The official story was this: concerned for the health and safety of the daughter of Earth's Savior, Sailor Mercury tracked down the two kidnapped girls, and with the help of Videl, took down the Orange Syndicate. The mysterious girl who teleported to Orange Hospital, unconscious girl in tow, was a member of the Imperial Sailor Agency.

There was, of course, admiration for Videl, brave as she was. She was a true master of her father's teachings. Mr. Satan bestowed endless praise onto his daughter, saying that he would have surely rescued her himself but knew in his heart that she was more than capable.

Rini, meanwhile, experienced an upswing in popularity once it hit news channels that the other half of the kidnapped party was the daughter of the head designer of Moon Bunny, famous fashion brand. It was no stretch, then, to surmise that the Orange Syndicate was merely after Rini and Videl for their money, and how awful for they seemed like such wonderful young girls.

Rini snorted every time she heard that one.

The truth of everything, however, was vastly different than the official story. Rini and Videl obviously couldn't leave the mansion without some sort of story because they weren't about to out themselves. Hence why Rini whipped out her Communicator and begged (much to the delight of Videl) one of the Sailor Scouts to take credit.

Mars and Jupiter laughed in her face. Venus looked mildly disapproving for just a second...before joining Mars and Jupiter. Mercury took pity on her, dropping in at the mansion right as the police arrived, posed for a quick photo, and then teleported right back out.

Videl enjoyed her own fame for all of a second before donning her usual scowl and changing the subject. Her skill was noted but, as usual, it was Hercule who took the credit. Videl showed up at Rini's the same night of their escape, bag perched on a shoulder. Rini immediately showed her to the guest room.

And all the while, their friends refused to leave their side, even when a swarm of paparazzi hovered outside of their school and the arcade. At least Ryo didn't seem to mind, claiming it was good for business.

It seemed that things were settling down. Sure, it took Rini a little longer than usual to fall asleep, plagued as she was by all of the unsettled things in the city. She harbored a lingering fear that she'd be outted by any of the Orange Syndicate members in police custody. Or that Ren would find her...or she'd wake up to find the city turned into demons...or Gohan things.

They were in the arcade, a few hours after school had ended on Friday night. They had long since finished their after school snacks and the remnants-glasses filled with melted ice cream; French fry crumbs; the lettuce from Rini's burger; globs of ketchup-were scattered between their textbooks and notebooks.

Rini nipped at her pen, her eyes roaming the textbook before her, and wrote something down. A second later, her eyes flicked up to see Gohan's black ones staring at her before quickly darting away to his own textbook.

Rini pursed her lips and swallowed. She was about ninety percent sure he had stared at that same page for thirty minutes now. She knew, based on the perfect score he had received on their chemistry test, that he was a smart guy; he didn't need to read the same page fifty times to understand it.

Something was going on through Gohan's head. Something that had become standard over the past few days. It was unnerving. A little irritating, and a lot confusing.

Gohan's eyes weren't moving; they seemed locked on the same spot in his textbook. Rini tapped her pen on the table for a second before going back to her own textbook. Two seconds later, Gohan lifted his eyes.

Rini stilled, eyes now going to the burnt fry neither of them wanted. She tapped her pen again, like she was thinking, but the little char of potato was her anchor as she watched Gohan from her peripheral.

Two second later, Gohan opened his mouth. Rini held her breath...and then almost snapped her pen when he closed it immediately.

Standard practice. She lost count of how many times he had done that. Maybe a hundred.

Rini stared at the small lump of black fry for a few seconds longer before letting out a great gust of a sigh and going back to her textbook and- "Ahh!"

"Are you going to spit it or what?" Sharpner appeared, hanging over the top of the booth, wearing an all-knowing smirk as he glanced between Rini and Gohan.

"Spit what out," Rini glared, hand over her racing heart.

Sharpner jabbed a finger at Gohan, who looked startled at the sudden accusatory gesture. "He's been staring at you every chance he gets and he can't get a single word out. It's obvious he wants to ask you out."

Gohan turned a deep shade of red. "I what?!"

If there was ever a time that Rini wished she could reveal herself and teleport away, now was it. Because Sharpner wasn't really doing this, was he? She glanced around his large arms for Erasa and Videl but they were immersed in their game, backs turned as they threw shade and insults at each other in loud voices.

The worst part was she was trapped by Sharpner and the window on her other side.

