Konnichiwa Minna-san! I'm glad to bring you another chapter of my DBZ/SM X-over!
Notes:
Serena and Vegeta have their true memories.... can they accept them? Did Queen Serenity explain anything to the Outers and Inners as she promised? Dark forces? Hmmm..... What the hell does the name of this fanfic have to do with the actual story?
Do you wanna know? READ ON!!!!!
A Story to Remember
Chapter 12: A New Dimension and New Feelings
SM DIMENSION
Rei swept the same area of the temple for the 27th time. She was hardly paying attention.
'Serena has been gone for almost a year.' She thought bitterly. 'Where are you Serena? You aren't on this planet...where can you be?'
The Outers hadn't made things any better. She winced and swept faster, clenching the broom in her hands. They had accused the Inners of making Serena leave, of hurting her. Amara especially. The Outers had denounced the Inners and it had been a long time since Rei had seen Amara, Michelle, Hotaru, or Setsuna.
Sighing heavily, she leaned against one of the temple walls. She had long since stopped crying. Taking Ami's advice to stop weeping and start thinking.
"Hey Rei!" Mina called out, running up the steps, Artemis clutching fearfully to her shoulder.
"Slow down Mina!" He shouted.
Mina slowed down, and ran a hand through her long, blonde hair. Smirking at Artemis who was on the ground gasping for breath, she walked up to Rei and gave her a hug.
"Hey Rei, how've you been?" She said, just a trace of concern in her voice.
"I'm ok I guess." Rei said with a small smile.
"Have you found any traces of Serena yet?" Mina asked quietly.
"Not yet. I'm hoping Ami has found something." Rei said solemnly.
Mina nodded and picked up Artemis, the two women headed inside the temple.
***********************
Ami set her books down on Rei's bed and allowed Luna to curl up on the bed next to Artemis. She took a seat next to Lita. The four women sat in a circle in Rei's room; each had a look of somberness on their face.
Ami cleared her throat, "I still haven't been able to locate Serena." She said softly.
Lita sighed, "And Darien is still missing as well, huh?"
Ami nodded gravely. Rei sighed in exasperation. "It seems like we're going nowhere at all. We've been searching for almost a year and what do we have to show for it?"
"Well, Rei..." Mina started slowly.
"NO!" Rei shouted. "Rini's gone, and Darien is too. Something's happened to Serena and the Outers won't even talk to us, much less look at us in the eye."
Ami rested her chin on her hand in her usual thinking position. "If only we had some sort of clue as to where Serena went."
"Yea" Lita sighed, leaning back. "But what can we do? We barely know where to start."
"Hmmm."
******************************
"We must be patient. Setsuna knows what she's doing." Michelle said, thoughtfully. "We must trust her."
A gentle breeze blew over the roof of Amara's mansion where the three stood. Amara closed her eyes, smiling as the wind spoke to her. It danced over her skin and swept through her short, sandy blonde hair. She wrapped her arm around Michelle's waist, her eyes filling with sadness. 'Koneko, where are you?' she thought, 'Hotaru still hasn't returned either. What is happening?'
"Outer Senshi."
Michelle and Amara were immediately aware of a strong presence, their eyes seeking out voice.
"Queen Serenity?!"
********************************
Rei sighed, eyes closed, rubbing her temples furiously. Ami, Lita, and Mina sat behind her, as she stared into the fire, begging for any clues that might lead to the rescue of their leader. Sweat glistened on her soft skin, the warmth of the fire encouraging, and frustrating her.
"Inner Senshi."
Rei's eyes opened abruptly. She stood up slowly.
"What is it Rei?" Mina inquired.
"Senshi."
This time they all heard the voice, soft and silvery. Wisdom resonated in the strong, gentle voice.
The Senshi looked around frantically. "Queen Serenity?" Ami whispered.
"You must come with me."
"But how?" Lita said.
Bright light surrounded the Inner Senshi, wrapping them in purity. "Come with me..."
****************************************************
"They want to destroy this world, and my own." Serena repeated, slightly dazed by the explanation Pluto had just given her.
"And they want me as well." Serena barely managed to gasp out.
"Yes. I'm so sorry to tell you this now, Princess. It seems that that I have put you in danger. Forgive me." Pluto kneeled and bowed her head before her.
"No. NO! Pluto, I asked to be taken to a place where I could be happy. You did your best. Please rise Pluto, please. Because of you, I've found my..."
Serena glanced at Vegeta, he was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and his eyes shut. He hadn't said one word during the whole explanation Pluto had given of the dark forces. She smiled almost shyly, "Because of you, Pluto." She continued, "I've found my true prince."
Pluto rose slowly. "Hotaru is here."
"Really?!" Serena said, happy for the distraction.
"Yes, she is with your friends, Mirai and Madison, at your school."
"What about the other Senshi?"
"They will be here soon. Of that, I am sure."
