shooting fire and every chew he took felt like every molar was receiving a root canal. He was certain that the skin upon his inner cheeks was peeling into layers of thin tissue paper! The tea he threw into his mouth seemingly evaporated as it mixed into his mouth. A strange dread filled his soul as if when he opened his eyes, Minos will be standing there with the book of judgment in one hand and a gavel in the other.

But he swallowed it down as if a tiny imp was being sucked down into the abyss and clawing down his throat. How bad was it that he almost wished he was deep throating Scarlet Needle? At least he knew sweet death was not so far away.

"SAGA! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR HAIR!" gasped Futaba.

The Gemini turned to his side and sure enough, his blue locks had appeared to shift to grey. Old habits die hard. "Oh, that? It is just a peanut allergy," he said as he flicked a few stray locks back over his shoulders. At that moment, it gave him the perfect excuse and a plan to separate the cub. "Excuse me, I need to go take my medicine," he spoke as he walked quickly out of the restaurant.

Aiolia's blood boiled. Aiolos had told him that if the Gemini was so bold as to take a picture and reveal his location, he wasn't going to take off, nor would he try to Another Dimension his way out of the crowded place. Nope! Saga just casually struts out. Goddess, if he loses the Gemini after two months of search, he will not live it down in Sanctuary. "Gotta go," he muttered through his teeth. "He needs 'lots' of medicine! Keep the change!" He slammed a couple of hundred Euros for the food and the damage on the table and tried to make his way out. But of course, he had to stop as a large group came right in and were slowly allowing what looked like a hundred-year-old man with a cane to sit right down. "FUCK!" he cursed in his head as Geist caught up to him.

That was when he felt a couple of flashes of the Gemini's cosmos. Aiolia narrowed his eyes. It was giving away Saga's location, which seemed to be about two blocks over. Such a gesture meant he was trying to be found, taunting him into a fight, or was the equivalent of giving the middle finger.

Suddenly, the two felt a massive amount of cosmos strike them while a bright light flashed outside the door. The cosmos steadied yet continued to burn.

"Let's see what you're up to." Aiolia ran forward and shook his head.

Right in front of him were hundreds of variations of Saga walking up and down the street of Tokyo. Yet both can tell he was among them.

Aiolia looked back and forth. "He must be losing his touch, some have short hair while others have long. Plus not everyone's heights are a little off.

"He did it on purpose. It is called the Waldo Effect," Geist muttered as she placed her mask upon her face.

Aiolia's wide eyes were darting back and forth. "The what?"

Geist groaned. The art of illusions is one where the users prefer to keep within their inner circle. But he needed to know to find Saga faster."It is like the Where's Waldo book...hiding among things with very subtle variations. When searching for what is real, the brain will automatically filter and focus on what is different and assume that it is the real one."

Aiolia nodded. "Yeah, I saw Hound Asterion do that."

"That's a low-level version because each copy is the same. Higher-level users of illusions like Saga, instead of duplicating himself perfectly, he makes slight alterations. It confuses the brain because everyone slightly looks the same forcing the person to question if it is real instead of dismissing it as fake. Combined with the fact that we are the only ones who can see it, will make this very tricky since no one is reacting to it and giving the user away."

O|=======|O

Far in the distance, Saga carefully walked toward the duo, his eyes slightly narrowed to properly focus for the illusion. The idea was that the two would split up so that he could get close to Aiolia, yet the two were staying together. Damn.

Judging by the way she was speaking to him, was a strong indication that she was probably giving light to what he was doing with his illusion. Double Damn.

O|=======|O

"This is frustrating!" Aiolia thought as he stared at the endless sea of Sagas. But the weird part is that he had yet to feel a sudden drop in the Gemini's cosmos, indicating that he was still somewhere close.

Why?

If Saga was on the run, now is the perfect time to leave, unless he was going to plan an ambush. But he will anticipate it first! So many of the Sagas there were just Japanese citizens going about their business. They can't feel a large amount of cosmos nor could they see the illusion that he saw. So he raised his glowing fist in the air and focused as much as he could. "LIGHTNING-" He screamed, flaring it as much as he could. The Leo stared at everyone as they all were drawn to him. But only one would have the instincts and years of training to move into a more defensive stance, no matter how slight it can. "There you are!" he thought before he dropped his attack and ran over and punched without any cosmos.

