Double Plus Good

Three: Greeting’s From a Dead Man

The air was crisp, the sun warm, as Saga stood at the entrance to the Gemini temple looking down at the temples below him, mind ablaze in thought. Scenes from the past flashed before his vision, some good, some not-so-good, and with each scene he became increasingly envious that his younger brother had been able to find somebody who accepted him without reservation. He could see the love between them, and while Kanon had found one to spend the rest of his days with, the same could not be said for Saga, who knew that despite any feelings he may still be harboring, the one he wanted should never be his. Their lives were never meant for anything but the protection of their goddess, but with the universe at peace, what more was there than to find that special someone? Before his first death the only thing that concerned Saga was world domination, and he used his powers to crush and mold the world unto his own. Now, with the absence not only of that desire but the cruel alter-ego itself, he felt strangely empty. Listening to his brother’s wild passion did not help. It was his birthday, he was supposed to be happy, yet, he felt devastated. As much fun as the morning had been, neither his brother nor the Spectre were his, and that, Saga though, was what caused him to feel lonely.

“Beautiful day,” said a voice from behind.

Startled, Saga flipped around, surprised to see who walked toward him from the Gemini temple. It was the last person he expected to see today, or any day for that matter. But he could not show the surprise, lest it be looked at too deeply, so he put a hand to his chest to steady his pounding heart and smiled at the newcomer.

“Aiolos. You frightened me.”

The Sagittarius Saint looked beautiful drenched in early-morning sunlight, with his dark hair mussed and his dark eyes glistening. He looked just the way Saga remembered him from all those years ago, albeit a little older, for it seemed that with the resurrection came their true ages, with the exception of Shion who was allowed to remain eighteen. Aiolos, who had been fourteen when he died the first time, came back the same age as Saga, thirty. Today, Saga was one year older, but it always seemed to the Gemini that Aiolos was the elder of the two.

A smile was on those lips, perfectly formed, the stance and expression showing nothing but open friendliness. It hurt Saga to look at such kindness in a face that should show him nothing but hate, so he averted his eyes to the blue of the sky and tried hard not to allow the insecurities to show on his face. It had taken Saga much effort, but up until now, he had avoided being alone with Aiolos at all costs.

“I wanted to be the first to wish you a happy birthday,” said Aiolos, now standing right before Saga. “That, and I brought you a gift.”

“You didn’t have to. . .”

Aiolos laughed, the mirth unhindered. “I wanted to.” From the pocket of his pants he pulled out a box, long white and unwrapped, and handed it to Saga.

Saga took the box, held it for a moment to feel its weight. It was not very heavy, but heavy enough to indicated there was something inside. He was not curious to open it, afraid of what it might be. If he could, he would have handed it back unopened simply because he did not want to accept anything from this person before him. But it would be worse than the first betrayal if he attempted something like that, so, with a sigh, he opened the box.

Inside was a necklace, a charm on a rope. The rope was a simple, black chord, but the charm was exquisite. It was a glass ball, just a bit bigger than the pad of his thumb, all dark blue with a lighter blue circle covering the front, and a black dot in the center of the lighter circle. When the light hit it, the glass sparkled with flecks of color, much like an opal. Simple, yet beautiful, much like the gift-giver.

Aiolos took the necklace from the box and stepped behind Saga, draping the jewelry over the Gemini’s neck to attach at the back. “It’s a charm to ward off evil,” he said with amusement.

“Very funny,” answered Saga, not amused in the slightest.

“I thought it was. So did Milo, Camus and my brother when I showed it to them. The only one who was not amused was Shura, but I guess that was okay all things considered.”

Fingers brushed lightly against Saga’s neck where the rope was clasped. A tremor that was too pleasurable raced down his spine. Saga pulled away and turned to face the one who used to be his best friend. The friendly, open expression on Aiolos’ face was almost enough to make Saga break down into tears. How could he be so kind when everything that happened to his was all Saga’s fault?

“Why. . .?” began Saga, unsure of how to put his thoughts into words without sounding despondent.

Aiolos turned serious. He placed his hands on Saga’s upper arms and held tight. “Because no matter what happened in the past, that’s where it will stay. By the good graces of Athena we have been given new life. I do not intend on suppressing my feelings simply because of what you did back then. I have always cared for you, Saga, and I still do.” Hands moved from forearms to face. Saga started when his eyes were forced to meet Aiolos’. “I forgave you a long time ago.”

Unable to pull away, Saga was brought forth to meet lips he had not tasted since he was thirteen. It was not the same as it was back then, finding that all he wanted was to drown in the embrace that followed. The lips were soft, pliant, the taste minty with something indescribable, the scent heady, manly, a combination that sent Saga’s head to spin and his body aching for more. The grip around him tightened. His brain decided to kick in then, forcing him violently to remember that this was not a person he should be close to. This was a person he had hurt more than any other. This was his worst betrayal. This was the heartache he should content with for the rest of his life.

With heavy hands and a heavier heart, Saga pushed himself away. “Aiolos. I’m sorry. I can’t.” A crazy desire came over him to have Aiolos either punch him or rape him, but neither happened. The Sagittarius only smiled wide, which knifed Saga’s heart even deeper with agony.

“I will wait for you,” said Aiolos, soft but bold. “I know how corny that sounds, but it’s true. I will not give my heart to anyone but you. Thought,” he smirked, “I cannot say the same for my body.”

Saga tried to smile at the obvious joke-that-was-not-really-a-joke, but could only muster a twist of lips that could in no way be considered a smile. His stomach twisted as his heart burned, for he knew Aiolos spoke truth, a truth he did not deserve. A much as he wanted to forget what had been done and forge a new destiny with this man, there had not been enough penance performed to rid him of the stain of his sin. Aiolos was too good for him; he deserved nothing from one so good.

“I’ll see you tonight at the party,” said Aiolos. “Be sure to show off my present or I’ll think you don’t like it.” When his mouth widened into a huge, toothy grin, Saga thought he looked as he did when they were children.

“I won’t take it off,” replied Saga, unthinking. When he realized what he said, he was struck by the truth in the statement. Deep in his heart he cared for Aiolos, so he would never remove the thoughtful gift. Aiolos’ features softened with Saga’s response. They looked at each other for a silent moment until Saga cleared his throat and turned away.

“Well, I’m off then.” Aiolos turned and began to walk back toward the Gemini temple. Just before disappearing into the temple, he turned back to Saga. “Oh, and you guys were really loud this morning. Heard you all the way up at my temple. Makes for an interesting alarm clock.”

Saga felt his face turn scarlet, remembering the threesome he had just been a part of. Before he could utter a response in his defense, Aiolos winked at him, then turned back into the Gemini temple. Once he disappeared, Saga felt the tension in his body dissipate slightly.

Turning his back on his temple, Saga took a deep breath and sighed. There was pain where the charm met his flesh, even though he knew it was all caused by his mind. Aiolos was still as sweet and kind as he ever was, too willing to forgive any trespass against him no matter how grave. Perhaps he could have accepted the other if he had not been treated so kindly right from the start. A couple of punches, maybe some horrible words, and then requests of penance would have made Saga feel more at ease with Aiolos than the blatant display of kindness. Where this development would lead was anyone’s guess, but Saga knew one thing for certain. His lips had not tingled so sweetly since he was thirteen, and they were likely to tingle just as badly in the future. If there was one thing he knew of Aiolos, it was that he was persistent, and would not stop until he got what he wanted no matter how long it took. The question for Saga was, how long would that be?

For how long can one deny their heart’s true desire?

((the necklace is a Grecian 'Blue Glass Eye' that is used to ward off the Evil Eye.))