MANIFOLD DESTINY Book One: Other lives, other paths By: Rick Federle and WolfByte _______________________________________________________________________ Sailor Moon and all associated characters were created by Naoko Takeuchi, and are trademark of Naoko Takeuchi, Kodansha Ltd., and Toei Animation Co., Ltd. Usage of them is without permission, and for the sole purpose of entertainment. Solar is property of WolfByte, and if you wish to use the character he requests you ask permission first. The Guardsman/Warrior of Light is the property of Rick Federle, and if you wish to use the character please ask permission before hand. All other characters are joint creations of the two. _______________________________________________________________________ Chapter 4: "Unexpected Events" Sailor Mars knelt next to the unmoving form of her boyfriend, unwilling to abandon him, holding him tightly and calling for him to get back up so the two of them could try to escape. She glanced over to see the Firoins approaching, urged on by the crowd above them, their eyes filled with a hungry gleam and licking their lips in anticipation. The thunder of an explosion filled the arena and the air was abruptly filled with small fragments of debris that was all that remained of the door that led to the maze beyond. As the debris began to rain around them, Mars curled her body protectively around Jason with her face pressed against the top of his head. She looked up to find Sailor Venus and Guardsman standing on the far side of the still smoking hole. "They just don't make doors like they used to." Sailor Venus commented, lowering her right hand back to her side. Mars glanced over her shoulder to see that the Firoins had paused in their advance. The only sound in the suddenly still chamber were the approaching footsteps of the other Senshi and her husband. Sailor Venus stopped when she came adjacent to Mars. Puzzled, Mars watched as Guardsman advanced a couple of more steps then stopped. "Let's go, Mars." Venus commanded, her tone leaving no room for objection. Mars' head turned abruptly toward the other Senshi, her mouth opening to protest. The protest died on her lips as her eyes met with those of the other. Sailor Venus' eyes burned with a deep seated fury, an emotion that Mars could never recall seeing the normally jovial woman display. "We're leaving." Sailor Venus stated, her eyes focused on the impending fight in front of her. "Right now." The Guardsman slowly drew his sword, the blade making a metallic sounding hiss as it cleared the sheath. The ripple of light ran down the length of the blade all the way to the hilt as he leveled the point toward the still wary Firoins. A shout from overhead broke the stillness and the Firoins leaped into action, their claws gleaming evilly in the overhead lighting. As they charged, a roar of anticipation and delight rose from the crowd watching the battle. "Venus Meteor Shower!" The spray of multiple beams tore into the tightly packed ranks of the Firoins and sent several to the ground, either critically wounded or dead. The others, unimpeded by the loss of their comrades, leaped toward the combat ready Guardsman. The Guardsman's body became a blur as his enemies neared him. His blade was a glittering silver line of death for those that came close enough to be touched by it. "You're going to have to carry him." Venus glanced down at Mars, who shook herself back into action. "Where . . . where are we going?" Mars panted, struggling to lift the unconscious form of her boyfriend. "That way." Venus gestured, her eyes locked onto the battle between her husband and the handful of Firoins who remained. As abruptly as it had started, the battle ended. The Guardsman paused in his dance of death, the mangled bodies of the eight Firoins lying in a circle around him. With a slight flick of his wrist, he cleared the blood from his blade before straightening back up. The overhead lights dimmed in front of the two Senshi and the Guardsman. "Impressive." The voice of the First Fel echoed down to them. Their eyes quickly located him from where he stood over the still closed doorway in the silence left by his words. Sailor Venus moved forward to where her husband stood, taking up a position to his right. Mars carried the still unmoving Jason forward to stand off to the left of the other two. "But not good enough." The First Fel paused again as a number of feline guards began to fill the ledge which hung over the edge of the arena floor. "Now you've come to the end of the maze. Your species is inferior to us and your reactions to the tests that we've give you have only proven that to us. Your race is weak and will easily fall before us. We'll conquer your pathetic planets and do whatever we want with them. Any forces that you might have to offer will present no real threat to us." "Usagi will cream