A/N: This chapter is going to have some touches of humor, but overall this is going to be an angst, mystery mode sort of chapter.
Warnings: A Team Four Star reference for the win! (I promise I won't do this often, but I absolutely had to in this chapter. I just couldn't stop myself.) This is also a mid-length chapter so it's not too long or too short...I don't think. I'll let you guys be the judge of that. By the way, thanks to all who have read and reviewed so far. I really appreciate the support.
Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ or Sailor Moon. The changes to Kousagi's personality and appearance are a collaborative effort from me and my friend Princesa De La Luna.
Chapter 7
The End?
Piccolo landed slowly on the rolling hills of the meadow Gohan had landed in seconds earlier. He walked at an even slower pace, watching his protégé as he knelt by a woman lying in the soft grass. Gohan's pet dragon of sorts, Icarus, was on the other side of the woman, nuzzling her extremely pale face.
"She's definitely looming toward death's door," he thought, increasing his pace just a bit as Gohan threw down the small brown backpack he'd been carrying. For once the boy seemed grateful for his mother's overbearing ways as he retrieved a first-aid kit from within the recesses of the bag. Opening up the white case, he removed a giant roll of ace bandages as well as a small bottle of peroxide.
As Piccolo finally stopped behind the boy, he noted the reason for his rushed actions. There was a hideous gash on the girl's left arm with blood pouring out like a stream that Gohan was now trying to stop. The wound was fresh seeing that there wasn't a huge puddle on the grass yet, but it was still a deep wound, one that would promise death if not handled quickly and accurately.
Piccolo felt oddly proud of Gohan's ability to completely ignore the gruesome nature of the wound as he tended to it, staining his hands in a crimson red as he tried to stop the bleeding. The sight of blood wasn't a new thing for Gohan to see. He'd been through some traumatic things in his short life, but to rush to the aid of a stranger who more than likely did this to themselves-if the bloodstained sword in the girl's right hand was any indicator-was a testament to Gohan's selfless and compassionate nature.
Gohan didn't speak to Piccolo, focusing all of his energy into stopping the bleeding, which was slowly becoming more excessive. For a moment he was grateful he'd read on how to handle wounds like this in a book recently, otherwise this girl would have been done for. At the rate she was bleeding now, that could still happen.
"Do you think a senzu bean could help her?" Gohan asked suddenly, gaining Piccolo's attention, whose thoughts had trailed off toward the stability of the girl's mental state.
He answered quickly. "Probably." He turned away, "But Korin may not be inclined to hand any over to me if I ask him." Smirking he silently added, "Then again, I'm sure he felt that massive spark of energy and would be interested in finding the source of such power. He won't believe it came from a puny teenage girl with an apparent death wish. I can barely believe it myself..."
Piccolo's thoughts trailed off when he noted another energy signal headed toward them: Krillin's.
The short, bald monk landed on the ground a minute or so later, a shocked expression on his face upon noting Piccolo, Gohan, and Icarus hovering over a young woman.
"Hey guys," he began, sounding utterly confused as he approached the scene. "I'm guessing you two sensed that wild energy earlier..." he trailed off, staring at the pale girl with raven locks and bleeding arm. "Don't tell me it came from her?"
Gohan didn't answer, too preoccupied with trying to slow down the bleeding or stop it entirely.
Piccolo turned, taking his escape from having to visit the fat white cat. "Krillin, do me a favor and go to Korin's for a senzu bean. This girl is in desperate need of one."
Krillin nodded, glancing toward the girl again. "Sure, but...how did she end up here? What's going on guys, come on! As soon as I felt that energy I rushed over from Master Roshi's. I mean, that surge was massive! Surely the two of you know something about this girl..." he trailed off, noting the bloodstained sword, "other than the fact she tried to kill herself..."
"Ask questions later," Piccolo replied, cutting him off as Gohan began to wrap the ace bandages tightly around her wrist. "There isn't time to waste. Go!"
"Aaaah, okay, okay!" Krillin yelled frantically, turning away to take off in the direction of Korin's tower. "Take her to your place Gohan, I'll be there with the senzu bean in less than an hour, guaranteed!"
Piccolo let out a sigh, watching as the bald monk flew away. "He's going to take a least two hours." Turning back toward Gohan, he said, "Listen, we'll help this girl now, but I'll be keeping watch. If she makes one move to destroy this planet, I'll rip her head off."
Gohan didn't hear him which definitely peeved the Namekian, but he digressed from repeating himself. It was beneath him.
"You're going to be okay now," the child muttered, tying the bandages more tightly, having finally stopped the bleeding thanks to the pressure he'd already placed on the wound. "I don't know if you did this to yourself or not, but if you did then you should know that what you nearly succeeded in was a very selfish thing to do."