"Lemme help you out," Sharpner continued, leaning forward further and grasping Rini's shoulder. She froze and had no choice but to cast pleading eyes at Gohan, who only stared in ever increasing horror. "Will you put the guy out of his misery and go out with him?"

"How about putting me out of my misery and shut up." Rini's own cheeks probably matched Gohan's and she sank into the booth a few inches.

Sharpner, however, was either oblivious in their mortification or reveled in it because he said, "stop playing coy, you guys are perfect for each other. You're both super nerds!" He glanced between them with that smirk of his, like they should be proud of whatever dots he connected.

"Er. Thanks, Sharpner," Rini started, the flush in her face not leaving, "I guess. But actually-"

"Actually, I did want to talk to Rini," Gohan interrupted and then snapped his mouth closed, looking vaguely sick.

The warm feeling flooding Rini spread from her cheeks to everywhere-down her chest, where her heart skid to a stop before jump starting tentatively. Not her hands though; they were stubbornly cold and moist. She quickly wiped them on her pants.

"That's the spirit, Son," Sharpner reached over for a fist bump that Gohan did not return. If it were any other situation, Rini would have snorted.

As it was, Gohan looked didn't even acknowledge Sharpner and Rini kept eyeing Videl and Erasa's backs, hoping that they'd turn around and save her from this awkward hell Sharpner had created.

But then Gohan said, "can we have some privacy, Sharpner?"

And Kami help her, Sharpner's smirk grew and he actually saluted Gohan as he rose and then gave Rini a wink. As if he played wingman or something. Rini threw the charred fry at him and was pleased when it left a black smudge on Sharpern's white shirt.

But facing reality...Rini turned back to Gohan and took a breath, only to release it in a shaky laugh. She winced.

"Soooo," they both said at the same time. Rini bit her lip and gestured for him to go first.

Gohan looked tense. That made two of them. "How do you know about the Dragon Balls?"

Rini sat ramrod straight. She opened her mouth. Closed it. Squinted at Gohan. "Wait, what?"

She expected to feel relief, at least, for Sharpner being completely wrong but...well, something felt off about this.

"The other day," Gohan hurried to explain, "you said 'thank the dragon'. What else is that supposed to mean?"

"Wait-how do you know about them?"

Sharpner was so wrong. She spotted him on the other end of the dining counter, talking to Ryo about something. When she caught his eye, raised his brows suggestively.

Rini scowled and turned back to Gohan, who was now leaning in closer, and she could almost see the chocolate brown in his eyes but she blinked as the current situation crashed down on her.

Gohan shook his head, a wistful look overcoming his features. "My family has an interesting history with them."

"Please, regale me with tales of your family exploits," Rini said in a dull tone, closing her textbook with a snap. "What did you wish for?"

Gohan looked momentarily panicked before he let out a loud laugh. "Uh. Stuff."

"Uh huh." Rini shoved her pen back into its case and closed her notebook. She stacked everything and placed her hands on the table and stared at them. "So. Why should I tell you everything when you won't even answer that?"

"Because I think Sharpner's right. We're more similar than I thought."

Rini's knuckles were white. Sharpner was wrong but he was right, just not in the way that left her alone with Gohan in this stupid booth, amongst all the dirty dishes and their schoolwork.

Rini picked at a nail and swallowed the lump that had formed somewhere in her trail of thoughts.

Arcades and milkshakes and sticky vinyl booths. Her dreams were plagued with black voids and monsters, and insane crime bosses hounded her and yet...she had routine had become an anchor in the whirling events of the past month. Every night, the world narrowed to this one point, this one booth and normalcy.

And fucking Sharpner was the catalyst for it crashing down.

Or maybe it was her own stupid fault, a slip of her tongue; her exhaustion. The secrets in her life catching up to her.

But, wasn't this what she wanted?

Rini looked back up at Gohan, how he was worrying his own lip as he leaned over the table, shoulders hunched and arms close to his side. She was used to Gohan being awkward and stammering but this marked his uncertainty better than any of his head scratching or blurted chuckles.

Maybe the guilt was crushing him, too.

Rini stood, her knees crashing into the table, clattering the dishes against each other. Gohan jerked back, startled, as Rini shoved her things back into her bag.

"I can't do this right now," she said, slinging her bag over her shoulder and throwing some bills on the table.

