OK, here's chapter one. The last part was a prologue set before the Fall so that some information you'll want later is available. Saetan is Thanatos is the personification or lord of Death – he is all of those people. Remember Divine Stars are often known as different things by the different peoples and cultures under their rule and Saetan/Thanatos is the lord of Death which means that eventually every mortal soul knows him. That makes for a lot of names.
Next point (in the list of questions readers have asked – I will not answer all of them, that'd ruin the fic) is that Elysion is a person in this story, not a place… sort of (it's a part of the story that will not be important in Guardians). Helios does not exist, or at least not yet and I make no guarantees one way or another for the future.
Hotaru is still alive but is not in Guardians, again I make no guarantees for Morpheus (the last part of the Renewal).
I know the prologue was confusing to some, good. It was supposed to be. *grins* Hopefully everyone will be enlightened by the end of the story… although, yet again, I make no guarantees.
That's all of the questions I saw, if you have any (plus the always welcomed comments, feedback, critiques and observations) just let me know and I'll do my best to get back to you.
Draegyn
Dragynne2000@yahoo.com.au
The Guardians of Selene: The Second in the Book of the Renewal.
Chapter one.
Andrew leaned back and stretched his legs out in front of him. Supposedly he was using his free time to relax but honestly he was just plain bored. Once upon a time he would have gone to Darien when he had an hour or two to spare but that had stopped happening over three years ago. In fact he had not seen his friend for over a year, not since Darien had gone to America to complete his education. What really aggravated the Lunarian was that he had no idea how it had happened. It seemed as if one day Darien had just decided to keep his distance.
Maybe it had something to do with Darien's discovery of the final six reincarnates, one his cousin and another a childhood friend. With them the human man no longer had need for his old buddy and so moved on... not! Andrew realised he was brooding but he couldn't help it. He hadn't understood just how important Darien had been until he was no longer there and so now he was stuck desperately missing his best friend. It was just so strange the way that Darien had started to avoid him and be so withdrawn even when they were together.
Andrew's only explanation was that the problem stemmed in the supernatural. After all Darien didn't know that Andrew wasn't exactly ordinary himself. Darien had never trusted Andrew with his secret identity as Tuxedo Mask and believed him to be ignorant of the whole situation. Maybe something had come up among the reincarnates that kept him preoccupied. The only problem with that was that one of Andrew's jobs was to watch over the reincarnates and he knew that they were all currently living peaceful lives. So why was Darien still refusing to even answer his calls?
*Still moping over the Frog-face Toki? I thought you'd gotten over that by now?*
His eyes widened and the headache that had been about to start in his temples disappeared before it began. *Usa?!*
A mental giggle and a wave of love and amusement washed over him, cheering him up. *Who else? Just though you might like to know that Bertie has finally worn Umino down.*
*What?*
*You didn't know? Well it seems our old friend has had her eyes set on my ex-devotee for some time now. Finally her efforts at seduction have paid off and he can no longer deny the attraction. The bond is true and the ceremony will be held in roughly one of your months. Do you think you and Reika'll be able to make it?*
He chuckled slightly. *Honestly? Well this I want to see. I always though Naru and Umino were destined.*
*Nope. Bertie snatched Umino up right at the start.*
*She did? I didn't hear anything of it Sis.*
*Oh, don't worry Toki. You didn't miss a party. He just made it a little bit of a challenge for her. He genuinely loved Naru after all. She doesn't seem to mind though. I think she knew that their relationship was only temporary.*
*Well that certainly reduces the population of singles up there.*
*Tell me about it! There's still Catzi, Avery, Emerald, Haruna, Naru now and, of course, me that are female-*
*Ah well Usa, this generation of the Newmoon might not be Lunarian but the next will!*
*I know, I know.*
*Still no sign of the golden stranger who helped us during the Darkmoon crisis?*
*Not hide nor hair. I'm telling you Toki, I'm almost willing to forget about The One and just grab myself a human hubby.*
*I'm sure Darien wouldn't object if you really wanted to get naked with him.*
*Hah hah. That's not exactly what I meant you lech! I might have considered it if I hadn't decided to 'save' myself but if I hadn't then I wouldn't be in this mess would I? I was so sure that my soul-mate was just around the corner that I allowed too much power to build up in me to permit casual liaisons.*
