Note: I want to thank everyone for reviewing, it really means a lot. A few answers, please note that chapter 4 did say that the goddess Diana was identified with the goddess Artemis, not that she was the goddess of the moon herself…hmm, let's see…. oh, Selene will be turning up later as well, I do know about the three embodiments, I did not use the crone however, oh well. I think the last issue that requires addressing is the whole Niobe thing, I think your right, I got most of the "selections" from another website that appeared reliable for the mythologies, (apparently not for the Greek ones however) I didn't happen to catch that particular mix up when I proof read it, sorry, I'll try harder next time. Please keep reviewing; please keep catching the mistakes that I may have missed.
-Niamh
"Love and good intentions simply don't solve everything." (Sorry, I can't remember where I got this quote from.)
I want to get one thing straight, I was happy there at Capsule Corp. I was terrified, but I was happy. Still, a strange clamp of foreboding gripped at my heart, I wanted to get out of there, I didn't want to lead the scouts to those people. I mentioned this once to Gohan, he was the one I could talk to, his father was constantly training, I wondered sometimes if he didn't have something that he needed to get away from at Capsule Corp. Vegita was simply never around, or, if he was his mood was extremely forbidding. And Trunks…Trunks still worried me, so I spoke to Gohan, apparently the only sane one in this group of saiyans. "You can't leave," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I won't have it." He smiled slightly at me and I couldn't say no.
I was given a room in Trunks' house, it wasn't anything special, a bed, a window, a desk, but it was better than my apartment so I counted myself lucky. Earth's Special Forces spent a lot of time over there; sometimes they were training, sometimes just sitting around talking. Most of time I could feel their eyes on me, burning into me, as if they were waiting for me to do something. They watched me a lot, some more than others and it made me a little anxious. I tried to give myself a reason for their almost constant vigilance, sometimes I wondered if they weren't a little suspicious of me, sometimes I thought that they just wanted to help and much of the time I thought perhaps I was just imagining it.
In the short time I had known them I had formed a strange bond with these men. I could feel it when they were angry and they seemed to be angry a lot. I would be walking through a room when one of them would just explode, I could feel it as their rage built and their power flared higher, it frightened me. But sometimes they didn't get angry at all, sometimes we would just sit around and joke, even Vegeta in his own way, all except for Trunks. He could be kind when he tried, but there was always this fury bubbling just below the surface. I could feel it and sometimes I could see it in his eyes. He had reason to be angry, so I had been told. Trunks came from the future, a future where everything had been destroyed, where he had nothing left. I tried to give Trunks a break because of this, but I couldn't help worrying. Trunks was one of those who watched me a lot, Gohan was the other.
I came in late nearly every night. I found it hard to stay in the house. I felt stifled, the palpable power of these men gave me a headache and the air seemed to crackle with anticipation. Something was coming, things were changing and I wasn't sure I liked it.
So I went out at night, mostly just to walk around, despite my worry and anxiety I could still appreciate the beauty of this place. There was a wood, not far from Capsule Corp. I found it one day on my late night ramblings. It was filled with ash trees, when the wind blew their leaves shivered like they were dancing to a music I could not hear. Ferns and wild blueberries littered the ground and on more than one occasion I returned 'home' with a blue-stained tongue. I'd asked about this wood and had been told it was called the black forest, which seemed silly to me. This 'black' forest was greener than any forest I'd ever seen; it was almost as if whoever or whatever had created the world had looked to this wood to create every other wood that ever existed.
One night I found a field of flax in bloom so vast that it resembled an ocean, the wind sending minute waves through the meadow. That night I gorged myself on blueberries because I wasn't sure how much longer they'd be around and I loathed going back inside. When I finally did return I walked quietly through the house, trying not to wake anyone. Nearly all of Earth's Special Forces had moved in at that point, yet another reason to suspect that something was up.
"Your out late." Spoke a voice from the shadows.
I jumped and the shoes that I had taken off at the door so as to walk more quietly fell with a thump to the floor. "Jesus Gohan!" I hissed as the half saiyan stepped from the shadows, "you scared the shit out of me! What is it with you guys and lurking in the shadows?"
"Sorry," he said, bending to pick up the shoes that lay forgotten on the floor. "But you shouldn't be wandering alone so late, it isn't safe."
"I can take care of myself." I answered defiantly.
"Of course you can," Gohan said, handing me my shoes. For a moment a vague shock of understanding passed through me, I thought I saw, in his eyes, the reason he'd been watching me so closely.
"I'd better go to bed," I said softly. I turned to go but his hand shot out; he grabbed my arm and whipped me around. "Gohan I-" but before I could finish he pressed me against the wall and claimed my mouth with his own. I put my hands on his chest and tried to push him away, but his saiyan strength was too much for me.
When he pulled away I tried to speak again. "Gohan wait-" but his free hand had moved to my upper thigh and he was slowly kneading it. I gasped and he snickered softly. "Mmmm, blueberries" he whispered quietly."
Involuntarily I whimpered.
"Do you know what you've been doing to me?" he asked, his face a hair's breadth from mine. "Walking around in this skirt? Swinging those hips?" he grabbed my waist and thrust my hips into his.
"Gohan-" I tried again, but he took advantage of my parted lips and kissed me again. In the end I responded to him, I wrapped my arms around his neck and returned his kiss. His arms snaked around my waist and crushed me against him. When his hands started to roam I tried again to push away, it terrified me, the passion this demi-saiyan was exhibiting, I was afraid he would devour me with it. But when I tried to push away I heard him growl low in his throat like an animal, and I dared not resist anymore.
Eventually he pulled away, and when I looked into his eyes again I saw something new. Besides the raw, animal passion there was…what…confusion? I wasn't sure and he turned and stalked away before I could decide.
I stood there, still pressed against the wall. As I slid down to sit on the floor I was so damned confused, I wasn't sure what was what anymore, wasn't sure what I wanted. I couldn't deny that I had enjoyed what had happened, though it scared me, but at the same time I felt guilty. God, after everything I still felt guilty. Damn right things were changing.
