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Chapter Text

Manigoldo had just greeted Sage good-bye for now, with the usual reminder of that his master was the Pope and that he was too old to act like a child carelessly running off after a scolding for something. 

“Hope that it will be a new mission for me soon so I can get away for a few days. The old man looks like he may need a small break from whatever headache I may cause him, but I am getting better to not do it deliberately nowadays!”  

The young Cancer Saint knew that many wondered how the Pope had chosen him of all people to become his eventual successor as the fourth Gold Saint, but that was not something Manigoldo planned to ever tell. Sage was a father for him, despite how their relationship may look like for others. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X 

“Albafica!” he called in a louder voice so the younger Pisces Saint could hear him from wherever the other was, “I am passing though.” 

But when Manigoldo was half-way through the Pisces Temple, he did feel that something was odd. Would not Albafica be seen in the distance on the hill, watering some of the non-poisonous roses at this time, or something such? He did have a less known talent for gardening, and would grow many herbs for food here so the stressed-out maids did not have to chase after their fellow maids in the Temples for help if they ran out of something to season the food.  

“Albafica?” 

Manigoldo paused in surprise when he saw something near the door out to the rose gardens. Was that the spirit of the Pisces Gold Cloth, flipping around in the air like a real fish out of water in distress? And where was Albafica if it acted like this? The Cloths of the Saints serving Athena could not speak in human voices, but they could still communicate in some way in that they had earned some form of self over the many Holy Wars thanks to all the humans wearing the Cloths and if one of the Cloths were acting like how the Pieces Gold Cloth did now, it meant that the bearer needed help. 

“Damn! He better not be ill from the poisonous blood!” 

Using his Cosmo as a shield to protect himself against the poisonous roses and their troublesome scent, Manigoldo began to search for his fellow Gold Saint. One major worry with Albafica was that he lived alone, partly in fear that he would accidently poison someone with his blood if he got injured by a mission, and out of guilt for that whole story with how his master, Pisces Rugonis, died. 

“Albafica! Oi, Principessa Rosa! ” Manigoldo called, using a old nickname on Albafica which, hailing from their first meeting when he had mistaken the younger boy for a girl, had earned him a rather long chase around the training area as the younger boy tried to turn him into a human hedgehog with some non-poisonous roses in revenge for being called that. Especially when Rugonis had informed Albafica that Manigoldo had called him "Rose Princess" in Italian. 

“Albafica?!” 

The other Gold Saint lay prone among the roses, a dropped watering can next to his hand revealing that Albafica indeed had tried to do his usual everyday chores when he collapsed all suddenly, and when Manigoldo carefully turned him over, the reason why Albafica had collapsed was revealed: His face was flushing red with fever and he coughed hard.

“Damn, you better not have caught pneumonia on your last mission up in Norway! I know that you try to stay away from others, but some illnesses can still be caught in the air around strangers!” 

Now was not the time for Albafica to be alone. He needed someone to help care for him until he had recovered from his illness, and Manigoldo knew that the treatment needed to start right away before Albafica became even more ill. 

“Oi, Cancer, can you pass on the old man that I will be in the Pisces Temple for a while? Pisces cares for Albafica, but he needs a fellow human in this situation.”

Getting whacked on his head with the back fin of the understandable upset Pisces Gold Cloth before the Cancer Gold Cloth, in a manner that oddly reminded him a lot of Sage, dragged it along in one claw up to the Pope's Chamber was worth the comment. Sage had once said that some Cloths became almost like non-human parents if their future Saints spent nearly their whole lives in the Sanctuary, so that clearly was true for Albafica and the Pisces Gold Cloth. 

“Come on, bello, you need to get laid down in your bed.” 

Picking up Albafica so he carried the younger Saint in his arms like a small child, Manigoldo hurried back to the Pisces Temple. 

Chapter Text

As he carried Albafica into the Pisces Temple, Manigoldo could feel how the violent coughing made the other tremble in his whole body. Had the Pisces Saint slept poorly over the previous nights because of his illness, and the resulting tiredness making him collapse today?

“Put...me...down…” Albafica barely managed to whisper, his eyes shining from the fever, and had a new coughing fit.    

“Now is not the time for you insisting on keeping others away from your body out of fear for your blood, Albafica. You need a caretaker until you have recovered.”

The private bedchamber of Albafica was not far away in the back of the Temple, placed there just like in the other eleven Temples to give the Gold Saints some privacy from visitors passing though. The chamber and other rooms next to it were a lot neater and organized than what Manigoldo generally kept his own back in the Cancer Temple, but that was just a sign of their different personalities. Of course, being the student of Sage had helped Manigoldo in some areas, but he felt that some minor disorder like his hidden, growing collection of paintings with female beauties and notes about different cultures from his various missions across the world could not be harmful. 

“Uuugh….” 

It didn't sound like Albafica was about to throw up as he was carefully laid down on the bed so Manigoldo could remove his shoes and tuck him in under the blankets, but it was properly a good idea to not try to make Albafica drink anything else than water for now.     

~X~X~X~X~X~X 

In the throne chamber, Sage had just gotten the message from his student through the Cancer Gold Cloth. 

“I see. We will have to find a way to not pass through the Pisces Temple for now, so Albafica does not risk passing the illness to someone else. Maybe Aspros and Defteros can help with that, they should be back soon.”   

From how the Pisces Gold Cloth was struggling to get back to the Temple and the Cancer Gold Cloth needing to hold it in place with a claw around the back fin, Sage guessed that most of its worried reaction came from the soul part of Lugonis, who not only had been the master and predecessor of Albafica as the Pisces Saint but also his adoptive father in all but name, since he had found the newborn Albafica abandoned in the garden of poisonous roses yet the crying baby had still managed to survive despite how he logically would have passed away before Lugonis has found him. 

“Cancer, go back to the Temple. Pisces, please do not whack up my student too much when he is only trying to help Albafica, alright?” 

The two Gold Cloths vanished in rays of lights. 

Down at the Gemini Temple, said twins had just returned and planned to give a full report to Sage about their mission. Both were pretty beaten up and covered in bruises, a rare sight those days outside a training battle against their fellow Gold Saints. 

“Ow, ow, no wonder the Pope asked us to go together. Fighting against an enemy that tries to control the dead, often mummified bodies from the constant cold as attack dogs is no joke, especially in Siberia where we also had to be mindful of flying shards from the thick ice during the fight,” Defteros muttered, making a face over the pain from his black eye, Aspros again hissing as he felt the sore skin on a cheek and how his teeth still hurt on that side. Thankfully, they had met Dégel near the training ground and offered them some ice to lessen the swellings somewhat before they met the Pope. 

