Author's Notes
Yes, I am back, yet again, for the, um, seventh time....... whoa! Did I just say seventh?!?! Wow! This is amazing; I'm so happy I think I might even cry. You my readers are probably thinking, "Yes, yes, we know, woohoo, seventh time, now be quiet and get on with the story so we can see what you said was supposed to happen 4 chapters ago." *Sigh* I know, I'm terrible at judging how long it'll take to get from one place to another and what'll fit in a chapter so I'll tell you again, don't believe what a foretell before you read the chapter in question because so far I'm 0 for about 5 or 6, I don't know. Anyway, enough from me, here is the seventh chapter which I know will show them getting told about the quest because I'm writing this part after I wrote the story, hee hee.
**Character's 'thoughts', dreams, and flashbacks
Chapter 7: This Is Your Broken Destiny
"Will! Wake up! It's almost time to go! Come on, now!" Serenity whispered loudly in Will's ear while shaking him roughly.
"Hm? Wha? Mmmmm, what time is it?" he groaned sleepily, rolling over to face her.
"Before dawn and if we were already out there and in the wild and this was an attack, you'd be dead a long time ago. Darla told me to train you so I will and here's your first lesson: be ready to jump up and fight at any time of any day so if you sleep any heavier than what a stray twig snap could stir, you're dead. If you can't wake up immediately and be functional enough to effectively use a weapon and not hurt yourself, you're dead. And if you don't get up the first time you're called-" she whispered as she adjusted something on her belt but he cut her off.
"Mmm, let me guess, I'm dead?" he said, still half asleep. "Wait, did you say before dawn? What the heck? Ugh, just let me get a little more sleep, at least until the sun peeks over the horizon please?" he moaned again and rolled back over.
"Correct and too late, it's already peeking over so get up and get ready, we leave at the first call of the Elag." she said, walking over and pulling open the curtains to let the first rays of sunlight into the room, turning it a deep orange and red color.
"Nnnnn! Then give me another little bit and I'll get up." he mumbled into his pillow and sighed.
"Don't blame me for this Will but you pushed me to it." she said and then walked back over to his bed.
"Hmm?" he asked groggily. "AHH! ARE YOU CRAZY?! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!?!" he yelled at her after she took his mattress and flipped him and it off the frame.
"I said don't blame me, it was your own decision." she said standing over him with her hands on her hips and then offering him a hand.
"How was it my decision?! I'm pretty sure that I never said, 'Please flip me out of my bed'." he said back angrily and glaring at her, but took the offered hand anyway.
"By not getting up when I told you and wanting to sleep in longer; that is one of the many luxuries that will disappear tomorrow morning when we're sleeping in the valley so you had best get used to it fast because we might be sleeping in a tree tonight and I don't think you want me pushing you out of the type we'll use for sleeping places." she said, letting out a sharp laugh at the thought of Will falling from a Kaoder tree, which greatly amused her.
"Ugh, whatever, now put my mattress back on the frame." he said, still greatly annoyed with her but fully awake now.
"Not until you're dressed and ready and down stairs, I'm not having you get back into bed and fall asleep again." she said crossing her arms.
"I hate you, you know?" he growled at her and grabbed a batch of clothes that he had put out before he had gone to bed. Then he stalked out of the room and into the bathroom to change.
"I hate you too, Willy!" Serenity called after him cheerfully and then put the mattress back and walked out of the room to stand by the bathroom door.
"Don't call me that!" he yelled from in the bathroom.
"Shhhh! You'll wake your mother!" she whispered through the door.
"She's not up yet?" he asked inquisitively.
"Nope, we're the only ones up in the whole town at the moment." she answered.
"How do you know? Can you hear them or something?" he asked and she could tell from the sound of his voice that he was frowning in confusion.
"No, I've been up for a while and I took a walk through the town." she responded and then began to walk towards the stairs.
"Oh, how long is a while? And what about the watchman, isn't he awake?" he asked, opening the door and walking out of the bathroom.
