Chapter 12, enjoy!
Not mine, I know, I know, nothing belongs to me...damnit...
Diesel centric chapter folks! cuz...I love this man! ~swoons~
Reincarnation
"Tell me you love me," A voice whispered in his ear, causing him to raise an eyebrow and look at the person looming over him.
"I love you," He said in his most serious voice, earning a giggle from the person above him, "I love you."
"I love you too," The person said, laying their head on his chest, "I am glad you can see the Tree Of Life, Most people cannot…why can you see it?"
"I do not know, maybe it is because of what lies inside of the Tree of Life," He said softly, looking up at the person above him.
"What is that?" The person asked, sitting up, looking at him.
"You," He said before he kissed the person's full lips, "I love you…"
"Stay with me, forever," The person sighed, after they broke the kiss, "Don't leave me or the Tree of Life."
"I don't plan on it," He said with a smile, looking up at white leaves, which seemed to shine in the night sky, "This is like paradise."
"It's even more of paradise, now that you are with me," The person said sitting up and looking up into the sky, "I love being at the top of the tree, I can almost touch the stars, and it's always dark up here."
"And the Guardians are forbidden to come up here as well," He said , sitting up and looking at the person beside him, "Why is that?"
"Because, there is something up here, something forbidden to everyone, how you are up here amazes me, usually, when someone tries to come to the top, they are whisk away to somewhere else." The person said softly, "I am glad you are allowed up here, I come up here, and it is lonely, but with you, it's our private get away..."
"Away from pesky Guardians that try to chase me away…"He said wrapping an arm around the lithe waist of his lover, "Away from everything."
"Yes, we should stay up here forever," His lover said leaning into him, looking up at him with those bright eyes, "Me and you…."
(~~~~~~~~~~~~~)
Diesel sat up in his bed, his chest heaving and the dream he had still fresh on his mind. He ran a hand through his wild blond hair, and then groaned, sliding out of silk sheets of soft green. He preferred his cotton sheets, but Scarlet was a woman of wealth and expensive taste. Okay, he was wealthy too, but he didn't flaunt it like Scarlet.
Scarlet….the woman had wanted him to stay with her, for reasons why, he didn't know. Diesel was getting irked about that woman. She had become even odder. She would stare at him for long periods of time, but then look away, muttering something on the lines of déjà vu. What the hell had her saying something like that to him. He was pretty sure he had only known Scarlet for only a few years. He was pretty sure about that.
Diesel walked over to the balcony of the penthouse suite that Scarlet owned in New York City. He leaned on the metal railing, and watched the sun rise. As he watched, he thought about the dreams he had been having and the memories that filled his head. He was 100 percent certain, that these memories were not his own. They couldn't be, for once, he hadn't lived long enough to walk through ancient Rome or Greece. He had never ever seen the city of Atlantis, in real life, plus, he was certain that he had never been inside of a black tree with white leaves before. Wasn't that the tree of life, the one that Scarlet told them about? You needed to be a Guardian to see it, right? So…where were these memories coming from? Was he a Guardian?
Diesel looked down at his wrist, but found it smooth and mark free. No, he couldn't be one, then, why was he dreaming about it?
Diesel turned his baby blue eyes to the sunrise and frowned. No way, he could see something, an outline of a tree of some sort…it was almost invisible, but he was certain, he could see it. Was that the tree Scarlet was talking about? Holy shit, it was huge! Wait a minute, why was he seeing this? He shouldn't be able to see this, only Guardians, or whatever.
What was going on?
(~~~~~~~~~~~~)
Diesel let out a sigh, walking past Scarlet and Jeanne into the kitchen, to get himself some breakfast. He grabbed himself a bagel and sat down across from Jeanne, who was eating a grapefruit, and Scarlet, who was reading the ancient brown leather book that he had given her nearly a week ago. He hadn't heard much from Scarlet about it, and he was curious.
"What's inside the book?" Diesel asked Scarlet, causing the woman to look up at the man and close the book, a blush on her face.
"Oh, I guess the government assumed this would be the way to crack the enigma that is Gaia." Scarlet said softly, covering her cheeks, "This is actually Gaia's personal journal, you know, most teenage girls have one…"
"Oh…that's a diary!" Jeanne said leaning close to Scarlet, who blushed and closed the book, "Wait…Heidi's a deity, why should she have a Journal!"
"Well, she was a young deity, in human years she could past for her early 20's." Scarlet said leaning back in her chair, "She had emotions and issues, just like any other young woman, I gave it to her after a festival. She was very thankful, I shouldn't be reading this, but it's all in the past, though, it feels like I'm invading Heidi's privacy…."
"Well, we can't read it," Jeanne said, grabbing the book and opening it, as if trying to read it, "it's written in like, ancient Sumerian, or something."
"Indeed," Diesel said, grabbing the book, and opening it too, "It's not like I..can..read…."
