Disclaimer: I don't own Saint Seiya characters!
Paradoxical meeting
"I'm telling you, we are not the Specters!" Milo said with the frustration, looking at the two Saints in the front of him. Camus was standing by his side, watching Aquarius Degel, and the other warrior, who joined them a while ago. The guardians were sent back to the Sanctuary.
The other Saint snorted disdainfully.
"Why should we believe you, huh?!" he asked with a wild smile on his face. "You appeared from nowhere, you look like us! You could be dead right now, if we have no the time to ask the questions! Actually I want to torture you a little to hear the satisfying answers!"
Degel sighed, and looked at his companion.
"Kardia. Calm down. We can't accomplish anything using only force," he said, taking a look at the man, who looked almost like him, and then moving his eyes to the other invader so similar to Kardia.
"Degel!" groaned Kardia loudly. "Are you gonna steal my fun again?!"
The Aquarius Saint from the XVIII century sighed impatiently.
"Kardia, we can't kill them, just because they are standing there. Firstly we have to know who they are and why they are here. Information is a very powerful weapon that could determine the victory or defeat."
The Scorpio Kardia murmured something under his nose. His companion took an irritated look at him but didn't say anything.
"Then…" Degel started, focusing his attention on two unknown men in the front of him. "I suggest you to tell us everything, before my companion looses his patience. Who are you, and why are you here?"
"If we tell you, you won't believe us…" murmured Milo.
"For now we even don't believe you that you are not the Specters!" snarled Kardia. "Degel, I can't stand his face! May I kill him?"
"You…!" Milo's irritation exploded. Camus quickly placed his slim hand on his shoulder, hoping that Milo wouldn't do something stupid.
"Milo, don't be so impulsive. Our situation is really bad," he said to him quietly and then looked inside the violet eyes of Degel. "Fine, we will tell you. We don't know how we got here, we were just fighting with the enemy and then we found ourselves in that place."
Kardia laughed.
"Fighting? How? Without an armor? Or we are just talking about some fist's fight?"
"We don't know what happened to our armors. They weren't here with us," answered Milo with the shrug. "We came here… I know it would sound really stupid, but we came here from the future."
Degel blinked a few times, accompanying by the laugh of his fellow, Kardia.
"And you are expecting us to believe you?" asked Kardia. "I never heard such a lie! And what's next? You are gonna tell, that you are us from the next years?"
"In some way, yes," said coldly Camus, looking at Kardia. "We are the Saints from the XX century. I'm Aquarius Camus, and my companion is Scorpio Milo."
It sounded really ridiculously. How in the world this cold man could be the Aquarius Gold Saint? It was impossible; after all he, Degel was the Aquarius since many years, right? There is no way that someone could have the same rank as him! Maybe they really are the Specters that could turn themselves into any person?
But… It sounded right. Degel felt unexpected peace, when he heard the name of this person, who looked like him. This disturbing feeling inside his mind disappeared, like everything was now in the right place. The stars were telling him since many weeks, that something was gonna happen, something related in some way with the future. Something inside his mind was telling him the same. 'The future will sound soon'. Then…Could it be exactly what was going to happen? Did these two men really come from the future…?
Aquarius Degel took a look at his friend, Kardia. The wild man had some uncertain expression on his face. Usually he would explode with a laugh at these words and with the smile on his lips he would strike them with his Scarlet Needle. But now Kardia was looking at the young man, who called himself 'Aquarius Camus', looking at him calmly like not the wild Saint that Degel knew since their childhood. But the past weeks Kardia had the same awful feelings like Degel and the Pope, so now he should feel it too: this calmness inside his mind.
Camus didn't expect that calm reaction from their ancestors. He was sure they would laugh or kill them or do something else suiting that kind of absurd situation. But these two men staring at them firstly gasped in the surprise, and then just calmed down, like they heard something matching to this puzzle. The future Aquarius had no idea why they were alive after such a confession, but it seemed that the lucky was still with them.
"Oi! Degel, Kardia!" they heard cheerful voice, coming from the Sanctuary.
All four men looked at the two Gold Saints, walking over them.
Milo blinked a few times, and opened his mouth to express his surprise in the words.
"Oh, the Po…"
Camus quickly stepped on Milo's foot, hoping, that his friend won't say anything else. Fortunately any of the Saints from the past didn't notice the broken sentence of the future Scorpio Warrior. Milo looked at his lover with the question inside his bright, blue eyes.
