Hello! Disclaimer: I am not an expert on Saint Seiya lore/European/Asian history and culture so please give me mercy if I got something wrong in this story. Thank you!
***This is a sequel to my first Misty's Pet Rescue Story. It will make a bit more sense if they are read in order.
** This is an AU where there is peace in Athena's Sanctuary and all the Gold Saints are alive and active. They also all have pets!
* Again I use Scorpius and Capricornus instead of Scorpio and Capricorn simply because I enjoy the way it sounds.
This is a work of Fanfiction
"Lady Pandora, Orpheus is ready to play his music." Rhadamanthys said, offering his arm to the lady of the Underworld.
She had been pulling the grains from a stem of wheat, sitting by her terrarium on a chair gilt in bone. How she hated to make haste, when she lifted the lid, she tossed in the grain and dusted her hands off. Then with her wicked eye, she delighted at seeing them clamor. Her swarths of locusts swarmed for the grain, gnashing their mandibles, as her snacks were never enough and they'd soon need the blood of something warm and earthly.
"I'm coming." She stood to her feet, smoothing out her dress with her usual dour.
She leaned onto her subordinate, not minding his constitution despite that dreadful unibrow. But the twangy clattering of wings beating caused the both of them to turn round. A little one, hopped round Pandora's chamber, leaping on the furniture, gnawing on her makeup pots and getting tangled in the strings of her grand harp. Rhadamanthys took up a trained position of offense, the fool. And Pandora spared him with a hand on his wide chest.
"Leave it. It's much too small to cause harm." She wrapped her arms round his, softening him right up with her gentleness.
And they watched as the thing flew in its circles, craving the glow from her castle's skylight. Once she pulled the Wyvern back to his duty, the locust had already escaped somewhere. A stray thought about her precious pets tickled her brain, as they were so wily and diabolical with their wit and psychic prowess.
Even if the one that escaped was an egg-baring female, it would be harmless in the Underworld, as even the mangy Cerberus and that saucy Pharaoh would be impervious to it's powers. And if it were to fly all the way to the lands above where the living roamed, then they'd have to deal with it.
BACK AND FORTH, Shura worked well into the night polishing his pet rock. He breathed a heavy sigh as his arms were beginning to ache from the repetitive movement of the scratchy cloth.
Summer always brought with it storms and those strong winds, but that night was rare with its exceptionally loud rumbling. The Temple of the Mountain Goat was illuminated with purple lightning at every eight count, following the flashes was the sound of nature roaring, as loud as entire mountains falling. And the sacred winds, blessed by Athena herself, leaked into the House of Capricornus that night, making him shiver something sinister off himself.
He quirked his brow, the creeping feeling of being watched rousing him with every human's anxious intuition. His bastion appeared empty, as the pillbugs had escaped into the moisture of the rain., and the hanging moss from the stone landings swayed with only the wind. But that one candelabra, he used as a lamp in the night, kept going out like the wick was doused in all things that stopped.
The Capricornus Knight placed down his pet rock, commanding it to stay for the principle of it all. When he stood at the mouth of his temple, he sucked in the bitter air as the rain was relentless with how it stuck to him. And hopeless, the sky was black, and it groaned pained whimpers in the form of the ominous thunder. The longer he looked to the heavens, the louder it got. Then came the cracking of sharp lightning, splintering multiple nerves down to the earth, like a tree of light trying to root.
And once the lightning disappeared into thin air with its magic tricks, he waited for it again. It destroyed a piece of the already weathered staircase, then set a cypress tree—one of Hades's favorites—on fire in the far distance, then it touched the top of a proud mountain peak as if it placed a flag on its summit. And it stayed there in the form of a golden ray of light.
When Shura rubbed his eyes, he saw it move. A gleaming ribbon of awe soaring through the sky. It not only dodged, but controlled the bolts of lightning like a force of nature itself, and was hastened by the falling rain. Could it have been a God, or a Daemon.
The Capricornus Saint let his cosmo encase that arm of his, as the entity got closer, readying himself for a battle. But when it landed with its claws as big as Shura was tall, its rows of uniformly sharp teeth, and those glorious golden scales—each one inscribed with a word of wisdom—Shura had been turned to a statue.
"You are without a pet aren't you, mortal?" It said with a voice that echoed in the clouds.
Before Shura could correct the beast, it spoke to him again.
"You'll do, you will." It growled something hideous.
And the mighty Capricornus Shura completely lost himself.
SHAINA twisted her head all round before kneeling to have her pick of the litter. That ranch, a little ways outside Athena's Sanctuary, had a bit of a puppy problem as their stock dog had ten too many that summer. Misty crossed his arms in a huffy hug while watching his little frenemy obsess over the white one with the brown star shaped patch on its butt.
"What do you think? Cute huh?" Shaina picked it up and cradled it like quite the girl.
"That one smells bad." Misty shook his head.
"Well, they all smell a little bad."
"Exactly."
Shaina scoffed before going back to her coochie-cooing much to Misty's disgust. The ranch was so noisy, the roosters didn't stop, and the cows were one big gelatinous blob of mooing. Even the horse's hooves were loud on the ground as they played. Ugh, and that kid wouldn't shut the hell up. What had he been saying anyways, Misty tried to keep an ear out. Kelp! Kelp! Yelp, twisty! A bunch of nonsense.
"Help! Misty!" That voice finally caught up to him.
The Aries Saint's little protégé came bounding from the hills to Sanctuary, waving his arms and catching everyone's attention. As Misty and Shaina watched him, the entire litter of puppies flocked to him, knocking the runt into the grass to play against his seriousness. He sniveled a few good times, until he mustered a laugh as puppies and the like had a talent for whimsy.
"We need your pet rescue service." Kiki squirmed beneath the pile of puppies as he spoke.
"All that screaming for help, just so Mooncake could get his nails clipped again?" Misty was baffled as to why the Aries Saint never had any luck with that basic task.
"It's not just Mooncake, it's Master Mū."
Shaina turned to Misty, her nod letting him know they should make haste.
THE TEMPLE OF THE WHITE RAM was still and sleepy in the high sun of Sanctuary. It stood tall with its mammoth columns, nothing round to disturb it or cause a commotion but Misty, Shaina, and surely that kid. The boy sprang up the stairs, chattering like all brats did about how they had to hurry.
