Until The End Of Time
Disclaimer: I own nothing. These characters belong to the creator of Glee and Star Ocean Til The End Of Time.
Pairing: Rachel/Quinn
Rating: M
Chapter One
Earthquakes
Rachel stretched out her arms, yawing and letting out a sigh as she fell back into one of the chairs in the Grantier Resort Hotel Lobby. As her small body sunk into the chair her tense muscles immediately relaxed and she closed her large brown eyes, drifting away into a daydream.
"Here you go!" Jesse said walking up to the small diva with a drink in each of his hands. He threw one toward her, and she caught it, a little surprised to see the young man standing in front of her, his torso exposed, clad in only swim trunks.
"Hello, Jesse. You startle me. I thought that you were going down to the beach in order to take a swim?"
"I was waiting for you, but you never came. You said that you were going to play a few games and then head right down."
She caught the large digital clock in the lobby with her eyes, realizing that she had told him she would be down hours ago. Groaning out she turned her attention back to Jesse, an apologetic look on her face. "I am so sorry, Jesse. I did not plan on staying for such an extended period of time; I just got sucked into the fight."
"Yeah, well, that's what I thought happened." He said with a laugh, brushing his curly hair out of his face as he looked Rachel over. "Didn't you say that you had tons of homework you had to do before we came to Hyda?"
Rachel stood to her feet and with conviction; she lifted her head high and proud. "Yes, and I do indeed have quite a bit of homework, but I was fighting so well today! I leveled up multiple times and I think that I am truly becoming prepared for any future fight we may encounter." Her eyes shimmered with excitement.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm proud of you." He said with a roll of his eyes. Honestly, Jesse was not angry with Rachel; he just grew irritated with her at times. She could be so strong-willed when she set her mind to something, she never stopped until she got it, and he both loved and hated her for it. When it came to her singing career he loved her for it, but now that she was risking her life on a daily basis, it was a little bothersome.
"Someone is in a grumpy mood today." She said, nudging his exposed abdomen.
"What do you expect, Rachel? You have been spending all of your time in this battle simulator. You would rather be in there then spend any time with me."
Rachel cocked her head to the side, a smirk on her full lips as she tried to catch his gaze. "Jesse?"
"What?"
"You are not mad, are you?"
"I'm not mad." He was nearly pouting at this point and it was adorable.
"Do you want to head down to the beach now?" She asked him.
"No, thank you. I already swam enough, while somebody I know was having the time of her life, playing in a simulator all by herself."
Rachel laughed a little at the pout that formed on his bottom lip and then she walked in front of him, forcing him to finally look at her. She pleaded with the young man. "Then perhaps you would like to take a walk through the hotel? It could be fun; we could go on an adventure! What do you say?" Her eyebrows knit together and when he looked as if he were going to decline she added. "Please? Pretty please?"
"Hmm, well, if you want to hang out with me that badly, I guess I can't really say no."
"Great!" Rachel's smile widened. "Then let's get going! Time's a wastin'!"
Jesse laughed at his friend, following her as she started out of the lobby and into one of the hallways. "Okay! But, Rach I need to get dressed."
O
Rachel waited impatiently on the other side of the door, wishing that Jesse would hurry up and get ready. He always took longer than her to get dressed. Which was ridiculous considering that she had an entire two hour routine in order to get prepared for her day.
"Hurry up Jesse, you always take so long to get ready!" She shouted through the door.
Finally he opened the door and flashed her a smirk, now wearing a nice outfit and smelling fresh and clean. "Oh, come on Rachel, you know you are just as big of a diva as I am." He laughed. "Besides, you kept me waiting at the beach looking like a moron forever, so it serves you right."
"I see how it is." She smiled and laughed a little. "Well, if it is any consolation, you look rather dashing."
"Thank you." He said before ruffling her dark hair.
Rachel ducked away from him and pushed his side which caused Jesse to laugh loudly. Once he had composed himself he held out his arm. "Shall we?"
"We shall." She nodded in confirmation, linking arms with the taller man allowing him to lead the way through the hotel. It was a beautiful hotel, and Rachel knew that it would be a fun little adventure to go on. They did this at every stop.
O
Rachel and Jesse had explored a good majority of the hotel and now they were making their way into the entertainment room. This was where the live entertainment stayed, the circus performers, the hotel singers, anyone who entertained the people staying at the hotel.
A lively blonde approached the two of them; she had sparkling blue eyes and pigtails. Her attire was that of a belly dancer. She was far taller than Rachel.
"Whaaat? Who are you? This is the Pierce's dressing room!" She cocked her head to the side. "Oh, I know you! You want my autograph, don't you! Ah well, gotta keep the fans happy! Usually, I'd be pretty mad if someone just came barging in like that, but you're so cute! I'll make an exception this one time!"
