Scorpio
5
Jabu looked at him from across the room. He was dressed in the same way, but due to questions of rank, his was not quite so white. But that did not matter much to him. He did not have greater pretensions. Just like when he had accepted to be trained by Milo, he had never thought that their relationship would come to this. On the contrary, he thought they would not bear each other, and that they would end up killing each other some day, just like Clytus had said a few days before.
They were killing each other, for sure, but in a different way. They were getting under each others’ skin. In the space of a couple of days they had experienced many ups and downs which would have put any relationship in danger. The matter at hand was that when they returned to Sanctuary, Milo and he would have to face Camus. A relationship which lasted for more than two days. And which still affected Milo.
“We are ready, Jabu.” The squire said, passing his hand over the other’s shoulder to straighten his garment. “Let us see what we can do about that hair of yours, young fellow... it seems that it will never stay in place.”
“Leave it be, Clytus; I like it just the way it is.” Milo responded with a smile.
“Milo, you may like it any way you please, but right now I’m giving the orders; I only hope you don’t let your hair down too.”
“Aha, I guess I know who rules this household.” Jabu said, frowning as Clytus carefully tried to put his hair in place. “Leave it as it is, there’s no way you can fix it.” He smiled as the other saw that there was no remedy for Jabu’s wild mop of hair.
The young Scorpion turned to look at Milo, who still had not come near to them. Seeing him was the most beautiful sight he had ever set eyes on. For many a month he had watched him extenuate himself training, or meditating; But now, the peace around him seemed more enticing and sweeter than anything he had ever seen before. Scorpio had remained in front of the statue, and he took a little incense which he caused to burn in front of Athena. He prayed for everything to turn out well. That his audience with the Goddess would not be any worse than it could possibly be, and that no one would confront him because of Jabu.
It would be something he was not sure how to deal with.
The three men left the cottage, and took the pathway towards the sea. Before they had gone very far, Jabu took Milo by the arm, slowing him up, and making them fall behind. Clytus continued on his way without noticing.
“What will happen now?”
“We will go and we will come back, that is what will happen, Jabu.”
“For a moment I did not want to leave, here, in this place, you and I have been through so much.”
“It doesn’t have to end. Here, or wherever. Everything will be alright. As long as you are with me, it will be.” Milo finally kissed him, laughing while he made a comment about Clytus, saying that he would kill him for having messed up his hair. They laughed. They hastened their pace so as to catch up with the squire who was waiting for them by the sea.
Milo bade farewell to the island, and he took them both by the arm, raising his cosmos to infinity. The next thing they knew was that they were in the House of Scorpio in the Greek Sanctuary.
Eleven of Athena’s Gold Saints were already present in the chamber. All were dressed identically to Milo with the exception that their stoles did not bear the sacred scorpion; each bore his own symbol. The few apprentices who were there, were dressed like Jabu; which showed that the ceremony which was about to be carried out, would be as formal as they had been told. Once again Clytus found himself hurrying his master and the apprentice along. He did not want them to arrive late under any circumstances.
Finally, he had made them climb the steps that would take them to Athena’s Temple. Milo and Jabu spoke in a friendly manner, being careful not to show each other too much attention. They were not prepared to hide from anyone, but they considered that it was neither the time nor the place to show their affection. Later; for now they had to play the charade they must show the world.
They were neatly dressed, without a single hair out of place; The Lords of the House of Scorpio finally entered the chamber; before the astonished looks of those who had considered that they would not appear that evening.
“My, oh my. You have deigned to come before us, my friend, Milo.” The voice of Aphrodite resonated in the place, and the few who had not noticed the arrival of the two men, did so unfailingly. Jabu decided to stay a few paces behind Milo, looking to find a place among those who, like him, were apprentices.
“If I had known that such a warm welcome awaited me, I would have come back sooner, Dite.” Milo smiled, spreading his arms to greet his comrade. “As beautiful as ever, no?”
Aphrodite smiled back, showing his appreciation on hearing the comment. He took the liberty of remaining by Scorpio’s side during the few moments it would take for Athena to appear. Milo greeted each and every one of those present with courtesy and deference. Even with Aquarius, to whom he simply nodded slightly.
Some distance from him, Jabu had come across the other Bronze Saints. They all looked at him, surprised by the change in him. His attitude, which had in the past been interpreted as servile, was now different. An aura of self-confidence and self-assurance surrounded him. Such was the change in him, that even Seiya admitted that evening, that he was in no position to mock him.