The interior felt no different. There was no clamor, or squeaking from the bunny, or paw prints on the walls or broken vases. But the gallant Saint of Aries had been hunched over a stone countertop, back turned and tossing away green stems as the sound of a knife running through something solid rang out into the air. Lording over an egregious pile of manicured carrots was the fluffy, floppy beast, several pounds overweight, Misty knew as Mooncake the bunny.
And Master Mū kept his voice silent, nodding something distant when they approached, steadily toiling away over the vegetables. Perfectly peeled and sliced into thin matchsticks, they were chomped on by that cream rabbit with the cherry red eyes, and its master didn't make any indication of stopping the production of sliced carrots.
The brat hung behind Shaina's leg, in anxious anticipation on him once Mooncake's crimson stare caught the three of them. Misty smirked away any concern, they must have been fond of jokes in the House of Aries.
"All this urgency over a fat bunny? I'm not sure if he needs rescuing, but he could do with a diet."
Kiki shrunk down only slightly, forcing Shaina to widen her stance and put up her fists. A sigh couldn't leave Misty's lips fast enough, what was a stupid little rabbit going to do to them. The thing's nose stopped its twitching and the air ran silent for a spell too long.
"You watch your tongue." A voice that was not Master Mū's stiffened Misty's pose.
The rabbit sat up on its hind legs, raising its long ears and revealing its new voice once more.
"You know not what you speak, human. I am not in need of anything, my servant provides me with all I could ever dream of, and no one can stop me." It said.
Misty had to pick his jaw up off the ground before responding. Kiki simply cowered. "You've got to be kidding me, a talking bunny?" Misty couldn't laugh it was so absurd.
He approached with a strut, reaching out for the pile of carrots, and out the corner of his eye, he saw the bunny lift is ears and body even higher with that evil hiss. And from behind its tall ears, something wicked and green waved around its antenna and chewed on a place, raw and pink on Mooncake's hide.
"Crystal Wall!"
Master Mū levied his signature attack offensively, which forced Misty to the ground after it collided with him. And the Aries Saint showed his reddened scleras when he scowled. A thrall to the rabbit. Shaina and Kiki ran to Misty, standing beside him as he struggled to his feet and brushed off his scuffed Silver Cloth.
And they faced off, Master Mū had his steely gaze, which Misty begrudgingly couldn't help being intimidated by. He never thought he'd have to challenge a Gold Saint before, nor a bunny as Mooncake hopped down from the counter to accost them. So he lifted his hand to attack, not stopped by Kiki's gasp, or Shaina's determined grunt, but another voice.
"Master Mū, Reiki and I wanted to check on you and your pet. I think pests are going around."
Rōshi entered the temple with a certain casual attitude that disillusioned Misty from all the commotion. Behind him, trailed a green tortoise the size of a good pillow with a shell that gleamed like Mother of Pearl.
Kiki ran to the Old Master like he were sprinting a race, and hung round him excitedly, the tortoise meandering right past the annoying brat.
"Rōshi. It's Master Mū. He's gone crazy. And Mooncake can control him. And he talks. And…" Kiki prattled on with his and-and-ands, until the Old Master rubbed his chin and pat the child on the head.
Misty puffed out a sigh, watching that tortoise bumble past him, probably too slow to realize when to stop. Then he put his palm to his forehead when Rōshi sat on the polished floor tiles with Kiki and went on and on about one time or another when he came across a bunny so cute, people thought it had magical powers. Or whatever drivel he had in that mind of his.
"Ugh, can't you see, something's wrong with Mooncake and Master Mū." Misty said with the clenching of his teeth, attracting all the attention back on him where it rightfully belonged.
"Problem? We're perfectly fine." The Aries Saint said while bending down to pet the back of that bunny.
Misty blinked a tornado at how quickly the Aries Saint reverted back to normal. As Kiki ran to his master, the tortoise had been standing, next to the rabbit, picturesque as a fable, grinding its jaw as it was chewing.
"Looks like Reiki fixed the problem. It must be some kind of parasitic locust going round. They have psychic powers, y'know." Rōshi said with his laugh.
Not bugs again. Before Misty could tremble and be more grossed out, the Aries Saint spoke up.
"Thank you all. Why don't you take these carrots to the House of Taurus and check on Aldebaran. Mooncake has had enough."
Begrudgingly, Misty and Shaina packed up the shredded carrots in a canvas sack and the Lizard Saint knew he'd have a lot more rescuing ahead of him.
Rōshi accompanied them to the Temple of the Golden Bull, carrying that beast of a tortoise like it was a beachball and detailing his run in with another so called Chaos Locust and how his pet found them tasty. They spent a little while poking around the lawn of the temple in search of its guardian Saint, before they heard him against the snorting of a horse.
Outside the grand temple, Taurus Aldebaran had been working to pull a heavy horse plow through the inhospitable ground. He grit his teeth while the thick leather straps that were wrapped round his breastplate buckled as he strained. His tall draft horse laid in the shade cast by the temple's height, letting out a wicked laugh as the Taurus Saint's unrelenting will and straw Stetson were the only thing to protect him from the sun.
"Looks like the jig is up, unless you Saints came to see the show." Ole' Thunder, or was it Lightning, said while swishing his tail.
"What a terrible show." Shaina said before questioning why.
The horse shook his head, revealing that ugly locust gnawing at the back of his neck for a second. "Why not? Some of you humans don't know the value of hard work is all."
Misty couldn't hold a smirk at bay when he watched the Taurus Knight pull at the plow.
"I don't know, Shaina. His plow lines could be straighter." Misty chuckled, earning Shaina's elbow, but a booming laugh from the horse who sounded just like his master.
"You have to stop this." Shaina made her voice more stern than any mother's "You're falling prey to a parasite, let us free you so things can go back to normal."
The beast stood up with its towering body, looming over them with its long thick neck. "I would say yes, but I'm not sure I'm done yet. Scram." He pawed the rocky ground.
"What if we give you these?" Misty said.
He opened that canvas bag he had over his shoulder to reveal the surplus of carrots from the Aries Temple. And the nauseatingly earthy scent was unleashed to tickle the horse's nose.
They waited for a moment, the sound of Aldebaran's grunting being the only background noise, and the horse bowed its head, quickly calling it a deal.
"Fine. Get this thing off me." He said.
