Hello! Disclaimer: I am not an expert on Saint Seiya lore/Indian/Chinese history and culture so please give me mercy if I got something wrong in this story. Thank you!
*** I had an idea from taking a nature walk recently and wanted to update this fic with a continuation of the original story.
** I changed Shaka's hair to brown, because I just like this coloring better.
For several days that butterfly had been the honorable guest of the Temple of the Scales. Springtime birthed it with her breath and it was adamant in staying in Dohko's company. The Libra Saint spotted the jade little thing flying from his neighbor's temple, probably sent with a word from that Virgo Shaka. It was gentle and proud as it beat its wings with elegance, Dohko almost wondered if it had been Shaka in disguise, but it couldn't have been.
The thing was too lively with how it moved and made itself at home in Dohko's stone temple. Chasing him around as he did his duties, crawling on his head when he went to meditate, or stitching a ribbon of wonder when it flew between those crooked columns like weave poles. It had many things to say when the night took over and Dohko would peer through the clear skylight of his temple to listen and stargaze.
He wondered how the creature didn't shrivel up in its activity, as those things might as well have been made of origami. Since the day it saw Dohko it maintained its vigor and that familiar green color, almost neon under starlight.
On that particular day, Dohko had the idea to invite the perfect someone to meet such a visitor. The gallant Mū brought his young disciple, who made so much of a fuss it was as if his teacher brought a cage of birds with him. And the gorgeous little butterfly adored Mū, flying circles around him, swaying with Mū's generous laughs. Then the noble Aries Knight would say how strange it was that the creature acted so familiar. And they both smiled as that Appendix Kiki leapt up to play with it, and the butterfly cooed over him, like a grandfather to a grandson.
"It's amazing who you're acquainted by, Rōshi." Mū said while letting the butterfly perch on the horns of the Aries Cloth to rest its wings.
"No, I'm too old for acquaintances."
Mū blinked as Dohko sat cross-legged on the gray stone floor and watched the butterfly come to rest on his head.
"We've been friends for quite a while."
An airy hum left Mū's lips as his pastel hair shivered a mystery in a stray breeze. His student nearly ran into his leg, too full of energy for his own good. Both Dohko and his friend knew the young student would make a fine Saint one day.
"It has to be true, Master Mū. Butterflies always fly away when you try to catch them. This one's right at home with Rōshi." Kiki said with a proud nod, as insects and children were alike in their wisdom.
"I suppose you're right." Dohko said then looked to Mū who agreed with his smile.
Even the butterfly saw no problem with the student's observation. It just fanned its wings, a gentle nod from a grand master to a pupil.
The open sky, between the pillars of the Temple of the Scales, turned a little lint and heavy instead of the usual sweet orange, and Mū and Kiki said their final goodbyes. The wise little insect gave each something of a kiss on the forehead as it perched knowingly above their eyes, those purple spots on either of its wings replacing their circular eyebrows when it stretched out.
Then they were gone and the sky rumbled its warning, saying in order to enjoy the warmth of spring there had to be rain. But Dohko and the butterfly sat under the protection of his temple and waited for the evening showers with open arms. They shared their time together over inky Oolong with the last of the black leaves Dohko collected, and they looked over his collection of porcelain fishbowls admiring the one with the huge crack that was mended with golden solder, and they laid back to whistle along with the wind chimes Dohko kept high on his temple's ceiling. All things to do with a friend to welcome the rain, but the rain never came.
And as the sky got completely black, Dohko's mind wandered as he couldn't be still. Almost as if he had been agitated every time he tried to relax, he would stir and think of his friends, new and old. But the butterfly kept him from running off like he was used to, as it sat calmly, perched atop the foot of one of those looming columns. It knew how to pacify him, as its presence made Dohko's heart catch flame. A feat only one other could achieve.
PSYCHIC messages were always being sifted through by the careful Virgo Shaka, but he was unable to shake that one. Beaming down from the House of Libra, its resonating chant was nothing other than a summoning, as bright as stardust across the shroud of night. So Shaka rose from his spot, finally willing to attach to the spry Dohko again, deciding to go to him instead of waiting.
With each step the call echoed louder. Occasionally the sky growled its threat of a downpour, but Shaka wouldn't rush. He never had to rush for Dohko, they'd see each other once the time was right.
The ground, dusted with spring's green carpet, presented the sturdy Temple of the Scales. He knew it like nothing else, even in the dark without the moon who hid behind the clouds, he recognized it. Now screaming for Shaka, the transmission marked the entrance of the temple, a siren coaxing him near. And he took a step inside the blackened mouth of the temple, completely in the night's shadow.
"Dohko," he said to the void, easy in his voice.
Before he felt the Libra Knight, the fluttering of velvet wings in the air caught him in a tiny gasp. Surely one of the earth's precious messengers came to greet the Saint of Virgo with a fancy dance known only to those of flight and feather. He figured the little thing must have been the one who sent the beacon, as it had a bit of an aura about it and the calling ceased when they met eyes.
Shaka observed it fly round and round, without the anxiety of most fragile insects. It studied him back, curious with how it landed on his head and waved its wings in salutations. The intriguing thing almost distracted him from Dohko's presence.