“I am more grateful that the soul parts of Daria and Irina in the Gemini Gold Cloth have finally stopped yelling and cursing in their native tongue over seeing there were many of their own countrymen among the dead controlled like puppets,” Aspros replied, feeling his still-present headache from suddenly having his mind pierced by not exactly quiet yells of the female Saints from that inner part of the Gemini Gold Cloth as he wore it, and Defteros had also heard those spiritual screamings from the female, Russian twins who had been the Gemini Saints during the Holy War in 996. 

“At least we defeated that guy and could check so this sort of thing wo uld not happen again. Or I think the Russian sisters would try to react by trying to possess us in order to let out their anger over the insult to their culture.”

While the very idea of being possessed by their predecessors seemed rather unlikely, and the past Gemini Saints had promised to not do that but rather offer advice on how to defeat an enemy that they themselves had been fight against in their own lifetimes, Daria and Irina had not been very happy to hear how their homeland Kievan Rus' and their fellow Vikings there being called “pagan barbarians” with no respect for other humans, and the sisters had been sulky inside the spiritual space of the Gemini Gold Cloth ever since during the journey back to Greece. 

“Lets just give the rapport to the Pope about how the mission went and then rest for the rest of the day. It is soon evening anyway.” 

Of course, they found a small surprise when passing through the Aquarius Temple and was about to call to Albafica that they would be passing through the Pisces Temple: 

“Hah? What is this?” 

Manigoldo had set up two separate pieces of parchments on both the front entrance and back doors of wood, where they could read: 

Albafica have gotten ill and need to recover. Please do not pass through the Pisces Temple until he is well again, Manigoldo. 

“Albafica is ill after returning from that mission in Norway? That can indeed be a problem if he caught something contagious that can spread further if several people pass through the Pisces Temple. Shall I get a healer to check on him and you take the report, Aspros?” 

The older twin nodded in agreement. 

“Good idea. Please check if we have some willow bark in the medicinal chest, to make tea with, in our Temple on the way down to the hut where the healers live. We both need some pain reliever after this mission.” 

Spitting up, the twins went in different directions.  Defteros also planned to spread words about this to the other Gold Saints, so none risked getting ill just like Albafica. Also, if they used Another Dimension between the Aquarius Temple and past the poisonous rose garden planted as a final defense towards the chambers of the Grand Pope and Lady Athena, they could help limit the amount of people coming and going in the Pisces Temple. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X    

The high fever had made Albafica sweat a lot earlier, so Manigoldo had needed to wipe him clean with a wet rag and help change his tunic and the bedsheets into fresh ones. Watching over Albafica in his restless sleep because of all the coughing, Manigoldo was surprised when hearing a knock on the door to the bedchamber, and to see Defteros enter with a healer who was rarely seen in the Sanctuary; 

Luco, the younger brother of the late Pisces Lugonis.  

“I heard from master Defteros that my adopted nephew had gotten ill, so I want to see if there is something I can do to help.” 

The violent coughing and high fever spoke a lot about how Albafica likely felt at the moment, but Luco still checked on the Pisces Saint to see if he could guess what illness it was. 

“Not pneumonia, which is lucky, but a cold can be just as difficult anyway, especially when it comes with a high fever and violent coughing like this. Keep him on liquid food like soups and similar, easily digested food that is gentle for the stomach, he won't have much appetite for a while because of the fever. The most important is to make sure that Albafica stays on bedrest, drinks a lot and avoids getting dehydrated. A weakened body can not fight off illness as well as a healthy one.”

Writing up a list on what to do while he acted as the caretaker for Albafica, Manigoldo knew that this would take some time before things went back to normal. Luco also gave him some dried herbs to boil in hot water as tea to drink for Albafica, in the hope that it would soothe his coughing. 

“I brought some of your own clothes from the Cancer Temple, since you will have to stay here, crab.” 

Defteros tossed over a bag with some fresh clothes to Manigoldo, who caught it with ease.

“Thank you for doing that.” 

Caring for Albafica when he was this sick would not be an easy task, but he would not let his fellow Saint suffer though the illness alone without help. 

Chapter Text

Late that evening, Sage came to check on how things were going for his student and Albafica.    

“No pneumonia, thankfully, but he will be feeling miserable for at least a week ahead. Right now, I think Albafica is not going to sleep that well during the night because of that damn cough, as you hear yourself, Master.” 

It was rather hard to miss the coughing from the open window to the bedroom, since Manigoldo had not closed the window shutters yet. 

“Miserable sounds like the right word for him, yes. Sleep outside his bedroom, just to limit the contact between you both. You know how fast something like this can spread, and not everyone would be getting a mild version of that cold.” 

Oh yes, no one had forgotten the awful cold that had spread between the orphans under the care of Rasgado two years ago, giving the local healers a minor hell to deal with. When one kid got better, another one had gotten ill and some cadets even had gotten bedridden because they did not keep themselves away from the orphanage building during the sickness period, all because they wanted to help Rasgado with the younger children. Even Rasgado himself had gotten ill, proving that even a strong man like him was helpless against sickness if he caught one. 

“I will, Master. Albafica would insist on the same, if he had more energy. Well, hard to blame him, since I know that being ill is not fun.”

Feeling the night wind, Manigoldo closed the window shutters slightly from the outside, to limit the cold air coming inside to Albafica. He would close them fully soon, after checking on the Pisces Saint a final time for the night.  

“Keep lady Athena away, will you, Master? Since she is reborn as a mortal girl in this era and she was found in Italy only last year, it can be a little risky if she walks around the Pisces Temple for the coming days.” 

Athena, or Sasha as she sometimes wanted to be called out of habit from her life prior to coming to the Sanctuary, would become worried for Albafica, without doubt, when she learned about his illness. Even if she had only known the Gold Saints for a year, she had come to care deeply for all of them, not only as protectors. But the Pisces Saint would blame himself if she caught the cold from him and that sort of self-blame drama between the young Goddess and Albafica was pretty unneeded at the moment.

“Yes. Asmita would guard her from a distance for the coming days, anyway, so no worry.” 

The Gold Saints kept a routine of guarding their Goddess in the order of their constellations, generally to ensure that while she was allowed some privacy and time to do whatever she desired, she still needed some protection. If Dohko was away on a mission, for example, then Asmita and Kardia would split the extra days between them until the Libra Saint returned. 

