Disclaimer: I no own, you no sue, I be happy. ^_^'

`The Machine`

Summary: Sailor Mars and Mercury are sucked into the DBZ world, changing fate, and bringing back one of the deadliest enemies to conquer the Z fighters.

Takes place:

SM: A few days after the defeat of Dark Moon Circus

DBZ: A month and a half after Goku defeats Majin Buu.

Important: This is an Alternate Universe fic. Lets say Goku did beat Majin Buu, but he died because a strange power was blocking out Dragon Shenlon's power, rendering the Dragon Balls useless. The last wish made, however, was to erase everyone's memory of Buu.

[" . . . "] Means someone talking

[' . . . '] Means someone thinking

[* . . . *] Means the person's point of view

[~~~] Means that time passed

[~*^*^*~] Means change in scenery

[|] Means change in dimension

Now onto the story:

Prologue

*Ami*

"Are you sure about this Rei?" I asked. Rei nodded, but didn't say anything as she rubbed tears away from her eyes.

"I saw it this morning," She finally whispered, in a barely audible tone. "I saw . . . Beryl. She's alive, Ami. Beryl is alive and she's back!"

She looked at me with pleading bloodshot eyes, partly shrouded by raven black bangs. I thought about this for a while. There was no way Beryl could be alive . . . was there? "But we . . . and Usagi . . ." I said. "We defeated her . . ."

"A long time ago, yeah we did." Rei murmured. "But this vision Ami! It was too real to be some nightmare of the past!" Her voice was filled with so much strain and torment, her eyes grieved fresh tears.

Just over an hour ago, Rei had contacted me on my communicator. We hadn't used them since the defeat of the Dark Moon Circus, a few days ago, and I came as soon as I could. When I arrived, Rei was in her room, shaking and crying. This vision -- or whatever it was -- had shaken her up and it was in all probability that it was too much for her to handle.

"All right Rei," I said softly. "Start from the beginning, maybe I missed something, or maybe you forgot to say it?" I tried to coax, brushing a piece of light blue hair from my face.

Rei nodded slowly, and told me from the establishment. "It was no different from what I already told you. We were at the mall . . . and the ground started to shake. At first we thought it was an earthquake, but a strong negativity reading stopped us while everyone went running." She paused and looked at me, as if asking for my help. But no matter what I wanted, I couldn't help her. What could I do? Lie and tell her I don't want to hear anymore?

But I couldn't. I needed to know exactly what happened in order to figure out how and why.

"We crawled behind a counter and went under it. That's when the ceiling collapsed on us and it killed all those people! We were the only one's who made it out alive . . . and that's when she should up. Beryl. She was laughing, and she was holding Usagi's Ginzuishou in her hand. We transformed to fight . . . but Beryl moved out of the way and Usagi was there. I . . . I don't know who but someone was h-holding her and th-they said to g-go to T-Tokyo Tower . . ." Rei stopped and started to sob quietly.

'Poor Rei,' I couldn't help but think. This really had taken it's toll on her, causing her so much pain. I moved and sat on her bed, placing my arms around her, and embracing my friend tightly as I let her cry.

"Shh," I soothed as my mother used to. "You don't have to finish Rei," I said. "We'll stop, I shouldn't have made you say it again. I'm sorry Rei."

"We can't!" She cried. "I know I've always been mean to Usagi, but it was always to make her stronger! I do because she's my friend, and I don't want to loose her to some Negeverse creep because she was too weak to protect herself! But it's not true, I don't hate her! She doesn't deserve all of this happen to her, she shouldn't have to suffer!"

"That's what we're here for Rei. We protect her, it's our duty as her court, and as her friends." I said.

It was strange, to see Rei like this. The last time Rei had acted like this was when Usagi found out she was Princess Serenity. It made me feel guilty of trying to pry information out of her. 'I should've realized that she was like this before I asked,' I thought to myself.

She didn't have to tell me she cared for Usagi, that she did what she did and because. I knew she cared for her, we all did.

With my eyes closed and my arms around Rei, I told her I'd stay the night to keep her company. I didn't mention the vision anymore. Maybe we'd talk about it tomorrow, if she was up to it.

I knew most of it already, but some of it just didn't make sense. A lot of it didn't make sense . . .

"Everything will be fine Rei." I reassured quietly. "I promise."

|

*Gohan*

"Father . . .

"You've abandoned us again. But you did it for a good cause, right? Saving the Earth from destruction, killing Majin Buu and having him resurrected to be a better person, and erasing everyone's memory of the other Buu, so he could live peacefully among the Earth you saved.