him," Jason whispered faintly. "Your worlds are ours." Jehu declared confidently. "Don't count on it." Sailor Venus interrupted, her anger filled voice carrying easily to every corner of the arena. "Oh but I am." The First Fel disagreed. "You four represent the most dangerous members of your species, but yet you have proven yourselves predictable and easy to manipulate." "What do you want with us?" Sailor Mars demanded, cradling Jason to her. "What do I want?" The First Fel asked. "I want you to die." As the echo of the First Fel's last words faded, the sound of weapons being readied filled the arena from the multitude of guards on the ledge. The trio shifted their attention to the half dozen guards that had begun to appear out of an opening in the floor in front of them, their clawed hands empty. As the guards began to advance toward them, the Guardsman acted. "Sun Fire Flare!" The incandescent beam of white energy tore through the chest armor of the largest of the guards, sending the dead body flying over backward. Sailor Venus and Guardsman stepped forward to meet the charge by the remaining guards. Two of them circled Venus while the remaining three fought with Guardsman. Uncomfortably Mars watched the fight boil before her, wanting to help, but yet knowing that doing so would require her to abandon Jason. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, keeping an eye on the guards that occupied the ledge overhead. While they hadn't opened fire yet, there was no guarantee that they'd stay that way. Venus and Guardsman moved together, each putting their back against the other's. The two moved in synchronization and with a grace only years of training and experience could provide. Around them circled the five guards, watching for an opening that they could exploit. Mars noticed movement out of the corner of her eye and as she glanced over to find out what it was, a group of a dozen or so ragged looking guards trotted out into the arena from what she assumed was the opening in the floor, beam rifles in hand. Even as she opened her mouth to warn the others, the sound of weapon fire filled the air. Some of the newcomers opened fire on the guards circling her companions, but most of them fired at the guards watching from the ledge overhead. "Stop . . . AAAHHHHH!" The voice of the First Fel was cut off by the sudden scream of pain and the limp body fell to the arena floor from where he had been leaning on the edge of the wall to watch the fight below. More weapon fire was added from the opening in the floor to that which was already in place, the energy beams tearing into the ranks of the guards on the ledges. The guards that survived the first volley returned fire and the air in the arena was filled with crisscrossing energy beam. "This way." One of the newcomers snarled, pausing in his shooting long enough to wave toward the formerly outnumbered trio. Several of their rescuers, as Mars had labeled them, had already fallen to the beams of the ledge guards. The smell of burnt fur filled the air and she raced toward the opening, cradling Jason protectively against her. The other two members of her group fell into step with her and it took them only a couple of seconds to reach the spot where their rescuers crouched, still firing at the guards overhead. "Come on, hurry." The same one as before called, leading them down into the hole in the floor. The sound of footsteps around them filled the space around them as they raced down the tunnel, following the felines who had rescued them from what would have been certain death. They ran for a few minutes, their rescuers leading them through several intersections before ducking behind a large rock that had just enough space behind it for them to slip through. They continued on at a slower pace in the next set of tunnels, as if they didn't expect to be pursued any further. Mars' arms ached from carrying Jason's weight long before the group emerged into a large cavern. The cavern itself was circular and she couldn't see anything that would indicate that the place had been carved out of the rock around it. The cavern was lit by some sort of phosphorescent lighting that provided just enough light to see by. "It looks like this chamber was made by volcanic activity." Guardsman commented quietly as the group around them dispersed off into various corners of the room. Most of them disappeared down several of the numerous passageways that led from the chamber while a couple of others posted watch over the tunnel from which they had emerged. "Please, follow me." The same feline spoke as before, handing his rifle to one of the other felines in the cavern. Apparently, this one was the leader. The feline led them down one of what appeared to be one of the lesser used passageways, based on the higher than normal amount of dust in the corridor. They emerged from