Ares Denetsu
*****
With All the Shadows of a Doubt
Minako had fled to the sanctuary of the beach, leaving the Kame House in a tizzy (and Roshi suffering from a severe headache due to Trunks' pummeling him for trying to sneak a peek up Ami's skirt). Juunanagou followed her after a moment, leaving the Senshi and Chikyuu Fighters to design an effective plan.
At first, it seemed simple enough. But gradually, warrior after warrior backed off confused. First Tenshinhann, Chou-zu, and Lunch, followed by pretty much everyone aside from Trunks, Ami, and Buruma, who were conversing fluently in the technical language their friends were unfortunately _not_ fluent in.
Vejiita found himself holding a gurgling infant Trunks and he resigned himself to his fate.
Five minutes after Juunanagou left, he returned with Minako, whose ears were unhealthily red (as was her face and neck). He smiled quickly at his twin sister, who gave the slightly limping Senshi and the cocky half-man a suspicious look.
"So, uh, what's the plan?" Minako stuttered, looking dazed, embarrassed, and…happy? What a mix of emotions!
"We could do the teleport, but instead of all the Senshi, we'd need the help of a few of you…Chikyuu…warriors," Ami responded immediately, clicking her computer shut and snapping her left turquoise earring once, sending the visor into sub-space storage.
Buruma nodded, adding, "The power levels required to teleport all of us are astronomical and not even the power of various Super Saiya-jins could assist us. So…it comes down to this. Trunks, the Senshi, Juunanagou, and Yamucha will go."
Vejiita looked upset by his having to stay behind. "What is the meaning of th-"
"Otousan," Trunks interrupted wearily, "shut up. Someone has to stay back and sense for incoming auras and help protect Chichi-san, Juuhachigou-san, and okaasan. We'll need to send the rest of you to various parts of the globe to serve as back-up guardians in case we fail."
"Why is Yamucha going?" Makoto barged into the conversation, obviously worried about the not-very-strong human male.
"If okaasan wasn't lying," Trunks flashed a grin at Makoto, though he was watching an oblivious Ami, "then he used to be a desert bandit. I should hope he knows a few stealth maneuvers."
"Mark my words," Yamucha muttered under his breath, "I'm gonna end up being cannon fodder. Always have, always will."
'Not if I can help it,' Makoto thought sharply.
A soft shing sound announced the unsheathing of the Chain Wink Sword.
"I take responsibility," Minako spoke up grimly, still not meeting Juunanagou's eyes, "for all that has happened and all that may happen. I let Rei-chan down and I swear I won't let anyone else down." She smiled cheerily, like the Minako of old. "And we'll save the universe while we're at it!"
Ginzishou, who had been silent, cooed softly, curling into a ball on Minako's golden head. "I will come with you, Venus-hime."
Minako smiled coldly.
(*)
No matter what anyone said, Rei thought he made one heckuva damn good flashlight.
Rei grinned, following her glowing Super Saiya-jin companion (who was disgruntled at her occasional 'light-bulb' cracks).
She turned around, midback-length raven hair swirling idly in a small fan shape, her large violet eyes drinking in the shadows behind them. Something moved in them.
"Uh, Gohan-kun," she reached behind her, tugging frantically at the collar of his blue gi, "I think we have company."
He stopped walking, turning slightly, stiff golden hair and green eyes an odd match for her darker, exotic looks (even as a ten-year old). "What is it, Rei-chan?"
She cleared her throat, backing up a little, pushing him along slowly. "I don't know, but I don't think its friendly."
The shadows exploded.
(*)
"Cripes, it's been _ages_ since we've done this last," Super Sailor Jupiter grumbled, reaching out and grabbing Yamucha's hand and Super Sailor Mercury's hand. The group of six (eight, if they counted Puar and Ginzishou) were arranged in a circle, hands clasped tightly and eyes closed resignedly.
Minako squeezed Juunanagou's hand and she was disappointed to get no response from him.
"Begin," Ginzishou ordered.
"Venus Crystal Power, Make Up!"
"Jupiter Crystal Power, Make Up!"
"Mercury Crystal Power, Make Up!"
Yamucha focused his energies on powering up; even the smallest helpful nudge of power would be welcome.
Trunks went Super Saiya-jin easily, almost relaxed as he shifted stages.
Juunanagou felt widely useless, having no ki whatsoever to power up with.