Piccolo, with his keen hearing, listened as Gohan spoke to the unconscious girl.
"I can't explain how I know, but I'm certain you have a family and friends who love you," he continued, a few beads of sweat dripping from his brow. "And no matter the circumstances you should try to see the good things about your life instead of what's wrong, if not for yourself then for those people. Life is one of the most precious gifts given to us. I can't understand why you'd want to throw it away."
Silence met those words, but Gohan and Piccolo were both shocked by the slight rise in the girl's ki. Icarus blinked his wide green eyes, nuzzling his head to the side of the girl's cheek, even going so far as to lick it when her eyelids began to flutter, her breath shaking as she exhaled one word.
"Because..."
Whatever else she wanted to say trailed off as she continued to breathe a bit more evenly, the lack of blood loss helping in bringing some color back to her cheeks. Piccolo stepped closer, bending down next to Icarus as he and Gohan both examined her, waiting for her to say something else.
Eventually her eyes fluttered open, revealing two dull, aquamarine orbs that locked squarely on Gohan's. The boy nearly staggered away in response, thoroughly freaked and entranced by the intensity of her stare.
Her gaze moved seconds later, landing on the green man.
The girl was clearly out of it, a wispy chuckle slipping past her lips as she stared at the Namekian. "Look at that..." she breathed, "a Yoshi..."
She passed out on the spot, making Gohan think that she'd just died on them. Thankfully, when he checked for a pulse, she had one.
Of course, Gohan knew that she might not have one for much longer because...
"That's it!" Piccolo sneered, holding his index and middle fingers in front of his forehead as he jumped to his feet. "I've had it with the stupidity of this girl. If she wants to die, fine! I'm all for it!" Sparks began to fly from the tips of his fingers. "Special beam..."
"Piccolo no!" Gohan shouted, waving his hands frantically in front of his face while Icarus flew off toward the sky, wisely choosing to evade the beam the green man was preparing to fire. "Don't! Please don't do that!" With widening eyes he added, "She can't..." Gohan didn't have any good excuses to throw at the Namekian, so he threw out something stupid.
"She can't dodge!"
Piccolo's expression deadpanned, his fingertips still sparking with electricity. "Kid, I taught you how to dodge, so when I attack, move out of the way or prepare to die."
Gohan glared at him, his onyx eyes reflecting avid disappointment.
"Fine!" Piccolo shouted, exasperation filling his gruff voice as he lowered his hand to his side. "I can't believe this. I, Piccolo, one of the most feared demons this world has ever known, is taking orders from the six-year-old son of my greatest rival." He turned away from Gohan, embarrassed with himself for stooping to such a low level. It's true that he saw Gohan as his first real friend and even as an adoptive son to a degree, but for heaven's sake something is wrong with this picture.
Groaning the whole time, the green man knelt and picked the unconscious girl up bridal style, leaving the sword behind on the ground. Tossing the girl over his shoulder like a rag-doll, Piccolo grasped the hilt of the bloody blade with his right hand, studying it as Gohan brought the sheath to him. Along with his backpack he now carried a large duffel bag that belonged to the girl.
"What should we do with the sword?" Gohan asked, watching as Piccolo slid the blade into the sheath.
"I'll hang on to it for now," Piccolo stated, clutching the object in question tightly in his hand. "This girl obviously can't be trusted with it. If she wakes up and wants it back, she'll have to earn it." He began to float up from the ground. "Let's hurry back to your place."
Gohan nodded, a concerned scowl on his face as he began to lift into the air. "Yes sir!"
Later
"Get out of my house!"
Chi-Chi Son was obviously not a happy woman at the moment. She and her father, the man once known as the honorable Ox King, had finished packing up the picnic and had called Gohan back home at least an hour earlier. Though Chi-Chi was ready to search for her son five minutes after calling him back, her father reassured her that Gohan had probably flown out of hearing range and that he would come back before it grew dark.
Before leaving the picnic sight she had made sure to call out for her son a few extra times, angrily stating that she would give him double the amount of work to complete if he wasn't home within thirty minutes. Thoroughly pleased with her threat, she trudged the two-mile walk back to her house with her father close behind.
Upon returning to the house she bid her father goodbye so he could return to his home near Fire Mountain. After doing this she tucked herself away inside, deciding she'd occupy her time by cleaning the dishes they had dirtied up during the picnic.
Three minutes after she started, Chi-Chi heard the sound of the door opening. Automatically assuming that Gohan was at the door, she turned around, preparing to greet him as well as discipline him on flying out of hearing range against her wishes but stopped when her gaze met that of a disgruntled Piccolo, carrying a unconscious girl over his shoulder.