the tunnel into a mid sized chamber with two dark wooden doors on each side. This chamber, like the large cavern and the tunnels they'd been in before, was lit by the same dim lighting. A large hot spring occupied the far end of the room and several sets of pipes ran out of the pool across the floor. A set ran into each wall next to the doorway while another ran down along the edge of the corridor that they'd just transversed. The feline stopped in the middle of the chamber and turned toward them. "I am Pela," the feline introduced himself. "When we heard that the First Fel had taken some prisoners for 'experimentation', we knew that we had to rescue you from what would surely be a death sentence. The First Fel seeks only to destroy our race with his thirst for conquest. "My compatriots and I were convicted of treason because we didn't agree with him and were therefore sentenced to the arena to die. Most of us escaped, and as others have been likewise sentenced, we've taken to rescuing them as well." Pela opened his arms toward them. "I'll answer any questions that you have after you've had a chance to get some rest and to refresh yourselves. These two chambers are at your disposal for the duration of your stay. I'll have someone come get you later." With that, the feline left them alone in the chamber. As the feline leader left, Mars suddenly realized how tired she was. Her entire body ached from exhaustion and a quick glance at her companions indicated that they weren't in much better shape. "I don't know about you, but I feel drained." Venus leaned back against her husband with a yawn. "We've all had a hard day." Guardsman reminded her, folding his arms around her shoulders in a brief hug. "Go on inside." He suggested to her as she glanced up at him. Venus nodded and turned toward the nearest door, disappearing inside. Guardsman opened the other door and bowed formally to Sailor Mars. "Highness." Mars smiled in spite of herself and nodded in thanks, still cradling Jason against her. She moved into the chamber beyond and Guardsman closed the door for her. Venus sighed tiredly as she closed the door to the chamber they'd been given. She'd used up much more energy than she should have battling the felines. It left her exhausted, with barely enough energy to move now that the adrenaline had worn off. She leaned against the door and took in the room. The room was of the same rough looking volcanic chamber as the rest of the complex that she'd seen so far. A large oval tub made of a dark stone occupied the back of the room and steam rose lazily out of it, as if someone had taken the time to fill it with hot water for her. Just outside the inward swinging arc of the door was a large heaping pile of furs easily large enough for both of them to cuddle up in comfortably. A dark bowl made of the same kind of wood as the door sat in the middle of the pile of furs. It was about the size of both her hands put together and filled with a purple grape looking fruit. Venus took the necessary two or three steps forward, feeling the richness of the furs even through her shoes. She sat down, folding her legs under her to get comfortable as she reached over and grasped the edge of the bowl. As she pulled it into her lap, she heard the door open again. She looked up to see her husband in the doorway and she gave him a tired smile after he closed the door behind him. He plopped down across from her, stretching out his legs comfortably. "You found food, I see." He commented as he glanced into her eyes. "Haven't tried it yet." She told him. "Allow me." He reached across and pulled one of the grape-like fruits out of the bowl and popped it into his mouth. Curiously, she set the bowl aside to watch as he slowly chewed the fruit then swallowed. He paused in contemplation then promptly flopped on his back. "William!" Venus found herself leaning over top of him to try to find out if he was okay. She frowned as she felt a surge of mischief across the link they shared. "That's not funny." She said reprovingly. "Delicious." He stated, opening his eyes. He reached up and tugged her down on top of him, pulling her down for a kiss. She giggled happily in spite of herself and rubbed her nose against his. "I'm glad you like it." "Oh, I do." He smirked at her, drawing another giggle from her. "Your lips still taste fabulous." She shared a smile with him then kissed him. "I love you." "I love you, too." He agreed, gazing into her eyes. "Now grab that bowl of fruit, would you?" She reached back and snagged the bowl. "Here you are, My Lord." She said formally, holding it over him. "Why thank you, Highness." He accepted the bowl and set it on his chest. He plucked one of the fruits from the bowl and held it up. "Open." She complied and smiled after he popped it into her mouth. "They are good." She agreed as she snagged a handful from