"Mercury, how much further?" panted Sailor Moon, "We've been wondering around here for hours!"
"Calm down Sailor Moon, it's hardly been 30 minutes." grumbled Sailor Mars; her irritation with their leader was very evident.
"REALLY?! It feels like we've been here for way longer!" gasped Sailor Moon, laughing slightly at her disorientation.
Sailor Mercury continued to tap desperately on her computer screen, frowning and growing more anxious at the lack of results. The signal was growing stronger, but its' direction became more disorientated. It was as though Gohan's ki was surrounding them, rather than sourced from a specific location. Mercury knew that this was the enemies' doing, but her brilliant mind was clouded with worry for her friend, making it difficult to overcome the interference.
"Are you alright Sailor Mercury?" Sailor Venus asked, placing a comforting hand on her friends' shoulder. She smiled gently at the worried expression that faced her, "Don't worry. Gohan can take care of himself. He's been in tougher spots than this, I'm sure of it. We'll bust him out in no time!" she winked and Sailor Mercury smiled weakly.
She wasn't sure whether or not to tell them... Were they lost?
"Argh! It's no use!" Sailor Mercury cried in frustration, snapping her compact shut. "I can't locate the source of his energy." she sighed weakly and slid to her knees, a sad expression gracing her beautiful face. "He's in trouble... And there's nothing we can do to help him." she whispered quietly, her hands clenching into fists as she furiously tried to control her emotions.
She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder and looked up to see the sweet smile of Sailor Neptune.
"I know you're worried about him, Mercury. But we all care about Gohan and we need your help to find him." she said gently.
"I'm sure he's thinking of you as well Mercury." added Sailor Moon with a gentle smile, "How else would you be able to feel that he's in trouble? When you care about someone, you create a connection." Tuxedo Mask put a gentle hand on Sailor Moon's shoulder and she looked up at her lover, smiling affectionately. The connection between Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask was living proof of her words.
"You're letting your emotions cloud your judgement, Mercury." Sailor Uranus said calmly, looking around the area suspiciously. "You need to channel you powers and focus on the task at hand."
Sailor Mercury closed her eyes and let out a steadying breath. They were right; she couldn't give up on Gohan. She had to figure out a way to get past the enemies' interference waves.
"Sorry to put a downer on things, but, do you here that?" Sailor Mars suddenly asked.
The Scouts and Tuxedo Mask fell silent as they strained their ears. In the distance, they could hear grunting and battle cries, as well as rough movement within the air.
"What... is that?" Sailor Jupiter asked the group quietly, frowning.
Tuxedo Mask knelt down and placed his hands on the ground, closing his eyes and searching for the source of those sounds. He took Sailor Moon's hand in his own and began to project the image he was seeing to her through his telepathic touch. Sailor Moon gasped, making all the Scouts face her suddenly.
"What?!" asked Sailor Venus, "What did you see?"
"Gohan..?" Sailor Moon almost whispered; her eyes still wide with shock at what she was seeing in her minds' eye. "What is he doing?"
"You can see Gohan?" asked Sailor Uranus in surprise.
"Where is he? What's happening Sailor Moon?" Sailor Mercury asked desperately, unable to hide her worry and need for knowledge.
"He's close." Tuxedo Mask said, getting to his feet again and letting go of his hold on Sailor Moon's hand. "This way." He said suddenly and began to run left of where the group had been stood.
Without hesitation, the girls followed him. Sailor Mercury felt her anxieties grow. What did they see? What had happened to Gohan? All she could do right now was pray that he was safe and they found him in time.
As they drew closer, they could hear the grunts and battle cries were getting louder, the sound of physical collision was clearer and it was as though they were being hit by shockwaves of energy.
"GOHAN!" Sailor Mercury desperately called, but her tone and expression changed immediately as they appeared in a clearing. Her worry and concern was replaced with confusion, but above all, she was hurt. "Gohan?" she seemed to call out his name in disbelief.
"Huh?" Gohan stopped his movements suddenly and turned to see the Sailor Scouts and Tuxedo Mask standing by the entrance of his training grounds. He used this spot quite whenever he wanted to beat out some frustration. "Hey guys. What're you doing here? I thought we weren't training 'til later?"
