Standard Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Dragonball Z or Sailor Moon characters. If I did, I'd be rich!
Author's Notes: Hello minna-chan! I know it's been a while but I needed to take a break from Unexpected Destiny for a bit there. *laughs* I had a few problems with the original story line with this fic and I had to re-work it a bit. I want to say big thanks to Jade-chan, D-chan, Angel-chan and Hikari-chan for previewing this for me and giving me the courage to go forward! It *is* an alternate universe fic, and I just have to say this much, nothing is as it seems. Hope you enjoy it! Again italics denote thoughts.
Unforeseen:
Chapter 1The young woman assessed her surroundings with the calm and experience of a professional. Nearby she could sense high levels of power, far stronger than she had ever encountered. With confidence, she knew she could defeat them both easily, but for now, she had to make sure that all possibilities were examined. In her line of work, very little was left up to chance. Chance led to uncertainty, loss of control and in turn, could lead to her death. She smiled grimly. It wouldn't do for her to lose her life. This mission was too important. Entrusted by Setsuna herself, she knew that what she had to do was a matter of life and death. Someone else's death but not her own. She was Setsuna's top warrior, raised since she was a young child to fight. For some unknown reason, she had no memories of her past. It was probably for the best, she thought cynically. If I assumed for a moment that I had a real family, how could I tell them what I do? Sensing a lower power level, she knew that what would occur after this would irrevocably change and alter the destiny of the Silver Millennium. That could not be allowed to happen. Not if I have anything to do about it. It was time.
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Goku watched in astonishment as this alien, who claimed to be his brother, was attacked by his son. Gohan had delivered the equivalent of a head-butt into Raditzu's chest, and had actually caused a crack to appear in the armour. He had known from the start that his son would probably have inherited some of his own abilities, but never realised that it would emerge as quickly as it did. Up till now, Gohan's ki had been relatively low, alerting Goku to powers that would eventually be developed. Raditzu was stunned by the blow, but immediately recovered. Sensing the levels of Gohan's sudden surge of power diminish, he knew his son was in trouble as he saw Raditzu first appear stunned, then about to deliver a killing shot. Goku merely reacted. He grabbed Raditzu, holding him captive when suddenly a thought occurred to him. Piccolo's new power. If it had hit Raditzu earlier, he would've been destroyed. Looking at Piccolo, he yelled out his instructions.
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As she approached the group, she had deliberately lowered her ki so they wouldn't sense her presence. It would not do for them to discover her. The killing blow was about to come soon. She had to stop it while she could.
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Out of nowhere, a young woman appeared and executed a series of hand movements that temporarily stunned both Goku and Raditzu. Moving quickly, she managed to break the two apart, narrowly missing the blast herself. Leaping deftly, before anyone could react, she grabbed Raditzu and transported them some distance away. Piccolo and Goku stared at the young woman in open-mouthed astonishment. She was lovely, truth be told, and even Gohan was staring at her in awe. She had low-levels of ki, barely detectable to them, so how was it that she was able to move so quickly? As she held on to Raditzu, a strange glowing came from her forehead, distracting the three from their thoughts. Suddenly, a white light beamed out from the center of her forehead and onto Raditzu's. Odd as it may have seemed, it appeared to be some form of cleansing light as the glow gently bathed Raditzu. There was no sign of struggle as Raditzu fell to the ground unconscious. She stepped back from his body, her body still showing the remnants of the power she had just used. As she turned around to face them, they could've sworn she looked like an angel.
"Daddy? Is she an angel?"
"I honestly don't know, Gohan."
Even the Namek appeared taken aback by the events that had just occurred.
"Angels don't exist," he responded gruffly.
Breathing a little faster than she was used to, she was surprised at how much energy was drained from her in order to transform Raditzu. As great as her powers were, they weren't enough to completely change the innate character of the person or creature. In a manner of speaking, it was a brainwashing of sorts, temporarily settling down the person, giving the Guardian ample time to figure out what to do. She felt faintly light-headed at the moment, and grew disgusted with herself. She was strong. She couldn't allow something as simple as this to stop her from finishing her task and her mission. The young boy, Gohan, she believed he was called, stared at her with a sort of wonder in his dark eyes. There was something so unnerving about a child's gaze, she thought wryly to herself. Squatting down, she bent to pick up Raditzu, astounding the three that were currently staring at her. That this slip of a girl could somehow lift that man up boggled their minds. As her arm muscles strained under the weight of Raditzu, she closed her eyes, and simply vanished.
