Twin Streams
By; The Lesser God of Chaos, Comprising Chaos of the mind
The Morning Mountain of Mission High,
The one, The only, The dude,
PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIC.
(also known as he who has ego)
Time frame: Rezo is still alive, around three or four years before the original slayers. I
don't care about Lina and her damn crew in this fic, it's more or less all about Rezo.
Everywhere else, the timeline will be revealed as we go along. WEEHEEHEE!!!
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Intro:
Enter the Red Priest
The dust was beginning to irritate him.
That was the main point of Rezo The Red Priest's mind.
The dust was getting into his lungs, and making him cough. This was annoying,
especially in that if he were to cough on what he was reading at the time, it would crumble
into dust and would take another five hours to restore to a readable state.
He had already done this seven times.
The first time he had done this was when he first discovered the text, and had
laughed aloud, whooping in elation. The text had crumbled in his hand and was spread all
over the floor and was caught in his flowing robes. It took seven hours to restore it to a
mildly useful state. The second time he had to restore it was when his assistant Eris had
dropped the text while attempting to read it and carry it out of the cave in which it laid at
the same time. This time it took no less than six hours to recover, and it was at the end of
this effort that Rezo's patience was worn down to nothing.
Upon the third destruction of the text, a rabbit learned a lesson it would never
forget. On the bright side, he had lowered the restoration time down to around five hours,
and had created a beautiful new lake where a pesky mountain had once lain.
The next four restorations were performed in more or less the same fashion as this
previous one, excepting that upon the final attempt, Rezo hunted down and beat a dragon
into the dirt using nothing but his staff and his own magically enhanced strength. On the
bright side of this one, he managed to read the first two lines of the manuscript (finally),
and discovered that this was in fact a manual for the use of the twin gates of Dimension
and Time. If he were to master this power, he would be able to transverse the bounds of
time and space as well as enter new dimensions.
Of course, all of this would benefit his search for a cure for his cursed eyesight. As
you probably know by now, Rezo the Red Priest was incurably blind ( duh...geeze...if you
haven't watched The Slayers, don't even bother with the rest of this damn story), and his
search for a cure had now reached a level of desperation that he was going to attempt to
master the Gates of Time and Dimension ( why do authors bother to explain their plot
backgrounds like this? It just messes up the story...ah hell, on with it...).
And now he was finally able to get into the text, after no less than three days
without sleep. Valiantly, Rezo fought to keep his concentration on the text as he read
(through that obviously magical means he seems to have picked up in one of his past
travels that somehow enables him to tell exactly where everyone is around him, and where
they are, and what gestures they are making , AND what printed words on paper say...ah
hell, you try to explain it) through the next few lines of the casting procedures.
Apparently, this spell was actually a three part spell, where one had to cast a Portal spell
to arrive in the realm where the gates lie, and then another one to use the gates of time,
and yet another to get the Dimension Gates to work.
Reading onward, Rezo found mention of a dimensionally universal guardian of the
Gate of Time, named as the Ancient Goddess in this text. Never one to think out the full
effects of his actions, thoroughly convinced in his own infallibility, he skipped all notice of
this guardian. I'll deal with her when I get there, he thought to himself through the fog in
his brain.
Finally too tired to continue, Rezo gently laid the book down apon the table, and
returned to his rooms, miles above on the ground, to finally get a good night or two of
sleep.
* * *
Chapter One:
Enter The Ancient One
Naturally, when considering the dangers of inter-dimensional travel and the
dangers of time travel, one should always research into these topics. It would
be...interesting to say the least, if one were to plunge on ahead without any knowledge of
the dangers of either method of transportation. Only a moron among morons would give
such an endeavor even a second thought, like say...Genma Saotome.
Luckily, our dear Rezo was no such fool. While admittedly, his later actions were
a little ill advised, and some early ones like becoming Zel's Grandfather and
Great-grandfather really don't show his brightness, we can safely say that the vast majority
of his actions were well-advised. It is therefore safe to say that Rezo has in fact learned
from some past mistakes. In this light, I submit that Rezo did in fact study for his journey
into time and dimensions, despite other accounts that he slept for five days straight, only
to awaken to go on another three day mind bender reading the manuscript for another ten
pages, and then incinerating it. And a medium sized forest.
And so, after due preparation and full research into the subject of time travel,
along with the world's strongest coffee (Magically enhanced, of course), Rezo completed
the casting circle on the floor. Eris was away procuring another town house in some
far-off place he would never visit, so he was free to return whenever he wanted. All of his
affairs were taken care of, and a handy sub-space pocket spell created an endless supply of
storage space within the confines of a little pouch that he would keep about his neck at all
times. Within this pouch were enough magical items and power boosting devices to keep
a good-sized army at bay with little or no work needed by himself, a good supply of
clothes and enough spellbooks to power New York for a year, if burned there.
Rezo "looked" over his casting circle. It was an exact replica of the one described
by the book, and would suit him well. In order to cast all he would have to do was shout
out "Wakazoo" and the circle would activate, opening a portal into the Realm where the
Gates lie. Naturally, shouting out nonsensical words was only part of the spell, as with
any. The book also described a "Return Key" with which he could return to his home time
and place at any time, and then return to the Gates. This key would be activated with the
more complex word of "Walarimanium."
With one last "glance" around himself, Rezo shouted out, with the resounding
crash of his staff apon the ground (creating that nearly-patented piercing sound of metal
rings bashing together to provide a semi-musical ring), " WAKAZOO!!!"
For a long moment, nothing happened.
In fact, it was several long moments, combined together into one big huge gap of
time, quite like a Gainax freeze-frame silence from Evangelion. During this time of
pondering, Rezo quite naturally began to wonder why exactly did he just make a huge ass
out of himself by shouting out " wakazoo." He then realized what a huge idiot he had
been to even consider going on this trip to cure his eyes, as he hadn't plumbed the depths
of his own world, and was much less prepared to go out into another world and hunt
around in that one. He didn't even know if he was going to be able to use his magic in
those worlds, thereby making him totally blind and defenseless. He was about to move
out of his casting circle, totally miffed and disappointed by his latest experiment, but just
at that moment, it activated, and he was sucked out of his world into the lands before the
Gate of time.
With a start, Rezo "looked" around and "saw" the place he was in. He was in the
'Interdimensional Teleportation/Chrono-alteration Zone' as described by the book he had
just blown up! With a smirk, Rezo reveled in his glory. It had worked! And why the hell
not? He was the biggest baddest mamma jamma ever. The one. The only. The REZO.
Behold, for even his ego has the power to kill of its own volition!!! RE-ZO, RE-ZO,
RE-ZO!!! He heard the masses calling his name in his mind, and even heard little snippets
of his speech, " I only wanted to cure my eyes, now look at me! I'm the baddest mother
fucker in the universe!"
Rezo broke off his little tangent. It wouldn't do to be too egotistical, especially in
a place like this one. He needed to be a calm rock of a man, unflappable in any situation.
He needed to steel himself for his meeting with the Ancient Goddess. He had already
come up with a mental image of her in his mind. An old, withered woman, who needed a
cane or a staff to hold herself upright in long dirty brown robes, who would be awed at the
sight of one so magnificent and powerful as he was. Why she would..... Rezo again
bolted down his ego. He would see what she was like soon enough.
Rezo wandered onward into the misty gloom of the 'Interdimensional
Teleportation/Chrono-alteration Zone,' remembering idly the way to summon the Gates of
Time. " First, you must transverse a great distance, for this is a test of patience and
endurance that the Goddess feels must be passed in order to use the Gates," the book said.
Well, so far on the book had been right, so he would keep following its instructions. With
that in mind, he trudged onward in a realm without any kind of "visible" or tangible
ground. All Rezo could "see" were the mists.
Suddenly, as if from nowhere, the twin Gates popped into existence before him.
Both Gates were unguarded, but only one was open, and this was the Gate of Time.
Remembering a passage from the book, "The Gate of Time is always open, and the
Ancient goddess is forever standing before it, watching the eddies and currents of the flow
of time. Beware her appearance, for appearances can be deceiving." Rezo naturally
ignored the warning about her, as to him she was nothing more than an old crone who sat
hunched over, staring idly at the Gate while wondering when tea time was.
"Show yourself, Guardian!" Rezo shouted into the gloom. " I know you are there,
old crone!"
"And who is an old crone?" a sharp, womanly voice replied from the Gate of Time.
With that said, Rezo began to rethink his theory that the Ancient Goddess,
Guardian of the Gate of Time was an old crone. Judging from the voice, she had to be
just barely halfway through the prime of her life, placing her somewhere around twenty
four or five. The semi-resonant undertones of her voice suggested that she was is
fantastic health, and was something of a soprano of fair height, without any excess fat
packed around her body. The way that the tones were pronounced suggested that she was
in fact a member of some royal court, and therefore had excellent posture. Most
interesting of was was her ability to force total venom and malice into no more than six
words, without shouting or even contorting her face.
Within seconds, Rezo's theory became proven fact. The Guardian of the Gate of
Time then majestically appeared in front of her gate. A resounding echo of WHOA
resounded within the confines of Rezo's brain. Tall with shapely legs and a figure that
professional models and the body-obsessed alike would kill for, with long flowing dark
green hair, and dressed in a short short skirt with a sailor's uniform with added gloves and
high heel-boots, she was to Rezo as water is to a dying man. Involuntarily, Rezo began to
do as all men do. He began to ask himself the eternal question of "Hmm...what does she
look like...without...all that..."
Rezo's mind was wrenched back into reality when he realized that she was in fact a
powerful magic user, and was not a slab of juicy meat. This little fact was introduced to
him when she launched a huge purple ball of energy at him. Nice to know this fact, next,
please? She was also was bearing a tall staff-like pole, which appeared to also be a key to
the gate. Swinging it around as if it weighed nothing, she launched a near continuous
barrage of the glowing energy balls.
Rezo then realized that having a body connected to your head is a great thing, and
useful too, and began to swing his own priestly staff around, knocking the energy balls out
of the sky. Hey, these weren't so bad... he could probably take a few of these before
going down and getting blown up. Not quite wussy as a fireball, but not quite as strong as
a stronger spell, like a Mondo Bolt or something. Sort of mid-range for someone as
strong as he. Oh well. Might as well retaliate. But we don't want to kill her. All right.
Let's see what our Guardian can take...
And with that thought, and a pause in the Goddess's firing, Rezo opened fire with
some easy stuff. "FIREBALL!!!" he called out, using the weaker spell to see just how she
would handle it. Luckily, she was no slouch, and swung her own staff in a block that was
nearly identical to his own. Who the hell is this guy? she thought. He's almost as strong
as I am and he's... not a senshi or a prince of any kind!
