Lost In Your Eyes
by: Emily

Love can touch you at any time, in any way, and you might not ever realize it. In any instance, love will trap you in it's clutches and you have no way off getting out. Love can change the way you look at things, the way you react to things, and the way that you feel towards things. Love can find a place in anyone's hearts, even in the hearts of the coldest and unfeeling people. Love can both heal and hurt you, even at the same time.

So this is Earth, Astronoma thought, a smirk crossing her lips. This is the planet that so many villains have tried, and failed, to overtake. This is the planet that supposably ruins one, causing them bad luck for the rest of their lives. Look at what happened to Zedd and Rita. Ruined, turned into weaklings by this planet. Mondo and Machina. Defeated. Ivan Ooze. Destroyed. And now, Divatox. So far, that pirate has only succeeded in being humiliated by those teenagers.

Truthfully though, Astronoma mused, it doesn't look that difficult. She looked around her, running her hands through her short blond hair as she did. She watched as people rushed by, smiling and laughing as they readied themselves for the day ahead.I mean, look at them. They don't have any special powers, they don't know of any spells to protect them, and they can't use magic the way that I can. How hard could it be to destroy them?

Astronoma shrugged as she pushed the thoughts from her head. Today she was here to observe the earthlings, to see how they interact with each other, to see how they lived. This would help her later, if she ever decided to take over the planet. They never observed the humans. They thought that they were too powerful to be defeated. But I think it is wise to observe them for if one knows their enemy, one can defeat them.

She continued walking, so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even realize where she was going. Suddenly, she hit something - or someone, and she fell to the ground from the impact. A look of surprise crossed her face as she suddenly found herself face to face with one of the earthlings. Her eyes narrowed at first, and her fingers itched to squeeze them around his neck. Before she could she caught herself, remembering that she was on earth. She didn't want to draw any attention to herself; at least not yet. She looked atthe guy sprawled on the ground.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she got to her knees.He looked up at her, wincing slightly as he massaged a spot on his side where he had fallen. He shook his head slightly, causing hisbleached blonde hair to catch the sun's light.

"Yeah, I think so." he said, looking over at her. As soon as they made eye contact, Astronoma was startled to see the soft blue that colored his eyes. For a moment she was lost in his eyes, but she quickly shook any feelings away. "I didn't mean to run into you. Are you alright?"

Astronoma smiled slightly. "Yeah, I am. I've had worse bruises than this." That's for sure. After all, one doesn't become the princess of evil by being soft, does she?

The young man smiled almost wistfully as he agreed with her. "I know what you mean. I've had worse cuts and bruises, too." The two lapsed into silence as they stared at each other awkwardly. Astronoma looked away from him.

"I should go." she said. With that, she turned around and started to walk away from him. Before she could get far, she heard him calling her.

"Wait, hold on!" he called as he hurried after her. She stopped and turned around abruptly, causing the two of them to almost collided again. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to say something. He looked at her shyly for a moment before taking a deep breathe.

"I kinda feel bad about running into you, since I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." he said in a rush. "And I was wondering if I could treat you to a shake or something." Astronoma stared at him for a moment, ready to refuse the offer. But there was something about his eyes that stopped her. Before she realized what she was doing, she heard herself answering him.

"Sure, why not?" she answered. He smiled at her as he turned around, motioning for her to follow.

"Great!" he exclaimed. "I know of just the place, too. I used to go there all the time when I was in high school." Astronoma slowly followed him, not even sure why. As they walked down the sidewalk, Astronoma looked up at him.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Billy. And yours?"

Astronoma paused for a second, trying desperately to come up with a name. "Uh...Anya." she said, remembering a companion that she had when she was younger. "My name's Anya."

He smiled and nodded as she revealed her name. The two once again lapsed into silence as they walked, side by side, down the long street. Astronoma stole a glance at him, trying to figure out why she had agreed to go with him. Well, this is an excellent chance to see how the earthlings do interact with each other. This will give me a good amount of insight on their day to day behavior.

She stole another glance at him, this time paying more attention to his features, his eyes in particular. There's something about his eyes. I can't put my finger on it. They seem to be, hiding something, like a secret that he doesn't want anyone to know about. A small smirk crossed her face as she thought about his secret. Maybe it's time someone did find out his little secret. Maybe it's time to see how much an earthling can take before they crack.

