A/N I can't believe I got this done! To those of you reading my other story What If, I told you guys that I was going to try to post this before I got busy with graduating college this weekend, and I made it! Yay me! So before I turn this over to you guys, let me take care of business. I'm giving out hugs, cookies, milkshakes, whatever you want this time. (Don't mind me, I'm crazy…lol) So BIG, ENORMOUS, GIGANTIC…uh…WHATEVER YOU WANT TO:
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(Sere-chan throws confetti) Whooo! Thanks for all the great reviews you guys. You're the best. Now strap yourselves in, because some jaws are about to hit the floor. Tee hee! Have fun!
ENJOY!
The Galactic Trinity
Chapter 4
Bombs Away!
"Are either one of you finding this as weird as I am?" DJ asked as he and his two companions watched the four younger versions of their parents sitting at a table not too far away.
"Way beyond weird," Alex muttered. "I am seriously starting to question my sanity. I guess it wouldn't be so bad if they didn't look almost exactly the same as they do back home. I keep expecting my mom to turn around and start talking to me, then I remember that she has no idea who I am."
"Uh oh," Katie whispered from where she had her head laid tiredly on Alex's shoulder. "I think daddy's getting suspicious. He keeps looking over here and now he's talking to Aunt Liz."
DJ chuckled. "He probably thinks we're casing the place to rob it. We have been sitting here since this afternoon. We should be okay though, Trista said she cleared everything with Lizzy."
Silence fell between them again until the doors slid open and a familiar voice reached their ears.
DJ grinned wickedly. "This should be good," he said in glee as the sound of his sister's wailing voice rang through the arcade.
"But Puu, why are we here?" Rini complained. "Hotaru and I had plans tonight."
The three of them had looked up in anticipation of seeing Rini's familiar face, but froze when Trista raised a hand and pointed a long finger at them.
DJ snickered to himself as he saw the shock and confusion on his sister's face and couldn't help but pick on her a little. "Chill out, bubble gum brains. It's not the end of the world, you know."
Across the table, Katie snorted. "Huh, speak for yourself. Personally, I think this is hell."
DJ rolled his eyes and retorted back in his usual fashion, "You would, blondie. You think everything that doesn't go your way is hell."
Alex groaned and let his head fall to the table with a thump.
Rini's face went stark white for a moment before flaring bright red. Her mouth opened and closed several times like a gaping fish until she finally found her voice. Then she screeched, "Oh shit! No way! What the hell are you three doing here?"
The sound of Rini's distressed voice had Serena jumping up to check on her future daughter. "Rini!" she exclaimed. "Sweetie, what's the matter?" She hugged the girl close.
Rini was trembling in her arms. "I'm going to kill them!" she said in a shaky voice. "I swear I'm going to murder my parents for this."
Serena let go of her quickly at her harsh tone and took a step back. Hurt and confusion were evident on her face.
Rini sighed. "Not you, Meatball Head. I'm talking about the you in the future that must be laughing her ass off right now at the thought of saddling me with those three." She waved her hand in the direction of the teenagers.
DJ barked out a harsh laugh. "Take a chill pill, Rini. It's not like we asked to come here. As a matter of fact, we didn't have a choice. One minute we were in Elysian, and the next all hell broke loose. Pluto showed up out of nowhere and brought us here."
Rini paled. "Elysian was attacked? But how? What about Helios? Is he okay?"
Jess was just as scared and pale looking. "Oh my god! What about Dawn? I can't stand to lose her too. Do we need to go there and help?"
"Everything's fine," Trista reassured them. "The situation is under control and everyone's fine."
Right on cue, the doors slid open and two people walked in, one was a young man with silvery white hair and amber eyes while the woman that accompanied him had the same fair hair, only longer, and soft dove gray eyes.
"Helios!" Rini exclaimed as she flew across the room and launched herself into his arms, hugging him tightly. "I was so worried. I heard that Elysian had been attacked."
Helios returned the embrace and smiled gently. "I am perfectly fine, my little maiden. Thanks to Pluto's warning and some quick action from your parents and the others, Elysian escaped any major damage. And what little damage there was quickly rectified by the magical protection in place there."
Jess had jumped up as well and had hurried to check on the priestess that had been a second mother to her. "Dawn, are you really okay?" she asked as she hugged the other woman.
Aurora pulled back and patted the younger woman's cheek gently. "I'm fine, Jessie. I will admit to being a little shaken, but other than that I'm as fit as a fiddle."
She turned to greet the others where both Serena and Andrew hugged her before she was swept up in Darien's arms in a gigantic bear hug and lifted off the floor.
"Endymion, you rascal, put me down!" she squealed.
Darien grinned at her before setting her lightly on her feet. "Sorry, Rory, I'm just relieved that you're all right. If there was trouble in Elysian, you should have called us."
"There was no need, my prince," Helios reassured him. "Crystal Tokyo was alerted to our situation and the problem was taken care of."
"Oh!" Aurora gasped suddenly and rushed over to the booth where the three teens were slumped down in their seats, looking like they were trying to avoid drawing any attention to the fact that they were still there. "My poor little darlings! Are you okay?"
All eyes turned to them, and they visibly cringed at the intense scrutiny they were receiving. They slid even lower into the booth's seats, as if they were about to slide to the floor under the table and out of sight.
An oppressive silence fell over the arcade and stretched on for several long seconds without anyone saying anything. It was finally broken when the door to the staff room opened and Lizzy walked out with her jacket and purse.
"I'm outta here, Drew," she called out. "I guess you're sticking around for a while."
Andrew glanced around at everyone before nodding. "Yeah, I'll be here for a little bit longer. Don't worry, I'll shut down the lights and everything."
"Okie dokie," she chirped as she pulled her keys from her purse and then waved. "I'll see everybody later!"
Everyone echoed her goodbye as she walked out the door and left them alone in the closed arcade.
"All right!" Rini snapped. "I want to know what's going on, right now. Did something happen at home?" She turned to glare at the slightly younger trio. "And why are you three here? This is supposed to be my private getaway. I didn't think that anyone else from Crystal Tokyo would ever come here."
"Crystal Tokyo!" Serena gasped. "You mean they're from your time, Rini?"
The pink haired girl crossed her arms over her chest. "Yeah, they are. That's why I can't figure out why they are here." She turned a questioning gaze on Trista. "I thought you said that time traveling was taboo and that you only bent the rules in my case. So why did you bring them here?"
Trista sighed wearily. "A lot has happened since you left Crystal Tokyo three weeks ago, Rini." At the princess's look of alarm, she hastily told her, "Don't worry, everyone's okay. But there were some circumstances that required me to get those three out of there. I hid them in Elysian, but the enemy found them and came after them. I couldn't take them back home yet, so I brought them here instead."
