AN: Thank you to everyone who reviewed. Gomen nasi if this chapter is bad as I struggle to describe the underground CC.
"..." is talking, '...' is thought, [...] is AN, (...) is extra info but part of the fic, ... means trailed off, -- means interrupted. Enjoy the fic and please review to let me know how you like it! Thanks!
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We all cry the same tears
tears of fright
tears of sadness
tears of loss
tears of frustration
tears of disappointment
tears of loneliness
Lands are flooded with our tears
We need another's
kindness, cooperation, trust, and respect
to survive.
-Susan Polis Schultz
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"Chibi Usa."
A face was swimming before her eyes. "Kaasan," she mumbled as she snuggled back down in the covers.
"Serenity?"
No, the face had blue hair. It was Ami, coming to wake her for breakfast. She rolled over.
"Princess?"
Wrong again. It was Michiru, shaking her gently. "Hai Michi?" she muttered, trying to shake the sleep from her eyes.
"Rini-hime!"
No one called her that. No one except . . .
"Bulma-san," she said almost regretfully, fully seeing now.
The older matron smiled sadly. "Why didn't you tell us, Rini?"
"Nande?"
"Your true identity. While bandaging your wound, I took a blood sample, just in case you had amnesia or something. The test was just completed giving interesting results. But DNA doesn't lie. You're the princess of Crystal Tokyo."
Chibi Usa smiled to herself. "You would rival Ami in your intelligence," she said softly. Louder, she said, "Hai. It is true."
"Why didn't you just tell us?"
"I... I really don't know. It's just... so much has happened and I don't really know who to trust."
"I promise you, hime, we will do all we can to keep you safe. We would *never* hurt you."
"Shouldn't I just leave? The androids are after me, and I don't want you in danger."
Bulma laughed, which surprised the cotton-candy haired girl. "Then there's no better place for you to be. The androids have wanted Trunks and Gohan dead for years. But they haven't been able to find us yet. Currently, they think we are hiding in America. They'd never guess that we're actually under the ruins of the old CC. You'll be safe here. Demo, if anything were to go wrong, you'll have to two strongest men left in the world to protect you."
Chibi Usa's eyes were wet. [AN: So much has happened, so she's naturally still very emotional about it all.] "Domo arigato gozamasu, Bulma-san."
Bulma hugged the smaller girl. "Onegai, just Bulma. After all, you're going to be here for awhile. I've always wanted to have a daughter, and now I have a chance. Well, sort of." She hugged the girl again.
Bulma smiled and stood. She turned just before leaving the room. "Oh and Rini," she said with a sad look on her face. "I know you don't want to talk right now, but whenever you're ready to say something or get it off your chest, I'll lend an open ear. I know what it feels like to lose your loved ones."
She closed the door, leaving Chibi Usa wondering in the darkness. She drifted off to sleep again.
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A while later, a grumble brought her back to the real world. Her stomach growled again.
She sat up and wondered how long it had been since she'd last eaten. Hours? Days? Weeks? She had no idea how to track time in the dark room.
She recalled Bulma bringing in soup several times, but then she had been too weak to eat. But now she felt rested and refreshed, but famished. She slowly got to her feet.
Shakily, she wobbled towards the table on the side of the room. Her legs were weak from disuse. She kicked her legs a few times to regain normal blood flow and lose the numb feeling.
A tray with soup was left on the table. She put some liquid on a spoon and raised it to her mouth.
It was ice cold. She almost spat it out but managed to swallow. She munched on a half-stale biscuit as she made her way to the door, in search of fresher food.
Opening, a soft light streamed in from the hall. She cautiously stepped out into the corridor. It stretched far in both directions. An aroma of food was coming from somewhere, but she couldn't pin-point which direction. She turned and went left.
After several minutes of passing only rooms similar to her own, she realized that the aroma was much more distant. She quickly turned around and retraced her steps, to go in the other direction.
