Dragon Ball Z/ Sailor Moon/ Ranma ½ fanfic.
"Past, Present and Uncertainty."
By Julian Soullard (e-mail: jnsoullard@hotmail.com)
Warning: All characters from this fanfic are copyright from Akira
Toriyama (Dragon Ball Z), Naoko Takeuchi (Sailor Moon) and Rumiko Takahashi
(Ranma ½) so don't sue me. By the way, also worth mentioning, this story is
a sequel to my other fanfic "Boy meets girls". In other words, there will be
a lot of things you won't understand in this story if you haven't read "Boy
meets girls" (and its side stories) first. If that's the case... then what
the Hell are you doing here still reading this?
Go to http://lavender.fortunecity.com/flamingos/122 instead, and start at
the real beginning of the story like you're suppose to!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AND NOW ON WITH....
Chapter 5: Find out.
"Ranma, dinner is ready," Kasumi told the pigtailed martial artist.
"Coming!" this one responded.
With a great jump, he came down from the Tendo roof and made his way
towards the dinning room. Everyone was already there, eating. Without saying
anything, Ranma took his seat and started doing the same thing the others
were.
"Ranma coming late for dinner," Nabiki stated to no one in
particular, "When will miracles stop? I'm surprised Kasumi actually had to
go and get you."
Ranma limited himself in eating his rice instead of paying attention
to the young extortionist. From the back of his eye he could see that Akane,
who was sitting next to him, was doing an excellent job in ignoring him as
well. She was probably still upset after what happened yesterday. Actually,
she hadn't spoken to him ever since.
Okay, so maybe leaving her at the movies was not the nicest thing to
do. But com'on! He said he was sorry. Okay, so maybe forgetting about her
and coming to pick her up an hour late didn't help much either. But still,
she didn't had to make such a big deal out of it! Not to mention that she
didn't had to slap him on the face for it either. I mean, how was he suppose
to know that his chat with Trunks was going to take so long? People get
distracted once in a while and forget stuff. It can happen to anyone, right?
Apparently, Akane didn't think that way. She got even more upset (if
that's possible) when he refused to tell her why he left in the first place
as well as what took him so long to come back. What was he suppose to say?
Trunks had made him promise to keep his presence a secret from everyone else.
If there was something that Ranma had learned over the years was that the
least he spoke, the less chances this brought of getting himself into
trouble. This time however, it backfired.
Akane was probably thinking the worst things about what he could've
done during his 'not-so-brief' absence. Most of those things probably
involved some of his other fiancées as well.
Deciding that staying near Akane and her rotten mood for a extended
period of time would only get him clobbered, Ranma quickly finished his meal
and left towards the dojo to do some katas. That always helped him to relax.
After several minutes of working out, Ranma went to take a warm bath.
While the hot water did wonders for his sore muscles, the martial
artist gently sent his head back and pressed it against the wall, eyes
looking at the ceiling.
[If Trunks is back in Juuban,] he thought, [then something big is
about to happen.]
Flashback
When he went looking for answers, he really didn't expect to see the
answer itself to come and greet him.
In front of him, about a yard away, the figure he spotted earlier at
Hikawa Temple was hovering in mid air. A man. Long black hair, gray trousers,
black undershirt and a blue jacket.
Ranma quickly took a defensive stance in case the mysterious
figure was planning to attack him. After all, the Anything Goes style
specialized in mid air combat which, he thought, would give him the
advantage in a fight where his opponent and him were airborne.
The fight, however, never took place.
The stranger didn't had any interest in fighting. He just wanted to
talk. After leading him to a building's rooftop, where they could carry on
with their chat without calling the attention from the citizens below, the
conversation began.
"Who are you?" Ranma asked.
The stranger blinked. It appeared he was hoping for Ranma to know his
identity already. But then again, the martial artist was never really good
at remembering a face.
"You don't remember me?" he inquired.
"Should I?"
"Three years ago," he told him, in an attempt to refresh his memory.
"I had purple hair back then."
"Err..."
This didn't seem to help much.
"Trunks. Remember?" the Saiyajin finally cut to the chase.
Ranma's brain began to put the pieces of information together, until
his wide eye expression proved that the remember who the individual was.
Right after that, he started bombarding Trunks with questions which were all
answered in due time.
"But I don't get it." the pigtailed boy began, once Trunks was done
with his story. "Why were you hiding from us back at Hikawa Temple?"
"My presence here is suppose to be a secret." Trunks answered. "Only
Sailor Pluto, who brought me here, and Rei Hino, who can detect my ki, know
of me. And now there's you as well."
"But why is it suppose to be a secret in the first place?" Ranma
went on, "I don't think the girls would mind seeing you again."
"Do you want the short or the long version?"
"Go ahead with the long one." he told him. "It'll take a while
before Akane comes out of the movies, so I have time to spare."
Trunks pretty much told Ranma the same thing he told Rei a couple of
days ago. That is... with a few modifications, of course. After all, he
couldn't tell the martial artist about the true identity of the Sailor
Senshi, so he always referred as the girls and the heroines as two different
groups.
He did tell Ranma about his past relationship with Makoto and how
avoiding her now would avoid several complications as well as a lot of pain
and the reawakening of bitter memories. Ranma appeared to take sympathy on
that.
As for the Sailor Senshi business, the Saiyajin hybrid said that
Sailor Pluto had asked him to keep a low cover when fighting the unknown
enemy (which was in a way true). This meant that he couldn't interact with
Juuban's renowned heroines. Trunks didn't liked lying, but he convinced
Ranma that all of this was done so there would be no alteration in this
world's time line, being that one of the conditions Pluto had imposed on him
in order to come here. Ranma seemed to believe all he said.
"So, who is this enemy?" he asked.
"I don't know, and neither does Pluto." Trunks replied, "For now,
we're stuck at the defense until we can find out more."
Ranma had then offered his help in order to fight the new enemy. If
someone was going to mess around with his world, he had something to say
about it all. Even if this was the Senshi's territory, his martial artist
oath demanded that he helped those in need... not to mention that this new
challenge sounded quite interesting too. Things had been going a little
slow since his fight with Saffron, and the only worthy fights he'd been
getting so far were with Ryouga or Happosai, which weren't as often as
before.
His proposal, though, was refused by the once purple haired warrior.
Trunks didn't seem to think less of the martial artist's skills, but as long
as the enemy's identity and power level remained a mystery, the best thing
to do for now would be playing it safe. Which meant involving as few people
as possible.
Ranma didn't like it, but agreed to keep out of the way.
End of Flashback
[Okay, Trunks. I won't get involved.] Ranma thought, [But if those
'friends' of yours set one foot on Nerima, don't expect me to sit back and
do nothing about it.]
**********
"Hold it right there!" she shouted.
And yes... the Raiders actually DID held still the moment Sailor
Moon's voice was heard. All five of them turned around to face the five
girls who had come to interfere with their work. Or so it would appear.
The Senshi carefully analyzed their opponents. Five in total, but
not all looked the same. Two of them had silver fur while the other three,
who looked slightly smaller, were entirely brown. The silver monsters began
to advance towards them. Although they only walked on two legs, the way
they bent forward gave the impression that they used all four limbs to move.
The remaining three Raiders quickly gathered the material they stole and
began to run to the back of the warehouse, leaving the fight to their silver
comrades.
"She said: HOLD IT!!" Mars shouted to the three fugitives. "MARS
FLAME SNIPER!"
The arrow flew right towards the trio, reaching one of them and
causing it to blow up like a grenade afterwards. The remaining two were
near when the explosion occurred and were thrown off balance by the strength
of it. Mars was about to shoot another arrow, but one of the silver Raiders
launched towards her and forced her to draw back.
In the meantime, Mercury, Venus and Moon were busy dealing with the
other Raider who kept moving too fast for them to get a good shot. Once it
got the girls attention and gave it's two wounded, but still alive, feline
friends the chance to flee, it charged straight at the three girls.
"VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!!" Venus summoned, once she saw that
the enemy was running right towards her.
The Raider dodged the heart shaped bolt by jumping against the wall
to his right, sinking its sharp claws into the concrete so it wouldn't fall.
It even began to run on the wall, like a spider, as he got closer to the
test subjects.
Venus could only think of one thing as she saw the monster jumping
right in front of her, claws coming first: Duck. The creature passed inches
above her, landing near the entrance of the warehouse.
"MERCURY AQUA RHAPSODY!!"
