Excerpt: Billy and Mandy and the Lost Plot Device // !! (A Brilliant Move) // Endless World // The End of Minor Kingdoms

Billy/Mandy/Plot device:
Speaking of the apple which was now a peach, it had avoided narration for a while. So had Billy. The time had come to change this, as Billy discovered the golden peach, went "Oooooo", and promptly ate it.

Promptly afterwards, he turned into a rabbit. A six foot blue rabbit with a bald patch. "You know, that wasn't as tasty as I thought it would be," he commented, grabbing at one of his oversized ears.

"Of course it isn't," Eris said in exasperation, "it's a peach."

"What should we do with him now?" Grim asked. "Although, perhaps we should take him home and let his mom see him now...."

Mandy shook her head. "He'll eat too much like that. Can't you change him into something less obnoxious?"

"I LIKE PIE," Billy declared. "I THOUGHT I'D REMIND YOU IN CASE YOU FORGOT."

"You're right, he is obnoxious like that," Eris winced. "Not that he isn't normally. Oh, I have an idea!" She clapped her hands together, then pointed at Billy. From inside the rabbit's belly, the glowing shape of a peach became visible, and then Billy, who had started as a crab and was next a rabbit, was now a kitten.

"Now that's handy," Grim noted. "Think you can change him back?"

"That's too non-chaotic for my little apple, I'm afraid," she said. "But there are lots of other chaotic things we could try if you don't like kittens."

"Please do," Mandy requested, "he's a hideous kitten." She wasn't kidding. Billy the kitten's nose was still humongous, and he was now drooling on the carpet.

"Hm," Eris hmm'd with a frown, then waved a hand again. Billy was now a giant robot. "Handy for crushing your enemies, right?"

"Handy for crushing your desk," Grim pointed out.

"Oh, drat, I forgot about that," Eris said, making a face. "Oh well, I was planning on having it replaced soon, anyway."

"01001001 01001100010010010100101101000101 00110011001011100011000100110100," Billy the robot declared cheerfully.

Eris considered again, and now Billy was a pony. "How about this?"

"Ugh," Mandy made a face, "now he smells even worse than before. Can't you think of anything better?"

"Well, I thought it was cute," Eris said with a shrug. "How about a sea slug?"

Zap. Billy was now a sea slug.

Grim shook his head. "Too difficult to transport around."

Billy made some blubbing sounds. "You could make him a toad," Grim suggested. "Toads are classic."

"See, Grim, this is why you have no taste," Eris said with a shake of her head. "I suppose next you were going to suggest a rat?"

"...they're classic!"

"What about a very small rock?"

Now Billy was a very small rock, red in color. "We'd probably end up stubbing our toes on him," Grim pointed out.

"How about an ass?" And now Billy was a donkey.

Mandy shook her head. "It would never make it past the censors."

"Ha! Take that!" the author yelled in the general direction of Williams Street.

"Well, we'll just make him a unicorn," Eris suggested. "We'll put a horn on him."

"You can't make a unicorn out of an ass by putting a horn on him," Grim protested. "Everyone knows that's an assicorn."

"Hee-haw," Billy declared, which was most likely another iteration on his continual fondness for certain fruit-filled and baked desserts.

"Psh, just watch," Eris said, waving her hand. A trumpet appeared on Billy's head. It was followed by an obligatory rimshot and laugh track in the background.

"That's not a unicorn," Grim complained. "Now he's just a bad jazz player."

Mandy gave him a look. "You're not funny."

End of Minor Kingdoms: Bitterness:
The ship was silent after they had taken off, each of the senshi preferring to be off by themselves to think over what had happened. Everyone except Fiducius. The senshi was seated outside Apsyrtus's infirmary door, waiting as the doctors treated him, bandaging his wounds and speeding their healing as much as they could. Finally, they left, letting Fiducius inside.

The young man poked his head in, unsure, and took a look around. Apsyrtus was resting in the bed, eyes closed, his arms and what he could see of the man's torso covered in bandages. Fiducius felt worried; this was not the strong, cheerful man that had been before, even when asleep. "Apsyrtus?" Fiducius questioned slowly, stepping inside.

He stirred, opening his eyes. Even the expression of just looking at Fiducius was beyond misery, his eyes holding in the pain he had to be feeling. Somehow, he managed a half-hearted smile. "Hey, Fiducius. How are you feeling? How's the shoulder?"

"No serious damage. It felt worse than it actually was." Fiducius kept his eyes on the other man. "How about you?"

"They said it'll take me a while to heal from all of this," the other man said. "Probably a couple of weeks. Lucky me, huh? I hope that they take a day off. Or several days off. Maybe we'll get lucky, eh?"

"That's not all I meant."

The smile faded, and Apsyrtus rubbed at his face wearily. "Tynka...She's dead, isn't she? You saw her the best."

"That's what Lithium Irukandji said. I didn't see her breathing and those wounds would have been fatal." Fiducius shook his head. "It would take a miracle. I'm so sorry, Apsyrtus."

"Why are you sorry? You didn't do anything wrong, Fiducius. You did more than probably anyone there. I really appreciate it. I'm sure she does, too."

