Fic: we won all the battles (2)
Title: we won all the battles (part 2)
Link to the whole thing in ari's labyrinth here
disclaimer: Kurumada, Toei, Shueisha... the whole nine yards.
Part 2] (23) Twins
- Yes, she was. We’re still trying to figure out what’s happened to her, and some of us are having a hard time understanding that simply dying won’t bring her back, aren’t we Shura?
Mu and Milo turned around, while Saga raced to embrace his brother. Shura stood by Kanon’s side, clenching his fists. Both had bloodied hands and torn clothes, and there was despair on their faces.
Shura’s gaze went over everybody’s faces, as if trying to remember who they were.
- Mu, Milo, Camus, the twins and myself. Where is everybody else? Of course, I know we have to count out Aphrodite, may he rest in peace, and the scores of bronzes and silvers we lost trying to stop that thing before we run away, like cowards, leaving our goddess and our honor behind us.
The twins broke their embrace and exchanged looks. Kanon shrugged and went on to greet the newcomers, he had been hearing things like this nonstop during their scout mission in Sanctuary and knew Shura would just not listen to the reasons for their withdrawal.
He understood they would all be dead had they not left to get time to learn about their enemy and prepare an attack, and with that Athena would be alone to face this herself. To Shura, all those reasons were nice and shiny -yet running away remained treason all the same.
Saga nodded to the Capricorn Saint and gesturing him towards the rock he had been sitting on moments ago, asked for a report of what they had seen. But Shura let Kanon explain most of it, which wasn’t really much. They had left the group and headed back to Sanctuary, unbothered until they reached the inner grounds. There, the mist had thickened until it became almost impossible to see, the air was so dense it was hard to breathe and it made their advance slow.
It was because of the darkness that they hadn’t seen them coming, and by the time they noticed there was a score of men on them. Guided more by their ears than their eyes, Kanon and Shura fought back to back to make sure they wouldn’t hurt each other by mistake in the fog. Their opponents were fierce and fearless, throwing themselves at the two men without regard for their own lives.
At this, Shura picked up the story, his eyes still fixed on his bloodied hands. His fingers moved deliberately over the skin, one hand cleaning the other, peeling the plastered blood away. The attackers had fought as nothing he had seen before; they were erratic and unpredictable, even though one could tell there was skill in them.
Still, they were two gold Saints of Athena, and even though blood was spilled on both sides, Shura and Kanon were the only two standing when the mists had receded, as quickly as they had come.
The bronze and silver saints lay scattered on the ground, dead, except for one who had escaped the worst of Kanon’s attack.
- You had one of them? Alive? Why didn’t you bring him here, you pair of damned fools? You know how much we could have learnt from the traitor?
Shura exhaled deeply and looked up to face the Scorpio Saint.
- We brought the traitor back, Milo, but death caught up with us about ten minutes ago, before we could reach you. We brought the body; because there is something we wanted you all to see…we left it at the base of the hill, unsure of what we would find up here.
When Kanon spoke, it was almost a whisper.
- I think you may want to come with me, Milo.
Kanon led the way, his head low, and Milo followed silently. Nobody objected. After their episode before the Hades battle, Milo and Kanon shared a bond nobody quite understood, not even Saga. There was thankfulness and hate, and a strange friendship based on things unsaid.
It was only at Shura’s insistence that nobody took the short trip after them to the base of the hill, even when the minutes piled and their uneasiness mounted. Shura wouldn’t explain, only muttering “it’s his right” to whoever asked.
After a half hour, Milo and Kanon came back. The Scorpio Saint was straight-faced, but the marks of tears were there to see for anybody who dared to look. In his arms, Shaina’s broken body seemed even smaller than ever before.
They sat around the body, and prayed. The saints who had fought against Kanon and Shura were listed, and there was more than a grimace of pain as the names of friends came up and were taken away by the wind that blew over the hilltop.
Meanwhile, Milo knelt by Shaina’s body without joining the prayers, stroking her hair. The Scorpio Saint had been the one to bring her hands together over her chest and close her eyes, and the sight of her dilated pupils -with red swirls instead of the green and black he knew so well- was still very much present.
go to part 3
Link to the whole thing in ari's labyrinth here
disclaimer: Kurumada, Toei, Shueisha... the whole nine yards.
