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?

43. Gem6G: STOP! In the Name of(LHeart V)

November 6 Author's note: I would like to offer a small apology. I originally updated several days ago, but for some reason, the website was not allowing newer submissions. In fact, when I did manage to get it uploaded, the chapter would mysteriously delete at random. When I tried to update my profile to explain the issue, that would also delete.

I decided to wait until the problem resolves before I tried again. It is a long, but important chapter. If anything, I hope it serves as a distraction from all the madness that's going on right now.

ONE YEAR AGO

KIDO FOUNDATION YARD

Aiolos took a deep breath, embracing the air. After several days of rain, the harsh weather subsided allowing for him to teach his lessons outside once again. He watched as the Japanese trainees found a spot before he set his brakes on the wheelchair and slid down. After folding his legs so that he matched the indian position of the others, he reached his hand out. "Alright Geki, toss it to me, and let's see what questions you all have this week," the archer spoke.

The large child nodded as he tossed it over to the Greek.

Aiolos turned toward the Hello Kitty bank in his hands. It was something that Shion used to do with him and the others back in Sanctuary. They were encouraged to write on pieces of paper and insert questions into a fancy wooden box located in the House of Libra. Since nobody knew who asked what, it allowed them to inquire over all sorts of things from the mundane to things that the old Lemurian would simply refer to as "wait until you're older'. Since it felt like the only one who asked anything was Shiryu and Athena was about to toss the bank in the trash, he thought this would be a way to encourage the others to participate more. He pulled the bottom and grabbed several sheets of paper. "Hmmm," He paused for a moment. He asked the kids to write in Greek since that will be the method their teachers use when they go for the Cloths, but of course, a few will do it in Japanese. He studied the characters carefully before a burst of small laughter followed. "Why do you always stick your finger in your water before you drink it?" He smiled. It amazed him the strange stuff the kids noticed about adults. "Where I used to live, we didn't have plumbing. So my job was to fetch water from the river. For the most part, it was fine and clean, but we still boiled it. When I learned how to harness my cosmos better, I found out that I can save hours of work by using my cosmos to sterilize it."

"We have indoor plumbing. It does all of that for you," Hyoga muttered in his dry stoic tone.

"Old habit." Was all the archer can say before he moved to the next question. "Oh, this one is good: If Sanctuary is considered a fortress, why is it that each section is called a House and not a Fort?" Aiolos gazed at the impeccable handwriting and the tone and could tell that the question came from Shiryu. "It's based on Astrology. Sanctuary not only protects mankind, but it also represents it. In astrology, each House represents a different aspect of man and when lined up, it represents the various stages of man. In fact, our personalities are based on each of our Houses."

"What would mine be?" Geki suddenly blurted out.

"You're a Taurus, so yours would be The House of Value. So you tend to focus on security, ethics, and self-esteem."

"WHAT'S MINE!?" cried Seiya as he shouted before everyone else began to ask as well.

Aiolos raised his hands. "Woah, one at a time! Okay, Seiya, we're both The House of Journeys. We feel like we can't stay in one spot while maintaining an optimistic outlook of the world." The archer scratched the back of his head, realizing it was almost ironic since he's in a wheelchair now. "Back then...I flew where I could and it always felt I was always on my feet going back and forth."

Seiya can sense the awkwardness too. "Well, I'm glad you got that one, otherwise you wouldn't be here in Japan!"

The archer smiled back. Goddess, Seiya was always his favorite student, and it was not just because they shared the same sign. "Me too."

"I bet Shun's is Love!" laughed Ichi.

But Aiolos shook his head no. "Nope, he's a Virgo so he would be the House of Health. That one focuses on helping others both physically, mentally, and even spiritually."

The greenie grinned. "I would like to be a doctor," he shyly spoke. "So who is love? Is it Pisces?"

"No, it's not, Shun. Actually, the House of Love is under Leo, like your brother and mine," he spoke as he pointed toward Ikki causing nearly everyone to burst into laughter.

"Me?" gasped the dumbfounded Ikki.

"Oh yeah, Ikki is...love!" snickered Ichi before he burst into full out laughter.

But Shun didn't laugh at all, in fact, he was quite proud. "I think it describes him perfectly. Ikki is the most loving broth-"

"Shun...not in front of everyone!" the eight-year-old harshly whispered as he felt his cheeks turn a shade of pink.

"Doesn't your brother hate you, Aiolos?" spoke Hyoga, causing everyone to grow silent. The future Swan Saint shifted his eyes toward the side. "I can feel his cosmos. He's watching us again. If he's the House of Love, he's not really showing it."

Aiolos nodded. "Yeah...I feel it too." A couple of years ago, not long after he woke up, he returned briefly to Greece and told Aiolia exactly where he was at, since then, it seemed like Aiolia was always watching from a distance, sometimes he tried to hide it, other times he would feel his brother burn it irregularly as if to cause him discomfort, to let him know he'll kill him at any moment. He didn't tell the children until they become better at analyzing the cosmos around and became more sensitive to Aiolia's presence. "He's...been through a lot."

"You should just talk to him!" spoke Seiya in his blunt manner.

Aiolos sighed again before he looked up. "I do want to...but even though I want it, I'm not sure if he's ready. If he wanted to kill me, he's had plenty of opportunities. He has one now. I can't run, and unless I had my bow, fighting back is like him coming at me with a truck with my only counter being a pillow." He didn't want to say, but another reason is that a fight will draw Sanctuary...who knew what they would do with the other trainees and Athena. "Aiolia may even have his own reasons. Maybe he's worried about being caught by Sanctuary or maybe he's acting as a spy.

If he comes down to talk, I'll be here….

If he kills me...whatever demons I caused...I hope it at least brings him peace."

Ikki felt a little bad, and so he felt it was up to him to speak up. "He's not going to kill you. I've seen how you talk about Aiolia… and if you kept telling me your bond with him is a lot like Shun and mine's, I don't care if Sanctuary would demand it. I don't care if the whole world depended on it, I would never think of ending my brother's life. I don't think he could either."

"Nii-san!" swooned Shun.

Aiolos turned his head and smiled.

Ikki

To many around, he was just a kid who thought with his fists to the point that the Kido Foundation thought he was the best choice to send to Death Queen Island, a place so horrible that the worse criminals out there are denied execution and are instead sent to stay and survive there for a week. Beneath the surface, was an intelligent child who was constantly underestimated in that regard. In fact, he saw himself in Ikki, especially since everyone dismissed him as a son as a foot soldier. The fact that Ikki has to take care of his little brother was a bit haunting. Perhaps it is why he did his best to ensure Ikki never fell into what Saga termed as a "mother hen". But regardless, he won't allow the future Phoenix to be sent to such a horrible place and become what many survivors of Death Queen Island become: monsters.

From afar, there was an old unoccupied building that was once a restaurant. Nobody bought it for years since there was so much mold that the only solution was to demolish it. The problem was that it was located next to the Kido Foundation and Mitsumasa Kido despised construction so much that he was threatening to sue anyone who disturbed his peace.

Aiolia leaned against the wall so many times that he left a small outline in the dust. He sipped a green can of...something...unsure what it was since the writing was in Japanese. From here he could see everything and hear as well. When Aiolos first told him where he was, his intention was to make his older brother live through the nightmarish hell of always being watched, the idea that he could be killed at any moment.

But that wasn't what happened. Instead, his brother simply sat there, as if daring him to. Not only that, but Aiolos just continued his life there, giving him the occasional head turn in his direction to acknowledge his existence.

Aiolia wanted Aiolos to feel his pain over the last five years, but instead, as his older brother interacted with the Japanese trainees and used the old lessons that he used to teach him the cosmos.

His head darted as he heard a burst of laughter. He watched his older brother surrounding the kids. It was painful.

Because it was just like his life before everything went wrong. Every day he came determined to kill him… he just couldn't.

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

PRESENT

21 DAYS UNTIL PAINTING REVEALED

28 DAYS UNTIL AIOLOS GOES PERMANENTLY INSANE

KIDO FOUNDATION

Saga shut his eyes. They've reached as far as they could with the curse, now they have to wait the longest fucking three weeks of their lives for the results of the painting. It was a picture that was dated all the way back during the first Holy War that featured the smiling Athena standing over the kneeling Pegasus Saint in the Pope's Chambers holding her scepter in her hand with half of the room covered in black paint to resemble a dark shadow. However, this contrasted with another image of the same scene featuring the Goddess holding a Golden Dagger with the Pegasus standing with his fists tightened. It is clear that the large painting was not only censored but had some extra details that could help clear up what to do next in regards to the curse.

But it was a tedious process. The two Golds watched as the restoration artists with tools that resembled instruments needed to give a mouse brain surgery were being utilized, gently removing the thick black paint while taking care not to ruin the details underneath.

Aiolia knew he had to leave soon, but he needed to know if the Gemini was indeed sincere in taking up the tall order of restoring Aiolos' reputation. "Have you thought of anything?"

Saga nodded. The truth was, his mind was spinning since the roof.

It was a tricky situation. One would think: Oh, have the Goddess walk up and simply say that Aiolos didn't do it and forgive all those involved.

No, it's not as simple as one thinks.

Declaring Aiolos was not a traitor means that the rest of the Golden Zodiac will be labeled as liars or idiots for allowing all of this to happen for five years. Mu could even be seen as a coward who ran away from the Vanguard rather than admit the truth.

While they themselves aren't worried for their safety, if the past was to go by, the people will go after the servants and guards. Children don't even get a free pass either. Aiolia probably would've been dead long ago had Saga not kept him locked up in Sanctuary until some of the heat died down.

Mentioning the curse would make things worse.