"Pluto, we will all have to fight this new enemy. There can be no divisions. I... I know that this will be a hard battle, but I know we can beat them!" She smiled hopefully.
Pluto smiled at her young Princess, "You have changed so much my princess, the rest of the Senshi will come soon and you must be ready." She glanced at Vegeta; "All of you must be ready when I return. I must return to the Gates, I will try and find out all I can."
Serena nodded, "Thank you Pluto, for...telling me."
Pluto bowed slightly and vanished in a flash of garnet.
(AN: Very important! The Interlude in the Silver Millennium chapters spanned almost 1 day SOOOO...it is evening in the DBZ world/SM world. BTW- Sere/Vege are still in the kitchen..^_^*)
Once again, Serena and Vegeta were left alone in the Briefs' kitchen. Vegeta still stood against the wall, arms crossed with his usual scowl. The silence was deafening, but it seemed that neither knew what to say to the other.
Serena sighed deeply and leaned against the counter. It was late and the sun was setting making the sky a deep lavender-orange color. She turned her head just slightly to she could see Vegeta out of the corner of her eye. She studied his strong build, a faint blush creeping over her cheeks.
'Everything I've known, everything I thought of as my past was a lie. Vegeta is my true prince, the one I love...But...Do I love him truly? Does he love me?'
Meanwhile, Vegeta was having similar thoughts. 'How can this be? Serena is a princess...MY princess. How can I love her? .........How can she love me? Does she?'
Vegeta frustration was burning his heart, he felt as though he was drowning in emotions he couldn't understand. The revelations of his real past were still fresh in his mind...and his memory of Beryl. He growled deep in his throat, the sudden noise startling Serena out of her thoughts.
She looked up and her sparkling sapphire eyes met his. For one brief moment Serena saw something in the Saiya-Jin's eyes, something so deep that she felt her heart cry out for him. She saw uncertain love, deep desire, hidden anger and untold frustration. Her skin burned with profound emotion and she felt sharp pricks running up and down her spine."
In a split second, Vegeta looked away again. Turning, he walked out the kitchen and headed for the GR room. The feeling remained, however, in both of them.
"I'M HOME!!!" Bulma burst into the kitchen and stopped suddenly, "Serena?" On the table and near the counter were two plates of half eaten breakfast. Serena was leaning on the counter, staring at the door that leads out into the hallway, a small smile on her face.
*************************
"Uhhh." Lita groaned and put a hand on her head. "Oh my head, where are we anyway?"
Ami stirred and sat up, leaning against a tree, "My guess is a forest, Jupiter."
"What? What are you talking about?" Lita said, confused.
"Well, you've obviously transformed, otherwise I wouldn't have called you that." Ami said, quite logically.
"But you are too." Mina said groggily, rubbing her eyes.
Rei stood against another tree, her back against the hard wood, "We're all in our Senshi forms."
Sure enough, they were all, surprisingly, in their senshi transformations.
"How, is the question." Mars said suspiciously, watching as Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter stood, shakily on their feet.
"It was Queen Serenity that brought us here."
Jupiter immediately moved into a fighting stance as two figures emerged from the shadows of the woods. Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus.
"We heard her voice just before we were transported here." Neptune said.
The two groups stood apart, "So did we." Venus countered, "But why are we here?"
"Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune!" A small glow appeared and the beautiful figure of Queen Serenity became visible.
"Queen Serenity." The Senshi whispered simultaneously, each kneeling down in respect.
"How can we help, My Lady? Why have we been sent here?" Mars whispered.
"My daughter is here." Serenity said simply.
Gasps rang out from the Inner Senshi, "My daughter is here and she needs your help."
"But...after what we did..." Jupiter said quietly.
"After what YOU did!" Uranus said angrily, "We had nothing to do with how you hurt her!"
"Amara!" Michelle whispered loudly, placing a hand on her shoulder.
The queen looked at the Senshi with sorrow, "To help my daughter, you MUST work together. I know that Serena will forgive you." She looked at the Inner Senshi "I know."
Neptune smiled, "It will be good to see Serena after so long."
"I know that the Outers already know this, but Inner Senshi, there are dark forces here in this world."
"WHAT?" Jupiter shouted, standing up abruptly, the other Sailors followed suit.
"Yes, it is true. They have come to take Serena and will stop at nothing to get her."
"But why?" Venus asked.
"I do not know. All I can tell you is that she will need you all."
"But Hotaru..." Mars began.
"Hotaru is here already." Uranus said.
Mars seemed surprised but looked away from her. "We will do it. We will fight."
"And we will too." Neptune responded.
"First...there is something I have to show you... Your true past."
"What?" Mercury asked, confused. "I don't understand."
"You will know." Queen Serenity raised her arms, smiling as white light surrounded the Senshi once more.
******************
"Serena, tell me what happened?"