"Hold your tongue, Milo," Camus murmured, really glad that Kardia and Degel were focused on their fellows. "Think a little before you speak. They don't know it yet."
"Oh, right… Sometimes I'm really stupid…" agreed Milo, observing the two walking Saints.
It passed a few moments before the two other Saints finally got to their friends. They were really young, spreading around the feeling of confidence.
Kardia sighed impatiently, but Degel smiled to their two fellows.
"Shion, Dohko. Long time no see," the Aquarius greeted them. "What case brings you there?"
The young Shion smiled.
"We were just passing by the area, and we saw you there. I thought it is a good idea to say hello," he answered, moving his sight to Kardia and then at the two men standing in the shadow of the tree. His face turned pale.
"Shion, why…?" Started Dohko, noticing the expression of his friend, but he silenced, finally looking at Camus and Milo. "Whoa. Twins!"
"T-twins...?" murmured Milo.
"Degel, what's going on?" asked Shion, looking at the two future Saints with the wide open eyes. "Are they Specters?"
"I'm not sure…" sighed Degel, taking a quick look at Camus. "They don't have the scent of death around, so I suppose they are not the pawns of Hades. I think we should bring them to Pope. Together we could figure something…"
Kardia moaned unsatisfied.
"Degel! I wanted to play with them! We don't have to bother Pope; I'm able to get the answers from them!"
"Kardia if they are the enemies, that somehow sneaked here to do something dirty, then they will be yours," sighed Degel to his wild friend.
The Scorpio considered a little and after a long while he nodded.
"Good. Now," Degel turned to Camus and Milo, "you two, follow us. And don't try to do anything stupid. I cannot vouch for your safety in Kardia's presence."
Milo gulped quietly, looking at the wild Scorpio Saint from the XVIII century. Kardia smiled to him widely and rapaciously.
No, he wasn't stupid that much. He just valued his precious life.
Aquarius Degel, the wisest Saint of Athena from the XVIII century couldn't believe his eyes. Everything that was happening inside the Pope Chamber was beyond his imaginary. Yes, he was suspecting that these two strange men weren't the pawn of the Underworld's King; actually there wasn't any doubt that they had no connection with Hades. But he never expected something like that.
After they met Dohko and Shion at the boundary of the Sanctuary all of them went to see the Pope. Their 'prisoners' went as well, didn't cause any problems in the way. It was really awful walk, when all the Saints were pointing at them with a surprise. Degel could imagine what they were thinking, looking at him and Kardia and at the two unknown men looking like the Warriors of Athena. After all he was surprised as well when he saw almost the same face like his own. The rest of the Gold Saints they met in their way to the Pope Temple expressed their willingness to accompany them to see what was going on, but fortunately Aries Shion convinced them to stay inside their Temples.
After this long walk they entered the Pope Chamber and Degel knew that soon everything would be explained. And of course, the Pope Sage alongside with Lady Athena were surprised for a while, when they saw these two men looking like their subordinates. But then the Pope got the expression reflecting Degel's thoughts; he understood that everything turned to the right place and this disturbing feeling disappeared. For a while Lady Athena was looking at the two visitors and after a short moment she smiled to them.
"Oh, it is so strange. I feel like I know you, at the same time being sure that I'm seeing you the first time in my current reincarnation," she said back then.
And now Aquarius Degel was witnessing something unbelievable. He was watching as his Gold Cloth of the Aquarius Constellation was responding to the touch of the man with the aquamarine hair. The high tone filled the Chamber, resonating with the Cloth of the Scorpio and resounding inside their ears. The sharp light exploded and then Degel could see his armor, his beloved Aquarius Gold Cloth on the body of this unknown man, who called himself "Aquarius Camus."
There was just one explanation. They indeed were the Aquarius and the Scorpio from the future. But how…?
"I told you we are not the Specters," murmured Milo, touching gently the Gold Cloth on his muscular body. It felt familiar when he was wearing his own Cloth. "We were telling the truth!"
His lover, Camus took off already the Aquarius Clothe, like he wasn't feeling comfortable with that armor. Milo didn't have such a problem.
"But how it is possible? You are telling that you came from the XX century. How?" asked the Pope, looking at the two future Saints. "I thought that travelling in the time doesn't exist!"
"We though that too. But it seems that there is some warrior who is able to send people back in the time. I'm not sure why he sent us here, but I have some clues," said Camus.
"A warrior? Specter?" asked Lade Athena
Camus shook his head.
