In the darkness of his room Milo was sitting cross legged on the floor, his eyes shut, his cosmo glistening around his body and his Cloth Chest. He didn't even turn around but simply spoke aloud.

"You may as well come in. I do know you're there."

Two figures cautiously entered, both were wearing armour, one blue, the other reddish orange. They weren't quite grovelling, but it was a close thing.

"Gold Saint?"

"That should be fairly obvious by now. If you have something to say, say it, don't waste my time."

"We would be of service to you, sir."

A mirthless smile appeared in Milo's face, though he still didn't turn round. "Ah yes, Spica and.... Reda, isn't it? The Starlings."

"Yes honoured sire, it is u.... the what?" Spica's carefully rehearsed obeisance was overcome with curiosity.

"Starlings. Are you not even aware of what you are? Perhaps Albior didn't see it as being worth mentioning."

"No Sire, he told us nothing of such things.. due to... unforeseen circumstances." Spica didn't feel it appropriate to mention it was because of Milo's attack.

Milo gave a deep sigh, "I had not intended to act as a teacher on this trip, but I suppose you should learn from an authoritative source."

"A true Saint of Athena channels their cosmo through a constellation, at it's simplest, the stars they are born under act as a focus. A 'Starling' is usually a failed trainee Saint, who channels such cosmo as they have developed through the focus of a single star, whether they know it or not. Their power levels are minimal, occasionally rising to the power of a Bronze Saint, but at a high cost to their minds. There are always a number in each cycle, though you are amongst the few I have encountered personally."

"Starlings nearly always make their own Cloths, and pattern it after a Bronze Cloth, its a sort of compensation for their innate failure I suppose. The Intense Heat Saint in Sanctuary for example, patterned his after the Bronze Fornax Cloth. Docrates was probably one, though it was hard to tell with the Kyoko's favourites. I must remember to ask Dhoko if that particular trait goes back any further in the Cycles.

"On the other hand, the legendary God Warriors of Asgard always seemed to work quite well with a single star... that might be worth researching at some point."

Spica and Reda exchanged a baffled look, intellectual curiosity was not what they had expected of a deadly warrior.

"We are pleased that such lowly figures as ourselves are deemed worthy of your attention, sire."

"Oh, don't fawn. State your purpose in disturbing me... now!"

"Simply put, you shouldn't sully yourself with dealing with June, you are beyond such matters."

"Allow us to deal with her Sire, and we can ensure you are not disturbed further by her mindless prattling about vengeance."

"All we ask in return is your patronage."

Spice and Reda looked round with some degree of concern as the golden glow spread to fill the room. Even with that warning though, they were unprepared for what followed. One second he was sitting there, the next he was standing, facing them, his cloth flying from it's open box to surround him. Their brains told them he must have moved between the two positions, but their eyes hadn't been fast enough to pick up any movement.

It was the Scorpio Saint who stood in front of them, directing a suddenly elongated fingernail at them.

"It is only out of respect for your Master and his true students that I don't kill you here and now, and frankly I'd be surprised if even they cared."

"Inferior Restriction!"

The pulse of cosmo energy which engulfed them was unlike anything they had ever felt before. They had seen Albior resist the attack of the Scorpio Saint, and had felt the havoc caused by the backwash of their combat, but that was nothing compared to actually being a target of it. Every muscle and fibre in their bodies was totally paralysed, and the worst part was they knew that this barely qualified as a manifestation of his power, the effort required to keep his cosmo from burning brighter must be incredible.

"June has challenged me to honourable combat as is her right. As I understand it the high point of your careers so far has been waylaying the Chameleon Saint and the Andromeda Saint in a sneak attack, trying to curry favour with the former Kyoko. Now you offer me the same.. 'deal'." He practically spat the last word.

"Apart from the fact that I have no doubts June or Shun would have defeated you in moments in fair combat, and that the latter took barely moments to defeat you even whilst unarmoured, I find your entire behaviour repugnant at every level. I would say that you shame your Master, but I think we all knew that already."

He made a small movement with his finger, the slightest muscle twitch, and with a wrenching sound Spica and Reda felt their cloths start to buckle and twist around them. Strangely, however, they felt nothing, the power being directed at them was under such exquisite control that it could rend metal less than half a centimetre away from their skin and not raise so much as a bruise.

The chains they wore around their wrists floated up in front of their faces and they watched in horror as each individual link snapped simultaneously.

