(no subject)
Title: The End 2/2 (Screw you, LJ)
Author: CMAK
Character/Fandom: Aries Mu/Saint Seiya
Prompt: N/A
Word Count: 7100 or so. It's long.
Summary: Mu's reality finally catches up.
Author Notes/Warnings: Devolution into a trainwreck, violence, death, CMAK attempting to write NPCs.....
Mu was somewhat aware of his name being called, of being moved, and of a remote sort of ache throughout his being. He felt tired and heavy, and it took a great effort to open his eyes. Even then, it took a greater effort still to register the sight before him, blurry as it was - Red hair, a golden mass under it.
There was only one Gold Saint with red hair that Mu knew of.
“Have a nice nap, huh?”
“D-Dohko?!” Mu gasped. He was a bit surprised at the weakness of his own voice. “How...”
The Saint of Libra shook his head as he helped Mu sit up. “Long story and no time to tell it. I need to get to Athena’s statue.”
Mu blinked to clear his vision, but looked up sharply at that, “Those three...!”
“-Are on their way, I know. They took off as soon as I showed up.”
By now, Mu was on his feet, staying still a moment as balance returned. “We have to catch up. I fear they are not the only ones in Sanctuary.”
Dohko nodded at that. “I’m inclined to agree. Let’s go.”
Mu nodded, letting Dohko run first, and followed a few steps behind. He was very acutely aware of pain now - how his entire body seemed to scream in protest as he sped up, all but flying through his own temple and onto the stairs beyond, keeping a scant pace behind Dohko. There was a point in his abdomen that didn’t hurt at all, which was worrying, but Mu lacked the time to check it. He directed his Cosmos to the area, trusting himself to heal whatever wound had been inflicted.
Not for the first time, Mu wished he could teleport between the temples, but it seemed that even without Athena’s presence, he could not. The stairs turned slightly, following the curvature of the mountain Sanctuary was built into. Now Mu could see the clock tower out of the corner of his eye. It wasn’t the fire clock anymore, no, but the entire face seemed to glow nonetheless. The hands read one o’clock*.
‘You lit it?’ Mu asked his companion, not sparing his breath to vocalize the question.
‘You heard Saga. He said 12 hours. One’s up.’
Too early for them to be getting desperate, then. Mu cast his senses upwards, feeling about for Aldebaran. The bull seemed to be alright, his Cosmo flaring and ebbing as it often did in combat, but there was no way of telling what shape he was in and a distraction could prove deadly to him here. Mu simply kept the faith that his friend was alright and continued behind Dohko. Taurus wasn’t that far by now anyways.
At the threshold to Taurus temple, Mu stopped short, grabbing Dohko’s wrist and pulled them both away from the door, and certainly out of the way of anything that could come out of it.
“Wha--!”
The rest of Dohko’s question was cut short by the not-so-distant roar of “GREAT HORN!” immediately followed by a rumble of the ground and a blast that, had they been in the way, would have certainly thrown the two saints halfway back down to Aries. When the dust settled, Mu broke cover and walked inside slowly, letting his cosmo spread out slowly so as not to alarm Aldebaran. Dohko followed a few steps behind.
It took a surprisingly long time to find the bull, who had taken a seat on a ruined pillar in a room just off the main wing of the temple. Mu was only slightly put off by the sight of a small pile of bodies in the corner. All were wearing armour similar to that which Saga had been wearing. One in particular caught Mu’s eye - a pretty face and what looked to be large butterfly wings jutting from the back of the surplice.
Aries quickly refocused his attention, fixing Taurus with a worn smile.
“Aldebaran.”
“You look like you’ve seen better times, Mu,” the Bull replied, giving Mu a once-over with his eyes.
“Speak for yourself,” Mu jibed back, his gaze once again sliding to the pile of bodies. “How many?”
Aldebaran sighed, “Not enough. That one on top there, I think his telekenesis was about as strong as yours. Kept me from getting most of them.”
Mu nodded in understanding before continuing. “Did you...notice anyone familiar?”
Aldebaran looked at him somewhat quizzically. “Didn’t see any familiar faces, but I certainly felt some familiar Cosmos...”
Mu turned back towards the exit where Dohko was standing guard. “We’ve been betrayed. Come. Time does not favour us.” He heard the massive Saint lumber to his feet and follow him out. Dohko nodded at them both.
“Onwards and Upwards then. Let’s go.”
He took the lead again, while Mu and Aldebaran ran together behind him. Mu wasn’t blind to his friend’s occasional sideways glances, and as they approached Gemini, finally asked ‘Something on your mind?’
‘You’re injured.’
‘I’ll worry on it later.’
‘Mu...’
“Focus on the temples, for now.” Mu finally said aloud, effectively ending the exchange. “Gemini has been known to play tricks, and I’m not in much mood to be caught in an illusion.”
“There’s nobody to guard it,” replied Aldebaran. “It should be alright.”