The curse may excuse him, but those like Aphrodite who didn't say anything...for helping out with covering up the murders would mean either execution or losing his Cloth.

The idea that Athena could wave her hand and everyone is absolved from guilt is a childish fantasy.

There will be some fallout after this. Many are dead and missing and someone has to take the blame.

However, with careful thought, it can be mitigated. Even if the best solution involves him being the one to accept the blame, so be it. "Right now, Aiolos reputation is depicted as if all evidence points to him being the traitor. Smear campaigns where every tale and portrayal was unleashed to the point that everyone thinks he sneers more than he smiles. The people only had my word when I was impersonating the Pope. Reversing Aiolos' reputation will require reversing how he is perceived prior. In fact, if we examine general law cases, the good lawyers, who faced similar burdens of trying to prove their client is innocent, do the same. They will gradually release tidbits that point otherwise. I shall do the same."

"Like what?"

"Did anyone see Aiolos bring a false baby?" Saga shook his head and watched the Leo light up. "If he intended to replace Athena with a fake one, where did he put the false Athena at? In his pants? Of course not. He came to the Pope's Chambers empty-handed. He doesn't have any abilities that allow him to teleport a baby nor powers of illusion. Which means…"

"...The only baby he had was the real thing,'' Leo said as if he had discovered the fountain of youth. Everyone around Rodario was so convinced that the child in his brother's arms was a fake… including him after a while.

"But it will take more than that." Saga raised a finger. In Astrology, the House of Gemini symbolized Arts and Communication. "Having Athena say a speech only makes people hear. We want the people to think… but to think of the things we want them to. It is a delicate act...we want them to think enough to shift their beliefs of Aiolos as a traitor, but not too much or they may question every other Gold. That is how politics work. One must sow the seeds in order to sway the public for later. If you want people to feel safer in the city, you have others praise the security of the main square for a few months. If you want the people to love another country, you send whispers of how great it is. In short, we must shift the public perception. Once there are enough decries...we can create enough demand for the people of Rodario to demand a...reevaluation of the night in question."

Aiolia's eyes were glued to the Gemini."...and then?"

Saga took a deep breath, trying his best not to shatter the cub's hopes. Instead, he clasped his hands and rested them upon his forehead. "I'm not sure."

Aiolia's face shifted, his teeth exposed. "You're not sure!?"

Saga flashed his cosmos to silence the cub and convince him to calm down. "I'm saying I'm not sure, not as if I don't have a plan at that point...but it is a very delicate process and I must be able to gauge the public before we make the next move," he elegantly motioned with his hand. "You must think of this situation as a cross between a grand debate… and an elegant dance...I must read the public...gauge their tension and thoughts…" the Gemini punctuated before he began to orate as if he was speaking to the world itself. "Too much, and the people will feel as if Aiolos' innocence is being forced...too little will dramatically delay the results. I must research every which way any arguments will lead and like a gardener, I will examine how each branch shall grow upon the bush and ensure that it is pruned to grow in the way I desire. It is one thing to blow the gentle tuft of the dandelion...it is another to decide where each seed lands... "

The Leo rolled his eyes at the amount of Gemi-ham before him. "Okay...I get it!" He raised his hands in surrender. "Do what you have to. As long as my brother's name is finally clear that is all that matters."

Saga shrugged his shoulders. "I will...but proving Aiolos' innocence won't matter as much if the curse consumes him."

Athena watched the two. She was confident that the two wouldn't go after the other, now that they had a chance to blow off steam on the roof, but still, the glares that the two gave each other hinted an uneasy and unspoken truce. But this was how learning to get along starts, not with some grand apology...but by the simple act of learning to tolerate each other's presence. For those two, they managed to accomplish having a serious discussion without throwing a punch at each other despite the past, which in itself is a step toward the path of finding peace.

Galan kept turning to the window. "Aiolia, Geist isn't going to be stuck in the Philippines forever," he spoke referring to the place that Saga Another Dimensioned her at.

The Leo turned back to the painting. It almost felt like the people doing the work hadn't moved an inch. This was going to be the longest three weeks of his life...even more so than the two weeks prior to when he and the others retook Sanctuary. "What are you going to do?" he asked Saga.

It was so strange, for the Gemini, he was so attuned with cramming every second toward finding the mystery of the curse that the concept that he may actually have free time felt foreign.

No, it wasn't free time and as exhausted as his search for answers was for him, he still must return to the grind, albeit in a different way. "The Archive has my official declaration as well as the testimonies of witnesses. I will dabble in that...but…" Saga paused and his dark eyes met Aiolia's.

The Leo understood. While the idea that Saga was forced to sleep in the mud for a few weeks warmed his blood, the Gemini must remain undisturbed for his brother's sake. "Make some noise in Crete and I will send everyone there away from Delphi. Is there anything in the Pope's Chambers?"

But Saga gave a sharp hand wave as if unleashing Excalibur itself. "It doesn't matter if there is or not! The best thing you can do is maintain the status quo. You are going to be the loving little brother. When you get to the chambers to report, you will throw some furniture because the handsome bastard you sought out has slipped from your paws...but you absolutely must act normal as if everything is perfectly fine."

"Are you serious? How can I act normal if my brother is under Ares or whatever devil the curse brought!?" he screamed so loud that the work paused upon the painting.

Saga felt his own temper being tested. This was the exact reason why he didn't feel comfortable telling the cub earlier.

"Because the devil is always watching… or at least that was my impression based on my own experiences. Anything I did, secret or not, I always had this sensation that something was looking over my shoulder.

The devil is always careful...knowing when to press his influence and grant a sensation of comfort and control….before he pulls back the curtain to reveal the strings attached to every limb upon one's body."

Aiolia felt a bit of skepticism. "Oh yes, the devil made you throw parties… sounds like he's just awful."

Now it was Saga's turn to turn a shade of red. The problem was, the devil did have parties… but at the same time… he also gave into temptation at times since it felt like the only way to cope. "Let me make this quick...you won't understand unless you actually go through it. Outside influences play a big part too. Kanon knew this...he even used it to his advantage by attempting to commit treason through me."

Aiolia's face wrinkled. "What are you talking about? Treason!? Kanon's never been charged for treason!"

Saga felt his face darken more. "I know...because if he was charged...he would've been executed..."

Aiolia stared hard and turned to Galan. "Is that why Kanon is missing?"

Finally, the cub stopped treating him as if he had stored his little brother in a freezer. "Yes, it was." Saga turned his head away. "I would rather not talk about it." Honestly, there wasn't enough time. "Right now as long as he isn't doing something stupid like plotting to take over the world again… my twin is the least of my concerns. The point is that we don't want the curse to retaliate...you've already felt five years of that when Shion spoke to me of his knowledge of its existence." he watched Aiolia's fist tightened. "It's for THREE weeks. That's it." Saga had an aching feeling that the sun would turn blue before Leo would somehow make it through the twenty-one days without doing anything to raise suspicion within Aiolos. "Remember...he's done something to the foot soldiers with those crimson arrows and then some...maybe every one of the other Gold Saints."

Aiolia took a deep breath. "Goddess, that painting better be worth it," the Leo's jaw clenched, but relaxed it a bit. He turned his head. "Galan, come on, let's go back home."

The servant looked up. Aiolia wasn't smiling, but he knew it had to do with the Gemini's present. But he's watched over the Leo for years and while he won't say it, he knew any time his eyebrows twitched like whiskers while he talked, it was a sign that he was quite excited.

"I'm sorry, my Leo. He's not coming…." Athena spoke as she turned to her two Golds. "...I will come with you back to Sanctuary."

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

Gemini: Defying Gravity

6G: STOP! In The Name of Love (Lionheart V)

BOLD: Cursed Mode

BOLD and Italicized: Ares

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

POPE'S CHAMBERS

Victor couldn't believe he was in this place. He was one of the few who went to Delphi for formal education in medicine yet chose to work in Rodario due to a girl he fell in love with wanting to stay in the small village. Normally, he was treating tourists, typically for snake bites or stepping on some rusty broken equipment and requiring a Tetanus shot. Sometimes, it was much more serious like a few wandering toward the rock quarry and taking a tumble and leading to a few broken bones.

Today, it almost felt like a dream since the one that summoned him was His Holiness himself. He thought it was perhaps some older servant or something, but no, he was holding the hand of the most powerful man in Sanctuary and stitching his palm too. Sure he couldn't see him due to the helmet and mask, but there were some things he could pick out. For one, the lack of wrinkles and warm tanned skin definitely indicated a young man in contrast to the supposedly centuries-old he's heard rumors about. But one key thing was that the calluses on his hand were thick. They were so hard that he actually bent the needle a bit when trying to thread it through the skin to stitch up the large gash that stretched from his pointer finger to near the top of his wrist. They also say you can tell who is a Saint and who wasn't judging by their hands, and it was clear this one must have trained quite a bit. He asked the Pope if he should just ask one of his own to just use the cosmos, but he was clearly hellbent on the more traditional manner. After finding the perfect angle and using a whetstone in between each puncture, he was able to start sewing the slash together.

He pushed the tip into the skin and watched the man's shoulders shift. "Are you sure you don't want any morphine?"

"No, it's fine," Aiolos muttered trying to hide back the pain.

The medic looked up, sensing the sorrow in the voice. "Are you sure? It will hurt less and the worse is that you'll be a bit sleep-"

"NO!" Aiolos snapped. In fact, it was that very side effect that made him hesitate. "Sorry...forgive me. Just tired."