"Because I couldn't save her," Fiducius said, bowing his head, clenching his fists. "I couldn't do enough. I wasn't strong enough, Apsyrtus. I'm sorry."

"You're not to blame," Apsyrtus said. "None of us were. Imperatrix talks big, but he didn't do anything. Gotho didn't do anything. Thais didn't do anything. Hell, even Strenua didn't do anything, although he was probably in as much shock as I was. He was close to her, too."

"I know. That's why I'm sorry. I would have rather died than let her be killed, Apsyrtus."

With a sudden movement, Apsyrtus hurled a pillow at the other man, nailing him squarely in the face. "Do not," he winced at the pain in his arm and shoulder, "do not talk like that. You think I would have been happier to lose you? Don't be ridiculous. And how about Gaussia, how do you think she would have felt? Value your life, damn it. You're alive and that's more than she has going for her."

Fiducius looked up, and he could see the tears starting to run down Apsyrtus's face as the man sank back into the bed, putting a hand to his face again. "Gods. Tynka. I couldn't protect her, either. You're not to blame."

"What can I do for you, Apsyrtus?" Fiducius said in a voice barely above a whisper. "I...I've never lost someone before. I can't imagine what you must be going through right now, but I hate it. I can't stand knowing how much pain you must be in."

"You're lucky, then," Apsyrtus replied, shutting his eyes. "I wish we could have all had that luxury."

Fiducius bit his lip, feeling as if he had said something wrong. "Damn it, Apsyrtus!" he shouted at last. "I don't want you to keep this all bottled up inside because you feel like you can't or won't let go. You're in pain. You need to be in pain or you'll never get past it. I don't know that kind of pain," he said in a quieter tone. "I only know what I was told about grief. But I've never kept things bottled up like you are now and I know that it can't be good for you. Yell at me, scold me, cry, do something. She was your lover. It's okay to cry for a lost love."

"You're a nag, Fiducius," Apsyrtus said with a slight smile, tears flowing more freely down his face. "Tynka. Oh, Tynka," he moaned, and Fiducius walked over to the bed, handing him a piece of cloth to wipe his face. "Tynka. Why her? Why couldn't it have been that big-mouthed Imperatrix," he said bitterly. "Why did it have to be her? I'll kill that bitch Irukandjki for this. I'll kill her myself with my bare hands. Gods, I'm just...I'm beside myself. I'm saying things that don't make sense, that I don't mean. I don't want him to die. I don't want anyone to die. What if they kill Strenua? What if they kill you?"

"No one else is going to die," Fiducius reassured gently, putting a hand on Apsyrtus's shoulder, making sure the light touch wouldn't cause him pain. "We're going to win, remember? We have to in order to save our homes. And I think...for the first time, I really think it's worth fighting for. I meant what I said." He looked down at his hands. "I used to always think that other people were beneath me. No one else was important, because they didn't have the power that I do. But it's not right. When she spoke of power, I knew it wasn't right. We're in the right here, Apsyrtus. And we will win."

Apsyrtus looked over at him, and offered a weak smile. "Can you see that in the future?"

!! (A Brilliant Move):
Slowly, images came to her as she pushed forth the one she wanted, and then the lights seemed to dim in the room, the hall growing dark as night, only moonlight streaming through the windows despite the fact that it was still day out. She could see the cat push open the door, limping in with the bundle tucked under one arm. He was in terrible shape, blood streaking his fur and running down his skin, staining his clothing, and despite the pain he had to have been feeling, he pushed himself forward, stopping on the floor. "Queen!" he gasped out, voice raspy. "Queen!"

"I'm here," came a calm voice, and a woman who looked somewhat similar to Ameko herself, but older, emerged from behind the throne. "I had a feeling you would be coming."

He offered her a cocky feline grin before collapsig to the floor, winching in pain. "Did you see?" he murmured, letting the bundle drop from his arms. "Your knight made a capture, Queen."

She knelt by him, and kissed his uninjured ear, putting her hands on his wounds. "I'm so sorry, cat," she murmured. "You didn't have to do what you did just for me."

"It's for all of Wonderland. That's good enough for me," he said, leaning into the touch. "Are you mad at me?"

"No. I'm worried sick, you silly thing," she said, putting her hands on another wound. She then paused. "They were torturing you."

"Thought they might just get sick of me and kill me, in all truth," he said, looking away as she looked over his twisted, blackened leg, and Ameko couldn't help but gasp in horror as she saw it. "They let down their guard. It was nothing."

"Shut up and stop lying to me," she growled. "You might never be able to use this leg again."

"I realize that, but the important thing is that I made a capture. This is something we can use against them, Queen. Something that can turn the tide at the right place and time."

"Yes, I know," she said, giving his forehead another kiss, letting him rub against her hand. "All the same, did you really have to risk yourself for me? For us?"

"For the generations that will follow...yes."

She sighed, sitting down next to him as she attempted to straighten out his maimed leg. "I wonder if we'll make it that far, cat. I see terrible things in the future, you know. Death, and pain and despair."

"But that's not the only thing you see, is it?"