“Sounds good, Master. I better get back indoors, Albafica may want to get to sleep earlier because of how he feels.” 

Inside the bedchamber, Albafica was indeed feeling miserable. 

“Ugh...so annoying with this damn cough…!” 

Albafica had never liked to be sick, not even as a child. Back when he had slowly gotten his blood more poisonous than that of Lugonis, it had been inevitably in the beginning that he would become so ill at times that he was almost at the brink of death, and this rare feeling of unhappiness whatever he could not do his duties as a Gold Saint had now returned. It felt like he failed his Goddess, both as an intended protector of her and a warrior at her side. 

“I am glad that Manigoldo came to help me, but I would rather have it be a different situation than right now!” the Pisces Saint thought for himself, mentally sulking over how things were at the moment. Really, this cold caused so many problems for him that he made himself even more tired just from thinking. 

“Albafica, shall we try with that herbal tea to help you sleep easier?” Manigoldo wondered, entering the bedchamber with a large cup of steaming hot tea and a small portion of plain toasted bread slides, as Albafica was not feeling that hungry. It was a smell familiar from earlier visits by Luco, he would always bring those dried herbs to make that tea for people suffering from insomnia and Lugonis had sometimes used the herbs for them both to sleep easier during summer nights when it was a heat wave during the day. 

“Thank you…”

Albafica only managed two of the toasts, but roughly half of the tea. He could not exactly hide that he was exhausted, looking ready to drop his head back on the pillow any moment. 

“If you need anything during the night, just call me. I will borrow that straw palliasse as a temporary guest bed while I am caring for you.” 

“Haah?” Albafica wondered for a moment, half-way into sleep, before recalling something that he had ordered said straw palliasse as a replacement of his current one in his bed, which was getting old and worn out. Thankfully, the fever helped to hide the sudden colouring of his cheeks over that realization and Manigoldo thought that Albafica turned over to his other side under the blankets to not be bothered by the candle light in an attempt to fall asleep. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X     

The following morning, Sasha was not too happy either. Not only that it looked very promising to be a rainy day, but also over the news of Albafica being ill with a cold. 

“And here I hoped that he may tell stories of the previous Pisces Saints if he was in the right mood when I asked! Especially as Sage said that there are many records left by older generations in the Temples, some which are private writings and the such. I would have liked to find out how the previous incarnation of Athena may have been viewed by the Saints of those times,” she sulked from where she watched the view through the window, acting very much like the ten-year-old girl she was rather than a young Goddess.    

Over the past year since she came to the Sanctuary and began to learn more about her true self, Sasha had begun to feel a connection to the Saints. A bond that went back for hundreds of years, despite that every generation of Saints was different. 

“Hm. Looks like it will be a day for reading, then, if it is going to rain. Sage said that I would not have lessons today, but rainy weather does not mix well with playing outside.” 

It had been the same back in the Italian orphanage, where she had lived with Alone, Tenma and the other orphans. Rain meant an indoor day, if you did not want to end up with clothes wet from the rain or muddy from the ground.

Down in the Pisces Temple, Manigoldo had just checked if Albafica needed something else after breakfast. 

“Really odd to see you with such flushed cheeks, you know, because the fever makes you look like you have gotten a mild sunburn,” Manigoldo joked as he gave Albafica a wet cloth to try and cool his face somewhat. 

“I am not that pale-skinned that I would get a sunburn as soon as summer starts, silly crab.” 

At least the wet cloth gave him an excuse to hide his face somewhat for a few moments, and it did indeed feel like a pleasant cold against his skin. 

“Manigoldo...can you ask Degel to come and try to lessen my fever, at least, like how he does for Kardia? I have been feeling dizzy from the fever since several days back despite trying to either rest or drinking, and would rather not faint again if you are not in the next room.” 

Getting the cloth back, Manigoldo cooled it again in a bowl of cold water for Albafica. Then, after wringing the water out, the Pisces Saint could try cooling his face again with the cloth. 

“Good idea, since you are not exactly that steady on your feet at the moment.” 

If they were really unlucky and Albafica collapsed badly enough to hurt himself in some manner, his poisonous blood risked becoming a problem for Manigoldo, even if it was from a really small wound.  

“Shall I borrow a few books from his library for you, just so you can pass the time with something else than just resting?” 

“None of those huge tomes, please. But I had asked him if he had any books with Arabic poems. I am trying to challenge myself by reading those and making a few myself, just to test.” 

Well, that was a bit unexpected to hear from him but Manigoldo knew that most of the Gold Saints had rather different hobbies. Besides, perhaps that was just how Albafica liked to relax when he had a free moment. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X  

While Manigoldo was out looking for where Degel might be, Albafica was less than happy with himself. Mentally, he was cursing up a storm in his mind. 

“Revealing that I am making poems?! Just how much is this damn cold making me act so unlike my normal self?! At least I managed to avoid telling which sort of poems I am trying to do!” 

If Manigoldo did, somehow, find out that Albafica was trying to make love poems for the Cancer Saint because he had slowly realized over the last months that he liked the Italian more than just as a friend, a literal hell would break out. 

“Albafica!” 

Athena was here outside the Pisces Temple!? Oh, great. Could this day go any worse? 

“You should not be here, my Lady…”

A new cough interrupted Albafica in the warning he had tried to give her. 

“I will nor stay here for long, Albafica, but I wanted to tell you that I found some old scrolls written by Pisces Anshu, who became the Pope after the Holy War in 746 now when I looked around in the older parts of the library! I thought that you, as a fellow Pisces Saint, may like to read his writings about how things were in Europe and Asia during the years he was the leader of the Sanctuary on behalf of my past self.” 

The Indian-born Pisces Anshu. So far the only Pisces Saint who had become Pope, Albafica recalled from his own history lessons, and that was because Anshu had been ordered by that era's Athena to remain in the Sanctuary and rest, after almost using his Crimson Thorn to the point of dying from blood loss. After all, even with the deadly roses used the Pisces Saints, barely having enough blood left in the body to even move around, was not good. 

“Oh, thank you, my Lady. Can you please push them through the window if it is not too high for you?” 

Showing that she was aware of the risks for her catching the cold from him if she tried to come closer, Albafica saw from the bed how Sasha did exactly that. As the window was on the side where the rain did not come, the leather bag would remain dry even if Albafica did not leave the bed yet. 

“Get better soon, Albafica!” Sasha called, and her footsteps vanished towards the Pope's Chamber, the Cosmo of Asmita not far behind. Even if he had not seen her, Albafica felt a little more happy that she had come to see how he had been. 

