Author's Note: Well, well, now time to bring out the thinking cap people because this is a confusing chapter! Just note, I LOVE time…. (yes, that is a hint).
The Lost Protector
This story is dedicated to Chichirui for she is the reason for most of my inspiration and without her these stories wouldn't be half as fun! So this one is for you my hyper active friend! Keep the hyperness alive!
Chapter 5: Things Aren't RightThe figure stood in the shadows, smiling. Oh, she knew what she was going to do. With everything that was going on she had the perfect opportunity.
Rika Avalon was her name. She was the best at what she did. What did she do? She, through her powers over time, ability of swordsmanship and tuning things into energy, had made herself the most powerful human on Gaea. She was a Fate-more then a Fate. She could control what would happen and stop things that could destroy.
Basically Gaea was one big board game for her and she enjoyed playing God. But things can't be enjoyed for long.
Rika's amusement with Willow and Van was fading. Her hatred for Van was slowly returning and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She had grown fond of Dilandau and his Dragon Slayers being alive and she would stop at nothing to ensure that they stayed that way. If Van had his way…
She had played them the best cards she could during the Destiny War but even her power couldn't control what the original Fate had decided. So she had watched as the hands of Van Fanel killed her favorite players, the Dragon Slayers, in her board game. The scapegoat of her game had suddenly come out on top and made her suffer. She had suffered as Dilandau suffered; she felt the pain he felt from losing his only companions, being alone. For that she hated Van.
For months she had watched, hating the king and waiting for a chance to get back at him. Even though the new players in her game, these Protectors, had brought back the Dragon Slayers and they had made them happy, she still hated Van for taking away her players. She hated the fact that one measly boy could destroy her planning. So when his wife Hitomi had wished to go back to Earth, Rika was happy to oblige.
Van had suffered for a year while he tried to keep the image of Hitomi by his side alive. No one knew where the queen had gone and Van was keeping it that way. She was the reason why Van's true love left him and she reveled in that fact.
Oh, she had thoroughly enjoyed watching him ache for his one true love. But soon watching him had bored her. She wanted to see him hurt more, make him feel the pain she had felt when he had killed the Dragon Slayers. So when Willow arrived, it opened up the perfect opportunity, for both Rika and Willow. Now Van was seriously in love with Willow, making him feel even worse for loving another woman when his wife was not on the planet, love and hate filling his heart and making him suffer, and again Rika had gotten bored with the game.
Van was now happy and that was eating her up inside. He would love another until Hitomi came back… what a bastard. Even if I yank Willow from Van, he won't hurt as much as when the Dragon Slayers died, she thought.
She sighed. It seemed as if all the plans to make Van hurt didn't turn out right. I wish the past could change, and then I would be able….
Suddenly it hit her. Why didn't she think of it before? She had the power over time; she could go back in time and stop Van from killing the Dragon Slayers. Rising from the shadows of her room she walked into the light of the candle. She threw back her cloak revealing a stunningly beautiful and fit body.
A black body suit, tight and defining every curve wrapped her thin frame. Her lavender hair came just above her waist, braided into a French Braid and her golden eyes lit up and glowed with an inner fire as she called upon her powers. At her waist hung a black scabbard with silver diamonds sparkling brightly.
As her powers activated, and the magic flowed through her veins, bonding with every atom that she was, the diamonds began to glow gold upon the scabbard. Rika pulled out her sword and held it up in front of her. The blade was long and glimmered in the light, smooth and deadly, the sign of true workmanship and perfect caring as the master wielded the hammer that smoothed out the rough metal. At the hilt of the sword there was a single golden mark against the dark leather that bound the handle-the mark of a Unicorn's horn and a Griffin's claw clashing.
Rika's eyes started to glow a bright gold, brighter then the fire within her irises, as did the glimmering of her sword. Swiftly the blade of the sword glimmered until it began to glow and then it was so bright it was giving off light like the sun. As suddenly as the light came it died down to a dull glow, but still held the bright golden color. The blade was pure energy now.
Rika let an evil smile come to her lips. With expertise she sliced the air at the same time muttering a single word. The air where her sword had easily sliced through suddenly shifted and became distorted, swirling and shifting like a whirlpool of color and background. A rip appeared in it, leading right outside. Still smiling, Rika stepped through the time portal she had made and right outside into the final battle against Zaibach.
Standing in the hanger of the Vione with smoke everywhere she saw Dilandau coming out of the shadows and charging Van. This was the time when Van would scar Dilandau's perfect face and got on the death list of the feared general. She saw Van turn and lift his sword but at the last minute as Van's sword was making its way towards Dilandau's face she averted Van's sword so it clashed with Dilandau's. She smiled and quickly shifted to another time.
