13A/N: Wow… who'da thunk it? Me, a heterosexual male writing a one-shot about Saga and Mu's relationship… Blame Niteskye for it and my own guilt of not writing my own IkkiXSeiya story when we made a bit and the loser would have to go out in a blaze of glory, suicide-bombing the 4Kids headquarters. Consider this my apology for doing neither, Niteskye.
Shock and horror were the only feelings Mu felt when he saw Saga standing there, a black Surplice rendition of the Gemini Cloth proudly on the formerly deceased. Deathmask and Aphrodite he had expected… but not Camus, Shura, and most certainly Saga.
Yet this was a battle, and Mu struggled to keep up with the three, losing nothing but two strands of hair while shoving all thoughts out of his mind. But then he was on the ground, hearing Saga speak.
"If we keep using such paltry attacks, Mu will never let us pass in time. I suggest we show what little mercy we have left and be done with it all."
That only meant one thing… and Mu knew he was in no shape to survive the brutal and unrestrained potency of Saga's abilities. But he also saw something there; something that really couldn't exist, but remained in his view.
Mu saw the three crying… crying for their actions.
Saga…A few hours later, the former Gemini Saint permitted himself a small but proud smile as he emerged with Camus and Shura from the Gemini Temple. On two separate occasions this night, he had seen men exceed Saga's expectations by leaps and bounds.
The first was obvious. Kanon, Saga's dirty little secret, had shown himself reborn due to the grace of Athena and proven his worth as a Gold Saint. There was no knowledge in all of Saga's revived body that filled him with more joy… except one.
Mu.
How old had he been when Saga had cruelly killed his master? Six? Seven? He found it ironic that the Aries Saint had been stripped of his mentor at an age where the Graude Foundation's charges had been introduced to Sanctuary and received masters themselves.
Masquerading as the Pope, Saga had grown to be frustrated at Mu's refusal to return to Sanctuary with his Gold Cloth. Dohko had been old, and the Sagittarius Cloth had no owner those thirteen years, but there had always been Mu, scraping out a living in Jamir, even having a student of his own, and posing a constant threat. True, Mu himself was a pacifist, but simply repairing the armor of the Bronze Saints at opportune moments had been interference enough.
Dohko had seen through Saga's disguise easily … a man that had known Shion for over two centuries was not going to fall for "I'm sorry, Dohko, but I don't feel comfortable around you so I won't remove the headpiece." But for Mu to see the truth and stand against it, that took courage. Courage that in his few glimpses of sanity, Saga wished he could have mimicked.
Hard to believe the Saint that had been content to dispense advice and repairs had finally taken up arms… and with violent results. But Mu was doing what Saints were supposed to do, fight against Hades and defend Athena. Everything else, especially killing the Pope over a decision that didn't go your way and making Shura kill his best friend, was not to be thought about, much less acted upon.
More courage Saga wished he could have learned from a boy eight years his junior.
Those tears were still on Mu's mind as he killed Myu at long last, the telekinetic Specter finally getting what he deserved.
Could Saga have some ulterior motive for his acts? His appearance had not changed to imply his maddened state of mind, far from it. What's more, Shion acted like the ringleader of the fallen Gold Saints… unlikely if Saga had not reformed, which made no sense due to Saga's encouragement of Seiya during the Asgard conflict.
Unless… Mu thought as he ran up the next flight of stairs, Unless Shion and the others really are acting of their choice…
The thought chilled Mu to the bone. Could Saga really be capable of that? When lucid enough, he had taken his own life rather than lay a finger of his goddess. And what of Camus, Shura, and Shion? Were they capable of such betrayal?
No… there had to be a misunderstanding, a mistake, some grand plan? They hadn't killed anyone, had they? Aldebaran had been killed by a true Specter… sent to make sure that Shion and the others really were loyal to Hades, which meant Hades himself didn't trust them. And if that was the case, there really was hope that what Mu thought was correct.
Shaka was dead… Saga knew he had killed him. True, Camus and Shura had been there too, necessary to the Athena Exclamation, but who still could see? Who was the one in charge of their little group doing a mad scramble up the steps of Sanctuary not unsimilar to Seiya and his friend's charge not long ago… although for a different reason?
Saga knew he was, and that goddamn butterfly wouldn't even let him show his shame and sorrow for it all!
And then the doors opened and Saga saw Shiryu, Mu, and Aiolia standing there…. and Saga's sight fell on Mu.
"Keep this in memory of Shaka," Saga barked as he handed Shaka's prayer beads to Mu. He tried to look strong, uncaring, but he wouldn't be surprised if that wasn't what he was showing. Yet of the three there, Mu was looking like the most likely one that would listen.