The goddess would have pondered more, but Rezo didn't let her do anything like
that. "MEGA BRANDO!" he called out. Out of nowhere, yellow swirling mists coiled
around Rezo, glowing with power waiting to be unleashed. Luckily for out Goddess, he
only used a fraction of the spell's power, or like Sairag, she would have gone up in a big
huge explosion (for those of you wondering, a Mega Brando is the spell that the clone of
Rezo used in the original Slayers, whilst fighting the good guys. He used it in the middle
of Sairag, and damn, what a nice explosion). A circle of burning yellow destructive magic
shot out in all directions from Rezo. However, in it's current minuscule form, it did not
damage the Gates, but did damage the Ancient Goddess. A little. With the added bonus
of adding a blast crater to the scenery of...wherever the hell this was.
" Hah! You think that you can defeat me with that?" The Guardian called out from
her new locale fifty feet farther away, forcing gusto into her normally calm voice. " I have
stood guard over this Gate for three thousand years! No one can take them away from
me!"
Rezo was taken aback. Three thousand years?!?!?! She aged better than he did,
and that was really saying something. He was only a tenth of her age, and yet... and yet...
he was stronger than her. He heard it in her voice. The minuscule quaver of someone
resigning themselves to either kill this person or to go down with them. Rezo had no real
desire to kill this beautiful woman, but now realizing that he had fully intended to do so
when he had arrived gave him pause. Reluctantly, Rezo lowered his staff from the guard
position he was holding it in, and brought it up to his side.
"I have no need to kill you, nor do I wish to take your Gate from you." Rezo said,
in his most calming and serene voice. "I merely seek your permission to use these gates in
my quest."
Rezo's actions startled the Guardian. There had been one "visitor" to the Gate
ever since the Moon kingdom had been destroyed, and she had turned him back without a
second thought. She should have killed him, but she took pity on him and his pathetic
ways, and now, she seemed to be getting more business. Her Queen and the Senshi
guarding her had traveled through the gate before, and then back to their time. After that,
almost no communication had taken place with Sailor Moon beyond the Guardian's visits
to the planet and warnings of impending doom. Her main role was to make certain that
the future she sought came into existence. And now, this man wished to use the Gates of
Time, with the risk of killing the time stream altogether. This did not sit well with our
Goddess. On the other hand, this sorcerer had the power to kill her off with little more
than a phrase and a wave of his hand. He had power to rival that of the Moon Queen
herself. If not that, then the entire Moon Kingdom. At the moment, she was totally
invaluable to the future of the queen and her kingdom, so it really would not be to
spectacular if she were to die. Feeling she had made her choice, she lowered her guard
and returned to the Gate.
"What do you want?" She asked, now by the side of her beloved Gate again.
"I merely wish to use your Gate to travel through time." Rezo replied in that same
serene tone.
"And why is that?" the Guardian asked.
After a pause, Rezo answered truthfully, "I wish to find a cure for my eyes. I have
been blind since my birth, and despite my efforts, I have been unable to lift the darkness
that veils my sight." Rezo sighed slightly to himself. through his whole life, he had been
unable to cure himself, no matter how good he became at his art, how many spells he
learned, or who he went to. It could be no less than a curse, set apon him from the dawn
of time.
The Guardian was shocked at his words. Up until now she had been unable to get
a good look at this man, and now that she had, she could confirm that he walked and
moved with his eyes forever closed. This meant that during the whole fight they had just
had, he had had his eyes closed and was instead relying on some form of magic to guide
his motions. It didn't hurt that up close she could see that he was a handsome man of no
more than thirty or thirty five with a powerful frame that was kept hidden beneath the
flowing red robes that he wore. It was interesting that he had a vibrant purple hair,
arrayed in a semi-psychotic style around his head like a pair of wings, and that he had an
air of mystery that many women find incredibly attractive, with the possible exception of
our Guardian herself as she was a mystery and it was nothing new. "I see," she replied,
instantly hating her words.
"Hah. There is no way that you could," Rezo replied in a somewhat darker and
more despairing tone, "For three hundred years I have been like this, wandering in
darkness. My mother and father both hated the fact that I was blind, and they both
wanted nothing to do with me. So, I turned to the arts of magic, and now, after three
hundred years, I have finally gained enough power to transverse the bounds of time and
dimensions. I will be cured. And you will not stop me." He filled his tone with such iron
determination that it was hard for the Guardian not to step back.
Rezo wondered at himself why he was suddenly spilling out his life story to this
woman he had just met, but would not tell his closest companions about himself. Perhaps
it was because his companions were with him only for what he could do for them, and not
spending time with him because he was their friend and father-figure. A sudden burst of
anger grew within him. They could do nothing for him, yet they stayed by his side.
Despite his cynical outlook on life, and his short temper, they stood by him. He had no
business not telling them, just as they had no business not asking about him.
The Guardian looked at his placid face, and saw through the mask covering his
features. She saw that he was tortured on the inside, that he had been fighting this
darkness for an eternity. Three hundred years was nothing to sneer at in terms of age,
even at her age of thirty centuries. Thirty centuries. It sounds so long when it's said like
that. Suddenly, she was struck by her loneliness during that time. No one had come to
her in that long, long time, save for a select few, who would likely never pass by here
again. she then thought about his ordeal, his blindness. Three hundred years was easy for
her to imagine, but three hundred years without the gift of sight. That would be a torture,
even if she did learn to live with it as he had. She would be prepared to do anything to
regain her sight, even kill Crystal Tokyo's chance at existence.
"Three hundred years...how is it that a human can live three hundred years?" she
asked.
"I am no ordinary human. Just as you are no ordinary goddess."
"...What?" The guardian was taken aback, again. Never in three thousand years
had anyone called her a goddess. Now that was a compliment. Even if it was a bit
misguided, it could be no less than the highest form of flattery. "I am no goddess, sorcerer.
I am the guardian of this gate, appointed by my Queen. My name is Sailor Pluto in this
realm, and this is my planet."
Rezo was not entirely surprised by the announcement that she was not a goddess.
if in fact she was one she would have been able to kill him outright, without so much as a
glance in his direction. He was however bemused that she paid attention to someone else's
orders. She did after all have the power to end all things with a few very simple actions,
and could very well rule the universe if she so wished it.
"I am no sorcerer, Sailor Pluto. I am Rezo, the Red Priest. I know the arts of
magic solely through my quest to cure my eyes. They also come in handy in a potentially
harmful situation." He smiled and gestured to the large impact crate beside him as he said
that, turning it into a joke about their recent fight as opposed to a warning about future
fights.
"I see." Pluto reflected for a moment that he was one hell of a strong magic user
for a priest, and if he so wished it he could kill her and take her post as Guardian of time,
and then rule the world. "My skills are used for the defense of this gate, and for the
defense of my Queen."
Rezo was starting to wonder as to why in the hell he was being to formal with this
woman. Perhaps it was just some odd form of saying 'sorry for calling you an old crone,
would you like to have dinner sometime? I know a great place...', or some other form of
apology. He felt a need to get back to the point of the encounter. "So, will I be permitted
to pass into the gates?" he said into the awkward silence.
Sailor Pluto was expecting such a turn in the conversation. "No."
"I see... is there no compromise?"
"None."
"Oh. Is that so...." This statement set the wheels within Rezo's head spinning at
near light speeds. He already knew that he could kill her off fairly easily, their earlier
battle told him all he needed to know about that. He could easily overpower her
hand-to-hand, that he could tell just by looking at her magical aura. She was trained in
magic and magic alone, and skill with the weapon had to come with years of battle-front
experience, where the learning curve tends to be a bit more nasty, and you learn to fight
and win at any cost. Rezo, on the other hand had learned from an ancient order of
fighting warrior priests, the Red Order. There was a particularly good reason as to why
he was now among the leaders of that order, and that was that he held a massive expanse
of magical power in addition to his copious fighting skill.
He didn't want her dead though. He would need her while he was journeying, and
having her as an ally during his travels would be a boon to him if he were to unexpectedly
end time and the universe as everyone knew it. It would suck greatly if he were to die as,
well... not only because he is the protagonist of this story, but because he is Rezo, and he
is, by definition, cool. It would be a shame if he were to die before showing everyone just
how damn cool he is in the Slayers series, now wouldn't it?
Under these circumstances, Rezo's mind leapt to work like a fish takes to waters in
which it has lived its whole life. The one weapon that Sailor Pluto had reacted with a
positive attitude was flattery. That, coupled with his stunning good looks (what, that's
what Pluto thinks. Don't look at me. I'm just writing a story.) was surely enough to wear
down even the toughest of frigid bitch hearts.
Besides, Sailor Pluto was, undeniably, hot. Duh. Long, long legs that seemed to
go on forever until abruptly they met short short skirt that showed off...everything. This
coupled with the tight tight body suit thing with the cute bow in the front that seemed to
scream "Look here...LOOK HERE DAMMIT!!!" She had totally flawless skin, a perfect
face, and a damn cute nose. Who wouldn't want to...ahem...perform acts unsuitable to
mention in a fic of this rating? Perhaps a male homosexual... but even he would recognize
that she was well formed first.
A plan had formed in Rezo's mind in the quarter second since he had finished his
musing phrase. And it went something like this; Hit on girl. Send girl gifts. Sooner or
later she will cave and you will dance onward into the portals of time, after SCORING!!!
TOUCH-DOWN!!!! YEAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!
Sailor Pluto was slightly bemused at his expression changes. He seemed to have
gone from contemplative to ecstatic within a second, and this either meant that he had
planned for this or that he was a very fast thinker. She naturally assumed the former.
"And just what are you smiling at?" Sailor Pluto said with her usual monotony.
"... Nothing... nothing....," Rezo said, carefully schooling his features into a mask
of calm again. "Very well Sailor Pluto, I will return to my realm. But I will not relinquish
my quest to use the Gates. I am not fooled, I could wrest control of them from you with
minimal effort, but I know that it would be a benefit to have you on my side during this
journey. Fare you well, my dear. I shall return." And with that final note, Rezo turned
away from Sailor Pluto, and walked off into the dark gloom around the Gate of Time.
Under his breath he muttered one word so that none would hear ; "Walarimanium."
-----------------------------
Once again alone in his laboratory, Rezo smiled at the sheer brilliance of his plan.
All he needed to do was go back to the Gates, drop off a few gifts and some praise, ask a
few questions, yadda yadda yadda, blah blah blah, and then BAM, she would be his. If not
physically, than she would at least follow him on his journey. That would be enough...if
not quite as fun...