"Nothing happened, Bulma." Serena said for the thousandth time. She sighed and sat on Bulma's bed. She had managed to avoid Vegeta for the last 2 hours knowing that they both needed time to think about what had been revealed to them.
"Sure, yeah right Serena." Bulma said skeptically, putting her hand on her hip. She moved toward her mirror, running her other hand through her blue hair. "Come on Serena, you can tell me."
Serena smiled, "There's nothing to tell, Bulma."
"Well, ok. But that smile you had on your face was DEFINETLY a lover's smile." She grinned as Serena blushed deeply. "That's what I thought." She smirked. "Anyway, I guess I'll have to take you back to the school tomorrow morning. I had so much work to do and I'm just so tired. I hope you don't mind."
"It's ok." Serena said.
"Ok, good." Bulma stretched "I guess we had better get some sleep huh?"
"Yeah." Serena replied, already heading for the door. "Bye Bulma, night."
"Night!"
The door closed softly behind Serena. 'I'm gonna find out what your hiding Serena.' Bulma thought with a smile on her face.
************************************
"So...Serena wasn't meant to be with Darien after all." Uranus said aloud, the memories she had received pounding, fresh in her mind. She fought to keep the smile off her face, "I just CAN'T believe it." She said sarcastically, smirking at Neptune.
"I can't believe...I mean...everything we thought was true..." Venus whispered.
"Serena...isn't destined to marry Darien...but another...this, Prince Vegeta of Vegeta-sei?" Mercury mused, analytically.
"How can we believe that?" Mars said.
"How can we not?" Neptune pointed out.
"She's right." Queen Serenity said solemnly, "I replaced your real memories with false ones... I...I thought I was doing what was best. Please forgive me, my mistakes."
"It's alright Serenity-Sama, don't worry." Mercury said.
"Now that we know this and have our true memories we can search for him!" Venus said, her eyes shining. "The Senshi of love is on the case!"
"Oh Kami-sama." Mars mumbled. Venus was still the over-enthusiastic cupid she had been as a teenager.
"She had already found him." The queen said, suppressing a small laugh.
"Really." Mercury replied, already deep in thought, "Then our main course of action will be to get to Serena and Hotaru and help them defeat the dark forces, whoever they may be."
All the Sailor Senshi nodded, "But...only if we can ALL work together." Mercury added.
"That is true, Mercury." Serenity said.
Mars and the other Inners stood face to face with Neptune and Uranus. "Can we agree to work together... at least for now?"
Neptune and Uranus looked at each other and then nodded "For the princess." The two Outers said concurrently.
Queen Serenity smiled at the Sailor Senshi. "Go, find my daughter before the dark forces and their youma do." Her image flickered "Go!" And with those last words, the queen disappeared.
They all stood staring at where her image had been, almost as if expecting something more.
"Umm...now we're in the middle of a forest...in another dimension...and we have no idea how to find Serena..." Jupiter pointed out.
"...Kuso..."
******************************
Serena sat on her bed, once again brushing her long blonde hair. Each strand glittering and shining as the brush moved straight through her silky tresses.
With a sigh she threw the brush on her bed. 'Why? Why? Just when I think I can accept my past, I find out that it is totally different from what I was told.' She groaned and stabbed her pillow with the brush. 'And it turns out that the prince that is REALLY MY prince won't even tell me if he has accepted the memories... whether he's accepted me.'
Another thought ran through her head, 'Have I told him?' She sighed, 'Do I love truly him though?' and then one final thought crossed her mind, 'Yes.'
She got up and stared at the clock: 9:57 PM. She thought. 'I'll wait until midnight.' She smiled. "Yes...Midnight is the perfect hour."
**********************
VEGGIE'S ROOM
The night is perfect, still and quiet. The darkness is the perfect warrior, fighting the light of the day for it's spoils, a few hours of perfect, blissful dark. Now, the dark prince stood on the balcony of his room, the darkness shadowing his soul. His body ached to rest yet he stood in the cold night air, refusing to sleep.
He was a soldier. In the past he had destroyed thousands, defeated the strongest warriors...and yet, the one person that he feared was she. The one person that could melt his heart and make him doubt his own strength and power was a woman.
'A stupid, foolish girl.' His mind told him. 'A stupid, foolish, weak, vulnerable...'
'Beautiful woman.' He heard as his heart fought his mind once again.
He growled deep in his throat and squeezed the railing of the balcony, bending it slightly. "What is happening to me? These memories and thoughts and feelings." Vegeta spoke aloud. His mind strayed to Serena again. How her hair fell gracefully to her feet, every strand, perfect. Her gorgeous, eyes, so expressive and true. Serena was attractive, that was true, but his emotion for her flowed deeper than attraction, it was a much deeper bond.
He smiled (AN: Yes smiled.) faintly, remembering the memories he had been given by Queen Serenity. Serena's gentle face was etched into his consciousness. From her soft, pouty lips to her even more amazing smile.
