Ai no Yume
*****
Time Warped
Super Sailor Mercury climbed over a small pile of rubble, trying to ignore the casual stinging feeling around her ankles that always seemed to come whenever she wore the blue boots for prolonged amounts of time. She felt disoriented, confused and lost in this strange future. There had once been great destruction, yes, she could feel it…but the planet was mending, healing and she had no use…so why had she awoken so late? Puzzling over the many complicated answers that were possible, she concluded that three were the most probable.
One. Something drastic had happened, such as the being who was supposed to bring havoc to Earth getting killed or given amnesia, etc.
Two. Someone harnessed a great enough power to go back in time while avoiding both Pluto and the Time Gate.
Three. Both of the above.
Inhaling sharply, she swiped her glove across her sweating forehead, licking her parched lips. One thing was for sure, the temperatures here were stifling… Bending over, hands spread on her exposed knees below her miniskirt, she exhaled slowly, feeling dizzy and sick. Why couldn't she find the others? Her mental (albeit weak) bond with her fellow Senshi and her portable Mercury computer couldn't pick up signs of them. Damn it all.
Rubbing her temples with her gloved fingers, she closed her large blue eyes momentarily, trying to catch her coughing breath. This heat…is unbearable!, she thought desperately, feeling as if her lungs were caving in. Sinking to her knees, her breath coming thick and heavy, hindered by a burning pain, Mercury tried her damnedest to not give in to heat stroke, to not faint…oh, hell. She weaved from side to side in her crouch of sorts, as the idea of giving up and sleeping became more and more tempting…
"Daijoubu?" someone asked her, voice close to her ear.
Turning slowly, blinking weakly through the befuddling haze of the heat, she barely made out a concerned tan face framed by shoulder length lavender hair, blue eyes staring at her curiously. "I…," she mumbled, trying to stand up, "am perfectly fine, sir…as soon as the world stops spinning, I'll be on my waaaaa~aaay!" She tipped over, landing in the dirt sideways, face pressed sharply against the dust. This felt good, she decided, yes, indeed, it did. In fact, she felt like staying right there…
(*)
Trunks sighed, knelt beside the unconscious girl (why in God's name was she wearing a bathing suit with a skirt?) and slipped his arms under her, pulling her up into his arms. She was immensely light, almost insubstantial by the feel of it, and very pretty in a shy sort of way. Waves of short blue hair fringed around her ears and she radiated levels of power he had only 'seen' in Gokuu-san prior to his untimely death.
Something 'twang'ed in his chest and he wrinkled his eyebrows together, studying the face of the china girl. She reminded him of someone…a pretty young woman with raven hair talking to Gohan-sensei…what the HELL? He'd never met a woman in his time with raven hair! Mars…
Riiiiiight. He definitely needed to get out of the sunlight.
The girl murmured something and turned her head, snuggling closer to him.
Aw, crud.
(*)
Buruma pushed her light blue hair back from her face as she changed the damp washcloth covering the strange girl's forehead, checking her wrist for the rhythm of her heartbeat and feeling her cheek for the temperature. Good. For her physical height, weight, and age, the young woman's body was back to normal.
"What do you think, Okaasan?" Trunks asked softly, leaning forward over her shoulder to look at the pretty woman's peaceful face. "She doesn't seem garbed as if she was from around here…"
"Perhaps," Buruma acknowledged, turning to a wooden chest and opening its lid, digging through it for some less revealing clothes and an old book. "However, it's also possible she _is_ from around here…just not this time."
Her son looked at his mother quizzically and she smiled ruefully, placing the clothing articles beside the slumbering girl on a bare bedside table and flipping through the pages of the dusty book. Scanning faded pictures and worn texts, she thumbed the pages, running her index fingers down the columns expertly, though she seemed to get frustrated when she couldn't find what she was looking for. "Come _on_, I know it's in here," she muttered and Trunks casually bent forward to look at the title of the book.
'Senshi and Science of the Day, v3.5. Published 2019 AD by Dr. Ami Mizuno of the University of Harvard.'
He raised an eyebrow. AD? That was centuries ago…and Harvard had been annihilated by the Jinzouningen in HIS time, and reduced to rubble by Cell in the alternate timeline.
If Buruma-okaasan hadn't made him literate in various languages, he still would have been shocked by what he saw next.
There was a photo, right beneath the large, bold black letters on the cover, and underneath the picture were, in scrolling computer English cursive, the words, 'Dr. Ami Mizuno, Expert on Scientific Anomalies and Unusual Phenomena, Previously of Tokyo University.' But it wasn't the impressive title she had that caught his attention, no. It was the picture itself. Even though years had worn down the quality of the picture, it had been preserved by Capsule Corps. before the Jinzouningen and he could see, very clearly, that the woman on the cover was also the woman in the medical cot.
"Ah-HA!"
Trunks jumped, startled by his mother's outburst.
Triumphantly, she twisted the book around for him to read and see the photos.