“Dead, turned or otherwise, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Saga left us a gift to remember him by.” Mu said, taking the initiative and stepping into Gemini first. Despite his worries, nothing happened. The trio moved slowly through the temples as a precaution however although the trip was otherwise uneventful.
Upon reaching the exit, Mu looked back almost on reflex, catching sight of the Clock Tower. It read a few minutes to Two.
Dohko opened his mouth to speak, but a bright light caught the attention of the trio, and the rush of power that followed did well to hold their attention. A blast of energy was spiralling up from what was no doubt a brand new hole in the roof of Cancer. It sailed over Leo peaceably enough before slamming into Virgo temple with quite a vengeance. Even as far down as Gemini, Mu could feel the tremors from impact.
“What the hell was that?” Asked Dohko when the light had dimmed and the earth had stilled.
It was Aldebaran who answered. “Someone trying to end a problem before it becomes a problem, I’d think.”
Mu was quiet a minute, reaching his senses upwards to try and feel for Shaka, but the Saint of Virgo had a peculiar habit of remaining difficult to sense unless he deliberately chose not to be. Mu frowned deeply before looking at his two companions. “There’s no way to tell if he managed or not.”
Dohko was facing back the way they came. “Speaking of problems, we’re being followed.”
“Then let’s hurry.”
~
Cancer temple did indeed have a new sunroof, and while lack of a guardian had certainly made the Temple far less threatening than it had been when Deathmask was living there, it was not as completely empty as Gemini had been.
“It feels as though Shaka’s been through here...” Aldebaran mused aloud, voicing the prevailing thoughts in the room. “I can feel his cosmo lingering.”
“I’m inclined to agree. Probably something to stall them,” said Dohko, “An illusion or somesuch. Shaka is good at tricking the senses.”
Mu had opened his mouth to agree, but Aldebaran interjected before he could. “Seems like our tagalongs have caught up. You two go ahead - I’ll clean up here.”
Dohko looked like he was going to protest, but Mu had already spun on his heel and taken off. He had faith that Aldebaran could hold off another wave, and enough respect for his friend to not question his decision. He heard Dohko following a few seconds later.
They passed through Leo completely unchallenged, which was something of a surprise, but just as well - Mu found himself beginning to tire. He thought it quite strange, actually - His endurance was better than this, even injured. Perhaps he’d been wounded worse than he’d thought? Dohko had begun to pull ahead of him which was telling since the pair had kept the same pace thus far. Dohko himself seemed to notice, casting the occasional glance backward, but he said nothing and Mu offered nothing. It was half-past-three.
Virgo was looming now, and Mu slowed down, taking in the sight of it. Whatever attack Saga had launched from Cancer had certainly done a number on the temple - part of the roof had been obliterated, saying nothing of the state within. It seemed as though the temple had been cloven in two from above. Aries and Libra entered slowly, together. Pillars had fallen and the floor was churned up so much that it made it difficult to walk. The pair searched, quietly, but aside from more mangled bodies of Spectres, there was nobody to be found.
“Dohko,” Mu said, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence, “Keep going. You need to reach Athena’s statue, so go on. I’ll search for Shaka. I’ve a feeling he’s not far.” Dohko looked like he wanted to argue, but only sighed.
“On one condition.”
“Oh?”
“That you don’t get yourself killed.”
Mu smirked. “I’ll do my best, Dohko.”
In a matter of seconds, Dohko’s footfalls had vanished. Mu remained where he was a moment, closing his eyes and sinking into himself. Shaka was hard to find by Cosmo, not by intent, but simply by being. His Cosmo was like a colour that could not be named, or a sound that could not quite be heard. It was there, but difficult to find, especially here, within his own temple, where everything seemed to glow with his presence, effectively masking his whereabouts even more.
Mu let his senses slide into the way they operated when he was repairing cloths - past sight and into Sight - more aware of the movement of energy than anything corporeal. It was here that he found his clue - a thin trail of cosmo leading from a roughly hewn circle at the centre of the temple and off to one wing, somewhere Mu had never gone before. He followed it down several flights of stairs that led well into the belly of Virgo temple. It was heartening to see that none of the destruction had reached here.
He found himself before a pair of massive doors, hewn of heavy wood and some sort of stone. The lighting was poor and it was hard to tell. The trail stopped here, though Mu could vaguely feel four Cosmos behind it. Three, he quickly identified as the traitors and the fourth, naturally, was Shaka himself.
Mu pushed at the door. It didn’t budge. He pulled. It didn’t budge. Frustrated, Mu slammed his fist against it. Once again, no result. Mu let himself rest against the door with a resigned sigh. Beyond, he could feel the ebbs and flows of Cosmos in battle, but it seemed Shaka would have nobody interrupt his fight, hopeless as it was. And he must have known it too. The thought made Mu angry, but part of him understood. Had he not been in a similar state of mind a few scant hours ago? This was Shaka’s decision. Mu would respect it.
