-1STAR GAZING

BY Niteskye

"Master Mu, why do I have to stay up so late?" Kiki asked for the fiftieth time.

"You are having an astronomy lesson tonight. Thus, you must stay up to be able to see the stars."

"But then I won't get any sleep!" Kiki nearly screeched.

Mu just rolled his eyes. I had to get the whiny one. "Kiki, if you do not cease this complaining, it'll be double training for a week. And I'll pass the Cygnus Cloth on to you." That shut Kiki right up. The Cloth of Swan was known for attacking people. Mu grimaced as he remembered the one time Hyoga's Cloth had clamped down hard on his rear. Now the thing was a Kamui, but it could still be cracked and it was a pain to try to fix it before it started to really attack.

Kiki looked sullen as he let Mu bundle him up. Mu didn't want him to get sick. He thought back with a shudder to the time years ago when Kiki had contracted chicken pox. Mu still blamed his trip to Siberia since he had hung out with Issac and Hyoga while they were still down with the illness.

Master and student walked outside. Kiki was actually pretty healthy, and pretty lucky. Mu had adopted him when the young trainee was an infant, and his first year had been harrowing. The harsh climate was not easy on babies, and Kiki had nearly died twice. The child pulled through and then Mu had accidentally exposed him to chicken pox. Thankfully, it hadn't been fatal.

Mu watched as the boy led him outside. Mu smiled remembering all of Kiki's firsts. His first steps, his first smiles, and most especially his first words. Brufa Moo. Brother Mu. He had only been about twelve when he first took Kiki in. After the loss of his master, the love of little Kiki had warmed his heart.

Kiki plopped down on a rock not far from the house. "Master?"

Mu was shaken out of his reverie and seated himself by his apprentice. It was chilly, and Kiki huddled up to him for warmth. "Alright. Can you name some of the constellations?"

"Yes sir."

"Good. Please name them and point them out." Kiki did so, and after that, Mu began to tell him some of the tales behind them. He told about Perseus and Andromeda, Heracles, Orion and the Scorpion, and many others. Kiki listened as patiently as he could but the young boy was tired. It had been a full day, and Master Mu's melodic voice was soothing him to sleep.

Mu noticed Kiki's eyelids drooping. He asked sharply "Kiki, what's that star there?"

Kiki followed Mu's pointing finger. "Sirius. The dog star."

"Good. Now, that one."

"Aldebaran." Kiki gave a little giggle. "The brightest star in Taurus."

Mu grinned. "And the name of a certain giant friend of ours." The two laughed.

"That was so corny." Kiki whispered.

"Well I am old." Mu said.

"You're not old." Kiki argued.

"I remember changing your diapers. I'm old." Mu retorted.

"Nuh-uh. Pope Shion and the Old Master are old." Kiki said with a giggle.

"Kiki!" Mu said. He then got a twinkle in his eye. "You know for that disrespectful remark, I'm going to have to punish you."

Kiki's eyes grew big. He imagined the Cygnus Cloth coming straight at him. He wasn't prepared for what Mu did next.

"Tickle-tickle-tickle!" Mu shouted.

Kiki screeched in surprise and started to laugh uncontrollably as Mu tickled him. "Master Mu! Master Mu-hooo! Please stop! Hahahaha!"

That went on for about five or six minutes until Kiki managed to get back at Mu by tickling his sides. The two dissolved into laughter on the ground. They were lying on their backs just gazing at the stars. Mu was silent for a few moments. He hadn't had that much fun in a while. "Kiki?" he asked softly.

Kiki didn't answer, and Mu turned his head to see his student fast asleep on the ground. He heard the crunch of footsteps and looked up. His master, the Pope of Sanctuary, was standing right over him.

Mu's eyes widened and he went to get up, but Shion put a restraining hand on him. "It's alright. Stay there." Shion sat on the rock that Kiki and Mu had just vacated.

"It's good to see that you and your student are close." Shion said softly.

Mu didn't know what to say. Shion went on. "I think that's important. No man is an island, as the saying goes. You've observed Deathmask, Saga, and Aphrodite correct?"

Mu's voice was trembling as he answered. "Yes master, I have."

