The Pope's Privileges
A/N: Warning, this is a DARK one, containing yaoi, threesomes, paedophilia and a bit of rape. Only read if you're comfortable with the idea of Shion/Aiolos (and the like) and Saga/Shaka (and the like.) Canonical to Lost Canvas and Episode G, although the idea itself makes this AU.
It made my soul shrivel up and die whilst writing it. Enjoy!
It is the duty of the Grand Pope of Sanctuary not to rule, but to serve.
He (or she, as it sometimes happens) must serve Athena, serve her Saints and serve Sanctuary to the best of their ability. They may be the weakest Bronze Saint in Sanctuary or the strongest Gold Saint ever seen-but if they become Pope knowing that they must serve and never, ever rule then they shall be a great Pope indeed.
Obviously there are exceptions to this rule, and in some cases it is necessary for the Pope to exert some of his papal influences upon his unruly denizens. But through it all he must keep a calm cosmos and a fair mind, knowing that what he does in the end must always be to the benefit of Athena, her Saints and her Sanctuary.
The Pope may serve-but Athena gives something back. For his service and devotion, Athena allows the Pope at the time his pick of Sanctuary's Saints, and for him to do with them as he pleases. Age and gender is irrelevant-all they must be are Saints. That is the privilege of the Grand Pope.
And for their part, Athena's Saints are happy to serve.
"Pope Shion, the new recruits have arrived!"
An earnest voice cut across the gloom of the largest temple in Sanctuary, the Pope's Palace. Deep in said gloom sat the imposing figure of the Grand Pope Aries Shion himself, leader of Sanctuary and chief defender of Athena. Her greatest defence and greatest weakness all in one, this particular Pope was one of the last relics from the Holy War of the eighteenth century and had an odd habit of eating crisps with garlic mayonnaise. Libra Dohko said it made his breath smell like Degel's used to, and the Saints of today politely ignored it.
"Pope Shion, sir-will you see them now?" The eager baritone of Sagittarius Aiolos cut into Shion's reverie, and the Pope looked up slowly, his enormous green-grey hair rising like a lion's mane behind him. The Saints of today told him it was an impressive sight when coupled with his sparkling purple eyes, Libra Dohko simply told him to find a good comb.
Aiolos was there looking proud and strong in his Gold Cloth, the wings casting a scary silhouette on the marble floor in front of him. At his feet were three little figures-one blonde, one with hair that was a pleasant shade of green and one sulky little boy with what should have been curly purple locks, but were in fact sparse and tufty.
"May I present to you Shaka, Camus and Milo, Pope Shion? They'll be under the tutelage of Virgo Spica, Aquarius Eridanus and Scorpio Sargas respectively and are all four years old."
Shion gazed at the three little boys, and the three little boys gazed back. After a minute or so of quiet contemplation, he asked Aiolos an important question.
"Sagittarius Aiolos, why have you brought a bald boy to Sanctuary? Do you not know how important hair clearly is to a guardian of Athena?"
Aiolos laughed, and the boy in question looked annoyed. "Ah, do not worry; Pope Shion-Milo's hair will grow back soon enough! He had an unfortunate accident with some bubblegum a few days ago, so is not looking his best-but I assure you, his hair is lovely."
"Oi! I am not lovely, you twit with wings!"
"Do not speak in such a way when in the presence of the Grand Pope!"
"Who cares who he is? It's my birthday in two weeks and as I present, I want to go home! Permanently!"
"Milo, you are the future Gold Saint of Scorpio-this is your life now and-"
As the kerfuffle raged on, Shion looked at the newest additions to Sanctuary in a way that only he was permitted to. Milo, the loudest of the three boys, was a Greek with dark olive skin and bright blue eyes. He would, Shion supposed, grow up tall and strong and outspoken regardless of his power level. Camus, the boy with the soft green hair that reached his shoulders, had a dark blue gaze and a look common in France-discontent. Shion supposed he would be pretty too, unless he cut his hair. And the last boy had the longest hair, although it was of a more common colour. Shaka's eyes were tightly shut but framed by big lashes and Shion wasn't sure-this boy's looks could go either way. Either his delicate Indian features would mature well and he would become beautiful, or his eyes would prove too big for his small face and he would end up looking terribly strange.
Ah well. Shion supposed he'd sleep with him anyway. With a wave to Aiolos, the boys and man-boy were dismissed and Shion was left with the pangs of nostalgia.
After all, he'd been Pope for over two hundred years. In that time, he'd learnt several things-firstly, that being the Pope really took it out of you, and secondly that whilst the Silver and Bronze Saints didn't have to be beautiful, the Gold Saints were only picked if they had the potential to be both attractive and powerful. He supposed he'd always known it-back in his halcyon youth when Dohko had still been young and strong, all the Gold Saints had been visions of loveliness (even if their personalities were far from it.) Pope Sage had been lucky-he would forever be remembered as a noble Pope who led a Holy War and as the only man ever to bed Virgo Asmita.
Shion smiled. Of course they had been willing-Athena was strictly out of bounds, so the Pope was the nearest thing to her and they were all eager for some attention and to express their devotion. Relationships among themselves were-and remained-quite forbidden, so even the haughtiest of Saints would consider it an honour to be chosen as the Pope's companion for a night.
Pope Sage had of course made full use of this-he had bedded Degel, Kardia (but only once), Sisyphus, Manigoldo (many times) and El Cid as well. He'd slept with Dohko and of course, he, Aries Shion, had trotted into the bedroom like a good little lamb. Albafica had stayed away, but that was through no fault of his own and he had assured Pope Sage that if he could have, he would.
Then the Holy War came and killed them all, and he and Dohko were left to pick up the pieces. Shion became Pope and saw generations and generations of beautiful, powerful Saints of Athena pass through Sanctuary. They passed through his bedchamber too, but he only remembered a few-a particularly lovely Leo Saint, a more compliant than usual Virgo or a surprisingly chaste Capricorn-he divided his attention between them all.