-----------------------------
Once again alone, Sailor Pluto turned towards the Gates of Time, wondering
whether or not Rezo was truthful about his blindness. he seemed to be too sure about the
way he moved for that to be true. He couldn't be blind. Deep within her, that instinctively
female part of her reached out to him, and honestly wanted to help him cure his eyesight,
but this was crushed by the weight of the burden that was hers alone to bear. She could
not allow him to break the rules...But hadn't she broken the rules herself on many
occasions? Hadn't she gone against her own will many times just for the sake of her
Crystal Tokyo? She had tried another way each of those times...hadn't she? She knew
that she had gone into the future a multitude of times, saving the present with her
knowledge in the future, but there was no other course of action each of those times. Was
there?
And with that final question lodged in her mind, she returned to her post before the
Gates of Time, ever watching her Queen for trouble, and a crucial moment in which she
would be needed to assist.
-----------------------------
"Wakazoo!!" Rezo shouted, returning to the Gates of Time with minimum fanfare.
Rezo had prepared for his return visit by bringing along some chocolates, a very nice
mythril necklace, a bracelet of white gold and platinum with a blood-red ruby imbedded
within it, and a tiara of silver with twenty diamonds along the outer rim, centering on two
diamonds the size of walnuts.
Rezo almost always did everything in a big way.
For his next visit, he was planning to bring a slinky dark green evening gown,
chosen to highlight her dark hair and figure by his assistant Eris. Even though Eris was
jealous of this little hussy who wanted to steal her dear Rez-chan away from her, she was
determined to help him cure his eyesight, if only so that she could steal him away by
wearing practically nothing in his presence. She kept these thoughts to herself however...
Rezo walked right up to the Gates of Time. "Sailor Pluto? Are you in?"
"What do you want?" Returned the voice of Pluto.
"Just to drop by and deliver some gifts. A sort of peace offering, if you will."
Sailor Pluto walked gracefully into the light. She looked over Rezo with an
incredibly critical eye. He was attired differently today, as opposed to his previous visit
when he wore tighter more concealing robes to hide himself. Now he wore very loose
flowing robes that seemed to flutter wildly around him without and kind of breeze. They
were open entirely in the front, showing his tight open shirt and flowing pants. He stood
there bare chested, the very image of what a priest was not most of the time; a gung-ho,
kill-em-all, nuke-'em-till-they-glow, bronze god, BAD ass. It didn't hurt at all that she
could see his well toned, highly muscled and powerful chest, and diamond cut abdominals
through the criss-crossing fabric of his shirt (think Sephiroth's under-shirt thing only in
white with flowing sleeves). No...didn't hurt at all....
Calm down Pluto, she thought to herself, Soul of Ice...Soul of Ice...
"I came here to give you these," Rezo said, knowing full well that his clothing
choice was having its effect on Pluto, even though she did her best to hide that with her
icy mask, " I hope they are suitable for you."
"Why the gifts?" Pluto asked, betraying herself with her mildly breathy tone.
"As I stated, they are meant as a peace offering. It is through these humble
offerings that I seek to beg forgiveness for calling you an old crone yesterday, and then
attacking you." It was a severe blow to Rezo's pride to call the attack yesterday his own
fault, but hey, she was hot and he was willing to suffer a little humiliation to get into her...
fuku. Even now this was putting it on a bit thick for her benefit. He knew that he would
have to do this so that he could compete with her previous activity of going to a formal
court before a queen, and the wonderfully flowery language that they used there.
He extended the box containing the three gifts to her. It was really a satin lined
case, but, hey, it was just a box as far as they were concerned. "Please accept my most
humble apologies." As he said this, he sketched a formal bow, extending the gift out to
her with both hands.
Naturally, Pluto was blown away. Here was a man with the full power to kill her
with a pretty phrase, bowing to her formally in a manner that fitted a formal court, looking
like a serious bad ass, with bulging muscles as far as the eye could see, and he was
offering her a case with... she opened the case... DAMN good looking jewels. Her perfect
calm was shattered momentarily as she stared at the tiara. Diamonds the size of eggs...
whoa..... she would need a levitation spell just to walk around with it on and not strain her
neck. Her eyes widened into a very pleased expression, with her mouth forming a
soundless 'OH MY GOD.'
Rezo was just about on this side of heaven. Damn straight. Who knows his shit?
REZO. Who is the king? Rezo. Who is the pimp Daddy?! REZO, byatch!!! These
thoughts went through his head. Or more accurately their equivalent in slang from Rezo's
homeworld, so it came out more like: But of course. Who knows all? Rezo. Who is the
High Omnipotent One? Rezo. Who is the Boon unto Women?! Rezo, mongrel!!! This
linguistic difference aside, the meaning was the same. Rezo was on a serious ego high.
And his plan was working.
"Where did you get these?" Pluto asked, already warming to Rezo.
"They are old family heirlooms really. I have fairly well given up hope of finding
the right woman in three hundred years, so by giving them to you I can at least assure that
they are kept in good hands. For the past century and a half they have done no more than
collect dust on a shelf."
"They're... beautiful."
"Of course they are. They were made by my great-great-grand father, a smith of
fantastic magical items. These are some of the few items he made that were not magical in
origin. Then again, their ability to bring joy to the women in my family has been nothing
short of magical. Without fail, they have saved my family from disaster. Perhaps I will tell
you some of the stories about them later."
"I cannot accept these... they're too good...and they're also family heirlooms...it
would be...wrong..." Pluto said, trying to convince herself more than him to give them
back.
"As I said, they have done no more than collect dust over the past century and a
half. Perhaps you will be more kind to them." Rezo said this with a lightly demur tone,
knowing full well that she wanted these three items. A lot. Hell, a queen would be damn
impressed, if only for ten seconds.
"Very well then, Rezo. I shall accept your apology." Sailor Pluto straightened,
once again regaining her composure. " Now may I ask, why have you returned really?
The answer is still the same. You may not use the Gates of Time. And your presence
here is distracting me."
Right right, the old Ice Queen Facade. Or however you spell it... anyway, Rezo
knew the only way to shatter the mask, and that was doubt. "I have come back to
apologize to you, and yet you accuse me of seeking to use the Gates in a disruptive
manner? True, this is what I seek, but I would never do so without your permission. In
fact, I would ask you to accompany me while I journey, if only to prevent any mishaps
that may occur. But now I ask you this, Guardian, have you never 'misused' the Gates, as
you are accusing me of wanting to do? Have you not, 'broken the rules,' as it were. Even
the strongest of spirit must feel the pull of the Gates, as I did the moment I stood before
them, only yesterday. Honestly, have you ever used the Gates in a way you may see as
wrong?"
His little speech had done the trick. He could tell she was plunged into self doubt.
He relaxed and waited for the answer that would doubtless follow. The only question was
whether or not she would be truthful to him, and not lie to herself.
"... Rezo... there have been times when there was no other course...I was stuck. I
had to use the Gates. It was simply necessary. I had to do it to save my Queen, and to
save myself." Sailor Pluto mentally berated her mouth for betraying her so. Ordinarily she
would never have given away such a vital piece of information, and never have let any
stranger into her guard so easily. It was just that he seemed so trustworthy, and he
seemed to truly mean well. Against her will, she found herself being drawn to this
blustering buffoon of a man. Flowery words and pretty gifts only went so far with many
people, and in the end it came down to who they were, inside. She could tell there was
something about him that struck her as stunning, it was just that she had no idea what it
was, or how he used it. It was almost magic, the way that he managed to draw her in with
his mere presence.
"There is always another way, my dear. If there is one thing that living among
hostile thieves, warring armies, and terrible magics for three hundred years has taught me,
it is that there is more than one way to solve any problem. You just have to wait it out
and see what happens. And most importantly, think it through. I know that I have abused
my power on many occasions, but in the end I only sought a cure. I need this darkness to
be lifted. I need to see light, and colors, and patterns, and red and blue and indigo.... I
just want to see. Just as you want your Queen to live to see another day, I would do
anything for my eyes to be cured, and I have done just that, anything. I fully intend to do
anything as well. The difference here is that I long ago stopped lying to myself. I know
what I'm doing and why. Now, will you stop deceiving yourself?"
Rezo knew that it was only through opening himself up that he could open her up.
it was very much going to be a sharing of experiences. Telling the story of his life was
only going to get him so far. What he really needed to do was tie in his experiences to
hers. This he had done, but not without a cost. He now felt more and more tied into her
life, and more and more like they were counterparts. That was the danger of this kind of
mind-work. The problem of getting attached to your target. While he certainly did want
to get attached to her, he did not want her to be so close to him that he would not be able
to remove her if she became a threat to him.
Pluto let Rezo's words set in. He seemed to be much more willing to open up than
she was, and she knew that it was only a matter of time before she gave in to his
proddings and opened her iron clad defenses to him. She felt... closer to Rezo. They had
something in common, even more so than what he realized. She felt the truth of his
statement. He had done as he had said he had done. Likewise, she had abused her power.
But it was always for a greater good. It was always for the Moon Kingdom. To her, the
end justified totally the means. She would do anything for her Queen, this was true.
After a moment of contemplative silence, Pluto spoke again. "I will not deny
abusing my power. But it was always for the greater good. My Queen and my Kingdom.
The ends justify."
Rezo almost smiled. "Then you know exactly how I feel."
Rezo turned then, and left the Dimension, giving Sailor Pluto room for thought.
-----------------------------
It was all happening too fast.
Meioh Setsuna (Sailor Pluto's normal human form) sat pondering her life over a
cup of slightly cooling tea in her favorite cafe. Not that she was wont to become attached
to a single place or time, it was just that this cafe seemed to attract her for no reason, and
it was at this cafe that she spoke with the other Outer Senshi on occasion.
She was not expecting them this night. In fact she had made certain that the two
were... occupied with each other before she came out of her hideaway. She had needed a
little time to think alone, and thinking while standing in front of the gates, where that
pig-headed bastard of a priest had dared to... had dared to.....
Had dared to force questions into her mind.
Was she really misusing the Gates as he accused her of doing? There was always a
reason for such actions before, but light of what the priest had said to her, they all seemed
to fade away into a background of doubt. A background of doubt laced with sorrow and
regret so strong that it threatened to crush her beneath its weight.