The moment the Saga blocked it with ease, was when he was certain he found the correct one. "You bastard! I searched high and low for you!"

The Gemini turned his head and laughed before it shifted into a sea of stars,

"SHIT!" cursed Aiolia as now he was forced to block the blows of Eternity, the doppelganger of Saga that was usually stationed at the House of Gemini. He turned as the crowds began to turn, some doing their best to distance themselves, while others merely embraced the spectacle. It would be different if this Saga was real, but what made it frustrating was that the Gemini was somewhere making his escape.

O|=======|O

Saga watched from afar as Eternity and Aiolia duked it out. Aiolia had an interesting strategy to finding him, but he knew of the flaw since Aiolos exploited it before during their training.

There is some truth to a move never working twice with a Saint.

He could tell Aiolia was saving his cosmos and energy for the real thing.

Saga's eyes briefly shifted about but were unable to find his former flame.

O|=======|O

"So boring…" muttered Geist as she held her bowl of ramen eating it before it could go cold. Sure the sound of hard smacks of fists meeting flesh while crowds were gathering around seemed exciting, but little did those people know the two were Gold Level.

They don't realize that just like the House of Scorpio, the two were holding quite a bit back, the sound alone of lightspeed strikes would cause their ears to ache and even cause the very young and the very old to collapse from shockwaves delivered.

She studied the crowd. "Oh there you really are," she murmured. Now that the two Golds drew a crowd, it was easier to see everyone. Unlike all the other Saga duplicates, she could see that this one was not only heavily focused on the fight, but the slight flinches and strange jerks indicated he was controlling his duplicate from a distance.

If she alerted Aiolia, he was just going to do the same thing and fist-fight the damn thing. All Saga had to do to end it was the same way he approached life, use Another Dimension, and run away like a crying bitch.

She turned toward a teenager holding an interesting book with a striking cover. To craft illusions, one must have a good memory as well as the imagination, her strength more into the latter. She enjoyed creating things from the more mythical side. "Excuse me, what is that?" she asked in English.

The teen looked down. He paused as he needed a moment to figure out how to answer back. "It is..a manga."

She waved her free hand. "Oh no, I mean that…" her finger pointed toward the picture. May I see that?"

"Oh, it is the armored titan." He stood there as the beautiful masked woman turned the pages of Attack on Titan.

"A titan...mmm, I like it!" She turned her head over toward the fight before her body flared with a mixture of white cosmos, not giving a damn if they see her use her abilities. Let the Pope and Sanctuary clean up the mess.

She smiled as she crafted the massive giant, bits of thick red muscle under heavy bone plated armor. But unlike the book, the titan was customized with the elaborate gold Cloth with Leo, its lion headpiece glowing like the sun on top of its grey hair. Her cosmos connected the image to the Leo, laughing a bit as everyone started to scream.

O|=======|O

"Uggh... why the hell did I ever sleep with her?" grumbled Saga, thinking back that he should be more grateful that her late period was exactly that back then. He ignored the panicking crowds, dropping his army of Sagas while staring at the Leo Armored Titan darting its head left and right in confusion.

The Leo, unaware of his appearance that Geist had cast on him, spotted the true Gemini and barraged him with a flurry of fists.

Saga gritted his teeth as he struggled to dodge or block each strike. His eyes kept focused on the large golden fists that kept pounding down at light speed, but the truth was that Aiolia was still at his normal height and located at the foot of the Armored Leo.

While Geist could not form solid illusions like him, they were able to throw off his ability to fight the true attacker, making Aiolia's swift jabs and strikes impossible to properly counter.

Doesn't help that the glowing white eyes and the huge rows of teeth gave him the feeling that the illusion was going to bite him in half at any moment.

"What's going on!?" screamed Aiolia, his body hidden beneath the foot of the Titan. For him, all he could see was that the once cheering crowd was now running, and unleashing blood-curdling screams around him.