This time, the Raider was in no position to dodge. The water based
blast hit it right in the back, shoving it against a fence. It fell to the
ground, but quickly got up, showing little damage and no intention to
surrender.
"JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION!!"
"MARS FLAME SNIPER!!"
A big growl came out of the creature's mouth when the two blasts
got it. Once the smoke cleared out, it remained standing, but obviously
wounded. The monster began a vicious attack with it's claws, forcing both
Senshi to the defensive instead of the offensive. Jupiter managed to move
out of the creature's range once it delivered a powerful cut with its paw,
which left deep marks on the wall behind her.
As the fight went on, and the warehouse got more and more damaged
along with it, the Senshi eventually gathered up. The two monsters still
held their ground in spite of the numerous wounds on their bodies.
"Okay, girls," Moon declared, "Let's do this one more time."
"Right!"
"Here goes the bait!" Jupiter declared, "JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION!!"
As expected, the two creatures jumped out of the way in order to
avoid the countless bolts which were fired by the Thunder Senshi each time
she spun. What they didn't know was that this little distraction gave the
remaining Senshi the time to prepare a combined attack.
"MERCURY AQUA RHAPSODY!!"
"VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!!"
"MARS FLAME SNIPER!!"
"STAR LIGHT HONEY MOON THERAPY KISS!!"
That was just too much for the two Raiders to avoid. They both went
to a better place with one last growl. The five girls let out a collective
sigh of relief once they saw that no trace of their enemies was left.
"Is it just me, our are those things getting tougher each passing
day?" Venus asked to no one in particular.
"Trust me. I wished it was only you..." Jupiter told her.
"What about the two brown ones who were left?" Moon asked.
"Most likely got away." Mars assumed. "It's kind of a pattern each
time we face them."
Two weeks had passed since the first Raider showed up in Juuban. The
first of many. For at least once every three days, a group of feline
monsters appeared in places such as iron and steel industries with the
intention to loot all they could. The way they did it was rather bold too.
They just barged in, destroyed everything that was in their path and took
the quarry.
At first, those monsters were rather easy to deal with. As a matter
of fact, the meaning of such acts was what concerned the Senshi the most
instead of the actual threat the Raiders represented. Compared to previous
enemies, these cat monsters sought something completely different. No Star
Seeds, no energy, no pure hearts or something of the sort. Just metal, fuel
and other materials which were common in heavy industry. This confused the
short skirted ones.
However, each new encounter proved to be more difficult than the
last. Today's combat had lasted more than usual and the Senshi could feel
that future battles were certainly going to get tougher as well.
**********
Hotaru Tomoe sighed. She had lost her group and was pretty much lost
herself as well. Most girls her age would probably be crying right now if
put in her place. But then again, Hotaru was older than she appear, or to
put it in a more complex but yet accurate way, she was also a lot older than
she really was, even if she still acted like a ten year old most of the time.
However, this advantage didn't took away the fact that she was lost
in a place completely unfamiliar to her. Sure she had seen the entrance when
the entire class came into the museum, but she became so distracted with the
exhibition that she didn't realize that her group was moving on without her.
End of result: she was lost.
She began to walk around the place to find her class, but in the
end it got her even more lost. Well... she just hoped that her teacher would
notice that she wasn't there in order to start searching as well.
"Hey, are you all right?" said a voice, "Are you lost?"
Hotaru gazed up so she could see the person talking to her. It was
an adult dressed in simple brown trousers, white shirt, a yellow mustard tie
and brown shoes. His long black hair was held back in a pony tail.
Hotaru shyly nodded while pressing her school bag tighter against
her chest. The man then squatted in order to see the girl face to face. It
was then that Hotaru saw that he had blue eyes and was kinda handsome.
"What's your name?" he asked with a smile.
Handsome or not, he was a stranger. And Hotaru knew better than to
give her name to a stranger. Haruka-papa had been very repetitive on the
subject as well.
"My daddy said that I'm not suppose to talk to strangers." she said.
The man blinked to the response. In spite her apparent age, the girl
was acting quite calm considering that she was lost.
"Well, that definitively is good advice." the man said, "But you
don't have to worry. I work here, see?" as he pointed to his badge.
"Anyone can get one of those." she responded. "How do I know you
didn't steal it? There's no picture on that thing."
A second surprise. This child was definitively smarter than her age
seem to point out. Such cleverness caused a warm smile to appear on his face.
"Hmm, I guess you're right again." he declared, as he pulled his
wallet out of his trousers' rear pocket, "But I can fix that. Look: here I
have my driver's license and there's a picture in it with my name also. The
name is the same in my badge."
"Your name is Takeuchi Akira?" Hotaru asked as she saw the driver's
license.
"So, do I pass?"
The girl nodded in a new sign of trust.
"I'm sorry if I sounded rude, but papa told me I shouldn't talk to
strangers." she said.
"It's all right, really." Akira told her. "I'm sure your dad will
be very proud to know you did as he told you to. So, can I know your name?"
"Tomoe Hotaru."
"Very nice to meet you, Hotaru-chan." he greeted, "May I help you in
finding your dad? You seem rather lost."
"Actually, I didn't came with my parents," she said, as blushed at
the sound of 'chan', "I'm here on a field trip."
"Well then, let's go look for your class and teacher." he suggested,
as he offered his hand. "I think there's a group your age on a field trip
gathered at the entrance."
Hotaru was a little hesitant at first, but ended up accepting
Akira's hand. Well... actually, she only manages to curl her five fingers
around two of his, since the man's hand was too big for her to hold entirely.
Akira walked a little slower than usual as he made his way towards
the entrance so the girl would be able to keep up with him.
"So, you're a museum man?" the child began.
"Museum man?" Akira asked a little intrigued by that use of words.
"Well, you work in a museum, right?" she explained, "How is it
called then?"
"Well, no. I'm not a museum man." Akira replied with a chuckle.
"Actually, I don't work directly in the museum. I'm an architect; I was sent
here by my boss to work on a project. You see, the museum is going to build
a new section and I'm helping out."
"Ooooh, I see." Hotaru realized, while sounding like a ten year old
at last. "That sounds really neat. But... won't you get in trouble if your
boss finds out you're helping me instead of working? I don't want to cause
any trouble."
"I don't think my boss will mind. Besides, I certainly can't leave a
pretty girl on her own when she needs help." he told her with a smile.
"Let's keep this our little secret, okay?"
"Okay!" she beamed.
"Look, that must be you teacher over there."
"Yes it's her. Thank you very much, Akira-san!"
"Don't mention it."
**********
"Proceed, Eron." the Lord commanded.
"With pleasure, my Lord." the scientist stated, "Now that all of you
have seen the footage I've recorded during my Raiders last battles, I would
like to show you a more technical analysis of the Sailor Senshi's powers.
These are just preliminary results of my investigation. However, I thought
it was my duty to inform his greatness, as well as my dear colleges, on how
the investigation is proceeding so far."
Arlakk let out a dry humph!. If there was something from Eron that
bothered him (among the other vast things of him that he didn't like) it
probably was the scientist's ability to suck up to the Lord.
Sitting on the other side of the large table, Sorine showed an
undiverted attention to Eron's explications. The Lord, witnessing everything
from the head of said table had his arms crossed in front of his chest.
"First of all, presenting subject number 1: Sailor Jupiter." Eron
began, as he pointed to the hologram which appeared at the center of the
table. "Her attacks are based on lightning. According on the data I managed
to collect, my calculations indicate that her bolts can easily go beyond 500
volts, enough to eliminate a regular Raider. Passing to more physical
matters, her strength is basically the same as any human being. Maybe a
little more on the 'exceptionally strong' side, but nothing to be impressed
of. Her strategy in combat goes as follows..."
Arlakk took notes on every observation Eron did and then compared
them with the ones he previously had. He also paid special attention in
analyzing the subjects powers in case his coworker had missed something,
which he would gladly rub it in his fa... er... point out.
After several minutes, Eron's speech came to a conclusion:
"And at last, but not least, subject number 5: Eternal Sailor Moon."
he said. "Unlike her friends, this so-called leader isn't half as agile, nor
half as strong, and I really doubt that she even half as bright as any of
the previous Sailor Senshi. To be completely blunt, I must say that her
skills are rather laughable. She hasn't shown anything outstanding in either
tactics, planing, strategy or physical attacks whatsoever. Heh, heh... I
remember there was a time when a Raider had her cornered and was about to
slice her into ribbons. That girl accidentally tripped and dodge the attack
completely. Not only that, but when she did, the Raider accidentally struck
its wrist against something and broke it. I don't know if that little scene
was embarrassing for Eternal Sailor Moon or for the Raider but I must say..."