Each then felt a light touch on their forehead as the Gold Saint moved faster than they could even contemplate.

"You wear my mark now, so if you have learned any wisdom at all in your life you will leave this Isle and never return. The world is large, lose yourself in it, for if you come to my attention again be assured that I will wipe you from the it's face."

With a dismissive flick, the two figures, looking much the worse for wear, were hurled out onto the cold sand.

They looked at each other, shaking with pure terror, each noting that the other had a new small scar on their foreheads in the shape of an exotic M with a pointed flourish; the sign of Scorpio. Without a word they fled towards the mountains.

In the tent Milo turned again, his cloth flew apart, returning to it's representational form and enclosing itself within its armour chest. He resumed his cross-legged position on the floor as if nothing had happened. Only the two crumpled lumps of metal on the floor, one blue, one reddish orange, bore witness to the events.

Milo turned back to his contemplation; Athena, hear my prayer. I swore my life to your service before you were even born. I have followed my orders, and maintained your honour. I followed the misguided orders of the false Kyoko thinking he spoke your will. At his command I came here to slay a valiant and noble Saint, as loyal to you as myself. I thought I had done so, though I find that even that tainted honour was further sullied by the actions of my brother Saint Aphrodite.

Now I must face one of Albior's students in combat and kill her. Give me guidance on what I should do. She seeks revenge for a killing I neither wanted nor take pride in. I am the Scorpio Saint, doubt has never entered my mind, ever. But all things change and now I seek your wisdom.

There came a sound then, not one that could be heard by the ears but by the soul; the faintest of music's, a song of breathtaking beauty. It had no words, but Milo could hear the meaning of the song. He bowed his head, not many people can claim to have been communicated with directly by their deity, but the Saints of Athena were rather more fortunate than most in that regard. The problem was that, as a Goddess of Wisdom, her messages were rarely easy to take and often of a nature that unsettled the recipient.

If that is that truly your wish Athena? ... I know the choice must be mine. ... I shall consider your divine words, Athena.

The night passed and the figure in the tent did not move, not even once.

+ + + + +

It was just before dawn, and the parties met at the training grounds, the waves breaking on the beach nearby.

The atmosphere was calm, the last chill wind of the night blowing off the sea. The remaining students were gathered at a respectful, and understandably cautious, distance. Spica and Reda were conspicuous by their absence, but no one seemed too bothered. A couple of rumours were circulating about what had happened to them, that had brought a vindictive smile to the lips of many students with long memories and old bruises.

One of the older students, Sybil, came forward and stood directly between them, she was clearly nervous as hell being in the presence of the armoured combatants, but did a good job of covering it as she recited the rules of the combat.

"When the first rays of the sun break over the horizon, the fight shall commence. The weak link is the first to break. Let the chain be reforged and strengthened by this combat."

Milo nodded and then simply stood, magnificent in his cloth, golden light sparkling around the edges of the metal. He was immobile as a statue, only his cloak swirled slightly.

June was also silent and still as she focused her attention to the coming battle. Her cosmo aura flared up around her, glowing faintly violet, purple sparks highlighting her cloth and travelling down the length of her whip.

The sun broke over the horizon sending light streaming onto the amphitheatre.

Milo remained motionless.

June started to run across the arena, her whip coiled in her hand. As she leapt into the air her cosmo flared down the length of the cord as she shouted..

"Chameleon Tongue Lash!".

Like her namesakes tongue, her whip lashed out, but not once, but a dozen times, a hundred times, her wrist sending it backwards and forwards, and up and down, strafing her target. There was a peculiar echoing/cracking sound as whip broke the sound barrier again and again.

There was a flurry of sparks as the whip struck the Gold Saints aura, but it didn't penetrate. Milo didn't even flinch.

She didn't pause in her motion as she landed, spinning around on her heel, her whip returning to its coiled position in her hand as if of it's own volition. She started another run up towards Milo, this time from behind as he hadn't turned round. She threw herself high into the air somersaulting gracefully, yet still somehow managing to lash out again, admittedly with the same lack of success.

Spinning round just before she hit the ground she landed facing Milo again.

Obviously preparing for an attack, she struck an odd pose, her whip hand held high over her head. A gentle rolling motion of her wrist sent the length of the whipcord spinning lazily around her body.

"Chameleon Fade Defence!"

To the onlookers, the glow around June intensified, but did so in a most peculiar manner. The violet light flared along the length of the whip and then went beyond violet. As the fiery energy of her cosmo spiralled around her it didn't illuminate her, it concealed her. With a final heat haze flicker she vanished completely from view.