Yes, boys and girls. Meioh Setsuna had just figured out that she had been a
complete idiot for the past few thousand years. And she was not happy. And like all
ice-queen impersonating fools, she now had to face herself, and recover her lost
confidence. She had broken her own oath to herself, and had betrayed herself. Even
worse, when she had known that what she did was probably wrong, she had still acted
under the guise that the future would be saved. And in truth, the future would be saved.
it was all for the greater good. But at what cost? It was truly unimaginable that what she
had done, seemingly so insignificant in a great cosmic scale had the potential to tear out
and kill everyone, ending all existence in a waving sea of chaos, paradox, and darkness.
If anyone had been observing Setsuna at that moment, they would have noticed a
woman, in appearance to be in her mid-twenties, wearing a dark green businesslike outfit
with a black blouse and dark green blazer and skirt, who was quietly nursing a cup of tea
in the front of the cafe, and then shuddering slightly, as if from a cold draft. They would
have turned their attention away eventually, to discuss something with whoever they were
with. If one of the few people who knew Setsuna had been observing her, they would
have automatically felt concern, and even fear. Setsuna almost never showed up in real
time, and never, EVER showed any kind of emotion. That shudder had definitely been a
sob, and they would have seen the tear slide down her cheek, and land in the cup in front
of her.
She was crying. Not because of anything she had done. It was over, and she
could not undo the past out of simple regret. Undoing any one thing would undoubtedly
lead to a severe case of paradox in the Time Stream, in many more than one way. And
there was no guarantee that if she undid her past that the future would still exist.
She was crying about what she could have done. Dear God, she could have ended
the world on any number of occasions, if only because the future was at stake. This
thought was twisting its way through her mind like a snake on acid. She knew then that
she had to be more conservative with her power, even though she had already taken a
'conservative' route. Well, that route got her here, and now she would be damned if she
were to end the world by chance. To hell with the future. The future has some
importance to that.
Her control finally back over her appearance, she wondered why she had ran out
of her solitude to come here and think out such a trivial thing. So she had to use less
power. Big deal! She would have figured that out in her own realm with time. No. The
real reason for coming here was to escape that... man. The Red Priest. That bastard.
Somehow, he had been able to push her over the edge with just a few words. And those
words were not even all that strong. He certainly should not have had the effect that he
had on her. No. It wasn't in the words that he said. It was in the way he had said them.
Right from the start, there was some thought provoking essence behind his words that
somehow reached out and caressed her. Somehow, he had said the words he did in just
the right tone to cast doubt on everything she had done and convey to her a sense of
loathing for every time that she had ever misused the time stream.
Normally she would not have listened to the tone of someone's voice, unless it was
of great attention, but this man had done everything in just the right way to insure that he
had her attention and sympathy right form the start. In showing up unexpectedly he had
surprised her, no mean feat. In defeating her, he had shown that he had the power to
crush her at any time, and was just doing what he did out of either pity or some perverted
sense of amusement. In offering her gifts he had shown that he was in fact catering to the
former of the two, and in asking her forgiveness, he had shown humility and a willingness
to cooperate with whatever she wanted. Finally, with his last few words, he had made it
apparent that they had similar goals, and were, in essence, kindred spirits.
This, coupled with the tone of voice put into everything had driven her out of her
realm to the comforts of this cold cup of tea.
She had to give the guy credit. Once looked at with all of the experience of her
three thousand years, gazing into peoples lives and watching them all, occasionally mixing
around with their actions, and manipulating them subtly to do what she wished, she
realized that this man had done to her exactly what he had wanted to do to her, without
her knowing. And he had even gained himself a foothold in her mind while he was at it.
She knew that she would be unable to stop thinking about the manipulative jackass after
this.
She allowed herself a little smirk. Well, now the game was up. She knew what he
was doing, and how to end his threat. All she needed to do now what get him to enter her
little side-dimension again, and she would trap him there, and she would end his story
right then and there. With a little nod to herself, she left the table, and entered the
women's restroom. Entering one of the stalls, she pulled out the Garnet rod, and opened
the portal to the Gates of Time.
-----------------------------
Rezo looked up from his work at the little hourglass that rested on his table.
Naturally, he had timed the events of Sailor Pluto's mind to the last hour, and figured that
if she hadn't realized that he had been toying with her for a little bit by now, she never
would. Rezo allowed himself a little smirk. Everything was going according to plan.
Now if only Eris would stop trying to get into his pants.
It really was amazing how annoying it can be when someone is trying to get into
your pants, especially when this person is someone who you could not care less for, and
do not find attractive in any fashion. Yes, she was well endowed, sure. Whatever. It
takes more than large breasts and a killer ass to attract Rezo, The Red Priest, thank you.
Rezo liked women with brains. It had been to damn long since he had a good battle of
wits, and the last time he had had one it was with a woman, and it was a damn powerful
turn on. Someone who could spar with words just as well as with anything else. That
would be nice to have. The killer ass and large knobs were just the added bonus. They
weren't really necessary to the picture anyway. It wasn't like Rezo could see them or
anything.
Rezo forced his attention back to the new staff he was working on. This new one
would be imbued with great portions of magic, of all varieties, before the night was
through. It would act as a sort of sensory boosting antennae that could also dub as an
indestructible weapon (kinda like the howling sword, only as a big rod with clinking rings
on one end) and as a magical boosting device, lending extra power to each of his attacks.
As though he needed it.
It was still nice to know, just in case say... one of his Dragon Slaves failed to blow
up the planet at half power, or he were unable to bring a horde of zombies into existence
while asleep, or he couldn't grow someone a new body spontaneously after being
beheaded while he was up on some hallucinogenic. Really. Oh well. Some habits die
hard, and when making magical weapons, sometimes its best to put in some special
functions, like the ability to freeze time for 30 seconds. Even if that phrase itself was an
oxymoron.
The staff would be ready in around five minutes. It just had to be tempered in
dragon blood. No big deal. He still had thousands of gallons of the stuff in his basement
from that time he found a dying dragon in the wilderness, and figured; 'Hey, when that
thing is dead I could seriously use the parts. All right, how about I take it home when its a
carcass.' Rezo had never really liked the killing dragons part of being a protector of idiot
pathetic humans who could see and flaunted it all the time, giving their damn language
such mannerisms as 'I see what you mean,' and ' look, I get your point.' So he waited for a
day, and when the dragon was dead, he... recycled it.
The rod/staff/priest thing was done now. Rezo hoped that the thing would be
powerful enough for whatever lay ahead. It was just a matter of a few words, and then he
would be wandering through time, hunting for a cure to his blindness. And he would find
it.
For a moment, Rezo thought about Sailor Pluto. His little magic seemed to have
worked well enough on her. To think that a little vocal spell was all that was needed to
sway most people to accept what one said as truth. And with a little adjustment to that
spell, he could fiddle around with what people thought too. He could even project his
own feelings into someone else, and they wouldn't notice a damn thing. And the better
part of this was that there was virtually no defense from the spell. As far as he knew, only
deaf people were immune, and hell, he could cure them of that easily enough. Any sound
usually caught most people's attention after a bit, sharp sounds were easily enough to
come by, and then it was just a little nudge in the right direction, and presto, you have
someone who wants exactly what you want.
Not that this was a really good thing either. It was better to take the spell up to a
certain point and then let it be. Then manipulation came easier. And then the whole thing
just got funner than heck. This is what he did with Sailor Pluto. Long years as a student
of an order of Priests that were prized for their ability to solve any situation with
diplomacy, help anyone with a troubled mind, and cure almost any ailment had left Rezo
with more than his share of experience with the human mind. And what a silly little thing
it was. Oh, he was aware that he was obsessive (it really would not do to lie to oneself
like that), and he did know that many of his problems were based around a severe
inferiority complex that was brought on through envy of other people and their damn
ability to see. These aside, he was gifted with an understanding of how people think under
stress.
Taking note of the fact that Sailor Pluto, no matter what she may or may not have
done, was not a bumbling moron, and therefore would be able to figure she was being
manipulated slowly. Even after only two visits to her he knew that either her natural
suspicion would kick in, or that she would crack under the pressure, regain control, and
start thinking about him in an objective sense. She really couldn't help to be suspicious of
him anyway. She was a woman after all, and he was a man. Only natural.
It worked the same way in a romance. The male does something stupid. The
female gets a funny vibe and starts asking questions about it. They break up in a tear felt
session of shouting. Five days and a lot of tears later the woman gets around to thinking
that the male was no good for her, and she might al well move on, doing the same thing
she has always done only with a little more caution for a bit. Through this method, the
woman finds the truth (the man was no good for her), and nothing is accomplished beyond
the man getting away from the woman, which he probably wanted in the first place.
Otherwise, why do something stupid?
Naturally, this was just one scenario to fall back on, but Rezo felt that it would
apply beautifully to the situation. He would get into the Time Stream, and Sailor Pluto
would get him out of her hair for a bit. However, if he managed to play his cards right, he
would be able to gain a powerful ally in the Senshi, and potential friend.
All of his feelings about that first conversation and each following were true. He
had no idea why he had opened himself up to her so that she would open up to him.
There were much less dangerous methods of getting information out of someone anyway.
Perhaps it was the feeling he got from her that they really did share something in common.
Oh well. He would find out soon enough what she felt about him, and when that
time came, he would be more or less ready for it.
----------------------------------------------------------
(Editors Note: Although I'm fairly certain my brother will kill me for writing this, I
couldn't resist. HE CAN'T SPELL WORTH BEANS!!!! HIS GRAMMAR IS
AWFUL!!!! I found no less than 256 grammar and\or spelling mistakes in this one
chapter! Why the heck can't he just learn?????? AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHH!!!!! ::gets
surrounded by some men in white coats:: Hey, who're you? ::gets dragged away to the
funny farm:: I'll be baaacckkk!!!! Just you wait, Henry Higgins!!!
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!)
Authors note: ...right... erm... stick around for the next chapter, I wont put that up for
maybe another week or so... I write slow-like.... umm... Henry Higgins?
A big shout out to mah boyz Omer, Andrew S, Andrew D, Andrew G, Aaron, Baron, and
yes, even Nick, you annoying prick.
A big thanks to Fire, for writing and for existing, Carrotglace, for writing Insertion,
perhaps the best damn fic I have read yet, Anime Addiction for writing some of the first
fics that I read, Night Hawk, for the good ones (most of the ones of his I have read were
good, so don't ask for clarification), and to every Fanfiction author on the web whose
works I've read, and therefore gleaned inspiration from. Also a bit thanks to my little sis,
Osage no Onna, who I would be lost without, as she is my source of information on any
anime that I have no memory of. As I have a worse memory than Shinnosuke, that means
one hell of a lot of damn Anime.... She's also my editor...as I cannae spell worth goat fat.
