The Ties that Bind
Disclaimer: I don't own Saint Seiya or its characters or profit from this fanfiction.
Chapter Five: A Tale of the Wily Fox
Scorpio Milo's Point of View
By: Lady Mochizuki

Pope Ares called an assembly of Saint Masters to meet the new trainees. I was looking at these snot-nosed little brats thinking and was not paying attention as Pope Ares addressed us, Saint Masters and trainees.

"None of these snot-nosed brats would survive my training regimen," I thought.

We watched as The Pope handed the three Amazon trainees a Mask of Power, and we all watched as two of the three Amazon trainees put on the Mask of Power. But the third, and the one that Aiolia and Shura brought in Kaida Akiko, had a disgruntled look on her youthful face as she flung the Mask of Power right in the face of Pope Ares.

We held our breath as Pope Ares reigned in his temper at the girl's insult and nerve. My first initial thought as I eyed the girl up who was smirking like a lioness about to pounce upon her prey was,

"The little dumb ass is dead."

At that exact moment, Lacerta (Lizard) Misty attacks the girl for her stupidity. We watched, intrigued, as the girl could hold her as her animal companions joined the fray.

We watched as the girl and her animal companions battled against Misty. I was impressed by how, in sync, the little one and her animal companions fought together as a team against Misty or separately.

I could see Misty was getting upset about losing to an eight-year-old girl and her pets. I could feel Misty was building up his cosmos for his ultimate attacks to destroy the little one and her pets. I moved as did the little one to protect her pets as I did to protect Akiko, taking the brunt of the attack. I didn't have to turn my head to know who had my back as I saw Camus throw two ice daggers toward Misty, which Misty dodged.

Pope Ares called a halt. I could feel his death glare fall on me for interfering in the death of an eight-year-old hellion as I heard him say in an exasperated tone.

"Scorpio Milo, meet your trainee, Kaida Akiko."

I looked down at the young one beneath me and kept asking myself why I stepped in the way I did for this little one, whereas I had seen so many young ones like her die for being stupid and cocky before. What makes her so different from the others? Nevertheless, I shall train this girl. But there is something about Akiko that nags at me.

We were all dismissed as I could feel the cold eyes of Pope Ares following myself and my young charge out of the hall. I'm surprised the young one could keep up with me. I didn't notice before Akiko was blind, and I wondered how she could follow me with such confidence. As if reading my thoughts, Akiko touched my hand and pointed toward the sky when I noticed a golden eagle was circling us as if letting Akiko know where I was.

Akiko is a clever young one; I'll give her that much.

I led my young charge to my favorite training grounds in Sanctuary, a rocky terrain with a few trees and a little stream to fish. Plus, no one comes here except perhaps Death Mask whenever he tries hiding from Aphrodite.

I sat in the shade of an olive tree while Akiko rummaged through a pouch for something attached to the Akita Inu. Akiko found it, and I'm flabbergasted because it's the first kit. Akiko came over to me, and I knew Akiko wanted to attend to the wounds I may have sustained from protecting her from Misty. I let my charge attend to my wounds. I wonder what else Old Master had taught Akiko.

I began to tell Akiko the do-s and don'ts of Sanctuary, to which I could see the frustrated look the minute I mentioned The Mask of Power. Still, I noticed I had Akiko's full attention until I was finished introducing why the rules were necessary. After I was done talking about it, I did inquire most out of curiosity,

"Aki, why did you defy Pope Ares the way you did?"

Akiko tilted her head as if trying to decipher what I was asking her with a sigh as she responded in a quiet voice,

" I think it's disgusting the female Saints has to denounce her womanhood just to be recognized as Saint; if that's the case, why aren't the male Saints held up in the same matter?"

I had to smile because Akiko had a point, and even I couldn't answer her question, nor was I going to force her to wear the Mask. I let Akiko choose what was suitable for her and what wasn't.

Akita Inu started to growl in the direction we had come, and I heard Akiko say something in a foreign language, to which the dog begrudgingly became quiet. I didn't have to look to know it was Camus and Shura with Aiolia.