The two men (and one young boy) stood there blankly, frankly stunned by the girl's sudden appearance, the "disposal" of Raditzu, and her equally impromptu disappearance. Somehow, they couldn't help but feel that she had done something of utmost importance. Piccolo frowned in concentration at where she once stood. He had the strangest feeling that the time lines had been altered.
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As she brought Raditzu back with her to the Time Gates, Setsuna stood there, disapproval radiating from her carriage. Concerned, the young woman deposited her bundle in a space pocket.
"Setsuna-sama?" She inquired, a look of concern on her normally unemotional face. Setsuna was as close to a mother as she had ever known.
"Things aren't working out as anticipated," the Guardian of Time said solemnly.
"What do you mean?"
"Because we have attempted to alter time, as a result, the future is unknown for a brief moment. I didn't actually know for a fact that stopping Goku's death would stop the destruction of the Silver Millennium."
"So I failed my mission," the young woman stated flatly.
"Iie, I failed you."
Her head flew up to meet the sorrowful eyes of the Guardian.
"You must return. Raditzu will remain here with me. You must stay with the Son family at all times, and make sure the unthinkable doesn't happen. The righting of that wrong must be corrected. The Silver Millenium must exist."
Silvery strands swirled about the young woman's head before she vanished.
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"Daddy! Daddy!"
"Gohan!"
It hadn't even been 24 hours since his near-death encounter with Raditzu. Presumably, that was the last they would ever see of him. Kakarotto… he thought to himself. Was that really my name? Am I really an alien? He stared at his son, and was once again struck by the uncanny resemblance to each other. Gohan bounced back with the resiliency of children. How was it that they're able to deal with stuff like that no problem? If I'm alien, how would that affect Gohan? As he glanced quickly at Piccolo, he was given an almost imperceptible shake of the Namek's head, indicating that no power surges had been present. Goku breathed a sigh of relief. If what that alien had claimed was true, all he would ever want was a normal life for his son. Since Chi-Chi's passing a few years ago, they had been lost. Gohan had only been two, and he had no idea how to raise a child alone. It had been quite a struggle, but he remembered her wishes for Gohan to be educated. Between him, Krillin, and the rest of the gang, they had attempted to teach the boy as best as they could. However, all they knew was martial arts. Thankfully, Bulma had come to the rescue and continued the boy's education. Chi-Chi would be so happy if she could see this, he thought fondly.
"Isn't it time for studies, Gohan?"
"But Daddy! Mr. Piccolo just took me flying! Can't I learn to fight like you instead of studying?"
His heart caught in his throat. How would he tell the boy?
"Tell you what Gohan. We'll give it a bit more time. If this is what you truly want, we'll train. Now, isn't Bulma waiting for you?"
The young boy's head fell, face slightly downcast at the thought of studying. Remembering the angel from the day before, he had to ask again.
"Will we see the angel again? She was so pretty."
That she was.
She stirred Goku's emotions in a way that hadn't happened in almost three years. She was breathtaking, and unbelievably strong. Her eyes were so cold however, and reminded him of Piccolo when he had first met the Namek."Foolish kid," Piccolo growled. "There are no such things as angels."
"But isn't Mommy in heaven as one?"
Goku sent a glare at Piccolo, and to his surprise, Goku saw something resembling a blush tinge the deep green of his skin. At least he had the decency to look somewhat ashamed.
"Just because Piccolo doesn't believe in angels doesn't mean they don't exist. Do you understand?"
The young boy nodded, amazingly wise for his age. Hugging his dad tight, he sped off in the direction of Bulma's.
"I haven't seen or felt any of the power surges that went through the boy yesterday."
"Maybe something triggered it," Goku responded.
"Obviously something did, but what?"
"I am his father. Seeing me getting hurt that badly probably upset him quite a bit."
"That's true. But what about that mysterious woman?" Piccolo asked gruffly, noting the strange look that appeared in Goku's eyes as he asked the question. It was not unlike one he had seen when Chi-Chi was still alive.
"I couldn't even sense her ki, that was the strangest part. Yet, she possessed a strength that I had never seen before."