By; The Lesser God of Chaos, Comprising Chaos of the mind
The Morning Mountain of Mission High,
The one, The only, The dude,
PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIC.
(also known as he who has ego)
Time frame: Rezo is still alive, around three or four years before the original slayers. I
don't care about Lina and her damn crew in this fic, it's more or less all about Rezo.
Everywhere else, the timeline will be revealed as we go along. WEEHEEHEE!!!
----------------------------------------------------------
Intro:
Enter the Red Priest
The dust was beginning to irritate him.
That was the main point of Rezo The Red Priest's mind.
The dust was getting into his lungs, and making him cough. This was annoying,
especially in that if he were to cough on what he was reading at the time, it would crumble
into dust and would take another five hours to restore to a readable state.
He had already done this seven times.
The first time he had done this was when he first discovered the text, and had
laughed aloud, whooping in elation. The text had crumbled in his hand and was spread all
over the floor and was caught in his flowing robes. It took seven hours to restore it to a
mildly useful state. The second time he had to restore it was when his assistant Eris had
dropped the text while attempting to read it and carry it out of the cave in which it laid at
the same time. This time it took no less than six hours to recover, and it was at the end of
this effort that Rezo's patience was worn down to nothing.
Upon the third destruction of the text, a rabbit learned a lesson it would never
forget. On the bright side, he had lowered the restoration time down to around five hours,
and had created a beautiful new lake where a pesky mountain had once lain.
The next four restorations were performed in more or less the same fashion as this
previous one, excepting that upon the final attempt, Rezo hunted down and beat a dragon
into the dirt using nothing but his staff and his own magically enhanced strength. On the
bright side of this one, he managed to read the first two lines of the manuscript (finally),
and discovered that this was in fact a manual for the use of the twin gates of Dimension
and Time. If he were to master this power, he would be able to transverse the bounds of
time and space as well as enter new dimensions.
Of course, all of this would benefit his search for a cure for his cursed eyesight. As
you probably know by now, Rezo the Red Priest was incurably blind ( duh...geeze...if you
haven't watched The Slayers, don't even bother with the rest of this damn story), and his
search for a cure had now reached a level of desperation that he was going to attempt to
master the Gates of Time and Dimension ( why do authors bother to explain their plot
backgrounds like this? It just messes up the story...ah hell, on with it...).
And now he was finally able to get into the text, after no less than three days
without sleep. Valiantly, Rezo fought to keep his concentration on the text as he read
(through that obviously magical means he seems to have picked up in one of his past
travels that somehow enables him to tell exactly where everyone is around him, and where
they are, and what gestures they are making , AND what printed words on paper say...ah
hell, you try to explain it) through the next few lines of the casting procedures.
Apparently, this spell was actually a three part spell, where one had to cast a Portal spell
to arrive in the realm where the gates lie, and then another one to use the gates of time,
and yet another to get the Dimension Gates to work.
Reading onward, Rezo found mention of a dimensionally universal guardian of the
Gate of Time, named as the Ancient Goddess in this text. Never one to think out the full
effects of his actions, thoroughly convinced in his own infallibility, he skipped all notice of
this guardian. I'll deal with her when I get there, he thought to himself through the fog in
his brain.
Finally too tired to continue, Rezo gently laid the book down apon the table, and
returned to his rooms, miles above on the ground, to finally get a good night or two of
sleep.
* * *
Chapter One:
Enter The Ancient One
Naturally, when considering the dangers of inter-dimensional travel and the
dangers of time travel, one should always research into these topics. It would
be...interesting to say the least, if one were to plunge on ahead without any knowledge of
the dangers of either method of transportation. Only a moron among morons would give
such an endeavor even a second thought, like say...Genma Saotome.
Luckily, our dear Rezo was no such fool. While admittedly, his later actions were
a little ill advised, and some early ones like becoming Zel's Grandfather and
Great-grandfather really don't show his brightness, we can safely say that the vast majority
of his actions were well-advised. It is therefore safe to say that Rezo has in fact learned
from some past mistakes. In this light, I submit that Rezo did in fact study for his journey
into time and dimensions, despite other accounts that he slept for five days straight, only
to awaken to go on another three day mind bender reading the manuscript for another ten
pages, and then incinerating it. And a medium sized forest.
And so, after due preparation and full research into the subject of time travel,
along with the world's strongest coffee (Magically enhanced, of course), Rezo completed
the casting circle on the floor. Eris was away procuring another town house in some
far-off place he would never visit, so he was free to return whenever he wanted. All of his
affairs were taken care of, and a handy sub-space pocket spell created an endless supply of
storage space within the confines of a little pouch that he would keep about his neck at all
times. Within this pouch were enough magical items and power boosting devices to keep
a good-sized army at bay with little or no work needed by himself, a good supply of
clothes and enough spellbooks to power New York for a year, if burned there.
Rezo "looked" over his casting circle. It was an exact replica of the one described
by the book, and would suit him well. In order to cast all he would have to do was shout
out "Wakazoo" and the circle would activate, opening a portal into the Realm where the
Gates lie. Naturally, shouting out nonsensical words was only part of the spell, as with
any. The book also described a "Return Key" with which he could return to his home time
and place at any time, and then return to the Gates. This key would be activated with the
more complex word of "Walarimanium."
With one last "glance" around himself, Rezo shouted out, with the resounding
crash of his staff apon the ground (creating that nearly-patented piercing sound of metal
rings bashing together to provide a semi-musical ring), " WAKAZOO!!!"
For a long moment, nothing happened.
In fact, it was several long moments, combined together into one big huge gap of
time, quite like a Gainax freeze-frame silence from Evangelion. During this time of
pondering, Rezo quite naturally began to wonder why exactly did he just make a huge ass
out of himself by shouting out " wakazoo." He then realized what a huge idiot he had
been to even consider going on this trip to cure his eyes, as he hadn't plumbed the depths
of his own world, and was much less prepared to go out into another world and hunt
around in that one. He didn't even know if he was going to be able to use his magic in
those worlds, thereby making him totally blind and defenseless. He was about to move
out of his casting circle, totally miffed and disappointed by his latest experiment, but just
at that moment, it activated, and he was sucked out of his world into the lands before the
Gate of time.
With a start, Rezo "looked" around and "saw" the place he was in. He was in the
'Interdimensional Teleportation/Chrono-alteration Zone' as described by the book he had
just blown up! With a smirk, Rezo reveled in his glory. It had worked! And why the hell
not? He was the biggest baddest mamma jamma ever. The one. The only. The REZO.
Behold, for even his ego has the power to kill of its own volition!!! RE-ZO, RE-ZO,
RE-ZO!!! He heard the masses calling his name in his mind, and even heard little snippets
of his speech, " I only wanted to cure my eyes, now look at me! I'm the baddest mother
fucker in the universe!"
Rezo broke off his little tangent. It wouldn't do to be too egotistical, especially in
a place like this one. He needed to be a calm rock of a man, unflappable in any situation.
He needed to steel himself for his meeting with the Ancient Goddess. He had already
come up with a mental image of her in his mind. An old, withered woman, who needed a
cane or a staff to hold herself upright in long dirty brown robes, who would be awed at the
sight of one so magnificent and powerful as he was. Why she would..... Rezo again
bolted down his ego. He would see what she was like soon enough.
Rezo wandered onward into the misty gloom of the 'Interdimensional
Teleportation/Chrono-alteration Zone,' remembering idly the way to summon the Gates of
Time. " First, you must transverse a great distance, for this is a test of patience and
endurance that the Goddess feels must be passed in order to use the Gates," the book said.
Well, so far on the book had been right, so he would keep following its instructions. With
that in mind, he trudged onward in a realm without any kind of "visible" or tangible
ground. All Rezo could "see" were the mists.
Suddenly, as if from nowhere, the twin Gates popped into existence before him.
Both Gates were unguarded, but only one was open, and this was the Gate of Time.
Remembering a passage from the book, "The Gate of Time is always open, and the
Ancient goddess is forever standing before it, watching the eddies and currents of the flow
of time. Beware her appearance, for appearances can be deceiving." Rezo naturally
ignored the warning about her, as to him she was nothing more than an old crone who sat
hunched over, staring idly at the Gate while wondering when tea time was.
"Show yourself, Guardian!" Rezo shouted into the gloom. " I know you are there,
old crone!"
"And who is an old crone?" a sharp, womanly voice replied from the Gate of Time.
With that said, Rezo began to rethink his theory that the Ancient Goddess,
Guardian of the Gate of Time was an old crone. Judging from the voice, she had to be
just barely halfway through the prime of her life, placing her somewhere around twenty
four or five. The semi-resonant undertones of her voice suggested that she was is
fantastic health, and was something of a soprano of fair height, without any excess fat
packed around her body. The way that the tones were pronounced suggested that she was
in fact a member of some royal court, and therefore had excellent posture. Most
interesting of was was her ability to force total venom and malice into no more than six
words, without shouting or even contorting her face.
Within seconds, Rezo's theory became proven fact. The Guardian of the Gate of
Time then majestically appeared in front of her gate. A resounding echo of WHOA
resounded within the confines of Rezo's brain. Tall with shapely legs and a figure that
professional models and the body-obsessed alike would kill for, with long flowing dark
green hair, and dressed in a short short skirt with a sailor's uniform with added gloves and
high heel-boots, she was to Rezo as water is to a dying man. Involuntarily, Rezo began to
do as all men do. He began to ask himself the eternal question of "Hmm...what does she
look like...without...all that..."
Rezo's mind was wrenched back into reality when he realized that she was in fact a
powerful magic user, and was not a slab of juicy meat. This little fact was introduced to
him when she launched a huge purple ball of energy at him. Nice to know this fact, next,
please? She was also was bearing a tall staff-like pole, which appeared to also be a key to
the gate. Swinging it around as if it weighed nothing, she launched a near continuous
barrage of the glowing energy balls.
Rezo then realized that having a body connected to your head is a great thing, and
useful too, and began to swing his own priestly staff around, knocking the energy balls out
of the sky. Hey, these weren't so bad... he could probably take a few of these before
going down and getting blown up. Not quite wussy as a fireball, but not quite as strong as
a stronger spell, like a Mondo Bolt or something. Sort of mid-range for someone as
strong as he. Oh well. Might as well retaliate. But we don't want to kill her. All right.
Let's see what our Guardian can take...
And with that thought, and a pause in the Goddess's firing, Rezo opened fire with
some easy stuff. "FIREBALL!!!" he called out, using the weaker spell to see just how she
would handle it. Luckily, she was no slouch, and swung her own staff in a block that was
nearly identical to his own. Who the hell is this guy? she thought. He's almost as strong
as I am and he's... not a senshi or a prince of any kind!