Saga, giving up on trying to land a proper strike, merely lightspeed out of the reach of the Leo. "Geist connected her illusion with you. You can't see it, but you're now a 15-meter giant!"

"I'm a what!?" freaked Aiolia, the Armored Titan illusion tightening its fists as the Leo does as well.

Saga shook his head. "Look, just run out of the city and that should be far enough to desync you from her. After that go to Ueno Park and we'll keep going there!"

Aiolia felt his blood boil. After two months, the Gemini was standing right there."WHY!? DO YOU THINK I WILL LET YOU RUN-" screamed Aiolia.

"IT'S YOUR BROTHER! WE HAVE TO TALK ABOUT HOW HE'S ACTING WEIRD!" Saga screamed back, hoping he'd get the hint.

Aiolia does, his eyes widened. The son of a bitch did have something to do with Aiolos. "IF YOU DARE LEAVE JAPAN, I WILL GO BACK TO SANCTUARY! TAKE YOUR CAT AND TURN HER INTO A FUCKING HAT!" The Leo shouted as he used light speed out of there in a large purple blur, causing everyone around to scream and panic.

Aiolia felt sick, partly that he had to go through all this trouble to get rid of the illusion, but also the idea of returning back to Sanctuary and having to explain the chaos that Tokyo was now in. He felt a sudden pop from within and stopped. He wondered if he was desynced. The first thing he did was run over to a group of people. Seeing them lack any reaction, he knew he was free of it. He turned his head back to the area where Saga and he fought at. He could still feel the Gemini's cosmos and knew it was still there."Why did he ask me to go to the park?" Aiolia muttered.

Familiar with the Tokyo layout due to spending a couple of years there, he turned toward that direction and closed his eyes, and began reading the cosmos over there. It was so much easier over here than in Rodario since nearly everyone didn't know how to burn their cosmos. He picked up a fairly strong one and gasped at how familiar it was. "Galan?" he muttered, sending the message out to the figure.

"Aiolia, you sound so much older now. It's been a long time."

The Leo drew his hand over his mouth. Why was he here? Then again, he did find his brother in this place...but Galan as well." For a moment, he wondered if it was another damn illusion. After all, there were two users here in Japan. But it was definitely his cosmos. It was the only sense of comfort he had in the House of Leo after the Event….until he was ripped from him to serve as some sick sacrifice to appease the bloodthirsty crowds of Rodario. "Stay there…" was all he could utter before he zipped over.

O|======|O

Saga took a deep breath. How dare he threaten the Queen of the Third House? At least he knew his cat was still alive and hopefully Aiolia will head to the park and not back here. It was a new plan and it looked like this one is going well. He could sense the Leo there in the park, most likely shocked that his former caretaker was still alive.

"Uggh, and once more, the best of Sanctuary proves to be another disappointment."

Saga felt his shoulders reduce to putty. If there was one thing he should've learned from The Odyssey and that was to always carry around a block of beeswax to plug his ears to avoid the siren. He looked and noticed something odd in her hands. "Where the hell did you get popcorn from?"

The Ghost Saint had moved her mask over her forehead, hiding her eyes and allowing her to eat her snack. "From a vending machine." She pointed over to the wall. All I had to do was throw in some yen and give me hot popcorn. There's also a machine that sells underwear. You look like you could use a new pair after seeing the face of Armored Leo Tit-"

"ANOTHER DIMENSION!" he muttered as a hole opened up and sucked her inside, sending her to a deserted island. "Can't tell you how long I wanted to do that to you," he spoke with amusement. Of course, she should be grateful for if she had approached him while cursed, she would find herself in the middle of space instead of the white sands of the Philippines. It should take a while for her to figure out which direction to take to get back to Sanctuary or Japan. Still, he had to hurry.

"Saga, he's ready to talk, what should we do?" spoke Galan through the cosmos.

The Gemini took a deep breath. He dreaded this moment, not because he was afraid of the Leo, but it went a bit deeper because unlike Geist, Aiolia honestly didn't deserve what happened to him after the betrayal.

