Title: A Special Day for Pope Shion - Chapter 3
Author: Lune Kuruta
Fandom: Saint Seiya
Rating: G
Word Count: 4037 (this chapter)
Characters: Aries Mu, Pope Shion, Gemini Saga, Sagittarius Aiolos, and others.
Genres: Gen, fluff, light humor
Summary: Mu finds out that his teacher's birthday is coming soon. The future Gold Saints want to give the Pope good gifts, but they don't have any money. What are they going to do?
Warnings: Author chooses not to warn.
Disclaimer: Saint Seiya belongs to Masami Kurumada and Toei Animation. All rights reserved.
Notes: Story written for the Secret Coconut, a fic exchange promoted by the community Saint Seiya Super Fics Journal (chapter originally published on September 24, 2014).
* This fic is set before the beginning of the series, and the Gold Saints are still apprentices (therefore, they're not Saints yet). Aiolos and Saga are 13 years old; Deathmask, Shura and Aphrodite are 9; and Mu, Aldebaran, Aiolia, Shaka, Milo and Camus are 6. The younger ones might act a little more "mature" than typical 6 years-olds, but well… they're prodigies, anyway x.x
* Because of the time the story is set in, I've decided to give different names to some characters. Deathmask will be called "Angelo" (because I think that he would only change his name after getting his cloth, since it would be an inappropriate nickname for a child). Aldebaran will be called "Antonio" (because he would only become "Aldebaran" after getting the Taurus Cloth, thus honoring the previous Taurus Saints-I've borrowed this tradition from "The Lost Canvas". I hope you don't mind).
* By the way, any mentions to the past (Holy War, previous Saints and the such) come from LC!canon (therefore disregarding "Next Dimension").
* Revised by Vane. Thank you very much! =3
CHAPTER 3 - A SPECIAL MORNING
He was a bit tired, but otherwise fine. Meditating in Star Hill was more like a privilege than a duty for him, and he had no idea of how long he had been there.
Shion bathed fast, as he probably had important issues to deal with. As soon as he walked into his office, someone gently knocked on the door. Altar Arles, his most trusted counselor and the man who took care of the Sanctuary in his absence, entered the room. There was no real need of bowing down or wearing masks, as they were more friends or "brothers at heart" than Pope and servant.
"Good morning, Arles."
"Good morning, sir. Don't you need some rest?"
"I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. Did anything important happen in my absence?"
"Everything was surprisingly calm, sir. You only need to sign some documents, and they're on your desk."
"I see. Did Mu come back from China already?"
"Oh, yes. You'll find his report on the desk as well. And…" Arles got closer, handing Shion a package. "Mu brought me this. As it didn't seem to be urgent, but rather personal, I preferred to keep it with me and giving it straight to you instead of leaving it here. I hope you don't mind."
"A package from Dohko?" Shion scanned the package, spotting a note on it. "'Open on March 30'. Wait, today is-"
"March 30. Happy birthday, sir. May Athena give you a long, happy life!"
"Oh…" Shion seemed amused. "Now I see it! Well, thank you!"
"That's another reason for taking the day off after signing those documents, don't you think?"
"Could be. But these are importante days, Arles, and the Sanctuary needs me. Anyway, I need to go to the Coliseum to check in on our future Gold Saints. Especially Mu."
"He understands, sir. I've granted him the best wishes in your name."
Shion smiled. "Thank you again, Arles. I'll hand back all these documents by noon. Oh, please Arles, I need a favor: could you please ask the servants to serve breakfast for two in my room?"
"With cake and a lot of cookies, I presume?"
"Exactly," Shion smiled behind the mask.
"This will be arranged. With your permission, sir..." Bowing respectfully as a farewell, Arles left Shion alone in the office, giving him some privacy.
After Arles's departure, Shion took off his mask and turned his attention to the package in his hands, finally opening it. It contained a letter and a wood box. The Pope put aside the box, reading the letter first. He could recognize the same nice handwriting his all-life friend had always had, and smiled at the paper, nostalgic.