Ginzishou flung one of her wings over Puar, pulling both of them close against Minako's neck.
A brilliant flash of rainbow light and a few major sunspots later, they were gone.
(*)
|\|Are you alright?|/|
Son Gokuu would have blinked if he could, but he had no body, so he didn't. He did realize quickly, however, that he could _think_ back to the voice.
^where am I?^
He couldn't see anything or feel anything or smell anything…
Another voice rang out.
::{I'm not sure, Gokuu-san, but Goten-kun and I apologize for the lack of…scenery…in your 'eyes.'}::
^Goten?^ Gokuu wondered. He and Chichi had been discussing names they would give to any future children…if they had a girl, she would be "Himiko" and if it was a boy, "Goten" would be his name. ^are you…what the…holy shit! What the hell's going on?!^
The second voice, the feminine one, sighed and strove to answer his question to the best of her abilities. ::{the night before you left for the Cell Games, Chichi-san was impregnated with Goten. Metallia has stolen Goten-kun's soul from his unborn body and if he is not returned to his physical body before she gives birth, he will never live in human terms. Myself, my body has been frozen in a dark crystal, my soul placed here. I know you think you can't see anything…but try your hardest. We have bodies here, but you must focus…think of life…}::
Gokuu emptied his mind of all the confusion and followed the female's instructions.
He opened his eyes and felt sand beneath his surrogate feet, felt a sea breeze tousle his messy black hair.
Another man who could have passed as his identical twin stood in front of him, grinning widely, his hand clasping that of a slim, small woman with blonde hair threaded with silver, her large blue eyes smiling at him.
"Ohayo, otousan," the man grinned mischievously, "Welcome to faux-hell…"
(*)
They were gone.
Chichi mumbled an apology and made her escape to the kitchen, leaving a worried group behind her.
"I hope Chichi will be alright," Kuririn spoke softly and Juuhachigou agreed privately, waging her own internal war. She wanted to be there, fighting alongside her brother and the 'young' woman she was beginning to see as a sister , battling to protect this planet she had grown to love.
The child, their unborn musume, kicked ill-temperedly in her womb and Juuhachigou grimaced momentarily, keeping the flinching motion hidden from all eyes. Their child certainly wasn't lacking in the fighting side of the gene pool.
(*)
Chichi gripped the kitchen sink, her knuckles turning white from the extreme pressure she was applying, dark eyes stinging. She had known she was with child, but a son…she had lost the two other boys in her life, her husband and now her first son…
"Gokuu-saa," she whimpered, leaning forward, her forehead pressed against the cold glass, "I miss you so much…"
A tear slid from her eye, slipping along the contours of her pale cheek and she pulled away from the window, covering her face with her hands as the tears broke through her emotional dam, spilling uncontrollably between her slender, shaking fingers. "Oh, Gokuu-saa…"
Something broke behind her and she whirled around, silky black hair twirling from where it spurted from her bun.
Her breathing stopped and she blinked, unbelieving.
Gokuu was standing right in front of her, staring blankly at her.
"G-Gokuu-saa…?" she whispered, taking a tentative step toward him, holding up one hand as she took a few more hesitant steps. She touched his face, her fingertips grazing his cheeks, his nose, his lips, his innocent eyelashes, the boyish curve to his jaw.
And then his hand shot up, grasping her wrist, squeezing it like a clamp.
She gasped in pain and betrayal, staring up at him as he forced her down to her knees, his eyes cold and hard. The bones in her wrist creaked and then snapped sharply, loudly.
"W-what are you doing, Gokuu-saa?"
He put even more pressure, hard and steely, on her broken wrist, causing tension to string itself along her arm's bones and muscles.
Chichi saw his eyes, lifeless and soulless, and she knew this wasn't the man she loved.
But still she wept.
NOOOO!! Poor Chichi!! Gomennasaigomennasaigomennasai!!! I AM cruel and mean! *sniffles* But don't worry, my fellow Gokuu/Chichi fans, everything turns out hunky-dory, 'cause I'm an optimist and good always triumphs!
I know I didn't have much Rei/Gohan in this, but, like I said in "AnY", I need filler chapters, and this is one.
Maybe you all will strike it lucky and get another chapter today! Who knows…*winks*
In the Goten/Usagi/Gokuu parts, |\|…|/| represents Goten's telepathy, ::{…}:: represents Usagi's telepathy, and ^…^ represents Gokuu's telepathy. I hope nobody's confused!
