The Dreaming Tree
Chapter One: Crystal Valley

It was an easy task for her, to run away as she was. She was running through fields, over mountains, lakes and through cities - all in her head. She kept an eyes on the world as it was now, as it shouldn't have been . Power was supposed to increase over time, but hers increased with the strength of the planet itself, that was the only draw back to being tied to closely to nature. However, at the end of the world's most recent ice age mankind had started over again, and technology was further along now than it had been before, yet more primitive in a lot of ways. She was not really paying attention to the advances of science, she was more interested on the well-being of the planet.

She was a legendary soldier, one of the first true guardians of the Earth since the Silver Millenium, and she was trapped in an eternal slumber within a giant crytal in the center of a forest that loved her. It was always spring here, flowers grew, animals played, and she slept physically while mentally she flew, watching over what she should not have had to. She was thousands of years old, she should have died many many years ago, but being frozen inside this crystal to save her life and the planet's had frozen the rate at which she aged. Sure, Jovian's had a lifespan that was naturally much longer than any human's, but she should have died long ago.

The earth however, would die should all of the Sailor Senshi perish, and that fact had been discovered after the senshi had began to defend thier kingdoms and fail. The other planets in this system were once again dormant, and the scientists of the world wouls never find the ruins of great kingdoms because they could not reach the surfaces of the planets. They could on the moon, but the ruins of the Moon Kingdom were on the dark side of the moon, and man wasn't ready to venture into that inky well of blackness. Jupiter protected itself through it's constant storms, the only indication of the former glorious warrior race was the Red Eye, which resided over the kingdom's capital city. The Red Eye was a focus for speculation and curiosity, but man was focused more on Venus, Mars and Mercury, hoping to inhabit the planets.

She had had a lot of time to ponder this and decided not to bother, the atmospheres of the planets could not be altered into air, the planets naturally protected themselves to constantly be able to support the lives of their original inhabitants. They were all a bit different in their own ways, and she had always had a slightly harder time breathing on earth becuase the atmosphere was lacking a chemical that resided in that of Jupiter.

Inwardly the woman sighed, there was always an enemy on the way. And the earth had it's own guardians known as the Z-senshi. She was particularly proud of this group, they overcame the obsticles of daily life and of alien threats and were still in better shape than any of the Sailors had been during any of their major battles - but then, the z-fighters never had to deal with youmas appearing all over the world before hand. Which was all the better, but the threats they dealt with were all extreem in their own ways, even if their power came from a different source than any of the enemies that the Jovian Queen had faced.

What she hated to admit was that she was helpless in this crystal, and should it shatter she would go with it, and leave the green Jupiter Crytal unguarded. But her coffin had withstood the test of time, and it would take a lot of power to destroy this, but this most recent enemy had the power, much the the z-fighters, but unlike the z-fighters, their newest enemy had the intention to destory the planet and everything on it. If it weren't for the fact that the Kai's shielded her little corner of the world, she would have been discovered not long after the fight for the universe had been brought to earth. The Kai's were following orders from those higher up on the chain of universal command, since the people they took orders from were beings that became gods because of their deeds. Most of the current Powers happened to be people she had known for her entire existence as the princess of her planet. Her parents being two of them - the two that the greeks called Zues and Hera. The Romans called them Jupiter and Io. She was their daughter, Juno.

That was the name humans had given her, but at one time she was Saoi a Dealan, the Warrior of Lightning, to her people, and to her friends she was Kino Makoto, chef extraordinarie. But in the end she was not only the Saoi a Dealan, but Queen of a lost people. When her race had been destroyed what was left of the Jovian fleet had feld to earth to become what humans called the Celts - but even the Celts had perished. Their legacy never did though. Their legacy lived on through the stone circles and the sculptures at easter isle. And she was proud of her people.