*Whoever is first is it, huh? Oh Usa!*
*Don't worry Toki, I'll just have to be patient until my mysterious golden match appears. No biggie.*
*No biggie, right! You could be waiting for centuries yet.*
*Heart I hope not! But for all I know this waiting could be part of the forging that's supposed to prepare me to succeed the Speaker.*
*If it is than at least it's in a worthy cause.*
*I suppose but I must say that my dreams aren't helping any.*
*Oh?*
*Sometime when I wake up I can almost remember dreaming of someone. It always fades before I can store them in my permanent memory but I know they're there.*
*Dreams... That's an old sign that the time for cementing a soul-bond is approaching. It hasn't happened much since old Morpheus started to get on in aeons but it might be a sign.*
*Whatever, all I can say is that they're frustrating. I'm always waking before I can get to the good part.*
*It's bad when you can't even loose you virginity in your dreams huh?*
*Very funny fy braud.*
*Seriously Usa, that might be a good sign. I think that was how the dreams were supposed to happen. The idea was to entice or some such but not actually give away the whole deal. I'll ask Artemis or Luna about it if you like.*
*Ah don't worry about it. So about Naru and Diamond, will you be able to come? It'll do you good to get away from Earth and Darien. You'll be able to see your old friends and maybe that'll help with that need for men that you have.*
*I don't-*
*Don't perjure yourself, brother mine. I know very well that you don't have any close male friends down there other than Frog-face and seeing that he's not exactly making himself available lately that leaves you with a surfeit of female companions but no one to talk about football with.*
*I don't like football Usa.*
*The point is that, while you have Reika, Lizzie plus your zillions of teenage groupies, Darien's defection has left a big hole in your life.*
*So the answer to both of our problems is that we need to meet some men?*
*Sound good to me!*
*I have a better idea Usa, you find you soul-mate and provide me with a brother. There! Two birds with one stone!*
*I just wish it was that easy.*
*I would do anything to help you Sis. You know that. If I were able I'd be running around the universe man hunting for you but...*
*Stuck on Earth. Yeah. Tell you what, when the interdiction falls you, me and Reika take of for a year in Andromeda. You two can have a second honeymoon and I'll check out the local hunks!*
*It's a deal Usa. Usa?* He frowned as he felt his sister split her attention. Generally that was a sign that she was about to be called away.
*Hmm Toki?*
*What's up Usa?*
*I'm not sure yet. Something aways out just tripped my internal alarms. Sapphire's going to take a look for me.*
*This sentinel business is really working for you lot huh?*
*Yup, you wouldn't believe just how much I've managed to get done here on Jupiter over the last three years without galactic tourists taking up all of my time.*
*Oh?*
*Yeah, look.* She easily shared her sight with him so that he would see the same picture she did. *You like?*
*Do I like?!* Was she kidding? *Of course I do! It's absolutely amazing.*
*It's almost at the stage where I'm going to have to leave it for a time to see how it goes on its own. I was thinking, maybe Mars... Eh?!*
*Usagi?*
*I'm not sure Toki, it feels like...*
Andrew waited patiently for his sister to finish but after several minutes, instead of returning, her mind only became more distant. *Usa?*
*Oh Speaker help us, Toki! They're so strong!*
*What Usa?*
*I don't... There's seven of them and I've never felt their like before. I've called Luna and Artemis already but they're near Mercury right now. I have to go Toki, they're coming so quickly. Sapphire's already been hurt.*
*Go, Usa, go. Speaker bless and stay safe!*
*That's not in the job description, brother mine.* With that comment the channel between them was severed and Andrew was left alone. A precognitive dread started to build in him and an urge to have his mate near him began to grow. Something was very wrong and it centred around his sister and the strangers she now went to meet. Suddenly he stood up and concentrated on Rita. He needed to be with her and, even more, he needed her in Tokyo. Trouble was coming and coming fast. With that thought he disappeared and left his apartment empty. Outside the Tokyo sky started to darken as a storm began to build. Anyone who was wise would be taking shelter for the coming night was going to be a killer. In more ways than one.
***
Darien damned the storm, the darkness, Jyp and his own foolishness all in one breath. Then he added the entire city of New York just for the hell of it. Behind him Alex chuckled and Darien spun away from the window angrily. He glared at his cousin coldly. "What's so funny?" he demanded darkly.
"Not much," the blonde replied, "Just the thought of you, out in that, looking for your car keys."
Darien snarled, "I'm going to kill him."
Alex rolled her eyes. "Yeah right Coz. You do realise that if you lightened up he'd leave you alone?"