And Rōshi hoisted his tortoise to the horses neck so it could pluck away the pest.
"It's you all again." Aldebaran freed himself from the harness and approached them, extending his gratitude with a heavy unwarranted pat on Misty's back. Had that man wanted to stop his heart or something? "And you come with gifts. But I'm afraid ole' Lightning has had enough today."
That horse still cheeky as ever nudged its owner with his wet nose, getting an "Oh, alright," out of him.
"Why don't you guys go check on Saga and Kanon. I can almost hear them arguing from here." The Taurus Knight said while feeding his pet a hand full of carrots.
"TORTOISES don't eat insects do they?" Shaina said, an animal fact always on her brain.
"Reiki will eat just about anything these days, so long as it's green." Rōshi said, still carrying the thing, lest they spend hours climbing the stairs.
The Temple of the Twins echoed with a jumble of insults, that climbed its tall walls to the clouds. When the group ran inside, Misty tightened up once he saw that slimy snake coiled on the floor, entertaining a fight between the Knights of Gemini. They both clashed, holding each other's fists and glaring direct threats.
"Rōshi! Won't you talk some sense into Kanon?" The eldest brother shouted, seemingly unbound by any kind of mind control.
"Ha, not even Athena herself could do that." The Old Master chuckled.
Shaina jumped when she saw the evil locust hop from one of the snake's heads to another, freeing Kanon from its spell and tinging Saga's eyes pink with subterfuge. And the older of the brothers shoved his twin, proceeding to throw blows.
"Don't get involved, humans!" One of the snake's heads hissed.
"As funny as it is, why are you making them fight? Misty tried to frown, but felt himself sneer.
The insect leapt to the other head and that one spoke as Kanon began to overpower Saga. "They deserve it. Those idiots don't know a damned thing. They still refer to us as one being. We have two heads, two brains, two stomachs, we are individuals."
The locust jumped once more. "My brother, Isaac is right, they don't even know our names. But I didn't want it to go this far. He's too cruel."
And the other head got a chance to speak. "Calm down, Jim. You're always so uptight, it's just a bit of fun."
So Jim and Isaac went back and forth in a revolting display that made Misty hold his stomach, and the Gemini Saints continue to quarrel. Rōshi placed Reiki on the floor and settled down to tell the snakes a story about that one time their owners got into an embarrassingly heated argument over whether they should be referred to as "Saga and Kanon" or "Kanon and Saga" but anything other than "the Twins". And Misty had to put an end to it all to ease his headache.
"What if we get rid of that parasite, and then just told them what you want to be called." Misty sighed.
"The only parasite round here is Jimbo. But I guess that's fine."
"Likewise," the other head agreed.
So Reiki grabbed the locust out of the air as it was mid-jump and the spell was broken. The younger of the Gemini Saints got a few more punches over on his brother before calming down.
"What the hell was all that?" Saga asked, shoving his brother in one last bit of retaliation.
Misty put his hands on his hips. "A parasite. It made your ugly snake mind control the both of you. But Misty's Pet Rescue put a stop to it."
"Your pet snakes." Shaina stepped in. "They are called Jim and Isaac, and they're brothers just like you. They'd like to be called as such."
The Gemini Knights quirked their brows in unison and eventually understood the message, not before having a back and forth about which one was Jim and which one had to be Isaac.
"Thank you. If there's parasites going round I would check on Deathmask." The older brother said.
"The only parasite round here is you, Saga." The younger brother had one more bit of venom to spill.
And before they could squabble again, Misty and his team had to carry on.
THE TEMPLE OF THE GIANT CRAB was filled with endless meowing, the cries of demons. And sitting with his knees to his chest in front of a basin of raging fire was Cancer Deathmask, the shadows of the flames flashing across his face. His dark hair was mussed and wild, and he rocked back and forth an empty expression in his bloodshot eyes.
"Rōshi, that you?" He groaned something zombie-ish. "Silver brats, you've gotta help me. They don't stop."
Misty reared back at the sight of the Cancer Saint, as pitiful as he looked, and scowled back at the army of cats that encircled their owner. Their fur was mostly pristine and they had all looked as normal as a cat could. The black one, the ginger cat, the cheeky calico all stared with their pretty gemstone eyes. But that fluffy white Persian had a smirk about her, devilish as an imp.
And Deathmask was lucid enough to extend his arm, somewhat resisting any mind control. "Please, I think Sugar's their leader. It's like every time one of them—"
Before he could finish, the Persian, Sugar, jumped up to sit on his head, behind the spiny mask of Cancer. And she spoke with the voice of a seraph.
"Deathmask, we have intruders. Destroy them." She said, licking her chops.
And the Knight of Cancer stood and lifted his pointer, letting an aura of all things hellish in to fester. Misty put his arms out readying his Air Shield only a hair doubtful that it would fail them. And the dastardly Praesepe Wave build up a wrathful wind.
"Sekishiki Meeeh—"
The Cancer Saint's attack dissipated in a puff of evil energy when that naughty tortoiseshell cat scaled his Cloth, knocking Sugar from her throne.
"You must buy us lots of tuna, and not the cheap stuff either. We want sashimi." The creature growled and kneaded biscuits on his hair.
"Oh dammit, I just remembered. Sorry Rōshi, I have to run to the grocery store." Deathmask's eerie flat voice made Misty grimace.
But before he could take a step, the tuxedo cat took its turn.
"No, we want yarn."
"Oh. Sorry Rōshi, I meant I have to go to the craft store."
Then came the Russian blue, then the bobtail then the blonde ragamuffin. We want a new scratching post, a pretty bell collar like the fancy apartment cats have, a catnip mouse, no two catnip mice. And then came the Sorry Rōshi. Sorry Rōshi. Sorry Rōshi, all of it made Misty grit his teeth and raise his own hand. Unleashing the Mavrou Trippa that whipped up a gale and knocked the Cancer Saint back down before disappearing in a black fog.
It took a minute for Misty to stop marveling at the glory of his attack before he followed Shaina and Rōshi to crowd around the fallen Gold Saint.
The Old Master and Reiki stretched their necks all round as the cats had scrambled into the darkness of the House of Cancer, nowhere to be found. And Deathmask murmured something about that Sugar and how she was still somewhere round them.
"Get up."
