Echoes of Humanity

Part VII

Mu felt something tug at his mind when he left Shaka behind him at the arena. He felt badly about it. He liked Shaka, truly, and trusted him to some extent. Plus, he wanted to tell Shaka because he knew the blond would understand. More than understanding, however, Mu knew Shaka wouldn’t judge him. Shaka wouldn’t care that Mu’s most primal urge was to punch Milo in the gut, while at the same time he wanted to take Milo aside and let the Scorpio Saint punch him, because Milo was the type of man who would feel a lot better after beating something up, and he had nothing to attack right now. Shaka wouldn’t look at him oddly if he said any of that. There was a decent chance that none of the Saints would, given their similar circumstances, but Mu felt he could be certain that Shaka would not.

It was with that thought in mind that Mu paused for a long moment outside the Aries temple after he had washed his face and hands, and changed back into functional work clothing. The rain had ceased, and the sky was tinged with the soft grey that marked the brief moment before darkness began to fall. Then, with what Mu himself thought was remarkably little hesitation, he walked back up to the Virgo Temple.

The Virgo Saint had changed as well, by the time he arrived, and was leaning against the far wall of the temple, contemplating his Cloth, as though trying to decide whether to put it on. “Can I help you?” He asked quietly at Mu’s approach, voice low and unthreatening but, Mu thought, lacking any emotion other than courtesy. The Aries Saint felt warranted in his belief that he had insulted Shaka when he’d dismissed him so abruptly.

Several responses went through Mu’s head, as he attempted to think of a decent response. Most of them laid responsibility on Shaka, which was something Mu refused to do. A few left him sounding weak and pathetic, and Mu’s nature refused to allow him to do that, so finally the pink-haired man shook his head. “I couldn’t remember if I had thanked you for sparring with me.”

Shaka smiled. “You walked past four temples to ask me that? I find it hard to believe that it was such a pressing matter that it required your immediate attention. If I didn’t know better, Aries, I might think that you were stalking me.”

Mu hesitated, wondering what exactly the emotion was that the words triggered in him. It wasn’t exactly guilt, and fear didn’t quite seem correct, either, it seemed to be in the same family, and unnamable. However, he was saved from answering by Shaka, who seemed uninclined to wait for an answer, instead beckoning to the bench to Mu’s right. “Sit.” He said. The word was a request, a command, and just a slight bit wanting.

Mu sat, and Shaka managed to lean more deeply against the wall. He raised an eyebrow at the Aries Saint.

“This does seem rather inefficient.” Shaka remarked, his tone flat enough that Mu wasn’t quite certain whether the Virgo Saint was being serious or not. He shrugged.

“I was rude earlier, and needed to make sure that I had thanked you.”

Shaka didn’t quite smile. “I think we were probably both rude. However, I do believe that I spoke honestly.”

“Of course you did.” Mu said quietly. “You’re right. However, there is truly nothing to tell. The Scorpio Saint and I spoke candidly after Athena’s visit, and I assumed too much. He took offense, and a simple argument came to blows.”

“I find it hard to believe that you would assume too much.” Shaka replied, as though he had not even heard the last part of Mu’s admission, although the Aries Saint was certain that he had. He had no answer to give, and Shaka seemed to realize this, rewording the reply. “I don’t believe that you would assume too much. Although I would probably have to place Taurus before you, I do believe that, of all the people I’ve met, you are one of the most perceptive.”

Mu blinked. “Why do you do you think that?”

Shaka paused for a moment, thinking over a thousand different answers, and when he spoke the words were nearly imperceptible, even in the near-silence of the approaching evening, almost as though the Virgo Saint believed that he was revealing a great secret.

“You gave aid to the Dragon Saint, when he sought it.”

“What have you heard?” Mu asked, and he wasn’t quite sure why he felt defensive, almost betrayed, by the fact that someone else held the story of what have transpired between Shiryu and himself.

“That, were it not for you, Shiryu would be dead, and the other Bronze Saints most likely destroyed as well.”

Mu took a deep breath. “I think that is perhaps blown out of proportion.”

The ghostly smile on Shaka’s face grew slightly, although anyone who was unfamiliar with the tall blond would have probably considered his expression a frown. Mu wondered for a brief moment when he had learned to tell the difference. “An event like that, as it is spoke of, could be hard to blow out of proportion.” He said softly, “Human imagination can rarely portray such events believably.”

Mu shrugged. “Men believe what they want to hear, and hear what they want to believe.”

“What could I possibly have to gain from believing tall tales told about you?” Shaka asked, sliding down to crouch with his back resting against the wall in an obvious sign that a conversation had been started. Mu smiled slightly.