Diesel blinked, watching the letters twist and mold on the ancient paper. He watched as English words appeared on the paper, and then he could easily read;
3 weeks before the Warm Solstice,
Well, journal…book, or whatever I should name you, I have a lot to tell you! I met a man. Yes, I know there are men here as my Guardians, but, Journal, this is not a Guardian, and he can see the Tree of Life! Oh goodness, Journal, I was sitting on one of the branches that went out the furthest from the tree and hid me from Scarlet. I was minding my own, enjoying the soft breeze, when a man appeared beside me. Journal, he was so handsome…tall, with hair the color of soft new hair and eyes as blue as the sky on a clear day. he wore breeches of black and a shirt that matched the color of his eyes. he was so handsome, Journal!
Diesel closed the book, saying in a soft voice, "I can't read it, it looks like gibberish to me…."
Scarlet nodded her head and said to Diesel, "You were up early this morning, what had you up so early, you're more of a afternoon waking up kind of guy."
Diesel shook his head and then asked Scarlet, "Dreams, I think…or memories…Scarlet, did Gaia, did she ever have a lover?"
Scarlet dropped the cup she was holding in her hands and looked up to Diesel, who rose an eyebrow at Scarlet's reaction, "Why ask such crazy questions! You know that Gaia-"
"Scarlet, I've been having dreams, dreams or memories, about Gaia, the Tree of Life, and about some man," Diesel said softly, "They're not my memories, that's for sure…."
Scarlet blinked, and then she said in a soft voice, "No wonder why I have Déjà vu around you, Diesel, oh goodness, the fates, they play a funny game, most of the time."
"What are you going on about, woman?" Jeanne asked Scarlet, earning a soft, chuckle from the woman, "Helloooo!"
"Ah, I see it now, no wonder why I was attracted to you, my dear Diesel, you are a reincarnated soul." Scarlet said with a smile, "And it happens to be that you were once Gaia's lover…."
"Uh…come again?" Diesel asked dumbly, looking at the woman.
(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)
Stephanie let out a groan, falling with a soft 'thud' on the black mats of Rangerman. Why oh why had she agreed to let Jeanne train her in some self defense? Jeanne was a tough teacher, the moment that Stephanie had walked into the Ranger gym, dressed in her cute pink yoga pants and the matching pink tank top, Jeanne had pounced on her poor defenseless self. Push ups, crunches, pull ups, treadmills, the works! Jeanne wouldn't even give her a break…not right!
"Plum! Are you listening to me?!" Jeanne snapped walking up to Stephanie's prone form, "Get up! Break time is over!"
Stephanie let out a long whine, getting up on her hands and knees, "But Jeanne, my legs hurt!"
"Get up, Mommy! Beat Auntie Jeanne," Heidi whooped waving her hands sitting in Scarlet's lap, "Auntie Jeanne, go easy on Mommy."
"If I do," Jeanne said, cooing to Heidi and petting her head, "Mommy won't learn."
"She won't?" Heidi asked, biting her lip and looking at Stephanie, "Oh, then you should be tougher on her then, GO AUNTIE JEANNE! BE TOUGHER ON MOMMY!"
"Heidi!" Stephanie whined sitting down, "you're not supposed to be rooting for my ass kicking…geez…"
"Oops," Heidi said with a giggle, "Sorry Mommy…."
"Babe,' Ranger said walking up to the small group, "I don't think Jeanne likes it, when you're sitting around."
"Shut up, you bum!" Stephanie said getting up, her chest heaving, "Why don't you come over here and fight Jeanne!"
Jeanne looked over to Ranger and said, "Well, Manoso, wanna show your woman how to properly defend yourself?"
Ranger shook his head, with a small smile, and then walked up to Jeanne and said, "Okay, I'll show you how to defend yourself, Babe."
Stephanie limped over to Scarlet and Heidi's corner and said, "Fine, show me how you defend youself."
Ranger walked over to Jeanne, who smiled and stretched her muscles as she waited for Ranger to slip his shoes off and prepare to fight Jeanne.
"I don't know who to root for!" Heidi said with a frown looking up at Scarlet, "Daddy or Auntie Jeanne!"
Scarlet giggled and said, hugging Heidi, "You can root for the both of them, okay?"
"Okay! GO AUNTIE JEANNE, GO DADDY! BEAT EACH OTHER UP!" Heidi whooped, bouncing in Scarlet's lap, "Go! Go! Go!"
Stephanie rolled her eyes and leaned back against the wall, "Oh bother, Heidi, where was my support?!"
"You need to get stronger, Mommy, just like Daddy and Auntie Jeanne." Heidi said her voice serious, "Now, GO DADDY AND AUNTIE JEANNE!"
Ranger and Jeanne got into a fighter stance, and then the two jumped each other. As they fought, Jeanne spoke out loud to Stephanie.
"Plum! When fighting, you must always be in a defensive stance, protect the face and any important organs, put your arms up in front of your face, and crouch, to protect the organs." Jeanne said as she and Ranger fought, "Now, if your opponent is a male, aim for where it hurts, the balls!"
At that excalimation Jeanne aimed low, and then Ranger let out a hiss as Jeanne hit him where'd it hurt. Jeanne smiled with satisfaction as Ranger fell to his knees, covering his groin. Jeanne smiled, bouncing on the balls of her feet, "You gotta be on your toes, Manoso, just because we're colleagues doesn't mean I won't kick you in the balls!"