Misty looked to Shaina, but frowned when he realized she hadn't been the one who spoke those words. And once Deathmask followed the orders, a bullet made of fur and needle claws sprang out of the darkness to attack Misty. The evil demon smelt of sin and committed the most egregious one by clawing at a face as flawless as Lizard Misty's. Shaina somehow hurt more than she helped as she yanked at the beast, forcing those claws to go deeper into his skin.
"We won't let you stop us. With this power we can live the dream life of those pampered cats from the city. And I will harness the power of a Gold Saint. It's a win-win." Sugar yowled through those razor sharp teeth.
Deathmask raised his finger again, inviting in the chill of death and Misty, with one good jerk away finally was free from the cat's grip.
"Rōshi, now!" He shouted.
And Reiki devoured the locust that had been caught hiding in the cat's wiry hair. Shaina dropped it and it scampered off with the rest of its kind to skulk in the shadows. That damn thing had better run, only a cat could mark up Misty's face and get away with it.
Again, Deathmask collapsed with a loud clanking of his Cloth, and they all went to hear him sing his praises.
"Thank you for saving my angels." He was a freak wasn't he. 'But pet rescuers or not, you're both still Silver brats. Now get out of here and help Aiolia. I need to rest my eyes.
Misty and his entourage left, and a vicious little thought tickled Misty when they did so. If that Deathmask managed to die in there, he would surely be eaten by those beasts before they ever shed a tear.
ON THE ASCENT to the Temple of the Lion, Misty and Shaina shared collective belly aching about the war wounds that came from dealing with cats, to the tune of Rōshi chuckling to himself. The Saint of Leo had been waiting for them outside his temple, working a mongoose brush over the lion statues that guarded his palace, eyes red as war. When they all approached him, Misty asked about that exotic pet of his, keeping an eye out as to not get attacked by another feline. But Aiolia just stared at his work, decorating those statues with bold crimson stripes, Fauvist with that shaky hand of his.
Misty blinked at the sight of his Golden Cloth, stained with the same matte paint. Tiger print from his forehead to his feet.
"Cool new look, Aiolia." Rōshi joked, waving his palm in front of the Leo Saint's face, unable to stir the slightest of reactions.
"Thank you, Rōshi." A voice gruff and strong emanated from the temple's entrance as the tigon slunk out in a flamboyant display of pomp. "I suppose you and the ragtag team of scruffy teenagers is here to stop me?"
That sneaky locust dug a burrow in the tigon's thick mane, causing him to itch and show a grimace. Before Misty could throw a fit at being called scruffy, Shaina threw out a question about the Saint of Leo.
"Aiolia is showing off our new brand. Stripes as far as the eye can see. Soon all of Sanctuary and the entire world will know of Caesar and Aiolia, Saint of Tigon."
"That's ridiculous," Misty sighed and flicked his hair. "Not to mention, tacky. Stripes are so last year." Or so he'd been told.
The tigon bared his teeth, forsaking a dignified air to get cross with Misty. But as he let out his growl, he scratched at his chin with his knife-like nails.
"Damn, I've been itching all day." He said his complaint.
"We can help you with that."Shaina jumped at the opportunity to speak. "But you'll have to stop controlling your master."
"And why would I want to do that" Caesar asked while waving his paw at Aiolia who awaited his next order after finishing slathering the statues in paint. He was told to paint all the steps.
Rōshi knelt in front of Aiolia to watch his unchanging expression before addressing Caesar. "Because, the Saint of Leo and his family are supposed to be proud, not prideful. All this vanity and you'll end up like that scruffy Lizard Misty."
Of course Rōshi had a belly laugh, and Shaina couldn't hold back a cackle either. What jealous fools.
"Yes, that would be dreadful wouldn't it?" Caesar smiled then laid down, convinced by the Old Master.
So all three of them spent a half an hour they'd never get back, combing and parting the tigon's mane in search of the pest before it was finally destroyed by the surprisingly impatient Reiki. And not too long after, the Saint of Leo climbed those hateful striped steps to pet his beast and say a few warm remarks about how he didn't mind the stripes for only a little while.
"Thank you all. Can you please check on Shaka for me? He's been a little too quiet recently." Aiolia said, a right clown with how his face had been painted. But Misty's Pet Rescue couldn't turn down an honest request from a clown nor a Gold Saint.
THE TEMPLE OF THE MAIDEN had been silent and still, but a huge cosmo burned golden waves from inside. Misty and his entourage entered with vigor, but were calmed at the sight.
Virgo Shaka sat in Padmasana, meditating as still as a statue with his tawny dog sitting across from him on the mirror floor tiles. It bowed its head, without a wag of the tail, or panting of the tongue. It had a glittering aura of its own, nothing but a guru.
"Misty's Pet Rescue, was it?" The dog spoke, breaking its silence to face them. "I am not in need of rescuing."
Another locust chewed at the dog's scruff, making Misty's lip quiver with a creepy feeling. "I beg to differ, pooch."
"You all are too weak of mind to understand my destiny." The cur said, eyes closed just like its master who'd might as well be cast in gold. "Shaka and I are going to stay meditating indefinitely."
Shaina gasped something more excited than shocked. "If he dies of hunger, can I have you?" She laughed while scratching the beast behind the ears with her long nails, yielding the tapping of its foot. "There's a spiked collar with your name on it." She said like that would sweeten the pot.
"Stop that." The dog snapped at her and she backed off. "I do not have a name, and I don't need one. I'm content with my master, but not our life, with all his, no doggie, this isn't for you, or no doggie, you can't come inside with mud on your paws. If we meditate together for long enough, our spirits will live together in Nirvana."
Misty didn't even try to hold back his laughter, the sound was so incongruent with the peace of the temple that the dog scowled.
"Come on, Rōshi. Let's get this over with."
So Misty and the Old Master approached, but before they got too close a burst of golden cosmo, blinding with its strength, blew them all back. While Rōshi and Shaina hit a few of the barren columns, cracking them with their force, Misty completely destroyed a wooden chest kept in a cool corner of the plain temple. Knocked out for a few seconds, Misty could only listen to Shaina and Rōshi try again only to experience the same outcome.
When Misty found the strength to stand up, he slipped and face planted, getting tripped up by a neon ball with white ribbing and a thin layer of grime. A tennis ball with teeth marks and all.
Misty clutched the ball trying not to think of how disgusting it was, before throwing it clear across the House of Virgo, creating a lightning bolt that roused the hound to stand.