"No need to apologize, Your Holiness. Plenty of people choose to avoid pain medication. My girlfriend, when she was giving birth, chose this with our son," he chuckled, as he cleaned some blood with a gentle cloth to be able to see his work. "I told her there was no shame in an epidural. But she insisted. Of course, by the time she changed her mind, it was a bit too late. She said if we have a second child, she wasn't going to...

…

…

…

…

...

Aiolos looked down and suddenly realized that the stitching was not only complete, but a splint was wrapped around it. "Victor?" Murmured the archer, before he felt a bit of relief to see the one who took care of him was safe and sound and merely cleaning his tools. "Victor, could you look at me?" Aiolos spoke before the man from Delphi turned his head, his green eyes remaining the same color.

"Are you alright, Your Holiness?" the man asked. "No dizziness?"

Aiolos shook his head. "Oh no, I was just thinking of so many other things that I lost track of what was going on." He looked down. It was a last-minute idea he had where if he could injure himself, perhaps he could stop himself from doing something terrible. Can't fire a bow with a single hand.

….Goddess….does he honestly have to resort to this?

"It was good talking with you, Your Holiness. Make sure to keep it clean. Do you want me to speak with any of your servants in order to help you?"

But Aiolos shook his head. "Actually, I asked all of them that after you leave, that they take a...couple of months off….I think..." he muttered the last part, hoping that those orders actually made it past his lips.

Victor bit his lip. "Your Holiness, with all due respect. I think it is best you at least have a couple around or at least some of your papel guards. The Oxycodone that you asked for is a very powerful painkiller and you're...

…

…

…

…

…

…

Aiolos felt his body jerk. While he was being treated he heard some birds and now there were crickets. He looked down. His blood-stained robes had been changed into a set of clean ones. He turned toward his hand to see the splint still there but loosely tied back almost as if to mock him. He knew how much his hand ached and how deep the cut was. Now he felt nothing. He pulled the material off and revealed his clean palm with red all over. But the red was not his blood. It had a sparkle. He knew he was using the crimson arrows once more.

He removed his mask for a moment and began to breathe deep and heavy. He took the splint and turned to the wall and tossed it, hearing it echo in the room as if performing some amateurish test to ensure that where he was is real…

...and not another nightmare.

His head stared at the pathetic piece of wood and cloth before several steps echoed in the hallway not too far. One was Paz's, her's being easy to recognize since they sounded quite light. She seemed quick and excited. Did Aiolia bring Saga back?

Aiolos closed his eyes to sense the cosmos before widening. A mixture of happiness and fear came about.

He threw his mask back on and turned to see his guard come forth and immediately knelt down. "Your Holiness, I have wonderful news-"

The archer turned his head and gestured to pause. "Yes...I know…. Tell them, I will be there in a little bit." He turned his head toward his cane. Just like how Saga had left bottles laying around to test if he was moving around due to the curse, his observations made him realize he could do the same thing with that. He always carefully set his stick at a certain angle with the top of the ram head always facing the sun during the day and the north star at night. If the cane was used, it was always in the right spot, but never in the correct direction. In a way, it taught him simple mundane things that seemed to slip the curse, indicating that while it felt like it controlled everything, there were limits. However, reading his emotions and desires, or as Saga referred to as reading one's heart, were one area it seemed to have a firm clasp on.

He grabbed the object and hobbled a bit. In some ways, he missed his wheelchair. The cane was slow to the point that he arranged his schedule specifically based on travel. However, Shaka asked him to strengthen his walking abilities in order for the Virgo to continue healing him. In terms of therapy, they had plateaued. In a way, Aiolos had to try to walk with what the Virgo healed before they could move further with the treatment.

It was a Catch 22...but that was life.

Honestly, it felt like he would do anything to just simply be able to walk once more.

Aiolos could already hear Paz running back to who knows where. Right now, he had convinced the child to eat dinner with him...but only because he promised her he would take her to look in the sky to check on the Gemini Constellation. Other than the required events, he didn't see her much. However, she does at least wave hi if the two pass each other, so while progress was slow, it was progress nonetheless.

He came closer and gasped as the outline of the trio became clearer. One was his brother. The other was Geist.

…Why the hell did Saga pick Geist after him? He was a good boyfriend and yet Saga had to follow up and nearly marry her of all people.

His eyes traveled in between the two Saints.

Right in the center, was the one who normally would bring to him endless joy, but right now, endless guilt.

"Athena…" he whispered. "Oh Goddess, why are you here?" he thought to himself as he took his cane, leaned upon it in order to bow to her. As per tradition, when the Pope bows to Athena, everyone else does in accordance. It should be a happy time, yet his heart was ravaged by fear and anxiety. Especially since his first action after being cursed was that his arrow had struck her in the throat.

Unintentional… yes.

But that was the thing. He was taught the moment he stepped into the House of Sagittarius the dangers of the bow, and to be eternally mindful of firing it.

That was when he felt her arms for the first time in months. Suddenly, as if a dark shadow was lifted, as if he felt like he was in control, her cosmos burned near him, and he felt the light of her once more.

He felt free.

He felt fine.

Almost like the curse didn't exist.

Was this the same sensation Saga felt the moment she came close to him?

Was this why Saga tried to take the opening and end his own life?

"You shouldn't be here," the archer spoke.

But Athena shook her head. "I'm home. I'm staying with you."

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

? ? ?

The figure turned toward another frightened teen in the corner. The figure reached down and stroked the black curls of the teen's head and shook his own. "Always the frightened rabbit you are." The figure then turned to Ares, sensing a heavy shift in his cosmos. The figure stepped forward and gasped at the sudden turn of events. "He didn't bring back Saga, it seems." He looked up. "Aren't you happy that you have Athena within sight once more?"

But the red in Ares' eyes merely gleamed brighter...

...redder…

The God stared at the Leo in the viewing globe. He watches as he shouted, kicking a chair and cursing the Gemini's name and swearing that he will drag him by his blue hair and cut off every lock when he finds Saga. One may be convinced it was true frustration, however, Ares can see the archer's heart, and knows that Aiolos, more attuned to his brother's bouts of rage, doesn't believe him, seeing it as more of an act.

The figure can see uneasiness and tries his best to grant him peace. "Master...Atthena can't leave the Chambers… no one will carry her out this time around," he spoke trying to soothe his cosmos.

His words do nothing for the God of War. "Metis was the Titan Goddess of Wisdom and Cunning. It was she who crafted the plan that caused Kronus to regurgitate the children he swallowed thus forming the Greek Pantheon and later brought victory to my father, Zeus, in the Titan War. Zeus fell in love with Metis and she nearly became his Queen before my mother, Hera. However, a prophecy was foretold that should they consummate their love, a son would be born and overthrow Zeus. So my father hatched a plan. He decided to challenge Metis into a contest of metamorphism. Metis was no fool and knew it was all a trap. So she played his contest transforming into various animals and elements. After she transformed into a fly, Zeus asked her to transform into something smaller. So she does...and turns into a droplet of water.

She allows Zeus to swallow her.

She allowed herself to be put into danger.

He, the God of Thunder, a force who controlled the most powerful element in the world, he thought he had won.

Instead, from his head out sprouted…

...Athena. Not only was she as wise as her mother, but now she was clad in armor." Ares continued to glare at the viewing globe. "This is no careless mistake. Like her mother before her, there is no such thing. Athena is making her move." Ares quietly watches as he normally did for hundreds of years. His hands, black as ebony, were tense. He does not press his influence upon the archer, for he knew by now that Aiolos has been conditioned to restrain any form of rebuke.

In a way, it was a form of mutual understanding between the God of War and the Sagittarius…leave the little brother alone. Of course, the God of War did.

One one of the twelve falls...they all fall, and so Aiolia's time will be an eventuality.

Ares watched them and all the unimportant events that followed.

Aiolos politely thanked Geist and sent her on her way.

Athena speaks of her grandfather and her fears at how ill he was at this point.

Aiolia passes over a box of ramen that he picked up along with a six-pack of Japanese beer.

For a man who screamed utter hell about losing Saga, he was quite calm now.

It was another sign that the thunderous outrage from earlier was all a ruse.

They pet the large orange cat.

For the God of War, it made him wonder why it seemed the more obese their pets were, the more praise and glory that humans will shower upon them? A cat that exposes its belly as much as it does would've been devoured long ago as a kitten in the wild.

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

The trio sat outside at the balcony and laughed quite a bit. Aiolos chuckled a bit as he held his nearly empty can of beer. "I can't believe you actually got him to eat it. Saga doesn't put any pepper on anything."

Aiolia grinned. "He saw me eat two fishballs at once...we all know that he is never satisfied if someone is able to do something better than him." The Leo chugged the rest of his drink and turned to the sky. It was so late that all the Houses were dark, save for the pathetic flames of the torches for each doorway. He was yawning quite a bit too. If he didn't know about the curse, he would've left a while back, satisfied the Goddess was away from that blue-haired madman. Now he wasn't so sure, wondering if he should make some sort of excuse to stay here.

But Athena could see his hesitation and sought to ensure Aiolia would keep up with the plan:

To keep everything normal.

"Seiya and Marin are probably wondering where you are at," the Goddess urged.

This was so hard, a sensation as if he was leaving her to the wolf. "I'll be back tomorrow." He reached over and squeezed his older brother. "First thing...like the sun…" he muttered.

For Aiolos, the words hit hard, for they were the same ones he used to tell his little brother when he was first trying to leave his little brother alone in the House of Leo when the boy was only three years old. "Stay as long...like the moon…" he whispered back the same ones that Aiolia would tell him long ago. He watched the Leo slowly walk away, taking a long time, feeling his heart racing with each step that faded until the familiar echo of the side door passage came about. "Athena...the curse...I…AGGH!" he gritted his teeth as his body felt like an eruption of fire, his eyes beginning to shift red, his hair switching between the deep chestnut color to an ash grey.