She passed her room again. But then the rooms began to change. There were drastically fewer, for one thing. Two doors were ajar, opposite each other. She peeked inside one. It was a larger room, and it looked more homely and "lived in" than the others she'd seen.
She continued on. Near the end of the corridor, she came across a third door. This one was closed, but she assumed it was another bedroom.
Another corridor forked off to her right. But in front of her, the hall she was currently in ended with an odd door. She approached curiously. It seemed to be made of a silverish metal. Golden words gleamed in the soft light:
You gave your lives for us, fighting though hope was slim.
We thank you.
You are our husbands, our parents, our friends.
We miss you.
You will be in our hearts and minds always.
We love you.
What you fought for shall not be in vain.
Good shall conquer once more.
Rest in Peace.
Chibi Usa was curious. She almost opened the door, but her stomach growled again, interrupting her thoughts. Food was most definitely not in that strange room. She could smell the aroma coming from the other corridor and followed it, making a note to herself to visit the door again.
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"... and so, she was wandering around, lost, trying to find someone or a way out."
Chibi Usa had found the kitchen. Bulma had just finished talking, and she nervous about how much she'd told the other two. She really didn't feel like talking now.
She slowly entered the room. "Ohayo Bulma," she called, attracting the other woman's attention.
"Konnichiwa Rini," she smiled. "It's actually almost three o'clock in the afternoon."
Chibi Usa smiled sheepishly. "Demo how can you be sure if we're underground?"
Bulma pointed to a counter behind her. It was covered in odd markings. Golden light gleamed off it from somewhere above.
"The one and only solar clock of CC," said Bulma proudly. "There's a shaft above it, so light gets through from about 8AM till 4 PM. Plus, our other clocks are synchronized with the outside world."
Chibi Usa nodded and began piling heaps of food onto her plate. "So what's today's date?" she asked through a mouthful of sushi.
"Tuesday December 26th," answered Gohan promptly.
Chibi Usa swallowed. 'That's right,' she remembered. 'It had been a Christmas Eve party. A Christmas Eve murder. A...'
"I had just finished telling Trunks and Gohan about how your father worked for Dr. Gero years ago," said Bulma, interrupting her thoughts. "It's so horrible that the androids tracked him down like that."
Chibi Usa was surprised. She silently thanked Bulma and tried to act the part. "Oh yeah, I know."
"How is it that you made it out alive?" asked Gohan. He had an almost calculating look on his face.
"I... er... wasn't home when they attacked," she said, trying to sound convincing.
Gohan asked no more, but he continued to look at her strangely.
The conversation shifted. They discussed everything from what to have for dinner to what movie to watch today. Chibi Usa spent most of the time listening and eating.
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An hour later, she was back in her room, lying on her back and staring up at the ceiling. She wasn't really tired, she just wasn't ready to spend so much time around people. She was still trying to process how quickly her life had radically changed.
There was a soft knock on the door. Chibi Usa made no response. The handle turned and the door squeaked softly as it opened inwards.
She finally looked up as Gohan entered and sat on the end of her bed.
"How are you feeling?" he asked politely.
"Better, I guess," she sighed.
Gohan leaned back a bit. "It's just amazing to meet someone so close to Dr. Gero. I've just always been amazed by his work in architecture."
Chibi Usa smiled to herself in relief. 'So *that's* who Dr. Gero was! An architect!' She was grateful that he was not an astrophysicist or something, as she was rather familiar with architecture from growing up in the palace. Ami had often taught her useless knowledge in their spare time. [AN: No, Chibi Usa doesn't know anything about Dr. Gero. Most people only saw the horror of the androids and had no time to worry about their creator. Her parents may have known, but they would have been some of the few in Crystal Tokyo.]
"Oh yea, I'm also a fan of his work," she bluffed. "He built so many beautiful buildings. Some even say he helped design the Palace of Crystal Tokyo."
Gohan appeared interested. "Really?"
"Hai." She took the opportunity to make the story more believable and began rambling about columns and flying buttresses.