"Get to the point, Eron." the Lord told him.
"Right." he acknowledged. "However, in spite of her clumsiness,
Eternal Sailor Moon counts with an interesting power. It's rather odd to say
this... but... it seems that her attack consists of a white-feathered-wind
of some sort. As crazy as it sounds, that attack has been very efficient in
neutralizing my Raiders. I'm afraid I haven't been able to identify it yet,
but it appears to be some sort of illusion, which would send this in
Arlakk's area of expertise."
"You believe that Eternal Sailor Moon is a sorceress?" Sorine asked.
"Actually, assuming that all Sailor Senshi are sorceresses wouldn't
be out of the question." Arlakk cut in.
"Would you care to elaborate on that theory, Arlakk?" the Lord
suggested.
"With pleasure." the warlock declared, as he got up. "Several
persons think that magic is a power which comes from inside a sorcerer.
Although true to some extent, that hypothesis isn't all there is to it. A
sorcerer, or sorceress in this case, uses her body as a way to control
external forces. The host herself isn't magical by any means, she just
summons the power from an external energy into her body, which she can then
shape according to her will."
"Logical." Sorine realized. "Each of the Sailor Senshi represent a
planet from this Solar system. Are you suggesting that such planets are the
source of their power?"
"It's a possibility." Arlakk pointed out. "What I am sure of though,
is the fact that their skills are 100% magical. Actually, in order for a
sorceress to summon the power, she must do it through a gesture, word or
some sort of catalyzing material. In the Sailor Senshi's case it appears to
be both gesture and words which allow them to summon this energy they use."
"That's all very nice." Eron cut in. "But that doesn't help us in
identifying Sailor Moon's attack in order to neutralize it."
"My liege," Arlakk began, "I would like to ask your permission to go
Outside on the next assault Eron's Raiders will perform. That would give me
a chance to see the Senshi's powers with my own eyes. Maybe my observations
will be more helpful than my college's."
"Permission granted." said the Lord, "Eron, when will the next
attack occur?"
"I'm currently breading more Raiders as we speak, they should be
ready in two days." the scientist responded. "Since the two Assault Raiders
from yesterday weren't enough, I'll send three this time. I believe that
will give Arlakk enough of a show to see the defenders at their full power."
"Very well." the Lord nodded. "Are there any other topics which need
to be discussed before this meeting is over?"
"Yes, My Lord, there is." Sorine began, "Eron, the material your
Raiders have been brining isn't sufficient. Your station isn't using its
full potential in creating enough Raiders to get the quantity I need."
"My staff is working around the clock." Eron told her. "I can assure
you we're working at our full capacity."
"Not logical." Sorine went on. "If so, the numbers of Raiders should
be doubled."
"Truth be told, my dear Sorine," he explained, "part of my staff is
busy breading an Elite Raider. As you know, those don't grow on trees.
Besides, I can't send *all* the Raiders I'm able to produce at once,
otherwise, the defenders might get killed during a fight, and we don't want
that, do we?"
"Your approach on the matter isn't efficient." she said, "In order
to collect the material I need, I ask authorization to send some of my
Sentries Outside to do the job."
"Permission denied." the Lord made clear. "We can't risk the Juuban
locals to know more than they need to known regarding their attacker. Your
Sentries, although powerful, are bound to call too much attention. Be
patient Sorine, you will have the materials you requested, but there's still
no sign that we'll need project Dark Snowfall in this mission, which makes
testing the defenders our top priority right now."
**********
[Number 207.] Rei thought, as she checked the address she had
written down with the door in front of her. [This must be it.]
The Shinto priestess rang the bell and began to wait for Trunks to
open the door. She had been keeping contact with him occasionally, but this
was the first time she came to his apartment. To be frank, it made her a
little nervous. Never before had she gone into another guy's place on her
own. Even if Trunks was nothing more than a friend, he was still a member of
the opposite sex.
[A very *fine* example of the opposite sex] she said to herself.
She quickly shook that thought away. He was her friend, but nothing
more. As much as she would certainly like a boyfriend like him, she couldn't
picture the Saiyajin hybrid as something more than a friend. Well...
actually... picturing him like that wasn't *that* difficult. He was after
all very... No, wait. She was doing it again.
[Com'on, Rei!] she lectured herself, [That kind of thinking was
okay when you were fourteen, but you're seventeen now!]
"Waiting for someone?" said a voice from behind.
The girl jumped with a yelp of surprised and immediately turned
around. She calmed down when she realized that it was only Trunks who, by
the way, didn't looked like he was expecting that kind of reaction from her.
"Oh, it's you, Trunks. Don't do that!" she told him.
"Sorry." he apologized. "Didn't mean to scare you. Have you been
waiting here long?"
"I just got here." she said more calm. "I thought you'd be here by now."
"I had to stay a little longer at work." Trunks pointed out as he
took out his keys and opened the door. "After you."
Rei made her way inside the apartment with her host following behind.
The place was simple, just like any apartment, but nice in overall.
There was a living room with a big sofa and couch of the same blue color
facing a medium size television. To her left, an easy accessible kitchen
with all the necessary equipment. A bathroom behind, a bedroom by her right
and a glass door in front, leading towards the balcony.
What surprised her though, was the fact that everything was...
well... tidy. If her memory was right, the last time Trunks came to this
world, he lived in a real mess (to put it lightly). She could still remember
how identifying his floor was an impossibility with all the stuff that was
scattered all over it.
Something came back into her mind: she was with a guy... alone...
in his apartment. Maybe these were modern times, but in Japan, decent
teenage girls didn't do such bold things. She found relief when she
remembered that it was Trunks the one she was with. He wouldn't try to do
something to take advantage of her, not in a million years! Not
shy-easy-blushing Trunks. That just couldn't happen.
"Okay, I'm gonna take my clothes off." Trunks stated.
"WHAT??"
"Yeah, this tie is really bothering me." he explained, oblivious to
her reaction, "I don't want to wear it more than I already have to. I'll go
change. Make yourself at home."
Trunks just walked towards his bedroom as he undid his yellow
mustard tie and unbutton the top of his shirt. Once he closed his door, a
very flushed Rei was left alone in the living-room. She didn't had to go
look at herself in a mirror, she knew very well that she was probably
blushing.
[I'm making a fool of myself...]
Moments later, once Rei finally got used to the situation she was in,
Trunks came out of his room dressed in his default baggy gray pants and
black undershirt. He offered his guest a glass of water to which she
accepted in good nature.
"So, what brings you here?" he began.
"Well, basically, I just wanted to see how you were doing since the
last time we met." she told him.
"That's really nice of you, I don't get many visits here."
"Doesn't Setsuna drop by often?"
"Very few times actually." Trunks responded. "Although we always see
each other to check on you girls each time a monster appears. By the way,
you fought very well in the last battle. Congratulations. All of you have
certainly become stronger since the last time I saw you."
"Thanks." Rei said. "Although that last fight wasn't easy. These cat
creatures are getting tougher each time."
"Yeah, I noticed." the Saiyajin hybrid pointed out. "It seems like
the enemy is constantly boosting up its monsters after each battle so
they'll be able to defeat you."
"We thought about that possibility also." the Shinto priestess
stated, "Although..."
"What?"
"Well..." she began, "Ami came up with a theory on our last Senshi
meeting. It made us think that maybe there's something more behind all this."
"Really? Could you tell me more about it?"
"Sure. I was going to tell you anyway, but since you brought up the
subject already, here goes..."
Flashback
"Sorry I'm late, girls!" Usagi apologized as she took deep breaths.
"Well, you're just a half hour late." Rei told her sarcastically,
"We were actually expecting you to take longer."
"Well excuuuuse me for keeping such a grumpy old lady like yourself
waiting!" the odango girl countered.
Rei's left eyebrow began to twitch. Curse the day Usagi had found
that hair dye on her bathroom! She already began to regret suggesting Trunks
to change his hair color. Before she could say something in return, Luna
ordered the two girls to calm down.
It was one of those brain drilling sessions where everyone tried to
share as much information as possible regarding the new enemy. Such things
as apparent weaknesses, patterns in the way each attack was done, possible
motives. Basically, anything which could come in handy.
