Very clever fanfic. It makes it so that characters from two eras which are hundreds of years apart end up meeting. The main Zoid in here, called The War Wolf, is very believable. Tim Seltzer, seltzer@seltzerbooks.com
Sakura's Disclaimer: This goes for all chapters,so I don't have
to write this dislaimer again...I don't own Zoids and don't get paid for
writing this.Thank you.
Or...a vision?
I had found myself starting to have these major back pains upon arrival in a new city...and I realized I kept seeing feathers everywhere...why was that?Why was it always feathers?
I was soon to find out,but not after another talk with Sakura's Mother,who told me it would result in a gift from the Ancient Zoidians,who had now accepted me as one of them because of what had befallen me,and that this gift would help me to protect Sakura.
Soon enough afterwhich my back pain ended...with a show of wings,explaining the feathers I had been seeing,and my back pain.
Does all of this...make me Sakura's Guardian Angel?
(\^_^/) (/_\) (\^_^/)
(\^_^/) (/_\) (\^_^/)
"Um,are you guys sure this is a good idea?"
I asked as I looked down at Sakura and Sombra from the tree limb I stood on high above.Sakura nodded to me.
"Sure it is,Van!If anything happens,we'll catch you!"
She called up to me,Sombra nodding as well in agreement and tugging the net taught that the girls carried.
"Yeah!You don't have anything to worry about,Van!"
I sighed as I looked down at them,feeling a slight breeze blow against my shirtless body,a few feathers floating off of my Tenshi-Shiroi (Angel-White) wings and into the wind.
"All right,if you say so..."
I called back down,deciding to throw my caution with my few lost feathers and spread my wings,taking a deep breath and leaping forward,closing my eyes and hoping not to get myself killed,praying the whole time.
"Van,flap!Flap your wings!"
Sakura yelled in a concerned and frightened sounding tone.
"Van,start flapping your wings to catch the air!"
Sombra yelled,starting to flap her arms to try and show me,though my eyes were closed tight.
"Sombra,the net!"
Sakura yelped to her,Sombra then sweatdropping,having dropped her side to flap her arms.She bent down to quickly pick it up,but it was a little late,as I came tumbling right down into it,and without full support on both sides of the net from both girls,my sudden weight sent us all to the ground in a heap.
"Ow..."
Sakura muttered,sitting up and rubbing her head,looking to Sombra,who simply sweatdropped again.
"Oops...?"
Sakura and I both sighed anime style in unison.
(\^_^/) (/_\) (\^_^/)
"Okay,this plan is fool-proof!"
Sakura said,tightening the rope around my waist and arms,making sure the knots were good and secure as the three of us all stood on one huge,sturdy tree branch high above the forest floor.
"This way you won't hit the ground when...I mean IF you fall!"
"Thanks for the vote of confidence..."
I told her,looking down and sweatting some.I was starting to realize a fear I never realized I had...a fear of heights.Sheesh,pretty bad for someone with the last name Flyheight,huh?
Sombra grinned.
"Don't worry,Van!Like Sakura said,this plan's fool-proof!You'll be flying in no time like this!"
I was starting to wonder if the idea itself was foolish as I looked down.No,I was'nt wondering...I KNEW this was foolish!I turned back to Sombra and Sakura,gulping.
"Um,are you guys trying to help me or kill me?"
I looked back down,everything blurring a bit as another bead of sweat rolled down my face,Sakura stepping carefully closer to me on the branch.
"Trust me,you'll thank us for this later..."
She said,then shoving me forward and off the branch.I yelped,trying to flap my wings,but they refused to move as I closed my eyes tight,reaching back and gripping onto the rope that harness me.
"You guys really DO wanna kill me!"
"Van!Van,watch out for that...!"
I heard Sombra yell,wondering what I was supposed to watch out for and turned...just before I swung slam into nothing but bark and wood.
"Tree..."
Sombra finished,Sakura sweatdropping.
"Okay...let's move on to plan C."
I pulled myself from the bark and blinked several times anime style,gulping nervously.
"Plan...C?"
(\^_^/) (/_\) (\^_^/)
"Okay,this one can't possibly fail!"
Sakura somewhat gloated as we stood in yet another tree,this time out by a lakeside,the branch hanging out over the water.
"You're a great swimmer,Van!So if you fall,you won't get hurt and can just swim back to shore!You've got nothing to fear here,so nothing to worry about and make you stiff,right?"
"Yeah,I...guess..."
I said,looking out across the water.
"Just...don't push me this time..."
I told her,taking a step forward and taking a deep breath.Sakura smirked.
"Okay,I won't..."
"Okay..."
I was still having second thoughts though...sure I was a good swimmer yeah,but...oh,what was I afraid of?
The height,that's what...
"Come on,Van!You can do it!"
Sombra told me,standing beside Sakura on the large branch.I looked back at them.
"I...don't think this is such a good idea..."
"Van,come on!"
"No,no...Sakura,I really don't think..."
I sighed,trying to get up my nerve to do it as I looked across the water again.Sakura looked to Sombra and nodded,Sombra coming forward and giving me a hard shove,knocking me off the branch.Sakura tried to look innoccent.