Chapter Text

Much to his relief, Manigoldo had found Dégel down in the library of the Aquarius Temple and told him that Albafica hoped to get his fever cooled down a little. 

“I had planned to come and offer some help if Albafica had a fever, but Kardia had a bad evening yesterday. He was a little too active on the training grounds in the summer heat from the middle of the day.” 

The Italian was not that surprised, because this was hardly the first time Kardia tried to challenge his own limits like that. 

“I know that he has talked about wanting to live his life to the fullest thanks to that heart condition of his, but surely he knows better than trying to get himself killed before the Holy War?” 

Dégel signed as he removed his reading glasses, clearly having been wondering something like that for himself at times. 

“Kardia would not be our Scorpio Saint without that explosive personality of his. Yes, some people may question how he managed to become a Saint of Athena in the first place, but he knows right from wrong.”

Manigoldo scratched the back of his head before responding: 

“Honestly. The Sanctuary would be boring if every Saint was like Sisyphus or El Cid in personality. Having a few oddballs among our ranks are only making everyday life here more spicely, as long as none turns traitor against Athena or such. If His Holiness had not found me back then, I would likely have ended up in the gallows for murder, sooner or later, because I tried to survive by robbing and murdering travelers after the destruction of my hometown. It was a small town, more like a big village than a real town, way out in the countryside, with no major trade links or anything.” 

That Manigoldo addressed Pope Sage in this respectful manner as he talked despite normally only calling him just “Master”, told Dégel more than what the Cancer Saint openly said. 

“Yes, but now we had a Pisces Saint to check on, right? Just let me get the books for him as well.” 

Thankfully, Dégel could lessen the fever for Albafica somewhat, though he did apologize that he could not do anything about the troublesome cough. 

“This is fine enough, we both worried about Albafica fainting from the fever if he tried to walk on his own and risk injuring himself so there was a gaping wound or something. Remembering that time, ten years ago, when we were still training for our Sainthood and found ourselves falling down alongside a landslide, Albafica?” 

The Pisces Saint went all red in the face at the memory, and not caused by the fever this time. 

“How can we forget that scolding from both my Master and the Pope? Even if my blood was nowhere as poisonous as it is now, I still caused the rest of you to become sick for a week!” 

That was a memory none of the nowadays Gold Saints involved had forgotten. Rasgado had tried using Titan's Nova to win a training fight against Aspros, only for them two, Manigoldo, Albafica and Defteros to end up falling down as the sudden landslide had taken them all by surprise. Even with everyone getting no worse than minor injuries, poor Albafica had accidently poisoned his friends thanks to his special training with Lugonis because he had landed on top of the others with bleeding wounds on his palms from the rough rocks and as they recovered, Sage found that event a good lesson in how to not act reckless around Albafica or causing the future Pisces Saint to bleed unnecessarily. 

“The joys of old memories with friends,” Dégel laughed when recalling some similar events with Kardia from their younger years, and promised to come back if Albafica ended up with the fever again. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X

Even with the cough still remaining, Albafica had some more energy now with the fever gone. He spent the afternoon with a light afternoon nap, and then reading one of the scrolls Sasha had lended him earlier. 

“Any fun information about old generations of Saints in those scrolls?” Manigoldo wondered as he came with a new cup of the herbal tea to help Albafica with the cough. 

“Well...it seems like we Cancer and Pisces Saints have gotten along for most of the time, but of course, sometimes their personalities simply crash and they just do not get along.” 

Proving that there were some deviations from the norm, as proved. Manigoldo recalled Sage talking about Neo, the French-born Pisces Saint from his era, about how they had been good allies and friends, but not that close. Well, one reason was the age difference, by that Neo had been six years older than Hakurei and Sage, already a Gold Saint when they had arrived at the Sanctuary. With him being sent out on missions while the twins from Jamir trained, they rarely got to spend time together before Sage had become the Cancer Gold Saint and Hakurei the Altar Silver Saint. And of course, some people just never got along for some reason, or could not stand each other. 

“Anyway, would you like some pasta for dinner? I got my hands on some flour from durum wheat when I last had a mission in Italy and have not used it all up yet.” 

“You can make pasta?” Albafica wondered in a mixture of surprise and scepticism, looking up from the scroll to check whether Manigoldo was joking or not.  

“Of course I can make pasta! My late granny would never let me escape those cooking lessons for being a boy! She would always say that if a man can not cook basic meals, he is going to be all dependent on his female relatives for food!” Manigoldo protested from the doorway to the bedchamber, not taking offense over Albafica doubting that information but rather the insult that he would not have such basic survival skills. 

Soon enough, Manigoldo had made a broth-based soup with risoni for them both to eat. Albafica still did not have his full appetite back, but he enjoyed the taste and tried to eat as much as he managed. 

“Are the inspirations for those poems going well for you?” 

The question was so unexpected that Albafica suddenly lost all focus on the last spoon of soup. 

“...yes,” he managed to say in a neutral tone, mentally praying that Manigoldo would not ask what sort of poems it was. 

“Since you seems to study the Arabic style, are you desiring to visit Constantinople and other important places for that culture and Islam?” the Italian wondered once both were done with their food. Could it perhaps be that Albafica felt drawn to the Islamic faith? Not as a believer, but for the arts created by Muslims? Manigoldo had personally seen Islamic architecture and how calligraphy was used as part of the designs. Indeed very different from Christian churches and cathedrals.

“I would like that, yes, but with my poisonous blood, I do not dare risk causing innocent people to become sick if I get injured around them. So for now, I am simply studying Islamic culture and some basic starters.” 

“I need to make a reminding note for myself about bringing him to Alhambra Palace in Spain and the Shalimar Gardens in Pakistan at some point in the future when we both are free from any missions on the orders of Master Sage,” Manigoldo thought for himself with a small smile. This information was already giving him a few ideas for him and Albafica to use their free time on, when neither was the Gold Saint guarding Athena. 

Chapter Text

It was well-known that the poisonous blood of a Pisces Saint could affect their relationships to other humans, Lugonis had told this to Albafica many times over their sixteen years as adoptive father and son, most common in that many Pisces Saint did choose some form of isolation in fear for how their blood may accidently harm their fellow Saints.  

“On the other hand, there is written evidence from various places in the Sanctuary that some Pisces Saints have tried to go against that norm…” 

Anshu, the only known Pisces Saint to become Grand Pope, was a good example of this. Even before the Holy War in 746 which he had survived and became the Grand Pope for the following 250 years by being the only remaining Gold Saint left of his generation, Anshu had been in a long-term relationship with Scorpio Arash. 