"As much as I keep looking at the city's map, I can't seem to find
a particular pattern which can help us guess the next attack." Artemis
declared. "All of these invasions seem to be held at random points. There's
even factories which have been attacked twice."
"Why on Earth would a bunch of cats want steel, iron and stuff like
that?" Makoto asked to no one in particular. "Shouldn't they be after balls
of string or something similar?"
"Trust me, as a representative of the feline kind, I would think so
as well." Luna told her.
"Personally, I'd like to know where they're taking all the things
they stole." Minako added. "Those monsters just come and go without leaving
trace... well... except for all the property damage, that is. But there's
still no sign of their whereabouts."
"Well, Artemis and I saw how the two remaining monsters from last
fight used some sort of dimensional portal to leave the warehouse." Luna
brought out. "We weren't able to see what was on the other side though."
Everyone kept on discussing for a couple of more minutes until a
good and deserved brake was in order.
"This doesn't make any sense!" Usagi wined. "We're getting nowhere!"
After all, she could be spending more time with Mamoru instead of
staying here, trying to come up with reasons behind the attacks. Reasons
which have all been rather unfruitful so far.
"Girls, there's something about all this that I keep asking myself
about." Ami suddenly began.
"You and all of us, for that matter." Rei said.
"No, not about the motive or the location these creatures come from."
the young genius corrected. "It's mostly the way we've been fighting."
"What about that?" Makoto asked. "They show up. We show up. We blast
them. End of story, see you next time."
"I'm serious here." she declared. "I mean... isn't it a little odd
that each time we fight one of those things, the next one just happens to be
more resistant against the last attack we used. For instance: The first cat
monster was destroyed by a Flame Sniper, but the second one was rather
resistant to Rei's attack. We had to use my Aqua Rhapsody to finish it. But
then the third one was also resistant to that particular attack as well."
"Well, I don't see much of a mystery there." Makoto pointed out.
"The enemy is obviously making tougher monsters so that they don't get
killed by us so easily."
"Yeah, like that they'll be able to carry on with their mission,
which ever it is, more efficiently." Rei added.
"That sounds like a reasonable justification." Ami admitted. "But
still... something just doesn't seem to add up here."
"Like what?" Usagi asked.
"For instance, each time we go to a factory to stop them, well...
we take some time to get there. Last day, according to security cameras, the
attack was done at 4:00 PM. We got there by 4:30 and they were still there."
"Well, maybe they were still gathering all the material they needed."
Usagi suggested.
"But there was only five of them." the young genius went on. "How
much can five monsters carry? Not enough to take half an hour, if you ask me."
"Are you saying that those creatures were deliberately waiting for
us?" Rei asked. "Why would they do that?"
"Yeah, I mean if they wanted their materials so bad, they should be
trying to avoid us, not confront us." Venus remarked.
"Unless, those materials aren't what they're exactly after." Ami
continued. "The first creature we fought didn't seem to be looking for any.
Actually, it was just wandering around Juuban, causing havoc. In my opinion,
it was trying to get itself noticed."
"A bait!" Luna suddenly stated. "The first cat monster was nothing
more than a bait."
"What? Bait? Why? What are you talking about?" Usagi inquired,
completely confused.
"Of course! It makes sense!" Artemis added.
"What? What does?" Usagi asked again, a little more irritated.
"We're being tested." Ami concluded.
Flashback
"That *does* make a lot of sense." Trunks affirmed. "I actually
haven't thought about that. If the enemy learned all your strengths and
weaknesses they could overpower you."
"Scary thought, huh?"
Trunks moved his hand towards his face and began to rub his chin,
thinking about what the Shinto priestess had recently told him.
This definitively made a lot of sense. It would also explain why
Setsuna didn't want him to fight right away, since she probably had some
sort of idea all along that the enemy was studying the Senshi. Fighting the
first monster would've made him another test subject for the enemy. Trunks
made sure to talk to Setsuna about this later.
"If that's the case," he suddenly said, "then the person behind
those monsters might not take long in showing up."
"You think so?"
"I think it's quite clear that there's someone controlling all those
cat creatures. They don't look smart enough to be working on their own."
Trunks stated. "If the one in charge thinks he has you cornered, he'll
probably show his face. That's when I'll come in. Don't worry."
"Well, I don't think we have much of a choice, do we?" Rei asked,
almost jokingly. "Well, changing to more pleasant matters, how have you been
these last weeks? I see you got yourself a job."
"I've been doing pretty well, thanks." he said. "Getting a job
wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It took me a little time through."
"And what exactly are you doing?"
"I'm an architect."
"Architect? Wow... I never imagined you as one."
"To be honest, I never pictured myself as one either eight years
ago." Trunks confessed. "But after the Jinzouningen, my world was in high
demand of architects. I started doing it to help rebuild everything they
destroyed and ended up liking it as a career."
"Well that sounds great." Rei stated. "Does it pay enough to cover
your expenses?"
"Enough to keep my stomach full." he told her.
"In that case you must be making a fortune." she joked.
"Since when did you became a comedian?"
**********
"Hop in." Haruka told the girl. "How was your day, Hotaru-chan? Was
your field trip fun?"
"Yeah, it was." Hotaru responded as she put her seat belt on. "All
those paintings from the Renaissance were great. And here, I got
Michiru-mama a broach from the exhibition."
"That's very thoughtful of you, Hotaru-chan." Michiru thanked as she
received the present from the little girl. "It's beautiful."
Haruka's car drove through the streets of Tokyo as Hotaru kept on
narrating the days events. With time, a particular subject appeared.
"Setsuna paid us a visit earlier." Haruka began, turning the
conversation a little more serious. "The time to fight will come soon."
"According to Setsuna, the true enemy will show up soon." Michiru
added. "We need to protect the princess at any cost. The future depends on it."
"Will I fight too?" Hotaru asked.
"Not yet, Hotaru-chan." Haruka told her, "You're our strong card. We
can't let the enemy analyze you like the Inner Senshi. We have to strike in
one decisive blow. Michiru and I will go first. Maybe Setsuna will join us,
I'm not sure."
No one spoke afterwards. Michiru gazed through the window, her eyes
traveling along the sea as the car raced by the cost side.
"The sea is restless." she spoke. "A big storm is about to come."
**********
"All the Raiders are ready, waiting by the teleportation chamber,
Master Eron." Arna informed.
"Good. Is that no-good necromancer coworker of mine with them?"
"Yes. Master Arlakk is waiting as well."
"Very well." he approved. "Open the portal and let them do their
stuff. In the meantime, I'd like to see how our Elite Raider is coming up."
"Yes, sir."
The duo walked through the laboratory's corridors with Arna
updating her superior on every single detail about the project. Eron, who by
that time was checking the results her assistant had given him, just nodded
to every comment.
"All of the Raider's physical abilities are working at 100% percent
and it's mental capacities have reached the expected level." Arna notified.
"We're still training it against regular Raiders, but it won't take long
before we cover that part and start training him with weapons."
"Where is it now? I want to see it."
"In the training room, sir."
As the two of them moved closer to the so-called training room,
several growls and screams could be heard. All of them accompanied with
sounds of blows, wood braking and bones crushing. The sound of the battle
grew so loud, that Arna began to consider heading back. Eron seemed
unaffected by such racket.
"There's our little baby." he said with a grin as he watched through
the window.
Arna peeked through the window as well, just to see the slaughtered
bodies of several Raiders lying on the ground. All of them covered in their
own blood. Some of them with missing limbs and some with all their limbs,
but bent in unnatural ways.
What was only a glimpse, was enough to make the girl sick. She tried
to hold down the urge to vomit by repeating to herself that Eron wouldn't
like to see such weakness on a professional.
Standing up in all the massacre, a dark figure held the remaining
cat beast by the throat, lifting it a few feet over the ground as it tried
desperately to kick its way free. With one last press, everyone present
could clearly hear how the Raider's neck snapped, dying instantaneously and
causing its body to go limp.
"Time?" Eron asked.
"2 minutes and 23 seconds." responded a member of his staff.
"Acceptable." he replied. "Passing to the use of weapons shouldn't
take that long."
End of chapter 5...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's notes:
I had some trouble in finding out Hotaru's exact age at the end of
Sailor Stars, so I had to assume that she looked around 10, although I may
be wrong. In any case, mentally speaking, she is a lot older.