"Does he realise that if he doesn't stop provoking me I'm going to put an extremely nasty curse on him?" Darien returned sarcastically. From anyone else the threat would have been ridiculous but from Darien it was not something to laugh at, he was inarguably the most powerful of the reincarnates and they all knew it.
"Were you always this bad tempered Darien, or is it just us?"
Darien's glare darkened and when he saw his cousin pale he took a breath to calm down. It wasn't Alex's fault that Jyp had taken his car and hidden the keys in the park and nor was it her fault that Darien missed being able to sit down and talk with Andrew. The first problem could be solved by the application of a potent truth spell and, as Kip (the Jyp) was a pathological troublemaker, it would serve as solution and retribution both. The second problem was one that nothing could fix.
Three years ago he had awoken from a dream with all of his memories of the eight or so days of the Darkmoon crisis intact. Memories that a certain female alien had told him she needed to erase. His first thought was to go to his best friend of the time and just let Andrew's company sooth him as it had so many times before. For five years Andrew had kept him sane, whether he had known it or not but then Darien had realised that his friend's remarkable ability to help him think things through without saying a word indicated that he was more than he seemed. Clues, hints and half answered questions from a week that had been cut from the timeline all combined to tell him one thing. Andrew was Lunarian.
His best friend was none other than Tranquillity, the son of Selene and twin brother of Serenity and therein laid the problem. Not only were humans not supposed to know of the Lunarians but Andrew also had his own reasons to see that Darien's memories of Serenity were lost permanently. For many different reasons, some of which he didn't understand himself, Darien refused to allow it to happen. So he avoided his best friend and any tactile telepathy that might be hidden in Andrew's pointy Lunarian mind. He had even gone so far as to use the discovery of the rest of the reincarnates to emigrate. Unfortunately for those around him, without Andrew's moderating influence Darien really was not pleasant to be around. Sometime even he didn't understand why everyone who knew him didn't avoid him like the plague and that night he was worse than usual.
"You OK Coz?" a concerned Alex insisted.
Darien nodded absently and glanced out of the window again. It really was strange at how much on edge he was... well more than usual anyway. The storm felt natural, three years of practice observing energy fields told him the ones in the vicinity were healthy, if slightly tangled by the storm. So there was no reason for his stomach to be twisting the way it was. For no reason the memory of Serenity in her role as Bunny came to mind. They had been in Raye's shrine and he had asked her to help interpret some visions.
"A silver light attacked by seven spears of Chaos..." he said to himself.
Alex frowned. "Coz?"
"Chaos... not Chaos but Kaos!" Darien's eyes widened and he swore virulently. It was time for the next part of his vision to happen. Alex was staring at him as if he'd gone mad and Darien whirled on her. "I have to go."
"What's the matter? Vision?"
"Something like that."
She looked at him in question. "Do you want help?"
"No." He grabbed his jacket of the back of a chair before he met her eyes again. "We all know that I work best alone." He smiled slightly, the only time he had ever felt comfortable fighting with a partner had been with Serenity and they had spent most of their time arguing.
Suddenly his eyes no longer saw his cousin or Jyp's apartment, reality twisted and his mind descended into dreams.
***
He was surrounded by darkness, distant stars his only source of light, and a familiar presence made itself felt with a strength and immediacy that he had no known for three years. His attention immediately riveted on a racing streak of power that could be none other than his longed for lover. Her speed was such that her movement across what must have been light-years was instantaneous. It seemed that she had entered the radius of his perception and left it before he could even blink.
He did not question how he forced his being to follow her. All he knew was that he needed to be with her and then he was, only to find her locked in battle against an abomination. Near her a dazed man drifted in the vacuum of space, the man's rich blue aura the only thing between him and death in the desolation of deep space. For some reason this man seemed familiar to him but he brushed such notions aside as he watched as his love fought for her.
He attempted to intervene but nothing he did affected either combatant. It was as if he weren't even there. With a shock that he realised he was bodiless, that only his mind witnessed the nerve-wracking scene. Thus he was unable to intercede when he noticed six more monstrosities approaching the beleaguered pair. Not even the recovery of his love's unknown ally could turn the tide in her favour and it soon appeared that the two were doomed. Then another appeared and added his strength to the fight. Then another and another until his beloved fought along side nine warriors of what seemed, to him, to be amazing strength. Still, even his awed sight, it was his beautiful beloved who outshone them all.
