When Universes Collide

Willow sat on the shore of the Red Sea. She'd heard many tales of Lilith, and how she fled east of Eden to here. There was legend of a cave she'd stayed in, where God as cursed her. But there were also many other tales about Lilith, including that she was the source of a woman's strength. It was from her that the line of Slayers began. They weren't slayers back then, however. Things were different back then. She'd stood, wondering where to search next. This tale was fascinating after all, and she was sure the rest of the manuscript would be here somewhere. That was when she noticed the world around her starting to fade, as though she were enclosed in rainbow.

~^_^~

Spike, however, was not contemplating the origin of the slayer line when he was trapped by the rainbows. He had been enjoying the fruits of his labor. After all, he'd been on a long and hard journey, trying to find the thing he wanted most at that moment: To get laid. Of course, it explained why he was so pissed off when he realized he suddenly couldn't feel anything, as though the world were dissolving around him.

~^_^~

Roland had had a better idea of what was going on, however. He could tell it was the sensation of being pulled away somewhere, possibly across worlds. This thought disturbed him, but he knew it would be useless to fight it. That would only increase his chances of being disoriented when he arrived wherever it was. No, instead he would watch the world as it changed, keeping a close eye on all the minute differences, careful not to be caught off-guard.

~^_^~

Things were a little easier on Ryoko. As she could typically do, she slept right through it.

~^_^~

For Lina, it was more of a blessing. She'd been sitting for hours, listening to Amelia drone on about justice. Hey, she didn't mean to slip up. Beside, he was the bad guy. Not her fault he forced her to turn him to toast. But how to keep from killing a minor enemy who "may just be misunderstood" was the only thing on Amelia's lesson plan. So while she was a little disturbed to be taken away, especially from Gourry, she wasn't too disappointed to hear Amelia cut from her lesson and tell Lina to become corporeal again.

~^_^~

There were bigger problems in the Strife household. Cloud and Tifa had just become parents to twins, which were now both crying frantically. The rainbows had begun for him just as he thought he was going to go mad. So when he suddenly went through his child, leaving the family to clutch at the prism, he was sure that madness had just taken over.

~^_^~

Somewhere not too far from that family, there was the sound of a shot fired, sending dozens of monsters flying from the treetops. Squall had been practicing with his gunblade. The Lionheart was a beautiful weapon, sparkling in tones of blues and white. His wife, Rinoa, was at the Garden, tending the kids for Irvine and Selphie. Their own child would be on the way soon, and he hoped desperately for a boy. Just as he was about to pack up and head inside, the prism gathered him and suffocated him, making him feel disconnected from everything.

~^_^~

Dagger sat with Zidane, watching as Thieva pounced on a gem. Like her mother, she was a summoner, and a wonderful one at that. However, she had the lack of manners and energy of her father. Likely to be quite the heartbreaker when she was older. She'd just bent down to pick up the tailed child when she realized she was passing right through her. Her hands had become clear, covered in prisms, causing quite the panic in the chamber. Zidane made one last grab for her before she disappeared.

~^_^~

Titus walked over to Yuna, watching the sun fade over Zanarkand. It really was quite the sight, the rays making the ruins glitter with life they hadn't seen in ages. This wasn't his Zanarkand, but it was still amazing. It made him rather homesick, and Yuna could see it in his eyes. She leaned into his arms, feeling the warmth of his chest against her back. Then, it was gone. The world began to fade around her, and she could hear him call her name.

~^_^~

Shuichi gulped. He stared stupidly at the blank piece of paper, pen in hand. He moved to write something, but the idea was gone just as soon as it had come. There was a click, and he looked over at K, who smirked. He looked back to his paper and thought about what to write once more. This was impossible. How was he supposed to write with a gun to his head? He looked back again and realized there was only a bit of glimmer where K once stood. His manager was gone.

~^_^~

Kellein sat back and drank her bloodwine. The rainbows came to her, and she didn't care. She recognized the sensation as the same as being trumped, transported through special cards made by the Chaosians and Amberites. They came to that universe often, and one family in particular had become very close to her own. Casually, she checked her phasor and d'tagk knife before downing the rest of the bloodwine. Only one Chaosian knew how to transport someone in this manner without the use of the cards: Ares.

~^_^~

Ares smiled, black wings folded behind him. He'd managed to transport everyone there at once. Not a bad feat for a minor god. Especially since he wasn't fully mature yet. Well, give him time. He looked over at Kellein, who just watched him. "What, captain? No sweet hellos? Really, Aunt Kell..."

Kellein couldn't help but smile. She'd known this man since his birth. "Hello, Ares."

