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The Eleventh Temple - The Aquarius!
Camus looked at the stone stairs covered in a warm, bright sunbeam that were heading to the first of the twelve sacred Temples of the Sanctuary. He had to pass trough all of them, met the Pope in his chamber, and then he would start to fulfill his own duty as the Gold Saint of Athena. But he felt something strange, disturbing. It was still unbelievable for him, that he gained the Gold Cloth of Aquarius, he pass trough his hard training in Siberia, and now he was here, with the gold armor on his body, shining in the bright sun… And… He felt a little nervous.
The young Aquarius took his first step on a very long way that was waiting patiently in the front of him. The first stair, the second stair, the third stair… And then, The Aries Temple was in his sight; the slim columns, carrying a headstall, a dark hall beneath them, and a huge portico in the front of the Temple. And the Sight of the Aries on a tympanum. Of course, years ago he saw all these Temples, but it was from the distance; someone like him couldn't get too close to these sacred buildings. And Camus had to admit now, that seeing it so close was a really incredible feeling. Like he was in a different world.
With his heart trembling in indescribable excitement, Camus stopped in the front of the Aries Temple, wondering if there was any Gold Saint inside. These times weren't too many Gold Knights of Athena, the Temples stayed empty for very long, waiting for the new young warriors. Who knows, maybe he was one of a few first, who gained the Cloth? Of course, there should be at least one Gold Saint; Camus knew, that it was the Gemini Saint, but was there anyone else?
He took a few another steps, leaving the stairs, and heading to the entrance of the Aries Temple. Then he felt calm, imposing cosmo, when the full armored Gold Saint appeared in the front of Camus.
The new Saint opened his mouth to introduce himself, and ask for a permit to pass this Temple, but the Aries overtook him.
"Camus!" said the Aries with a friendly voice, taking of his helmet, and showing calm, handsome face with a cascade of a lavender hair around him. "You gained the Gold Cloth, after all!" his green eyes were watching a newcomer attentively.
The Aquarius looked at him with a surprise. How, in the Athena's sake, that man knew his name? But after a few another looks on a smiling face Camus was sure, that he knew that Saint. Long ago, they met each other, it was a sunny, dusty evening and… That's all he remembered.
The Aries laughed gently.
"I suppose, you don't recognize me al well as I recognized you, our new Aquarius Saint. I am Mu of the Aries, and I guard this Temple for the sake of Athena"
Camus was still looking at him, trying to recognize his face.
"Nice… Nice to meet you, Mu of the Aries. Indeed, I can't remember you, but I'm sure we met in the past."
Mu smiled to him widely.
"You may pass, the Aquarius Camus," he said. "Go to the Pope, and give him my regards."
Camus nodded with his usual cold expression on a young, handsome face. He walked past the Aries, entered his Temple, and headed straight away to the next building. But before he left a calm, friendly aura of the Mu's place, he heard:
"It was the day, when you lost your book."
The Aquarius looked behind, but there wasn't anyone. Even a trace of the Gold Saint's cosmo disappeared.
The day, when he lost his book? That book? And when he gained his first friend? Indeed, there were two other boys, he could remember it clearly. Does Mu mean that…?
'Are you hurt?' asked one of these boys, that one with a big, green eyes.
The same green eyes. And the same friendly voice.
Camus looked behind one more time, with something that could be considered as a smile, but considered by someone very stubborn in searching smiles on the cold faces. Then, much less nervous than before, he almost ran to the next temple.
It wasn't too difficult to pass through a few next buildings. In the Taurus Temple Camus met a big, muscular man, who greeted him with laugh, really warm laugh, enjoying a new fellow, like it was really rare to meet the new Gold Saint these times. His voice was deep, and it seemed that he truly liked to laugh with someone, even if they were seeing each other the first time in their whole lives. The Aquarius hadn't any opinion of him yet, but he was sure they could work together as the Gold Saints of Athena.
But the next three buildings were completely empty. No Saint was guarding them. That fact surprised Aquarius, because he expected the Gemini Saint in the third building, but for his amazement he didn't meet anyone. His stupefaction was even bigger when he realized, that all the Saints guarding their places should be here to greet their new brother-in-arms. There were no exceptions.
