(Chapter 3)

The next morning, Gohan walked into Usagi's room (quite late in his opinion) to wake her up. He'd already walked in, past the bed, and to the window, opening the curtains when he'd turned around and noticed that the buttons on her pajamas had become undone and he'd had a glimpse of her black lace bra. He gaped for a maximum of two seconds before he rushed out clutching his nose in preparation for the oncoming nosebleed. It was a few minutes later that he came back with a tissue wedged to his nose, stopping at the door and knocking. "USAGI-SAN! Wake up! It's already 11 in the morning!"

The lump in the bed moved and she opened her eyes blearily. "11?! And I'm awake at this ungodly hour?! I am going back to sleep." She muttered before slumping back in bed. "God he's almost as bad as Goten…" muttered Gohan as he sighed and banged on the door again. "WAKE UP!"

Usagi's sat up suddenly. "WHAT?!" she bellowed back.

"It's time for you to get UP!" he yelled through the door.

"And I am going to avoid becoming deaf living with you two therefore I'm going to stop this." announced Trunks who'd just walked past the hallway. He entered the room never minding Gohan's repeated efforts to warn him of Usagi's current state of dress. Trunks barged into the room to shake that girl completely awake when he finally noticed the state of the pajama top that she'd hadn't noticed earlier. He raised an eyebrow and stared blatantly at her chest before saying, "Hm—nope, they're definitely not implants." Usagi gaped at him before clutching her shirt close and with her small hand curled into a fist, sent him flying into the hallway landing on a stunned Gohan.

Luna appeared from the other side of the bed looking at her disapprovingly. "It is very rude to do that to your host."

"It is very rude to stare at your guest's chest area when they're just waking up, Luna." The cat raised an eyebrow. "Well then, you should have asked me to take a swipe at him. No one would blame the cat." It was enough to make Usagi laugh a she hugged the black cat. "Now… we'll have to find a way to look for those… Dragonball things."

"Do you have any idea how?" asked Luna delicately.

"None at all… but they do."

"And should I mention that punching the daylights out of those two guys is not proper for someone asking a favor?"

"Actually, when dealing with this guy, he'll go crazy for anything opposite of the norm." Usagi turned round to face Trunks leaning against the doorjamb. "Hey little girl. Get dressed, our folk's are taking you shopping." He grimaced in distaste at the thought of entering that dreaded place known as 'the mall' where not many men enter willingly. These were places where species of the fairer sex were known to fall victim to the deadly 'bargain-hunting' syndrome which results in hours of counting ceiling tiles while muffled squealing in dressing rooms are heard. Trunks knew this very well and he told Usagi so, which resulted in both the girl and the cat laughing. Hard.

"But… I didn't bring much money… actually, none at all." Trunks raised an eyebrow, "So? All I can tell you at the moment is that you really don't need to okay? Think of it this way, if we ever decide to flash over into your time, you'll give us a tour 'round town too, okay? I consider that payment enough."

She brightened. "SURE! I can show you the arcade, the mall (Trunks winced at this), the Tokyo Tower…" she rattled on a dozen more places that Trunks had read about in history textbooks. (K: At least some of them… an arcade? Probably not.)

"Anyway, come on out to the kitchen when you're ready for breakfast, 'kay? Gohan's trying to be Suzy Homemaker and he's *ahem* attempting to cook breakfast."

"I heard that!" yelled Gohan from the kitchen, wisely deciding not to come in. Trunks shrugged, "Just in case you want a warning." He walked out the door. Just as an explosion came from the kitchen and Gohan was running out of the kitchen holding a spatula, and what appeared to be half-cooked egg sticking to his shirt. "The stove blew up." He announced to Trunks as he stomped to his room to change. "You know… you usually wear an apron." Quipped the violet-haired guy. Usagi laughed. "You know what? I can cook… it might not look good, but it tastes all right… half the time. Just not cookies."

Trunks made a "do what you want" gesture. "You can go right ahead if you want, you know for a fact why there are so many take-out boxes in the garbage can now?"

"Yeah… I was wondering about that."

"Such an unhealthy lifestyle." sniffed Luna as she leaped lightly down to the carpet. "Better than Pretty Kitty seafood treats I'd say." Luna reddened and she turned away. "Thank you, I'd prefer if you didn't rub in the fact that I am a cat."

"Don't worry, I won't… often."

"Usagi-chan…" she said warningly making the blonde hush up. Trunks laughed, stroking the cat's head. The small cat stopped her chiding to purr as he did so. Usagi looked down at her cat in amazement. "Sure you don't get mad at him!"

"He did nothing wrong, unlike yourself." The golden child growled but shrugged it off. "Be silent, lowly kitty." She muttered under her breath. The cat narrowed her ruby eyes and glared at her in between purrs as Trunks had resumed stroking her between the ears. He adjusted his burden before shrugging towards the door. "Come on Chisaii-chan, let's get some food into you before we go."