And one very long, carefully handed over the years, still existing scroll of the Kama Sutra here in the Pisces Temple, marked very clearly at the start with For you, my feared rose with thorns, from Arash strongly suggested that they had been lovers in a sexual manners as well. 

“Ugh…why does Manigoldo have to be living up to his name in that way?”

Albafica knew that the Cancer Saint may look like a slacker for some people, but he was quick to become serious in battle and prove that there was a very good reason to why he had been trained by Pope Sage himself. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X     

Despite the remaining coughing he still had, Albafica wanted to check on the rose field to ensure that there was no area that was at risk for drought because he had not been having the strength to check the roses earlier because of the cold. 

“I see no problem with that. The rose field is the last obstacle for enemies between the Pisces Temple and the Pope's Chamber, so keeping it in good condition is for the safety of my old man and Lady Athena.” 

By now, the other Gold Saints were so used to Manigoldo referring to Sage in that manner that Albafica did not even bother with correcting the Cancer Saint. It was an honest term of endearment, a sign of how important the Pope was for Manigoldo beyond the role of a Master training him to be a Saint serving Athena. 

“Exactly the reason I was going to use, if you had protested against me going outside, even for a rather short time.” 

Even if it was early summer and sunny weather with a promise of warmth later in the afternoon, Albafica took a light cloak to wear outdoors, on the reasoning of not wanting the cold to come back.  

“You know, Albafica, the idea of using those poisonous roses is actually a rather clever idea for both defense and attack, do you not think so? Even if the Pisces Saint may die, there is still something to protect Athena and the Pope. Even those who manage to kill a Gold Saint, will not be able to cross the roses in a living body.”

At the moment, they were watering the non-poisonous roses in a separate area alongside some other flowers for variety from all the red and the small field with seasonal vegetables that Albafica used for his own cooking. 

“All the Temples of the Gold Saints have secret traps to use in case one enemy tries to pass through and not all the twelve Gold Saints are present for some reason. I think the Pisces Saints must have started to use those roses, because this is the last Temple and it would be a serious problem if the other Saints risked getting poisoned by mistake on the road up…whoa!” 

Suddenly, Albafica had just turned around, when he slipped with his foot on a stone among the grass that was still wet from the morning dew. And since he had been bending forwards to water some of the carrots to his left side, where Manigoldo had just helped him to remove weeds, it could only end in one way. 

“Right, there seems to be no more weeds here…eh?” 

Thud! 

The problem was not that Manigoldo ended up falling on his back from the movement, or Albafica on top of him because of that little thing called gravity. In fact, the biggest problem, that both of them could register mentally in this moment, was the awkward realization that their lips had met in a kiss. 

“I am sorry! I did not do that on purpose…!” 

Before the dismayed Albafica could say more, he got a new coughing fit, but Manigoldo hurried to cover his mouth with the cloak. 

“Relax a little, Albafica! Do you think I am unaware that the morning dew upp here will take a little longer to evaporate in the sun? It is the same up in the taller parts of mountains, especially where there is some form of shade from trees, rocks or whatever else that blocks the sun at certain hours!” 

Still, he could see how the Pisces Saint was blushing heavily, on where his face was not covered by the cloak. 

“I am sorry!” he repeated and hurried to stand up, looking very ashamed for some reason. 

“Oi, Albafica, are your fever coming back? You are beet red in your face…” 

Out of habit, the younger Saint hastily put a wider distance between them both when Manigoldo came alarmingly close to touching him. 

“Manigoldo! Albafica!” 

The voice of Sasha made them both look upwards, seeing her wave from a window to try getting their attention. 

“Everything alright for you two?” 

But Albafica took the chance to escape Manigoldo for now, before any awkward questions happened. 

“Hey, Albafica! What's with you those days?!” 

Up in the Pope's Chamber, Sage had witnessed what happened between his student and the young Pisces Saint, through another window that they had not seen from where they were. And he was not that surprised over the scene: 

“Manigoldo has said that he thought Albafica to be bewitching during their mission in Venice, and I can imagine that Albafica saw a side of Manigoldo that he felt drawn to as well, so it is not exactly one-sided love for either one. I hope this will not ruin their current relationship. Changing an existing friendship into romance can be risky.” 

Over his time as a Pope, he had witnessed both good and bad outcomes between Saints in such situations. Personally, Sage would like it to be one of those times when it went well, for both Manigoldo and Albafica were the type to become very emotionally hurt if it went wrong. 

Damn the needed isloration for the Pisces Saints, because of our poisonous blood. I am feeling rather tempered to send Lugonis to his boy so he stops embarrassing himself around your little rascal, Sage. Or maybe I will just kick Albafica into action myself.  

Looking beside him, Sage was not surprised to see the Pisces Gold Cloth, nor the ghost at his side. The robes of a Pope, but the expected fair face of a Pisces Saint was disfigured by a massive scar across his face, crossing from forehead over the nose down to the opposite cheek. 

“Anshu, let Manigoldo and Albafica figure this out by themselves. You may come off as a little too blunt to help here, even if that was what started your own romantic relationship with Arash.”  

Pff. Even a Pisces Saint deserves to have a taste of what it means to have a lover and the meaning of eros. Lugonis gave that up because he was the type to never feel much sexual attraction to others even when he was a youngster and should have started to notice either boys or girls in a different way than just friendship, but he got the chance to enjoy familial love, as a father. 

Signing, Sage hoped that he may be able to do something in this situation without coming off as a meddling person.

~X~X~X~X~X~X 

Inside his bedchamber, with a locked door to be left alone until he had gathered himself together again, Albafica was cursing himself. 

“Why can I not remain calm whatever Manigoldo tries to just be helpful?! And that kiss…”

Albafica was not so ignorant that he could guess the reason why he had reacted in this manner, outside the small fear that Manigoldo would accidently bite his lips so his blood would touch the Cancer Saint. Being touch-starved was not an uncommon problem for the Pisces Saints who had to live with their own blood posing a danger for both enemies and allies, and it was little over three years since his Master and adoptive father Lugonis had died. 

“Ugh…I need to cool my head so I can think clearly…”

Problem was, that this would mean he had to leave the chamber, and possibly stump into Manigoldo. Still he chose to take the risk, if only to hurry over to the small balcony with a view over most of the Sanctuary. 

