Hello everyone, I'm sure there are a lot of questions as to my 'death' but rest assured that I am in perfect health. In fact, life couldn't get much better for me! I'm gettin' married to the love of my life, my princess of dreams, Camille. In case y'all are confused as to how this occurred, well… you'll just have to wait and read my autobiography as to why I have been gone for so long and my ascension back into my TRUE nature.
A/N: THIS IS AU IN THE SENSE THAT IT IS A FUSION OF BOTH THE COMICS AND THE CARTOON.
DISCLAIMER: OWN THE BEAST-CREW & THE BAD GUYS! NUTHIN' ELSE.
B.E.A.S.T.
By Corvus no Genmu the Prince of Slumberland
Chapter One: The Monsters Within
Part One: The First Release
Deep within the mystical realm of light and purity known to many as the world of Kandrakar where the Oracle and the Congregation have watched over the many numerous worlds and bestowed upon five young girls of Earth the power and Heart of Kandrakar itself, which was in fact the very essence of the nymph Xin Jing whose body and soul was sacrificed to gather the four great dragons of China together and create the four grand rivers of China. Deep within the holy temple where the Congregation has often come to order lies a terrible forbidden secret that none but the Oracle himself have any knowledge about.
For though the Heart of Kandrakar was created from Xin Jing's sacrifice, another far stronger power was created from the Jade Emperor's anger and his sadness at the loss of his most favored friend. In his anger and despair he too sacrificed both his body and soul to create not only another talisman of great power equal to Xin Jing's, but five great Beasts that only his talisman could contain and control.
The Beasts were born with a fierce instinct to protect the Heart of Kandrakar and its holders and were proven to be too strong and too protective for their and everyone else's good. For though they protected the five Guardians loyally, the Beasts attacked and killed anyone that they deemed to be a threat to their charges' welfare. It was not until the Beasts attempted to kill the Congregation of Kandrakar that the Oracle sealed them deep under his temple before removing all memory of the great Beasts from the Guardians. Though the Oracle did all this, he failed to do the one thing that would ensure the Beasts' imprisonment.
He failed to not only destroy the Fang of Rakardnak, the talisman of the Jade Emperor; he failed to keep it within the mystical confines of Kandrakar where he and his monks could keep careful eyes upon its dark jeweled surface. Alas, the small gem escaped from the world of Kandrakar and into the mundane land known to us as Earth where it has slept in wait for hundreds of years, waiting until the right time for both parties to appear together and for the Great Evil to break free from its confines.
Now was that time.
For you see, deep within the mystical realm of Kandrakar, hidden far underneath the Oracle's temple, the five great Beasts of the Jade Emperor have broken free for the Beasts have now become aware of not only the Great Evil… but the Guardians as well.
Two years later… Shortly after Eloyn's Ascension to the Throne of Meridian.
Wilhelmina Vandom was not only late, she was super late. Not only had her bewitched alarm clock failed to wake her from the depths of her most recent nightmare, but her pet dormouse had gotten himself caught in the dryer again, resulting in most of her finer clothes being covered in rodent hair, forcing Will to choose more subdued attire. Cursing her luck once more, Will ran up the stairs leading into the school and ran straight towards her locker where, unfortunately, three of the nastiest people Will had ever met on any world were waiting for her.
Uriah, Kurt, and Laurent, Sheffield Institute's greatest troublemakers.
"Well hello there, Wil-hel-mina… Pleasure meeting you here." Will suppressed a cold shiver. Ever since Matt had moved away a month ago, Uriah had decided that Will would be his girlfriend whether she liked it or not and took many various means to try and 'woo' her. Recently, the pimpled jerk had taken to harassing her whenever she was alone, especially at times like this.
"Leave me alone, Uriah," muttered Will, her grip on her backpack tightening slightly as she reminded herself that she could not and would not use her powers to teleport Uriah and his thugs face-first into a dumpster.
"Now why would I want to leave my honeycakes alone?" asked Uriah, leaning in far too close for comfort.