"Past, Present and Uncertainty."
By Julian Soullard (e-mail: jnsoullard@hotmail.com)
Warning: All characters from this fanfic are copyright from Akira
Toriyama (Dragon Ball Z), Naoko Takeuchi (Sailor Moon) and Rumiko Takahashi
(Ranma ½) so don't sue me. By the way, also worth mentioning, this story is
a sequel to my other fanfic "Boy meets girls". In other words, there will be
a lot of things you won't understand in this story if you haven't read "Boy
meets girls" (and its side stories) first. If that's the case... then what
the Hell are you doing here still reading this?
Go to http://lavender.fortunecity.com/flamingos/122 instead, and start at
the real beginning of the story like you're suppose to!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AND NOW ON WITH....
Chapter 5: Find out.
"Ranma, dinner is ready," Kasumi told the pigtailed martial artist.
"Coming!" this one responded.
With a great jump, he came down from the Tendo roof and made his way
towards the dinning room. Everyone was already there, eating. Without saying
anything, Ranma took his seat and started doing the same thing the others
were.
"Ranma coming late for dinner," Nabiki stated to no one in
particular, "When will miracles stop? I'm surprised Kasumi actually had to
go and get you."
Ranma limited himself in eating his rice instead of paying attention
to the young extortionist. From the back of his eye he could see that Akane,
who was sitting next to him, was doing an excellent job in ignoring him as
well. She was probably still upset after what happened yesterday. Actually,
she hadn't spoken to him ever since.
Okay, so maybe leaving her at the movies was not the nicest thing to
do. But com'on! He said he was sorry. Okay, so maybe forgetting about her
and coming to pick her up an hour late didn't help much either. But still,
she didn't had to make such a big deal out of it! Not to mention that she
didn't had to slap him on the face for it either. I mean, how was he suppose
to know that his chat with Trunks was going to take so long? People get
distracted once in a while and forget stuff. It can happen to anyone, right?
Apparently, Akane didn't think that way. She got even more upset (if
that's possible) when he refused to tell her why he left in the first place
as well as what took him so long to come back. What was he suppose to say?
Trunks had made him promise to keep his presence a secret from everyone else.
If there was something that Ranma had learned over the years was that the
least he spoke, the less chances this brought of getting himself into
trouble. This time however, it backfired.
Akane was probably thinking the worst things about what he could've
done during his 'not-so-brief' absence. Most of those things probably
involved some of his other fiancées as well.
Deciding that staying near Akane and her rotten mood for a extended
period of time would only get him clobbered, Ranma quickly finished his meal
and left towards the dojo to do some katas. That always helped him to relax.
After several minutes of working out, Ranma went to take a warm bath.
While the hot water did wonders for his sore muscles, the martial
artist gently sent his head back and pressed it against the wall, eyes
looking at the ceiling.
[If Trunks is back in Juuban,] he thought, [then something big is
about to happen.]
Flashback
When he went looking for answers, he really didn't expect to see the
answer itself to come and greet him.
In front of him, about a yard away, the figure he spotted earlier at
Hikawa Temple was hovering in mid air. A man. Long black hair, gray trousers,
black undershirt and a blue jacket.
Ranma quickly took a defensive stance in case the mysterious
figure was planning to attack him. After all, the Anything Goes style
specialized in mid air combat which, he thought, would give him the
advantage in a fight where his opponent and him were airborne.
The fight, however, never took place.
The stranger didn't had any interest in fighting. He just wanted to
talk. After leading him to a building's rooftop, where they could carry on
with their chat without calling the attention from the citizens below, the
conversation began.
"Who are you?" Ranma asked.
The stranger blinked. It appeared he was hoping for Ranma to know his
identity already. But then again, the martial artist was never really good
at remembering a face.
"You don't remember me?" he inquired.
"Should I?"
"Three years ago," he told him, in an attempt to refresh his memory.
"I had purple hair back then."
"Err..."
This didn't seem to help much.
"Trunks. Remember?" the Saiyajin finally cut to the chase.
Ranma's brain began to put the pieces of information together, until
his wide eye expression proved that the remember who the individual was.
Right after that, he started bombarding Trunks with questions which were all
answered in due time.
"But I don't get it." the pigtailed boy began, once Trunks was done
with his story. "Why were you hiding from us back at Hikawa Temple?"
"My presence here is suppose to be a secret." Trunks answered. "Only
Sailor Pluto, who brought me here, and Rei Hino, who can detect my ki, know
of me. And now there's you as well."
"But why is it suppose to be a secret in the first place?" Ranma
went on, "I don't think the girls would mind seeing you again."
"Do you want the short or the long version?"
"Go ahead with the long one." he told him. "It'll take a while
before Akane comes out of the movies, so I have time to spare."
Trunks pretty much told Ranma the same thing he told Rei a couple of
days ago. That is... with a few modifications, of course. After all, he
couldn't tell the martial artist about the true identity of the Sailor
Senshi, so he always referred as the girls and the heroines as two different
groups.
He did tell Ranma about his past relationship with Makoto and how
avoiding her now would avoid several complications as well as a lot of pain
and the reawakening of bitter memories. Ranma appeared to take sympathy on
that.
As for the Sailor Senshi business, the Saiyajin hybrid said that
Sailor Pluto had asked him to keep a low cover when fighting the unknown
enemy (which was in a way true). This meant that he couldn't interact with
Juuban's renowned heroines. Trunks didn't liked lying, but he convinced
Ranma that all of this was done so there would be no alteration in this
world's time line, being that one of the conditions Pluto had imposed on him
in order to come here. Ranma seemed to believe all he said.
"So, who is this enemy?" he asked.
"I don't know, and neither does Pluto." Trunks replied, "For now,
we're stuck at the defense until we can find out more."
Ranma had then offered his help in order to fight the new enemy. If
someone was going to mess around with his world, he had something to say
about it all. Even if this was the Senshi's territory, his martial artist
oath demanded that he helped those in need... not to mention that this new
challenge sounded quite interesting too. Things had been going a little
slow since his fight with Saffron, and the only worthy fights he'd been
getting so far were with Ryouga or Happosai, which weren't as often as
before.
His proposal, though, was refused by the once purple haired warrior.
Trunks didn't seem to think less of the martial artist's skills, but as long
as the enemy's identity and power level remained a mystery, the best thing
to do for now would be playing it safe. Which meant involving as few people
as possible.
Ranma didn't like it, but agreed to keep out of the way.
End of Flashback
[Okay, Trunks. I won't get involved.] Ranma thought, [But if those
'friends' of yours set one foot on Nerima, don't expect me to sit back and
do nothing about it.]
**********
"Hold it right there!" she shouted.
And yes... the Raiders actually DID held still the moment Sailor
Moon's voice was heard. All five of them turned around to face the five
girls who had come to interfere with their work. Or so it would appear.
The Senshi carefully analyzed their opponents. Five in total, but
not all looked the same. Two of them had silver fur while the other three,
who looked slightly smaller, were entirely brown. The silver monsters began
to advance towards them. Although they only walked on two legs, the way
they bent forward gave the impression that they used all four limbs to move.
The remaining three Raiders quickly gathered the material they stole and
began to run to the back of the warehouse, leaving the fight to their silver
comrades.
"She said: HOLD IT!!" Mars shouted to the three fugitives. "MARS
FLAME SNIPER!"
The arrow flew right towards the trio, reaching one of them and
causing it to blow up like a grenade afterwards. The remaining two were
near when the explosion occurred and were thrown off balance by the strength
of it. Mars was about to shoot another arrow, but one of the silver Raiders
launched towards her and forced her to draw back.
In the meantime, Mercury, Venus and Moon were busy dealing with the
other Raider who kept moving too fast for them to get a good shot. Once it
got the girls attention and gave it's two wounded, but still alive, feline
friends the chance to flee, it charged straight at the three girls.
"VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!!" Venus summoned, once she saw that
the enemy was running right towards her.
The Raider dodged the heart shaped bolt by jumping against the wall
to his right, sinking its sharp claws into the concrete so it wouldn't fall.
It even began to run on the wall, like a spider, as he got closer to the
test subjects.
Venus could only think of one thing as she saw the monster jumping
right in front of her, claws coming first: Duck. The creature passed inches
above her, landing near the entrance of the warehouse.
"MERCURY AQUA RHAPSODY!!"