The goddess would have pondered more, but Rezo didn't let her do anything like
that. "MEGA BRANDO!" he called out. Out of nowhere, yellow swirling mists coiled
around Rezo, glowing with power waiting to be unleashed. Luckily for out Goddess, he
only used a fraction of the spell's power, or like Sairag, she would have gone up in a big
huge explosion (for those of you wondering, a Mega Brando is the spell that the clone of
Rezo used in the original Slayers, whilst fighting the good guys. He used it in the middle
of Sairag, and damn, what a nice explosion). A circle of burning yellow destructive magic
shot out in all directions from Rezo. However, in it's current minuscule form, it did not
damage the Gates, but did damage the Ancient Goddess. A little. With the added bonus
of adding a blast crater to the scenery of...wherever the hell this was.
" Hah! You think that you can defeat me with that?" The Guardian called out from
her new locale fifty feet farther away, forcing gusto into her normally calm voice. " I have
stood guard over this Gate for three thousand years! No one can take them away from
me!"
Rezo was taken aback. Three thousand years?!?!?! She aged better than he did,
and that was really saying something. He was only a tenth of her age, and yet... and yet...
he was stronger than her. He heard it in her voice. The minuscule quaver of someone
resigning themselves to either kill this person or to go down with them. Rezo had no real
desire to kill this beautiful woman, but now realizing that he had fully intended to do so
when he had arrived gave him pause. Reluctantly, Rezo lowered his staff from the guard
position he was holding it in, and brought it up to his side.
"I have no need to kill you, nor do I wish to take your Gate from you." Rezo said,
in his most calming and serene voice. "I merely seek your permission to use these gates in
my quest."
Rezo's actions startled the Guardian. There had been one "visitor" to the Gate
ever since the Moon kingdom had been destroyed, and she had turned him back without a
second thought. She should have killed him, but she took pity on him and his pathetic
ways, and now, she seemed to be getting more business. Her Queen and the Senshi
guarding her had traveled through the gate before, and then back to their time. After that,
almost no communication had taken place with Sailor Moon beyond the Guardian's visits
to the planet and warnings of impending doom. Her main role was to make certain that
the future she sought came into existence. And now, this man wished to use the Gates of
Time, with the risk of killing the time stream altogether. This did not sit well with our
Goddess. On the other hand, this sorcerer had the power to kill her off with little more
than a phrase and a wave of his hand. He had power to rival that of the Moon Queen
herself. If not that, then the entire Moon Kingdom. At the moment, she was totally
invaluable to the future of the queen and her kingdom, so it really would not be to
spectacular if she were to die. Feeling she had made her choice, she lowered her guard
and returned to the Gate.
"What do you want?" She asked, now by the side of her beloved Gate again.
"I merely wish to use your Gate to travel through time." Rezo replied in that same
serene tone.
"And why is that?" the Guardian asked.
After a pause, Rezo answered truthfully, "I wish to find a cure for my eyes. I have
been blind since my birth, and despite my efforts, I have been unable to lift the darkness
that veils my sight." Rezo sighed slightly to himself. through his whole life, he had been
unable to cure himself, no matter how good he became at his art, how many spells he
learned, or who he went to. It could be no less than a curse, set apon him from the dawn
of time.
The Guardian was shocked at his words. Up until now she had been unable to get
a good look at this man, and now that she had, she could confirm that he walked and
moved with his eyes forever closed. This meant that during the whole fight they had just
had, he had had his eyes closed and was instead relying on some form of magic to guide
his motions. It didn't hurt that up close she could see that he was a handsome man of no
more than thirty or thirty five with a powerful frame that was kept hidden beneath the
flowing red robes that he wore. It was interesting that he had a vibrant purple hair,
arrayed in a semi-psychotic style around his head like a pair of wings, and that he had an
air of mystery that many women find incredibly attractive, with the possible exception of
our Guardian herself as she was a mystery and it was nothing new. "I see," she replied,
instantly hating her words.
"Hah. There is no way that you could," Rezo replied in a somewhat darker and
more despairing tone, "For three hundred years I have been like this, wandering in
darkness. My mother and father both hated the fact that I was blind, and they both
wanted nothing to do with me. So, I turned to the arts of magic, and now, after three
hundred years, I have finally gained enough power to transverse the bounds of time and
dimensions. I will be cured. And you will not stop me." He filled his tone with such iron
determination that it was hard for the Guardian not to step back.
Rezo wondered at himself why he was suddenly spilling out his life story to this
woman he had just met, but would not tell his closest companions about himself. Perhaps
it was because his companions were with him only for what he could do for them, and not
spending time with him because he was their friend and father-figure. A sudden burst of
anger grew within him. They could do nothing for him, yet they stayed by his side.
Despite his cynical outlook on life, and his short temper, they stood by him. He had no
business not telling them, just as they had no business not asking about him.
The Guardian looked at his placid face, and saw through the mask covering his
features. She saw that he was tortured on the inside, that he had been fighting this
darkness for an eternity. Three hundred years was nothing to sneer at in terms of age,
even at her age of thirty centuries. Thirty centuries. It sounds so long when it's said like
that. Suddenly, she was struck by her loneliness during that time. No one had come to
her in that long, long time, save for a select few, who would likely never pass by here
again. she then thought about his ordeal, his blindness. Three hundred years was easy for
her to imagine, but three hundred years without the gift of sight. That would be a torture,
even if she did learn to live with it as he had. She would be prepared to do anything to
regain her sight, even kill Crystal Tokyo's chance at existence.
"Three hundred years...how is it that a human can live three hundred years?" she
asked.
"I am no ordinary human. Just as you are no ordinary goddess."
"...What?" The guardian was taken aback, again. Never in three thousand years
had anyone called her a goddess. Now that was a compliment. Even if it was a bit
misguided, it could be no less than the highest form of flattery. "I am no goddess, sorcerer.
I am the guardian of this gate, appointed by my Queen. My name is Sailor Pluto in this
realm, and this is my planet."
Rezo was not entirely surprised by the announcement that she was not a goddess.
if in fact she was one she would have been able to kill him outright, without so much as a
glance in his direction. He was however bemused that she paid attention to someone else's
orders. She did after all have the power to end all things with a few very simple actions,
and could very well rule the universe if she so wished it.
"I am no sorcerer, Sailor Pluto. I am Rezo, the Red Priest. I know the arts of
magic solely through my quest to cure my eyes. They also come in handy in a potentially
harmful situation." He smiled and gestured to the large impact crate beside him as he said
that, turning it into a joke about their recent fight as opposed to a warning about future
fights.
"I see." Pluto reflected for a moment that he was one hell of a strong magic user
for a priest, and if he so wished it he could kill her and take her post as Guardian of time,
and then rule the world. "My skills are used for the defense of this gate, and for the
defense of my Queen."
Rezo was starting to wonder as to why in the hell he was being to formal with this
woman. Perhaps it was just some odd form of saying 'sorry for calling you an old crone,
would you like to have dinner sometime? I know a great place...', or some other form of
apology. He felt a need to get back to the point of the encounter. "So, will I be permitted
to pass into the gates?" he said into the awkward silence.
Sailor Pluto was expecting such a turn in the conversation. "No."
"I see... is there no compromise?"
"None."
"Oh. Is that so...." This statement set the wheels within Rezo's head spinning at
near light speeds. He already knew that he could kill her off fairly easily, their earlier
battle told him all he needed to know about that. He could easily overpower her
hand-to-hand, that he could tell just by looking at her magical aura. She was trained in
magic and magic alone, and skill with the weapon had to come with years of battle-front
experience, where the learning curve tends to be a bit more nasty, and you learn to fight
and win at any cost. Rezo, on the other hand had learned from an ancient order of
fighting warrior priests, the Red Order. There was a particularly good reason as to why
he was now among the leaders of that order, and that was that he held a massive expanse
of magical power in addition to his copious fighting skill.
He didn't want her dead though. He would need her while he was journeying, and
having her as an ally during his travels would be a boon to him if he were to unexpectedly
end time and the universe as everyone knew it. It would suck greatly if he were to die as,
well... not only because he is the protagonist of this story, but because he is Rezo, and he
is, by definition, cool. It would be a shame if he were to die before showing everyone just
how damn cool he is in the Slayers series, now wouldn't it?
Under these circumstances, Rezo's mind leapt to work like a fish takes to waters in
which it has lived its whole life. The one weapon that Sailor Pluto had reacted with a
positive attitude was flattery. That, coupled with his stunning good looks (what, that's
what Pluto thinks. Don't look at me. I'm just writing a story.) was surely enough to wear
down even the toughest of frigid bitch hearts.
Besides, Sailor Pluto was, undeniably, hot. Duh. Long, long legs that seemed to
go on forever until abruptly they met short short skirt that showed off...everything. This
coupled with the tight tight body suit thing with the cute bow in the front that seemed to
scream "Look here...LOOK HERE DAMMIT!!!" She had totally flawless skin, a perfect
face, and a damn cute nose. Who wouldn't want to...ahem...perform acts unsuitable to
mention in a fic of this rating? Perhaps a male homosexual... but even he would recognize
that she was well formed first.
A plan had formed in Rezo's mind in the quarter second since he had finished his
musing phrase. And it went something like this; Hit on girl. Send girl gifts. Sooner or
later she will cave and you will dance onward into the portals of time, after SCORING!!!
TOUCH-DOWN!!!! YEAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!
Sailor Pluto was slightly bemused at his expression changes. He seemed to have
gone from contemplative to ecstatic within a second, and this either meant that he had
planned for this or that he was a very fast thinker. She naturally assumed the former.
"And just what are you smiling at?" Sailor Pluto said with her usual monotony.
"... Nothing... nothing....," Rezo said, carefully schooling his features into a mask
of calm again. "Very well Sailor Pluto, I will return to my realm. But I will not relinquish
my quest to use the Gates. I am not fooled, I could wrest control of them from you with
minimal effort, but I know that it would be a benefit to have you on my side during this
journey. Fare you well, my dear. I shall return." And with that final note, Rezo turned
away from Sailor Pluto, and walked off into the dark gloom around the Gate of Time.
Under his breath he muttered one word so that none would hear ; "Walarimanium."
-----------------------------
Once again alone in his laboratory, Rezo smiled at the sheer brilliance of his plan.
All he needed to do was go back to the Gates, drop off a few gifts and some praise, ask a
few questions, yadda yadda yadda, blah blah blah, and then BAM, she would be his. If not
physically, than she would at least follow him on his journey. That would be enough...if
not quite as fun...