"Because, I say so," growled a voice from behind Uriah. Whirling around, Uriah came eye-to-chin with some guy that obviously was new enough to know to never interrupt Uriah when he's with 'his' woman.
"Who the heck are you?" The boy in question smiled a carefree smile and moved around Uriah to stand beside Will and placed an arm around her neck, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"I'm her boyfriend."
"You're not her boyfriend!" exclaimed Uriah, pointing an accusing finger at the much taller boy. "I've never seen you around here before and I doubt that you know anything about her either!"
Smile still in place, the boy calmly turned his head so that his emerald eyes were looking into Will's brown ones and said, "You're favorite color is fuchsia and your favorite animal are frogs, none in specific, you own a dormouse that you have yet to actually give a name to, and your friends include Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin." He looked back at the pale-faced Uriah, "You were saying something?"
Muttering to himself, Uriah quickly took off with his two stooges following close behind. Sighing softly to himself, the boy removed his arm from Will's shoulders and ran a gloved hand through his pale brown hair. Will took the time to carefully look over the boy who appeared no older than herself, though he was quite tall for a fourteen-year-old. His hair was just past shoulder-length and done in a way that resembled spikes, though it did appear to be softer than silk. He was wearing a pale green t-shirt with faded brown slacks and he had a black bandana adorning his head. In a way, he did seem rather familiar to Will, but that was beside the point, how did he know so much about her?
"How did you know all that? Are some kind of stalker or something?" The boy blinked in surprise before laughing.
"Don't you ever change, Will," said the boy as his laughter died away, a happy smile adorning his face.
"Look, I really don't know who you are but-" The boy's smile, if anything, gained a rather mischievous quality.
"Oh you don't do you? Then I guess I have no choice… but to remind you!" Faster than Will thought possible, the boy was behind her and tickling the back of her neck, causing her to laugh and squeal like she was five years old again. 'But no one knows my ticklish spot, not even the girls!' thought Will as she desperately tried to swat the boy's hands away, 'Wait… there is someone… but he…'
"Bastian?" gasped Will. Grinning quite widely, the boy backed away from Will, allowing her to regain her breath.
"Got in one there my little frog-girl."
"It is you!" exclaimed Will shortly before jumping up and wrapping her arms around Bastian's neck, "When—How?"
Bastian chuckled to himself before gently easing Will's grip around his neck. "I'll tell ya later, Will. Right now, we're both running late for class."
Will's eyes widened dramatically. "Oh nuts! I'm already in trouble with Mr. Rydinger as it is! Look for me at lunch will you?"
"It's a promise, Will!" Bastian shouted to Will's rapidly departing form. Sighing to himself, Bastian calmly turned his head to look in the direction that Uriah and his gang had gone. A strange cold air began to descend around the boy as his eyes narrowed into dangerous slits while a feral frown began to appear on his face. Emerald eyes that were once warm became colder than steel as round pupils shrank away into thin reptilian lines. It wasn't until he heard the dripping sound of his own blood did Bastian shake himself out his strange trance. Glancing down at his tightly clenched, and now bleeding, hands, Bastian shuddered and sighed once more before racing off towards his class.
The beyond-normal-happiness smile that adorned Will's face had yet to leave her as she sat down in her usual spot next to Cornelia, who did not fail to note the shorter girl's mood. Will had taken Matt's departure rather hard, almost as hard as Cornelia took Cal-'NO. I've gone two days without saying HIS name, and I can go for the rest of my life if I have to.'
"So what's got you in such a cheerful mood? Even Mr. Rydinger lecturing you didn't wipe that goofy smile off your face."
Giggling quite happily, Will turned to face Cornelia and whispered, "Not what, who."
"Okay then, just who is it it?"
"Him…"
"Oookay… I think she's joined Hay Lin in lalaland," Irma whispered to Taranee, earning a sharp jab from the oriental girl.
"You guys don't understand, he's back! He's-"
"Right behind ya."