O|======|O

When Aiolia first heard his voice through the cosmos, he feared it was another illusion, but when he found him, he knew he was the only one.

Unlike his brother, Galan had always hesitated a little when it came to hugs, but he would do so. His tone was a bit weary but was caring. He also had a stubborn sense of pride, still wearing the same headband that Saga tied to his head, as a quiet means of showing support and belief in his brother. If people often would compare Aiolos as his mother, Galan was the closest thing to an actual father, or at least his interpretation since he was too young to remember either of his parents.

He sat there on the grass listening to Galan as he continued his long tale. He was fairly brief on how he managed to survive the night as well as the last five years in the mountains. He was fairly detailed on what happened during the last two months in Delphi, confirming the dark fact that he dreaded.

His brother was carrying the exact same curse that Saga had.

Galan looked up and moved his lone hand away from his head. "He said we're going to the Kido Foundation and he'll meet you on the roof."

Aiolia felt his fist tighten. "Good, a nice private place for me to rip every strand of hair out of his head out."

Galan closed his eyes. Rumors from his connections in Sanctuary during his time told him that Aiolia had changed quite a bit since the betrayal of Aiolos, but he couldn't imagine it would be at this level. Gone was the polite child, while a bit impulsive, seemed to brighten the room. Aiolia had this tense appearance in his eyes, every word that came out seemed like he wanted to tear up the recipient.

In a way, it reminded him of himself, had Aiolos not shown him mercy long ago...

"I know it is hard...but you have to be patient," said Galan as he reached over and took his good hand and placed it on the Leo's shaking shoulders as if thunder was booming beneath the surface. He loved Aiolia and yet he found it difficult to speak to him without that fiery temper coming about. It was no wonder Saga wanted him to speak first since or else the two would probably spend most of the time smacking each other head-on like a pair of rhinos. The servant, took a deep breath, hoping his old techniques of dealing with the Leo as a child still worked. "Don't think I will ever take his side over yours. When Saga first confessed he was the reason your brother was seen as a traitor, I was ready to abandon him and take Athena with me. But the reason he was out there, was because your brother let him go. Your brother isn't the type to make rash decisions. As he used to say, "take our time and aim well…"

"...because you can't guide the arrow after it left your hand," Aiolia finished. "But Saga is a criminal. He's killed so many. Not only that, but he's a true traitor. Why would he entrust Athena with him?" Aiolia stared at him with wide eyes.

But Galan looked upon him with gentle, weary eyes. "Aiolos never told you this, but I didn't lose my arm over any simple crime. I lost it because I tried to steal the blood of Athena to save my mother. They say her blood can be the difference between winning and losing the Holy War. Aiolos looked into my heart, and he not only risked his own reputation by sparing my life, but he also entrusted his greatest treasure to me," the servant spoke as he stared at the Leo. He reached over and lifted the pendant around Aiolia's neck, happy that he never threw it over the mountain. "Now he does the same with Saga and Athena, and from what I've seen, Saga is taking this second chance very seriously, but he can't complete the task alone...not without you."

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

KIDO FOUNDATION ROOF

Saga searched into his pockets until he found a rubber band and used it to tie down his hair into a ponytail. The top of the building was so wild and windy, that he didn't want to have it slap his face while the Leo was busy punching it.

Suddenly he could hear a gentle rattle and footsteps. At first, he turned toward the only door but could feel the fierce cosmos behind him indicating the Leo probably climbed up the side of the building. His fighting instincts told him to turn around and ready himself. However, he resists and allows his body to remain as loose as the branches of a willow tree even when the Leo smashed into his back and landed on top of him.

He felt his body being twisted around until his eyes narrowed to turn away from the light of the high sun before a large fist smashed into the side of his face.

There was no cosmos in it. The only thing powering each blow was merely the depths of the cub's anger. Saga allows it to continue. Unlike when he was cursed, he was forced to protect his own body. But now, he allows each blow, his cheeks growing numb, his head growing a bit dizzy from each strike. He knew the moment Aiolia used cosmos, it would most likely bust his head like a ripe watermelon. But he takes that risk.