Everyone took time to reorient themselves, looking at who else was there. It was obvious, however, that more than just those two knew each other. Willow and Spike were more than shocked to see each other there. If it hadn't been for the conversation that had just happened, they'd be inclined to blame their predicament on each other.

Ares took this moment of disorientation to take a look around at his new group. They were some of the best the multiverse had to offer, and then some. He'd handpicked all of them, and made sure he had plenty in case up to half of them decided they didn't want to stay.

Roland was an older man with dark hair and ice blue eyes. He was a gunslinger, pure and true. He was a lightning shooter, though not quite what he once had been, being that he was missing two fingers on his right hand. Those, Ares remembered from watching the man's past, were lost to giant sea creatures who'd found the unlucky man on the beach. The lobstrosities had poisoned him that day, but it was completely clear now.

Willow and Spike were both from the same universe. Same planet, in fact. Willow was a witch who'd drowned herself so far in magic she'd never be able to escape. In fact, she'd finally gotten the control over it she needed for her to be of any use. Spike was a vampire with a soul that liked to fight. That was kinda all there was to him. But he was the best at it. Having decided to not take chances, Ares had equipped him with a Gem of Amara, keeping the vampire from becoming ash with the first rays of the sun.

Ryoko was a cyan-haired beauty, who still slept, despite the growing conversations. She could manipulate energy to almost no end, teleport, phase through walls, and a whole other matter of abilities that would prove to be useful. What was little known about her, even in her own universe, was that she was the daughter to a goddess. Washuu had created her that way and stored her power in three gems, two of which Ryoko now had. Once Ryoko was fully mature, she would be just as powerful as her mother once had. However, Ryoko also had a fierce temper, which was about to become evident. She was highly displeased when she opened her golden cat-like eyes and only found unfamiliar surroundings.

Lina had red hair and eyes, covered in an armor that was just as magical as it was tough. She was a sorceress in her world, and Ares knew her well. Another from her world, Xellos, had married his aunt. They'd had two children together, one of which tried to kill him when they were kids. Thankfully, he and his cousin were on better terms with each other later in life. Especially once they found out he was adopted. Lina's specialty was in dark magic, which often took a small drain on herself as well as her surroundings. It was destructive and often called upon the power of the Lord of Nightmares, but he had no worries about that. She didn't use it often, and he had taken the place of the Lord of Nightmares anyway.

Cloud, Squall, Dagger, and Yuna were all from various universes right next to one another. Cloud had spiky blond hair and blue eyes. He was a fighter, and a master with the blade. He'd been taken at an opportune time, because he'd had the best materia equipped to his weapon at the moment, allowing him to cast any spell, or summon any guardian. Squall had dark hair, and once again, blue eyes. His mastery was with the gunblade, which was uncommon for anyone; even in his universe. They also had a way of junctioning guardians inside their mind, which enabled them to use magic they drew from the earth or objects at high areas of magic. At the current time, he'd had quite a few junctioned to him, including Eden. Dagger, a dark haired woman with brown eyes, was the queen where she lived, and had a sort of cousin in a near-by kingdom. The two had been the last of their kind. Yuna was from a world where great games were played underwater, and summoners sacrificed themselves trying to gain a few years of piece. She'd had brown hair, and her eyes were two different colors because of her parentage. She was on her own pilgrimage when she was swept away.

The only two that were left were K, Bad Luck's manager, and Kellein, the captain of the ISS Parmach. K had long blond hair and blue eyes. His reason for being here lay in what he currently held in his hand: a pistol. He knew all sorts of guns, and how to use them. For good measure, Ares had pulled K's sniper rifle from that world at the same time. Kellein was a Klingon, and somehow also a goddess, though he wasn't quite sure he understood that yet. He'd heard the story a dozen times as a child, but it still just managed to slip his comprehension. She had once been human, a series of events turning her to who she was now. She was the mother to over a dozen biological children, and adoptive to half a dozen more. For a good deal of time, she was a role model for him. She knew how to fight, how to win, and never gave in.

He, himself, was a sort of odd child. He was borne of Chaos, and later merged with it. Being that he isn't yet fully mature, he cannot fully manifest all such power. His feathery lavender hair often fell into his eyes, and was tied into a long ponytail in the back. The cloak he wore was a dark blue, made of a magically enforced silk. His eyes were once a deep violet, but turned red over the years. His wings were black at first, until they'd been ripped from his body in a fight with Plague. They'd grown back white, in that final battle in the fire, then had a habit of changing colors to suit his moods. And he was in a dark mood.