Jabu simply responded with courtesy; remembering every word Clytus had told him. He cursed Seiya silently, because although he himself did not know it, he was the cause of the disquietude he felt in that moment.
“Good evening to you all, my loyal Saints”
The voice of Athena resonated in the great chamber, and they all bowed down before her, bowing their heads low as a sign of respect. As they stood up, one after the other, they took their places around the woman, who had lost the air of youth she had once possessed.
Milo could see, from his position, that the Goddess was also human; she suffered. It was a deep pain that he could recognise at once. Those same tired eyes he was looking into now, he had seen many times in the mirror of his bath chamber. He refused to feel pity for her; but he could not prevent compassion from seizing him.
‘You of all people should do that.’
“I do, My Lady.” He whispered as he sat down.
They had been sent out of the place and they did not understand. Why so much protocol, then, if they were not even going to attend the audience? One by one, each apprentice was shown out of the Temple, and sent back, each to his own. Frustrated, most of the boys had decided to follow a different path, and make their way to the Coliseum. Perhaps they could spend a while talking about their experiences over the previous few months. Jabu decided not to follow them. He could feel his soul twist in pain, just thinking that Milo was in the same place as Camus. He could not get rid of the palpitations he felt, not knowing what was going on up there. Clytus was nowhere to be seen, and his fading hopes of having a civilised conversation faded away with this realisation.
He noticed, as he walked into the Temple, that it was just as he had left it. He had just been there a little while; Milo had taken him to the Island almost immediately; but he remembered very well what he had seen in its interior. Scorpio was a devourer of books. He enjoyed reading almost as much as he enjoyed training. Around him there were high bookshelves, stacked with tomes in many languages, though Greek predominated.
Everything was arranged, it struck him, in quite a peculiar way. Whoever took the trouble to look closely, would notice that the spines of the books were to be read in the same direction always, and that the books were arranged according to size, largest to smallest, left to right. He smiled. It was just like on the Island; but with scrolls instead of books.
Despite the care with which Clytus had dressed him, he advanced, removing one after the other, the items of clothing he wore. The stole fell in a place he did not bother to memorise. He did the same with his tunic, so that he walked naked through that dark place. Without so much as a moment’s hesitation, he made his way to the doorway to Milo’s room, and he stood there, not daring to enter. He did not want to feel that he was trespassing in a place that was not his. Although, technically speaking, it was.
It was the memories that were eating him up inside, which did not let him go on.. The merest thought that Camus had once been there was not at all to his liking. He knew that it could be jealousy he was feeling; in fact, he was sure of it. But, would it be so absurd if it were to be so? He breathed deeply, letting his head fall, to rest on the outstretched arm with which he leaned against the doorway. He made up his mind, taking the step he needed to be able to overcome his fears.
Suddenly, he did not care who might have entered that place; only that in Milo’s future, it was Jabu who mattered. He had decided to believe in him, and in that moment, that was all that mattered.
Almost as soon as the audience had started, it had finished. Athena had used her words scarcely, limiting herself to talking to them about the timing of the training. About the necessity that those Saints still without apprentices should look for and chose one worthy of the honour. About the responsibility they had concerning the place, as well as Sanctuary’s needs, and their own.
Unlike on other occasions, there were no mirthful moments to live, nor was there a celebration to enjoy afterwards. Whenever he was asked about this, Milo had to respond that there was none of this. That he had been advised very little time beforehand, and that those responsible for his committee had been very busy on the island; so he had not given the matter much importance.
Each master quickly went to his Temple. Scorpio stayed until he was the last; hoping for a moment to be with Athena. Camus had almost left the Temple, but at the last moment, he decided to stay and see what Milo could want from the Goddess. It was well known that the relationship between them had been distant recently. What was more, his curiosity seemed greater that any other consideration.
When Athena realised that his presence remained, she turned to face him. She could feel Milo’s cosmos touching here in a rather brash way; one could even say it was like a challenge, but she never for a moment thought that he might do anything to harm her, on the contrary, she knew that cosmos well. She had opposed his time ago: She herself had taken him to the very limit of pain.
Now Athena looked at him with sadness. Their roles had changed: The impetuosity was not hers, and the pain was no longer Milo’s.
