Disclaimer: I don't own SSTLC characters!
Live the fullest life!
Kardia opened his blue, wild eyes in the full glare of the late morning, hearing the annoying trills of the birds on that stupid tree near his small, wooden house. It wasn't the first time, when he was waking up by this infuriating sound, coming through the window, but in some way it was good that he left the embrace of Morpheus. His bones were almost soft – sight, that he slept for too long. He stretched under his blanket, waiting for the mood to jump out from his bed, which not always was coming as quickly as it should. But that rumble inside his stomach told him, that it was the best time to stand up already, even if he didn't want to. After all, the sun was heading to the noon, and he couldn't waste the whole day.
The young man yawned widely, getting up from his warm bed, leaving the soft pillow and getting dress quickly. He caught two big and red apples from the wicker basket on the table and slung the box covering his Cloth on his back with one, slick movement. Then he ran out of the house, slamming the door behind him and heading to the Sanctuary.
Actually Kardia didn't care about his duties as the Saint of Athena; he didn't even like the whole Sanctuary with its boring Saints and many stupid rules. He was coming everyday there because sometimes he could pick a fight with some stupid, cocky brat, training in one of the many fighting area.
Live the fullest life.
Yeah, that's what he was doing all the time. Getting from the life all these things, that could be getting. Fighting, running, fighting and running. And living as long as he was able in his state.
Live the fullest life.
Heh, one of a few reasons for which he became the Saint of Athena. Simple, right? He could live fast and fully.
Kardia stopped in the center of the green forest and sat under one of the biggest tree he found near his person. A cold shadow hid him from the annoying sunbeams; it was nice to sit there, looking at the leaves moved by the slight wind and smelling the undergrowth of the copse. A few squirrels ran through the branches above his head, making a sharp noise. He wanted to catch one of them, but it wasn't time for that. Now he should consume his apples, and head to the Sanctuary.
The apples was his favorite fruits, he could eat them every day. These spherical, red and so tasty things were making him feel really happy, like some kind of the aphrodisiac. He had real luck; around the Sanctuary were many apple trees, so it was easy for him to fulfill that small dream.
Kardia was consuming his favorite apples slowly, watching the clouds on the bright blue sky, and massaging the place where he had his most important organ. Lately his heart was giving him more pain then ever; everything that this old man did to strengthen the condition of his heart was disappearing. Soon even small run would kill him… Like before he became the Gold Saint of Athena. Like before he met that geezer.
"Shit!" Kardia cursed under his nose, standing up rapidly and running again in the direction of the Sanctuary. If his heart was going to kill him soon, then it would be better while fighting than in the middle of the forest, surrounding by the stupid squirrels.
Sometimes he really was cursing his heart disease. It was killing him slowly, almost painfully, making for him impossible to do many interesting things. And there wasn't any cure for that. This old man he met long time ago solved the problem just for the short time. And there is no other person, who could help him with that. It was making him so frustrating. If it will go on like that, he will die before real fight with the powerful enemy.
When he saw finally the hills where were placed the twelve sacred Temples of the Sanctuary, he stopped, grabbing his chest, and resting against some broken column. It was getting worse with every move.
Then he heard like someone chuckled.
Kardia looked around really irritated and saw a young boy, probably his equal, with long, green hair, surrounding his slim face with the cold, violet eyes. He was sitting under one of broken columns, with a book in his hands and the glasses on his thin nose.
"What are you laughing at, moron?" asked Kardia, aggressively.
"I was just wondering, how it is possible for someone weak like you to have the Cloth. Or did you stole it?" green-haired boy said with the irony.
"What? Are you making fun of me? Be careful, shrimp, I'm the Gold Saint!"
"Oh, for the name of Athena! The Sanctuary is in a crisis. To let boys like you to gain the Gold Cloth," boy chuckled again, contemptuously.
Kardia growled in anger.
"I will show you!" he yelled, getting ready for attack. "Scarlet Needle!"
His attack pierced through the old column, tearing it to the small pieces. But the green-haired boy wasn't hit, standing now in distance from the destroyed stones, holding his book, and looking at Kardia with the pity inside his eyes.