"Wait-Rini." Gohan also stood but she was halfway through the arcade.

Rini called out a goodbye to Erasa and Videl, even though she would see the latter later, and slugged Sharpner in the arm as she passed him. His indignant squawk was a welcome distraction from Gohan.

She made for the door in a few pathetic skips; it was a miracle the glass didn't shatter with the force she slammed into it. Ryo called out to her to be more careful but she only sent him a wave in apology.

At some point in the evening, the wind had picked up, bringing dark clouds bloated with rain. The downpour was imminent, as evidenced by the scattering of heavy raindrops falling on Rini. The wind was brisk and Rini hurried her steps to match it, wishing through blinking eyes that she had thought to bring a jacket.

But then, she wished she had done a lot of things so this was par for the course.

When she heard Gohan's rushing footsteps a second later, she was already at the intersection, where the red crossing sign and oncoming traffic barred her from going further. She thought fleetingly of dashing to the other side anyway, but then warily remembered the last time she had crossed the street illegally.

Rini shoved her hands in her pockets, chin raised high in determination to ignore the boy behind her and the rain and the wind pulling at her loose hair. Something akin to hope flared in her when the traffic light switched to yellow and after a few seconds paused, switched again to red. She made to take a step, her foot lifting from the ground-

Only for her arm to be caught by a large hand. She jerked, a cry of surprise escaping from her lips as she turned. Despite only being outside for a few moments, her arm was already slick with rain but Gohan's grip was strong.

It was still early in the evening, barely sunset, yet the oncoming storm darkened the city and cast shadows all over them. Even with the passing cars and their bright headlights, Gohan looked grim even as he looked beseeching.

"Rini," he said, taking a few steps forward to close the distance between them, rather than pull her. He wasn't even out of breath. "I, uh...remember when I said Bulma knew about the Red Ribbon Army? It was because she was looking for the Dragon Balls the same time they were. She knows how they were defeated because her best friend was the one responsible."

Rini knew what he was doing and she would be lying if she said it wasn't working. The invisible wall around them cracked, even more so when Gohan plowed on.

"The best friend was my dad." Gohan blinked, as if also surprised he revealed this. "Uh. Mom's not the only martial artist in the family."

Gohan laughed nervously and it was enough for Rini to take a step back. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because." The grip on Rini's arm relaxed. "I trust you. I feel like you get it-the strange family, the secrets, no one your own age…you get it, don't you?"

Rain splashed on Rini's face with increasing frequency and her skin shivered where the cold wind hit it. But not where Gohan's hand wrapped around her arm, no that was warm. Everything about Gohan pleaded with her to come closer, if not physically, but mentally.

The crossing walk light flashed and chirped behind her in a last call and Rini pulled her arm from Gohan's. She took another step back.

"I do," she said, gripping the strap of her bag. The fringe on her forehead stuck to her face from the rain. "I get it, but I can't do this yet. Not yet."

Another headlight shone over Gohan, his arms hanging uselessly at his sides. It was brief, but she caught the disappointment pulling him down before she turned and ran.

Rini ran all the way to her apartment building, the clouds above her finally opening up in a downpour that soaked through her clothes and probably her bag. It was easier to think of her ruined notes and soggy textbooks than it was to think of Gohan standing in the rain.

She avoided her reflection in the glass doors of her building as she swiped in and again in the elevator mirrors. She was grateful that Videl was still at the arcade. It meant no one was around to see her sink to her apartment floor, her back to the door and a long wet trail following her down, and bury her head in her arms.

The demon flared to life a few minutes later.

Saiyaman was acting strange.

To be fair, Saiyaman's strange levels were already off the charts compared to normal people, so it was hard to gauge exactly where he fell on said chart, but...maybe acting like a normal person was strange for him.

He had flown in seconds after she and Videl did and asked for a situation brief, voice quiet and stoical as he kept his body facing away from hers. Mini Moon quirked a brow but didn't comment, choosing instead to gesture broadling at the scene before them.

The demon had appeared, either by design or coincidence, in the bar district a few blocks from the business district. Favored by men after a long day's toil in finance and cut throat deals, it was often bustling from early evening to early morning. The presence of a demon and downpouring rain, however, had rid the district of its usual patrons.

Several bars had already been destroyed and when it spotted Mini Moon, it stopped and regarded her for a few seconds. Long enough for Mini Moon to look away with a shiver that had nothing to do with the night's chill or rain.