Dohko hadn't really liked it, but it was the Pope's duty as well as his privilege. By accepting the love of his Saints, he was serving them, Sanctuary and Athena. And by the time the second generation had come around, Dohko had left Shion for Mount Rozan and the Pope was free to do as he pleased with the Saints of Sanctuary.
Only once had he made a true mistake in his sexual endeavours, and that had been paying too much attention to a 'lowly' Silver Saint. Perseus Torsten had been the most beautiful Saint of his generation, and Shion had fallen for him fast and hard. But whilst lavishing his attention upon one weak Silver Saint, his Gold Saints (as well as the other Silver and Bronze Saints) felt neglected and undervalued. And as relationships were forbidden and therefore rare, they responded in the only way they knew how-violence.
Pope Shion had fished Perseus Torsten's battered and very dead body out of the sea himself, and had sobbed into it as the Saints of Athena stood behind him, smirking. It did not pay to anger those you served.
That had been almost a hundred years ago, but nothing had changed since then. He was still Pope, and he still took Saints into his bedchamber on fairly regular occasions. His age was, he reasoned, no reason to stop him doing the most enjoyable of all his papal duties. Two hundred years had passed, the seal of Hades was nearly broken-this new generation of Saints would fight the next Holy War, and he doubted he would survive.
It was a tiresome thought, the idea that he might die. But it was not a new one.
"Master Shion!" A little voice cut through Shion's reverie, and a pink-haired four-year-old stumbled into view. "Master Shion, guess what?"
Sure enough it was Mu; the little Tibetan Shion had begun training himself. Another one whose features could go either way-the face could become lovely and androgynous, or his lack of eyebrows would come to not suit his face and his natural elegance would be lost in favour of a rippling warrior's body. Who knows, perhaps he could achieve both-Shion didn't care anymore, Mu was another one he would sleep with when he was older regardless of looks.
For now, Shion smiled at the excited child. "What is it that has made you so happy, Mu?"
The green-eyed boy beamed. "Shaka is like me-he is also a Buddhist! I have made a friend!"
And if a relationship developed between Mu and Shaka despite Shion's best efforts, then he would deal with it quickly and quietly. The purpose of the Pope's privileges was to stop this happening-instead the Gold Saints, the most powerful and volatile of the lot, would develop their relationships with the Pope and stay loyal only to him. But his future Gold Saints were young, this did not matter now.
"I'm very happy for you, Mu, and I hope you become a good friend to him. Now, can you fetch me Virgo Spica? He should be in his temple with Shaka."
Mu grinned and teleported away. A few moments later, a haughty-looking Saint with long blonde curls and grey eyes appeared, his armour-clothed feet clacking on the marble floor.
"You called, Pope Shion?" Virgo Spica had mastered the art of the condescending smile, and was wont to treat the Pope as a senile old man.
Which, of course, he wasn't. Not yet, anyway. "Ah, Spica-I wanted to talk to you about Shaka. Did you know he looks just like Virgo Asmita?" Shion smiled at the look of distaste on Virgo Spica's face.
"And I look like my grandfather. Does it matter?" Spica had never been one for dwelling on the past, always looking to push forward into the future. Pope Shion, who actually had a past, was the exact opposite.
"I just thought it was interesting. I think we've been having more reincarnations than usual as of late...anyway, the boy's a Buddhist and I want you to respect that."
"What? Why?! Nasty heathen religion, in Sanctuary of all places..."
"It would be foolish to kill such a thing. I want you to treat him decently, Spica-this boy doesn't deserve to end up dead at your hands. Plant a flower and for once watch it grow."
The blonde sniffed. "I can make you no promises. If this is just because the brat looks like someone you know then I certainly won't promise."
Shion's eyes hardened. "Spica, you will obey me. Bedchamber, now."
"Ah, pathetic! Once again, Pope Shion imposes his will through sex! Is there anyone you haven't tried this on?"
"Now."
And Virgo Spica obeyed, because when a Pope gave you an order you followed it, regardless of what it was or how demeaning it was to you. Pope Shion rose and followed him, banging the doors of the main chamber shut behind him. The clash of Cloth against Cloth followed, accompanied by muffled protests and groans. Old Pope Shion had pushed the younger, more beautiful Saint down onto the bed and took him hard and fast.
Because the Pope may serve, but he serves Sanctuary's best interests-and those are stability and peace. If a soul or so gets harmed in the process, well...it is worse in times of war.
Shion finished quickly, and Virgo Spica scrambled out from underneath him, cheeks burning with shame. He quickly gathered up his abandoned Cloth and started to rectify his trousers.
On the bed, the old Pope smiled. "Come now, Spica-there's no shame in bedding the Pope!"
"There is when you're not willing! Not everyone wishes to dance to your tunes or to be your devoted little whore!"
"Are you referring to yourself and Cancer Acubens? I do, of course, know of your relationship with him and would care to remind you who your true master is, Spica. Remember that."
With a cry of rage, Virgo Spica burst out of Shion's bedchamber and stormed out of the Pope's Palace, ready to take his anger out on the nearest and weakest thing in sight. That would probably be little Shaka, but Shion felt it was worth it in the long run-Spica would rather treat the boy with respect than have a repeat of what had just occurred.
Because sometimes authority must be imposed, and who better to do it than the Pope? And he could not have thought of a better way to do it, not in a thousand years!
Ah, praise to Athena, she who gave him such marvellous privileges...
And so years (but not many) passed and Pope Shion watched as his tiny Gold Saints grew up into children with the power to destroy the world.
Milo was seven years old when he defeated his master and gained the Gold Cloth of Scorpio. He had turned from a loud, unhappy little boy into a dedicated and good-looking child, and Shion had no qualms about summoning Milo to the Pope's Palace.
The purple-haired boy knelt in front of him, big blue eyes respectfully earnest. "You called, Pope Shion?"
And up on his throne, the older man smiled. He liked the lively, intelligent ones who took the initiative and he felt sure that when Milo was older he would become one of these. A wrinkled hand stroked the purple curls affectionately, and Milo smiled happily. He was an extroverted boy who liked attention, and if it was from the Pope himself, well...
"I merely wished to congratulate you on winning the Scorpio Cloth, Milo. I am pleased-you will make a good Saint and in a few years I have no doubt that you will make an excellent companion for me."