For a good two seconds she was frozen stiff, staring at the green man, the man who had kidnapped her son and kept him away from her for over a year...
Within those two seconds Chi-Chi resolved in her mind that it was high-time for some payback. So, completely ignoring that Piccolo was carrying a girl, whose left arm was slowly beginning to bleed out again despite Gohan's efforts to stabilize the wound, the wife of Son Goku grabbed a broomstick from the corner of the kitchen, and marching forward proceeded to smack the Namekian across the head with it.
"Out! Out! OUT!"
Gohan rushed into the house seconds later, carrying his backpack and the girl's duffel bag. He nearly cried out in embarrassment as Piccolo narrowly dodged his mother's impetuous swinging of the broomstick, shouting obscenities at random, having obviously conquered whatever fear she may have held for him. If Piccolo hadn't been carrying a unconscious girl, evading her attacks wouldn't have been an issue. Unfortunately, because he was burdened with the extra weight, he was having a more difficult time doing so, especially since he was attempting to explain the situation past Chi-Chi's incessant rambles of rage, as she knocked over tea-pots, knickknacks, and other such things.
Fifteen minutes of chaos later, Gohan and Piccolo, through joint efforts, were finally able to calm the raging woman down long enough to calmly and rationally discuss the problem at hand: the unconscious and now bleeding girl.
"Why didn't you take her to the hospital!" Chi-Chi shouted, pointing an accusatory index finger towards Piccolo after opening the door of the guest room. He walked in quickly, practically tossing the young woman on the bed as Chi-Chi continued to rant, "I'd think that would be common sense or am I wrong?"
Piccolo, desperately trying to regain his composure as well as some control over this aggravating situation, replied, "Krillin is on his way back from Korin's place with a senzu bean. As you know, this will heal the girl right away..."
"I don't care if she healed herself up right now!" Chi-Chi screamed, stalking into the room before ramming her index finger against Piccolo's chest. "It's my understanding that she did this to herself and that means she's depressed and deranged. My house is not a center for medical treatment, especially in the mental sense."
Groaning inwardly, Piccolo couldn't help but think, "It aught to be with someone like you around."
Gohan rushed into the room with some more bandages and a bigger bottle of peroxide as she finished speaking and nearly succeeded in brushing past her, but Chi-Chi, all leniency gone from her demeanor, reached down and simply tugged at the back of Gohan's shirt before he could get to the bed.
"What do you think you're doing?" she asked, her attention completely locked on her son now. Piccolo used this opportunity to sneak past her having reached his limit of aggravation for the day. He figured Gohan could take care of the rest.
Said young boy inclined his gaze back at his mother, a pleading look crossing over his features. "Mom, please. She's bleeding out again. Someone has to help her or she'll..."
Chi-Chi interrupted him with an loud sigh as she glanced at the unconscious, dying girl lying on the bed. The blood was staining the sheets she had just washed yesterday. Though peeved that she would have to wash them again, she was more concerned with how quickly the young woman was bleeding out.
"Gohan shouldn't see this," she thought, turning toward him to take the items he'd brought from downstairs. "I'll take care of this now. You said Krillin is coming in an hour, right?"
"Yes...ma'am..."
Chi-Chi nodded her head in understanding, moving toward the small desk by the window. "Go wait for him downstairs. The senzu bean will heal her wounds but she'll still be weak from the blood loss." She paused as she grabbed a chair and moved it to toward the bed. In the next second she was sitting by the young woman, tending to her left arm. "She can stay here for tonight, but once she's I'm sending her to Bulma's. She's better equipped to handle this sort of thing. Better yet, I'll tell her take this girl to a mental institution straight away."
"Yes ma'am, I understand," Gohan replied, his frown lifting a little, though he felt bad that his mother wanted to place the young woman in an asylum. "Do you think she'll be alright until Krillin comes."
If Chi-Chi were to be honest she'd say she wasn't sure. From what she could see, there was severe damage to the main blood vessels in her wrist. At this point, the raven-haired teenager was lucky she was still breathing. It'd be a miracle if she lasted until Krillin arrived.
But being honest with Gohan, who stood in the doorway, hoping for said miracle, wasn't an option.
"Of course," Chi-Chi told him, wrapping more ace bandages around the wound, applying as much pressure as possible. "She's going to be just fine. Now, go downstairs and wait for Krillin. After he's come and gone it's straight to bed with you."
Gohan sighed, a look of concern still on his face as he left the room, slowly closing the door behind him. "Yes ma'am."