"But how could an enemy get into Elysian?" Darien asked. "It is the most secreted and guarded place on earth. There's no way anyone can get in there without permission. It's unheard of."
"Normally speaking, you would be right," Trista said. "But just like everything in life there are a few loopholes. I am the only person who can come and go from the time gate at will. If anyone else wants to travel to the time gate, they must either have a time key or go through one of the hidden doors. The enemy found one of the doors."
Serena gasped. She knew where the door here in Tokyo was; she had used it on a few occasions to talk to the time guardian. It was located in the basement of a tall office building in the center of the city where one day the Crystal Palace would stand.
"Are you saying that this person made it inside the palace to get access to the time door?" she asked in astonishment.
Trista shook her head. "No. That wasn't the door that was used. There is another door besides the one that will one day be located inside the palace. Remember when you traveled to the future during the fight with the Black Moon clan? You arrived there through a second door that is located on the outskirts of the city."
Serena shivered as she remembered the long walk through the silent, dead looking city of the future. "Oh yes, I definitely remember that. So this enemy found that door?"
"Yes," Trista confirmed. "They figured that when these three disappeared from Crystal Tokyo that I had hidden them in another time. Once they gained access to the time plane, they also found the entrance to Elysian that is there. They sensed that it was where this lot was hiding and attacked."
"Sounds like a real jackass," Jess commented. "What's this bastard got against them anyway? They're just teenagers for crying out loud. Why would someone be hunting them down?"
Trista gave her a steady look. "You should know the answer to that better than anyone else here. Why were people after you at one time? For power of course. Except this time instead of wanting to steal this power, this person wants to destroy it. And the only way to do that is by killing at least one of them."
Something was nudging at the back of Serena's mind, something from the distant past, but she wasn't sure what it was. It was disturbing. She felt like she was missing something big.
"Well that's just sick!" Jess spat. "People can't help it if they're born with certain powers or abilities, and they shouldn't be persecuted for. Unless they're evil that is." She shot a glance at the three that were still sitting silent. "You guys don't look evil. You're not, are you?"
They gaped at her for a moment before all three heads shook back and forth vigorously.
Rini dissolved into peals of laughter. "Slow down, Jess. I think you're superimposing them."
She waved an erratic, dismissive hand. "Nah, they look intelligent. I'm sure they can keep up. Anyhow, I thought Discord was a bastard, but this guy sounds twice as bad."
"It's funny you should mention him," Trista said quietly.
Jess paused in her ranting. "Oh yeah, why's that?"
Trista took a deep breath before stating calmly, "Because that's who's after them. A thousand years from now he breaks out of the seal that we locked him up in a year and a half ago, and now he's after these three."
That took the wind right out of Jess's sails, and she collapsed on the nearest seat. The shock on her face mirrored on Serena's, Darien's, and Andrew's.
Then the missing piece clicked into place for Serena. Discord was free. He was after these three teenagers. Three people blessed with the power of the moon, the earth, and the sun were needed to control the power that was capable of defeating him once and for all.
"The Galactic Trinity," she whispered softly.
Trista nodded. "You are correct, Serena. These three are the next bearers of the Galactic Trinity, but they have yet to receive the blessings of Selene, Gaia, and Apollo. That's why Discord is after them so desperately. He wants to stop them before they become powerful enough to kill him. I brought them here in an attempt to keep them alive."
"How can we help?" Serena asked. "I'm sure that's why you brought them to us, isn't it?"
"Yes it is," Trista said. "I won't insult them or their intelligence by saying that they need babysitters, they are wonderfully capable fighters and can take care of themselves, but they need support and the knowledge that you guys will have their backs if anyone comes looking for them here."
"Of course we will!" Serena exclaimed. "I'll get the others in on this too. There're plenty of us around to help keep a lookout and lend a hand if needed."
Jess stood up, finally having gotten over the shock of knowing that Discord had resurfaced. "That's right! If anyone comes nosing around that's not supposed to, they'll find trouble. I kinda hope they do, I haven't had a good fight in ages. It would be nice to kick some ass again."
Andrew chuckled and shook his head. "Always so bloodthirsty. I thought you might have outgrown that by now. Well, count me in too. I'm game for anything that results in that bastard getting what's coming to him."
"Amen," Darien agreed. "I'd love to know that he's finally gone for good. They'll be safe here, Trista. We'll keep an eye on them."
A small smile touched her lips. "I never expected anything less."
"Oh joy," Rini grumbled. "I can't believe this is happening. I could seriously kill someone right now for putting me through this."
Serena wrapped an arm around her and gave her a squeeze. "Come on. It won't be that bad. They're friends of yours, aren't they? Now why don't you introduce all of us properly so we can get to know each other."
Rini shot a startled look at Trista who nodded at her. "Would you like to do the honors, Rini?"
"But…but…" she stammered.
"It's okay," Trista reassured her. "We're not keeping any secrets this time."
A positively evil looking grin appeared on the pink haired girl's face. "Okay. I'll introduce my friends. This is gonna be good." She walked over to the table and looked gloatingly at the three.
"Just get it over with, spazoid," DJ snarled at her.
She smirked at him. "All in good time. I want to make sure I do this right."
"Okay, this is DJ, Alex, and Katie," she announced, pointing to each one as she said their names. "As you already know, they are from the same time as me."
"Oh for the love of all that is holy! Would you just get on with it?" Katie snapped. "You don't have to drag it out."
"Would you shut up?" DJ growled. "You're only going to slow her down if you keep yapping."
"Make me!" Katie shrieked as she stood up and slammed her hands on the table. "I swear, you are such an ass!"
DJ came up out of his seat to glare at her as he put his hands on the table and leaned forward to emphasize his point. "I'd rather be an ass than an ice queen like you! Two seconds in your company is enough to make anyone want to go jump off a bridge just to escape."
She squealed in fury and brought her hand up like she was going to slap him, but Alex reached up and grabbed her hand before she could and jerked her back down into her seat.
Rini pushed DJ back down into his. "What the hell is wrong with you two? I thought you outgrew fighting with each other a long time ago. Now knock it off!"
They both huffed and sat back, crossing their arms across their chests and looking pointedly away from each other.
"Anyway," Rini continued. "I think the disguises can come off now. Alex, would you like to go first."
He chuckled as he reached up and pulled the hat off his head. "You have a mean streak in you, Rini."
She grinned back. "Yes I do, but humor me. I'll never get this opportunity again, and I want to enjoy it."
Still laughing, he pulled the sunglasses off and turned to look at the adults. They all gasped at the sight of his sapphire blue eyes. Darien and Jess both froze in shock while Serena and Andrew's heads whipped back and forth between the three sets of identical eyes.