"I told him I would'nt shove him,but I never said anything about you."
Sombra smirked and they both watched as I made futile attempts at flapping my wings,making a couple of flaps and catching the air just a bit,but not enough to keep me up,and I soon splashed down hard into the water.
I coughed and spit out water as I came to the surface,grumbling.
"Never said anything about Sombra..."
I mocked in a high-pitched voice,pretty cheesed off right now.
"I'm gonna..."
That's when I felt something brush against me under the water,looking down to see something circling me.
"What on Zi...?"
I got a closer look,seeing a few rows of sharp teeth,and a few others of the creatures going to join it in circling me.I sweatdropped,having sort of a delayed reaction.Then...
"Zi Pirhanas!"
I yelped,making the fastest swim I had ever made over to a nearby rock sticking up out of the water,climbing on as a few of the Zi-type Pirhanas tried to jump at me.I sat right on the middle of the rock on it's highest point,sweatdropping again as I watched them circle the rock.
Sakura and Sombra sighed.
"Okay,that was officially the worst idea in the long,sad history of bad ideas..."
Sakura stated,Sombra nodding.
"Yep..."
(\^_^/) (/_\) (\^_^/)
"No way!There is no way I'm going with another of your crazy plans!"
I yelled some time later,after Sakura and Sombra had 'rescued' me from the Zi Pirhana Predicament.
Sakura put her hands up innoccently and continued trying to convince me.
"Come on,Van.You gotta learn how to fly.Why have wings if you're not to fly?Look,this one will DEFINATELY work.All you have to do is stand on the War Wolf with your wings spread while I make it run and..."
"No!No no no no no!No more net!No more ropes!No more lakes!NO MORE FLYING LESSONS!!!"
"But,Van..."
Sombra started to protest,but I did'nt let her get it out.
"No means no!N-O NO!I'm sick and tired of falling,getting beaten,bashed,nearly eaten and everything else!"
With that I turned and ran,hoping to get away from them for a while as I made my way through the dense woods,night starting to fall as I leapt and ran past the thick foliage.
"Van,wait!"
Sakura called,about to come after me,but Sombra put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her.
"Let him go..."
"But Sombra,it's getting dark!He could get hurt out there by himself!"
"You may not care about how he feels,but..."
"Don't you DARE tell me I don't care about him!"
Sombra smirked at me when I outbursted like that,then saying,
"You love him."
Sakura blinked...then realized Sombra was right.
I was in the meantime still running,soon coming to a stop though and sighing,leaning against a tree and sliding into a sitting position on the ground.
"Sheesh,what's their problem?They're my wings,I should decide whether I learn to fly with them or not and if so I should be the one to decide how I learn..."
I sighed,leaning back and looking up at the twin moons.I remembered how they had looked just like that the nigth I left my own time 300 years ago and came to this one...
"Zeke...Fiona...Irvine...Moonbay...man,I miss you guys.I wonder if I'll ever see them again.."
I thought,feeling a few tears sting my eyes.I felt like I needed to be here with Sakura...and I wanted to be here with her...but I wanted my old world and old friends back at the same time.
"Why does everything have to be so hard?"
I wondered aloud,hugging my knees and letting my forehead rest on them,hiding the tears I was starting to shed.
"Why..."
(\^_^/) (/_\) (\^_^/)
Sakura sighed later that night,poking at the fire with a stick,in deep thought.Sombra watched her and spoke up,
"Don't worry,Sakura.Van will be back.He'll be okay,he just needs time to himself,just like you did.Remember how much time you used to need to yourself?That was like...almost all the time..."
Sakura nodded slowly.
"Yeah,that's true...I still feel bad though...I only wanted to help him,but...it turned out all wrong...all wrong..."
"It's okay.Van will understand that after he cools down a little...and after his head stops hurting from whamming into that tree earlier.Ouch,that hurt just looking at it..."
"Yeah,I guess..."
Sakura said,sighing again and continuing to poke at the fire,never taking her eyes from it.Sombra opened her mouth to speak again,but she was cut off as Sakura suddenly looked up,her head whipping around some like she was looking for something.Sombra felt a little panic rise inside of her.
"Sakura?What is it?"
"The Neo Empire...they're here..."
She said,Sombra giving a gasp and looking around.Sakura grabbed her wrist.
"Come on,we have to find Van before..."
She was cut off as a crimson hot beam of light shot past,missing her by inches.Sakura growled and let go of Sombra's wrist.
"Hurry!Scatter!"
Sombra nodded,both of them running in different directions as a few Neo Stormtroopers went to follow them.
It was at this point in time I blinked,raising my forehead from my knees as I heard shots being fired,along with Sakura's scatter command.
"Oh no...Sakura!"
I yelled,jumping up and running back to the campsite,praying she and Sombra were all right.
Sakura now breathed heavily as she ran,drawing her 357 Magnum and whirling around,firing and knocking down a couple of the troopers following her,then going to talk.
End of Chapter Fourteen
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