A/N: Finish…! =D Hope you enjoy it…! Thanks for reading, please review if you have spare time…!
Chapter 2
"By the names of all the Scorpio saints in the era of myths…," Milo whispered, his eyes were empty. The baby girl wasn't afraid AT ALL at the deadly creatures—instead she treated them as if they're only little bunnies or something.
Milo soon dropped the book on the floor then immediately ran to the baby girl. He picked her up into his arms and unconsciously swore, "Damn!"
"Demn!" Eclairs imitated him joyfully.
Milo blinked.
"Demn!" Eclairs yelled again. "Demn! Demn, demn!"
"You're not allowed to say that word, sweety!" snarled Milo. "Now let's get out of here, time to lunch—we'll go to Uncle Aldebaran's temple to ask him for bananas or something…"
"Nnnn…," the baby struggled to release herself from Milo's grasp when Milo walked fast to exit his temple. She never stopped looking at the scorpions which were scattered to the floor. "Nnnnnn…"
"Those creatures's names are scorpion," Milo told her when he started to walk down the stairs. "One sting and you will immediately put into a coffin and only heaven knows what your auntie will do to me."
Eclairs was still struggling to jump from Milo's hug, yet finally she gave up when they've got far and farther from Scorpio temple. Milo didn't care anymore about his scorpions which have been totally free from their cage. He also didn't care in case his scorpions decided to travel to his fellows's temples. He was sure his friends could take care of themselves from those creature's poisons, unlike this poor baby.
The first temple he passed was Libra. He's already bet Camus was there, but he was wrong. Libra temple was empty as usual; Dohko was in Rozan and Athena permitted him to stay there. She knew he deserved to eat all the dishes Shunlei cooked for him.
The next temple was Virgo. Shaka, as usual, was meditating. He wore monk fabric, made him looked very impressive.
"Hey, Shaka," greeted Milo.
"Good day, Milo. Hmmm…what is the mortal creature in your hands?" he asked with his eyes-closed.
"She's Eclairs, Shaina's niece."
"Hmmm…," Shaka was smiling.
"What are you smiling at?" asked Milo in confusion.
"Nothing. I see that your aura gets brighter with the infant inside your arms."
"Oh, thank you," Milo laughed as he continued walking.
The next was Leo temple. Aiolia's reaction wasn't as nice as Shaka's.
"Gosh! Milo!" gasped Aiolia. "You never told me you and Shaina got a child!"
"What do you mean me and Shaina got a child?! We never do anything!" said Milo clenching his teeth.
"Oh…"
Milo saw Aiolia blushing.
"Hey…what is it, kitten?" asked Milo, smirked as he stopped walking.
"Mm…me and Marin also…"
"You and Marin also…"
"…never do anything."
Milo chuckled seeing Aiolia got more blushing, then he continued walking.
The next temple is the most horrible of all.
Milo mumbled incoherently as he hugged the baby tighter. "You'd better close your eyes, sweety…unless you'll get a nightmare…"
He entered Cancer temple as quick as possible. His steps went faster; he even slightly running. He was right: the dark atmosphere in Cancer temple and the death faces hanging on the wall were successful making Eclairs got frozen.
"It's ok, sweety, we'll get outta here soon," murmured Milo. He almost reached Cancer entrance when he heard a frightening laughter.
"The Scorpion and a baby!"
"Hey, Deathmask," greeted Milo without looking at Deathmask. He almost got out of the terrible temple, but Deathmask blocked his way.
"Where are you going?" smirked Deathmask.
"Set aside," replied Milo coldly.
He would never forget the way Deathmask treated Shaina a week before; at that time he almost kissed her in force. Luckily Milo came in the right time and was successful giving him precious lesson.
"Still angry?" asked DM, still sneering. "Your girlfriend passed my temple again some hours ago, she ran very fast to avoid me… Don't blame anybody to have such girlfriend…such an attractive…stunning, and smells very good…"
"What's your problem?" Milo pushed Deathmask's body harshly. He stepped forward and pushed his body again. "Huh?! Do you have a problem?"
"Take it easy, Scorpion…," laughed Deathmask, not affected at all with Milo's gesture. "The baby is afraid of you."
He's right. Eclairs started to cry seeing the two men quarreling.
"Get out of my way," said Milo in a very low voice, letting Eclairs crying in his arms.
"You know, you don't fit taking care of a child," Deathmask replied with more serious tone. "It's not an assassin's job…"
Milo pushed Deathmask's body again, now more harshly than before.
"Hey, hey, what's this?" a neutral voice coming. Kanon marched at Milo and immediately pulled his arms firmly. "Come on Milo, don't make any trouble here. Deathmask, you'd better be nice when someone's passing your house."
Milo followed Kanon with his eyes still staring deadly at the Cancer. He had to prevent the urge to punch his nose into pieces and made it as the new decoration of his temple.
"This is not over!" shouted Milo to Deathmask.
"Stop it, Milo," murmured Kanon, guiding Milo to walk faster.
"Not an assassin's job, Scorpion!" Deathmask shouted back, then laughed with very irritating sound.
"I'll kill him," said Milo when they've been far enough from Cancer temple. "I swear I will send him to hell…"
"Milo, he's not worthy to be fought."
"He almost raped my girlfriend!" snapped Milo. The warmth on his face was totally gone right now, exchanged by another look.
Yes…that look.
The face of an assassin.