Mu turned so his back was to the door and leaned against it. Part of his mind he left open to monitor the battle, but the rest of his attention he turned inwards towards his own injuries. They were numerous and many were severe. He had no way to judge internal injuries, but he directed his Cosmo to heal himself, and here without distractions he felt things go much smoother. Pains began to ebb almost instantly.
It was footsteps that woke him from the semi-meditative trance he’d fallen into. Mu opened his eyes in time to see the feet of the Taurus cloth appear on the stairs. He stood up a bit taller and spread his arms out against the door, as though to bar anyone’s entrance or exit. Aldebaran, at least, seemed happy to see him.
“You’ve come to help Shaka out too, then!” He said with a good humour to his voice. “We’d best hurry!”
Mu didn’t move, save for the slow gripping of one of the details on the door. “We mustn’t... We mustn’t go through this door.” His voice was quiet and he spoke slowly, so as not to belie his fatigue.
“What? Why not?! It’s not like you to let someone die like that, Mu!”
Mu didn’t move.
“Mu, surely you can feel it? Those three are going to - “
“Aldebaran, don’t you understand?” Mu interrupted, stepping forward, “This is exactly what Shaka wants.”
Aldebaran looked like he wanted to continue, but there came a surge of energy so powerful that Mu had to hold onto the door behind him to avoid falling. The entire world seemed to grow dark for an instant. It passed like a storm - quick and violent and left Aries and Taurus in its wake, both of them stunned. In the aftermath, they were left with one certainty.
“The Saint of Virgo has fallen.” Mu said quietly, blinking away the few tears that had gathered at the corner of his eyes.
“I can’t believe it...” Aldebaran said after a moment. “They actually... That was an Athena Exclaimation!”
Mu did not reply.
A few minutes later, the heavy doors finally opened, revealing Saga, Camus and Shura, their surplices broken, and their bodies worn and battered. Camus and Shura’s eyes were faded and unfocused. When Aldebaran stepped forward, only Camus’ seemed to notice the sound. Shura’s panting was audible. Shaka had certainly done a number on them.
In Saga’s hand was a beaded rosary that Mu recognized as Shaka’s. Saga was staring at him, and after a moment began to approach, stopping a few feet away and held out the rosary in offering.
‘This is Shaka’s memento.’ Saga’s voice echoed through his head, his body no longer able to make a sound. ‘Take it.’
Mu took it wordlessly, and began to pull it back to himself, but Saga didn’t let go. Mu tugged again, but too-late realized the intent behind the action.
“Mu! Move!”
Mu yanked at the Rosary once more, and Saga’s grip finally gave, quickly enough for Mu to dodge what could potentially have been a killing blow from the Gemini. That spurred Aldebaran into action as the large bull ploughed his fist into the side of Saga’s head.
Saga, naturally flew halfway across the room from the force of the blow, only stopped by a pillar. Mu had ended up behind Aldebaran, clutching at his gut - the sudden movement had jerked open anything he may have closed in the lull beforehand. Aldebaran was angry.
“Get up.” He ordered to the traitors. “Get up and face me like you did Shaka.” When none of the assembled moved, the Bull’s frown deepened, and he crossed his arms, making ready for his killing blow. “If you don’t, I’ll send you back to beg Shaka for forgiveness yourselves.”
Mu put a hand on his arm. “Look at them, Aldebaran. They’re each without four of their five senses. Right now, they’re no better than invalids.” Even as he spoke, Mu could feel Aldebaran’s stubbornness rearing its head.
“Even so, I cannot stand by and watch my friend be killed in cold blood. I’d rather end their lives now and avenge him. “
‘Do what you will...’ Saga’s voice chimed again, ‘But we have less than five hours left. Even if we must crawl, we’ll reach Athena, and any who stand in our way will meet the same fate as Shaka!’
The Traitors rose, and fell into fighting positions, to the shock of the two Gold Saints.
“How interesting...” Came a new voice from behind the trio. Mu had to resist a sigh - he’d been avoiding Milo for quite some time, now. The Saint of Scorpio tugged off his cape before continuing. “Unfortunately, we won’t allow you to take a single step out of here. We’ll settle this, right here and right now.”
“You left Scorpio Temple on your own?” Aldebaran asked.
“This is not a situation one can stand by and watch!” The scorpion replied with the usual bite to his words. “These three took Shaka down. I was not going to simply sit in my temple and wait!”
Without another word, Milo lifted his hand, and fired five blows of his Scarlet Needle between the traitors, almost faster than Mu could track with his eyes. He waited only long enough for the three to pull themselves off the ground before landing another six. “Normally I’d give you time to think,” he growled, “But you don’t deserve more time. I’ll give you the final blow right here!”
He struck them each once more, and was bracing himself to deliver Antares, when Saga made his move. Milo lunged, and Mu yelled.
“Milo, MOVE!”
Scorpio had just enough time to turn himself, avoiding the brunt of Saga’s blow, but the remainder still knocked him off his feet. It took him a long moment, but Milo managed to pull himself to his feet.
By now, the three Traitors were on their feet, composed as they could be given the circumstances. ‘I told you. We have very little time left to us. If you stand in our way, you will die.’