She took a breath and looked to Gohan to see if he had any input. He was smirking. He stood, looking victorious.
"I knew it."
His whole demeanor was different. "N-Nande?"
"Gero wasn't an architect. He was the baka scientist, crazed with revenge, that created Juuanagou and Juuhachigou."
"The androids?!"
"Hai. He was one of the first they killed."
Chibi Usa was shocked. She tried to think of another story to defend herself, but words wouldn't form. She'd fallen easily into his trap. So much for Bulma's brilliant cover story.
Gohan smiled kindly and sat down again by Chibi Usa's feet. "Why didn't you just tell us the truth?"
Chibi Usa couldn't hold it back any longer. All the stress and horrors and loss of the past few days crashed over her head and inundated her. She broke down, and sobs raked her small body.
"I-I don't know," she sobbed. "I don't know who to trust. They're all gone. I'm all alone."
Gohan, with a pained expression on his face, recalled when he had felt the same way. He wrapped his strong arm around the girl's small frame. "Let it all out," he murmured.
Tears were pouring from Chibi Usa's eyes, and she wailed in desperation. She grabbed onto his shirt and cried into his chest. Gohan patted her back and murmured soft words of comfort, though he knew that only time could heal these wounds.
After several minutes, she calmed down some.
"So we still don't know who you are," said Gohan slowly, hoping to get the information but not remind her of the pain. "Don't tell me, I can almost place you but not quite. Just answer me this: where are you from?"
"The moon," said Chibi Usa without hesitation, almost as though someone else had put the answer in her head.
"Nande? No one lives on the moon!"
Her crescent birthmark began to glow softly. "We did."
It was Gohan's turn to be shocked. "But... that means..."
He let out a laugh and hugged her again. "I knew I knew you from somewhere, but I never suspected . . . Wow! We have our own CC princess!"
Chibi Usa couldn't help but smile.
"Demo, if Trunks hadn't found you..."
"I'd be dead." Her face darkened. "Just like the rest of my family and friends. They gave their lives to save me..."
Gohan squeezed her against his chest as she tried to sniff back a fresh batch of tears. "Don't be afraid to let it out," he encouraged. "I know it hurts."
The salty tears began to slide down the small girl's cheeks. Gohan's shirt was wet, but he didn't care. He knew how much her heart ached.
"Domo arigato, Gohan-san," she said as she regained her composure.
"Hey! We're planning to keep you here for awhile, Rini, so no need for formalities. Or am I supposed to call you Serenity now? Or Chibi Usa?" Gohan scratched his head. "Have you ever realized how many names you have?"
Chibi Usa couldn't help but laugh at his comical expression. "Onegai, just Rini."
"Ok then, Rini-chan," said Gohan with a big smile. "You'll be my little sister. I've always wanted a chibi sibling to boss around."
Chibi Usa smirked and ducked as he tried to rub his knuckles in her hair. "Demo... isn't Trunks your brother?"
"Nah," said Gohan. "I like to think of him that way, but he's not really. Bulma was my dad's best friend. So when my parents died, it was only natural that I'd move in with her and Trunks. Especially with Vegeta gone and no one to protect them."
"Vegeta?"
"Trunks' dad. One of the strongest men in the universe. Second, after my dad, I'm told. He was killed by the androids."
Gohan appeared to be looking at something in the distance. Chibi Usa snuggled closer to him. "Was your tousan murdered too?" she asked slowly.
Gohan's eyes looked glassy, but he didn't cry. "Iie. He died... from a heart disease. Plagued the world before the androids came. If only... if only her could have survived, I know he could have saved us."
Chibi Usa climbed up onto Gohan's lap and hugged him, sniffing back tears not for herself or her family, but for him.
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AN: ::sniff:: Poor Gohan-kun. And FYI, Trunks hasn't figured anything out about "Rini" yet.
Hope you liked it. Please review. Arigato! Ja!
~Calli-chan