Stopping in writing on a message to be sent to one of the more distant training grounds across the world, Sage was not surprised when Manigoldo entered. 

“Having a problem and need some good advice from this old man, Manigoldo?” 

His student looked very awkward, likely because they were alone and he could be a little more open without anyone else hearing. 

“Well, I may get an idea on what to do next if someone listens without judgment, at least, Master…” 

Listening to Manigoldo telling of the unplanned kiss earlier, and his worry for how Albafica had reacted to it, Sage did agree that this was an awkward situation between the two young Saints. 

“The best I can say for now, is to try cleaning up any possible misunderstandings. Romance is never easy, especially for a Pisces Saint who always has to think of the poisonous blood. And being touch-starved is not helping Albafica either. Perhaps you can try breaking the ice between you both, with a game of chess or something that requests two players? That way, you can still keep a respectful distance if he is uncomfortable.” 

“Yeah, I was wondering if that could be a good idea as well before coming here, Master, but I needed to hear it out.” 

“My best advice is to take it slowly. You both are young, and unless you have something to tell me, Manigoldo, this is the first more serious romance for you both?” 

For a moment, Manigoldo dreaded the possibility of Sage strumping upon his secret collection of drawings with female beauties when he had tried to hide it carefully, but when the Pope said nothing such, he relaxed somewhat. 

“I will bring a game of chess from the Cancer Temple, Master.”

Sage had used chess and other games in an attempt to teach him how to plan ahead, so there were some of those down in the more private area of the Cancer Temple. 

“Manigoldo, just a fair warning: the souls of the previous Cancer and Pisces Saints inside the Gold Cloth may actually try to play match-makers between you because it is rather clear that both you and Albafica likes each other more than just as friends. I saw the spirits of Midori and Anshu hide in a corner earlier.” 

Manigoldo got a little nervous over this warning. Cancer Midori had been the literal birth-mother of her successor, Kaito, and both had been fighting in the Holy War of 996 alongside Pope Anshu and his own successor, Ranmaru. If the souls of those four were teaming up, it was a good idea to stay on guard. 

“That may not be the help we need…” he admitted, and Sage promised to try to talk the former Saints out of doing that plan, though he could not promise to be successful. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X  

It had taken some more hours, and a rather awkward, silent evening meal in the Pisces Temple, before Manigoldo gathered the courage to ask: 

“Hey, Albafica, would you like to try a game of chess?” 

The Greek was honestly surprised to hear that, from what his eyes widened slightly. 

“...well…yes…Master Lugnois taught me some of the rules…”

Both were nervous, only shown in their body language, and tried hard to not think of what had happened earlier today.  

As both had been taught the game by their Masters, it was pretty even between them though neither one was really that passionate about the game. Soon, the mood loosened up a bit when Manigoldo began to joke about whether one of their respective pieces got taken, and the snack bowl filled with raisins and dried apricots seemed to help a little as well. 

“Oi, Albafica, you better think fast on a move to fix this, else I will take that tower of yours in my next round,” Manigoldo grinned in self-confidence, and the other one tried very hard to not blush all suddenly at that smile which had slowly caught his heart over the years.

“Just wait and see,” Albafica responded, aiming to protect the tower when it was his turn. 

“Damn it, Albafica, you are actually able to match my old man in preventing a fast victory…?!” 

And then their fingers touched because he had been a little too fast in reaching out to the snack bowl before Manigoldo had moved back his hand with some apricots. Both of them blushed when noticing this, and quickly avoided looking at the other. Albafica looked to one side, shuffled his feet below the table, and looked to the other side.

“S-sorry…it has been so long since I…you know, when I became the Pisces Saint…” 

“I know, no need to apologize.” 

And of course they both felt some form of ghostly eyes on them, and it was a little hard to not notice a strip of paper slowly slide out beside the chess set. 

Amateurs. 

It was impossible to say which one of the former Cancer and Pisces Saint that had written it, but it was not the familiar handwriting of Lugnois, to Albafica's inner relief. 

“Oi, you old geezers…” Manigoldo muttered loudly under his breath, “leave us alone, will you?! Get out of the room before I count to three or you will be sent back inside the Gold Cloths!”

Thankfully, the spirits got the hint, though Manigoldo could feel something smack the back of his head for his lack of respect. Probably either Kaito or Ranmaru, because they had only been twenty and nineteen years old at their deaths in 996, so being called “old geezers” by a living Saint around their own age, clearly did upset them. 

“Right…where were we?” 

Albafica was grateful that the chess game offered something to focus on, and made Manigoldo have to fight in order to protect his own King from being taken. 

Chapter Text

Though he still coughed at times and needed the herbal teas which Luco had left for him some days earlier, Albafica had noticed that his appetite was almost back to normal. This pleased him to realize, because he had never enjoyed wasting food because being a picky eater was seen as being immature past a certain age in childhood and barely eating anything on the plate made him feel guilty for all the effort that Manigoldo tried to help him. 

“It is nice to see that your appetite has returned.”   

“Yes, I may not yet eat the amount as I normally do, but it is getting better.” 

Albafica had no plans to do training or anything else that would only turn troublesome with the coughing, so instead they took a chance to do some minor cleaning like dusting off some shelves while talking about what they had heard from their fellow Gold Saints over the past week. 

“It must have been a serious mission for the Gemini twins to share, because normally it is often enough to let one single Gold saint take care of the problem, if it looks a little too risky for a Silver saint.”  

Manigoldo carefully wiped clean a small ceramic jar with a piece of cloth, knowing that even if it was not a personal item of Albafica, accidently breaking something because of a lack of attention was not nice. 

“Rare indeed for both Aspros and Defteros to share a mission now in adulthood, I remember my old man saying during the first years of my own training that they would sometimes go together back when they just had become the Gemini saints some years ago, because the first missions outside the Sanctuary can be tricky for fresh saints that can be a little too self-confident about their abilities.”  

This made them mention a memory each from their own first mission as Gold saints, and while Manigoldo had no problems of blending in among most civilians since he had been living a normal life as a member of a farming village, Albafica remembered his own discomfort due to spending his whole life in the Sanctuary outside the rare visits he and Lugonis would do together to the island of healing where Luco lived, or the previous Pisces saint trying to give his adoptive son a insight into the outside world and what counted as basic social manners there in the various kingdoms and realms that they would do missions in and having to blend in among the population. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X    

Later that day: 

As Manigoldo showed no symptoms of having caught the cold from Albafica over the past days while caring for him, he took the chance of a “light” training duel with some of the other Gold saints for fun. 