The first abomination was crushed but then the additional six enemies arrived. The warriors separated into smaller groups, each team tackling a single of the monsters but even so they were still outmatched. Again his foreboding grew. In the distance he sensed the approach of yet more warriors, these undoubtedly his love's kindred, and he rejoiced. His relief was cut short when four of the creatures broke away and fled from the battle. The other warriors were all engaged and it was his beloved silver warrior who gave chase. With misgivings he watched her pursue them and with fear he saw her catch one.
Two forms hurtled towards Earth locked in a fatal embrace. Each fought the other furiously both bloodied and bruised. The larger being was so evil that even the starlight seemed to shrink away from it. The smaller was a woman in silver armour, her white wings streaked with silver and black liquids as she battled for her life. Earth's atmosphere got closer and closer. The monster seemed to gain the upper hand in the deadly conflict but a moment's distraction allowed the angelic warrior to strike a lethal blow. The monster perished but not without cost, the survivor was hopelessly bound to its corpse and the tangle of bodies was irrevocably caught in Earth's gravity.
***
Darien blinked and found even Kip had left his hiding place to look at him in concern.
"Dare, are you alright?"
Darien shook his head and wordlessly pushed past both of his friends. They watched him incredulously as he jerked open the window and allowed the storm entry into the apartment. The gale tore through the room and beat at all three but Darien ignored it as he climbed onto the ledge. He looked back at his blonde companions only long enough to yell, "Stay inside, do not, under any circumstances, go out tonight." He didn't wait to see if they would obey before he pushed himself off the ledge and into the elements.
Alex would love this, he thought as he fell faster and faster from Jyp's twentieth floor apartment. He didn't bother to disguise himself but allowed the magic to rule him as he was, channelling the speed of his fall into energy for flight. It wasn't something that he had always been capable of, this mad race through a sky, battling lightning, hail and wind indiscriminately but his power had evolved in a sudden surge. Ever since the moment he had first met Serenity his magic had started to change and had did not stopped when she left. The scouts had also experienced it but not to anywhere near the same extent he had and, unlike them, his power was still growing. Visions, true dreams, energy tracking, flight and even healing had joined his list of abilities.
The greatest difference, however, was his steadily increasing sensitivity to his planet of birth. Sometimes he could feel a blade of grass pushing it's way out of the ground or when toxic chemicals destroyed a fragile ecology. There was a word for a person with that kind of perception, ecopath, and such a person was intrinsically connected with the world they were a part of. With the damage humans were doing to Earth it wasn't necessarily a good thing to be, there was more than one reason Darien had become more unbearable over time but that was the sense he activated as he soared across New York's sky sky.
It took him only a moment to locate the disturbance he knew was coming at the edge of the atmosphere. He had no doubt that his friends would rebuke him for his carelessness but as he raced across the continent of North America at a speed which had to be approaching mach eleven he couldn't find it in himself to care what American radars might detect. He wove through a tapestry of lighting and cloud, seeking a falling heroine and nearly an hour later caught up with the flaming mass as it passed over Japan's coastline.
It hit the ocean with a roar that could be heard a hundred kilometres away, even over the noise of the storm. Steam hissed as rose in great clouds from site of the impact and Darien was nearly scalded as he rushed in the fallen object's wake. The water churned from the impact and it fought his magic as he sought to both calm the swell and part the waves. The surface calmed fairly quickly and the massive waves shrank to a less threatening size but he still needed to reach the fallen mass. Slowly and arduously, with an extravagant use of magic, the seawater pulled back from the seabed to reveal the crater that scarred the otherwise flat bottom. Cautiously, he levitated down into the deep hole and the sides loomed several metres over him by the time the bottom was within sight.
Heat radiated off the rock around him as he went lower and he was soaked by perspiration and steam when he finally reached the body of the dead monster that had fallen onto Earth. He found a solid footing and braced himself to lift the corpse. The huge thing was a burnt black hulk that weighed over a tonne but he had no choice and no time to waste. The silver sword that protruded from its back acted like a goad and he dug his fingers into one side of the titan and heaved. The skin on his hands started to sting then burn and he strained desperately, anxious to move the weight before the one beneath was seared worse than his hands. Magic enhanced the muscles in his arms and worked with several simple levitation spells until, an eternity later, the slender silver form of Selene's Law Keeper was revealed.