"Probably about three hours, I don't know. Yes, the watchman is asleep but I don't think that you would have to worry about that at this hour of the morning." she said over her shoulder as she walked down stairs. "I made some breakfast for you, so eat up, we've got a long day ahead of us."
"Three hours!? Do you even sleep at all?!" he whispered loudly in astonishment as he followed her down.
"Yes, but I've found that I don't really need all that much so I only take as much as I need and I don't see any point to take more, it wastes the time I could be using for other things." she said indifferently and walked into the kitchen where she sat in the place she was the night before.
"You're crazy, you know that right?" he said, sitting down to eat the breakfast she had made.
"Yes I do thank you. Now shut up and eat." she told him and then paused. "Darla's awake now." she said afterwards.
"How- Never mind, I keep forgetting." he began to ask but then stopped and started to eat. He looked towards the stairs when he heard his mother coming down.
"Oh! Serenity, Will, I didn't think that you'd be up this early. When were you planning on leaving?" she asked walking over to them and sitting down. It was obvious to Serenity that she had slept very poorly that night and she wasn't surprised, her only son had just asked her a question that had both broken her heart and terrified her at the same time.
"Whenever the snail here gets finished and all his stuff together, I just heard the Elag." Serenity said abruptly while staring out the window.
"Oh....... then it is a good thing that I got up when I did." Darla said, sadness and worry filling her voice.
"No, it's not." Serenity replied again in the same fully aware but not aware tone as before.
"Excuse me?" Darla said in a motherly 'what did you just say to me' tone.
"I said that it wasn't lucky you woke up when you did. I can tell by your voice that you've gotten very little sleep and you're in immense mental agony, you should have slept longer. We would've waited for you." she said, turning to look at her and then getting up to stand in front of the kitchen window; staring out of it again.
"What do you mean, 'We would've waited'? You flipped me out of my bed and told me to get ready fast because we were leaving at the first Elag call. So you mean if mom had stayed asleep, I could have grabbed some more shut-eye?" Will stopped and looked at Serenity, incredulously.
"Yes, she is your mother and she loves you, I would not have deprived her of the chance to say goodbye." Serenity responded in a blank tone, conveying no emotion when she spoke.
"Darn you Serenity Crest!! I don't think that I've ever met anyone that I've despised more than I despise you right now." he spat furiously, chucking his empty bowl at her which she, of course, dodged incredibly easily.
"Oh and you know that I despise you as well, Willy." She responded back in the same tone as when he had yelled he hated her from the bathroom.
"If I ever get my hands on you, I'll end you, I swear." Will growled venomously at her.
"I welcome you to try your luck, Will." she said back but he and his mother could both tell that she wasn't completely there and Will thought about taking this chance to do as he had said. "There they are, right on time." She mumbled and then flung open the window; there were two streaks of brown and the sound of fluttering wings. When everything was calm again, Will and his mother saw a very large bird with a smaller one beside it perched on the kitchen chairs.
"What is the meaning of this?! Why are these birds in my house?!" Darla exclaimed, jumping up and pointing at the birds, who in return gave indignant squawks, followed by Serenity walking to stand behind them with crossed arms.
"Firstly, these birds have names, Lithe and Sirus. Secondly, they are birds of prey, not just birds and calling them that is an insult. Lithe is a peregrine falcon and Sirus is an eagle hawk. And thirdly, they are here because they are my traveling companions." she responded accusingly and then held out her wrist so that Lithe could perch on it, followed by Sirus who flew up to sit on her shoulder.
"I'm sorry Serenity but I don't care who or what they are, I won't have them in my house!" Darla told her still pointing at them.
"Don't worry, we're just leaving. Come on Will, daylight's wasting." Serenity said, a slight hint of annoyance showing through in her relatively controlled voice as she walked out of the kitchen and then slammed the door to the outside behind her.
"Mom, I wish you hadn't done that. Now she's gonna be in a bad mood for a while and that means that there's gonna be a good chance that we might get into a fight which could lead to her running off and leaving me behind, alone." Will said with a pained look on his face and got up to follow Serenity out of the house.
"I'm sorry William but you know how I am with any animal in my house. I wouldn't even let you have a dog or cat when you were younger, remember?" Darla said apologetically, following him out.