"Thank you, Pope Shion!" (Because of course Milo knew about his duties to the Pope-all Saints did, especially those in training for the Gold Cloths. And although their virginities were reserved strictly for the Pope, it was not uncommon for their masters to train them in the ways of pleasuring a man so that when they were called to the Pope's bedchamber they did not disappoint.)
Shion placed a gentle kiss on Milo's soft, small lips. "Good boy...you shall make me happy later on."
This was how Saints loyal to Athena were made. They become loyal to the Pope and the Pope made them love Athena, ergo complete control (and all is well in Sanctuary.)
Shion said a similar thing to the new Aquarius Camus, who had grown up into a quiet, solemn little fellow with a beautiful face and very amusing eyebrows. He appeared to be someone Shion could trust, even at such a young age, and the Pope liked that. He too would make a nice consort.
Taurus Aldebaran was a remarkable boy, and Pope Shion was wary about approaching him-the Brazilian was young but large and gorgeously well-muscled. Shion found him attractive in a way, and had decided to wait until puberty hit to sleep with him. Aldebaran would almost certainly be a sexual equal to him by then, and that would make for an interesting experience.
Saints such as Pisces Aphrodite and Cancer Deathmask were that little bit older, and as such Shion went that little bit further with them. Aphrodite in particular was a beautiful boy with classical features and sweet-smelling blue ringlets, and Shion enjoyed kissing those plump pink lips and caressing the nine year-old's body. Pisces Austrinus had been diligent in her training of the young Saint and Aphrodite was able and willing to pleasure Pope Shion in ways most normal nine year-olds wouldn't immediately consider.
Cancer Deathmask, on the other hand, respected Pope Shion but refused to submit to him. Shion acknowledged the challenge as one dominant male to another, and hadn't pressed the issue. The boy was handsome, yes, but he was only ten years old and he was all Athena's. There was no need to hurry with him.
Virgo Shaka pleased Shion very much, primarily because his face had matured nicely and he had become an exquisite little thing, with huge blue eyes and shining hair-very much like Asmita, although luckily the boy wasn't blind. His personality left something to be desired-he was cold, merciless and had few friends-but Pope Shion had encouraged a sweet little friendship with Mu (who was also lonely) and it was a joy to see two such pretty boys playing together in the courtyard as the Grecian sunlight sparkled off their armour and the wind made their pastel-coloured hair dance.
The Pope began making plans for a threesome as soon as the two boys were over ten years of age.
Two more years passed, and Pope Shion grew old and weary. He could no longer perform his bedroom duties on a regular basis, and there were aches in his heart and his back that there hadn't been before. Dreams of threesomes were abandoned, and it was time for a new Pope to see them through the next Holy War. Of course he would be there-they would need him to guide them, he who had fought the Spectres of Hades and survived-but a younger, stronger man was needed now.
Only two Gold Saints were available for the job. The first was Sagittarius Aiolos-practically perfect in his Sainthood-and Gemini Saga, a blue-haired demigod with more power than sanity.
And on the night before Pope Shion made his final decision, he called both teenagers to his chambers. Aiolos was first, and he submitted himself joyfully, eager to show the Pope every aspect of his devotion to Athena. Shion relaxed and allowed his aged hands to enjoy every aspect of the young, bronzed body, to feel each taunt muscle and every smooth curve Aiolos' long, lean legs made when wrapped around his waist.
It was not the first time he had been with Aiolos-of course not-but the sight of the Sagittarius Saint spread out on the bedclothes flushed and panting like a whore and with love in his eyes rejuvenated Shion's old body and he made love to Aiolos with a fervour not seen for years.
"Ah-ah, Pope Shion! There!"
With his arms flung around Shion's shoulders and his strong legs pressing the older man's hips forward, Aiolos was also making love as he had never done before. Wet, childish kisses were plastered over Shion's body, each one full of heartfelt adoration and devotion. Hands slipped and wandered in places only the most high-ranking Saints dared to go, and through it all there was love. Love for Athena, a love for life and a love of Sanctuary. Aiolos knew he was fighting a demigod for the position of Pope-and so he would fight with the purity of his soul and the sincerity of his devotion.
Even more than Shion could ever know, Aiolos understood how to serve. The Pope's mind was made up before he had climaxed, and afterwards, as he lay with Aiolos in his arms and his nose nuzzling the chestnut curls, he had smiled and whispered the good news in the younger boy's flushed ear.
"You...are perfect. You shall be the greatest Pope Sanctuary has ever seen, and Athena willing, you will lead us to victory in the next Holy War. Nothing and no-one will compare to you."
Aiolos had smiled and snuggled into Shion's embrace, too exhausted to do anything more than that. And after a long, innocent kiss he had left a few hours later, with love in his heart and determination in his eyes.
Gemini Saga arrived much later in the evening and Shion received him gracefully, wary of the darkness that tainted the blue-haired boy's powerful cosmos. Saga immediately put a finger on Shion's lips and told him quite firmly that "No, there will be no kissing tonight, you do not love me and we do not need feelings to come into this..."
And as they undressed and Saga pushed Shion down onto the mussed bed, fully intending to ride him, Shion knew at once that Saga would be discontent as Pope. In his mind, Saga was born to rule and never to serve, he could never be happy with such a position as Pope-he wants to be more than a mere man, he needs to be a God, if he was Pope he would always strive for more and he would not care about whom he trampled to get his way-did we not see this with his treatment of Kanon?
And after their worried, hesitant lovemaking Shion gave Saga one last chance to redeem himself. Sitting on the spoiled bed with the sheets crumpled around his waist, the older man quietly contemplated the beautiful boy before him. A lean, smooth chest the colour of caramel and vivid blue locks tumbling down a broad back belied the darkness in his sea-green eyes, the darkness that Shion couldn't bear to see in any Saint of Athena.
"Saga...if you do become Pope, what will you do?"
The sixteen year-old was silent for a time. "I would...first, I would start making preparations for Athena's appearance. She should be born soon, and that will indicate the coming of a new Holy War, so I would continue the training of our Saints for that. I would call Libra Dohko back, and I would continue to train so that I could meet Hades as an equal-and win."