Aiolia halted his strike as he could see that Saga wasn't even using his cosmos and could see the Gemini struggling to remain conscious. He took his palm and smothered it against his face, applying healing cosmos until Saga seemed a bit more alert. "TELL ME WHAT YOU DID TO MY BROTHER!"

Saga raised a swollen brow. "Wasn't Galan supposed to…"

"I WANT TO HEAR IT FROM YOU! CONFESS!" Aiolia screamed.

The Gemini groaned. So much for saving time. "Uggh, confess, confess, confess...Goddess I was never meant to be a Pope, but a nun," he thought before he shifted his dark, bruised eyes. "Fine." So he does, as best as he could, as quickly as he could, surprised that Aiolia even got off so that he could at least sit up and tell the story better. He finally told him about the painting and wanted to meet him here. Saga watched Aiolia's face, a mixture of anger and fear.

"YOU ARE POISON! EVERYTHING YOU DO BRINGS NOTHING BUT MISERY AND RUINATION!" Aiolia spat as he tightened his fists ready to go Round two on Saga's face. That was until the Gemini's reply.

"I know…" Saga spoke. "I agree. Why did you think I wanted to die for so long?" sadness begins to crack through. "My mother, my brother, Athena, the Pope, the Sanctuary, your brother...yourself...everyone….because of that, I thought...the world really would be a better place if I didn't exist. If I die, no one else surfers and the curse disappears." Those were his thoughts from the past. "But at the same time, I can't fix anything if I'm dead and the curse will continue in the future. So here I am. I have caused so many wrongs and I want to change that...without death."

Aiolia's hands shook, but still, he held back his temper. "You ruined my life!" he hissed.

"I did," Saga spoke. "And I'm sorry."

Aiolia rolled his eyes and laughed. An apology. A fucking apology.

Mere words.

"You're sorry? Oh, fuck you! You were enjoying the caveats of a dead man and my crippled brother, while I had to cut and dye my hair just so I could go out and buy a fucking apple in the market."

The Gemini sighed once more and knew it was true. Part of why the curse kept Aiolia alive was so he could serve as a scapegoat for the people. "You're right. Words can't undo what I've did. Tell me, what can I do to repent?"

"What?" This was so weird for the Leo.

The Gemini repeated himself. "I wronged you. What can I do to fix it?"

Aiolia felt a bit odd, like all those times Marin asks him what he wants for his birthday. This was so strange. He didn't even know what he wanted. "Don't worry. Look, you were cursed, all is forgiven. Let's just go and see how the painting is doing."

Saga rolled his eyes. "You are so full of shit. The whole I forgive you, works with Aiolos, but not you. Aiolos had the blessing of being either in a coma or in Japan when everything went down. You were there."

Aiolia groaned. This is so weird to the point where he almost missed the old Saga."How about I beat the living shit out of you?"

"Fine. If it makes you feel better to cut off a few fingers, go do that too," muttered the Gemini.

Aiolia cracked his knuckles ready to cave in that smug face once more, but when he gazed at the Gemini's resigned eyes, he shook his head and dropped his hands. It was then, he realized what he wanted. He was simply tired of being angry. Since his brother's run from Athena, he used anger to protect himself against the crowds, he used it as a means to find the energy to keep fighting, He was angry at his brother for leaving him. He was angry at himself for thinking of betraying him. He was angry at the Gemini for being the cause of this mess, he was now angry at the curse for being behind everything.

Aiolia was just tired of feeling so wound up. Things were better, but there was something that could perhaps free him from it. "If you want my forgiveness, this is what I want you to do. Right now, all of Rodario believes my brother to be a traitor. Right now, Aiolos placed handling that on the back burner because he's the Pope and feels like there are more important things to take care of first. I didn't want to bring it up to him, but while I have no trouble ignoring it, I don't want Seiya having to deal with it. I don't want my children to go through what I went through."

Saga gazed at the Leo. Here he was, nervous at what Aiolia would say, but the request was touching and reasonable. But Saga raised a brow. "Wait, is Marin pregnant?"

