Disclaimer: The fic is the only thing that's mine; characters aren't,
unfortunately. All rights to this amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha,
Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time
trying to sue me! Your 'corporate boogeyman' won't get anything valuable from
me, anyway, except for a bunch of lousy grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a
Pentel point 5 ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.
Author's Notes: I thought you guys were never going to review! 'Really
appreciate the support, minna! I'm still unsure whether or not I should really
go on with this story, but keep those fantastic reviews coming and I'll probably
continue writing as well!
Oh, yeah. For those of you who have been requesting that I include Sakura-chan
and Co., in the story, I will. They'll probably appear in Chapter 7 or 8, I'm
still not sure which chapter but they WILL. So just hang on to your seats. ^_^
Oh, and another one! You better check out the revisions I made on Chapter Three!
Li Wei, thank you very much for making me realize that mistake!!! ^_^
DESTINY by rei-chan
Chapter Five: The Elders
Heero swallowed the huge lump that had formed in his throat as he and Duo were
led to the Elder's chambers with the 'kid' in tow. For the first time in his
life, he was nervous. During dinner he was on the verge of asking Ieran about
the Elders, but found that the idea of letting everyone in the room know that he
was scared of facing a few doddering old men was completely stupid. The Perfect
Soldier feared NO ONE, and, as he had proven to his enemies time and time again,
he would win.
Ieran made a sharp turn at the end of the hallway, and Heero found himself
almost nose to nose with Duo, who had suddenly halted and turned to face him,
eyebrows furrowed.
"What?" he managed to snap at the Deathscythe pilot amidst the pounding of his
heart as he threw his comrade a baleful glare.
Duo was unfazed. "Tell me whatever it is that you and the Elders would talk
about." he told the Wing pilot, his face carefully neutral as he jerked his head
towards Ieran. "Ieran-san just informed me that this is about as far as I can
go." His violet gaze almost penetrated Heero's head as he scrutinized his
partner's stoic facade, before firmly saying. "I mean it, Yuy. Everything."
The Wing pilot found himself nodding. "Hai." he agreed.
Duo nodded back at him, before standing back to let him and the'kid' pass.
Ieran was standing beside a huge ornate door, patiently waiting for them. As
Heero examined the door, his eyes suddenly widened as sharp pain radiated from
his middle, almost knocking him off his feet as he sucked in a deep breath. The
pain was far worse than anything he had ever experienced so far, not even when
he set his own broken leg, and he couldn't choke back the gasp that escaped his
lips as he bent forward.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the 'kid' watching him with an
unreadable expression on his face.
Heero then felt a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he looked up, trying with
all his might not to show the pain in his eyes as Ieran's warm, open face gazed
down on him. "Just relax, Raiu. You will eventually get used to the pain, once
you've started your training."
He didn't react. Instead, he struggled to straighten up, shrugging the woman's
hand off his shoulder. He could feel a very strong power vibrating in the air,
tingling his senses and awakening his own.
Ieran moved towards the door and mumbled softly. "We have arrived."
The huge doors creaked, then slowly opened, revealing a dark passageway.
Goosebumps prickled Heero's skin as he boldly stepped forward, his face blank.
Without a backward glance, he walked in and disappeared inside.
Heero found himself surrounded by a thick mist, and the strong smell of incense
tickled his nose as he strode profusely towards the dais. His heart was pounding
three times faster than normal, and he was feeling a little lightheaded. His
stomach still hurt a little, and the strong power inside him made his whole body
glow slightly green in the chamber's darkness as he made his way towards the
long table where a few hazy figures stood.
"Li Raiu." A feeble voice acknowledged once the Perfect Soldier was within
earshot. "I see that the long wait is finally over."
The hairs at the back of the Wing pilot's neck stood as he heard the voice.
Magic was radiating in waves from the table where the Elders were that it was
almost tangible. Heero slowly approached the table and stood there, swaying
slightly on his feet as he carefully schooled his features into a blank mask.
Another voice spoke up, and Heero flinched slightly at the sultry, commanding
tone that the speaker used. "I trust that Ieran already gave you succint
explanation as to how you got here?" The phrase in itself was a question, but to
the Prussian eyed teenager, it was a thinly veiled order for him to answer.
Reluctantly, he did. "Hai." 'But not enough to answer all my questions, though.
I still don't believe her.'
"Do you have any questions?" The speaker's tone was amused, and it took the Wing
pilot a few seconds to realize that he had probably read the doubts in his mind.