"Go?" she felt an impounding feeling of dread. "You don't mean school do you?!" she shrieked almost hysterically. The cat smirked, "It wouldn't do you any harm to learn something."

"I have learned enough for a lifetime, Luna."

"You mean you've learned enough ways to slack off for a lifetime." The blonde glared at her cat for a moment before promptly ignoring her and saying to Trunks. "I'm ready to eat."

"Good, so am I." said a miffed Gohan. "Come on, we're going downstairs to eat. That evil contraption was sent from Hell I believe." He walked in wearing a new black shirt and jeans, plain and simple. Trunks sighed. "It's either fast food, or whatever the hell he tries to make."

"I DON'T SEE YOU MAKING ANYTHING!" Trunks shrugged, "I'd blow up more than just the stove." Usagi began laughing and grabbing a pen sitting on the dresser and shoving it promptly into a pocket in her blue jeans. She'd already used the pen just a while ago to change her clothes from her comfy 'jammies to what she was wearing now. A pink tee and jeans. That's it. (K: She was away from home, so the normal, stereo-typical, mini-skirted ditz could be laid on hold for at least a while… well, maybe not the 'ditz' part…)

Gohan grinned, glad that at least someone wasn't going to be laughing at him for the stove. And who at least agreed with him. "Let's go then. If Hair-dye here is willing, he'll follow."

"HAIR-DYE?! Where did that comes from?!" Gohan smirked, "From someone who can verbally banter with a certain smart-alecky saiyan and survive."

Luna leaped gracefully to the floor and flicked her tail. "I quite agree with Usagi-chan when it comes to food… come to think of it, I haven't eaten since before we left home."

"Well then, come along and we'll sneak you in."

"I have to be snuck in?" asked the cat in dismay. She'd known the meaning of 'snuck in' a long time ago. Cramped boxes, book bags, backpacks… all suffered when around Usagi and her friends. "Nah, the owner's quite used to Puar, he won't mind another cat. I just meant sneak another mouth into our table."

Luna sighed in relief as the images of past 'sneaking in' faded away. She followed the two that had already left and Trunks quickly caught up to her in only two steps. Luna could never get over how fast those damn elevator/tube things could go as they sped down towards the lobby floor where a breakfast/lunch/dinner restaurant was open and where they spent most of their meals (as Gohan's lack of culinary talent was obvious).

It was a while later that they headed back to the apartment, with Trunks and Gohan marveling at how much and how fast that petite girl could eat. Luna was hiding her face shamefacedly in the crook of Trunks' arm, as she was quite embarrassed with her charge. Gohan was laughing at the blonde and teasing her lightly and she was verbally bantering with him as they proceeded to enter the apartment. It was just two minutes after Trunks had flopped onto the couch, Gohan had walked off to clear the table and Usagi had bent to inspect the burned and blackened stove that the bell rung. This sent Trunks flying from the couch as if too had been lit on fire. "Oh shit! I almost forgot they were coming!"

"Who?! Who?!" yelled back Serena as she stood up from her observations, staring at the smudge of black that had appeared on her nose due to her poking and prodding the ashy stove. She wriggled her nose to no avail before entering the bathroom to wash it off. "OUR FOLKS!" he yelled back as he attempted to straighten the odds and ends in the living room while Gohan was busy throwing dirty laundry into the closet. Catching Serena's eye, he winked, "We're cleaner than most, but… well, you've met my mom…" Laughing Serena joined him in cleaning as Luna tended to the door.

Perhaps it was unwise of her because she came face to… foot, with the same black-haired man she'd met yesterday earlier on in her travels. He recognized her as well and he glared. Knowing nothing else to do, Luna slunk back before saying weakly, "Come in?" her dignity greatly decreased under the stare of this unfriendly man. She lightly ran back to wherever the others were. "Aww, look what you just did, Dad! You scared the poor kitty!" a pretty blue-haired girl dressed in red suddenly appeared from behind him and held out a hand towards the cat. "Here, kitty, kitty, kitty…" she crooned. Luna felt mildly offended but she came forward cautiously, saying "The others are preparing for your arrival."

It was surprising the lack of surprise in that girl's face when Luna spoke because she laughed and said instead, "You mean they're shoving everything into everything else before we can see anything?"

Luna laughed. "Quite."

"So little kitty, you're the one that was walking around our house before aren't you? Daddy said he saw a strange black cat with a crescent moon on its head talking to Puar earlier yesterday."

"Yes… I was trying to find Usagi-chan."

"Usagi… chan?"

A loud crash and a startled yelp as Serena came flying through the open doorway behind the cat and landing flat on her face as Gohan stuck his head out, "Oh god, are you okay?!" Luna sighed resignedly, especially at the strange looks the rest of the troupe (that had accumulated while the conversation had been going on) were giving them. "That's Usagi." She meowed and hid her face in her paws.