"Look at the picture on the right page. See the girl with blue hair, in the weird blue fuku?" Buruma grinned and he nodded. "That's Super Sailor Mercury, one of the nine Senshi of the old solar system, the original guardians of Earth. Our little mystery maiden," she took one hand off the book and jabbed her thumb at the young woman beginning to stir and wake up, "is none other than the soldier of wisdom and water. To top it off, she wrote this thing…but I suppose the Senshi had some sort of ward or something to keep their identities from being discovered. It must have worn off over time."
"But, Okaasan, that doesn't explain why she's here. How did she get here?"
"I'm not sure," the older 'bluenette' admitted slowly, "Maybe the 'soldier of time,' Pluto, opened time? No, no, that theory doesn't hold solid with the information in this book…Pluto was given three taboos. Do not interfere with time, do not stop time, and do not use time. She could be punished with eternal banishment or death. No…something else is vital to Mercury's appearance. Something I can't figure out…" She frowned and bit her lip. "Damn it…"
"Prophecy…"
Two heads deep in contemplation shot up, surprised, to see the soldier dressed in the blue sweatshirt and black slacks Buruma had placed near her. Quietly, she reiterated, "The prophecy. My fellow Senshi, our guardian felines, and our lieges were placed into a slumber of which we would awaken and heal a broken world destroyed by a race known as the Saiya-jins, by a soldier named Kakorotto and a prince named Vejiita." She sighed, as if a heavy weight crushed her chest. " 'From these ashes,' " she seemed to be quoting, " 'a twisted man will try to resist the invasion so he could reign the world himself, with an army known as the Red Ribbon. But he would be stopped and only a decade and three years later would he emerge again, this time with two cold cyborgs, known as Juunanagou and Juuhachigou, the twins. Then the Senshi and their lieges will emerge from their sleep and, aided by the wisdom of their feline guardians, they will destroy the evil, though the heart of Venus shall be broken twice during this time of rebirth. Many will die, but the Crystal Era shall be born and from it will the Earth be restored to beauty and the alignment of the solar system healed.' " Mercury closed her eyes, and sighed again, running her now ungloved hand over her tired face. "But something has gone terribly awry from the prophecy. I can not find my companions anywhere and I am useless in this time…I can not help a healing world." Choking on a helpless sob, she slammed her fist onto the bedside table, causing a picture frame to bounce off the wood and into her lap. "Wha…?" Hadn't there been nothing on that dresser a moment before?
Rei. Mars.
Oh, God, she was holding a picture of Mars, wrapped in the arms of a young man with short spiky black hair dressed in an orange gi.
"Who took this?" she asked suddenly, voice going up in pitch as she felt the beginning stages of panic well up in her tightening chest cavity. "Who is this woman? Who is this man?"
"That's Hino Rei, Super Sailor Mars," Buruma said without thinking, "and the man is Son Gohan, one of the two Saiya-jin hybrids. Trunks, my son, is the only partial Saiya-jin alive. Rei was taken from us on the day Trunks turned eight…Gohan died about two years later. Why do you ask?"
Mind whirring, Mercury- -no, she reminded herself, Ami- -wove her fingers into her own hair, pulling gently as she thought swiftly. "How old are you, Trunks-san?" she shot at the man.
Taken aback, he stuttered, "T-twenty."
"Twelve years ago," Ami muttered, "Twelve goddamn years ago. God, I hate time…"
Wait a minute.
That was it.
TIME.
"That's why I couldn't find my friends!" she cried, leaping up from the bed, clutching Trunks bare arms, the fringe of his leather vest and the hem of his black tanktop brushing her thumbs. "I've searched everywhere with my mind and heart…but not every-TIME! We awoke in the right places, us Inner Senshi, but NOT IN THE RIGHT TIMES."
The normally shy Senshi of Mercury laughed, pulling the taller man into a hug as Buruma discreetly sneaked away.
Even though he had just met her, Trunks felt as if he was connected to her in some way…was this the bonding Okaasan had told him a few Saiya-jins experienced? Love?
It couldn't be.
But he still lifted his arms, touching her shoulders as she held him tightly, laughing.
"All I need to do is find what times they're each in! And then I can go to them!"
Trunks understood the emotions she was experiencing. Hope, friendship…so why did it hurt to think that the woman he had only known for five hours (though technically only five minutes, to go by talking terms) was leaving?
Yup, he'd been out in the sun too long.
(*)
Buruma watched the two with a lopsided, wistful smile. "Oh, Vejiita," she murmured to herself, touching her left breast where she could feel her steady heartbeat, "your son is so much like you. He can't admit that he's fallen in love…" And she could tell by his expression, half-wondering, half-denying, that this was the truth.
It hurt to think of the arrogant prince she had loved…
Squeezing her eyes shut tightly, she leaned heavily against the wall, sliding down and crying silently, her heart aching painfully.
(*)
Rei soundlessly braided her thick mane of dark hair, watching the man in the medical cot with a sad expression on her face.
"Hi."
She turned, looking over her shoulder at the young boy she had met earlier, his thick lavender hair short and strictly held in place. He inhaled deeply through his nostrils and she smiled sympathetically, having heard the sound of snot in his nose. Poor kid must have allergies or a cold. What was his name again? Oh, yes, Trunks. He'd introduced her to his mother, Buruma, before the man she'd, for lack of a better term, barbecued was frisked away and tended to by the motherly woman.
