Work Text:
He was playing with fire and he knew it.
There were so many things that could go wrong with this plan. A Spector could see him. More likely, a Saint could see him. And even though his Surplice was tucked away and he wore the casual clothing favored in the towns and villages that circled the base of the mountains that served as shield to Athena’s base, Bennu Kagaho was fairly positive that no one would believe him if he simply said that he was passing through. No one passed through Sanctuary.
He knew what would happen if he was caught. Not death – a Spector couldn’t die, it was contrary to the nature of their own power, but there were things that were worse than death. He didn’t know much about the young Athena, or about Sanctuary’s Grand Master, but he knew what Pandora and the Judges would do if they caught a Saint sneaking through their territory. Knew what the twins would do. It only made sense that the Goddess of War and her subordinates would be cut from a similar cloth. Gods existed on a different plane of morality, and as far as Kagaho was concerned, far above the mortal definition of right and wrong. And wasn’t it the same now for him, too?
The War hadn’t started yet, at least not officially. It was coming closer, steadily moving towards them like a relentless flow of lava. The pieces were all falling into place, but it was not quite…there yet. Pandora and the twins didn’t have what they wanted. Master Alone wasn’t ready, and until then the wheels of fate would not start turning. Secretly Kagaho was glad for that; he didn’t know what would happen once Master Alone ascended and became Hades in truth. Kagaho wasn’t a particular fan of the unknown, either when it came to himself or someone that he had taken under his wing.
The sound of footsteps and voices rose in the distance, directly in front of him, and Kagaho froze. When the footsteps stopped but the voices didn’t fade he nearly let out a curse, until it suddenly registered that he knew one of those voices. In fact, it was the voice that belonged to the entire reason Kagaho had decided to steal into Sanctuary right under the noses of every Bronze, Silver and Gold Saint that wandered its streets. After a debate with himself that lasted all of five seconds, he crept closer to the edge of the pillar that he had ducked behind and peered around the structure.
He hadn’t realized just how close he’d been to the base of the mountain that held the Twelve Zodiac Temples, but the first one stood before him, as easy to see in the evening light as it would have been midday. The temple itself held little interest for Kagaho, however – he didn’t even know, nor did he care, which one it was. His attention was drawn to the marble staircase that led up to the temple, and the two figures that stood on its steps.
The taller of the two he knew only by reputation and rumor, the golden armor he wore the true confirmation of his identity: Aries Shion, the first protector of Sanctuary’s legendary Gold Zodiac. The second figure wore not the Cloth of his identity nor the traditional Tang suit that he’d worn when Kagaho had first lain eyes on him but instead the standard tunic and trousers that most of Sanctuary seemed to favor. The tunic hugged his broad shoulders and chest tight, the lines of muscle definition showing clear through the fabric, the short sleeves baring muscular arms for all the world to see. If a muscle could be packed into that shorter stature it was; Dohko, Saint of Libra, had built deadly strength and power into every inch of his compact body, though his greatest weapon was the disarming smile and cheerful look in his eyes that could get an enemy to let down their guard with ease and then never know quite what it was that had hit them when the final blow struck them.
Kagaho was close enough that he could see them and hear the sound of their voices, but not make out the words that they were saying to each other. Shion’s hands moved as he spoke; Dohko’s responses seemed casual as far as his body language was concerned. Kagaho debated getting closer to try and make out the words, but it would have put him at risk of being seen – and wasn’t the Aries Saint also one of the Jamirans, which would make him both telepathic and telekinetic? After getting this far undetected, that was not a chance that Kagaho was willing to take.
Dohko reached out and placed a hand on the taller man’s shoulder, smiling at him, and Kagaho felt a sudden sharp twist in his gut at the clear familiarity between the two. Quickly he ducked back behind the pillar, pressing his back against it and returning to the shadows. So what if Dohko and Shion were familiar with each other? They were both Gold Saints, comrades-in-arms. It made sense – it just wasn’t a sensation that Kagaho himself was familiar with. There was no Spector that he could call to mind when he thought of the word comrade. While he did tend to gravitate towards looking after the younger Specters that were recruited to Hades’ cause, he still kept a distance between them, never quite letting them in. Letting them close. Close enough… to hurt.
Kagaho closed his eyes, taking a deep breath and shoving back the thoughts attempted to surface, unbidden and unwanted, into the forefront of his mind. He was deep in the middle of enemy territory, he needed to keep his wits about him and he was seriously starting to wonder if this all hadn’t been a stupid idea from the very beginning. He should have said no when Dohko had made the suggestion. Should have, except that it was next to impossible to actually say no to him. Not when he flashed that smile, or his eyes looked so bright. That, really, was the most dangerous thing about Libra Dohko. He made Kagaho feel impulsive.
