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"A story is a prism; there is more than one side to it."
Chapter 1: Homecoming
Aramis and I left for Greece just as dawn colored the sky. I did not dare turn back; it would be hard parting if I turned to face Dohko’s lone figure heading towards the eastern part of the world. The young girl was waving at the rose-colored sky with a smile as if greeting one of her kinsmen. I returned my attention to the ring on my right “heart” finger and fought back the tears.
It was an incredible piece, made of the same stuff as the Cloths; a simple and ordinary looking silvery band with a garnet embedded on it. There was a partner to this ring but it was lost recently. Lost with Rheana, that is…! Aramis, sensing my distress, walked over and touched my armor-clad arm with her finger, creating a soft, muted clang when she did.
“I wish I could heal your pain.” She said sadly, her eyes dull with melancholy. “That way I will not see you struggling to hide your tears. You shouldn’t suppress them so. If you do, you can’t cry anymore.” To me, it sounded like child’s wisdom, an expression my mother used for when people spoke differently, saying something completely unexpected in an open and honest voice, like children do. The way Aramis spoke…
She sounded like a little girl, which she wasn’t: Aramis was 15 years of age. However it was, her demeanor charmed me and I smiled a little, to which she smiled back. The magical barge stopped at the western shore and left for Purgatory as soon as the Goddess stepped on the shores of Cyprus.
~End 1st PoV~
Shion looked around. Good, it was devoid of all life and sound save the waves hitting the shore. He recalled his Aries Cloth into its presentational form then watched as the Goddess did the same. She was having problems with Nike, it seemed. “Give me that thing.” Shion looked for a way to make Nike look less conspicuous.
Finally, he teleported Cloth, Kamui, and staff to a vacant house in the training ground at Cyprus. “Shall we go?” “Uh…of course!” She took his arm and they walked into the town. It was one of those villages, the ones where the residents were fully aware of the existence of the Saints and open to the possibility of other factions besides the Saints of Athena.
They had to but glance at Shion and shrug it off, but Shion was so characteristically odd in that scene that people would stare, women in particular. It might have been his hair and eyes, maybe even his eyebrows; possibly all three. Aramis was less conspicuous but the way she held herself caused a hush in the crowd.
“Could that be…” “She must be; he’s one of them.” Were some of the phrases whispered by the crowd. “Maybe, but which them are we talking about here? There’s so many…” “It might be the Athenians, me thinks.” “Validate your point, then.” Both of them ignored these statements and walked on towards the training ground.
At reaching the outskirts, Shion turned to her. “Lady, the going will be rough from this point. Are you—“ “What do you take me for, Shion?” Silence. He turned sharply and continued walking. Aramis followed the Aries Saint like a shadow.
~1st PoV~
After several hours, we reached the house.
Aries Cloth stood in its presentational form on the counter, while the Kamui was on the floor. Absentmindedly I reach out to stroke the Cloth’s head, as though it were an animal. This was not bizarre in any way; the Cloths were alive, not in human standards but their own. "You’ve served me well. Thank you."
I send this thought to the Cloth and receive a lotus-shaped burst of color in turn. “Shion?” I glance at Aramis. “Hmm?” “W-where is the bathroom? I want to clean up.” After telling her the directions, I realize that she will have to borrow some clothes. ‘She could use—' I wince. It still hurt to think of them. Nevertheless, I steeled myself to enter their rooms.
~End 1st PoV~
When Aramis came out of the bathroom, she was dressed in a bathrobe several sizes too big for her, her wet hair in a messy bun. “Shion?” She called out into the hallway. Hearing some rustling from a room, she hurried into it. Inside, Shion was folding clothes and placing them in piles. He turned around to see her in the doorway.
“I was just finishing. Try them on.” His eyes were red. Aramis bit her lip; it hurt her to see him in this state. Frowning, she sniffed the air. The scent came from the clothes. Inspecting a shirt, the goddess found the origin: a packet with dried flower petals inside. ‘I hope we leave soon. It’s killing him.’
In his own room, Shion was already associating each packet with each person. ‘Flaus: lilies. Morrighan: Harebells and thistles. Zephyr: jasmines. Rheana…’ It ended there. True, invoking his lover’s name in his thoughts was just an extra dose of salt to the wound, but that didn’t mean the others hurt less.
‘I still remember the day Flaus and I got off the wrong foot…’ Cancer Saint Patroklos had only recently returned from Milan that day, and had gone to visit Aries Alcyone. He had seen a girl his age, unmasked, standing behind him. She was red-haired, the same shade as Dohko, maybe a bit reddish, with iron-colored eyes.
And despite the fact that Alcyone had told them “behave”, their attitudes did not quite adjust. By the end of the visit, they were wrestling each other to the ground. After that, for some reason or other, Shion did not really get along well with the other female members in their family at the first meeting. ‘Enough reminiscing, Shion. You still have work to do.’
The rest of the day, he threw himself into packing things into crates and boxes. When night came, Aramis walked up to Shion, bearing Nike and wearing new clothes: black flare jeans and a white shirt with flared sleeves. “Are we going now?” “I’m just about finished here, so the answer is yes.” He frowned, leaned towards her and sniffed. “There’s smoke…”
“I burnt my old clothes. I didn’t think I was up to wearing them again.” Blink. “I suppose that makes sense.” He put the Cloth Box on his back and picked up the Kamui. “We’ll figure out what to do with the Kamui when we get home.”
The Aries Saint stared off into space and added. “You might want to grab my arm.” Blink. “Uh, right.” They vanished and reappeared at the entrance of Sanctuary. A middle-aged man was waiting for them. “Welcome back, Your Eminences.”
 Death Papillon · Tue Jun 27, 2006 @ 09:44pm · 0 Comments |
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