Rachel was taken aback by the enthusiasm the other woman had, and her full lips fell open and eyebrows knit together as she looked up at Jesse. He seemed to be equally confused. Looking back to the other girl she smiled politely. "Ah, umm… You said that you are the Pierce's correct?" She had no clue who the group of entertainers were, but she did not wish to hurt the blonde girl's feelings.
"What? You didn't know our troupe's name? Don't go forgetting it, now! Say, what's your name?"
"Rachel, But—"
"—I'm Jesse." He interrupted Rachel, flashing the young woman a charming smile.
"Right." The girl said simply before walking around Rachel looking her over, she was wearing an argyle shirt with a plain white back. She smiled as she pulled out a black marker and leant in to write on the back of Rachel's shirt. "To my darling Rachel, From the Fairy of Illusions, Brittany S Pierce." Putting the cap back on the marker she smiled proudly. "All done!"
"Hey!" Rachel shouted out, pulling away, hoping that her shirt had not been ruined. It was one of her favorites. "You cannot just draw on someone's shirt, it is unacceptable behavior!" Brown eyes met blue that instantly filled with sadness. It made the diva feel bad.
"Huh?" Brittany asked confused. "What? I thought you wanted my autograph?"
"Nobody said anything about wanting an autograph." Jesse pointed out.
"Huh?" She seemed genuinely confused and it baffled both Jesse and Rachel, they did not understand how she could not comprehend what they were telling her. "But, I thought… Hm. Then you must want Lord Tubbington's, or maybe mama's? Or my Papa's?"
"No, I am sorry to inform you—" Rachel started, pausing to remember the other woman's name. "Brittany, we are not here looking for anyone's autograph."
"Huh? Well, what are you then, a saleswoman? Nah, come to think of it, you look like the kind of girl who has never done an honest day's work in her life. I know! You're here to collect on a loan! You're too early! That loan's good until next month, they promised!" Brittany shouted out, shocking the two standing before her.
Rachel's eyes widened twice in size and she quickly attempted to backtrack out of the conversation. "No, no! Who are the Pierce's, anyway? And what do you mean when you say that you are the Fairy of Illusions?"
"Hm, okay, so um are you two just like lost or something?"
"Well, we are not really lost per say—" Rachel started.
"Oh no! You're robbers!"
"No!" She shouted quickly, not wishing to have security come and attempt to take them away for crimes they were not going to commit. "We are not robbers either."
"Then, what are you? You're not one of my fans, you're not here to collect on our loan, you're not lost. So what do you think you're doing barging into our room like this?"
"Well, I apologize for barging into your room, I had not intended upon doing so. We were simply taking a little walk, looking around the hotel." Rachel said.
"A walk?" Brittany asked.
"Yes, a walk."
"I didn't think barging into someone's room was called taking a walk. I thought that was for burglars, or lost kids, or stalkers, or groupies, or—"
"Alright! Perhaps we were a bit lost." She interrupted the blonde who seemed that she could possibly go on for hours naming off various reasons why someone would barge into a room.
"Let's just get out of here, Rachel." Jesse said with a nod toward the door.
"I think that would be for the best." Rachel offered the taller woman a smile.
"So, you were lost then? That explains everything." Brittany said with a smile and a shake of her head, her smile fell a little as she added. "I thought you were my very first fan… oh well, it's not like I've even performed yet, so it did seem a little strange I guess."
"You are a performer?"
"That's right. We're the Pierce Troupe, and we bring you a fleeting vision of the future. I'm your fairy guide, Brittany S. Pierce. We're a circus troupe and I am sort of like the dancing host."
Rachel watched as the blonde announced herself and she could not help but notice how proud the other woman seemed of her job, it was admirable, and she was always one to support the arts and dance. She was an aspiring singer after all. "Oh, so then this shirt with your signature is going to be worth something someday?"
"Of course! It's the first autograph I ever signed."
"The first?"
"Tomorrow's my first show, so yeah; in like six months… you could pretty much buy a whole planet with that shirt." Brittany informed the short brunette.
"Did you hear that Jesse?" She turned to look up at him; he was wearing an amused grin. "Isn't that amazing, an entire planet." For a moment she thought. "I wonder what I could do with an entire planet. Thank you for this shirt, I will have to take great care of it."
"Are you making fun of me?" She asked in a monotone voice.
"No, most certainly not. I believe you, I am sure that you will be wonderful on the stage."
"Oh, then thanks. You made me smile so I think I'll give you a present, since you are my first fan." Walking over to her vanity she collected a few tickets and turned to give them to Rachel. "Here you go."
"Tickets?" Rachel stared at them in confusion.
"Yeah, our show's tomorrow. You'd better not miss it. After you see us do our thing, you'll want to treasure that autograph for the rest of your life."
"Thank you very much; it would be my honor to witness the show. I look forward to it."
"Awesome, now can you guys get out of here. I've got to get dressed. See you later."