Jess turned and pointed a finger at Serena at the same time Serena pointed at her. "He's not mine! He's yours!" they yelled together.
Rini and Alex both fell across the table, laughing hysterically while Trista, Helios, and Aurora looked on in amusement. Darien and Andrew were both standing still with blank looks on their faces.
A small smile twitched at Katie's lips, and she glanced over quickly at DJ to find him trying to keep from cracking up as well.
Suddenly he leaned over and whispered to her, "This might be fun after all."
Giving in to the moment, she giggled. "You might be right. Did you see the looks on their faces? That was classic."
Rini straightened up, wiping tears from her eyes. "All right, break it up!" she yelled at Serena and Jess where they stood with their hands on their hips, still arguing about potential motherhood.
They both stopped midsentence and looked at Rini, who stood grinning at them.
"That's better," she said in satisfaction. "Now would you like to know the answer to this mystery?"
Both women looked apprehensive, but they slowly nodded anyway.
Rini's grin grew wider. "This is Alexander Andrew Furuhata. He's Jess and Andrew's son from the future and he's sixteen years old."
"No freaking way!" Jess whispered as she collapsed on the floor. "I can't be a mother. I have a hard enough time keeping myself together, much less a kid. Drew, tell me I'm dreaming."
Andrew pinched himself on the arm and jumped when he felt the sting. "Uh, I don't think we're asleep, honey. If we are, this is the most realistic dream I've ever had."
"Ha!" Serena crowed. "I told you he wasn't mine!"
"Time to move on," Rini announced. "Katie, you're next."
Katie whipped the hat off and shook her head to release her long waterfall of shimmering light blonde hair. The glasses came off to reveal her wide hazel eyes.
They all studied her for a moment, and then Serena squealed, "I know! You're Mina and Kunzite's daughter, aren't you? Your hair is almost as light as his."
"No way!" Jess interjected. "She's Amy and Zoicite's daughter. Her eyes are green like Zoicite's and she kind of has that serious look about her."
Katie looked crestfallen. "My eyes aren't green, they're hazel," she muttered under her breath.
Andrew took a good look at her and knew the truth. Now he knew why he felt a connection to her when he had met her earlier. "You're both wrong," he told Jess and Serena. "She's mine and Jess's too. Those are my eyes."
"Sweetie, you're seeing things," Jess said distractedly. "We've already established that we have a son. Big shock, I know, but I'm trying to get over it."
Andrew wouldn't be dissuaded. "Would you just take a good look at her? Those are my eyes in a face that looks just like yours. She even has the same little upturned nose with the same golden freckles scattered over it."
Jess gave her a closer inspection and her eyes widened in realization. "Holy shit! You're right. She looks just like me just with different hair and eye color. So she really is ours too."
"Correct!" Rini cheered. "This is Kathleen Kimberly Furuhata and she's sixteen as well."
"Oh my gosh, I have two kids," Jess muttered. "I have a son named after my family and Drew and his dad and a daughter named after both of our mothers. This is too much. I have two sixteen year olds…Wait a minute! How come I have two kids the same age? Is it even possible to have them that close together?"
The dumfounded expressions on the faces of their parent's past selves sent Katie and Alex into another fit of laughter. Katie clutched at a stitch in her side as she leaned against her brother. She hadn't laughed like this in months, and she had to admit that it felt good. There was just something infectious about being with this group.
Rini shook her head in amazement at Jess. "And I thought you were smart. I think the paint fumes are beginning to fry your brain. Haven't you ever heard of twins before?"
"Twins!" Jess screeched as she jumped up from the floor and began pacing. "You mean like as in having two babies at one time? What did I ever do to deserve that? I don't remember pissing anybody off bad enough in my past life to warrant that sort of punishment."
She froze in place suddenly with a horrified look on her face as she turned to look at DJ. "You're not mine too, are you? Don't tell me that I have triplets. I don't think I can handle that."
"No, no, no," DJ said hastily, holding his hands up. "I promise, I'm not your kid."
"Thank heaven for small favors," she moaned as she began feeling overwhelmed again and sat down in the booth across the aisle from them. The table in front of her began to shake and the light bulb above her flickered like it was about to go out. A faint blue glow began to surround her.
Andrew sat down beside her and put an arm around her. "Calm down a little. Take deep breaths. I know this is a shock, but I really don't want to have to call an electrician in here tomorrow because you accidentally fried all of the wiring. That would suck."
She let out a shaky laugh as the glow disappeared, the table stopped shaking, and the light quit flickering. "Sorry. Just having a moment. That's why you're the calm one in this relationship."
"Are you quite done having your little breakdown?" Rini asked in an irritated voice. "I'm not finished yet."
"Sure, Cotton Candy Head, carry on," Jess said with a wave of her hand.
Rini rolled her eyes. "Anyhow, our last surprise guest of the evening is…" she reached over and plucked the hat and sunglasses off of DJ before he could even blink, "my wonderfully annoying, yet sometimes lovable little brother, the prince of Crystal Tokyo, Darien James Shields."
Darien stood in open-mouthed shock as he found himself looking at a boy who was almost the spitting image of himself at that age. The only difference was his eyes. They were a lighter, brighter blue, like Serena's.
Serena's head spun. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The boy was dead ringer for Darien back when she first met him, right down to the stubborn black hair that hung down into his eyes. The eyes were lighter and softer, but he could have been a clone.
The room began to swim around her and her vision began darkening. She reached blindly for Darien's arm and whispered, "I think I'm going to pass out." And then everything went black.
Serena felt something cold and wet on her face and tried to turn away from it. She was sleeping so good. She didn't want to wake up yet.
"Five more minutes, Luna," she mumbled sleepily, thinking her cat was nosing her, trying to get her up out of bed. "I don't wanna go to school today. Miss H. will give me detention anyway, and then that jerk face Darien will pick on me again."
She heard a deep masculine chuckle in her ear. "Aww, Meatball Head, I didn't know you still felt that way about me after all these years. Anytime you're ready to join us in the present, feel free to."
"Huh?" she muttered as she opened her eyes to see her fiancé's beloved features hovering over hers.
"Darien!" she squealed, throwing her arms around him tightly as she began babbling. "I had the weirdest dream. I dreamed that these three kids from the future showed up here and two of them were Jess and Drew's kids and they were twins. And there was this other boy that looked just like you and Rini said that he was our son. Trista was there too, and she said that Discord was attacking the future and Elysian and that the three kids were the next bearers of the Galactic Trinity. Omigosh, it was crazy. I must have eaten something that didn't agree with me to have a dream like that."
Darien watched her with an amused grin as she paused for breath. "Are you done now?"
She sucked in a big breath and nodded. "Yeah. It was the craziest dream though. It felt so real."
He sighed and shook his head. "I don't know how to tell you this, sweetheart, but it was real."