"Fetch." Misty called out, sending the dog running.
And before he could say good boy, Misty was looking down at the slobbering mongrel who had brought it back, kind enough to drop it by his feet.
"It's true, life is samsara, but it's not all suffering. What about playing fetch with your master? That's called the Middle Way, pup." Rōshi said a piece of his wisdom while brushing off Reiki's shell.
"I suppose that's right." The dog sighed before allowing Shaina to pet his head.
He sat down, agreeing to be rid of the locust, and Reiki delivered, freeing Shaka who still didn't stir.
They all gathered round the Saint of Virgo, still glowing his gorgeous gold aura, and smiling once his pet laid by his side.
"You look a little skinny, Shaka. How long have you been like that" Rōshi joked.
And Shaka handled it by ignoring it. "I knew you'd come a long. Go see if Milo needs you." The Virgo Knight said while reaching his hand down to stroke that mangy mutt.
And they all were off.
THROUGH THE HOUSE OF LIBRA was Milo's Temple of the Celestial Scorpion. Without any commotion or a loud aura leaking from it, it was just a normal day. They were greeted by that Scorpius Milo, who sat at his reflecting pool, and that ugly thing he called a pet sat next to him. The evil Locust resting on her back, double the bugs, double the nausea.
"Rōshi, what brings you here?" Milo said while standing up.
"It broke free again! The tarantula!" Misty blurted out when it started to walk around.
The Saint of Scorpius gaped at him, showing off his reddened eyes. At first he was normal, he soon started to sputter like a programme before he became unresponsive.
"Please try not to mention my jailbreaking, young Saint." The tarantula approached, while Misty drew back, hiding behind Shaina. "If you've come to put an end to my reign of terror, then I'm fine with that."
Milo just stood there, completely vacant in the face and mind when the creature he graciously named, Princess Olympia, spoke. Shaina stooped down to listen to her, letting the filthy creature crawl into her palm. The only thing she had been better than Misty at was dealing with those critters.
"I set the others free." The bug said while gesturing with four of her legs to the decorated terrariums nestled in a cozy part of the temple all, missing their lids.
Misty started his whining, not averse to holding onto Rōshi's shoulders and looking all round franticly for the rest of Milo's collection, like the bogeyman was on the loose. But the horrible princess promised they had gone far away.
"All spiders want to do is be free, but I just wanted to spend some time with my wonderful master, outside the tank. Oh how he chases me when I break free." Her voice dropped with a solemn longing.
"Well, time's up, you have to go back in your box." Misty pouted as Shaina brought it closer to Rōshi and Reiki, cupping her in her hands like she was something actually precious.
"Perhaps some other time, Mr. Milo." The beast was eloquent if nothing else. "Your tortoise has a lovely shell, I can tell she's fond of you, Rōshi." The thing wiggled her fangs.
"She? How can you tell Reiki's a girl?" Rōshi said, attracting a glance from the tortoise.
"A woman always knows. Isn't that right, Miss Amazon?" She and Shaina shared a strange glance as women had a certain unfathomable telepathy.
"I guess I can't argue with that." Rōshi let out his laugh.
And Reiki separated the two terrible bugs, allowing Shaina to hold it a little more fondly.
"You found her." Milo said.
He and Shaina held out their hands to allow the creature to transfer back into the care of its master. Probably so happy for that moment with the way it wiggled its legs and stared up at Milo. Even insects could be such girls.
"It was all a blur before you got here. But it looks like the others got free too. They'll turn up eventually." Milo's statement sent a shiver down Misty's spine, with how careless he could be in regard to those beasts. "Why don't you check on Aiolos for me."
The Saint of Scorpius ran his finger down the ugly spider's back, rustling those little hairs, superhuman in the fact that he didn't gag or scream once.
When he tried placing her back into one of the terrariums, she scurried down his Cloth, signaling to Misty that it was time for him to excuse himself to the next temple.
"SO REIKI IS A WOMAN, HUH" Shaina said.
She pet the tortoise while Rōshi went on about a Chinese legend or another about female tortoises until they reached the Temple of the Centaur. It had been vacant on its lawn and all through its golden interior. Gloves, perches, and petty radio devices had been strewn out as they must have been Aiolos' supplies for falconry. They exited through the back to nothing but the steps to the next Gold Zodiac, and before everyone could shrug and continue forward, Shaina had her head to the sky. Then they heard it.
The screech of that falcon touched the air and a glimmer in the painted sky was all they could see. Misty and Rōshi gazed at the star for what seemed like hours, before the Saint of Sagittarius came falling out of the blue and his pet falcon nose dived next to him in a terrible race.
They all jumped out of the way and Misty winced as Aiolos looked like he would hit the ground with only his arms to break his fall. But with the flap of the Sagittarius's wings, he produced enough drag to lift himself back into the air, pulling up like his bird did and landing with a craze look about him. Nearly shell-shocked, his wide eyes were bloodshot with crimson.
"Woo, one more time." The falcon flew a circle around his owner.
And Misty approached, crossing his arms and clearing his throat, the wind blowing away the bird's high energy.
"Do you all have business with, Aiolos or something? We're busy." The bird said, cocking his head.
"Bellerophon, why were you both so high up?" Shaina said, taking command and outstretching her arm for the bird to glide over to her.
"It's just plain fun. He never lets me do this, but I'll show him what he's missing." He twitched his head in all different directions as birds were curious like that, and checked Shaina's hand for any food with the smooth part of his beak.
Rōshi pat the Sagittarius Saint's shoulder, not even earning a blink. "You've seen better days, huh, Aiolos." He said.
"Aiolos is fine, we're gonna touch the clouds this time." Bellerophon squawked and went back to his master who opened his wings and looked to the sky when his bird perched on his elegant shoulder powldron.
Shaina reached out again, calling to them before they kicked up a gust with their take off, straight up. They kept going until they disappeared, melding with the sun. Soon to crash down again like the boy Icarus.
So Misty and Shaina kicked around rocks in the hot sun and Rōshi groomed Reiki as they waited.
"Can't we just leave?" Misty grumbled, and Shaina shut him up with a list of reasons why they couldn't to the sound of the Old Master laughing.