Rika watched as the bloodshed went on around her just as she had seen years ago. Still smiling, she searched the grounds for the familiar guymelefs. She didn't have to look very long; she spotted them at the other end of the field. Her eyes narrowed as she saw the Escaflowne getting ready to deliver the final blow to a familiar black and blue guymelef. Rika's eyes glowed a bright gold and the Escaflowne's sword flew out of its hands.
She smiled bigger; she loved having power over energy. She turned around and stepped back into the portal. Once inside her dark place, she closed the portal with a wave of her hand and instantly the portal disappeared. Waving her hand again a huge mirror appeared in front of her. "Bell Lye," she whispered.
The mirror's reflection changed from her image to that of a window's. This wasn't an ordinary mirror, it showed her the future after she had adjusted the flow of time. Like a mirror into another room she found that she was looking out into a dark storeroom. There inside she saw the familiar face of Kat as she killed an important looking man. "Ever since comin' to this stinkin' planet I've been abused by you bastards. So now meet the new me-assassin," she said to the dead body with an evil grin. So Kat did come to the planet, but Dilandau didn't pick her up… Rika thought.
The image disappeared to show Van with Nicole at his side. They were both wearing Fanellia's crest and had a picture of them being wedded at their side. Both were smiling happily at each other. Wait a minute; if Kat… that means that the Protectors were never taken to Gaea. Kat must've appeared after she killed her father, and Nicole must've come when they were supposed to so that means…
Next Rika saw Alex, who had just appeared in a column of white and looking very confused. Alex is just now arriving-the girls never met each other.
Then the final shock came to her. Dilandau, with all of his Dragon Slayers in front of him, stood with Willow at his side. She noticed that Willow was wearing the Dragon Slayer uniform and had a ring like Dilandau's on her right ring finger. Rika moaned-the original Dragon Slayers were all right, but everything else was messed up.
The Gaea Protectors didn't have their powers, their personalities were screwed up and they weren't supposed to be whom they were. And Van's not supposed to be happy, she thought. Stupid bastard.
Again she readied her sword and made the slash in the air. Again she opened up a time portal and entered into the final Destiny Battle. She saw Van's sword being thrown from his hand. Quickly she forced the sword around so it stabbed him. Maybe if he died early… she watched with satisfaction as the sword plunged into Van's heart and his guymelef fell to the ground, lifeless. Once again she turned and entered into her dark place and closed the portal. She looked at the mirror, now floating next to her, and watched as the images were displayed to her.
Earth was Gaea, one and the same, and it was under Dilandau's power. He stood on a throne made of solid gold-with none other then a happy looking Hitomi at his side. They were being wed; that much was obvious to Rika-she was sort of pleased to see that Hitomi wasn't looking so excited. She also noticed that the original Dragon Slayers were all right. No, why is Dilandau marrying that stupid bitch? She screamed inside her head.
But just before she could shatter the mirror out of pure fury, the image changed. There were Nicole, Alex, Willow and Kat, all wearing the same outfits of black leather halter tops and pants with boots, fighting with guns and staffs against the numerous Zaibach soldiers that surrounded them. Rika watched, horrified as the soldiers ran them through without another thought or care.
Dear Lord, she thought, horrified, they killed the Protectors! They were only trying to stop… the Dragon Slayers. Agh, stupid Van! You're messing up everything! Pure fury coursed through Rika's veins. No matter what she did Van wouldn't die! She couldn't even make his life a living hell now! She slashed out at the mirror, her sword's blade changing into pure energy in a flash. The mirror shattered and broke to Rika's grim satisfaction. Once again she made a rip in time and charged through the portal.
She stopped Van from not scaring Dilandau's face; she stopped Van from losing his sword and stabbing himself. She let him kill the Dragon Slayers again, and she didn't even care as much this time. All ready too pissed off, she shifted back into her own time, pure hatred and rage boiling inside her.
There was only one thing she could do to avenge Dilandau's scared face and the Dragon Slayer's original death. Kill the bastard Van himself, here and now, in this timeline. Smiling like a crazed person, she readied her sword and disappeared.
Author's Note: Give it up for Rika Avalon and her amazing powers of time! Amazing Fate isn't she? If anyone is wondering, Rika Avalon is my creation but she is based on my Devoted Reader and best friend Crimson Fire! Yay Crimson Fire! Until my next chapter where we might find out Rika's plan, ciao!
~The Shadow That Takes Form as a Kat~
~~ShadowKat~~