The true was that, Camus didn't care too much if the Temples were empty or not. It was better for him if he didn't have to repeat that worthless introduce eleven times. Whatever the Gemini did, broke the tradition, or died some time ago, Camus felt relief, seeing the empty building. And thanks to that, he passed the next three temples, the Temple of Gemini, the Temple of Cancer and the Temple of Leo without any difficulties, being relieved, that at least he wasn't last person, who gained the Gold Cloth…
But that meeting with Mu, who treated him extraordinarily friendly, and that meeting with the Taurus, a big, smiling guy weren't the strangest things on his way to the Pope. Compared to his next destination, they could be considered as really common meetings with two brothers-in-arm. Even from the distance, Camus could feel a heavenly cosmo, radiating from the Virgo Temple; the cosmo so strange, overwhelming, almost scary. And that presence, when he entered the sacred building. Like the Aquarius left the earth and found himself in a different world.
But no one greeted him; he could walk inside as if there wasn't any Saint, guarding this place. And he passed almost all his way to the exit, when he saw him. A young, blonde man, meditating in the middle of the hallway, with closed eyes, and a calm expression on handsome, and in some way eternal face.
Camus was ready to talk to him, but strange man didn't give him a chance to speak.
"You may pass, the new Saint of Athena."
Aquarius nodded, opening his mouth to thank for his permission, but the long-haired, blonde Saint shook his heat lightly, with a smile on his face. Then Camus just left the Virgo Temple with its strange guardian, and headed to the next building, thinking, what person is the next Saint he will meet there.
But it wasn't the Libra Saint that Camus met after leaving the Virgo Temple. The reason was very simple. The Libra Temple was completely empty. No one went outside to greet him; no one was inside, meditating, sleeping or whatever the Saints could do. The walls were silent, Camus' steps echoed in a huge, empty space. But he felt something strange. Like this Temple wasn't uninhabited in fact. Like the Libra Saint was somewhere, far, far away, ignoring his duty as the Gold Saint and hiding himself from the Pope, the Sanctuary and even from their Goddess, Athena…
Camus shook his head, and passed the empty building as quick as he could.
The next one was the Scorpio Temple… The Temple he could see very clearly just after leaving the Libra Temple, even if it was far away from him; a majestic building standing on a cliff, surrounded by many rock and the other steep cliffs.
The Temple, where he met someone, he didn't expect to meet in the place like that.
Aquarius could feel something strange in his way to the Scorpio Temple. His chest was heavy; the heart was trembling in excitement like never before; it couldn't be compared even to nervousness he felt before entering the first Temple. Camus wasn't sure, what was happening to him, and this state almost scared him, when he took the first step into a building in the front of him.
For the first few seconds the Temple seemed to be uninhabited like many others; any overwhelming presence didn't fill a dark hallway. Camus was glaring at the walls and the columns, walking slowly in many shadows. But when he just stopped in a half way someone stepped behind him. He turned around.
"I knew that!" a person almost screamed, and then something gold hit him with a huge impetus and a noisy, incredible crack; the blue curls obscured his view.
"What the…?" started Camus, when the strange Saint was breaking his ribs in a tight hug.
"I knew you will back as the Gold Saint, Camus!" the blue-haired, young man repeated, finally letting him go, and showing his face to Aquarius.
The smiling face was known by Camus, these blue eyes couldn't be mistaken with something else. And that blue curls, he remembered all this time.
"Milo?"
The Scorpio Saint laughed.
"Why so surprised?"
"No… I just…"
Another happy laugh.
"I'm so glad to see you again! It was so awful to wait for you all the time. I just couldn't wait!"
Camus was looking at Milo, watching his movements, his blue curls and his bright blue eyes. His friend… His first friend he ever had. But… Why he couldn't be as happy as Milo was? Why this meeting didn't affect him too much…?
"Hehe, I couldn't wait too see Deathmask's face, when he see you in your Temple. He is still training, and it doesn't seem he will be in the Sanctuary too soon!"
"Milo, I think… I don't…"
"Yeah, yeah, I know, you have to go to the Pope."
"Yes. And I have to get your permission to pass through your Temple, Milo."
Milo smirked friendly.
"Yes, you have. But you know what, Camus? You may not pass."
"What? Why?"
"Because if you pass I won't have a chance to greet you more," answered Milo with a smile on his so handsome face.
Camus sighed.
"Milo, I'm not here just for the short time. I will stay here. We can meet after I return from the Pope."
"Nope. I don't wanna wait that long"
"You don't have a choice. I can pass without your permission."
"Are you sure?" Milo's voice was challenging.