“I don’t believe it,” said Milo, “They’ve lost four of their senses, been clobbered by Aldebaran and took fourteen blows from my Scarlet Needle and they can still fight?”
“Where are they getting this strength?” Aldebaran asked.
“Or the willpower....” Mu followed up...He’d been looking at the ground between them, but upon looking up, his blood ran cold. Saga was crouched on the ground in front, and Shura and Camus stood to either side, backs to each other and arms raised to strike. “That position! You can’t be serious!”
‘This is all we have left,’ said Saga, ‘We’ve already used it once. There’s no reason for us to hesitate in unleashing the Athena Exclamation a second time. We’ll erase you and finish what we started.’
“Haven’t you forgotten something, Saga?” Aldebaran said with something of a smirk.
“There are three Gold Saints here, as well.” explained Milo, coming to stand next to the bull.
Mu sighed, as he began to pull energy away from healing himself, beginning to glow as he fired up what was left of his Cosmo. “This can’t be avoided.”
Milo and Aldebaran moved now, to flank him, the three mirroring the position of the Traitors, with Mu crouched in front, Shaka’s rosary tangled in his hands.
‘And what do you suppose will happen when two Athena Exclamations oppose each other, hm?’
To this, Mu shrugged. “Who’s to say? The destructive power will grow exponentially. We may destroy the whole of Sanctuary.”
‘And we’ll kill Athena too. How convenient.’
And now, a real smile broke across Mu’s face. “She’s not even here.”
If it were possible, he imagined Saga would have grown even paler at that revelation, but it was too late to break this off now. They were committed.
With a cry from both parties, Virgo Temple exploded into a torrent of heat and light.
Mu couldn’t even see through the clashing energies, and even closing his eyes against it did nothing to alleviate the severe brightness, nor could he ignore the searing heat that washed over the exposed areas of his skin.
The initial torrent of energies soon coalesced into a sphere, like a miniature sun that was slowly growing, yet maintained perfectly between the two parties. Their powers were an even match, as it were, and Mu was acutely aware that if his concentration slipped even in the slightest, there would be no way to leave this alive. And so he poured every ounce of power in his body into the blow, hoping it would be enough to overpower them. He could feel injuries tearing at his insides, reopening and worsening from strain and an inability to heal them. Mu was terrified he’d lose consciousness and doom them all.
The small sun only grew, consuming more and more of the temple, excess energies beginning to grow upwards, eroding away the ceiling above them and spreading to the ruined upper floor. Mu saw his hands beginning to shake, and he noticed the edges of his vision beginning to darken and blur. This was it, then. He suddenly felt like there was no ground beneath him; that the world was spinning and that he was stuck in freefall, but not moving. He clenched his eyes closed, willing his body to stay strong for only a little longer - to find some hidden strength and have it be just enough to tip the scales.
But then there was something warm on his back, and if he didn’t know better, Mu was sure there was somebody leaning over his shoulder. He opened his eyes , and while he didn’t see anything, a shift to his other Sight did confirm that there was something - or someone- there. The energy, no, the Cosmos around him were the same nameless colour as Shakas.
And they were making the small sun in the centre of the room move.
Mu didn’t relax, but relief swelled inside him, and for a moment, he forgot his weakness.
~
The aftermath stunk of ozone. Mu had blacked out for a few seconds and woken to find himself leaning against one of the few-standing walls. The ceiling was completely destroyed, and at some point in the last - gods, how long had it been? - it had started to rain. Blearily, Mu could see Milo and Aldebaran, each recovering in their own way, but the Bull came over quickly when the Ram had stirred.
“You gonna be alright?” He asked quietly. Mu was aware of his injuries. He knew how bad they were and he knew that he had nothing left to heal them with. He nodded.
“I’ll be fine. Dohko’s headed upwards. Follow him; his mission is important, and he must not fall.”
Aldebaran seemed unconvinced and looked at Milo, who shrugged and peeled himself off the wall, taking a moment to regain his balance, then began to jump over debris, making his way back up to what was left of the main floor.
Aldebaran lingered a moment, worried, but Mu waved him away. “I’ll be fine, Aldebaran. I need to heal myself, then I’ll join you.”
“You’d better.” The large man ordered, and, with one backwards glance, turned and followed the Scorpion.
Mu was alone. Almost
‘It’s not like you to lie, Mu.’
‘I’d rather not be seen in a state like this, Shaka.’
‘But here I am.’
Slowly, Mu staggered to his feet, leaning heavily on the wall for support.
‘You’ll have to wait. I have a message to deliver, first.’
And with the ease of time, Mu flicked to the Astral Plane. He needed to find Shion.
A note about the Clock: The Fire Clock in Sanctuary is not meant to tell accurate time. It’s more accurately described as a 12 hour timer. Since it’s been merged with the Clock Tower in Twilight Town, its appearance and mechanisms have changed, but its purpose has not. That it reads one or two or whatever o’clock doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the time, but that’s how long has passed since someone activated it.