-----------------------------
Once again alone, Sailor Pluto turned towards the Gates of Time, wondering
whether or not Rezo was truthful about his blindness. he seemed to be too sure about the
way he moved for that to be true. He couldn't be blind. Deep within her, that instinctively
female part of her reached out to him, and honestly wanted to help him cure his eyesight,
but this was crushed by the weight of the burden that was hers alone to bear. She could
not allow him to break the rules...But hadn't she broken the rules herself on many
occasions? Hadn't she gone against her own will many times just for the sake of her
Crystal Tokyo? She had tried another way each of those times...hadn't she? She knew
that she had gone into the future a multitude of times, saving the present with her
knowledge in the future, but there was no other course of action each of those times. Was
there?
And with that final question lodged in her mind, she returned to her post before the
Gates of Time, ever watching her Queen for trouble, and a crucial moment in which she
would be needed to assist.
-----------------------------
"Wakazoo!!" Rezo shouted, returning to the Gates of Time with minimum fanfare.
Rezo had prepared for his return visit by bringing along some chocolates, a very nice
mythril necklace, a bracelet of white gold and platinum with a blood-red ruby imbedded
within it, and a tiara of silver with twenty diamonds along the outer rim, centering on two
diamonds the size of walnuts.
Rezo almost always did everything in a big way.
For his next visit, he was planning to bring a slinky dark green evening gown,
chosen to highlight her dark hair and figure by his assistant Eris. Even though Eris was
jealous of this little hussy who wanted to steal her dear Rez-chan away from her, she was
determined to help him cure his eyesight, if only so that she could steal him away by
wearing practically nothing in his presence. She kept these thoughts to herself however...
Rezo walked right up to the Gates of Time. "Sailor Pluto? Are you in?"
"What do you want?" Returned the voice of Pluto.
"Just to drop by and deliver some gifts. A sort of peace offering, if you will."
Sailor Pluto walked gracefully into the light. She looked over Rezo with an
incredibly critical eye. He was attired differently today, as opposed to his previous visit
when he wore tighter more concealing robes to hide himself. Now he wore very loose
flowing robes that seemed to flutter wildly around him without and kind of breeze. They
were open entirely in the front, showing his tight open shirt and flowing pants. He stood
there bare chested, the very image of what a priest was not most of the time; a gung-ho,
kill-em-all, nuke-'em-till-they-glow, bronze god, BAD ass. It didn't hurt at all that she
could see his well toned, highly muscled and powerful chest, and diamond cut abdominals
through the criss-crossing fabric of his shirt (think Sephiroth's under-shirt thing only in
white with flowing sleeves). No...didn't hurt at all....
Calm down Pluto, she thought to herself, Soul of Ice...Soul of Ice...
"I came here to give you these," Rezo said, knowing full well that his clothing
choice was having its effect on Pluto, even though she did her best to hide that with her
icy mask, " I hope they are suitable for you."
"Why the gifts?" Pluto asked, betraying herself with her mildly breathy tone.
"As I stated, they are meant as a peace offering. It is through these humble
offerings that I seek to beg forgiveness for calling you an old crone yesterday, and then
attacking you." It was a severe blow to Rezo's pride to call the attack yesterday his own
fault, but hey, she was hot and he was willing to suffer a little humiliation to get into her...
fuku. Even now this was putting it on a bit thick for her benefit. He knew that he would
have to do this so that he could compete with her previous activity of going to a formal
court before a queen, and the wonderfully flowery language that they used there.
He extended the box containing the three gifts to her. It was really a satin lined
case, but, hey, it was just a box as far as they were concerned. "Please accept my most
humble apologies." As he said this, he sketched a formal bow, extending the gift out to
her with both hands.
Naturally, Pluto was blown away. Here was a man with the full power to kill her
with a pretty phrase, bowing to her formally in a manner that fitted a formal court, looking
like a serious bad ass, with bulging muscles as far as the eye could see, and he was
offering her a case with... she opened the case... DAMN good looking jewels. Her perfect
calm was shattered momentarily as she stared at the tiara. Diamonds the size of eggs...
whoa..... she would need a levitation spell just to walk around with it on and not strain her
neck. Her eyes widened into a very pleased expression, with her mouth forming a
soundless 'OH MY GOD.'
Rezo was just about on this side of heaven. Damn straight. Who knows his shit?
REZO. Who is the king? Rezo. Who is the pimp Daddy?! REZO, byatch!!! These
thoughts went through his head. Or more accurately their equivalent in slang from Rezo's
homeworld, so it came out more like: But of course. Who knows all? Rezo. Who is the
High Omnipotent One? Rezo. Who is the Boon unto Women?! Rezo, mongrel!!! This
linguistic difference aside, the meaning was the same. Rezo was on a serious ego high.
And his plan was working.
"Where did you get these?" Pluto asked, already warming to Rezo.
"They are old family heirlooms really. I have fairly well given up hope of finding
the right woman in three hundred years, so by giving them to you I can at least assure that
they are kept in good hands. For the past century and a half they have done no more than
collect dust on a shelf."
"They're... beautiful."
"Of course they are. They were made by my great-great-grand father, a smith of
fantastic magical items. These are some of the few items he made that were not magical in
origin. Then again, their ability to bring joy to the women in my family has been nothing
short of magical. Without fail, they have saved my family from disaster. Perhaps I will tell
you some of the stories about them later."
"I cannot accept these... they're too good...and they're also family heirlooms...it
would be...wrong..." Pluto said, trying to convince herself more than him to give them
back.
"As I said, they have done no more than collect dust over the past century and a
half. Perhaps you will be more kind to them." Rezo said this with a lightly demur tone,
knowing full well that she wanted these three items. A lot. Hell, a queen would be damn
impressed, if only for ten seconds.
"Very well then, Rezo. I shall accept your apology." Sailor Pluto straightened,
once again regaining her composure. " Now may I ask, why have you returned really?
The answer is still the same. You may not use the Gates of Time. And your presence
here is distracting me."
Right right, the old Ice Queen Facade. Or however you spell it... anyway, Rezo
knew the only way to shatter the mask, and that was doubt. "I have come back to
apologize to you, and yet you accuse me of seeking to use the Gates in a disruptive
manner? True, this is what I seek, but I would never do so without your permission. In
fact, I would ask you to accompany me while I journey, if only to prevent any mishaps
that may occur. But now I ask you this, Guardian, have you never 'misused' the Gates, as
you are accusing me of wanting to do? Have you not, 'broken the rules,' as it were. Even
the strongest of spirit must feel the pull of the Gates, as I did the moment I stood before
them, only yesterday. Honestly, have you ever used the Gates in a way you may see as
wrong?"
His little speech had done the trick. He could tell she was plunged into self doubt.
He relaxed and waited for the answer that would doubtless follow. The only question was
whether or not she would be truthful to him, and not lie to herself.
"... Rezo... there have been times when there was no other course...I was stuck. I
had to use the Gates. It was simply necessary. I had to do it to save my Queen, and to
save myself." Sailor Pluto mentally berated her mouth for betraying her so. Ordinarily she
would never have given away such a vital piece of information, and never have let any
stranger into her guard so easily. It was just that he seemed so trustworthy, and he
seemed to truly mean well. Against her will, she found herself being drawn to this
blustering buffoon of a man. Flowery words and pretty gifts only went so far with many
people, and in the end it came down to who they were, inside. She could tell there was
something about him that struck her as stunning, it was just that she had no idea what it
was, or how he used it. It was almost magic, the way that he managed to draw her in with
his mere presence.
"There is always another way, my dear. If there is one thing that living among
hostile thieves, warring armies, and terrible magics for three hundred years has taught me,
it is that there is more than one way to solve any problem. You just have to wait it out
and see what happens. And most importantly, think it through. I know that I have abused
my power on many occasions, but in the end I only sought a cure. I need this darkness to
be lifted. I need to see light, and colors, and patterns, and red and blue and indigo.... I
just want to see. Just as you want your Queen to live to see another day, I would do
anything for my eyes to be cured, and I have done just that, anything. I fully intend to do
anything as well. The difference here is that I long ago stopped lying to myself. I know
what I'm doing and why. Now, will you stop deceiving yourself?"
Rezo knew that it was only through opening himself up that he could open her up.
it was very much going to be a sharing of experiences. Telling the story of his life was
only going to get him so far. What he really needed to do was tie in his experiences to
hers. This he had done, but not without a cost. He now felt more and more tied into her
life, and more and more like they were counterparts. That was the danger of this kind of
mind-work. The problem of getting attached to your target. While he certainly did want
to get attached to her, he did not want her to be so close to him that he would not be able
to remove her if she became a threat to him.
Pluto let Rezo's words set in. He seemed to be much more willing to open up than
she was, and she knew that it was only a matter of time before she gave in to his
proddings and opened her iron clad defenses to him. She felt... closer to Rezo. They had
something in common, even more so than what he realized. She felt the truth of his
statement. He had done as he had said he had done. Likewise, she had abused her power.
But it was always for a greater good. It was always for the Moon Kingdom. To her, the
end justified totally the means. She would do anything for her Queen, this was true.
After a moment of contemplative silence, Pluto spoke again. "I will not deny
abusing my power. But it was always for the greater good. My Queen and my Kingdom.
The ends justify."
Rezo almost smiled. "Then you know exactly how I feel."
Rezo turned then, and left the Dimension, giving Sailor Pluto room for thought.
-----------------------------
It was all happening too fast.
Meioh Setsuna (Sailor Pluto's normal human form) sat pondering her life over a
cup of slightly cooling tea in her favorite cafe. Not that she was wont to become attached
to a single place or time, it was just that this cafe seemed to attract her for no reason, and
it was at this cafe that she spoke with the other Outer Senshi on occasion.
She was not expecting them this night. In fact she had made certain that the two
were... occupied with each other before she came out of her hideaway. She had needed a
little time to think alone, and thinking while standing in front of the gates, where that
pig-headed bastard of a priest had dared to... had dared to.....
Had dared to force questions into her mind.
Was she really misusing the Gates as he accused her of doing? There was always a
reason for such actions before, but light of what the priest had said to her, they all seemed
to fade away into a background of doubt. A background of doubt laced with sorrow and
regret so strong that it threatened to crush her beneath its weight.