The onlookers were amazed, they had never seen June engage in actual full-blown combat before, and this was most unexpected, she'd always been secretive about her training.

But even faced with this, Milo did not move.

She appeared again in a totally different part of the arena, just long enough to attack. "Tongue Lash!" she shouted again, before fading from view again. The whip penetrated the field around Milo this time, and "spang"-ed off his breastplate.

At last Milo moved, though not in a way anyone expected. He clapped.

"Bravo!" he called with no trace of sarcasm, "Truly a remarkable cosmo, Chameleon Saint! From the legends I had heard I expected you to be able to hide from five senses, but from the seventh sense too?"

"You aren't just masking your cosmo from my perception. I would notice the blank spot as much as the aura. You're hiding your cosmo within mine! Shifting your aura to be in synch with my own. Brilliant!"

June blinked out of nowhere and released another attack whilst apparently in mid somersault. This time she struck him on the forearm.

"And my cosmo aura will not react against it's own energy, so it doesn't try and block your blows."

Twice more she struck, but still Milo remained infuriatingly still. Eventually June dropped back into perception, her cosmo dissipating slightly, but still making her glow;

"What are you waiting for dammit? I challenged you, fight me."

There was a whirring sound and a length of chain tipped with a metal ring snaked out to encircle June's whip hand, and another, this one tipped with an arrow-like head, struck the sand in front of Milo.

"Stop this right now, or you both answer to me."

Shun stood on top of the nearby cliff, wearing his new Cloth.

Though seething at being interrupted June was surprised by the authority in his voice, this was Shun for heaven's sake, the closest thing to a little brother she had, and here he was issuing orders like a master, and she found herself almost automatically obeying. It must be something to do with being Athena's protector.

"The last thing I want is for the first person I fight in my new Cloth to be you June, but someone had better explain what is happening to me... now!"

"This is a matter of honour, Shun. I challenged Milo according to the ancient rite, you cannot interfere."

"She speaks the truth Shun, this was her choice, and I could not dissuade her. Retract your chains, this is not your concern."

As quickly as it had appeared, the authoritative tone was gone from Shun's voice "Both of you, please stop this, what is to be gained?"

"Vengeance" hissed June.

"Justice" said Milo. "I swear by Athena that I have been instructed to take this action." His eyes were flat, displaying total conviction.

"But I can't just let this happen?" Shun was pleading now, though his hands retained their grip on the chains. "I've seen my friends risk their lives to achieve a worthy goal, but this is just... pointless and wasteful."

"Perhaps it is Shun, if you truly are my friend you will let what has to happen, happen. You must let me continue." June's voice was utterly determined.

Shun looked from Milo's face to June's mask and back, clearly torn. He'd seen such behaviour from Ikki, he'd even indulged in it himself on a couple of occasions (though he hoped with better justification) and knew it was pointless to argue further, but he had to make one last effort, at shaming them if nothing else.

"Fine, but don't expect me to stand and watch. I've just spent the night remembering one lost friend, I won't lose another." With practised arm motions he recalled both chains, then turned his back on the two protagonists and walked away.

He hoped that he might have heard June call him back, but there was no sound. Once he was out of sight his shoulders slumped and he sat down on a nearby rock, which had clearly flattened one of the accommodation huts earlier. His head bowed and he waited for the inevitable. He wanted to go back and see the result, but he was sick to the stomach of fighting and if he was being honest, scared at seeing what might happen to June. He'd watched as his brother had apparently been killed, on more than one occasion, he could not watch that happen to June. His enhanced senses would let him know when it was over.

Back at the beach, June and Milo faced each other again. June poised and ready to leap, her cosmo building up around her again. Milo as impassive as before.

"Well Milo, when will you retaliate?"

"When I am ready."

What followed was almost a rerun of the earlier combat. June dropping in and out of sight only long enough to lash out again with her whip at the impassive Saint.

Finally, breathing heavily, June dropped back into full sight. Her tone was now almost mocking.

"What is keeping you Gold Saint? Are you so worried about being defeated by another Bronze Saint? When will you rise to my challenge?"

Finally Milo responded.

"Yes, you did challenge me, June and I accepted, but I don't recall anything about me saying WHEN I would retaliate. That is up to me to decide I think. And I decide not to fight you now.". His tone was infuriatingly calm.