“So this is where you decided to hide,” a teasing, familiar and extremely close voice cut through Kagaho’s thoughts.
The Bennu jumped, automatically moving away from the pillar and assuming a defensive stance, but fortunately managing to restrain himself from actually throwing a strike. For his part, Dohko just leaned against that same pillar, arms crossed over his chest and an impish grin on his face.
“You… don’t do that!” Kagaho hissed, mindful of the volume of his voice and giving a furtive look around. Where had the Aries Saint gone?
Dohko’s grin only grew. “If you’re looking for Shion, he went back into his Temple, and he’s not going- to come out for the rest of the evening unless another Gold Saint decides he’s going to wander off for a stroll. Which isn’t too likely, considering half of us aren’t even here right now.”
Kagaho scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. “That isn’t something you should be disclosing to the enemy,” he pointed out.
“Well, then it’s a good thing I’m not talking to an enemy right now, isn’t it?” Dohko’s voice pitched a little lower, giving it a deeper cadence, and Kagaho felt a shiver go down his spine at the sound – and at the fact that Dohko was right. Kagaho could have overheard the precise strategy with which Athena intended to win the Holy War, and he knew he wouldn’t have spoken a word. Not to Pandora, not to the twins…not even to Master Alone, as long as he was safe.
“Yes,” Kagaho quietly replied, meeting Dohko’s gaze steadily, finding himself nearly blinded by the brightness of Dohko’s eyes.
“Well, now that that’s established,” Dohko said, clearly pleased with Kagaho’s response, “let’s go. I don’t want to waste any more time, and the longer we linger the higher the chance that Shion might stick his head out in curiosity. He takes his role as guardian of the gate a little too seriously sometimes, I think.” He stepped forward and caught up Kagaho’s wrist, tugging him along – not onto the main street, but further from the pillar and the shadow of the mountain, keeping to the side paths that Kagaho hadn’t even noticed were there.
“Where are we going?” Kagaho asked as he followed behind, letting Dohko take the lead; after all, he was obviously more familiar with their surroundings. “The village?”
“Rodorio? Nah, we’re too likely to run into someone who might recognize you,” Dohko replied with a shake of his head. “Most of the guards have the day or night off, and if they don’t feel like trekking to the city, that’s the next best place to relax.”
Kagaho narrowed his eyes in sudden suspicion. “Half the Saints aren’t here and the guards have an off day? Did you plan this?”
Dohko looked over his shoulder at him. “What – did I plan to invite you into Sanctuary at a point where I knew the odds would be good you wouldn’t get caught? Of course I did. I’d be stupid to invite you when we were at full capacity. You’re good, Kagaho, but you’d never make it past the first gates. Now be quiet and come on. We’re running a skeleton crew right now, but there are still people here.”
Kagaho lapsed into silence, not because Dohko had commanded it but because Dohko was right. Getting to this point hadn’t been without a couple of close calls with patrols, and if Dohko was telling him they still needed to be cautious, then cautious he would be. He was a Specter, a shadow; when he wanted to, he could move without even a hint of sound.
After a few moments, Dohko gave a quiet chuckle of amusement. “All right. Maybe you would have made it past the front gates, after all.”
Kagaho wasn’t certain how long they’d been walking for, but not once did he voice any protest in following Dohko’s lead. He never had, which was probably how he’d found himself in this situation to begin with -if situation was the correct word to be used when it came to carrying on a relationship with the Libra Saint behind the backs of Specters and Saints alike.
He...wasn’t sure if there actually was a word that could describe that.
At last Dohko stopped and released Kagaho’s wrist, leaving the other feeling the loss of the warmth of his hand. “Here we are,” Dohko declared. “No one should have any reason to trouble us here.”
‘Here’, it turned out, was a small plateau, one of that overlooked a good portion of the mountain range that hid Sanctuary, though the domain of Athena itself was to their backs. Kagaho could just make out the lights of Rodorio at the foot of the mountains, and even further out in the distance, the glow of the nearest city. The passage of time was a startling thing to him at times - as a Specter he held immortality in his hands, and yet he scarcely took note of the world around him. When he did, it was always with a jolt at how quickly the world could change.
Kagaho turned to look at Dohko. “Why here?” he questioned. When Dohko had suggested the date, Kagaho had imagined the two of them going down to the village, or perhaps to a city where they were less likely to be known. Although he supposed that if either had been Dohko’s intention then there would have been no reason for Kagaho to attempt to sneak into Sanctuary itself. Still – this hadn’t been what he’d expected.
