Disclaimer: I do not own Saint Seiya characters!

Garden of Salvation

Red, fresh drops of his blood were marking a path of his weak steps. The lungs didn't want to work properly, stubbornly giving him as less air as possible in his long struggle. With the every inhale the side of the damaged body was spreading violently the pain through his body, making him to moan. Even his vision tried to disobey him completely.

Camus had no idea how far he walked or how many steps were left for him to reach the Sanctuary. For him it was like he started to walk days ago, when the trembling knees stopped and refused his will to move; he kneeled on the ground, resting his arm against the tree of the forest he entered so long time ago. He barely could breathe, with his blood still coming out of the wounds, making him to feel colder and colder. The hum inside his ear was almost unbearable; it felt like he entered some big enchanted forest with gigantic bees, flying everywhere.

And the pain. The pain started long time ago. He couldn't tell when exactly, but for him it was like centuries. The excruciating pain of his whole body, piercing not only his tired flesh but also his exhausted mind. This Specter didn't lie. This pain was so enormous, that Camus could barely move forward. He couldn't even imagine how something so extensive, torturing even his very existence could be on this world. He never felt such a pain, the suffering in the Cocytus couldn't be compared, being thrown into the darkness in the front of the Willing Wall couldn't be compared. Even that kiss between Milo and Degel was much less painful than the poison of the Specter he killed so long time ago. And according to the enemy's words it would last for a few long hours, when he would only dream about being put to rest finally.

And actually Camus stared to agree. At the beginning it wasn't so awful, but with the every step, with the every single minute the poison inside his veins was spreading and working as it was suppose to. It was causing him pain in the every cell of his body, pain that could be compared to this one felt when the body was being torn apart piece by piece. He had slowly enough of it, wondering if there was any way of being freed of this awful suffering. Could it be death? Or maybe Lady Athena could do something? Was he really sentenced to death?

The Aquarius looked at the tree he was resting beside. He had to go. Standing in one place wouldn't bring him calmness and salvation in his pain. And as far as he would get, the chances of someone noticing his weak cosmo were increasing. With the every step he was closer to the Sanctuary, where many Saints were stationed. And many Gold Saints, that could sense even the slightest cosmo. If he would be found really quickly, then maybe Lady Athena could help him with this poison?

He smirked under his nose. Lady Athena still wasn't at her full power and it could be impossible for her to remove the poison from his body. Beside Camus allowed that damn Specter to poison him many times. He would rather be ashamed in the front of Lady Athena saving him from the death in such a condition.

His eyes stopped at the blue sky above him. The color was so beautiful and… And it was like Milo's eyes. Bright, full of hope. Clear blue.

At the thought of his lover the French almost cried form the desperation and in one second he was on his feet again. If he would die soon, he had to see the face he loved so much. He had to see Milo, his eyes, his smile. He had to feel the warm, strong hug around his body. And then he could die. In Milo's arms.

Camus wanted to see him just for a while, just the last time. And then nothing would have matter, even the King of The Underworld could come for his soul. But before his fall he had to say 'goodbye' to Milo, the person who did his life much better. Someone, who filled his existence with infinite warmness.

And still seeing the young, smiling face of the Scorpio he started to walk again, one step after the other, slowly approaching the Sanctuary, place where his beloved was. This kiss the Milo shared with Degel had no matter for Camus right now. The Aquarius was selfish enough to want to die in Milo's arms. It was his last wish upon the clear sky in the color of eyes he loved so much.

Maybe it could be too much to pray for, but the vision of Milo was giving him some strength. He could move forward, even managing to ignore somehow the pain inside his body. As long as he was walking he could overwhelm it, because something wonderful was awaiting him at the end of the painful journey. But if he would stop one more time… He was sure he wouldn't be able to stand and walk again.

And it was legs, that betrayed him after another painful spasm of his body. Just before the Aquarius took many steps and even with all of this pain he believed he could reach the Sanctuary. But his legs… They failed him and soon he fell to the ground, not able to move even one of his limbs. It was end, he knew that. If he fell down, then nothing would force him to stand again and walk. Even the face of Milo.