"Gohan! What the hell is going on?!" demanded Sailor Uranus and the young Saiyan seemed even more confused.
"What? Oh right, sorry." he apologised, glancing at his sparring partner nervously before laughing in embarrassment. "Well, Nikiko was pretty good when we trained last time so I thought I'd train with her before you all showed up."
"But you were taken by the enemy!" gasped Sailor Mars in disbelief.
"We were attacked and we thought they'd got to you!" added Sailor Jupiter, with the same disbelief in her voice at what they were seeing.
"Wait," Sailor Uranus suddenly said, staring at Gohan with untrusting eyes, "remember what happened last time. This might just be another trick." Her eyes narrowed as she observed the blank and confused look cross the handsome face of the adolescent Saiyan. "Mercury," she suddenly called out and snapped the Sailor Scout from her thoughts, "can you scan his ki wave and confirm it's him? He said everyone's ki is unique right?" asked the Solider of the Sky, never taking her eyes off this suspicious form.
Sailor Mercury had been so lost and confused by her thoughts that she was surprised to be called upon by Sailor Uranus. She nodded at her request and tapped her earring, drawing up the computer screen goggles across her eyes and pulling out her compact computer. She began typing away, running the ki-wave scanner she had managed to create and directing it at Gohan's body. Though she felt it in her heart before the scan had even begun, it just proved that this was indeed the true Gohan.
"It's really him." she said quietly, dismissing her computer screen and pocketing her compact once more.
"That doesn't make any sense." Sailor Moon said quietly, looking worriedly at her friend.
"So, was everything that had happened earlier just an illusion?" Sailor Mars asked. Her tone was questioning and calm, but she was furious with herself for not sensing the deception.
"No, it was definitely the enemy. But they tricked us." Sailor Neptune replied bitterly, hating the idea that they had been so easily mislead.
"Well, we did kind of jump to conclusions." Sailor Jupiter reasoned, frowning slightly.
"Who told you that we had rearranged our training time?" Tuxedo Mask asked Gohan, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.
Gohan had been watching the Scouts review him with much confusion. He obviously had no idea what had happened, and was therefore unsure of how to react to their suspicions. But Tuxedo Mask's question brought him back to reality and he studied his friend's alter ego for a moment, frowning as he tried to remember.
But he couldn't.
Why couldn't he remember? Gohan's frown deepened with frustration and he folded his arms, pouting much like his father while he desperately tried to recall the reasoning behind this assumption. He remembered seeing Amy near the library, then going to study with Nikiko. Then he was in his afternoon classes without Amy, so hadn't even been expecting to see her. But the other girls had been missing too.
He had panicked when he felt multiple ki waves of enemy minions again, higher ki waves than the previous creatures he had fought. But he sensed the Scouts and Tuxedo Mask surrounding both of them and relaxed, making no effort to join them. This was what he had been waiting to observe and, within minutes, the dangerous power disappeared. He had been pleased with the progress of the battles. Granted, it took longer than if he had been there, but he felt he could perhaps step down as the world's protector and allow the Scouts to do their duty against these simple creatures without his interference. After all, he couldn't have been in two places at once to stop both those things. But the Scouts were like a well built machine and co-ordinated themselves perfectly.
Why couldn't he remember anything after that? The next thing he knew, he was dropping his things at home very quickly and carrying Nikiko in his arms so they could fly to this spot and begin their training. He wasn't even quite sure when they had started their friendly match. It could hardly have been more than a quarter of an hour or so?
"Gohan," Tuxedo Mask called to him, pulling Gohan out of his thoughts and back to reality, "you need to answer me." he said. There wasn't any forceful authority in his tone, it wasn't a command that would make Gohan feel reproachful. It was a concerned request, gently spoken from a caring friend.
"I can't remember." He said finally, sighing in defeat. For the first time, his mind seemed to have failed him. He was not prone to forgetting things like this and he felt disconcerted. The only other times he had bouts of memory loss was when he had transformed into the infamous Saiyan form of a great ape, the Oozaru. But he no longer had a tail, so that wasn't even a possibility.
"Forgive me, I feel as though I may be intruding." a gentle and smooth voice spoke, making Gohan lose all thought immediately. He looked back to Nikiko with a light daze in his face and he smiled sweetly at her.