In the end, she watched and waited. Waited for the time when she would be needed to protect the earth once again. The Kai's didn't know what they were protecting save for the Old Kai, who had been there when she was placed in that valley. He didn't want to pull out all the stops until there was nothing left to do, and currently, he was losing hope fast. She had been watching the battle and had winced in sympathy when Vegito was turned into a coffee flavoured sucker... She hated coffee, it was so gross. But that wasn't the point, when you have your heart crystal, dream mirror and star seed stolen you have a tendency to look at the world differently after having a part of you ripped from your body and then brutally placed back inside when your saved by friends. So, she had an inkling of what the fighter was feeling - not that she'd ever been turned into candy before.

Now it was time to help, and that meant contacting the Old Kai in order to have him tell all of the other Kai's to drop their shields and wish the being they protected to be free from her prison. Which would be odd to all the Kai's save the North Kai. King Kai was a cute little blue guy with a wonderful sense of humor but a bad affinity for jokes. She had long since contacted him for company in her lonliness and he often cheered her up with his bad jokes. But that was not the point of her thoughts on the Kais. It was something else entirely.

*

:Old Kai?:

The Old Kai jumped into the air with a startled screech before clutching at his heart and sitting back down on the ground, taking deep breaths. "Don't do that!"

:Sorry.:

Kaioshin stared at the Old Kai with eyes, wondering why he was talking to thin air. The sudden presence of a powerful being filled with good intention suddenly filled him and he watched the Old Kai carry on his side of the conversation in curiosity.

"What is it?"

:Bring down the shields and wish me free.:

"What?! We can't do that!"

:You can and you will. I only need one of the Kai's to wish me free, but all of you must lower the shields momentarily in order for the wish to reach me.:

"We can't lower them! What about the Ginisouzou? Or the other Infinity Crystals?!"

:I said temporarily, not permanently, Old Kai.:

"Oh, right. Fine. I'll do it, but only becuase it's come down to the universe's last chance." Old Kai grumbled before turning to Kaioshin. "Contact all the Kai's and have them lower their sheilds for a minute on Crystal Valley on earth. Tell North Kai to make a wish to go with it. After a minute have them put the shields back up."

"But, Old Kai - "

"Do it!"

With wide eyes Kaioshin went to work on contacting all the other Kai's in the universe. On the Grand Kai's planet King Kai was stunned at the Supreme Kai's order, but did as he was told, spacing out so entirely that Krillan and Yaumcha were confused by his behaviour. King Kai placed all of his senses on the shields and lowered his. When he felt the others fall completely he made the wish and snapped his sheild back into place, it was followed closedly by all of the others. The age-old order to protect the valley was practically insticnt now, and all of the Kai's were unsettled at letting the valley's inhabitant (there was an inhabitant, something they hadn't known before) free.

*

"I wish for Makoto to be free in order to protect the universe once again."

When the wish reached her the crystal that encased her glowed brightly before opening. She steped from it, taking a deep breath into lungs that hadn't done so in an age. She was clad in a shimmery emerald green gown that clung to her form. It had a heart shaped neckline and a back that plunged down to reveal the small of her back in an oval. Two thin straps held the dress up and the darker material reached the floor and was slit op either side to reveal a paler material beneath that. An emerald green silk ribbon was tied around her neck and the Jupiter symbol glowed faintly on her forehead. Her long, wavy brunette hair was up in a top-knot tail, two thin locks loose before her ears, which were adorned with rose earrings. She took in a deep breath and looked about her clearing before she concentrated an a pair of white wings that shimmered with green erupted from her back and she took to the air. Flying over places she had only seen in her mind's eye before.

It was obvious when she reached the battleground. The land was ravaged and devastated, and the ocean waited to swallow the loser. The young guardian of the earth was kneeling on the ground next to a man with a puppy in his arms, away from the battle. Majin Buu was floating in the air, hand outstreched as he laughed manically. Makoto landed next to Dende and green grass and tiny white flowers began to grow all around her. Dende stared up at her with wide eyes, knowing she was important, whoever she was. He was still new to the guardian of earth job, and had not been filled in on what exactly it was that he was protecting save the human race.