Dear Shion,
How are you, my friend? How are things going in the Sanctuary? I hope that everything is okay. I am fine. Things here are calm as always, you know. The seal remains strong, the waterfalls are still flowing… The world seems to be fine.
I know I haven't been writing as regularly as I used to, but the fact is that it gets harder and harder to write a letter when you don't have anything new to tell. Or, rather, all I do is reply to your letters, so I don't have much to say. Oh, please, don't misunderstand me, I'm not complaining at all! I know that you must have been really busy! But I can't deny that I miss talking to you.
But well, I'm writing to you now.
When we get older, time seems to flow in a different manner, you know. Sometimes a year passes by and I don't even notice, while others may pass slowly. I'm not really sure if that happens to you too, because you have a calendar to follow and guide our daily tasks, but still. I've got used to track the passing of the time through nature. And, by these days, Rozan seemed to blow up in such a floral profusion, that I immediately perceived the arrival of Spring, which means that your birthday is around these days as well. So…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHION! I wholeheartedly wish you a blessed life! May Athena always guide your steps and enlighten your wisdom, my friend!
Well, since I don't have a calendar myself, I am not sure what day is today. Maybe your birthday is already over, I don't know. But I'll have this letter ready, so when the supplies arrive, I can deliver it to the messenger. I hope it gets to your hand on time.
Also, I have a gift for you! I made it myself. I hope you will like it. It's quite simple, indeed, since I had to use the material I had at hand, but it works. May this gift give you more energy and spiritual protection.
Best wishes,
Dohko
P.S.: What a surprise! So I finally met your pupil! Young Mu is a lovely boy, so polite! Looks strong and intelligent as well. He reminds me of you, somehow. And he is quite patient, as he is having some tea with me while I get this letter ready. He promised me that he would deliver this package to you on my behalf, and I trust him. Please thank him for me!
P.P.S.: I was wondering… What do you think about me training a pupil? If you need me to do this, just let me know!
Shion stared at those written words for a while, a smile in his wrinkled face. Putting the letter aside, he opened the box, finding a handmade bamboo wind chime in there. He finally understook what his friend meant by protection.
"Thank you so much, my friend. I'll treasure it."
He took the letter and the gift to his personal chamber and put his mask back on before heading to the Coliseum.
000
"The Pope is coming!"
When Shion arrived, the apprentices were standing in line, hands behind their backs. Angelo had even combed his hair! What was going on?
But he quickly noticed Mu's absence.
Right after that, and before Shion could ask his question, Saga took a step forward. "Pope Shion, we would like to wish you a happy birthday."
"Oh. Thank you, boys. I am really surprised."
As the apprentices seemed to be uncomfortable and worried about his reaction to Mu's absence, a brief moment of silence fell on them before Antonio finally stepped forward. "Pope Shion, I hope you will like this." He gave the Pope a small clay statue shaped as an ox. It was painted gold, and its left eye was painted red. "This is a golden ox, and the left eye represents Aldebaran, the biggest star in my constelation. I wanted to give you this as a promise that you can count on me to protect Athena and honor the previous Taurus Saints!"
His determination touched Shion. "I don't have a doubt about it, Antonio. Thank you very much. I'll keep it on mind."
Antonio smiled, stepping back to his place.
Saga approached Shion. "Happy birthday, Pope." He handed the Pope a sheet with a green landscape filled with hills and streams. Looking closely, it became noticeable that the thick traces were made of words.
"Are these… verses?"
"Concrete poetry," Saga explained. "I was… kind of inspired that day, I guess. Do you like it?"
Shion gave it a read and spotted wishes of health, prosperity, wisdom and blessings from Athena.
Athena is the guide of Humanity, and you are Her hands. May the Goddess grant you a life full of happiness, peace and good achievements.
"This is beautiful, Saga! Lovely, indeed. Thank you!"