Once he was gone, Chi-Chi dove into tending to the girl's wound. Gohan had done a good job of temporarily stopping the bleeding, but now the girl was in serious trouble.
Outside the room, Gohan felt the decrease in ki. He was afraid for the girl, but he knew that worrying wasn't going to help the situation. Even knowing that, he still found himself worrying as well as wondering why. He couldn't comprehend why she would intentionally harm herself, especially if his assumptions were correct and her parents were frantically searching the countryside, looking for their daughter.
Unfortunately, his assumptions are not correct. In actuality, the girl's mother was dead and her father, though try as he might to convince her otherwise, could care less about whether she lived or died.
Gohan wouldn't know any of that though. He just knew how his parents were the few times he wandered off on his own when he was little. He knew how much they both loved him. Even with his father still on a distant planet in some other galaxy, Gohan held no doubt that his father cared and that he loved his family.
"He just happens to love fighting more..."
Gohan shook his head ridding himself of the misguided thought while wondering where it had come from. His father loved to fight and face off against powerful opponents, but that was just part of his Saiyan make-up and held no value in comparison to the lives of his friends and family. The young half-saiyan understood that clearly and yet...
Clenching his hands into tight fists, Gohan firmly shook away the doubts fighting to climb into his mind, choosing to focus all of his energy to hopping down the stairs. He wasn't about to let anything sway him into thinking that his father was purposely avoiding his family. No, he knew better than to entertain such a thought, especially after having fought alongside him against Vegeta when he attacked Earth and Frieza on Namek. If there was any room left for doubt after taking those things into account, then Gohan knew to think of the moment when Frieza killed Krillin and how his father reacted in response.
Prompted by the loss of a friend, Son Goku became the legendary Super Saiyan Vegeta had so adamantly preached about during his own battle with Frieza. Gohan remembered the sight well, how a gold aura surrounded his father, encasing him in light as his hair stood on end, the dark irises of his eyes disappearing as he screamed out before returning again, the onyx color replaced by a teal blue.
Remembering that moment reminded Gohan that his father would always cherish the people in his life, that nothing would ever be more important to him than their safety and happiness. His Saiyan instincts may influence him to a degree, but in the end, Goku would always be human, in mind and in spirit.
Reassured by this reasoning, Gohan finally hopped down the last two steps, a ghost of a smile tugging the corners of his lips as he made his way to the kitchen to look for a quick snack.
Meanwhile, flying through the darkening sky, Piccolo was mulling over what should be done about the mysterious girl they had stumbled across. Appearances didn't show her to be much of a threat, but if that power spike was any indicator, it was clear she could prove troublesome for all of them.
Glaring down he locked his gaze on the sheathed sword in his right hand. "I get the feeling that this sword plays a big part in all this." With a groan he lifted his gaze again. He increased his flying speed, hoping to cover some more ground before stopping to rest for the evening.
However, before he could begin to contemplate anything, a violent wave of heat surged through his right hand. Cringing he glared down at the blade again and had to bite back a gasp when his eyes locked on wild flames rushing up the length of his arm. Immediately he let go of the sword, allowing it to fall toward the cluster of trees as he attempted patting out the flames with his other hand as well as his cape.
After a minute or so he managed to pat out the flames entirely, escaping with only a couple mild burns. "Well, that was interesting. I've never heard of a sword spontaneously combusting..." With sudden terror he realized he'd dropped a fire hazard into the forest below him, but upon glancing down he saw that all the trees were still in tact, not a flame in sight.
"What? How is that possible?" Piccolo wondered as he darted toward the ground, sweat beginning to gather at his brow as he landed. Walking briskly he searched the area with his eyes, hoping to spot the sheathed sword somewhere on the ground. After a few minutes of that he looked through a few of the trees but he came up empty again. The sword was no where in sight.
"It fell right here!" he mentally screamed, growing agitated once again. He continued searching for a few more minutes, unable to comprehend how it could have possibly disappeared when he had watched it fall into the area with is own eyes.
Elsewhere, Krillin was heading back from Korin's tower with a bag of senzu beans. He was thoroughly confused by the situation, but he wasn't concerned about it anymore. At this point, though close to the Son household, he was worried that he wouldn't make it in time. The girl's ki was dropping way too fast.
"I don't know who you are, but try to hang in there," he thought, increasing his speed to the maximum level, leaving a streak of white through the sky.
As for the young woman...
A/N: Don't you just love a good cliffy! Though with Krillin being Kousagi's only hope at this point...What do you guys think? Is Kousagi doomed or will Krillin pull out a miracle? Step right up and place your bets folks and in the next chapter we'll see what we get. Thanks for reading, be sure to review, and I'll try to post these updates faster for you!