June almost stumbled at this, confusion taking precedence over anger in her tone. "What? The rules of combat make no such allowance."

"Perhaps, but I was listening to the rules of the challenge and they don't make it mandatory either."

"This is not the time for semantics, Scorpio Saint! Fight!"

"June, think about it, I could lay waste to this entire arena with less effort than it takes talking to you now. You have seen my abilities, you know what I am capable of. If I am choosing not to fight you it is for a good reason."

"And what possible reason could you have? You killed Albior with less provocation."

"Exactly! I did not want this confrontation June, I have innocent blood on my hands already thanks to the Kyoko. I prayed to Athena to give me guidance in this confrontation, and so she did. Her words were as one might expect of a goddess of wisdom."

"In your actions you have shown honour and duty to your master, you were prepared to give up your life in a combat you knew you could not win. Athena respects that and considers it sufficient. It is said that facing a Gold Saint by choice is tantamount to suicide, but that did not deter you. I know that, Athena knows that and Albior knows that."

"Don't you mention his name like that, you can't know what he thought."

"He was a warrior, I am a warrior, ultimately we all have the same thoughts. Albior, me, you too."

For the first time in longer than she could think about, June could feel her internal mask cracking. The infuriating, smug, arrogant, gold plated, son of a... Her anger was building up inside her to a degree that was almost frightening in itself.

She could feel her cosmo burning brighter than ever before. There was no way that she was going to let herself go down without a fight, and this.., she struggled for a minute to find words ad gave up, she had enough on her mind. She dropped her whip, the way her cosmo was building up it would only get in the way.

"Chameleon Ultimate Strike!". A purple-tinged haze rippled across her body as she launched herself into the attack, vanishing from sight.

Thought she could not see it for herself, she knew that her cosmo field was now in absolutely perfect synchronisation with Milo's. She had never been able to do this without using her whip as a focusing tool before, but now she knew she could repeat the action any time she needed, provided she lived through the next few seconds.

Leading with her right foot, she channelled her entire momentum into the heel of her right boot (it was at times like this she appreciated spike heels). She collided with Milo's left forearm. The impact was absolute, as close as she had ever come to the old saw about the irresistible force and the immovable object.

All her cosmo, all the kinetic force she could generate was channelled into that impact. She dropped like a stone, her cosmo drained, her forward motion completely gone and her visibility restored.

Milo actually took a step back, staggered slightly, but he was unharmed, as deep down June had known would be the case. Completely exhausted, she wasn't sure whether to curse him or faint from surprise that he had even noticed her assault.

He looked down at her and spoke with a calm finality. "We _are_ finished now June, this combat is over. Does the referee agree honour has been satisfied in this matter."

Still standing on the outskirts of the arena Sybil looked from one combatant to the other before nodding. She was not going to argue with Milo at this stage in proceedings. Besides that, she felt in her heart that this _was_ over, for a reason she couldn't quite place, and why was her head suddenly filled with images of a purple haired girl?

Still lying on the ground June came to same conclusion, one way or another, the fight was over, unless Milo chose to press an attack now...

She stopped herself, she knew that Milo would not do that, whatever she may have thought of him it was not his style to kill a defenceless opponent.

Suddenly, a whole range of emotions hit her simultaneously, feelings that had been dammed up inside her for weeks let loose. Regret, hate, mourning, loss, frustration.. all the feelings Shun had always been open about expressing but which she had kept repressed, hidden behind her too perfect camouflage for too long.

Silently June let the first proper tears she had shed in years fall. Albior _was_ gone, but it hadn't been Milo who had killed him, it hadn't even been Aphrodite, but the Kyoko, and he would never hurt anyone again, and there was nothing she could do about any of it, no matter who she fought.

Milo's voice softened as he knelt beside her, though he didn't presume to touch her, that would have been condescending.

"Wisdom is never gained painlessly June. You fought well, and brought your master honour. Now you must learn to try and honour him, not by dying needlessly, but by living up to his example for as long as you can."

After another half minute or so, she got to her feet unaided, and stood with her back straight. Tears could be seen running out of the bottom of her mask. Unashamed in front of a Gold Saint, but making sure her back was to the assembled students, she took her mask off. With little regard to ceremony she wiped her nose on the back of her hand and then wiped her eyes, before replacing the mask. She reassumed some of her normal demeanour.

"I'll bet whoever came up with this mask idea never thought about what to do with them if you catch a cold."

"You would show me your true face? But that means..."