She pulled back to look at him. "Don't tease me right now, Darien. I'm really not in the mood."
"I promise, I'm not teasing you, Sere," he insisted. "DJ, Alex, and Katie are really here. You were so shocked when you saw DJ that you passed out. Don't you remember?"
She frowned, she did remember feeling woozy before everything went dark, but she thought that was just part of the dream. As she looked around, she realized that she was on the couch in the arcade staff room.
She heard a scuffling sound, and then a whispered, "Damn it, Drew! Would you move over some? I can't see."
This was followed by a soft, "Shh, I can't hear what they're saying with you talking."
Serena sat up carefully and looked over the back of the sofa. Jess and Andrew were both crowded by the door, where it appeared that both of them were attempting to peek out of a tiny crack that they had opened
Suddenly Andrew let out a sharp hiss and jumped back. He glared at his fiancé while he grabbed his side. "I can't believe you just pinched me!"
Jess smiled innocently at him. "I told you to move over so I could see. Maybe you need to hit the gym more often. There seems to be more to you than there used to be."
Andrew snorted. "And maybe we do need an enemy to attack us so you can get some exercise. All those cherry cokes and cheeseburgers are going to your hips."
She blew a raspberry at him and turned back to the crack in the door. In seconds, Andrew was right back where he was, and the scuffle started again.
Serena couldn't help but giggle, earning her two harsh shushes from the couple at the door. She looked at Darien, who just shrugged his shoulders and rolled his eyes.
Curiosity finally got the better of her, so she got up off of the couch, despite Darien's protests that she lay back down, and tiptoed up behind them.
She leaned down so that she could whisper between the two close pressed blonde heads, "What are you two Peeping Toms doing?"
She stepped back quickly as they both jumped at the sound of her voice and tried to spin around at the same time. But since they were so close together, they bumped into each other.
Jess let out a startled "Eep!" as she fell on her butt. Andrew tripped over her legs and ended up sprawled out across her lap.
Serena couldn't help herself. She clapped a hand over her mouth, but the sound of her giggles escaped anyway. Darien's deeper chuckles joined in a moment later as he stepped up next to her.
The duo on the floor glared at them for a moment before they saw the hilarity in the situation and began laughing as well.
"That wasn't funny, Sere," Andrew tried to say angrily, and failing miserably.
Snickering, Jess replied, "Oh, I don't know, we probably deserved it for eavesdropping. I think your gossipy personality is starting to rub off on me."
Andrew looked offended. "I don't gossip! Gossiping is for teenage girls and little old ladies. Besides, I didn't force you to listen in on them. You did that yourself."
Jess sniffed disdainfully. "Whatever you say. Now get off of me before I lose the circulation in my legs."
Andrew scrambled up and then reached down to help her to her feet. When they were both upright, Jess swatted Andrew on the arm.
"I can't believe you said that my hips are getting fat!" she pouted. "I'll have you know that I still wear the same size clothes that I've been wearing since high school, thank you very much. Keep it up, and you'll be sleeping on the sofa tonight!"
"Hey, you started it!" Andrew snapped back. "You said that I needed to work out first. I was just returning the favor."
"You were hogging all the space!" she retorted back. "Would it have been too much for you to move over a couple of inches so I could see too? I'm just as curious about them as you are."
"What are you talking about?" Serena jumped in, breaking up their bickering.
Jess sighed dramatically. "We're trying to get the lowdown on our mysterious little visitors. I am way weirded out right now. I know you're used to knowing about being a mom in the future, but this is a whole new ballgame for me. I feel like I've stepped into the Twilight Zone or something."
Serena rubbed her temples. "That makes two of us. I can't believe that in all the years that I've known Rini, she never once let it slip that she had a brother. I'm still trying to comprehend it all."
The low sound of voices from out in the arcade caught their attention, and Serena and Jess dashed to the door, pushing Andrew out of the way so that they could peek through the crack.
Rini was sitting on one of the stools at the counter, looking upset as her brother leaned against the counter next to her with a dark look on his face.
"What in the hell were you thinking?" DJ growled at her. "I mean, could you have been anymore insensitive? You should have broken it to them a little gentler than that."
Rini sniffled. "I'm sorry, okay! I never thought she would pass out like that. Come on, have you ever known mom to just up and faint like that?"
"No," DJ replied. "But that was one hell of a bombshell to drop. You made it all fun and games when you broke the news about Alex and Katie, and then WHAM! You sprang me on them with no warning. Surprise! Meet your son! How thick can you get?"
Serena turned her head to look at Darien, arching a brow at him. "Not only does he look like you, he sounds like you too."
Beside her, Jess was nodding her head robotically while chanting under her breath, "Weird, weird, weird…I'm still not convinced that this isn't just some wacky dream. Maybe Helios is finally getting his revenge on me for all of the times I've picked on him."
A high, irritated voice caught their attention. Katie and Alex were behind the counter, making themselves at home as they scrounged around making milkshakes like it was second nature to them.
Katie thumped a strawberry shake down in front of Rini and ordered, "Drink it. Sugar's good for calming your nerves." Then she turned a glowering look on her nemesis. "Why don't you lay off of her, DJ? She screwed up and she knows it. She doesn't need you to keep rubbing it in. Cut her some slack."
DJ's nostrils flared angrily. "I don't remember asking your opinion, Tinkerbell! Why don't you butt out? This doesn't have anything to do with you."
"The hell it doesn't!" she snapped back. "I'm not just going to stand here and listen to you go off on one of my best friends like this, even if she is your sister. You are being a world class jerk!"
"Katie, it's okay," Rini protested softly. "I deserve it."
"No you don't!" Katie fired back. "Nobody should be made to feel inferior because of their mistakes. Everybody makes mistakes and you learn from them. And you don't need some stuck up, overbearing asshole making you feel worse than you already do."
Alex sighed and took a sip of his chocolate and peanut butter shake before once again playing peacekeeper. "Everybody chill! Rini, we all know you feel bad about what happened. Now let's all drop it, okay? All of us getting mad and upset isn't going to help anything."
All voices fell silent as the four teens stood there, staring morosely into the milkshakes before them.
Serena and Jess eased away from the door and turned to the guys, who had been able to hear the conversation from where they were standing.
"Talk about tension," Serena commented. "It's so thick out there that you could cut it with a knife."
Darien nodded. "They've been through a lot today with the attack on Elysian and then finding themselves here. I'm sure it's just as much of a shock for them to meet us as it is for us to find out about them."
"Definitely," Andrew agreed. "I'm sure their nerves are pretty rattled."
"I feel sorry for them," Jess said softly. "It must be rough to be in a strange time and not be able to go home. I would go crazy."
