WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENED NEXT, X/A FANS ? HUMOUR ME :)

Finally awoken by that constant buzzing sound in her ears, Xena briefly opened her eyes only to shut them again once she realized the reality she was seeing made no sense what so ever . How or when she had gotten there , was a mystery in its own, just like the red satin kimono she was wearing, the unusual, flowery perfume of the place- a stunning landscape that despite its apparently relaxing and peaceful nature was hiding something particularly menacing about it- and the fine brass bracelet around her ankle with that tiny bell attached to it.

Everything was still….too still, she couldn't help thinking and that unshakable sensation that something was lurking in the shadows of the countless blossomed cherries dominating the garden-like soldiers of a long forgotten army- made her feel uneasy ...Slowly, without making a noise, she got to her feet, her squinted eyes carefully inspecting a certain group of trees that had attracted her attention from the moment she became aware of her surroundings. Her instinct told her that despite the eerie emptiness of the place, she was in danger and that the thick, negative energy spreading more and more in the air around her- to the point that it made it hardly breathable- was a clear signal that it was high time she looked for a way out.

Not for one second did it occur to her that in fact there was no escaping that gods forsaken place, that her poor soul was damned to rot there until the end of time – while faithfully serving and obeying her lord's will .

Suddenly, a gust of wind threw her off her feet and her body was slammed against the ground with a supernatural force that nearly crushed her insides only to find herself lifted up by that same power and next thing she knew, she was on her knees, face down , and she frowned at the awareness that for some reason, this scenario felt strangely familiar - as if she had lived it before…as if this had happened already and her mind was in a loop.

''Yodoshi …!'' she grunted, as a black leather boot was extended for her to kiss- which she adamantly refused.

Such unheard of rebellion ended in a physical punishment- a very rough one too, meant to break her spirit along with her frail body- and as a fiery whip came out of nowhere and began to slash her skin repeatedly, making her cry out in pain , a sinister laugh echoed throughout the garden, causing the cherry blossoms to fall to the ground . A few soft pink petals reached her bleeding wounds in the process , and remained stuck there, acting like band-aids on that raw, bleeding flesh .

''Lord Yodoshi, slave! Now, either you learn to behave and show me proper respect or I'll just pulverize what's left of your spirit right now ! '' he thundered and for a meaningless second, the raven Warrior Princess actually considered his offer, aware that her options went from limited to non existent and that was about it...

Just as he grabbed a fistful of her hair and pressed her head down, urging her to execute his command though, an even harsher voice could be heard from the other side of the garden.

''Hands off or I'll cut them off ! ''

That voice…..That voice instantly sent shivers down her spine along with an ever so pleasant vibration that made all her nerve endings tingle and burn, heat swamping her in inexplicable waves of uncontrollable desire, ecstasy and veneration.

''Ares…''

The name left her lips like a song…like a prayer …like a well-guarded secret that had finally found its way out…..It sounded weak but hopeful and though the name itself held no meaning to her as it rolled off her tongue, one second later, an ocean of memories rushed to flood her brain from every corner of her every cell, overwhelming her with images, sensations, sounds and fragrances that had been deeply buried up to that point, as if her mind had somehow dissociated, cancelling even the most meaningless flashback- everything that was in any way connected to her past life…

''Ares! '' she wholeheartedly repeated, and, for the first time in months, she felt there was life in that voice.

''Well hello to you too, Princess. ''

''Intruder!'' Yodoshi howled, his body taking the shape of a sky high tornado, ready to wipe out every form of life in its path. ''How dare you set foot into my underworld?! This is my domain! Such offense is punishable by death!" he grimly announced, and the sudden cold that surrounded the vastness of that place actually made Xena hold her breath for awhile. Fear…that was definitely a feeling she had not experienced many times before…But on this occasion, she had every reason in the world to be scared.

''Don't waste your breath, Yodoshi! I have every right to be here. You have something that belongs to me! "

''Oh yeah ?! And what is that ?''