"You're welc-"
"Such a great poet and blah blah!" Angelo cut it off. "Let's hurry up with this! Here, Pope, happy birthday. Remember that I gave you a gift and give me a Gold Cloth in retribution!"
"Angelo!"
"That's okay, Saga." Shion put his gifts down to get Angelo's. The sheet of paper displayed a disturbing angry face drawn with black and red crayons. In its mouth, spots of red ink. "Ah… this is… what is this?"
"This is my masterpiece! It's called 'Deathmask, The Murderer'! Isn't it amazing?"
"It's quite… impressive, indeed."
"Hang it on your wall and it will scare away all enemies, monsters, aliens, and stuff."
"Uh… I see. Thank you, Angelo. I'll keep it in my room."
"Heh!" Angelo returned to his place while Aiolia approached Shion.
"Happy birthday, Pope!"
"Thank you, Aiolia."
"I made a gift for you, too!" Leo showed him his drawing. "Look, this is me! I'm riding a lion, see? And this is the blue-haired monster of the sea, and I'm protecting you and baby Athena from him!"
Shion held his laugh. "A 'blue-haired monster', eh?"
Milo squinted, as he was blue-haired and had been training in a Greek island before coming to the Sanctuary. And he wouldn't expect any less from his archrival. "Hey, what monster are you talking about?"
But Aiolia simply showed him his tongue, getting back in line. Shion decided to put the drawing aside before any confusion arose.
"Uhn… I made you a gift, too." Shaka took a step forward. "I hope you will like it." He handed Shion a kind of rosary made of beads.
"You did this yourself?"
"Yes. This is a japamala. You can use it for meditation. It will help you purify your mind and keep bad thoughts and spirits away. I can teach you some mantras if you want."
"Weeeeeird!" Angelo's voice echoed, but nobody cared.
"This is a really precious gift, Shaka." Shion held the japamala carefully, feeling almost nostalgic. "Thank you very much. I'll keep it with me when meditating in Star Hill."
"I appreciate that, Pope." Shaka gave him a bland smile and quietly went back to his place.
When Milo, the next in line, approached Shion, he asked the Pope to get closer. "Uhn… Happy birthday, Pope. I made you this."
Milo tried to hide his gift away from the other pupils, but still Aiolia saw it. "Wait, what's this? You made him a rag doll?"
"This is not a doll, it's a scorpion, you moron!" Milo flushed.
"Hey, hey, take it easy, kids." Shion tried to avoid an argument. "You made this, Milo? I'm really impressed with your skill."
"My teacher taught me how to use needles."
"Except if we're talking about injections, right?" Aiolia mocked him.
"You're worse than me!" Milo coughed. "Anyway, Pope, he said that it could be useful, you know."
"And he is right, Milo. I really like your scorpion, thank you."
Milo smiled and went back to his place.
"I bet you can't make a lion."
"Of course I can!"
"Then prove it! Make one!"
"If you want a rag lion, Aiolia, you can simply ask," Camus interrupted them, and Aiolia blushed. "But Milo, I want my polar bear first."
Milo smirked. "Don't worry, Camus, you're next."
Aiolos took a step forward, still laughing. "Ah, these kids!... Oh, happy birthday, Pope! I wish you all the best!" He gave Shion his self-made book. On the cover, decorated with a landscape picture, the title read: "Have a nice day, Pope Shion!"
Shion flipped through the book, spotting encouraging messages all over it. "Did you write the whole text?"
"All of it," Aiolos answered. "If you have a tough day, just open it. I hope these messages will help you face your problems."
"I appreciate that, Aiolos. Sometimes we get too absorbed in our duties and our mood pays the price. This is a valuable gift. Thank you."
"And these illustrations aren't just mine. I asked the kids to contribute some, too. In the end, this is a gift from all of us!"
"I drew the lion!"
Aiolos reassured his brother. "Yes, he already knows that, 'Olia."