The pain inside his body exploded with dubbed power. He couldn't even moan, because the lips disobeyed his will. Something tried to tear apart his flesh, the fire was burning strongly in the veins and… and the face of Milo just disappeared, turning into the face of someone else.

The sad, blue eyes in the aureole of silk hairs appeared in his vision.

"Camus!" the voice of Albafica sounded from behind pink, fragile lips. Or maybe it was Aphrodite…? "Camus, just… Wait here, I will bring the help!"

And the face disappeared. Everything silenced, even these irritating bees stopped to hum inside his ears.

So that was how his death would look like? In the land from two centuries before he was even born. In the forest, surrounding the Sanctuary, lying on the ground, soft grass under his body and looking at the sky in the color of Milo's eyes? Being completely alone, feeling the burning pain in his veins? Hearing the nice hum of wind, spreading nice scent of roses?

Roses…?

His strength allowed him only to turn from his back just to see a few feet away the edge of beautiful, scarlet Garden of Albafica.

'So, they can kill in the matter of seconds…?' he thought through the pain he felt right now, stretching his arm just to touch the poisonous flower, not being fully aware what he was doing. Just only a few seconds, not hours in enormous pain.

He moved a little toward the garden, approaching it about a few centimeters. It seemed for him that the flowers were really far away from his fingers. But just a few moves more, one firm slip over the grass and he would be there, inhaling the poisonous scent of the roses, waiting for his death. Right now even the face of Milo faded away, leaving him completely alone with strong desire of touching the red petals. And he would be free…

His fingers were only a few inches from the scarlet roses when someone's foot pushed his hand away from the flowers.

"What do you think you are doing, Camus?" the wild and surely angry voice reached the Aquarius' ears and the next moment someone turned him on his back. He saw furious face of his beloved, with blue curls around the blue, wild eyes, looking at him with some sort of disappointment and fear.

The strong arms caught him and lifted quickly.

"M… Milo…" Camus whispered, looking inside the blue eyes and through his fever, he stretched slowly his hand and delicately touched Milo's soft cheek.

The man who was holding him snorted ironically.

"Sorry, but your boy is probably busy with my Degel," said the voice that surely belonged to Milo, but was wild enough for the remains' of Camus consciousness to understand after a long while, who it really was.

The Aquarius frowned painfully. For a short while he believed, that Milo came here, just to be beside while his life was extinguishing slowly and painfully. It filled him with calmness to believe he would die in arms of man he loved so much. But now… Right, how Milo could be here, if he was probably kissing Degel? When the current Aquarius was giving him the happiness he, Camus never could give the Scorpio? Why Milo would even came to him, being betrayed by Camus?

"Just hold on, idiot. Don't you dare to die like this, Camus," the voice became much softer, with the wind giving it the nice, calming tones.

Camus looked inside the blue, wild eyes one more time before falling into the darkness.

He felt small burst of Camus cosmo a few minutes before it disappeared again. It occurred for just a while and Milo wasn't sure from where this call of the life came. It could happen miles away as really big explosion of the cosmo, or it could be just from their hut, where Camus probably forgot to shout his cosmo down for a while.

But as long as the Scorpio felt it, he had to take the course and depending completely on his intuition he took the path, where his soul told him Camus was. He had to find his beloved French and talk with him, probably even try to fix everything, before it was too late.

And he found him but not in the state he expected.

Milo managed only to take his course, when he saw his predecessor, Kardia running as if his life was in danger. The wild Scorpio Saint of these ages was holding something really similar to the human body. The silhouette was lying in strange position and the aquamarine hairs were waving from the speed. And it took the man of the future only tiny part of the second to understand what, or rather who, was in Kardia's arms.

"Camus!" he cried just at the time he appeared beside the Scorpio Saint, looking at pale face of his lover, who seemed to be… dead. The blood was covering most of body's part and Kardia's hands; it seems that it was still flowing out of Camus' precious flesh.