the bowl. "Save me some." He mock protested as she began to eat. "First come, first serve." She disagreed. He raised his eyebrows and she giggled, leaning forward and placing one of the fruit on his tongue. The bowl was devoured quickly. "It seems an awful shame to have this full tub of water and not use it." Venus commented, resting her elbows on her husband's shoulders. "It does, does it?" He inquired. "Yes." She leaned forward and kissed him again. "Coming?" "Yes, my heart." * * * Content that the two charges would be safe for the moment, being snuggled up together in sleep, the Light noticed that the other male had given off a hauntingly familiar something that eluded remembrance. The non form of the Light passed from the place where it watched Mina and William sleep, passing through the door and drifting toward the chamber where the other two warriors slept. The young man, unconscious from fatigue, was definately eminating a familiar aura. Searching its memory, it's senses stretched out through the dimentions, locking onto another being who's aura was almost identical. The white sphere of energy, a manifestation of the Light's conscious, paused at a small glowing ball of yellow energy, highly animated by the fact that it never seemed to be still but was in continuous motion. "Are you done giving yourself the ten-cent tour yet?" the other suddenly spoke. "What do you mean, young one?" The Light asked. "Young one?" The other demanded, it's voice edging into haughty. "You're either ill informed, or an essence." "I was born when time began." The Light said distantly. "I was old when you were created." "So you're old. Hardly worth bragging about." The other sneered, continuing to bounce about the room. "How about some substantial info. Like a name?" "I am the Light." "Ahh yes. I've heard of you. Inventive name. Must have taken you centuries." "And who are you, young one, to speak in such a way to me?" "I am the servant of the lord of the star of Sol. Called simply by my creators, 'The Sun Crystal'" "Created by the god Sol. Yes, I remember you. I was there when you came to be. Why do you seem so distressed, young one?" "My master's warrior was placed under my care and now he along with another, has turned up missing." "A young human male, dark hair, with the ability to harness heat... Am I correct to presume he is your charge? And furthermore that the Senshi of Mars is this other you spoke of?" "Correct. Where is he?" "He has been taken to spearate dimention. Those under my care have been brought to that place as well, and will require my guidance in order to return home." "Those under your care will most likely need the help of my charge as well." "And why is that?" The Light demanded, feeling some agitation at the younger being's tone. "He is capable and gifted. Besides with the aide of my charge there will be more power to draw from, and a greater chance that either of ours will return home safely. I'd think you would at least understand that concept." "You demand that I accept the assistance of your charges but you know not the abilities of my Avatar." The Light had lost it's patience. "You lack the wisdom that experience provides and provide me with no reason to even consider your petition." "And your wisdom has boosted your arrogance and blinded your vision! Were your warriors so capable you would have no reason to be here now. I speculate that your prescence here means that you wanted either aid, or information about him." The Light was silent for a moment. "In your arrogance you are also correct, suggesting that perhaps you have learned some wisdom after all. Very well, young one. However, your charge will not be of much aide without some help." "This is an unfortunate truth. Unlike the other warriors of this system, he has no independant tool to harness his tranformation. He requires my prescence for that act." "An unfortunate event." The Light agreed solemnly. "Quite." The crystal paused to hover solemnly for a moment. "To transport me to him... your power... is it capable of such a task?" "Such a thing is within my abilities." "My master would appreciate any assistance you could give." The Sun Crystal assured the other. "Very well, young one, I shall transport you to him." The Light agreed. "The help is appreciated." * * * Rei woke sleepily, not noticing the second glow adding to the weak light of the single small light that hung upon the wall. She'd gotten herself and Jason cleaned up. A bit of a challenge with him totally out of it, but it hadn't taken as long as she'd figured it would. She'd eaten most of the fruit in the bowl after she'd figured out that it wasn't poisonous. It had actually been quite good and she decided to save him some in case he'd want to try it. Then she'd settled down to sleep next to the unconscious form of her boyfriend, wrapping him up in some of the furs