"Now is the time to seek answers, Raiu."
The logical part of Heero's mind screamed at him to keep his mouth shut and
quickly find a way out of this mess, but a part of him didn't want to. Ieran's
story was a grand one, he couldn't deny that, but the mysterious pull of the
power within him was also something that he cannot ignore. Blocking out his
logic, the Wing pilot asked tightly. "How did Duo and I travel through time?"
One of the figures detached itself from the dais and slowly glided towards him,
the mist in the room unabling the dark-haired boy to see its face. "Clow-sama
had created a specific plane of time in the future." it spoke softly as it
continued moving towards the boy, stopping directly in front of Heero. "This
plane would involve a confrontation, and a desperate move on your part would
trigger the time portal to open and thus transport you back through time."
'The Oz battalion.' Heero thought, biting back the urge to curse as he realized
that the self-destruct button was probably the 'desperate act' that triggered
the portal to open. Instead he turned to the pressing matters at hand and asked
what had been bothering him ever since Ieran had narrated to them the clan's
story. "Why was my partner included in the time jump, then, if the portal was
supposedly only meant for me?" His voice was flat.
He could hear the figure clear its throat feebly. "That was a mistake in the
Elders' part, I'm afraid. Sometimes even we underestimate the extent of our
powers. We had not realized that the radius of the portal extended to over
thirty miles, more than enough to accommodate you and your machine."
The Wing pilot suddenly felt a distinct sinking sensation in his stomach that
had absolutely nothing to do with his power. Ignoring the sudden pang, he let
out a short "Aa."
"Anymore?"
"Oka--" he abruptly closed his mouth, cleared his throat, and tried again.
"Ieran said something about me having two destinies." He said in a somewhat
strangled voice. He had been about to refer to Ieran as his 'okasan', had he not
been able to control himself.
"Ah, yes." A new voice suddenly took over the talking. "Your destinies. I trust
that you would like to know what they are?"
"Of course."
The speaker tutted. "I had been right, then, when I told Ieran sixteen years ago
that her first male son would be the most systematic amongst the clan." There
was the slightest hint of pride in its voice as most of the hazy figures agreed
to his observations. Going back to the boy's question, he stated, "About your
destinies, then, Raiu. The destiny that Clow-sama had written for you in the
future was a rather difficult one. You were to become a soldier, a prominent yet
anonymous warrior for peace. You were to challenge some of the greatest tyrants
in the future and succeed in bringing peace to the warring world and the
colonies."
The dark-haired pilot had to smile at the Elder's words, his heart light. 'So we
WILL win the war, after all." he mused to himself, thoughts of his comrades
flashing briefly in his mind. Clearing his own throat, he spoke. "What about in
this time line, then?"
"The rudimentary destiny that you left here prior to the time jump was supposed
to be the hardest. According to the Book of Fates, the first male child--you--is
destined to end the long lineage of the antagonistic Tzes. You are to fight
against two members of the Tze clan alongside your father and bring honor to
your family." A brief, sad sigh. "But since Yui Ran had been killed days before
Syaoran was born, I'm afraid that you will be fighting alongside your brother
instead."
At the stony look on the Wing pilot's face, the speaker let out an amused laugh.
"I see that you and the little wolf had not yet learned to get along." He
observed softly. From the sound of his voice, Heero could tell that he was
smiling.
The figure looming in front of the dark-haired soldier leaned forward and
pressed something in Heero's hands. "Inform your brother that we will see him on
your way out." he whispered.
The Wing pilot nodded wordlessly and left, clutching a black tassel in his
hands.
~ 0 ~
'What is taking them so long?' Duo thought to himself in irritation as his eyes
travelled from the face of an old clock standing a few feet away from him to the
door where he saw his partner disappear into almost thirty minutes for the
hundreth time that minute. 'What is going on?'
The sound of a throat being cleared jerked the pilot's head back up. Heero's
miniature look alike stood in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest,
glaring at the long-haired boy like there was no tomorrow. "What?"
The kid's glare hardened, if that was still possible. "You fidget too much." he
snarled as Duo looked at him blankly.
"So?"
"You are distracting me."
Shrug. "I'm scared for my friend, that's why I fidget." he snapped, sticking
both hands into his pockets as his eyes moved to watch the door, temper getting
the better out of him.
Syaoran snorted. "They are OLD people," he said in a voice normally used when
explaining something to a savvant. "There's nothing to be scared of."