As Astronoma prepared to call upon her Quantrons, Billy suddenly turned to her with a small smile on his face. "This is it," he announced. Astronoma cursed silently to herself before turning to look at the place that Billy was looking it.

The Youth Center? Astronoma though in disgust. What is this?

"An old friend of mine named Ernie just moved back and reopened this place." he explained. "I never really realized how much I missed this place until Ernie brought it back." Billy then began to explain the many transformations this place had been through as the two of them walked into the Youth Center and sat down at a table.

Astronoma looked around the setting, taking in everything she saw. A bunch of young girls, standing on a bunch of mats on the far side of the Youth Center, were helping each other practice flips. A small group of young children were being taught a class in karate, by a person not much older than her own companion. Astronoma turned to look at Billy once more when a glimpse of red caught her eyes. She focused her attention on a small group of people sitting all together at a table. She watched them carefully, waiting for one of them to look her way. Suddenly, the one in yellow turned and looked directly at her. Astronoma narrowed her eyes as she recognized the girl. She's a power ranger! Then that probably means that all of them at the table are power rangers.

She briefly thought of changing back into her usual form, when thoughts of Dark Spectre pushed their way forward. He doesn't know that I'm here. If he did, there's no telling what he'd do to me. No, it's best that I stay low. That is, until I'm alone with an earthling.

"Are you still there?" a voice asked her, tearing her away from her thoughts. Astronoma turned her attention towards her companion. He was staring at her, a half smile on his face. "Do you want anything from the bar?"

Astronoma shrugged slightly. "I don't really care. I don't know what they have here, so get me whatever you're getting." He nodded as he stood up and moved toward the bar. As he stood there, having his order taken by a slightly overweight man, she studied him, taking in account every detail she could muster.

He is awfully cute, even for an earthling, she admitted to herself. But there's something about him that's.....different than any other human I have observed. He seems to glow with the prospect of living life, and that glow seems to reach all of those who are near him! It's even affected me, to some extent, and I've only know him a little while. There's also.....sadness in his eyes. A weak emotion, if you ask me. She scoffed at the prospect of sadness. The only emotions worth having are those of anger, revenge, cunningness....now those are emotions that will help you. The ones that he's harboring, why, I'm surprised he's lasted as long as he has!

But then again, Earth isn't like the place where I grew up. They will not hurt you if you make a mistake. They will not throw you in the hands of a murderer, a villain, like the one I was put into. A wave of sadness passed through her as she thought of her one-time companion whom had been killed off years ago by the very same person who had brought her to Ecliptor. But as quickly as the feeling came, she brushed it aside. No, they were too weak. And anyone who is not strong enough should die.

Before she could let her thoughts wander even more, Billy returned carrying with him two large glasses. Astronoma looked at them in shock as he placed one of them before her. "It's a blueberry smoothie. The specialty of the house today." As she looked at it warily, he gave a shout of laughter. "Just try it. It won't bite."

Astronoma slowly picked up the glass and put it to her lips. As she cautiously tipped the glass forward, a bit of blue liquid flowed into her mouth. She suddenly felt as if her mouth were bursting from flavor as she swallowed the liquid. Never, in her whole life, had she tasted anything so mouth-watering. "This is delicious!" she exclaimed, as she immediately took another sip of the liquid. As she put the glass down, a genuine smile crossed her face as a girlish giggle escaped her lips. For as long as she could remember, she had never felt so, happy before. It's as if all the emotions that had been pent up behind her mask, were let out. No, I must keep control. I must not feel emotions. Emotions are weak. Emotions will destroy me.

Astronoma slowly sat back against her chair, pushing the blueberry smoothie away from her, as if pushing away all emotions that it had caused. "I'm not really that thirsty, though."

"Are you okay?" Billy asked as he stared at her, concerned about her sudden change of emotions. "Is something bothering you?"

Astronoma shook her head vigorously. "No, nothing's wrong. Why do you care?"

