IOE: Hey, everyone, Ignira of Esperon here with yet another one-shot. (I was very pleased with the reviews I got for Nostalgia! Thanks so much for reading and, especially, reviewing!) I wasn't sure whether I wanted to call this 'Destiny' or 'Freedom', because it's about both. Anyway, this is a one-shot about Sheba's POV on her kidnapping, Felix, and Venus Lighthouse. In this fic, I wrote her character with mental issues. In addition, I wanted to have her feel dark emotions and be a little egotistical because of how she was treated by the Laliveroans. Given the stuff she goes through, it seems to make sense to me that she latches onto Felix. Jenna, Kraden, and Alex aren't mentioned. Stuff that is repeated is done on purpose. I hope you enjoy this one!

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Her whole life, she'd been a symbol of divinity, of power to her people. For a time, she herself believed that she was the child of the gods, but she eventually understood that she was not the gods' child, but rather their joke. She was used against her own people as a symbol and, when she defied Tolbi's godlike tyrant, a hostage. She remembered feeling a surge of pride when the Laliverans learned that she was no ally of Babi's, though she paid for it. He may have treated her civilly as a prisoner, but the wind loathes to be denied its freedom. And Babi continued his exploitation, only with a different method of manipulation.

She believed herself to be all-powerful until she was imprisoned by mere men, and felt, for the first time, humiliation and weakness. It scared her, and made her so angry. Didn't they understand that she was not like anyone else? She was not born in Lalivero; she was a stranger to it. She could bend the winds to her will, see thoughts that men thought safe. And it pleased her, yet frightened her, just as she was pleased to be worshipped and praised, but frightened by it. They didn't know what they saw as divine was a young girl that was extraordinary, but far from divine, far from a goddess, or even a child of the gods. She hadn't known, either, until she realized she was not invincible.

The world then seemed to her to be an expansive place, full of mystery that excited and scared her. She wanted answers. She wanted an identity again. What scared her was if she didn't get what she wanted. She'd be alone, a strange girl out of place. Before, she enjoyed this thought, like an attention-craving, spoiled fool. Now feelings of loneliness and isolation ate at her. She knew what she wasn't, but not what she was. She was so separate from the people around her, same as before, but not above them. She was a unique and beautiful snowflake on a hot summer day.

When she was kidnapped again, she didn't know it, but it was the best thing that could have happened to her. She learned that while she was still strange and special, she wasn't radically different from everyone in the world. She was assimilated into a group of equally extraordinary people, and educated about what they called Psynergy. Even though she was so thrilled, ecstatic, she still wanted very badly to have her freedom. She was not with these people by choice. Because of that, despite the fact that they rescued her from Babi's imprisonment, she would never forgive Saturos and Menardi. She kept this to herself, like she kept most things then.

Felix kept things to himself, too. He felt so kindred to her. She never understood why, but she let herself open to him a little, though she hated him a little for allowing Saturos and Menardi to have power over them. She never understood why he did. He seemed to hate them, but depend on them. Sheba simply hated them. She depended on Felix for her sanity and answers about things like Psynergy. He would listen quietly whenever she spoke, and he would answer her questions in simple, but effective ways so that she could understand. The only annoying thing was he never asked her much. She was not depended on, but she depended on. She was so unused to this she hated it, but she couldn't hate him. He was solitude, comfort, and, eventually, protection. It had crossed her mind very frequently to simply read his mind, but she respected him too much.

Saturos and Menardi had always been very careful about not letting Sheba out of their sight, but one night they slipped. It had been a long, exhausting day, and so during the night watch, Saturos fell asleep next to Menardi. Sheba didn't hesitate to run. She didn't waste time getting any supplies, or even a lantern to see in the night black as pitch. She simply stole away, heart pounding, and ran as fast as the wind. She was swift and agile, so she barely stumbled through the trees, though it was very hard to see. She heard running footsteps behind her, and was so afraid and thrilled by the chase. Her heart was pounding out of her ears at the thought of what they might do to her, or the thought that she might actually keep her freedom. She ran and ran. She heard a voice call her name, and recognized Felix's voice. She stopped instantly, and turned. So it was he who'd been chasing her. She was so excited. She wasn't going to be captured. Instead, she was going to be accompanied to freedom. She caught her breath and waited. He wasn't far behind. His figure emerged from the trees, and she felt her heart race.