And they carried on, until they saw Aiolos free fall once again, a shell of fire forming round him, he had been falling so fast. And just before he met the ground the golden wings of his Cloth activated, but only half a ways lifting him only far enough to sail like a paper aeroplane before he eventually left a thin trail in the ground when he slid across the crag. Wipe out. He laid there for a heavy few seconds, his Gold Cloth still sparkling in the heat of the sun.
"You have no regard for your owner's safety do you?" Shaina raised her emotional voice.
And the falcon went to his master who found the will to tremble and stand again after leaving a shallow crater in the earth.
"Come on, he's fine." Bellerophon said.
"Enough is enough, bird. Just look at him." Misty shielded his eyes from the sun with his hand, allowing the falcon time to observe his bruised master. "I mean all your playing has made him so ugly."
Misty tasted Shaina's elbow again and they all watched the falcon, red against the cerulean sky, it blinked and gave Aiolos a once over. Then a twice over, while pecking at his messy hair and eyeing his raw cheek.
The bird shrieked a hollow cry then made Shaina's little arm a perch again.
"You both are right." He said, revealing his locust from 'neath one of his spotted feathers.
And once Reiki took care of it, Aiolos hacked a few good times. The falcon went back to him as he dropped to his knees, not too proud to just throw up all kinds of filth and bile in the dirt. Bellerophon flapped his wings wildly in attempts to fan his master who chocked a few words out.
"Thank Athena. You all go deal with Shura." He said, followed by more coughing and another gurgle.
As much as Shaina wanted to stay behind and ensure the Sagittarius Saint was alright, it was called Misty's Pet Rescue, not Misty's People Rescue, so they had to be on their way.
MISTY GRIPED A LONG-WINDED GRUMBLE about how he needed a bath after even lookin at that mess of a Sagittarius Saint and his vomit. But all his fussing stopped when they entered the Temple of the Mountain Goat and found every Baroque detail destroyed. All its thick stone columns were cracked and unstable, only the grace of Athena kept the structure standing. The scent of waxy paraffin was stuck in the air as each candelabra had been knocked over and all the tapestries singed with tiny candle flame and ripped apart.
Rōshi and Reiki found a few lights peeking from the darkness of the stone-brick floors. Like golden coins, they shimmered and the Old Master picked them up while Shaina and Misty gathered round. Thin, but hard they were iridescent like scales and had messages written on them in an Eastern script.
"One who cheats the earth will be cheated. One who eats with one chopstick is always hungry. When aiming for the mouse, mind the vase. Ha, these remind me of all the sayings I would tell to my old pet." Rōshi reminisced about that goldfish in the darkness of the ruin, making an attempt to dispel the eeriness.
Shaina perked up at the sight of something 'neath all the rubble. When she dug with those claws of hers, she clutched an ordinary object like it was a treasure.
"This is Rocky. It has to be." She said.
"Ah, Shura's pet. Good eyes. But I don't see a locust." Rōshi smiled.
"That's because it's just a stupid rock" Misty said with a sigh.
The Old Master took a look round before peering out the temple to the House of Aquarius. The Libra Saint had been insightful as a prophet when necessary, Misty couldn't help any wondering himself.
"Shura's gonna want to see, Rocky, so we should reunite them. But I don't think he's here." The Old Master continued playing along with that joke of a rock. "Maybe Camus knows where he is."
THE PATH TO THE TEMPLE OF THE TREASURED URN was simple and easy, unaffected from the mystery that befell the House of Capricornus. After crossing the bridge to the round Aquarius Temple, a gale of growling and an awful chill seeped from the temple's mouth.
"Diamond Dust!" The Knight of Aquarius shouted, laying his attack on nothing and no one in particular.
He put his hands together and threw his freezing air all over the temple, expression mindless, and eyes pink and dry. All his water vessels had been knocked to the ground, encased in thick sheets of ice that climbed the walls and snuck all round in an almost artful way.
"Wait, Camus." That ratty squirrel climbed on his head using that hair as leverage. "We have visitors. Would you all like to play too?"
"Pray tell, in what world is this playing?" Misty said.
And the thing demonstrated by leaping up to land on the ice sculptures, sliding down them with a careless level of confidence and whimsy, looping round and squeaking before ending up inside one of the bronze vessels. The squirrel poked his head out of the frozen pot and sprang back up its owner's cloth, wiggling its tail that had one of those evil locusts attached to it .
"All the rides aren't done yet, but I'm going to call it, Magnus's Winter Wonderland." He said, yanking on the Aquarius Knight's hair like he was giving a command.
"Diamond Dust!" Camus levied his attack again.
And more ice formations appeared, causing everyone to shiver and watch their breath freeze.
"I'm not saying you can't play whatever you'd like, but isn't this a little excessive?" Misty growled against the cold.
He looked to Shaina who had been trembling violently, chattering her teeth under her mask.
"Not in the slightest. Watch me again." Magnus said.
So he went down the ice slide again, and commanded another Diamond Dust attack. Then without speaking he did it again, and again, and once more, until Shaina lifted her head in a roar that even made the hypnotized Camus jump back. Sick from the cold.
She pounced forward letting her cosmos surge hot and produce lightning from her raised hand.
"Thunder Claw!"
Every piece of ice that clung to the wall crumbled at the impact, completely shattered, each crystal reduced to a fluffy rain of powdered snow that coated the floor in a pile. Upon the sight, the squirrels eyes grew even wider and beadier if—that were even possible—like he'd won ten million acorns or whatever squirrels coveted.
He jumped from Camus' shoulder, bending into a swan dive for the snow, but Shaina grabbed him out of the air.
"If you want to play in the snow, we have to get rid of that pest of yours. Quickly, before I freeze to death!" Shaina said not minding her inside voice.
And after the squirrel agreed, Reiki freed Camus who tried to stretch his shoulders after holding position for so long.
"Thank you, I'm sorry Magnus caused all the pain, but at least you made this a little easier to clean up." Camus said.
Shaina just hugged herself and tapped her foot in a loud display, the typical girl, always much too cold.
And Rōshi smiled something humble, asking if the Aquarius Saint heard anything of Shura. To which Camus frowned and thought for a few moments, much to Shaina's displeasure.
"I believe he passed through a while back. Everything is a little fuzzy. I'm sure Aphrodite would know."
And before Rōshi could show pleasantries and thank you's, Shaina and Misty promptly left, dragging Rōshi and Reiki with them.
