The Distant One, the Supreme Serenity was meditating. Legs crossed, in the middle of a giant
lotus, his eyes closed, he could see everything. Tranquil, nothing could disturb him.

**************

In what used to be the Pope's room.

"Is Shaka meditating again?" asked Seiya to Athena.

"Yes, and I'd wish he would stop. He has been at it for already nearly a month!" answered a
young purple-haired lady, sounding exasperated.

Groans in the room.

"Doesn't he ever eat?" asked Shun, curious.

"You know, that's the funny part" answered Aioria, the Leo Saint. "He says he doesn't take
anything, but yesterday, I heard some noise in his Virgo temple, and I could have sworn that
they were coming from the kitchen. I bet Shaka was fixing something to eat for himself."

"So you mean that the part that he can go without food during meditation is all false?" asked
Hyoga.

Aioria lifted up his hand. "I, as a Saint of Athena, am honor-bound not to speak of any ill of
any other of my fellow saint."

And then, approaching Hyoga, he said in a confidential tone to his ear "But I bet that's just a
bunch of lies", this provoking a muffled laugh from Hyoga.

Athena stared at him from the corner of her eye and he quickly resumed a somewhat dignified
position.

She sighed and looked at all the saints that were around her. She had gathered them her to
elect a new Pope in what could be considered as a historical first. Normally, the last Pope
should have chosen his successor, but not this time. Even the saints that had died in the manga
and during the anime were present. A fact which surprised some of the saints, including Hyoga.

"Aioria" asked Hyoga suddenly realising something "aren't you supposed to be dead?"

Aioria shrugged his shoulders.

"Hyoga, Hyoga, Hyoga" he said shaking his head "this is a parody, not a manga, and not an
animation?! Now do you understand?!"

Now back to Saori, or rather, Athena. Initially, she wanted to chose a new Pope by herself, but
Seiya had dissuaded her saying with his habitual tact "We're in Republic aren't we? So why
can't we vote as in Republic dang it!"

This was a thing she wasn't sure about, but, after lengthy protests from everywhere, she
decided to agree to it…if she had the right to refuse the elected candidate of course. But, as
this was better than anything in what we call a monarchy ruled by herself, and seeing that she
was after all the Goddess of Wisdom, they all agreed. They had better seeing by her face
expression the temper-tantrum she was going to throw if they still protested. Since nobody
wanted to be changed into spiders or something similar. So, after a few weeks, all the saints
had been gathered in the ex-pope's house for a vote.

 Athena looked around the room and, stretching out her two arms in a magnificent gesture
 shouted "Silence!" as her scepter banged the floor. Her command was immediately followed by a
 silence.

Somebody whispered "Don't you think she's taking her role a little too seriously?"

This was heard and immediately followed by the twitching of her imperial eyebrows and a "Who
said that?"

Silence again in the large room.

Athena shrugged and turned to Jabu, who for this occasion had the job of ensuring that
everybody was present and was sweating of all his might, for ensuring the presence and the
well-being of this whole matter, making sure nothing was wrong was a mighty affair. And he had
been running here and there since 6 o'clock that morning. But, as he continually repeated to
himself "I would do anything for my princess." Now, all he had to do was to convince himself
that this was a valid reason.

 "Is everyone present?" she asked him in a suave voice.

He wiped the sweat of his forehead and said excitedly "Everybody your Highness is present. All
the bronze, silver and gold saints are here waiting for the moment where they will cast their
votes…all of them, that is except Shaka."

The lovely face took a consternated look for a while, before it resumed its habitual distant
expression and asked in a dangerously sweet voice. " And why is that so my dear Jabu?"

Sweating even more from the irritation he could feel in her Loveliness' voice he replied, a bit
stammering "well…we didn't dare to interrupt him in his meditation. Actually we did…" he
quickly added seeing angry flashes in eyes "…but, but, he told us that no one was allowed to
interrupt him when he was meditating, under the penalty of Death."

Athena seemed to think for a while "And he's the only one absent is that right?" she said in a
somewhat crushing tone. "And don't you dare to say no". At this, she resumed her habitual calm
appearance and said "Now, we will process without Shaka's presence. After all, if he feels that
this doesn't concern him, then it won't. Let's proceed with the cast of votes."

"Ahem…your Grace" enquired Jabu "there is but another slight problem."

"And what may that be?" replied Athena coldly "don't tell me somebody is missing again."

"Actually…yes…."Said Jabu hesitatingly "we are missing 3 other saints apart from Shaka."

Athena's fingers clutched her scepter "What?" she said "What?"

