Fate and Destiny: Prelude
From Memory to Dream
Disclaimer: The paints (A!MG) are the property of Kousuke
Fujishima, the easel is mine, and that's all.
Notes: It's an alt, as should become apparent shortly, since
I've read most of the U.S. manga, seen some of the OAVs, and not
watched the movie.
------------------------------
A flash of light. Her older self knew what that meant, and
she raised her hammer in a warding position, invoking her own
protective magics.
The spell fizzled harmlessly against her protection, and she
peered about her, the swirling mists of time only parting to her
future sight. Behind her, her sisters stared about. The eldest could
see through the past, and the middle could see through the
present...
Together they were able to see, and even then, they were
safe. The Lady was with them, and as long as the Lady was there, the
three sisters would always be safe. Nothing could hurt the Lady,
except...
The mists parted, her sisters' shared sight warning her, and
she threw all of her attention and power to shielding, while the
eldest sister waited, and the middle attacked. A lone enemy, unable
to stand against the united forces.
She was felled quickly, left to lie prone, quivering, and
unable to control her drifting through the void. "Justine..." she
whispered. "Des-" the rest she choked off, closing her eyes and
allowing her tears to drift.
As if bidden, a cloaked figure emerged from the chaotic
swirling mists, scowling darkly at the Lady. The cloaked figure said
nothing, sweeping up his fallen servant, and kissing her gently on
the forehead, his lips brushing against the demon mark on her face.
"Rest easy, small one. Quit this field, and thy sisters. I shall
stand. It is..." his lips quirked in a sardonic grin, as he glanced
at the Lady.
***
And in a house, a much younger girl stirred, shivering
uncomfortably at some passing dream, quickly fading as she fell into
a deeper, dreamless slumber.
***
...fallen. The bitch had finally been beaten. She longed for
nothing more than to destroy her, but knew that it was wrong to do
so... and even had it been right, the doublet system made such
impossible, lest she wanted to destroy her allies. Sister, they had
called her...
She wrenched her attention to the enemy, as he comforted the
fallen. "It is... my Destiny."
He turned his attention to her. "You," he said slowly. "What
name you wear this time... you should not have interfered. You
should not have run from me, and joined their side."
She stiffened, shaking her head. "I did what was right, and
just."
He sneered at her, his aura flaring darkly to conceal the
demoness' escape. "'Right', you say, and 'just'. Fah. Destiny is
Destiny, and _I_ shall not be thwarted." He spared a momentary
glance towards the youngest of the sisters. "You, too, shall see."
***
In the house, shared with her younger sisters, a woman
murmured softly to herself, not wanting to acknowledge the dream
until it passed.
***
She said nothing, simply holding herself at the ready. She
did not trust the Lady's brother, even if the Lady was certain that
she would win. "Sister, dearest," he said mockingly, sneering at the
Lady, of equal height to himself. "There is no chance... thou cans't
hope to defeat me."
Licking her lips nervously, she glanced between her sisters,
the youngest standing bravely to her right, and the eldest to her
left. Not truly a sister, she knew, but she had joined them,
deserting the man before them and turning the tide of battle.
The Lady behind her spoke softly, her voice lyrical and
smooth, "Brother dearest... thy fell minions are no more upon this
field. Thou must realize... thou have lost."
He smirked. "Indeed. It was... Fated. But it is of no
consequence. For now, _I_ shall win."
***
Shivering herself out of her dream, another woman sat up,
trying to push away the half-remembered instance, and the weaker
memories that followed it. Perhaps she should see that her sisters
were resting well, and then...
***
"Brother!" she insisted, staring directly at him, her lesser
goddesses arrayed before her protectively. To shield her from
attack, he knew, but...
"What?"
"Be you so petty? The King should not have been allowed to
die there. Why must you always kill him before he is allowed to
fulfill his Fate?"
He shook his head. "He was -- and is -- the Once and Future
King. It was his Destiny to die. He will always be reborn to try
again."
"But it was his Fate to change the world!" she cried out.
He tired of listening to them. "It is of no import. You have
interfered with me, and by the Great Rule, I promise you this; I
will destroy you in every way that I can as retribution for what
comes next." And with that, he gathered the very stuff of the
chaotic sea that surrounded them, and flung it with all his might at
her.
***
He sat up suddenly, soaked in sweat, not able to remember
the dream, and shivered uncomfortably anyway.
A soft knock came at his door a mere moment later, and a
soft voice asked him if he were well.
***
She was only able to stare in astonishment as he attacked.
Such an act was foolish beyond belief -- the combined might of the
three sisters was easily enough to weather any attempt he could
make.
They cried out as one, uniting themselves, and his spell
touched upon their shield, pushing, but their combined will was
greater, and it rebounded to strike him instead. He took the blast,
laughing softly as the force unmade him, scattering his essence into
the sea of chaos.
"Oh, no!" the sisters exclaimed, turning to stare at her
worriedly, as she felt herself beginning to unravel.
"Brother," she whispered, feeling herself come apart. "Why?"
But the doublet system was too strong to resist, and everything
began to fade... The two were as one, and then...
Nothing.
***
She sat up quickly, scratching the back of her head and
looking around warily. The dream was quickly fading, but...
"Keiichi?" she mused, wondering if she should call her brother.