“ Great Horn!! ” 

“Damnit!” Manigoldo swore as he was sent flying away from the Tarurus saint and knocked over Regulus in the same movement too. 

“Oi, Manigoldo! I do not think Acubens can really work on guys like Rasgado due to him being built like a bull, if you catch my meaning!” 

While choosing to keep a safe distance from the others, Albafica had some fun in watching it all, because this showed that while they might not always get along, they could still trust each other. 

“When I see everyone like this, it is almost like seeing a glimpse of the past at times despite that I have no memories of my previous lives. Different generations, but some details never change.”

It was Sasha who had arrived to see the Gold Saint testing each other, with Sage standing behind her. 

“I do not doubt that, myLady.”  

Finally, it was Dégel who noticed that Athena had come even without using her Cosmos to reveal it, and the Aquarius saint hurried to put a quick end to the fighting by freezing their feet to the ground. Of course, this was not a popular move among the other Gold saints. 

“Dégeeeeel….!” Kardia complained in annoyance to his close friend from where he had fallen forwards thanks to his feet suddenly stopping like that, the Scorpio not being the only one to end up in that position thanks to being in the middle of running when Dégel stopped them.  

“Sorry about interrupting your training matches without warning, but I wonder if any of you would like to be up at my statue tonight when there will be a full moon and good weather for stargazing?” Sasha asked, trying to offer the suggestion in a manner that would not make them seem rude for refusing in case they had other plans already. 

“A good night for stargazing, you? Well, I have nothing else planned…”

“It is pretty rare for us to actually do something together outside some formal event for the whole Sanctuary, now that I think about it.” 

“We are the guardians of the twelve temples, the ones to protect Athena and the Grand Pope, it would be natural for a gathering at times for all of us outside duty if we could.”  

Most of them turned out to not have planned anything important that night, and the others could always push the original plans to a different date, so it worked for them all to come.” 

Of course, even if it counted as a “light” or “easy” training match against his fellow Gold Saints, it did not mean that Manigoldo ended up without a few bruises at the minimum. 

“You were playing with fire by challenging not only Kardia, but also Aspros,” Albafica commented in a dry voice as he helped the Italian to check over the sore skin. 

“As odd as it is of an idea, Kardia wants us others to be partly immune against his poison for the sake of an accidental hit during a battle where more than one Gold Saint is involved. Can not have his fellow Saints become helpless because of a misaimed shot from the Scarlet Needle, you know….ow, ow!”

“The alcohol stings as hell, yes, but it helps to keep infections away from wounds.”  

Rolling his eyes over that logic which Kardia had used to explain why he had used the Scarlet Needle on the others, which he secretly did agree to not be that foolish in the longer term of events, Albafica placed a compress and held it in place with a long strip of bandage around Manigoldo's arm to ensure that the cleaned wound would heal without infections. Here in the Sanctuary, as the Saints were training to be warriors risking life and limbs in battle, they had to know basic first-aid and how to treat injuries without help if they were sent out on a mission without a comrate. 

“There, no repeat of this for the coming days, please? You know how the poison from the Scarlet Needle is intended to be deadly for anyone who can not last the fifteen strikes.” 

“Just because I look like a slacker does not mean that I really am one, you know,” Manigoldo grinned, and Albafica had to hastily take the water bowl with all the needed medicinal items back out to the kitchen area to hide the blushing on his cheeks again. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X     

As it was meant as a gathering for fun, not all of the Gold saints wore the Gold Cloths when coming to the giant statue of Athena late that evening when the sun had set. 

“You all came!” Sasha greeted in joy, and smiled especially at seeing them in normal clothing not intended for training. As it was summer, it was not needed for any cloaks or such. 

“A personal invitation from one's own Goddess can not be refused without good reason,” El Cid said as he walked behind Asmita in case the Virgo saint needed help with the stairs due to his blindness, sounding stoic as usual but that was just his nature. 

“The fun with stargazing is that you can not only see the various constellations, but also fantasize up the basics of new stories to tell,” Dohko added when he and Shion came up after the Capricorn. 

It was a pleasant sight indeed to see the stars up there in the night sky, and while they could have seen the stars even better on Starhill, it was more fun here at the statue with more space to spread out. With Rasgado letting Sasha sit on his shoulders for a higher spot, they soon began to imagine various scenarios about the stars and the faint images that could be formed between the constellations seen now in summer.  

“What do you think of that, Lady Athena…oh.” 

Of course, Sasha was still a young human girl, and despite her attempts to stay awake this late, she ended up nodding off against Defteros when Aspros had not noticed in the middle of his invented story from the Gemini constellation, the younger twin looking a bit unsure about what to do with the girl leaning against his side like that. 

“It is well past midnight anyway, no wonder she fell asleep,” Sisyphus smiled after a glare towards the Fire clock and seeing what time it was now. And Albafica had also done that without warning, leaning against Manigoldo. 

“Oi, Albafica, wake up…” Manigoldo whispered awkwardly, not really wanting to wake the Pisces saint but sitting in this position all night even during warm summer nights would become uncomfortable after a few hours. 

Chapter Text

As the coming days proved to be quite calm, the Gold Saints passed around a suggestion between the Twelve Temples to do something together. Not training against each other, they did that enough in everyday life, but perhaps something to see how they could strengthen their bonds as comrades in arms? 

“Not a bad idea, I must say, given that we are of different ages and characters. If we need to defend the Temples and the Chamber of the Pope as well the Statue of Athena as the last defense for our young Goddess, we need to know if we can work together,” Albafica said as Manigoldo told him about this in the middle of making dinner together. 

“Yes. Most of us are in our twenties already, or almost there, and Regulus is going to be the youngest of us by being fourteen years younger than his own uncle, Sisyphus.” 

That reminder about Sisyphus and Regulus being just fourteen years apart in age, made Albafica recall a rumor that was proved false, about that they both actually were brothers born to different mothers and the sons of the late Leo Illas. But Lugonis had told Albafica that it was impossible, because while Illas had been 17 years old at the time his younger brother was born, his personality from a early age made it quite unlikely that a random girl somehow had managed to seduce him and get pregnant from a short-lived love affair. 

“What do you think the others will suggest us to do?” 

Manigoldo did not know, but guessed something logical like a few challenges that needed teamwork to win. 

~X~X~X~X~X~X  

The next day: 

“Ah, there is Albafica!” 