"Err… Saga, his brother Kanon and Aiolos are also not here."

"And why is that so?" she asked softly.

"Hum…you see your Highness, they do not really see the point of coming."

"And why is that so dear Jabu?" she asked again, clenching her scepter more tightly again.

"Your Greatness, they are not the only ones who think so," said Jabu, who by then was sweating
profusely "In fact, all the other saints, even the ones who came treat this more as a reception
than anything else. If you permit me to say so your Graciousness, I think that everyone thinks
this election thing is futile."

"But they were the ones who pushed me to it! I never wanted an election to design the New Pope!
So why are they doing this to me!" she exclaimed with great exasperation.

"Ah, but if you permit me your Exactness, the way you disposed the election is so that it means
nothing to us." Said Jabu wisely.

"Huh?" asked Athena.

"Well a lot of people aren't very happy with the fact that the final decision still rested on
you. If you approve the winner, than fine, if not, then we have to vote again."

"But I AM the Goddess of Wisdom!!" she exclaimed, exasperated.

"Ah yes, but you haven't been very wise in taking this decision. Some people…actually a lot of
people don't mind the fact that you chose a pope. It's not so much the fact that you wanted to
choose a pope by yourself, it has been after all in a similar way for years, but all this
masquerade that has been going on. Some people just don't see the point of it more than others,
that's all."
   
By now, Athena's lovely face had gone crimson, and, her Athena personality fading off, or
rather, reinforced by her Saori Kido's one, she shouted loudly and vented her exasperation on
the person closest to her, that it, Jabu. "I DON'T CARE!!!!" she screamed "THEY WANTED AND
ELECTION, THEY ARE GOING TO GET AN ELECTION. CALL THEM NOW IF NOT, TELL THEM THAT THEY WILL
SUFFER!!!"

Shiryu lifted up his brow at the disarming scene, sighing at the fact that the Goddess of
Wisdom whom he served was capable of throwing such temper tantrums. He looked at Seiya and
chided him "Seiya, did you have to make her angry?"

Seiya protested, saying "Hey! It's not my fault she hoping around the room!"

Shiryu looked at him skeptically "Maybe not, but you were the one who insisted she hold these
elections. What's more, may I remind you that you were also the one who spread the rumors that
she was the one who was going to chose the new Pope."

"But it's true!" exclaimed Seiya raising his hands up to a cruel sky  "she said it so to me
herself!"

"Maybe," answered Shiryu "but for the peace and harmony of the community, couldn't you have
restrained yourself from opening your mouth this time?"

"Dang the peace and harmony of this community" replied Seiya shrugging his shoulders "Shiryu,
stop being so tied up, relax a bit brother!"

"Relax, but I am relaxed Seiya!" Shiryu started screaming "you're the one who is messing up
everything!!"

"Yo Shiryu! Calm down man!" said Seiya hastily "it was a joke, I was just kidding that's all!!"

Before Shiryu could reply, a loud voice interrupted his speech….

"SEIYA!!!!!" a high-pitched, feminine voice was heard "COME HERE THIS INSTANT!!!!"

"Aw man," groaned Seiya "The WAR GODDESS wants me again…"

Shiryu, laughing out loud this time said "You deserve it Seiya, I think Saori knows that you
told tales on her and now, she gonna make you pay dearly for this."

"You're telling me" said Seiya "this is a lousy job. Lousy pay, lousy place, almost get killed
each time…"

"At least you don't use up that much blood" remarked Shiryu.

"Look whose talking!" exclaimed Hyoga, who was listening nearby, "and who loses the most blood
of all aye?"

"Well.." started Shiryu "It's not as if it was my fault…. Blame it on…"

"SEIYA!!!!" came another high-pitched female voice.

"HELP ME!!!" exclaimed Seiya "SHAINA IS HERE!!!"

And with that, Seiya ran away as fast as he could.

"I'm guessing she didn't take that engagement of his to Miho so well?" remarked Shiryu.

"Mm-hum" replied Hyoga pensively.

Suddenly perking up, he tapped Shiryu's shoulder.

"VODKA!" he exclaimed his eyes shining bright "Come brother, let's us drink to our hearts
content today!"

"I'm not really sure we should…." Said Shiryu reluctantly.

"Aw lighten up brother!" exclaimed Hyoga, taking a bottle of vodka "Good vodka this is! Stop
being a goody-goody for once. I bet you can't finish this bottle!"

"You wanna bet?" said Shiryu.

And with that, he took the whole bottle of vodka and finished it.