"And who would you take as a companion?"
"Nobody. I need none of them, and as of yet they don't need me. Most of the Gold Saints are too young to appreciate the value of the Pope, so I could not-I would not-sleep with them. It would not be necessary. All they-and I-need is Athena."
Shion sighed inside his head, and placed an aged hand on Saga's smooth shoulder. "Thank you, Gemini Saga. I shall inform you of my decision tomorrow. Have a good night."
And of course it did not go as planned-Saga did not sit there quietly and let Aiolos become Pope over him, oh no. Grand Pope Shion was murdered in a cruel and ignoble fashion on the sacred ground of Star Hill as Saga's evil side took over completely and then, for the first time in Sanctuary's history, a fake Pope was in charge-a fake Pope who was a murderer and a liar and a tormented, tortured madman-and to whom Athena had been entrusted.
Oh dear.
Gemini Saga-now Pope Ares, actually, but he could never fool himself-had to be more careful than Shion. The Gold Saints knew that something had changed-a change in cosmos, in hair colour, in voice and in manner-but most were too young to realise the deception for what it was. Mu was sent to Jamir immediately and whilst Aphrodite, Shura and Deathmask were old enough to have suspicions, Saga quenched those with a few mind-wipes here and there, and the only real threat to his position, Aiolos, was dealt with a year after he came to power.
By that time Athena had been born again as a pretty pink-haired baby who was in Saga's primary care. One thing led to another and soon enough a knife was in his hands and Saga, he who had been so devoted a few years earlier, was trying to kill his goddess.
Aiolos' intervention was almost a blessing, as it got rid of Athena and it got rid of the Sagittarius Saint. The matter was dealt with by yelling 'AIOLOS IS A TRAITOR' very loudly and getting Capricorn Shura to finish him off. Shunning his little brother Aiolia also helped, and Saga's dark side took great delight in watching the nine year-old crumple under the weight of his brother's apparent treason.
So began thirteen years of deception, insanity and deceit.
On the big marble table inscribed with the twelve signs of the zodiac and where the Gold Saints occasionally formed the Golden Round, a figure was splayed. They didn't look very comfortable.
Behind them was a larger figure with his hands firmly gripping the figure on the table's hips, thrusting his clothed erection into the other's backside. He was panting softly, and the tabled figure moaned as he was shoved onto the hard, cold surface of the etched slab.
Saga-or Pope Ares, as he still couldn't call himself-leant over the trembling back of Virgo Shaka and gently nibbled the blonde's ear, running a hand over the smooth, pale buttocks of the naked thirteen year-old. Shaka tensed as he felt Saga's hot breath so close to his face and his thin hands clutched at the marble below him.
"Calm yourself, Shaka...I will not hurt you, not tonight..."
Shaka relaxed slightly at these words, and Saga smiled behind his papal mask. He liked the blonde-Shaka had been the first Saint he had slept with after assuming the title of Pope, purely because Saga thought it was the safest option. The boy may have been the reincarnation of Buddha, but he didn't open his eyes and that was good!
Besides, he was beautiful. On the skinny side, yes, but certainly beautiful and Saga had enjoyed taking his virginity-right up until the part where his evil side went crazy and left Shaka terrified and bleeding on the crumpled silk sheets with a mad Pope sobbing into his hands above him.
And he had tried not to do the same to the other Gold Saints, he really had...it just didn't quite work. Mu was lucky he was holed up in Jamir, or else Saga was sure he would have killed the pink-haired boy half-way through and dumped his body in a compost heap. Milo, to his credit, had been very brave when faced with Saga's evil side and hadn't made a sound, and Camus had cried quietly into a pillow. His tears had turned to ice, and Saga collected each one.
Aphrodite had been apprehensive-he knew that the Pope wasn't the Pope that he'd grown up with-but a quick mind-wipe later and he was as compliant and as open-minded as the cheeriest prostitute. The pretty boy had let Saga do as he pleased, and had even kissed him afterwards. Deathmask had been similar-the Italian had come in expecting a quick in-and-out ritual but when faced with a sadomasochistic psychopath he had grinned and bit back harder than Saga ever could.
All had, of course, been firmly blindfolded. As it was the Pope, no-one dared question his whims and even Shaka now had a blindfold tightly secured around his (permanently closed) eyes, although he was the last Saint in the world liable to disobey the Pope.
Hence the fact that he was underneath Saga now, his cheeks flushed and his thin body trembling with...well, it may have been cold and it probably wasn't anticipation. But Shaka never once rebelled, never once bothered to complain-Saga was the Pope, and the Pope was Justice. If the Pope happened to hurt a few underage boys during sex then that, in Shaka's opinion, was a small price to pay for keeping Justice sound.
Saga traced the outline of Shaka's spine with one long finger and bit down hard on the little blonde's earlobe. Underneath him, the naked boy gritted his teeth but made no sound as Saga continued to bite, moving down from the ear to the pale curve of Shaka's neck and leaving bruises in his wake. His other hand slipped underneath his papal robes and began to undo his trousers, leaving his erection free and breezy.
"Good boy, Shaka, good boy...are you ready to move further?"
Shaka stayed quiet. It didn't matter one bit what he wanted, this was a service to the Pope that he-in a way that Aiolia and Aldebaran were not-was willing to give, and it was for Saga's peace of mind that it occurred. And so when Saga shoved his entire erection into Shaka with no preparation and minimal warning, all the blonde did was gasp slightly and shudder against the cold marble.
The pain would pass soon enough.
The older man groaned softly, his breath warm on Shaka's temple as he began to move inside the tight little body and his hands crawled up Shaka's pale thigh, leaving bloodied scratches on the silky skin until they reached the shining mane of blonde hair, which Saga proceeded to tug on with each forceful thrust. Shaka was slammed against the hard stone each time, and each time he felt his nipples protest quite violently-but once again, it did not matter where his Pope took him. It could be in a bedchamber, on the floor, in the gardens of Virgo Temple (Saga had never dared) or in plain view, as he was doing now-Shaka would never object. His body was a vessel for a god, and right now he wanted to use it to serve another god. Personal comfort was not even considered in his mind.