Just then, the huge doors flew open and Heero stepped out calmly, clutching
something tightly in his hands as his Prussian blue eyes swept across the room
in search of someone. His eyes rested on the amber-eyed boy, who was staring at
the thing clutched in Heero's hands. "They want to see you." he deadpanned.
Duo turned just in time to see that all color had drained from the kid's face as
he headed almost hesitantly towards the doors. 'Nothing to be scared of, huh?'
~ 0 ~
Syaoran's whole body was trembling as he apprroached the dais where he knew the
Elders were. Indeed, he had been summoned before by the oldest and wisest
members of the family, but usually these meetings with the Elders were filled
with lectures and reprimands regarding his training. Never had he been summoned
like this.
As the mist cleared slightly to reveal the figures of the Li Elders, Syaoran
fumbled around his neck for the chain of his tassel and hurriedly slipped it off
his neck, swinging it sideways to reveal his long sword. Reaching the long
table, he got down on one knee and bowed his head, his sword placed neatly on
the floor in front of him, blade pointed at his direction. It was a sign of
respect that he had known ever since he learned how to use his sword. "I come at
your bid." he whispered softly, his heart thudding.
"Xiao Lang." A voice called him softly. Syaoran recognized it as Li Pai Kwa, the
oldest among the Elders. He was the only one among the Elders who called him
that. "We see each other again."
"Hai."
"Your brother is a soldier in the future, did you know?"
The ex-Card Captor kept his head bowed. "No." he softly replied.
"What do you know about him, then?"
"Thunder. I felt the power of Thunder in him. Just like father..."
"A weaker version of Yui Ran's power, I presume." Li Pai Kwa noted. "Have you
seen the strain in Raiu's aura? The weakness in it?"
"Yes, I have."
"Then I leave you with this request." Syaoran felt a force on his chin and he
looked up to find his ancestor looking down at him. Li Pai Kwa's soft, wrinkled
hand brushed his cheek and whispered. "Assist your brother in any way you can,
Syaoran."
TBC
==Sorry it took me a long time to upload this chapter. I ran across a
particularly delish 1x2 fic, and I couldn't stop reading it. Chapter Six will be
uploaded sometime within the next two days.
==Like it? Hate it? Let me know!!!
unfortunately. All rights to this amazing ANIMEs belong to Clamp, Kodansha,
Sunrise, Bandai, Sotsu Agency, yadda yadda yadda, so don't waste your time
trying to sue me! Your 'corporate boogeyman' won't get anything valuable from
me, anyway, except for a bunch of lousy grades, some leftover cookie crumbs, a
Pentel point 5 ball pen, and some crumpled research papers.
Author's Notes: I thought you guys were never going to review! 'Really
appreciate the support, minna! I'm still unsure whether or not I should really
go on with this story, but keep those fantastic reviews coming and I'll probably
continue writing as well!
Oh, yeah. For those of you who have been requesting that I include Sakura-chan
and Co., in the story, I will. They'll probably appear in Chapter 7 or 8, I'm
still not sure which chapter but they WILL. So just hang on to your seats. ^_^
Oh, and another one! You better check out the revisions I made on Chapter Three!
Li Wei, thank you very much for making me realize that mistake!!! ^_^
DESTINY by rei-chan
Chapter Five: The Elders
Heero swallowed the huge lump that had formed in his throat as he and Duo were
led to the Elder's chambers with the 'kid' in tow. For the first time in his
life, he was nervous. During dinner he was on the verge of asking Ieran about
the Elders, but found that the idea of letting everyone in the room know that he
was scared of facing a few doddering old men was completely stupid. The Perfect
Soldier feared NO ONE, and, as he had proven to his enemies time and time again,
he would win.
Ieran made a sharp turn at the end of the hallway, and Heero found himself
almost nose to nose with Duo, who had suddenly halted and turned to face him,
eyebrows furrowed.
"What?" he managed to snap at the Deathscythe pilot amidst the pounding of his
heart as he threw his comrade a baleful glare.
Duo was unfazed. "Tell me whatever it is that you and the Elders would talk
about." he told the Wing pilot, his face carefully neutral as he jerked his head
towards Ieran. "Ieran-san just informed me that this is about as far as I can
go." His violet gaze almost penetrated Heero's head as he scrutinized his
partner's stoic facade, before firmly saying. "I mean it, Yuy. Everything."
The Wing pilot found himself nodding. "Hai." he agreed.
Duo nodded back at him, before standing back to let him and the'kid' pass.