Dohko had settled himself down on the ground, having brushed aside any rocks or sticks that might have made sitting uncomfortable - though there was nothing that could really be done for the dust and the dirt. There was another cleared spot beside him; Kagaho took the hint, walking over and settling himself down beside Dohko. He was as aware of Dohko’s proximity even sitting side by side, without touching, as he had been when Dohko had grabbed his wrist; this level of hyper fixation on the presence of another person could not be considered healthy, and yet at the same time Kagaho had never felt more at ease. Besides, it was really Dohko to blame – it was his presence, after all.
“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Dohko murmured, and for a moment Kagaho was confused; it wasn’t an answer to his question, and he wasn’t sure what Dohko was referring to. The village? The distant lights of the city? The emptiness of the mountains? He glanced over at him, and saw that Dohko was leaning back on his arms, and his head was tilted back with his gaze focused on the sky.
Oh.
He looked up and found that, in the course of their walking, the sky had shifted from its twilight shades into full night, a blanket of blackness dotted by a sea of stars. It was a clear night, not one cloud obscuring the view. Stars. Of course it would be stars that would capture Dohko’s attention. Kagaho had nothing against the night and the shadow, but he was a servant of the Underworld. The stars held no real significance to him. Was this why Dohko had brought him here?
“This is one of the best places in Sanctuary to see them from,” Dohko continued despite Kagaho’s silence, still gazing up at the stars. “It doesn’t compare to the view from Star Hill, or so I’m told – only the Grand Master is allowed up there. Still, it’s a good one. And this is a good night for them. I wanted to bring you here – to share this you.”
Kagaho shifted in his seat uncertainly. Okay, so it seemed like this was the reason Dohko had been so eager to get him to Sanctuary. Eager enough to risk his life, though? To look at some stars? “I’m…not really one for stargazing,” he said hesitatingly, looking over at the other warrior. To him, Dohko’s eyes and smile were a lot more captivating than some sparkling lights out in a universe that he couldn’t touch.
Dohko softly chuckled. “No, I guess you wouldn’t be, would you?” he asked. “Specters aren’t tied to the stars the way we Saints are, are they? You have Cosmo like we do, and you burn it like we do, but you draw it from a different source.”
Kagaho nodded. “Our Cosmo draws from Hades and the Underworld,” he replied. “Or so I’ve always been told. To be honest I’ve never given much thought to it. From the moment I became a Specter, the power has simply been there. I only have to reach out and grasp it, and it does what I ask. I’ve never needed more than that.”
Dohko gave a nod, but his expression was one that Kagaho couldn’t quite read. He’d learned that Dohko, for all of his quick wit and easygoing mannerisms, could keep a thought to himself for as long as he needed to, and the other man was always thinking. He turned his face back to the night sky, then reached out and pointed. “There,” he said.
“What?”
“There,” Dohko repeated, and then began to trace lines in the air. Kagaho had to shift closer to him to see the pattern the way that Dohko saw it, but he still frowned in puzzlement. It was a small constellation in comparison to some, made up of only six stars, and Dohko’s tracing of it had those stars split into two shapes that connected on a single, middle start point.
“It has a lot of names and features in a lot of mythologies,” Dohko continued conversationally. “The Vermillion Bird. Suzaku. Phoenicids. The Phoenix. It’s not much to look at, constellation-wise. You have to kind of tilt your head and squint to see the tail, and for the life of me I’ve never figured out where its wings are supposed to be. Shion gives me grief about that sometimes. He says I’m too literal when it comes to the constellations. I just wonder how someone can look at some of these shapes and come up with the image that they do. I mean, take Libra for instance. It’s just a triangle with two lines hanging down from it. Who am I to argue, though? Our Cloths predate some of the modern names for the constellations that they derive their power from, so maybe the stars themselves spoke what their names were. Who am I to argue with stars and gods?”
“And is there a Phoenix Saint?” Kagaho asked, curious despite himself.
“There must have been one at some point,” Dohko replied, “but no one can remember the Cloth showed itself. There always seems to be a few Saints missing with each Holy War, one or two Cloths that never wake up… some people say that’s why the Holy Wars continue. That if the time ever came when all eighty-eight Saints of Athena awoke, everything would change.”
He lapsed into silence, his brow furrowed slightly, as if troubled by the words that he’d just spoken. Then he leaned back, all the way back, until he was stretched out on the ground with his arms pillowing his head. Kagaho could not recall ever seeing Dohko so solemn before.
“What are you thinking?” Kagaho asked.