Author: CMAK
Character/Fandom: Aries Mu/Saint Seiya
Prompt: N/A
Word Count: 7100 or so. It's long.
Summary: Mu's reality finally catches up.
Author Notes/Warnings: Devolution into a trainwreck, violence, death, CMAK attempting to write NPCs.....
Mu was somewhat aware of his name being called, of being moved, and of a remote sort of ache throughout his being. He felt tired and heavy, and it took a great effort to open his eyes. Even then, it took a greater effort still to register the sight before him, blurry as it was - Red hair, a golden mass under it.
There was only one Gold Saint with red hair that Mu knew of.
“Have a nice nap, huh?”
“D-Dohko?!” Mu gasped. He was a bit surprised at the weakness of his own voice. “How...”
The Saint of Libra shook his head as he helped Mu sit up. “Long story and no time to tell it. I need to get to Athena’s statue.”
Mu blinked to clear his vision, but looked up sharply at that, “Those three...!”
“-Are on their way, I know. They took off as soon as I showed up.”
By now, Mu was on his feet, staying still a moment as balance returned. “We have to catch up. I fear they are not the only ones in Sanctuary.”
Dohko nodded at that. “I’m inclined to agree. Let’s go.”
Mu nodded, letting Dohko run first, and followed a few steps behind. He was very acutely aware of pain now - how his entire body seemed to scream in protest as he sped up, all but flying through his own temple and onto the stairs beyond, keeping a scant pace behind Dohko. There was a point in his abdomen that didn’t hurt at all, which was worrying, but Mu lacked the time to check it. He directed his Cosmos to the area, trusting himself to heal whatever wound had been inflicted.
Not for the first time, Mu wished he could teleport between the temples, but it seemed that even without Athena’s presence, he could not. The stairs turned slightly, following the curvature of the mountain Sanctuary was built into. Now Mu could see the clock tower out of the corner of his eye. It wasn’t the fire clock anymore, no, but the entire face seemed to glow nonetheless. The hands read one o’clock*.
‘You lit it?’ Mu asked his companion, not sparing his breath to vocalize the question.
‘You heard Saga. He said 12 hours. One’s up.’
Too early for them to be getting desperate, then. Mu cast his senses upwards, feeling about for Aldebaran. The bull seemed to be alright, his Cosmo flaring and ebbing as it often did in combat, but there was no way of telling what shape he was in and a distraction could prove deadly to him here. Mu simply kept the faith that his friend was alright and continued behind Dohko. Taurus wasn’t that far by now anyways.
At the threshold to Taurus temple, Mu stopped short, grabbing Dohko’s wrist and pulled them both away from the door, and certainly out of the way of anything that could come out of it.
“Wha--!”
The rest of Dohko’s question was cut short by the not-so-distant roar of “GREAT HORN!” immediately followed by a rumble of the ground and a blast that, had they been in the way, would have certainly thrown the two saints halfway back down to Aries. When the dust settled, Mu broke cover and walked inside slowly, letting his cosmo spread out slowly so as not to alarm Aldebaran. Dohko followed a few steps behind.
It took a surprisingly long time to find the bull, who had taken a seat on a ruined pillar in a room just off the main wing of the temple. Mu was only slightly put off by the sight of a small pile of bodies in the corner. All were wearing armour similar to that which Saga had been wearing. One in particular caught Mu’s eye - a pretty face and what looked to be large butterfly wings jutting from the back of the surplice.
Aries quickly refocused his attention, fixing Taurus with a worn smile.
“Aldebaran.”
“You look like you’ve seen better times, Mu,” the Bull replied, giving Mu a once-over with his eyes.
“Speak for yourself,” Mu jibed back, his gaze once again sliding to the pile of bodies. “How many?”
Aldebaran sighed, “Not enough. That one on top there, I think his telekenesis was about as strong as yours. Kept me from getting most of them.”
Mu nodded in understanding before continuing. “Did you...notice anyone familiar?”
Aldebaran looked at him somewhat quizzically. “Didn’t see any familiar faces, but I certainly felt some familiar Cosmos...”
Mu turned back towards the exit where Dohko was standing guard. “We’ve been betrayed. Come. Time does not favour us.” He heard the massive Saint lumber to his feet and follow him out. Dohko nodded at them both.
“Onwards and Upwards then. Let’s go.”
He took the lead again, while Mu and Aldebaran ran together behind him. Mu wasn’t blind to his friend’s occasional sideways glances, and as they approached Gemini, finally asked ‘Something on your mind?’
‘You’re injured.’
‘I’ll worry on it later.’
‘Mu...’
“Focus on the temples, for now.” Mu finally said aloud, effectively ending the exchange. “Gemini has been known to play tricks, and I’m not in much mood to be caught in an illusion.”
“There’s nobody to guard it,” replied Aldebaran. “It should be alright.”