"I know that, but Serenity doesn't and she really cares about those birds, they've been the only companionship she's had since her parents were killed and she ended up alone in the valley." He told her.
"What?! Serenity's parents were killed?!" Darla exclaimed, grabbing her son's arm and turning him towards her before he opened the door.
"Yes, they were killed twelve years ago when these horrible creatures came and burned Sine to the ground." he said solemnly, looking at the ground when he was saying this.
"Oh no......... that's terrible. I had no idea......." Darla said softly, a sad look entering her eyes.
"Yes, but don't say anything to her, I'm pretty sure that Serenity would rather you stayed ignorant to that fact. It was what sparked the fight between us earlier when she stormed off into the forest." Will told her warningly and then turned back to the door.
"Okay then. But that's still a terrible tragedy, Erin and Layle were such kind people." Darla murmured, the sad expression still on her face.
"Any day now Will, we need to go now." Serenity said impatiently with her arms crossed, Lithe had moved to her shoulder and Sirus was circling overhead.
"I'm coming, calm down Serri." he said, giving his mother a warning look and shaking his head as she began to open her mouth. She ignored him and walked over to Serenity.
"I'm sorry Serenity." she said, putting her hand on Serenity's free shoulder who just looked at her in return. Will suppressed a smile at his mother's cleverness in disguising her sadness at the loss of her parents as an apology for the bird comment earlier.
"Um, thanks Darla, but you should really be saying that to Lithe and Sirus, not me." she responded but her expression softened slightly and the annoyed tone in her voice was gone. "Will, are you ready to go?" Yes, that had definitely done the trick in calming her down he thought to himself and made a mental note to thank his mother for that.
"Yes, I'm ready." Will said and walked over to stand by Serenity and his mom.
"Are you sure about that?" she asked, looking at him as if to remind him about something.
"Yes, I'm sure." he replied, not understanding why she was looking at him like that.
"And where is your bag? Because unless you have mastered the art of making things invisible, I don't see it with you." she said sighing and then poking fun at him slightly.
"Oh, oops." he said looking around in embarrassment.
"Oh William, you're always forgetting something aren't you?" his mom said laughing slightly and then going into the house to get his bag.
"You're gonna be hopeless without her out there to help you remember things." Serenity said, shaking her head.
"Well I'm a relatively fast learner so I'll be okay." Will said back and put a hand up to pet Lithe who snapped her beak at his hand in response. "Yikes!" he said pulling his hand back quickly.
"Ha ha! First rule when touching Lithe and especially Sirus, always say something like, 'hey Lithe' or 'hey Sirus' before you try to pet them. And don't just whistle or make clicking noises at them if you want them to come to you; they're proud birds and a lot smarter than you might think." she told him, laughing at his wary expression while he held his hand. "Try again." she told him and held out her wrist, which Lithe flew down onto.
"Umm, I'm think I'll pass, thanks." he said back still holding his hand and looking warily at Lithe who was looking at him intently now.
"Do it. You're gonna be traveling with her for a long time so you need to get used to her now. You also need learn not to panic when this happens as well." she told him, holding her wrist and Lithe closer to him.
"Fine. But if she gets my hand then I blame you for making me do it." he said looking at Serenity with a frown. "H-hey Lithe." he said hesitantly and slowly moved his hand towards Lithe's back. She squawked, causing him to jerk his hand back but Serenity caught it and put it on Lithe's back. He didn't move for a moment and then began to cautiously stroke Lithe but then began to grow in confidence and smiled. Then all of a sudden Sirus flew down and landed on Will's shoulder, causing him to cry out in surprise, throwing Sirus off his shoulder. Sirus seemed unfazed by this reaction and flew up to land on Serenity's shoulder.
"Whaa! What in the?!" Will yelled after he had recovered slightly and then saw Serenity laughing and patting Sirus's chest. Will noticed that even Lithe and Sirus seemed to be laughing along with Serenity.
"Oh Will, you should have seen yourself, that was priceless!" Serenity laughed. "It looks like you have Sirus's approval, well done." she praised him, slapping him on the back with her free hand.