If only that goddamn butterfly wasn't there!
Mu felt no anger at Saga for sending Milo plummeting to the floor with a Galaxian Explosion… not even any for preparing to again use the forbidden Athena Exclamation.
He was rather sure that Saga was feeling no hatred for him as he, Aiolia, and Milo prepared the attack as well.
Mu thought it odd that the confrontation of the two forces seemed rather… evenly fitted. Camus had been Milo's best friend, confiding in him the reasons for his actions against Hyoga, and in turn Milo tried his best to keep Hyoga from getting killed too.
Shura had killed Aiolia's brother, but it had been hard for the Capricorn Saint as well, especially after his death. Yet both were so much the same, brave men that had been forced in one way or another to kill good men by…
Saga. There was Saga, staring opposite of Mu. What did it feel like to be a traitor to Sanctuary? Well, Mu himself could think of the way he had just walked off with the Aries Cloth, but he felt he had been doing the right thing. Saga most likely had thought the same thing those first days after all the horror and death. Who was left to lead Sanctuary? Nobody was old enough save for Dohko, who had other duties to attend to. At least for thirteen years, Sanctuary had not been steered wrong by him… if that was any consolation.
Mu wished he had the courage to stand up and live after committing horrible crimes like Saga did. Maybe it would make him feel better for breaking this taboo.
Saga smirked as he felt himself fade away. In the end… what had he accomplished? Very little, that was certain. Athena was still without her Cloth. Two more Gold Saints were dead. Camus was over there, being beaten by some idiot Specter.
And yet there were the Bronze Saints… four youths that never settled for standing by but at the same time never abandoned their duties to Athena for personal gain… Mu and Saga's two greatest traits, exhibited together.
Saga smirked at recalling the Aries Saint again… getting carried by him to Athena and then being told by his goddess to kill her was not exactly part of the plan, and Saga felt ashamed that he had once again dragged Mu down to such depths. Seeing his master return, allied with the enemy that Shion had battled so passionately against 243 years ago…
Saga knew he was not to blame, but he knew that if he was, Mu could channel his anger at the world into one person a little easier.
But he had no other regrets… he had done what he could. And sacrificing all honor for his goddess was still going out with a big bang… or two, in his case.
He had lost… they had all lost…
Mu couldn't believe the power that this Specter had… it seemed leaps and bounds above Myu's… and even along with Milo and Aiolia, far cries from featherweights too, this Wyvern Specter just casually beat them around left and right.
And here he was, falling into the pit into the Underworld… was this how he was going to die? Mu thought of Saga as he fell. He had been right in the end. Saga had often been called a demigod by the people of Greece for his magnificence. Why not? He was a good man with solid judgement… that just so happened to have an ambitious twin brother and a split psyche. But in the end, he had just been a man that had fallen and rose back up. And then he had seemingly fallen down to his knees, but only to jump back up for one last grab at redemption.
No regrets… Mu understood what it meant to be Saga… sacrificing honor was something Mu himself had done by performing the Athena Exclamation as well.
At least he had gone out with a bang.
Okay… Mu and Saga thought separately, all of us are going out with a bang.
They stood together with the others, even Aiolos present in more than just spirit. Milo and Camus stood prepared to assault the Wailing Wall with cold, pokey fury. Aiolia, Shura, and Aiolos could at long last set everything behind them and fade away together and at peace. Deathmask and Aphrodite seemed rather… relaxed. No more faking, no more having to convince themselves might made right, just being Gold Saints and defenders of the planet. Dohko seemed ready to finally leave this world and join Shion wherever they might go. Shaka seemed ready to die and let the new Buddha be born. Aldebaran was ready for one last act for his goddess and make up for the fact he only managed to kill one Specter.
Saga and Mu just looked at each other and nodded before hugging once, accepting that whatever happened afterwards, nothing that happened before that point meant anything to either of them. Here and now, this was where they finally met.
"Ready?" Aiolos shouted as the Gold Saints all took their positions.
"READY!" The other eleven answered.
"Once more then, into the shimmering eternity!" Aiolos exclaimed proudly as they gathered their power together into one single point of brotherhood, camaraderie, and love.
The arrow struck the wall, and they faded away. In their last fleeting seconds of existence, Mu turned to Saga and smiled.
"No regrets," he said proudly.
"None at all," Saga answered back.
A/N: Well, this is not how I had thought this would turn out, but I'm proud of this nevertheless. Anyways, read it, enjoy it, review, do whatever you want to it. I too have no regrets about it.