Billy visibly was taken aback as he looked at her in shock. He had never met anyone with these kind of changing emotions. But for some reason, he wanted to talk to her. "Because you look so upset. And," he said, "it's sometimes easier to talk about what's wrong with someone you don't know that well."

She looked at him sharply. "Oh, then why don't you tell me about the what's bothering you," she spat at him. "Maybe you should tell someone why you look so sad."

She glared at him, challenging him to say anymore. She expected him to snap back, just as she had done. Instead, he did something that surprised her. He paled slightly at her words, and he closed his eyes as if he were in a great amount of pain. He opened his eyes once again, a fierce determination lighting his eyes. As she stared athim, she realized that this was a look that had crossed his face more than once. "Okay. I'll tell you why I'm so sad."

She looked at him in surprise, for she had never expected that he would take what she said so seriously. She opened her mouth for some type of retort, but for once in her life Astronoma was completely speechless. No one had ever had any kind of affect on her than he had just did. Most people had either withered beneath her steely gaze or retorted back in their own way. No one had ever taken her this way. As she stared at him, he began to talk.

"A couple of years ago, I was just a normal teenager. I had a great group of friends who I was exceptionally close to. One day, an earthquake shook the whole town. That was the day......that was the day my friends and I all took on a very important job. That job would be the better part of our lives for a couple years. We all did the best we could, when suddenly, one by one, my friends began to leave the job, to go on with their lives. They were replaced, of course, but it wasn't the same. Then one day,"Billy took a deep breath as his voice began to shake, "one day, I too, lost the job. But I didn't have that much of a choice. There was another that deserved the job even more than me. So I spent the days helpingthe others out, trying to make it easier on them. It wasn't the same, but it was what I did. Soon, I found out that a strange disease had infected me, and it would grow considerably worse until, one day, I would die. So I went away from my friends, and out of town, to get help from a specialist. Once there, I was cured of the disease. But things had changed. I no longer had a place back with my friends, back at the job. So I told them that I had found a job that I loved, one that was far away from where they were. They believed me, each without a second glance. And I never saw, or talked, to any of them ever again. They never even tried to talk to me, neither did any of my other friends.I was alone, with no one in the world to talk to."

With that, he slowly sat back, letting the words he had said fill the table. Astronoma looked at him in mute shock, wondering what would happen if the one person she cared about, Ecliptor, would desert or. Or what would happen if she could no longer fulfill her own duties. As she stared at him, with his own words still ringing softly in her ears, she took a deep breath of her own. Than, she did something she had never done before. She told him of her own past.

"Now that you've told me about your sadness, it is time for me to tell you of mine." she said softly. "Many years ago, when I was a young girl, I lived happily with my family. Both of my parents and my older brother were my entire world. One day, some strangers came into town, destroying all that they could. They came to our house, and with a swift blast of energy, killed my family. They turned to me, intent on finishing the job, when they were pushed away by a man I had never known. He quickly pushed them away from me, and picking me up, ran as far as he could out of what was left of my house. He took me with him, across the lands, until I was in a place unfamiliar to me. It was there when I began to be trained for a job that would later become my entire life. I was pushed hard, but never too hard. I learned to take things as they are, instead of trying to wish things were different. Soon, I was given the job that I had worked so hard for. The intense pleasure that filled me when I finally received what I had been working for for so long is a feeling that I would never forget. But it was because of this job that I hurt other people, even without meaning it. Sometimes I wish I could take it back. Sometimes I wish that I could have my family back, and not have to worry about anything that I have to do. But I have vowed to find those that destroyed my family and face them, to see justice served. Only than will I be able to be free of these feelings that have been part of me for so long."

As she finished her tale, Astronoma looked up at Billy, wanting to see his reaction. Shock covered his features as he digested her story, but also compassion. Compassion for her, for the years that had been lost because of what had happened in her childhood. He didn't know how to express how much he sympathized with her, but as he stared into her eyes, he knew that he wouldn't have to explain. Their eyes met, and all the emotions that had been brought forth stood naked in their eyes. In that instant, the two were connected forever. Even when they were to leave and never see each other again, they would be connected. Astronoma knew this and turned her head away. She didn't want to be connected with anyone.