If Darien had had the time to waste he would have despaired over her condition. Her wings were mangled, seemingly crushed beyond repair. Her skin was raw and lacerated where it wasn't burned or bruised. Part of her armour had been pierced and he could see the gaping wound just under her left breast where her heart had barely been missed. Her arms were bent at odd angles and her legs were little more than pulp and skin. Black fluids from the monster mingled with the silver blood that gushed from her own wounds. Her week breathing was accentuated by a faint whistling that meant one or more of her broken ribs had punctured her lungs. Amongst all the damage her face was a relatively untouched pale oval but blood trickled down the side from various head wounds and though Darien grieved to see her so badly wounded he acted quickly. With a thought he conjured the cape he wore as Tuxedo Mask and carefully wrapped it tightly around her. Gently he lifted the shrouded woman into his arms, wary of her shattered limbs but need drove him to haste and he prayed that she couldn't feel anything.
He lifted into the air and rose up, out of the pit and allowed the waters to close in one more. The sea washed over the hole, carrying sand and debris and within minutes all evidence of the extraterrestrial battle was lost.
***
A century hence a fisherman would discover the sword of Serenity still implanted in a tremendous bone and an investigation would result in the skeleton of Kaos' fourth spear being discovered. A new mythos would arise and the tale would persist into the time in which the half Lunarian child, Rini, would be born and add to the legend of Serenity.
***
"Andrew?! ANDREW!" Darien screamed from his friend's balcony. The harsh and freezing wind changed directions and he shifted in an attempt to shield his precious burden from the worst of the weather. Tears mingled with rain on his cheeks as he felt Serenity's heartbeat falter yet again, in spite of all that his growing ability to heal could do. If her heart didn't fail then she would drown in her own blood if help weren't found soon. With a distraught burst of power the glass door shattered into a million tinkling pieces and he stepped into the lounge room through the wreckage. A quick glance showed the room empty and he rushed from room to room searching hopelessly. He reached out with his mind and tried to feel the energy patterns in the apartment for hidden life. Nothing, his friend wasn't home.
In despair he sagged and slid down the kitchen wall, unconsciously juggling the dying angel as he did so. His magic had been exhausted and the hospital wouldn't know how to help even if he could get her there in time. There was nothing more that he could do and he felt great, wracking sobs well up in him. She was going to die and the only one who might have had the power to save her was gone. He kissed her pallid forehead and his tears splashed onto her white skin.
***
Andrew felt edgy, he wasn't sure why but he knew something was wrong in Tokyo. He had no reason to think so. There was nothing different about that night other than the storm that had been building when he'd teleported away. It was probably pouring rain there at the moment. The blonde stared out into the African wilderness and at the back of his mind anxiety over his sister's wellbeing began to gather. He rubbed at his temples and went back to browsing through the papers on the small camp table.
"I'm free to go love," a welcome voice told him and he looked up. His beloved mate peered in through the opening of the tent and he jumped to his feet.
"Finally!" He ducked out of the tent, scooped her into his arms and planted a quick but emphatic kiss on her lips.
Rita smiled at him and the familiar euphoria that her smile caused came but it was strangely muted. Her smile faltered. *Toki? What's wrong Lover?*
*I'm not sure... Usa?!*
*What?*
*I think we should get back to Tokyo Love. Something major's in the works and I'm pretty sure my twin is going to be in the middle of it.*
*Tonight?*
*I think so, but I've only started getting bad vibes this afternoon.*
*It's built quickly, you're almost hair triggered now. I think you're right Lover, Tokyo's where we need to be.*
In accord, the soul-mated pair vanished from the research camp and appeared in the lounge room of Andrew's apartment but instead of the quiet environment they expected they found it ravaged by the storm. The wind and rain roared into the apartment through the hole door to the balcony used to be, glass lay shattered on the floor, puddles of water soaked the carpet and the pictures and posters had been blown from the walls.
"What...?" Andrew muttered in shock but Rita didn't answer. Instead she crouched down and touched a damp spot on the floor.
After a moment she looked up, fear on her face. "Blood," she whispered and held up fingers stained with silver, "Usa's blood."
His heart skipped a beat as he automatically reached for the mind of his twin and found only silence. Without thinking he went fully into warrior mode. Slight depressions in the carpet led out of the room and he followed the footprints that hadn't been there a few hours before. He stalked down the hall and ran the last few steps to wrench open the kitchen door where he discovered the last person he ever expected collapsed against the wall near the door.