'NO!' His mind screamed. 'NO! Never can you fall in love. You don't deserve it. You are a destroyer, a monster an assassin.' If possible, his eyes became darker, the realization hitting him like a ki blast. The truth was unbearable and right then he realized that without her, he was nothing.
'You are nothing! You don't deserve her. What kind of Saiya-Jin are you anyway? Succumbing to your emotions. You are disgusting.'
Squeezing harder on the cold metal of the railing, the sharp edges cutting into his calloused, battle-worn hands. He opened his eyes slowly, staring at the small pool of crimson blood forming at the bottom of the railing. The sight was comforting although he didn't know why. Unexpectedly a soft voice called out to him, calling him gently... a very familiar voice.
"Vegeta, sleep, sleep."
His dark eyes felt heavy and he found himself walking off the balcony, toward his bed.
"Sleep, sleep now."
He pulled off his shirt, flexing his muscles and fell onto the bed, his eyes closed before he touched the silky covers.
VEGETA'S DREAM
A forest; shimmering in the early sunlight. Droplets of dew sparkled in the morning light. Yet, a low fog covered the area, shadowing even in the light. A young woman stood among the trees, her hand gently stroking a young doe, a trademark smirk on her face.
'So it has finally happened to you.' She thought, letting go of the animal, walking toward a clearing. In the middle of the clearing there was a large, yet low boulder, which was flat on the top. Lying on the rock was her son, his eyes shut and his breath shallow.
Gently she leaned down and placed a hand on his cheek. "My son." She whispered, "You have finally found love, haven't you?" Queen Sensou smiled at the thought. "You aren't used to these emotions though. Do not fear, Vegeta, I will help you."
***************************
Once again, Serena slipped out of her room, tiptoeing to Vegeta's room and opening the door quietly. He was sprawled out on his bed, and even in sleep, he looked angry. Serena blushed as she remembered what had happened the last time she had snuck into Vegeta's room and blushed to her roots when she realized that Vegeta, once again, wore only his shorts.
'I wonder if he's dreaming?' She thought, edging cautiously toward the sleeping figure. She leaned over him, getting so close that she could feel his warm breathe on her face. Her fingers ached to touch him and her body felt unusually warm. 'Oh my prince, you are so beautiful.' She placed a butterfly kiss on his cheek, her eyes dancing with passion. 'One day, I will tell you how much I love you.'
Serena was awash in emotion and desire, the pain of loneliness burning her. She placed a hand on his muscled chest, watching for any change of expression on his face. Gently she kissed his cheek again; then, feeling a bit more daring, she kissed him tenderly on the lips. She whimpered against his lips, and pushed her tongue into his mouth, wanting to experience his spicy taste again.
VEGETA'S DREAM (CONTINUED)
"You must not be afraid my son. Face these emotions, and embrace them. You have found the one you love, now don't let her go." Vegeta stirred and opened his eyes.
"Mother?"
"Don't let her go Vegeta. Don't." Sensou's image flickered and faded.
END DREAM SEUQENCE
Vegeta's eyes flew open. With a gasp, Serena pulled away, putting a hand to her mouth.
Vegeta sat up and leaned against the headboard of the bed, eyes narrowed at Serena. "What are you doing here?" He growled.
"I-I'm s-sorry, I just..."
He glared at her and licked his lips; her sweetness still remained on them. Slowly he got out of the bed and walked over to her. She took a few steps back, unsure of what was about to happen.
"V-Vegeta, I-I'm sorry."
He grabbed her suddenly, kissing her fiercely. When he pulled away, he smirked when she whimpered, her eyes asking for more. He leaned forward; circling his arms around her waist, leaning close, he whispered in her ear, "Don't apologize."
Slowly, he trailed hot kisses down her throat, smirking as she moaned in response. Her hands wrapped around his neck and she relaxed against his bare chest. "Vegeta." She sighed as he nibbled on her collarbone and kissed lower.
He glanced up at her, their eyes meeting.
"Serena?" He whispered, knowing she knew what he wanted.
"V-Vegeta." She moaned as he kissed her lips again. She struggled to pull out of his grip and finally succeeded. "W-We can't do this Vegeta." She panted.
Vegeta nodded, although disappointed. "Vegeta?" Serena whispered shyly.
"Hn? What woman?"
"I...I do love you." She whispered. She embraced Vegeta once more, not even noticing the shocked expression on his face. She nuzzled his neck gently and yawned. Vegeta picked her up and laid her on his bed. Groaning, he slid in next to her. The couple wrapped their arms around each other.
"Vegeta?"
"Hm?" He said sleepily, his eyes already closing.
"Do you love me?" She asked quietly. She received no answer and when she looked up, she noticed that her prince had fallen asleep. She smiled and kissed him. Settling into his arms she yawned and closed her eyes, a small tear glittering in the dark as it coursed down her cheek.