Waving his hand in greeting as he stopped a small distance from the group, the Pisces Saint explained that he mostly wore the small scarf around his lower face to avoid coughing someone else in the face by mistake. 

“It is mostly a dry cough remaining now when the cold finally is over, but I can still cough quite hard enough to feel it on the top of my lungs.” 

He got some looks of sympathy at that mention, given how sick he had been a few days earlier. It had been quite impossible to not hear his coughing even as he had tried to be quiet. 

“Right, the idea for today was to see how well we work together as a team of 13 persons. Just because it is an uneven number, does not mean that it will be a disaster of some kind. Not merely in the common sets, but with each other as well as a difference.” 

“Would really make things easier if there were two Gemini Cloths for both twins to wear together instead of having to share it between us or the other one only getting to wear it when one half is dead or otherwise unable to fight,” Aspros muttered in distaste, his arms crossed as a sign of his mood, while Defteros refused to comment. 

“Alright, I was thinking that we could start with a three-leg race…”

Some friendly drama naturally happened in the three-leg race, where they tried to see which ones worked worst together. 

“Oi, oi, Defteros and Asmita are already at the lead!” 

“Kardia and Manigoldo does not surprise me as ending up trading friendly insults,” Rasgard said with a grin as Albafica and Shion easily passed by the other pair by trying to match the steps, though the tall Taurus Saint had some trouble of his own with Regulus as his partner due to the height difference between them. 

The other friendly challenges had some minor drama as well, but nothing too bad since most of them had known each other for years already. And after a few more hours, a welcomed mid-day meal was planned. 

“Well, we thought that sharing a meal together during this fine weather would be nice, which is why we suggested bringing various sorts of food to share,” Sisyphus smiled, El Cid being busy with checking on the campfire so it did not go out. 

“Quite a mixture of food we have found together, but I am sure that it will be edible if we don't mix everything at once.” 

Almost all of them knew a story where food had been ruined by bad cooking, weird mix with unusual side dishes or something just going all wrong without warning. Like now when Regulus got the idea of using his lighting to fry some of the food in cooking oil and nearly burning poor Dohko when his woking pan exploded, if Dégel had not acted quickly with his control over ice and cold, freezing the woking pan into a small ice block. 

“Regulus, no use of lighting while making food! Sit down and let us adults do the cooking!” nearly all of the adult men said in a warning tone after the first shock vanished, as Defteros had to melt the ice block with some lava so Dokho got his pan back. 

“Some things never change about wanting to see if there is any use of our powers in everyday life, I guess…” 

~X~X~X~X~X~X      

After quite an eventful day with the other Gold Saints, it was a welcoming silence down at the sea as Manigoldo and Albafica borrowed a row boat just to be left alone until dinner. 

“Never a boring moment with this gang of colorful personalities, that is for sure,” Manigoldo said, and the Pisces Saint had to agree. 

“Colorful characters indeed.” 

The sun would not settle yet for some hours since it was summer, but the sky was still a beautiful sight of white clouds against the blue color and darker shade of the sea under them. 

“Nature can make itself into a beautiful painting all on its own, if one just finds the right scenario….was that a fish jumping up behind me?”

“Not an unexpected rock, at least, but perhaps we need to move the boat a little closer to the shore so we do not end up on deeper water.”  

Unknown to them both, the Cancer and Pisces Gold Cloths were actually below the boat in the deeper water where the sunlight did not reveal the golden metal, carefully hiding from their current wearers. 

“I think this day out with us was nice for you, to train more on regaining your social skills, Albafica.” 

“...yes, nothing too dramatic yet.” 

It had been fun, Albafica could admit that, despite the contrasting personalities of their fellow Gold Saints and how some things had been unpredictable. Well, nothing that was changed from what he had witnessed in earlier years. 

“Being out in the sun today seems to have been good for you too. After being ill, you have some more color in your face now.” 

“It is just a tan, Manigoldo, I always tend to get a faint tan during summer,” Albafica protested, knowing that he actually was blushing slightly in joy over them being alone with no one else around to disturb this peace.

“Better that than how you looked miserable from the cold.” 

Gah, this was exactly what Albafica tried to keep himself in control around Manigoldo, with this hidden heart of gold behind his mask of being a bit of a jerk. Sure, the Cancer Saint was a bit of a rogue as his well-earned name meant, and could give off the impression of being a slacker, but he was truly one of the most cunning Saints of their generations and many enemies would regret underestimating him. 

“Daydreaming about something from the way you seem to space out, Principessa rosa? ” Manigoldo asked with a grin, and Albafica gave him an annoyed glare because any sudden movements in the boat would cause problems. Both of them knew how to swim in case the boat did suddenly ram into something and they fell overboard, but it would not be enjoyable to come back home to the Sanctuary with wet clothes after an unplanned bath in the sea. 

“Trying to hear what the noise from the shore is about.”

The Pisces Saint was not lying, there was some angry shouting in the distance, and the crashing of different Cosmos. 

“Better not be some cadets with a lack of common sense after drinking too much alcohol that have ruined the potato plants of the female Andromeda Saint again, Aspros and Defteros have warned us all about how furius their former trainer can be if that happens.”

Well, Andromeda Chasca had some very good reason for being angry if people walked carelessly around in her fields and ruined her potato plants before they were ready to be harvested. After all, she hailed from the former Inca Empire in the Andes mountains range in South America, where potatoes had been the basis of the Incan diet and as a descendant to the natives living in the Andes, Chasca knew how valuable this humble rot vegetable was as food if a different crop failed. 

“Oh, that is the respective Cosmo of both the Gemini twins. If they are around Chasca like this and possibly helping her get revenge for a ruined field, it must be because they know how precious her potato plants are to her.” 

Knowing that it was safer here in the boat for now, Manigoldo and Albafica enjoyed watching more of the free entertainment for them. 

"The twins truly care for their trainer if they help her out like this...woa!"

And suddenly the boat capsized without warning. 

"What...?!" 

Manigoldo barely managed to catch Albafica in his arms as the other fell forwards, and both then fell into the water. 

"Did I miss a underwater rock or something else due to not looking around?!" Manigoldo wondered aloud as they broke the surface, coughing from getting the sailt water into their mouths and noses. 

"Perhaps...we was getting distracted, after all..." 

As it requited them both to turn the boat upright again, and then trying to climb back into it to row back to the shore, neither one noticed the Cancer or Pisces Gold Cloth in a distance. The souls of the previous Saints had tried to set up a romantic mood for Manigoldo and Albafica now when they had voluntarily set out in the rowing boat together, only to fail.