------------------------------
From Memory to Dream
Disclaimer: The paints (A!MG) are the property of Kousuke
Fujishima, the easel is mine, and that's all.
Notes: It's an alt, as should become apparent shortly, since
I've read most of the U.S. manga, seen some of the OAVs, and not
watched the movie.
------------------------------
A flash of light. Her older self knew what that meant, and
she raised her hammer in a warding position, invoking her own
protective magics.
The spell fizzled harmlessly against her protection, and she
peered about her, the swirling mists of time only parting to her
future sight. Behind her, her sisters stared about. The eldest could
see through the past, and the middle could see through the
present...
Together they were able to see, and even then, they were
safe. The Lady was with them, and as long as the Lady was there, the
three sisters would always be safe. Nothing could hurt the Lady,
except...
The mists parted, her sisters' shared sight warning her, and
she threw all of her attention and power to shielding, while the
eldest sister waited, and the middle attacked. A lone enemy, unable
to stand against the united forces.
She was felled quickly, left to lie prone, quivering, and
unable to control her drifting through the void. "Justine..." she
whispered. "Des-" the rest she choked off, closing her eyes and
allowing her tears to drift.
As if bidden, a cloaked figure emerged from the chaotic
swirling mists, scowling darkly at the Lady. The cloaked figure said
nothing, sweeping up his fallen servant, and kissing her gently on
the forehead, his lips brushing against the demon mark on her face.
"Rest easy, small one. Quit this field, and thy sisters. I shall
stand. It is..." his lips quirked in a sardonic grin, as he glanced
at the Lady.
***
And in a house, a much younger girl stirred, shivering
uncomfortably at some passing dream, quickly fading as she fell into
a deeper, dreamless slumber.
***
...fallen. The bitch had finally been beaten. She longed for
nothing more than to destroy her, but knew that it was wrong to do
so... and even had it been right, the doublet system made such
impossible, lest she wanted to destroy her allies. Sister, they had
called her...
She wrenched her attention to the enemy, as he comforted the
fallen. "It is... my Destiny."
He turned his attention to her. "You," he said slowly. "What
name you wear this time... you should not have interfered. You
should not have run from me, and joined their side."
She stiffened, shaking her head. "I did what was right, and
just."
He sneered at her, his aura flaring darkly to conceal the
demoness' escape. "'Right', you say, and 'just'. Fah. Destiny is
Destiny, and _I_ shall not be thwarted." He spared a momentary
glance towards the youngest of the sisters. "You, too, shall see."
***
In the house, shared with her younger sisters, a woman
murmured softly to herself, not wanting to acknowledge the dream
until it passed.
***
She said nothing, simply holding herself at the ready. She
did not trust the Lady's brother, even if the Lady was certain that
she would win. "Sister, dearest," he said mockingly, sneering at the
Lady, of equal height to himself. "There is no chance... thou cans't
hope to defeat me."
Licking her lips nervously, she glanced between her sisters,
the youngest standing bravely to her right, and the eldest to her
left. Not truly a sister, she knew, but she had joined them,
deserting the man before them and turning the tide of battle.
The Lady behind her spoke softly, her voice lyrical and
smooth, "Brother dearest... thy fell minions are no more upon this
field. Thou must realize... thou have lost."
He smirked. "Indeed. It was... Fated. But it is of no
consequence. For now, _I_ shall win."
***
Shivering herself out of her dream, another woman sat up,
trying to push away the half-remembered instance, and the weaker
memories that followed it. Perhaps she should see that her sisters
were resting well, and then...
***
"Brother!" she insisted, staring directly at him, her lesser
goddesses arrayed before her protectively. To shield her from
attack, he knew, but...
"What?"
"Be you so petty? The King should not have been allowed to
die there. Why must you always kill him before he is allowed to
fulfill his Fate?"
He shook his head. "He was -- and is -- the Once and Future
King. It was his Destiny to die. He will always be reborn to try
again."
"But it was his Fate to change the world!" she cried out.
He tired of listening to them. "It is of no import. You have
interfered with me, and by the Great Rule, I promise you this; I
will destroy you in every way that I can as retribution for what
comes next." And with that, he gathered the very stuff of the
chaotic sea that surrounded them, and flung it with all his might at
her.
***
He sat up suddenly, soaked in sweat, not able to remember
the dream, and shivered uncomfortably anyway.
A soft knock came at his door a mere moment later, and a
soft voice asked him if he were well.
***
She was only able to stare in astonishment as he attacked.
Such an act was foolish beyond belief -- the combined might of the
three sisters was easily enough to weather any attempt he could
make.
They cried out as one, uniting themselves, and his spell
touched upon their shield, pushing, but their combined will was
greater, and it rebounded to strike him instead. He took the blast,
laughing softly as the force unmade him, scattering his essence into
the sea of chaos.
"Oh, no!" the sisters exclaimed, turning to stare at her
worriedly, as she felt herself beginning to unravel.
"Brother," she whispered, feeling herself come apart. "Why?"
But the doublet system was too strong to resist, and everything
began to fade... The two were as one, and then...
Nothing.
***
She sat up quickly, scratching the back of her head and
looking around warily. The dream was quickly fading, but...
"Keiichi?" she mused, wondering if she should call her brother.
------------------------------