"Hiya, Shaka. I've been keeping this for you." Dohko said with his usual pep, holding the Virgo Saint's white cape folded in a triangle. "I see you've met my friend."
Shaka searched around for the butterfly who led him to spin in a circle before it landed on Dohko's shoulder. Where Dohko's cosmo would often pounce around when he was excited to see Shaka, the little creature appeared to be mellowing him out. Slowing his cosmo down to the pace of a butterfly beating its wings.
"You make quite the amazing friends."
"Don't I?"
Shaka turned around while Dohko worked on attaching the cape to the collar of his Cloth with that contagious laughter of his. And the butterfly landed on Shaka's nose, taking a real good inventory of him with those pink compound eyes. He quivered before letting out a sneeze that sent the thing back into the air. And it tittered a giggle to Dohko once the cape was fastened, definitely talking up a tornado about Shaka, and of course Dohko laughed with it, as he was a pro at speaking mystical languages. Then came his wonderful gaze, smoky in the haze of night.
"Y'know what? You remind me of someone." The Saint of Libra said, giving Shaka his eye.
The Virgo Saint kept his usual face and raised his eyebrows. "Really?"
It took a moment of looking and consulting the delicate insect that sat on his shoulder, claiming to be both an angel and a devil with the way it switched sides. And after Dohko rubbed his strong chin and admired every angle of Shaka's body, he sighed.
"No." His word dragged out of him. "You'll never be him."
The little butterfly flew around without rest, getting a kick out of its partner in crime. Then Dohko gave Shaka his famous slap on the back because he couldn't go a minute without touching him. Another one of Dohko's wonderful, but foolish quirks he kept.
"I hope you didn't want any tea. Me and my buddy drank it all." He said tidying the lid of a cast iron teapot resting on a bamboo tray. "Don't worry. I can think of something else for us to do." His smile could get him into trouble.
Only one of the short ribbed cups he kept around was still full of dark tea, and the little creature perched on the purple tea pet beside it. A peaceful sheep with horns and fleece still wet from the pouring of the tea pot. Shaka held in a sigh, not concerned with leaving the Temple of the Scales just then.
"So the butterfly followed you here one day?" Shaka sat, folding his legs under him, the action practically commanded Dohko to sit beside him.
"He actually just showed up here when I had my back turned. It's been so long since I could enjoy an old friend's company."
Shaka frowned his thoughts on his face, but the sharp Dohko had a defense for when the Virgo Knight got too serious.
"And now I have you visiting too. I've really been spoiled."
Shaka held still, the powerful wind of Sanctuary's night infiltrated the Libra Temple, causing the hefty wind chimes above them to whine a sad song of ice.
"Don't tell me you're jealous." Dohko ran the back of his hand down Shaka's cheek, trying his last bit of witchcraft that roused a tiny smile from the steely Saint of Virgo.
He then pushed his luck, letting that intense cosmo of his flare up when he leaned in closer to Shaka, his heat almost unbearable. Seduction was easy for him, as he could make a rainy night warm with the sun. Their lips might have touched, he was too gentle and teasing. But Shaka wouldn't let the message he held inside go unheard, no matter how nice Dohko tried to make him feel.
The butterfly rested on Shaka's shoulder, taking the place of where Dohko's hand usually preferred. And it bound the Libra Saint's tricky cosmo, making the roaring waterfall into a calm stream.
"I hope you don't reach out too far for your friend" Shaka said with a studied golden coolness.
The butterfly fanned its wings in approval, while Dohko's bright eyes watched it, then Shaka.
"Butterflies, just like friends aren't permanent. And methinks your friend won't stick around for so long."
Dohko looked down, unable to hide the bend of his fluffy eyebrows. And Shaka spoke the Libra Saint's favored language of touch as he placed his hand on his compatriot's knee, finding it hard not to be more compassionate than usual. Then came the crying of the wind chimes again, and the little creature returned to its friend's side, failing to invoke the expected relief.
Eventually Dohko chuckled something unserious and pet Shaka's brown hair with those lovely, but deniable fingers. Combing through it like he must have been combing through his thoughts.
"How'd you get to be so wise?" His crooked grin could make just about anyone smile.
Shaka knew Dohko to be much wiser than him, but even sillier so. He was sure his compatriot would want to drag him down to play sooner than later, so it was Shaka's intention to leave his friend with his word. But before he could detach, the sudden sound of rain brought a chill that made Dohko grow restless again.
He went on and on about how Shaka should stay the night, or at least until the rain stopped. By the way it pooled over the steps to his temple and made a marsh of the grass outside, Shaka assumed Dohko had cast another spell over the land to keep them all together.