Shion cackled. After thanking them once more, he turned his attention to Shura, who approached him.
"I made you a drawing as well." Shura gave him a sheet of paper with an illustration of Athena in crayon. Her long, purplish hair-as described in the stories Shura has been told about the previous Holy War-fell like cascades over her shoulders, and her eyes expressed serenity and determination. The goddess carried her shield in a hand and Niké in the other one, the same way as depicted by the majestic statue in the Sanctuary.
"This is amazing, Shura!" Shion admired the masterpiece in awe. "So realistic! Feels like I am staring at Her once again!"
Shura bowed before returning to where his colleagues stood, but seemed to be pretty glad with the reaction to his gift.
"My turn." Camus walked to the Pope, gifting him with a small canvas.
"Thank you, Camus. This is a marvelous painting!" Shion stared at the colored waves against a deep blue background.
"This is the aurora borealis, or 'Northern Lights', if you will," Camus explained. "This is a common phenomenon in Siberia, where I used to train before coming to the Sanctuary."
"I always wanted to see this. Thank you, Camus, this is a beautiful painting."
"I'm glad you like it, Pope. If you wish, I can explain how this happens. When the solar wind-"
Aphrodite pulled Camus back to his place. "Thaaaank you, Camus, but we don't care."
Camus gave him an offended look.
"Now then, the best gift would have to be the last, of course! Pope Shion, I hope you will like it." Aphrodite handed him a bouquet of luxury roses. "They are not poisonous, I swear!"
"Of course they aren't," Shion replied with a smile. "They are gorgeous, thank you."
"And I made you a collage, too!" Aphrodite gave Shion a large sheet with leaves and flowers arranged gracefully, forming a garden in shades of red, green and gold. "And I'll build an even more beautiful garden when I take over the Pisces Cloth. This collage is my promise to you."
Antonio pointed out, "It may be the most beautiful garden ever, but if we can't walk by it because of its poison, that will not do!"
Aphrodite gave him a cold stare.
Shion decided to intervene before the tension increased. "I really appreciate all your gifts, kids. I'll treasure all of them. To be honest, I had no idea that you knew that my birthday was today, so I really wasn't expecting anything."
The children exchanged looks. Then, Saga decided to speak for all of them. "We didn't use to know it, actually. Mu told us."
"Did he?" His other question, about his pupil's whereabouts, remained implicit.
A moment of silence followed, until…
"I'm sorry, Pope!" Aiolia cried. "That's my fault!"
"What?" Shion was surprised. "What are you talking about, Aiolia?"
"Mu is sad because I ruined his gift for you!" Aiolia showed him the remains of the sand drawing. "I swear I didn't mean to! But I dropped water on it last night, and Mu got sad and ran away!"
"He ran away?"
"But he tried his best to gift you, it was an accident… Say something, Milo!"
"Yeah, that was Aiolia's fault!" Milo said, and Aiolia glared at him.
Shion tried to calm the kids down. "Don't worry, I am sure that was just an accident. Now I need to know where he is."
"We may try to find him," Aiolos offered.
But a soft voice said, "We don't need to seach for Mu."
"Why not, Shaka?"
"Because he's already here," Shaka answered, pointing to the other end of the arena.
000
Mu looked miserable.
He was panting, sweaty, and his hair was disheveled. His face, hands and clothes were smeared with soot, and his eyes bore the noticeable fatigue of a slepless night. His unkempt appearence looked even worse when compared to the other pupils.
"Uhn… I-I am sorry… I lost track of time…" As nobody said a thing, Mu approached the group, bringing a small object in his hands. "I didn't know what to do. I went to the shed, trying to think… And I found some remains from my practices. Please, don't get offended, master. I did my best but couldn't finish on time…"
A small, golden medallion was put in Shion's hands. It was round and attached to a chain made of the same material. The imposing Aries ram was engraved on it in low-relief.
Antonio was astonished. "You did this in a single night?"