Also, since this particular story of mine is focused a bit more on the drama, I'm going to put up some more advertisements for you here. Some will be my stories from various fandoms and others will be stories by other authors from various fandoms. Some are drama but others are humor stories. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter!
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My stories
1. A Date With Destiny
After a friend leaves the Juban District, Rei Hino feels that she is without a purpose. She soon recieves a message from a mysterious voice in her vision and travels to Area 11 to find an old friend and to discover the truth about her past. However, what she does not realize is that traveling to this new world will change the very nature of her destiny. UNDER REVISION
Crossover - Sailor Moon & Code Geass - Rated: T - English - Drama - Chapters: 94 - Words: 316,030 - Reviews: 111 - Updated: 12/5/2010 - Published: 10/9/2009 - Rei H./Raye/Sailor Mars - Complete
The above story is the first story I wrote on this website, so the writing quality of it isn't like this one, but slowly it gets better if you can handle the initial grammar issues it has. If you guys love Sailor Moon crossover's though, and know of Code Geass, you can probably get into it. Check it out. (And if you haven't seen Code Geass, go watch it today! It's amazing!)
2. Surviving Through Changes
After leaving Japan, Mina Aino finds herself in a desperate situation. Her father is dying, her mother is starting to abuse her, and is in desperate need for money. Then she's invited to The Duelist Kingdom Tournament for an opportunity to save her father.
Crossover - Sailor Moon & Yu-Gi-Oh - Rated: T - English - Drama/Romance - Chapters: 100 - Words: 447,538 - Reviews: 274 - Updated: 2/8/2012 - Published: 11/21/2009 - Minako A./Mina/Sailor Venus - Complete
The above story is also an older story, so it has some grammar issues in the beginning that I haven't gotten around to fixing, but if you don't mind that, go take a look.
3. That's One Sadistic Kuriboh
Randomness is the fantasyland for abridgers everywhere; a place where jokes make no sense, references are the key to comedy, and the plot is abandoned. Enter the world of Yu-Gi-Oh Abridged, a place similar to the description provided, but now everything has been flipped according to the will of one sugar-high college student. What insanity shall ensue? Find out...if you dare.
Yu-Gi-Oh - Rated: T - English - Parody/Humor - Chapters: 1 - Words: 2,049 - Reviews: 5 - Updated: 5/12/2013 - Published: 5/12/2013 - Kuriboh & Yūgi M. - Complete
If you guys know Team Four Star, then you know Little Kuriboh and his work from Yu-Gi-Oh abridged. The above story is dedicated to that crazy abridged world and is pure, meaningless humor.
Stories by other authors
1. Stitched in Blue ~by Yaji's Girl
The night before the Cell Games, Chi-Chi realizes that her husband and only child have changed more than she could ever have imagined.
Dragonball Z - Rated: T- English - Family/Romance - Chi-Chi & Goku - Words: 7,213 - Reviews: 9- Favs: 29 - Follows: 3 - Published: 04-04-11 - Status: Complete - id: 6878251
2. Hall of Fame ~by nofreakingway
A few years after the Cell Games, Chichi decides that it's a good idea for Gohan to attend Junior High like a normal teenage boy. But when he meets the Sailor Scouts and a new enemy arises, he wonders if his life will ever be normal? DISCLAIMER: I do not own Dragon Ball Z or Sailor Moon, nor their respective worlds. However, all original characters and plot lines belong to me.
Rated: T - English - Adventure/Humor - Chapters: 21 - Words: 91,306 - Reviews: 91 - Favs: 43 - Follows: 49 - Updated: 4-10-13 - Published: 11-17-12
I've only read the first three chapters of the above story, but I love it so far. It's fast paced, it's funny, and introduces the conflict really fast. I plan to keep reading it and thought, why not refer it to all of you too. Good stories need to be shared.
3. Darkness Before the Dawn ~by Cyron
Set after Sailor Stars and during the Androids/Cell saga. The sailor senshi are once again called to protect the world from evil. Only this time, it's not their world they will have to protect.
Dragon Ball Z/Sailor Moon - Rated: T - English - Chapters: 11 - Words: 70,458 - Reviews: 36 - Updated: 2-1-13 - Published: 3-10-11
The above story is one I haven't been able to read yet myself, but my good friend Princesa De La Luna highly recommended it to me and I thought I'd recommend it to all of you. She has excellent taste so you guys can trust in her judgement. I definitely plan on reading this story soon.
And that's all for advertisements. Thanks for reading this chapter guys. Be sure to check out these other stories too. Have a fabulous day!