Shion nodded. "That is what happens when you cut yourself off from others. Evil becomes all too good a choice. To those like us, who have someone to love, evil becomes anathema."

"Yes master."

"Mu, what have you learned from those around you in the years that I have been gone?" Shion asked gently.

"Wh . . . What do you mean?" Mu asked.

"What do you know about the human heart? Think of the Bronze Saints."

Mu then realized that his master was testing him, and what his master wanted. "I've learned that our power isn't Cosmo alone." He stopped, unsure if he should really go on.

"Then what is it?" Shion asked gently.

Mu sat up and turned to look his master in the eye. "Its heart too. The Bronzes must have heard it a thousand times, but the truth is, their power was miniscule compared to us Gold Saints. They persevered, and in the end, their power matches, maybe even transcends ours." Mu paused. "And its all because they believed with all their hearts, hoped with all their hearts, and loved their goddess and their brothers with all their hearts. That was their key to victory."

"Good. Anything else?"

Mu thought about the stories behind Saga, Kanon, and even the Specters of Hades. "I've also learned that no one is born good or evil. Surely neither Saga nor Kanon came out of their mother with horns and cloven feet, and the Specters were men too. We define good and evil by our experiences. I may call Deathmask evil, but is he really? Yes, he did evil things, but is it his fault that that is all he knows? Is it? And Wyvern Rhadamanthys. Was he evil because he believed a lie? If what that Pandora woman told Ikki is true, then Hades deceived his Specters. They did evil, but he told them they were doing good. In all of the wars we've fought, we've fought humans. Other men. Men who had feelings, hopes, dreams. Are we evil for destroying that, even if our cause is supposedly good and just?"

"Morality fails us in times of war." Shion commented.

"And becomes unbearable in the peace time afterwards." Mu retorted rather harshly.

"Do you feel guilty?" Shion asked in the same tone he had been using the entire time.

"Not really. I feel . . . saddened. My comrades are suffering because of morality. They're the ones feeling guilty, yet I don't feel a thing. Maybe I'm feeling guilty about not being guilty."

"There's a circular paradox for you." Shion said with a hint of amusement in his voice. He gave his pupil a big smile. "And I'm glad you've learned while I've been gone in addition to teaching Kiki. He will make a fine Aries Saint if you should ascend to my station."

"But Master!"

Shion held up a hand. "I'm old Mu. I listened to the entire conversation you and Kiki had. You're not even into your thirties yet. I have lived through almost three centuries." He snorted. "I'm as old or older then a good many countries! Now, I would like to be able to spend the time I have left in the company of my friends and family."

Mu couldn't help but smile as a picture emerged in his head. "So you're going to go out and sit with Roshi by the waterfall and make sure Shiryu and Shunrei's kids don't fall into the water?"

Shion let out a loud bark of laughter at that. He was still chuckling when he answered. "No. Roshi and I decided that we'd move in with you and Kiki the moment Shunrei finds out that she's pregnant. Both of us have had quite enough of kids."

"But Master, everyone is a kid compared to you."

"Now your getting too cheeky. That remark deserves punishment."

Mu blanched. Oh no. What was Shion going to do? Was he going to - shudder - make him . . .

"Tickle-tickle-tickle!" Shion shouted.

Mu screeched in surprise as his Master jumped him the way he jumped Kiki. The loud shout had awakened the sleeping boy, who was now watching in amazement as the Pope of Sanctuary and the dignified Saint of Aries rolled around on the ground. Mu was shouting at the top of his lungs for his master to quit it while Shion was telling him never and not a chance. Kiki did the sensible thing, at least to a child of eight. He jumped right on in and began to tickle Shion.

The three rough-housing Aries didn't notice that Athena and Dohko were watching them with great amusement. "I haven't see Shion this happy." Athena commented. "Not in a long time."

"That's the power of having a couple of kids." Dohko said. "I know the feeling. Shunrei is like a daughter to me, and Shiryu is a lot like a son. I know that Shion sees Mu and through him, Kiki, as sons."

Athena smiled then shifted closer to Dohko. "Lets leave them alone. They're having a family moment, and it's cold here."