"No no! You're never intruding! Don't worry!" he said quickly and brightly.
She smiled sweetly at him and approached him with inhuman grace and lightness of step. The sharp eyes of Sailor Uranus narrowed as they observed this creature; her mistrust and dislike for her increasing with each passing second.
Nikiko gently kissed Gohan on the cheek, making the young Saiyan blush the brightest shade of red and completely lose his ability to construct any conscious thought. Her intense hazel eyes locked with his for a moment as she spoke, "I will take my leave. I know when I am not welcome. Perhaps we can continue another time." she smiled at Gohan again, paralysing the Saiyan with her beautiful gesture before she turned away. Taking a capsule out of her pocket, she pressed the button and threw it into the centre of the clearing, where it erupted into life and revealed a hovercraft. She climbed in with ease and, with a final glance to the star struck Saiyan, she flew away.
"I get major negavibes from her." scowled Sailor Mars and Gohan snapped out of his daze immediately.
"What? There's nothing wrong with Nikiko!" he argued, annoyed at her words. Sailor Mars just frowned at him and said nothing. What could she say to someone so lost in their own emotions?
"Gohan, are you sure you can't remember anything?" pressed Sailor Neptune, gazing at her friend with concern and looked troubled when he shook his head.
"No, last thing I remember is sensing the battles you guys had with more of the enemies' minions." he replied, frowning with a serious and furious gaze. But his look softened as he observed his friends. They seemed to be looking at him with disbelief, concern and horror. What was going on? "What happened to you guys?" he asked them with genuine concern.
"We thought they'd got to you." Sailor Mercury said quietly, staring at Gohan with a very hurt expression.
"Who?" he asked in confusion.
When Gohan met her eyes, he felt a pain within him that he couldn't quite explain. He couldn't connect with her gaze for more than a moment; it hurt him so much to see that expression in her eyes. He wanted to do everything in his power to make it go away, to make her smile and for her eyes to sparkle in their joyful gleam.
What the...
Why was he thinking like that? It wasn't his place. He was very close with Amy, out of all the girls. So perhaps that was why? It's only natural to want to do everything you could to cheer up your friends. But this was strange... Gohan could not recall a time where he had ever felt like this.
"It was a trick." Sailor Neptune began to inform him. "We came for our scheduled training session with you. But it was the enemy in disguise and they attacked us. They're growing smarter and their attacks are sneakier. They've been luring us into a false sense of security." Her fists seemed to clench with frustration as she spoke.
Sailor Uranus seemed to stiffen and her muscles seemed to tense at her lovers' words. "And we've been falling for it." she finished bitterly. "They've been adapting to our attacks and they've been studying our lives. They know who we trust and what our plan is." She growled furiously at the thought of being watched for who knows how long. "
"What're you talking about?!" Gohan's eyes were now wide with worry and his brow seemed to crease as he slowly absorbed their words. They were being watched?
"Gohan, they absorbed our energy attacks!" Sailor Moon informed him, with slight desperation in her eyes. "We couldn't do anything. They absorbed them and used them against us. We barely managed to kill them."
Gohan's face seemed to go into a horrified sense of shock at her words. They absorbed energy attacks? "H-how is that possible?" he gasped. The only other time he could recall energy attacks being absorbed was-
No... They were long gone. His father defeated the entire Red Ribbon Army as a child and when Dr. Gero had returned in android form, Gohan had obliterated their strongest opponent yet... Cell.
"We don't know." Sailor Venus frowned furiously as she thought back to their battle. "But the thing just seemed to spin and instead of being hurt by my attack, it just absorbed it." The other Scouts nodded and reflected the same troubled look.
"They've got cloaking mechanisms too." added Sailor Mars and Gohan's eyes widened in surprise. "We couldn't see it until it tried to attack us. If you hadn't told us about unique ki waves, Mercury wouldn't have been able to scan for its' energy so we had a target." She spoke with a gentle form of affection in her eyes this time, but Gohan still felt uneasy.
"But then... how did you manage to defeat it if it could just absorb your attacks?" Gohan asked; a nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach. Perhaps this was the work of a more advanced creation that was left unattended by Dr. Gero?