This time, the Raider was in no position to dodge. The water based
blast hit it right in the back, shoving it against a fence. It fell to the
ground, but quickly got up, showing little damage and no intention to
surrender.
"JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION!!"
"MARS FLAME SNIPER!!"
A big growl came out of the creature's mouth when the two blasts
got it. Once the smoke cleared out, it remained standing, but obviously
wounded. The monster began a vicious attack with it's claws, forcing both
Senshi to the defensive instead of the offensive. Jupiter managed to move
out of the creature's range once it delivered a powerful cut with its paw,
which left deep marks on the wall behind her.
As the fight went on, and the warehouse got more and more damaged
along with it, the Senshi eventually gathered up. The two monsters still
held their ground in spite of the numerous wounds on their bodies.
"Okay, girls," Moon declared, "Let's do this one more time."
"Right!"
"Here goes the bait!" Jupiter declared, "JUPITER OAK EVOLUTION!!"
As expected, the two creatures jumped out of the way in order to
avoid the countless bolts which were fired by the Thunder Senshi each time
she spun. What they didn't know was that this little distraction gave the
remaining Senshi the time to prepare a combined attack.
"MERCURY AQUA RHAPSODY!!"
"VENUS LOVE AND BEAUTY SHOCK!!"
"MARS FLAME SNIPER!!"
"STAR LIGHT HONEY MOON THERAPY KISS!!"
That was just too much for the two Raiders to avoid. They both went
to a better place with one last growl. The five girls let out a collective
sigh of relief once they saw that no trace of their enemies was left.
"Is it just me, our are those things getting tougher each passing
day?" Venus asked to no one in particular.
"Trust me. I wished it was only you..." Jupiter told her.
"What about the two brown ones who were left?" Moon asked.
"Most likely got away." Mars assumed. "It's kind of a pattern each
time we face them."
Two weeks had passed since the first Raider showed up in Juuban. The
first of many. For at least once every three days, a group of feline
monsters appeared in places such as iron and steel industries with the
intention to loot all they could. The way they did it was rather bold too.
They just barged in, destroyed everything that was in their path and took
the quarry.
At first, those monsters were rather easy to deal with. As a matter
of fact, the meaning of such acts was what concerned the Senshi the most
instead of the actual threat the Raiders represented. Compared to previous
enemies, these cat monsters sought something completely different. No Star
Seeds, no energy, no pure hearts or something of the sort. Just metal, fuel
and other materials which were common in heavy industry. This confused the
short skirted ones.
However, each new encounter proved to be more difficult than the
last. Today's combat had lasted more than usual and the Senshi could feel
that future battles were certainly going to get tougher as well.
**********
Hotaru Tomoe sighed. She had lost her group and was pretty much lost
herself as well. Most girls her age would probably be crying right now if
put in her place. But then again, Hotaru was older than she appear, or to
put it in a more complex but yet accurate way, she was also a lot older than
she really was, even if she still acted like a ten year old most of the time.
However, this advantage didn't took away the fact that she was lost
in a place completely unfamiliar to her. Sure she had seen the entrance when
the entire class came into the museum, but she became so distracted with the
exhibition that she didn't realize that her group was moving on without her.
End of result: she was lost.
She began to walk around the place to find her class, but in the
end it got her even more lost. Well... she just hoped that her teacher would
notice that she wasn't there in order to start searching as well.
"Hey, are you all right?" said a voice, "Are you lost?"
Hotaru gazed up so she could see the person talking to her. It was
an adult dressed in simple brown trousers, white shirt, a yellow mustard tie
and brown shoes. His long black hair was held back in a pony tail.
Hotaru shyly nodded while pressing her school bag tighter against
her chest. The man then squatted in order to see the girl face to face. It
was then that Hotaru saw that he had blue eyes and was kinda handsome.
"What's your name?" he asked with a smile.
Handsome or not, he was a stranger. And Hotaru knew better than to
give her name to a stranger. Haruka-papa had been very repetitive on the
subject as well.
"My daddy said that I'm not suppose to talk to strangers." she said.
The man blinked to the response. In spite her apparent age, the girl
was acting quite calm considering that she was lost.
"Well, that definitively is good advice." the man said, "But you
don't have to worry. I work here, see?" as he pointed to his badge.
"Anyone can get one of those." she responded. "How do I know you
didn't steal it? There's no picture on that thing."
A second surprise. This child was definitively smarter than her age
seem to point out. Such cleverness caused a warm smile to appear on his face.
"Hmm, I guess you're right again." he declared, as he pulled his
wallet out of his trousers' rear pocket, "But I can fix that. Look: here I
have my driver's license and there's a picture in it with my name also. The
name is the same in my badge."
"Your name is Takeuchi Akira?" Hotaru asked as she saw the driver's
license.
"So, do I pass?"
The girl nodded in a new sign of trust.
"I'm sorry if I sounded rude, but papa told me I shouldn't talk to
strangers." she said.
"It's all right, really." Akira told her. "I'm sure your dad will
be very proud to know you did as he told you to. So, can I know your name?"
"Tomoe Hotaru."
"Very nice to meet you, Hotaru-chan." he greeted, "May I help you in
finding your dad? You seem rather lost."
"Actually, I didn't came with my parents," she said, as blushed at
the sound of 'chan', "I'm here on a field trip."
"Well then, let's go look for your class and teacher." he suggested,
as he offered his hand. "I think there's a group your age on a field trip
gathered at the entrance."
Hotaru was a little hesitant at first, but ended up accepting
Akira's hand. Well... actually, she only manages to curl her five fingers
around two of his, since the man's hand was too big for her to hold entirely.
Akira walked a little slower than usual as he made his way towards
the entrance so the girl would be able to keep up with him.
"So, you're a museum man?" the child began.
"Museum man?" Akira asked a little intrigued by that use of words.
"Well, you work in a museum, right?" she explained, "How is it
called then?"
"Well, no. I'm not a museum man." Akira replied with a chuckle.
"Actually, I don't work directly in the museum. I'm an architect; I was sent
here by my boss to work on a project. You see, the museum is going to build
a new section and I'm helping out."
"Ooooh, I see." Hotaru realized, while sounding like a ten year old
at last. "That sounds really neat. But... won't you get in trouble if your
boss finds out you're helping me instead of working? I don't want to cause
any trouble."
"I don't think my boss will mind. Besides, I certainly can't leave a
pretty girl on her own when she needs help." he told her with a smile.
"Let's keep this our little secret, okay?"
"Okay!" she beamed.
"Look, that must be you teacher over there."
"Yes it's her. Thank you very much, Akira-san!"
"Don't mention it."
**********
"Proceed, Eron." the Lord commanded.
"With pleasure, my Lord." the scientist stated, "Now that all of you
have seen the footage I've recorded during my Raiders last battles, I would
like to show you a more technical analysis of the Sailor Senshi's powers.
These are just preliminary results of my investigation. However, I thought
it was my duty to inform his greatness, as well as my dear colleges, on how
the investigation is proceeding so far."
Arlakk let out a dry humph!. If there was something from Eron that
bothered him (among the other vast things of him that he didn't like) it
probably was the scientist's ability to suck up to the Lord.
Sitting on the other side of the large table, Sorine showed an
undiverted attention to Eron's explications. The Lord, witnessing everything
from the head of said table had his arms crossed in front of his chest.
"First of all, presenting subject number 1: Sailor Jupiter." Eron
began, as he pointed to the hologram which appeared at the center of the
table. "Her attacks are based on lightning. According on the data I managed
to collect, my calculations indicate that her bolts can easily go beyond 500
volts, enough to eliminate a regular Raider. Passing to more physical
matters, her strength is basically the same as any human being. Maybe a
little more on the 'exceptionally strong' side, but nothing to be impressed
of. Her strategy in combat goes as follows..."
Arlakk took notes on every observation Eron did and then compared
them with the ones he previously had. He also paid special attention in
analyzing the subjects powers in case his coworker had missed something,
which he would gladly rub it in his fa... er... point out.
After several minutes, Eron's speech came to a conclusion:
"And at last, but not least, subject number 5: Eternal Sailor Moon."
he said. "Unlike her friends, this so-called leader isn't half as agile, nor
half as strong, and I really doubt that she even half as bright as any of
the previous Sailor Senshi. To be completely blunt, I must say that her
skills are rather laughable. She hasn't shown anything outstanding in either
tactics, planing, strategy or physical attacks whatsoever. Heh, heh... I
remember there was a time when a Raider had her cornered and was about to
slice her into ribbons. That girl accidentally tripped and dodge the attack
completely. Not only that, but when she did, the Raider accidentally struck
its wrist against something and broke it. I don't know if that little scene
was embarrassing for Eternal Sailor Moon or for the Raider but I must say..."