Part 2] (23) Twins
- Yes, she was. We’re still trying to figure out what’s happened to her, and some of us are having a hard time understanding that simply dying won’t bring her back, aren’t we Shura?
Mu and Milo turned around, while Saga raced to embrace his brother. Shura stood by Kanon’s side, clenching his fists. Both had bloodied hands and torn clothes, and there was despair on their faces.
Shura’s gaze went over everybody’s faces, as if trying to remember who they were.
- Mu, Milo, Camus, the twins and myself. Where is everybody else? Of course, I know we have to count out Aphrodite, may he rest in peace, and the scores of bronzes and silvers we lost trying to stop that thing before we run away, like cowards, leaving our goddess and our honor behind us.
The twins broke their embrace and exchanged looks. Kanon shrugged and went on to greet the newcomers, he had been hearing things like this nonstop during their scout mission in Sanctuary and knew Shura would just not listen to the reasons for their withdrawal.
He understood they would all be dead had they not left to get time to learn about their enemy and prepare an attack, and with that Athena would be alone to face this herself. To Shura, all those reasons were nice and shiny -yet running away remained treason all the same.
Saga nodded to the Capricorn Saint and gesturing him towards the rock he had been sitting on moments ago, asked for a report of what they had seen. But Shura let Kanon explain most of it, which wasn’t really much. They had left the group and headed back to Sanctuary, unbothered until they reached the inner grounds. There, the mist had thickened until it became almost impossible to see, the air was so dense it was hard to breathe and it made their advance slow.
It was because of the darkness that they hadn’t seen them coming, and by the time they noticed there was a score of men on them. Guided more by their ears than their eyes, Kanon and Shura fought back to back to make sure they wouldn’t hurt each other by mistake in the fog. Their opponents were fierce and fearless, throwing themselves at the two men without regard for their own lives.
At this, Shura picked up the story, his eyes still fixed on his bloodied hands. His fingers moved deliberately over the skin, one hand cleaning the other, peeling the plastered blood away. The attackers had fought as nothing he had seen before; they were erratic and unpredictable, even though one could tell there was skill in them.
Still, they were two gold Saints of Athena, and even though blood was spilled on both sides, Shura and Kanon were the only two standing when the mists had receded, as quickly as they had come.
The bronze and silver saints lay scattered on the ground, dead, except for one who had escaped the worst of Kanon’s attack.
- You had one of them? Alive? Why didn’t you bring him here, you pair of damned fools? You know how much we could have learnt from the traitor?
Shura exhaled deeply and looked up to face the Scorpio Saint.
- We brought the traitor back, Milo, but death caught up with us about ten minutes ago, before we could reach you. We brought the body; because there is something we wanted you all to see…we left it at the base of the hill, unsure of what we would find up here.
When Kanon spoke, it was almost a whisper.
- I think you may want to come with me, Milo.
Kanon led the way, his head low, and Milo followed silently. Nobody objected. After their episode before the Hades battle, Milo and Kanon shared a bond nobody quite understood, not even Saga. There was thankfulness and hate, and a strange friendship based on things unsaid.
It was only at Shura’s insistence that nobody took the short trip after them to the base of the hill, even when the minutes piled and their uneasiness mounted. Shura wouldn’t explain, only muttering “it’s his right” to whoever asked.
After a half hour, Milo and Kanon came back. The Scorpio Saint was straight-faced, but the marks of tears were there to see for anybody who dared to look. In his arms, Shaina’s broken body seemed even smaller than ever before.
They sat around the body, and prayed. The saints who had fought against Kanon and Shura were listed, and there was more than a grimace of pain as the names of friends came up and were taken away by the wind that blew over the hilltop.
Meanwhile, Milo knelt by Shaina’s body without joining the prayers, stroking her hair. The Scorpio Saint had been the one to bring her hands together over her chest and close her eyes, and the sight of her dilated pupils -with red swirls instead of the green and black he knew so well- was still very much present.
go to part 3