He silently approached her, and put his arms on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. She thought he was going to kiss her. She wasn't so much afraid as thrilled. His amber eyes gripped her, and she imagined the soft, warm, moist feel of his kiss. But he surprised her.

"You have to go back," he said quietly, and the excitement was gone. She was confused and dismayed, maybe a little embarrassed. She was silent in shock for a moment, but then burned with anger.

"You can't ask me to go back there," she seethed, "I shouldn't be held against my will. I should be free, and you know it. I don't even know why they want me."

"I don't know why they need you, but I know it won't be for much longer. Trust me, Sheba," he said. She so wanted to trust him just then, with his arms firmly holding on to her shoulders, his voice quiet but firm, and she did. She said nothing, however. She was afraid to speak, so captivated by those amber eyes and his solemn, but kind face. He seemed to understand, and they silently returned to camp.

The next day, with Felix's careful prodding and questioning, Saturos and Menardi promised to free Sheba once they entered Venus Lighthouse. Sheba felt so protected by Felix, and, for once, didn't mind that she depended on him.

When Sheba discovered on the lighthouse aerie that Saturos and Menardi had no intention of releasing her, she was filled with fury, and hated that she was powerless to escape. She hated that they forced her to use her powers. Her powers were precious to her and it felt violating to use them when she didn't want to. She hated that they wouldn't trust Felix with her.

She had been used by Babi, and now she was being used by Saturos and Menardi. She was important and depended on for their plans, but only as a pawn is on a chessboard. The gods were laughing at their bastard child. Freedom was a fairy tale. She would never be free. She felt so vulnerable and powerless. She was helpless.

The gods weren't through laughing. The earth shook violently as Venus was reintroduced to the world. The wind rushed in her ears as she dangled off of the side of the lighthouse. She felt like she was on the edge of her sanity. She was no god. She was a joke, a pawn. Her spirit was broken. She was so afraid of letting go. And then she realized that freedom was no fable. It was just within reach.

Suddenly, her beautiful protector appeared above her. His long, dark hair was blowing all around his face. The light from the beacon gave him a golden halo. It made him look so divine, though his face was filled with fear, such a mortal emotion. His face was staring at hers. She wasn't so afraid anymore.

"No! Sheba! Hold on, Sheba! Take my hand!" he shouted. He reached. She considered that she might be able to grasp it if she tried, but she was too afraid to try and too eager for what the gods seemed to have in store 100 feet below. She smiled at him serenely. Fate was calling her. She would eventually give in, she knew.

"I can't…" she said. He'd never looked so alarmed. His eyes were wide with fear. She'd never seen him like this before. He'd always looked solemn. She felt precious, needed, but not for the same reasons as Saturos and Babi needed her. He looked afraid, desperate. He was leaned so far over the edge; he might've fallen as well.

"You must try! If you don't, you'll fall!" he yelled, perhaps because he was so desperate or because he thought she didn't seem to understand the gravity of the situation, looking so serene as she did now. Sheba, no longer afraid of falling, was only holding on now simply to take in as much of him as she could before he became a speck in the distance. She looked down. The gods were getting impatient. There were rumblings below as the foundations of Venus lighthouse were becoming the ruins of Venus lighthouse. The ground was becoming closer to her.

"Look down…the foundations of the lighthouse are crumbling," she said.

"Why is this happening?" he panicked, and said something to himself, but she couldn't hear it over the roar of the crumbling and rumbling below.