"AIOLOS!" Athena grabbed his hand and her cosmos flared with a gentle warmth.

The archer felt his eyes return back to blue, his hair returning back to its normal color along with the state of his mind. Everything was clear once more. No more fogginess, as if he was free of it.

But he knew it was only temporary.

"Athena...I'm so sorry about earlier...I...don't want to hurt you…"

But Athena continued to burn her cosmos. "I know...it was an accident... And nothing more.."

Aiolos took a deep breath, feeling his old self returning back. Athena's cosmos eased while her hand pulled away. But the moment she parted, the fire erupted even greater than before, causing the Sagittarius to push his body away from the table and tumble to the floor. "Athena..." he tried to tell her to run away but felt the words would not leave.

She ran over and grabbed his palm and used her cosmos once more. "Aiolos...I won't allow you to suffer…"

Yes...you will.

The Goddess' eyes widened in horror as a voice… as deep as a void echoed in her head. "Are you Ares?" she called out.

I am. It only took you several centuries and reincarnations to figure that out.

She didn't expect this to happen. Her head turned as she used her cosmos to fight off the curse within the Sagittarius. "Ares… what do you want? Leave him alone!"

Aiolos took a few deep breaths before he screamed once more, his eyes shifting red and his hair turning grey.

Athena's cosmos glowed so brightly that it was like morning had come, causing the archer's features to return back to normal. "Stop it! I won't let you!" she screamed half in determination, but also as a plea.

His head felt like it was on fire and he could tell that her cosmos was not alleviating his influence. What was Ares doing? Was he going to repeat the events and attempt to kill her as Saga did long ago? That was when he closed his eyes and invoked one of two mental blocks he had left, causing the fire to ease in his mind. "Athena, run away…" he waved his weakened hand and tried to pull away. "ATHENA GO!" he cried out. Aiolos felt his head throbbing. "Athena...please...don't worry about me...I'M FINE!" he spoke as the flimsy mental block was broken and his eyes were shifting red and blue… flickering between the two.

"STOP IT, ARES!" Athena called out. "IF YOU THINK I WOULD ABANDON THE ONE WHO SAVED ME YOU ARE MISTAKEN!"

I don't care what happens to him. I never did other than the joy of his anguish upon you.

Look at him, Athena. Your resistance is not helping… but "hurting" him. Aiolos does not have the mental training as Saga. The act of you forcing your cosmos to repel me while I fight back in his mind is like trying to drag a toddler into an Olympic Marathon. His brain can only handle so much.

Let go Athena… he won't die…

.

.

.

.

.

...you'll just send him into another coma.

Athena gasped, as old memories of machines and wires attached to the dying Sagittarius came about. His body laying on the bed like an insect on a web. Her visits and endless prayers, the music she played, the shows she watched with him, begging him to wake up for two years.

The bright warm cosmos of Athena snuffed out… leaving the two in complete darkness. She lowered her head, feeling the first sensation of crushing defeat. The gentle hand that once held her as a baby began to clamp down like a vice, his eyes shifting red, his hair now grey as ash. "Aiolos…" she whispered. "Whatever you do...I will never show resentment. I'm glad I got to spend the last six years with you," she spoke with sincerity, without an ounce of fear. In fact, she takes her arms and spreads them out, as if ready for whatever will come.

Aiolos' eyes glowed red...the curse reading his heart.

It only takes a mere sliver of anger for it to twist his heart to kill… but there was none.

It cannot twist any urges that weren't there.

He will guard her with his life.

But there was the fear that others may hurt her!

He will not allow anyone to dare touch her.

Athena will always be safe with him.

He takes her hand and pulls her up. He grabbed his cane and pulled her down the hall.

Athena doesn't resist. In fact, she keeps in step.

The Pope's Chambers were far larger than anyone expected, especially the Inner Chambers. The two traveled for several minutes until they reached a crystal door. It was a place covered in stardust, built to prevent anyone from using their cosmos. Due to how secluded it was and the inability to send messages through the cosmos, it was a place that was infamous for those of Sanctuary to simply forget there was anyone there in the first place. It was supposed to be reserved for Saga.

Cursed Aiolos grabbed the door and pulled it open, where Athena quietly walked inside without resistance.

*SLAM

High above, Paz watched everything from afar, taking care to stay out of sight. "Oh no…" she muttered, her hands trembling.

The small girl from Chile could hear the cane tap against the steps. She ran back into her room and jumped into her bed, throwing the cover back over her, clutching the wooden headband forged by the thorns of Aphrodite's roses, that would at least knock out the Sagittarius, assuming she could actually strike him fast enough. It was so dark in there. Her eyes widened as the red illuminated gaze stopped at the crack of her door. Her body trembled so much she was ready to wet the bed when the door was calmly closed shut.

A sigh of relief filled her as she heard the taps of the cane echo away from her. From there, she waited long after the taps ceased before she cracked her door open once more and began to make her way down the long passage back to Athena.

She reached the door and jumped high enough to grab the ledge before pulling her body up to see the Goddess calmly rolling out the blankets and an old pillow. "Athena!" Paz whispered as her legs dangled freely in the air.

"Paz!" whispered the Goddess as she spotted her doppelganger. "What are you doing?"

The two were only friends for a week. It may not be very long, but the thing was… she was still her only friend she ever had besides Saga and her stuffed owl. "I'm going to get you out!" she cried before she dropped down and began to desperately fiddle with the lock.

"Paz, stop!"

The little girl looked up confused. She jumped once and missed the bars before trying again and pulling herself back. "You saw him! His eyes are red! Saga said when his eyes are red he is too dangerous and I have to stay away!" she pleaded, wiggling her tiny feet so much that a slipper fell.

But the Goddess understood her fear. After all, she probably witnessed more in the last few years than most soldiers did. But as much as Paz's heart was, she was just a normal eight-year-old...and eight-year-olds do not have the foresight that she would. The two wouldn't even make it past the stairs here. "I chose to come here, Paz. I know it looks scary, but the curse can only affect the heart...and I trust his heart."

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

HOUSE BY THE WOODS

Marin walked over toward the wooden couch where Seiya laid slumped, face flat on the cushion. She took her hand and stroked his warm brown hair. "Sometimes even, brute determination runs out," she chuckled as she thought back to the future Pegasus' pledge to stay up until Aiolia came home. She reached over and laid a crocheted blanket on top of him. "Goodnight...don't expect to get up later for training just because you chose to stay up for so long," she whispered. Pregnant or not, when she said warm-ups start at five AM every morning, she meant it too. The Eagle turned downward and touched her stomach, noticing her pants were a little snug. "Who knows how long that will last though," she thought to herself before she went to the bedroom and did her nightly routine.

An hour later, the bedroom door finally opened. "There you are!" the Amazon sighed in relief. That was when she pulled her mask off and gave a sniff. "Oh...I guess things either went really well or really bad...which is it?" she asked, recognizing the familiar scent of booze on him. "Did you finally get him?" she giggled in reference to Saga.

But Aiolia was not in the mood to joke around. "I'd rather not talk about it," he muttered as he began to peel away his casual clothing until he was completely stripped down before he slid under the cool covers. He turned his head and could see her face, covered in worry. If it was anyone else, he would just let it roll over until morning. But this was Marin...not only that, but he didn't want to stress her out and affect the baby. The problem is, does he tell her the truth? He pulled her over, choosing to just hide it...at least the whole discovering that his brother may be holding a vengeful God. "I got a few swings with Saga… but he got away."

"I'm sorry…" she spoke and despite the fact she was still in today's clothes, she still crawled under the blanket and began to cuddle against him. "Don't worry...you'll get him. It may have been a few swings...but I bet they hurt a lot," she laughed as she stroked his face.

"Yeah…" he whispered before rubbing his own face. It felt strange lying to her like this, but it was important that he acted normal. He already knew that Aiolos and her do keep in touch...mostly with checking up with Seiya. Not only that, but they do it in Japanese. Besides, it was something he only had to maintain for three weeks.

That was when she noticed a slightly uncomfortable look came over him. "What is it?"

"My temper...do you think it is that bad that I need to see...a psychologist?" he spoke.

She wrinkled her lips. "What? Where did this come from?"

Part of it was because the guy that was nuttier than a Butterfinger recommended it. He couldn't say, so instead, he gazed at her harder, hinting that he would rather have an answer.

Marin got the hint. "Look… you went through a lot of stuff. Of course, you're going to be mad about it. However, you have always kept it under control and you've never allowed it to cause you to do something you'd regret."

But Aiolia's eyes saddened, as he finally decided to confess his sin. "That's not true…it was during my House arrest...I punched a guard knowing he didn't have time to use his cosmos to throw up some sort of guard and I…oh Goddess…" the first lesson in the cosmos was learning to reduce rock into dust. "He didn't stand a chance...there was nothing left of him….he was literally reduced to mere paint on the ground."*

*Goldie Tales 1

She resisted the urge to draw her hand to her face. "That was a different time… a stressful time…you didn't do it since, did you?"

"Only because you were there!" He turned his head. "How many times did you have to insert yourself in between me and whoever? Don't you remember what happened when my brother first came back? I was ready to pound his face while he was in a fucking wheelchair and the only reason why he got out of there alive was that you were there to hold me back."

"We weren't completely sure if he was a traitor and being associated with him was a risk."

He felt tears come into his eyes. "What about my birthday? Those soldiers had every right to approach me...they were calm...they didn't even bring up my brother being a traitor...and I still…" He shook his head. He felt like some common foot soldier, getting into a drunken brawl, except he was Saint and he wasn't even drunk.