“Dead, turned or otherwise, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Saga left us a gift to remember him by.” Mu said, taking the initiative and stepping into Gemini first. Despite his worries, nothing happened. The trio moved slowly through the temples as a precaution however although the trip was otherwise uneventful.
Upon reaching the exit, Mu looked back almost on reflex, catching sight of the Clock Tower. It read a few minutes to Two.
Dohko opened his mouth to speak, but a bright light caught the attention of the trio, and the rush of power that followed did well to hold their attention. A blast of energy was spiralling up from what was no doubt a brand new hole in the roof of Cancer. It sailed over Leo peaceably enough before slamming into Virgo temple with quite a vengeance. Even as far down as Gemini, Mu could feel the tremors from impact.
“What the hell was that?” Asked Dohko when the light had dimmed and the earth had stilled.
It was Aldebaran who answered. “Someone trying to end a problem before it becomes a problem, I’d think.”
Mu was quiet a minute, reaching his senses upwards to try and feel for Shaka, but the Saint of Virgo had a peculiar habit of remaining difficult to sense unless he deliberately chose not to be. Mu frowned deeply before looking at his two companions. “There’s no way to tell if he managed or not.”
Dohko was facing back the way they came. “Speaking of problems, we’re being followed.”
“Then let’s hurry.”
~
Cancer temple did indeed have a new sunroof, and while lack of a guardian had certainly made the Temple far less threatening than it had been when Deathmask was living there, it was not as completely empty as Gemini had been.
“It feels as though Shaka’s been through here...” Aldebaran mused aloud, voicing the prevailing thoughts in the room. “I can feel his cosmo lingering.”
“I’m inclined to agree. Probably something to stall them,” said Dohko, “An illusion or somesuch. Shaka is good at tricking the senses.”
Mu had opened his mouth to agree, but Aldebaran interjected before he could. “Seems like our tagalongs have caught up. You two go ahead - I’ll clean up here.”
Dohko looked like he was going to protest, but Mu had already spun on his heel and taken off. He had faith that Aldebaran could hold off another wave, and enough respect for his friend to not question his decision. He heard Dohko following a few seconds later.
They passed through Leo completely unchallenged, which was something of a surprise, but just as well - Mu found himself beginning to tire. He thought it quite strange, actually - His endurance was better than this, even injured. Perhaps he’d been wounded worse than he’d thought? Dohko had begun to pull ahead of him which was telling since the pair had kept the same pace thus far. Dohko himself seemed to notice, casting the occasional glance backward, but he said nothing and Mu offered nothing. It was half-past-three.
Virgo was looming now, and Mu slowed down, taking in the sight of it. Whatever attack Saga had launched from Cancer had certainly done a number on the temple - part of the roof had been obliterated, saying nothing of the state within. It seemed as though the temple had been cloven in two from above. Aries and Libra entered slowly, together. Pillars had fallen and the floor was churned up so much that it made it difficult to walk. The pair searched, quietly, but aside from more mangled bodies of Spectres, there was nobody to be found.
“Dohko,” Mu said, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence, “Keep going. You need to reach Athena’s statue, so go on. I’ll search for Shaka. I’ve a feeling he’s not far.” Dohko looked like he wanted to argue, but only sighed.
“On one condition.”
“Oh?”
“That you don’t get yourself killed.”
Mu smirked. “I’ll do my best, Dohko.”
In a matter of seconds, Dohko’s footfalls had vanished. Mu remained where he was a moment, closing his eyes and sinking into himself. Shaka was hard to find by Cosmo, not by intent, but simply by being. His Cosmo was like a colour that could not be named, or a sound that could not quite be heard. It was there, but difficult to find, especially here, within his own temple, where everything seemed to glow with his presence, effectively masking his whereabouts even more.
Mu let his senses slide into the way they operated when he was repairing cloths - past sight and into Sight - more aware of the movement of energy than anything corporeal. It was here that he found his clue - a thin trail of cosmo leading from a roughly hewn circle at the centre of the temple and off to one wing, somewhere Mu had never gone before. He followed it down several flights of stairs that led well into the belly of Virgo temple. It was heartening to see that none of the destruction had reached here.
He found himself before a pair of massive doors, hewn of heavy wood and some sort of stone. The lighting was poor and it was hard to tell. The trail stopped here, though Mu could vaguely feel four Cosmos behind it. Three, he quickly identified as the traitors and the fourth, naturally, was Shaka himself.
Mu pushed at the door. It didn’t budge. He pulled. It didn’t budge. Frustrated, Mu slammed his fist against it. Once again, no result. Mu let himself rest against the door with a resigned sigh. Beyond, he could feel the ebbs and flows of Cosmos in battle, but it seemed Shaka would have nobody interrupt his fight, hopeless as it was. And he must have known it too. The thought made Mu angry, but part of him understood. Had he not been in a similar state of mind a few scant hours ago? This was Shaka’s decision. Mu would respect it.
Mu turned so his back was to the door and leaned against it. Part of his mind he left open to monitor the battle, but the rest of his attention he turned inwards towards his own injuries. They were numerous and many were severe. He had no way to judge internal injuries, but he directed his Cosmo to heal himself, and here without distractions he felt things go much smoother. Pains began to ebb almost instantly.