He stretched his hands to reach the Aquarius, but Kardia growled.

"We don't have time for this, Milo. I can't keep him alive for too long with my cosmo," the wild Saint answered roughly.

"But…" started Milo, almost loosing control of himself.

"You better go and call Sasha. I have no idea what it was, but I can feel inside him really strong poison," growled Kardia. "You better hurry, if you don't want him to die."

Milo gasped desperately and rushed toward the Sacred Hills, heading straight to the Upper Temple, trembling from the fear about his lover.

He couldn't understand this situation. This morning Degel said he saw Camus and even talked with him. And now, not too many hours later Kardia entered the Sanctuary with him, dying from a strange poison. What happened? Why Camus was in such a bad state? Why he looked like he was fighting with someone? And why now?

What if… What if Camus would die right now? Feeling betrayed by his lover? In regrets? So far away from home?

He couldn't feel his limbs; his all blood turned to an ice and even slight thought about Camus in this awful state, was making him to tremble. He couldn't even think and it seemed he was in such a pitiful state, that all the Saints of Golden Zodiac he was passing by didn't even ask, seeing in what a hurry he was. the Temples seemed to be just a gray streak on his way, their inhabitants were only a shining spots. His mind, focused only at Kardia's cosmo, that tried to maintain Camus' life, couldn't notice anything beyond the burning energy of life and the desire of arriving to the Pope Temple as soon as possible.

He didn't even notice when Degel, alarmed by his strange appearance and disturbed cosmo appeared by his side. The Aquarius Saint asked something, but what matter had some short question, when the life of Camus was about to disappear? What matter had the fact that something happened between them lately, when his beloved one could die at any moment. All these feelings he thought he felt toward Degel vanished like they never existed. They could settle everything later, when the danger would be far away.

Right now there was nothing more important, than getting to Lady Athena and beg for help. So he only growled something incomprehensible to the man he thought he could love instead of Camus, and passed the last Temple, lonely and silent kingdom of roses.

Everything happened really quickly, he rushed into the Pope Chamber, when he expected to met Athena, and even the guard couldn't stop him. He almost screamed a few words from himself to his Goddess, still having Degel by his side, and holding his all limbs to stay still in one place, just to not catch Lady Athena and forcibly take her with him. He completely ignored the Aquarius, that at his words turned pale.

Lady Athena didn't ask any questions, just quickly called Pope Sage and the four of them left the Pope Temple, heading to the place, where Kardia tried to maintain Camus' life with his cosmo. Milo remembered only really fast way down the Temples and the big entrance of Kardia's domain just before he was stopped in the front of the room, where Camus was dying in agony.

"You would only disturb us, Milo," he heard from the Pope. "Degel, take care of him," he asked his subordinate and closed the door of the room.

Pope Sage looked at the bed, where one of their guests was lying, supported by Kardia's cosmo. He heard very frightened gaps coming out from Lady Athena and this sound perfectly reflected how he felt at the look of Camus.

The motionless silhouette, lying in the bed bore visible signs of long and tiring battle he fought not so long time ago. The skin was covered by fresh blood, the red stain appeared at the side, showing them how quickly the life of Camus was disappearing just in the front of their eyes.

"What happened…?" he whispered to the Scorpio Saint, when Lady Athena burned her cosmo, touching gently Camus' soul.

Kardia shrugged slightly his shoulders.

"He was on a mission and battled with some Specters. It seems that one of them was really poisonous, because I can't get rid of it even with my cosmo. And I can't stop the bleeding," whispered the Greek, looking at Camus with pale face.

He knew it was silly, but when he was looking at Camus, dying from the Specter's poison he couldn't help it, but he was seeing Degel, damaged in the same way, slowly heading to the Underworld Kingdom. These two Saints were alike too much. He couldn't even imagine, how he would feel if it was Degel right now, in this bed, dying from the poison. How strange, what if these Saints from the future wouldn't come to their Sanctuary and this event would happen in a different way? What if in that other possibility it was Degel going against these Specters?