"Darien?" His voice was a horrified whisper as he took in his friend's wretched condition, wet, exhausted and agonised. Eyes that were black with grief changed to indigo blue as they met his, showing the depth of Darien's change in demeanour. "Dar-"
"Help her!" It was a hoarse whisper but Andrew understood. The cloth that wrapped the figure in Darien's arms did not conceal all of the matted golden hair, nor the mauled white feathers that could only belong to his twin and even those small indications demonstrated bleakness of the situation. Without another word he crouched down and carefully transferred the dying Guardian into his own arms.
*Reika?*
Her telepathic response came from directly behind him. *I'm here. Take her to the bedroom. What exactly is damaged?*
*What isn't? Wings, arms, and legs are all crushed. What skin isn't burned has been slashed or bruised. What ever went through her armour has completely removed a lobe of her left lung and there are slivers of shrapnel in several organs...* He continued to list the injuries he sensed in his sister, barely sparing a thought for her spent saviour.
He laid her on the bed and delicately peeled back the drenched, too focused on what needed to be done to grieve for his sister. He promised himself time to be a brother later, at that moment he needed to be a healer to equal her at her best. Rita's peach coloured power touched and melded with his silver to create a single, strong and unique magic and then they began to work. Rita's gentle hands plucked the useless feathers from the damaged wings while Andrew removed armour and clothing before he began to pick silver slivers of metal from the large wound in Serenity's abdomen. Hours passed, bones were straightened and tissues repaired.
Magic and surgical skill together did what neither alone could have and when Andrew stepped back his sister slept deeply. Her bare skin was not its natural pearly white, instead a dull grey, her magnificent wings now more akin to the stubs of a newly hatched chick than the glorious limbs of an angel and puckered scars marred her otherwise perfect body. Her breathing was still shallow but her heartbeat was strong and steady. She would live and, given time, none would ever be able to tell that she had come so close to death.
A hacking cough came from behind him and he turned to find Darien slumped against the doorframe bent almost double as the effects of his actions finally caught up with him. It was nearly dawn and Darien had spent the night, cold and wet without the sleep he desperately needed. Andrew strode to him but when he reached across to lend support the other man flinched back.
"What?" Why was his friend acting so strangely? The same question he had asked the previous day held more significance at that moment. Especially now that Andrew had the chance to consider what Darien had done. How had he known where to bring Serenity?
Darien looked at him stubbornly as he regained his breath. "No... Don't touch me."
"Why? You need help!"
"No, not until you swear that you won't change my memories!" Blue eyes glared at him, daring him to deny that he could and Andrew found himself gaping. Darien's lips twitched into the superior smile that irritated so many. "Tactile telepathy, right? I assume that if your sister has it, you do as well. I can't imagine you'd be on Earth if you didn't know some way to manipulate people's minds."
Andrew regarded the human before him in silence. He knew, somehow, against every precaution, Darien knew what Andrew was. Lightning fast he analysed the last couple of years and came to an astonishing conclusion. "So that's why you've avoided me for the last three years?" he blurted.
Darien sneered. "Pretty good for a mortal right?" Andrew was surprised at the resentment the comment revealed but he forgot about when Darien tottered and fell into him. *DON'T YOU DARE COME INTO MY HEAD!*
Selene's son reeled from the force of sending and impact both. *Well you stay out of mine!* he snapped back unconsciously and Darien's strength completely failed him. Andrew, his healing senses still hyperaware, felt the sickness beginning to grow in the other man. Explanations could wait. He needed to get his friend into dry clothes and a warm bed. Unfortunately the only bed in the place was the one on which his twin slumbered and even that needed to be fixed before they could leave her there. He turned to Rita with his dilemma.
She shrugged. *They may as well be invalids together and at least we'll know where they are. You get him cleaned up and I'll handle the sister of my heart.*
"Come on Dare," he said at last and began to strip him off. "I promise that you'll be safe at least until after we've had a chance to talk. Now let's get you into something dry." Darien nodded and then balked with a quick glance at Rita. Andrew rolled his eyes and led him into the adjoining bathroom. While Rita levitated Serenity, cleaning the bed and sheets as the sleeping angel floated a metre over the mattress, Andrew turned the shower on hot and forced Darien into the stall. Neither spoke as Andrew cleaned him up, making sure that every speck of black or silver blood, and even a little of Darien's own, had been removed before he allowed him out of the shower.