Dohko sighed, a heavy sound that made Kagaho imagine a true weight sitting upon the other warrior’s shoulders. “That this won’t last,” Dohko finally replied. “That these stolen moments we take cannot hold up under the pressure of fate and destiny. We serve different gods, gods at war with each other. We’re on opposite sides of the same battle, Kagaho. We could end up fighting each other. We could –“
He stopped short as Kagaho leaned over, brushing his lips softly against Dohko’s. Dohko immediately closed his eyes and returned the kiss, reaching up with one hand to cup the back of Kagaho’s head, sliding his fingers into Kagaho’s hair. He didn’t pull him down, didn’t try to intensify the kiss. It was slow, lazy, and very real.
When Kagaho started to pull back Dohko’s grip abruptly grew firmer, fingers curling around and gripping the other’s hair as he now seized control of the kiss. A shiver ran down Kagaho’s spine as he felt the tip of Dohko’s tongue brush against his lower lip; he parted his lips in response, acquiescing to the Libra Saint’s silent request and allowing the kiss to deepen. Dohko made a sound of contentment against Kagaho’s mouth and relaxed his grip, his hand shifting down to the back of the Bennu’s neck.
The shiver melted into undeniable warmth, Kagaho allowing himself to relax against Dohko, still supporting himself with one hand but moving the other to rest on Dohko’s bicep. He could feel the heat of Dohko’s skin despite the chill of the evening, and when he curled his fingers as though to tighten his grip, the firmness of muscle reminded him that at any time Dohko could probably shove him off, push him away – and that he didn’t. If anything, Dohko was doing his damnedest to do just the opposite, a fact with was a marvel in and of itself to Kagaho. Dohko probably could have had anyone, winning them over with a smile and a laugh, but for some reason the Libra Saint had chosen him - chosen him before Kagaho had even realized what was happening.
With no impending obligations and the blanket of night wrapped around them, neither warrior was in any hurry to track the passage of time. How long they lay there, kisses alternating from soft and languid to intense and fierce at random intervals, Kagaho couldn’t really say. He only knew for certain that, at this precise moment, there was nowhere else he’d rather be.
Eventually the kisses slowed to a point where they were merely brushing lips against each other’s, both in a state of docile contentment, Kagaho’s forehead resting against Dohko’s with his eyes closed. Finally, he opened them, and when he started to pull back Dohko moved his hand to allow him to do so. Kagaho didn’t pull back too far, however; still above Dohko, he looked down at him with dark, serious eyes.
“We’re not at war yet,” Kagaho said, his voice low, his tone serious. “We’re not at war tonight. Let’s not think about the future right now – or the past. Let’s just think about right now.”
He pulled back fully, settling back into his spot and looking up at the stars. “We’re outside of Sanctuary, right?”
Dohko pushed himself up on his arms, looking at Kagaho. “Yes,” he said slowly, drawing out the word. “Why?”
Kagaho pushed himself to his feet and walked closer to the edge of the plateau, looking out at the distant city lights again. Soon the candles in the windows would begin to go out, and the world would be plunged into darkness and shadow again. Not that it mattered. Darkness and shadow was where Kagaho thrived.
He knelt down, acutely aware of Dohko’s gaze on him, and placed his hand on the solid ground. It lit up around him, a circle of darkness, and when he rose and stepped back to open his eyes it was in time to witness his sleeping Surplice rise up from the depths, answering his summons. Just as swiftly he called it to his body, felt the familiar weight settling in around him as it enveloped him, the weight that vanished the moment the last piece was in place and he could extend his wings to their fullest. The Surplice was an extension of himself, of his being - it was always there. He merely needed to reach out and call for it.
As the image of the summoning circle vanished from the ground, Kagaho turned around to find Dohko sitting up and watching intently. He smiled at the mix of apprehension and curiosity in Dohko’s eyes – he clearly had not been expecting this, and the thought that he had actually managed to surprise Dohko amused Kagaho to no end. It was usually the other way around.
“You brought me out here to see the stars,” Kagaho said in answer to Dohko’s obvious but unspoken question. “I figure that the least I can do is take you closer to them.” He held out his hand, holding his breath as he waited to see what Dohko would do.
Of course, what Dohko did was immediately break out into that brilliant grin that made Kagaho’s heart flutter in strange and peculiar ways, scrambling to his feet and hurriedly taking Kagaho’s proffered hand. “Why Kagaho,” Dohko teased, “are you planning to sweep me off my feet?”
Kagaho could not refrain from rolling his eyes as he tugged Dohko closer, stealing another quick kiss and then letting the shorter man wrap his arms around his neck. He held him securely, and Dohko tucked his head into the crook of Kagaho’s neck, seemingly not bothered by the potential discomfort of the sharper bits of armor.
“You know,” Dohko murmured, “there’s another name that Phoenix is known by sometimes, depending on which mythology you follow.”
“Hm?”
“Bennu.”
As Kagaho launched himself into the air, his laughter was stolen away by the rush of the wind around him – stolen for all, that is, except for the one in his arms.