So the three of them laid on the floor, and looked through the skylight as the earth was drenched with torrential rain. They traded stories, and Dohko told a few sly secrets about how he liked to sneak into the Temple of the Giant Crab and rearrange the old books on Deathmask's shelves. He'd snicker a few times, before breaking out into a gust of laughter when he recalled how worked up the Cancer Saint would get, and how much the terrible Pisces Aphrodite was blamed. And Shaka would listen, chuckling a few breaths himself as Dohko was more than a dramatic storyteller when he was comfortable. Then the Saint of Libra would hold his hand out, letting the little creature walk across his fingers while he told more stories, two hundred years old, about the previous Gold Saints and how they fought against Hades. Shaka had heard the tales before and studied the Knights of old, but never had he listened while being lulled by Dohko's tame cosmo. Radiating all feelings of love Shaka could imagine, Dohko was truly a perfect romantic.
Then when the night grew long with no sign of the rain letting up, The Libra Saint yawned about how nights like those made him dead tired. And he sprawled out on his stomach like the floor was the softest mattress in the world, not before trying to tickle Shaka's sides one last time. And eventually after retiring his burdensome Gold Cloth, Dohko crossed over to the dream realm. Naturally Shaka followed suit, not minding how his companion snored gentle growls and put his heavy arm around him for a cuddle, as Dohko was still himself even when he was unconscious.
As sleep was finding Shaka, he felt the touch of the butterfly over the vermilion tilak on his forehead. It flapped its wings in a rhythmic thank you, taking its time to speak the gratifying appreciation only animals knew how to give, happy in the fact that Shaka would take care of Dohko. And it remained there as a wisp of stardust until Shaka fell asleep, the quiet wind chimes being the final tune that would send them both off to another world.
ONCE the sun rose up and the birds sang praises of another day, Shaka came to. Awakening before his compatriot, his body ached from sleeping on the stone floors, but it was worth it to be wrapped in Dohko's fiery embrace. He searched with the twist of his head around the Temple of the Scales. It had been empty except the two of them. The cup of tea had been left without a sip taken from it, and Dohko's shoulder had been bare, and nothing played in the open air of the temple, or with the wind chimes above, except the calm of morning.
The Libra Saint's voice was groggy with sleep, but he woke himself up with his own searching. His hand swayed around with a certain slowness, hoping to invite that butterfly onto it. But it only caught the crisp sun beaming into the temple through the open entrance. He mumbled to himself, in that soft way a lover would when they didn't want to wake their sleeping partner. So Shaka watched him, feigning still being asleep, and Dohko looked up and all round like the stars came out to play in the day. Never had he looked so lost.
That butterfly and its power had gone far away from the Temple of the Scales, and Sanctuary all together. Its absence was so potent that it must have left the planet for somewhere greater, allowing Dohko's cosmo to run free with only its name staying on the earth with its dear friend.
"Shion?" He said.
He said it again, and once more, sounding less like he was calling his friend, and more like he was trying to soothe himself. Then came the rare moment when Libra Dohko was quiet, his cosmo low with its own silence and waiting. Shaka remained still, knowing he could do with detaching, just as his companion could have. But no man could let go entirely, especially so soon. So he reached up to touch Dohko's arm that trembled at the comfort. And he looked at Shaka, the glint of a tear resting in the friendliest part of his eye. Shaka showed the color of his own eyes, as a man could best convey understanding by his gaze. But Dohko turned away, not even fighting a wounded frown. He had enough honor to weep.
"Strange. After all this time together, you've just called me by someone else's name." Shaka had a bit of leisure in his voice, not afraid to offer a shadow of a smile.
It took a while, but the Saint of Libra laughed a booming sound wave, yet another victory for the Saint of Virgo.
"Sorry, Shaka. I'm so old, I forget sometimes." He pinched Shaka's cheek earning a true smile from both of them. "Thanks for keeping me on track." His face tried to sadden, but he was too wise to let it.
"Someone has to do it."
Dohko's cosmo wrapped around Shaka, then his body came after. The Virgo Saint didn't have the abilities of his companion's late friend, but he didn't mind Dohko's burning cosmo. Perhaps it wasn't Shaka's job to calm him, but to be excited by him. So he accepted it for just then, and they tangled together for the rest of the morning. The wind woke up the wind chimes who's sound touched the heavens and it dried the sheep tea pet that laid in waiting for another time. And the many busy butterflies danced outside, holding their own messages and duties. And Shaka thought he and Dohko would return as soft butterflies one day or another, if not only for a couple of minutes they would have a mission. But they could rest in each other's company until their time came.
It has been a wish of mine this springtime to see and meet a butterfly. I don't find myself in nature too often, but I had the opportunity to go on a few nature walks recently. While I didn't find any butterflies, I found a few fuzzy cute moths, a couple of white spiders, and many sweet birds who weren't very disturbed by my being there (of course they didn't want to get too close though haha!). Then I thought of those legends that butterflies and creatures that cross your path are actually there to deliver messages, or harbor the souls of those who have passed on.
I pondered it for a while and thought of my life, then I thought of Papillon Myu, then the Hades Chapter, then Dohko and Shion, and of course I had to go back and watch it. Dohko and Shion's little moment before Shion disappeared was honestly one of the most romantic non-romantic scenes I've seen in Saint Seiya haha (maybe I'm over exaggerating)! But I had to do something! I could not function if this was left unfinished!
I had a lot of ideas on my walks, and I might transition into even sillier stories than these! But I'll never abandon my slash fics!
Thank you for reading!