"I know, Milo, I know," said Kanon as he patted Milo's back. "But you have to think further before starting to do something stupid—"
"I won't do anything stupid, I just want to ask my scorpions to sting him in his sleep!"
"That's counted as stupid. Now calm down, the baby is crying, Milo, it's not very wise talking about those horrible things in front of a year old child."
Milo startled. He almost forgot Eclairs was still in his arms. She was crying earnestly and Milo then did nothing but raised her up and hugged her tight.
"K…forgive Uncle Milo, sweety," he said softly. The warmth in his face gradually came back as he stroke Eclairs's small head and clapped her back very softly. "Ssssh…we'll go to Uncle Aldebaran's temple to have some good meals, everything will be alright…," he smiled slightly. He wasn't aware Kanon watched him silently with a smile on his face.
"What?" asked Milo when he has been aware.
"Nothing," Kanon grinned.
"Come on, what's that?"
"You look paternal."
"Shut up, I'm not Camus," laughed Milo.
"You and Camus are just like two sides of coins. Different but just the same."
"I don't know what you're talking about, Kanon."
"Hey, it's Saga," Kanon beamed when seeing Saga was standing in the exit of Gemini temple. Saga looked very relieved.
"Thanks God…I thought you would start one thousand years war with Deathmask," mumbled Saga. His blue eyes turned sparkling when seeing a baby in Milo's hand. "Who is this?"
"Shaina's niece," answered Milo, letting Saga picked the baby and carried her in his arms. Eclairs was no longer crying right now, she looked cheerful, and as usual she swung her hands ups and down.
"Please introduce Grandpa Saga, sweety," chuckled Kanon, replied by Milo's laugh and Saga's glare. "If she calls me Grandpa then how she calls Dohko and Shion?! Grand grand grand grand grand father?" grumbled Saga, which was only responded by more laughters.
"You're hungry, cutie?" asked Saga to Eclairs then. Eclairs mentioned baby words which the saints didn't understand. She still looked so happy, but later on she struggled to release herself from Saga. "Nnnnnn…nnnnnn…," she mumbled.
"What, cutie?"
"Nnnnnn…," her hands were addressing Milo.
"Oooooh, you miss Uncle Milo!"chuckled Kanon.
"Come, Uncle Milo, the baby girl wants to be with you," Saga chuckled as well as he gave the baby to Milo. Eclairs immediately went calm once she was in Milo's arms.
"I'm gonna go to Aldebaran's temple for some meals," said Milo.
"Me and Saga wanna be there also—Saga has drained the foods in Gemini temple, as usual…"
"If I have to remind you Kanon," snarled Saga, "I woke up in the morning and found out that a dozen of apple pie I kept in the pantry's cupboard has been stolen."
"Hey, Milo, do you think what Aldebaran would give to the baby?" Kanon suddenly asked Milo. He clearly tried to change topic.
"I don't know…apple pie?" chuckled Milo.
"The weather's not very good today," Kanon changed topic again, while Saga only grinned in frustration, completely sure that it was INDEED Kanon who stole the apple pie in the pantry.
When they've been in Uncle Aldebaran's temple, Eclairs was so happy facing the foods Aldebaran gave her, moreover Aldebaran treated the baby so sweetly.
"Hahahaha…come to Uncle Aldebaran's temple everyday and you'll get all pastries you want, cutie," beamed Aldebaran, replied by Eclairs's cute giggles.
"I wish he said it to me," mumbled Kanon.
"It's easy, ask Athena to curse you to be a year old child," suggested Milo.
"Nice idea, Milo; he will be completely deserted for nobody will ever be willing to babysit him," mumbled Saga. Milo laughed, while Kanon glared at him in irritation. Seeing Milo laughed, Eclairs laughed as well. Milo then hugged her and helped Aldebaran feeding her.
"By the way, where's your wife?" asked Kanon to Milo then.
"Shaina? She's in Italy, and she hasn't been my wife," answered Milo casually.
"No, not that wife. The other one."
Milo baffled. "Who?"
Saga and Kanon grinned identically.
Milo could only sneer once he understood and let Saga, Kanon, and Aldebaran roared in laughters.
"Dunno, haven't seen him since morning," said Milo as he fed Eclairs a spoon of chocolate cereal.
"Why don't you call him and ask, 'Honey, where are you…? Miss you soooooo much the whole night the whole day…'"
"And make him burying me under Siberian ice ground? I don't think so, Kanon," Milo said flatly, once again he ignored Saga, Kanon, and Aldebaran's laughters. Eclairs could only gazed at them with her innocent eyes, probably deciding the three guys's laughters weren't as attractive as Milo's.
"Hey, Milo," said Saga after he finished his laughter. "You look different."
"What?"
"Hahaha…Saga is right, my friend, you look more mature," added Aldebaran.
"Really?" asked Milo happily, feeling so thankful someone finally addressed him as a mature person. "Shaka said my aura is brighter with the baby with me."
"For the first time in my life I agree with him," nodded Kanon. "Maybe Eclairs should be babysitted by you in a longer time."
"Oh…," said Milo.
His expression a bit transformed.
Not an assassin's job, Scorpion!
"I don't think so," Milo finally said, continuing feeding the baby.
"Why not, my friend? She clearly likes you," Aldebaran replied.
Milo only chuckled a bit and gazed on Eclairs's bright blue eyes.
Would she kept liking him once she discovered the meaning of the word 'assassin'…?
***