Yes, boys and girls. Meioh Setsuna had just figured out that she had been a
complete idiot for the past few thousand years. And she was not happy. And like all
ice-queen impersonating fools, she now had to face herself, and recover her lost
confidence. She had broken her own oath to herself, and had betrayed herself. Even
worse, when she had known that what she did was probably wrong, she had still acted
under the guise that the future would be saved. And in truth, the future would be saved.
it was all for the greater good. But at what cost? It was truly unimaginable that what she
had done, seemingly so insignificant in a great cosmic scale had the potential to tear out
and kill everyone, ending all existence in a waving sea of chaos, paradox, and darkness.
If anyone had been observing Setsuna at that moment, they would have noticed a
woman, in appearance to be in her mid-twenties, wearing a dark green businesslike outfit
with a black blouse and dark green blazer and skirt, who was quietly nursing a cup of tea
in the front of the cafe, and then shuddering slightly, as if from a cold draft. They would
have turned their attention away eventually, to discuss something with whoever they were
with. If one of the few people who knew Setsuna had been observing her, they would
have automatically felt concern, and even fear. Setsuna almost never showed up in real
time, and never, EVER showed any kind of emotion. That shudder had definitely been a
sob, and they would have seen the tear slide down her cheek, and land in the cup in front
of her.
She was crying. Not because of anything she had done. It was over, and she
could not undo the past out of simple regret. Undoing any one thing would undoubtedly
lead to a severe case of paradox in the Time Stream, in many more than one way. And
there was no guarantee that if she undid her past that the future would still exist.
She was crying about what she could have done. Dear God, she could have ended
the world on any number of occasions, if only because the future was at stake. This
thought was twisting its way through her mind like a snake on acid. She knew then that
she had to be more conservative with her power, even though she had already taken a
'conservative' route. Well, that route got her here, and now she would be damned if she
were to end the world by chance. To hell with the future. The future has some
importance to that.
Her control finally back over her appearance, she wondered why she had ran out
of her solitude to come here and think out such a trivial thing. So she had to use less
power. Big deal! She would have figured that out in her own realm with time. No. The
real reason for coming here was to escape that... man. The Red Priest. That bastard.
Somehow, he had been able to push her over the edge with just a few words. And those
words were not even all that strong. He certainly should not have had the effect that he
had on her. No. It wasn't in the words that he said. It was in the way he had said them.
Right from the start, there was some thought provoking essence behind his words that
somehow reached out and caressed her. Somehow, he had said the words he did in just
the right tone to cast doubt on everything she had done and convey to her a sense of
loathing for every time that she had ever misused the time stream.
Normally she would not have listened to the tone of someone's voice, unless it was
of great attention, but this man had done everything in just the right way to insure that he
had her attention and sympathy right form the start. In showing up unexpectedly he had
surprised her, no mean feat. In defeating her, he had shown that he had the power to
crush her at any time, and was just doing what he did out of either pity or some perverted
sense of amusement. In offering her gifts he had shown that he was in fact catering to the
former of the two, and in asking her forgiveness, he had shown humility and a willingness
to cooperate with whatever she wanted. Finally, with his last few words, he had made it
apparent that they had similar goals, and were, in essence, kindred spirits.
This, coupled with the tone of voice put into everything had driven her out of her
realm to the comforts of this cold cup of tea.
She had to give the guy credit. Once looked at with all of the experience of her
three thousand years, gazing into peoples lives and watching them all, occasionally mixing
around with their actions, and manipulating them subtly to do what she wished, she
realized that this man had done to her exactly what he had wanted to do to her, without
her knowing. And he had even gained himself a foothold in her mind while he was at it.
She knew that she would be unable to stop thinking about the manipulative jackass after
this.
She allowed herself a little smirk. Well, now the game was up. She knew what he
was doing, and how to end his threat. All she needed to do now what get him to enter her
little side-dimension again, and she would trap him there, and she would end his story
right then and there. With a little nod to herself, she left the table, and entered the
women's restroom. Entering one of the stalls, she pulled out the Garnet rod, and opened
the portal to the Gates of Time.
-----------------------------
Rezo looked up from his work at the little hourglass that rested on his table.
Naturally, he had timed the events of Sailor Pluto's mind to the last hour, and figured that
if she hadn't realized that he had been toying with her for a little bit by now, she never
would. Rezo allowed himself a little smirk. Everything was going according to plan.
Now if only Eris would stop trying to get into his pants.
It really was amazing how annoying it can be when someone is trying to get into
your pants, especially when this person is someone who you could not care less for, and
do not find attractive in any fashion. Yes, she was well endowed, sure. Whatever. It
takes more than large breasts and a killer ass to attract Rezo, The Red Priest, thank you.
Rezo liked women with brains. It had been to damn long since he had a good battle of
wits, and the last time he had had one it was with a woman, and it was a damn powerful
turn on. Someone who could spar with words just as well as with anything else. That
would be nice to have. The killer ass and large knobs were just the added bonus. They
weren't really necessary to the picture anyway. It wasn't like Rezo could see them or
anything.
Rezo forced his attention back to the new staff he was working on. This new one
would be imbued with great portions of magic, of all varieties, before the night was
through. It would act as a sort of sensory boosting antennae that could also dub as an
indestructible weapon (kinda like the howling sword, only as a big rod with clinking rings
on one end) and as a magical boosting device, lending extra power to each of his attacks.
As though he needed it.
It was still nice to know, just in case say... one of his Dragon Slaves failed to blow
up the planet at half power, or he were unable to bring a horde of zombies into existence
while asleep, or he couldn't grow someone a new body spontaneously after being
beheaded while he was up on some hallucinogenic. Really. Oh well. Some habits die
hard, and when making magical weapons, sometimes its best to put in some special
functions, like the ability to freeze time for 30 seconds. Even if that phrase itself was an
oxymoron.
The staff would be ready in around five minutes. It just had to be tempered in
dragon blood. No big deal. He still had thousands of gallons of the stuff in his basement
from that time he found a dying dragon in the wilderness, and figured; 'Hey, when that
thing is dead I could seriously use the parts. All right, how about I take it home when its a
carcass.' Rezo had never really liked the killing dragons part of being a protector of idiot
pathetic humans who could see and flaunted it all the time, giving their damn language
such mannerisms as 'I see what you mean,' and ' look, I get your point.' So he waited for a
day, and when the dragon was dead, he... recycled it.
The rod/staff/priest thing was done now. Rezo hoped that the thing would be
powerful enough for whatever lay ahead. It was just a matter of a few words, and then he
would be wandering through time, hunting for a cure to his blindness. And he would find
it.
For a moment, Rezo thought about Sailor Pluto. His little magic seemed to have
worked well enough on her. To think that a little vocal spell was all that was needed to
sway most people to accept what one said as truth. And with a little adjustment to that
spell, he could fiddle around with what people thought too. He could even project his
own feelings into someone else, and they wouldn't notice a damn thing. And the better
part of this was that there was virtually no defense from the spell. As far as he knew, only
deaf people were immune, and hell, he could cure them of that easily enough. Any sound
usually caught most people's attention after a bit, sharp sounds were easily enough to
come by, and then it was just a little nudge in the right direction, and presto, you have
someone who wants exactly what you want.
Not that this was a really good thing either. It was better to take the spell up to a
certain point and then let it be. Then manipulation came easier. And then the whole thing
just got funner than heck. This is what he did with Sailor Pluto. Long years as a student
of an order of Priests that were prized for their ability to solve any situation with
diplomacy, help anyone with a troubled mind, and cure almost any ailment had left Rezo
with more than his share of experience with the human mind. And what a silly little thing
it was. Oh, he was aware that he was obsessive (it really would not do to lie to oneself
like that), and he did know that many of his problems were based around a severe
inferiority complex that was brought on through envy of other people and their damn
ability to see. These aside, he was gifted with an understanding of how people think under
stress.
Taking note of the fact that Sailor Pluto, no matter what she may or may not have
done, was not a bumbling moron, and therefore would be able to figure she was being
manipulated slowly. Even after only two visits to her he knew that either her natural
suspicion would kick in, or that she would crack under the pressure, regain control, and
start thinking about him in an objective sense. She really couldn't help to be suspicious of
him anyway. She was a woman after all, and he was a man. Only natural.
It worked the same way in a romance. The male does something stupid. The
female gets a funny vibe and starts asking questions about it. They break up in a tear felt
session of shouting. Five days and a lot of tears later the woman gets around to thinking
that the male was no good for her, and she might al well move on, doing the same thing
she has always done only with a little more caution for a bit. Through this method, the
woman finds the truth (the man was no good for her), and nothing is accomplished beyond
the man getting away from the woman, which he probably wanted in the first place.
Otherwise, why do something stupid?
Naturally, this was just one scenario to fall back on, but Rezo felt that it would
apply beautifully to the situation. He would get into the Time Stream, and Sailor Pluto
would get him out of her hair for a bit. However, if he managed to play his cards right, he
would be able to gain a powerful ally in the Senshi, and potential friend.
All of his feelings about that first conversation and each following were true. He
had no idea why he had opened himself up to her so that she would open up to him.
There were much less dangerous methods of getting information out of someone anyway.
Perhaps it was the feeling he got from her that they really did share something in common.
Oh well. He would find out soon enough what she felt about him, and when that
time came, he would be more or less ready for it.
----------------------------------------------------------
(Editors Note: Although I'm fairly certain my brother will kill me for writing this, I
couldn't resist. HE CAN'T SPELL WORTH BEANS!!!! HIS GRAMMAR IS
AWFUL!!!! I found no less than 256 grammar and\or spelling mistakes in this one
chapter! Why the heck can't he just learn?????? AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHH!!!!! ::gets
surrounded by some men in white coats:: Hey, who're you? ::gets dragged away to the
funny farm:: I'll be baaacckkk!!!! Just you wait, Henry Higgins!!!
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!)
Authors note: ...right... erm... stick around for the next chapter, I wont put that up for
maybe another week or so... I write slow-like.... umm... Henry Higgins?
A big shout out to mah boyz Omer, Andrew S, Andrew D, Andrew G, Aaron, Baron, and
yes, even Nick, you annoying prick.
A big thanks to Fire, for writing and for existing, Carrotglace, for writing Insertion,
perhaps the best damn fic I have read yet, Anime Addiction for writing some of the first
fics that I read, Night Hawk, for the good ones (most of the ones of his I have read were
good, so don't ask for clarification), and to every Fanfiction author on the web whose
works I've read, and therefore gleaned inspiration from. Also a bit thanks to my little sis,
Osage no Onna, who I would be lost without, as she is my source of information on any
anime that I have no memory of. As I have a worse memory than Shinnosuke, that means
one hell of a lot of damn Anime.... She's also my editor...as I cannae spell worth goat fat.