REIKI STUBBORNLY FOUGHT the Old Master to get at those luscious roses that grew round the Temple of the Twin Fish. All a different shade of red, black, or white, probably candy to a tortoise. But the group entered the dreamy temple to see its guardian Saint sitting on the white marble floors, working over a wide pot of yellow neutral oil. A mechanical loom beside him and a drooping depressed look on his face. There was an innocent kind of "crying red" in his eyes.
A fat locus stood out in that crystal bowl Aphrodite kept by him. And all those wriggling silkworms worked to spin their fibers. Misty stuck his tongue out, trying to shake the creepy crawly sensation that bothered him so badly.
"Hurry, Rōshi." He called over the Old Master who tried to take a rose out of Reiki's mouth as she stole it to feast upon its petals.
"Stop what you are doing, you hideous thing." One of those worms spit an insult Misty's way.
Then another spoke up. "We don't need your interference. Aphrodite is going to make us into a beauty, beyond beautiful."
The Pisces Saint raised his bamboo strainer and brought it down a few times on Misty's head causing him to growl and back off. Only until everyone had been a few feet away from the dish, did Aphrodite go back to stirring the bubbling oil and tending the fire that lay 'neath it.
"We realize that when we enter the cocoon, we will no longer be beautiful, so we are relying on Aphrodite to help us transcend beauty and death." The maggots continued.
Misty twisted his brows in confusion, looking towards the Saint of Pisces who sniffed and let his voice quiver when he spoke his zombie song.
"My beautiful pets, what might you like me to make y'all into?"
"Mayhap you fashion us into a simple silk rose so we may be beautiful and lovely forever?" They wrapped themselves tighter in their cocoons and their master nodded something grieving and slow.
Shaina poked Misty with her nails, urging him to say something. What it was escaped him, but he opened his mouth anyway.
"Don't you all think you're taking this cult of beauty thing too far?" He said, screaming internally, simply dumbfounded that he had been talking to worms.
They continued spinning their silk, and Aphrodite checked the thermometer that read dangerously hot.
"Aren't you afraid of the oil?"
They kept wrapping themselves to the tune of Aphrodite's irregular whistling, and the oil boiling, along with the fountains crying the worms' swan song.
"Don't you want to be moths? They're more beautiful than a stupid silk flower."
Finally they responded. "We can not be sure we will be beautiful as simple moths. Will Aphrodite even love us?"
Misty grimaced and look to their owner once more, the sheen of tears coated his glassy eyes.
"You don't trust him?"
"No one spoke of trust, louse." They had some nerve calling Misty a bug. "He sets all the moths free. He won't want us in that state. You know nothing."
"It looks like the oil's just hot enough." Aphrodite let a single tear stream down his cheek and a collective gasp pushed Misty to speak faster.
"But you will be most beautiful when you are free. That's why he will release you. You can't spread your wings trapped in a dish."
The worms stopped their spinning for a moment, and Aphrodite picked up the crystal bowl with his trembling fingers that knew not what they did. And they all waited for the worms to speak again.
"If what you are saying is true, piss-ant. Then please free our Aphrodite."
Misty had some reservations about that last one, but waisted no time thieving the bowl from the Pisces Saint and bringing it to Reiki, shutting his eyes tight so he wouldn't have to look at them squirm.
Once the spell was broken, Aphrodite jumped up and snatched the bowl out of Misty's hands and peered inside before letting more tears go. Each worm had successfully been coated in its silky cocoon.
"You almost let me do it, boy." He hissed, the face of a gorgon showing through.
"We would never let that happen." Rōshi spoke over Misty who had an expletive on his tongue.
"And for that, I thank you." Aphrodite wiped his tears away like a right drama queen. "I'm sure y'all are looking for Shura. He's gone to the Pope's Chamber, for why, I can't tell you."
So they were off again.
AS MISTY AND HIS ENTOURAGE ran through the entrance of the Pope's chamber they all stopped and took a fighting stance at what they saw in the throne room. Shura knelt beside the throne, a brass knickknack beside the tall slender seat with all its jewel accoutrements and crimson runners and upholstery. While the ceiling was high as the clouds, an uneven skylight was punched in it to make room for the enormous dragon, more golden than a Gold Cloth and so slender and long it coiled round the throne multiple times. In its left hand it clutched the Pope of Sanctuary, and in its right, the pearl that was the goddess Athena. Both passed out and unable to see the awful sight. It's magnificent white whiskers dragged the gold inlayed floor tiles and each of its scales was decorated with words of a sage. Even those antlers look like tree trunks as they were grander than any elk. And at the base of its head, sat a locust tiny, but proud.
"Welcome, Misty's Pet Rescue." The beast spoke with a false voice. "Don't confuse me with this mighty dragon. Soon I will completely fuse with it and take over Sanctuary and the earth's pets."
Misty and Shaina readied themselves, but Misty couldn't help breaking a sweat when he noticed Rōshi had vanished, no longer flanking them. Shaina was as hotblooded as ever on he other hand, as she bent her fingers into the cobra's fangs.
"Soon you'll be in the ground, pest." She growled.
"I am not a pest, I am Pandemonium, dearest pet of Lady Pandora and mother of the Chaos Locusts. And you are the ones who will be in the ground."
Shura stood up, donning his horns of Capricornus, smiling something deranged and evil with his wide eyes washed with red veins. He outmaneuvered them, even when they rushed at him in a combination attack. He had a way to dodge and deflect with a punch that forced them through the floor, or a throw that turned them into a petty projectile. The pain commanded Misty's voice to scream, but Shaina's resolve revived him every time he fell, as she couldn't be left to run the show.
Shaina jumped in the air with her Thunder Claw while Misty levied his Mavrou Trippa from the ground, and despite the attacks landing, the Gold Saint shrugged them off. A bastion against the bitting lightning and the wicked maelstrom. He tracked them with eyes so precise that he had both his arms surge with an awful dark cosmo and sliced the Silvers with his evil blades at the same time.
"Double Infernal Excalibur!" He smirked as Misty and Shaina were pressed into the walls once again.
Completely spent, Misty and Shaina leaned into each other while Misty put up his hands, pleading with his cosmo to allow him one last try at the Air Shield. It only served as a quick laugh for the Capricornus Knight as he kicked a pebble with enough force to break the shield and make the once proud Lizard Saint fall to his knees.