"Ha ha, very funny." Will said sarcastically. "And what would have happened if I didn't get his approval?" he asked, becoming slightly worried.
"You'd be short an ear." she replied back quickly and then looked past him to Darla who was walking back out with Will's bag.
"Oh joy." he mumbled in a both relieved and frightened tone but then shook it off and turned to his mother. "Thanks mom, I don't know how I'll survive without you out there." he said, looking at Serenity when he said this and giving her an, 'I know what I already said' look before she could get him for what he had told her earlier.
"I'm sure that you'll be okay, Serenity will be out there to help you if you need it." she said, smiling and handing him his bag. It was at that moment that both Lithe and Sirus gave startled and warning squawks and shot up into the sky.
"Huh, what was that for?" Will asked with an extremely confused expression on both his and Darla's faces.
"Everybody, get inside, now." Serenity said in a commanding tone as she stared at the sky strait behind them.
"Why do you want us to go inside? Aren't we supposed to be leaving now? And what are you staring at?" Will asked and then turned around and froze as he saw what she was staring at; a dark ominous cloud had begun to form on the horizon and was approaching incredibly quickly.
"Don't question me boy, just get yourself and Darla inside the house. NOW!!!" she yelled at him and he grabbed his mother's arm and dragged her back into the house as a look of terror crossed her face at the sight of the approaching clouds. "Lithe! Sirus! Where are you?! Come here immediately!!" she cried out and then began to run towards the house. She was about half way there when Will burst back out to try and help her, but buy the time he had run that short ways to her, the cloud was upon them. Its black, boiling mass blotted out the sun, casting a shadow over them darker than any night; its winds whipping around them causing the trees to bend and shriek like animals being ripped apart buy a pack of ravenous Sevlows. And then it descended from the sky, crashing down on them with incredible force that shattered anything that was not flat around them, but they remained upright.
"What is this!?" Will shouted over the sound of the swirling, shrieking wind.
"How should I know?!?" Serenity yelled back. It was then that it began to get bitterly cold and they both watched in horror as the swirling mass of cloud that had surrounded them fell back slightly like an animal ready to pounce on its prey and rip it to sheds. In the split second that it took to recoil and slam back in, Serenity was over beside Will and was hugging him, attempting to shield him as much as she possibly could. Then everything stopped, the winds disappeared and so did the clouds. Both Will and Serenity just stood there, braced for impact, for a time and then opened their eyes and stared in amazement. They were standing in a dome of the clearest ice they had ever seen, the sun was shining through it creating beautiful patterns on the floor.
"Where are we and what happened to the clouds?" Will asked, looking at Serenity who then realized that she was still holding on to Will and immediately let go and putting some space between them.
"You are in my protective spell barrier." a woman's voice responded from behind them. They both spun around to face a rather tall woman, with long, bleach white hair, chilling ice-blue eyes, and pale skin wearing a long white robe with swirling designs on it that matched her eyes in color.
"You........" Serenity said bitterly and trailed off.
"Do you know her Serenity?" Will asked in a shocked and confused voice.
"I've only seen her once, and that was in a dream I had before I woke up in your house. But it was only a dream, full of lies." Serenity spat.
"Was this person who looked like me given a name in this lying dream?" the woman asked in a curious voice but the sound of it chilled Will to the bone.
"Her name was Saya and she was speaking to my parents about training or something." Serenity replied, her voice becoming thick with anger and hatred as she said this.
"Then your dream was not all a lie, for my name is Saya. My formal title is Saya of the Ice Clan, only daughter of the Great Wizard Jonin, last member of the Light Clan. However, as for the rest of the dream, its truth is to be highly doubted." Saya said back in a cool voice.
"Why are you here? What do you want? What was that before with the wind and clouds?" Will began to ask the questions on after another.
"Peace and have patience William Jay Millin. I will answer your questions in due time." Saya said, putting a hand up to stop him.
"How-" he began but Serenity caught him by the arm and shook her head.