“I can’t answer that, but I’m sure that you know.”

Shaka shook his head. “You, Aries, may be the one trying to believe something here. You don’t even know what the story being told is, and yet you are convinced of its untruth.”

“The myths that surround men often make them appear far greater than they actually are.”

Shaka reposted instantly. “Great men must exist for myths to be written.”

“That is true,” Mu replied, “And yet, I am not a great man.” His eyes dared Shaka to tell him differently, in an expression that had become all too common between them. Even before Shaka spoke the look on the Virgo Saint’s face made him realize that he had made a fatal error.

“So, if you are not a great man, and myths can only be written about great men, then the stories must be true.”

Mu smiled. He’d been beaten before the game had barely begun. The thought crossed his mind that playing a strategy game with the Virgo Saint would be both a challenge and an extreme pleasure. He would have to find out at some point if they had any such games in common.

Now, however, he had to admit defeat for the second time that day. It was beginning to be a pattern that he was being conquered by Shaka, and he was getting rather bemused by the occurrences.

“I have no idea what was included in the story you heard, but your logic is greater than my own.”

To the Aries Saint’s amazement, Shaka visibly smiled.

“Perhaps,” The blond said, “That is because I speak the truth, or at least one version of it.”

“Or perhaps you were just able to string more words together in logical sequence than myself.”

Shaka shook his head, the same unexplained and unexpected smile on his face. “We are both generally men of very few words, Mu. I don’t think either of us had the advantage.”

Mu hesitated for a brief moment. Shaka seemed both confidant and strangely unsure in his words. It was a contradiction that confused him and, yet, at the same time Mu couldn’t help but mirror the smile on Shaka’s face with one of his own.

“Eloquence is not judged in number of words, Shaka. Some of the most expressive men I’ve known spoke no more than fifty words in an average day.”

Shaka shrugged. “I don’t doubt it.”

Mu hesitated. “Although I admit that I used to include you among that number.” He said after a moment.

“Am I no longer eloquent, than?” Shaka asked, his voice holding surprisingly little anger, although Mu moved quickly to disperse even the small amount that he did hear.

“That is not what I meant. You have said more to me recently than we have said our entire lives, and I mean that as no judgment of you.”

“And?” Shaka prompted gently, and Mu was surprised to hear something that might have been laughter in the blonde’s tone.

“And I think it’s rather enjoyable. Even we you speak in length, you never say more than you mean, which is not something that can be said of most men, myself included.”

Shaka looked at him for a long time, saying nothing. Mu shifted, knowing quite well that he was being studied at length, and the weight of the gaze made him uncomfortable and, yet, at the same time, knowing that Shaka dared and could search him thusly, without flinching, made him feel strangely safe.

Shaka pushed himself away from the wall suddenly.

“You may say more than you mean, Mu, but you have yet to say more than is necessary.” He said, walking past Mu purposefully, the smile that had so surprised Mu fading into the more typical expression of passivity that Mu was used too.

Even more surprising than the smile, though, were the words that Shaka threw back over his shoulder, as he beckoned Mu forward with a brief wave of your hand.

“It’s what makes your company enjoyable, Aries. Even when you say more than you mean, you still manage to say the right thing.”

Mu stood for a little longer than he probably should have, wondering what the words were supposed to mean, and trying to figure out why they made him feel like the earth had turned to quicksand under his feet. A sharp twinge in his shoulder broke the moment, as Shaka, who had been watching him carefully, instantly noticed his brief wince.

“How bad?”

“Nothing major. I overreached myself this afternoon.”

Shaka smirked. “I know, it’s why I won.”

Mu shrugged. “Had I been an inch further from you, I would have won.”

“An inch you had not allowed yourself.” Shaka replied, and walked back towards him. “If you will allow me, I can try to aid your recovery. I’m sure the rain did not serve to loosen any muscles.”

Mu hesitated for a moment, as though weighing two separate risks. Then he nodded passively. “If it is no trouble.” He said quietly.

“Of course it is not.” Shaka replied. He jerked his head, and Mu stood to follow him, utterly shocked that the Virgo Saint led him to the bedroom, and beckoned to the plain, but not uncomfortable looking bed in the corner. “It will create a better angle.” Shaka said by way of explanation. Mu once again followed the order, his assumption that the bed was not uncomfortable confirmed as he sat down on the edge. Shaka moved to the other side of the bed to stand behind him.

“You’ll need to move your hair.” He said, and Mu complied, pulling the strands over his shoulder. Shaka’s hands descended onto his shoulders, and Mu couldn’t stop a brief shiver caused by the touch. He had not received a massage since early in his training, and the contact had become once again unfamiliar to him. Taking a deep breath, Mu forced himself to relax, and to let Shaka perform the task at hand.