Dohko gave her a grin. "As my lady wishes." Dohko teleported them out of there.

Shion held up his hands. "I yield! I yield! You two are too much for me."

Kiki and Mu gave each other a high five. "We are good." Kiki said, causing Mu and Shion to laugh.

"Kiki! You've got to stop. I think all this laughing made me pull something!" Shion complained.

"Yeah right!" Mu retorted.

Shion tousled his hair. Mu made a face and batted away his master's hands Shion grew nostalgic. "Mu, I remember when you were little and I would tousle you hair like that. You would have the exact same expression on your face."

"What was Mu like when he was little?" Kiki asked.

Shion grew pensive. "He was a lot like you. Very curious and into everything, but when he gained his cloth, he grew calmer, more tranquil. I remember . . ." Shion stopped, emotion stopping him.

"What?" Mu asked, now just as curious as Kiki.

Shion's eyes shown with tears. "I remember your first words. You called me papa."

The two young Aries didn't know what to say to that. Shion chuckled. "I don't know why, maybe it was because every time you ran away from me I'd tell you to 'come to papa'. You thought it was such a funny game to run from me and then tease me by standing as far as you could from me. You got too close to the cliff edge for comfort more the once. That phrase was in vogue right around that time."

"So . . . Do you think of Master Mu as a son Master Shion?" Kiki asked with a child's indiscretion.

"Yes, and I think of you as one too. I may never be as close to you as Mu, but I think we can share him, no?" Shion said to Kiki with a conspiratorial smile and a wink.

Kiki smiled. "I do believe we can." he answered as he held out a hand. Shion took it and pulled Kiki into his lap. He grabbed Mu, who was still shell-shocked by Shion's confession, and pulled him to sit next to him.

"So Kiki, what star is that?" Shion asked.

"Betelgeuse- hey Master Shion? Can I call you Papa?"

"Yes, you may call me Papa if you like. Mu, can too." Shion turned to Mu. "The very least you can do is stop calling me Master."

Mu smiled. "Okay . . . Papa. But I'm only calling you that in private."

"Humph. Why?"

"I do have my pride."

"Riiiight. You just don't want to be made fun of!" Kiki retorted.

"Why you little!"

"Mu! Just because you are twenty-one doesn't mean I can't take you over my knee!"

"Yes sir."

The next morning Dohko and Athena returned to Jamir. Right where they had left them were the three Aries. Athena smiled as she stood over them. "Dohko, I've made my decision."

"Yes?"

"Saga shall be the next Pope, legitimately this time. I know Shion came here to see if Mu would be the best for when he stepped down, but Mu and Kiki are what he should step down to. They are his family, and three defenders of the first temple ought to make an impression. We have Kanon to take over Gemini and I have decided that it is time for Seiya and Shiryu to ascend and fill in Libra and Sagittarius. That way, you may spend the rest of your long life bugging Shion and being a grandfather to Shunrei's kids."

"My lady, Shunrei isn't going to like having a Gold Saint as a husband. Always in danger . . ."

"Dohko, honestly, after Hades was destroyed, and Olympus defeated, I don't think anyone is really going to mess with us. Not for a while. And with three defenders in the first house, a giant in the second, a master illusionist not only in the third house, but in the main temple as well, a reformed anti-social psychopath in the fourth, a truly pugnacious lion in the fifth, a rather militant Buddhist in the sixth, and him being more then capable in the seventh, not to mention the fact that Hyoga, Ikki, Shun, and Seiya will come running no matter what I tell them, means that I'm sure he'll be okay."

"If you say so."

"I do. I also say that I wish I had my camera. This is truly a Kodak moment."

"My lady, you lost me."

"Dohko, we're going to have to bring you up to speed. What I meant was that is a moment that deserves to be remembered."

"Don't worry my lady it will, it will." Dohko smiled at the three on the ground.

Because Shion had a happy grin on his face.

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Originally, this was going to be just Mu and Kiki fluff, but as I wrote it, it evolved into Mu, Kiki, and Shion fluff. Mostly because I saw a really cute picture of the three of them. Hee. Please review!