O
"Seriously, Rachel? Games again? You were just playing! Keep playing these games all the time and you will turn into a brainless musclewoman." Jesse said with a sigh, throwing his head back dramatically as they approached the game simulation room.
A smile spread across the woman's face as she looked to her best friend. "It is actually extremely engaging and entertaining, why don't you give it a try Jesse? You could find that you enjoy it as well."
"Isn't this a combat simulator? Doesn't that mean you have to fight?" He asked with a look of disgust on his face, he would rather dance or sing any day. "That isn't really my thing."
"Oh come on now, it isn't dangerous or anything." Rachel said tugging on his hand, attempting to drag him into the game room.
He rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine, if you say so."
"Then it's settled!" She skipped into the room excitedly. "We will start at an easy level since you are a beginner and you should probably choose a character that uses magic and fights from a distance rather than one that fights up front."
Jesse nodded. "Yeah, it won't hurt, will it?"
"Don't worry. The beginner's level doesn't hurt at all, really."
"Alright, I'll give it a try I guess."
Rachel activated the console next to the door, the room resembled an elevator. As she typed in something, the walls lit up and a robotic voice began speaking all around them. Jesse could not pinpoint which direction the voice was coming from.
"Welcome to the Battle Simulator. Please set Battle System parameters."
She typed in the beginner level then turned to look at her friend; he nodded signaling that he was ready. "Computer, start."
Again the computer spoke. "Player One: Rachel Berry. Character: Sword Master Adonis Klein. User Level: AAA. Player 2 Jesse St. James. Character: Flare Witch Ceal Femina. User Level: E. Battlefield: Remote City of Listia. Monster Level: E. Setup complete. Continue?"
"We are ready."
"Preparing to commence. This Simulation System may abort a game if it detects that a player's safety is at risk."
"I am aware, just start."
"Confirmed." The computer spoke up. "Commencing game."
O
After the first battle, Jesse was already feeling worn out as he stretched out his aching limbs. He could not imagine what it must have been like for Rachel, fighting with the sword up close. "Damn, that actually really wore me out."
"But, wasn't it so much fun?"
"It wasn't too bad, I guess." He shrugged his shoulders, looking down to straighten his clothing out in order to look presentable.
Rachel gauged his reaction and could tell that while he did not absolutely hate the simulator, he did not appear to have really liked it. Also, he was straightening up, which signaled that he wanted to leave and get back out to the hotel. She was a little disappointed; they usually shared all interests in common. "What do you say that we stop for now and go get a bite to eat or something? You look fairly exhausted from that battle."
"Yeah, I didn't expect a game to take so much out of me."
Just as they were preparing to leave the simulation room, a rumbling could be felt beneath their feet, nearly knocking them both to the ground. A siren sounded loudly in their ears and the computer started to speak all around them. It was terrifying. "Level two tremor detected. The system will be temporarily deactivated for your safety. We apologize for any inconvenience."
Rachel steadied herself before turning to look at Jesse with confused eyes. "An earthquake?"
"It seems so."
"But, that does not make sense. Hyda IV is a stable world with no tectonic activity. There shouldn't be any earthquakes.
Suddenly there was another violent rumbling. Both teenagers screamed out.
The computer again spoke. "This is an emergency alert. Hyda IV is currently under attack by unidentified spacecraft. All civilians should follow immediate evacuation instructions on the nearest console. I repeat: all civilians should follow immediate evacuation instructions on the nearest console."
Rachel looked around the simulation room frantically, not understanding what had happened. "Computer! What is going on!" She shouted out.
"Remote Station number seven, Hyda III, and Hyda IV are currently under attack by unidentified ships. Remote station number seven has scrambled its own ships to mount a counterattack, but they are outnumbered and therefore unable to provide evacuation assistance to Hyda IV." The computer informed her.
"An attack by unidentified ships!" She screamed out to the computer, looking over to catch Jesse's horrified eyes. They had never been put in a situation like this. What could these unidentified ships have in them? Humans? Aliens?
"Standby for video display."
With that, the walls of the simulation room transformed into a video screen and Rachel and Jesse watched intently as a red battleship flew through the air and an explosion destroyed some nearby buildings. The town was crumbling before their very eyes and they were still on the planet, they needed to escape.
"I—I don't believe it." Rachel mumbled out under her breath.
The computer spoke up again. "As an emergency measure, all transporters have been directly linked to the Evacuation Terminal. Please commence evacuation by following the established route."
Jesse appeared to be even more scared than the smaller diva; he ran his hands through his curls and turned to look at her. "Rach?"
"Don't worry, Jesse. We just have to stick together and we will be alright."
"I hope so."
For a brief moment, Rachel wondered what her fathers were doing at that very moment. She hoped that they would be able to escape safely. "Come on, let's go."
O
Authors Note
Thank you all for reading.
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