"At least she disposed of that alien," Piccolo snorted in disgust.
I sure would love to see her again…
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Gohan ran as fast as he could to Bulma's. As much as he hated studying, he didn't want to see his dad upset. He knew it had something to do with his mommy's wishes. He found it sad sometimes that he didn't remember his mommy.
"Daddy always says it's okay because I was only a baby when she left us. But still, I wonder what it's like to have a mom. I wonder if my mom is like Bulma. I wonder if the pretty angel will be my mom."
He slowed down suddenly, spying something weird in front of him. There was a strange distortion in the area in front of him, almost like wavy black lines that kept moving back and forth. A person stepped through it, landing gracefully on her feet. Gohan let out a gasp of surprise. It was the angel.
She looked different this time. Previously, she had been dressed all in black. She now appeared to him in a vision of white. She was wearing this dress that moved with each step she took. Gohan couldn't think of words to describe how pretty she looked. She first stared at him in confusion, and reverted her gaze back to what she was wearing. Her hair flowed down her back, gleaming almost pure silver in the sunlight.
"Are you an angel?" He asked. He had to know! He wanted to prove Mr. Piccolo wrong.
Startled, melodic laughter burst from her lips. She seemed shocked at herself for some reason. She frowned briefly before replying. "Iie, I am most definitely not an angel."
"Oh…" Gohan's face fell. He felt devastated that this pretty lady wasn't an angel. He had been so sure that she was one.
Strangely affected by the look of sadness on the young boy's face, she felt compelled to say something more.
"But that doesn't mean they don't exist," she said gently, astounding even herself with the words that came out. It felt so odd against her normal state of emotions, but it didn't feel unknown. It felt almost right.
"My mommy's an angel."
Her heart cried for the little boy. How she sympathized with his pain. He never knew what it was like to have a mother either.
"Do you miss her?"
"I don't know," he shrugged. "I was a baby when she went to heaven. Daddy says she's happier where she is now."
"Your daddy… I assume it's not the man with the green skin?"
Gohan chortled in delight. Gasping for breath, he thought of the arrogant, abrasive Namek. He knew that Mr. Piccolo just wasn't used to emotions or little kids, but the thought of calling him the man with the green skin to his face made Gohan laugh.
The young boy's hearty laughter spread a strange sensation through her body. If she didn't know any better, she could've sworn it was something close to happiness.
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure," she replied somewhat uneasily. Children. There was something about them that could just destroy years of ingrained behaviour, something so disarming about them that could just rip apart your defenses.
"What's your name?"
The young woman blinked. She probably had a name once, but how do you tell a child that she didn't really have one? In the Time Gates, she had always been referred to as Number One. She stared at the child, and something in her eyes must've betrayed her inner conflict.
"You know, I always thought you looked like a rabbit when I first met you. Can I call you Usagi?"
The name hammered in her brain, ringing repeatedly. Suddenly, she felt overwhelmed as a million sensations rushed through her. Clutching at her head in agony, she sank to her knees with her eyes squeezed shut. Gohan immediately went to her side, worried about the pretty lady. She looked like she was in a lot of pain. With a soft moan, she passed out.
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She looked around the room, staring at her new surroundings. She appeared to be in a house of some sort. Getting up slowly, she rose to her feet. To her surprise, she just about fell off the bed. What's going on? She wondered, as she realised that she barely reached the tops of any of the furniture around. Making her way towards the vanity dresser, a soft voice called out to her.
"There you are, my dear." A figure, whose face was hidden, walked towards her. She had the impression of a very beautiful woman, regal and kind but beyond that, the young woman was unable to make out anything else. "What are you trying to do?" The woman asked, voice gentle and full of concern. "Oh I know, you're trying to see yourself in the mirror aren't you?" Lifting her up, the older woman placed the younger woman in front of the mirror. Much to her dismay, the face of a five-year old girl stared back at her.
"Masaka! It can't be! I'm eighteen!" She cried out, watching in horror as her young face crumbled in shock.
The older woman smiled indulgently at her. "Don't be in such a rush to grow up, my child. You still have a while to go before you hit eighteen."
Spinning around, the young child looked at her, staring in disbelief at the woman's features that had suddenly become clear. It was almost as if she was looking into a mirror, except a magnificent tiara lay on top of her head. There were subtle differences, like how the woman had silvery hair tinged with a bit of purple. Her eyes were a deeper blue, but filled with sadness unlike her own. Whispering, she asked the question that had been plaguing her mind since she first saw the older woman.