provided in an attempt to keep him warm. She got up and dressed, still half awake, and left the room, glancing back only once to make sure that Jason was still there. She brushed the last of the sleep from her eyes and noticed that Mina's husband was seated on one of the boulders near the middle of the room with his back toward her. "Hi, Rei." He said quietly, turning around to look at her. "Hi, uh . . . " She trailed off, having lost his name for the moment. "William." He supplied. "William, right." Rei sat down on one of the rocks near him as a moment of awkward silence filled the room. "So, couldn't you sleep?" She asked hesitantly. He shook his head. "I was drifting in and out for some reason. I thought maybe some air would help." "Is it?" He frowned. "Not really." "How's Mina?" "Exhausted." William told her. "She used more energy than she should have." He tilted his head to the side and then smiled. "She's sleeping right now. Having a happy dream." "You can tell?" Rei asked curiously. He nodded. "We're linked." He explained calmly. "We share feelings and pain. And we can tell when the other's in danger." "So that's how you knew we got ambushed." Rei looked interested. "Yes." William agreed. "What's the story about you two?" "Jason showed up from nowhere almost nowhere, with a pretty harsh past, and no real friends or family. At first, he was just this strange guy who somehow wound up aiding us in a really nasty fight against these guys called the Black Star Clan. By the time it was over, we'd discovered there was a bit more to it than that." "At first, he kind of annoyed me," Rei admitted with a grin. "But he quickly grew on me. He was dark, mysterious and dashing, and flattered me in more ways than I knew were possible. Neither of us really realized our feelings until the end of it." A small blush crept onto her cheeks, but she acted as though she didn't notice. "Afterwards, he left. He had reasons, but it didn't make things easy. He came back a few months ago, and we've been dating since. You?" "Mina and I were in love but because of who I was, we could never be together." William began. "I was one of Queen Serenity's protectors and not a noble by birth. Our love was forbidden and if we'd been found out," he paused and then shook his head. "But we never were found out and before she could ask Serenity for permission to marry, the Negaverse came and destroyed everything. "I was a prisoner of the Negaverse, locked in a temporal cell for a thousand years. When finally I escaped and I found her once again, she and the others were being attacked by some creatures from the Negaverse." He chuckled. "I guess that I leaped into the rescue in the nick of time and the love that we shared hadn't been lost after all that time. We faced the worst that the Negaverse could throw at us and then something even more deadly when my nemesis the Dark Lord appeared on the scene." He paused, his eyes and voice growing thoughtful. "We managed to defeat her only because we surrendered ourselves to each other." "I hope that Jason will be okay." Rei said worriedly. "I have a feeling that he'll be fine." William said to her. * * * "What were you doing in there!?" The Second Fel bawled. The remaining members of the units that had stood guard in the arena were assembled at attention before him. "Not only did you let the prisoners escape, you let yourselves be defeated by a rag tag band of rebels!" Several of the feline guards winced behind the Second Fel's back, but none of them dared show any reaction while he was looking. "Get out!" The Second Fel waved a bared claw at them. "All of you are confined to quarters!" Without waiting to see if they obeyed, the Second Fel stalked from the room in anger. "Everything goes according to plan, then?" The Chief Scientist asked the other feline in the room without looking away from his monitors. "Yes." Was the only word the other spoke. * * * The sound of a door opening brought William and Raye's attention toward it. Mina emerged from the room, stretching her arms over her head to get the kinks out. Without a word, she sat down in her husband's lap and put her arms around his neck. As if on reflex, he encircled her waist with his arms and then she leaned forward and kissed him passionately, her mouth pressed against his with the kind of hunger that only love could satisfy. Their eyes twinkled as they looked at each other when their lips separated. "Good morning." William said after the kiss broke. Mina leaned forward and rested her forehead against his. "Where were you?" She asked him in a questioning tone of voice. "I woke up and you were gone. I don't like waking up and finding you gone. I miss you when you're not there." "I couldn't sleep." He admitted to her. "And I didn't want you to loose any sleep because I was feeling restless." "Don't leave without me." Mina chided