Why, yes, there's gonna be some Goten/Usagi content in a later arc.
And, yes, I *am* supportive of Gokuu x Chichi. I love that couple! They're so sweet together! (And, no, Chichi is not a whining mother. Dangit, her husband's faced death and died multiple times, her son [as a two-year old, no less] has faced death by her unknown brother-in-law/Frieza/Cell/assorted-other-creatures, and she isn't a strong enough fighter to battle alongside them against these bad guys! I'd be freaking out, too!)
As for Juuhachigou's emotions…I personally have never bought the 'ice princess' stereotype most of us Americans portray her as. I've always thought that she buried her emotions, but I've also thought that she shows more emotions throughout the series BECAUSE OF KURIRIN. Love has the ability to knock some sense into you, y'know, and by giving in to at least one of her emotions, the rest become easier to be shown. After writing "Epilogue | Blonde Wisdom" of "AnY", I started thinking of Juuhachigou and Minako being close friends, almost sisters. *grins widely* Which leads to some interesting implications between Minako and Juunanagou…
Speaking of whom, anyone want to know what happened outside to make Minako blush wildly and have Juunanagou act so full of himself (not that he doesn't already do that)? Perhaps, if enough people ask, I'll write a side story…heheh…
Purple Mongoose/PallaPlease.
[PS~ Thank-you all for reviewing! It means so much to me to know that a few people are still reading my fanfiction! If you're reading, could you take the few seconds to write me a little review? It doesn't have to be long; heck, it could be one or two words, just as long as you let me know you're out there!]
[PSS~ I just watched Lion King in Spanish I on Friday. *falls silent for a moment* It was in the Spanish language. *falls silent once more* IT'S THE SADDEST DISNEY MOVIE _EVER_!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! I saw it in theatres and I sobbed when Scar died. There's so much DEATH in that movie. *pauses* It's probably the only Disney movie where a good guy dies and stays dead. *sob* Mufasa…]
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.
"Ares Denetsu" in its entirety, all situations and plot devices thus far, is © to myself, referred to on-line as PallaPlease or Purple Mongoose/PallaPlease.
*****
With All the Shadows of a Doubt
Minako had fled to the sanctuary of the beach, leaving the Kame House in a tizzy (and Roshi suffering from a severe headache due to Trunks' pummeling him for trying to sneak a peek up Ami's skirt). Juunanagou followed her after a moment, leaving the Senshi and Chikyuu Fighters to design an effective plan.
At first, it seemed simple enough. But gradually, warrior after warrior backed off confused. First Tenshinhann, Chou-zu, and Lunch, followed by pretty much everyone aside from Trunks, Ami, and Buruma, who were conversing fluently in the technical language their friends were unfortunately _not_ fluent in.
Vejiita found himself holding a gurgling infant Trunks and he resigned himself to his fate.
Five minutes after Juunanagou left, he returned with Minako, whose ears were unhealthily red (as was her face and neck). He smiled quickly at his twin sister, who gave the slightly limping Senshi and the cocky half-man a suspicious look.
"So, uh, what's the plan?" Minako stuttered, looking dazed, embarrassed, and…happy? What a mix of emotions!
"We could do the teleport, but instead of all the Senshi, we'd need the help of a few of you…Chikyuu…warriors," Ami responded immediately, clicking her computer shut and snapping her left turquoise earring once, sending the visor into sub-space storage.
Buruma nodded, adding, "The power levels required to teleport all of us are astronomical and not even the power of various Super Saiya-jins could assist us. So…it comes down to this. Trunks, the Senshi, Juunanagou, and Yamucha will go."
Vejiita looked upset by his having to stay behind. "What is the meaning of th-"
"Otousan," Trunks interrupted wearily, "shut up. Someone has to stay back and sense for incoming auras and help protect Chichi-san, Juuhachigou-san, and okaasan. We'll need to send the rest of you to various parts of the globe to serve as back-up guardians in case we fail."
"Why is Yamucha going?" Makoto barged into the conversation, obviously worried about the not-very-strong human male.
"If okaasan wasn't lying," Trunks flashed a grin at Makoto, though he was watching an oblivious Ami, "then he used to be a desert bandit. I should hope he knows a few stealth maneuvers."