"Mama?"
Musical laughter greeted her ears as the older woman looked on at her young charge. "But of course Serenity. Who else would I be?"
She flung herself at her mother, sobbing in her safe embrace. Memories, locked away for so long, were finally returning to her.
"Don't cry, Usagi... don't cry, my child."
Lifting her face, she looked into her mother's eyes that were filled with concern.
"Why do you call me that?"
"Because you once told me, when you were even younger, that our hairstyles looked
like rabbits. It's always a way to keep our names separate, especially when we both share the same name."
Suddenly, Usagi felt herself being shaken. Her mother looked at her sorrowfully before giving her one last hug. "Remember me... remember the past..."
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Her eyes flew open, only to find herself in another room. Two pairs of black eyes stared at her, worry lining their faces. The similarities between father and son were astounding, not unlike what she had just seen. Had it all been a dream?
"She's awake, Daddy!" Gohan exclaimed excitedly.
"I can see that, son." Goku responded wryly, though relief shone clearly from his face. He couldn't help himself. Staring into the depths of her deep blue eyes, he felt a powerful tug towards her. Her silver hair hung in marvelous disarray, and her skin, though pale, was clear and emphasized her unusual colouring all the more. She seemed somewhat unsettled, as if whatever they had just woken her up from had upset her severely. "Are you okay? You gave my son and myself quite the scare." That was a severe understatement. Not too long after Piccolo had left, Gohan had come charging back, moving far quicker than he'd ever seen his son move. Blurting out a mouthful of unintelligible words, Gohan had tried to get him to help the pretty lady. When he had arrived on the scene, Goku felt his heart stop for a moment as he found the object of his thoughts laying there on the ground unconscious. As quick as the eye could blink, Goku had her in his arms in a flash, and was on his way back to their home. She had felt so light, so cold. Goku almost shuddered in memory.
Usagi stared at him mutely, unable to find the words to convey her tumultuous emotions. In a quick move that surprised them both, she was back on her feet.
"I'm fine," she said shortly.
"Are you sure?" Gohan asked hesitantly, worry coating every word.
With a soft smile that tore at both their hearts, she nodded.
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Setsuna looked through the one portal, observing Usagi's every action. It won't be long... it won't be long till she remembers... and finds out the truth. Distracted for the moment, Setsuna never saw the consequences in the portal over of what happened when they took Raditzu away.
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Somewhere in the distant future, a young man stood alone. The pain radiating off him was palpable. He was left alone in his world once again. He stared at his time machine, wanting to return one more time to the past, when everyone had been alive. He had to return to the past, change what happened, so he would be able to live again. As it stood, he felt numb, unable to live his life. Suddenly, he spun around, staring in mute horror as a black vortex not too far away began destroying the already barren land. His world was being absorbed. Born with his mother's intelligence, he understood what was happening. Someone had changed the past, and as such, was altering his future. He leapt into his space pod, and sped off as quickly as he could. Glancing back, he saw that he had a few moments left. He had to see what this new future would be. Typing quickly into the computer, he entered "Son Gohan."
"Died at age 6," the computerized voice responded.
"NANI?!" He yelled out incredulously. Something had to be wrong. He tried another tactic, entering in "Son Goku" instead.
"Died at age 25."
Whoever had tampered with the time lines had drastically altered his world as he knew it. If he remembered correctly, the ages at which they died occurred right around his father and Nappa appeared. And if he guessed correctly, they probably didn't get that year to prepare for the arrival. He had to return back to that time, and right what was done wrong.
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Well, minna-chan? What did you like about it, and what didn't you? I'm not sure how big the story will get as of yet, since I haven't really planned out anything else beyond what I've done. If I've confused you, email me and I'll explain as best as I can. I haven't worked out all the details yet either so if you have any suggestions, ideas, what not, contact me! I love email and receiving them makes me a very happy camper!
And a last note about Unexpected Destiny, I want to say special thanks to Lirpa, Cristina, for emailing me! And thanks to all you reviewers out there! You guys are the best (You know who you all are). I hope that Unforeseen will be as enjoyable as UD was! With that, you all know the drill, and ja ne!