"I think I should go," she whispered hoarsely. Never had any feelings like this ever overtaken a being so evil as herself. And she didn't want any feelings to overtake her. Not now, not ever. Astronoma quickly stood up and started walking away. Billy threw some money on the table and hurried after her, not ready to let her go. Not with so many unresolved ends. She was far out of the Youth Center by the time he caught her. In fact, she was in the deserted lot behind an old building when he reached over to grab her arm. She turned to look at him, her face a mask once more. He stared into her eyes, trying to find the girl that he had reached just a few seconds ago. "I wish to be left alone."

"No," he said firmly. "No, not yet. Not with the way things just went in there. You can't keep running away from yourself like that! You'll only end up hurting not only yourself, but others too." He stared at her, this time his eyes giving the challenge. As she opened her mouth to answer, twelve gray beings suddenly appeared around them. Billy turned to face them, a look of shock on his face.

"Piranatrons," Astronoma hissed as she glared at the beings. Stupid, but easy to assess liabilities, that were the henchmen of Divatox. And right now, Astronoma did not want to fight any of them. Especially now, with her ridiculously limited Earthling attire. Even so, the beings were now drawing closer to both Billy and herself. As she prepared herself for battle, she heard Billy's voice.

"Get out of here!" he shouted. "I can take care of them!"

Her eyes narrowed as she glared at him. "Oh, so I can't take them on myself, huh? We'll just see about that." With that, Astronomaleapt forward, intent on taking as many of the Piranatrons down as possible. As she fought against the gray beings, she saw Billy taking down many of his own. It looked as if he had done it many times before. But she quickly brushed the thought out of her mind as she concentrated on the task at hand. As a Piranatron raced at her, she deflected it's blows, while still managing to sweep another one's feet out from under them. She then knocked another one down with a elbow to its abdomen. While she was fighting against them, Billy was holding his own against others. He agile avoided the blows of two Piranatrons, backflipping away at the end. Even so, the two were slowly being pushed back, into the corner of an alley. Astronoma tried to punch a Piranatron, but another grabbed her legs and threw her into a large pile of boxes. As she struggled to stand up, Billy was thrown into her. The two awkwardly made it to their feet, once again finding themselves surrounded. As the beings drew closer, Astronoma's patience snapped.

"That's it!" she shouted, raw anger filling her voice. "I've had enough of his." And, as Billy watched in astonishment, she transformed from the blonde-haired young girl to a purple-haired villainess. She glared to the Piranatrons with anger and her wand appeared suddenly in her hand. Billy looked into her eyes and saw hatred burning bright into them. Astronoma paid no head towards the young man, instead gripping her wand tightly. Nobody shows me up. Nobody. With that, a burst of purple energy shot out of her wand, burning right into two of the Piranatrons. They flew to the ground, dissolving in a puddle of water. Soon, the rest of the Piranatrons followed in quick succession. As soon as they were gone, she jerked around, aiming her wand straight at Billy.

"Now, it's your turn," she hissed, adjusting the grip on her wand. Billy stared at her in mute shock before looking up in her eyes. Astronoma felt her resolve begin to crumble as his blue eyes seemed to stare directly into her dark soul. She tried to direct herself to break eye contact with him, but she found that she couldn't. There was something in his eyes that was stopping her from hurting him. What is happening to me? I've destroyed countless planets, countless people, and yet I can't destroy this single boy. I've only known him for a few of their hours. How can he be controlling me?

As Astronoma felt the rest of her resolve crumbling, she lowered her wand. She finally broke contact with him, turning away from his so he couldn't see the emotions that were raging across her face. "Get out of here," she spat out, clenching her teeth tightly. "Get away from me."

With her back turned to him, she couldn't see what he was doing. Billy slowly inched closer to her, trying to find a way to break through the mask that she wore. Astronoma was so intent on trying to control her own raging emotions that she didn't realize what he was doing. Billy took a deep breath, gently placing his hand on her shoulder. She jumped turning to face him in surprise, dropping her wand in the process. It fell to the ground with an ear-shattering clank, yet neither of them seemed to notice. Astronoma turned away, not wanting to look into his face with her emotions conflicting the way they were. With his hand still on her shoulder, Billy gently cupped his other hand under her chin, lifting her head up so she was looking directly into his eyes. The two stared into each other's eyes as if they could see directly into each others souls. She stared into his eyes and saw his own emotions, running wildly through his eyes. She could see compassion and care reflected in his eyes, as well as an emotion that she didn't recognize. Even while she studied his eyes, she could feel her own emotions running naked through her eyes. Determination, to get away from this place. Anger, for the affect he was having on her. Fear, from the fact she was falling into something she had never experienced before. And an emotion that she had never felt before, an emotion that she had been told about for years. An emotion that all villains in the entire galaxy feared.