"Mark my words," Yamucha muttered under his breath, "I'm gonna end up being cannon fodder. Always have, always will."
'Not if I can help it,' Makoto thought sharply.
A soft shing sound announced the unsheathing of the Chain Wink Sword.
"I take responsibility," Minako spoke up grimly, still not meeting Juunanagou's eyes, "for all that has happened and all that may happen. I let Rei-chan down and I swear I won't let anyone else down." She smiled cheerily, like the Minako of old. "And we'll save the universe while we're at it!"
Ginzishou, who had been silent, cooed softly, curling into a ball on Minako's golden head. "I will come with you, Venus-hime."
Minako smiled coldly.
(*)
No matter what anyone said, Rei thought he made one heckuva damn good flashlight.
Rei grinned, following her glowing Super Saiya-jin companion (who was disgruntled at her occasional 'light-bulb' cracks).
She turned around, midback-length raven hair swirling idly in a small fan shape, her large violet eyes drinking in the shadows behind them. Something moved in them.
"Uh, Gohan-kun," she reached behind her, tugging frantically at the collar of his blue gi, "I think we have company."
He stopped walking, turning slightly, stiff golden hair and green eyes an odd match for her darker, exotic looks (even as a ten-year old). "What is it, Rei-chan?"
She cleared her throat, backing up a little, pushing him along slowly. "I don't know, but I don't think its friendly."
The shadows exploded.
(*)
"Cripes, it's been _ages_ since we've done this last," Super Sailor Jupiter grumbled, reaching out and grabbing Yamucha's hand and Super Sailor Mercury's hand. The group of six (eight, if they counted Puar and Ginzishou) were arranged in a circle, hands clasped tightly and eyes closed resignedly.
Minako squeezed Juunanagou's hand and she was disappointed to get no response from him.
"Begin," Ginzishou ordered.
"Venus Crystal Power, Make Up!"
"Jupiter Crystal Power, Make Up!"
"Mercury Crystal Power, Make Up!"
Yamucha focused his energies on powering up; even the smallest helpful nudge of power would be welcome.
Trunks went Super Saiya-jin easily, almost relaxed as he shifted stages.
Juunanagou felt widely useless, having no ki whatsoever to power up with.
Ginzishou flung one of her wings over Puar, pulling both of them close against Minako's neck.
A brilliant flash of rainbow light and a few major sunspots later, they were gone.
(*)
|\|Are you alright?|/|
Son Gokuu would have blinked if he could, but he had no body, so he didn't. He did realize quickly, however, that he could _think_ back to the voice.
^where am I?^
He couldn't see anything or feel anything or smell anything…
Another voice rang out.
::{I'm not sure, Gokuu-san, but Goten-kun and I apologize for the lack of…scenery…in your 'eyes.'}::
^Goten?^ Gokuu wondered. He and Chichi had been discussing names they would give to any future children…if they had a girl, she would be "Himiko" and if it was a boy, "Goten" would be his name. ^are you…what the…holy shit! What the hell's going on?!^
The second voice, the feminine one, sighed and strove to answer his question to the best of her abilities. ::{the night before you left for the Cell Games, Chichi-san was impregnated with Goten. Metallia has stolen Goten-kun's soul from his unborn body and if he is not returned to his physical body before she gives birth, he will never live in human terms. Myself, my body has been frozen in a dark crystal, my soul placed here. I know you think you can't see anything…but try your hardest. We have bodies here, but you must focus…think of life…}::
Gokuu emptied his mind of all the confusion and followed the female's instructions.
He opened his eyes and felt sand beneath his surrogate feet, felt a sea breeze tousle his messy black hair.
Another man who could have passed as his identical twin stood in front of him, grinning widely, his hand clasping that of a slim, small woman with blonde hair threaded with silver, her large blue eyes smiling at him.
"Ohayo, otousan," the man grinned mischievously, "Welcome to faux-hell…"
(*)
They were gone.
Chichi mumbled an apology and made her escape to the kitchen, leaving a worried group behind her.
"I hope Chichi will be alright," Kuririn spoke softly and Juuhachigou agreed privately, waging her own internal war. She wanted to be there, fighting alongside her brother and the 'young' woman she was beginning to see as a sister , battling to protect this planet she had grown to love.
The child, their unborn musume, kicked ill-temperedly in her womb and Juuhachigou grimaced momentarily, keeping the flinching motion hidden from all eyes. Their child certainly wasn't lacking in the fighting side of the gene pool.