A bright smile lit up Serena's face. "Well we're just going to have to help them out as much as we can. And we can't do that if we keep hiding back here."
The others quietly agreed, and they all walked to the door.
All four sets of eyes snapped up as they heard the door swing open and the past forms of their parents filed out of the room.
Rini was around the counter in a flash, and she threw herself at the younger version of her mother. "I'm so sorry, Serena. I wasn't thinking. I never should have dropped the bomb on you like that. I'm such an idiot!"
"Shh…it's okay," Serena said soothingly as she hugged the younger girl. "I admit, it was a major shock, but I'm getting over it. Let's put it behind us, all right."
Rini grinned and skipped back to her seat where she began slurping her milkshake happily.
Serena turned her gaze to DJ and took a close look at him. At first glance, his resemblance to Darien had been uncanny. But now that she had the chance to study him closer, she noticed some differences. While they both shared the same unruly black hair, DJ had her crystal blue eyes. His jaw was also softer than his father's and the shape of his nose was different. But they still could have passed for brothers.
DJ began to shift uncomfortably under her intense scrutiny, making Serena giggle.
"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to make you nervous. I guess I'm still a little shell shocked."
He shrugged a little and gave her a familiar lopsided grin. "It's cool. I'm just glad you didn't pass out this time. It'd be bad if you ended up doing a face plant on the floor every time you looked at me."
Serena couldn't help but laugh at that. Maybe her future son had more of her in him than she first thought. His lighthearted quip sounded just like something she would say. She reached across the counter and patted his hand. "I think I'm going to like having you around."
Beside her, Darien chuckled. "I'm just glad to know that I'm not going to be outnumbered in the future. I always thought that I would be stuck all alone with two screeching Meatball Heads. Now the odds are evened."
Jess's eyes kept darting back and forth between her son and daughter. "Twins! I'm still blown away. Who'd have ever thought that I would have twins?"
Andrew shook his head in amusement. "I guess it's not all that shocking. After all, my dad and my aunt are twins you know."
"Oh yeah. I forgot about that," Jess replied. "I guess it slips my mind because they don't look anything alike, just like these two."
"Thank goodness for that," Alex said with a laugh. "I already have to share a birthday with her. I can't imagine looking like her too."
Katie stuck her tongue out at her brother. "Whatever! I wouldn't want to look like you either. Blondes have more fun."
Jess looked up and studied Katie closely. Although the girl was joking around, there was a sharp undertone to her voice. Closer inspection showed a hardness in her eyes, one that Jess knew quite well from her own younger days. There was a deep-seated anger burning inside of this young lady, and Jess wondered what could have happened to her future daughter to cause her to be so pissed at the world.
Those sharp hazel eyes caught and held hers as one pale blonde brow raised slightly. "What! Do you think if you stare at me long enough I'll just disappear? I'm afraid I haven't mastered that trick yet."
Jess's own temper began to simmer. "Well excuse me for living and breathing! You can't blame me for being a little curious, can you? Damn! Now I know I'm being punished for something if I have a kid that's just as sarcastic as I am."
Katie's lips twitched like she was about to smile, but then it was like she retreated behind a wall. Her face smoothed itself into a blank, expressionless mask. She didn't answer back; she just took another sip from the glass in front of her.
"What are you drinking?" Jess asked as she eyed the contents of the glass. It looked like a milkshake, but the color was unusual and it was topped with a mountain of whipped cream and drizzled with caramel sauce.
Katie looked up at her again. "Oh, I don't know what you would call it. It's kind of a cross between a milkshake and an iced latte. I blend up ice cream, milk and, espresso with caramel syrup."
"It's mostly espresso," Alex interjected. "I don't see how you drink that crap at night. It's no wonder you don't sleep."
Katie shot a cross look at her brother. "Like you have any room to talk. When was the last time you slept the whole night through without any interruptions?"
That wiped the smug look off his face. "Point taken."
"Right on," DJ agreed quietly. "Of course our nights might go a little easier if a certain someone would help us out." He shot a glare toward a corner where Helios stood talking with Trista and Aurora.
"It's not his fault!" Rini denied hotly. "You know he would make the bad dreams go away if he could. But he says that he can't do it. So just leave him alone, DJ!"
He smirked at her. "What's the matter, can't stand to have someone criticize your perfect little boyfriend?"
"Ooo!" Rini fumed. "I'm going to hate having you here! Why couldn't I have been an only child?" She turned a murderous look on Serena and Darien. "Do us all a favor and invest in some birth control after you have me and save us all the misery of his presence."
DJ flung an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. "Come on, sis, you don't really mean that. You know you love me."
"About as much as a trip to the dentist," she grumbled, but then she caught the teasing twinkle in her brother's blue eyes and began to laugh. "Okay! So maybe I do love you just a little bit. Now get off of me!"
Serena had been watching the interaction between her future children with a look of intense fascination on her face. But her expression turned to one of embarrassment when a loud growling sound came from her stomach.
Darien began laughing. "Ah…the beast awakens. I guess that's my cue to feed you before you go on a rampage."
She smacked his arm. "Shut up, Darien! I can't help it if I'm hungry. In case you haven't noticed, it's late and I haven't had anything since lunch."
"Okay, okay," he said in a placating tone. "So what are we supposed to do with our surprise guests?"
"I was hoping they could stay with all of you," Trista said as she joined them. "DJ could stay with you, Serena, and Rini while Alex and Katie could bunk in with Jess and Andrew. After all, you live right next door to each other."
That was true enough. When they had started the renovations on the arcade and the expansion of the business, Andrew and Jess had vacated the apartment upstairs that they had been sharing. By luck, fate, or whatever you wanted to call it, the apartment next door to Darien and Serena's had become available and they jumped at the chance.
It was a good arrangement since Darien often kept long hours at the hospital and Andrew was busy building up his business. Serena and Jess were both still college students and they kept each other company. They could usually be found at each other's homes studying together or watching movies.
Darien pulled out his cell phone. "How about we order a bunch of pizzas and head for home?" he suggested.
That idea got everyone's approval. Helios and Aurora declined the invite, returning instead to check that all was well in Elysian.
Trista also decided not to join them, claiming that she needed to reassure the worried parents back in Crystal Tokyo that their children were safe. She promised to return in the morning so that they could all sit down and talk about what to do next.
Discord growled as he searched through the streams of time trying to discover where that annoying time guardian could have hidden those damned kids now. He had been so sure that he had those three in the palm of his hand when he found them in Elysian, but Sailor Pluto had foiled his plans.
He sneered in disgust as he looked through the river of time at a scene from Earth during the latter part of the twentieth century. He couldn't tell if the ones he was looking for were there or not.
There were billions of people on that miserable planet and thousands of years to search through. It would be only too simple for those brats to disappear, and he couldn't have that. They may not be a huge threat to him at the moment, but once they claimed the legacy of the gods they would come back for him.