"Not only weak, but also aggressive and hot-headed," murmured the boy. "That is the end of the proud Gold Saints."
Kardia wasn't fast enough to hit him again; green-haired boy went away with his book and glasses on his nose.
"Moron!" yelled the Gold Saint in the direction where that boy disappeared.
The blue-haired boy sighed with irritation and headed to the one of many fighting areas in the Sanctuary. Soon he will be able to release his frustration on the first stupid brat he would find there.
Kardia didn't even manage to get to his long-awaited destination, when someone called him in the middle of his way. He turned around and saw one of his fellows, the Gold Saint of the Sagittarius. The older warrior was waving to him with smile on his face, and walking in his direction.
"I'm glad to see you, Kardia," he said, approaching him quickly. "I was about to visit you right now."
"Me? What for?"
"Pope Sage wants to meet with you. You should go to him now."
The Gold Saint of Scorpio sighed angrily. His fight was flying away from him with every small minute. And for prove this fact his heart trembled with the spasm. The fever started to burn inside his body suddenly, making his muscle to shiver. He caught his chest.
"You shouldn't overdo it, Kardia. You are not in the best shape," said Sisyphus with the worry in his voice.
"Mind your own business," answered Kardia. He wanted to fight so badly, especially after meeting with that stupid green-haired boy! But now his frustration had to wait more time.
"You shouldn't be so aggressive to everyone, Kardia. Oh, and if I understood correctly, Pope found the cure for your weak heart."
The Sagittarius smiled to him, and walked away, leaving the surprised boy in the middle of the Sanctuary.
The cure for his heart? It is even possible to cure his heart? To help him with living the fullest live? And with fighting? That old geezer said that he was able to keep him alive, but even that would finally disappear in the matter of the time. Then how the Pope managed to find the cure for his disease?
The frustration he felt moment ago went away, replaced by curious and hope. He forgot about training field and the fight; now his mind was possessed by the desire to meet that old, silver-haired fart; the head of the Sanctuary.
He ran as fast as he was able through all the twelve sacred Temples of the Holy Land. He had to stop two times to calm his ranging heart – it was really hard to run with every hour. The state of his heart was getting worse day by day, minute by minute. It the Pope didn't find the cure for him then it would be better to provoke one of the other Gold Saint to fight with him having their lives on the line. It is the only way he wanted to die.
He had to wait a few seconds, before he entered the Chamber of the Pope, taking many deep breaths. But even after that his heart still was beating really fast, spreading the fever around his whole body. Every few beat was giving him a painful spasm.
"Oh, Kardia, I'm glad that you are so quickly," said the Pope, seeing one of his subordinates. Then he saw, that the young Saint was barely breathing, with his hand on his chest. "Kardia, I told you before, you shouldn't be so reckless. You run the whole way here?"
Kardia only nodded, looking at the Pope. The old warrior sighed with resignation.
"Now I wanted you to meet someone. He just returned from his mission, and I think, he will be able to help you," announced the head of the Sanctuary. "Come here, Degel."
Something yellow and shining moved from the shadow behind one of the columns. After a while Kardia saw a young Gold Saint, he never met before; the Saint with the Aquarius Gold Cloth on him, with green hair around his slim face and cold, smart eyes in the color of violet.
"You! It's you!" yelled Kardia, looking at the boy with book in one of his hand. Even now, in the Chamber of the Pope he was holding his precious book. The Scorpio wanted to threw away it through the window.
"Yes, indeed," said coldly the Aquarius Saint named Degel.
Kardia growled angrily, wanting to release his Needle and strike that stupid, smart boy with his book in his hand.
"I hate you and your awful, disrespectful tone, you stupid bookworm!"
Degel didn't respond to these words.
"You know each other?" asked the Pope, surprised a little.
"We had the occasion to met," answered calmly Degel.
"The occasion to meet? You were insulting me!" Kardia almost howled with the frustration.
"Insulting you? Degel? I can't believe," murmured the Pope, looking at his Aquarius Saint.
"I was just wandering, why someone weak like him was able to obtain the Gold Cloth, Pope," said Degel with his cold voice, like it explained everything.