Saga continued to thrust hard and fast into the blonde, occasionally hitting his prostate and once or twice drawing blood that flowed down Shaka's slim legs and onto the worn stone floor. Behind his blindfold his eyes were screwed shut and above him Saga groaned with pleasure, yanking the blonde's head backwards with particularly forceful tugs.
And as Saga rode out his orgasm inside Shaka's tight heat, both his personalities were in complete concurrence-it was a rare privilege indeed to have such selfless, compliant Saints to take out your anxiety on. The blue-haired man finished, spurting his semen into Shaka and collapsing on top of the smaller body.
"Ah!"
"Oh, Shaka, I am sorry, so sorry, I have hurt you enough and now I squash you too...ah, what sort of Pope am I?" Inside, Saga was fighting the mental battle that always occurred after he made love-whether to apologise and repent for the ferocity of his evil side, or to ignore reason and take the person again. Shaka had been a victim of both.
The fake Pope's strong arms found their way around Shaka's narrow waist as he said this, and the blonde felt obliged to answer.
"You are the only kind we have, Pope Ares. And it does not do to worry about me, not now-"
"No, no, do not speak. And go now, Shura should be along soon and I need to speak with him quite urgently." With a final kiss to Shaka's forehead, the former Gemini Saga had readjusted his trousers and hurried off, leaving Shaka to limp back to Virgo Temple.
To Shaka, all seemed normal.
Capricorn Shura was waiting for Saga in the gloom of the main chamber of the Palace, and he had a glazed look in his normally vivid green eyes. He was another one that had grown up well, and now possessed the best pair of legs in Sanctuary-legs that Saga took full advantage of now that the boy had been suitably mind-wiped into submission.
"Welcome, Shura. I trust you are well?" Saga strode into the room, looking considerably more impressive than he had been a few minutes earlier. And if Shura could see Shaka donning his Cloth through the half-open door Saga had just breezed through...well, there were eighty-eight of them and the Pope was a busy man.
"Very well, Sir. Thank you for inquiring." Shura didn't smile, but allowed himself to be blindfolded and led by a bronzed, lean arm into Saga's bedchambers and onto his knees.
Because sometimes the Spaniard needed reminding that his master was currently the Pope, not Athena-and really, what better way to do it?
Ah, praise Athena for the privileges she gives!
Leo Aiolia bumped into Virgo Shaka on the steps of Aquarius Temple (apparently he had been returning a book, which Shaka found odd-since when had Camus leant books to the brothers of traitors?) and both boys walked down the many many steps in silence.
It was not purely rudeness-Shaka was not a talkative person and it was hard to strike up a conversation with Aiolia that didn't turn angsty quite quickly, and the Leo Saint didn't really have much to say to someone he knew had just been bending over for the Pope. But they were comrades, neighbours, fellow Gold Saints and brothers-in-arms, so they walked to their temples together.
And in the end it was Shaka who broke the silence.
"Leo Aiolia...would you like to come and have tea with me some time?
Aiolia nearly fell down the steps of Capricorn Temple in astonishment. "What-me? You're asking me to tea? Why?"
Shaka smiled as Aiolia righted himself. "Because it is the correct thing to do. You-"here Shaka drew back his mane of hair to revel the marks Saga had left on his neck-"need to learn to look past these and I need to learn to look past your looks and the rumours of Sanctuary" he finished, pointing to Aiolia's dyed red hair.
Aiolia's eyes were wide in astonishment. "Uh...I can see how both of those things could be quite hard...and whilst I respect what you're trying to do, honestly-I'm happier off far away from the Pope..."
"Just be glad the Pope has enough decorum not to demand that you please him. Do you accept the offer of tea or not?" Shaka's monotone was icy.
"Well, yes, and it's very gracious of you to offer such-"
"Don't expect it again. I aim to both confirm my own suspicions and enrich Aphrodite's little rumour mill, you know." And with that thoroughly welcoming last sentence, Shaka limped off into the sunset with his head held high-until he fell over a rock half-way down the steps of Libra Temple. Left alone in front of the empty Capricorn Temple, Aiolia sighed.
If that was the sort of person that Pope Ares chose as a model Saint, then he was very glad he was an outcast.
As time passed and his Saints grew, fake Pope Ares grew in confidence and began to demand that-much as Pope Shion had done-two of his beautiful, powerful Saints pleasure him at the same time. (Whilst blindfolded, obviously.)
The idea had been thought up once upon a dream (a wet one) and as soon as Saga had roused himself from his fitful slumber he had summoned Capricorn Shura and Cancer Deathmask to his side. Both boys would, he figured, be willing to try such an idea....but how to phrase it? I want to fuck both of you senseless simultaneously? Let's have a gang-bang? Who's up for a threesome?
None of them quite worked. And so, when Shura turned up with his hair all wet and looking particularly gorgeous and Deathmask eventually appeared with his hands covered in blood and a dubious smirk upon his face, Saga simply pointed at the bedchamber in a commanding fashion.
Shura and Deathmask stared at him.
Saga pointed again, this time with a little more force.
"What, both of us? Pope Ares, are you sure?" Shura's questioning interrupted the gesturing, and he was backing away slowly into the gloom of the Pope's throne room. Deathmask, however, was wearing an even more depraved smile than usual.
Saga sighed. "Of course I mean both of you! Why would I be pointing if I didn't? I've been feeling particularly frazzled lately and I've decided to try a fun new activity to help me relieve the tension. Any objections, you two?"
The Cancer Saint yawned. "And by 'fun new activity', you mean a threesome?"
"Well, I thought it would be fun-wait, why are you questioning me? I'm your Pope, take off your Cloths and get into the bedchamber now! And Shura, be a man!"
"But I don't want to sleep with Deathmask!"
"Tough!"
And as it happened, the first threesome Saga ever tried out was quite a success. Deathmask managed not to dominate the entire proceedings (even as a fake Pope, Saga could wield significant authority) and Saga himself enjoyed a tasty, tension-relieving shag with two beautiful teenagers, both of whom happened to have amazing legs.