"We wouldn't be in this situation if you two had played your parts right," he ground out to Jack and Sasha. "How hard was it just stay with them and keep an eye on them?"
Sasha rolled her eyes. "I just couldn't handle being with that jerk for another minute. He thinks he's so much better than everyone else, the perfect little prince. He has an ego the size of a large country. I know you wanted me to stick with him, but he was annoying the hell out of me."
"Same here," Jack agreed. "That Katie is one miserable, brooding little bitch. I got to where I could hardly say anything to her without her blowing up and throwing a tantrum. And anyway, she broke up with me, not me with her."
"That doesn't matter!" Discord hissed. "I took the two of you in when you had nothing in life and nowhere to go. I have given you a life most people only dream about. You have both received good educations; you have your own vehicles and money. I even managed to get you into the same social circles as the royal court. The only thing that I asked in return was for you to keep tabs on the Trinity bearers."
Both teens bowed their heads and mumbled, "Sorry." They really were grateful to the old man that had taken them in and raised them.
Flashback
They weren't really brother and sister, but they had known each other all of their lives. They had both been born to single mothers that had been friends. Their fathers hadn't been in the picture at all. Actually, considering their mothers' wild lifestyle, they both had the sneaking suspicion that the women hadn't even known which of the many men they slept with had impregnated them.
The two women had shared a small house with their children, and Jack and Sasha had bonded together at a very young age. That wasn't really surprising since they had been forced to share a tiny bedroom that was barely 10x10 and they spent most of their time in there trying to avoid their often drunk and resentful moms and their myriad of guests.
It had been a hard life for the children, forcing them to grow up much faster than they should have. Most kids didn't even know what a prostitute was, but by the time they were six, both of them had figured out that that was exactly what their mothers were.
There were different groups of men in the house every night. Drugs and alcohol ran freely as the adults would party the night away, oblivious to the presence of the frightened children closed up in the room.
The two shared a small bed, and they spent most of their nights with their heads buried under the pillows trying to drown out the sounds of the strung out adults and their loud orgies.
When Jack and Sasha were eight, they were woken up in the middle of the night by their mothers and bundled into the car. The two grungy looking band members that they had hooked up with recently who were loading luggage into the trunk joined them.
So they had left the town they were living in and drove throughout the night. Just as the sun was beginning to peek over the horizon, they had pulled over on the side of a narrow country road.
The two women had ushered the kids out of the car and explained to them that their current boyfriends' band was going on tour in America and that they were going with them. But the two of them couldn't come along.
"So you're just going to abandon us out here in the middle of nowhere?" Jack had demanded.
His mother hauled off and slapped him hard. "Don't you dare speak to me like that, you filthy little brat! I won't miss your smartass attitude when I'm gone."
Sasha's bright green eyes had filled with tears. "Mommy," she begged, "Please don't leave me out here all alone!"
Her mother turned cold eyes on her. "I'm not leaving you alone, you stupid little girl! Jack will be with you. And if the two of you follow this road it will take you to Crystal Tokyo. When you get there, go to the palace. I've always heard that the queen has a soft spot for children. She'll make sure you're taken care of. She'll probably do a better job of it than me. I was never meant to be a mother."
And with that, both women had gotten back in the car with the men and had driven away without another word, not even looking back at the children that had just been dumped on the side of the road like stray dogs.
The two of them had stood in stunned silence for a long while before Jack quietly took Sasha's hand and began leading them down the road toward what they could only hope would be a better life.
The day was hot and the sun beat down on them mercilessly. They were both tired, hungry, and thirsty, but they trekked on. In the middle of the afternoon, they finally saw a glimmer in the distance.
"Is that it, Jack?" Sasha had asked. "Is that Crystal Tokyo?"
Jack shrugged. "I guess so. We haven't seen anything else, and we've been walking all day."
They continued on for a while longer. But it seemed that no matter how much they walked, the elusive city never appeared to be any closer.
"Jack," Sasha suddenly whimpered. "I don't feel so good." Then she fell to the ground in a dead faint.
Jack was frantic. He didn't know what was wrong with her or what to do for here. They were stuck out here in the middle of nowhere without another person in sight. Or so he thought.
"Do you need some help, young man?" a high, thin voice asked.
Jack had looked up in relief at the old man that had seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Yes! My friend passed out. We were trying to make it to Crystal Tokyo, but we've been walking all day. I don't know what to do."
"There, there," the man said calmly. "Let's just have a look at her, shall we?"
He knelt down next to Sasha and placed a wrinkled hand on her red, burning hot forehead. "Oh dear, I do believe your friend here has a touch of sunstroke. We need to get her inside and cool her off. Why don't you accompany me to my home? It's not far from here."
Normally Jack would have been suspicious of this stranger, but he was so worried about Sasha that he didn't care. "Okay. Lead the way."
The old man pulled out what looked to be a phone of some sort. "Let me just call one of my associates to come and fetch the girl."
"That's okay. I've got her," Jack said as he picked up Sasha's limp body. He was very tall for his age and strong too. Sasha was petite and weighed next to nothing, so picking her up was easy.
The old man eyed him as the boy swayed a bit. "Are you sure? You don't look like you feel the best in the world yourself."
Truthfully, Jack felt like he was on fire and nauseous, but he pushed those feelings back. "I'm fine. Now which way?"
The old man patted his shoulder. "You're a strong boy. That's good. You will go far in life with that strength."
So Jack had followed the old man who had led him to a large house hidden in a grove of trees less than a quarter of a mile away. There were a few men and women there, and in no time the two children were tucked into bed side by side with ice packs to bring their body temperature down.
Sasha woke up a couple of hours later, much to Jack's relief, and they were served a scrumptious dinner that they both attacked ravenously. After they had finished, their host came in to check on them. He seemed pleased to find them both in much better shape than they had been in earlier.
"Thank you so much for all of your help," Jack told him. "I don't know what we would have done if it hadn't been for you."
"It was nothing, my boy," the man replied. "I couldn't leave the two of you out there in your condition. Now, why don't you tell me what the two of you were doing out roaming the countryside all by yourself. Did you run away from home?"
Slowly, they told him their story, about their selfish, uncaring mothers and how hellish their lives had been. The old man made sympathetic noises at the appropriate places and expressed his outrage when they told him how they had been abandoned on the side of the road.
"So that's why we are trying to get to Crystal Tokyo," Jack finished. "We're hoping that the queen may be able to find a place for us to stay. Do you think you could help us get there?"
The man stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps. But I have an even better idea. Why don't the two of you stay here with me? It's nobody but my servants and I here. It would be nice to have to you around. We are in the country, and I'm sure the fresh air here would appeal to you more than being in a stuffy city."