"I DON'T KNOW!?" lied Aiolia as he shrugged his shoulders. The truth was, he didn't want anyone else except Aiolos until he was certain Marin wasn't going to lose the baby in the early weeks.

It didn't fool the Gemini, but he played along. "It would be nice for your brother too. If the traitor stigma was lessened, he would be able to go for a walk or a nice restaurant."

Aiolia noticed a very flowery type of tone in the Gemini's voice. Oh Goddess, was it true? "Did you and my brother date each other?"

"OF COURSE NOT!" lied the Gemini as he flinched.

But the slight hint of pink to Saga's cheeks made Aiolia think otherwise, but still, he kept quiet. "Fine, but the point still stands."

Saga folded his arms. "Alright, but understand, I can't just run up to Rodario and confess to them that I was the culprit."

Aiolia nodded. "Yeah, I know." It was the main reason Aiolos hasn't outed Aphrodite and Deathmask since the amount of chaos would send the village and all of Sanctuary out of control. "I don't care how you do it, just do something… and then we will call ourselves equal."

"Alright. Don't expect a quick solution, but it will happen."

The two began to stand up, dusting their clothes a bit. But before they would go back inside, the Gemini raised a hand. "Aiolia...one more thing...I know you didn't say you were having children…"

"No I didn't," spoke the Leo.

Saga folded his arms because if he didn't tell him now, it will drive him nuts. "It is about your temper."

"What about it? I've had it for years?"

The Gemini took a deep breath. Anytime he saw Aiolia, it reminded him of Dimitris. If he was to continue his redemption, he does his best to honor his poor mother too. "I figured, if you were to have children know this… my father had a temper too. When he had a bad day at work, everyone in the house had a bad day. If he couldn't strike us, he would strike at something precious of ours. He screamed more than he spoke when he was at home on certain days."

"What are you getting at, Saga?"

The Gemini turned and held out his hands. Aiolia hated him still, but that was the point. "Look at me...think of me… you don't like me...but I am the result of a father who lost their temper all the time in my house….remember that."

Aiolia waited until the Gemini turned back around before his eyes widened as fears of a red-haired Saga running around his house began to fill his head.

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

Tatsumi pulled the Tele-cam away from his head. "Mr. Kido, the media is wondering what is going on with the Armored Titan in Gold Armor that was seen."

The old man grumbled as he tapped his pen at his desk. "Tell them, it was meant to be a spoiler for Season 5."

"But, we already told them that Season 4 will be the last!" the butler decried.

The old man waved a hand. "Tell them anyway. A petition demanding the release of Season 5 will increase publicity and sell more merchandise."

"I thought you said you were going to retire?" asked Athena as she sat next to her grandfather, eating a pink mochi that he had bought for her when she told him that they would stop by. "You need to take care of your health."

The old man sighed. When he took in Athena and Aiolos, he was so nervous about Sanctuary that he spared no expense in lining many areas with stardust, knowing it was one of the few materials that could drain a Saint's cosmos and leave them weak. Through his carelessness, he nearly lost his life. But many scientists who worked for him were not so lucky. "Old habits die hard. I've been working for my own grandfather since I was a child, fetching him materials he needed."

Her small hand reached over and touched his. "I don't want you to die. You need to have someone in place until I come to age."

The old man turned to her. He loved her, but sometimes even the world's richest man can be stubborn. "I'll think about it."

The Secretary ran inside and bowed before the family. "Mr. Kido, Miss Kido, the restorer has an update on the painting in question."

Athena nodded before she used her cosmos to summon her two Golds to the basement level of the building. She waited a moment as her grandfather took his time to stand up before they followed her to the destination.

Once they reached the room, an old Japanese man with thick glasses while a french woman stood there waiting patiently for their audience while Galan sat to the side watching the process.

Athena turned her head as the elevator beeped once more, before Aiolia, his curly blond hair twisted in every direction while Saga's face, covered in a mixture of purple and green bruises stepped out quietly and headed toward them.

Oddly enough, their meeting actually went better than expected.