(*)
Chichi gripped the kitchen sink, her knuckles turning white from the extreme pressure she was applying, dark eyes stinging. She had known she was with child, but a son…she had lost the two other boys in her life, her husband and now her first son…
"Gokuu-saa," she whimpered, leaning forward, her forehead pressed against the cold glass, "I miss you so much…"
A tear slid from her eye, slipping along the contours of her pale cheek and she pulled away from the window, covering her face with her hands as the tears broke through her emotional dam, spilling uncontrollably between her slender, shaking fingers. "Oh, Gokuu-saa…"
Something broke behind her and she whirled around, silky black hair twirling from where it spurted from her bun.
Her breathing stopped and she blinked, unbelieving.
Gokuu was standing right in front of her, staring blankly at her.
"G-Gokuu-saa…?" she whispered, taking a tentative step toward him, holding up one hand as she took a few more hesitant steps. She touched his face, her fingertips grazing his cheeks, his nose, his lips, his innocent eyelashes, the boyish curve to his jaw.
And then his hand shot up, grasping her wrist, squeezing it like a clamp.
She gasped in pain and betrayal, staring up at him as he forced her down to her knees, his eyes cold and hard. The bones in her wrist creaked and then snapped sharply, loudly.
"W-what are you doing, Gokuu-saa?"
He put even more pressure, hard and steely, on her broken wrist, causing tension to string itself along her arm's bones and muscles.
Chichi saw his eyes, lifeless and soulless, and she knew this wasn't the man she loved.
But still she wept.
NOOOO!! Poor Chichi!! Gomennasaigomennasaigomennasai!!! I AM cruel and mean! *sniffles* But don't worry, my fellow Gokuu/Chichi fans, everything turns out hunky-dory, 'cause I'm an optimist and good always triumphs!
I know I didn't have much Rei/Gohan in this, but, like I said in "AnY", I need filler chapters, and this is one.
Maybe you all will strike it lucky and get another chapter today! Who knows…*winks*
In the Goten/Usagi/Gokuu parts, |\|…|/| represents Goten's telepathy, ::{…}:: represents Usagi's telepathy, and ^…^ represents Gokuu's telepathy. I hope nobody's confused!
Why, yes, there's gonna be some Goten/Usagi content in a later arc.
And, yes, I *am* supportive of Gokuu x Chichi. I love that couple! They're so sweet together! (And, no, Chichi is not a whining mother. Dangit, her husband's faced death and died multiple times, her son [as a two-year old, no less] has faced death by her unknown brother-in-law/Frieza/Cell/assorted-other-creatures, and she isn't a strong enough fighter to battle alongside them against these bad guys! I'd be freaking out, too!)
As for Juuhachigou's emotions…I personally have never bought the 'ice princess' stereotype most of us Americans portray her as. I've always thought that she buried her emotions, but I've also thought that she shows more emotions throughout the series BECAUSE OF KURIRIN. Love has the ability to knock some sense into you, y'know, and by giving in to at least one of her emotions, the rest become easier to be shown. After writing "Epilogue | Blonde Wisdom" of "AnY", I started thinking of Juuhachigou and Minako being close friends, almost sisters. *grins widely* Which leads to some interesting implications between Minako and Juunanagou…
Speaking of whom, anyone want to know what happened outside to make Minako blush wildly and have Juunanagou act so full of himself (not that he doesn't already do that)? Perhaps, if enough people ask, I'll write a side story…heheh…
Purple Mongoose/PallaPlease.
[PS~ Thank-you all for reviewing! It means so much to me to know that a few people are still reading my fanfiction! If you're reading, could you take the few seconds to write me a little review? It doesn't have to be long; heck, it could be one or two words, just as long as you let me know you're out there!]
[PSS~ I just watched Lion King in Spanish I on Friday. *falls silent for a moment* It was in the Spanish language. *falls silent once more* IT'S THE SADDEST DISNEY MOVIE _EVER_!! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! I saw it in theatres and I sobbed when Scar died. There's so much DEATH in that movie. *pauses* It's probably the only Disney movie where a good guy dies and stays dead. *sob* Mufasa…]
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.
"Ares Denetsu" in its entirety, all situations and plot devices thus far, is © to myself, referred to on-line as PallaPlease or Purple Mongoose/PallaPlease.