Shion didn't say a word. He stared at the medallion for a moment, his expression unreadable behind his mask.
"This is a beautiful gift, Mu!" Saga tried to cheer him up. "And we know that you've been working very hard."
"I need to go now," Shion said. "Thank you again. Mu, could you help me take all these gifts to my temple?"
"S-sure!" The apprentice hurried to gather the gifts.
"Have a nice training session, children." That said, Shion left the Coliseum, followed closely by a nervous boy.
Milo sighed. "Poor Mu… Do you think Pope Shion will punish him for his delay?"
"Don't worry," Aiolos answered. "Pope Shion is a good man. Let's get back to our training, kids."
000
Shion and Mu passed through the Twelve Temples in silence. It was impossible for the pupil to know what the Pope was thinking, since his mask completely hid his face. But his own thoughts seemed to shout out loud in his head.
Mu was tired and nervous. It was clear enough to him that Shion asked for his help only to be able to talk to him in private, since he shouldn't need any help to carry those objects. Also, Mu knew that the worst scoldings were never performed in public. Maybe Shion was upset because Mu didn't present himself properly in the same manner of his colleagues in such a special occasion. Or perhaps he thought it was inappropriate to deliver Dohko's package to Arles instead of handing it directly to him, since it was, quite probably, a private matter. Or worse, he might be offended because Mu used metal waste to make his gift.
When they arrived at the temple, Shion kept walking through the main hall and Mu assumed that he was heading to his office. But he took another direction, toward the back of the temple.
"Come in, Mu." The Pope entered through double doors, and Mu found himself in the Pope's personal chambers.
He had never been there before. It was huge, with a large wardrobe and a bookshelf-although smaller than the one in his office, it was quite large, and probably kept the books his master liked to read before sleeping. A velvet curtain partially hid a neatly made bed, separating it from the rest of the chamber. Mu knew that his teacher was an organized man, but observing that organization in such a big room was quite impressive. There was also a desk in a corner, and two elegant upholstered armchairs facing each other, with a small table between them. A tray with plenty of food lied on the table-probably his teacher's breakfast.
"Please, put these things on my desk, and then wash your hands."
Mu obeyed his teacher, putting down the gifts and watching his teachter take off his mask.
"What a relief." Shion smiled at his pupil. "This mask is uncomfortable, you know. Oh, feel free to use my bathroom. Wash your hands and face, and come back here."
Although Shion's voice sounded gentle, that remark about his dirt made Mu feel almost reproached. He didn't even pay attention to the luxurious bathroom, washing himself up in the sink the best he could.
When Mu came back to the room, the Pope was hanging his new wind chime close to the window.
"It is beautiful, isn't it?" Shion stared at the chime for a while, as it swung and resonated with the Spring breeze. "Dohko sent it to me in that package. Sit down, please. Make yourself comfortable."
For Mu, that seemed almost impossible, but he quietly sat on one of the armchairs.
Shion turned away from the window, sitting in front of Mu. "Now then, Mu. First of all, and despite being late - and I'm really sorry for that - I would like to wish you a happy birthday."
Mu blinked, a little confused.
Shion realized that his apprentice was probably waiting for a reprimand, and the soft tone in his voice might have surprised the boy.
"Uhn… Thank you, master."
"Why so apprehensive, Mu?"
"It's just… I thought… aren't you mad at me?"
"Why would I be mad at you?"
"Because I was late and sloppy, and my gift-"
"By Athena, Mu! You worry too much!" Shion laughed. "I am not mad at you, not at all!"
"Oh…" Mu felt as if a thousand pounds had just been lifted from his shoulders.
"Maybe you were wondering why I asked you to come with me." Shion scratched his chin thoughtfully. "I just wanted to spend a good time with my pupil, you know. But after going to the arena, I thought that I should've told you some more things about my life. For example, I think I've never told you much about my teacher, have I?
Mu shook his head. He was curious.