"Wha's your name?" Trunks asked, curious, large blue eyes inquisitive and sensitive.
'Watashi wa…," Mars hesitated, feeling unsure of who she was as she sat on the hard wooden chair, outfitted in jeans and a borrowed red jacket. "Rei," she finished finally, apologizing mentally to Luna and Artemis. The Transition to 24/7 Senshi was a vow of sorts, but she felt so darn sick and tired of being Super Sailor Mars. She just wanted to be Hino Rei, the ex-Shinto priestess, once more.
"Sugoi. Watashi wa Trunks, demo…you knew that, ne? So…did Gohan-sensei get attacked by one of the Jinzouningen, Rei-san?" the boy replied shyly and Mars- -Rei, she told herself firmly- -had the impression that this serious, mature little boy would be the perfect match for quiet, sometimes silly Ami.
Oh, he had asked a question…
"Ah…no, Trunks-kun, not exactly," Rei admitted, nervously fingering a wisp of the few loose strands of her dark hair. "He startled me and I…accidentally let loose…one of my stronger attacks."
"Oh," Trunks thought aloud, standing in front of her to looking up into her sad face. "You're lost, aren't you? And you're sad, too…," he mused, then he smiled innocently. "Gohan-sensei will forgive you and he wouldn't like it if you were sad. There's so many sad people…like my okaasan."
"Yes, I noticed…" Rei paused. "What happened to her?" She flushed, as if she felt like she'd intruded on something deeply personal. "Oh, gomen nasai, Trunks-kun! I'm being so rude!" Where, she thought briefly, was the fiery Rei that wouldn't have given a damn, once upon a time? I must be mellowing with my old age, she joked mentally. A couple thousand years'll do that to a person…
"It's okay," Trunks was saying, and he dashed across the cluttered room to an open chest filled with clothes, books- -that one with the ancient green cover was by Ami, she noted with a grin, and other such things. The boy found his treasure, lifting a worn and faded piece of paper…no, it was a photograph.
Without asking her, Trunks climbed up into her lap, holding the picture up before them both.
There was a large group of men and two women in it, standing before a yellow house on a small island. One she recognized as a younger Buruma, who was happily nestled in the arms of a tall man with spiky black hair- -heck, most of the men in the picture had spiky black hair (must've been a trend back then or something)- -and a few battle scars on his face.
"Was he your father?" she asked cautiously, pointing to the tall, scarred man.
He shook his head, his soft hair tickling her chin. "No." Pointing to a smaller man with a grimace of irritation on his face and amazingly vertical spiky (guess) black hair, Trunks tilted his head back to smile up at his adopted 'chair'. "That's my otousan. He's Vejiita-ouji of the Saiya-jins." As an afterthought, he added, "I'm half Saiya-jin. So's Gohan-sensei."
"Really?"
"Hai."
"Nani?" Turning slightly, Rei saw the semi-burnt man pull himself up into a sitting position, his face twisted painfully. "Ack! Gomen nasai, Gohan-san!" she squeaked, not even knowing what he was like.
To her surprise, he grinned forgivingly, holding out a bandaged hand. "Um, konnichi wa…I think…" When she took his hand to shake it, he yelped, smiling sheepishly. "Gomen…didn't know you'd hit me that hard."
She turned red.
"That's Gohan-sensei's otousan, Gokuu," Trunks informed her, pointing to a tall man with a wide, amiable smile one a face framed by…spiky black hair. "And his okaasan, Chichi, is there." He jabbed a finger at the only other woman in the photo, a pretty one with black hair tied up in a bun-slash-ponytail reminiscent faintly of a Chinese style. She was dressed in a stylish kimono of sorts with a slit up the legs, and she held a small boy with long black (and spiky) hair, dressed in a blue gi with a white collar. "That's Gohan-sensei," Trunks giggled, motioning toward the cute little boy the woman Chichi held.
"Gomen nasai," Rei said quietly to Gohan and he waved her apology away with a clumsy, thickly wrapped hand.
" 'S'all right. I've had worse, what with the twins from hell and all."
"These Jinzouningen," she began hesitantly, keeping her voice low so as to not alarm the boy happily talking in her lap, "What are they like?"
"I'll tell you later," Gohan informed her faintly, "but as for right now…Buruma-san's coming down the hall with some soup and crackers."
When she looked at him curiously, he grinned again, tapping his nose and ears lightly with an undamaged thumb. "I'm half Saiya-jin, remember? Heightened senses come with the package. One of the few advantages."
Buruma entered the room, true to Gohan's word.
"Eat up, the lot of you! No time to waste," the woman ordered cheerfully, though her voice sounded lightly depressed.
As Rei gratefully spooned warm soup into her waiting mouth, she realized something idly.
Time…
Time.
By jove, TIME!
She managed to keep her excitement in, though her senses jumped joyously in her body. She was in the wrong time, not the wrong place!
Hallelujah.
(*)
"Do you know where we're going?" Venus complained for the umpteenth time, glaring daggers at Juunanagou, who wasn't listening to her as he sped far above the posted speed limit.