"Again you put everyone else before yourself, so people could live happily ever after. You know it's been exactly a month and a half since you died, and the Dragon Balls turned to stone for an unknown reason." I sighed.

This didn't get easier no matter how much I'd done this. Here I was, standing in front of my dad's grave. "旨在方便广大人民群 的房地 交易" it read. "Son Goku, may he finally rest in peace."

I came here every weekend to pay my respects to my father. My dad. The strongest in the world, the universe. He was gone for good.

And I couldn't help but think, it was all my fault.

-------------

Flashback

-------------

"No!" I yelled.

It was my fault. It was too much, my Saiyan instincts took over. I fought Cell, playing cat and mouse with him. Toying with him. Letting him feel pain.

But he deserved it. Killing all those people, innocent people so he could gain energy. Then killing people just for the hell of it. Murdering Android 16, just so he could awaken my 'hidden power.' And before that, he sent all of his spawn to attack my friends. My dad.

He had gone too far.

He made me do it.

He wanted it, and now he got it.

But my Saiyan instincts took ahold of my brain like a hungry maw, eating away my human reasoning. Then I fought. Then he got afraid.

And now he inflated himself, about to blow up the Earth and taking all of us with him. "No, no, no!" I shouted as I pounded the ground with what force I had left in me.

Why didn't I kill Cell when he was weak? Why did I toy with him, like a cat with a mouse? Peace. It was all I ever wanted, but my life would never know it, because of what I was.

Tears slid down my cheeks and a shadow passed over me, and there he was. My father. He had a sad smile on his face that would haunt me forever. He tells me that he's proud, to take care of myself and to take care of my mom. And there I was, just standing there, too dumbstruck to realize what he was about to do.

He placed his hand on Cell's stomach and says goodbye, the Son smile replaced by a frown of hope, concentration, disappointment, regret, and sorrow.

Then he just disappears with Cell. And in seconds, his KI is gone and I finally figure out what he did. I scream and cry with grief and self-pity. Because in my heart, I knew it. It was all my fault.

~~~

"We would've been out of here and commencing with our battle now, Kakarott!" Vegeta yelled. "Deborah would be finished if it wasn't for Gohan! He's taken in vantage of these peaceful times and instead of training, he's been going out on dates!"

"Come on Vegeta, don't be to hard on him. He's still strong," My dad argued with his infamous smile.

Heat rises up to my face and I cringe. "I'm not as strong as I used to be back when we were fighting Cell." I say.

But I leave out the fact that I didn't train because I don't want all the power from when I was a little kid. I swore on the very day that when my father wanted to stay demised that I would never let my Saiyan instincts take over. All they've brought me was pain.

Because of this, though, it was all my fault. If I did train, I could've been a bigger help when we fought Buu. But as an alternative I was careless and was punished by being absorbed by Buu. If that hadn't happened, I might have been a greater help to my dad, and he wouldn't have died for good.

--------------------

End Flashback

--------------------

"Why do you have to be so selfish father?!" I scream down to his grave. "You put everyone in front of your happiness but you forget about us! Your friends, your family!

"You refused to come back when I was twelve, and showed up after seven years for a day, only to die again?!

"What about mom? Do you know how many times my sensitive hearing picks up mom crying herself to sleep every night?! And what about Goten?! He was seven years old! He never knew you!

"If not come back for me, or your friends, what about for them?" I accuse, grieving over anguish since the first time after your final death. "You didn't leave us without as much as a goodbye," I then whisper.

Numb with my emotions, I blast off into the air and head for home. Yet I could've swore I heard someone whisper, "Gohan. . ."

~~~

I land in the woods near our house. As my thoughts start to wander, so do I, changing directions and heading away from my house.

Father was gone. Father was dead. Father wasn't coming back!

I ran as fast as my legs could go, wet tears trickling off my cheeks. Bamboo trees sped by and whipped my face, leaving long hot slashes on my chin and forehead. I ran until my lungs ached, my body wrenching with pain as my lungs heaved in gasps. Tears streamed down my face and my heart thudded until my chest screamed in anguish.

'Father. . .'

He was everything to me, but now he was gone. He was taken from us by evil powers, lost in the afterlife; away from me, unable to take care of mother or Goten. Why did he go? Why couldn't we bring him back? Why, by the great dragon, did he choose to stay away from me again?