"Bastian!" Will whirled around and smiled up at the taller boy as he took a seat next to her. Bastian smiled a toothy grin and laughed as Will wrapped her arms around him in a friendly hug that set his face into a barely seen flush.
"Hahaha, it's good to see you again too Will but I think your friends are a little confused as to who I am."
"Darn tootin' we are!" exclaimed Irma, "Will, where on earth did you ever find such a hunk?" At her realization as to what she had said and the looks she was receiving from the others, including Bastian, set her face to match Will's hair.
"Heh-heh," Bastian scratched his cheek in embarrassment, "I wouldn't say I'm a 'hunk' but as to how Will and I met… well… We met each other shortly before we began preschool, at the playground I believe…"
"Yeah," agreed Will, a small smile appearing on her face as she released her grip on Bastian's torso, "I almost forgot about that day…"
Flashback…
"Widdle fwog-girl! Widdle fwog-girl!" A group of children jeered as they danced around the weeping red-haired girl who could not have been older than four. The girl was dressed in her favorite frog-themed shirt and had her all-time favorite-est hairpin, which was made to match the face of one Kermit the Frog. However, many of the playground kids found Will's love of frogs gross and disturbing and so set out to torment her by calling her as many foul things as they were allowed without their parents taking soap to their small, but venomous, mouths. Little did they, or Will, know that there was one kid who not only liked Will's choice of dress and her fascination with certain amphibious creatures, but that he was easy to anger at the sight of bullying.
"Hey, leave 'er alone ya meanies!" A blast of cold water arched through the air to hit the leader of the group, a ugly little child whose clothes seemed unwashed since they were made, before a boy of four-years but quite tall for one his age ran at them, brandishing two large squirt-guns filled with ice-cold water, which had been prepared not for them but for his elder sister, but that's beside the point.
With a almost Tarzan-like yell, the boy fired volley after volley at Will's tormentors, changing his aim from their heads to their pants, making it seem as though they had yet to fully control their bladders and making it easier for him to escape this without a lecture from his mama on when chivalry required the use of a squirt gun or two.
"You okay?" asked the boy after the last of the bullies had taken off for home where their parents would, more than likely, berate them for having a sudden 'relapse'.
"I'm –hic– okay…" sniffed Will as she rubbed her eyes clear of her tears. "T'ank you…"
"Ah shucks…" muttered the boy as he bashfully kicked the ground, "I wanted to help. I like fwogs too ya know."
"Weally?"
"Yeah, my favowite's muppet is Kewmit and I even have a pet fwog called um… Jewwy!" said the boy as he smiled a toothy smile before his eyes widened in shock. "Oops! I fowgot to intwoduce myself!" Dropping the squirt-guns to the sandy ground of the playground, the boy bowed before Will and said, "My name's Bastian!"
"I'm Will." For the rest of their time at the park, Will and Bastian played together and talked about the various things that interested them. What kind of crayons colored best, whether or not glue was a part of the food group, who was more popular Bugs or Mickey, and other such things that held their four-year old interests. It was not until their time in the playground was almost up did Will voice a question that would ultimately tie her and Bastian together for the rest of their lives.
"My mommy said that if a boy and giwl like the same t'ings and each other, than they can be boyfwiend and giwlfwiend."
"Weally?" asked an awed Bastian.
"Yeah and I… well… I wike you…"
"Weally? Well, I wike you too!"
"Then do you wanna be boyfwiend and giwlfwiend?"
"Yeah!"
"Yay! I gots a boyfwiend!" exclaimed Will before placing a wet kiss on Bastian's cheek.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwww…. That's so cute!" exclaimed Hay Lin. Will blinked out of her reverie and blushed bright pink at the gooey eyes her friends had.
"GUUUYS… We're not like that! Bastian and I don't see each other like that!" With her attention focused more on her friends, Will failed to notice the slight hurt in Bastian's eyes.