"Get to the point, Eron." the Lord told him.
"Right." he acknowledged. "However, in spite of her clumsiness,
Eternal Sailor Moon counts with an interesting power. It's rather odd to say
this... but... it seems that her attack consists of a white-feathered-wind
of some sort. As crazy as it sounds, that attack has been very efficient in
neutralizing my Raiders. I'm afraid I haven't been able to identify it yet,
but it appears to be some sort of illusion, which would send this in
Arlakk's area of expertise."
"You believe that Eternal Sailor Moon is a sorceress?" Sorine asked.
"Actually, assuming that all Sailor Senshi are sorceresses wouldn't
be out of the question." Arlakk cut in.
"Would you care to elaborate on that theory, Arlakk?" the Lord
suggested.
"With pleasure." the warlock declared, as he got up. "Several
persons think that magic is a power which comes from inside a sorcerer.
Although true to some extent, that hypothesis isn't all there is to it. A
sorcerer, or sorceress in this case, uses her body as a way to control
external forces. The host herself isn't magical by any means, she just
summons the power from an external energy into her body, which she can then
shape according to her will."
"Logical." Sorine realized. "Each of the Sailor Senshi represent a
planet from this Solar system. Are you suggesting that such planets are the
source of their power?"
"It's a possibility." Arlakk pointed out. "What I am sure of though,
is the fact that their skills are 100% magical. Actually, in order for a
sorceress to summon the power, she must do it through a gesture, word or
some sort of catalyzing material. In the Sailor Senshi's case it appears to
be both gesture and words which allow them to summon this energy they use."
"That's all very nice." Eron cut in. "But that doesn't help us in
identifying Sailor Moon's attack in order to neutralize it."
"My liege," Arlakk began, "I would like to ask your permission to go
Outside on the next assault Eron's Raiders will perform. That would give me
a chance to see the Senshi's powers with my own eyes. Maybe my observations
will be more helpful than my college's."
"Permission granted." said the Lord, "Eron, when will the next
attack occur?"
"I'm currently breading more Raiders as we speak, they should be
ready in two days." the scientist responded. "Since the two Assault Raiders
from yesterday weren't enough, I'll send three this time. I believe that
will give Arlakk enough of a show to see the defenders at their full power."
"Very well." the Lord nodded. "Are there any other topics which need
to be discussed before this meeting is over?"
"Yes, My Lord, there is." Sorine began, "Eron, the material your
Raiders have been brining isn't sufficient. Your station isn't using its
full potential in creating enough Raiders to get the quantity I need."
"My staff is working around the clock." Eron told her. "I can assure
you we're working at our full capacity."
"Not logical." Sorine went on. "If so, the numbers of Raiders should
be doubled."
"Truth be told, my dear Sorine," he explained, "part of my staff is
busy breading an Elite Raider. As you know, those don't grow on trees.
Besides, I can't send *all* the Raiders I'm able to produce at once,
otherwise, the defenders might get killed during a fight, and we don't want
that, do we?"
"Your approach on the matter isn't efficient." she said, "In order
to collect the material I need, I ask authorization to send some of my
Sentries Outside to do the job."
"Permission denied." the Lord made clear. "We can't risk the Juuban
locals to know more than they need to known regarding their attacker. Your
Sentries, although powerful, are bound to call too much attention. Be
patient Sorine, you will have the materials you requested, but there's still
no sign that we'll need project Dark Snowfall in this mission, which makes
testing the defenders our top priority right now."
**********
[Number 207.] Rei thought, as she checked the address she had
written down with the door in front of her. [This must be it.]
The Shinto priestess rang the bell and began to wait for Trunks to
open the door. She had been keeping contact with him occasionally, but this
was the first time she came to his apartment. To be frank, it made her a
little nervous. Never before had she gone into another guy's place on her
own. Even if Trunks was nothing more than a friend, he was still a member of
the opposite sex.
[A very *fine* example of the opposite sex] she said to herself.
She quickly shook that thought away. He was her friend, but nothing
more. As much as she would certainly like a boyfriend like him, she couldn't
picture the Saiyajin hybrid as something more than a friend. Well...
actually... picturing him like that wasn't *that* difficult. He was after
all very... No, wait. She was doing it again.
[Com'on, Rei!] she lectured herself, [That kind of thinking was
okay when you were fourteen, but you're seventeen now!]
"Waiting for someone?" said a voice from behind.
The girl jumped with a yelp of surprised and immediately turned
around. She calmed down when she realized that it was only Trunks who, by
the way, didn't looked like he was expecting that kind of reaction from her.
"Oh, it's you, Trunks. Don't do that!" she told him.
"Sorry." he apologized. "Didn't mean to scare you. Have you been
waiting here long?"
"I just got here." she said more calm. "I thought you'd be here by now."
"I had to stay a little longer at work." Trunks pointed out as he
took out his keys and opened the door. "After you."
Rei made her way inside the apartment with her host following behind.
The place was simple, just like any apartment, but nice in overall.
There was a living room with a big sofa and couch of the same blue color
facing a medium size television. To her left, an easy accessible kitchen
with all the necessary equipment. A bathroom behind, a bedroom by her right
and a glass door in front, leading towards the balcony.
What surprised her though, was the fact that everything was...
well... tidy. If her memory was right, the last time Trunks came to this
world, he lived in a real mess (to put it lightly). She could still remember
how identifying his floor was an impossibility with all the stuff that was
scattered all over it.
Something came back into her mind: she was with a guy... alone...
in his apartment. Maybe these were modern times, but in Japan, decent
teenage girls didn't do such bold things. She found relief when she
remembered that it was Trunks the one she was with. He wouldn't try to do
something to take advantage of her, not in a million years! Not
shy-easy-blushing Trunks. That just couldn't happen.
"Okay, I'm gonna take my clothes off." Trunks stated.
"WHAT??"
"Yeah, this tie is really bothering me." he explained, oblivious to
her reaction, "I don't want to wear it more than I already have to. I'll go
change. Make yourself at home."
Trunks just walked towards his bedroom as he undid his yellow
mustard tie and unbutton the top of his shirt. Once he closed his door, a
very flushed Rei was left alone in the living-room. She didn't had to go
look at herself in a mirror, she knew very well that she was probably
blushing.
[I'm making a fool of myself...]
Moments later, once Rei finally got used to the situation she was in,
Trunks came out of his room dressed in his default baggy gray pants and
black undershirt. He offered his guest a glass of water to which she
accepted in good nature.
"So, what brings you here?" he began.
"Well, basically, I just wanted to see how you were doing since the
last time we met." she told him.
"That's really nice of you, I don't get many visits here."
"Doesn't Setsuna drop by often?"
"Very few times actually." Trunks responded. "Although we always see
each other to check on you girls each time a monster appears. By the way,
you fought very well in the last battle. Congratulations. All of you have
certainly become stronger since the last time I saw you."
"Thanks." Rei said. "Although that last fight wasn't easy. These cat
creatures are getting tougher each time."
"Yeah, I noticed." the Saiyajin hybrid pointed out. "It seems like
the enemy is constantly boosting up its monsters after each battle so
they'll be able to defeat you."
"We thought about that possibility also." the Shinto priestess
stated, "Although..."
"What?"
"Well..." she began, "Ami came up with a theory on our last Senshi
meeting. It made us think that maybe there's something more behind all this."
"Really? Could you tell me more about it?"
"Sure. I was going to tell you anyway, but since you brought up the
subject already, here goes..."
Flashback
"Sorry I'm late, girls!" Usagi apologized as she took deep breaths.
"Well, you're just a half hour late." Rei told her sarcastically,
"We were actually expecting you to take longer."
"Well excuuuuse me for keeping such a grumpy old lady like yourself
waiting!" the odango girl countered.
Rei's left eyebrow began to twitch. Curse the day Usagi had found
that hair dye on her bathroom! She already began to regret suggesting Trunks
to change his hair color. Before she could say something in return, Luna
ordered the two girls to calm down.
It was one of those brain drilling sessions where everyone tried to
share as much information as possible regarding the new enemy. Such things
as apparent weaknesses, patterns in the way each attack was done, possible
motives. Basically, anything which could come in handy.