Deathmask was also completely shameless, and Saga mentally signed him up for a future threesome with absolutely everyone. Shura had, admittedly, stumbled back to Capricorn Temple with severe mental scarring and a painful limp-but he would recover. He was seventeen, for Athena's sake-had he been a normal boy he would have wanted to do this with anyone he could find.
For Saga, it was also proof of his now-firm authority as Pope. And he liked that more than any fuck in the world-but to keep his Saints on their shiny little toes he waited a couple of weeks before summoning the next pair into his papal bedchamber.
Scorpio Milo and Virgo Shaka were no strangers to the Pope's silken sheets, and as such Saga had decided that they should be the first of the younger Gold Saints to experience this fun new way of relieving tension/exerting papal authority. They would not object, not two such good Saints-and as both fifteen year-olds knelt in front of him with utter subservience in their demeanours, Saga felt inordinately proud of the system that had produced them.
Stroking Milo's purple curls, he softly explained what he was going to do. "Now, boys-I wish to have an enjoyable experience with both of you, do you see? Go into that side-room and remove your Cloths, and then put on the tunics I've laid out there. Afterwards, go to the bedchamber-but remember, you may take as much time as you need. I intend to make this occurrence pleasurable for you two as well-think of it as a reward for your loyalty and devotion."
The boys nodded and retreated to the side-room. Shakily, Milo removed his Gold Cloth and tried not to think about the hurt this would cause Camus-if he told him about this. Shaka, ever-emotionless, merely shed his Cloth and thought up ways to meditate whilst in the middle of sex. (He had discovered nine so far.)
Belting his little white tunic Milo turned to the other boy, who was clad in a similar way. "Alright, Shaka, I know you know this and I know this but I'm just going to say it again in case we go mad and get amnesia or something."
Shaka nodded and adjusted the skirt of his own tunic. It was, he noticed, really rather short.
Milo continued. "You are my comrade, and I count you as a good friend-and just because Pope Ares wants us to sleep together, this won't change. I like Camus, not you, and I'm hoping this won't cause too much awkwardness between us."
The blonde smiled. "Ah, don't be silly, Milo-why bring feelings into what is only a service? The only feelings we should have here are love for the Pope and love for Athena. Everything else, including our feelings towards each other, is completely null and void."
"Do you love the Pope, then?"
"...In what way?"
"In the way that I like Camus. In the way that he's the best thing you can imagine, the central figure in your life and in the he makes you happy way. You know, beyond normal devotion."
"I would not know how to answer that question, nor if it is even appropriate to be asking such things at a time like this, Scorpio Milo. Now come, Pope Ares is waiting."
"One more thing. Hug?"
"What?"
"A hug to show that this will change nothing between us!"
Disregarding Shaka's obviously negative answer, Milo clasped the thinner boy in his tanned arms. Shaka tentatively hugged back, unused to platonic physical contact. The hug was awkward but deep, and it lasted for longer than both expected it to.
Unsurprisingly, Shaka wriggled out of Milo's arms first. "Come, Pope Ares is waiting for us and I do not want to make him irate, not before this-"
"I know, I know."
Both boys walked out of the side-room and into the Pope's bedchamber, where they weren't seen for a good few hours. And when they eventually stumbled back out, their tunics ripped, their hair mussed and both sporting impressive lovebites (along with hard-to-conceal limps), they couldn't even meet each other's eyes.
Milo looked the most shamefaced. He had been firmly sandwiched between Saga and Shaka, and now had the dubious honour of having fucked the one person in Sanctuary that Camus was physically jealous of (something about hair). Needless to say, his already tentative (and completely un-physical) relationship with the French boy was a little more jeopardised than usual.
Shaka was similarly embarrassed. He had just been fucked twice over, and it was the first time he'd slept with someone other than Pope Ares. Whilst he didn't have a relationship like Milo's and Camus' with anyone else in Sanctuary, he still felt mortified-a fellow Gold Saint had seen him in his weakest, most unholy moments, and he just wanted to meditate the whole thing away.
And Saga smiled at their retreating forms, pleased that the two teenagers had overcome their embarrassment and had managed to enjoy themselves in the heat of the moment. Once more, a threesome had been an apparent success and Saga began making plans to reward Milo and Shaka in a slightly more conventional way-a hamper on their birthdays, perhaps? Wasn't Shaka a vegetarian, though? Perhaps a nice book or two....
Nonetheless, there came an end to Saga's glorious threesomes-and it was almost completely due to Pisces Aphrodite. Saga had used him in threesomes before, most often with Deathmask, and this time had decided to pair up the nineteen year-old with a young Silver Saint called Lacerta Misty.
Lacerta Misty was beautiful, with big blue eyes and fluffy blonde hair-he rather reminded Saga of Aphrodite, and it was for this reason that he had chosen to pair those two Saints together. But Misty was also only twelve years old and completely starstruck at the thought of being allowed to share Aphrodite's airspace.
He had crept into the Pope's main chamber and knelt in front of him (as all good Saints did), and had almost fainted when informed that Pope Ares wished to allow him to bed both himself and a Gold Saint.
"But-but Pope Ares, I'm a Silver Saint and Pisces Aphrodite is a Gold Saint! It is inconceivable that he will agree to this or that the rest of Sanctuary will not view this as an elevation above my station..."
Saga had simply chuckled. "Hush, Misty-it will be perfectly alright. Aphrodite is a good Saint; he knows that he must obey the Pope in these matters. And besides-"Saga leaned forwards, stroking Misty's smooth, flushed cheek-"you are very pretty and he is a connoisseur of beauty. I doubt he will object to sleeping with you."
Unfortunately, it hadn't worked out quite like that. Pisces Aphrodite had strolled in with some of his blue locks still in curlers-and then had taken one look at little Lacerta Misty trembling behind Pope Ares and had strolled back out.
"Pisces Aphrodite, get back in here now!"
From the doorway, Saga distinctly heard a "'No!"