"Oh, we couldn't impose on you like that!" Sasha protested. "You've done more than enough for us as it is. We wouldn't want to trouble you."
He waved a dismissive hand. "It would be no trouble at all. And I'm sure that you would enjoy living here more than wherever the queen will put you. You two might even be separated."
Sasha's eyes widened in fear at that thought. She had always been with Jack, all of her life. She wouldn't know how to function without him around.
That idea scared Jack too, but he also had picked up on something in the old man's voice. There had been a harsh, bitter tone when he had spoken about the queen. "What do you have against the queen? I can tell you don't like her."
The old man grinned. "Very perceptive of you, Jack. Let's just say that she and I have a history. How much do you know about Neo Queen Serenity?"
They both shrugged. "Just what they have taught us at school."
He templed his fingers under his chin. "Ah, so you only know the pretty little version that they print in the history books and not the real story. They all paint her as being this saint that has saved the world on several occasions, but they never tell the whole truth. Not that I blame them, if the word ever got out that Serenity and Endymion along with their guards had actually ganged up on the person that was really supposed to command this world and locked him away, it would cause a panic."
He then told them a tale, and being children they bought into it. He spun a story that, while based on actual events, was full of more lies than most people would tell in a lifetime.
He told them about how he was Discord, once the most powerful being in the universe, and how the gods had been jealous of him. So they had banded together and created a way to destroy him. But it didn't work.
He told them about being locked away and how he had escaped. Now this was where he really started changing the story to make himself look good. He told the kids about the clan of sorcerers that he had taken up with, making it sound like they had been one big happy family.
Then he said that he had known that the world was headed for disaster and that he had wanted to save it. (All lies!) But when he had tried to use his power to prevent the planet's destruction, (More lies!) Sailor Moon and her friends had shown up and combined their powers to seal him away again. (At least that part was true!)
The kids were spellbound, he could tell by the look in their eyes. He almost had them completely won over.
Then Sasha had whispered, "What happened to your family? Did they get locked away too?"
Ever the convincing actor, he put a tragic look on his face. "I don't know what happened to them. By the time I broke out in this century all trace of them had vanished." That was another bald-faced lie. He had done some checking around and discovered that Talon and Anya were living happily with their little band of magicians far up in the mountains where they had built their own little village. But those traitors weren't worth his time.
Discord had been shocked when he suddenly found a pair of arms thrown around his neck.
Sasha beamed a wide smile up at him. "I like you, and I want to stay with you. We'll be each other's family since we don't have one."
"I'm staying too!" Jack cried as he scrambled over to them. "I don't want to go to Crystal Tokyo anymore."
Neither one of them had noticed the sly grin on the old man's face as he whispered, "Just call me Grandpa."
End Flahback
Both teens shook themselves from their memories and looked to where Discord was still fuming as he studied the pictures in the time stream. They really did feel bad about disappointing him.
"We really are sorry, Grandpa," Sasha whispered. "I guess I shouldn't have let DJ irritate me so much."
"I'm sorry too," Jack grumbled. "If I had stayed on Katie's good side, she may have at least found a way to tell me what time she was going to."
"This is ridiculous!" Discord exploded, stomping away from the time stream. "How can I, with all of my powers, fail to locate three miserable little brats? It's outrageous!"
Jack walked over to look at the scene the Discord had abandoned. It was a park in Tokyo sometime in the latter part of the twentieth century. Children were running everywhere while parents sat around on benches watching them and chatting with one another.
One little girl in particular caught his eye. She looked to be about six years old and her golden hair was done up in buns and pigtails.
He watched as a woman with indigo hair and pushing a stroller with a toddler in it called out to her, "Serena, darling! It's time to go. Daddy will be home from work soon and I have to get dinner ready."
"Coming momma!" the little girl squealed as she jumped off the swing and ran to the woman.
A light bulb went off in Jack's head and he turned quickly to Discord. "With that time key we can go to any time we want, right?"
"Yes," Discord growled. "But it would take forever to go to every single time period and search for those brats. For all I know, Sailor Pluto may have either split them up or she could be moving them to a different time every day."
Jack began to grin. "We may not be able to find Katie, DJ, and Alex, but we do know where to find some other people that are just as important."
Comprehension began to glow in Discord's red eyes. He chuckled darkly and slapped the boy on the shoulder. "Good thinking, my boy! I always knew I kept you around for a reason. I'm surprised I didn't think of that myself. Now, let's do some research and see if we can find the best time and the best person to strike."
Phantom, Phoenix, and Sailor Eclipse were surrounded by whiteness. Everywhere they looked, they saw nothing but misty white. It was like being trapped inside a cloud. The ground felt solid under their feet, but when they looked down, all they saw was the same mist.
"Where the hell are we?" Phantom growled.
"I don't have a clue," Phoenix answered, whipping out his mini computer. "Shit! My computer's not working."
Eclipse's eyes darted around. "Something doesn't feel right. How in the hell did we get here? I thought I was asleep."
She jumped when she felt something tug on her hair and a slight sting in her scalp and turned to glare at the tuxedo clad boy next to her. "Damn it, DJ, you jackass! What was that for?"
He shrugged. "I was just checking to see if you were dreaming. But since you felt that, I guess it's safe to assume you're not."
Eclipse clenched her fists. "That wasn't funny! You're lucky that I haven't already shoved my foot up your ass for that!"
Phantom sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. Here…" he reached out like he was going to smooth her hair back into place.
She jerked back at their close proximity, her eyes flaring in alarm. "Don't touch me!" she hissed.
He turned his head away so she wouldn't see the hurt expression that he knew was visible on his face even with his mask on. His chest burned at her rejection of his friendly gesture. That girl just wouldn't thaw out for a moment.
"What the hell is wrong with this stupid thing?" Phoenix grumbled, catching the other two's attention. "I mean it won't even come on."
"I don't know, Alex," Eclipse said, moving closer to her brother's side. "You're the computer wizard. Maybe it's because we're in the past."
"No. That's not it," he insisted. "It was working earlier because I checked it. And honestly, I can't say we're still in the past. I have no idea where or when we are."
"That's because where you are right now, time doesn't exist," a female voice said.
All three teens jumped at the sound and whirled around, searching for the source. Three figures began to materialize from the mist and come toward them. They all dropped into fighting stances.
"There's no need to be alarmed. We mean you no harm," a second female, but softer voice said.
"Yeah, it isn't wise to pick a fight with a god," a third, this time masculine voice boomed.
"A god?" the three teens whispered together as they watched the shadowy forms take the shape of two women and a man.
"Apollo!" the woman with long silver hair chastised the red haired man. "Don't frighten them. The poor dears have already had a rough day. There's no need for you to be so overbearing."