It was footsteps that woke him from the semi-meditative trance he’d fallen into. Mu opened his eyes in time to see the feet of the Taurus cloth appear on the stairs. He stood up a bit taller and spread his arms out against the door, as though to bar anyone’s entrance or exit. Aldebaran, at least, seemed happy to see him.
“You’ve come to help Shaka out too, then!” He said with a good humour to his voice. “We’d best hurry!”
Mu didn’t move, save for the slow gripping of one of the details on the door. “We mustn’t... We mustn’t go through this door.” His voice was quiet and he spoke slowly, so as not to belie his fatigue.
“What? Why not?! It’s not like you to let someone die like that, Mu!”
Mu didn’t move.
“Mu, surely you can feel it? Those three are going to - “
“Aldebaran, don’t you understand?” Mu interrupted, stepping forward, “This is exactly what Shaka wants.”
Aldebaran looked like he wanted to continue, but there came a surge of energy so powerful that Mu had to hold onto the door behind him to avoid falling. The entire world seemed to grow dark for an instant. It passed like a storm - quick and violent and left Aries and Taurus in its wake, both of them stunned. In the aftermath, they were left with one certainty.
“The Saint of Virgo has fallen.” Mu said quietly, blinking away the few tears that had gathered at the corner of his eyes.
“I can’t believe it...” Aldebaran said after a moment. “They actually... That was an Athena Exclaimation!”
Mu did not reply.
A few minutes later, the heavy doors finally opened, revealing Saga, Camus and Shura, their surplices broken, and their bodies worn and battered. Camus and Shura’s eyes were faded and unfocused. When Aldebaran stepped forward, only Camus’ seemed to notice the sound. Shura’s panting was audible. Shaka had certainly done a number on them.
In Saga’s hand was a beaded rosary that Mu recognized as Shaka’s. Saga was staring at him, and after a moment began to approach, stopping a few feet away and held out the rosary in offering.
‘This is Shaka’s memento.’ Saga’s voice echoed through his head, his body no longer able to make a sound. ‘Take it.’
Mu took it wordlessly, and began to pull it back to himself, but Saga didn’t let go. Mu tugged again, but too-late realized the intent behind the action.
“Mu! Move!”
Mu yanked at the Rosary once more, and Saga’s grip finally gave, quickly enough for Mu to dodge what could potentially have been a killing blow from the Gemini. That spurred Aldebaran into action as the large bull ploughed his fist into the side of Saga’s head.
Saga, naturally flew halfway across the room from the force of the blow, only stopped by a pillar. Mu had ended up behind Aldebaran, clutching at his gut - the sudden movement had jerked open anything he may have closed in the lull beforehand. Aldebaran was angry.
“Get up.” He ordered to the traitors. “Get up and face me like you did Shaka.” When none of the assembled moved, the Bull’s frown deepened, and he crossed his arms, making ready for his killing blow. “If you don’t, I’ll send you back to beg Shaka for forgiveness yourselves.”
Mu put a hand on his arm. “Look at them, Aldebaran. They’re each without four of their five senses. Right now, they’re no better than invalids.” Even as he spoke, Mu could feel Aldebaran’s stubbornness rearing its head.
“Even so, I cannot stand by and watch my friend be killed in cold blood. I’d rather end their lives now and avenge him. “
‘Do what you will...’ Saga’s voice chimed again, ‘But we have less than five hours left. Even if we must crawl, we’ll reach Athena, and any who stand in our way will meet the same fate as Shaka!’
The Traitors rose, and fell into fighting positions, to the shock of the two Gold Saints.
“How interesting...” Came a new voice from behind the trio. Mu had to resist a sigh - he’d been avoiding Milo for quite some time, now. The Saint of Scorpio tugged off his cape before continuing. “Unfortunately, we won’t allow you to take a single step out of here. We’ll settle this, right here and right now.”
“You left Scorpio Temple on your own?” Aldebaran asked.
“This is not a situation one can stand by and watch!” The scorpion replied with the usual bite to his words. “These three took Shaka down. I was not going to simply sit in my temple and wait!”
Without another word, Milo lifted his hand, and fired five blows of his Scarlet Needle between the traitors, almost faster than Mu could track with his eyes. He waited only long enough for the three to pull themselves off the ground before landing another six. “Normally I’d give you time to think,” he growled, “But you don’t deserve more time. I’ll give you the final blow right here!”
He struck them each once more, and was bracing himself to deliver Antares, when Saga made his move. Milo lunged, and Mu yelled.
“Milo, MOVE!”
Scorpio had just enough time to turn himself, avoiding the brunt of Saga’s blow, but the remainder still knocked him off his feet. It took him a long moment, but Milo managed to pull himself to his feet.
By now, the three Traitors were on their feet, composed as they could be given the circumstances. ‘I told you. We have very little time left to us. If you stand in our way, you will die.’