Ieran was standing beside a huge ornate door, patiently waiting for them. As
Heero examined the door, his eyes suddenly widened as sharp pain radiated from
his middle, almost knocking him off his feet as he sucked in a deep breath. The
pain was far worse than anything he had ever experienced so far, not even when
he set his own broken leg, and he couldn't choke back the gasp that escaped his
lips as he bent forward.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the 'kid' watching him with an
unreadable expression on his face.
Heero then felt a comforting hand on his shoulder, and he looked up, trying with
all his might not to show the pain in his eyes as Ieran's warm, open face gazed
down on him. "Just relax, Raiu. You will eventually get used to the pain, once
you've started your training."
He didn't react. Instead, he struggled to straighten up, shrugging the woman's
hand off his shoulder. He could feel a very strong power vibrating in the air,
tingling his senses and awakening his own.
Ieran moved towards the door and mumbled softly. "We have arrived."
The huge doors creaked, then slowly opened, revealing a dark passageway.
Goosebumps prickled Heero's skin as he boldly stepped forward, his face blank.
Without a backward glance, he walked in and disappeared inside.
Heero found himself surrounded by a thick mist, and the strong smell of incense
tickled his nose as he strode profusely towards the dais. His heart was pounding
three times faster than normal, and he was feeling a little lightheaded. His
stomach still hurt a little, and the strong power inside him made his whole body
glow slightly green in the chamber's darkness as he made his way towards the
long table where a few hazy figures stood.
"Li Raiu." A feeble voice acknowledged once the Perfect Soldier was within
earshot. "I see that the long wait is finally over."
The hairs at the back of the Wing pilot's neck stood as he heard the voice.
Magic was radiating in waves from the table where the Elders were that it was
almost tangible. Heero slowly approached the table and stood there, swaying
slightly on his feet as he carefully schooled his features into a blank mask.
Another voice spoke up, and Heero flinched slightly at the sultry, commanding
tone that the speaker used. "I trust that Ieran already gave you succint
explanation as to how you got here?" The phrase in itself was a question, but to
the Prussian eyed teenager, it was a thinly veiled order for him to answer.
Reluctantly, he did. "Hai." 'But not enough to answer all my questions, though.
I still don't believe her.'
"Do you have any questions?" The speaker's tone was amused, and it took the Wing
pilot a few seconds to realize that he had probably read the doubts in his mind.
"Now is the time to seek answers, Raiu."
The logical part of Heero's mind screamed at him to keep his mouth shut and
quickly find a way out of this mess, but a part of him didn't want to. Ieran's
story was a grand one, he couldn't deny that, but the mysterious pull of the
power within him was also something that he cannot ignore. Blocking out his
logic, the Wing pilot asked tightly. "How did Duo and I travel through time?"
One of the figures detached itself from the dais and slowly glided towards him,
the mist in the room unabling the dark-haired boy to see its face. "Clow-sama
had created a specific plane of time in the future." it spoke softly as it
continued moving towards the boy, stopping directly in front of Heero. "This
plane would involve a confrontation, and a desperate move on your part would
trigger the time portal to open and thus transport you back through time."
'The Oz battalion.' Heero thought, biting back the urge to curse as he realized
that the self-destruct button was probably the 'desperate act' that triggered
the portal to open. Instead he turned to the pressing matters at hand and asked
what had been bothering him ever since Ieran had narrated to them the clan's
story. "Why was my partner included in the time jump, then, if the portal was
supposedly only meant for me?" His voice was flat.
He could hear the figure clear its throat feebly. "That was a mistake in the
Elders' part, I'm afraid. Sometimes even we underestimate the extent of our
powers. We had not realized that the radius of the portal extended to over
thirty miles, more than enough to accommodate you and your machine."
The Wing pilot suddenly felt a distinct sinking sensation in his stomach that
had absolutely nothing to do with his power. Ignoring the sudden pang, he let
out a short "Aa."
"Anymore?"
"Oka--" he abruptly closed his mouth, cleared his throat, and tried again.
"Ieran said something about me having two destinies." He said in a somewhat
strangled voice. He had been about to refer to Ieran as his 'okasan', had he not
been able to control himself.
"Ah, yes." A new voice suddenly took over the talking. "Your destinies. I trust
that you would like to know what they are?"
"Of course."