"I know what it means Milo, I either have to marry you or kill you. I have no interest in the former, and I've already tried the latter. What do you have to worry about?"

Milo finally smiled, he was sure now she was as strong emotionally as she was physically, and would recover fully from this episode. It seemed time to tell her the rest of what he knew.

"Know this, June. Athena has plans for the Chameleon Saint, though she would not tell me what they are. This combat was a test from her for both of us, that is why she let it happen. You proved your devotion to a cause you believed in and were willing to die for, despite it's apparent futility. For my part I had to prove I would forfeit my pride and face dishonour if I knew in my soul that a death was uncalled for."

"As a Gold Saint I have always taken it as a given that any challenge must be answered with the maximum force I could summon, but Athena has shown me this is not always the case. She is the Goddess of Just War, and I have to learn to make value judgements rather than blindly follow orders without even thinking about them. That is why Seiya and his friends are her chosen protectors rather than me, they have kept in touch with the real world, whereas I have not."

"Don't get me wrong, I will still obey Athena in all her commands, but I will start to question what I am doing and seek a satisfactory purpose to my actions. Only in this way can I start to be a true Saint of Athena, rather than a Saint of the Kyoko."

"Albior was correct, but his logic was incomplete; A chain by itself is not sufficient, it must have a linchpin to secure it. You Bronze Saints are the links, we Gold Saints are the linchpins, the tethers."

June could tell how difficult it must have been for Milo to talk like this, especially to a Bronze Saint.

Both of them walked out of the arena, June stopping only to pick up her whip. They made sure, for the sake of form, that they both stepped out of the ring at exactly the same moment.

"It seems the right way to do it, don't you think? I believe _both_ our chains have been tempered here, Milo. Albior would be doubly pleased."

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'd better go and give Shun the good news that I'm not dead yet."

Her final words bore a faint note of pride, "By the way, don't write me off yet, Milo Scorpio Saint, the Chameleon Saint would not be foolish enough to waste all her skills on one combat, even one she thought would be her last." She walked off, head held high.

Milo watched her go, Athena had told him that he shouldn't tell June he had been able to sense her the whole time of the fight, nor that he had slightly moved his arm to intercept her last attack. Her defence would have been perfect against anyone other than a Gold Saint, and there had been a moment at the end there when he couldn't be absolutely sure where she was himself, which was more than a little startling. Still, her powers were only really starting to develop, though at a rate he hadn't imagined possible. Not on a par with Shun and his friends certainly, but far more than would normally have been expected. Perhaps she had been right about the Bronze Saints of this cycle.

He removed the armour from his forearm, where the faint welt of a bruise was forming. An actual _bruise_! "Observing your development should prove most interesting, June. Most interesting indeed", but his voice was almost a whisper. He turned back towards his quarters.

Just over the crest of the ridge there had been a brief but joyful reunion.

Shun wondered at just how June could have managed to stagger a Gold Saint, but then caught himself, hadn't the Silver and Gold Saints said much the same about he and his friends? There was clearly more to June than he had suspected. He felt glad about that.

"You don't mind I didn't stay to watch?"

"Like that wasn't the most obvious psychological ploy I've seen in a while, Shun. Besides, I didn't want you to see it, there's nothing worthwhile about seeing a friend die in front of you, take it from me."

"There isn't that much to be said for seeing enemies die in front of you either, take that from me."

A moment of awkward silence stretched between them as each realised how much the other had changed in the time they had known each other;

June saw the little green haired little boy who hated violence who had become a warrior worthy of legend, but who must be sick to his soul with it.

Shun saw the big sister who had always been there for him, but who had become a stranger to him of late. She had come through this latest challenge a stronger person by finally admitting she had limitations.

Both started to talk at the same time, but before either could get a coherent sentence out, they were interrupted by a flash of light ahead of them. Both thought it might be Milo again but when they looked up it was a stranger.

A new figure stood on the hillside, green armour glinting in the sun. >From this angle it was impossible to tell if it was a man or a woman though there seemed to be a faceplate.

The tone and pitch of the voice gave nothing away either, "I am Narcissus, Silver Cassiopeia Saint. In Athena's name I challenge you!"

~Fin~

of Chain Links, at any rate....


But who is the Cassiopeia Saint? What are his/her intentions? What are Athena's plans for June and who exactly are the mysterious Shadow Saints?


To find the answer, go to the sequel of Chain Links: Interludes & Reflections

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