After she waited a moment, getting no response, she settled back into the seat, alternating between staring with great interest at the blurs that supposedly represented billboards and at glaring in the general direction of the oblivious driver, wondering how long it would take to summon the Chain Wink Sword and beat him with its hilt (or the flat edge of its blade, but that was beside the point) before he could pull those lightning-fast reflexes of his into action.
Opting to not try his mettle, she sunk lower into the seat.
Then he braked.
Screaming one short screech, Venus was jerked forward, long blonde locks spilling all over the place as her forehead hit the dashboard elegantly. Blinking away stars, she grinned goofily for a moment. Bruises on the forehead, cute cyborg men, traffic tickets…knitting her eyebrows together, she mused as to how the three were connected as Juunanagou calmly unbuckled himself, stepping out of the vehicle while Venus tried to regain control over her spinning mind (and stomach).
He'd felt the energies of his twin sister and her husband, as well as the other Z Fighters, at the Capsule Corps. building that woman, Buruma, lived in.
Apparently, his sister had felt him coming, for she stood in the open doorway, shoulder length blonde hair tucked behind her ears.
Something was different about Juuhachigou, he realized immediately, and it wasn't just the slight roundness to her appearance…he felt a weak, but growing double energy about her…as if she were with…child?
Aw, dang.
Gone a few months and his sister gets hitched _and_ pregnant.
Sometimes he thought the cosmos was out to see how much it could twist his life.
"Brother?" Juuhachigou asked, face breaking into a smile.
"Hai," he nodded, smirking as he heard Venus curse fluently after unbuckling and tripping out of the car, her walking stick (branch), clattering to the ground. "Venus-chan, I'd like you to meet my sister…Juuhachigou."
"Gee, y'know, that's great and all, but my face is kinda stuck to the ground at the moment, so I'll be a few minutes, 'kay? Ow, stupid, God-awful prophecies…why couldn't we get a frickin' moment or two of exercise?" The rest of Venus' words were lost in a foul mutter from which one or two expletives escaped.
"What…," Juuhachigou blinked, "brings you here, dear brother? And who is the young woman I suppose you brought?"
"She's the reason I'm here," he nodded thoughtfully, "and her name is Venus…or Aino Minako, your pick. I prefer 'complete idiot,' however."
"I HEARD THAT, YOU INSUFFERABLE LITTLE…!"
Helplessly, Juuhachigou motioned for her brother to enter the house. "I don't think Buruma and her parents will mind too much."
Juunanagou smiled affectionately at his twin. "Thanks. Excuse me for a moment."
Turning, he blurred behind the car, flashing back, a stunned-into-silence Venus thrown over his shoulder, the coat riding up her thighs once again.
A few seconds passed and the elfin Senshi finally remembered to blink, kicking him once, sharply, in the chest, her face pressed tightly to his shoulder blades. Not that she truly minded…he had a very nice back, especially when it was this close to her face. Her cheeks exploded into color and she berated herself for a moment.
"May we?" he asked pleasantly and Juuhachigou stepped back into the main hall, motioning them in.
"By the way," Juunanagou added softly as he passed his sister, gently lowering a red-face Venus to a sitting position on the carpet, "when are you expecting, dear sister?"
Her mouth formed an 'o' of surprise and she smiled shyly, touching her stomach absently. "About six months from now," she confessed.
"Congratulations to you and Kuririn," he smiled. "I trust he treats you well."
"Very," Juuhachigou laughed. "As if I were a goddess as well as his wife. I love being in love."
Venus, who was quite lost by now, shrugged and pretended she knew what was going on.
Yay! Another chapter, another part! So, next chapter will continue the various parts I have started and should be second or third to the last chapter, as well as starting the Makoto part. Whew! Now, for the person who's outraged that I put Makoto with Yamucha, I happen to _LIKE_ Yamucha. I honestly have never seen (from what I _have_ seen of DBZ [basically the entire Mirai no Trunks/Cell timeline and probably 2/3 of the rest of the dub]) Yamucha with any woman other than Buruma. So, I put that into action in the Makoto/Yamucha part, okay? You'll see what I mean soon enough…
Purple Mongoose/PallaPlease. Ja mata! I'm working on the next chapter and it should be up tomorrow evening, minna-san!
[PS~ Major thanksies are due to Kawaii Lil Dejiko, who suggested the basic interaction between Gohan, Rei, and Trunks that I used earlier. I dunno if I can write a Rei/Trunks fic, Dejiko-san, I'm unable to think of Rei with anyone BUT Gohan. 0o;;]
[PSS~ I'd love to have you guys review! I read every single review with great happiness and I pay attention to very single one of your comments! Gracias! Domo arigatou gazaimasu! Thanks a bajillion!]
DISCLAIMER:
The Sailor Senshi are © to Takeuchi Naoko-san, Kodansha, DiC, Cloverway, Toei Animation, Mixx Entertainment, etc.
The Dragonball characters are © to Toriyama Akira-san, Shogakun (?), FUNimation, Toei Animation, Viz Entertainment, etc.
"Ai no Yume" in its entirety, all situations and plot devices thus far, is © to myself, referred to on-line as PallaPlease or Purple Mongoose/PallaPlease. [Credit for idea for scene in 'Time Warped' is given duly to Kawaii Lil Dejiko.]