"Mercury figured it out." Tuxedo Mask responded, giving an admiring glance in her direction. "They could only absorb pure energy attacks and recreate them. When the attacks were so powerful that they had to be channelled through a magical object, they couldn't absorb it and had no form of defence against it. So they were destroyed by Sailor Moons' kelidomoon scope."
"And my Space Sword." nodded Sailor Uranus with a slight smirk as she recalled her victory.
No, there was definitely no way that this was the work of the Red Ribbon Army.
"We suspect it's because of you, Gohan." Sailor Neptune said rather harshly, though her tone was still gentle.
He looked at her blankly, completely bewildered by her statement. "Me? Why? What did I do?"
"You defeated the enemy so easily with pure energy from within yourself." she replied, gazing at him with both admiration and annoyance, "It seems as though they felt they needed to up their game."
"That doesn't make it my fault!" he retorted, frowning rather angrily. He didn't appreciate being accused for protecting the world.
"They've been watching us!" growled Sailor Uranus, "They know our plan. We need to up our game twice as much; find somewhere else to train. We can't trust anyone besides each other until we can figure out the enemies' next move." she said harshly, glaring at Gohan with accusing eyes.
He had a feeling he knew what she was getting at, and he didn't like it. He could feel his ki rising with his temper, and he fought for control over it; just as he was fighting to remain calm as he spoke.
"And what exactly do you mean by that?" his voice was low and deadly; there was a slight threat in the tone of his voice and it made the inner planetary Scouts take an unconscious step back. Sailor Mercury seemed horrified at his sudden change. The Gohan she knew as not like this.
Was he?
Sailor Neptune seemed to take on a defensive stance, ready to act to defend her love. But Sailor Uranus didn't move. She didn't even twitch at the sudden threat that appeared within him. Her eyes narrowed in an almost cruel gaze as she observed him before responding.
"I mean that you should stay away from Nikiko. I don't trust her."
Gohan growled, his fists clenching and a sudden anger overcoming him. He fought for control over his ki, which was rapidly rising with his fury. His ebony hair seemed to be struggling as it flashed blonde at regular intervals; his eyes similarly flashing the signature teal of the Super Saiyan.
"There's nothing wrong with Nikiko!" he growled, twitching as he struggled to control his temper; knowing that he was more of a threat to the Scouts if he transformed. "Why should I listen to you?"
"Gohan, she's not wrong." Sailor Mars tried to reason with him, taking a cautious step forwards and speaking gently. Her eyes were concerned and compassionate as they gazed at the young lover. "I get some serious negavibes from her that I don't get from other people; from good people. She's dangerous and we just want to do what's best-"
"I'm sick of people trying to decide what's best for me!" he suddenly shouted, erupting in an aura of golden flames and electricity; sending a shockwave of energy against the Scouts and Tuxedo Mask. The Scouts screamed as they were struck by the sudden energy and, with what humanity Gohan could use to reason against his Saiyan instincts, he charged up his power and flew off into the air faster than lightening.
At least this way he wouldn't hurt them if he got angrier. He knew only one place, one person, who would make him feel better in a moment like this. Intensifying his speed, Gohan flew directly in search of that person, following his powerful ki.
Sailor Mercury sighed as she sunk to her knees, staring after Gohan.
"Is he out of his mind!" Sailor Uranus almost shouted in fury.
"No, his right mind is what made him fly off." Tuxedo Mask countered, frowning thoughtfully in the direction where Gohan had disappeared from view. "If he had stayed, he could have easily destroyed us all by losing his temper like that."
"But what's he going to do once he calms down?" sighed Sailor Jupiter, watching Sailor Mercury with a sad and concerned gaze. "I mean, he knows how we all feel about him and Nikiko. I was happy for them and everything, but things are getting weird around her."
Sailor Moon nodded but said nothing, staring after Gohan with a sad and thoughtful gaze. She couldn't do anything but worry about her friend and the emotional trauma their situation must have been costing him.
"But that's so unlike Gohan." sighed Sailor Venus, frowning sadly. "He doesn't normally lose his temper like that."
"We've never asked him to leave his girlfriend before." Sailor Neptune reasoned, "People do crazy things when it involves someone they care about." She looked sweetly to Sailor Uranus as she said this, making the Solider of the Sky blush.