*Reika?* He felt Darien come to attention suddenly and realised that the human had heard the telepathic call. It was another thing for him to think about when he had the time. He shielded his next sending heavily and hoped that it would do. *Can you give me a hand? He can barely stand and shield Love. I don't know whether it's because we're in contact or not but he just heard me!*
*Wow!*
Darien started as the door opened and looked at Andrew wildly as Rita came through. She stifled a laugh as she dumped a bundle of Andrew's clothes on a shelf and Andrew groaned in disgust. "Darien, you haven't got anything she hasn't seen before." For once he refused to pander to human sensibilities and before Darien knew what had hit him he was being rubbed down by the both of them. For a moment he stood uncomfortably but a mixture of weariness and subliminal soothing from a practised Rita soon had him dozing on his feet.
*Stars Lover, he's icy!*
*I know Hon, I've been eradicating the precursors for pneumonia in his blood ever since he almost collapsed.*
*Great way to thank him for saving Usagi, almost letting him die of exposure.*
*I know but he always was too hard-headed to know when to quit.*
*I have to admit though Toki, he's very nicely made!*
*Reika!*
*From a purely disinterested point of view, of course!*
Darien interrupted blearily, "Serenity, is she going to be OK?"
Andrew nodded and did up a few of the buttons on the shirt Rita had forced Darien into. "She'll be fine Dare." That done he began to propel the dark haired man towards the bedroom. "In fact, she's better off than you are at the moment." He got a good look at his sister before he'd gone even a step into the room and looked at his life-mate with approval. "You got that black stuff out of her hair!"
Rita smiled modestly from Darien's other side. "I figured she'd be upset enough over the loss of all her feathers, the least I could do was clean the monster blood off of her."
Darien blinked at the exchange and Andrew returned his attention to him, ordering, "Now lie down."
"With her?" came the incredulous response.
Rita helped Andrew push the other man onto the bed. "Careful of her wings," she warned and shook her head at his panicked look. "Don't worry, they're perfectly healthy, she's just got to regrow the feathers. No my warning is because she's a restless sleeper and it can be quite painful to get one of those things in the ribs. Toki does it to me all the time!"
*Reika!*
"Toki? Andy is that you? You have wings?!"
Andrew sighed again and forced Darien to lie down. "Shhh!" he ordered, waving a hand in front of his friend's face and Darien's eyes drifted shut immediately. Andrew turned to Rita. "I don't sleep with my wings bared!"
She looked at him evenly. "You let them out all the time, usually when you dream."
"I do?" She nodded and he demanded, "Then why haven't you told me before? If I'd known I could have done something about it."
She looked sheepish. "Well because you usually hold me close and shield me with a wing and I like the feeling that you protecting me gives me. It's all the sweeter because you don't know you're doing it."
A grin slowly shaped his lips and then he groaned in regret. "Under other circumstances Love, I'd like to go into this in a bit more depth. Unfortunately we need to talk with Mama."
"The Queen needs to know," she agreed and added wisely, "Between Usa and Darien we'll have no shortage of conversation."
Andrew glanced at the sleeping duo and groaned. "This is going to take hours to sort out!"
*TRANQUILLITY AP SERENITY NI SAETAN! WHAT, BY THE HEART, HAS HAPPENED TO YOUR SISTER?!!* The mental shriek of his mother's mind rocked him back on his heels and even Rita, who caught only the edge of the sending, winced.
"She's using your full formal name Lover," she whispered and looked at him sympathy. "Not a good sign."
Andrew sighed again and, through his bedroom window, noticed the bright sun hovering over the horizon. The sky was crystal clear, no sign of the previous night's storm in sight. "It's going to be a long day," he groaned and reached for his mother's mind. In fact, with the way things were looking, it was going to be a long month.
***
It found a refuge and settled in to await the return of darkness. Four of its fellows had been destroyed; two by the target herself, but three of their kind still survived and were placed to destroy her. The target's life signs had vanished but the hunters' instincts told the three survivors that their mission had not been accomplished so when night fell once more the three would emerge from their lairs and spread discord. If the Speaker's heir herself failed to appear then they would destroy the world that harboured her. Three of the seven spears of Kaos had been loosed, the essence of one of the seven deadly sins was harboured within each and, despite the best efforts of the gods, the seeds of three had been planted on Earth. Unless the evils were uprooted and quickly, three of the worst aspects of humanity would flourish until a second Fall occurred. A Fall from which there would be no recovery.