"Yes." Camus took another few steps, but strong fingers squeezed his shoulder. The aquamarine-haired Saint looked at the Scorpio. But Milo only smiled friendly, as friendly as long time ago, in that dusty place, in the evening sun.
"Really glad to see you, friend. Go to the Pope, and come back quickly."
Then Camus smiled; smiled wide, like never before.
"I will."
Camus looked around his Temple that from now would be some kind of home for him. He could bet that nothing changed there since the last Aquarius Saint was residing here many, many years ago. The stony walls, the narrow columns, the chambers, and something he liked the most: a library. The library with many books; a books old, a books new, an extensive books and a thin books. There was a small round table, and a fancy constructed chair, that looked as old as the bookcases around him.
"How your meeting with the Pope?" someone asked behind his back. He turned around and saw Milo. The blue-haired man smiled widely. "I thought I will find you here."
"You do?"
"Yeah. I heard about some inherited habit of Aquarius Saints. All of them loved to read. So I just followed the scent of the old books. So… How was our Pope?"
It passed a few seconds before Camus answered.
"He greeted me much more officially, than you, Milo."
"I bet he did. He can't just play around, hugging his new Saints… Though it could be funny to see him doing that…"
"But he acted strange a bit…" the Aquarius added with thoughtful voice.
"What do you mean?"
"When I mentioned the Aries Mu, he suddenly canceled our meeting…"
Milo looked at the floor with perplexity.
"I suppose, your master told you about the betrayal of the Sagittarius several years ago?"
"Yes, I heard about that," said Camus with sadness in his voice. Indeed, he heard what Aiolos did, this really kind and friendly Aiolos, who brought him to the Sanctuary.
"After that, the Aries Mu and the Libra Dohko left the Sanctuary, and now they are considered as the traitors. But I can't believe that Mu showed himself just for greeting you… It is rare for him to do such a dangerous thing."
He saddened a bit. But after a few seconds that wide smile Camus really liked, appeared on his face again.
"But I didn't walk all the way here to talk about such a thing,' Milo said merrily. Then he stretched out his hand toward him. He was holding a book. "Here, I bring it back to you."
Camus looked at the cover page, frozen in surprise. It was that book, the book he lost many years ago, on that hill, when he met Milo the first time.
"How…?" he asked.
"I found it at the same evening, when we met, but I didn't manage to back it to you. I was too late. You already left the Sanctuary next morning. So I kept it. And now I'm bringing it back."
Aquarius touched the book slightly, as it could turn into a dust with any rash move. He remembered that book; it was the book that he brought with him from France, the book he was holding, when Aiolos found him in that dark, narrow street.
And now it was the book kept by his friend for many years just for him, the book he lost, and the book that returned to him.
He took it from Milo's hand and placed it on the table. He was going to read that book from the beginning to the very end.
"Thanks, Milo. I'm glad that you returned it to me."
"No problem. After all, we are friends, right?"
Camus looked at his innocent, smiling face. Into that blue, azure eyes that didn't change since their last meeting.
What it meant to be friends? To be with someone? Loving someone? Supporting him? Talking to him, when it was needed? Laughing with him? Smiling to him? Comforting him while his sadness? Crying along with him? Understanding each other without any words? How to do all these things? What should he feel, having a friend? Happy? Pride? Stillness? Or should he stay as he was now? Cool, self-possessed…? He was trained to be the Saint, not a friend. So… What should he do now? How should he treat Milo, the man who considered himself as a Camus' friend. Was it even possible to become friends just because one of them said that? Just because Milo said: 'Let's be friends'? And that is all? They were friends after a few these words? What if they couldn't be friends? What if they couldn't understand each other? Both of them had so different temperament. Milo was hot-headed, friendly, kind; he loves to talk as much as possible. And Camus was opposite. Cold, silent, sometimes unpleasant. So it is possible for two so different people to became friends? What if Milo will say, that he don't want be a friend with someone like him, after all? Because he was never smiling to him, never laughing with him, never was supporting him? Because Camus doesn't even know, what it means to be friends? What then?
"What are you thinking about?" Camus heard.
He realized he was thoughtful so much that he even forgot that Milo was still here.
Should he tell him about that? About his thoughts? Is that what friends should do?
Camus opened his mouth to tell him about that and…
"Nothing important, Milo," he said finally.
And that is how it started again. Their friendship. Inside his Temple's library…