"I'm slipping," she told him, smiling so as to reassure him, "I can't hold on any longer." She didn't want him to feel any blame for this. Rather, she wanted him to be happy that she would be free soon. Didn't he understand that this was what the gods wanted for her now? She was done being their entertainment.

Felix was so frightened and desperate that she could see tears. He was so human. He was reaching towards her as far as he could now, his arm practically stretching out of its socket.

"No! Don't let go," he demanded, trying like a fool to defy fate, "You can't! You'll…"

Sheba was crying now, too. She'd never met anyone like this man. She was so glad that she'd met him and known him, though it was for so painfully short a time. She was so grateful to him for caring for her, trying to protect her.

"Goodbye, Felix," she said softly, "And thank you." There was a tremor. She was disconnected from the building, from sanity, and falling freely.

She was completely free. The wind was rushing all around her. Her heart was pounding in her ears. The sky was rising far above her, and Felix, too. She was flying on her back, and it was exhilarating. Her clothes were whipping in the wind. She was uninhibited.

Suddenly, Felix was flying, too. She was filled with fear. No, he was beyond her fate. This wasn't supposed to happen. Now she'd made him lose his sanity. He was shouting, but she couldn't hear over the roar of the winds. He looked so bold, so determined. And then, she was happy. She wasn't lonely anymore, and she hadn't been since she'd met him. He wasn't going to let the gods separate them. They were falling into destiny together. Sheba beamed at him.

Suddenly, she was swallowed, but not by the earth she expected. She was sinking deeper and deeper into the depths of an unexpected sea. Felix fell in after her. His body was rushing towards her as they both delved deeper and deeper. It occurred to her that perhaps this wasn't the end. She was filled with some regret, but accepted it. Felix's arms embraced her and they sank a little deeper together. Suddenly, they were rising. He was fighting furiously to reach the surface again. Sheba realized she couldn't breathe. As the lights from the world above got closer and closer, she wondered how upset the gods would be that a man defied them. She realized that Felix was freer than she was. Felix was above fate, above destiny, unlike Sheba, who was tied to it.

They breached the surface, and gasped for breath in unison. It was almost like being born anew. The world looked different to her. She and Felix were surrounded by water. The night sky stretched over them.

Wordlessly, Felix repositioned himself to her, and gripped her shoulders from behind. He then started swimming on his back. She was held tightly, and on her back as well. Sheba didn't know where they were going, but accepted it. She simply enjoyed the feeling of security. Felix would never stop protecting her, she knew. Perhaps she'd been wrong. Perhaps he did depend on her, and she could guess why. She chuckled.

"I can't believe we made it," she said. She gazed at the sky. She'd been so close to it a moment ago. She hadn't expected Felix to hear her, but he did:

"Are you so surprised? You've survived falls from the sky before."

She didn't know she could enjoy hearing a voice so much.

"What are we going to do now?" she asked.

"Find shore. I can see land off in the distance. After that, regroup and continue with the quest," he said. Sheba didn't understand why the beacons had to be lit, but trusted Felix. She listened to the soft movements of the water as Felix made smooth, powerful kicks.

"You're free now, Sheba," said Felix. She felt lighter than air. It was true; she was no longer anyone's prisoner.

"You don't have to come with me, Sheba, but," he said quietly, "I want you to."

Sheba smiled. She felt drowsy now. She felt so safe with him.

"I'm free to choose," she said, "And I want to come with you."

There was a terrible rumbling off in the distance. Sheba lifted her head to see where it was coming from, and her blood froze in her veins. A gigantic wave rose to the skies, and was headed straight for them. It was closing in fast.

"Felix…"

It loomed over them, a wall of doom. She heard Felix gasp. Her feelings of safety were gone. She was powerless. The sun was blotted out. As it crashed over them with tremendous force, before Sheba lost consciousness and forgot all that happened after she fell from Venus lighthouse, she thought:

Perhaps not even Felix can defy the gods.