Shaka, as he was in most things, was completely devoted to the task, strong hands working both strained and unhurt muscles together, long practice making the massage go deep past the first layer of muscle, and Mu thought could feel the kneading of Shaka’s fingers nearly to his bones. As his muscles began to let go, Mu found himself filled with a warm, melting feeling, and he let his eyes slide closed, concentrating on relaxing and making the Virgo Saint’s job as easy as possible.

As Shaka’s hands as they found a particularly tight muscle, Mu shifted and tried to fathom the feeling of dread that had suddenly slid into his consciousness. A feeling that something he was doing was very dangerous, a huge risk. The pressure on his shoulders changed a bit, and Shaka made a rather resigned sound.

“If you slide forward a bit,” The blond said. “I can get a better angle.”

Mu nodded, feeling a bit guilty about having made Shaka work so hard for something that only Mu himself was to blame for, and pulled himself forward to sit closer to the edge of the bed. Shaka knelt behind him, giving himself more room to work. Shaka’s knees bracketed his thighs, and Mu looked down at them while the Virgo Saint resumed his massage, feeling the sensation in his stomach tighten a bit more.

“I…appreciate this, Shaka.” Mu said quietly.

“It is not imposing on me in any way.” The blond replied. “And bodies are in need of such care. It is best to keep them happy, so that we can put the necessary toll on them when we must.”

Mu smiled slightly. “It is usually better not to hurt them in the first place.”

“True.” Shaka said, shrugging one shoulder, despite the fact that M couldn’t see him. “These things happen, though. It could have just as easily been that you slept the wrong way.”

“It was a bad mistake.”

“It was a gambit, one which I was not taken in by. That does not mean that you did anything wrong.” Shaka replied, and Mu got the distinct feeling that under no circumstances was the Virgo Saint going to let Mu blame himself for the injury any more than necessary. He seemed to have finished, as well, and was sitting with his hands still resting lightly on Mu’s shoulders, waiting for the Aries Saint’s reply. As Mu contemplated his answer, he also found himself wondering about how languid he felt. Although Shaka had only massaged his shoulders, the relaxed feeling seemed to have seeped into his entire body, and the warm feeling now seemed to have gone to his head, making a decent answer to Shaka’s rather rational argument seem completely too much trouble. So, instead, he made a quiet noise of resignation and, without quite realizing what he was doing, he leaned back a few inches. He felt a bit shocked, but not very shocked, when he felt himself leaning against Shaka’s chest. He was exceedingly shocked that Shaka made no move to shift away, although the blond did drop his hands from Mu’s shoulders. The feeling of danger redoubled in Mu as he felt the temperature of Shaka’s body merge with his own, in strange contrast with the fact that much of his mind was telling him how incredibly nice, safe, it was to be here. He wasn’t quite sure what “here” was.

“I should get back to the Aries temple.” He murmured, the words almost a whisper and filled with very little conviction.

“You should.” Shaka said in agreement, and Mu realized suddenly that he could feel the blond’s breath against the back of his neck. He didn’t move, as the battle between his emotions reached epic proportions.

Then he sneezed.

Instantly, whatever strange mood had overtaken them was broken. Mu stood, quickly, breaking the contact with Shaka, and the Virgo Saint scooted backwards until he was once again standing. Searching for something to say, Mu found that he was unable to look at Shaka, and instead focused his vision on a crack on the floor, following its winding path to where it was stopped abruptly by a wall.

“Thank you.” He said. “I admit I was not particularly looking forward to awaking tomorrow with a strained shoulder muscle.”

Without looking, he could still feel the energy of the small smile that Shaka had begun to express in the past weeks. “As I said, it was no imposition. I…thank you for finally telling me more of what went on between you and the Scorpio Saint.”

With anyone else, Mu would have been certain that the words were sarcastic. With Shaka, there seemed to be a genuine sincerity in the sentiment, and Mu wondered just how much the Virgo Saint had been able to read between the lines. Unable to think of anything to say, he turned to walk out of the temple, Shaka following him to the doorway.

“Well….” Mu said uncomfortably, “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Aries.” Shaka said in kind, as Mu began his walk to the Aries temple.

Mu forced himself to go several feet before he looked back, but Shaka had already retreated into his own temple, for which Mu was grateful. He couldn’t quite shake the feeling that something had gone either very right or extremely wrong between the Virgo Saint and himself, and a brief chill shook his body as he realized he couldn’t decide if the emotion he was ultimately feeling was fear or curiosity.