Shion took a cup of tea, seeming lost in memories for a while. "He was a difficult person, actually. Sometimes I even thought that he was nearly insane. But he was a good man, after all. Oh, please, Mu, help yourself! This is a breakfast for two, you know."
"I'm fine, master," Mu said right before his stomach growled. He blushed.
"I see." Shion's lips trembled in amusement. "Have some cookies, Mu, I mean it."
Mu clumsily picked up a few cookies. He was really surprised, but finally started to relax.
"Master Hakurei was quite the ornery man," Shion continued. "And I was always afraid of not being good enough for him. Anyway, I finally became the Aries Saint, and had to move out of Jamir and into the Sanctuary. So, I decided to give him a gift, so he would never forget me - maybe I was too proud of myself at the time. I had no idea what to do, when I found some spare materials in the shed, and made him a medallion. It was smaller than this one… and simpler, too, not this fancy."
Mu blinked. So his idea was not that original. "And did he like it?"
"He said 'not bad' and continued to eat his meal."
"But-"
"But a few years later, when I met my teacher again, I spotted a little golden shine amidst his clothes."
Mu looked at his master. Shion had a gentle smile on his face. "How could I be angry at you, Mu? First of all, you tried to give me a good birthday, and not only bringing me Dohko's gift. You put all your effort into making this gift for me, and this is the essence of a good present in my opinion, as it conveys affection. You stayed up all night, and yet… this medallion is so elegant! Its shape, its meaning… it really shows your skills. Maybe it would be too arrogant of mine to assume that I've been a good teacher to you, but still, I did my best. Mu, I'm really proud of you."
Mu blushed, his eyes burning. He was definitely not expecting that and really didn't know how to answer. "M-master!..."
"Thank you, Mu. I'll treasure it."
Shion put the medallion on, and Mu smiled. "I'm glad you like it, master!"
"And I hope you will like our birthday breakfast as well. I'm afraid that I won't be able to spend more than a few hours with you today, as I have plenty of duties to take care of. But I'm granting you a free day today. Get some sleep, rest a little."
"Thank you, master Shion. But I still want to give you that landscape anyway, I didn't give up!"
"And I'm looking forward to it. But now..." Shion smiled and raised his cup of tea for a toast. "Happy birthday to us!"
To anybody else, that might have looked like just an ordinary breakfast between the former and the future Aries Saint. But that short meeting was somewhat special for both of them.
(THE END) TO BE CONTINUED...
Additional notes:
Hi, Boolafaz, hi, everyone! Are you still there? =P
This chapter was the "real" fic, I guess. I mean, I was only going to show them giving their gifts to Shion and that's all, but I'm way too wordy (as you surely noticed by now XD).
About Dohko's participation: to be honest, that was one of the first scenes on my mind. Okay, he is not an apprentice, but… we couldn't let him out, could we? For him (and for all characters), I tried to figure out what kind of present would be a best fit for their personalities and abilities (of course taking into account the materials they could have at hand), and well, I hope that I didn't disappoint you on this matter or something like that… x.x'' If I did, I'm truly sorry.
I'd originally planned to use an OC (soldier) to hand Shion his gift, or even have Shion simply find the package on his desk, but I'm not sure that Mu would leave such a personal package in random hands, you know? So Arles simply popped up in the scene XD I'd never wrote about Arles (or Ares, as you wish) before, so I'm not sure if I did it right. From the series, one would infer that he was a good person, and Shion fully trusted him (therefore, Mu would feel secure to give him something he would otherwise give to his master in person). Actually, I have this tendency to complicate everything. =P
And about the last scene between Mu and Shion, I really hope that it didn't turn out too mushy. But I like to imagine their relationship this way, almost like father-and-son. I may have exaggerated that, but… x.x
No, it's not over because I love epilogues! =P
Kissus,
Lune Kuruta
NOTE: The final chapter will be posted tomorrow. Thanks for reading! (July 17, 2015)