"No. He called himself the Avenger of Nemesis."
Everyone from the past in the Chamber looked at him surprised.
"Actually we never heard of Avengers of the Nemesis. I thought Nemesis never had an interest in fighting with me…" whispered Lady Athena.
"In our times her pawns were disturbing the peace on the Earth. But she never intended to take your head like Hades or Poseidon, Lady Athena," answered Milo.
The Pope Sage looked with the worry at Camus and Milo. He sighed.
"Oh, never mind that for now. We have worse problem." The Pope Sage murmured under his nose. "How could we send you back…?
"I think it won't be the problem, Pope," said Degel, standing beside the future Saint of Aquarius. "If we would be able to find that Avenger of Nemesis in our time, then maybe we could help Camus and Milo to back to the future."
"Yes, it is some way, but we have no idea if Nemesis has someone like him now." Camus looked at Degel carefully. "It is possible, that she formed her 'Avengers' only in our time. And how are you going to find someone who never showed himself on the Earth yet?"
Degel frowned. Indeed, there weren't any records about warriors calling themselves 'Avengers of Nemesis'. He read all the books with the history about the Sanctuary, written by many Saints from the past. Yes, sometimes they were some small fights with the warriors of the Gods; four hundred years ago a certain Pope recorded the fight with warriors of Hephaestus, but it wasn't a war like with Hades. The God of the craftsmen were just bored of sitting alone inside the volcano, so he started a small game with the Saints of Athena. But the Avengers of Nemesis never showed themselves in the front of Athena, never interested in fighting.
"It could be the problem…" murmured the green-haired Saint. "But… we have nothing to loose, right?"
"Besides… I can help you and try to find her," said Lady Athena with the smile.
"But Lady Athena, you shouldn't distract yourself from the Holy War! It is much more important, than sending us back!" Camus looked almost scared their Goddess. "We should take care of it by our own. We were too careless while fighting, so it is our responsibility to find the way back."
The smile of Lady Athena almost disappeared.
"Even if you are from the future, you are still my Saints, Camus. I can't stand to watch you being far away from your friends."
"Lady Athena is right. Besides you should go back as fast as it is possible. What if the Holy War would start in your times when you are here?"
Both of them, Camus and Milo got a little confused.
"What's wrong?" asked the Pope.
"Actually we are already after the Holy War," answered Camus with the sigh.
The silence that appeared was almost tangible.
"After…?" whispered Dohko.
"I think it just save a few problems," commented Kardia, offended a little. It seemed his prays went away.
Lady Athena smiled widely.
"I suppose you won with him, since you are here, Camus, Milo. I'm glad to hear that," she said, looking at the future Saints happily.
"It is making me really happy to see that someone survived the next war with Hades. And it is giving us the hope, that we will win too, since in your times the Earth isn't consumed by the darkness."
Milo coughed quietly.
"Actually… we didn't survive…" he said, not looking at his lover, Camus and trying to forget about all nightmares of the Holy War.
The four past Saints, Lady Athena and the Pope blinked a few times, not sure if they heard everything right.
"You didn't survive…? Then how can you stand here, in the front of us?" asked Degel, didn't understand anything. It was truly beyond his imagination.
Camus sighed, little angry that Milo started this talk with his 'we didn't survive'. Now they had to explain everything.
"It is really long story, so I just tell you only the interesting parts of the future Holy War. The Saints had to enter the Underworld to fight with Hades' pawns. We, I mean all the Gold Saints, died helping five Bronze Saints to get through the Willing Wall, that separates the Elysium from the rest of the Underworld. When Lady Athena with the rest of the Saints won against Hades, she brought us back to life."
"Now I'm much more interested in your story," said the Pope. "But I think we have to leave it for now." He sighed deeply. "I suggest you to not leave the Holy Land alone in the upcoming days. Degel will find you some place where you can stay for a while. We will try to find a way to send you back to the future. Later I will be really glad to talk with you two, when you will be rested after your fight."
All the Gold Saints bowed before the Pope and Lady Athena and they left the Pope Chamber.
"Ugh, it s really incredible…" sighed Dohko. "So you really came from the future? I never have such an idea about what I would witness…"
Milo opened his mouth to say something, but Camus interrupted him.
"I think we are tired a little bit. I would be appreciating, if you let us to rest."
"I know some abandoned house not far away from the center of the Sanctuary. You could stay there," said Shion.
Camus smiled to him. Actually… Yes, he was really tired.