him. "From now on, you stay with me." "As you command, Highness." William agreed blandly. Mina giggled happily then snuggled up against him with her nose pressed into his shirt. William smiled at the woman snuggled up against him then kissed her lovingly on top of the head. Rei rolled her eyes unnoticed by her other two companions. It was a little too sappy for her liking. She loved Jason, but the way these two acted seemed a little extreme even for the Minako Rei knew. She watched for a few moments as her other two companions cuddled up together without a word, seeming lost to everything outside of themselves. The door behind her opened and revealed her boyfriend on the other side of the doorway. Jason came directly to her and put his arms around her shoulders. "Hi." "You're okay." Rei said, relieved. "Yeah," Jason paused to kiss her. He looked into her eyes for a moment to reassure her before speaking again. "What did I miss?" "We got rescued first by those two," Rei indicated the other couple. Jason's eyebrows shot up as he took them in, but didn't interrupt. "Then this group of rebels showed up and lead us from the arena. They brought us here and we haven't seen so much as a feline whisker since." "I thought that I was supposed to be the calvary arriving at the last second to save the day." Jason commented. Rei swatted him playfully on the arms and leaned her head back against him. She felt the warm glow of the Sun Crystal and turned her head to look at it. "Wait a minute... how did he get here?" "The Light." Mina's voice seemed to echo to them from where her head was buried. Rei and Jason looked over at her. "How do you know that?" Rei asked curiously. William raised his head so Mina could look at the other couple. "The Light told me," Mina stated. "The Light," Jason gave her a puzzled look; "told you?" "Yes." Mina confirmed. She turned her eyes back toward her husband. "It does talk to both of us, you know." "I remember," William agreed. "It does take both of us to be the Avatar." "That's not the only thing it takes both of us for." She smirked at him. "If I didn't know you better, gorgeous; I'd think you were suggesting something." William said. "I'll get back to you, handsome." Mina smirked at him. "That's my Venus." William leaned forward and kissed her. The two giggled and rubbed noses before turning their attention to their other two companions. "They're kidding, right?" Jason said, sounding like he didn't want to believe what he was seeing. "Not as far as I can tell." Rei disagreed. "Maybe you should take notes, Rei." Mina suggested lightly. "For when you get married." The Senshi of Fire glared at the Senshi of Energy without any effect. "Thanks, Mina;" Rei stated calmly. "But I already know what I'm doing." She abruptly pointed up at Jason's face. "You. Not a word." She ordered. "Would I do that?" Jason asked. "Yes." "Enough." The voice interupted the growing lover's spat, and Jason turned his attention to the yellow crystal that hung from his neck. "Almost forgot about you." "Typical." Jason clasped his ahnd around the crystal, the chain it was suspended upon vanishing suddenly. Extending his hand towards the others, he uncurled his fingers and the small yellow stone hovered slightly above his palm, glowing softly. "Willaim, Mina, this is Pauhl. He's a bit uppity, but he's pretty much my family." "Greetings Avatars of Light," the crystal chimed. "Polite," Willaim noted. "Someone's coming," Mina announced suddenly. Rei and Jason strained their ears listening and after a couple of seconds faintly heard the sound of approaching footsteps. "How can you tell that?" Jason asked. "Venusian hearing." Mina said shortly. "We'd better power up before they get here." The other three nodded. "Warrior of Light Transform!" "Sailor Venus Transform!" "Mars Crystal Power, Make Up!" "Sun Prism, Power Up!" As the others finished their transformation, they found Jason now garbed in almost all black, his yellow gloves and belt the only color of his outfit. Pauhl still hung from around his neck, glowing softly. "Solar eh?" Guarsdman inquired. He nodded the afirmative. The feline who'd identified himself as Pela trotted into the chamber to find Sailor Mars, Sailor Venus, the Guardsman, and a strange black garbed human waiting for him. He eyed the unknown male for a moment, but passed off the lack of recongnition as just not having paid enough attention before. "Your hearing must be almost as good as mine." "It is." Guardsman stated. "Word has reached us from the Citadel that the First Fel was a casualty of our attack." Pela began. "We're going to assault the Citadel and overthrow the remains of the First Fel's rule." The feline looked at each of them. "Can we count on your support?" Venus and Guardsman nodded together. "Yes." Mars and Solar exchanged a glance. Solar shrugged then Mars nodded. "Count us in."