*****
Time Warped
Super Sailor Mercury climbed over a small pile of rubble, trying to ignore the casual stinging feeling around her ankles that always seemed to come whenever she wore the blue boots for prolonged amounts of time. She felt disoriented, confused and lost in this strange future. There had once been great destruction, yes, she could feel it…but the planet was mending, healing and she had no use…so why had she awoken so late? Puzzling over the many complicated answers that were possible, she concluded that three were the most probable.
One. Something drastic had happened, such as the being who was supposed to bring havoc to Earth getting killed or given amnesia, etc.
Two. Someone harnessed a great enough power to go back in time while avoiding both Pluto and the Time Gate.
Three. Both of the above.
Inhaling sharply, she swiped her glove across her sweating forehead, licking her parched lips. One thing was for sure, the temperatures here were stifling… Bending over, hands spread on her exposed knees below her miniskirt, she exhaled slowly, feeling dizzy and sick. Why couldn't she find the others? Her mental (albeit weak) bond with her fellow Senshi and her portable Mercury computer couldn't pick up signs of them. Damn it all.
Rubbing her temples with her gloved fingers, she closed her large blue eyes momentarily, trying to catch her coughing breath. This heat…is unbearable!, she thought desperately, feeling as if her lungs were caving in. Sinking to her knees, her breath coming thick and heavy, hindered by a burning pain, Mercury tried her damnedest to not give in to heat stroke, to not faint…oh, hell. She weaved from side to side in her crouch of sorts, as the idea of giving up and sleeping became more and more tempting…
"Daijoubu?" someone asked her, voice close to her ear.
Turning slowly, blinking weakly through the befuddling haze of the heat, she barely made out a concerned tan face framed by shoulder length lavender hair, blue eyes staring at her curiously. "I…," she mumbled, trying to stand up, "am perfectly fine, sir…as soon as the world stops spinning, I'll be on my waaaaa~aaay!" She tipped over, landing in the dirt sideways, face pressed sharply against the dust. This felt good, she decided, yes, indeed, it did. In fact, she felt like staying right there…
(*)
Trunks sighed, knelt beside the unconscious girl (why in God's name was she wearing a bathing suit with a skirt?) and slipped his arms under her, pulling her up into his arms. She was immensely light, almost insubstantial by the feel of it, and very pretty in a shy sort of way. Waves of short blue hair fringed around her ears and she radiated levels of power he had only 'seen' in Gokuu-san prior to his untimely death.
Something 'twang'ed in his chest and he wrinkled his eyebrows together, studying the face of the china girl. She reminded him of someone…a pretty young woman with raven hair talking to Gohan-sensei…what the HELL? He'd never met a woman in his time with raven hair! Mars…
Riiiiiight. He definitely needed to get out of the sunlight.
The girl murmured something and turned her head, snuggling closer to him.
Aw, crud.
(*)
Buruma pushed her light blue hair back from her face as she changed the damp washcloth covering the strange girl's forehead, checking her wrist for the rhythm of her heartbeat and feeling her cheek for the temperature. Good. For her physical height, weight, and age, the young woman's body was back to normal.
"What do you think, Okaasan?" Trunks asked softly, leaning forward over her shoulder to look at the pretty woman's peaceful face. "She doesn't seem garbed as if she was from around here…"
"Perhaps," Buruma acknowledged, turning to a wooden chest and opening its lid, digging through it for some less revealing clothes and an old book. "However, it's also possible she _is_ from around here…just not this time."
Her son looked at his mother quizzically and she smiled ruefully, placing the clothing articles beside the slumbering girl on a bare bedside table and flipping through the pages of the dusty book. Scanning faded pictures and worn texts, she thumbed the pages, running her index fingers down the columns expertly, though she seemed to get frustrated when she couldn't find what she was looking for. "Come _on_, I know it's in here," she muttered and Trunks casually bent forward to look at the title of the book.
'Senshi and Science of the Day, v3.5. Published 2019 AD by Dr. Ami Mizuno of the University of Harvard.'
He raised an eyebrow. AD? That was centuries ago…and Harvard had been annihilated by the Jinzouningen in HIS time, and reduced to rubble by Cell in the alternate timeline.
If Buruma-okaasan hadn't made him literate in various languages, he still would have been shocked by what he saw next.
There was a photo, right beneath the large, bold black letters on the cover, and underneath the picture were, in scrolling computer English cursive, the words, 'Dr. Ami Mizuno, Expert on Scientific Anomalies and Unusual Phenomena, Previously of Tokyo University.' But it wasn't the impressive title she had that caught his attention, no. It was the picture itself. Even though years had worn down the quality of the picture, it had been preserved by Capsule Corps. before the Jinzouningen and he could see, very clearly, that the woman on the cover was also the woman in the medical cot.
"Ah-HA!"
Trunks jumped, startled by his mother's outburst.
Triumphantly, she twisted the book around for him to read and see the photos.