"Pisces Aphrodite, I can and will make you get back in here. Whether you do it willingly and set a good example for those younger than you or whether you want me to humiliate you in public is your decision."
The annoyed stomp of armoured feet was heard, and Aphrodite burst back into the Pope's main chamber, his beautiful features twisted into a mask of fury.
"'Publicly humiliate me?' Pope Ares, can you not see that you are doing that already? I will not sleep with that little brat you've got there; I am a Gold Saint of Athena! Making me give that child that which is only reserved for those of my status and higher is the most humiliating thing you could possibly do!"
Saga looked disdainful. "And your sexual attentions are these things that are only reserved for myself and Cancer Deathmask, are they?"
Aphrodite was almost shrieking in rage. "Yes! You are my Pope-I am honour and duty-bound to respect you, Cancer Deathmask I consider my equal-but this-"he strode over to Misty and picked the younger boy up by the hair-"this is an insult to everything I believe in! I will not lower myself to such a station! Pope Ares, sleeping with Silver Saints is your job, not mine."
"Pisces Aphrodite, I will not tolerate such insolence! You will do as I bid you and you will do it in a manner that befits a Saint of Athena! If I tell you to sleep with a Silver Saint, you will sleep with a Silver Saint-no questions asked."
A Clothed foot was firmly stamped, and Saga gripped the arms of his throne tightly. Misty (who was still being clutched by the hair) protested slightly and was unceremoniously hurled across the cold stone floor. Aphrodite fumed quietly before replying in his most scathing tones, his eyebrows knotted and his blue hair practically curling in disdain.
"Pope Ares, do you still not understand? Your Saints do not want to share you! I do not want to share you with a fellow Gold Saint, and I most certainly do not want to expose myself in your presence if I must share you with a silly Silver Saint!" Aphrodite promptly got on his knees before Saga, taking the Pope's hands in his and gazing at him with earnest devotion.
"We are your Saints, yes, and we follow you-but when we are not happy, you must listen! All we have is you, Pope Ares, and during the times we are given together we bare our souls, our human frailties and inner turmoil-things that only our Pope is good enough to see-to you! If another is to intrude on that time for purely personal pleasure...well, the Saint is left unhappy and lost. We need you, Pope Ares, not sex with each other. It runs far deeper than that!"
Saga looked into Aphrodite's earnest blue eyes, wide and full of devotion-and Pope Shion's words came back to him.
"It is the duty of the Grand Pope of Sanctuary to rule and never, ever to serve...."
The older man sighed and stroked Aphrodite's gauntleted hands. "Understood, Aphrodite-understood. I see now that I forgot the most important thing when dealing with my Saints...and if it means that much to you all, I promise that I shall spend time with you individually. You do deserve it."
"Ah, thank you, Pope Ares! This means a lot to me!" And with a dazzling smile and a flounce of bright blue curls, Pisces Aphrodite had swept out of the Pope's throne room and into the arms of Cancer Deathmask, to whom he mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'easy as hell to bullshit out of that one'.
Saga remained on his throne, deep in thought. Surely if he had judged the mood of his most precious Saints so terribly wrong then he truly was not meant to be Pope....in the corner of the room, Lacerta Misty groaned and picked himself up out of the rubble of a previously rather nice column. The Pope looked at him thoughtfully for a minute before sighing and fiddling with his papal necklace.
"Say, Misty....fancy relieving some inner turmoil?"
And so ended Saga's threesomes, although he would continue to be nice and active with his Saints until his rather tragic death three years later at the hands of himself-and made all the more tragic by the fact that his oh-so-devoted Gold Saints turned on him, Aries Mu and those upstart Bronzies exposing him for what he really was, a crazy fraud.
And Saga wondered at the time-how had they done it? How much convincing did it take to get some of his most loyal Gold Saints to betray their Pope, whom they had known and loved all their lives-just for Athena?
Ah, for Athena. For their true Goddess, their teacher, sister, mother and lover rolled into one and whose cosmos truly gave out the love her Saints deserved. One smile, one nudge in the right direction and Saga realised he'd betray everything he'd ever known too, just to get a chance to feel her love.
A true, honest, eternal love....Saga wondered what it must be like to have that, because he sure as hell had never been able to give it freely.
Years later, after all the battles were fought and all the Saints that had been slain were resurrected-and then killed and then resurrected again-a new Pope sat on the throne of Sanctuary.
This Pope was young and sat almost uncomfortably on the seat, his robes flowing around his body and his helmet obscuring his bright green eyes. Long pink hair ran down his back and the former Aries Mu wiggled slightly, trying to get more comfortable on the worn plum cushions.
He still didn't feel like he belonged-but as soon as the fighting against Zeus was over and everyone was safe and sound, Dohko had grabbed Shion and had told him in no uncertain terms that he was never sharing him with anyone ever again and that he had waited two hundred years, he couldn't wait a minute more! The pair had dashed off to Mount Rozan and had not been seen since.
So they couldn't be Pope after all, and Saga had flat-out refused when he had been offered his old job, stating several good reasons why he was a bad choice-the lust for power, the insanity, the fact that he tried to kill Athena, the disrespectful treatment of his Saints...
He had refused to listen to the pleas of his peers and had ignored them when they said he had redeemed himself twice over. In his mind, there was no punishment vile enough for his sins. And as Deathmask and Aphrodite were never really contenders, Aldebaran had set aside the rest of his life for teaching the next generation of Saints all about the terrible glory of a Holy War, Aiolia and Aiolos just wanted to spend time together, Shura had taken up painting and would now only wear a painter's smock, Camus and Milo were finally a fully-functioning (albeit quite high-drama) couple and Shaka had firmly said that he was as bad as Saga when it came to serving others-it was not in his nature, and he now wanted to reach Nirvana before his twenty-second birthday.
Kanon had been in the running, but in the end the Gold Saints had decided that Mu was the only one of them capable of hoisting the reins of Sanctuary back into proper working order. And so the calm, enigmatic and determinedly pink-haired Aries Saint was plonked firmly upon the throne of the Grand Pope of Sanctuary.