"You were only in jail for less than a day!"

"We both know, I didn't get out of jail because I didn't do anything wrong. I got out of jail because, just like Deathmask said, I'm the little brother of the Pope. I don't want to repeat that again...and the last thing I want is for our child to be the same way!" Even the Leo was well aware of how he was before everything went wrong. He was good and kind and any kind of mischief he got into with Kanon was at most, harmless. He knew he changed, but he wasn't sure how to go back to the way things were. "….I want to stop...being like that...I don't want you to be the one to break up any future fights especially if you're carrying our-."

Marin raised her hand. "Aiolia...at this point...I don't think you're asking me. To be honest...I'm not sure if it's your temper." She knew how much anguish he went through. At times, she was worried it wouldn't be a mob that killed him. "I think...it is deeper than that. Look, if you want to see a doctor...go ahead. If they say you're fine the way you are, that's good. If they give you medicine or tell you to do something, that's okay too. If you have to take time to see anger management, okay. But I'm not going to love you less or be ashamed because you want to better yourself."

He squeezed her hand and kissed her cheek.

Marin...no matter how bad things got, she always knew what to say.

"Goddess...I'm so lucky…" he spoke as he nuzzled his head into her hair. If she wasn't pregnant already, he would've changed that in a heartbeat.

"Mmm...ditto," she smiled as she rubbed his cheek. "Is there anything else you want to talk about?" she gazed at his semi-sunken eyes and turned downwards and could tell that while his face showed happiness the lower half was not. "You look like you still have a lot on your mind."

He did. His brother was cursed and Athena chose to return back to the Pope's Chambers. No matter how many times Athena told him, Galan, and Saga that she would be fine, the truth was, he wasn't sure if that would be the case. Not only that, but it tore him that the most perfect woman in the world next to him had to be left out...even if it is for three weeks.

"No...everything is fine…"

"When do you think you want to try and get an appointment, Aiolia?"

The Leo bit his lip. "Maybe in a month...I have something I have to focus on first… let's get some sleep since my brother will be coming over tomorrow."

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

THE NEXT DAY

The archer rode his horse past the fields, the chamomile waving back and forth as it had since he was a child. That was when he felt Zephyr suddenly jerk forward and head toward the flowers. "Alright, just a little...but Goddess not too much or else you'll be too fat to get me back at the top." He chuckles a little as the sandy stallion lets out a snort before munching the flowers like a child in front of a candy bar. "That's good eating, isn't it. It's also a great way for tea." That was one thing about the curse. It never seemed to bother him while he was on his horse. Perhaps because there wasn't much it could do back nor spill any secrets. Aiolos smiled a bit, knowing he could speak freely. "You know, the first date I ever had...it was a really fancy restaurant, and he….Saga... was just amazed that you could just drink tea by gathering the flowers and pouring hot water on them. He thought it was the fanciest thing in the world when it was something my mother would do about every lunchtime."*

*The Event5Cb: Aiolos and Saga (Yaoi)

Aiolos turned his head toward the distance and gasped as he stared off at the distance to see Seiya standing there frozen in fear, his eyes wide open.

The child stared hard, his body as rigid as death.

His mouth was slightly parted, his breath heaving louder and louder.

The archer turned his head at the fields watching them sway back and forth. As if this was too pretty.

A bit too perfect.

Aiolos felt his head shook back and forth before he let go and pushed himself off and landed hard on the ground, dust coming all around.

"AIOLOS!"

The archer's eyes widened as the side of his body ached and throbbed. He coughed a bit of dust that brushed against his nose. "Seiya?"

"Are you alright!" the Japanese cried out as he pulled his former trainer up.

Aiolos wiped the dirt and a bit of blood from his lips. "Seiya...are you real?" he muttered.

Seiya gave him a strange look. "Uggh...yeah...why wouldn't I be?"

Aiolos looked back. "What happened earlier? You were just standing there?"

"Because there was a huge bee and it seemed like everywhere I go, it would fly in front of me." squeaked the Japanese. "Don't tell the others or else they won't leave me alone about it!"

Aiolos rolled his eyes and allowed his head to stupidly fall back to the ground in disbelief. Sometimes he wished Seiya was born under a different House.

The future Pegasus looked down. "What about you, you just fell right off your horse."

"I'm fine, I just...I was just hot I guess," Aiolos spoke. The truth was, he wasn't sure what was real anymore. Everything seemed far too nice to be real and the way the Pegasus stood there freaked him out.

As if one moment he will be there alive...the next moment…Another Dimension...

Aiolos took a deep breath. This was reality. "Come on, let's head back to the House. I have a gift for Aiolia."

"Oh cool, can I try it?"

"Seiya, it's not a gift you can eat… in fact you probably won't care much for it."

Inside the kitchen, an Amazon wasn't doing quite too well.

"Aiolia...can you…"

The Leo turned as Marin began to press her hand extremely hard against her mask. "Oh yeah, I'll finish the fish, Rin..." he spoke as he ran over to grab the large knife before Marin blurred out of there to go puke behind the bushes.

Right now, Marin seemed really sensitive to certain smells and fish seemed to be one of them. He scaled each one with ease, before providing perfect fillets since Seiya was a wimp when it came to seeing the whole fish body. He placed the heads and sliced fish into the pot. He dumped the chopped up herbs and dried noodles before he looked down and summoned a low version of lightning plasma, instantaneously shifting it from cold water and fish to a scrumptious soup. "Better than the microwave," the Leo spoke proudly.

His head turned upwards as he spotted his brother riding Zephyr. He waved hello until his hand slowed down as Seiya came into view, sitting behind his brother. Normally, he always found it touching when Seiya and Aiolos would bond...especially since there was a very good chance that he would be the one his brother picked to succeed him. When he spotted the archer grabbing his Sagittarius bow, the Leo felt sick and immediately ran out of the kitchen and headed outside.

Aiolos turned his head as he spotted his younger brother, looking more pale than normal. "Is everything alright?"

Aiolia nodded a bit flimsy. "Oh yeah, things are great….just…" He turned his head trying to figure out what to say. Goddess, he was told to act like normal and one day later he was already fucking that up. Then a loud noise like a dying dog being slowly crushed with its intestines coming out of its mouth echoed in the woods. "Marin's having morning sickness…" he laughed and watched his brother do the same. Never thought his girlfriend puking her brains off was going to come in handy.

"Well go help her!" Aiolos turned his head. "Go to the lemon tree and squeeze some juice in a cup. Mix it with some water, warm it a little… not too hot because you can always adjust. That should ease it."

Aiolia sighed. Sometimes he hated it when Saga referred to his older brother as a Mother Hen, but the fact that he could name a remedy for morning sickness off the top of his head despite being bi- and unmarried may make him think the Gemini may have a point. "Will do…" he spoke as he turned around and headed toward the back of the house, his head returning back toward his brother as he heard him and Seiya laugh.

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

Later on, the group sat around the table. For Aiolia, it seemed a bit easier right now since the Sagittarius bow was laying far away from the group and he could keep an eye on Aiolos without it looking awkward.

"So you're shifting all the resources from Delphi to Crete?" asked Aiolos as he took his glass of wine and sipped it. The Sagittarius frowned a little. "I know you want to be completely in charge, but all the evidence and tips point to him being in DELPHI! You are so close!"

Seiya gave an awkward glance. "Aiolos, why do you have your eyes closed? You look weird like that?"

The archer grinned a bit before he gingerly opened them. "Sorry, I got a little juice in them. This soup is amazing." He turned his head and cleared his throat. "So why, brother?"

But Aiolia knew now why he did it. He had a feeling the curse was causing him to act up. His tone, while the same, carried a certain edge to it that creeped him out.

"Act normal," the Leo thought before he turned back to his brother. "Because Saga was fucking with us in Delphi. He bragged about how much he would purposely teleport there to buy some roasted chestnuts before running back out. He thought it was hilarious that I had so many there, not realizing that he was carrying a type of beer that you can only get in Crete."

"Saga doesn't drink anymore. He sold his entire collection just to end the habit," muttered Aiolos as he shut his eyes once more. He rubbed his face, knowing that he was basically calling his younger brother a liar.

Marin turned her head. She only knew a little, but enough to interject. "The moment he couldn't demand a servant to give him what he wanted, was probably enough for him to go back to old habits."

Aiolia assisted the excuse. "I was shocked too. Saga was probably too much of a pussy to not give in. But he couldn't fool me. He's in Crete and this time, I will not allow him to get away."

Aiolos nodded. "If you are going to send the Silvers to Crete, I want a slow pull-out, with you supervising it."

Aiolia wrinkled his brow. "Slow? This is Saga if we are going to…"

But Aiolos raised a hand. "Make it slow...that way if your intuition about him being in Crete is wrong, we can easily switch back to Delphi. I won't authorize a quick withdrawal. It is too much of a gamble."

Seiya looked back and forth. "What are you guys talking about?"

The two brothers turned to the young Japanese trainee before their gazes then met each other. Seiya may be earning his Cloth, but the matter of Aiolos being the Pope was kept hidden.

"Just boring grown-up stuff." Aiolos tapped his spoon. "Taxes…" He smiled when the six-year-old rolled his eyes. "Here, why don't we leave….Sanctuary matters behind?" he watched the others nod in mutual agreement. He felt the same. The only reason he sets this block of time aside was to just be with his brother while leaving Sanctuary business behind.

"Sounds good," spoke Aiolia.

"Eat me…" murmured Seiya as he took his fork and caused his fishhead's jaw to bob up and down.