"As much as I keep looking at the city's map, I can't seem to find
a particular pattern which can help us guess the next attack." Artemis
declared. "All of these invasions seem to be held at random points. There's
even factories which have been attacked twice."
"Why on Earth would a bunch of cats want steel, iron and stuff like
that?" Makoto asked to no one in particular. "Shouldn't they be after balls
of string or something similar?"
"Trust me, as a representative of the feline kind, I would think so
as well." Luna told her.
"Personally, I'd like to know where they're taking all the things
they stole." Minako added. "Those monsters just come and go without leaving
trace... well... except for all the property damage, that is. But there's
still no sign of their whereabouts."
"Well, Artemis and I saw how the two remaining monsters from last
fight used some sort of dimensional portal to leave the warehouse." Luna
brought out. "We weren't able to see what was on the other side though."
Everyone kept on discussing for a couple of more minutes until a
good and deserved brake was in order.
"This doesn't make any sense!" Usagi wined. "We're getting nowhere!"
After all, she could be spending more time with Mamoru instead of
staying here, trying to come up with reasons behind the attacks. Reasons
which have all been rather unfruitful so far.
"Girls, there's something about all this that I keep asking myself
about." Ami suddenly began.
"You and all of us, for that matter." Rei said.
"No, not about the motive or the location these creatures come from."
the young genius corrected. "It's mostly the way we've been fighting."
"What about that?" Makoto asked. "They show up. We show up. We blast
them. End of story, see you next time."
"I'm serious here." she declared. "I mean... isn't it a little odd
that each time we fight one of those things, the next one just happens to be
more resistant against the last attack we used. For instance: The first cat
monster was destroyed by a Flame Sniper, but the second one was rather
resistant to Rei's attack. We had to use my Aqua Rhapsody to finish it. But
then the third one was also resistant to that particular attack as well."
"Well, I don't see much of a mystery there." Makoto pointed out.
"The enemy is obviously making tougher monsters so that they don't get
killed by us so easily."
"Yeah, like that they'll be able to carry on with their mission,
which ever it is, more efficiently." Rei added.
"That sounds like a reasonable justification." Ami admitted. "But
still... something just doesn't seem to add up here."
"Like what?" Usagi asked.
"For instance, each time we go to a factory to stop them, well...
we take some time to get there. Last day, according to security cameras, the
attack was done at 4:00 PM. We got there by 4:30 and they were still there."
"Well, maybe they were still gathering all the material they needed."
Usagi suggested.
"But there was only five of them." the young genius went on. "How
much can five monsters carry? Not enough to take half an hour, if you ask me."
"Are you saying that those creatures were deliberately waiting for
us?" Rei asked. "Why would they do that?"
"Yeah, I mean if they wanted their materials so bad, they should be
trying to avoid us, not confront us." Venus remarked.
"Unless, those materials aren't what they're exactly after." Ami
continued. "The first creature we fought didn't seem to be looking for any.
Actually, it was just wandering around Juuban, causing havoc. In my opinion,
it was trying to get itself noticed."
"A bait!" Luna suddenly stated. "The first cat monster was nothing
more than a bait."
"What? Bait? Why? What are you talking about?" Usagi inquired,
completely confused.
"Of course! It makes sense!" Artemis added.
"What? What does?" Usagi asked again, a little more irritated.
"We're being tested." Ami concluded.
Flashback
"That *does* make a lot of sense." Trunks affirmed. "I actually
haven't thought about that. If the enemy learned all your strengths and
weaknesses they could overpower you."
"Scary thought, huh?"
Trunks moved his hand towards his face and began to rub his chin,
thinking about what the Shinto priestess had recently told him.
This definitively made a lot of sense. It would also explain why
Setsuna didn't want him to fight right away, since she probably had some
sort of idea all along that the enemy was studying the Senshi. Fighting the
first monster would've made him another test subject for the enemy. Trunks
made sure to talk to Setsuna about this later.
"If that's the case," he suddenly said, "then the person behind
those monsters might not take long in showing up."
"You think so?"
"I think it's quite clear that there's someone controlling all those
cat creatures. They don't look smart enough to be working on their own."
Trunks stated. "If the one in charge thinks he has you cornered, he'll
probably show his face. That's when I'll come in. Don't worry."
"Well, I don't think we have much of a choice, do we?" Rei asked,
almost jokingly. "Well, changing to more pleasant matters, how have you been
these last weeks? I see you got yourself a job."
"I've been doing pretty well, thanks." he said. "Getting a job
wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. It took me a little time through."
"And what exactly are you doing?"
"I'm an architect."
"Architect? Wow... I never imagined you as one."
"To be honest, I never pictured myself as one either eight years
ago." Trunks confessed. "But after the Jinzouningen, my world was in high
demand of architects. I started doing it to help rebuild everything they
destroyed and ended up liking it as a career."
"Well that sounds great." Rei stated. "Does it pay enough to cover
your expenses?"
"Enough to keep my stomach full." he told her.
"In that case you must be making a fortune." she joked.
"Since when did you became a comedian?"
**********
"Hop in." Haruka told the girl. "How was your day, Hotaru-chan? Was
your field trip fun?"
"Yeah, it was." Hotaru responded as she put her seat belt on. "All
those paintings from the Renaissance were great. And here, I got
Michiru-mama a broach from the exhibition."
"That's very thoughtful of you, Hotaru-chan." Michiru thanked as she
received the present from the little girl. "It's beautiful."
Haruka's car drove through the streets of Tokyo as Hotaru kept on
narrating the days events. With time, a particular subject appeared.
"Setsuna paid us a visit earlier." Haruka began, turning the
conversation a little more serious. "The time to fight will come soon."
"According to Setsuna, the true enemy will show up soon." Michiru
added. "We need to protect the princess at any cost. The future depends on it."
"Will I fight too?" Hotaru asked.
"Not yet, Hotaru-chan." Haruka told her, "You're our strong card. We
can't let the enemy analyze you like the Inner Senshi. We have to strike in
one decisive blow. Michiru and I will go first. Maybe Setsuna will join us,
I'm not sure."
No one spoke afterwards. Michiru gazed through the window, her eyes
traveling along the sea as the car raced by the cost side.
"The sea is restless." she spoke. "A big storm is about to come."
**********
"All the Raiders are ready, waiting by the teleportation chamber,
Master Eron." Arna informed.
"Good. Is that no-good necromancer coworker of mine with them?"
"Yes. Master Arlakk is waiting as well."
"Very well." he approved. "Open the portal and let them do their
stuff. In the meantime, I'd like to see how our Elite Raider is coming up."
"Yes, sir."
The duo walked through the laboratory's corridors with Arna
updating her superior on every single detail about the project. Eron, who by
that time was checking the results her assistant had given him, just nodded
to every comment.
"All of the Raider's physical abilities are working at 100% percent
and it's mental capacities have reached the expected level." Arna notified.
"We're still training it against regular Raiders, but it won't take long
before we cover that part and start training him with weapons."
"Where is it now? I want to see it."
"In the training room, sir."
As the two of them moved closer to the so-called training room,
several growls and screams could be heard. All of them accompanied with
sounds of blows, wood braking and bones crushing. The sound of the battle
grew so loud, that Arna began to consider heading back. Eron seemed
unaffected by such racket.
"There's our little baby." he said with a grin as he watched through
the window.
Arna peeked through the window as well, just to see the slaughtered
bodies of several Raiders lying on the ground. All of them covered in their
own blood. Some of them with missing limbs and some with all their limbs,
but bent in unnatural ways.
What was only a glimpse, was enough to make the girl sick. She tried
to hold down the urge to vomit by repeating to herself that Eron wouldn't
like to see such weakness on a professional.
Standing up in all the massacre, a dark figure held the remaining
cat beast by the throat, lifting it a few feet over the ground as it tried
desperately to kick its way free. With one last press, everyone present
could clearly hear how the Raider's neck snapped, dying instantaneously and
causing its body to go limp.
"Time?" Eron asked.
"2 minutes and 23 seconds." responded a member of his staff.
"Acceptable." he replied. "Passing to the use of weapons shouldn't
take that long."
End of chapter 5...
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Author's notes:
I had some trouble in finding out Hotaru's exact age at the end of
Sailor Stars, so I had to assume that she looked around 10, although I may
be wrong. In any case, mentally speaking, she is a lot older.