Arigatougozaimasu taishite shitsukusu
StAr-chan
Notes:
Serena and Vegeta have their true memories.... can they accept them? Did Queen Serenity explain anything to the Outers and Inners as she promised? Dark forces? Hmmm..... What the hell does the name of this fanfic have to do with the actual story?
Do you wanna know? READ ON!!!!!
A Story to Remember
Chapter 12: A New Dimension and New Feelings
SM DIMENSION
Rei swept the same area of the temple for the 27th time. She was hardly paying attention.
'Serena has been gone for almost a year.' She thought bitterly. 'Where are you Serena? You aren't on this planet...where can you be?'
The Outers hadn't made things any better. She winced and swept faster, clenching the broom in her hands. They had accused the Inners of making Serena leave, of hurting her. Amara especially. The Outers had denounced the Inners and it had been a long time since Rei had seen Amara, Michelle, Hotaru, or Setsuna.
Sighing heavily, she leaned against one of the temple walls. She had long since stopped crying. Taking Ami's advice to stop weeping and start thinking.
"Hey Rei!" Mina called out, running up the steps, Artemis clutching fearfully to her shoulder.
"Slow down Mina!" He shouted.
Mina slowed down, and ran a hand through her long, blonde hair. Smirking at Artemis who was on the ground gasping for breath, she walked up to Rei and gave her a hug.
"Hey Rei, how've you been?" She said, just a trace of concern in her voice.
"I'm ok I guess." Rei said with a small smile.
"Have you found any traces of Serena yet?" Mina asked quietly.
"Not yet. I'm hoping Ami has found something." Rei said solemnly.
Mina nodded and picked up Artemis, the two women headed inside the temple.
***********************
Ami set her books down on Rei's bed and allowed Luna to curl up on the bed next to Artemis. She took a seat next to Lita. The four women sat in a circle in Rei's room; each had a look of somberness on their face.
Ami cleared her throat, "I still haven't been able to locate Serena." She said softly.
Lita sighed, "And Darien is still missing as well, huh?"
Ami nodded gravely. Rei sighed in exasperation. "It seems like we're going nowhere at all. We've been searching for almost a year and what do we have to show for it?"
"Well, Rei..." Mina started slowly.
"NO!" Rei shouted. "Rini's gone, and Darien is too. Something's happened to Serena and the Outers won't even talk to us, much less look at us in the eye."
Ami rested her chin on her hand in her usual thinking position. "If only we had some sort of clue as to where Serena went."
"Yea" Lita sighed, leaning back. "But what can we do? We barely know where to start."
"Hmmm."
******************************
"We must be patient. Setsuna knows what she's doing." Michelle said, thoughtfully. "We must trust her."
A gentle breeze blew over the roof of Amara's mansion where the three stood. Amara closed her eyes, smiling as the wind spoke to her. It danced over her skin and swept through her short, sandy blonde hair. She wrapped her arm around Michelle's waist, her eyes filling with sadness. 'Koneko, where are you?' she thought, 'Hotaru still hasn't returned either. What is happening?'
"Outer Senshi."
Michelle and Amara were immediately aware of a strong presence, their eyes seeking out voice.
"Queen Serenity?!"
********************************
Rei sighed, eyes closed, rubbing her temples furiously. Ami, Lita, and Mina sat behind her, as she stared into the fire, begging for any clues that might lead to the rescue of their leader. Sweat glistened on her soft skin, the warmth of the fire encouraging, and frustrating her.
"Inner Senshi."
Rei's eyes opened abruptly. She stood up slowly.
"What is it Rei?" Mina inquired.
"Senshi."
This time they all heard the voice, soft and silvery. Wisdom resonated in the strong, gentle voice.
The Senshi looked around frantically. "Queen Serenity?" Ami whispered.
"You must come with me."
"But how?" Lita said.
Bright light surrounded the Inner Senshi, wrapping them in purity. "Come with me..."
****************************************************
"They want to destroy this world, and my own." Serena repeated, slightly dazed by the explanation Pluto had just given her.
"And they want me as well." Serena barely managed to gasp out.
"Yes. I'm so sorry to tell you this now, Princess. It seems that that I have put you in danger. Forgive me." Pluto kneeled and bowed her head before her.
"No. NO! Pluto, I asked to be taken to a place where I could be happy. You did your best. Please rise Pluto, please. Because of you, I've found my..."
Serena glanced at Vegeta, he was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and his eyes shut. He hadn't said one word during the whole explanation Pluto had given of the dark forces. She smiled almost shyly, "Because of you, Pluto." She continued, "I've found my true prince."
Pluto rose slowly. "Hotaru is here."
"Really?!" Serena said, happy for the distraction.
"Yes, she is with your friends, Mirai and Madison, at your school."
"What about the other Senshi?"
"They will be here soon. Of that, I am sure."
"Pluto, we will all have to fight this new enemy. There can be no divisions. I... I know that this will be a hard battle, but I know we can beat them!" She smiled hopefully.