It didn't feel right. But, he supposed, being Pope was a lesson learnt in time-right now what mattered was the rebuilding of over half of the vast Sanctuary complex and the repairing of many of the eighty-eight Cloths. It would be done, and he would do it. It was his duty as a Saint of Athena!
Just as he resolved to end hunger and achieve world peace, a figure stepped out of the darkness.
"Greetings, Pope...Mu? Pope Aries? What in Athena's name do we call you now?"
Mu relaxed slightly. "Ah, Shaka, call me Mu...I am only Pope to those who have not seen me eat worms."
Shaka's nose wrinkled slightly at the memory. "You know, I had forgotten about that. How are you holding up as Pope of us all?"
The pink-haired man sighed and removed his stuffy old helmet, scrunching his dots up in anxiety. "It is a learning curve, I must say....I am doing as best I can, and I am thankful that I have such an excellent selection of Gold Saints to support me in my papal endeavours."
"You make us sound like chocolates. But remember, we all fought a Holy War and we are all here to restore Sanctuary to her former glory-you are not alone in your 'papal endeavours'." The blonde man smiled slightly at this and took the Pope's helmet in his gold-covered hands, gazing at it fondly.
"But I do wonder one thing, Mu...."
Sanctuary's newest Pope grunted slightly. "Hrmmm, Shaka?"
The Virgo Saint continued, twisting the red-winged helmet around in his thin hands. "I wonder...who will you be taking as a companion initially? After all, couples are forming and many Saints are quite preoccupied now..."
Mu's eyes went wide. He himself had never slept with a Pope (something about being in Jamir) and had little knowledge of the ancient custom, having only ever been fondled by Pope Shion as a young child. Truth be told, Aries Mu was still a virgin.
Sitting up straight and attempting to not kill himself with his papal robes, Mu sat up and tried to look competent. Trust Virgo Shaka, Saga's primary whore, to bring this subject up.
"Well, I'm not sure that I'm going to do that at all, actually. I was thinking more along the lines of letting Athena's Saints having a good long time to recover from the wars and, if they so wished, forming their own couples with no influence from the Pope. I've been analysing the custom and decided that with Athena here amongst us, we don't need to keep Saints loyal to Sanctuary in the same way and as such I was thinking of abolishing it..."
Mu tailed off, wary of Shaka's burning (and completely blind) gaze. "What? Is that a completely unacceptable idea? You said it yourself; new couples are forming-instead of keeping all the Saints to myself, I'm going to let everyone be happy with each other!"
The blonde didn't open his eyes, but his demeanour changed from one of quiet exasperation to even more silent respect. "No, Mu, I do not think that idea is unacceptable. In fact, I rather like it...there is so much freedom involved, I would never have imagined a Pope implementing something like this." Shaka knelt down in front of the new Pope, taking Mu's hands in his. "It is good of you to give your Saints such a chance!"
Said Pope flushed, embarrassed. "No, no, I am merely doing what I feel is right for us all. If I keep you all locked up in here with me, who's going to rebuild Sanctuary?"
At this Shaka smiled, and Mu was glad to see such a thing. "But-"he continued-"I may have made the single biggest mistake of my papal career-after all, with you and Saga being all loved up in Virgo Temple now that Kanon's the Gold Saint of Gemini, I may have just handed over two of my finest warriors to the wilder shores of love!" He winked conspiratorially at Shaka, who blushed and looked away. "How is that going, by the way?"
Shaka's cheeks were pink as he answered. "It is going...well. We've got a lot of stuff to work out, but he loves me and I-I do love him, more than I ever thought I could love anyone-so we are making progress. And we are not 'loved up', ignore Aphrodite."
"Lies, I know how much time you two spend drinking tea. It would be fine if I was occasionally invited, you know..." With this, Mu raised himself out of the papal throne and into a position that vaguely resembled standing. He hoisted Shaka up with him, feeling uncomfortable with his oldest friend kneeling at his feet.
"Alright, you can go spread the news-Grand Pope Mu abolishes age-old custom and wants you to get back to work whilst he has a nap!"
Shaka smiled and nodded, his feet clacking as he retreated back into the darkness of the main chamber. Mu waved after him, unable to resist one final catcall.
"Say hello to Saga for me! Tell him I'm coming for tea!"
In the darkness, Mu was sure that he saw the holy Virgo Shaka give him, the new Pope of Sanctuary, something that looked suspiciously like the finger. Nah, must be his imagination.
Speaking of imagination, he still had some time before Shaka spread the word about the abolishment of the Pope's Privileges, and he was still a virgin...
"Kiki?"
The red-headed boy was at his side in a flash, grinning from ear to ear at the thought of being able to go and annoy someone. "Yes, Master Mu? Who are we exerting your papal authority on today?"
Mu smiled. "Not really exerting, Kiki, we're more subtly influencing. I want you to go and find Dragon Shiryu, and if he is free I want you to tell him to come directly to me, understand? And if he is not free...well, tell him he's now free!"
Kiki nodded and teleported away, leaving Mu alone in the darkness on his throne. A Pope must serve and never rule-but really, what sort of Pope abolishes a rule without having thorough knowledge of the custom itself first?
Ah, praise to Athena for the privileges she gives!
Did you enjoy my butchering of the canon?
That was nineteen pages of pure soul-rot. I'm going straight to Hell for writing this, I can feel it. But at least it ended on a vaguely high note!
Um....I'm trying to think of all the apologies I need to make, but all I can think of is that I still can't spell 'privileges' correctly, even after all that.
Ah! Sorry for ignoring Aiolia and Aldebaran-but Aldebaran has his own oneshot all typed up, he is fine. Aiolia, however, is getting ignored in favour of Milo and Aiolos and I've no idea why.
Dohko was meant to be the last Pope, but Mu just snuck in there (partly because I have recently fallen in lust with Mu/Shiryu) and got the job.
There's a lot of blind devotion in this, and the working title was 'Shion's Harem', an idea given to me by my little sister-I simply expanded it into this vat of moral turpentine.
Written whilst listening to 'Jesus Christ Superstar'. If that's not a mindfuck, I don't know what is!
-The Love Bug