"I think, this was the choice that King Endymion and Neo-Queen Serenity might have been talking about." Sailor Moon said quietly, making the Scouts and Tuxedo Mask look at her in slight surprise.
Sailor Mercury sighed weakly and nodded, "It seems so. He needs to choose between us and Nikiko." Mercury spoke with a weak voice that seemed slightly shaken; very unlike her natural tone and it made the other Scouts feel uneasy. They sympathised with her situation, but knew that his decision meant more to her than it could possibly mean to the rest of them.
"He won't have a choice." An unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke up, making the Scouts jump and raise their guard immediately. They protectively surrounded Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask as they looked around for the source of the voice.
"Who's there?" called Sailor Uranus.
"Son Gohan isn't in his right mind, though he may not realise it." The voice continued, ignoring the Scouts' question. "Very difficult magic has been cast on him. And it is even more difficult to undo."
"Show yourself!" Sailor Uranus demanded with frustration.
"I mean you no harm Sailor Scouts. I merely seek to help you in your quest and, in return, I seek the assistance of Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion." The voice spoke gently, making the Scouts soften their stances slightly. Their softness at her words encouraged her to come forward.
There was a rustling in the trees above and suddenly, with an acrobatic leap and twirl, she landed softly and silently on all fours in front of the Sailor Scouts.
"YOU!" Sailor Moon suddenly gasped when she saw the creature and the Sailor Scouts immediately took a firm fighting stance once more. The creature looked up at them, her future King and Queen. Her gazed lingered on them softly, admiration flowing through her intense hazel eyes; slowly she bent her head as she knelt before them and bowed to her royals.
"Forgive me for my secrecy, your highnesses." she spoke gently as her pure white tail swished back and forth nervously, "I wished to seek the help of Son Gohan before he was infected, but I was too late. I now need your help to restore him and defeat this enemy that threatens your world." Her mane of white hair, out of which stuck a couple of perky white ears, fell forwards across the sides of her face.
"Who- who are you?" Sailor Moon said gently, slowly overcoming the initial shock of meeting this Nikojin once more.
She looked at them, her eyes held a sense of depth, determination and purpose. "My name is Nailah, heiress to the Nikoken Empire and princess of planet Nikota. I travelled here to seek the help of the most powerful warrior in the universe. I had sensed the ki waves of the Saiyan, Son Gohan, from my own planet 4 Earth-years ago. It gave me hope, after I had discovered the Moon Kingdom had been destroyed."
"How did you know about the Moon Kingdom?" Sailor Moon asked with surprise.
"I sought the help of Queen Serenity, only to discover that her empire was no more." Nailah replied bitterly. "I believed the stories I had heard from legend, of the powerful energy within the Moon Kingdom, of the Silver Imperium Crystal; a power that could defeat any evil within the galaxy. I believed that it could free my people."
"Your people?" Sailor Moon seemed to repeat this phrase with wonder, frowning gently at the Nikojin Princess.
"I would prefer to explain my purpose in a more sheltered area, Princess." Nailah said carefully, rising from her bowed position. "It is not safe here. This area is infected."
"Infected?" Sailor Mercury repeated; her eyes were wide and confusion flittered over the expressions of all the Scouts as the Nikojin nodded darkly. "By what?" she prompted and the Nikojin looked at her with an intense gaze, making the warrior falter under her.
"Please, let us return to the Capsule Corporation. We must recruit the Saiyan Prince before we continue." Nailah said with a meaningful look at Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask. The couple exchanged a worried look before nodding.
"Alright." Tuxedo Mask said, taking a small capsule from his pocket and pressing the button. He threw it a few feet ahead of the group and it erupted into a spacious hover van.
"Are you sure he'll be at Capsule Corp?" Sailor Moon asked Nailah, a worried and thoughtful look never leaving her eyes.
Nailah nodded with dark determination as she climbed into the van, "He will return there after his battle with Son Gohan."
"His battle with Gohan!?" gasped the Scouts simultaneously, freezing in their motion to get in. Nailah only nodded once more and said nothing. The Scouts looked at one another sceptically and Sailor Neptune and Uranus seemed very tense.
But, with an encouraging nod from Sailor Moon, they all took a seat and Tuxedo Mask began to fly them towards Capsule Corp.