The Pope blinked a few times and then laughed. Kardia looked at him with the surprise; even Degel seemed to be flabbergasted of that reaction.
"Dear Degel, you can't call him weak. Kardia isn't weak. After all he was able to gain the Gold Cloth of the Scorpio."
"But Pope, he isn't able to stand some run through the twelve Temples."
"You stupid kelpie! I don't care about consequences, I will kill you right now!" yelled Kardia with furious, releasing his Scarlet Needle.
"Kardia, calm down," said the Pope harshly, commanding. Blue-haired boy obeyed with sigh of the frustration. "Degel, the reason is simple. Kardia shouldn't running around the Sanctuary because he has the heart disease."
"Pope! It is my own business!" said Kardia with the indignation. He rested his back against the nearby column to stay in the vertical position. His heart was causing him the pain with every beat. It's right, he shouldn't run the whole way here.
"The heart disease?" asked Degel, taking a look at the Scorpio Saint. Indeed, the young, blue-haired man was holding the whole his chest where was placed his heart.
"Yes, his heart is really troublesome for him. Some time ago certain man helped him to stay alive so long, but soon our Kardia will face the death. It isn't Kardia who is weak right now. It is his heart."
"Then why Kardia can't go to that man and ask for help again?"
"Pope! Don't tell him everything! It is mu business if my heart is ill or not!" snarled Kardia, looking at Degel provocatively.
"Kardia. I said you should calm down," the Pope sighed with the impatience. "Degel, that man isn't able to help Kardia anymore. That's why I called you. His heart needs a cold."
The Aquarius Saint blinked a few times, glaring at the Pope. But then he understood.
"Oh, I see. The cold. It is so simple, isn't it?" Degel whispered, turning to Kardia and approaching him emphatically.
"What do you want, stupid kappa? Go away!"
Degel didn't respond, standing beside him. He caught Kardia's hand and pulled it back gently from his chest.
"Don't touch me! What are you gonna to do?"
"Oh, calm down finally, idiot!" Degel sighed with the irritation.
The Aquarius Saint placed his own hand on Kardia's chest and started to send his cold cosmo into Scorpio's ranging heart.
"What… What are you doing?" asked hesitantly Kardia, feeling as his heart was calming down with the nice cold spreading around his whole body.
"Our Degel is the Master of the Ice, Kardia. He is the only person, who could help you right now," said the Pope with a smile on his face.
"R-really?" Kardia wasn't sure if he just didn't fall asleep in that peaceful forest, and this meeting wasn't just stupid dream.
"Of course," answered Degel. "As long as your heart needs the cold, then I can help you live."
The Scorpio looked inside the violet eyes of the boy he wanted to kill a while ago. Now, the same boy was telling him, that he was able to keep him alive.
Degel returned the look and smiled friendly. Kardia never saw that kind of smile. Firstly, the slim face was cold, and calm, eyes seemed to be thoughtful. But when his lips arranged themselves in a slight arc, it was like an angel appeared in that big chamber, spreading the holy light everywhere.
Kardia shook his head, blushing lightly, and escaping with his eyes from the Aquarius' sight.
"What is wrong?" asked the green-haired Saint, smiling more widely.
"Uhm… Nothing."
Degel pulled away his hand from Kardia's chest but the Scorpio still could feel that nice cold inside his body. It was like someone gave him the new life.
"I think it is enough for now. We will see how your body will react on my cosmo," announced Degel.
The Pope laughed.
"Then go! Do whatever you want today!" he said with the smile on his old face.
Both of them bowed before him, and they left quickly.
When the doors behind closed, Kardia sighed quietly. Degel looked at him inquiringly.
"Uh… I just… "started Kardia with hesitation. "Thanks."
"Oh, it is nothing. You can come to me every time if your heart will be causing you problems," answered Degel.
"You know, I thought that no one is able to stop this stupid disease from killing me… I believed that soon I had to die."
Degel smiled to him. Kardia's heart twitched, but not because of his disease.
"Then now, you can keep living, Kardia. Live like you want, without worrying about your heart. I will take care of it for you."
Then Kardia smiled too. His smile wasn't as bright as Degel's smile, but shadows on the hallway just disappear for a moment.