Pluto smiled at her young Princess, "You have changed so much my princess, the rest of the Senshi will come soon and you must be ready." She glanced at Vegeta; "All of you must be ready when I return. I must return to the Gates, I will try and find out all I can."
Serena nodded, "Thank you Pluto, for...telling me."
Pluto bowed slightly and vanished in a flash of garnet.
(AN: Very important! The Interlude in the Silver Millennium chapters spanned almost 1 day SOOOO...it is evening in the DBZ world/SM world. BTW- Sere/Vege are still in the kitchen..^_^*)
Once again, Serena and Vegeta were left alone in the Briefs' kitchen. Vegeta still stood against the wall, arms crossed with his usual scowl. The silence was deafening, but it seemed that neither knew what to say to the other.
Serena sighed deeply and leaned against the counter. It was late and the sun was setting making the sky a deep lavender-orange color. She turned her head just slightly to she could see Vegeta out of the corner of her eye. She studied his strong build, a faint blush creeping over her cheeks.
'Everything I've known, everything I thought of as my past was a lie. Vegeta is my true prince, the one I love...But...Do I love him truly? Does he love me?'
Meanwhile, Vegeta was having similar thoughts. 'How can this be? Serena is a princess...MY princess. How can I love her? .........How can she love me? Does she?'
Vegeta frustration was burning his heart, he felt as though he was drowning in emotions he couldn't understand. The revelations of his real past were still fresh in his mind...and his memory of Beryl. He growled deep in his throat, the sudden noise startling Serena out of her thoughts.
She looked up and her sparkling sapphire eyes met his. For one brief moment Serena saw something in the Saiya-Jin's eyes, something so deep that she felt her heart cry out for him. She saw uncertain love, deep desire, hidden anger and untold frustration. Her skin burned with profound emotion and she felt sharp pricks running up and down her spine."
In a split second, Vegeta looked away again. Turning, he walked out the kitchen and headed for the GR room. The feeling remained, however, in both of them.
"I'M HOME!!!" Bulma burst into the kitchen and stopped suddenly, "Serena?" On the table and near the counter were two plates of half eaten breakfast. Serena was leaning on the counter, staring at the door that leads out into the hallway, a small smile on her face.
*************************
"Uhhh." Lita groaned and put a hand on her head. "Oh my head, where are we anyway?"
Ami stirred and sat up, leaning against a tree, "My guess is a forest, Jupiter."
"What? What are you talking about?" Lita said, confused.
"Well, you've obviously transformed, otherwise I wouldn't have called you that." Ami said, quite logically.
"But you are too." Mina said groggily, rubbing her eyes.
Rei stood against another tree, her back against the hard wood, "We're all in our Senshi forms."
Sure enough, they were all, surprisingly, in their senshi transformations.
"How, is the question." Mars said suspiciously, watching as Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter stood, shakily on their feet.
"It was Queen Serenity that brought us here."
Jupiter immediately moved into a fighting stance as two figures emerged from the shadows of the woods. Sailor Neptune and Sailor Uranus.
"We heard her voice just before we were transported here." Neptune said.
The two groups stood apart, "So did we." Venus countered, "But why are we here?"
"Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune!" A small glow appeared and the beautiful figure of Queen Serenity became visible.
"Queen Serenity." The Senshi whispered simultaneously, each kneeling down in respect.
"How can we help, My Lady? Why have we been sent here?" Mars whispered.
"My daughter is here." Serenity said simply.
Gasps rang out from the Inner Senshi, "My daughter is here and she needs your help."
"But...after what we did..." Jupiter said quietly.
"After what YOU did!" Uranus said angrily, "We had nothing to do with how you hurt her!"
"Amara!" Michelle whispered loudly, placing a hand on her shoulder.
The queen looked at the Senshi with sorrow, "To help my daughter, you MUST work together. I know that Serena will forgive you." She looked at the Inner Senshi "I know."
Neptune smiled, "It will be good to see Serena after so long."
"I know that the Outers already know this, but Inner Senshi, there are dark forces here in this world."
"WHAT?" Jupiter shouted, standing up abruptly, the other Sailors followed suit.
"Yes, it is true. They have come to take Serena and will stop at nothing to get her."
"But why?" Venus asked.
"I do not know. All I can tell you is that she will need you all."
"But Hotaru..." Mars began.
"Hotaru is here already." Uranus said.
Mars seemed surprised but looked away from her. "We will do it. We will fight."
"And we will too." Neptune responded.
"First...there is something I have to show you... Your true past."
"What?" Mercury asked, confused. "I don't understand."
"You will know." Queen Serenity raised her arms, smiling as white light surrounded the Senshi once more.
******************
"Serena, tell me what happened?"
"Nothing happened, Bulma." Serena said for the thousandth time. She sighed and sat on Bulma's bed. She had managed to avoid Vegeta for the last 2 hours knowing that they both needed time to think about what had been revealed to them.
