Disclaimer: I do not own any of the following characters nor Saint Seiya anime.
Summary: Request. Aphrodite x OC. To be a man and fall so low. To be the strong one and suffer so much. To love yet never be loved. This just had to be a nightmare… And I'm stuck in it for good.
Lotus in a rose garden
To be a man and fall so low. To be the strong one and suffer this much. To love yet never be loved in return. This just had to be a nightmare… And I'm stuck in it for good. Aphrodite thought to himself while reminiscing the past events that just occurred. He sat on the stone steps that led to his sanctuary. It was one of those days when he would just sit and stare at nowhere thinking. What Aphrodite didn't know, was that his friends, other gold saints were very worried about him. Lifting his eyes up Camus looked at his fellow sitting on the steps. He sighed and walked into his temple. Everyone knew that at the time like this Aphrodite wanted to wonder in his memories.
It happened several years back, when new students were accepted. At that time Aphrodite just wanted to train his students as best as he could for he knew that one day he shall pass his armor to hopefully one of them. To his surprise the students were hard working and promising. Yet the Pisces saint didn't compliment them much. They all needed hard work and stay beautiful. That was his motto and soon the trainees became silver saints. He was proud of his students.
That day he was walking back to his temple from the training outside. Passing all the temples he looked at other students training hard to reach the goal. Even thou they already were saints they were still training hard. That was normal. Well for most. As soon as Aphrodite reached Virgo temple he smirked. It was always this peaceful as if no one ever were there. You could hear even a heartbeat in this temple. His footsteps' echo died when he faced two shocked amber eyes, parted cherry red lips, soft face features. Like a texture you'd love to paint on. He gazed at the chocolate brown hair woman in front of him. She was wearing silver lotus cloth. He knew she was Shaka's student. In an instant she turned away and hid her face with a mask. Aphrodite blinked, lowered his face down and smirked. "I better train. I guess you are coming for my life." He said walking pass the girl. "Or you can fall for me." Her masked face shot up and looked at the back of the disappearing gold saint. "Oh no…" She whispered kneeling down. Why, of all the times, she took of her mask now? Why did gold saint of Pisces saw her face? "No…" She whispered. The least she wanted was to kill someone. How come there was such a rule anyway? She also could fall in love with that man… but her heart already belonged to another.
Days passed and no matter how hard Aphrodite tried he could not get the Lotus saint out of his mind. Her face stuck in his mind. Every time he closed his eyes, he would see the gentle face looking back at him. Those amber eyes charmed him. Sweet little flower. She was perfect for his garden. So perfect that over the weeks his want turned into the obsession. At first it was easy to forget about her, but fate had something else in mind for the gold saint of Pisces. The days when Aphrodite forgot about the young girl and concentrated himself only on the training he would see the girl. There were days when he would hear Shaka's voice and a firm yes as an answer. Turning around he would see the Lotus saint.
"Lotus…" He whispered as he looked at the girl. His concentration was gone and all he could do was watch her. This was madness. How could the proud gold saint become so weak? He tossed and turned in his bed. "This is insane!" He said to himself and sat up. Fresh air. Yes. That's what he needs at the moment. This will make him feel better.
Walking out the temple he found himself gazing at the Virgo temple. Was he in love? Aphrodite's eyes darkened. In that temple… the two of them… Dark aura started to surround the saint of Pisces. "That bastard!" He hit the column and few drops of blood fell down on the ground. "Damn it!" He yelled out.
At that time in Aquarius temple Camus was standing in the shadows looking up at Pisces temple. His face was as emotionless as usual. However, he seemed to grasp what was going on. Everyone noticed changes in Aphrodite. They all were guessing and most of them came to one conclusion. Yet no one dared to speak up. Turning around he disappeared into the shadows of his own temple.
That day was just the same as usual. Well at least it was for Ayako, the silver saint of Lotus. Was it her or did her master Shaka over time became more strict than usual? Or was she growing weak? No! This cannot be! What shall I do if I am to become weaker? She questioned herself. The girl just couldn't allow this to happen. More than anything, she wished her master to proud of her.
He had no idea, but the girl loved him from a long time ago.
It was when she was very little. Losing her parents was not the only thing bad that happened that day. She was about to drown when running away from bad people she fell into the river. She could remember clearly as she was about to leave this world, a pair of strong arms caught her and she was pulled up onto the land. "Are you alright?" She heard a voice and opened her eyes. The boy shook her once more to make sure she'll snap out of it. And she did.
Ayako learned that the boy was named Shaka and that he was one of the saints. From that day onwards she followed him into the sanctuary and luckily became his student. And now she started to become weaker and weaker. Shaka asked her to do the job and she almost lost her life. She refused to believe that Shaka became cruel. She thought that it was she who became weak. And she had to fix it, somehow.
That day Aphrodite was walking back to his sanctuary when he noticed Shaka training with Ayako. He froze instantly since he noticed that the girl was almost able to stand. Shaka stopped and ordered her to go back to her room, for the training was done. The Pisces saint watched as the girl fled away and Shaka turned to face his friend. "What are you doing Shaka? She's just a silver saint! You cannot train her like that YET!" He almost exploded. "Why do you care anyway? She is my student." Shaka replayed calmly. "Even Deathmask does not treat his students the way you are. She is a woman in the first place. Like a flower! You need to treat her as if she was a flower for Athena's sake!" Shaka listened for a while longer and opened his eyes. Aphrodite stopped talking as they looked at each other. "Do you want me to tend her as a flower?" Shaka's question took Aphrodite by surprise. Of course he didn't! He wanted Lotus saint for himself. "I guess not." Shaka continued. "Well then, do not interfere with our training." He turned his back to the quiet Pisces saint.