'' My Chosen...'' the War God casually announced, visibly unimpressed by the demon's antiques.

''That title means nothing to me. If it's my slave you're talking about, she died on my realm and that makes me the rightful owner of her spirit!'' Yodoshi countered, intensifying even more the whirlwind his spinning body had created.

''Your slave ? Don't make me laugh…Plus, there is this little something that you might have missed ….'' Ares let him know, sending a parchment flying his way.

In a moment, the demon was back to his original form, holding the scroll in his hand.

''What is this ?" he inquired, the minute he laid eyes on the text.

''A contract- quite a special one, if I may. It stipulates that in exchange for a certain favour I did her, my Chosen here, offered me her soul – which makes her pretty much mine…for eternity. Get it? Forever ! ''

A useless attempt of Yodoshi to burn the problematic document soon followed and needless to say, that only amused the cocky Olympian terribly.

''Indestructible, of course. Did I forget to mention that?!''

''Well….'' the demon replied with the most evil grin Xena had ever seen in her life. ''I guess there's only one thing left to do then ….'' he continued, glancing at his prized possession for a split second before he sent a huge fireball Ares's way- hoping to catch him off guard, which he obviously didn't.

''I can't even tell you how happy I am you chose option number two ….'' the War God responded, his mocking laughter making his opponent even more furious- fuming actually.'' I was just dying for a bit of action…You know, my crazy sister claims that the cause of my unusually aggressive outbursts might have something to do with all this pent-up anger and frustration that have been accumulating these past few months. So, thank you in advance... ' he added, closing his eyes for a moment, and once again the Warrior Princess could feel the very density of the air, changing. This time though, the dark energy sweeping over the garden was not evil. It was just brutal, focused and lethal. There was no trace of emotion in it, only raw power in a form she had never thought possible.

When the God opened his eyes- pitch black now- massive energetical waves were released from between his palms with such a force that the fantasy walls built around them melted at first contact, a power strong enough to bend the fabric of any given dimension if needed and create a direct passage towards the very core of the universe.

Although he made an effort to fight back, sending in his turn one fireball after another into that unseen before force that was being unleashed against him, Yodoshi stood no chance against the unstoppable, extremely motivated son of Zeus. Minutes later, he exploded into what proved to be a rare display of fireworks that made Xena arch an eyebrow at the God's incredibly fast victory.

''I'm impressed ! ''

''Quite a way to charm a lady , huh ?''

''It sure is …''

''So….the bad guy is dead, all freaking souls have been freed, the Princess has been saved...are there any other boxes I need to thick for the day ?! '' he inquired, brushing his thumb against her lips before he seized her mouth in an intense, soul searing kiss meant to finally annihilate all those awful nightmares he had been having since the day Gabrielle returned home without her. It had been Tartarus...Endless months of agony, remorse and self inflicted guilt for having allowed her to go there in the first place. It was all over now though...

''There might be a few '' she teased, biting his lower lip playfully . ''By the way, what took you so long ?" she joked, extending her hand for the contract, which he casually handed to her , without the slightest protest.

'' A few minor setbacks…Are you sure you don't want me to keep it safe for ya'? ''

''Yes I'm sure!'' .

There was no debate on the subject.

''Well you might want to find a more decent hiding spot for it, then.'' he mentioned pointing towards the scroll. '' Were you out of ideas or something ?''

''I had spent a full day in Joxer's company, Ares! What do you think?"

''Well that explains it …''

A small laugh later, and they were right about to vanish from the place, when, out of nowhere, two distinct voices could be heard as clear as church bells .

''I don't know about that Bro….It's just too risky! What if her body rejects it ?! What then ?''

''Well do you have a better idea, Dite ? She's out of time. Within minutes she'll be dead anyway….''

''Yeah but…''

Seconds later, a blinding light filled everything around and inside her and a hard to miss sensation of air being knocked from her lungs took over, plunging her body in a spiral of panic and helplessness.