'Calm down, idiot' he told himself. 'It's not Degel, and even if, he would be wearing his Gold Cloth, so there is no way he would end up like that…'

The Scorpio Saint could feel like Lady Athena was trying to heal Camus' wounds and get rid of this strange, dark and evil poison, consuming this man's body minute by minute. The gentle cosmo of the Goddess was flowing through the senseless body, searching for the venom. After a while even the Pope, their kind but sometimes rough Pope joined her efforts, hoping it would help enough for Camus' life to be out of danger. Outside the chamber, Kardia could clearly feel the burning and disturbed cosmo of Milo, that surely wanted to rush inside and see his lover, and beside him was Degel, firmly trying to calm down the young Greek from doing anything unnecessary in such a situation.

What would happen now? If Lady Athena wouldn't be able to save Camus? What with Milo? And Degel? Could these two end more close to themselves than ever? Or his successor will break down, watching his lover to die here? He surely looked really shocked, when he saw Camus in such a state, Kardia could read everything through this worried cosmo, coming out from behind the doors. It wasn't the cosmo of someone who didn't care; it was cosmo of someone who wanted to do everything for his lover to survive.

He snorted under his nose and returned with his thoughts to the effort they had in saving Camus' life.

It passed a really long while before Lady Athena let out a short scream of surprise. She caught her hand.

"Lady Athena!" the Pope took her hand. Half of it was covered with ice, that in a couple of seconds started to melt. "You are hurt!" cried the old man.

"I'm fine," said Lady Athena with a sad voice. "I was just surprised a little. But I think… He is blocking me…" she whispered to the two men beside her.

"Blocking you?" asked the Pope.

"Yes. I can't destroy the poison completely and draw his soul back to us. He don't want to…" she added with sad voice.

Kardia looked at her, frowning strongly.

"He is so sad…" she murmured to herself. "It is like he gave up…"

The Head of the Sanctuary gasped with the surprise.

"Gave up?"

Kardia gasped his fists. Well, finally he discovered one of these small things Camus and Degel were different with. His Aquarius would never give up.

"I think…" he started hesitantly, wondering if he could bet everything on Milo's so-called 'love' toward Camus. "I think there is nothing more we can do for him…" he murmured. "If someone could help him right now, it could only be Milo.

They looked at him sadly, Lady Athena sighed deeply, nodded and opened the door, feeling that she should be there and support these two guests form the future. They came here so suddenly and they already accommodated to the new life. And right now… One of them was at the edge of his life.

Someone - he actually didn't even notice who it was - said that he should stay with Camus right now and that everything what should be done, was done. It didn't sound good, like he was allowed to stay by a dying person's side, by someone who only had minutes and just in a moment the life and cosmo would completely extinguish. He didn't like this sad tone of these people whispering around. He noticed voices of Lady Athena and of the Pope, but he couldn't say what he heard from them. Or maybe he heard but his numb mind didn't register the meaning behind all of these words. The look of his devastated lover, lying in the bed, covered by wounds and blood almost stopped his heart, making him deaf to anything said to him. He could just see the simple bed; he could only hear weak heartbeat of Camus and his nearly gone breath. He could smell only blood covering skin of his beloved Aquarius Saint. This body was completely motionless, eyes closed, he looked dead; oh for Athena's name, Camus looked dead so much, that if he wouldn't hear this weak heartbeat he would gone completely mad.

And just then, when he heard also voice of Kardia at the border of his mind, the silence fell and he was alone with Camus.

He slipped under the blanket and delicately encircling his arms around the body of Camus, he hugged his lover, hiding his face in aquamarine hairs he loved so much.

"Camus… Please, don't die…" Milo whispered into the ear of his lover. "You can't just die…" He felt the tears under his lids that were ready to fall. "If you die, Camus… I will go and die with you…"