Bastian sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time that afternoon alone. True, seeing Will and being with her once more was absolutely wonderful, but the law of balance could not be denied. Bastian not only wanted but had to let Will know how his feelings had deepened into something far stronger than friendship during their two-year separation. … And the terrible secret that he had kept during those years.
It had started a few months before he and his family moved away from Fadden Hills. For a time, he had been hearing strange whispers in normally quiet classrooms, especially during times that required the students' attention such as a pop quiz or review. Bastian put the voices off as stress from having to deal with the move and the heartbreak he was feeling not only from himself but Will as well. It was not until a few days before the move that Bastian realized the truth.
He was psychic.
He spent two days experimenting with various objects in his room before moving on to his fellow students. He didn't force his mind into theirs but merely opened his to receive their thoughts. What he "heard" both shocked and sickened him. Most of Will's friends and many of his own were only friends with the red-haired girl because they felt sorry for her and were, more or less, intimidated by him. Bastian never mentioned his powers or the truth of her friends to Will.
Not verbally anyway.
Bastian and Will had kept in touch quite often, calling and emailing each other as much as either of them could, but that did not seem enough to fill the empty feeling in either of their hearts, at least not for Will. For you see, Bastian had discovered another talent of his during his first summer without Will in about nine years. He could visit people's dreams and it was during such trips that Bastian could connect with Will, even if she forgot all about it the following morning.
Shortly before his school-term started, Bastian had come to a decision that had taken most of the summer to make. He would tell Will of his powers and his visitations into her dreams by telepathically speaking with her. Bastian had never attempted such a long range of telepathy before but weeks of success with his practicing had given him an ego boost that proved to be far too dangerous for him and Will. While he ended up unconscious for about a week, Will had ended up with his powers for a limited time. It wasn't until he had checked up on her during her sleep that Bastian discovered what had happened and swore to never use his powers on Will ever again.
Though he now suffered several nights of insomnia from his 'Will-withdrawal', Bastian still thought it was in both Will and his own interest that he kept his powers under a firm lid. However, it seemed that his destiny would not be denied and newer, far stranger things began to occur around him. Bastian kept suffering from repeated withdrawals of protein and so had to eat far more quantities of meat than he ever had before. Even stranger was the fact that cow meat seemed to help him best, especially when it was nearly undercooked.
Other things had begun to sprout up as well, such as strange rashes that felt like snake skin or his teeth becoming razor sharp fangs whenever he felt angry about something. These strange physical transformations thankfully disappeared as quickly as they came and rarely sprouted up again. However, the transformations were becoming more frequent and more defined, especially after he received the news that he and his family were moving to Heatherfield about three months ago. Proof of this came this morning after Uriah and his gang harassed Will. Bastian had to lie through his teeth to explain the bandages that suddenly appeared on his hands between that morning and lunch.
He could not very well tell Will that his fingernails had turned into claws now could he? At least not yet…
"Speaking of Will, where is she? I thought she said to meet her by the bike rack…" Bastian turned his head this way and that as he silently contemplated using his telepathy before firmly shaking his head. "I lasted a year without using it, I can last another if I-" By either his subconscious will or someone else's, Bastian psychic powers activated themselves as a sharp scream pierced through the air. Emotions raced across the connection that Bastian had established with Will two years ago. Emotions that ranged from anger to a cold fear that sent Bastian running back around the grounds of the institute and into the gymnasium.
Bastian slammed open the doors and focused his fear filled eyes first on Will's unconscious form, not failing to notice how her shirt and jacket were torn in some places, before moving to the shocked faces of Uriah and his gang. Eyes once warm with compassion narrowed into cold slits as a reptilian growl came from deep within Bastian's throat. The pendant that adorned his neck flickered with weak gold light before falling to the ground as the chain that held it snapped from the white energies surrounding Bastian. As the pendant slowly fell to the ground, Bastian lost whatever control he possessed and became that he had dreaded for the past two years.
A monster.
"GRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRR!"
To Be Continued...