“If what you want to hear is an apology, Milo...”
“No. I want to know that you are alright. That is all.”
The woman looked at him, surprised by the honesty in his words. She was more impressed by the fact that there was no bitterness in them, nor the hidden wish to hurt or reproach her at all. Without concern for what had happened, he was there. He accepted. Athena could not even remember the way things had been between them before he had left for Milos. There was so much that she wanted to say to him, but she did not dare.
“Milo...” She took a first step towards him, to which the man responded. They had hurt each other during the previous months. She had even cursed him.
‘He will come back, yes, but he will not be yours again. He will reject you, because you will be the one who has caused his return, Scorpion!’
The words did not come to her lips. Athena wanted to say them. She wanted ask him to forget the offences she had caused him to suffer, but her pride was stronger than her repentance.
Milo walked forward to where the woman stood, and he bowed before her once again. The Goddess observed him, without knowing what to say, or how to react. “Forgive me, My Lady.” The voice flowed from lips without a trace of rancour. There was no reproach in that voice, only the desire for reconciliation which he had always believed in, and which had been his guiding light for many a year. He, the most jovial, and some would say, irresponsible among them, was also the one most devoted to her.
Athena fell on her knees as well. Only Milo had known of her suffering. No one but him had been witness to the sleepless nights spent trying to find Seiya’s soul, so as to bring him back to her. He had been her companion all those long months. He had bore the brunt of her tantrums- and her blows, products of her impotence.
“Oh, Milo... my faithful Milo...” The woman embraced the man, who responded with an instinctive opening of his arms, taking her in between them. She was a little girl after all. The Saint tried to sooth her, as she was weeping openly. “You were right... you were right all along.”
“You too, My Lady, all the time.”
A Goddess and a Saint sat down facing each other to cleanse their souls of guilt. The offences proliferated; the silences permitted. The injury that had been caused was forgiven and forgotten. Before her Saint, a Goddess realised that even she was human, for her heart was. That she loved and felt just like any other.
Before his Goddess, a Saint opened his heart, showing, despite all his fears, that he had decided to keep going on. That he had not minded that she oppose him; he had followed his heart, and he had found what he needed to carry on. Milo told her about everything that had happened to him in his life. About Jabu; about his moments meditating, when he had found Her in his being again.
“You deserve to be happy, Scorpio.”
“It’s never good for you to call me that way, Athena, something bad always happens.” The Goddess smiled again as she wiped the last traces of tears from her face.
“If I had known that, Milo; I believe I would have done things differently.”
The man nodded, knowing that if things had been different, they would not be as they were just then. Little by little, having returned had started to bring a certain peace to him, that he had not felt in such a long time. He remembered just before leaving Milos, that he had prayed before the statue of the Goddess, that everything would go the way he and Jabu had planned. But he was still afraid. He still did not know what he would do if he were to come face to face and alone with Camus.
And that was how dawn found them, still talking.
He had slept on the bed, naked. The cold air had hit him slowly, but had left its mark on his body, and he had gone to look for something to wear. He lit one of the candles, seeking to bring some light into the room. He had not realised before. Milo’s room was full of things that were not his.
All around the room, there were items of clothing bearing the Aquarius symbol. Exposure to that reality was hurting him, without him even realising it. ‘This will soon change.’ He repeated to himself. He looked for the rest of the candlesticks, to light the rest of the candles and better illuminate the room. He looked desperately for the chests where Milo’s clothes were stored away, and he found some of Milo’s shirts, he took one in his hands, and he put it on.
He was annoyed, but he looked for something inside himself that would keep him sane. But all he could think of were Milo’s words about Camus, and all that he had been told the night before. His head began to hurt.
He felt troubled by all this, and he walked out of the room, looking for somewhere to sit down. When he looked through one of the exterior windows, he realised that the night had begun to give way to the day. He looked around, and he came across a clock, which seemed so forgotten that it had stopped counting the minutes- just as his breathing seemed to stop as he realised the time. Milo had not come back yet.
He sought to dress himself; he would carry on with his day to day life, as they say. It was better to find something else to do, rather than spend all his time thinking. The thought as to the whereabouts of Milo started to gnaw at his mind. He believed, he trusted; but he could not help it. To one side, he found a small bag which contained his belongings and he took everything out, trying to find something to wear. That done, he hurried out of the Temple, making his way to the Coliseum.