"Get away from me," she whispered, her lower lip trembling slightly. "I'm evil. I could kill you anytime I want."

Billy studied her for a minute before pushing a stray lock of hair off of her face. "You wouldn't kill me. Not now. And I'm not going to leave you here. I can't."

A look of confusion crossed her face as she listened to him. "Why can't you just let me be?" she whispered. This time, it was Billy's turn to look away.

"Because.....because I care for you." he said in a soft, barely audible voice. "I've only known you for a short time, yet it feels like I've known you for my entire life."

Astronoma gently caressed the side of his face as she took a deep breathe. "And I feel as though I've been searching for you my entire life."

Billy looked up at her to glimpse the uncertain smile that was creeping onto her face. He too smiled as he glimpsed the emotions in her eyes. As they stood there staring into each other's eyes, they were pulled closer by an unseen force. Astronoma closed her eyes as they drew their lips together. When their lips met, she felt as though her entire body was on fire, as unknown emotions filled her. Never had she felt like this; and she didn't want these emotions to stop. Finally, because of lack of air, the two drew apart still staring into each other's eyes. Astronoma slowly pulled away, taking a deep breathe as she did.

"I have to go, before they think something is wrong." she explained reluctantly. He nodded in agreement.

"I understand. But when will I see you again?" he asked.

"Tomorrow night. At the beach, where no one will see us." she proposed to him. He hesitated slightly for a minute before agreeing. She smiled and picked up her fallen staff, preparing to teleport.

"Wait!" Billy called out. She looked up at him, in surprise. "Is Anya your real name?"

"No," she said, shaking her head. "No, my real name is Astronoma." With that, she disappeared in a flash of purple light. Billy watched her disappear before slowly walking away. As he left, he didn't feel the eyes boring into his back. The eyes that had been watching everything that had evolved between the two. Darkonda slowly rose out of his hiding spot, a frown across his face.

Dark Spectre will be most displeased if Astronoma leaves him, Darkonda thought. And he'll take his anger out on me. I must find a way to tear them apart before anything else happens.

The full moon shone down brightly on the deserted beach. A few waves crashed against the giant rocks at the bottom of a tall cliff. A lone figure walked slowly down the beach, leaving the imprint of his footprints as he walked. He stopped every few seconds and looked around, searching for the person he was too meet. Suddenly, in a flash of purple light, a young girl appeared before him. She looked at him uncertainly as they stared at each other.

"You made it," Billy announced softly. She nodded as she looked around. An awkward silence fell between them as both were at a loss for words. Astronoma wrung her hands nervously as she looked at the ground.

"I don't really know what to say," she admitted. "I've never really been able to express my feelings. I was always told that emotions would make me weak and that I should rid myself of them. So this is all kind of new for me." She looked up at Billy, waiting for his reaction.

Billy smiledand took a couple steps towards her. "That's okay. I'll help you to adjust, if you want."

"Yes, I think I'd like that," she agreed, smiling at him. "I've been evil almost my entire life. It's going to be hard for me to adjust to the change. And it's going to be hard to adjust to my emotions, now that I'm going to try and let myself feel them. And I will need your help." She smiled shyly at him. "Though you've already helped me."

He looked at her quizzically. "In what regard."

"You helped me break through the mask that I've hidden behind for all of these years." she explained as she walked over to him. She hesitantly took his hand, looking at him questioningly. He smiled and firmly held onto her hand. "It's because of you that the real me was able to come out. I owe you so much."

"You don't owe my anything. I just want to be with you, to help you, to....to love you."

Astronoma looked away. "I don't know love. Villains of the universe are suppose to fear love, for once it grabs you it will never let go. They say it's an evil emotion, one that should be destroyed if ever found." She looked up at him. "What is love?"