"The wind and clouds that descended upon you just now was the rage of an evil soldier, loyal to Him. He has been following me so that he might slay me as his master did my father. But have no fear William Jay Millin and Serenity Sarah Crest, we are safe within this dome and the soldier has no desire to do harm unto the one you know as Darla Marie Millin. His orders are to bring my head back to his master's castle and he obeys it without thought or question and will not stop till the deed is done." she told them in a cold voice as she walked over to lay a hand on the icy wall. "As for why I am here and what I want, I can only tell you what I have been told in a dream and by my father." she said, looking at them with her hand still touching the wall of ice.
"Well what is it?" Serenity asked impatiently, it was clear by the tone in her voice that she both did not like Saya and did not want to hear what she was going to say.
"Before my father was slaughtered by the blade of His sword, he had a vision that, if the events it foretold came to pass, changes the likes of which have not been seen since The Great Divide would occur. In this vision he saw the coming of two beings, both human in origin, not Wizard or beast. One of these beings was called the Shinji, this person was destined to find and collect the seven shards of the Eien Suishou, a crystal of immeasurable power that was once possessed by the great Arrancar but now and has for many millennia remained his eternal prison. The other one was called the Bakai, this person would be the one to reunite the seven crystal shards and release Arrancar so that he might end his younger brother's tyranny and bring peace and balance back to Shinma. It was this vision that led to my father's murder by His sword so as to send the rest of the Wizards a message that he would never be defeated and his brother would never be resurrected." she told them, seeming to stare off into space as she said these words. "But my dream is why I am here, for in this dream I saw a young man and a young woman whose companions where two birds of prey. For the longest time I knew nothing of who they were or where they were, but in a more recent dream, my questions were answered. The names of both the man and woman, as well as the town were revealed to me and it is because of that, that I stand here before you now." she told them and walked over to stand in front of them.
"That's all very nice and well but I still don't see why you are here speaking to us." Serenity said rather rudely, her impatience had reached a very tangible level in her posture and tone.
"I am here to bestow unto you and your friend a quest that will change this world in ways that you can not imagine. All that I have just told you about the prophecy, this is your destiny, a broken destiny, one that will change the past, present, and future of yours and every other being's future. It is your destiny and choices that now carry the hope and prospect of peace of every last man or beast on this planet. You must find the shards in each guardians resting place and then bring them to the Bakai so that they might reunite and resurrect the fallen Arrancar. I cannot make you do this task, that is not my place, I am only the messenger who brings the task, it is up to you to choose. My work here is done and now I must return to my own place, the pieces are set, how will you move?" Saya said, looking both of them in the eye and then disappearing along with the dome of ice but her words still lingered in their minds and they stared at each other.
"William!? Serenity?! Oh my god! Are you two okay?! All I saw was that horrible cloud swallow you two up and then it disappeared. What happened?" Darla asked frantically, running out of the house towards them.
"We're fine mom but things just got a little more complicated." Will responded but never looking away from Serenity.
"Complicated? What do you mean?" she asked quizzically.
"Nothing Darla. Besides we're way overdue for leaving and we've got a looooong way ahead of us." Serenity said nodding slightly at Will. "Are you in?" she asked him.
"I'm in." he responded.
"Then we're golden and off. Bye Darla, we have to be going." she said and walked off towards the forest edge, waving as she went.
"Bye mom, I'll miss you." Will said, hugging his mom, picking up his bag and then following Serenity.
"Bye William, please stay safe and most importantly, come back alive!" she called after them, beginning to cry.
"So I guess this is it, the fate of the entire world rests on our shoulders." Serenity said as she just stood and looked into the foliage of the valley.
"Yeah, I guess it is." Will said, walking up to stand beside her. "I don't feel any different."
"You never do." Serenity sighed as both she and Will plunged into the forest of the valley.
Okey dokey! I am done with this one and it's less words than the last one so I'm real happy about that because I been trying to shorten the word count for a while and I've been failing miserably so I'm happy about this. Anyway, I've finally gotten to the part where they start the quest for the broken shards, yay! It only took 6 chapters, almost not yay! Yeah, um, okay, so this is the seventh chapter, I hope that you liked it and please read and review. :D