The pregnant Japanese woman rolled her eyes. "No thank you…and stop playing with your food," she spoke as she drank more lemon water. "Uggh, Goddess...I thought I was supposed to be craving every single thing out there...I feel like I haven't eaten without throwing up in over a week." The worst part was the fact that she had a mask on, making the ordeal even trickier.

"It will pass. Then it will be the opposite. At least Aiolia has lightspeed and can fetch you anything. Mother used to crave strawberries, but unfortunately, they were out of season," the archer said as he ate a bit of the fat under the fish's jawbone.

The group quietly ate until Seiya looked up. "So what's the surprise, Aiolos? Is it dessert?"

"Seiya, I told you, you can't eat it!" chastised Aiolos. He looked up and could see everyone stare. He gave an uneasy smile and pulled on the tails of his red headband in frustration. "Well… I was hoping we could do this after hunting outside...but…" He reached into his bag and pulled out a scroll. "For you, brother…it is something that's been weighing on my mind and with the...good news..." his eyes turned briefly to Marin before returning back to him. "I used my position to make an alteration to this," he spoke as passed it over.

Aiolia held the paper. He could tell it was the nicer type made from lambskin so it must be a very formal document. He unrolled it and looked over the coordinates as well as the details. At the bottom was a blank line with his actual Greek name written at the bottom. "Is this, the deed to the house?" he asked. The Leo wrinkled his lip. "The house belongs to the eldest." That was the way of their culture. The oldest son was to receive everything first.

Aiolos nodded. "I know...it's tradition...but you practically live here….Goddess the House of Leo is just as deserted as the House of Sagittarius. You shouldn't have to ask me to allow the mother of your child for permission to stay...that shouldn't happen...not again… take good care of it."

Aiolia stared at it.

It was his house now.

For their way of life, there were only three things that mattered, the Goddess, the family...the home.

Aiolia felt his throat grow dry. "Seiya...could you step outside for a bit," he spoke.

"Uh, okay," the boy said as he grabbed the soccer ball and took off.

Aiolia waited until the door closed. "Aiolos… go right ahead," he said as he gestured toward Marin's face.

That was when it was the archer's turn to be surprised. When it came to the mask of the Amazon, those who saw the face forced them to either love or to kill. But the idea of love was a bit broad since it can also mean love of family as well. If the Amazon was allowed to stay in her sisterhood, some husbands found it uncomfortable for others to see it. But others found it as a step toward bonding. Aiolia seemed to be the later. "Are you sure?"

Aiolia nodded. "Yeah.."

Aiolos turned toward the Amazon. "Are you okay with it too?"

Marin playfully scoffed. "Honestly, it's a bit overdue."

The archer reached over and gently thumbed the edge of the mask and pulled it off, allowing her face to breathe. He smiled wildly, gazing at the almond eyes and soft skin that he was certain made his brother's heart flutter. Aiolos leaned over, gently placed his hands on her cheeks before he placed a small kiss on her forehead. "Welcome to the family, sister...imouto," he spoke flexing his knowledge of Japanese.

Marin smiled, one of the few times she felt a bit bashful. "Thank you...oniisan…" she spoke back. Suddenly she felt a tear come down her face as if saying it reminded her of Touma.

Aiolos turned his head as he noticed Aiolia standing up. "You all right?"

Aiolia didn't even turn around. "I bought some chocolates not too long ago. Since we obviously can't have wine to celebrate...I thought that would make for a nice substitute." The truth was he needed to get away. His eyes stared at the deed to the house. This day should've been so happy, but his brother didn't fool him.

To Aiolia, he knew his brother was only doing this because he was running out of time. If Saga's prediction was right...Aiolos had less than a month left.

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

14 Days before the reveal of the painting

DELPHI ARCHIVE BUILDING

It took a while, but the last of the Silvers finally cleared out away from the area. There were still all those Kanon signs all over the place, but that was okay….

...because that was a part of the plan.

At least the Silvers did get rid of a snake while they were there. Who knows who it could've bitten. He wasn't sure how it got in, but then again, Orphee and Eurydice kept their lawn tall as if it was a flowing field in Elysium.

Saga coughed as he turned the page and a flurry of dust blew on his face, turning his skin a shade lighter. "Millions of euros dedicated to the maintenance of this place and no one has done shit about it," the Gemini cursed. Even more frustrating, was that through his search for the curse, he could see the effects of such negligence with improperly stored tomes turning to dust in Shion's hands when he would grant a special lesson. A spare cloth to wipe down and a dust mop would work wonders.

He pulled the two books over, one with the official testimonies of the event, and another with a list of those who had worked previously in the Pope's Chambers. He may have lost a week, but when compared to the huge task of finding more information on a curse by digging through decaying pages of dead languages, outdated words, and trying to literally sort out truth from myth, reading accounts and his declaration about what happened that night was a piece of cake.

The hard part though came at the realization that there were more soldiers and servants who worked and disappeared in the last five years than there had been in the last five hundred. Going through the book meant seeing the names of those whose lives he took. But he knew there were far more than that. How about the brothel workers or those who came to comfort him?

The Gemini shut his eyes as if it would magically bring back everyone and make this all just a dream.

He wondered if he should take a trip to the Room of the Golden Orb, but he had a feeling he needed to save it. Besides, this was a part of the redemption he sought and redemption was never meant to be easy. "End the curse for Shion...restore Aiolos reputation for the cub...restore Aiolos' sanity for Aiolos…" he muttered as if reminding himself of the things to do before he continued to gaze at the text.

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

5 DAYS BEFORE THE PAINTING IS FINISHED

CRETE,GREECE

"..." muttered Hound Asterion as he rolled out the large paper map of Delphi.

Whale Moses, seeing his friend's annoyed gaze, placed the box full of folders and leads and walked over to see that all the sticky notes that were carefully positioned had all slid all over the place. "Shit!"

Asterion ran his hand in his hair beneath his headpiece. "Sorry, must have bumped it while going up the stairs here."

Whale Moses shook his head. "Don't worry, the only reason it happened is that you know who… is a you-know-what," he quietly growled as he kept his one eye toward the door and quietly grabbed his box to begin sorting everything.

Misty's blue eyes shifted up toward the two before he felt a headache grow. He turned toward the message that he had just received and decided it was a good way to have an excuse to talk sense to his superior. He took a deep sigh and began to walk down the halls of their temporary headquarters and over to a small room where the Gold Saint was reading some papers. "Saint Leo?" he spoke. Even though he knew it was Aiolia, he still had to maintain a sense of professionalism and not openly say his real name out loud.

Dressed in his Gold Cloth, Aiolia shifted his eyes and removed the face mask that protected his identity from the others. "What is it?"

The Lizard Saint hated this part, but it was necessary for his duty as the Leader of the Silver Saints. "With all due respect, I've been hearing of some pressing concerns about the mission. At the beginning of all this, many were quite excited and pleased with your guidance and leadership-"

Aiolia shut his eyes. He had a feeling what Misty was trying to say, but he's being far too polite about it. "Saint Misty, you have the freedom to speak."

That was all the Frenchman needed to hear. "Saint Leo, none of us think the man in question is here and that we made a big mistake leaving Delphi. One, who I shall not name, had several strong leads. He was extremely pissed and called you an idiot for pulling everyone from Delphi."

Aiolia was not surprised. He could see everyone's faces when he told them to pack up and leave to go to Crete. If he was in the same position, he would think the same thing. "Tell them, we felt his cosmos."

Misty nodded. "I did and they think it was just a way to throw off the trail, myself included." He reached into a folder in his hand and pulled out a few sheets of photos of a man with long ratty blue hair and a scruffy face. "Look at this. Here in this photo, he is standing still, but when he bends over, look at the folds of his shirt and pants. Those sudden bumps are muscles! There's no way a homeless man who lays around all day in a park can get that way unless he has some training in the cosmos! A lot of training in the cosmos."

The Leo was a bit surprised at the very subtle observation. He guessed that Misty and the others must have quite a bit of experience picking out those who ran away from their duty to Sanctuary in the past. "Don't forget, the man in question is a teleporter."

"I know," the Lizard stressed. When he was first made aware of the fact that Saga could open up tears in reality to teleport through and that they needed him alive, needless to say, he sweated so much that swore he would grow a long mermaid tail based on how many times he jumped into the lake by his villa to wash every drop that came upon his face. "By the way, those pictures were taken the morning of the day you sent for us to withdraw."

The Leo kept a muted gaze, but only because deep inside, he felt like shit. Anytime a Bronze or Silver worked with a Gold, they gave their all, in hopes that a successful mission would raise their reputations. At the same time, it could also work the opposite.

Except for Misty and Orphee, none of them knew Saga was a Gold Saint and that the little girl was Athena. If word came out that another Gold seemed like they betrayed and the Goddess was lost, it would plunge Sanctuary into utter chaos and riots. But what the other Silvers were told was that Saga and the little girl would require an audience with the Pope, which was a polite way of telling them that the targets were very important and not to fuck up.

Aiolia, of course, would all give them splendid remarks and acclaim, but he could tell by the change of atmosphere they were nervous. He needed to tell them something while giving Saga more time in the Archive. "If we don't see any more signs of the target, we'll head back to Delphi in a week." He could see this seemed to do some good. As they were all taught, when in doubt, always offer an olive branch. "Anything else?"

For a moment, the Lizard was far too consumed with his Silvers he nearly forgot the reason why he needed to see the Gold in the first place. He walked over and handed him a scroll. "For you, from His Holiness. I didn't read it, but the messenger stated that you won't have to attend the monthly meeting." The Lizard was shocked at how quickly the Leo snatched the roll from his hand but quickly left, receiving the hint that this was not good news.