She looked over at him and smiled, her voice coming out, softer than normal for disuse. "I feel the same way about coffee you guardian."

A strange reddish tint colored his green skin and he smiled up at her bashfully as she returned it and looked back up at the sky. She sighed. "This is no good. It isn't right for two beings to be squashed into one small space like that. - in fact, it's horrible for five beings to be squashed into one body like that."

She raised both hands and a green crystal appeared between them and she raised the stone above her. "Sued a Dealan, cluinn do m'garim, ceart so eucoir agus teasairg so rùm ceartaich mò ge ceart chaidh."(1)

The jewel glowed faintly then a burst of green lightl erupted from it, leaping toward Majin Buu as the monster spun to look for the abrupt appearance of such power. His red-on-black eyes widened as the green energy enveloped him. He dropped the sucker/Vegito and it fell, glowing brightly before becoming Vegito and then seperating into Goku and Vegita. Buu screamed in anger and pain as Trunks seperated from him, followed closely by Goten. Picollo appeared next, and the Namekian immediately flew to stand next to the winged woman on the ground. Gohan appeared next, falling to the earth, unconcious as Buu screamed and stopped glowing. Picollo caught Makoto as she collapsed, the crystal dissapearing into her being. Buu was weaker than he had been, much weaker. Makoto couldn't destroy him with her power because her offensive power would do him no harm and most of her abilities were those of healing. So she had weakened Buu enough for the z-senshi to destroy him.

And they did. Vegita growled in anger and charged Buu, attacking him furiously. Goku followed closely and Dende retrieved Gohan as Goten and Trunks landed near Picollo, who was kneeling on the ground, the unknown woman in his arms. Her wings had dissapeared and she looked like she'd passed out, which, technically, she had. Picollo wore a look of concern, for he knew who this woman was. She would most likely become a resident of the lookout once all this was over.

"Who is she Picollo?" Goten asked curiously as he peered down at her.

"An angel."

"Really?" Trunks asked. "I thought angels were dead people."

"No. She isn't literally an angel Trunks, she's basically the earth's human form."

"Huh?"

Picollo sighed. "The legends are vague, her kind have been wiped from the face of the planet and technically she's an alien. However, she is closely connected to the earth, which is alive or there wouldn't be animals or plants. She is basically what the spirit of the earth would have been as a human. If she dies, so does the planet."

"Wow, she must be really important." Gohan said as he sat up rubbing his head.

"She is." Picollo replied instantly. "The Kai's have guarded her since the begining of the last ice age. She is ages old and the last of the Sailor Senshi. It's not so much that she's the most powerful one, but she did survive the ulitmate battles. He power comes from a different source than ours, and therefore she doesn't fight the same way we do, with brute force and power. She's a bit more subtle than that."

"How come we've never seen her before?"

"You have. You know how Oak trees grow tall and strong wherever they are?"

"Yeah."

"Well, Oaks are from Jupiter - another planet - and the weather there is harsh. She is the Jovian princess and the oak is her eyes to the world. Through an oak she could look out and watch over the world. She knows who we are, she has since the begining."

"Sounds important." Goku panted out as he landed next to his two sons. Vegita followed closely. "I think we should discuss her later. We should probably get the Dragon Balls and wish everyone back."

Everyone stared at Goku as his bout of inteligence ended and he grinned at them. Picollo rolled his eyes inwardly. "Fine, collect the dragon balls. Meet us at the lookout. Dende, we're going."

"Yes, sir."

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1. "Jewel of Lightning, hear my call, right this wrong and restore this place to what it once was." - approximately accurate scots-gaelic. One or two of the words may not be accurate as to inclination of what it's supposed to intone, but I tried. At least the spelling is completely accurate. ^_^