"Sure, yeah right Serena." Bulma said skeptically, putting her hand on her hip. She moved toward her mirror, running her other hand through her blue hair. "Come on Serena, you can tell me."
Serena smiled, "There's nothing to tell, Bulma."
"Well, ok. But that smile you had on your face was DEFINETLY a lover's smile." She grinned as Serena blushed deeply. "That's what I thought." She smirked. "Anyway, I guess I'll have to take you back to the school tomorrow morning. I had so much work to do and I'm just so tired. I hope you don't mind."
"It's ok." Serena said.
"Ok, good." Bulma stretched "I guess we had better get some sleep huh?"
"Yeah." Serena replied, already heading for the door. "Bye Bulma, night."
"Night!"
The door closed softly behind Serena. 'I'm gonna find out what your hiding Serena.' Bulma thought with a smile on her face.
************************************
"So...Serena wasn't meant to be with Darien after all." Uranus said aloud, the memories she had received pounding, fresh in her mind. She fought to keep the smile off her face, "I just CAN'T believe it." She said sarcastically, smirking at Neptune.
"I can't believe...I mean...everything we thought was true..." Venus whispered.
"Serena...isn't destined to marry Darien...but another...this, Prince Vegeta of Vegeta-sei?" Mercury mused, analytically.
"How can we believe that?" Mars said.
"How can we not?" Neptune pointed out.
"She's right." Queen Serenity said solemnly, "I replaced your real memories with false ones... I...I thought I was doing what was best. Please forgive me, my mistakes."
"It's alright Serenity-Sama, don't worry." Mercury said.
"Now that we know this and have our true memories we can search for him!" Venus said, her eyes shining. "The Senshi of love is on the case!"
"Oh Kami-sama." Mars mumbled. Venus was still the over-enthusiastic cupid she had been as a teenager.
"She had already found him." The queen said, suppressing a small laugh.
"Really." Mercury replied, already deep in thought, "Then our main course of action will be to get to Serena and Hotaru and help them defeat the dark forces, whoever they may be."
All the Sailor Senshi nodded, "But...only if we can ALL work together." Mercury added.
"That is true, Mercury." Serenity said.
Mars and the other Inners stood face to face with Neptune and Uranus. "Can we agree to work together... at least for now?"
Neptune and Uranus looked at each other and then nodded "For the princess." The two Outers said concurrently.
Queen Serenity smiled at the Sailor Senshi. "Go, find my daughter before the dark forces and their youma do." Her image flickered "Go!" And with those last words, the queen disappeared.
They all stood staring at where her image had been, almost as if expecting something more.
"Umm...now we're in the middle of a forest...in another dimension...and we have no idea how to find Serena..." Jupiter pointed out.
"...Kuso..."
******************************
Serena sat on her bed, once again brushing her long blonde hair. Each strand glittering and shining as the brush moved straight through her silky tresses.
With a sigh she threw the brush on her bed. 'Why? Why? Just when I think I can accept my past, I find out that it is totally different from what I was told.' She groaned and stabbed her pillow with the brush. 'And it turns out that the prince that is REALLY MY prince won't even tell me if he has accepted the memories... whether he's accepted me.'
Another thought ran through her head, 'Have I told him?' She sighed, 'Do I love truly him though?' and then one final thought crossed her mind, 'Yes.'
She got up and stared at the clock: 9:57 PM. She thought. 'I'll wait until midnight.' She smiled. "Yes...Midnight is the perfect hour."
**********************
VEGGIE'S ROOM
The night is perfect, still and quiet. The darkness is the perfect warrior, fighting the light of the day for it's spoils, a few hours of perfect, blissful dark. Now, the dark prince stood on the balcony of his room, the darkness shadowing his soul. His body ached to rest yet he stood in the cold night air, refusing to sleep.
He was a soldier. In the past he had destroyed thousands, defeated the strongest warriors...and yet, the one person that he feared was she. The one person that could melt his heart and make him doubt his own strength and power was a woman.
'A stupid, foolish girl.' His mind told him. 'A stupid, foolish, weak, vulnerable...'
'Beautiful woman.' He heard as his heart fought his mind once again.
He growled deep in his throat and squeezed the railing of the balcony, bending it slightly. "What is happening to me? These memories and thoughts and feelings." Vegeta spoke aloud. His mind strayed to Serena again. How her hair fell gracefully to her feet, every strand, perfect. Her gorgeous, eyes, so expressive and true. Serena was attractive, that was true, but his emotion for her flowed deeper than attraction, it was a much deeper bond.
He smiled (AN: Yes smiled.) faintly, remembering the memories he had been given by Queen Serenity. Serena's gentle face was etched into his consciousness. From her soft, pouty lips to her even more amazing smile.