Aiolia stared hard at the words as it detailed all the typical important business that will be discussed during that time. He knew because he often received them when he was in Japan.

But that was not what disturbed him.

Aiolos told him not to come last month, and considering how boring these meetings were, he was more than happy to skip it out. But that was before he found out about the curse. Now that he knew, he felt a bit skeptical for a good reason:

Saga did the same thing to him, during certain months while he was cursed.

Aiolia's hands gripped the wooden handles, hearing them groan and knowing they would shatter at any second from the tension he felt.

Keep the status quo.

Act like everything is fine.

Be the loving little brother…

Oh, fuck it!

Aiolia ran toward Rodario's entrance. It was noon now, normally packed with people selling items and socializing. After the Event, he told Aiolos how much he hated this time because wherever he went, people would whisper about how much of a traitor the archer was. The guards didn't help. They never sought to protect him as they should do as part of their duties.

Now the streets were empty. People were either afraid of being arrested or have already done so. The guards stand like statues with vacuous stares.

The place was so quiet that he could hear his stilted breath.

No one was going to torment him now. But what exactly was left?

Still in his Cloth, he ran at normal speed until he was out of the deserted main square before he began to move up Sanctuary at light speed until he reached the House of Scorpio. He used the glyph and entered downstairs until he reached the meeting room and gasped at what he saw.

"Aiolia, how good it is to see you!" smiled Camus with a delightful expression.

"Aiolia, my neighbor! Come over!" patted Deathmask, his face neatly shaved, his breath lacking the smell of cigarettes while patting the spot next to him at the table.

By the Goddess, apparently when cursed Saga used his abilities, he was making them murderous psychos with the intention of death.

Cursed Aiolos on the other hand, has turned them into the opposite. Of course, that didn't make them any less dangerous, even if they all looked like they were a few hours away from bar-hopping. Was this why Athena chose his brother to take up the curse next?

Aiolos, oddly enough, was sitting over the spot of Gemini turned his head, his mask and helmet covering his face. "Brother? What are you doing here? I told you that didn't have to come."

"His Holiness is most wise!" spoke Aphrodite.

The Leo felt his tone tremble a bit. Everyone looked so strange. They were all staring at him and they seemed normal, but there was just something in their eyes. "I wanted to be around friends!" he walked over and took his spot. Slowly, Shura headed over and calmly closed the door. Normally such a move would be considerate, but it made him feel trapped.

Aldebaran's head turned toward him. "I know the feeling. I wasn't invited either, but I came anyway. I'm so glad I did, right your Holiness?" his eyes flickered red.

Aiolos turned his head. "You shouldn't have come either, Aldebaran." The Pope flipped the next page of business. "But what's done… is done."

"His Holiness is most wise!" spoke Aphrodite.

"Were Mu and Shaka not invited?" asked the Leo, slightly curious and relieved when he noticed their empty spots.

"No… and that's a shame," spoke Milo as he walked over and wrapped his arms around a delightful Camus who nuzzled and pawed the Scorpio as if he was a cat high on catnip. "Your Holiness, you should really invite those two. They are our friends! And our circle of friends will grow if they come over!" spoke Milo as a subtle red glow filled his pupils briefly.

Aiolos' helmeted head nodded. "That's true. They will come next time. We can't expect to put the past behind us without them after all."

Shura's Spanish eyes shifted mechanically. "But what of Saga? We all can't be friends if he's not here."

The archer turned to Leo. "That's true. We can't forgive him for everything he's done if he's not here. Have you found more leads on Saga, brother?"

"No, I haven't. But I am certain he's in Cre…"

"SEND THE SILVERS BACK TO DELPHI!" Aiolos' voice thundered. "HE'S THERE!"

Aiolia nodded, his trainer soaked in cold sweat beneath his Cloth. "You're right. I'm so hard-headed. He's probably in Delphi like you said he is."

"Good, let's go ahead and continue the meeting," spoke Aiolos. "Shura, how is crime?"

"Never lower, your Holiness," spoke the Capricorn in a chipper voice. "But surprisingly, some of the people are voicing concern that the foot soldiers are doing too much."

Aiolos nodded. "Give it a month, that will change, whether they want to or not."

Now the Leo wished he wasn't there at all. The voice was the same, but it felt like some demon imitating his brother.

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

LATER THAT NIGHT

Aiolos turned his head toward several plates of food next to him. Paz was back to her old habits of waiting until he was asleep before eating once more. For a while, things did improve, but since Athena's return, she had been resorting to locking herself into her room. She won't even come out even when she is needed.

Perhaps it is time to make her come out?

Paz can continue her duty while keeping Athena safe?

Aiolos widened his eyes and tried to shake his head no. He's seen how grown men with cosmos seem to twist in agony from the crimson arrows. "She's eight...she can't handle it." Besides, all he has to do is sit there long enough and she will come regardless.

His head turned as he heard a knock from the hidden passage door. There was only one person who preferred to use it, but what was he doing at this hour. "Aiolia?" His brother has been acting strange.

"It's me." the Leo spoke as he quietly looked around his surroundings, his body still a little shaken after the meeting. Strange thing, was that normally they would all hang out a bit afterwards, but everyone there mechanically returned to their posts. He shut his eyes and checked the cosmos of the room, sensing no guards nearby. Good. Unfortunately, he couldn't detect Athena or Paz either. He followed his brother's voice until he reached the dining room, where his brother greeted him, with his bow in hand and not properly shouldered, the equivalent of a person waving a sword around outside of its scabbard. "Brother…" he felt the words choke in his mouth.

Aiolos doesn't let the bow go, but he did remove the helmet to reveal his blue eyes. "You can tell me." He swallowed hard. He could feel he was running out of time. "I'm sorry for not being there, to protect you...from them," he spoke with a deep pit of sorrow in his voice.

Aiolia bit his lip. He could see Aiolos startled look, as if he realized that he couldn't hide it anymore. "Is that why you've been firing so many crimson arrows, to protect me?" He watched the archer's eyes glow a brighter red. "You were trying to fix the past...weren't you?" The Leo looked down as he could see his brother's hands gripped the bow tighter. "You want everyone united too. You want the old days when everyone got along. That's what's in your heart...isn't it?"

Aiolos eyes narrowed. "I knew it! You found Saga...he didn't escape… he probably didn't even try to."

Why even bother to hide it. "No, he didn't."

You...sided with him over me...again…"

He felt his eyes begin to well up. "First time, I didn't do it for him. I did it for myself. I know you wanted to know what was really going on, but I wanted that blue-haired bastard fucking dead... not caring how you felt." It was wrong. He played with his brother's emotions just like the curse was. "This time, I still didn't do it for him. I did it for you." Aiolia stared into his brother's eyes . He had a neighbor once who was suffering dementia and remembered how she looked like she was there, but not quite. That's what he saw now. His brother was looking at him, but his gaze was like his mind was in another world. "Listen to me… you are capable of so much good… unlike Saga, you know how to talk to the foot soldiers down there to get them to do their duty. We can have everyone get along together once more, but it's going to take time...a lot of time….. You know this, but the curse is corrupting you… into creating this peace….

This peace isn't real, but the curse is twisting you into believing this is what is right.

Rodario has no crime because it is shoved into jails while the rest are too afraid to go out.

The others are getting along, because they are just dolls."

Brother, it's all fake...it's worse than fake. If it doesn't stop, it's going to destroy Sanctuary, but it will destroy you first!"

Aiolia heard the string of the bow tighten and ache. He looked down and could see Aiolos red eyes stare blankly while his hand was drawn. He knew how fast his brother's release was. If he ran, he would never make it, even at lightspeed. Can't dodge, his brother was too much of a trick shot and probably knows the perfect angle to avoid him doing so. Who knew what the effect would be if he tried to catch the arrow.

But the thing, was, that was not what mattered.

"Brother... you know how deadly that weapon is. You pledged to use it responsibly. If you are still there… if you are still a true Saint...

...give the bow to me."

Aiolia could see the sharp bright glint of the crimson arrow focused hard on his chest as if the thick gold plates of his armor would easily pierce through it. Still, he continued. "...I love you…Lucas..." he swallowed hard as the archer held his pose. "But if you hit me...I guess I'll still love you," he felt his tears drip from his face. "...but one type of love is real...the other is not…"

….

…

…

…

…

…

Aiolia watched as his brother began to mumble something. Little did he realize, Aiolos was using the last of his mental blocks. He watched his brother's eyes shift blue… before the Sagittarius eased the bow and passed it over peacefully.

Aiolos, now empty-handed, felt like his body was convulsing a bit. "Aiolia...help me…"

Aiolia tossed the bow aside and wrapped his arms around him. "Don't worry, brother...we'll stop the curse… " that was when he lost it. His eyes began to sob hard.

His poor brother.

First, he lost half of his body, now he was losing his mind.

.

.

.

"...help me….I don't..." Aiolos muttered once more.

Aiolia continued to cry. "I will...where's Athena? We're so close to finding out how to stop the curse."

.

.

.

"...help me…I don't..." Aiolos muttered again. "...Aiolia...I don't need the bow to-" his eyes glowed red before they widened and closed.

Aiolia turned his head as he stared at the sudden crimson arrow in his brother's hand that quietly dropped to the ground and echoed in the room. He felt his brother suddenly grow heavy, as if unconscious. His eyes traveled to a small tear on the side of Aiolos' thigh. There was a bit of blood, but when one was paralyzed, there was a good chance he didn't realize something scratched him.

The Leo turned and there was Paz, clutching the wooden headband in her hand. "What happened?"