The speaker tutted. "I had been right, then, when I told Ieran sixteen years ago
that her first male son would be the most systematic amongst the clan." There
was the slightest hint of pride in its voice as most of the hazy figures agreed
to his observations. Going back to the boy's question, he stated, "About your
destinies, then, Raiu. The destiny that Clow-sama had written for you in the
future was a rather difficult one. You were to become a soldier, a prominent yet
anonymous warrior for peace. You were to challenge some of the greatest tyrants
in the future and succeed in bringing peace to the warring world and the
colonies."
The dark-haired pilot had to smile at the Elder's words, his heart light. 'So we
WILL win the war, after all." he mused to himself, thoughts of his comrades
flashing briefly in his mind. Clearing his own throat, he spoke. "What about in
this time line, then?"
"The rudimentary destiny that you left here prior to the time jump was supposed
to be the hardest. According to the Book of Fates, the first male child--you--is
destined to end the long lineage of the antagonistic Tzes. You are to fight
against two members of the Tze clan alongside your father and bring honor to
your family." A brief, sad sigh. "But since Yui Ran had been killed days before
Syaoran was born, I'm afraid that you will be fighting alongside your brother
instead."
At the stony look on the Wing pilot's face, the speaker let out an amused laugh.
"I see that you and the little wolf had not yet learned to get along." He
observed softly. From the sound of his voice, Heero could tell that he was
smiling.
The figure looming in front of the dark-haired soldier leaned forward and
pressed something in Heero's hands. "Inform your brother that we will see him on
your way out." he whispered.
The Wing pilot nodded wordlessly and left, clutching a black tassel in his
hands.
~ 0 ~
'What is taking them so long?' Duo thought to himself in irritation as his eyes
travelled from the face of an old clock standing a few feet away from him to the
door where he saw his partner disappear into almost thirty minutes for the
hundreth time that minute. 'What is going on?'
The sound of a throat being cleared jerked the pilot's head back up. Heero's
miniature look alike stood in front of him with his arms crossed over his chest,
glaring at the long-haired boy like there was no tomorrow. "What?"
The kid's glare hardened, if that was still possible. "You fidget too much." he
snarled as Duo looked at him blankly.
"So?"
"You are distracting me."
Shrug. "I'm scared for my friend, that's why I fidget." he snapped, sticking
both hands into his pockets as his eyes moved to watch the door, temper getting
the better out of him.
Syaoran snorted. "They are OLD people," he said in a voice normally used when
explaining something to a savvant. "There's nothing to be scared of."
Just then, the huge doors flew open and Heero stepped out calmly, clutching
something tightly in his hands as his Prussian blue eyes swept across the room
in search of someone. His eyes rested on the amber-eyed boy, who was staring at
the thing clutched in Heero's hands. "They want to see you." he deadpanned.
Duo turned just in time to see that all color had drained from the kid's face as
he headed almost hesitantly towards the doors. 'Nothing to be scared of, huh?'
~ 0 ~
Syaoran's whole body was trembling as he apprroached the dais where he knew the
Elders were. Indeed, he had been summoned before by the oldest and wisest
members of the family, but usually these meetings with the Elders were filled
with lectures and reprimands regarding his training. Never had he been summoned
like this.
As the mist cleared slightly to reveal the figures of the Li Elders, Syaoran
fumbled around his neck for the chain of his tassel and hurriedly slipped it off
his neck, swinging it sideways to reveal his long sword. Reaching the long
table, he got down on one knee and bowed his head, his sword placed neatly on
the floor in front of him, blade pointed at his direction. It was a sign of
respect that he had known ever since he learned how to use his sword. "I come at
your bid." he whispered softly, his heart thudding.
"Xiao Lang." A voice called him softly. Syaoran recognized it as Li Pai Kwa, the
oldest among the Elders. He was the only one among the Elders who called him
that. "We see each other again."
"Hai."
"Your brother is a soldier in the future, did you know?"
The ex-Card Captor kept his head bowed. "No." he softly replied.
"What do you know about him, then?"
"Thunder. I felt the power of Thunder in him. Just like father..."
"A weaker version of Yui Ran's power, I presume." Li Pai Kwa noted. "Have you
seen the strain in Raiu's aura? The weakness in it?"
"Yes, I have."
"Then I leave you with this request." Syaoran felt a force on his chin and he
looked up to find his ancestor looking down at him. Li Pai Kwa's soft, wrinkled
hand brushed his cheek and whispered. "Assist your brother in any way you can,
Syaoran."
TBC
==Sorry it took me a long time to upload this chapter. I ran across a
particularly delish 1x2 fic, and I couldn't stop reading it. Chapter Six will be
uploaded sometime within the next two days.
==Like it? Hate it? Let me know!!!