Stumbling, I fell, head tucking as I tumbled into the leaves and sobbed, pounding the ground with my bunched fists. Whimpering, I buried my face, incapable of finding peace within my troubled soul. In many ways, I killed him, and in my heart, I could never forgive myself. I'd never feel at peace again.

He was gone forever, in the great void with the gods to keep his company. Why? For what he was. A being with power so intense, even the spirits themselves desired him gone from this world.

'Why did he allow it?' I asked myself, sniffling and clumsily wiping my nose. Why did he let himself die? I closed my eyes, shivering with the thought of not having him home with mother and me and Goten yet again.

Did he hate me that much? After all, he always chose to be away from me. I was an idiot to believe he had changed when we spent a 'year' together in the Room of Spirit and Time and when we fought together with Buu.

Damn him . . . damn me! More fresh tears drove through me like hot knives. Life was just too unfair.

My anger for him settled a bit. A void of loss opened in my gut, swallowing my heart in an endless tank meaninglessness. Dead. It was such an empty word. It took those you loved away, and kept them away forever. I wept again, trying to erase the pain, wishing to convince myself he would be there when I returned home.

"Father..." I whispered.

Warriors didn't cry. No, I had to be a man. There was no father left to protect my family and everyone else under our charge. I had to believe in what he believed in, and yet let myself to grow up. I had to be all the man father wasn't.

I took an uneasy step, legs noodles as I balanced myself. A gentle wind rustled the trees, their leaves crackling softly like ashes in a fire. "Father . . . I love you, and I'll be a man for you, if not like you."

Uneasily, I started to walk, weak from tears, weak from loss. Too many hours went by. I hadn't eaten, much the past few days. My steps hesitated.

Something bright, shiny and very unique captured my attention. Pausing, I looked down.

Almost buried in leaves, a metal something reflected back my face. Slowly, I knelt. My dark eyes were puffy, and my face blotched by red and tears. All in all, I was a mess . . . right down to my long jagged black bang.

"What?" I whispered, brushing leaves and dust from the object. My reflection blinked back my curiosity as I lifted it. It was warm. A perfect sphere of glittering metal about the size of a baseball. Indeed, it was very unique and vibrated in my fingers as if alive.

Hypnotized, I didn't want to release it. I wanted to take it home and show mother and the others. Ms. Bulma might then study it and figure it out in the lab. Whatever it was, it was mechanical.


Standing, I took the ball with me. The vibrating became louder. Startled, I almost dropped it, my fingers feeling it heat up.

Seemingly millions and millions of wires, each flashing with a strange silver energy, protruded through the surface and latched onto my body with too strong of a force.

The wires ripped my clothes, and stuck themselves under my skin. I screamed loudly as the wires glowed more and more brightly, pouring a substance into my very bloodstream.

I dropped the ball as my scream of pain turned into one of rage and, just for an instant, my hair turns golden yellow and my eyes go neon green. But the ball clamps onto my throat and my scream dissipates, yet still echoes throughout the forest.

My eyes convert back to their black color and my hair does also. My eyes shut, and it takes such a tramendace energy and effort just to breathe.

Something ignites in my brain, tearing my consciousness into fragments. The wires wrapped about me, pulsing with mechanical life, digging deeper into my body. Helpless I struggled, my mind reaching for the powers my father trained me with. Nothing came, for the more I tried, the tighter and stronger my bounds were.

The world blotted out, spinning from my focus into a long corridor of agony. I fell squirming, metal ball fastened to my fingers with bloody silver wires threaded into my flesh. They were serpent twined about my arms and form, making me like a fly captured in a spider's thread.

Head to toe, body and soul I was covered. Blood oozed though shredded orange cloth. The wires cut into me; their heads buried into my muscle, stealing my strength and flesh.

A metallic cold laugh chilled my bones.

Fire burned my flesh as I struggled to lift my head.

"Son Gohan." A deliberately evil voice spoke low hate filled tones. "We met again."

The forest blurred, then refocused. A creature, silver form long with a heavy tail, half man, half lizard, all machine, stared down at me, wicked frozen face smirking victoriously. I remember him well. He nearly destroyed us years ago. Father killed him twice. Now he looked at me, a spider to his prey.

"Cooler...!"

* * *

Author's Note: Heehee. So, how do you like it? Please give me feed backs and I'm sorry if it sucks. I expect flames because this is the first time I go into a POV mode. It involves a lot of depth, but hey I tried.

Flames are expected, but I don't mind. Please review!