Shaina knelt down with him, but found one last resort as Shura approached with that Infernal Excalibur ready to come down on their heads.
"Please. Before you do it." Shaina materialized that stupid rock, and presented it to him as the last thing she had left.
The Capricornus Knight was silent for a moment, and lowered his sword in the next. Gingerly, he took the stone and held it up to the healing light of Sanctuary.
"Rocky, it's you. It's really you, Rock." Shura rejoiced, that horrible aura round him softening into one of golden light.
"No, no, you bumbling fool. It's just a rock!" Pandemonium shouted, her spell over Shura finally broken as he could not claim her dragon as his pet.
Shura turned his back to Misty and Shaina ready to defend them. But out of the corner of his eyes, Misty saw the Old Master climbing the head of that Golden Dragon, careful to not trigger it, with Reiki under his arm.
"I'll destroy all of you and that stupid rock." Pandemonium said while commanding the dragon to raise up its head and breath a fireball, blue and hot, like a meteor in its purest form.
Shura got Misty and Shaina out of the way as the fireball burned another gaping hole in the Pope's chamber, but when they looked to Rōshi, he had been standing beside that locust, eyes scarlet and empty while Reiki struggled on her back on one of the landings. Falling prey to the subterfuge of his old pet who was once so small and fragile, now a dragon. And Pandemonium went on a stomping fit about her plans and all the evil she would spread once she was done with them. But Misty had been trying to reason with the Saint of Capricornus.
"I can do it." Misty said, struggling to stand.
And Shura finally agreed to the makeshift plan Misty fabricated once Pandemonium sicced Rōshi on the group.
So Misty stood there and let Shura hook his feet under his arms and spring in the air.
"Double Jumping Stone!" That's what Shura called his technique when it was just Jumping Stone, but holding his beloved pet rock.
Then Misty had been propelled across the Pope's Chamber, just close enough to crash land beside Reiki. His adrenaline the only thing that got him standing to flip her right side up again.
Rōshi and Shura traded blows that produced rays of light with their speed, and Misty huffed at the extreme weight of Reiki when he tried to lift her shell. The Old Master unleashed his Rozan Hyakuryu Ha, which sent the spirits of one hundred dragons loose in the the chamber. Reiki finally cooperated, but Misty could only move at a slog as a few of the dragons had singled him out.
The great golden dragon who was pure at heart struggled in the chaos and swung its tail, dissipating the smaller attackers, giving Misty the strength to continue and jump upon its head with everything he had. He brought Reiki, who poked her head out of her shell, to the parasitic nightmare Pandemonium, so she could be swallowed.
And once it was all over and Rōshi had been freed, and Shura could put down his Excalibur, and Misty could finally take a breath, the golden dragon let go of Athena and the Pope who regained their consciousness. It shook Misty and Reiki from its head before bursting back into the sky to live behind the mountains where it belonged. And its old master, Rōshi gazed up at it, before catching Reiki, but not Misty as they fell from the height.
Misty didn't mind the extra bruises, a true hero always had one or two. Or twenty.
"I DECLARE MISTY'S PET RESCUE to be the number one, best, pet rescue service in Sanctuary." Athena said with her smile.
All her Gold Saints and those four annoying Bronzes stood behind her as she spoke to everyone on her Colossus. Shaina, Misty, and Reiki knelt before her, accepting a laurel for each of their heads, but Reiki just started to eat hers. And they turned to a somewhat unimpressive crowd of the other Saints Sanctuary had to offer who bothered showing up. It felt good to be appreciated as Misty never turned down a spot in the limelight where he belonged. But he couldn't help a scowl when he overheard that Pegasus's remark about how they had been the best, but only pet rescue service in Sanctuary. Sour grapes no doubt.
Then once the crowd disappeared, He and Shaina found themselves on that high hill, overlooking the ranch where Shaina was to choose her new puppy.
"You sure you don't want a puppy anymore?" Misty asked her.
"Maybe not just yet."
"We'll be busy after being named the best pet rescue service in Sanctuary. So it's probably for the best." Misty said twisting a few strands of his hair together. "Do you think Marin will be impressed with my work? I mean our work." He corrected himself.
"Wouldn't that be funny. Can you imagine Marin asking for help from you?" Shaina chuckled, her mean spirit showing through as she took up a mocking voice. "Oh help me Misty. My cat got stuck in a tree. Ridiculous."
"Sure, ridiculous." Misty looked away.
"Come on, you don't actually care do you? Unless you really want Marin to ask for help."
"Of course I'd want people to ask for help if they needed it. More glory for me. I mean us."
"No, you asked about Marin specifically. You wouldn't care about her unless you like-liked her." Shaina was tricky with her teasing.
"That's enough from you. I basically saved Sanctuary. You should treat me with more respect." Misty couldn't help a pout, who wouldn't mind more attention from the Amazons. Not like he didn't get enough already.
And Shaina shook her head with her little laugh. "Never change, Misty."
I have so many ideas for Misty's Pet Rescue, and I challenged myself to finish my idea for a sequel! I recalled some kind of video essay or something I watched on YouTube a long long time ago about the Sims Pets or something like that. And I couldn't tell you anything about the video other than the creator said something about how he got the vibes that the sims were being controlled by their pets. So I decided to take the idea of a pet-centric society and run with it, to where something happens that could make the Saints' pets control them! It was a lot of fun to write, but not too serious at all!
It only makes sense for Dohko to have a pet tortoise! I remember doing some research about Genbu when I discovered the Saint Seiya character by the same name, and I came across something that I don't know is true or not, but allegedly, Chinese legend said that all turtles/tortoises were female and had to mate with male snakes. So why not make Rōshi's pet a girl! This story made me only a little bit more confident with creating a simple overarching plot line. It's very shonen like, but that's perfect!
I don't ship the Silvers and Bronzes, but I do have a head canon where Misty has a little crush on Marin, but he'll never admit it!
It was a bit of a struggle coming up with names for pets (except Rocky of course), but I'm glad I did for the most part! And about the Gemini snakes names though. Jim and Isaac are such strange names, but I wanted it to be something of a pun. And I was also reminded of how sometimes people with crazy reptiles (or pets in general) give them human names, and I just think that's funny hehe. I'm thinking of writing another part of this story very soon too! Will Shaina ever get a pet? Who knows!
Thank you for reading!