I looked over at Akiko and asked her,

"What are your animal companion's names so I know how to address them?"

Once again, Akiko said something unfamiliar, and I watched as her pets lined up. Akiko pointed to each as she introduced them to me,

"Ryu and Tatsu, the ferrets; Kelekona, the Red Akita Inu, Draken the Golden Eagle, and Luna, the Bombay Cat. This is our Master Scorpio Milo."

I and the other Gold Saints watched in awe as each pet bowed to me, as did Akiko so gracefully. I could feel the envy from Camus and the others. I had to admit I was a little jealous myself.

I wanted to access what my little scorpion learned from Old Master and how I could further her education and training as Athena's Saint. Akiko had her head tilted as I heard Shura asking my little scorpion,

"Akiko, why do you want to become a Saint of Athena?"

I'm curious myself as to why a blind girl would put herself in danger like Aki is so willing to do. So, I listened as Aki explained,

"I want to protect Athena first and foremost, but I also want to protect those who can't protect themselves." I saw her pet, Kelekona, and understood exactly what she meant. I saw Shura and the others smile in understanding.

Kelekona growled as Draken gave a warning screech overhead. Ryu and Tatsu went to investigate while Luna jumped up on Aiolia's shoulder, hissing venomously. Aki turned toward the shade behind me and said,

"You may as well come out, or Kelekona will drag you out, willing or unwilling. And didn't anyone ever teach you it's impolite to eavesdrop on other people's conversations?"

Kelekona stepped behind me as if she were protecting me, growling as a young man two years older than my little Green Scorpion came into view. It was Babel, A young Silver Saint. The young man pets Kelekona as if in apology for scaring or annoying anyone.

Ryu, Tatsu, and Draken came closer to Babel as the young man came closer to Akiko as he looked over at me and said,

"Your pupil and her pets have left a lasting impression all over Misty's face, and I wanted to test your student's mettle to see if she can hold her own without her pet's help. If it's alright with you and Akiko?"

I looked over at Akiko, who had tilted her in Babel's direction, and slowly nodded her head.

We moved from the olive grove toward a more suitable location for a sparring match. To our surprise, Pope Ares, Lizard Misty, and Hound Asterion were also there. I could hear Akiko's pets protesting about their presence. Akiko immediately silenced them with a sightless death glare, which, for some reason, sent chills down my spine.

Babel and Akiko took their places, and without a word, The two began to battle. I was impressed with Akiko despite the fact Aki was blind. Akiko could take a hit and return it as well. I was already working mentally on a training regime for Green Scorpion (my nickname for Akiko). I could see the wicked, mischievous smirk on her youthful face, which told me Akiko was enjoying a mini-battle with Babel.

An hour passed when Pope Ares called a halt, and without a word to Akiko, the Pope rested his hand on her shoulder and walked away. I made plans to train Green Scorpion on Milos Island, where I was trained in two days. I did notice Babel had taken a liking to my Green Scorpion. I only smiled because the two were bipolar opposites of each other, like Camus and me. It warmed my heart, though.

We were off to Milos Island in two days, and I trained my Green Scorpion for five years. When we returned to Sanctuary, I watched with pride as she became Canis Minor. I could hear Babel, Misty, and Asterion whooping like proud older brothers, but I swear Babel was louder than the other two. And to think Misty wanted to kill Akiko.

I watched Akiko go on missions and return with a smile or collapse outside my or Camus's living quarters' door instead of returning to her hut. It was instinctively Akiko knew Camus, or I would care for her. I swear she reminds me of Keira. Oh shit, Akiko is Keira's daughter. I wonder if Camus knew; of course, he does. I can tell by the tell-tale eyes, but we would never betray our Green Scorpion.

Pope Ares sent Akiko on a solo mission to put down wayward Saints in Japan. I prayed for Akiko's safety because I could smell a trap for Akiko.

To Be Continued!