"Look at the picture on the right page. See the girl with blue hair, in the weird blue fuku?" Buruma grinned and he nodded. "That's Super Sailor Mercury, one of the nine Senshi of the old solar system, the original guardians of Earth. Our little mystery maiden," she took one hand off the book and jabbed her thumb at the young woman beginning to stir and wake up, "is none other than the soldier of wisdom and water. To top it off, she wrote this thing…but I suppose the Senshi had some sort of ward or something to keep their identities from being discovered. It must have worn off over time."
"But, Okaasan, that doesn't explain why she's here. How did she get here?"
"I'm not sure," the older 'bluenette' admitted slowly, "Maybe the 'soldier of time,' Pluto, opened time? No, no, that theory doesn't hold solid with the information in this book…Pluto was given three taboos. Do not interfere with time, do not stop time, and do not use time. She could be punished with eternal banishment or death. No…something else is vital to Mercury's appearance. Something I can't figure out…" She frowned and bit her lip. "Damn it…"
"Prophecy…"
Two heads deep in contemplation shot up, surprised, to see the soldier dressed in the blue sweatshirt and black slacks Buruma had placed near her. Quietly, she reiterated, "The prophecy. My fellow Senshi, our guardian felines, and our lieges were placed into a slumber of which we would awaken and heal a broken world destroyed by a race known as the Saiya-jins, by a soldier named Kakorotto and a prince named Vejiita." She sighed, as if a heavy weight crushed her chest. " 'From these ashes,' " she seemed to be quoting, " 'a twisted man will try to resist the invasion so he could reign the world himself, with an army known as the Red Ribbon. But he would be stopped and only a decade and three years later would he emerge again, this time with two cold cyborgs, known as Juunanagou and Juuhachigou, the twins. Then the Senshi and their lieges will emerge from their sleep and, aided by the wisdom of their feline guardians, they will destroy the evil, though the heart of Venus shall be broken twice during this time of rebirth. Many will die, but the Crystal Era shall be born and from it will the Earth be restored to beauty and the alignment of the solar system healed.' " Mercury closed her eyes, and sighed again, running her now ungloved hand over her tired face. "But something has gone terribly awry from the prophecy. I can not find my companions anywhere and I am useless in this time…I can not help a healing world." Choking on a helpless sob, she slammed her fist onto the bedside table, causing a picture frame to bounce off the wood and into her lap. "Wha…?" Hadn't there been nothing on that dresser a moment before?
Rei. Mars.
Oh, God, she was holding a picture of Mars, wrapped in the arms of a young man with short spiky black hair dressed in an orange gi.
"Who took this?" she asked suddenly, voice going up in pitch as she felt the beginning stages of panic well up in her tightening chest cavity. "Who is this woman? Who is this man?"
"That's Hino Rei, Super Sailor Mars," Buruma said without thinking, "and the man is Son Gohan, one of the two Saiya-jin hybrids. Trunks, my son, is the only partial Saiya-jin alive. Rei was taken from us on the day Trunks turned eight…Gohan died about two years later. Why do you ask?"
Mind whirring, Mercury- -no, she reminded herself, Ami- -wove her fingers into her own hair, pulling gently as she thought swiftly. "How old are you, Trunks-san?" she shot at the man.
Taken aback, he stuttered, "T-twenty."
"Twelve years ago," Ami muttered, "Twelve goddamn years ago. God, I hate time…"
Wait a minute.
That was it.
TIME.
"That's why I couldn't find my friends!" she cried, leaping up from the bed, clutching Trunks bare arms, the fringe of his leather vest and the hem of his black tanktop brushing her thumbs. "I've searched everywhere with my mind and heart…but not every-TIME! We awoke in the right places, us Inner Senshi, but NOT IN THE RIGHT TIMES."
The normally shy Senshi of Mercury laughed, pulling the taller man into a hug as Buruma discreetly sneaked away.
Even though he had just met her, Trunks felt as if he was connected to her in some way…was this the bonding Okaasan had told him a few Saiya-jins experienced? Love?
It couldn't be.
But he still lifted his arms, touching her shoulders as she held him tightly, laughing.
"All I need to do is find what times they're each in! And then I can go to them!"
Trunks understood the emotions she was experiencing. Hope, friendship…so why did it hurt to think that the woman he had only known for five hours (though technically only five minutes, to go by talking terms) was leaving?
Yup, he'd been out in the sun too long.
(*)
Buruma watched the two with a lopsided, wistful smile. "Oh, Vejiita," she murmured to herself, touching her left breast where she could feel her steady heartbeat, "your son is so much like you. He can't admit that he's fallen in love…" And she could tell by his expression, half-wondering, half-denying, that this was the truth.
It hurt to think of the arrogant prince she had loved…
Squeezing her eyes shut tightly, she leaned heavily against the wall, sliding down and crying silently, her heart aching painfully.
(*)
Rei soundlessly braided her thick mane of dark hair, watching the man in the medical cot with a sad expression on her face.
"Hi."
She turned, looking over her shoulder at the young boy she had met earlier, his thick lavender hair short and strictly held in place. He inhaled deeply through his nostrils and she smiled sympathetically, having heard the sound of snot in his nose. Poor kid must have allergies or a cold. What was his name again? Oh, yes, Trunks. He'd introduced her to his mother, Buruma, before the man she'd, for lack of a better term, barbecued was frisked away and tended to by the motherly woman.