'NO!' His mind screamed. 'NO! Never can you fall in love. You don't deserve it. You are a destroyer, a monster an assassin.' If possible, his eyes became darker, the realization hitting him like a ki blast. The truth was unbearable and right then he realized that without her, he was nothing.
'You are nothing! You don't deserve her. What kind of Saiya-Jin are you anyway? Succumbing to your emotions. You are disgusting.'
Squeezing harder on the cold metal of the railing, the sharp edges cutting into his calloused, battle-worn hands. He opened his eyes slowly, staring at the small pool of crimson blood forming at the bottom of the railing. The sight was comforting although he didn't know why. Unexpectedly a soft voice called out to him, calling him gently... a very familiar voice.
"Vegeta, sleep, sleep."
His dark eyes felt heavy and he found himself walking off the balcony, toward his bed.
"Sleep, sleep now."
He pulled off his shirt, flexing his muscles and fell onto the bed, his eyes closed before he touched the silky covers.
VEGETA'S DREAM
A forest; shimmering in the early sunlight. Droplets of dew sparkled in the morning light. Yet, a low fog covered the area, shadowing even in the light. A young woman stood among the trees, her hand gently stroking a young doe, a trademark smirk on her face.
'So it has finally happened to you.' She thought, letting go of the animal, walking toward a clearing. In the middle of the clearing there was a large, yet low boulder, which was flat on the top. Lying on the rock was her son, his eyes shut and his breath shallow.
Gently she leaned down and placed a hand on his cheek. "My son." She whispered, "You have finally found love, haven't you?" Queen Sensou smiled at the thought. "You aren't used to these emotions though. Do not fear, Vegeta, I will help you."
***************************
Once again, Serena slipped out of her room, tiptoeing to Vegeta's room and opening the door quietly. He was sprawled out on his bed, and even in sleep, he looked angry. Serena blushed as she remembered what had happened the last time she had snuck into Vegeta's room and blushed to her roots when she realized that Vegeta, once again, wore only his shorts.
'I wonder if he's dreaming?' She thought, edging cautiously toward the sleeping figure. She leaned over him, getting so close that she could feel his warm breathe on her face. Her fingers ached to touch him and her body felt unusually warm. 'Oh my prince, you are so beautiful.' She placed a butterfly kiss on his cheek, her eyes dancing with passion. 'One day, I will tell you how much I love you.'
Serena was awash in emotion and desire, the pain of loneliness burning her. She placed a hand on his muscled chest, watching for any change of expression on his face. Gently she kissed his cheek again; then, feeling a bit more daring, she kissed him tenderly on the lips. She whimpered against his lips, and pushed her tongue into his mouth, wanting to experience his spicy taste again.
VEGETA'S DREAM (CONTINUED)
"You must not be afraid my son. Face these emotions, and embrace them. You have found the one you love, now don't let her go." Vegeta stirred and opened his eyes.
"Mother?"
"Don't let her go Vegeta. Don't." Sensou's image flickered and faded.
END DREAM SEUQENCE
Vegeta's eyes flew open. With a gasp, Serena pulled away, putting a hand to her mouth.
Vegeta sat up and leaned against the headboard of the bed, eyes narrowed at Serena. "What are you doing here?" He growled.
"I-I'm s-sorry, I just..."
He glared at her and licked his lips; her sweetness still remained on them. Slowly he got out of the bed and walked over to her. She took a few steps back, unsure of what was about to happen.
"V-Vegeta, I-I'm sorry."
He grabbed her suddenly, kissing her fiercely. When he pulled away, he smirked when she whimpered, her eyes asking for more. He leaned forward; circling his arms around her waist, leaning close, he whispered in her ear, "Don't apologize."
Slowly, he trailed hot kisses down her throat, smirking as she moaned in response. Her hands wrapped around his neck and she relaxed against his bare chest. "Vegeta." She sighed as he nibbled on her collarbone and kissed lower.
He glanced up at her, their eyes meeting.
"Serena?" He whispered, knowing she knew what he wanted.
"V-Vegeta." She moaned as he kissed her lips again. She struggled to pull out of his grip and finally succeeded. "W-We can't do this Vegeta." She panted.
Vegeta nodded, although disappointed. "Vegeta?" Serena whispered shyly.
"Hn? What woman?"
"I...I do love you." She whispered. She embraced Vegeta once more, not even noticing the shocked expression on his face. She nuzzled his neck gently and yawned. Vegeta picked her up and laid her on his bed. Groaning, he slid in next to her. The couple wrapped their arms around each other.
"Vegeta?"
"Hm?" He said sleepily, his eyes already closing.
"Do you love me?" She asked quietly. She received no answer and when she looked up, she noticed that her prince had fallen asleep. She smiled and kissed him. Settling into his arms she yawned and closed her eyes, a small tear glittering in the dark as it coursed down her cheek.
Arigatougozaimasu taishite shitsukusu
StAr-chan