"Do you even care about her?" He asked gripping Shaka's shoulder and forcing him to turn around. "Do you need her? Do you love her? Answer me Shaka!" Aphrodite yelled at him in the face. Yet Shaka was as calm as usual. "She is my student. That is all you need to know." Aphrodite was angry beyond the words. The girl was in love with someone who didn't even see her as a woman. "Then, I shall be taking her away." He said turning from Shaka calming himself down. "Do as you wish." Shaka replied and disappeared into the shadows of the temple he called home.
Aphrodite was leaving the temple when he froze. He unconsciously lifted his head up and met amber eyes covered in crystal tears. She was not wearing her mask. Perhaps she wanted to wipe away her tears. Maybe he wasn't supposed to see her face. He would turn away, but for some reason he couldn't. His arms reached for the shuddering girl. She covered her face with her palms, turned and ran away into her room. Or that's what Aphrodite thought.
Slamming the door shut Ayako fell on her bed crying. What she heard didn't surprise her. She knew that Shaka saw her only as his student. But what made her heart ache more was the expression on Aphrodite's face. He looked at her with such a pity. His words echoed in her mind. He doesn't love you. Are you finally convinced? She knew it. She knew it! She didn't want to hear that from Shaka. She wanted to be at least loved as his student. But why did it hurt? Why did it feel as if someone just ripped her heart away? Was her heart starting to sway or was it because she truly loved her master and wanted to be loved in return?
Shaka stood in his garden watching the clouds. Aphrodite's words rang in his head. For some reason he didn't like the idea of Ayako leaving his side but also Shaka was in no place to keep her. Aphrodite seemed very passionate about her and it felt wrong to separate them. But why was his heart aching every time he thought about Ayako leaving him?
Aphrodite closed the door behind him as he entered his room. Hair was covering his eyes. What just happened was probably too much. However, he could only think about the crying flower. She was hurt. Hurt so much she wouldn't be able to get out of her room for few days. And he will give her time. But after that, she shall be his. No matter she likes it or not.
Sometimes Aphrodite wondered how cruel fate could get. Every time things went wrong and seemed that worse could not happen, it happened.
A month has passed since he lastly saw Ayako. During that time Aphrodite seemed to become more and more insane. His eyes searched for the girl everywhere but never saw her. She was not accompanying Shaka anymore. He could not see her train. What had happened to her? Was she sent away or was she killed? The Pisces saint was about to go mad, when he entered his garden to calm down he froze. There in the middle of his garden stood the girl he wanted to see. Ayako.
Quietly he walked up to her allowing the girl to admire his flowers. "I'm glad you like them." He spoke quietly scaring the girl. "Don't be afraid. I do not bite." He smiled gently. "I am sorry." The girl whispered. "I didn't mean to intrude…" She lowered her face. "I just…"
"Found them beautiful and could not resist but touch them?" Aphrodite gazed at his roses. "Y-yes…" She whispered looking at them. The Pisces saint smiled a sad smile and looked at the girl. "Now you know how I feel looking at you." She looked at him in surprise. She was waiting for him to laugh. To say that he was kidding, but he didn't. He just stood there gazing at her. "I-I have to go home." She said running passed him, but was stopped. Aphrodite gripped her hand and forced to stay. "Where are you going?" He asked still in his calm voice. "I… I have to go. Master is waiting for me." Little did she know that Aphrodite would snap at those words. "You are not going anywhere." He said in his cold voice. "Please let me go!" She struggled to get away. "Please!" He yanked her hand and forced her to look at him. "Why are you looking only at that man?" He asked. "I do not know what you are talking about!" She tired to break free. "Do not lie to me!" He yelled as he placed his palm on her mask. "What are you doing?" She asked pulling away. Just at that moment her mask shattered. "You look better without it." He grinned and tried to pull her closer but was slapped. "Leave me alone!" She yelled pulling away and almost managed, but Pisces saint recovered almost instantly. He gripped her shoulders and shook her. She turned her face away and closed her eyes. She didn't want to look at him. If she did, she'd have to either fall for him or kill him.
"Look at me!" He yelled. The girl just looked down at what was left of her mask. "Look at me!" He yelled once more and yanked her so she would face him. Her tears almost made him back away… almost. "I don't want to kill anyone!" The girl cried. "Then love me!" he yelled back almost in an instant. "I… can't…" She whispered looking away. She felt him release her shoulder and was about to sigh when she felt his grip on her hand. Looking down her eyes widened. He placed a blade in her palm, gripped it and lifted to his throat. "So kill me." He said as more tears slid down the girl's face. "No!" She yelled. "I'd rather freeze as lotus in Shaka's cold hand than bloom a rose in a garden I cannot stand!" She yelled at him yanking her hand away. Aphrodite let her hand go and the blade fell stabbing the soft ground they were standing on. She pushed away from him and ran towards the sanctuary she called home. Aphrodite watched her leave. He was stunned. Her cruel words rang in his head over and over again. He fell to his knees. Hands that once held a treasure limply touched the soft grass. "Ayako…" He whispered.
The end.