The blue-haired girl laughed and picked up the cat. "My name's Bura, little kitty… do you have a name?"

"Luna."

"Luna… that's a pretty name. Fits you, you little moon kitty." Usagi had looked up at the guests and had scrambled up dusting off her clothes and she was turning quite red. "I'm sorry… I'm a little clumsy." Luna sighed in Bura's arms. "A little?" she muttered to herself.

Trunks' head appeared around the corner. "Hey! Come on in all of you, don't stand at the door." The guests (friends and family members) trouped in and set themselves out in the living room, which had previously been emptied of almost everything so there was enough place for all to sit. Usagi was beginning to become nervous again, she recognized Goku and ChiChi and Goten (whom she'd seen at the dinner table the other day).

Trunks began the long list of introductions. "Everyone, this is Usagi."

"Usagi who?" asked the unfriendly-looking guy before the older-looking blue-haired woman shoved her elbow into his side with a "shhh" sound. "Uh…" stammered Trunks before Usagi saved him. "Tsukino Usagi. Or, what the foreign-exchange student at my school tells me, Serena Thompson in English." She laughed, "Though why he would know my English name is a secret."

"Anyway, this is my mom, Bulma, my dad, Vegeta… Um, Bura, my little sister—"

"Age wise, but I'm way ahead of him in mentality." Cut in the blue-haired girl who apparently had the same way around cats that Trunks did because the black cat was at present curled up on the girl's lap. "(Blah, blah, blah)" (K: You know the Z-gang, think all of them, minus Pan, 18, and Bulma's parents…)

When the "hi" "nice to meet you" and "it's a pleasure" 's were done, they finally got around to heading towards the mall. All males present literally shuddered at the dreaded word. But of course, the semi-violent females always got their way. Including a begging Bura with her father was one of his only weak points. He was putty in her hands.

"Great! Let's go!" yelled ChiChi and Bulma dragging their unwilling husbands by the arm. They were always up for any shopping. Gohan grabbed Usagi's hand and Trunks took Bura's hand. "Come on, we'll take the motorcycles." Bura looked from him to her father and shrugged, "Do you mind, Dad?" she asked. "I don't care." He said gruffly and she smiled before following the violet shock of hair towards the garage down below the lobby. Trunks tossed Usagi a helmet and handed his sister one. When both of them protested, he replied, "I think you'd rather a helmet for a little while, than all your head swirled into a 50's beehive hairstyle." (K: Was it the 50's? Or 60's? Or 70's? Something like that?) Finally, with much grumbling, helmets were donned, seats were secured, and they were off in clouds of dust and screeching tires.

~*~*~*~

The little black-clothed pixie's long eyelashes fluttered open and it took her only a few moments to focus on the bright blue sky above her, and the sensation of someone shaking her gently to rouse her. "Aahhh… my head…" she murmured sitting up and rubbing it. It was still sore. She looked around to see the rest of the Outers, the three Inners and… Princess Chibi-Usa? She sighed, "I believe we've been sent to the 30th century, haven't we?"

"Yes." A grim Setsuna was sitting on a nearby clump of rock, apparently thinking. The lack of the Garnet Key was surprising. "So… you would not be able to send us back?" she asked hesitantly. Setsuna shook her head. "Someone sent us here on purpose, to get us out of their way. That person also took my Staff, so if he or she alters the timeline, I have no way to stop it. Time streams are too delicate to set out of balance…" The little princess smiled softly at the guardian. "Don't worry, Pu. You're safe here at least…"

"But for how long, Small Lady?"

Michiru was leaning over the little flamingo-haired princess. "How did you know we were here?"

"You took me… I mean your future selves took me here. See, they're right there." She pointed behind them and they spun around to face… themselves. As senshi.

The Inners, still wounded were on the verge of collapse, especially with the added shock. "What… what's happened?" murmured a tired Ami, as she looked up at her double's face as she kept pressure on a wound to her side. It was hard to believe how suddenly they were carted off towards the Crystal Palace and towards their healing chamber. The four Outers followed dully. The time streams, the echoes of the wind, the crashing of the waves, and the deathly silence had all changed, almost imperceptibly, but they could sense it. And they were worried.

It was then that a lavender streak flashed by before pausing, revealing it was King Endymion in all his splendor… and worry. "Sailors… the Queen is gone!" he told them, never minding the fact that they were all doubled.

"Neo-Queen Serenity is MISSING?!" gaped Sailor Mars as she stared at her king. "You cannot be serious!"

"I know what happened."

All turned to Setsuna. "The timeline has shifted. Neo-Queen Serenity as she is in this time might not even exist any longer. Right now, she is existing only the shell of present-day Tsukino Usagi."