"You know," Mini Moon said with a roll of her eyes. "The usual."

"Right."

Saiyaman took a step forward, still not looking at her, and Mini Moon blinked. And then, even though time was of the essence and the demon could destroy another bar any second, she reached out and stopped him with a hand on his arm.

Saiyaman stopped and then, finally, glanced back at Mini Moon. She couldn't see past the visor but the tilt of his head and the pull of his lips suggested an air of disappointment.

It felt odd, especially when he said, "I'm fine, Mini Moon."

He gave her another long look and Mini Moon felt strangely like she were standing before one of her parents or palace senior staff. She let go of his arm, heard Videl mumble something but didn't catch what because in the blink of an eye Saiyaman was at the demon, pummeling it with one, solid punch. The force sent the demon flying down the street in a tumble of limbs and...did not stumble back to its feet.

Instead it lay on its back in the road, its black body in queer contrast to the colorful reflections caused by the neon signs against the pools of rain. Like a hole in the road, another void.

Mini Moon, Videl beside her, felt her mouth drop open.

"You couldn't do that before," Videl yelled out to Saiyaman, who merely offered a single indifferent shrug.

"No fun." He glanced again at Mini Moon, still too long and still too disappointed. "You gonna heal it?"

There was definitely something off about Saiyaman, but then, that just seemed to be the theme of the day. Still, Mini Moon bristled at his comment, even though it was good that the fight was short. She nodded, and pulled out the tiare and let it and the crystal do its work.

The rain's dark shadows did not detract from the brilliance of the tiare's lightshow but rather enhanced it along with the neon lining the streets. And, when it cleared and a human lay in place of the demon, Mini Moon allowed herself a small smile.

She turned to thank Saiyaman, no matter his cool attitude, when a thunderous crack pierced the air, echoing through the suddenly silent street. The hairs on Mini Moon stood on end and she spun toward Videl, instinct telling her to check on her friend but the fighter was staring back at the unconscious man, her mouth agape and her face so very, very pale.

"There," Videl pointed in a urgent voice, and Mini Moon looked past the man, across the street and saw a dark silhouette disappearing into the shadows of an alley.

Faster than a blink, Saiyaman was gone, at the shadowed man. Videl rushed forward also and through her still ringing ears, Mini Moon heard her call out.

Mini Moon shook out her shaking hands as she told herself that Videl was fine, that she wasn't hurt, but as she moved forward, she suddenly understood why.

Videl crouched beside the man that Mini Moon had healed and pressed her hands at his side. Mini Moon followed suit, dropping to her knees without a thought to the dark red puddle under staining her uniform.

Videl's eyes met Mini Moon's, large and pleading, the panic within palpable. "Heal him."

But Mini Moon's hands were already reaching for the man, one brushing his soaked blond hair from his smooth face, the other wedging itself under Videl's and over the wound. Even as she did, even with the pink crystal's power surging through him, his ki was a flickering ember, weakened from the demon she had just purged.

And blood, so much blood.

A lump formed in Mini Moon's throat and she swallowed it away, biting her lip to keep it from trembling as she pressed against his side, harder. She summoned more of the pink crystal's power but it felt like a stone within her. Cold.

"Come on," she whispered, pressing harder. "Come on…"

The man's blood made a long streak on the street. There was so much of it but Mini Moon kept her frantic eyes on him.

Videl realized it, from the way the blood continued to ooze, before Mini Moon allowed herself to. "Why isn't he healing?" She sounded fearful, utterly helpless.

The crystal had it's limits, Mini Moon realized as the pink light flickered, and she had just used a large portion of what she could access. This was...she bit her lip harder to keep from crying out in frustration. She was too slow; too inexperienced and this man…

Videl did make a sound, despairing, denying, as she too felt the absence of the man's ki. It stretched between the two girls, somehow louder than the gunshot. As if in apology, the pink crystal pulsed once and then it fell quiet.

Mini Moon placed a hand over her heart, the other over her mouth, and stared at the lifeless man before her. She felt frozen, yet every inch of her shook and she felt her eyes burn.

Through the fog of it all, she heard Saiyaman behind them, dragging the shadowed man toward them. One of them moaned in pain and she knew it wasn't Saiyaman. Something heavy and metal landed beside Mini Moon; the shooter's crumpled gun.