“I don’t believe it,” said Milo, “They’ve lost four of their senses, been clobbered by Aldebaran and took fourteen blows from my Scarlet Needle and they can still fight?”
“Where are they getting this strength?” Aldebaran asked.
“Or the willpower....” Mu followed up...He’d been looking at the ground between them, but upon looking up, his blood ran cold. Saga was crouched on the ground in front, and Shura and Camus stood to either side, backs to each other and arms raised to strike. “That position! You can’t be serious!”
‘This is all we have left,’ said Saga, ‘We’ve already used it once. There’s no reason for us to hesitate in unleashing the Athena Exclamation a second time. We’ll erase you and finish what we started.’
“Haven’t you forgotten something, Saga?” Aldebaran said with something of a smirk.
“There are three Gold Saints here, as well.” explained Milo, coming to stand next to the bull.
Mu sighed, as he began to pull energy away from healing himself, beginning to glow as he fired up what was left of his Cosmo. “This can’t be avoided.”
Milo and Aldebaran moved now, to flank him, the three mirroring the position of the Traitors, with Mu crouched in front, Shaka’s rosary tangled in his hands.
‘And what do you suppose will happen when two Athena Exclamations oppose each other, hm?’
To this, Mu shrugged. “Who’s to say? The destructive power will grow exponentially. We may destroy the whole of Sanctuary.”
‘And we’ll kill Athena too. How convenient.’
And now, a real smile broke across Mu’s face. “She’s not even here.”
If it were possible, he imagined Saga would have grown even paler at that revelation, but it was too late to break this off now. They were committed.
With a cry from both parties, Virgo Temple exploded into a torrent of heat and light.
Mu couldn’t even see through the clashing energies, and even closing his eyes against it did nothing to alleviate the severe brightness, nor could he ignore the searing heat that washed over the exposed areas of his skin.
The initial torrent of energies soon coalesced into a sphere, like a miniature sun that was slowly growing, yet maintained perfectly between the two parties. Their powers were an even match, as it were, and Mu was acutely aware that if his concentration slipped even in the slightest, there would be no way to leave this alive. And so he poured every ounce of power in his body into the blow, hoping it would be enough to overpower them. He could feel injuries tearing at his insides, reopening and worsening from strain and an inability to heal them. Mu was terrified he’d lose consciousness and doom them all.
The small sun only grew, consuming more and more of the temple, excess energies beginning to grow upwards, eroding away the ceiling above them and spreading to the ruined upper floor. Mu saw his hands beginning to shake, and he noticed the edges of his vision beginning to darken and blur. This was it, then. He suddenly felt like there was no ground beneath him; that the world was spinning and that he was stuck in freefall, but not moving. He clenched his eyes closed, willing his body to stay strong for only a little longer - to find some hidden strength and have it be just enough to tip the scales.
But then there was something warm on his back, and if he didn’t know better, Mu was sure there was somebody leaning over his shoulder. He opened his eyes , and while he didn’t see anything, a shift to his other Sight did confirm that there was something - or someone- there. The energy, no, the Cosmos around him were the same nameless colour as Shakas.
And they were making the small sun in the centre of the room move.
Mu didn’t relax, but relief swelled inside him, and for a moment, he forgot his weakness.
~
The aftermath stunk of ozone. Mu had blacked out for a few seconds and woken to find himself leaning against one of the few-standing walls. The ceiling was completely destroyed, and at some point in the last - gods, how long had it been? - it had started to rain. Blearily, Mu could see Milo and Aldebaran, each recovering in their own way, but the Bull came over quickly when the Ram had stirred.
“You gonna be alright?” He asked quietly. Mu was aware of his injuries. He knew how bad they were and he knew that he had nothing left to heal them with. He nodded.
“I’ll be fine. Dohko’s headed upwards. Follow him; his mission is important, and he must not fall.”
Aldebaran seemed unconvinced and looked at Milo, who shrugged and peeled himself off the wall, taking a moment to regain his balance, then began to jump over debris, making his way back up to what was left of the main floor.
Aldebaran lingered a moment, worried, but Mu waved him away. “I’ll be fine, Aldebaran. I need to heal myself, then I’ll join you.”
“You’d better.” The large man ordered, and, with one backwards glance, turned and followed the Scorpion.
Mu was alone. Almost
‘It’s not like you to lie, Mu.’
‘I’d rather not be seen in a state like this, Shaka.’
‘But here I am.’
Slowly, Mu staggered to his feet, leaning heavily on the wall for support.
‘You’ll have to wait. I have a message to deliver, first.’
And with the ease of time, Mu flicked to the Astral Plane. He needed to find Shion.
A note about the Clock: The Fire Clock in Sanctuary is not meant to tell accurate time. It’s more accurately described as a 12 hour timer. Since it’s been merged with the Clock Tower in Twilight Town, its appearance and mechanisms have changed, but its purpose has not. That it reads one or two or whatever o’clock doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the time, but that’s how long has passed since someone activated it.