A woman with long mahogany hair snorted. "He's just afraid that they'll find out what a big teddy bear he is and ruin his reputation."
They turned to face the young, shell-shocked faces in front of them. All three had their mouths open in surprise and their eyes were as wide as saucers.
"Oh, where are our manners?" the silver haired woman exclaimed. "Here we are just carrying on like we don't have guests."
The other woman sighed. "I'm afraid you're right. It's been so long since we've had visitors from the outside that we've forgotten how to behave." She stepped forward and inclined her head. "Please forgive our rudeness. I am Gaia, the goddess of Earth, and I am thrilled to finally meet all of you."
The other woman stepped forward as well. "I am Selene, the goddess of the moon, and I am also ecstatic to make your acquaintance."
They both looked over their shoulders to the man standing behind them who huffed and crossed his arms. "They already know who I am. Apollo…god of the sun…blah, blah, blah. It's not hard to figure out."
Selene looked horrified at his response while Gaia just shook her head. She told their visitors, "He was never properly trained. That's why we don't let him out much. I think he has some insecurity issues."
"I heard that, Gaia!" Apollo thundered. His face had turned almost as red as his hair and sparks were sizzling in his golden eyes.
"Sweet Zeus, save us all," Selene whispered as she fanned herself with a slim hand. "Can you turn down the heat Mr. Sunshine? I'm broiling here."
The hilarity of seeing three major deities bickering like children amongst themselves finally hit Phantom, Phoenix, and Eclipse, and they all about fell over as they began laughing.
Gaia giggled as well. "That is what you call an ice breaker people."
Apollo grinned. "Hermes would disagree with you. According to him, nothing can break Mercurian ice."
Selene rolled her eyes at the pair and then whispered slyly to the laughing teens, "Actually, it was quite amusing to see Hermes eat those words a few millennia ago when Ares challenged him to a duel. It is now a proven fact that Mars' fire can melt Mercury's ice quite easily."
"Okay, enough gossip," Gaia said as she took control of the conversation once more. "Now that we've all laughed a bit, I hope that we feel a little more comfortable with each other now. We welcome you Darien, Alexander, and Kathleen."
"DJ"
"Alex"
"Katie"
All three of them automatically corrected her. Their transformations faded, returning them to their civilian forms.
She smiled widely. "If those are the names that you prefer. Now to get down to business. You are not dreaming, but at the same time you are not physically here. Your bodies are asleep back on Earth. We just kind of borrowed your consciousness so we could have a little chat.
Now all three of you are aware that you have been chosen for an important task. Apollo, Selene, and myself chose you three ourselves to be the ones to control the Galactic Trinity. Once you have received this gift, you will be able to actually call upon our powers and use them as your own."
"Why us?" DJ asked. "Out of all the people in the world, what made you choose us?"
Selene jumped into the conversation. "We needed three strong and dedicated people, one blessed with the power of the Moon, one of the Sun, and one of the Earth in order to bring all three parts of the Trinity together. You three fit the bill."
"So if that's all you need, why didn't you give this power to our parents back when they faced Discord before? Alex wondered. "I mean, you had all of the power of the sun, moon, and Earth sitting right there. They could have probably taken him out in two seconds."
Apollo shook his head. "Humans, they always think they have everything figured out. The Trinity is tied to certain bloodlines, whether directly or, in this case, through reincarnations. While Serenity and Endymion were prime candidates as the children of the elder Serenity and Edward of Earth, Motoki, or Andrew as you know him, was only a distant cousin of the sun prince, Jonathan."
Alex looked puzzled. "So why am I different from my dad?"
Apollo chuckled. "Don't they teach you anything about genetics in school these days? Think about who your mother is."
"That's right!" Katie squealed. "Mom was Jonathan's granddaughter in her past life. So that provided the missing link, right?"
"Smart girl!" Apollo complimented her with a wink.
"So what do we do now?" DJ asked. "I can't imagine that it's going to be something as simple as you give us this power and send us on our way to face the bad guy. I'm sure there's more to it than that."
"You would be correct," Selene answered. "While the three of you have grown into wonderfully strong young people, there is still more that you need to learn first. The power of the god's is not given lightly, and we won't hand it to you until we think you're ready."
Gaia stepped forward and looked deeply into DJ's eyes. "You are a son of the Earth, and you are a credit to your family and your heritage. But need to learn how to stop being so critical of yourself and others. Learn to look past what you perceive to be flaws and look for the positive. You've already made some steps to achieving that."
DJ flushed a little when he saw her eyes cut quickly toward Katie. He knew what the goddess meant without her saying it.
Apollo stepped in front of Alex and surveyed him for a moment. "You're extremely smart, but you rely too much on technology and figuring out every detail before you act. You need to loosen up and go with your gut instead of thinking and planning everything out so meticulously. If you can do that you'll be fine."
Alex nodded his head. He hated going into anything blind. But he knew that when it came to battles things happened. Even the most well laid plans could fall apart in seconds.
Selene faced Katie. "I know you're hurting. I wish I could make it all go away for you, but only you can do that. I hope that soon you will be able to move past the pain and self doubt that is eating you up inside and see what a strong, capable young woman you are. Stop running from yourself and others and embrace your life fully. That is my wish for you."
Katie stood in shocked silence as the moon goddess smiled at her and reached out to smooth her bangs back from her forehead.
"Now I believe we have taken up enough of your time tonight," Gaia told them. "Return to your beds and sleep well. There will be no more nightmares to plague your nights. Use this time that you have in the past to reflect on yourselves and become the people that we know you can be."
Then the whiteness faded to black as the three consciousnesses floated back down to their bodies. Smiles appeared on the sleeping faces as they slipped into pleasant dreams.
Alex dreamed of spending a day at the beach with Emma, laughing and joking as they played in the surf and the sand and spent time cuddling with each other.
DJ dreamed of sitting under the same large tree in the park where he and Katie had fought. Only this time she was snuggled up against his side as they whispered words of love to each other and shared kisses.
Katie found herself sitting at her piano, the notes tinkling from it light and melodic as she smiled up at DJ. He was standing next to her as she played, and when the song was over he presented her with a beautiful white rose. Then he kissed her lips gently as he pulled her up into his arms.
It was their first night in Tokyo of the past, and it was also the most peaceful night any of them had known in years. Perhaps being in the past would be good for them after all.
A/N Whew, done! I had a blast writing this chapter. I hope that it has given you a little more insight into the actual Trinity itself and about our poor bumbling little villains, Jack and Sasha. Discord played them just like Katie can play a piano, didn't he? More Sere/Dare and Drew/Jess in the next chapter, and some of the scouts and generals will possibly pop up as well. I gotta run now. It's midnight here and technically my graduation day! Yay! Later!
~Sere~