"Who are you," Saiyaman demanded and when the assailant didn't answer, he asked it again, cold and deliberate.

"A reminder," the attacker said, his voice a vicious sneer. "From Ren to the Sailor bitch. He's still out there."

Mini Moon squeezed her eyes shut and held in the sob that threatened to emerge. Of course it was Ren.

Saiyaman, apparently satisfied with this answer, knocked the guy out and tossed him on the street in a crumble. Videl immediately stood, cell phone already in a trembling hand, and called for medical help.

Mini Moon listened to Saiyaman take a deep breath and then walk around Mini Moon until he was in front of her. She opened her eyes to see his black visor inches away.

"Is he…" Saiyaman didn't need to finish his question, and she knew he didn't need her answer to confirm what he did not sense.

Mini Moon shook her head and stared down at the red staining her gloves faster than the rain could wash it away. "I should have trained harder," she breathed. "I should have pushed the crystal more, made it listen to me. Instead, I came here."

Saiyaman's own gloved hand reached for hers and she let him, the weight of him a warm comfort. "It's not your fault."

"Yes it is," she sighed. "The pink crystal chose me, I should be able to wield it. But it...has a mind of its own. I can heal impurities, fix nonlethal wounds, but anything else and it…"

"We'll use the Dragon Balls."

Mini Moon's head jerked up. "How do you…"

Saiyaman gave her a lopsided smile that was at odds with the situation. "I'm not all brute strength. I have some magic up my sleeve."

Mini Moon withdrew her hand. "No."

That was apparently the wrong answer. Saiyaman grew rigid. "Why not?"

"Use them on one person?" Mini Moon rose to her feet; Saiyaman followed. "What about when something else happens and more people die? We'd have to wait a year before we can wish them back."

"Nothing will happen. The world is at peace."

Mini Moon wished she had his certainty. "Okay. So that's why there are gangs around the world and some androids almost destroyed it. That's why the Sailor Scouts train every day-not to defend against the next threat, but because we're at peace."

"He didn't need to die," Saiyaman said roughly. "He can still come back. What about his family?"

"You heard what he said," Mini Moon jerked a finger at the still unconscious shooter. "This isn't over yet and who knows what'll happen before then."

"Mini Moon?" Both superheroes whipped around to Videl who had apparently finished her phone call. Videl's violet eyes wearily looked from Saiyaman to Mini Moon.

Saiyaman did the same and Mini Moon saw something in his body snap to attention, and then he gave a bitter laugh. "She knows who you are. Ren-the crime boss, right-he knows too. But you told her."

"Who I reveal my identity to isn't your business," Mini Moon said, looking away from Saiyaman and at anything else-the water soaked banners and bright bar signs. "It's not like we're friends."

Saiyaman was quiet but he stared at her long enough to make her look back at him. His lips were pursed and he had that vaguely disappointed air about him again and he said bitterly, "No. But we could be. Because you get it."

Mini Moon's heart stuttered to a stop at that. She glanced at Videl but the fighter could only shake her head wordlessly, not from refusal at his words but from that helplessness that Mini Moon also felt.

"You don't want to use the Dragon Balls? Fine." Saiyaman crossed his arms. "But you better trust me soon so we can stop this from happening again."

More than the shooter's words, Saiyaman's felt like a warning, a familiar one that seemed to have happened days ago. She watched Saiyaman rise into the sky, lips pulled down into a frown at her, and as he hands dropped down at his sides, she thought of Gohan also standing in the rain, telling her he trusts her. That he gets it.

She blinked rapidly, not from the rain, but as the realization flipped a switch within her. No way.

~you have no control who lives, who dies, who gets wiiished back~ Ah, I love me some gray areas.

Ya'll there's more to a plotted story than power levels, c'mon. I literally wrote up a two pages about this in my notebook but here's the short version:

1. Rini don't need no man to teach her shit. *z-snap*

2. Gohan is more powerful than the demons (as seen above), he just doesn't want to blow up the fucking city so he shows off. Er, holds back. Sweet tempered as he is, he still likes to play. Rini uses the crystal for most of her power but she can't do Big Stuff because it'll fucking kill her. Also it doesn't cooperate. At her base, she isn't really that powerful.

3. There are guns in the anime and Videl's learning abilities are canon, the end.

Anyway, thanks for reading/reviewing, love you all xx