"What did you find?" asked Athena as she clutched her hands in nervousness.

The woman stepped forward. "We tried to speed up the process by using x-rays. Unfortunately, there is some sort of mineral within the paint that was affecting the scans."

"Stardust," muttered Kido. He knew because his scientists had studied the material for years.

The man nodded. "We believe so. However, what we did scan, we do know there is something underneath. We predict that if we focused on those areas and due to the age and the unknown material used for the paint, we believe we can safely remove enough layers in about three weeks."

At that moment, Saga felt his heart being sucked . "Three weeks!?" He felt so dizzy, and it wasn't because he ate a flaming fish ball or from the ten concussions he sustained from the Leo. Aiolos had no more than four weeks.

Aiolia drew his hands to his pale face. He may have been outside of the loop, but even he was struck hard by the news.

They were placing his brother's soul in the belief that the answer to all of this, was from a simple children's story.

At that moment, he just couldn't take it anymore and just turned his head and broke down crying.

Galan walked over and clutched the Leo as he did from long ago. "I know, but we can't lose faith."

But Aiolia couldn't barely breathe. "My brother…." he muttered. When Aiolos first came to him, he thought of killing him to end his suffering from being crippled. Now he wondered if he would have to do the same to end his suffering from the curse.

If what was said was true, it would only leave a week left to solve the curse afterwards.

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

? ? ?

Ares studied the view of the archer who was now in his Inner Chambers laying down. It was normal at this point in the curse. The user is exhausted and tries to rest.

The figure turned to his Master. "You said you want to speed up his usage of mental barriers. What will you do?"

"His heart seems lonely. Much more now that his brother's family will expand. He still has old memories of his old love, let's draw them out."

"Sounds a bit pleasant. So which old love will you choose?"

"Whichever he chooses. No sudden death or betrayal...but I will interrupt it... right before he finishes it." He waited patiently before snapped his finger and caused Aiolos to sit up. The man has been conditioned to be frightened of his dreams at night, so it is no surprise that any hint of unease causes him to wake up. There in the corner, a servant is carefully collecting the laundry. "Now Aiolos, go...fuck them…"

The figure turned. "Will he do it?"

Ares shrugged his broad shoulders."If he doesn't, he will use another mental barrier. If he does go and perform the deed, shame will overcome him and make him easier to break down further."

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

Aiolos clawed at his own face, his eyes glowing red. Goddess why is he thinking like this.

You're a handsome young man. You have many things that anyone would want. Go on, they won't resi-

At that moment, Aiolos grabbed the nearby bottle and struck his own head with it, cutting his head and hand in the process.

"Your Holiness!" gasped the servant as a massive amount of blood pooled out. "GUARDS! QUICKLY!" She spoke as the archer's face was growing extremely pale.

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

? ? ?

The figure gasped in shock. "How did he do that? How could he resist?"

Ares folded his arms, studying what just happened. "He didn't...it's just that unlike Saga… his heart draws more toward a less physical means of love." It didn't help that he was older now and past that stage driven by hormones and puberty.

"Hmm, so that explains why he hasn't invited prostitutes over to fulfill his needs." Sex had always been a powerful weapon. So primal and ingrained within all. "So what do you plan on doing now?"

Ares folded his arms. "He values camaraderie and friendship…. So let's make sure everyone in the Twelve Houses are…' friends'."

28 DAYS UNTIL AIOLOS GOES PERMANENTLY INSANE

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

Coming October 25-30ish

The painting reveals an important detail and Aiolia confronts his brother after a bizarre trip to the woods and a strange meeting with some oddly happy Gold Saints.

Author's Notes: Just like all my stories, I tend to include a fairly goofy chapter. Originally the fight between Saga and Aiolia was meant to be bigger, but the outline made it more difficult. So I cut it down from the original vision and had Aiolia dare him to eat a super spicy fish ball.

Every chapter in the Gemini section is based on a song. Most of the time it goes over the tops of readers, but this one is probably the most obvious.

Hope you guys enjoy. Read and review, I appreciate it.

Jenny