Heidi jumped out of Scarlet's lap and over to Jeanne, snapping, "You big meaning, Auntie Jeanne! You can't hurt my daddy!" swinging her little fist back and aiming for Jeanne, who laughed and puffed her chest out.
"Okay! Hit me-AH!" Jeanne said, flying across the room, hitting the wall with a thud.
Scarlet, Ranger and Stephanie blinked dumbly, looking at Heidi who pulled her fist down and said, with a sniff, "No one hurts my Daddy, not even you, Auntie Jeanne."
"Oh Daddy!" Heidi said, running over to Ranger and hugging him, "How are you, Daddy! Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Quedria," Ranger chuckled, getting up on his feet, "I've handled worse…."
"Damn!" Jeanne said, getting up and going over to Heidi, who turned her back to Jeanne, "You pack a punch, sweet heart!"
"You punched my daddy!" Heidi said pouting, her arms crossed, "I'm still mad, kinda-ish."
"Kinda-ish," Jeanne asked, picking Heidi up and cuddling her, "Okay, well, let's go get some ice cream, and maybe we can talk about you being kinda-ish angry…"
"Okay," Heidi giggled as Jeanne carried her out the gym, leaving the other three adults stupefied. What had they seen?
Scarlet got up and said stunned, "I've never seen Gaia smash a bug before. Hmm, maybe that's why, she's quite strong."
Stephanie went over to Ranger and said, "She's very strong, do you think we should be worried?"
"No, we shouldn't, she's a very peaceful child, as long as no one is swinging at us, we she be great."
Stephanie smiled and then said, "Well, you know, Jeanne and Heidi have It right, going upstairs to get some ice cream, I think I should go upstairs as well and-"
"Stephanie, you're not done with your self-defense, come on," Ranger said grabbing the woman by her waist, "I can show you some defense punches and kicks."
Scarlet chuckled and said with a smile, "I'm going to go off and set up Heidi's schooling, Calculus, Classical Gothic History, and literature, and opera! "
"Opera?" Stephanie asked, as Scarlet skipped out the gym, "Opera?"
(~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)
"who would have thought that you would be a reincarnated soul!" Scarlet said with a smile, looking at Diesel, "Jeez, no wonder why I liked you, you reminded me of Gaia's Lover. He was such a head strong creature, but he did have a heart of gold."
Diesel rubbed his eyes and then looked up to Scarlet, who was watching Heidi do Algebraic problems. So those dreams, they were memories, of his past life, as a deity's lover.
"What was he like?" Diesel asked Scarlet softly, his eyes half closed, "The man…who had my soul."
Scarlet made a sound and said looking far away, "He was a powerful creature….there had been rumors that he was a demonic god of some sorts. That could have been a reason why he saw the Tree of Life. He told Gaia that he had appeared on the planet, due to the fact that something had been calling him, calling his soul, and he had to answer. When he landed in front of Gaia…Gaia told me that the man had told her that he had found the question and answers all at once."
Diesel frowned and said, "Why did he died?"
Scarlet made a soft sound, and said, "His death was linked to Gaia's death. She….uh…it's a long story…a Guardian, found the forbidden power and used the power to combined the Tree of Life and Gaia into one being. The city of Atlantis had been destroyed, due to the combination, Greece and Rome would have been lost too, if it were not for Gaia's lover. Diesel, he killed Gaia."
Diesel looked up and said stunned, "Killed her! why? Why would he kill his lover! He loved her! he would have never done…"
"Gaia told him to kill her," Scarlet said sitting beside Diesel, who shook his head, stunned, "The process of combining Gaia and the Tree of Life, it's a permanent thing, and they had gotten to the point in the process, where they couldn't turn back, and Gaia knew this, and so she asked one of the closet person to her heart, to kill her, so that the world could live on. After he killed her, he tried to kill the Guardian who betrayed us all, but the one who betrayed us got away, and Gaia's lover killed himself, in a fit of despair."
Diesel shook his head and said, "That's horrible, horrible, Scarlet. And the one who betrayed Gaia, is out there, and looking for Heidi, they want to hurt again, I don't want Heidi to be harmed, I'll make sure nothing harms her. I'll make sure of it, Scarlet, even if it kills me."
Diesel got up, walked past Scarlet and petting Heidi's head, as she worked on her math. When Diesel was gone, Scarlet sighed and said, "That's what I'm concerned about, you dying again, you thick headed bastard."
"The Tree talks to him, Auntie Scarlet," Heidi said softly, looking up from her school work, "I don't understand it, but I think the tree knows him very well."
"Yes, the Tree knows him very well," Scarlet said with a smile, placing a hand on Heidi's shoulder, "Hurry up, Ranger will be here in an hour, and I have an extra special lesson for you."
"What kind of lesson?" Heidi asked, looking up at Scarlet who smiled fondly at the girl.
"Well, I have a feeling you want to make someone close to you a Guardian, I'm going to tell you a secret way to make it possible to turn them into a Guardian," Scarlet said earning a giggle from Heidi, "I'm your head Guardian, I'll help you out in any way!"
TBC…