The little Chilean girl looked down. "Aphrodite made it for me and told me to use it in case Aiolos tried to hurt me. He said it should just knock him unconscious since killing the Pope is a bad idea."

Aiolia rolled his eyes. The guy that helps toss bodies in his garden thinks killing the Pope is a bad idea. "Where is Athena? Is she alright?"

She pointed her finger toward the west, "Yes, she's this way. Just go down the stairs.," she spoke before she ran to the table, snatched an empada and held it up."Can you heat this up for me with your cosmos?"

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

KIDO FOUNDATION ROOF

SEVEN DAYS UNTIL AIOLOS GOES PERMANENTLY INSANE

Saga paced back and forth nervously until a gold blur appeared directly in front of him. "How did your three weeks go?" he asked the cub.

Aiolia felt his shoulders sink. "I...told Aiolos I knew about the curse." He watched the Gemini nearly tear his hair out.

"You couldn't wait three weeks!?"

"HE'S MY BROTHER!"

"HE'S MY BEST FRIEND!" The Gemini clawed his own fingers. "And he's going to send everyone after us! We are so close!"

But Aiolia shook his head. "I locked him up. There's a cell in the Pope's Chamber that nullifies the cosmos that he was using for Athena. Paz knocked him out and I carried him in there."

The Gemini raised a hand. "Wait...Paz knocked him out? HOW?"

The Leo shook his head. Goddess, the Gemini was never going to let him live this down. "She had a headband that had a weakened version of Aphrodite's poison. I told her to strike him while I was holding Aiolos down."

The Gemini frowned. Anytime the cub clenched his jaw like that, meant he was lying. "Oh please, if you were trying to knock out your brother, you could've put him in a chokehold and knocked him out a lot quicker and less convoluted. Let me guess, you two were hugging and the curse tried to take advantage of you being an idiot and Paz swept in and save-." Saga dodged the swing that followed afterward. "You do realize you almost jeopardized everything …"

The Leo rolled his eyes. "Fuck...let's just go down and find out what this painting has."

Saga, equally curious relented. "Alright...let's see what Sanctuary has been hiding from us." He turned his head. "...you made sure no one realizes your brother is locked up...right?"

Aiolia nodded. "Of course! Athena is on the throne and I've been telling everyone he's either meditating or out hunting some woodcock." He folded his arms. "But, unfortunately, everyone is still cursed. I don't get it, I thought it would fade off," he said as the two entered the elevator.

Saga folded his arms. "Who knows." Aiolos had always thought pretty far ahead when it came to strategy. He wouldn't be surprised if the Sagittarius thought of a backup in case he couldn't shoot a Crimson arrow at the others. Hopefully, it wasn't a case of the effects being permanent.

The elevator doors opened and the two men gasped as several exhausted men and women sat there, waiting to see the two Golds' reactions to their work. But right now, Tatsumi and Mitsamasa Kido were blocking their view as they were equally entranced by the large painting.

Aiolia was the first and couldn't believe his eyes.

Saga ran up and fell to his knees at the sight.

There was Athena, holding the cursed gold Dagger in her hands. But now that the Gemini got a closer look, he could see her expression, not reflecting joy as the previous version showed, but of dread.

His eyes traveled to the Pegasus. He was not kneeling, but instead, his fists were raised just like the original copy of the Pegasus Run page.

Saga looked over to the side where all was covered in black from before. He expected to see the God of War standing there in robes of the Pope.

But he wasn't.

The Pope was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, the Gold Cloth of Libra was sitting there, still in its statue form.

After three long weeks, the Leo blew up.

"WHERE IS ARES!?" screamed Aiolia. He turned his head. "You said he would be there! You said there would be proof! What does this mean!?"

Saga could hear the utter panic in the Leo's voice, but he couldn't blame him. The painting was supposed to reveal Ares and instead he wasn't there.

Oh Goddess, was he wrong?

Aiolos had so little time. There simply wasn't enough time to craft a new theory.

"I...don't...I don't…" before he could answer, a fist came at his face once more. The Gemini blocked it and grasped it. "LOOK! JUST BECAUSE HE ISN'T THERE, DOESN'T MEAN WE WASTED OUR TIME!"

"You didn't…" spoke the firm elder voice.

The two Golds looked up to see Kido standing there.

The old man coughed a bit. "I've studied the Pegasus Run quite a bit. I've studied art as well as own several private galleries." He pointed to the painting. "These works of art take months to create, especially when you consider they must go far and wide to gather the materials to create the colors. Everything in a painting like this holds meaning from the layout to every tiny little object." He took his cane and pointed down on the ground. "Look...on the floor beside the Libra Cloth."

The two men turned and on the ground were several broken beads of the necklace of the Pope. It was such a small detail.

In a way, it reminded him of Shion when he attacked him.

Saga and Aiolia pulled away from each other. "He was there. But why would someone go through the trouble of painting a broken necklace? What is going on in it?" asked Saga, as he fixed his disheveled hair. He can only assume that nothing good came about. Did it mean a broken trust? Did Ares betray Athena?

Kido took his hand and stroked his beard. "Hard to say about the necklace. But if the Pegasus run was about how he had to go through all the Gold Saints. Well...if there are Twelve Houses in front...what if she was telling him to meet...all the Gold Saints?"

For the Gemini, Kido's theory seemed extremely plausible. Saga took a second look as he could see the Geminisim of the moment. "The Pegasus isn't clutching his fists in anger...but in determination...Athena's sending him… to complete the run…was the dagger the thirteenth weapon of Libra?" Saga turned his head toward the Libra Cloth in the painting. "Aiolia...contact the Old Master...we need his Cloth to figure this out."

"I already did…" the Leo muttered. "I've been talking to him the moment Mr. Kido started telling us about his theory." Aiolia turned his head. "The Old Master said...you have to go and fetch it."

Saga's eyes widened. It wasn't that Aiolia was incapable of getting the Cloth. He had a feeling that the Libra Saint wanted to confront the one who slew his best friend.

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

? ? ?

Ares stared at the same prison walls that the Leo locked his brother up in five days ago. This wasn't good. He couldn't get any information as long as Aiolos was locked up in this place. But just because he was stuck, didn't mean they were helpless. He turned his head. "Make him an offer."

The figure turned his head. "I've been waiting for you to say that, Master. I will do my best, but I can already tell he will be tricky and will take at least a few visits.."

"Yes, it will. But that's why he would be worthy of joining us. Besides, he still has much of Sanctuary under the Crimson Arrows despite being stuck there. For a man who is crippled, he's surprised me. Let's make him whole and worthy to join us."

"I agree, Master." With that the figure walked over and touched the globe, his cosmos glowing a bright golden color.

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

Aiolos opened his eyes as he felt the sun warm his face. He looked around to find himself under a large green tree. "That's strange, I thought that type would've lost their leaves at this point of the year," he muttered. He was a man of the woods and these were small details he took in mind.

"Nice weather, isn't it?"

Aiolos turned his head as he heard a soft gentle voice. He pulled himself to a sitting position to see a man with long flowing locks of platinum hair...at least thinks he was a man… either way... quite handsome.

Who is this stranger?

But still, he felt comfortable talking to him. "Yes… it is." He spoke. Shouldn't he be locked up?

Why isn't he back in the Pope's Chambers?

"Why am I…" he felt a headache come over as he tried to finish his sentence. He clutched his head,the quick swing of his arms caused the thick fog to swoosh around as if he was in a shallow pool.

The figure, dressed in simple white robes while clutching a wooden staff, smiled and stroked the a few curls. "Don't worry about it. Just enjoy the weather," he crooned with a silky tone. He turned to the sky as several birds flew through the air. "Come, care for a walk?"

Aiolos gave an uncomfortable laugh. "Well...I wish I could… but…"

But the figure shook his head. "...you think you can't...but you can." He offered his hand to the Sagittarius. "Touch it, and try."

Aiolos stared at him like has crazy, but he did so. Suddenly, he felt a warm gentle cosmos envelop his body. He almost felt drunk from the sensation. He looked down, and he began to move his feet once more. But it wasn't like when Shaka helped grant some healing where it took a long time and only made it where he could move them a little.

No.

His legs were strong!

Just like how they used to be.

It was a foreign feeling...but a good one too.

He felt as if he could jump, and he did with ease. "I'm standing?" Aiolos mutters in disbelief. No pain, no feeling like he was going to fall over and kiss the ground as he did so many other times. He pulled away, only for the warmth to vanish and causing him to collapse as if he was sliced at his knees.

But the figure moved quickly and grabbed Aiolos' hand causing the archer to regain his legs and stop himself from completely hitting the ground. "Are you alright?"

Aiolos nodded. "Yes…" he spoke as he stood up once more. "How is this possible? Shaka said I would need to strengthen more of my muscles before he could continue the treatments. Even then, he said it could take a couple of years." The cosmos felt so good...he liked it... the best way he could describe it was like...being with someone….

The figure squeezed Aiolos' hand tighter. "Well, Shaka is strong, but I...am a medic," spoke Ophiuchus Asclepius, his red eyes gently glowing.

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

COMING NOVEMBER 15

Saga arrives in China to get the best friend of the man he murdered to let him borrow his Cloth.

Aiolos meets a man who says he can help him magically walk again! Isn't that fantastic?

Author's Notes: This got delayed quite a bit. A lot of parts needed to be rewritten or moved around. I was intending to have Aiolia have his own little couch scene, but that will have to wait. I don't know if I ever mentioned it, the Lionheart ones are focused on Aiolia's growth. However, because he's so intertwined in the story, that he doesn't get his own stand-alone arc.

Notice the change in the story image? Hint Hint, it's not that way because it is Halloween, but story related.