"Wha's your name?" Trunks asked, curious, large blue eyes inquisitive and sensitive.
'Watashi wa…," Mars hesitated, feeling unsure of who she was as she sat on the hard wooden chair, outfitted in jeans and a borrowed red jacket. "Rei," she finished finally, apologizing mentally to Luna and Artemis. The Transition to 24/7 Senshi was a vow of sorts, but she felt so darn sick and tired of being Super Sailor Mars. She just wanted to be Hino Rei, the ex-Shinto priestess, once more.
"Sugoi. Watashi wa Trunks, demo…you knew that, ne? So…did Gohan-sensei get attacked by one of the Jinzouningen, Rei-san?" the boy replied shyly and Mars- -Rei, she told herself firmly- -had the impression that this serious, mature little boy would be the perfect match for quiet, sometimes silly Ami.
Oh, he had asked a question…
"Ah…no, Trunks-kun, not exactly," Rei admitted, nervously fingering a wisp of the few loose strands of her dark hair. "He startled me and I…accidentally let loose…one of my stronger attacks."
"Oh," Trunks thought aloud, standing in front of her to looking up into her sad face. "You're lost, aren't you? And you're sad, too…," he mused, then he smiled innocently. "Gohan-sensei will forgive you and he wouldn't like it if you were sad. There's so many sad people…like my okaasan."
"Yes, I noticed…" Rei paused. "What happened to her?" She flushed, as if she felt like she'd intruded on something deeply personal. "Oh, gomen nasai, Trunks-kun! I'm being so rude!" Where, she thought briefly, was the fiery Rei that wouldn't have given a damn, once upon a time? I must be mellowing with my old age, she joked mentally. A couple thousand years'll do that to a person…
"It's okay," Trunks was saying, and he dashed across the cluttered room to an open chest filled with clothes, books- -that one with the ancient green cover was by Ami, she noted with a grin, and other such things. The boy found his treasure, lifting a worn and faded piece of paper…no, it was a photograph.
Without asking her, Trunks climbed up into her lap, holding the picture up before them both.
There was a large group of men and two women in it, standing before a yellow house on a small island. One she recognized as a younger Buruma, who was happily nestled in the arms of a tall man with spiky black hair- -heck, most of the men in the picture had spiky black hair (must've been a trend back then or something)- -and a few battle scars on his face.
"Was he your father?" she asked cautiously, pointing to the tall, scarred man.
He shook his head, his soft hair tickling her chin. "No." Pointing to a smaller man with a grimace of irritation on his face and amazingly vertical spiky (guess) black hair, Trunks tilted his head back to smile up at his adopted 'chair'. "That's my otousan. He's Vejiita-ouji of the Saiya-jins." As an afterthought, he added, "I'm half Saiya-jin. So's Gohan-sensei."
"Really?"
"Hai."
"Nani?" Turning slightly, Rei saw the semi-burnt man pull himself up into a sitting position, his face twisted painfully. "Ack! Gomen nasai, Gohan-san!" she squeaked, not even knowing what he was like.
To her surprise, he grinned forgivingly, holding out a bandaged hand. "Um, konnichi wa…I think…" When she took his hand to shake it, he yelped, smiling sheepishly. "Gomen…didn't know you'd hit me that hard."
She turned red.
"That's Gohan-sensei's otousan, Gokuu," Trunks informed her, pointing to a tall man with a wide, amiable smile one a face framed by…spiky black hair. "And his okaasan, Chichi, is there." He jabbed a finger at the only other woman in the photo, a pretty one with black hair tied up in a bun-slash-ponytail reminiscent faintly of a Chinese style. She was dressed in a stylish kimono of sorts with a slit up the legs, and she held a small boy with long black (and spiky) hair, dressed in a blue gi with a white collar. "That's Gohan-sensei," Trunks giggled, motioning toward the cute little boy the woman Chichi held.
"Gomen nasai," Rei said quietly to Gohan and he waved her apology away with a clumsy, thickly wrapped hand.
" 'S'all right. I've had worse, what with the twins from hell and all."
"These Jinzouningen," she began hesitantly, keeping her voice low so as to not alarm the boy happily talking in her lap, "What are they like?"
"I'll tell you later," Gohan informed her faintly, "but as for right now…Buruma-san's coming down the hall with some soup and crackers."
When she looked at him curiously, he grinned again, tapping his nose and ears lightly with an undamaged thumb. "I'm half Saiya-jin, remember? Heightened senses come with the package. One of the few advantages."
Buruma entered the room, true to Gohan's word.
"Eat up, the lot of you! No time to waste," the woman ordered cheerfully, though her voice sounded lightly depressed.
As Rei gratefully spooned warm soup into her waiting mouth, she realized something idly.
Time…
Time.
By jove, TIME!
She managed to keep her excitement in, though her senses jumped joyously in her body. She was in the wrong time, not the wrong place!
Hallelujah.
(*)
"Do you know where we're going?" Venus complained for the umpteenth time, glaring daggers at Juunanagou, who wasn't listening to her as he sped far above the posted speed limit.