"Love is having feelings you can't explain for certain people. Love is the sense of peace that fills you when you watch a beautiful sunset or when you take the time to look at the stars. Love is happiness, peace, and caring all at the same time."

She smiled as she pulled him a little closer. "That's what I feel right now. That's what I feel whenever you're around me. I never want to let you go. Not now, not ever."

He pulled her into a close embrace, his own heart bursting with love. "And I never want to let you go." They hugged each other for a few minutes before pulling away. As they slowly pulled away they felt as though they were finally whole. It was as if they were meant for each other, as if they had been searching their whole lives for that particular person to spend eternity with. As they were filled with those feelings, Billy turned his eyes skyward.

"Look!" he cried, pointing to the sky. Astronoma looked up just in time to see a single shooting star making it's way through the dark night sky. The star seemed to promise hope for the future, their future. For once in her life, Astronoma felt as though this is where she belonged. She felt as though she belonged here, with Billy. She turned to Billy, opening her mouth. But she froze as she looked over his shoulder.

"Billy! Turn around!" she yelled. Billy spun around in shock. There, standing behind them, were twelve unknown beings. Long, dripping, fangs hung from their mouths as they stared at the two with yellowish red eyes. Long claws protruded from their fingers. They crept forward, growling slightly as they did. Astronoma and Billy slowly backed up, ready to get away from the creatures. They were getting ready to run when they creatures suddenly rushed forward.

"Be careful!" Astronoma yelled as she looked at Billy. He nodded, his mouth set in a thin line. Her wand suddenly appeared in her hands just as a creature jumped at her. She swung her wand, knocking it down. As more rushed at her, she slowly backed up. One jumped at her, claws aimed directly at her face. She reacted quickly with a swift kick to it's abdomen. As it fell to the ground, she kicked it out of her way. More jumped at her, and soon she could do no more than defend herself. She swung her wand around, knocking two down. Before they could move, she shot a streak of light at it. It disintegrated in an instant. She was about to do it to another one when a loud scream burst through the night.

"Billy!"she screamed as she heard the raw pain that filled his voice. A rush of adrenaline filled her and she knocked the creatures that surrounded her away. She neared where Billy was and knocked the creatures away from him. As soon as they were pushed away, Billy fell to the ground. Astronoma's gaze traveled downwards as she noticed the large gash that covered most of his abdomen. "No! I will not let anything happen to you!"

Billy shook his head, reaching up to caress her face. "There's nothing you can do." he whispered, coughing as he did. Astronoma gasped in horror as she saw the blood that he had coughed up. "I'm dying."

"No, you can't die!" she whispered. "You can't leave me. We belong together! I -" Astronoma took a deep breath as she looked down into his eyes. "I love you."

He smiled slightly at her, the best that he could managed. "And I love you. Never forget me, Astronoma. Never forget....."

Billy's voice trailed off as the light flickered from his eyes and disappeared. Tears welled up in her eyes as she realized that her soulmate was gone. She looked into his eyes, but she found none of the things that she had seen in his life. Gone was the strength that had been reflected. Gone was the care, the compassion, the he had shown her. Gone, was the love that he had felt towards her. She hugged his prone body, tears pouring down her cheeks. She sat there, crying, for a long time. Finally, the tears were gone. She stood up, taking a deep breath as she did. With that, she disappeared in a streak of purple light, leaving the body where it was.

*****

"Princess, are you there?" Astronoma sighed as she heard Ecliptor calling her name. She slowly made her way down the hall into the main throne room of the Dark Fortress. She stood before Ecliptor, the mask securely on her face.

"What is it, Ecliptor?" she asked in a cold voice.

Ecliptor hesitated slightly. "Dark Spectre is expecting you in less than two weeks." She nodded.

"Fine." she said. "Let's go. We don't want to keep Dark Spectre waiting." She turned on her heel and started marching out of the room. She heard Ecliptor calling after her, but she ignored his calls. I can't believe I listened to my emotions! I never should have gone against my teachings. All it got me was trouble.

Love, what a stupid emotion. I can't believe I fell into it's trap. Never again will I let it get the better of me. Never.