"No. I see other things. I see a great power in one timeline that may yet turn the tide and save our kingdom. I pray for that day. For that purpose, I will lock this away." She picked up the bundle in both hands.

"You're not going to use it?" the cat asked, ears drooping.

"What would I do with it, silly thing. I haven't the power or the knowledge to use it. That we will have to leave up to the one that will come later."

"Then give me a hint!" Ameko shouted, frustrated. "I'm here now, so where is it? What is it?"

The cat's ears straightened, and he looked directly at her. With a chill, she realized that time had crossed again; either she had entered their time, or somehow, their shades could see her in the future. "I see. So you're the one," the woman said with a smile. "Though it is a bit sad to know the future, I am glad you are here."

"Please tell me where it is," Ameko stated, calming herself down. "The White Rabbit told me that it was time. If I can find it, if I can see it, I know I can figure it out. I promise you that. I just need to know where you've locked it away."

The woman looked at her, and then smiled again, holding out her hands. "You will see it when it is time. As for what it is, it is a capture. Think about it."

Ameko took a breath, and did just that. A capture. Something involved with Neverland. Her mind drifted back to the games she used to play with her father, the ones involving moving the pieces across a board. There were kings and queens and knights and bishops in that game, too. A capture....

Suddenly, it came to her. And with the realization, the moonlight faded, and she was nearly blinded by the sunlight of the day streaming down. And then she realized someone was on top of her, trying to kill her.

Endless World:
Next, she laid out the Sword of Loto and the Gaia armor, and was debating which one to work on first when she heard footsteps on the hallway behind her. Turning, she gave Alex a slight bow as she saw him. "Is something troubling you, young scholar?"

"Is there anything you think I should do to improve myself, Yukita?"

"Besides the act of practice to sharpen your magical abilities? There is nothing specific. Does this bother you?" She tilted her head at him.

"I guess it does," Alex replied. "Sometimes, I feel like...." She raised her eyebrows, and he struggled for the words to finish. "I wonder if my presence is necessary."

"What makes you believe that it is not?"

The corners of his lips tugged upwards slightly. "Scholars aren't usually counted in a party of heroes. Nikado and Ameko I can understand, but...I'm not even named in the ancient language."

She smiled at that, and then spoke to him again. "You understand the old words, then?" she asked, speaking in the ancient language.

He blinked in surprise, taking a few moments to run over what she had said before he replied. "Yes. I understand the old words," he replied in the same language.

"That is a rare and impressive feat," Yukita said, turning to him fully. "On what basis do you believe a scholar is not qualified? What historial parties of heroes are you completing your observation on?"

He ducked his head, embarrassed. "Old stories."

"I would imagine, as an adult, that you understand that most of the old stories are not based in fact. Actually, I believe you would be surprised, Alex of Cannock. Loto was a man not dissimilar to yourself. He was primarily a scholar, and stumbled across the secret to this world at the same time as the great evil. He had both an ability with the sword, with magic, and with his own mind. He, too, was prone to lapses in confidence."

"You knew him?" Alex said in interest, looking surprised at the comparison between himself and the legendary hero.

"Personally. The world was young at that point. We came very close to the great evil waking the creator god. Rubiss and I were both quite involved in aiding him. There was not the supportive network that there is now. That was his idea, you know," she added. "When he fought the great evil alone, the price to him was great. He requested of myself and Rubiss that we ensure that there be aid for those that would do battle against the great evil in the future. The priesthood was one such step we took. When the Dragon Lord came into power, we recognized the source of his knowledge and prepared for this day by requesting your ancestor to establish the three houses."

"Why three?"

"There is great power in a trinity. The three of you each embody a different aspect of the human spirit. It allows you to be that much more powerful when united. For Ameko of Moonbrook, the heart. She is motivated by her emotions, her passion. For Nikado of Lorasia, the soul. You both recognize that he understands on a deeper level than he may let on. In some ways, he is the most powerful of the three of you, but he is also the most fragile, the most in danger. And you, Alex of Cannock, you represent the mind. Your power lies in your ability to remember, to analyze, and to create a solution based on your observations. You are not easily swayed by an illusion or deception. Do you understand your role in a greater capacity now?"

"Yukita...What exactly is the great evil? What is it that's fueling Hargon?"

"I suppose you could say," she began, tucking her arms into her sleeves, "that it is an ego."

"An ego?"

"Correct. It is an existance which does not accept this world. It is an existance that desires to be the sole creation, the sole power. To this end, it would destroy even the creator god itself, and seek to become the sole entity. A god in itself."

"Can we defeat it? For good?"

"That I doubt. A struggle between good and evil is a perpetual one, among any soul. What you can do is destroy the vessels that it has created, through the goodness in your own hearts. That will prevent the rise of the great evil for many further generations."

He nodded slowly. "Thank you for speaking with me."

"I apologize for neglecting you," she said with a smile. "Are you now assured that your proper place is with your companions?"

He smiled as he turned to leave. "I only wondered about the place of a scholar with a hero and a heroine. I don't doubt my place with Nikado and Ameko."

"Then you have matured a great deal since your first encounter with them, I believe," she spoke to the room after he left.