After she waited a moment, getting no response, she settled back into the seat, alternating between staring with great interest at the blurs that supposedly represented billboards and at glaring in the general direction of the oblivious driver, wondering how long it would take to summon the Chain Wink Sword and beat him with its hilt (or the flat edge of its blade, but that was beside the point) before he could pull those lightning-fast reflexes of his into action.
Opting to not try his mettle, she sunk lower into the seat.
Then he braked.
Screaming one short screech, Venus was jerked forward, long blonde locks spilling all over the place as her forehead hit the dashboard elegantly. Blinking away stars, she grinned goofily for a moment. Bruises on the forehead, cute cyborg men, traffic tickets…knitting her eyebrows together, she mused as to how the three were connected as Juunanagou calmly unbuckled himself, stepping out of the vehicle while Venus tried to regain control over her spinning mind (and stomach).
He'd felt the energies of his twin sister and her husband, as well as the other Z Fighters, at the Capsule Corps. building that woman, Buruma, lived in.
Apparently, his sister had felt him coming, for she stood in the open doorway, shoulder length blonde hair tucked behind her ears.
Something was different about Juuhachigou, he realized immediately, and it wasn't just the slight roundness to her appearance…he felt a weak, but growing double energy about her…as if she were with…child?
Aw, dang.
Gone a few months and his sister gets hitched _and_ pregnant.
Sometimes he thought the cosmos was out to see how much it could twist his life.
"Brother?" Juuhachigou asked, face breaking into a smile.
"Hai," he nodded, smirking as he heard Venus curse fluently after unbuckling and tripping out of the car, her walking stick (branch), clattering to the ground. "Venus-chan, I'd like you to meet my sister…Juuhachigou."
"Gee, y'know, that's great and all, but my face is kinda stuck to the ground at the moment, so I'll be a few minutes, 'kay? Ow, stupid, God-awful prophecies…why couldn't we get a frickin' moment or two of exercise?" The rest of Venus' words were lost in a foul mutter from which one or two expletives escaped.
"What…," Juuhachigou blinked, "brings you here, dear brother? And who is the young woman I suppose you brought?"
"She's the reason I'm here," he nodded thoughtfully, "and her name is Venus…or Aino Minako, your pick. I prefer 'complete idiot,' however."
"I HEARD THAT, YOU INSUFFERABLE LITTLE…!"
Helplessly, Juuhachigou motioned for her brother to enter the house. "I don't think Buruma and her parents will mind too much."
Juunanagou smiled affectionately at his twin. "Thanks. Excuse me for a moment."
Turning, he blurred behind the car, flashing back, a stunned-into-silence Venus thrown over his shoulder, the coat riding up her thighs once again.
A few seconds passed and the elfin Senshi finally remembered to blink, kicking him once, sharply, in the chest, her face pressed tightly to his shoulder blades. Not that she truly minded…he had a very nice back, especially when it was this close to her face. Her cheeks exploded into color and she berated herself for a moment.
"May we?" he asked pleasantly and Juuhachigou stepped back into the main hall, motioning them in.
"By the way," Juunanagou added softly as he passed his sister, gently lowering a red-face Venus to a sitting position on the carpet, "when are you expecting, dear sister?"
Her mouth formed an 'o' of surprise and she smiled shyly, touching her stomach absently. "About six months from now," she confessed.
"Congratulations to you and Kuririn," he smiled. "I trust he treats you well."
"Very," Juuhachigou laughed. "As if I were a goddess as well as his wife. I love being in love."
Venus, who was quite lost by now, shrugged and pretended she knew what was going on.
Yay! Another chapter, another part! So, next chapter will continue the various parts I have started and should be second or third to the last chapter, as well as starting the Makoto part. Whew! Now, for the person who's outraged that I put Makoto with Yamucha, I happen to _LIKE_ Yamucha. I honestly have never seen (from what I _have_ seen of DBZ [basically the entire Mirai no Trunks/Cell timeline and probably 2/3 of the rest of the dub]) Yamucha with any woman other than Buruma. So, I put that into action in the Makoto/Yamucha part, okay? You'll see what I mean soon enough…
Purple Mongoose/PallaPlease. Ja mata! I'm working on the next chapter and it should be up tomorrow evening, minna-san!
[PS~ Major thanksies are due to Kawaii Lil Dejiko, who suggested the basic interaction between Gohan, Rei, and Trunks that I used earlier. I dunno if I can write a Rei/Trunks fic, Dejiko-san, I'm unable to think of Rei with anyone BUT Gohan. 0o;;]
[PSS~ I'd love to have you guys review! I read every single review with great happiness and I pay attention to very single one of your comments! Gracias! Domo arigatou gazaimasu! Thanks a bajillion!]
DISCLAIMER:
The Sailor Senshi are © to Takeuchi Naoko-san, Kodansha, DiC, Cloverway, Toei Animation, Mixx Entertainment, etc.
The Dragonball characters are © to Toriyama Akira-san, Shogakun (?), FUNimation, Toei Animation, Viz Entertainment, etc.
"Ai no Yume" in its entirety, all situations and plot devices thus far, is © to myself, referred to on-line as PallaPlease or Purple Mongoose/PallaPlease. [Credit for idea for scene in 'Time Warped' is given duly to Kawaii Lil Dejiko.]